Fantasy baseball daily notes: Pitcher and hitter rankings for Tuesday
With respect to the games that do count, there are a lot of repeat visitors to this space, along with some newcomers and old friends. Here are Tuesday’s featured players, all available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues.
Austin Gomber (L), rostered in 30% of ESPN leagues, Colorado Rockies at Texas Rangers: It’s been a rough August for Gomber as he’s posted a 7.40 ERA and 1.84 WHIP this month. His strikeouts are still plentiful with 25 in 20 2/3 innings, but 29 hits (including five homers) along with nine walks have inflated his ratios. The lefty is in a great spot to rebound and end the month on a high note as the Rangers are by far the league’s least productive teams with a lefty on the hill.
Mike Minor (L), 23%, Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians: Four of Minor’s seven efforts since the break have been quality starts. His 4.35 ERA in that span isn’t sparkling, but it’s below league average. That said, his 1.14 WHIP over that span is excellent and he fanned a palatable 39 in 41 1/3 innings over this span. The Indians have been hitting southpaws well lately, but overall, their lineup isn’t intimidating.
Cole Irvin (L), 37%, Oakland Athletics at Detroit Tigers: Like Minor, Irvin has posted four quality starts over the second half, though he left his last outing after three frames due to hip discomfort. The southpaw had no issues during a weekend bullpen so he’s on track to make Tuesday’s start. The Tigers have also picked up the pace with a lefty on the hill lately, but short-term lefty splits are often misleading and top to bottom, the Detroit lineup isn’t one to be feared.
Tarik Skubal (L), 41%, Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland Athletics: Of the four streaming options, Skubal has been the best pitcher lately and all season, however he draws the toughest opponent, especially since the lefthander has had issues with the long ball, serving up nine homers in his prior 39 1/3 innings.
Bullpen: Alex Cora reported he plans on deploying a bullpen game on Tuesday, wanting to keep Chris Sale on extra rest. Doing this also assures Sale will starts against the Rays twice in the next week. It’s unclear who will get the call to open, but Garrett Richards’ success as a reliever is noteworthy since he’s being used in higher leverage scenarios. Since being removed from the rotation, Richards has allowed just one run in 10 1/3 innings, punching out 12 while logging one save and one hold.
For the latest team-by-team closer situations, please consult our Closer Chart.
Calculating Bill James game scores: A pitcher starts with 50 points, gets a point for each out, two points for each inning completed after the fourth, and one point for each strikeout. He is docked two points for each hit, four points for each earned run allowed, two points for each unearned run allowed, and one point for each walk.
Note: In 2019 and 2020, the average game score was 50.
Catcher — Alejandro Kirk (R), 3%, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles (LHP Keegan Akin): Injuries have dampened what was supposed to be Kirk’s breakthrough campaign. He’s healthy now and showing everyone why he was such a popular pick in the spring as he’s slashing .293/.362 /.439 since taking over as the Blue Jays regular backstop two weeks ago. Most notable is Kirk only whiffed three times in 47 plate appearances over that span.
First Base — Frank Schwindel (L), 23%, Chicago Cubs at Minnesota Twins (RHP John Gant): Schwindel remains one of the top plug-and-play options whenever a lesser righthander is on the hill. With a strong game, Schwindel will add to his player of the month resume as he comes into the contest slashing .348/.400/.620 in August.
Second Base — Alcides Escobar (R), 2%, Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies (LHP Matt Moore): I resisted as long as possible, but Escobar finally makes the cut. The irony is his inclusion comes a day after his 10-game hitting streak was snapped. Over that stretch, Escobar posted a .348/.400/.620 line. He’s obviously due for a downturn, but the streak has him batting second, which is good place to be with the struggling more on the hill.
Third Base — Yu Chang (R), 1%, Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals (LHP Mike Minor): I’ve often warned about the danger with chasing streaks since they can flip on a dime. It’s less worrisome in a streaming basis since you aren’t committed to the player for a full week in leagues of that nature. This is all a setup for Chang’s 1.769 OPS over the past week in which he’s clubbed two doubles and three long balls. With the platoon bump, it’s worth risking Chang stays hot another day.
Shortstop — Nicky Lopez (L), 31%, Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians (RHP Zach Plesac): Lopez’s running has slowed a bit despite entering Monday with three straight three-hit efforts. Even with recording his last steal on August 22, Lopez is a tidy 10-for-10 in August.
Corner Infield — Bobby Dalbec (R), 12%, Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (LHP Ryan Yarbrough): It’s amazing what making more frequent contact can do. Dalbec is emerging as more than a power threat facing lefthanders as he’s significantly cut back on strikeouts. Given, baseball is a game of adjustments, Dalbec has fanned at an 18% clip the past couple of weeks, half of the clip for the season. It’s not just token contact as Dalbec has six homers since August 8, fueling a .395/.480/.953 slash.
Middle Infield — Freddy Galvis (S), 8%, Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals (LHP Patrick Corbin): Galvis has started four of five games since being activated from the IL, filling in for Didi Gregorius. That said, the Phillies will likely keep the versatile Galvis’ bat in the lineup somewhere, especially against southpaws. Historically and this season, the switch-hitter is better facing lefties.
Outfield — Nick Solak (R), 50%, Texas Rangers vs. Colorado Rockies (LHP Austin Gomber): Welcome back? Solak was unceremoniously demoted to Triple-A Round Rock after struggling with the Rangers. Solak didn’t sulk, instead he posted a .253/.409/.459 line with the Express and was rewarded with a callup after spending a month on the farm. Solak hit safely in the first seven games back, slashing .395/.480/.953.
Outfield — Edward Olivares (R), 1%, Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Indians (RHP Zach Plesac): Is the sixth time the charm? That is how many time Olivares has been shuttled between Triple-A Omaha and The Show. He went 0-for-7 in the two games following his game-winning heroics on Friday night, but hopefully he will continue to play and express the power/speed combination so useful in fantasy.
Outfield — Leury Garcia (S), 4%, Chicago White Sox vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (RHP Bryse Wilson): Wilson is coming off a solid effort, but he still is one of the shakier arms on the ledger. Garcia is one of the few White Sox hitters available for pickup and also enjoying the platoon edge in a game where the club should keep the scoreboard operator busy.
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher’s past history (three years’ worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. “LH” and “RH” ratings account only for left- and right-handed batters, respectively. Weighted on-base average (wOBA) is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent.