Matt Moore - The Rays' Matt Moore was sharp on Saturday against the White Sox, yielding just 1 ER on 3 hits over 6 innings. He whiffed 9 and walked 1. Moore now owns a 10.69 K/9 and 1.13 ERA for the season. He's walking too many batters (4.22 BB/9), but is limiting the HRs and picking up a decent number of grounders (42%). The southpaw's strikeout percentage is also up from 23% to 28% and his swinging strike percentage has increased from 8.7% to 11.5% this season. For all the great numbers Moore is recording during this excellent start, he's also enjoying quite a bit of good fortunate, specifically by owning a .149 BABIP and 100% strand rate. Overall, Moore is one of the best pitchers in fantasy so far and, even with some regression, he looks to be a top-20 SP for 2013. Moore should draw the Rockies in Colorado in his next outing.
Oswaldo Arcia - Oswaldo Arcia went 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored against the Rangers on Saturday. The rookie is now batting .185/.241/.407, although he does have a .222 ISO through 29 plate appearances. In the minors this season, Arcia posted an impressive .394/.474/.727 slash line with 3 HRs. Last season, the outfielder smashed 17 bombs and drove in 98 runs en route to being named the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year. While his current numbers aren't great, Arcia has a ton of power potential and could be a nice bench bat in deeper AL-only and mixed leagues. He is still just 21-years old and has only played 10 games above AA, so it won't be surprising if it takes him time to settle in at the major league level. This is definitely a player to keep an eye on over the new few weeks.
Travis Hafner - Travis Hafner crushed his 6th HR of the season and added a triple against the Blue Jays on Saturday. Hafner has managed to stay healthy, which is the biggest knock against the DH, and he's producing for New York. Hafner now owns a .418 ISO to go along with a .309/.433/.727 slash line. He's walking at a solid clip as usual (16% BB%) and entered Saturday with a 23% LD rate. If Hafner continues to stay healthy, he's going to be a solid fantasy play. The problem is it's very unlikely Hafner can stay healthy considering he has topped 100 games just once since 2007. For those in daily leagues, Hafner is an especially great option against RHP - he owns a career .929 OPS versus those pitchers. Continue to plug in Hafner until he goes on the DL.
Chris Tillman - Chris Tillman tossed a solid game on Saturday against the Athletics, yielding just 2 ER over 6 innings. He struck out 7 and walked just 2 to lower his season ERA to 4.73. Tillman's whiff rate is up to 8.44 this season, but he continues to issue too many free passes (4.39 BB/9). The right hander is also a case study in how little control pitchers have over what happens once a ball is hit. Last season, Tillman owned a 21% LD rate and .222 BABIP. This season, Tillman has a 21% LD rate but his BABIP is an ugly .351. Besides the strikeouts, another encouraging sign is that Tillman has limited the HRs to just 1.01 per game this season, compared to 1.26 a year ago. Keep an eye on Tillman's walk rate: if he can improve that mark, he could become an OK starting pitcher in deeper leagues, especially if he maintains a whiff rate above 8.00. That said, he should be benched for his next start versus the Angels.
Ervin Santana - Ervin Santana continued his outstanding start to 2013 by holding the Indians to 0 ER over 7 innings on Saturday. Santana now owns a 2.00 ERA to go along with a solid 7.75 K/9. Santana has upped his strikeout percentage from 17% to 22% while improving his swinging strike percentage from 8.4% to 10.6%. He's walking just over one batter per game and has allowed just 4 HRs on the season. In particular, limiting the HRs is a key for Santana as he posted a 1.97 HR/9 in 2012 and his career rate is 1.24. Santana has benefited from a .277 BABIP and 90% strand rate, so he's unlikely to maintain his low ERA. That said, Santana's 3.14 xFIP indicates that, while he's been fortunate in some respects, he's also pitching quite well. He draws a nice matchup against the Rays in his next start.
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