Roto Riteup: May 9, 2015

Today’s Roto Riteup is presented by Cat Facts. Cat Facts, where you learn that collectively, kittens yawn about 200 million times an hour.

On today’s agenda:
1. Welcome to the bigs: Noah Syndergaard
2. All is right with Gio Gonzalez
3. Various news and notes
4. Streaming Pitcher Options

Welcome to the bigs: Noah Syndergaard
With Dillon Gee headed to the disabled list, the Mets will have Syndergaard make his MLB debut next Tuesday. Syndergaard has mowed through batters in AAA this year, posting a 1.82 ERA over five starts; Syndergaard had a 4.60 ERA in Triple-A last year. There’s a chance this is just a spot start and the top prospect will be back in the minors come Wednesday, but a strong debut would help open the doors for an extended trial if Gee continues to be unimpressive. The Cubs aren’t a cupcake opponent for his debut, but it’ll be fun to stream Syndergaard anyway.

All is right with Gio Gonzalez
The Nationals lefty put together a nice performance against the Braves yesterday, striking out eight over seven innings and allowing just two runs. In Gonzalez’s previous start against the Mets, he struck out nine over seven frames and did not allow a run.

In Gio’s first three starts, he struggled with walks but kept runners from scoring, keeping his ERA below 3.50. I happened to be looking into trading for Gio after his erratic start, and when I looked into what could be ailing him, I found nothing out of the ordinary; just a bad stretch from a good pitcher. Gio’s velo is fine, and his general command of his pitches has been up to snuff, especially in his last couple outings. Unfortunately it’s probably too late to trade for the southpaw, but it’s not too late to place your trust in him if he’s already on your roster.

Various news and notes
– On his road back from Tommy John surgery, Jarrod Parker was pulled from his rehab start due to an injury to his surgically repaired elbow. Nothing’s definitive yet, but things don’t sound promising for the right-hander, and there’s a chance he could be forced to undergo a third TJ procedure if he wants to get back to the majors.

– Drew Smyly is going back on the DL with shoulder soreness, an ailment that kept him out for the first few weeks of the season. In his three big league starts, Smyly’s velocity was in line with expectations, and he struck out a third of the batters he faced. Once/if his shoulder heals up, he’s looking like quite the steal in fantasy leagues. Hopefully everything’s fine with the Rays’ left-hander, since they don’t need any more bad news about their rotation.

– Speaking of the Rays’ rotation, right-hander Jake Odorizzi will not start Saturday due to illness. Odorizzi has the flu and will, presumably, be pooping and puking instead of hurling. Boy that was clever. I’m so smart.

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

A pitcher for today: Carlos Rodon vs CIN (Jason Marquis)
The White Sox’s rookie will make his starting debut in the back half of a doubleheader against the Reds. His wipeout slider will keep Joey Votto and Jay Bruce in check, so he just needs to worry about Todd Frazier.

A pitcher for tomorrow: Tyler Lyons at PIT (Jeff Locke)
I actually like both starters in this game, but I’m not going against the Devil Magic.