Walker Buehler-Dodgers-SP
Walker Buehler went 7 IP and gave up 0 ER on 5 H, 1 BB, and 9 K's against the Giants. Buehler hasn't been quite as good as a year ago but he has been good. He has a 3.35 ERA and 0.99 WHIP through 75.1 IP. The skills are super solid with 26% K, 4% BB, and 11% SwStr. Buehler has gotten on a roll since the first month of the season. He has a 2.90 ERA with 27% K and 2% BB in May and so far in June, he has gone 15 IP with 1 ER and 20 K. This is more of the pitcher that we envisioned when we drafted Buehler in the pre-season. He gets one start next week against the Cubs which are a good offense but at least it's at home and he is on a roll.
Pablo Lopez-Marlins-SP
Pablo Lopez went 6 IP and gave up 1 ER on 4 H, 1 BB, and 7 K against the Braves. Lopez has been a mixed bag this year with a 4.26 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through 69.2 IP. He has plus stuff but the overall results have not matched his potential. The underlying skills are also very solid with 23% K, 6% BB, 10% SwStr, and 50% GB. Over his last three starts, he has gone 18 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, and 19 K. Lopez has ditched his two-seam fastball in favor of a four-seam up in the zone. This is a trend to keep an eye on because this is the recipe that the league is using to have success against hitters and he has the secondaries to make this work.
Noah Syndergaard-Mets-SP
Noah Syndergaard went 7 IP and gave up 0 ER on 1 H, 2 BB, and 7 K's against the Rockies. Syndergaard has been one of the biggest disappointments of 2019. He has a 4.45 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. The underlying skills have taken a step back with a drop in his strikeout rate and swinging strike rate. He has also seen a drop in his ground ball rate and an increase in fly balls which has led to a significant increase in home runs. Syndergaard's velocity is fine so he doesn't appear to be injured but he can't find a feel for his secondary pitches especially his slider. He has dropped his usage of his slider from 21% to 12% which has resulted in throwing his changeup and fastball more. Until Syndergaard starts throwing his secondary pitches more especially the slider it is going to be hard to see a change in results despite today's strong start.
Madison Bumgarner-Giants-SP
Madison Bumgarner went 7 IP and gave up 1 ER on 4 H, 1 BB, and 5 K's against the Dodgers. Bumgarner has a 3.83 ERA and 1.16 WHIP through 87 IP. The left-hander has not been the Bumgarner of old but he has been better than 2018. His skills have taken a jump up from last year. His strikeout rate is up to 24% from 20% and his walks have dropped from 8% to 5% this year. His swinging strike is also up to 12% which supports the increase in strikeouts. SIERA (3.93) believes in what he has done so far. Bumgarner offers strikeouts in the form of quantity given that he pitches deep into games and while his ERA isn't what we are used to it is still well below the league average (4.40 ERA). The concern going forward is that he is likely going to be traded which means he will be pitching in a park that is significantly worse for pitchers given that Oracle Park is a great pitchers park. The flip side of that argument is that his chances for a win should go up given that a contending team will most likely be trading for him.
Carson Kelly-Diamondbacks-C
Carson Kelly was 1-3 with a 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, and 1 BB against the Blue Jays. Kelly is hitting .254 with 7 HR, 14 R, and 18 RBI through 132 PA. Kelly is getting the majority of the playing time now which is good news for his counting stats and he has proven to be a quality major league bat. He has plus plate skills with 17% K and 9% BB. Kelly is also hitting the ball hard (44%) which has translated into power (.226 ISO). This makes Kelly a must-own in mixed leagues the rest of the way.
DraftKings Value Plays: OF Jeff McNeil (NYM) $3,800 and 1B Max Muncy (LAD) $4,100
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