Earlier this week, I finally remembered my first significant baseball memory. My dad took my brother and me to Kansas City one summer, and instead of the usual Chiefs game, he took us to a Royals game. It was one of the first interleague games in Kansas City, and of course, the Royals faced the Cardinals. I don’t remember the year, and I’m not even completely certain it was one of the first, except I still remember the souvenir cup that my dad had for years after that game. Anyway, my little brother, probably no older than 10 at the time, didn’t care for the game. Eventually, my dad had had enough and took us home early. I can still remember leaving the game as it was going on, still trying to get a peek of the game every time I got a look at the field. The fact that this memory came back to me after 15-20 years of not thinking about it just goes to show you what a profound memory it was for me. So now, after a trip down memory lane, on to business. Here’s the Streaming Pitchers: 7/5/2015 report.
Kyle Hendricks RHP CHC (vs. MIA)
If you were worried about Hendricks at all, his last start against the Mets probably has you breathing a bit easier now. His two starts previous to that one saw him allow 10 ER in as many IP. The Mets proved to be a much easier opponent, with Hendricks pitching six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out six. Hendricks continues to impress in his second tour through the majors, with 7.33 K/9, 1.70 BB/9, and a 48.6% ground ball rate. That leads to a 3.54 FIP and a 3.57 xFIP. Both numbers are better than average, which is much more than I was expecting from him at the beginning of the season. He should be a solid streaming option, at least, for the remainder of the season. His next matchup should be extremely favorable against the Marlins, who are hitting at an 89 wRC+ on the road and a 79 wRC+ against righties, and those numbers are with Giancarlo Stanton helping to prop them up. Ouch! I’d run Hendricks out there if I were you.
Rubby De La Rosa RHP ARI (vs. COL)
I’ve been calling for De La Rosa to break out for a while now, and I’m not alone. In his last four starts, he’s been pretty special, a 1.30 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP, with 7.48 K/9, 2.28 BB/9, and a 53.8% ground ball rate. He may not actually be this good, but his 3.12 FIP and 3.04 xFIP still look pretty solid. If he can continue to keep up his walk rate and his ground ball rate, he should be a really useful pitcher for the rest of the season, not just for streaming purposes, but to stick on your roster if need be. He still gets gives up too many HR from time to time, but his lack of base runners will help to keep the damage down. He’s going to get another crack at the Rockies lineup after just facing them on June 25, holding them to one run (a solo HR) over seven innings, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out four, all at Coors Field. I’m thinking you should see even better results away from Coors Field, as the Rockies hit just an 87 wRC+ and a 99 wRC+ against righties. Give him a go.
Good luck and happy streaming!
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