It may seem a bit strange to recommend a starting pitcher on a fourth-place, sub-.500 ball club, one whose average fastball comes in just below 90 mph. But even though his fastball doesn't come in too hot, there are fewer pitchers in major league baseball who are hotter than Zach Davies.
After a miserable month of April with the big club where he posted an 8.78 ERA and 2.25 WHIP, Davies turned things around when the calendar turned to May. In eight starts since his horrific beginning, the 23-year-old has allowed a mere 14 earned runs on 32 hits over 49.1 innings, bringing his ERA down to a serviceable 3.88. He also walked only 12 batters in that span while compiling 40 strikeouts, 21 of which came in his past three starts.
Davies' next test comes Friday against the Dodgers, who do have some potent bats in their lineup including left-handed sluggers Adrian Gonzalez and Corey Seager, but Davies has actually been solid against both righties and lefties, posting fairly similar BAA's against them (.221 versus right-handed batters, .259 versus left-handed batters). He's also taking the bump opposite left-hander Julio Urias, which is good news for the Brewers' main offensive threats like Ryan Braun, Jonathan Villar, Jonathan Lucroy, and Chris Carter, who all hit right-handed. This could help make Friday's contest a very winnable game for the young right-hander.
Not only does the youngster have momentum headed into his next start, he also has job security on his side. With Matt Garza coming off the disabled list to start Tuesday's game in San Francisco, the Brewers decided to keep Davies in the rotation and instead send Opening Day starter Wily Peralta down to the minors, essentially giving the former Oriole farmhand a full-time role in the big leagues going forward. Between this, his excellent control, and a nice four-start win streak, Davies would make for a nice addition to any team in need of a starting pitcher.
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