Roto Riteup: April 17, 2017

by
April 17, 2017

Today’s Roto Riteup comes to you with 80 grade situational awareness.

 

On the Agenda:

1. Closer Chaos

2. Rich Hill’s Blistering Start

3. Various News and Notes

4. Streaming Pitcher Options

 

Closer Chaos

Tell me if you have heard this one before? Sam Dyson blew a save in the ninth inning on Sunday. Of course you have. Following the loss, manager Jeff Bannister said that he will meet with coaches to discuss how to move forward according to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. Matt Bush returned to this game as well and pitched 8th inning, striking out the side. With the struggles of Jeremy Jeffress, it would appear Bush would get the first crack at the role.

Zach Britton hit the DL on Sunday with the dreaded forearm strain. Manager Buck Showalter stated that they will fill the closer’s role on a situational basis. Like most people, I am betting on Brach. I got a feeling that Showalter wants to know who he is going to leave on the bench in a tied game. If FAAB hasn’t run in your league already, Brach is probably worth 20% of your remaining budget, especially if you have Britton.

 

Rich Hill’s Blistering Start

Tell me if you have heard this one before? Alright, I know we already played this game. However, for the second time this season, Rich Hill is having blister issues. Hill will most likely miss his next start and could possibly return to the disabled list. Reports in spring were that he took a page out of Moises Alou’s playbook to prevent these blister issues from popping up. Hill is a dynamic pitcher, but the inability to stay on the field will be tricky for fantasy owners to manage all season long.

 

Various News and Notes

J.A. Happ left Sunday’s game after the fourth inning with discomfort in his pitching elbow. He is scheduled to receive an MRI today. With the news that Aaron Sanchez is on the DL with a “Rich Hill”, the Jays are now pretty thin in what was considered a pretty underrated rotation. Casey Lawrence, Mat Latos, Mike Bolsinger, Brett Oberholtzer, and TJ House man their AAA rotation and probably will be called upon to fill in until Sanchez can return.

Teddy Roosevelt is scheduled for an MRI after colliding with the Easter Bunny on Sunday.

Roosevelt, who was attempting a comeback, has not been relevant since the election of 1912 where he siphoned off votes from President Taft costing both the election. Bunny, who seems to only be relevant once a year, was optioned back to the minors following the game. He no longer is egg-citing in fantasy terms.

Logan Forsythe is expected to rejoin the starting lineup after being sidelined with some hamstring tightness. The Dodgers face off against lefty Robbie Ray tonight, who should be in all DFS lineups, as the Dodgers have not been able to hit lefties at all this season. The Dodgers are hitting .225/.303/.348 against southpaws. Forsythe is the only exception, as he has crushed lefties this year hitting .450/.542/.550.

Marcus Semien hit the DL Sunday and will undergo a CT scan of his right wrist today. This is concerning for fantasy owners that invested in what appeared to be an undervalued commodity coming into draft season. Last year, Semien blasted 27 home runs while swiping 10 bags for the Athletics and while he was hitting a paltry .171 to start the year, he was showing an improved approach at the plate. If the scan shows no fractures, he could be an interesting buy low candidate.

 

Streaming Pitcher Options

A pitcher for today: Jordan Montgomery (1% owned in Yahoo/$6,000 on DK) vs CHW

I’m not necessarily on the Montgomery train, but he did strike out seven in his debut vs the Rays and gets the White Sox today.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Kyle Freeland (5% owned in Yahoo) @ LAD

Freeland is a lefty. This game is not being played in Colorado. He is pitching against the Dodgers in LA. The Dodgers don’t hit lefties. For more: see the above Logan Forsythe section.





 

Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
cpjackson
7 years ago

On the blister issue, what’s the long-term solution? Power through it until the blister becomes a callous? Wash fewer dishes? Play more guitar? More rosin?

It seems so bizarre to me. I know that in the blister phase it’s really difficult to deal with, but I’ve always thought that your skin would develop a bit of a callous as you throw more, provided you don’t overdo it. But I’m not a pitcher, so I don’t really understand.

3
Justin Masonmember
7 years ago
Reply to  cpjackson

I wish I knew the answer to that question, but I have no idea.

1
dmac88
7 years ago
Reply to  cpjackson

Callouses are undesirable as they would reduce sensitivity. End of the second-last paragraph in this article: http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/pitchfx-forensics-rich-hill-and-blisters/

3
cpjackson
7 years ago
Reply to  dmac88

Funny – that article mentions hockey fans going on and on about how tough the players are. Just last night, as if on cue, Zach Werenski took a puck to the face and briefly returned to the game.

I’m admittedly surprised at the idea that the reduced sensitivity associated with a callous would be detrimental, though I would imagine if the ball doesn’t feel right in your hand that would mess with your head a bit.

0