Ervin Santana earned his 7th win of the season yesterday as he pitched a CG SO with 6 strikeouts. I can't believe it either. His ERA is now 1.80 on the season, all while posting some pretty average numbers. His FB% is elevated to 43.3% on the season, which plays well in Minnesota, but is bound for some disastrous outings moving forward. Despite the excellent start, I can't recommend Santana in any format. His BABIP for the season is .143, which is 140 points lower than his career. Expect some regression to the mean.
Christian Bergman had an interesting line yesterday: 4 innings, 0 K's, 14 hits, and 10 ER. He gave up 4 HR on the day in what can only be classified as an absolutely disastrous start. Bergman entered the game with a respectable 2.25 ERA, which nearly tripled after that. Clearly he's not a trusted option even outside of Coors. Leave him on the waiver wire.
Andrew Cashner had a tough go of it against Boston, allowing 5 ER in 5 innings while walking 4. Cashner entered the game with an ERA about 3.5 runs below his SIERA, so this type of start should have been expected with some poor results to continue going forward. Cashner had struck out only 4 per 9 entering yesterday; he clearly doesn't possess the same stuff as a few years ago, so he's not recommended in any format going forward.
Danny Duffy had one of his better starts of the season, going 7 innings while allowing just 2 ER with 7 strikeouts. It's been an interesting year for Duffy; his K rate is down quite a bit, yet his SwStr% is down just .8% for the season, which suggests we should see an improvement to his K numbers, and as a result, an improvement to his SIERA. If you can get top 25 value for Duffy, I'd likely pull the trigger; last year doesn't look like it will be replicated.
Brian Dozier was 1-for-4 with his 6th HR of the season yesterday. Dozier has been a far cry of his 2016 self as he came into yesterday with a wRC+ 28 points below last season. Fortunately, he's stolen 6 bases, but fantasy owners are looking for that 40+ HR power. From the looks of it, better days should be ahead for Dozier; his HR rate is at a four year low, while he sports a lower K% and higher BB%. He should go on a hot streak anytime now, though don't be surprised to see far fewer HR this season.
