Roto Riteup: July 21, 2023

Here is your bad beat of the day:

It’s a cold world when you’re racing the Freeze. pic.twitter.com/iApk1cxCPN

— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2023

On the Agenda: 

1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. Trade Rumors!
3. Quick Hits
4. Various News and Notes
5. Streaming Pitchers

 

Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest

On most Tuesday’s and Friday’s and some other days, Paul Sporer and I will be doing a $5 draftkings game for anyone that is interested. 

 

Trade Rumors!

According to multiple reports, the Mets have received interest in Mark Canha. Canha has a $11,500,000 team option for 2024 and should be fairly cheap for a contender to acquire so it makes sense there are teams interested. 

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, there are multiple teams interested in Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen has been really good against poor competition and bad against good teams. If he gets moved out of the AL Central, he will likely have a tougher road moving forward. 

 

Quick Hits

Starling Marte was placed on the IL with migraines. There is no timetable for his return. 

Jarred Kelenic was placed on the 10-Day IL with a broken foot. Kelenic injured his foot kicking a cooler in frustration after a strikeout. There is no timetable for his return, but he is likely droppable in most formats. 

Tommy Pham left Thursday’s game with groin irritation. Pham stated after the game that he didn’t think it was a serious issue, but also didn’t know if he could avoid the IL. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Ryan Noda was placed on the IL with a fractured jaw. He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

Francisco Mejia left Thursday’s game with a knee issue. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

 

Various News and Notes
Steven Matz threw five innings versus the Cubs on Thursday, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out six in the victory.

Steven Matz's 3Ks in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/DJOXwqwdbx

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 21, 2023

Matz pitched very well getting a 50% whiff rate on his change up and inducing a lot of weak contact. Matz has been up and down this season, but he also has been pretty unlucky with a .340 BABIP and a low strand rate. He is in the rotation for right now and is a decent streamer in good matchups.

Jordan Walker went 2-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Cubs on Thursday.

You all owe an apology to Aaron Boone for respecting Mickey Moniak. pic.twitter.com/LoPrfBKX7J

— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) July 19, 2023

Walker has been pretty good as a rookie, but not out of this world like many expected, hitting .282/.339/.455 with nine home runs and three stolen bases. Walker has played pretty regularly since getting recalled from the minors, which is a good sign and he has done a good job of making good contact in the zone along with nice underlying power metrics. He has hit the ball too much on the ground, but the Cardinals seem committed to playing him and there is a ton of talent in the bat to bet on.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Kutter Crawford vs NYM

Crawford has pitched well recently and this is not a bad matchup. 

High Risk Options: Clarke Schmidt vs KC, Mike Soroka at MIL, JP Sears vs HOU, Reese Olson vs SD, Alec Marsh at NYY. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow:  None

Short slate with limited options.

High Risk Options: Matt Manning vs SD, Brady Singer at NYY. 

For those of you that would like to see how these picks play out, I have a doc I put together to track the stats from my recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”