Roto Riteup: July 28, 2017

Masahiro Tanaka seemed close for a while now with a 3.81 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 60 Ks, and just nine walks in his last eight starts and then then this:

Tanaka was perfect through five and two-thirds before an Adeiny Hechavarria single broke it up. He wound up going eight innings, allowing just a single run on two hits with a career-high 14 strikeouts.

On the Agenda:

  • Salazar Dazzles Again
  • Conforto’s Big July
  • Parker Bridwell Can’t Lose
  • Beltre on the Cusp
  • Other News
  • Whiff Watch
  • WTWT

Salazar Dazzles Again

Danny Salazar once again shone brightly, tossing six innings and allowing just two runs (a 2-run shot to Matt Davidson) on three hits and two walks. He also struck out eight. He notched 23 swings-and-misses, the most on the night, in just 97 pitches (24% SwStr). Nine of his 21 changeups generated whiffs and accounted for four of the strikeouts. His fastball sat at 95 mph and topped out at 98. Salazar has allowed just four hits and two walks in 13 innings over his two starts since returning from injury.

Conforto’s Big July

Michael Conforto labored through June with just a .700 OPS and a single homer in 81 PA, but he’s surged again with a .313/.371/.719 line, 7 HR, 13 RBI, and 12 runs in 70 PA. He even has a couple homers against lefties (.217/.250/.565, 2 HR in 24 PA). He’s having a fantastic breakout season, setting himself up as one of the premier long-term keepers in the league. He’s just 24 years old, has shown a tremendous power explosion, and seems to be getting better against lefties in a career-high 67 PA. He already has 12 homers to the center and opposite fields, two fewer than he tallied in 2015-16 combined (478 PA).

Parker Bridwell Can’t Lose

OK, well Parker Bridwell isn’t undefeated this year so he in fact can lose, but when you get a chance to vaguely reference “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose”, then you sure as shit better do it. In July, he’s 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 26.7 innings. He also has 20% K and 6% BB rates, with the former being well above the paltry 12% K rate he brought into the month. His slider has been his best pitch all year and it’s driving his success along with his fastball’s best month of the season (.159 AVG, 11% K in 47 PA). The 25-year old one-time Orioles prospect was traded for cash in mid-April and could be a backend rotation piece for the Angels. He looks like a deep league streamer at best. He can cut and sink his fastball while the slider and changeup have netted an average 10% swinging strike rate.

Beltre on the Cusp

With two more hits on Friday night, Adrian Beltre sits at 2,998, just two away from the magical 3000-hit milestone. I realize some of the heralded milestones have been watered down (500+ HRs) or have gone the way of the dodo bird with changes to the game (300+ wins), but 3000 hits are still cool as hell. You can’t fake your way to 3000 hits. Sure, some guys sputter their way to it, but it takes a boatload of great seasons to put you in position to even limp there. Of course, Beltre isn’t doing anything of the sort. He has a .311/.389/.544 line and 143 wRC+ in 208 PA. Beltre has been a no doubt Hall of Famer in my mind for a few years now and I think that is now the general consensus.

Other News

Whiff Watch

A quick look at the top swing-and-miss starters from yesterday:

  • Danny Salazar paced the league with 23 whiffs, good for a 24% rate in 97 pitches
  • Masahiro Tanaka had 21 and a 19% mark in 109 pitches
  • Ariel Miranda had 19 and a 20% mark in 95 pitches
  • Austin Pruitt had 14 and a 17% mark in 81 pitches (but allowed 3 HR in 5 IP)
  • Rafael Montero had 13 and a 14% mark in 93 pitches
  • Chad Kuhl had 12 and a 12% mark in 97 pitches
  • Jaime Garcia had 12 and a 12% mark in 98 pitches
  • Derek Holland and Andrew Cashner both managed just 2 in 84 and 102 pitches, respectively, though Cashner stifled the Orioles (7 IP/1 ER) while Holland was torched (4.3 IP/6 ER)

WTWT

Could be a lot of scoring on Saturday with a host of fourth and fifth starters taking the mound, but I’ll still be keeping an eye on these arms:

  • The enigmatic Kevin Gausman battles the Rangers in Texas
  • Ivan Nova and Dinelson Lamet get it done in different ways and I always like watching two different styles tangle
  • Corey Kluber and Zack Greinke are among the must-watch arms in the league, especially of late (108 K in last 71 IP for Kluber; 2.53 ERA for Greinke in his L9 starts)
  • Trevor Cahill makes his Royals debut and tries to run their streak to 10 straight wins
  • Tanner Roark has been strong over his last three with the return of his slider and I think he can have a big finish so I’ll be tuning in to some of this one for sure





Paul is the Editor of Rotographs and Content Director for OOTP Perfect Team. Follow Paul on Twitter @sporer and on Twitch at sporer.

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Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe
6 years ago

Hellickson was, in fact, traded *from* the Phillies to the Orioles [in a baffling move for an Orioles team that should be selling].

Anon
6 years ago

I’m probably way off, but I kind of wonder if both the Hellickson and Ramos trades were made with an eye toward flipping those guys. The O’s can now offer a monster package of an actual rotation piece with their flotilla of bullpen arms. The Mets can now package a bullpen piece with closing experience with one of their corner OF bats. Ramos at least has another year of control so maybe the Mets are keeping him, but the Hellickson deal had to be to package him with some of the bullpen arms

Mario Mendozamember
6 years ago
Reply to  Anon

The hellickson deal was just so that Showalter didn’t have to look at Kim any more