Happy Birthday, America! Okay, here we go, such as it is. I have been playing fantasy baseball since 1989, and while I have certainly had pitcher disappointments, I don't recall ever having an entire pitching staff disappointment this late in the season. Much of it can be attributed injuries, but even the healthy guys have struggled. I will add that I typically focus very heavily on a few arms, so many of these guys pitch on several of my teams, making it all the more damaging.

A little background:

This league has been in existence for a very long time. This is my 33rd season, and most of the league's owners have been members for 20-plus years. It started in my hometown, but owners have gradually dispersed all over North America, and we usually all come back for draft day. However, I have dealt with some mobility issues (getting old sucks), and travel has become a challenge for some of the far-flung owners, so we hold the draft online. These guys are savvy, experienced, and they are pretty familiar with the tendencies of the other owners. It's a challenging group, but that makes it fun!

With 15 teams, it is a mixed league keeper with deep rosters (33 players per team with no minor league or disabled list slots). Standard scoring categories, five hitting and five pitching, with a lineup consisting of 12 hitters and nine pitchers (with a minimum of five qualified starting pitchers and two qualified relief pitchers). One thing that makes roster management more challenging – picking up a free agent requires a "move" usually from a player being sent down or put on the injured list. You can then release that player and pick up someone on the waiver wire (order is determined by reverse order of the current standings). Since you probably won't want to cut a key player who goes on the IL for a short time, you really need versatility and some productivity on your bench.

So, let's look at my pitching staff, and discuss my thoughts on where we are:

