Lucas. Frost. Giolito. And just like that, we have our first no-hitter of 2020. Giolito was off to a bit of a rocky start this season, posting a 4.88 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP over his first five starts. I actually had a tinge of concern, considering his inconsistent history. You can kiss that goodbye.
Giolito was ridiculous Tuesday night against the Pirates, striking out 13 and walking just one. He finished with 30(!) swinging strikes on 101 pitches. What's even crazier is this is his second 13-strikeout performance in a row. Over his past two starts, he's allowed no runs, three hits and two walks while striking out 26. Giolito is back and should be considered a top-10 starting pitcher rest-of-season.
We discussed the no-hitter, trade targets and much more on the Wednesday edition of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast. Follow all our podcasts and subscribe here.
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On to the rest of Tuesday's action.
THE LATEST IN THE WORLD OF FANTASY BASEBALL
- Finally, Mike Clevinger will be recalled and start Wednesday for the Indians. It will be his first start since Aug. 5, and I'd assume he'll be on a pitch count. As for Zach Plesac, more on him later on.
- The Yankees-Braves game was postponed Tuesday, delaying Ian Anderson's debut. The two teams will play a doubleheader Wednesday. It's also worth noting that before the postponement, Aaron Judge was activated for the Yankees and Clint Frazier was not in the lineup. Frazier can be dropped in shallower leagues.
- Ronald Acuna and Nick Markakis were also activated off the IL on Tuesday, which meant Christian Pache was sent back to the Braves' alternate site.
- Ozzie Albies hit from both sides of the plate without incident Tuesday and is getting closer to a return, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. There's no official timetable yet but this is positive news.
- Keone Kela, who is dealing with a forearm injury, was available Tuesday for the Pirates. I'd still hold Richard Rodriguez in deeper leagues for now because I wouldn't be surprised if the Pirates trade Kela before the deadline.
- Charlie Blackmon was back in action for the Rockies on Tuesday.
- Josh Donaldson is playing in Twins intrasquad games, which sounds like he's close but no formal timetable has been announced yet.
- Manager Rick Renteria said Tuesday that Nick Madrigal requires "at least a few more days" at the team's alternate training site before returning, James Fegan of The Athletic reports. It stills sounds like he could be back in the next week or so.
- Nathan Eovaldi's start was pushed back from Wednesday to Saturday this week. The only thing that really changes is that Eovaldi won't be a two-start pitcher next week anymore.
- Charlie Morton threw another successful 25-pitch bullpen Tuesday, which is a good sign but no return has been announced.
- Anthony Bass was unavailable Monday when Jordan Romano got the save but is available Tuesday against the Red Sox. Manager Charlie Montoyo said he is comfortable with either pitcher saving games so, yay, bullpens!
- Sticking with the Blue Jays, Travis Shaw exited Tuesday's game against the Red Sox with right knee discomfort. He's considered day-to-day. Bo Bichette was cleared for baseball activities this weekend so maybe we'll see him early-mid September. Nate Pearson was diagnosed with a flexor strain, and I am hoping this isn't a precursor for anything more.
Tuesday's Biggest Winners
- Obviously with Giolito being 1A on Tuesday, Tyler Glasnow had to settle for 1B. Like Giolito, Glasnow was off to a rough start to the season, posting a 6.00 ERA over his first five starts… before Tuesday, that is. Glasnow was awesome against the Orioles, allowing just two runs over seven innings while striking out 13. The biggest key for him was walking just one while throwing first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 27 batters he faced. He's back inside the top 25 starting pitchers rest-of-season.
- Cavan Biggio didn't do anything too crazy Tuesday, finishing 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. Let's just call him a 2020 winner thus far. He's made drastic improvements this season, specifically in his strikeout rate, lowering it from 28.6% last season to .18.9% this season. That's almost reason enough for his batting average to jump from .234 to .279. He's currently a top three second baseman in both H2H points and Roto leagues.
- I feel like there's a stretch every season where Brandon Belt teases us, but Tuesday night's performance was enough to earn a spot here. He finished 4-for-5 against the Dodgers with two home runs and five RBI. Upon further review of his Statcast page, he actually ranks very highly in hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity. Belt's only 8% rostered on CBS if you want to take a flier.
Tuesday's Biggest Losers
- For the second time in three starts, Chris Paddack has allowed six earned runs. This one especially stings against the Seattle Mariners. It's clear he isn't going to live up to his draft stock, but he's not this bad. Yes, he needs to continue developing a third pitch, but if anyone in your league is fed up, I'd be buying on the cheap.
- This one is a little more troubling. Julio Urias completed just four innings Tuesday against the Giants, allowing four runs and walking three. He's now gone just four innings or less in three of his last four starts. I'm not dropping Urias or anything, but I'm less confident in him as a buy-low candidate.
- I mentioned earlier that Mike Clevinger has been recalled and will start Wednesday for the Indians. Well, where is Zach Plesac? It appears the team might be trying to manipulate Plesac's service time by keeping him down. There has been speculation that Clevinger is being dangled on the trade market but let's say that doesn't happen. Plesac would need an injury or Triston McKenzie faltering to make his way back into the rotation. Regardless, I still recommend holding Plesac based on the potential he flashed earlier this season.
Tuesday's Swinging Strike Leaders
- Lucas Giolito vs. PIT—30
- Tyler Glasnow vs. BAL—24
- Brandon Woodruff vs. CIN—22
- Shane Bieber vs. MIN—19
- Luis Castillo at MIL—16
- German Marquez at ARI—14
- Adam Wainwright vs. KC—13
- Trevor Rogers at NYM—12
- Chris Paddack vs. SEA—12
- Julio Urias at SF—11
- Marco Gonzales at SD—11
- Cristian Javier vs. LAA—11