The Week Ahead: Week Ahead: Eovaldi Evolved
One of the sneakiest additions for the Yankees this offseason was Nathan Eovaldi, acquired from the Marlins in exchange for David Phelps and Martin Prado. The hard-throwing Eovaldi had enjoyed a couple nice seasons in Miami and, at age 25, looked like a guy who might still be coming into his own.
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Although it’s hardly been a breakout year, Eovaldi has been enjoying a solid first season with the Yankees, with consistency being his most notable trait. Rarely has he been flat-out dominant, but nearly every time he takes the hill, he gives his team a good chance to win and his W/L record reflects that. Eovaldi has given up more than three runs only once in his last 10 starts, and is 7-0 with a 3.22 ERA during that span.
His 12-2 overall record gives him the best winning percentage (.857) of any starting pitcher in the league, and that’s as much a testament to an offense that has averaged 5.5 runs behind him as it is to his performance. But he should get plenty more support in his two starts this week against the Twins and Indians. Both come at home, where the Yankees have hit .264/.336/.457 and where Eovaldi has yet to record a loss.
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* Reds rookie Raisel Iglesias has taken advantage of the opportunity to prove himself in the rotation after Cincinnati cleared out a couple veteran staples at the trade deadline. Since the start of August, Iglesias has delivered three straight quality starts, holding opponents to a .156 average while notching 19 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. He’s got a pair of home starts on tap.
* Another rookie, Taijuan Walker, has been quite streaky for the Mariners but right now he’s on a good run, with a 2.86 ERA over his last four starts. He opens with a fairly tough match-up in Texas but then gets the light-hitting White Sox at home. Walker is one of my preferred mid-tier options in the AL.
* Danny Salazar pitches twice on the road but is a must-play with the way he’s been cruising lately. Since the All-Star break, he has a 1.85 ERA and opponents are slashing .137/.235/.265 against him. Domination.
* The Red Sox have all home games this week, against a couple of middling offenses. Eduardo Rodriguez and Steven Wright both make for solid two-start plays and both are available in most leagues.
* My favorite sleeper option on the AL side, though, might be Kevin Gausman, who is available in 85 percent of Yahoo leagues and is looking ahead to favorable home tilts against Minnesota and Oakland.
* With a shortage of quality options this week in the NL, I would take a long look at David Phelps, who will face off against the light-hitting Brewers and Phillies.
Going Twice…
American League
Strong Plays
Cole Hamels: SEA, @DET
Jake Odorizzi: @HOU, @OAK
Nathan Eovaldi: MIN, CLE
Garrett Richards: CWS, TOR
Edinson Volquez: @CIN, @BOS
Scott Kazmir: TB, LAD
Danny Salazar: @BOS, @NYY
Chris Tillman: OAK, MIN
Decent Plays
Nick Martinez: SEA, @DET
Taijuan Walker: @TEX, CWS
Aaron Brooks: @BAL, TB
CC Sabathia: MIN, CLE
Andrew Heaney: CWS, TOR
Scott Feldman: TB, LAD
Daniel Norris: @CHC, TEX
Carlos Rodon: @LAA, @SEA
Eduardo Rodriguez: CLE, KC
Steven Wright CLE, KC
Kevin Gausman: OAK, MIN
Chris Tillman: OAK, MIN
At Your Own Risk
Drew Smyly: @HOU, @OAK
Mike Pelfrey: @NYY, @BAL
Ervin Santana: @NYY, @BAL
John Danks: @LAA, @SEA
Trevor Bauer: @BOS, @NYY
National League
Strong Plays
Michael Wacha: SF, @SD
Gerrit Cole: ARI, SF
Francisco Liriano: ARI, SF
Jason Hammel: DET, ATL
Decent Plays
Jordan Zimmermann: @COL, MIL
Chris Heston: @STL, @PIT
Raisel Iglesias: KC, ARI
Chase Anderson: @PIT, @CIN
Jeremy Hellickson: @PIT, @CIN
David Phelps: @MIL, PHI
Aaron Nola: TOR, @MIA
At Your Own Risk
Matt Garza: MIA, @WAS
Adam Conley: @MIL, PHI
Jorge De La Rosa: WAS, NYM
Matt Wisler: @SD, @CHC
Williams Perez: @SD, @CHC
Colin Rea: ATL, STL
Streamer City
The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:
American League
Wednesday, August 19: Martin Perez vs. SEA
Perez has bounced back nicely from a shellacking by the Yankees at the end of July, allowing only three earned runs with an 11-to-1 K/BB ratio over 14 1/3 innings in his last two starts.
Wednesday, August 19: Ivan Nova vs. MIN
The Twins have really been struggling to score runs lately, and Nova has been very solid since returning to the Yankees with a 3.52 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.
Friday, August 21: Luis Severino vs. CLE
He might be the youngest starting pitcher in the majors, but Severino has hardly looked overmatched in his first two starts. The Indians are averaging fewer runs than all but three AL clubs.
National League
Wednesday, August 19: Keyvius Sampson vs. KC
Sampson has been quite effective in his first four appearances for the Reds, allowing only 12 hits in 17 innings while striking out 15.
Thursday, August 20: Brad Hand vs. PHI
The lefty has allowed only one run in 11 innings since joining the Miami rotation earlier this month. The Phillies have a 674 team OPS on the road.
Thursday, August 20: Kyle Hendricks vs. ATL
The Braves have the third-lowest team OPS in the NL and have been particularly ineffective on the road. Hendricks has a stellar 108-to-27 K/BB ratio in 108 innings this year.
Total Games
American League
5: TOR
6: DET, KC, OAK, SEA
7: BAL, BOS, CLE, CWS, HOU, LAA, MIN, NYY, TB, TEX
National League
5: LAD, NYM,
6: CHC, CIN, COL, MIL, PHI, SD, STL, WAS
7: ARI, ATL, MIA, PIT, SF
The Infirmary
You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld’s Injury Page but here’s the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:
Koji Uehara: Out for the season (wrist)
Howie Kendrick: Out until early September (hamstring)
Carlos Frias: Out indefinitely (back)
Jose Fernandez: Out indefinitely (bicep)
Phil Hughes: Out until late August (back)
Nori Aoki: Out until late August (concussion)
Angel Pagan: Out until late August (knee)
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