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| Friday, May 10, 2024 |
| A couple pitchers who were performing in a way that was too good to be true got a lot of regression all at once Thursday. Logan Gilbert, who entered the day with a 1.69 ERA, allowed eight earned runs in four innings at the Twins. Sonny Gray, who entered with a 0.89 ERA, allowed six earned runs in five innings at the Brewers. Their ERAs are still 2.94 and 2.29, respectively, which is still lower than we would have expected coming into the year, so if nothing else, it's a lesson in how every stat line is made up of peaks and valleys. There were no red flags that I could see in either performance. I think Gilbert just had some bad BABIP luck while Gray happened to serve up three home runs. |
| The more concerning pitching performance belonged to Reid Detmers, who allowed six earned runs in five innings against the Royals. It was his fourth straight start allowing four earned runs or more, taking his ERA from 1.19 to 4.96. He gave up two home runs in this one, and they've been a problem throughout this rough stretch. The whiff rate remains impressive, and I do think better days are ahead for the left-hander. Still, what once seemed like a clear breakout hurler is back to being a tantalizing heap of frustration. |
| The hitting standouts from Thursday include Astros first baseman Jon Singleton, who hit a massive 442-foot home run off the third deck at Yankee Stadium, and Twins outfielder Max Kepler, whose 2-for-4 performance (which included a home run) gives him a .329 batting and .952 OPS for the year. Both are among my sleeper hitters for Week 8 (May 13-19), which I will reveal in full right now. |
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| Week 8: Two-start SP rankings |
| It's time to look ahead at Week 8 with our two-start pitcher rankings. Here are some of the highlights from who made the top-10 best two-start pitchers in our look ahead: |
| No. 6: Kutter Crawford, SP, Red Sox: vs. Rays, at CardinalsNo. 5: Shota Imanaga, SP, Cubs: @ Braves, vs. PiratesNo. 7: Zach Eflin, SP, Rays: @Red Sox, @ Blue JaysNo. 10: Brady Singer, SP, Royals: @Mariners, vs. Athletics |
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| Sleeper pitchers for Week 8 |
| You can find our complete list of sleeper pitchers here. |
| Christopher Sanchez, SP, Phillies |
| It's been an up-and-down season for Cristopher Sanchez as he experiments with trading off command for more velocity, but he's coming off one of his better starts and has two favorable matchups against the Mets and Nationals. |
| John Means, SP, Orioles |
| If John Means' second start back from the IL this weekend goes as brilliantly as his first, then he'll be an easy call against a lineup like the Mariners in Week 8 (May 13-19), especially since the start is at home. Camden Yards' new dimensions are perfectly tailored for a left-handed fly-ball pitcher like him. |
| Gavin Stone, SP, Dodgers |
| The whiffs have slipped for Gavin Stone in recent starts, but the consistency has improved. He feels like more of a floor play than an upside play at this point, but with two bites at the apple this week (and decent matchups to boot), the impact could be great. |
| Reese Olson, SP, Tigers |
| Reese Olson still doesn't have a win to show for some quality pitching so far, which might explain why his roster rate remains so low. He's a good bet to pick up his first, though, against a Marlins team that already seems to be packing it in. |
| Erick Fedde, SP, White Sox |
| The only misfire in Erick Fedde's past four starts was the time he walked five batters, which of course isn't going to happen often. He's not showing ace potential or anything, but he's stable enough to take advantage of a weak Nationals lineup this week. |
| Sleeper hitters for Week 8 |
| You can find our complete list of sleeper hitters here. |
| Max Kepler, OF, Twins |
| This one is less about Max Kepler's matchups (which are middling) than what he's done recently, batting .500 (11 for 22) with two homers and six doubles over his past six games. He's also sporting a career-low strikeout rate and has already delivered his hardest-hit ball since 2016. |
| Brent Rooker, OF, Athletics |
| Brent Rooker has been one of the hottest hitters in May so far and offers the sort of power rarely found on the waiver wire. Of course, the fact I'm already recommending a hitter from a team with the fifth-worst hitter matchups should tell you that this week's selection of sleeper hitters is not the best. |
| Bryan De La Cruz, OF, Marlins |
| In a week when few teams have good hitter matchups, the Marlins' are at least ... decent. The toughest pitchers on the six-game slate are Luis Severino and Reese Olson, which should allow Bryan De La Cruz to continue his hot-hitting ways. He enters the weekend batting .324 (11 for 34) with three homers in his past nine games. |
| Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Astros |
| The production has been laggy for Jon Singleton since he stepped into the starting first base role, but the exit velocities and plate discipline point to sneaky upside. In a week when few teams have good hitter matchups, the Astros clearly have the best, taking on the Athletics and Brewers pitching staffs in seven games. |
| Mark Canha, OF, Tigers |
| The Tigers have the fifth-best hitter matchups this week, and most notably for Mark Canha, three of the pitchers on tap are lefties. He's crushed lefties so far this season, collecting five extra-base hits (two homers and three doubles) in 22 at-bats. |
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| News and Notes |
| Luis Robert has resumed hitting. Manager Pedro Grifol said Robert has gotten past a slight setback and isn't far off from starting a minor league rehab assignment.Nolan Jones did light throwing prior to Thursday's game and will continue to ramp up activity Friday and Saturday.Jackson Chourio has now sat out back-to-back games, both against right-handed pitching. Tommy Edman remains limited to tee work. He has been cleared to up the intensity of his workouts, but Edman's progress remains slow, with no return date in sight.Willson Contreras underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured left forearm and is likely to be sidelined 10 weeks! The timetable earlier this week was 6-8 weeks but now it looks like he'll be out until about late July.Luis Rengifo was placed on the IL with an illness, retroactive to May 6. Kyren Paris was recalled.Brandon Drury was also placed on the IL with tightness in his hamstring. Cristian Javier will return Saturday against the Tigers. He missed nearly a month with a neck problem.Eduardo Rodriguez is close to beginning a throwing program after an MRI on Wednesday showed healing in his left shoulder.Bryan Woo is expected to be activated to start Friday against the A's. He's up to 77% rostered. The Brewers are promoting one of their pitching prospects Robert Gasser to make his debut Friday against the Cardinals. The Brewers were forced into a six-man rotation because of Freddy Peralta's suspension. Gasser could be sent back down after the start.The Pirates recalled Nick Gonzales from Triple-A.Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter was diagnosed with a broken foot Sunday but won't require surgery. He remains without a timetable. Had a huge spring but it sounds like we won't see DeLauter any time soon. |
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