Forget the Blake Street Bombers of old. The Rockies may still call that park at 2001 Blake Street home, but they aren't bashing their way to wins anymore.
As the Rockies continue to cling to their playoff hopes in a bunched up NL West race, it's the pitching that has kept them in it. And German Marquez has been a big part of that lately.
Marquez put together another solid start Wednesday against the Pirates at Coors Field, scattering 10 hits and three runs in six innings, while striking out 10, including the first immaculate inning in the history of Coors.
While his ERA for the season still sits at 4.69 after the outing, he does have a 3.15 mark over his past seven starts, with a 30.4 percent strikeout rate and, perhaps more importantly, just a 5.5 percent walk rate. The strikeouts have been there all season for Marquez, but the results have really improved as his control has. Coors will always inflate his ERA, but we're seeing flashes of elite potential in Marquez, and it's worth buying in to the upside he's showing.
With the top two closing candidates in Washington on the DL, this one's pretty simple. Ryan Madson hasn't been good this season, but this is the first time he's had an ERA above 4.00 since 2006, and he hasn't lost any life on his fastball or sacrificed any swinging strike potential. In the worst-case scenario,
Madson should get some saves for the next few weeks without helping much in ERA. But in the best-case, Kelvin Herrera and Sean Doolittle are out longer than expected, Madson find some of his former form and you've got a stud down the stretch. Either way, it's a win on waivers.
Isiah Kiner Falefa has been the do-everything guy for the Rangers this season, and over the past month and a half, that has included catching. He has made 15 appearances behind the plate this season, including four in a row in the month of August, in seven games. The Rangers are taking this seriously, and so should Fantasy players. He doesn't hit enough to matter at second or third base, but Kiner Falefa is hitting .278 with four homers and seven steals in 81 games, enough to make him matter at catcher. He's a top-10 catcher over the past 21 days, and looks worth owning in all two-catcher formats at this point.
Franmil Reyes remains more of a curiosity than a baseball player at this point, but he remains too interesting to ignore. The raw tools are incredible, but he could stay up in the majors despite early flashes because he just wasn't refined enough. He's getting another chance with Wil Myers on the DL, and has gone 6 for 10 with two homers and only two strikeouts in three games since returning to the majors. He worked on shortening his stride in the minors, and if that leads to just a bit more contact, the power can play anywhere. We'll see if it sticks, because Reyes has the potential to be a difference maker if he gets the chance.
Speaking of getting a chance … Can we give David Dahl some run? The Rockies aren't just being fueled by their pitching because the pitching is so good — it's also because the offense is just so mediocre. David Dahl has done nothing but hit when given the chance in the majors, sporting a .305/.348/.505 line in 348 career plate appearances, but injuries and inconsistent opportunities have limited him. In spite of that, he's probably the Rockies' second-best outfield option, and his power-speed potential with a high average makes him a potential Fantasy stud. Here's hoping the Rockies are finally willing to give him a shot.