• SP1 Kodai Senga – (Mets) Watching his second half in 2023, I was ready to put the No. 1 label on him. He often looked like the pitcher he was in Japan – good command, missing bats, and a huge assortment of pitches including that jaw-dropping, tumbling forkball. It's a pitch you (and MLB hitters) don't see that often these days. Unfortunately, you have to be on the mound, and so far he hasn't been. He had shoulder problems (shudder) then a triceps injury. I was hoping to see him in May, but he's not expected back now until late July. I can only hope now that he returns fully healthy and in form. 
• SP2 Carlos Rodon (Yankees) – He is generally capable of top-of-the-rotation performances as long as he is healthy, but that has been a big problem. Last season he dealt with multiple injuries including to the forearm, back and hamstring, probably all contributing to an ugly 6.85 ERA. He was healthy entering this season and carried a sub-3.00 ERA entering June. Inexplicably, he was hammered in three consecutive June starts (20 earned runs in just 14 innings) as his command of the strike zone deserted him. Then, he looked a bit better in early July. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?  Hopefully he gets past this soon.
• SP3 Yu Darvish – (Padres) A long time favorite of mine, Darvish can be quite a challenge for hitters as he tosses about a dozen different pitches (or variations of pitches) from a mix of arm angles. He got off to a reasonable start to 2024 and was picking up the pace in the W column, but the injury bug caught up to him, too. A tight hamstring contributed to a lackluster performance against the Yankees in mid-May and soon landed him on the IL with a groin strain. He was working his way back when a new injury – elbow inflammation – popped up. He has had a couple anticipated starts postponed as the sore elbow lingers, and as we head into July, there is currently no official anticipated return date for the 37-year-old.
• SP4 MacKenzie Gore – (Nationals) Here's yet a major Kid's List alumnus. I mean it stands to reason. I first saw Gore when he was in high school, and I immediately decided he was destined to pitch for me. I have had to be patient. He was selected in the first round in the 2017 draft out of high school, and he was making good progress before injuries set in. This year he has been relatively healthy, taking a regular turn. He's made some notable progress as he learns hitters are going to struggle when he throws strikes. He gets too fine at times and he faces too many baserunners (with walks and an unlucky BABIP), and elevated pitch counts leading to early departures, but I'm still dreaming of what he might be as he matures.
• SP5 Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles) – Rodriguez followed Gore to the top spot on my Kid's List, and he will graduate this year having spent the season in Baltimore. While Rodriguez (right-handed) and Gore (left-handed) throw with different arms, there are significant similarities you can typically attribute to youth. Rodriguez did miss a short time in early May, but both he and Gore have accumulated a little more than 80 innings. Problem is, that is a relatively low innings total at this point in the season because both guys get a little off course raising pitch counts and shortening outings. But above all, what the pair has in common are very high ceilings, which are coming. Check out that changeup.
• SP6 Jack Flaherty (Tigers) – After very disappointing seasons in 2022 and 2023, I drafted Flaherty hoping he could bounce back to his former form. He suffered through ongoing injuries and command issues, which is why he is this low in my projected rotation. However, with injuries to the top three and the growing pains of youth experienced by the next two, Flaherty has probably been my best starter. He's not quite back to the peripherals he posted in 2019, his best season in the majors, but he has flashed moments reminiscent of that year. I especially like the 115 strikeouts and only 14 walks in just 89 innings.
• SP7 Walker Buehler – (Dodgers) I have been a big fan of Buehler and his assortment of off-speed stuff for years. He was in top form until Tommy John surgery took him out in 2022 and then, cost him all of 2023. I intended to be patient, but to be honest, so far, he has struggled to shake off the rust early this season, and he has been routinely battered. When he's at his best, Buehler can easily gravitate to the ace slot in a fantasy rotation. I thought the extra time he took before returning to the mound might be enough to nudge him in that direction, but he has yet to show it. His velocity is relatively close to its pre-injury level (95.3), but his command of the strike zone is clearly lagging behind.
• RP1 Jordan Romano (Blue Jays) – My bullpen was supposed to be a big part of my team this year, and I was anxious for Romero to lead the way. He was erratic early on and never really seemed to get in a groove. Then it was announced he was suffering from elbow pain. I think it was a problem before we heard about it, and his recovery has been delayed a couple times. And, most recently, he had arthroscopic surgery, which will see him shut down for six more weeks.
• RP2 Andres Munoz (Mariners) – Munoz was the definition of closer-in-waiting, and I thought the waiting might be over. Munoz has best stuff and is clearly – let me spell that out for you  – c l e a r l y – the best and logical option to close games. Unfortunately, the bench boss sometimes likes to use him earlier and let a weaker reliever like Ryne Stanek pitch the ninth. I understand the rationale, have your best face the toughest part of their lineup, but c'mon.
• RP3 Robert Suarez (Padres) – I really thought the Padres might give Japanese player Yuki Matsui a go. After all, he logged 236 career saves in Japan. He was still adjusting and named Suarez their closer to open the season, so I bought him as an insurance policy. All he's done is go 20 for 21 in save chances with a microscopic 1.09 ERA and an equally impressive 0.79 WHIP. Matsui is, understandably, somewhat forgotten, and Suarez isn't slowing down.
• FLEX – this could be a SP7/8 or RP3/4 –, Yusei Kikuchi, Jordan Hicks, Simeon Woods Richardson Michael Soroka, Merrill Kelly, Liam Hendriks and Roki Sasaki. – This would normally be called the "bench strength" of my mound corps. Instead, it's my M.A.S.H. unit and keeping my regulars on the mound has obviously not happened. By the end of the draft, pitching field was pretty much a wasteland, and I filled in with what was available, hoping they would just be fill-ins. For the most part these guys on the FLEX list now were not expected to be top tier pitchers, I just don't know how fantasy relevant they will be the rest of the way, especially since they have suffered their share of injuries, too. As usual, there are a couple pitchers potentially being stashed for next year.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• I was catching up on the news and saw that Arizona's Zac Gallen tossed six innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit while striking out seven. I thought it was very encouraging to see him post numbers like that when returning from a month on the injured list. Then I noticed it was against Oakland. Oh, well.
• The Rays created an instant opening in their rotation by dealing Aaron Civale to the Brewers. We'll now get to see if former super prospect Shane Baz is ready to contribute. He has tossed hints in the past, but due to injuries including Tommy John surgery in 2022, he hasn't had a chance to really prove himself.
• I have long been a believer in biorhythm as a predictor of performance, but I see more extremes this year. An example, Phillies' ace Zack Wheeler has scarcely been touched in 2024, but in two starts, he was rocked for 14 runs in just eight innings. I'm thinking this could be more the result of the new fielding follies.
• And, here's an update on Toronto's Yariel Rodriguez. He was showing solid progress and I have routinely thrown his name out there as one to watch. He had his coming out party earlier this week allowing just two hits and one run to the Astros over six and two-thirds innings. He was consistently ahead in the count.

Endgame Odyssey:

The Pirates' Aroldis Chapman (324 career saves) has been filling in for the injured David Bednar as the team's closer. He can still get it up to about 103 mph, he just doesn't always know where the pitch will end up. Still, he's fun to watch. The Phillies often use their big lefty, Jose Alvarado in the closer's role, but veteran journeyman Jeff Hoffman has earned some ninth-inning work as well, and looks like their first option when Alvarado is unavailable. The Cardinals got off to a sluggish start to this season, but they have been on a roll lately, with closer, Ryan Helsley leading the way as he is setting the pace with a MLB best 31 saves (in 31 chances). He's 36 years old, but Boston closer Kenley Jansen has added a bit of velocity to his fastball this year and last. He's now averaging just under 95 mph, the most jump he's had on his heater in his 15-year career. With the erratic recovery of Jordan Romano (it's anybody's guess when he'll be back at this point) the Blue Jays are anxiously anticipating the return of their primary alternative, Yimi Garcia. He is suffering from a "nerve issue" in his elbow, which makes a definite prognosis difficult but reports so far have been encouraging.