Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 16th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox.

Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics but also look to improve our teams as well as the teams of our fellow fantasy baseball enthusiasts. Everyone has their own perspectives which are not to be cast off as frivolous. They should be used as a method of expanding our own knowledge.

In this article, I review the previous day's boxscores and provide my opinion on a variety of topics. Some will be random, some will be fun, and some will be stat-driven. It's a soapbox so I may rant from time to time as well. So without any further delay, below are my thoughts on August 15th games. Enjoy them. You can even respond with your own thoughts on Twitter @EllisCan2.

Daily Musings

• Battle of the stars. Pow!-Mike Trout HR (9); AhYooGet!- Mookie Betts retaliates w/ HR (8); Trout w/ the Thunder—THUNDER—THUNDERCAT HO COMBOOOO! (Nine HR/one SB)
• That Shane Bieber is a smooth operator. 7 IP, 11 K, 1.30 ERA (2.13 FIP).
• Trea Turner (fourth HR) has more similarities to Francisco Lindor that people realize.
• Would Fernando Tatis Jr. break the fantasy system if he went 20 HR/15 SB this year?
• There’s an awful lot of confidence when you allow four runs in first inning. Lucas Giolito finishes w/ 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 K.
• The game is postponed, but yes, you’ll get Austin Meadows HR (two), assuming you started him.
• PPD game is frustrating for Ryan Yarbrough. Three clean innings.
• Jake Odorizzi couldn’t hold it together to finish the fifth inning. (4 IP, 2 ER, 6 K)
• Fire & Forget. Slot Nelson Cruz in DH & let him do his thing (6 HR, 21 RBI, .342 AVG. Yes, I know it lessens the wiggle room, but still.
• Maikel Franco’s exit velo on FB/LD (96.2 MPH) might be the same, but he’s no Bryce Harper (third SB, by the way).
• Remember, take the good (fifth SB) & leave the bad (.234 AVG). Adalberto Mondesi 101.
• Danny Duffy pulling rabbits out of the hat. 5 IP, 1 ER, 8 K vs MIN. Who did he piss off to get the Twins three-straight times? Rematch.
• Yes, Anthony Rizzo hit his fifth HR, but is 12 R, 9 RBI, .254 AVG anything to write home about?
• Aaron Nola struts his stuff across 7 scoreless innings w/ eight K.
• Ouch. Six men LOB? Batting .212. Ha! You could try to get a discount in a dynasty trade for Francisco Lindor. Doubt it works.
• Dominic Smith’s increased exit velocity (90.8 mph) and Barrel rate (17.1%) is paying off (sixth HR).
• Hmmm, Ender Inciarte (three SB, .180 AVG) isn’t coming around like I had hoped. Playing time still there, for now.
• Braves lineup isn’t that lethal. Couldn’t get run support for Max Fried’s gem (6.1 IP, seven K)
• How often do you smile when you see 5 IP, 3 ER? Kevin Gausman striking out 11 will do it.
• James Paxton gets the W. Velo still sitting at 92.8. Maybe the increased changeup usage will help offset it.
• Let the wild things grow. Clint Frazier says he’s ready (3-for-3, HR, five  RBI)
• The Kraken unleashes the power for a fourth long ball. I can’t get past Gary Sanchez's .125 AVG.
• Christian Javier redeems (6 IP, 3 BB, 5 K). Well, it was SEA, but he did what you wanted.
• Patrick Corbin handing out gag 5-for-5 deals. Ugh. 5 IP, 5 ER, 2 K vs BAL. Why?!
• Six HR in eight games. Juan Soto devoted to top-three selection in 2021.
• David Peralta batting .338, batting cleanup. He even added a SB. 57% owned.
• Young Mr. Daulton Varsho. The name of the game is to get runs in. The player with the most LOB (seven) is not the winner.
• Kyle Gibson w/ W (6.1, 2 ER, 2 K) in Colorado?! Is Coors broken or something?
• Isiah Kiner-Falefa provides another distribution of SB (fifth) dividends. I’m sad I couldn’t join the club.
• Dear 2021, I’d like an advance purchase of a discounted Walker Buehler, please. Thank you. (4.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 K)

• Endgame
  • Tyler Rogers (five)
  • Kenley Jansen (six). Simply walks up, strikes out the best player in 3 pitches.
  • Rafael Montero (five) Music to my ears.
  • Ryan Pressly (two). Much better.
  • Archie Bradley (five)
  • Cole Sulser (five). That’s right, O's giving him chances.
  • Liam Hendriks (seven)
  • Mark Melancon (four)
  • Brad Hand (three)
  • Trevor Rosenthal (five).
  • Andrew Miller (one). Oh, you thought it was Giovanny Gallegos?
  • Alex Claudio (one).
  • Trevor Gott couldn’t get out of his own way. 0.2 IP, 4 ER.
  • Don’t tease me with this “Aroldis Chapman could return Sunday” stuff. I’m very fragile right now.
• Players will hit the IL; games will be postponed. There will always be things that drive you nuts about the timing of actions in baseball. Just know that other teams are affected as well. Take a breath and relax.
• Have a wonderful Sunday.
• Get your FAAB ready.
• No Fear, Just Fantasy.

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