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Speaker 5Welcome to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast from CBS Sports.
Speaker 6And first pitch, rushing deep left field. This is what I call walkable.
Speaker 5Got a fantasy question? Email fantasybaseball at cbsi.com. Get ready to win your league. Where fantasy becomes reality. Now here's Frank. Scott and Chris.
Speaker 7Hey there. Welcome in to Fantasy Baseball Today on Monday, September 21st. Here we are, the final week of the season. I am Frank Sample, joined by Scott White. Today on the show, this is our final weekend recap of the season. Lots of injury updates, waiver wire options for the final week, and much more. Let's jump in.
Speaker 6Oh my goodness gracious.
Speaker 7Oh my goodness gracious. Scott? Mm-hmm. Freddie Peralta is a new man.
Speaker 8Yeah, it sure seems that way. He has not improved with the Rays in the way I thought he would, which was throwing more sliders. And yet, it sure seems like Freddie Peralta has improved with the Rays. Who would have guessed that team would know what it was doing. The latest example is Saturday against the Red Sox. Good lineup. One earned run allowed in five and two-thirds innings. Struck out six, 15 whiffs on 97 pitches. And in his last five starts now, Freddie Peralta has a .94 ERA, a .70 whip. Only 7.2K per nine, which obviously is not Freddie Peralta-like. And the swinging strike rate is a modest 11%, which isn't terrible, but you know. I can't say Freddie Peralta is all the way back. But he has made some changes since joining the Rays that seem to have brought about this success. The biggest being, well, it's really a pair of changes. He's raised his arm angle because it had slipped with the Mets. So it's back from the release height he was using while with the Brewers. And regained the extension on his delivery that had also gone missing with the Mets. So they kind of cleaned him up. But mechanically, again, still wondering where that slider's gone for Freddie Peralta. That was at his best pitch. But he's made this work. And he's also 4-0 during that five-start stretch. So if you haven't been starting him, you've missed out on a lot of good stuff for fantasy. His final start of the season, Freddie Peralta is at the Yankees, which you've got to be nervous about. But I think he's... I think he's a viable option. I'm not saying in shallow leagues, like, you have to start him. You have to force him in your lineup over somebody else who might be interesting. But for people who play in leagues of any real size, I'm thinking of my own Tout Wars League, where I'm currently sitting in first place. And probably can't lose it because I'm, like, up 14 points. But I'm planning on starting Freddie Peralta in that final week, even with that start at the Yankees, because I think he's earned it.
Speaker 7Yeah, I think so, too. And especially at the Yankees with no Aaron Judge in the lineup. We'll get to that in just a little bit. But he was placed on the I.L. this weekend. Not that he was doing much since he returned, but obviously just, like, the presence of Judge being around and the threat, I think it makes pitchers have to work a little bit more. So he will not be in the Yankees lineup. And there was a very large stretch where whenever Judge was out, the Yankees lineup was pretty bad this season. So I think it's fine to get him in there for this week. He has been pitching. Very well, Freddie Peralta. He's not exactly back to, like, the pitcher he was with the Brewers. The results have been very good. The lack of whiffs is kind of weird. More fastballs and change-ups during this stretch for Freddie Peralta. But, yeah, overall, his numbers with the Rays. I know you mentioned just the last five, but the nine starts with the Rays. 360-year, 8.98 whip. Well under a strikeout per inning. But the results have been there. And, yeah, who would have thunk it? The Rays, they pulled it off again. They got Freddie Peralta back on track. Let's start here with two. Two pitchers. Big starts this weekend. The other name I want to mention is Andrew Alvarez, who was great at the Cardinals. Six shutout innings with eight strikeouts to one walk. He had 14 whiffs on 92 pitches. Ten of those came on the curveball, and he has really leaned into that curveball. It was his most used pitch over the weekend. 45% usage, 32% entering that start, and it was great. It had 10 of his 14 whiffs, a 48% whiff rate, and it is a really, really good curveball. And we have mentioned that a lot. I don't really know that he has much else that's good or great outside of that curveball. But he is finding a way to make it work right now. He gets a lot of ground balls. And over his, he has a quality start in three of his last four. And over that four-star stretch, it's a 116 ERA .94 whip, 10.4K per nine, and a ground ball rate over 50%. So, Andrew Alvarez pitching well here down the stretch. He gets the Mets this week. Their lineup is more dangerous, you know, with everyone healthy now. Once again, Soto, Lindor, those guys back in the lineup. But just 24th in Woba against lefties on the season. And I think the way he's pitching right now, Scott, I'd be all right using Alvarez if you need a waiver wire pitcher for this final week.
Speaker 8Yes, he's one of my sleeper pitchers for this week, and he was even before this start on Saturday. Since the Mets do struggle against lefties. You go back nine starts now for Andrew Alvarez, a 215 ERA .97 whip, and 8.8K per nine. I wasn't emphasizing the curveball for that entire stretch, but I think if you tell me a guy with a 50% ground ball rate is striking out nearly a batter per inning, kind of hard to mess that up. I suppose you could walk enough guys to mess it up, but at least recently, that hasn't been something Alvarez is doing, and I think he is underrated. Underrated just in general, honestly. I'm presuming he'll have the inside track on a rotation spot for the Nationals next year, and I think he'll be something of a sleeper. Not a huge upside, but I think a good high floor sleeper.
Speaker 7Yeah, and again, digging into his individual pitch mix, this is Andrew Alvarez we're talking about. Curveball is awesome. Slider has a 35% whiff rate, but does give up some hard contact. Both his foreseam fastball and sinker, have expected Wobas over 370. So those are pretty high marks. Fastball's not great. Breaking pitch is very good here for Andrew Alvarez, who, again, is finishing strong. I think he's a totally fine name to stream in the final week of the season. Oh, my goodness. Just got to mention this one, Scott. Get it out of the way. To anybody who used Jacob Lopez this weekend, I am sorry. My goodness. He was destroyed by the Guardians. Negative 16.5 fantasy points on CBS. And that is just, man, the nail in the coffin. Ten earned runs over two and two-thirds innings here for Jacob Lopez. Not like the start was at home in Sacramento, where, you know, you can be prone to some of these blow-up starts. You know, give up a couple home runs, which he did in this one. It was on the road in Cleveland against that Guardians lineup. And, Scott, it has just come to a screeching halt, unfortunately, for Jacob Lopez.
