Roto Riteup: April 20, 2022

I know this is satire, but I wanted it to be true so bad.

The Angels radio broadcast believed this completely satirical tweet pic.twitter.com/giJWZ0unYk

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 20, 2022

On the Agenda: 

1. COVID Issues
2. Closer Chaos
3. Quick Hits
4. Various News and Notes
5. Streaming Pitchers

 

COVID Issues

The Red Sox placed Jonathan Arauz and Christian Vazquez in the COVID IL on Tuesday. They joined Kevin Plawecki who was placed on the COVID IL yesterday. This is a situation to monitor as we just saw a breakout in Oakland.  

Luis Torrens was placed on the COVID IL. Torrens Mitch Haniger who was placed on the COVID IL recently as well. It is unclear whether he tested positive or just had symptoms. 

 

Closer Chaos

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless ninth for the Red Sox to nail down the save against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. This was surprising as Whitlock has been stretching out to potentially be a starter at some point, so to see him come in for a one-inning save wasn’t expected. If he does become the closer, he would be a top 10 closer moving forward. 

 

Quick Hits

Alex Cobb was removed from his start on Tuesday after injuring his groin on this play:

Here is the best angle I saw of the #Giants Alex Cobb injury. It appears to be a groin injury as he gabs at it after breaking for 1B. pic.twitter.com/GgW7gOg7EK

— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) April 19, 2022

He was placed on the IL following the game before the second half of the Giants doubleheader. There is no timetable for his return.

Jonathan India was placed on the IL retroactive to April 16th. The Reds had tried to see if India could avoid the Il with his hamstring injury, but was unable to do so. He hopefully shouldn’t be out long.

Mike Moustakas was placed on the IL with a biceps strain. There is no timetable for his return.

Avisail Garcia left the game on Tuesday with an upset stomach. The disappearance was a bit suspicious, but it is good to hear that he isn’t hurt.

Didi Gregorius left Tuesday’s game with a hand injury after being hit with a pitch. X-rays were negative following the game. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Tyler Stephenson was forced out of Tuesday’s game after this play:

Luke Voit laid some solid contact on Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson pic.twitter.com/JkYKwZBnu8

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 20, 2022

Stephenson is now in concussion protocol and likely could hit the concussion IL. Luke Voit, could also be punished by the league for the dirty slide. I would expect the Reds to go after Voit if he is in the lineup, so don’t be surprised if the Padres sit him for the series finale on Wednesday.

 

Various News and Notes

Madison Bumgarner threw five innings, allowing two unearned runs on four walks and two hits while striking out five in the loss to the Nationals. 

Madison Bumgarner in the snow rocking no sleeves… country boys just different yall pic.twitter.com/W0C55my9jW

— Baseball Doesn't Exist (@BaseballDoesnt) April 19, 2022

Bumgarner was a tough luck loser in this one, but he has looked good so far this season. What has really improved has been his ability to command within the zone which has not been the case since his ATV accident a few years ago. He is definitely worth streaming in nice matchups moving forward and may be viable in deeper formats as someone you keep on your roster.

Jesus Luzardo threw 4.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out three.

Jesús Luzardo, Dirty 87mph Breaking Ball. ✝️🦎 pic.twitter.com/2A7MX2tzjw

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 19, 2022

This is the Luzardo we saw a lot in Oakland. He was nasty in the first inning, registering two strikeouts to start the game. After that, Luzardo struggled with his fastball command in the zone and as the contest went on, he struggled to control his breaking stuff as well. Luzardo has a ton of talent, but it is hard to know what will get him from plate appearance to plate appearance, much less from start to start.

Gerrit Cole threw 1.2 innings versus the Tigers. Allowing two runs on one hit and five walks while striking out three.

Gerrit Cole's 3 1st inning Ks. pic.twitter.com/aR5viaMHmd

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 19, 2022

Cole fell apart in the second inning and clearly could not command anything. He now has a 6.35 ERA and is clearly struggling with grip. Things will hopefully improve as the weather heats up, but this is super concerning.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today:  Miles Mikolas at MIA

Mikolas has looked good early in the year and has a nice matchup in a good Marlins park. 

High Risk Options: Chris Paddack at KC, Dane Dunning at SEA, Daniel Lynch vs MIN, Daulton Jeffries vs BAL, Erick Fedde vs ARI. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow:  Paul Blackburn vs BAL

Blackburn has looked great with his added velocity this year and gets a bad Orioles lineup at home. 

High Risk Options: Taylor Hearn at SEA, Erick Fedde vs ARI, Tyler Wells at OAK. 

 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”