Matt Cain (SP-SF): Matt Cain struggled through 6 1/3 innings against the Rockies, but the Giants offense bailed him out for the win. The righty allowed 6 earned runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 6 to pick up his 3rd win of the year. Cain allowed 3 more homers to give him 13 through 56 1/3 innings (he allowed 21 in 219 1/3 innings last season). The big innings and long balls have hurt him so far, pushing his ERA to 5.43 (xFIP 4.11). While he has lost roughly ½ MPH on his fastball, he is also missing up in the zone. As a result, according to Brooks, hitters are slugging .527 on his 4-seamer and an astonishing .909 on his 2-seamer. Because of that, the slider isn't as effective, with hitters slugging an abnormally high .453 off of it. While I am concerned, as long as no injury exists, I do see these issues as fixable. Stand pat with him, but keep an eye on the issues in moving forward.
Travis Snider (OF-PIT): Travis Snider had a monster game against the Brewers, going 3 for 5 with 3 RBI, 2 runs, and his first homer and steal of the year. The effort pushed his season line to .292/.364/.406. Snider continues to shave his strikeout rate (down from 25.9% to 22.4%) and add to his walk rate (up from 9.2% to 10.3%). He has also continued the trend of cutting down his swinging strike rate (from 9.4% to 8.4%). However, he has only received 8 plate appearances against lefties, recording only 1 hit and 1 walk in the process. With Jose Tabata's recent emergence, look for the platoon to remain firm. Additionally, while he continues to improve as a hitter, his .380 BABIP looks to be unsustainable. Put it all together and you have more of an NL-only, or deep mixed-league option.
Bobby Parnell (RP-NYM): Bobby Parnell recorded his 4th save of the year, and his first since May 1st, as he tossed a scoreless 9th inning against the Cardinals. While saves chances have proven difficult to come by for Parnell, he has been rock solid for most of the season, allowing only 2 earned runs on 10 hits and 3 walks, with 16 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings. The knuckle-curve he picked up towards the end of last season has really made a difference, as hitters are 2 for 16 against it this season. With the Frank Francisco's recent setback and Parnell's quality start to the season, his job security looks pretty firm in moving forward.
Wilin Rosario (C-COL): Wilin Rosario belted a 3-run homer as part of a 2 for 4, 2 runs scored effort at the plate. The homer was Rosario's 8th of the year, and his first since April 29th. The powerful catcher has been scuffling a bit in May, with a .441 OPS to follow up his scorching 1.023 OPS from April. Such streakiness is to be expected from Rosario, whose month-to-month production from last season was all over the map. While there was some uncertainty regarding the sustainability of the .270 AVG he posted last season, he sits at .274 so far. His contact rate is up (to 72.3%, according to the PitchFX data) while his EYE has virtually held steady at .23. What's interesting is the 34-game split so far: .664 home OPS, .960 away OPS. Once he starts heating up at home as summer approaches, his numbers should only improve across the board. Stick with him, as a hot streak may have arrived.
Stephen Strasburg (SP-WAS): Stephen Strasburg picked up his 2nd win of the year by tossing 8 quality innings against the Padres. The Nationals' Ace allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and 3 walks, and added 4 strikeouts in the longest outing of his career. While Strasburg's last two outings are encouraging signs, there is still reason for concern. His K rate is down 6.9% to 23.3% fueled by a slight decrease in his swinging strike rate (from 11.2% to 10.6%). These issues could be a result of command of the 4-seamer and effectiveness of the 2-seamer. According to Brooks Baseball, batters are hitting .309 off of his 4-seamer this season, and have posted a .316 AVG and .211 ISO off of the 2-seamer, prompting him to decrease its usage 7% of the time. Commanding the 4-seamer and trusting the 2-seamer will be key to whether he performs like a #1 or like a #1A.
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