Speaker 8Yeah, it has. And he gave us a couple warning signs his previous two starts, especially. I think the one right before where I think he had one strikeout, right? And, you know, I lowered him quite a bit in my sleeper pitchers and kind of put some caveats in there that, like, I would like to be able to replace him, but there's just nobody else interesting out there on the waiver wire. So, hopefully, you know, I was kind of straddling the fence there, but hopefully people who were also on the fence heeded that warning. I started Lopez in one league. I dropped him in two others. You know, it kind of just depends on league context. whether or not it made sense sense to use them but hopefully very few of you listening did yeah and if you're still somehow
Speaker 7alive and competing for anything uh pretty obvious but go ahead and drop jacob lopez for andrew alvarez if you if you need that final start this weekend uh this week excuse me uh i guess just a little heads up on the way things are gonna be moving forward programming wise we we're still gonna be live every uh weeknight this week you know from monday through thursday as we usually are we will not be live again next sunday with a weekend recap we'll uh that's when we will move into our off-season schedule which will be monday and wednesday nights will be live and that'll be in your audio podcast feed on tuesday and thursday so again this week normal schedule and then the following week after that we move to two podcasts per week through the end of december and then we start to ramp up there once again let's take our first break and when we return uh lots of news lots of injuries i hope alex bregman's eye does not fall out because that is a very very scary look we'll talk about all that right after this delivered by little caesars the
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Speaker 7and fees may apply baseball season is in full swing and there's no better place to be than calci america's number one prediction market platform atlanta is currently trading at seven percent to win it all meaning a one hundred dollar trade pays out over twelve hundred dollars with a win on calci you're trading against other people in a live market no house no odds makers and as odds move you can buy in or out anytime throughout the postseason download the calci app and use code fan to get up to five hundred dollars in bonus credits when you trade twenty five dollars k-a-l-s-h-i calci trade on anything 18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors calci products are not available in all jurisdictions prices values and available markets may differ from those mentioned for more information see calci.com slash regulatory hey before we jump back into the show let's take a quick break but not just any break this is a refreshing break with snapple we all know about snapple's iconic real facts so let's take a minute to go over some of my faves snapple real facts 1417 before 1859 baseball umpires sat behind home plate in rocking chairs snapple real facts 1483 more than 100 baseballs are used during a typical professional baseball game snapple real fact 253 the first tv remote control introduced in 1950 was called lazy bones snapple real fact 2105 professional athletes used to perform in vaudeville in the offseason so grab a snapple take a second and enjoy the moment because let's be honest this might be the most refreshing part of your day snapple make your break more interesting all right now let's get back to the show welcome back fantasy baseball today and let's run through the news and notes lots of injuries to talk about and the first one a massive one dylan c underwent an mri on his shoulder on saturday and will not make his scheduled start this week against the orioles he had a rough start on friday at the rangers two and two-thirds four runs allowed six walks only three strikeouts in that one and uh his velocity remains down big time we have mentioned it over the past month whenever he starts like hey man his velocity is down longer than a month yeah i mean basically since july it's been weird because the results have mostly still been very good except now they're they're starting to really
Speaker 8kind of spin out yeah yeah i mean so he obviously had a bad start uh friday dylan c's lasting only two and two-thirds innings walk six so that was a bad start in the uh let's see did i put the number down here yeah in the eight starts okay okay here's here's what it is so last three starts for dylan c it was a season low average fastball velocity each time with the biggest drop coming here over the weekend uh averaged only 93.6 and that was 94.8 the previous start so three in a row is season low but the biggest drop here and the most recent one over a mile per hour in the eight starts prior to that when the velocity first started diminishing it was the best till and cease we've ever seen a 138 era a 0.83 whip 11.4k per nine so judging from that you know it wasn't just run prevention the strikeouts were amazing too it seemed like something he was doing intentionally and we don't have a timeline for exactly how long his shoulder was bothering him just that he was pitching with uh through shoulder fatigue for a while so we don't have a timeline for exactly how long his shoulder was bothering him just that he was you know i i don't know if it totally coincides with that 11 start stretch again the first eight of which were amazing in the last three of which not so much but obviously this has gone from being just a curiosity to a major concern something that could impact him even going into next season
Speaker 7yeah i mean that's kind of where we're left now is trying to figure out and obviously we'll have all off season it does become troublesome with the lockout we're not going to get we're just not going to be able to do anything about it we're just not going to be able to do anything about it get player updates unfortunately on you know injuries and things like that but it's something we're going to have to pay attention to with dylan sees i mean he was in the he's still going to get cy young votes i think cam schlittler has pretty clearly pulled away at this point but uh yeah it was a great season up until now which coincides with this velocity drop i did want to mention his first 18 starts dylan sees average 97.7 miles per hour on his fastball his last 11 it's 95.5 so that is a stark drop um and he's been below 95 each of those last three outings uh as you pointed out so very scary stuff here for dylan sees who will not pitch this week get him out of your lineups and uh we'll try to figure out what we do with him for next season we have a lot of yankee updates as well aaron judge placed on the il saturday with that right calf strain it was retroactive to thursday judge and the yankees hope that he's back for the playoffs but really nobody knows right now i i would probably bet against it but i guess uh the only person who knows is judge and how that calf is feeling but any calf strain usually takes more than you know 10 days two weeks to recover from so i just don't really see it happening just a brutal season all around for judge the rib injury now the calf with judge out elliot ramos started all three games this weekend he homered on saturday and sunday so i i think he could be a streamer this week with seven games just kind of a volume play faces the rays for four so they have some tough pitchers yeah and then it's uh i think the orioles over the weekend so
Speaker 8and they are one of two teams the yankees with seven games this week but yeah unfortunately both of the teams with seven games are facing some pretty tough pitchers
Speaker 7yep yep uh i i don't really know what we'll make of judge i guess we'll see if he plays in the postseason or not but you know as great as he is scott and i look i think if he's healthy he still is you know one of if not the best hitter in all baseball but getting up there in age and now we got the the rib and the calf popping up it's it does at least add a little cloud of doubt heading into
Speaker 8the top of drafts next season yeah i mean he's gonna go at the highest third probably and i could see him dropping to more like fifth or sixth potentially i my initial inclination was to rank him second but when i considered that he'll be i believe 35 next year right i think that's right yeah i that was enough to talk me out of it and put p cro armstrong ahead of him in addition to altani 35 in late april next season yeah and uh yeah i it's probably just an injury plagued year but even during the stretch before the injury there were the strike out rate was way up again like it was earlier in his career after he'd made huge strides as far as that goes so i can't rule out the possibility of there being some decline that we just didn't get a chance to observe fully because he missed so much time that would be the biggest concern for me with judge anyone could have an injury plagued year obviously the older you get the more likely it becomes uh i would guess as he gets older they'd spend a lot more time with dh and we've seen that uh help further the career of so many sluggers over the Cruz used to have a reputation for being injury prone and then he became a full-time DH and and it's like he'd never get injured again, and he became this huge fantasy asset because of it. So that's something that could work in Judge's favor, potentially.
Speaker 7I agree with you. The problem is the logjam, that is the Yankees. They still have Luis Garcia on the roster for next season. They have Ben Rice. So just right there, that's what I presume will be first base in DH unless they move Ben Rice back to catcher, which I just don't see it happening.
Speaker 8Yeah, it'll be interesting.
Speaker 7I think Stanton still has another year on the contract, but I have no idea if he even plays anymore.
Speaker 8I don't know that they're counting on him for much anymore.
Speaker 7Yeah, so I agree with you. I just don't really know how realistic it'll be for Judge's ideas.
Speaker 8Right, I don't know that it'll be realistic for next year. That's fair.
Speaker 7Yeah, Jazz Chisholm could return as early as Tuesday, and he's been on the aisle since September 8th with a thumb sprain. If he returns, Anthony Volpe likely moves to a bench role, maybe short side platoon with Jazz. Volpe did play some games at third base in the minors. Ryan McMahon has been terrible offensively. So I guess Volpe maybe could play third. I don't know if they're willing to take that leap this late into the season. But yeah, if you're using Volpe as a middle infield, he's probably going to lose some playing time this week. Spencer Jones was out on Saturday with foot soreness, but then he returned on Sunday and he homered. So that's a good sign there. Trent Grisham is unlikely to return this week, but could be ready for the playoffs. He went on the aisle in early September. Would they? Hamstring strain. Shohei Otani said after Saturday's game that there's a... I wrote Shohei Otani said that he will be back. Pretty sure it was Dave Roberts who said this. I don't know. Someone said it. Anyway, Otani will be activated. A good chance he'll be activated against the Padres. He's eligible to return on Wednesday. So Scott, if you have Otani, the hitter, would you use him this week? Knowing you might get, like, I don't know, he'll probably sit out another game, like four games out of Otani?
Speaker 8Yeah, that's the tough thing. Like, first of all, I don't think we realized how much they backdated him because we were thinking he might get two games at the end of the year, counting up to 15 days. But apparently they backdated him more than that. So there's a chance for... What is it? It's five games, right? Potentially. Yeah. But you're saying he's likely to sit even more. And yeah, what are... What are the Dodgers playing for at this point? They've pretty much secured the bye in round one. I believe they're four games ahead of the Braves with six to play. Like, they're not blowing that. So I think the last week is mostly going to be about making sure everybody's ready for the playoffs. Because of the bye, they don't want to overdo it and have everybody rusty going into that second round. But I would imagine Otani... Otani, fresh off the I.L., would not see true everyday duty. Yeah. So I think it would have to be a situation where you... The alternative really isn't great for you in that D.H. spot. And it's like, well, I'm just going to roll with Otani and hope he does Otani things for four days. In most cases, though, I'd probably steer clear.
