Roto Riteup: August 19, 2016

Happy Friday.

pic.twitter.com/w9oMiaDbAF

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) August 19, 2016

On the agenda:
1. Salazar pulled early
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitcher Options

Salazar pulled early
Some time off didn’t do Danny Salazar any favors. The Indians hurler returned from the DL on Thursday and was summarily dispatched by the White Sox, who hit him up for three runs on one hit and three walks in the first inning. Terry Francona opted for the bullpen from there, while Salazar went off to continue his day in a side-session. “I was wild,” Salazar said, pointing to an inconsistent release point as the root of his poor showing. It’s a positive that Salazar was able to hit 96-97 on the gun given his time off was due to elbow soreness, but it’s troubling for owners that Salazar picked up his pre-injury slump where he left off. He’s now allowed 21 earned runs in 19.1 innings over his last five starts, pushing his season ERA to 3.57 in the process. He’s too good to lose e faith in, it’d just be nice to see him right the ship ahead of the fantasy (and real-life) stretch run.

Various News and Notes
Joey Votto apparently sent Ichiro Suzuki 51 pizzas before Thursday’s game, a day after a Marlin suspected to be Suzuki sent Votto donuts. I’m not sure the validity of these moves as pranks, but if anyone would like to “prank” me with free donuts and pizza, I’ll gladly provide my address in the comments.

Despite the Orioles’ offense struggling as a whole, Mark Trumbo is the league-leader in home runs once again after smacking his 35th of the year yesterday. It’s his fourth home run in the last seven games, a much-needed hot streak for the slugger following a middling July and a downright awful start to August.

Jose Fernandez is already at 200 strikeouts, getting there in just 139.2 innings. His 3.05 ERA is the worst of his young career (“worst”), but his peripherals – a 2.27 FIP and a ludicrous 35.6-percent strikeout rate – suggest he’ll probably be fine, even with two bad outings in his last four. The question for owners remains how often he’ll pitch down the stretch.

Speaking of pitching down the stretch, the Dodgers no longer sound like they’re expecting Hyun-Jin Ryu to do just that. The discomfort in his pitching elbow is such that the Dodgers are now thinking more in terms of 2017, a tough reality to accept with five (!) other starters on the DL. Ryu’s at just 4.2 innings pitched over the last two seasons.

The Marlins may be among those interested in Carlos Gomez. The Mets and Giants had interest, too, but are seemingly be out of the race now. There’s not a lot to say here until he lands somewhere, but it’s worth noting that his 10-day DFA period concludes today, and most of the teams he’s been tied to have been in the NL.

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

A pitcher for today: Jose Berrios @KC (Edinson Volquez)
We’re taking a bit of a swing for the fences with the 13-percent owned rookie here, considering he’s the owner of a 9.32 ERA and 1.89 WHIP. Jose Berrios didn’t even make it past two innings his last time out, and he only has one good start in three tries since returning from the minors. So why the optimism, other than a thinner streaming day? Well, the Royals are bad, for one – they own by far the worst offense in baseball over the last month and have been mediocre against righties all year. For another, Berrios has some nice strikeout potential and has flashed a few encouraging signs despite the surface stats.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Robbie Ray @ SD (Clayton Richard)
Were it not for the Berrios recommendation above, I’d probably throw a Hector Santiago your way in this slot. Instead, we’ll roll with Robbie Ray, who not only draws one of the worst offenses in baseball at their offense-suppressing home park, but who has also been piling up strikeouts. Yes, Ray’s ERA and WHIP are a little unsightly, but at 22-percent ownership, it’s tough to find this kind of strikeout upside.