News/Notes
- I really like Cease as an alternative to the more chalky plays
- Astros/Blue Jays are chalky stacks but still my favorites
FD | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Shohei Ohtani | Dylan Cease | Max Fried |
| IF | Bo Bichette | Whit Merrifield | Ty France |
| OF | Yordan Alvarez | Teoscar Hernández | Lourdes Gurriel |
DK | Position | Top Tier | Mid-Tier | Value-Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP | Aaron Nola | Dylan Cease | David Peterson |
| IF | Fernando Tatis | Jared Walsh | Ty France |
| OF | Yordan Alvarez | Kyle Tucker | Myles Straw |
Player News
Zach Eflin allowed five hits and one run with one walk and five strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a win over the Tigers on Wednesday.
While Eflin’s strikeout numbers are rarely gaudy, he’s at his best when he’s mixing his deep pitch-mix and living around the edges of the plate like he did in this game. He threw each of his changeup, sinker, cutter, fastball, and curveball at least 12% of the time and allowed just two hard-hit balls before the Tigers’ slight seventh inning rally that chased Eflin from this game. Nevertheless, this was a great game for him. He’s lined up for a two-start week coming up with road matchups against the Yankees and Rays.
Colt Keith went 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI on Wednesday against the Orioles.
The Tigers struggled to muster up any offense against Zach Eflin and the Orioles in this one. Keith’s double was their only extra-base hit and it drove home their only run. Alas, he’s put a sluggish start of the season behind him with a .797 OPS over his last 30 games.
Casey Mize allowed eight hits and two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a loss against the Orioles on Wednesday.
There was plenty of both good and bad to take out of this start by Mize. His seven strikeouts are the second most he’s had in any start this season and most in four starts since coming off the injured list. His splitter was lethal working as his primary pitch forcing seven swings-and-misses while not allowing a single hard-hit ball. Yet, his usage of that pitch became a bit predictable late in this game and strikes were tougher to come by. In the end, he was a tad too inefficient to get through the sixth inning and earn a quality start. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Pirates at home and Rays on the road.
Teoscar Hernández launched a three-run homer Wednesday as the Dodgers downed the Padres 5-2.
The struggling Hernández had gone 17 games without a homer before taking Jeremiah Estrada deep in the sixth inning. The ball left his bat at 108.6 mph and traveled a projected 420 feet. It was his only hit of the game to go along with two strikeouts and two routine flies, but hopefully it will get him going. He had been 3-for-38 with one RBI since May 31.
Ben Casparius threw four innings of one-run ball Wednesday in his start against the Padres.
Although he settled for two strikeouts and just two missed swings, Casparius was able to get 12 outs on 54 pitches in his longest outing this season. If the Dodgers keep stretching him out, he’ll probably offer some mixed-league value, even if his ERA seems likely to increase in the rotation. He has a 2.86 ERA and a stellar 46/9 K/BB in 44 innings to this point. Unless something changes, he’ll face the Padres again next Monday or Tuesday.
Michael Kopech walked three of the four batters he faced in relief Wednesday against the Padres.
Kopech came in with a 4-2 lead to the start the seventh and got Jake Cronenworth to ground out after three straight pitches around the zone. His control disappeared afterwards, and with no idea where the ball was going, he brushed back Elias DÃaz three times in his plate appearance. Kopech fared a little better on the next walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., but he was then pulled with the bases loaded. Fortunately for the Dodgers, Anthony Banda came in and got Luis Arraez to pop up and Manny Machado to ground out (on a 3-0 pitch) to end the threat.