Roto Riteup: August 3, 2018

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August 3, 2018

At times, the Roto Riteup (and others) have “Rube Baker” moments…..

On the Agenda:
1. Odor Makes History
2. Multi-HR Games
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

Odor Makes History
Rougned Odor joined some of the greats of the game on Thursday night after accruing five walks and a home run in six plate appearances.


Theres a couple things to un-pack here. First, Odor joins Hank Aaron, Mark McGwire, and Edgar Martinez as the only players to EVER notch five walks and a home run in the same game – pretty good company. Second, Odor amassed a career-high walk total in 2017 with 32 (4.9% BB). This year he’s upped his walk total to 27 after last night, with his BB% currently sitting at a career-high level of 7.1%. Lastly, after suffering from a groin injury that cost him about a month, and posting a pedestrian .223/.295/.335 line with three home runs and three stolen bases from April-to-June – Odor delivered amazing numbers in the month of July (.341/.410/.625, six home runs, six stolen bases, 18 runs, 12 RBI). After owning a .229 BA at the end of June, Odor has now bumped it up to .267, with nine extra-base hits and three stolen bases over his last 10 games. Personally, I was very high on a rebound campaign for Odor heading into this season. Despite him compiling his second 30/15 season in a row in ’17, it still was a “down year” overall. I snagged a ton of shares of him with that thought process, and others that joined me in that venture have finally started to reap some of the rewards. He’s been a top-20 hitter on the ESPN Player Rater over the last 30 days. My belief is he’ll be a top-50 hitter the rest of the season – I’m buying if I can.

Multi-HR Games
The Dodgers, Red Sox, and Rangers all hung 15 runs or more on the scoreboard on Thursday. Five players hit multiple home runs yesterday, with four of them being players in those games.
Steve Pearce is hitting .358/.444/.679 with 4 HR (9 XBH), 10 R, 12 RBI, and a 199 wRC+ spanning 63 PA since becoming a member of the Red Sox. Yesterday he went 3-for-5 with three home runs, six RBI, three runs scored, and a walk.

Nelson Cruz swatted home runs number 27 and 28 against the Blue Jays on Thursday. He’s seventh in ISO (.291) and tied for 10th in wRC+ (148).

Didi Gregorious might have had a terrible May (.149/.184/.213), but since the calendar turned to June he’s sporting a .299/.345/.495 line with nine home runs, 29 RBI, and six stolen bases. After hitting two home runs yesterday, Gregorious guarantees that he’ll finish with at least 20 home runs for the third-straight season.

The Dodgers hit seven home runs as a team against the Brewers on Thursday night – with Yasiel Puig dropping two in the 21-5 route.


Yes, his second shot was against a pitcher, but at the end of the season when people look at his stat page I don’t think it’ll be a focal point of conversation. He hit .303 in June and July, and has hits in four-of-six games since returning from the disabled list.

Joc Pederson also went yard twice against the Brewers, and now has a .399 wOBA against RHP this season (10th). Despite the strong numbers against RHP – and his .261 AVG/16 HR – he’s ranked a meager 70th among outfielders according to the ESPN Player Rater. He has made some improvements…..

Various News and Notes
Cody Bellinger, Brian Dozier, and Justin Turner were the other three Dodgers to homer on Thursday against the Brewers – with Bellinger swatting his third career grand slam.

Dee Gordon exited Thursday’s game against the Blue Jays in the ninth inning with an ankle injury after stepping on second base awkwardly. He left in obvious pain, favoring his left leg. Mariners manager Scott Servais said there isn’t an update as of yet, but fantasy owners have to be worried about the injury being severe in nature. Gordon stole his 26th base during the game – he’s second in that category among all hitters this season.

Wil Myers left Thursday’s game against the Cubs after suffering what the Padres twitter handle said was a “left foot contusion.” Padres reporter for The Athletic – Dennis Lin – said Myers left Wrigley in a walking boot, but that X-rays on his foot came back negative.

After getting roughed up by the Orioles on Wednesday, Yankees starter Sonny Gray was told on Thursday that he was being moved to the bullpen. Lance Lynn figures to be taking his spot in the rotation.

According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Blake Snell is tentatively scheduled to return from the disabled list to start on Saturday against the White Sox. The southpaw will end up missing about three starts due to shoulder fatigue.

Jake Lamb is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder.


It’s a left rotator cuff injury. According to manager Torey Lovullo, Lamb was trying to gring through the season – even going as far as to tell the team he was ok. This is unfortunate news for the Diamondbacks, but the recent acquisition of Eduardo Escobar is proving to be quite important right now. Lamb will finish the season with a .202/.307/.348 line with six home runs and 31 RBI in 207 AB. Based on his injury history and recent performance, expect Lamb to go outside the top-200 picks in next years drafts (top-140 pick this year).

Streaming Pitchers
A Pitcher for Today: Trevor Richards @ PHI (Justin), German Marquez @ MIL
Marquez has a 3.15 ERA on the road this season (6.63 at home). The Brewers rank 24th in wRC+ at home (91). It’s risky, but Marquez has strong skills on the road (3.40 xFIP, 47% GB, 3.7 K/BB).

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Clay Buchholz vs SF (If available)
High-Risk Option: Marco Estrada @ SEA
Estrada admittedly has been awful. His pitch count should tick back up coming off injury, and the Mariners finished 27th in wRC+ in July (no Dee Gordon more than likely)





 

Fantasy Baseball and Tampa Bay Rays enthusiast. Restaurant manager by day, fantasy analyst by night. Contributor to Rotographs, Baseball HQ, Fantasy Pros, and co-owner of Friends with Fantasy Benefits. Follow me @MikeWernerFWFB.

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