Picking on Red Sox pitching should lead to success down the stretch
Benefiting from Boston
The Blue Jays scored 10 times against the Red Sox on Sunday, wrapping up a five-game series with a total of 34 runs scored. And prior to Toronto coming to town, Boston was polite enough to surrender 23 runs in three games while hosting the Braves. Smart fantasy managers will be aware that the Red Sox pitching staff has been remarkably bad. In the past 80 years, just one team (1996 Tigers) finished the season with a higher mark than the 6.21 ERA that Boston has posted thus far. And there is no light at the end of this tunnel, as the club is clearly going to play out the string without promoting any prospects. With just three weeks to go, one of the best things fantasy managers can do is to pick up anyone who is slated to face the Red Sox the following day. For those who don’t feel like checking the schedule, Boston faces the Phillies twice on Tuesday and the Rays four times at the end up this week.
Closer Updates
Ninth-inning gigs continue to turn over at a remarkable rate. Here are the details you’ll want to know as we head into a fresh week:
Anthony Bass picked the wrong time to suffer his first blown save since August 12 when he gave up two runs in a 9-8 loss on Saturday. The right-hander has been scored on in three of his past five outings and could hand the Blue Jays closer’s role to Ken Giles when he returns this week. Rafael Dolis filled in for Bass in Sunday’s 10-8 win. Both Yoshihisa Hirano and Yohan Ramirez picked up weekend saves for Seattle. If I had to roster one, I’m going with Hirano. Tyler Rogers earned up his third save of the season on Sunday. Giants manager Gabe Kapler likes to mix and match, but Rogers is worth a shot in 15-team leagues. Raisel Iglesias blew a save on Sunday, but should remain the Reds closer ahead of Archie Bradley. Still, Iglesias’ hold on the role is not as strong with Bradley on the roster. Bryan Garcia picked up a Sunday save for Detroit. Garcia has solid surface stats (1.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) but a 7:5 K:BB ratio that suggests he won’t get too many save chances. The Royals used Greg Holland in the seventh inning while trailing on Sunday, which suggests that they remain a closer committee. Trevor Rosenthal earned his first save as a member of the Padres. The right-hander likely leads a closer committee of himself and southpaw Drew Pomeranz.
Injury Notes
The Blue Jays announced that Teoscar Hernandez suffered a rib injury on Saturday night. He underwent an MRI on Sunday and is expected to miss at least a few games.
Nationals star Juan Soto missed the weekend with a left elbow injury and remains day-to-day.
Ryan Yarbrough will return from a groin injury on Tuesday. The southpaw should be a two-start pitcher next week.
Dallas Keuchel provided the White Sox with five shutout innings before departing with back stiffness. Keuchel has been stellar this year (2.19 ERA) and is worth the risk for those with weekly lineup settings.
Lance McCullers was placed on the IL with neck nerve irritation. He can be dropped in all leagues.
Marcus Semien is expected to take batting practice on Monday. The shortstop last played on August 29 and hasn’t been effective this year (.663 OPS). There are likely better options in mixed leagues for the coming week.
Favorable Monday-Thursday Matchups
Volume is king this week.
The Tigers are lined up for three games against the Brewers and two vs. the Cardinals. Jonathan Schoop, Victor Reyes and Jeimer Candelario are among the Detroit regulars who are rostered in less than half of Yahoo leagues and deserve consideration.
The Astros and A’s are set for a five-game series that includes a double-header on Tuesday. For Houston, Michael Brantley is swinging a hot bat and should be activated in shallow formats. Josh Reddick can be considered in deep-mixed leagues, and Martin Maldonado is worth a look in two-catcher formats. On the Oakland side, Ramon Laureano, Mark Canha and Tommy La Stella should be active in most lineups. Stephen Piscotty is worth a look in deep formats.
The Cardinals will play five games against three opponents – the Cubs, Twins and Tigers. Multi-position asset Brad Miller should be a hot commodity, while Kolten Wong should be added by those who need steals.
Starters to Stream
Monday
Trevor Richards (@WSH)
Kevin Gausman (vs. ARI)
Brad Keller (@CLE)
Tuesday
Zach Eflin (vs. BOS)
Spencer Turnbull (vs. MIL)
Wednesday
Nick Margevicius (@SF)
Pablo Lopez (@ATL)
Thursday
Tarik Skubal (@STL)
Josh Fleming (vs. BOS)