Speaker 7All right. Alex Bregman left early on Sunday. Very scary scene. He got struck in the face by a foul ball. While in the on-deck circle. And, yeah, scary stuff. Definitely had a bloody nose. There was a cut. Apparently his cheek was pretty swollen. He actually put out a picture on his Instagram. And he looked pretty beat up. It looks like he went, like, you know, 10 rounds with Mike Tyson or something like that. He is pretty banged up. It's bad. It's bad. I don't even... I don't know if he's going to play this week. We don't really have updates.
Speaker 8I don't know if he's going to play in the playoffs. Like, I don't know. Like, other than the picture, he hasn't really offered any updates. He said, I'll be back, I think, in the Instagram update with the picture. Obviously didn't offer a timetable. I hope his eye's okay. I mean, obviously, eyes are everything to a hitter, a baseball player in general. And I hope it's okay. We don't have any updates. Obviously, we shouldn't expect anything. We don't expect to use Alex Bregman in the final week. It looks bad, though.
Speaker 7Yeah. And if you need third base help in his absence, some names on Scott's sleeper hitters for this week. Nolan Arenado, who has three games in Coors Field, revenge games. Javier Sandoja.
Speaker 8He's been too broad, too.
Speaker 7Yeah. Javier Sandoja has been... He homered again this weekend. He has six games this week. And then Zach Gelof has the six games at home in Sacramento. So, a couple of third base options there. For you. In place of Alex Bregman.
Speaker 8And in the league where I have Bregman and I'm playing for the championship, I put in claims for both Arenado and Sonoha. It is on the shallower side, them both being available like that. But I am putting my money where my mouth is.
Speaker 7I love it. Andy Pahez will return Tuesday against the Padres. He missed a month with a fractured hand. If people are still playing and have Andy Pahez on their roster, Scott, would you use him this week? First? Week back from a fractured hand. Seems scary.
Speaker 8Yeah. For the same reason that using Otani fresh off the IEL seems scary. I'm kind of doubtful the Dodgers are going to start Pahez every game.
Speaker 7Yeah. I would try to get away from him if you can. Andres Munoz left early on Sunday with a knee injury. He'll undergo an MRI. It was Eduardo Bazzardo who picked up the save in his absence. So, pay attention there. You could need a Munoz replacement this week. Logan Webb was officially placed in the IEL with a blister on his right middle finger. Troy Melton will be examined after he complained of achiness in his arm after leaving on Sunday. He allowed four runs over three and two-thirds innings. This is another pitcher not to the level that Jacob Lopez is kind of, you know, stumbling to the finish line. But Troy Melton has definitely slowed down and perhaps this arm achiness could explain why he's been so bad lately.
Speaker 8Yeah, it's been even longer since I've wanted to start Melton than Lopez because last seven starts, 577 ERA, 166 whip. I'm kind of hoping the achiness explains it because he was a source of much optimism mid-season. And even now, his ERA for as bad as this finish has been is, what is it? Is it below three still? Like, that goes to show you just how effective Melton was. Melton was earlier in the year, 276 for the year, the ERA. But yeah, even without this report of achiness, he's not somebody you would have wanted to use for the final week.
Speaker 7Peyton Toley had his start push back from this past weekend as the Red Sox looked to line him up for game one of the wildcard round. Don't be surprised if that's like a start on the shorter end of things. A lot of teams are, teams that are locked into their playoff spot, they're kind of, you know, they're restricting their pitchers a little bit and, you know, so they don't push them too much ahead of the playoffs.
Speaker 8And let me go ahead and say right now with Peyton Toley, he's scheduled to go Tuesday. And if you go to your lineup page, as of right now, he's going to have two baseballs next to his name because he's starting Tuesday. Automatically, the algorithm is slotting him Sunday as well. He's not starting Sunday.
Speaker 6No, he's not.
Speaker 8The Red Sox, there's nothing to gain from them using their best pitcher on the final day of the season when obviously they're going to be in a dogfight right after that. So just presume one start for Toley. Might be worth starting. Like you said, it could be a shorter start. I don't know that it will be. That is kind of the chaotic nature of this final week. He has, you know, got a resting period until that first playoff start, but you might want to use him for the one start, but just not to. If you're expecting to, you're going to be disappointed.
Speaker 7How about that potential wildcard game one matchup, Scott? Cam Schlittler up against Peyton Toley.
Speaker 8This year's Cy Young winner versus next year's. I like it.
Speaker 7Take the under. Take the under in that game. A roll to Chapman was not available this weekend as he works through that lat issue. It was lefty reliever Eric Miller who picked up the save on Friday night. I believe Garrett Whitlock gave up a walk-off hit this weekend. So yeah, Chapman battling this lat thing. If you have a safer, healthier reliever option in a weekly lineup league, might want to go in a different direction there. Garrett Crochet threw a two-inning side session on Saturday. The Red Sox want him to face hitters at Fenway early this week. And if that goes well, he could return later this week or they could just save him to return in the playoffs. Pete Fairbanks will have thoracic outlet surgery. And depending on which type of thoracic outlet surgery he has, he could miss a large chunk of next season. Vlad Jr. left early on Sunday due to lower back tightness. I mean, if you ever needed a reason to get him out of your lineup. If you're still playing and have Vlad Jr., I mean, probably shouldn't use him anyway. He's been really bad this year.
Speaker 8It's been the back all year, right? Or was it something else around the All-Star?
Speaker 7I think it's mostly been the back. I think there was a leg thing that popped up somewhere. Maybe a knee or a hamstring or something. But I think it's mostly been the back.
Speaker 8I'll check to be sure. It was what... What... We didn't end up playing in the All-Star game because of it, He was voted in to the outrage of many, but then didn't play because his back was ailing him. Am I getting all this right?
Speaker 7That sounds right.
Speaker 8Yeah. I'll check.
Speaker 7All right.
Speaker 8Be sure it's the back.
Speaker 7Kyle Tucker. No. No.
Speaker 8No. Wait. No. He left a hamstring injury early in the second half, but it was the back before then. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 7Kyle Tucker was out of the lineup Sunday after fouling a ball off his right knee slash shin on Saturday, and he's actually been pretty hot, so hopefully Kyle Tucker good to go early this week. Chase Burns was placed in the IL with a right groin strain, and his season ends with a .286 ERA .117 whip, 185 strikeouts, over 154 in a third innings. Obviously, great season, Scott. It stinks for those in head-to-head leagues that Chase Burns was limited down the stretch here. Yeah. It stinks. It stinks for anyone who had him, honestly. But, yeah, I think he'll rank as a probably top 15, top 20 starting pitcher for next season, Chase Burns.
Speaker 8I think he might be in my top 10.
Speaker 7I don't think that's crazy.
Speaker 8Yeah.
Speaker 7All right. Again, that was Chase Burns. Treya Savage is returning Monday against the Orioles, and that makes him a two-star pitcher, I think, at the Orioles and home against the Reds. He is 73% rostered. He is 8% started, and he only threw 34 pitches in his lone rehab start, and he was a good pitcher. He was bad. So, Scott, I would not recommend using Treya Savage.
Speaker 8I agree. Sounds like a bad plan.
Speaker 7Sorry, I was trying to pick up my pen.
Speaker 8You want me to filibuster.
Speaker 7I was trying to pick up my pen. It fell on the floor. Roki Sasaki will return during this upcoming series against the Padres. We don't know if he will be a starter, a bulk reliever, a short reliever, so do not use Roki Sasaki. Braxton Ashcraft played catch on Friday, but is not expected to return this season, and his season ends with 28-7, starts a .365 ERA 109 whip, 173 strikeouts over 165 and a third, and, yeah, he'll be a bit of an interesting one to rank. Obviously, his first half of the season was so good, and then he hit that middle part that was a pretty rough stretch there for Ashcraft, and then was looking to finish strong, although the strikeouts did kind of disappear on him. But I think as a low-end to high-end three for next year, that makes sense right now in my mind.
