3 years agoNew York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman went five innings on Saturday against the Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader which the Mets lost 6-2. Stroman allowed three earned runs on five hits, including a home run, while striking out five and walking none. Stroman took the loss as his record fell to 6-7. It was the fourth start in a row for Stroman where he failed to post a quality start, including the June 22 game against Atlanta where he had to be removed after one inning due to side discomfort. Over those last four starts, Stroman is 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA in 14 innings pitched. This stretch has been a bump in the road for Stroman who has had an excellent season so far in 2021. He owns a 2.75 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and has 83 strikeouts in 98 1/3 IP. True to form, his groundball rate of 53.6% is well above the MLB average of 45.2%, and his walk rate of 6% is in the top 20% of MLB. On the downside, his overall hard-hit rate of 45.7% and overall barrel rate of 7.3% are the highest of his career, reflected in his xERA of 4.64. Stroman remains a solid fantasy contributor who should remain active in all formats. That said, fantasy managers should be aware of potential second-half regression. We could see a continuation of this recent down stretch if Stroman fails to maintain an elite ground ball rate and cannot limit hard contact.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: mlb.com