Gregory Polanco (OF, Pit): Polanco went 1-5 with 3 RBI and hit his fourth home run of the year Sunday against Cardinals reliever Matt Bowman. GP has been hitting in the three hole for the Pirates since Friday, which is obviously terrific news for his fantasy stock. He'll have more plate appearances and more opportunities to rack up runs and RBI. He's only 3-6 in stolen bases, but the power is there and he's dramatically improved his plate discipline and batted ball profile; his 14.7% walk rate is almost double what he did last year (8.4%), and he's also cut 3.1% off his K%, trimming it to 15.4%. That adds up to a nearly even 20:21 BB:K ratio. He's also making more hard contact (35.9%) and hitting line drives at an elevated rate of 26.4%. He's slashing .292/.393/.504 as a result, and is shaping up to be an immensely valuable fantasy commodity moving forward if he sticks in the 3-hole for the Pirates.
Eddie Butler (SP/RP, Col): Butler was strong in his second start of the season Sunday against the Giants. He picked up his first win of the season, tossing six shutout frames, giving up four hits and two walks with six punchouts. Once a prospect of some acclaim, Butler has been all but forgotten in recent years after the sudden disappearance of his strikeouts. He traded swings and misses for contact and grounders, which for fantasy is not what we want to see. He still had a meager 5.73 K/9 in 22 AAA innings this season, but has 13 K's and 3 BB's in 14 MLB innings to this point. He's lowered his ERA to 3.86 now, but is still not a recommended start when he's in Coors. He's a streaming option on the road for the time being, and if the Rockies do opt to keep him in the rotation, he'll be slated to take on the Mets in Colorado with his next start.
Mike Foltynewicz (SP, Atl): Mike "The Spell Check Nightmare" Foltynewicz found some success against the Diamondbacks Sunday, allowing only two earned runs in seven innings on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. It was only his second start of the season, and so far he's got a nice 12:2 K:BB ratio through 10.2 IP. The results haven't followed, however, as his ERA sits at 5.06 after the outing. He's always struggled with his control, and despite only two walks for the Braves thus far, he had walked a whopping 14 batters in 22 AAA innings this season. He's nothing more than a streaming option at this point, and can't be trusted until he shows he's improved his control. He'll head to Kansas City to face the Royals on Saturday.
Matt Harvey (SP, NYM): Harvey's owners breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday, as he turned in his best start of the season. He picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings with two walks and 10 strikeouts. It was his first double-digit strikeout game of the season, and perhaps the best news is his fastball velocity was up, and was touching 97-98 early in the game, helping him strike out the side on 12 pitches in his first inning of work. Harvey's owners who have stuck with him through his ugly April were rewarded, and he'll look to carry this success into his next start (gulp) at Colorado. If you've still got him, hold on to him.
Steven Matz (SP, NYM): Matz has a date with the Dodgers on Monday. Ever since Matz' bomb of a first start (7 ER in 1.2 IP), Matz has laid out absolutely elite numbers: 27 IP, 29 K, 5 BB, 0.67 ERA in four starts. He's also keeping balls on the ground, posting a 55.4% ground ball rate while not allowing a home run in that span. The Dodgers are middle of the pack against lefties this year, with a .718 OPS against them, so they're not a frightening matchup. Matz is a good bargain play at $9,300 on Draft Kings.
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