Jeff Samardzija-White Sox-SP
Jeff Samardzija went 7.1 IP and gave up 4 ER on 5 H, 3 BB, and 4 K in the loss to the Tigers. Which qualified starter has given up the most hits this season? If your answer was Jeff Samardzija, you were correct. As a result he has seen his ERA jump to 4.56 and his K/9 drop to 7.46. He is simply not missing enough bats. His split-fingered fastball was getting 22% SwStrk's a year ago and has dropped to 12% this year. Until he gets this pitch back, expect mediocre results from the Shark.
Collin McHugh-Astros-SP
Collin McHugh went 8 IP and gave up 1 ER on 2 H, 2 BB, and 8 K in the win against the Yankees. McHugh has not been able to repeat his breakout from a season ago. His strikeouts have dropped from 9.14 K/9 to 7.30 K/9. This has been due to his average fastball, which he has been using significantly less than year as a result of its ineffectiveness. His curve and slider are still great pitches and are missing bats. However, he needs to find the right combination of pitch mix, to keep hitters off-balance. One could make a case for his strikeouts coming back, but 2014 is looking more and more like an aberration. Until the strikeouts come back for good, McHugh is nothing more than a league average pitcher.
Chi-Chi Gonzalez-Rangers-SP
Chi-Chi Gonzalez went 6 IP and gave up 3 ER on 4 H, 4 BB, and 3 K's in the loss to the Blue Jays. Chi-Chi Gonzalez has a 2.59 ERA and if you can find someone who would take him based upon his ERA, I would trade him as fast as I could. It is hard for any rookie pitcher to perform well at the major league level, let alone if they walk more batters than they strikeout. Gonzalez has a 2.78 K/9 rate and a 3.28 BB/9. His 5.38 SIERA screams regression and I wouldn't want any part of it. Deal him now while he has value.
Nelson Cruz-Mariners-OF
Nelson Cruz was 1-4 with a RBI in the loss to the Angels. Cruz's season line sits at .305/19/46 over 74 games. Cruz has experienced a power outage in June, as he only has hit one homerun. Fantasy owners were expecting a monster season after he hit 18 HR in the first two months. Fantasy owners shouldn't be alarmed, because he hit 28 HR before the break last year and only 12 in the second half. For rotisserie leagues, its not a big concern because his numbers will be there at the end of the year, but for head-to-head leagues it's frustrating to own Cruz right now. The power will come back and in a big way, so if someone has given up on him, make the move.
DFS Plays of the Day
Rougned Odor-Rangers-2B
Rougned Odor is slashing .364/.421/.606 in 11 games since being called back up to the big leagues. Odor is raking and his price has yet to catch up to his recent success, so take advantage on DraftKings where he is only $3,300. He will more than likely hit at the top of the order verse RHP Bud Norris, who has struggled against LHB (.410 wOBA and .554 SLG). DraftKings Value: $3,300
**This is just a small sample our our daily analysis, join our member area for more premium content: http://www.fantistics.com/join/join.php3
Also, follow us on twitter @fantistics and @philip_double