Speaker 8Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So probably like at that 25-30 range of the starting pitcher rankings, that sounds about right just going top of mind for Braxton Ashcraft.
Speaker 7The Tigers will promote River Ryan to start Monday against the Nationals. He was one of the big pieces that came over in the Tarek Skubal trade, and his most recent rehab start, it was two and two-thirds innings, five hits, two runs, only got up to 39 pitches, 19% rostered. Scott, I'm interested to see what River Ryan looks like here, but I don't think... I don't think that we can recommend actually using him. I would agree with that. The Orioles reinstated Felix Bautista on Saturday and announced that Ryan Helsley will be shut down for the remainder of the season. Do you think that Bautista works into the saves mix at all for the Orioles?
Speaker 8I mean, it wouldn't be the most shocking thing if he got a save the final week, but I'd be pretty surprised if he got two saves.
Speaker 6Yeah.
Speaker 8I would guess nobody in the Orioles bullpen gets two saves in the final week.
Speaker 7And he did pitch on Sunday, it looks like, and he was not good. He pitched in the seventh inning. He allowed a run on a walk and two hits. He did have two strikeouts. I can pull up the velocity real quick, see how the velocity looked. Felix Bautista first outing back after arm surgery, and it was... Yeah, his velocity was mostly... Yeah, mostly in line with where it was,
Speaker 8because it was down in the minors last I saw.
Speaker 6Yeah.
Speaker 7So, all right. Yeah, I don't think Felix Bautista really matters, but he's a name that could matter for next season. We have another one of those wonky baseball injuries. Bryce Eldridge reportedly bumped his head at the team hotel, resulting in a laceration and concussion symptoms, and he's in the concussion protocol and did not play on Sunday. So, I know he had some tough matchups this week, so maybe you wanted to get away from him anyway. Obviously, he was finishing very strong, so I don't know. Obviously, he is a really tall guy, so I guess there are ways that he could have hit his head on something and just wasn't paying attention.
Speaker 8Oh, my gosh. Do you have any idea how often I hit my head on light fixtures and my new house, it's like the hood over the oven.
Speaker 6Ooh.
Speaker 8I'm constantly banging my forehead on it.
Speaker 6That's right.
Speaker 8And I'm only 6'2", so 6'7", I can't... I can't even imagine the difficulty. He's probably a lot more coordinated than me, Bryce Eldridge. He's a professional athlete. Well, I am anything but, but still. It's got to happen a lot. I can relate.
Speaker 7Yep. Kyle Quantrill left early Saturday with lat tightness, and then he was placed on the aisle on Sunday, so that ends the magical run for Kyle Quantrill. Shane Boz is scheduled to start Monday, despite leaving his previous start with a comebacker off of his elbow. 67% rostered. He is home against the Blue Jays, the Blue Jays, and at the Yankees. Scott, can I interest you at all in Shane Boz' final week?
Speaker 8I don't think so. I could understand, like, you might do crazy things this final week. There are very few two-star pitchers just because only two teams are playing seven games. And then there are going to be even fewer two-star pitchers than it seems because there are going to be a lot of, like, spot starters inserted or bullpen games this final week that end up canceling that second start for a lot of pitchers. So, as a general, I would say don't count on anyone making two starts. But if you're looking to throw a Hail Mary in a Roto League where you're trying to catch up in strikeouts and wins, or you're in a points league, maybe you're in the second week of a two-week matchup and you're behind and you just, you kind of need a Hail Mary. I get it. That's the only scenario where I'd be interested in Shane Boz, though.
Speaker 7All right. It turns out that the Dodgers recalled Emmett Sheehan. Of course they did on Sunday. And he pitched very well against the Dodgers. The Giants, five and a third shutout innings with nine strikeouts and over his last three games in the majors, 17 innings of one-run ball, 24 strikeouts to three walks. He is 46% rostered. And I don't have an update, Scott. Maybe you do. Whether or not Sheehan is going to pitch again this week. If he does, I would be interested. I just don't know.
Speaker 8Yeah. He's looked so good in the last three chances with the trip to the minors in between that, in addition, in a daily lineup league, I would try not to drop him or I would try to pick him up even depending on what I would have to forfeit just in case we find out the day before. Oh, yeah. Sheehan starting this day, kind of like we did Saturday or was it even Sunday morning that we found out he was going Sunday? Technically not a start, but we knew he was going to pitch in a bulk roll.
Speaker 6Right.
Speaker 8So I imagine the Dodgers, if Sheehan does go again, it'll be kind of a last minute, an announcement like that. But that's the advantage of a daily lineup league. You could sub them in and hopefully profit. But if you're in a weekly lineup league, there's no way you could risk it. I think it's likely. I think it's likely Sheehan starts again because they're resetting their rotation for the playoffs, but not a guarantee.
Speaker 7A couple others here. The Nationals signed Cade Cavalli to a four-year contract extension that includes a club option for 2031. The deal is worth $47 million. $47 million guaranteed and could be worth $70 million if the option is picked up. And some other names who went on the I.L. this weekend, Joshua Baez with a left oblique strain, Jared Young went to the concussion I.L., and Trevor Larnik with left wrist soreness. Let's take our final break. When we return, I've got some waiver wire options for the final week, some players who are finishing strong, and more. We'll do that right after this. Baseball has always been a game of inches. Now it's also a game of seconds. T-Mobile and MLB have teamed up to bring ABS Challenge to all 29 ballparks across the U.S. This isn't a minor upgrade. This is the most significant new technology in the history of the sport. And it's powered by T-Mobile. With every pitch thrown, ABS Challenge uses real-time precision to verify the call, giving them the support they need. No delays, no guesswork, just accuracy at the speed the game demands. Thanks to ABS Challenge, T-Mobile is helping power the moments that define the game. When performance and reliability are non-negotiable, MLB turns to T-Mobile. That's not a coincidence. That's what happens when the most innovative network in the country powers the most data-driven sport in the world. T-Mobile powers MLB's most ambitious technology. And America's best network powers your connection to baseball. Home or away, every pitch, every game, every day. T-Mobile. It's better over here. Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. T-Mobile. Best mobile network in the U.S. According to T-Mobile, According to Ookla Speed Test, based on analysis by Ookla of Speed Test Intelligence data first half 2026. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.
