Mike Pelfrey - Pelfrey halted the Mets' skid last night, holding the Braves to two runs on seven hits over 7 2/3 innings, walking two and fanning three. Pelfrey's best asset is likely his ability to induce groundballs, and three double plays last night certainly helped him avoid a much worse fate. He's been a bit fortunate on balls in play and with stranding runners so far this year, and with a bit of a velocity decline combined with that luck, I'd be surprised if we saw his ERA remain within a half a run of where it is right now by the break. Still, Pelfrey is a solid #3 or #4 starter in most formats.
Carlos Gonzalez - I do like Gonzalez, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games last night with another 2-5 performance. However, he has 1 walk and 10 K's during this hot streak, and he's still swinging at pitches outside of the zone more than 40% of the time, so this level of contact would seem to be unsustainable to me. I wouldn't be totally averse to hanging onto him, but to me he seems a solid sell-high candidate.
Clayton Richard - Richard continued his home dominance last night, holding the Giants to three singles, three walks, and a run over seven innings, striking out five. Richard has been keeping the ball down better than ever so far this year, enabling him to withstand his typically poor control, and he's been so successful so far this year I'd actually be inclined to start him when he's pitching in Petco if you have daily transactional ability. I do expect regression, of course, but he should still be palatable at home.
Yovani Gallardo - Even when he's struggling, Gallardo is still impressive. Despite walking six, Gallardo shut down the Reds for six innings, holding them to just one run on four hits while striking out five. I'm a touch concerned about the slight drop in velocity and slight deterioration in control, particularly since the 24 year old is logging so many pitches as the ace of an ostensibly competitive team. Gallardo is a great pitcher, no question about it, but he isn't someone that I would consider completely untouchable in trade talks due to the two points above.
Edwin Jackson - Jackson was ridiculous last night against the Marlins, scattering a double, three singles, and two walks over eight innings against the Marlins, striking out an even dozen. Jackson has certainly been pitching with some poor fortune this year, as both his BABIP and HR/FB rates seem a bit unlucky. His K rate and contact% against are both as good as they've ever been, so although this park isn't really the best fit for his style of pitching, I still think he has something to offer. He's a solid buy-low pickup.
