Dylan Bundy (SP-LAA) - I imagine a lot of us started trusting Bundy after the relatively-failed top prospect started the season with a 1.57 ERA in his first four starts, including a great 35:3 K:BB in 28.2 innings plus three wins. Tuesday however, Bundy saw his control abandon him, allowing four runs over four innings with four walks and home runs to Pablo Sandoval and Mike Yastrzemski. That took his ERA to a still solid 2.48, but it left many questions. The Giants aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut despite the solid starts from Yastrzemski and Donovan Solano. Bundy was in the 89-91 range with his fastball, which is about where he's been all year, and with that lack of velocity, location is so critical, and that wasn't there at all Tuesday. It's easy to see that Bundy is still just 27 and that getting out of Baltimore could certainly help any pitcher, but this is still a guy who put up a 5.13 ERA and 1.38 WHIP the last couple years. He should still finish with a sub-4.00 ERA, but expecting Cy Young votes was wishful thinking.
Frankie Montas (SP-OAK) - The Diamondbacks no longer have Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock, or a competent Jake Lamb, but that didn't stop them from obliterating Montas on Tuesday. Montas surrendered nine runs in just 1.2 innings to see his ERA skyrocket from 1.57 to 4.74 in five starts. Montas walked four and allowed a pair of home runs in the game, so the location was obviously very off. Montas had been scratched from his Friday start due to back tightness, so perhaps he wasn't physically right, but then again, pitch data had him in the 96-97 mph range, so it's not a velocity thing. Anytime this sort of outing happens, it's a concern, but the velocity was good and Montas was coming off a start in which he held the Astros to two hits over seven scoreless. I'm not buying in shallower leagues, but I'm not writing him off either.
Matt Harvey (SP-KC) - After being signed by the Royals three weeks ago, Harvey must have been at least semi-impressive at the team's alternate site, as he's been called up to start on Wednesday. It would seem that with a 5.65 ERA over the last four years, that Harvey's days of being relevant are long gone. That said, he got a lot of hype in New York, and through his first 65 big league starts, Harvey recorded a 2.53 ERA and 1.00 WHIP before injuries took their toll. Harvey gets the Reds in his first start, a team that while they don't score a lot of runs, they also don't strike out a lot. Tough to see using him in this one unless you're really hurting.
Mallex Smith (OF-SEA) - For a guy who I've seen with a 176 ADP, Smith has been a massive bust this year. After hitting .133/.170/.178 through 13 games, Smith has been optioned to the team's alternative training site. Smith was unable to repeat his 2018 season last year, batting just .227/.300/.335, but even that OBP resulted in 46 steals, so SB-starved fantasy owners looked beyond the challenges at the plate and were burned this year. Smith's hard-hit rate and exit velocity are near the bottom of the league, and last year saw his K% jump from 18% to 24.9%. The roster implications should mean that the Mariners roll with an uninspiring outfield of Tim Lopes, Kyle Lewis, and Dylan Moore, with Moore probably the everyday RF considering he's actually hitting. I don't expect Smith as much more than a pinch-runner later this year.
Mike Minor (SP-TEX) - After going 0-3 with a 6.89 ERA in his first three starts while showing diminished velocity, Minor tossed four innings of one-hit ball in an abbreviated start against the Mariners last time out to seemingly quiet some questions, but then Tuesday happened. Against the Padres, Minor lasted just 3.2 innings and was touched for six runs on nine hits, including two home runs to take his ERA back to 6.94. Surprisingly, he did strike out six, but by the time he left, Minor's fastball was mainly in the 88-89 mph range, this after averaging 92.6 mph last year. After his second start, Minor blamed his slow start on the odd schedule and not being stretched out, but now, five starts in, things haven't really been improving. Don't be shocked to see an IL stint here, likely due to "shoulder fatigue".
