Roto Riteup: August 2, 2015

Today’s Roto Riteup is here, better late than never.

On today’s agenda:
1. Various news and notes
2. Streaming Pitcher Options

Various news and notes

Despite having his start pushed back multiple times, Clayton Kershaw was excellent against the Angels last night, throwing eight scoreless innings. Perhaps a little extra rest was all the Cy Young Award winner needed to get his hip right; even if he’s ailing, there’s no reason not to put him in your lineup each and every time he takes the mound.

Steven Souza is headed to the DL with a fractured hand, and his season could very well be over. If it is, Souza’s 2015 was a bit of a disappointment; he showed power, patience, and some speed, but he struck out in over a third of his plate appearances, killing any chance at having a halfway decent batting average. Souza won’t sucker folks in next year like he did this year; we know what he is now.

As expected, the Astros have sent Vincent Velasquez back to Double-A. Velasquez struck out a batter per inning over his seven starts, posting an ERA of 4.03 and a FIP of 3.22. With Scott Kazmir potentially walking as a free agent this offseason, Velasquez could get a full-time shot at a rotation spot next spring. For now, he’s the seventh starter.

In his last three starts, Raisel Iglesias has truck out 20 batters over 18-plus innings, walking six and allowing three homers. Iglesias has a 3.93 and 1.20 WHIP in that span. Iglesias has the stuff, it’s just a matter of holding on to it as he fatigues through his starts. If he can build up a little extra arm strength this offseason, he’ll be a starter to watch in 2016.

After struggling post-Tommy John surgery, Matt Moore is headed to the minors. Moore has a 8.78 ERA and 5.56 FIP through six starts, and has struggled to strike batters out to compensate for his typically high walk rate. With his fastball now at 91 MPH instead of its former 94-95, Moore simply may no longer be an effective big league starter.

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

A pitcher for today: Trevor Bauer at OAK (Sonny Gray)
Bauer in Oakland against the Zobrist-less lineup is still a roll of the dice, but the odds are just a little better.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Miguel Gonzalez at OAK (Chris Bassitt)
Gonzalez is solid and gets a start against a light lineup away from Camden Yards. There’s not much upside here, but not much downside, either. Expect a Quality Start and a Win.