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Speaker 7Welcome back to Fantasy Baseball Today. We were wearing hitters for the final week and we will start with some shallow names we can go yay or nay on some of these picks whether or not we want to use them Zach Gelof we spoke about he's on Scott's sleeper hitters list matchups are a little bit tougher the pitching matchups but it is six games in Sacramento and he stayed hot this weekend uh he homered he homered on Friday and then he had multi-hit games on both Saturday and Sunday so uh Zach Gelof is a yay a yes for this week Travis Bazana he has been hot here in September he homered on Friday and in the month 302 batting average six homers 1101 OPS 73% rostered six games this week Scott the problem four lefties on the schedule so as hot as Bazana is I I don't think we can recommend him
Speaker 8yeah I would agree with that but I am encouraged by the general direction he's trending here got a lot of good stuff going on he's got a lot of good stuff going on to such a hot start and then kind of collapsed and we weren't sure how to value him in fantasy moving forward um but this strong finish I think uh put him in pretty good standing for next year
Speaker 7rather not use him this week though all right Dainsby Swanson back with a bang he was activated on Friday he went two for four with a home run on Saturday and he's 67% rostered he has six games this week and some pretty bad pitchers on the schedule Scott can I interest you in uh Dainsby Swanson say some pretty bad pit I actually have a
Speaker 8I actually marked the Cubs matchup as good for the final week so we may have a little disagreement there no no we're in we're in agreement Scott he's facing bad pitchers facing bad pitchers I was okay I heard his matchups are bad okay good matchups because those bad pitchers so yes because Dainsby Swanson started his first two games back home in one doesn't seem like the rest is there and now they're without Alex Bregman I think uh you know it is kind of a similar situation to those Dodgers hitters where I don't think the Cubs have much to play for the final week but I think one of the things they will have to play for is um uh well I don't know I I think I would guess Swanson would at least start four of those six games and maybe five all right some mid-tier names that I have on the list
Speaker 7here and two of them that again are on Scott's sleeper hitters Ty Franz who just remains very hot he homered on Friday he had three more hits on Saturday he's hitting 362 with a 992 OPS in September and he's 58% rostered so as a first baseman as a corner infielder the only thing Scott you know three games against the Dodgers he'll have to face some tough pitchers there but then he also gets three against the D-backs which you know Brandon Fott Corbin Burns and Soroka not really scared off by those guys
Speaker 8no I think Swanson like I don't even think it matters anymore you got a guy France France Ty France I'm sorry Ty who did I say Swanson gosh Ty France yes I you've got a guy who for the year is batting over 300 with an OPS around 900 and he's sitting there on the waiver wire free for the taking like it doesn't even really matter what the matchups are for what it's worth I think uh I think the Dodgers are are gonna go with like Justin Robleski types for the at least the first two games of the series against the Padres so I I don't think it's gonna end up being tough matchups for him anyway
Speaker 7all right Javier Sanoja also on your sleeper hitter list he hit a three run home run on Sunday mentioned his name earlier uh 18 games in September he's hitting 347 four homers two steals and OPS over a thousand he's hitting 347 for the first two games of the series he's been good for a while now uh and second third shortstop outfield eligible there for Sanoja so that is a yes for him George Lombard Jr. is uh finishing strong here he homered twice this weekend and over his last six games he has eight hits two homers a steal it's it's been very up and down I think that's you know to be expected from a rookie but he does have the seven games this week so I don't know Scott can I interest you at all in George Lombard as a mostly as like a middle infielder right I don't think we could do it as like a shortstop but I think he's been
Speaker 8stopped in a shallower league I was feeling like he would be hotter than he actually is when I looked at the numbers like yes he does have the uh the home runs recently but the batting average is still lagging I think the most encouraging thing was that this home run he hit Sunday George Lombard was 108 miles per hour and I think I think it was over 440 feeling it was a bomb 440 plus feet um which is the kind of way he was impacting the ball triple a but it isn't the best matchups and again it's it's kind of just a few isolated home runs as opposed to him really getting hot so I I think it would have to be a pretty desperate situation to
Speaker 7start George Lombard in the final week is that also the case for Walker Jenkins who is showing some signs of life three for four with a home run on Friday three hits and a home run on Thursday had two more hits on Saturday so that was three straight multi-hit games for Walker Jenkins who has six games this week against Blade Tidwell Anthony Molina Cesar Perdomo Jordan Montgomery Jacob DeGrom and Mackenzie Gore so DeGrom is obviously that's a tough matchup everything else looks pretty good um can I interest you at all in
Speaker 8Walker Jenkins but a couple lefties there which I don't think I did I think I don't think I don't think they did start sitting in against lefties because he got off to such such a slow start so that might be reason enough to avoid Walker Jenkins but uh I'm I was encouraged by what I saw over the week in three straight multi-hit games after doing next to nothing yeah um I'm hopeful he's turned the corner I just think it's too big of a risk for anything 12 teams are
Speaker 7shallower yep no I I get that what about Angel Martinez had a huge game on Saturday four for five double dong four RBI he started Saturday and Sunday he sat out the three games before that he has crushed lefties this year and I mentioned this earlier with Travis Bazzana they're on the same team the Guardians uh four lefties on the schedule and so again Angel Martinez has crushed lefties this year can you see yourself using him at all Scott 34% rostered he has a second base and
Speaker 8outfield eligibility uh I mean it's the fifth worst hitter matchups in addition to the five lefties so let me see exactly what crushed means in the case of Angel Martinez 295 batting average 820 OPS against lefties at least going into Sunday's game yeah it's pretty good any second base eligible I could see maybe doing it if there was like a glaring need there uh but it is tough matchups on the whole yeah totally
Speaker 7great Ranger Suarez Noah Cameron Michael Waka and uh Daniel Lynch there for Angel Martinez and then Yair Diaz went two for four with his 13th home run I did not write down which day that was I'm pretty sure it was Sunday is that the case yep on Sunday for uh Yair Diaz he's looked very good in September 357 three homers 961 OPS 39% rostered and six road games this week Logan Gilbert George Kirby the Gilbert part I don't love Kirby is hittable um but the four games in Sacramento I like that a lot Scott so Yair Diaz is like a second catcher or even if like a low-end catcher one if you're
Speaker 8just desperate I like those matchups this week he's basically been a 300 hitter since returning from I think it was an oblique injury I was just writing about this the other day uh but yeah he spent he spent like a um a month and a half on the IL and was really struggling before that comes back sitting about 300 OPS about 830 like basically looks like Yair Diaz again the playing time hasn't been as consistent as some catchers and of course he doesn't walk at all which really holds him back in points leagues but I think I think he needs to be more rostered and started than he is yeah I definitely agree with that for the final week
Speaker 7again those four games in Sacramento I love that some deeper name Samad Taylor is finishing strong for the Padres he has started six straight and 10 of the last 11 during those 11 games hitting 406 with a homer and three steals he is seven percent rostered does have some of those matchups against the Dodgers this week Jake Cronenworth had himself a big weekend two for three with a run on Friday he had two steals on Saturday he went three for four double dong five RBI on Sunday nine percent rostered first and second base eligible again Taylor and the aforementioned tie France and Victor Mesa Jr. homered off of a lefty on Sunday and he is having a big September 357 four homers three seals 1080 OPS he's actually been better against lefties than he has been against righties and he is 30 percent rostered Scott can I interest you in any of these deeper names Samad Taylor Jake Cronenworth Victor Mesa Jr. I think Mesa is the
Speaker 8most interesting except for the fact that the race has a lot of people who are going to be the fourth worst hitter matchup, so That kind of takes him out of the running. Not a lot to get excited there about Cronenworth. He has been good over the last week, but that's like the first time we could say that all season. So, no, I'm not particularly interested in the others.
Speaker 7All right, some waiver wire pitcher options. Again, final week of the season. Some shallow league names. Tyler Malley, strong start at the Astros. Six innings, one run, six strikeouts. And over his last 12 starts, 197 ERA, .96 whip. He is home against the Reds this week. I mean, you've got to love that. Griffin Jacks pitched well against the Red Sox. Five shutout innings with five strikeouts. He has not thrown more than 74 pitches or more than five innings since coming off the IL, but he has looked pretty good. He is at the Phillies this week. And Joey Cantillo pitched well in bulk relief against the Athletics. Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me three times, a million times, Joey Cantillo. Yeah, I feel like we've been fooled quite a bit on him. But his last two games in bulk relief have looked very good. Ten shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks at the Royals this week. Not really a matchup that scares you much at all. Scott, how would you rank these three for the final week? Cantillo at the Royals, Griffin Jacks at the Phillies, and Tyler Malley home against the Reds.
Speaker 8Malley by a long shot. Agreed. Malley probably needs to be started in every league with the kind of run he's been on with the Braves. Doesn't really have a miss yet with them. And this is one of the better matchups he's had. He's been coming through against much tougher matchups than the Reds. The other two I don't really want to start. I'd be more likely to start Griffin than Cantillo. Or, yeah, yeah, I'd be more likely. Yeah, I would be more likely to start Griffin of the two. And three straight starts. He's managed to go five innings, but the pitch count is still low. And, uh, I'd be worried about it just being a waste of a lineup spot. But I don't think he's going to do much harm with that start. So, that would be my take there.
