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ANALYSIS: There was not a lot of fanfare when the Twins recalled little known left-hander Devin Smeltzer to make a start in the middle of last week. However, he got a lot of attention after blanking the hot-hitting Brewers, tossing six shutout innings while only allowing three hits, walking none and striking out seven.
The question now is if Smeltzer's strong start is indicative of any kind of future performance, which is trickier to determine. He had a 1.82 ERA through four Triple-A starts, but that came with a 4.38 FIP and a very poor 5.47 K/9. It seems like Smeltzer's seven strikeouts is definitely an aberration, and even the most positive projections on him going forward shouldn't project big strikeout numbers from the soft-tossing left-hander, who maxed out at 91 miles per hour.
Of course, the biggest issue is his spot in the rotation. He's currently up for injured right-hander Michael Pineda, although he isn't expected to miss too much more time. As such, Smeltzer may not make more than 2-3 starts before he goes back down to Triple-A. In deeper leagues, he may be worth it as a streamer or a temporary plug for those desperate for wins, but right now he's not reliable enough to count on all season.
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