Vincent Velasquez missed about three weeks in mid-June with a bicep injury. In his three games since returning, Velasquez has struck out 20 batters in 17 innings while posting a 2.12 ERA. It’s even more impressive when you look at his opponents in that stretch, which were @ARI, KC and @COL. His 10.59 K/9 in the last thirty days is the second best on this slate and his 2.79 xFIP is the best. He’s going to face a Marlins team which is about as average as you can get. They are middle of the pack in just about every offensive category.
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The Brewers/Pirates game is offering up some fantasy opportunity for both starting pitchers. Junior Guerra will earn the start for the Brewers while Jameson Taillon will get the nod for the Pirates. Both pitchers have been very similar over the past thirty days. Guerra’s K/9 (8.68) barely edges Taillon’s 8.36 number, but Taillon takes the advantage with his 3.16 xFIP compared to Guerra’s 3.44. The opposing offenses are both striking out at a ridiculous rate. The Brewers are whiffing at 26.2 which is worst in the league while the Pirates are striking out the fourth-most at 23.9%. Both teams rank in the bottom five in wOBA in the last thirty days and no team has scored fewer runs than the Pirates.
It hasn’t been pretty for Tim Lincecum in his first five starts since signing with the Angels. He’s posting a 6.85 ERA in those five, but an 8.66 ERA over his last four. That four game stretch has his opponents batting an insane .415 off him with a killer 1.149 OPS. Only Rick Porcello has allowed more hits in the last 30 days and he’s pitched 6.2 more innings than Lincecum. The ever-volatile Rangers will be in town tonight to face Lincecum. While they are volatile, there are few offenses as potent as the Rangers.
That’s all folks! Be sure to follow me on Twitter for more player analysis and news as starting lineups are released! Commentary based on DraftKings & Fanduel strategy and scoring.