Speaker 7All right, so mid-tier name. Zach Thornton turned in a quality start against the Phillies. Six innings, two runs, four strikeouts for him. His curveball was very different. I don't know why, but the could be a classification thing, but the velocity was up like six miles per hour and the movement profile was completely different. But Thornton has actually been pretty consistent. Three earned runs or fewer in 12 of 14 starts. He is at the Rangers this week. Brandon Young took a tough loss Sunday against the Brewers. Six innings, two runs, nine strikeouts, had 15 whiffs on 84 pitches. And he is at the Yankees this week. Quinn Matthews turned in a quality start against the Nationals. Seven innings, three runs, two walks, only three strikeouts. He has a quality start in three straight. And he is at the Brewers this week. Brewers, tough lineup, but they are much better against the Wrighties than they are against the Phillies. And Jackson Jobe, he took the L, but he racked up a bunch of whiffs here at the White Sox. Nine strikeouts, three runs over six innings, had 16 whiffs on 96 pitches. And he gets the Pirates this week. They are very good against right-handed pitching. Scott, any interest in this group? Jackson Jobe against the Pirates, Quinn Matthews at the Brewers, Brandon Young at the Yankees, and Zach Thornton at the Rangers. I mean, I could talk about
Speaker 8some things I observed. In the starts for these four from the weekend, but I'm not going to recommend any of them for the final week. They're not trustworthy enough and the matchups aren't good enough. I guess I've been most encouraged with Jackson Jobe. His last couple outings, both being so good, getting 17 strikeouts across 12 and a third innings. The slider. Has begun to pick up whiffs unlike it was previously. Has had some extra drop the last couple starts. Six extra inches of drop two starts ago. The velocity was lower on it too. Only two extra inches of drop in this one, but the velocity held pretty steady and he's beginning lots of whiffs with it. So he seems to be working on that pitch and finding success again. But that doesn't mean I'd be thrilled to start him against the Pirates. He's probably the most startable of these four. Jackson Jobe. Quinn Matthews, of course, has been on a nice little run here lately showing his upside, throwing more strikes, which I think is kind of the key to everything. If you throw strikes, that stuff is definitely good enough. Brewers, I don't know. That makes me nervous. I wouldn't touch Brandon Young or Zach Thornton. I could see Thornton with a favorable matchup, but the Rangers beat up on lefties, so that doesn't make sense.
Speaker 7Yeah. I expect that you will have the same thoughts for this next group, but I'll ask anyway. Some lower end names. David Peterson pitched well at the Reds and in 15 games with the Cubs, he has a .394 ERA, 139 whips. He's at the Red Sox this week. Connor Prelip was great at the Angels. Seven shutout with eight strikeouts. He's looked much better in September. He also gets the Rangers, who, again, they're good against lefties. Dean Kramer, great outing at the Angels.
Speaker 8Actually, I think that got changed. Okay. The Prelip one, I think he's going to be at San Francisco because, and this is worth bringing up, Bailey Ober unexpectedly came in for a three-inning save on Sunday, which eliminates him as a two-star pitcher for the final week, which is unfortunate because he was on the sleeper pitchers list. But theoretically, that bumps everybody up a day, which would mean Prelip's start is at San Francisco. So I actually ended up adding him to the sleeper pitchers as the replacement, for Ober, now that Ober's not going to be at San Francisco. At the end of the list, it's not a strong recommendation by any means. That was his first seven-inning start. More likely, he's going to go five. But he's at San Francisco against a really weak lineup.
Speaker 7The last name on this list is Dean Kramer, who pitched, well, six shutout innings, one hit, eight strikeouts at the Angels. And he gets the Rangers this week, who are batting against righties. So can I, you kind of like Prelip. He's on the list, but any, any interest in Kramer versus the Rangers or David Peterson at the Red Sox?
Speaker 8I mean, Kramer, I mean, has been on a good run lately. I don't really get why. Velocity was down on everything. Most especially the splitter, his best pitch in this start Sunday, where he allowed just one hit. I think the fact he was facing the Angels probably had something to do with it. Rangers is good, good matchup for righties. But it still seems way too risky for me to recommend Kramer in that start.
Speaker 7All right. And then in the deepest of leagues, we have Robert Gasser, who had a solid outing at the Orioles, seven shutout innings, three walks, two strikeouts. He is home against the Cardinals this week. Brian Baio, a pretty awesome outing here at the Rays, eight innings of one run ball, 11 strikeouts to zero walks. He had 17 whiffs on 93%. And if he makes his start this week, I think he will. It looks like it'll come against the Cubs, maybe without Alex Bregman. And Jack Perkins, two good outings in a row. Numbers are still very, very bad for the season, but six innings, one run, four strikeouts at the Guardians. I always kind of think that there could be something there with Jack Perkins. It feels like the stuff is better than the numbers have let on this year. But the numbers are what they are. 590 ERA, 145 whip for Perkins. And he is home against the Cardinals. The Astros. So very deep league name, Scott, but any thoughts on Perkins, Baio, or Robert Gasson?
Speaker 8Not going to use any of them. So we'll start with that. Perkins, two good starts in a row. He's begun to increase his change-up usage, and it is his best pitch with a 188 batting average against and 38% whiff rate. So that may have something to do with it. It's not a drastic increase, but it's a notable one. So we'll see if he can make it three in a row, good in a row, to end the season. Jack Perkins. And then Brian Baio. He's been pretty much excellent since returning from the minors. That was 13 appearances ago. I say appearances because most of them have been in relief, generally in the four-inning range, though some as little as two. During that time, those 13 appearances, he has a 228 ERA, a 101, and a 8.1K per nine, with a 59% ground ball rate. I mean, 50's good. 60 is... You might lead the league with that. And an 11% swinging strike rate, which for a ground ball pitcher is good enough. Again, I don't want to use Baio against the Cubs, but it's nice to see him get a true start and be allowed to go eight innings and dominate like this against a good linebacker. I think it bodes well for him next year. I mean, there's only so much upside here for Baio, but he could be of some deep interest.
Speaker 7All right. What do I have here? Start or sit these pitchers in the final week? Some polarizing names, and none more polarizing than Paul Skeens, who gave us another clunker. This one against the Royals. Five runs allowed over six innings. Two homers allowed as well. Did have 7 strikeouts, had 17 whiffs on 89% pitches velocity was down a little bit across the board as it has been for a lot of starts here for paul skeens the updated last 15 starts 506 era 135 whip he's 82 started do you use him against
Speaker 8the cardinals in the final week uh this was paul who was paul skeens um i'd rather not i get the good starts haven't been good enough i i don't know that he's a hard avoid particularly in deeper leagues but i'm not confident he's going to give me a good start and like you know obviously your mileage will vary if you're if you're in a daily lineup league with daily transactions and it's just kind of a race to the box and it's just kind of a race to the box and it's just kind of a race to the box at starting pitcher because you have to you have to stream as many as you can every day okay you're probably going to start paul skeens he's better than most of what you'll find on the waiver wire but if in if you're limited weekly by either the lineups you set or the ad drops you can make which i think you should be so that it doesn't become a race to the bottom but whatever um then you don't
Speaker 7you probably don't want to start paul skeens i agree garrett cole bounced back at the d-back six innings two runs six strikeouts to zero walks it's pretty astounding to me that garrett cole has managed a k rate over a strike operating while his swinging strike rate is just as bad as it is i mean it is now down below 10 it is 9.8 on the season so that is pretty bad he is 76 started and he gets the raise this week scott starter sit garrett cole i feel better about starting him than paul skeens
Speaker 8i'm not going to call a must start but i think even in weekly leagues i'd lean toward yes
Speaker 7all right eduardo rodriguez a rough one against the yankees seven earned runs or five and a third four walks two homers allowed in this one he could not locate his changeup which has been his money pitch all season and he 63 started at the rockies this week i think this one's pretty easy eduardo rodriguez
Speaker 8yeah i mean there were good some good starts at colorado this weekend from i mean kate anderson what are you doing guy he he he dominated well dominates is a little strong i'm not sure he's dominated anybody yet but he has a really good start against the rangers who are supposed to beat up on lefties that he has a terrible start against the angels who are terrible and then he has a great start at colorado so like he's good when it's the kind of starts we're supposed to avoid and uh bad when it's not so that's frustrating but you were asking me about eduardo rodriguez and with the kind of september he's had maybe it's all finally collapsing on him the walls are are giving in finally i i think we can avoid using eduardo rodriguez at colorado
