Roto Riteup — Presented By DraftKings: July 12, 2014

Twenty-three years ago today the film “Point Break” was released. In my humble opinion the trailer does not do the film justice. It is a masterpiece of 90’s cinema.

On today’s agenda:
1. Thoughts on Jed Lowrie
2. Kevin Gausman to start tomorrow
3. A pair of NL outfielders return
4. The daily five

Thoughts on Jed Lowrie
It’s quite clear this season hasn’t gone the way Lowrie hoped. Entering last night’s game he owned an 87 wRC+ and a .235/.320/.343 line on the year with a .262 BABIP, nearly 30 points below his career average. Good things come to those who wait, at least that is something I was once told, and after three months of waiting, Lowrie has finally begun to reward his fantasy owners. Including last night, Lowrie has put together a seven game hitting streak with six multi-hit games. The brilliant and handsome Blake Murphy broke down what a great buy Lowrie could be in the second half and I agree. He is available in 30% of CBS formats as well as over 40% of Yahoo! and ESPN leagues.

Kevin Gausman to start tomorrow
The 23-year-old Gausman will face off against the visiting New York Yankees in what will be his seventh big league start of 2014. The Baltimore Orioles called him up in order to take Ubaldo Jimenez’s slot in the rotation. Jimenez is hitting the 15-day disabled list due to a sprained ankle and Gausman figures to be up with the O’s until Jimenez is deemed fit to pitch. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter noted it was the same ankle Jimenez sprained back in 2012 and that the club will look at Jimenez’s injury history when evaluating him. Gausman is a solid match up guy tomorrow given the Yankees’ 20th ranked 91 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers. I don’t love Gausman’s control — 3.74 BB/9 this year in Triple-A — but a fastball with an average velocity of 95 mph allows you to miss a few spots here and there. For now I’d feel most comfortable streaming Gausman or maybe rostering him in deep leagues. One can grab Gausman in 90% of ESPN and Yahoo! formats as well as 60% of CBS leagues.

A pair of NL West outfielders return
The Colorado Rockies welcomed Carlos Gonzalez back to the field yesterday evening. Though he only recorded one hit on the day, CarGo did make a very impressive throw to gun down Brian Dozier at third base. Without retreading on the same “great-if-healthy” lines so many already have, I’ll just say that I love watching CarGo play. He has power, speed and when tested, his arm never fails to impress me. With a .292 BABIP a good 50 points below his career average, I’d love to buy low on him right now. Of course, any owner who has stuck with CarGo on the DL for over a month probably isn’t looking to sell, but it is worth a shot.

In a fight to avoid last place in the NL West with the Rockies, the Arizona Diamondbacks activated Mark Trumbo from the 15-day DL prior to yesterday’s game. The slugging outfielder has been out of action since April 22 due to a stress fracture. His rehab performance indicated he was ready to go, as five home runs and a .458 batting average in seven games is impressive. By now Trumbo is a pretty well known commodity: power and more power. Prior to his injury he was tied for the league lead in home runs and before the season started I was very high on him in a hitter friendly park like Chase Field. I still think he is capable of posting big numbers in the second half of the season and like CarGo, in the unlikely event that Trumbo’s owner is willing to sell, grab him.

The daily five
Starting pitcher: Mike Minor — $8,000
While the Chicago Cubs hit southpaws fairly well — their 103 wRC+ ranks 11th — they do own the highest strikeout rate against them at over 25%.

Starting pitcher: Adam Wainwright — $10,800
After going through options like Wade Miley against a San Francisco Giants team that blasts left-handed pitching or Jake Odorizzi squaring off versus the Toronto Blue Jays, going with Waino was more expensive, but worth the money.

Infielder: Juan Francisco — $3,500
The left-handed swinging corner infielder is up against a solid pitcher in Odorizzi, but Francisco punishes opposite-handed pitchers to the tune of a 149 wRC+.

Outfielder: Christian Yelich — $4,500
Yelich will hold the platoon advantage over Daisuke Matsuzaka. I’d look for Yelich to earn a walk or two and hopefully hit a dinger, as all seven of his long balls have come against right-handed pitchers.

Other hitter: Jose Abreu — $5,200
Wicked power, man. The right-handed swinging Abreu faces off against Zach McAllister today, also a righty. Thus far in his short career Abreu has actually hit same-handed pitchers better than southpaws, and I expect a big day from him today.

Remaining budget: $18,000

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