Corey Knebel (RP-MIL) - It's probably time to be at least a little concerned about Knebel. He was charged with the loss on Sunday and was not used in a save situation on Tuesday. In his last 10.2 innings, Knebel has allowed six earned runs with a 12:4 K:BB to see his ERA sit at 3.89. With a 12.5 K/9, the strikeouts are still there and his 3.6 BB/9 is actually lower than it was in 2017, but another couple of poor outings could result in a demotion to setup duties, even if it's temporary. If you're looking for a Plan B, the options are plentiful (Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, Joakim Soria), but recent usage would point towards Jeffress, who recorded the save on July 31 with Knebel supposedly available. Jeffress sports a 1.34 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, so he's certainly shown closer ability this year.
Ty Blach (SP-SF) - Chris Stratton got first crack at Johnny Cueto's rotation spot (Tommy John surgery), but that didn't go well, as Arizona hit him for six runs on a whopping 10 hits with four walks in just three innings. 14 baserunners in three innings is high. Now it appears Blach will get a shot, perhaps as early as Thursday. Given he'll face the Astros (sans George Springer), he's a poor streaming option, but Blach would then line up to face the Dodgers in his next start on August 14 as incredibly, in seven starts and three relief outings (53.1 IP), Blach has a 2.03 ERA against LA despite a pedestrian 24:17 K:BB. Against all other opponents, Blach has a 4.95 ERA in 222 innings. I'd probably still not use him in Roto even against a team he's "owned", as those 53.1 innings included zero at-bats from the likes of Manny Machado and Brian Dozier. Overall this year, Blach has a 4.28 ERA and 1.53 WHIP while posting just a 4.9 BB/9 and decent 3.0 BB/9. He's been fairly solid (3.18 ERA, 5.8 K/9) as a reliever after posting a 4.90 ERA as a starter. He's not recommended this week, but perhaps as a second pitcher in Draft Kings if he faces the Dodgers.
Cole Hamels (SP-CHC) - Hamels certainly seems to be enjoying pitching for/in: A. The National League and B: A contender. He held the Royals to one run over six innings Monday, allowing seven hits, walking one, and though he struck out just two, Hamels has allowed just one earned run in 11 innings with the Cubs with an 11:3 K:BB. The Cubs were able to get him for close to nothing at the deadline, as in his last five starts (27 innings) with the Rangers, Hamels posted a bloated 8.33 ERA, though his 22:6 K:BB In that span wasn't bad. Overall he's managed reasonable ratios, including a 9.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9, and it's fair to expect that the move to the NL will only help. He could also find himself energized by playing for an NL Central title and getting out of Texas where he had a 6.41 ERA this season won't hurt either.
Wilmer Flores (UT-NYM) - The Mets are a hot mess right now, but that doesn't mean there aren't guys on that team that can provide sneaky fantasy value. Maybe Flores is one. He went 3-for-4 with two RBI Monday against the Reds, elevating him to a solid .279/.336/.461. He also hit third Monday, which says more about overall talent level on the 40-man roster than anything. That's now back-to-back three-hit games for Flores, who also sports a 26:24 K:BB after entering the year with a 219:76 mark. Impressive progress, and that's the reason he's playing first base and not Dominic Smith or top prospect Peter Alonso. Flores is probably just keeping the spot warm for Alonso, but after posting a 4.7% BB% last year, Flores is up to 8% this year and he's striking out just 8.7% of the time. He still seems unlikely to hit for enough power to be a regular first baseman, but Flores is still just 26, and perhaps his growth continues on next year.
Homer Bailey (SP-CIN) - Coming off back-to-back strong starts against the Tigers and Cardinals, there was some optimism headed into Monday's start against the Mets, but that ended quickly as five of the first seven hitters got base hits. Bailey ultimately allowed five runs on 11 hits over 3.1 innings while posting a 2:0 K:BB and seeing his ERA jump to 6.19. He hasn't posted a sub-5.56 ERA since 2014, the first season in what has been a terrible (for the Reds at least) six-year $105 million contract. At least the Reds can take solace that after doling out $23 million to Bailey in 2019, they can wash their hands of him. I'd be interested to see what he could do as a reliever, a move that the Reds could certainly look at, perhaps as early as this week.
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