| | | | Monday, August 14, 2023 | | The weekend offered a sneak peak at several of my sleeper pitchers for this upcoming scoring period. The most notable among these was Gavin Williams, who turned in his second consecutive double-digit strikeout effort and seems to have turned a corner developmentally. He's taking on the Tigers this week. Meanwhile, J.P. France returned to the Astros rotation with seven strong innings, Steven Matz turned in his fourth straight quality start, and Chase Silseth threw five shutout innings. They're scheduled to face the Mariners, Mets and Rays, respectively. | | After delivering a double-digit strikeout effort two turns ago, Dane Dunning repeated the feat with 12 strikeouts in seven innings at the Giants Sunday. His 29 strikeouts in his past three starts matches the number he had in his previous seven. It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly has changed for him, but the Rangers lineup gives him a nice margin for error. Jesus Luzardo, meanwhile, got knocked around for a third straight outing and is in uncharted territory innings-wise. You could think about sitting him for now, but you may want to activate Mitch Keller again after he allowed one earned run in six innings to the Reds. He gets a high-strikeout Twins lineup next. | | | | On the hitting side, Zack Gelof starred with a two-homer game Sunday. He's succeeding in spite of middling exit velocities, a high strikeout rate and a poor supporting cast, but you won't find much better production than his off the waiver wire right now. The Athletics promoted another hitting prospect, outfielder Lawrence Butler, over the weekend. He's just 2 for 12 so far and hasn't attracted much interest yet, but he offers the potential for power and speed. | | If you've been stashing Shane McClanahan, you can move on now. The Rays moved him to the 60-day IL, ending his season. Meanwhile, Wander Franco is currently away from the team because of some concerning allegations made on social media. Suffice it to say he should be removed from Fantasy lineups for the time being. | | Let's consider some players you can pick up off the waiver wire: | | Gavin Williams, SP, Guardians | | Saturday's start makes it two straight with double-digit strikeouts for Williams, 22 over 12 innings in all. But these outings have a couple more things in common. One is that the control is greatly improved, with just one walk between them. The other, and perhaps more notable, is that the velocity is up, his fastball in particular standing out with an average of 97.1 mph Saturday. It seems to match up with what Williams said following his 12-strikeout gem last time out: "I don't think I was being too fine today." Pitching coach Carl Willis had noted that up to that point, Williams had been nibbling, trying to avoid the sweet spot rather than going after hitters. It's a cliche for young pitchers, but it's understandable on a human level. He was pitching not to fail rather than to succeed. Now that we know what the latter looks like, watch out. | | | | Nick Lodolo, SP, Reds | | It's kind of refreshing how rostered Lodolo has remained even while being out since early May with a stress reaction in his leg and even after struggling so badly in his seven starts. But it goes to show you how desperate Fantasy teams are for quality pitching, which is also why the other 40 percent of CBS Sports leagues should take note that he's gearing up to return. He began a rehab assignment Friday, striking out four over two scoreless innings in Rookie ball. But wait, isn't he likely to do more harm than good when he returns? True, he was getting burned by the long ball early on, but he was still throwing tons of strikes and getting tons of whiffs. Particularly after all this time to regroup and recollect, he has a good chance of living up to the preseason hype still. | | Steven Matz, SP, Cardinals | | Matz has allowed a combined three earned runs in his past four starts, all six innings in length. That's reason enough to pick him up, given the current pitching shortage in Fantasy Baseball. Even if you're skeptical he can sustain it over the long haul, it's reasonable to think he will against the Mets next time out, and he gets the Pirates after that. Has he made any obvious changes to fuel this turnaround? No, but we've seen Matz have stretches of Fantasy relevance in the past. This seems like one of those enjoy-it-while-it-lasts scenarios that doesn't require much deeper thought. Just don't get too attached. | | Zack Gelof, 3B, Athletics | | Gelof's arrival for the start of the second half was overshadowed by Tyler Soderstrom's, but it's no contest which has been more valuable in Fantasy Baseball so far. With two more home runs Sunday, Gelof is up to eight to go along with six stolen bases in just 105 plate appearances. His Triple-A output was stellar as well, albeit in a hitter's haven in Las Vegas. He's no longer in such a venue nor getting much help from his supporting cast, but he's done well to carry himself so far. There are reasons for concern, such as a bad strikeout rate and even worse zone contact rate, and his high-end exit velocities are rather uninspiring. With high fly-ball, line-drive and pull rates, though, it may just be that he angles the ball in a way that's optimized for damage. He's hot right now, if nothing else, but don't assume it'll last forever. | | | | News and Notes | | Shohei Ohtani will not make his next scheduled pitching start Wednesday against the Rangers as he's dealing with fatigue. Make sure to get him in your lineups as a hitter.Mike Trout began hitting against a pitching machine Friday. Assuming there are no setbacks, Trout should be back in August.Shane McClanahan's season is officially done as he was transferred to the 60-day IL. Francisco Lindor was dealing with right side soreness but was back in the lineup for Game 2 of their doubleheader Saturday.Tyler Glasnow was targeting a return this weekend but instead will make his next start Monday at the Giants. That means he's lined up for two starts. Get him back in lineups?Carlos Rodon will face hitters during a simulated game later this week. If all goes according to plan, Rodon should return when eligible on August 22. The Astros will skip Hunter Brown's next turn in the rotation, likely to limit his innings and give him a little break. Make sure to get him out of your lineups this week.Kyle Schwarber is dealing with a left foot contusion and will be re-evaluated Saturday.Jonathan India will receive a second opinion on his left foot and has been shut down from running for at least two weeks. Jordan Romano is on track to return to the Blue Jays Tuesday. Marcus Stroman threw a 50-pitch bullpen session and remains on track to return when eligible Wednesday. My guess is we don't start this week?Michael Wacha is expected to return Tuesday against the Orioles. The Padres play seven games this week so that should make Wacha a two-start pitcher, right?Christian Encarnacion-Strand was removed Friday after being hit by a pitch on his hand. X-rays came back negative and he was back in the lineup Sunday.Alek Manoah was optioned to Triple-A on Friday. As we mentioned last week, he could be dropped. CJ Abrams was removed Sunday with back spasms. Nationals are off Monday so we won't find out until Tuesday. Take a chance and start?Anthony Rizzo said Friday that he is aiming to ramp up baseball activities within the next week. He was placed on the IL August 3 with post-concussion syndrome.Nick Lodolo began a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Friday. 60% rosteredTanner Houck will need one more rehab start before rejoining the Red Sox rotation. 13% rostered Mason Miller threw another live BP Saturday. 30% rostered, rank Lodolo, Houck, MillerRyne Nelson was optioned to Triple-A. Pitching prospect Bryce Jarvias was promoted by the Dbacks. It sounds like he's going to work as a reliever for now. | | | | | | | | CBS Sports Golazo Network | | The First Cut | CBS Sports Golazo Network, the first-of-its-kind, free, 24/7 channel dedicated exclusively to global soccer coverage is NOW STREAMING on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV and Paramount+!
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