Roto Riteup: May 21, 2021

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May 21, 2021

Hops like his cousin Shawn:

 

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On the Agenda: 

  1. Closer Chaos
  2. Quick Hits
  3. Various News and Notes
  4. Streaming Pitchers

 

Closer Chaos

Hansel Robles got the save in the second game of the double header versus the Angels. Taylor Rogers faced the middle of the lineup in the sixth, so it seems like a matter of mixing and matching, but this is now his second save in three  appearances and he is worth picking up in case he is starting to take over this role. 

 

Quick Hits

Tyler Duffey was suspended three games for throwing at Yermin Mercedes. Shortly after the first half of the double header it was reduced to two games. He will be out for today’s game after sitting out the second half of the double header yesterday. 

Jorge Polance left the second game of the double header on Thursday versus the Angels. Polanco was experiencing some ankle soreness, so this doesn’t sound super serious. Consider him day-to-day at this time. 

 

Various News and Notes

Miguel Sano went 3-for-4 with three home runs in the victory over the White Sox on Tuesday and then hit a grand slam on Thursday. Sano has always had this type of upside, but he struggles to make contact which means he is hard to trust. Maybe he is starting to heat up or maybe this is a two game blip. It is hard to tell. 

Spencer Turnbull threw a no hitter against the Mariners on Tuesday, striking out nine in the process and only allowing two walks. Turnbull was great, mainly throwing his fastball and slider, but they worked very well. He has a nice matchup next against Cleveland and should be rostered in all formats for that start. 

Gavin Lux went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in the victory over the Diamondbacks. Lux has struggled this season, but the Dodgers haven’t given up on the former top prospect and now the team is in a position that they need him to contribute with all of their injuries. He has a ton of talent in the bat and some speed to go with it and should be rostered in most, if not all formats. 

Corey Kluber threw a no hitter Wednesday versus the Rangers, allowing just one walk. Kluber was fantastic getting swings and misses with all of his pitches. It helped that he was facing a bad Rangers lineup, but that doesn’t take away from the feat. 

 

Tyler Mahle fell apart in the third inning versus the Giants allowing seven earned runs in a two innings outing. Mahle got dinked and dunked to death largely because he struggled with command in the zone, but also because the Giants took really good at bats. He should be fine. This was just a bump in the road. 

Ian Happ went two for four with two home runs. Happ has been on fire since returning from the IL with four home runs and a .348 batting average in just six games. He should be picked up in any formats he was dropped in when he hit the IL. 

 

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in CBS)

Pitcher for Today: Tyler Anderson at ATL

This is a risky play, but the Braves have struck out at a 27% clip and have an 87 wRC+ versus lefties. 

High Risk Options: Carlos Martinez vs CHC, Tyler Ivey at TEX

 

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Ryan Weathers vs SEA

Weathers may not go deep into the game, but the Mariners have been atrocious and he should at least put up some usable innings. 

High Risk Options: None

 

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” but I may add them at some point. 





 

Justin is the co-host on The Sleeper and The Bust Podcast and writes for Rotographs covering the Roto Riteup as well as other periodic articles. In addition to his work at Rotographs, Justin is the lead fantasy writer/analyst and co-owner for FriendswithFantasyBenefits.com, and the owner of The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational. He is also a certified addiction treatment counselor. Follow Justin on Twitter @JustinMasonFWFB.

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AnonMember since 2025
4 years ago

I’ll just throw this out there for anyone looking to stream a hitter – Nick Ahmed has a career 1.095 OPS at Coors Field and it’s not like it’s been one or two big years or a super small sample size. He rakes there every single year and it’s 148 PA.

Oh, and it’s 75* with the wind blowing out at 16-17 mph at Coors today.

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