David Dahl (COL) - David Dahl was forced to exit Wednesday's contest after fouling a ball off his foot. The good news is that x-rays were negatives for any fractures or broken bones, but there's a decent chance Dahl might miss a game or two. Dahl has put together a nice season with a .303/.350/.523 slash line with 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in, but his 3 stolen bases are a little disappointing for owners who expected the outfielder's first full season to lead him to more comfort on the basepaths, like he demonstrated in the minor leagues. Dahl's 15% swinging strike rate is relatively high, even for a player with a 28% strikeout rate. Additionally, his 35.9% hard hit rate is actually below league average. He's a beneficiary of Coors Field with wide splits in his batting average, and based on the underlying metrics, some more pull back in the average category should be expected moving forward.
Yu Darvish (CHC) -Don't look now, but Yu Darvish has managed to piece together his best two starts as a Chicago Cub over his last two games. On Wednesday, Darvish stifled the Reds by going 6IP, 2H, 0 ER, 0BB and 7K. Over his last two games, the starter now has allowed just 4 hits and 0 earned runs over his last 12 innings of work. The improvement is a welcome change and there's plenty of optimism some of this improvement will continue. His groundball rate is up 4% above his career levels and 8% higher than last season, meanwhile his 12% swinging strike rate is right around the same place he was prior to Tommy John Surgery. The lack of walks from Darvish is a sign he's potentially turning a corner. The buying window might be closing, but he can probably still be had for a relative value in trading formats.
Keston Hiura (MIL) -Over the last week, only Keston Hiura's teammate Christian Yelich has been swinging a hotter bat. Hiura added two more doubles, raising his season slash line to .323/.387/.605 with 9 home runs and 5 stolen bases. His plate approach needs some work and his 67% contact rate may lead to future problems, but for now ignore his 17% swinging strike rate and simply enjoy the ride. For what it's worth, Travis Shaw is raking in Triple-A, so whole Hiura doesn't have much competition for at-bats right now, that could change.
Chris Paddack (SD) - Rookie sensation took a perfect game into the 6thinning before a throwing error by fellow rookie Fernando Tatis Jr ended it. Paddack's no-hitter bid ended with a Starlin Castro home run in the 8th. It's been an incredible ride for Paddack a nd his owners this season as the rookie improved to 6-4 with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP, all while maintaining a solid 26.7% strikeout rate. Paddack's 11% swinging strike rate isn't elite, but his 35% chase rate is elite. This means that while his pitches can be deceptive, he isn't focusing on striking guys out).
Kirby Yates (SD) -Kirby Yates notched the save on Wednesday, but not without making it interesting. Yates didn't have his best stuff on Wednesday, allowing a run to score and putting the go ahead runs on base, but ultimately made it out of the inning to tally his 31stsave. Yates has been the best value at closer this season, but if the Padres fall out of the race, there's a chance he could be dealt. Fear not, for his price, any landing place would almost certainly result in him being closer for his new team.
