Roto Riteup: May 13, 2016

Clayton Kershaw threw a complete-game shutout. Somehow, he managed to keep Bartolo Colon from going yard. No other Mets pitchers homered, either. That’s how you know Kershaw was in a zone. The 13 strikeouts hint at it, too.

Still, pitchers hitting is all the rage, and because Kershaw didn’t bat flip at any point, Zack Greinke wins the day.

On the agenda:
1. David Price bounces back
2. Yu Darvish looks ready
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

David Price bounces back
I remember a few weeks back having a discussion in this space about the early struggles of David Price, with his drop-off in velocity standing out as a scary indicator. That’s legitimate, and Price is still sitting two ticks below last season, on average, on just about every pitch. Thursday was encouraging, then, because Price sat at 94 for a lot of the night and even touched 96. He also managed seven whiffs on his fastball and 19 overall, helping him to 12 strikeouts over 6.2 innings with just one earned run allowed. Coming off two bad starts and ugly ones in three of his last four, this was great to see, and Price is now the owner of a 31-percent strikeout rate, nearly a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk rate, and a 2.53 FIP beneath is 6.00 ERA.

Yu Darvish looks ready
Sticking with encouraging velocity, Yu Darvish was sitting in the mid-90s and touching 95 again in his latest rehab start. Considering he averaged a shade under 93 in his three seasons prior, that’s a pretty good sign. It was his third rehab outing now, and he worked his way up to four innings, throwing 31 of 54 pitches for strikes. He’s probably set for at least two more rehab starts to stretch out, but he’s getting close.

Various News and Notes
Jurickson Profar thinks he could be traded sometime soon. He’s knocking on the MLB door without a path to playing time, though he admits he’s still not quite ready for major-league pitching. It was a weird interview, all told, but with a bit of speed, a bit of pop, and likely positional flexibility, he’d be a semi-interesting name if dealt.

Chase Headley notched his first extra-base hit of the season, a real win for lovers of two-percent milk and plain white bread. It was a home run, too, one three percent of owners (the inactives, surely) enjoyed.

The Royals could use a little help on the mound after sending Chris Young and Kris Medlen to the DL. Bad time to be a (Ch/K)ris in Kansas City. Both injuries are concerning, as Medlen’s dealing with rotator cuff inflammation and Young is set for an MRI on his right forearm. Dillon Gee’s been shifted to the rotation for Saturday, and Danny Duffy will get the call Sunday, both with an easy landing-spot against the Braves. Duffy, in particular, is interesting, as he’s had a really solid season out of the bullpen so far and isn’t all that far removed from being an intriguing prospect.

Also on the move is Steven Moya, the 6-foot-7 behemoth who’s been recalled by the Tigers. Moya is the Tigers’ top position prospect and is the owner of nine home runs in 31 games at Triple-A, with a .310/.341/.627 slash-line. Gary Sanchez is getting the call for the Yankees, too, and his prospect pedigree and strong start at Triple-A make him a name worth watching.

Quickly: Matt Holliday homered twice because Matt Holliday is awesome. Johnny Cueto fanned nine in eight innings, while James Shields struck out nine over seven for his second win. Odubel Herrera had four hits and a stolen base to push his average to .339 and his OBP to .450. Angel Pagan could return Friday; he’s nearing two weeks off without a DL stint.

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

A pitcher for today: Brandon Finnegan @ PHI (Jeremy Hellickson)
Thought long and hard about about dialing up Nicholas Tropeano against the Mariners before realizing I’ve recommended him in this space a couple of times now. Brandon Finnegan has a safer play opposite the 29th-ranked Phillies offense, and their collective inability to take a walk should help mute one of Finnegan’s bigger issues. You hope, anyway, because he needs a good start pretty badly.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Dillon Gee vs. ATL (Mike Foltynewicz)
Dillon Gee has made seven decent appearances out of the bullpen for the Royals, and while there’s little evidence he’s actually still good – he owns just a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 5.37 FIP – the Braves are the right team to draw a first start against. They’re still stuck on a wRC+ of 58, with a slightly above-average strikeout rate and a below-average walk rate.





Blake Murphy is a freelance sportswriter based out of Toronto. Formerly of the Score, he's the managing editor at Raptors Republic and frequently pops up at Sportsnet, Vice, and around here. Follow him on Twitter @BlakeMurphyODC.

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Brad Johnsonmember
7 years ago

Quality bat flip