Austin Gomber (SP-COL) - Is it time to start trusting Gomber again? The Rockies' lefty held the Marlins to one run over five innings on Wednesday to lower his ERA to 3.95. Remember that time in April when many trusted him on the road with a 3.38 ERA? The Giants then touched him for nine runs in 1.2 innings. In the seven starts since that disaster, Gomber has a 2.58 and elite 48:4 K:BB in 45.1 innings. Gomber averaged two ticks south of 92 mph with his fastball, but he has a 9.4 K/9 and a decent 45% GB%. Somehow at home, Gomber has a 1.33 ERA, so he's even doing well at home. I still have that April 26 start in SF on my mind, but I'm warming to the idea of being a Gomber owner. A new fantasy term that came after that April start was "getting Gombered". Basically you start trusting a pitcher who doesn't have a great track record, and when you slot him in your lineup, he gets bombed.
Billy McKinney (OF-NYM) - It was Matt Harvey and the Orioles, but McKinney's stats on Wednesday still count. His two homers came after Harvey left, but McKinney went 3-for-5 with homers six and seven, driving in five and raising his slash to .227/.285/.462. His .247 BABIP is holding down the BA and a 34% hard-hit rate is rather low, but he power has been surprising and a 7.9% BB% is decent at least. He should continue to play regularly with the injuries to guys like Nimmo and Conforto.
Vladimir Gutierrez (SP-CIN) - Perhaps the Reds have something in Gutierrez, but let's dig deeper. Gutierrez held the Brewers to two runs over seven solid innings Wednesday, walking three, striking out seven, and lowering his ERA from 2.70 to 2.65. His 13:8 K:BB in 17 innings gives one pause, as is his lack of minor league track record. Gutierrez had a 2.65 ERA as well this year in three Triple-A starts with a 21:7 K:BB in 17 innings, but in the three years prior, he combined for a 4.98 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 387 innings. He's a risky play in shallower leagues, but in deeper leagues, he could help.
Pavin Smith (1B/OF-ARI) - With the Diamondbacks somehow managing to drop their 19th consecutive road game on Wednesday, we have to wonder why Smith wasn't starting. Sure, it was lefty on lefty, but Smith was hitting .280/.351/.420 against southpaws entering the game, and yet, the .196-hitting Tim Locastro got the start ahead of him in left field. Smith went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter, dropping him to a still solid .290/.343/.447. meanwhile, Christian Walker and his .548 OPS hit cleanup, and Eduardo Escobar and his .286 OBP hit third. The 20-43 Diamondbacks are likely to be sellers next month, hopefully opening up everyday duty for Smith.
Jake McGee (RP-SF) - Despite McGee having 12 saves on the year, Tyler Rogers may be the team's primary closer now. Or is he? Rogers blew the save on Thursday, tossing two innings and allowing a pair of runs (one earned). Still, his 1.71 ERA is far better than McGee's 3.76. McGee then notched the loss in the 11th, though that was unearned due to the ridiculous runner on second rule. McGee's ratios (10.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 pre-Wednesday) look good until you see the 1.8 HR/9 rate. Considering that rate was half that last year, he should in theory be able to turn things around, though his GB% has dropped a bit this year to 32% entering the game.
