Roto Riteup: April 26, 2015

Just because the White Sox game was suspended last night doesn’t mean the Roto Riteup is.

On today’s agenda:
1. Adam Wainwright down, maybe out
2. Severino Gonzalez to debut Tuesday
3. Various news and notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Adam Wainwright down, maybe out
Waino slipped running out of the batters box yesterday, and boy does it not look pretty. The Cardinals are currently saying that the injury is to Waino’s ankle, which while plausible, may not be correct — to play Injury Expert here, it seemed like more of an achilles injury. St. Louis won’t further evaluate Waino until they return home, so don’t expect further news until sometime Monday.

If Wainwright is out for an extended period of time, Marco Gonzalez would be the most likely candidate to join the Red Birds’ rotation, but he’s currently injured, as well. Tyler Lyons could step up and take Wainwright’s place for the time being, and he’s an intriguing option. Lyon’s fastball is just good enough to get by, and he’s shown good control and an above-average slider. Lyon’s struggled as a starter when it comes to stranding runners, but his other numbers suggest an ERA around 4.00 is reasonable, making him a worthy spot starter in Busch.

Severino Gonzalez to debut Tuesday
Phillies prospect Severino Gonzalez will make his big league debut Tuesday, filling in for the injured Sean O’Sullivan against the Cardinals. Gonzalez has been with the Phillies since 2011 and has worked his way through their system at a pretty good clip. Gonzalez had some struggles as a 21-year-old in his first full season in Double-A last year, but there was some thought that it was because the Phillies asked him to shelve his cutter and focus on his changeup. With his cutter back in the arsenal this year, he’s not adjusted particularly well to Triple-A — his walk rate is a stellar 2.7%, but the strikeouts aren’t there and homer troubles have followed him. Gonzalez profiles as a No. 5 starter unless he can fill out and add some velocity to his frame, so you can stay away from him in all your leagues.

Various news and notes
– Updating yesterday’s section on Hisashi Iwakuma, it appears his injury was indeed real. Kuma will be out for up to a month with a lat strain, and Roenis Elias will take his place. Elias pitched well at times for the M’s last year, but just got beat out in spring training after Taijuan Walker’s tremendous performance.

– Before last night, Brandon McCarthy gave up six homers in 18 innings of work this year. Facing the Padres, McCarthy allowed three more homers over five innings, bringing his HR/9 up to 3.52. Hopefully it’s obvious that a rate like this won’t continue, but something this outlandish isn’t fully a fluke. McCarthy reportedly suffered an arm injury in last night’s start, so perhaps a DL stint is in order, removing all temptation to use him in your leagues.

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Streaming Pitcher Options
If you enjoy streaming pitchers, tune into the Roto Riteup for recommendations each and every day.

A pitcher for today: Drew Pomeranz vs HOU (Walphabet)
Pomeranz has shown strikeout stuff this year, and the Astros are willing to whiff. Take advantage of Oakland’s spacious park and PomPom’s fly balling ways.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Chase Anderson vs COL (Kyle Kendrick)
The Rockies can hit, but Anderson can pitch, too. Other options include Dillon Gee and Jared Cosart, who will face off in Miami.