MLB DFS Core Plays: August 18 (Early)

It seemed pretty clear that Miller wasn’t right in two starts since returning from a bone spur in his elbow, and while initial reports didn’t state the cause of his return to the IL, the assumption is that his elbow remains a problem. Evans was 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA in six starts before getting sent down at the end of May, so this seems like an upgrade, given the way that Miller had been throwing.

Tightness doesn’t sound bad, but that’s pretty much always the initial diagnosis these days, and we’re assuming there’s a good chance Martinez, who was on the IL last month with shoulder inflammation, will land back on the injured list. Shelby Miller will be the clear favorite for saves in the Arizona pen while Martinez is sidelined, and he’s worth picking up in most leagues.

The second double plated the go-ahead run in the 10th inning. It’s his seventh career four-hit game and first ever with three extra-base hits. All four of Kirk’s balls in play tonight left the bat at over 95 mph, upping his hard-hit rate to 57.3 percent. That puts him fifth place in the majors, right in between Kyle Schwarber and Aaron Judge. Alas, he’s much further down on the barrels list, which is why he has only four homers.

Berríos left with a 3-0 lead that went to 4-0 before the bullpen wiped it out by giving up four runs in the bottom of the eighth. It’s pretty remarkable that he has recorded just two wins while giving the Jays nine quality starts and a 3.38 ERA over 82 2/3 innings this season. He’s pitching a little better than he did last season, when he finished 16-11 with a 3.60 ERA in 32 starts. If he matches up with Paul Skenes at any point, the score might go into the negatives. Next up, though, is a matchup with the Phillies and probably Zack Wheeler on Sunday.

Hoffman had just one run to work with, so he had to prevent the automatic runner from scoring, which he accomplished by retiring the side on nine pitches. Although he’s given up a couple of homers along the way, Hoffman has converted six straight save chance since May 26.

Even if’s not a win, Pallante needed to show some improvement tonight and did so in lowering his ERA to 4.75. It’s Pallante’s first quality start in his last four tries and fifth in 13 outings overall. He’s set to pitch in Milwaukee this weekend.