Jose Urena (SP-MIA) - Urena wouldn't be the first failed starter to be a great closer, and he's getting a one-month (or less if he's awful) chance to lock down that role going forward. Urena recorded his first save of the season Tuesday with a 1-2-3 10th inning in a win over the Pirates. After putting up a 4.70 ERA in 13 starts, Urena has tossed back-to-back scoreless one-inning relief appearances, retiring all six batters he faced, though with no strikeouts. Urena was generally in the 97 mph range with his fastball after averaging a shade under 96 as a starter, so the velocity is certainly there, but will his command be? Urena has just a 6.1 K/9 for his career despite the velocity, but if he can locate the fastball and slider, he can be deadly in relief.
Mike Foltynewicz (SP-ATL) - We'd prefer more than five innings, but it was still a good outing for Foltynewicz against Toronto on Tuesday. He improved to 5-5 with a 5.28 ERA with five two-hit shutout inning, walking three and striking out just two. He has a 3.31 ERA in six starts since returning from Triple-A, though a 31:14 K:BB in those 32.2 innings is rather underwhelming. His fastball, which averaged 95.2 mph coming into Tuesday, was seemingly more in the 92-94 mph range, and I didn't see much in the way of dominant breaking stuff despite not allowing a run. Whenever I watch this guy, I wonder how he'd fare in relief. That said, he's coming off a great 2018 that saw him post a 2.85 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 31 starts (183 innings), so I don't blame the Braves for keeping him in the rotation. I can see a trade this winter, as he has just one more year of team control and the Braves have a boatload of MLB-ready starting pitchers.
Jordan Lyles (SP-MIL) - Against a pretty good opponent in the Astros, Lyles tossed 6.1 innings of two-run ball Tuesday to pick up the W and improve to 10-8 with a 4.46 ERA. Even better, in seven starts since coming from the Pirates, Lyles has a 5-1 record with a 2.56 ERA and 34:16 K:BB in 38.2 innings. That's too many walks, but Lyles' fantasy owners will certainly take the results he's given them lately. Lyles has ridden the strikeout craze to an easily career-high 9.5 K/9 this year versus a 6.9 mark for his career. As usual he's allowing way too many home runs (1.6 HR/9), but a strong finish could actually allow Lyles to command a multi-year deal this winter.
Edwin Diaz (RP-NYM) - The Dodgers could have probably had Felipe Vazquez if they'd been willing to part with Gavin Lux and more, but in this era of reliever volatility, it's tough to blame them for passing. Just look at Diaz, who blew his sixth save Tuesday and dropped to 1-7 as the Mets incredibly blew a six-run lead in the ninth inning. Diaz faced two batters, and they ended up doing the following: two-run double, two-run walk-off home run. That outing raised Diaz's ERA to 5.65 despite an elite 15.2 K/9. The primary issue has been his 2.3 HR/9, though Diaz's control has also regressed this year. The Mets are still just 4.5 games out of the second wild card slot, though they have four teams above them racing to face the Nationals and Max Scherzer in the Wild Card game. It's probably time to turn the job over to Seth Lugo, but that decision hasn't been made yet, at least as of this writing.
Adam Haseley (OF-PHI) - Haseley had a nice night Tuesday, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and a walk against the Reds to lift him to .260/.321/.390 in 146 at-bats. He's homered three times and swiped four bases, giving him a combined 14 homers and nine stolen bases in 435 plate appearances counting his MILB numbers. The 2017 first-rounder advanced quickly to the big leagues, so he may stjill be a bit raw, but there's potential 25 home run upside to go with double-digit SB ability. 2020 will see the return of Andrew McCutchen and perhaps Odubel Herrera to go with Jay Bruce and Nick Williams, so it's tough to see where consistent playing time is going to come from. That will obviously sort itself out, but Haseley needs a strong September to give him a leg up on the competition.
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