Week Ahead: Trustin' Justin?
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Justin Verlander's performances since joining the Tigers rotation after missing the first two-and-a-half months of the season have been uneven, to say the least. At times he has resembled his old dominant self, but at other times he has looked utterly hittable, which is troubling in light of his very apparent decline over the past couple seasons.
In his five July starts, Verlander has thrown three gems but has been rocked in in his other two outings. Both the duds came at Comerica Park, where he's scheduled to make both of his two starts in The Week Ahead, but the good news is that he really appeared to turn a corner in his latest effort.
Going against an admittedly watered down Rays lineup in Tampa, Verlander fired eight innings of one-run ball on Wednesday, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out 10. It was his first double-digit K total in eight starts this year, and in fact his first since 2013.
The excellent numbers were no fluke. The 32-year-old looked like a different guy than the one who had been noticeably reluctant to move away from his fastball, mixing speeds more effectively and dropping hammer curves for third strikes.
One great game isn't enough to draw conclusions, but it was the second in a row for Verlander and he's now looking ahead to home starts against the Royals and Red Sox in the coming week. Available in about 30 percent of Yahoo leagues and 40 percent of ESPN leagues, the former MVP is certainly worth a long look.
Here are a few other names that need to be on your radar...
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* Tom Koehler, owned in just 18 percent of Yahoo leagues, has been on quite a run. In his last 12 starts, dating back to mid-May, he is 6-4 with a 2.88 ERA and is holding opponents to a .225/.293/.341 slash line. He gets the Mets at home and the Braves on the road.
* Diamondbacks rookie Zack Godley has turned in quality starts in both of his first two trips to the big-league mound, notching 11 strikeouts over 12 innings while relying on an impressive cutter. He'll be tested with a pair of tough match-ups against the Nationals and Reds.
* Out since June with a foot injury, Williams Perez is expected to make his return to the Braves rotation on Monday, which would put him in line for two home starts. He was 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA in his last five starts before getting hurt, and is available in 95 percent of leagues.
* Colby Lewis gave up 10 runs against the Angels on July 5th, but every other start he's made since the start of June has been quality. He's 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 28 innings over his last five, making him a highly attractive option this week against Houston and Seattle.
* Chris Tillman has been on a heck of a run, allowing just five total runs over his last six starts for a ridiculous 1.09 ERA. He's on the road twice though, facing off against the A's and Halos.
Going Twice...
American League
Strong Plays
R.A. Dickey: MIN, @NYY
Colby Lewis: HOU, @SEA
Felix Hernandez: @COL, TEX
Jake Odorizzi: @CWS, NYM
Garrett Richards: CLE, BAL
Scott Kazmir: @TEX, @OAK
Lance McCullers: @TEX, @OAK
Corey Kluber: @LAA, MIN
Jose Quintana: TB, @KC
Decent Plays
Justin Verlander: KC, BOS
Marco Estrada: MIN, @NYY
Jesse Chavez: BAL, HOU
Chris Bassitt: BAL, HOU
Ervin Santana: @TOR, @CLE
Phil Hughes: @TOR, @CLE
Chris Tillman: @OAK, @LAA
At Your Own Risk
Jeremy Guthrie: @DET, CWS
Rick Porcello: @NYY, @DET
National League
Strong Plays
John Lackey: @CIN, @MIL
Max Scherzer: ARI, COL
Tyson Ross: @MIL, PHI
Francisco Liriano: CHC, LAD
Dan Haren: NYM, @ATL
Tom Koehler: NYM, @ATL
Brett Anderson: @PHI, @PIT
Jon Lester: @PIT, SF
Jake Arrieta: @PIT, SF
Shelby Miller: SF, MIA
Decent Plays
Doug Fister: ARI, COL
Matt Cain: @ATL, @CHC
Jake Peavy: @ATL, @CHC
Bartolo Colon: @MIA, @TB
Zack Godley: @WAS, CIN
Williams Perez: SF, MIA
Wily Peralta: SD, STL
Andrew Cashner: @MIL, PHI
At Your Own Risk
Jerome Williams: LAD, @SD
Eddie Butler: SEA, @WAS
Anthony DeSclafani: STL, @ARI
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 5: Carlos Rodon vs. TB
The electric rookie offers big K potential in this match-up against a Rays offense that ranks second in the American League in strikeouts.
Thursday, August 6: Aaron Brooks vs. HOU
Acquired from the Royals in the Ben Zobrist deal, Brooks was immediately added to the A's rotation and his performance in Triple-A this year merits a look.
Friday, August 7: Nathan Eovaldi vs. TOR
The Blue Jays are a tough draw, but Eovaldi is 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA in July and is coming off his longest start of the year, so he may be up to the challenge.
National League
Wednesday, August 5: David Phelps vs. NYM
Phelps has allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last six starts, and is poised for success against the NL's weakest offense.
Thursday, August 6: Taylor Jungmann vs. SD
The rookie has been scorching hot, with a 1.54 ERA and 547 opponents' OPS over his past six starts.
Friday, August 7: Robbie Ray vs. CIN
Ray has been extremely reliable for Arizona with a 2.73 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, and based on his solid peripherals there's no reason to expect a drop-off any time soon.
Total Games
American League
6: BAL, BOS, CLE, CWS, DET, KC, LAA, NYY, SEA, TB, TEX
7: HOU, MIN, OAK, TOR
National League
6: CIN, COL, LAD, NYM, PHI, PIT, STL
7: ARI, ATL, CHC, MIA, MIL, SD, SF, WAS
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:
Manny Banuelos: Out until September (elbow)
Mookie Betts: Out indefinitely (concussion)
Matt Joyce: Out indefinitely (concussion)
Michael Pineda: Out indefinitely (arm)
Matt Holliday: Out until September (quad)
