Roto Riteup: July 9, 2015

Rather than stick with soccer, instead I’ll shift to something we can all agree on: music! Yesterday morning the users over at Absolute Punk released their top 50 albums from 2000-15 (warning: language). As the website name would suggest, the list is largely dominated by the punk and pop-punk scene, however other genres make appearances as well.

On today’s agenda:
1. Alex Gordon’s injury
2. Scott Kazmir and Jason Hammel leave respective starts
3. Consider John Jaso
4. Streaming Pitching Options

Alex Gordon’s injury
Chasing down a fly ball in the fourth inning, Gordon went down on the warning track and didn’t get back up. He was eventually carted off of the field with what the Royals are calling a left groin strain. The severity of the strain is yet to be known, and the club will have an MRI done to get a better grasp on it, but Gordon apparently heard a pop. Depending on the strain, Gordon could miss anywhere from a few weeks to as many as eight weeks. Jarrod Dyson took Gordon’s spot yesterday and figures to be the likely replacement, though Paulo Orlando could gets some time in left field as well. Both Dyson and Orlando have excellent speed and Dyson in particular could steal 20+ bags rest-of-season. If forced to choose, I’d pick up Dyson because if LF turns into a platoon, at least he’ll get the majority of the playing time. Dyson is free to pick up in more than 95 percent of Yahoo!, CBS and ESPN leagues.

Scott Kazmir and Jason Hammel leave respective starts
It seems to be Scott Kazmir vs the world himself as the injury bug may have targeted the left-hander once again. He exited after the third inning and 50 pitches due to tightness in his left triceps. Both the A’s and Kazmir are emphasizing this was a minor issue and are playing it safe, however given Kazmir’s injury history one can imagine a trip to the disabled list. As the linked article notes, his velocity had been down for yesterday’s start, about 1-2 mph across the board when compared to his season velo according to Brooks Baseball. Kazmir is in line to get some extra rest thanks to the All-Star break and hopefully won’t require a stint on the DL.

Hammel felt pain in his left hamstring on the second pitch of the game yesterday, though he did finish the first inning. A 12 pitch outing is hard to gauge anything so the Cubs ordered an MRI. No word on whether or not Hammel will be forced to miss a start, but with a little bit of rotation juggling, the team may not need to call on Hammel until July 20, and that is without making a roster change.

Consider John Jaso
Now that the slugging catcher is back in action, time to make a move and grab Jaso. He’s eligible at catcher, though is likely to play mostly at designated hitter. If the Rays opt to go with a platoon system between Jaso and Joey Butler, that would leave Jaso with the majority share. He hit leadoff in both games he’s appeared in since being activated and when in the lineup, it makes sense for him to continue doing so. For those of you in two-catcher leagues Jaso is just about a must own, and those in deep single catcher leagues should at least take note of him. One can find Jaso free to own in about 85 percent of CBS leagues and more than 95 percent of Yahoo! and ESPN settings.

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

A pitcher for today: Jesse Chavez at NYY (Masahiro Tanaka)
I’m cheating here given Chavez is already owned in over 65 percent of CBS leagues, but there just aren’t very good options for streamers today. He is available in over 55 percent of Yahoo! leagues and more than 65 percent of ESPN formats. 

A pitcher for tomorrow: Mike Bolsinger vs MIL (Jimmy Nelson)
Bolsinger’s 22.9 percent strikeout rate should fare well against the Brewers and their tendency to whiff against right-handers at a top-10 rate in the league. If you’re looking for a cheap or stream guy, Bolsinger is free to stream in 40 percent of CBS leagues, 60 percent of ESPN formats and nearly 70 percent of Yahoo! settings.