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ANALYSIS: Daniel Mengden is still surprisingly young at 26, and we can all get behind a fantastic mustache, but the Texas A&M alumni has sported more than well-groomed facial hair on the mound in recent work. Through 47.0 IP for another season as an Oakland Athletic (seven starts, nine total appearances), Mengden holds a 4.21 ERA and 1.29 WHIP (with a triumphant 5-1 record no less), and over the last four starts has picked up the pace with a 3.38 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 24.0 IP. Even with several drawbacks to his game, there are a few key factors that should inspire confidence in deploying Mengden moving forward.
He accomplished his recent run of success with a meager K/9 figure of 5.6, and although he has limited line drives to just 16.9% for the month of July, he has also allowed an unfortunate 43.3% hard contact and 10% soft contact on a 0.75 GB/FB ratio this month. So with some risky batted ball tendencies and low strikeout upside, what has been his special sauce? The answer has been in limiting free trips to first base, which has greatly negated damage done from all other departments on offense. In fact, with the help of a diverse repertoire that includes an 86 MPH cutter that has been utilized 8.9% more often in 2019, Daniel Mengden has walked only one batter in his last four starts. By limiting base-runners through control of the strike zone, he is setting himself up for consistent success for an offensively stout club in contention for the postseason.
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