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Kyle Gibson righted the ship with an excellent turn against the Mariners. Last week's other buys didn't pan out so well. Tyson Ross couldn't take advantage of a great matchup with the Mets, while Cole Hamels scuffled in his Rangers debut. As for the sells, Danny Duffy predictable got shelled by the Blue Jays, Chris Heston had his worst start in months, and Andrew Heaney suffered his first loss of the season. Embrace the schadenfreude!
Starting Pitcher Buys
Mat Latos, Los Angeles Dodgers
Latos had a solid Dodgers debut Sunday, allowing just five baserunners and one run against the Angels. Fellow deadline acquisition Jim Johnson coughed up the lead, but Latos should be in line for more victories going forward as a result of switching teams. Given the return of his velocity and the rosy picture painted by his peripherals, it sure seems like rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. It's hard to believe, but Latos is still only 27 years old. Other deadline deals were flashier, but L.A. may have gotten a steal here.
Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners
The dream isn't dead! Walker was magnificent in his last turn, tossing a complete game with 11 strikeouts. He allowed only one hit, although it was a home run. The long ball remains an issue, no doubt about that. But Walker boasts an absurd 84:8 K/BB over his last dozen starts, suggesting that he's made serious strides with what was formerly suspect control. He's got the talent and pedigree to solve the gopheritis, and the inflated ERA and early struggles are suppressing his ownership. If you don't grab him now, you may seriously regret it.
Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox
Since the end of his disastrous April, Quintana has a 2.93 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 4.35 K/BB. Despite that, he continues to be one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, both real and fantasy. He'll likely never post huge strikeout numbers and the White Sox have been allergic to providing him with any run support most of the time, but Quintana shouldn't be available in 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Justin Verlander is currently more widely owned. That's just nuts.
Starting Pitcher Sells
Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves
Another guy who's owned in more leagues than Quintana, and the mind fairly boggles as to why. July was by most measures Teheran's best month, and he still barely managed to keep his ERA under 4.00. Take away his five starts against the Mets and Phillies this year and his season line sits at three wins, a 5.38 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Yet he is rostered in a whopping 84 percent of leagues, despite my constant exhortations for you to cut bait (or not even bother with him in the first place). Well, he's scheduled to face the Mets this week, so this might be your only chance to extract any sort of value from Mr. Sunk Cost.
Hector Santiago, Los Angeles Angels
Like Teheran, Santiago's been something of a regular fixture in this section. Unlike Teheran, however, his production to this point has merited a roster spot in almost any league. That tends to happen when you're rocking a strand rate that would be the highest in baseball history, but credit where it's due: Santiago has posted solid strikeout and walk numbers to take full advantage of his fortune. However, in his last couple of turns, the veteran has looked more like the back-end guy he was in years past than this season's unlikely ace. Regression may finally be coming for him. Cash out while you can.
Scott Kazmir, Houston Astros
"But wait!" you might say, because for purposes of this narrative you talk to your computer when you read fantasy baseball articles. "Kazmir has been the bomb diggity this year (because you also use slang from 20+ years ago, obviously) and just got traded to a team that might actually get him some wins!" Alas, dear reader, Kaz has benefited from one of the lowest BABIP and HR/FB% marks in the game this year and will no longer have the luxury of O.co Coliseum's cavernous dimensions and ample foul ground. Though on balance, the Astros' stadium probably doesn't have sewage leaking into the clubhouse. So he's got that goin' for him. Which is nice.
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