Things That Make You Go “Hmmmm…”

According to manager Gabe Kapler, Vince Velásquez should “almost certainly” return from the DL and start against the Mets on Wednesday. Velasquez is coming off a elbow injury when he was hit by a comebacker. He has thrown 88.1 innings with a 28.5% strikeout rate and a 4.69 (nice) ERA. Velasquez has better underlying numbers but is prone to the blowup when he loses his control.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Orioles and Dodgers have discussed a deal that would package both Zach Britton and Manny Machado to Los Angeles. Reportedly the Orioles asking price has been pretty high, but Machado alone would be a difference maker for the Dodgers. With the recent loss of Yasiel Puig to an oblique injury, the Dodgers may be willing to overpay a little. Britton would lose a ton of fantasy value in Los Angeles and with Brad Brach in the last year of his deal with Baltimore and likely to be moved as well, Mychal Givens maybe the smart stash for those in need of saves in the second half. Jeff Passan reported that the Dodger have also started to explore other options and have inquired about Scooter Gennett , Brian Dozier , and Asdrubal Cabrera .

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN also reported that if the Brewers trade for Manny Machado that Brett Phillips may be part of the return. Phillips is kind of a tweener but is completely blocked in the Milwaukee system. He hasn’t hit well in AAA this season, but still has some potential and with Adam Jones in the last year of his deal, it would make some sense as his replacement.

According to manager AJ Hinch, Carlos Correa is unlikely to return to the Astros before the All-Star Break. Correa is just now resuming baseball activities, so it would seem a long shot for him to get enough work in to be ready before the break and with the Astros having a decent lead in the West, there is no reason to rush their star shortstop.

 

That Happened?!?

Victor Arano closed out the Mets on Monday night for his third save. He also gave up a home run in the first game of the doubleheader for the loss. Arano has now been relied upon  in his last four outings to it out for the Phillies. While the Phillies have been changing it up a lot, it appears Gabe Kapler has a lot of faith in Arano and should continue to go to him.

Scott Schebler went for 4-for-5 with a home run in the Reds win over the Indians on Monday. Schebler has now hit 12 home runs this year and is hitting .283/.354/.484 on the year. While the Reds have rotated their outfielders a lot this season, Schebler seems to have a leg up on the other corner outfielders.

Grégory Polanco went 2-for-3 with a home run and stolen base in the win over the Nationals. Polanco has struggled much of the season, but he is hitting .329/.447/.657 with five home runs over the last 30 days. Polanco has always had the talent but has disappointed to the point where most fantasy owners can’t trust him. The upside is obvious and with a depressed price, it may be time to take one more ride on this roller coaster.

 

What We’ll Be Watching Today

Stephen Piscotty versus Justin Verlander . Piscotty went 3-for-4 with a home run in the victory over the Astros on Monday. Piscotty is hitting .300/.373/.622 with seven home runs over the last 30 days, including three in his last three games. Piscotty struggled to start the season, but he was also dealing with his ailing mother who passed away of Lou Gehrig’s disease on May 6th. Being able to concentrate on baseball may be a bit of relief for Piscotty who struggled all of last season appears to be back on track and could be a nice buy before people catch on to the turnaround.

Patrick Corbin in Colorado. Corbin continues to get by with reduced velocity, but can he do it in the thin air of Coors?

Enyel De Los Santos versus the Mets. De Los Santos is making his Major League debut in a nice two-start week. He has been great in AAA this year, but the underlying numbers haven’t been as great. He is worth a shot as a cheap DFS play, but he can be homer prone (10 allowed in his last 10 starts) which makes him risky.

Johnny Cueto versus José Quintana . Cueto gets his second start off of the DL after struggling with decreased velocity and a lack of control in his last start. If his velocity doesn’t improve, this would be very concerning. Quintana has been up and down this season, but the have only scored more than three runs in two of their last eight games.

Can Jeremy Hellickson rebound? Hellickson struggled in his last start but was dealing with an illness. He has been fantastic otherwise for the Nationals but hasn’t gone very deep into games. He has only once gone six or more innings this season.

 

Baseball. Lots of baseball.