Roto Riteup: May 13, 2022

I’d call that a good day!

Game 1: Nick Gordon pitches a scoreless inning.
Game 2: Nick Gordon makes a highlight-reel catch in center. pic.twitter.com/CIX9VeXYnv

— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2022

 

On the Agenda: 

1. Sleeper and the Bust DK Contest
2. COVID Issues
3. Closer Chaos
4. Quick Hits
5. Various News and Notes
6. 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. 

 

COVID Issues

The Cleveland Guardians have multiple staff members in Health and Safety protocols including manager Terry Francona. This is very concerning and something to watch in case players start becoming affected. 

 

Closer Chaos

The Reds placed Lucas Sims on the IL with back spasms. It appeared that Sims was the leader in the bullpen for saves in Cincinnati, but it is hard to tell because you have to win games to get save opportunities. It seems likely that saves will be spread around in his absence between Art Warren, Tony Santillian and possibly others. 

 

Quick Hits

According to Jon Heyman, the Padres and Robinson Cano are close to agreeing on a deal to bring in the veteran second baseman. Cano was designated for assignment by the mets recently and unsurprisingly went unclaimed. He would likely just be a bench piece for San Diego to add depth while Tatis is still working his way back from injury. 

Tyler Beede was claimed off of waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants designated Beede for assignment with a roster crunch that occurred once San Francisco started to get healthy. Beede is a former first round pick that has shown flashes in the Majors and he lands in the perfect spot to get an opportunity with a rebuilding Pittsburgh team with a nice park. 

Austin Hays suffered a laceration on his hand during the game versus the Cardinals on Thursday according to manager Brandon Hyde. Hays played through the injury but will undergo further evaluation on it to determine if he will need time off. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

Jeremy Pena left Thursday’s game versus the Twins due to a knee issue. He is expected to undergo further testing. Consider him day-to-day for now. 

According to manager Joe Girardi, Bryce Harper has a small tear in his UCL. This explains why he has been unable to play the field. This is very scary news. The Phillies will try and see if rest and a PRP injection will improve things, but this could mean a long term absence at some point. 

 

Various News and Notes

Taylor Hearn threw five scoreless innings in the victory over the Royals, allowing just one hit and three walks while striking out five. 

Taylor Hearn, Dirty 83mph Slider. 😨
5Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/mwa8HSdnk0

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 13, 2022

Hearn threw his fastball 69% of the time, but it was effective especially when he threw his nasty slider. I don’t think this pitch mix will work very often, but it was effective against a bad Royals lineup. I like the base skills here but there needs to be a better pitch mix and more overall development.

Connor Overton threw 6.1 innings in the victory over the Pirates, allowing three hits and four walks while striking out 1.

A quick look at Connor Overton’s Statcast data in that first inning. #LFG #Rojos pic.twitter.com/eLR1dwMM4v

— West Virgina Redlegs (@WVREDMEAT) May 7, 2022

Overton wasn’t overly impressive, but managed to get a lot of ground balls and weak contact. He gave up a hard hit barrel that probably would have been a home run in other parks to Hayes in the sixth inning, but he was saved by PNC. Overton had a great day, but he isn’t worth much outside of NL Only leagues.

Brad Miller went 2-for-3 with a home run in the victory over the Royals.

Brad Miller – Texas Rangers (5) pic.twitter.com/26zLF6UqNb

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) May 13, 2022

Miller is hitting .236/.263/.458 with five home runs and three stolen bases in 76 plate appearances for the Rangers this year. Miller has been playing sporadically, but he has power and speed and leads off at times for the Rangers. He is probably best used in DFS, but there is some value still here.

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Michael Lorenzen at OAK.

I am not sold on Lorenzen, but this is a great matchup in a fantastic park. If you are looking for strikeouts, Pivetta is the play. 

High Risk Options: Nick Pivetta at TEX, Dane Dunning vs BOS. 

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Jake Odorizzi at WAS

Odorizzi has been great over his last three starts, posting a .51 ERA and getting wins in all three starts. Lots of good options for Saturday as well. 

High Risk Options: Michael Pineda vs BAL, Bruce Zimmermann at DET, Glen Otto vs BOS, Jakob Junis at STL. 

 

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 the recommended pitchers. It does not include the “High Risk Options.”