Edwin Jackson- CHN- Cold- Jackson gave up 6 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1 in 4.2 IP. He was lucky to get as far as he did. For the first few innings his Strike/Ball ratio was pretty close to 1/1. He didn't have much power or location. The Brewers and luck bailed him out, as the hitters made contact but the balls went at someone. It caught up with Jackson in the 5th, when he was charged with 5 of his runs. Overall only 49 of his 88 pitchers were strikes. Only 2 of Jackson's last 6 starts are of the quality variety. He has been throwing too many balls, missing a lot with his off speed pitches while relying on them more than his fastball. Although his FIP of 3.78 is respectable, his ERA of 5.84 is more indicative of his true performance. Jackson is getting hit a lot when he is forced to throw down the middle of the plate. If he isn't able to regain more control his results are likely to continue as they have been. It's an instance where regression to the mean isn't something to count on.
Domonic Brown- PHI- Cold- Brown hit his first homer since June 8th. He has gone 10-for-56 in that span. This may be setting Brown up for some positive regression to the mean, as his BABIP is .279. His Batting EYE in this stretch has been .40, which is above his season average. If last night's homer is an indicator of a power return Brown could be ready to continue his breakout campaign.
Caleb Gindl- MIL- Rookie- Gindl went 2-for-4 with a run and RBI. It was his first major league multi-hit game and he is now 3-for-8 with a walk since getting his first major league hit on Saturday. Gindl was hitting .274 with 8 homers in 265 PAs at AAA Nashville when he was called up earlier this month. This was his third season at AAA and he showed enough to get a look as a bat off the bench with an occasional start. With injuries in their outfield Gindl has seem more playing time than would be expected on a regular basis. His eventual role will likely top out as a reserve.
D. J. LeMahieu- COL- Hot- LeMahieu is posting a .291 average after going 20-for-57 in his last 16 games. He has a .351 BABIP but he had a .353 BABIP last year when he hit .297 in 247 PAs. It is still a small sample size, but with LeMahieu stealing 9 bases in his 36 games this year, the BABIP may not be as elevated as it would appear at first glance. His relative fantasy value continues to rise as he sees more playing time.
Allen Craig- STL- Hot- Craig got 4 hits with a homer yesterday to extend his current hitting streak to 7 games. He is 11-for-25 in that span. The homer was his fourth this month, 1 more than his total from April and May combined. His .321 average might be getting a little bit of a luck boost from his .366 BABIP, but his career BABIP is .340 so regression to the mean won't be that painful. With his power coming around Craig is producing solid value.
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