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| Friday, September 15, 2023 |
| An unlikely pitching duel garnered headlines Thursday, with Mitch Keller bouncing back from a disastrous outing against the Braves to throw eight two-hit innings against the Nationals while his opponent, Josiah Gray, recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts without issuing a walk. For Keller, the performance offered some reassurance that he's still a viable Fantasy option down the stretch despite some of his inconsistencies. Even with that eight-run disaster against the Braves, he still has a 2.77 ERA over his past six starts. For Gray, it offered some hope that he may be on the verge of tapping into his latent potential. He hadn't started in 11 days but clearly tweaked his delivery and pitch selection during that time. The improved control is what stood out most. |
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| Houck from the woodwork |
| Tanner Houck also had an unlikely pitching line in the first game of a doubleheader with the Yankees, allowing no runs in six innings with seven strikeouts and, most impressively, 19 swinging strikes. He leaned heavily on his slider, and that may be a path to success for him moving forward. What stood out most from that doubleheader, though, was the performance of two Red Sox rookies, specifically Wilyer Abreu going 4 for 6 with a stolen base and a walk and Ceddanne Rafaela going 4 for 9 with a home run and a double. |
| Of course, none of those performances are likely to impact your lineup decisions for the next scoring period. It's a stretch to think you'd roll the dice on Gray or Houck after one good start. If you do need a pickup for the second-to-last week of the season, though, my recommendations are as follows. |
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| Week 26 Preview |
| Two-start pitcher rankings |
| Freddy PeraltaZach WheelerMax FriedJustin VerlanderJoe RyanJordan MontgomeryRyan PepiotMichael WachaEdward Cabrera Mike Clevinger |
| Sleeper hitters |
| Nolan Jones, OF, Rockies |
| It's true I don't love the Rockies' matchups for this week, which would normally prevent me from recommending any of their fringies, but Jones is, to me, a stud who simply isn't rostered like one. His numbers away from Coors Field (a .270 batting average and .857 OPS) are fine, too. |
| Mitch Garver, DH, Rangers |
| Garver left Thursday's game after fouling a ball off a foot, and I wouldn't normally recommend an injured player here. But he's been diagnosed with only a bruise, so provided he returns at some point over the weekend, he should continue to outperform most every other catcher as a full-time DH with considerable power. |
| Laars Nootbar, OF, Cardinals |
| Though it's been concealed somewhat by injuries, Nootbaar's production has taken off in the second half, and he's always been at his best against righties, batting .276 with an .850 OPS compared to .255 and .697 against lefties. The Cardinals are scheduled to face six righties in their seven games this week. |
| T.J. Friedl, OF, Reds |
| Friedl remains the one Reds outfielder who plays basically every day and has picked things up at the plate of late, batting .367 (11 for 30) with three homers and three triples in his past 10 games. The Reds not only have favorable matchups this week but are also at their hitter-friendly home, where Friedl has hit 10 of his 14 home runs this season. |
| Sleeper pitchers |
| Seth Lugo, Padres |
| Lugo had a rare misstep at the Astros last time out, but provided he bounces back at the Athletics over the weekend, he'll get to welcome the Rockies to San Diego next week. Lugo has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his past 13 starts. |
| Bryan Woo, Mariners |
| Woo has been plenty effective in four starts back from a minor forearm injury and gets two matchups this week, the first being against the Athletics' 30th-ranked offense. Because the second is against the Rangers, though, you might think twice about using him in categories leagues. |
| Javier Assad, Cubs |
| Assad has come back down to earth in recent starts, but he's shown he can limit damage against the right opponent. He has two such opponents this week, scheduled to face the Pirates and Rockies, both in Chicago. |
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| News and Notes |
| Corbin Burnes will make his next start Saturday against the Nationals. He sprained his ankle last time out against the Yankees. Adolis Garcia has begun jogging and is on track to be activated from the IL late next week.Christian Yelich has now missed six straight with lingering back stiffness. Josh Jung could be activated from the IL Monday against the Red Sox. He had surgery on August 9 to repair a fracture in his left thumb. Jazz Chisholm was out of the lineup after tweaking his right knee on Wednesday.Of course, we've been raving about Mitch Garver's production recently and then he left Thursday's game after fouling a ball off his foot. X-rays did not reveal a fracture.Jasson Dominguez will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the torn UCL in his right elbow. It's unknown whether it will be Tommy John or an internal brace procedure. Medical imaging on Ryan Mountcastle's left shoulder revealed no damage. He won't require a tripe to IL. Unsurprisingly, Heston Kjerstad was not in the Orioles lineup Thursday. Ryan O'Hearn started at first base.Carlos Correa has missed two straight with that plantar fasciitis he's battled all season long.Bailey Ober is expected to start Saturday against the White Sox. Michael Conforto is expected to be activated Friday against the Rockies. Brett Baty was out of the lineup with a mild left groin strain.Ronny Mauricio has missed two straight with an illness.Mark Canha has missed two straight with left wrist soreness. He received a cortisone injection on Wednesday. Tigers pitching prospect Sawyer Gipson-Long is scheduled to start Saturday against the Angels.Rather surprising news but the Red Sox fired chief baseball officer Chaim (HYME) Bloom. He was hired back in 2019 and was almost immediately tasked with trading away Mookie Betts. |
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