Justin Masterson- CLE- Hot- Last night might have been a heaping helping of regression to the mean for Masterson. He carried a .368 BHIP into last night’s start, where he shut out the Red Sox on 2 hits and 2 walks and struck out 5. He needed 110 pitches to do so, but he certainly did not seem to be struggling. Pitch counts may be a concern for him, given that a downward slide last month began with a 117-pitch game and continued to go south when it was immediately followed by 2 consecutive 112-pitch efforts, but those were of a different quality. Keep an eye on Masterson’s next start to see if there is any carryover, but it is not an inordinate risk.
Victor Martinez- BOS- Hot- Martinez got one of the two hits the Red Sox managed off Justin Masterson, bringing his average up to .298. June has been a huge month for him, with a .516 average. Martinez has only hit 1 homer in 31 ABs this month, but he has 5 doubles, so the power is lurking right below the surface. He can’t continue at this pace, but Martinez is looking like he is on solid footing again after suffering through an unlucky April and showing improvement in May.
David Price- TB- Hot- Price got a win and a quality start as he allowed a run on 4 hits and struck out 4 in 6 IP. Although Joe Maddon didn’t push Price over the 110-pitch mark, needing 104 pitches to get through 6 IP is far from efficient. More disconcerting was the presence of control issues as he walked 5. I’m still worried that Price’s usage has done serious damage.
Edwin Encarnacion- TOR- Cold- Encarnacion is 0-for-5 over his last two games, but there is some hope for him. A major component of his .211 batting average is a beyond extreme .093 BHIPx. Also, Encarnacion owns a solid .79 Batting EYE. Once regression to the mean kicks in, Encarnacion’s power production (8 homers in 108 PAs) makes him a solid contributor in multiple fantasy categories.
C. J. Wilson- TEX- Hot- Wilson picked up his first quality start in 4 outings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in 7 IP while striking out 4. Don’t look at this as a major turning point. He needed 116 pitches to get that far, and only 66 of them were strikes. Wilson’s FB/GB ratio was 13/5. If you’ve still got him, now is a time to sell high.
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