Speaker 7let's talk about kate anderson who had that great start in course field seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts he had 14 whiffs on 84 pitches and he did mix in a new sinker that he threw in the first seven times and it was okay for him here uh the curve was really his best pitch but it's really hard to take much away from a start in course field uh he is 82 curveball is not supposed to work that well of course field i know that's why it's just like what what are we doing here 82 percent rostered 46 started for kate anderson and he gets those angels again who just hit him
Speaker 8hard so uh what do we do i mean that same league where i'm starting uh freddie peralta my tout wars again i have a pretty safe lead so i i'm i'm trying not to overthink anything i'm planning on leaving kate anderson in okay but that's that's a 15 teamer yeah i don't know that in 12 teamers it's a priority yeah i want to say he's a priority even at a 15 teamer just
Speaker 7i gotta understand using a couple other names here sean burke solid outing against the tigers six innings one run five strikeouts and his velocity was actually down a couple of times across the board but managed a a good outing here his last two starts have looked much better he gets the rockies at home this week as in him being home in chicago so that seems pretty good i know sean burke has been scary lately scott but you gotta like that matchup
Speaker 8i do like the matchup i like the matchup this week too i just didn't trust the pitcher right after all he's put us through but now uh you know now he's followed the opener last time to get back on track carried it over into this tiger start he still walked three which makes me nervous but uh i would take sean burke oh i would use sean burke over all but the top three streamers on my list for this week which are uh let's see those are the hitters top three streamers for this week are two star jared jones of one start tyler malley and a one start walbert arania i would use sean burke over
Speaker 7not over those three but anyone else on the list and the last name here is trevor rogers who took a very tough loss against the brewers he allowed just one run over eight innings he had 10 strikeouts to one walk 17 whiffs on 99 pitches he has double digit uh strikeouts in two of his last four starts and he's been very good during that stretch he is 63 started and at the yankees this week what do you think about trevor rogers i don't know why it's a trevor rogers
Speaker 8he's been yeah i mean he's only 63 started so uh i i don't under like the thing is he still has an era over four because that's how bad his first two months were he entered june with a 684 era to trevor rogers but in 19 starts since then he has a 292 era a 103 whip 8.8 k per nine he's been exactly who you drafted him to be for the last four months and you should just ride it out i lied i have one
Speaker 7more name here for starter sit and that is wait you're kidding right jacob mizierowski the reason being that he was limited to just three innings and 44 pitches at the orioles on sunday it makes sense the brewers are locked in they're going to be the number one seed in the postseason and i could see the miz having another short start this week so it's tough scott on the off chance that they you know let him go five innings and pick up a win or something you know he could strike out 10 over five innings but if he's limited to just three innings once again he's going to be in then it's obviously not very useful so what would you do with the maze this week
Speaker 8so this is quoting the brewers beat writer for mlb.com adam mccalvey he said mizierowski's 44 pitch outing was designed to be short manager pat murphy said before the game is a way to provide the right hander a bit of a breather before what is expected to be a more normal outing in his regular season finale against the cardinals next weekend okay so if if that's correct and i have no reason to doubt it i would plan on starting mizierowski
Speaker 7agreed i can't see a world where anyone is using yuri perez in the final week scott he's just been so bad but what has happened i mean this is just a very very tough end to the season for yuri perez five runs over four and two-thirds innings three walks two homers allowed what's going on with yuri perez i guess
Speaker 8i mean as best i can tell he just started walking guys again seemed to move past that when he started incorporating the sinker more mid-season sinker never went away but the walks came back and uh i i just don't think he can survive that so he's going to be a very tough case for next year of course you don't use him the final week it's been so bad yeah over the past month plus i don't have a great answer for you now like the upside is huge but he still has work to do and maybe he makes the leap next year it's it's gonna be um a boomer bus type of pick though as it was coming into this year actually you know i think i'll go later next year than he did this year because i think i i i don't think people you were to your credit i remember you were probably the most skeptical of yuri perez of anyone i talked to but i think everybody can see the downside
Speaker 7now yeah it's just like when when the command is off it's really off and he walks guys he gives up barrels so it's it could just lead to kind of disaster outings where he's giving up home runs with runners on base and um i still think he has a world of talent it's just can we get it consistently enough from from yuri perez that's the next step for him do you think he will rank in a similar range as braxton ashcraft that 25 to 30 range or are you thinking even in even lower than that at starting pitcher
Speaker 8in a sane world he'd rank lower uh i'll rank him lower i feel pretty confident saying his
Speaker 7numbers are quite a bit worse yeah jared jared jones or yuri perez uh they'll probably rank similarly i would think all right some hitting leftovers here some names that are finishing strong ronald acuna homered on friday a grand slam on saturday and i'll keep citing it but 22 games since that mental day off 372 batting average seven homers 20 rbi and two steals there for ronald acuna jack centurio had a huge game on friday two for five with a sock and two shoes and then he had Two more steals on Sunday. He is blistering hot to close it out. Mookie Betts also finishing strong. He had a double dong on Friday. He went four for four on Saturday. His last 40 games, 327, nine homers, 26 runs, 31 RBI and OPS around 1,000. We can't fall for it again, can we? He finished the season strong last year. Mookie Betts did. But honestly, he's been bad for most of the season before August, right? And then from August on, Mookie Betts has been a beast. Cal Raleigh, monster home run in Coors Field on Saturday. It was 459 feet. His last 27 games, he has 10 home runs and an OPS around 1,000. Fernando Tatis Jr., he just keeps on mashing. Sock in a shoe on Saturday. Another home run on Sunday. He has 20 homers and 13 steals in the second half alone. That's 59 games. He's just been incredible. And Vinny P. Baby. Vinny passed Quantino. He homered two more times this weekend. And 29 games since returning from the IL. 279, 8 homers, 21 RBI, 936 OPS for Vinny P. So, lots of names here, Scott. But anything you'd like to add on Vinny P., Tatis, the big dumper, Mookie Betts, Churio, and Ronald Acuna?
Speaker 8So, the Royals do have good matchups this week. Pasquantino did come off the bench Sunday to hit that home run. So, that makes me a little wary of him in shallower leagues. But I would say not a bad start, given that he's hot and the matchups are pretty good. Betts, how many shortstops would you guess have more head-to-head points per game than Betts this year, prior to Sunday's game? It's not even including Sunday's big game. How many shortstops would you guess have more head-to-head points per game? Per game.
Speaker 7Five, six. Six.
Speaker 8You had it right. It was five. It was five. CJ Abrams, Eli De La Cruz, Bobby Witt, Otto Lopez, and Kevin McGonigal.
Speaker 7Those were the five I was thinking about. Nice.
Speaker 8Were they?
Speaker 7Yeah.
Speaker 8Really?
Speaker 7Yeah.
Speaker 8That's a pretty good mental Rolodex there for you. You'd be good at Fantasy Feud.
Speaker 7It's a little bit tougher when you're on the spot, I think.
Speaker 8So, look, I think he's become the sort of player that stands out a lot more in points than Roto since he doesn't steal bases anymore and he's not a batting average standout anymore. But he compiles well still. And I don't know that he should go that late in points leagues next year. It's going to be an interesting case for sure. You know who else has finished really strong for the Dodgers? And I don't think we can start talking about that. I don't think we can start him the final week because he currently has an injury tag.
Speaker 7Kyle Tucker.
Speaker 8Kyle Tucker. Yeah. Had a really strong September. Not as strong as Mookie's, but strong. Guy's stepping up with Otani and Otani ailing and Freeman kind of in and out of the lineup.
Speaker 7All these Dodgers hitters getting hot right into the postseason. Just what we need. Other hitting leftovers, Brandon Lau, homer twice this weekend. He has four home runs in his past six games. Up to 33 home runs on the season. Jose Ramirez, two for five with a sock and a shoe on, I believe that was Friday. He had multiple hits in each game this weekend. So that was nice to see. I mean, he's been a shell of himself since coming back from the IL. Miguel Vargas hit another home run on Friday. A sock and a shoe on Saturday. This massive season, man. 33 homers, 20 steals for Vargas. CJ Abrams is running a lot here down the stretch. He had four steals this weekend and has five steals in his last seven games. And PCA, just another ho-hum, three for five, sock and a shoe on Sunday. His 45th home run, his 38th steal. So five more names there. Lau, J-Ram, Vargas, Abrams, PCA. Anything on those five, Scott?
