Book Review: Insight Pitch: My Life as a Major League Closer

/ Baseball, Book review, Jordan Branson

Have you ever been at a baseball stadium or at home watching a game and get the strongest urge to be gripping an old, worn-out baseball? True baseball fans know exactly what we are talking about. You want to feel the laces under your index and middle fingers. You want to smell the dirty leather. We’ll be completely honest with you; we made it through the first chapter of this book, closed it, set it down, and headed straight for the garage. We needed to grip a baseball.

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The Wire Troll: Logan Forsythe Turning it on for Twins

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

In his two previous outings, Betances earned a win and a save and before Thursday, he had gone over two weeks since last being scored on. Going back further, he’s been on a roll since the end of May, posting a 0.00 ERA in June and 0.90 mark in July. Generally, Betances has been very reliable this season, and — as per usual — he’s been a workhorse. There are concerns about his ability to handle the ninth inning (33 career saves, 18 blown), but he’s on the cusp of a fifth straight 100-K season, making him a useful asset whether he’s earning saves or not.

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The Wire Troll: Domingo Santana Scorching in Minors

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

Toussaint was scratched from his scheduled start at Triple-A on Friday as he’s expected to be recalled to make his MLB debut on Monday as part of Atlanta’s doubleheader against the Marlins. Arizona’s 2014 first round pick, traded to the Braves in June 2015, was pitching very well at Double-A, earning a promotion to Triple-A last month. Since then, Toussaint has gone undefeated through five starts, proving harder to hit than ever. This may be just a one-off start, but if you’re streaming pitchers, he’s a great choice. And who knows? Maybe Toussaint will stick.

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The Wire Troll: Jose Bautista Finds New Life in Big Apple

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

Anderson has put together back-to-back outings of eight shutout innings, winning both and lowering his ERA almost three-quarters of a run in the process. His run is supported by stellar command (17 Ks, three walks) and unhittable stuff (just six hits against in the two starts combined). Anderson is doing a better job of limiting long balls this season and that’s helped him rebound after suffering a sophomore slump last year. Colorado’s 2011 first rounder has arrived as a Fantasy factor.

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The Wire Troll: Trevor Williams Effectively Wild for Pirates

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

Lucchesi sure looked sharp in his second start on Thursday, hurling five shutout frames with just one hit allowed. The rookie has yet to give up a homer through 40 batters faced this season, and his 2.79 ERA through a pair of starts deserves some Fantasy attention. Last year, Lucchesi racked up a ton of Ks at High-A before moving on to Double-A, where he kept winning. He hasn’t gotten much attention up to this point, but is certainly worth a speculative pickup now to see how this plays out.

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The Wire Troll: Junior Guerra Almost Ready to Return

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

Ramirez may not be inducing infield flies at his normal rate, but his K/BB rate is superb and — given a chance to start on Friday, he once again teased us with his talent, which he is wont to do from time to time. Ramirez’s HR/FB ratio is better than usual this season, and that’s likely to correct itself, but if you need a starter, you may want to give him a long look.

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