Jose Berrios (SP, MIN) - Berrios failed to record a third straight quality start, allowing four runs over 6.1 innings against the Red Sox, walking two and striking out seven. Boston is always a tough matchup at home though, and the K:BB ratio is still encouraging. Through his first 60.1 innings this year he has a sterling 2.98 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 17 walks, all of which is a massive improvement over his miserable 2016 debut. He has benefited from a .247 BABIP and elevated 77.6% strand rate, but even with some regression baked in he still has a 3.37 FIP that his owners can very much stomach when paired with a strikeout per inning. His 8.1% HR/FB rate is low, but he has consistently limited home runs throughout the minors, so he could be a pitcher who consistently defies his xFIP. He also owns one of the best hard contact rates in baseball, and coming into the game he was second only to Dallas Keuchel (min. 50 IP), with a 22.8% hard contact allowed. He was a touted prospect coming up, and continues to make his 2016 debut with the Twins look like the mirage.
David Holmberg (SP, CHW) - Holmberg gave up six runs to the Yankees over 5.1 innings, but only two of the runs were earned. He continued his unimpressive K:BB ratio, walking four with only two strikeouts. He now has a 22:15 K:BB ratio over 37 innings, yet somehow through it all he has managed a 2.92 ERA. That is thanks in large part to a .207 BABIP, and FIP has him sitting at 4.65 based on his peripherals. He has only an 8.9% HR/FB rate as well, which moves his xFIP to 5.43 if you normalize that up to league average. With a 5.2% swinging strike rate he misses nary a bat, and with an 88 MPH fastball he doesn't have much room for error. If you were thinking about streaming him in any league, think again and avoid him at all costs.
Jordan Montgomery (SP, NYY) - Montgomery was terrific against a scuffling White Sox team, rolling through seven innings with just one run, one walk, and eight strikeouts. It was only the second time all year he has gone seven innings, but his 3.53 ERA and 8.71 K/9 are solid contributions in all formats. Montgomery has started using his curveball a lot more recently, throwing 32% curveballs in this one and netting 25% whiffs with it. All of his offspeed offerings (curveball, slider, changeup) are very good pitches, and it's just been a bit of a bumpy ride as he learns to sequence and trust his stuff at the highest level. One downside to his value is that he rarely approaches 100 pitches, but he should continue to get better over the second half and maybe Girardi takes the reins off of him a bit and he can pitch into the seventh inning more often. At just 24 years old, he has a lot of long-term dynasty and keeper appeal.
Elvis Andrus (SS, TEX) - Andrus had a huge game, going 3-5 with two homers, three runs, four RBI, and a walk. He didn't complete the combo meal with a steal, but his owners have to be plenty pleased anyway with his 18 first-half steals. He's having a career year at age 28, hitting .299/.348/.463 with the aforementioned 18 swipes and a career-high nine home runs. He can't attribute the improved power to hitting more fly balls; instead, he has managed his improved homer total thanks to a more power-centric approach, pulling 49% of his batted balls and sacrificing some contact for power. There's an outside chance he joins the 20-home run club this year, while stealing more bases than he has since 2013 when he stole 42. Another huge plus for his value is his spot in the lineup, which has consistently been 2-4 since the calendar flipped to May. In prior years he has been hitting from the bottom half of the order, limiting his plate appearances. The Rangers offense should only improve as the weather heats up this summer, and he's got a realistic shot at 200 R+RBI.
Cole Hamels (SP, TEX) - Hamels came off the DL and made his first start since April, but it was a dud. He allowed seven runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings, walking four with just one strikeout. A little rust was to be expected, but this went above and beyond a bit of rust. His first 37 innings of 2017 have him sitting with a 4.38 ERA and a frightening 16:16 K:BB ratio. He's been eminently hittable this year, and isn't getting swinging strikes or chases out of the zone. His first-pitch strike rate has fallen off the last two years as well, and he's issuing more free passes than ever, which compounds his increased contact allowed. His FIP is 5.30, and if he can't find a way to miss some bats he is going to be on the waiver wire in a lot of leagues. If you can somehow sell him on his name value and not his results, do so before things get worse.
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