Roto Riteup: August 13, 2015

Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming movie, The Hateful Eight, posted its teaser trailer yesterday (warning: language, violence…it’s Tarantino).

On today’s agenda:
1. Chris Coghlan’s fifth start at second base
2. Good news for Drew Smyly
3. Justin Turner’s (nearing) return
4. Hisashi Iwakuma’s no-no
5. Streaming Pitching Options

Chris Coghlan’s fifth start at second base
For those of you in Yahoo! or CBS leagues, Coghlan is now eligible to be played at the keystone both this and next season. The 2009 National League rookie of the year is in the midst of a solid offensive season, posting a .248/.336/.415 line prior to yesterday’s game. He’s also cracked 11 dongers to go with stealing 11 bags and thus earned a fourth tier rating from fellow pop-punk enthusiast Alex Chamberlain in the August version of NL outfielder tiered rankings. Coghlan is free to pick up in over 80 percent of CBS leagues as well as over 90 percent of Yahoo! settings. He’s available in over 90 percent of ESPN formats too, but needs two more appearances at second before you can plug him there.

Good news for Drew Smyly
Recovering from a torn left labrum, Smyly could make his first big league start in over three months on Sunday. The southpaw threw 94 pitches across four innings at Triple-A Durham and feels ready to rejoin the Rays rotation. I’d pick him up in most leagues, however I’d leave him on the bench. The Rangers don’t hit left-handers particularly well, but I want to see his velocity and control before giving him starts on my team. Smyly can be picked up in over 60 percent of Yahoo! or CBS settings and over 80 percent of ESPN leagues.

Justin Turner’s (nearing) return
The Dodgers could see their third baseman/guy who plays all over the infield back in the lineup as soon as today. An infection on his right thigh landed Turner on the 15-day disabled list, though the nature of the injury — which is to say not a hamstring, lat, etc. — leads me to think he can hit the ground running. He’s already owned in more than 70 percent of CBS and Yahoo! leagues, however Turner is available in over 50 percent of ESPN settings.

Hisashi Iwakuma’s no-no
Iwakuma threw his first big league complete game shutout, and he did it while tossing a no-hitter against the Orioles. He walked a trio of O’s during the outing and gathered seven strikeouts along the way. Iwakuma induced 19 (!) swinging strikes — five each on his fastball, sinker and slider with his splitter and curve generating three and one whiff each — out of his 116 pitches. Baseball is pretty neato.


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

A pitcher for today: Nathan Eovaldi at CLE (Trevor Bauer)
The Tribe rate a tick above average when facing a right-hander, yet I’m still thinking he can post a quality start. Eovaldi is free to stream in 35 percent of CBS leagues along with over 65 percent of ESPN or Yahoo! formats.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Wily Peralta vs PHI (Adam Morgan)
Philadelphia is pretty bad against righties and Peralta should have no issue against them. Make sure to pick him up if you can, as he’s available in over 75 percent of the three major fantasy sites.





You can catch David spouting off about baseball, soccer, esports and other things by following him on twitter, @davidwiers.

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baltic wolfmember
8 years ago

Love Tarantino. Just don’t make the mistake of taking a Catholic girlfriend, as one of my brothers did (SMH) to see the otherwise brilliant Pulp Fiction. (She walked out in the middle of the movie.)

David: need a starter for the next week or so in a 16 team league until Smyly comes off the DL. Two week playoffs start next week.

Boyd (nice changeup & slider according to pitch/fx), Rea (home start vs. Braves), Kelly (mixing up his pitches a lot more last start, good velocity as usual and Cruz might not be in the lineup for his next start)or Williams Perez (nice changeup by whiff rate, good start at SD).

There’s also Tomlin vs. Minnesota in spacious Target Field. Tomlin’s always available when he pops back up on the waiver wire.

I kind of like Boyd just based on what I’m seeing on the pitch/fx data. I might even be able to make room for him for longer by dropping Brad Miller (I’ve been alternating him and Flores at SS). What are your thoughts?

baltic wolfmember
8 years ago
Reply to  David Wiers

Thanks for the reply.

Miller/Flores are just holding the fort until Corey Seager gets called up. So I’d have to move one anyway, assuming I’m still in the playoffs when that happens.