10 Important Stories From 05/26/17 Box Scores: Not Buying Butler, Ray Tosses Gem & More

by Ray Kuhn

Two games fell victim to the weather on Thursday, and Jacob deGrom was pushed back a day due to the threat of rain, but overall, things could have been worse based on the potential forecast. Let’s take a look at some of the performances that stood out from the day across baseball:

1) Nelson Cruz Makes it Count…

Cruz only had one hit on Thursday, but it was a big one. With a three run blast in the sixth inning, Cruz put Seattle up for good as they hung on for the victory. It was the 12th home run of the season for the outfielder/designated hitter who continues to show no signs of slowing down or bowing to age. After hitting over .300 for most of May, Cruz’s average is now down to .296, but that is likely garnering no complaints as he is up to 40 RBI on the season. While there will still be a drop off coming from Cruz at some point, it continues to look foolish expecting one imminently.

2) Four Hits for Cervelli…

With Andrew McCutchen struggling and Starling Marte suspended, among other woes, the Pirates need to look to alternate sources for production. We know all about the roll that Adam Frazier has been on, he hit another three run shot yesterday, but Francisco Cervilli came through for Pittsburgh on Thursday as well. Cervelli, who was batting fifth, picked up four hits in five at bats (including his 10th double of the season) while driving in two runs and scoring twice. While he is not going to dazzle you with his power or run production, he is up to 20 RBI on the season, Cervelli is a solid, dependable catcher who is in the lineup most days. As far as the catching position goes, especially in two catcher leagues, that sometimes gets overlooked as the Pittsburgh backstop is not going to hurt, he is currently hitting .258 and rising, while he provides some help. After struggling through April and hitting just .203, Cervelli is hitting .328 so far in May as his average begins to normalize and he gets on track after the WBC.

3) Don’t Toss Him Aside Just Yet…

There are a lot of people that are just waiting for Rhys Hoskins to arrive in Philadelphia. Based on his minor league production, there is nothing wrong with that, and we will likely see Hoskins at some point this season. But at the same time, we shouldn’t overlook the player who is currently manning first base; Tommy Joseph. It is understandable how Joseph could go overlooked, but he is still a solid option who has some power is getting on track after hitting just .179 in April. On Thursday, Joseph accounted for both of the Phillies’ runs. In the seventh inning he hit his seventh home run of the season, and then he ended things with a walk-off RBI in the 11th. That brought Joseph’s RBI total up to 22 on the season, 15 of those and six of his home runs have come in May, and he is now hitting a respectable .255.

4) A Gem in Tampa Bay…

Even though Albert Pujols wasn’t in the lineup and, aside from Mike Trout, the Angels’ lineup isn’t exactly imposing these days, Matt Andriese still deserves some credit. Andriese shut the Angels out for eight innings on Thursday to pick up his fifth victory of the season. In doing so, he scattered six hits and walked two while striking out five. That brought Andriese’s ERA down to 3.24 and it was nice to see him go eight innings since he averaged just barely over five innings in each of his last three starts. However, I would still look at Andriese as more of a match-up play thanks to his 4.10 xFIP, but given the state of pitching, there certainly is some value here.

5) Do We Need to Pay Attention to Eddie Butler…

In his former life, Butler was a pitching prospect with Colorado. We all know how that goes in Coors Field, so there is no need to re-hash that, but he is currently getting a second chance with the Cubs. Butler picked up his second victory of the season yesterday against the Giants with five innings of one run ball. Despite the victory though, it was one of those starts that was better for Butler’s actual team than his fantasy one. He allowed four hits and two walks, which isn’t terrible, but Butler struck out just one batter as he lowered his ERA 1.93 to go along with a 1.36 WHIP. The Cubs have yet to stretch Butler out in his three starts, as he has logged just 14 innings while striking out nine batters. While the sample size is small, things could be much worse for Butler, as he has benefited from a .220 BABIP which is apparent in his 3.89 FIP and 5.11 xFIP. It is also never a good sign when a pitcher has a higher ratio of walks per nine innings (6.43) than strikeouts per nine innings (5.79).

6) A Win in His Major League Debut…

Until earlier this week, Dinelson Lamet was unknown to most fantasy players. In 64 minor league games, 60 starts, Lamet has a 2.99 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and 336 strikeouts in 298.1 innings, and after eight starts at Triple-A this season, San Diego decided to see what the right-hander could do at the major league level. Throughout his minor league career, Lamet held opposing hitters to a .221 batting average, and like most young pitchers, walks do appear to be at least somewhat of a concern; 4.19 per nine innings. San Diego was careful not to ask too much of Lamet in his debut, five innings, but it was enough to pick up the victory. Lamet held the Mets to one run (a Lucas Duda solo home run) on three hits and two walks while striking out eight. The young right-hander also benefits from a favorable home park, this start came on the road, which makes him worth a look in just about all formats.

7) Finally Xander, Finally…

While you could say it has been a soft year for Xander Bogaerts, it hasn’t been a terrible season for the Boston shortstop. However, it certainly was a good sign to see Bogaerts go deep on Thursday. That would always be the case, but for Bogaerts, it was his first home run of the season. The two run shot was part of a two hit night for the shortstop who brought his RBI total up to 17 while raising his batting average to .335.

8) A Gem from Ray…

While we have seen more prolific strikeout totals from Robbie Ray, this might be my favorite start of the season from the southpaw. And the reason is simple; no walks. For all of his, well documented, control woes that get him into trouble at times, Ray pitched seven shutout innings in Milwaukee without walking a batter. Ray limited the Brewers to just two hits while striking out nine and lowering his ERA to 3.45. In 10 starts so far this season, Ray has a respectable 1.20 WHIP while striking out 74 batters in 60 innings of work. On the season, he is still averaging just about a walk per every other inning (29 on the season), but yesterday’s development was certainly a good sign.

9) Keep Him in the Lineup…

While the easy thing, is that Marwin Gonzalez can play anywhere. That is a good thing, because the Astros have a strong lineup with no true holes, but the way Gonzalez is hitting, it is just about impossible to keep the utility man on the bench. Getting the start at first base last night, Gonzalez, once again, went deep. It was the 11th home run of the season for Gonzalez, and the two run shot gave him 28 RBI on the season. For those of you counting at home, that is two more RBI than Carlos Correa (who had his own two run shot on Thursday). Gonzalez, who also has four more home runs than Correa, is batting .282 on the season, and his positional flexibility is also an asset in fantasy leagues; especially those that allow daily moves.

10) Chris Taylor Continues to Hit…

When you don’t have a starting role, you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get. And that is exactly what Taylor is doing. With Logan Forsythe back in the lineup at second base, that avenue to playing time is now closed, but Joc Pederson just went on the disabled list with a concussion. So that means, Taylor continues to find himself atop the order, the only difference is that center field is now his temporary home. However, Taylor just keeps on hitting, as he picked up three hits on Thursday. Taylor also drove a run and scored a run as he brought his average up to .344. At some point, he will likely cool off, but until then, it is a streak you must continue to ride.

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