Koda Glover, RP, WAS
After an implosion in which Glover allowed 5 ER's in 0.1 IP on Sunday, he was not called upon for the save with the Nationals leading by two in the 9th inning of Monday's game; rather Matt Albers and Oliver Perez split the inning to finish the game. Glover hadn't pitched in 5 days prior to Sunday's game, so his absence on Monday would seem to be a result of the rough outing, but that doesn't mean he has been removed from the closer role. The fact that two pitchers were used to complete the frame indicates that Dusty Baker was just trying to give Glover a day off after Sunday's fiasco rather than trying to find a new closer. Glover has for the most part been successful as a closer this season, but the Nationals are likely to add bullpen help before the trade deadline this season, and the more that Glover struggles, the more likely he will be replaced as closer once that help comes.
Gio Gonzalez, SP, WAS
Gonzalez had another solid start on Monday allowing 2 ER's in 6 IP and now has given up 2 ER's or less in 9 of his 12 starts this season, resulting in a shiny 3.03 ERA. I'm still not buying into Gio's hot start, as his K% and BB% are worse than in previous seasons, and he now leads the league with 37 free passes allowed. His .274 BABIP and 85.4% LOB% are still due for negative regression at which point we should see his ERA come closer to his current 4.52 xFIP.
Hernan Perez, 3B, OF, MIL
After putting up 13 HR's and 34 SB's in 123 games in 2016, many expected regression from Perez especially in the power department considering he had only hit 1 HR in 156 career games prior to last season. But instead he has improved as a hitter, lowering his SwStr% from 13.1% last year to 10.5% this season, raising his Hard% from 31.9% to 35.9%, and improving his ISO from .156 to .194. The only real area of regression has been with steals (only 2 so far this season), which is surprising since he did have 4 straight 20+ SB seasons in the minors. Without the steals, Perez is nothing special, but he could start running again at any time, at which point he may become a must-add.
Dan Straily, SP, MIA
Straily was solid again on Monday allowing 3 ER's in 7 IP against the Cubs and has now allowed 3 ER's or less in 10 of his last 11 starts. He does have a couple of 5 BB outings over that stretch, but he has also posted an impressive 9.18 K/9 this season, which is a career best. What makes it hard to trust Straily is his extreme FB%; he has a career 47.1% FB% including a 49.0% mark this season. The two HR's he allowed on Monday are a reminder of how susceptible he can be to the longball - after all, he did give up 31 HR's in 2016. That being said, he does appear to be a good option when pitching at home in the pitcher-friendly Marlins Park. In 7 starts there this season, Straily has a 2.27 ERA with only 2 HR's allowed in 39.2 IP.
Eric Sogard, 2B, MIL
Sogard's shocking season continued on Monday as he went 2-4 with a double, raising his BA to .388 for the season. He continues to hit near the top of the Brewers lineup giving him good opportunities for counting stats. He has a favorable matchup on Tuesday against RHP Matt Cain who has a 5.56 xFIP against LH-hitters this season. DraftKings Value Play Salary $3,300.
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