5 years agoTampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryne Stanek will serve as the team's opener for a second straight game on Thursday against the Cleveland Indians. Pitcher Ryan Yarbrough is expected to get called up as a follower. The opener-follower model is a typically difficult one for DFS. Yarbrough succeeded in the follower role in 2018, winning 16 games with a 3.91 ERA, but he only has an 8.10 ERA in 16 2/3 innings in 2019 and has spent much of the year in the minors. He's thrown 21 innings there, posting a 2.14 ERA with 30 strikeouts against just three walks. Cleveland has a rather weak offense and it's a small slate, so it may make sense to give Yarbrough a shot despite the mediocre, small-sample MLB stats this season.--Nathaniel Green
Source: Marc Topkin Twitter