Mostly MLB Notes: Talking Chris Sale, Robinson Cano and a look around the league
Chris Sale recently became the third player ever to record 12 strikeouts in five straight games and has recorded double-digit Ks in six straight starts, which has occurred in just 10 other instances in MLB history. You obviously don’t need me to tell you Sale is good at baseball, but his fantasy owners have been unlucky he’s gotten just six wins while posting a 2.74 ERA and 0.94 WHIP this season. Sale’s 34.3 K% leads MLB, as does his 28.5 K-BB% and 16.0 SwStr%. Over the past month, he’s struck out 13 of 24 LHB he’s faced, which is an MLB-high 54.2%. The league average is 18.9% (h/t Inside Edge). If a draft were held today, I’d easily make him a top-10 overall pick. There’s a strong argument he’s the best pitcher in baseball. Just imagine if he pitched in the National League and not in a home park that’s increased run scoring more than any in MLB over the past three years other than Coors field. Since May 12, Sale has easily been the No. 1 overall fantasy player, and that’s with him not recording a win in four starts in which he combined for a 1.76 ERA.
This Ferrari test drive was nearly a disaster, with the salesman having a great reaction.
This National Anthem performance by Metallica before Game Five of the NBA Finals was pretty sick.
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I keep using Robinson Cano in DFS because this is a hitter with a career .847 OPS still hitting in the middle of the lineup at a thin position at age 32, but even after his OPS dropped some last year during his first season in Seattle, his plate discipline remained the same. This year, his K% (16.8) is a career high while his BB% (5.2) is his lowest since his rookie season. Cano has been caught stealing more times (four) than he’s combined for homers and steals (three) and owns a .518 OPS with a 16:1 K:BB ratio against southpaws. His .286 BABIP is a decent amount below his career mark of .322, and that’s come with him currently sporting a 33.6 Hard% that’s actually above his career level, so maybe there’s still some hope. But his defense and baserunning have both graded negatively according to Fangraphs, so this contract currently looks like a disaster for the Mariners.
Headlines of the Week: Kim Jong-un Claims To Have Cured Aids, Ebola And Cancer With Single Miracle Drug…A Man Has Died In Spain After Ordering A Glass Of Wine But Instead Given A Dishwater Detergent By Mistake…Man Says He Wants To Get Surgery So He Can Carry And Birth LeBron’s Baby…Hand Dryer Sprays Man In Urine: Restaurant Offers Year’s Supply Of Socks…Virginia Just Banned ‘Cuss Words’ In Public…German Traffic Light Stays Red For 28 Years…Bitter Ex Cuts Possessions In Half, Posts Them On eBay…Motorized Surfboard Filled With $100,000 Worth Of Meth Washes Up In Tijuana…Tokyo Court Ruling Says Adultery OK If It’s For Business.
Quick Hits: Taijuan Walker owns a 2.03 ERA with a 38:3 K:BB ratio over his last five starts, spanning 35.1 innings. He’s quickly looking like the real deal…Strangely, Nolan Arenado owns a .939 OPS on the road and an .830 OPS in Coors Field (thanks to a homer Sunday)…Nathan Eovaldi allowed nine hits and eight earned runs in less than an inning during a start earlier this week, which is pretty hard to do (although Charlie Morton was actually worse Sunday), let alone from a starter who’s averaged the second highest fastball velocity (95.9 mph) this year. He recovered during his next start Saturday, but Eovaldi hasn’t fanned more than six batters over any of his past 12 outings…Steven Souza went 0-for-0 with five walks in a game last week and also scored on a bunt in a different one, so it was a pretty bizarre week for the rookie…I’m sure most of you have seen Max Scherzer lose a perfect game in the worst way possible before throwing a no-hitter Saturday, when his game score was actually lower than his previous start, as he’s recorded a 26:1 K:BB ratio while allowing one hit over his past two outings, which have also accounted for 66% of his complete games of his career. Scherzer has a ridiculous 0.80 WHIP on the year and should be regarded as a top-10 fantasy player.
Police Blotter: Remote Island Shocked By First Theft In 50 Years…13-Year-Old Daughter Driving Drunk Parents…Guy Tried To Burn House With Bowling Ball Bomb…Couple Allegedly Beat, Stabbed Neighbor Who Called Police About Loud Sex…Smuggler Caught Hiding Cocaine In Fried Fish At MIA…‘Dead People’ Would Be Banned From Driving In N.J. Under Proposed Law…Car Thief Calls Taxi After Struggling To Drive Stick Shift.
Quick Hits Part Deux: Doug Fister’s 2.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP last season didn’t seem sustainable with his 5.38 K/9 rate, but the pendulum has swung extreme this year, as he was battered during his first start back from the DL and owns a 4.80 ERA while failing to record more than three strikeouts during any of his eight starts (with his season-high being four)…Melky Cabrera entered Sunday with the fourth-lowest wRC+ among all hitters after being a top-60 fantasy player last season. He did go 5-for-5 though…Marlon Byrd had eight homers over 84 ABs with a .934 OPS in May and homered during his first game back from a wrist injury (and went 3-for-4 Sunday). He’s currently owned in just 33% of Yahoo leagues…Alex Rios is one season removed from an 18-homer/42-SB campaign yet is currently owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues, although to be fair he’s hitting in a tougher environment now…Maikel Franco has been the No. 5 fantasy third baseman since getting called up…This is easily one of the best first pitches of all time…Brad Ziegler is a closer who currently owns a 1.50 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, but his strikeout Friday was his first in nearly a month (since May 22). While that’s crazy, a 4.62 GB/FB ratio sure helps (it’s actually higher than his 4.50 K/9 rate).
What an incredible finish to the U.S. Open…Adrien Broner is a fraud while Kimbo Slice remains an even bigger one, although the latter actually won this weekend in a crazy/terrible/awesome fight…I’m not sure what to make of the season two debut of “True Detective,” but I’m all in again.
Song of the Week: Beck – “Dreams”
Longread of the Week: LeBron James And The Dignity Of Labor
Quick Hits Part Tres: Over the last month, Billy Burns has been the No. 8 fantasy player, while Manny Machado has ranked No. 5 (over the last seven games, Mookie Betts is batting .581 with two homers and a steal, and yet Machado has been more valuable than him over that span)…Aroldis Chapman has a 9:1 K:BB ratio over his past three innings, retiring 11 of his last 12 batters via strikeout…Todd Frazier is on pace to finish with 119 runs, 55 homers, 114 RBI and 19 steals…This David Ortiz ejection was one of the weirder ones you’ll ever see…This squirrel leaping into a dugout is pretty ridiculous…Over his last six games, Brock Holt is batting .462 with nine runs scored, five RBI, three walks, a homer and a steal. He’s been playing everyday and even hitting atop Boston’s lineup, and while he may be performing over his head, it’s crazy he’s still owned in fewer than 40% of Yahoo leagues considering he’s eligible both at 2B and SS. Go pick him up.
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