The Wire Troll: Luis Valbuena Responding to the Pressure

/ Baseball, Jordan Branson, The Wire Troll

Since coming off the DL after undergoing 2015 Tommy John surgery, McCarthy has had his strikeout pitch working, fanning 14 in 10 IP while going 2-0 with a sparkling 2.70 ERA. Watch for the Dodgers to slowly stretch him out in the second half, which will make him even more valuable. With good veteran pitching hard to come by, McCarthy won’t last long, so pounce while you can.

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The Wire Troll: Bud Norris Seeks Redemption

/ Baseball, Jordan Branson, The Wire Troll

We’re not saying Chisenhall has been hot over the past month, we’re just saying we saw two hobbits throw a ring at him. The lefty is hitting .560 with three homers over his last five games, and a cool .342 BA over the last month. Chisenhall is hustling righties as usual, but has also been respectable in limited time against the southpaws. He has filled in admirably for the injured Michael Brantley and played a large role in the Indians’ recent historic win streak.

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The Wire Troll: Alex Rodriguez Shows Some Life

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

Yes, this talented youngster burned lots of owners over the first few weeks of the season, ultimately landing on the DL before being demoted to Triple-A. But if Wednesday’s start is any indication, Severino will soon be ready to get another crack at the bigs as he tossed six shutout frames, scattering three hits while fanning seven and walking just one. Looking for a second half impact arm to stash now? This is your man.

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The Wire Troll: Jarrett Parker Filling in for Giants

/ Baseball, The Wire Troll

The versatile Lowrie has always been a solid BA man, but has particularly shone in that regard this season. With hits in nine of his last 10 games — interrupted by an injury — he’s raised his average to .311, and smacked his first dinger of the year on Saturday in the ninth inning to force extra innings. Lowrie is usually good for a bit more pop than he’s shown so far, so expect a regression in BA, but an increase in extra-base knocks.

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The Wire Troll: Whit Merrifield an Unlikely Hero for Royals

/ Baseball, Jordan Branson, The Wire Troll

The second Royal currently keeping the offense’s heart beating is Orlando. The second year flyhawk is hitting a ridiculous .486 over the last two weeks, along with five extra-base hits and nine RBI. Over the week, Kansas City has scored the fourth most runs in the league compared to ranking 26th for the season — certainly not a trend you would expect with three starters out. Like Merrifield, Orlando is a must add in deep league formats, and even worth a pickup in standard leagues as long as he is on this impressive tear. If Orlando cools off, he could still warrant a roster spot in leagues that allow daily roster moves, as he is always a great start when facing southpaws (he’s a career .303 hitter against LHP).

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The Wire Troll: Steve Pearce Returns to Spark the Rays

/ Baseball, Jordan Branson, The Wire Troll

Bour is finally beginning to regain his 2015 power stroke (when he bashed 23 dingers). In May, he has already gone yard five times and cut his strikeout rate in half from the first month. Bour is seeing the ball much better, as evidenced by his ridiculous 46.3 Hard hit percentage over the past three weeks, and this could be heading to a power surge into June. Get him before he’s gone for good, but have a backup plan for when the Marlins face southpaws. Bour owns just two hits against lefties this season.

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