Speaker 8Good to see J-Ram had a home run. That had been really lacking since he came back from the broken handmaid bone. Possibly because of that injury. I think likely because of that injury. I'm still on the fence. I don't know whether or not I'll want him as a second rounder next year versus the third rounder. Yeah, I mean, PCA, he's going to get 45-40 is what I think this is shaping up to be. I don't think he's going to get to 50 home runs, but man, what a year.
Speaker 7He has six games left to get two steals. I feel pretty confident he'll get it done here. He'll find a way.
Speaker 8He can't. You can't come within a stolen base or two of a 40-40 season. That's like a home run or two, I get, because you can't conjure a home run. You could conjure a stolen base. You know, you just go. Just force it.
Speaker 7All right, some pitching leftovers here. Tyler Glass now, great outing against the Giants. Six innings, two runs, 10 strikeouts, 15 whiffs on 98 pitches here. Christopher Sanchez, better result on Sunday at the Mets. Six and a third, two runs. Six strikeouts, zero walks. But he did not have his best changeup working, and he still gave up 12 hard hits in that outing for Sanchez. Gavin Williams, awesome here. Seven shutout, nine strikeouts, 21 whiffs on 89 pitches. And his four starts in September. 144 ERA, .84 whip, 40 strikeouts over 25 innings for Gavin Williams. And Hunter Brown, he is racking up the whiffs to close it out. Five shutout, 10 strikeouts against the Braves. And he has double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back starts in three of his last five. Scott, anything to add here on Hunter Brown, Gavin Williams, Christopher Sanchez, and Tyler Glass now?
Speaker 8Strong finish for Williams. You know, he's had his ups and very high highs, and not very low lows. But, you know, there's a reason why his ERA is above .350. Four September starts, though. It's 144, .84 whip, 14.4K per nine. Obviously looking good to finish out the year. Hunter Brown, interestingly enough, threw his cutter 12% of the time. I think he had only thrown it 11 times previously all year. So he incorporates it in his arsenal, not in a major way, but in a way, against the Braves here, and has arguably his best. Still, six of his last eight have been less than six innings. So, not giving you that ace production you were hoping for. But I think Hunter Brown is somebody that you wouldn't mind using in his final start against the Athletics.
Speaker 7Agreed.
Speaker 8I think you'd probably use him.
Speaker 7Yeah, I think so. The call to the bullpen for the Twins on Friday with Yoendris Gomez unavailable. Travis Adams picked up. His third save. Then on Saturday, Yoendris Gomez was used in the eighth inning with a three-run lead, a walk, a double, a strikeout. Then he gave up a two-run double and another walk. He was relieved by lefty Cody Funderburk, who got out of it. Then A.J. Minter got the ninth inning with a one-run lead. He gave up a game-tying homer, and the Twins would lose in extras. Then on Sunday, as you mentioned, Scott Bailey-Ober, the unexpected three shutout innings for his first career save. Yoendris Gomez, he is struggling to the end here in eight September games. 11-37 ERA, 253 whip. And, you know, honestly, even if I'm just protecting ratios for this final week, if you're in a head-to-head league, I mean, Gomez has looked so bad. I could see getting away from him for this final week.
Speaker 8Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, if you can help it.
Speaker 7Is there any Twins reliever that stands out to you? Maybe Travis Adams? I don't know.
Speaker 8I want to say, I haven't looked at it recently because the last bullpen report I wrote was a couple weeks ago. Uh, but, I mean, wouldn't Jeff Hoffman still be the first choice?
Speaker 7I know, I'd just bring up Adams because he picked up a save on Friday.
Speaker 8I mean, and I know A.J. Minter got a save, too, but Hoffman's been, it was a little bumpy at first, but his last 11 appearances have been scoreless with 16 strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Like, he's clearly their best reliever.
Speaker 6Yeah.
Speaker 8I don't know how much you want to mess with it the final week of the season, like, gambling on a perspective closer, but, I don't know, I picked up Juan Murillo in a league, so, just depends how deep the league is, how desperate you are for saves.
Speaker 7For the White Sox on Saturday, Grant Taylor got the final four outs for his 10th save. For the Cubs on Saturday, Ryan Zephyrjohn recorded three outs across the 8th and the 9th, and then it was lefty Ryan Rolison who came on, get the final out for his 3rd save. I've said this a lot recently, but it feels like it's a combination of these two names. I don't know that you want to roster either of them, even in deeper leagues, Scott, but Zephyrjohn and Rolison, it kind of feels like they're tag-teaming the Cubs' closer role right now.
Speaker 8It does appear that way, and I would hope you don't have to rely on either.
Speaker 7Agreed. For the Royals on Saturday, Stephen Cruz got the 8th inning with a one-run lead. He gave up a two-run, Homer, he took his second-blown save in a fourth loss. loss then on Sunday it was Nate Pearson who got the eighth with a one run lead he instantly gave up a single and then a two run homer he took his second blown save and third loss so rough weekend there for the Royals bullpen for the Nationals on Saturday honestly there's a lot of stuff to read here I'm not going to read it the Nats do not have a closer and they never will ever again for the Cardinals on Sunday Riley O'Brien picked up his 38th save which was nice to see he has struggled big time in the second half to stream or not to stream on Monday three games slate might be a night for fantasy feud we'll see what that is uh we have Shane Boz against the Blue Jays River Ryan and his Tigers debut against the Nationals DJ Herz makes his Nationals return
Speaker 8at the Tigers Zebby Matthews Chris Tower's favorite from a couple years ago that's right
Speaker 7Zebby Matthews is at the Giants and Blade Tidwell is home against
Speaker 8the Twins I mean for a three games slate Zebby Matthews at San Francisco is looking awfully good he's coming off a really good start I don't think he is that good but I I might be willing to roll the dice against a Giants lineup that clearly isn't that good even more so without Bryce Eldridge and it's in San Francisco which should help mitigate potential damage yeah Zebby Matthews seems like the top choice there
Speaker 7if you're forcing me to pick a second Shane Boz I agree on Tuesday we have Max Scherzer at the Orioles Chris Bassett home against the Blue Jays Drew Anderson is home against the Nationals Andre Palante at the Pirates Dustin Dustin May at the Phillies J.R. Ritchie home against the Reds Anthony Kaye at the Royals Daniel Lynch home against the White Sox Jansen Junk at the Cubs Sean Bonilla at the Rangers Yusei Kikuchi at the Athletics Christian Javier at the Mariners and Anthony Molina home against the Twins
Speaker 8don't think we can do the Dustin May thing the random number generator turned up a a bad number over the weekend I just don't want to mess with that anymore yeah uh let's see I think Javier at the Mariners yep Christian Javier at the Mariners clearly the best Anthony Molina's had some interesting starts recently don't really buy it but the Twins are out of it at this point and I don't know how much fight they have left I don't know how much fight they have left I don't know how much fight they have left in them so that might be my second choice on Andre Palante's been a pretty good streamer all year but I feel like he's let us down lately and had some shorter outings so I don't know that I want to chance it at Pittsburgh but he might be the third choice by default that
Speaker 7might be right I I think Bassett and Scherzer actually faced off against each other last time out as well and Bassett pitched pretty well Scherzer got rocked wouldn't surprise me one bit if those roles are reversed but I think he's going to be the third choice by default that might be the third choice by default that might be the third choice by default that might be the third choice by default that might be the first feels pretty hard to predict anything great from those guys at this point in their careers but yeah I would I would put Javier at the top and then probably Palante second if you really need another run on Tuesday I think I would lean Bassett against the Blue Jays but not with much confidence at all we are gonna wrap there for Scott I am Frank thanks as always for tuning in to fantasy baseball today please make sure to follow and leave a five star rating on Apple or Spotify and we will be back again tomorrow bye bye
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