Daniel Hudson:
Hudson continues to make the DBacks front office look like geniuses. He posted his 6th straight quality start since coming over from the White Sox and he’s worked at least 7 innings in all 6 games while posting a phenomenal 42:8 K:BB Ratio in 43 2/3 innings. I was skeptical of Hudson’s command playing in the AL, but he’s shown a willingness to attack weaker NL hitters and the results have been stellar. He hasn’t walked more than 2 in a game since coming over and has thrown 66% of his pitches for strikes. There is some concern he’ll run into an innings limit as Hudson has now thrown 153 IP on the season and his career high is around 166 IP. If the DBacks are willing to push the 30 IP jump, he’d have about 45 innings left which should be enough to get him through the remainder of the season. He might get a start skipped or some starts pushed back, but I’d be surprised if he’s an early shut-down candidate, even though the DBacks have mentioned having formed plans for Hudson/Kennedy/Enright. Hudson’s performed like an ace since coming over and should be owned in all leagues.
Ricky Nolasco:
That was ugly. Nolasco is trying to pitch through a torn meniscus but the results of the first start might make it so that he’s encouraged to shut things down. Nolasco was torched for 10 base-runners and 6 ER’s in just 2 innings of work. He didn’t strike out a batter and walked 3. His velocity was barely touching 90 mph and he had a tough time finishing towards the plate, instead often pulling the ball to his glove side which suggests to me there may be some difficulties in planting and holding on the knee. The Marlins are saying Nolasco feels fine and he’s still scheduled to make his next start but I’m skeptical. I’ll hold Ricky’s upside for now but he won’t be in any lineups for the next start and I’m scouting the wire for potential replacements in case he shuts it down.
Jhoulys Chacin:
Our own David Regan has really been all over Chacin, highlighting some of the intriguing skills he possesses. Chacin has been really solid since joining the rotation posting a 2.29 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. On Saturday night he was mowing down the Dodgers over 7 strong innings allowing just 1 ER and striking out 7. He did battle his command walking 4, but he kept the ball on the ground (8 ground outs, 3 air outs) and as a result avoided a lot of damage. There will be outings where the command gets him into trouble that he can’t escape, but with a K/9 over 9.5 and a GB Rate near 46%, Chacin has plenty of skill to be dominant. It will be a bit of a roller coaster, but there should ultimately be more good than bad the rest of the way for Chacin. He’s a worthy add in all formats for K potential alone.
Brett Myers:
At age 29 with over 180 starts in his major league career coming into this season, I thought we had a pretty good idea of what Brett Myers was, but it appears I was very wrong. Myers has shown big improvements this season thanks to an improved GB Rate and an acceptance that he can’t blow hitters away anymore. Myers is mixing in his breaking stuff far more this season (44.5% FB compared to 52% last season) and the results have been phenomenal. He made it 10 out of his last 11 starts of the quality variety on Saturday as he shut down the Mets over 7 innings. He allowed just 6 hits and a walk while striking out 6 and improving his record to 10-7. Schuyler mentioned him as a potential #2 fantasy SP and surprisingly I think that’s where we’re at with Myers as his component skills (7.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 50% GB Rate) are that of a #2 fantasy SP. He won’t wow you with velocity (89 mph FB now), but he’s become much more of a pitcher this year than a thrower.
Derrek Lee:
It’s been an ugly transition to Atlanta as Derrek Lee has gone just 4-29 with 8 K’s. Lee appeared to be getting hot just before the trade, but he was also dealing with some back issues and hasn’t sustained any hot streaks for more than a week or two this year anyway. Fantasy owners expecting a boost from the lineup protection aren’t getting it yet as Lee has been miserable since coming over. He’ll eventually get hot for a little while and he’s got another handful of homers left in his bat this season with maybe another 15 RBI’s or so, but he’s no longer an elite must-start fantasy player. Pick your spots and with Lee struggling right now it may be best to get him reserved.
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