Felipe Paulino (SP-HOU) – Paulino returned from a groin injury to post a very impressive 7-3-1-1-0-9 against the Tigers in his last start, seemingly securing the No. 5 rotation spot. Flash forward to Friday and now we’re not so sure. Facing the juggernaut Giants’ offense, Paulino lasted just two innings, allowing a whopping eight runs on nine hits, including homers to Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa. Paulino now sports a devilish 6.66 ERA, though a 49:19 K:BB in 52 2/3 innings indicates that Paulino still has some skills, but the 10 home runs have been his undoing. Cross your fingers that the Astros coaching staff can work on that aspect of his game and stash him away in deeper NL-only leagues.
Chris Iannetta (C-COL) – Iannetta had a nice night Friday, going 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly in a 5-0 win over Arizona. Iannetta is batting .239/.365/.490 on the season with 10 homers and a 0.68 EYE. I haven’t studied this too closely, but it’s certainly possible that slow catchers can consistently have a sub-.300 BABIP, but Iannetta’s .243 mark seems to predict an uptick in BA. Iannetta’s ISO is supported by a nice uptick in his FB% from 40.7% to 52.2%, so the 20-25 HR power looks real. Expect the AVG to creep into the .250s or perhaps .260s as the season progresses, particularly as Iannetta continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.
Brandon Moss (OF-PIT) – Moss got the start Friday for the second consecutive game at the expense of Delwyn Young and he took advantage (sort) of by homering off Chris Volstad in the first innings, though Moss did go hitless in his final four at-bats. For some reason the Pirates had two guys (Jack Wilson and Moss) with subpar (.307 and .314) OBPs and two guys with .350+ marks (Andy LaRoche and Ramon Vazquez) batting six and seven. I digress however. Moss is apparently getting a look as the Pirates look to add some pop to their lineup, and with a .315/.397/.405 batting line, Young is apparently too much of a base-clogger to play every day in Pittsburgh. Moss now has a whopping two homers in 208 at-bats this season, but that’s apparently enough to hit third in Pittsburgh. Grab him in NL-only leagues…I guess.
Andrew McCutchen (OF-PIT) – Now a fixture in the leadoff spot, McCutchen was 2-for-5 with a double and his fifth stolen base Friday against the Marlins. He’s now batting a solid .293/.341/.455 in 123 at-bats, and though he’s homered just once, McCutchen also has seven doubles and five triples. His 5.6% BB% needs some work and he’s hitting a few too many ground balls (though with his speed, that’s not quite as much of a negative), but the talent is obvious. The Pirates have a decent handful of solid young hitters (Andy LaRoche, Pedro Alvarez, …), but until they add some young pitching, losing seasons will continue. It just won’t be McCutchen’s fault, as eventually this is going to be a 15-20 HR, 40 SB type talent.
Jorge De La Rosa (SP-COL) – The good Jorge showed up for the second consecutive start on Friday, as De La Rosa won his third consecutive start, spinning sight shutout innings to beat the Diamondbacks. De La Rosa walked four and struck out six on the night. De La Rosa is now 5-1 in his last six starts after opening 0-6, with such inconsistency a hallmark of his career to date. If you watch De La Rosa, you can tell when it’s going to be a good night – he’s locating his slider and change. There’s a little concern with his .342 BABIP and 63.2% LOB%, but perhaps at some point, the 28 year-old’s consistency will get there.
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