Jeff Locke - Locke has fit the bill of a spot starter pretty well for most of this year, and he continued that trend on Monday with a 7 IP, 1 ER performance against the Phillies. Locke allowed just 3 hits and struck out 9 without issuing a walk to move to 7-4 on the year. He has the Cubs, Brewers, and Braves left on the schedule, and although I'd be a bit leery about starting him for the Brewers matchup with their success against LHP, I don't think I'd have qualms about using him in just about any format for the other two. He has maintained a GB rate near 50% this season while improving both his control and swinging strike%, and I do feel that he's gotten to a point where I would trust him a decent portion of the time.
Scooter Gennett - Gennett had a single and a double on Monday as he continues to have, in my mind anyway, an underrated season. He is clearly producing enough to be a starting MIF in 12-team leagues at the very least, and at just 24 there's still upside to hope for. Despite the 298/331/457 line, he's available in nearly two-thirds of ESPN formats. Between the LD rate of nearly 25%, the improved contact rate from an already decent level, and the modest amounts of power and speed that he offers, there's a lot to like.
Jacob Turner - Most of you who've been reading here for a few years know that I have a soft spot for Turner, but I didn't go into today's research expecting to find a lot of positives to talk about. Surprisingly, Turner still has some things to hope and dream on, as along with a slight velocity bump he's improved his control (down to 2.5 BB/9) and his GB rate (over 50%) while maintaining a swinging strike% in the 8.5% range. A BABIP that's increased by 85 points without any increase in LD rate combined with a strand rate that's dropped 11.5% are the primary culprits for his struggles in 2014, and while I don't really have aspirations greater than "potential 4th starter" for him, I do still feel that he can meet reach that level. I don't feel comfortable enough with him to justify starting other than out of desperation at present, but he may be a deep sleeper yet again come spring of 2015.
Shelby Miller - Miller tossed 7 shutout innings for the second straight start on Monday, and he's now run off 4 QS in a row. Miller's peripherals aren't very good at all with one exception: he's cut his walk rate by nearly 50% since the ASB, and that plus some good fortune through BABIP have helped him to a sub-3.00 ERA over that span. It's hard to have a ton of faith in him with the decline in swinging strike% to go along with the flyball tendencies, but he's shown enough in the second half to be a high risk back-end starter in most formats despite the warts.
Michael McKenry - McKenry has started 75% of the games for the Rockies over the past two weeks, and after another single and a walk on Monday he's hit in five straight, boosting his season line up to 322/409/517 over 143 ABs. He's done enough in his Colorado tenure to justify a 2nd catcher spot if your league requires that, particularly in OBP-based formats.
