The Regression Monster has come for Joey Wentz in September.
In two September appearances, Wentz has an ERA of *checks notes* 14.21. The strikeouts have been there, but so have the home runs. In many ways, his August was worse under the hood. His strikeout rate was near 6 per nine innings, and his walk rate was above 3. But the results weren’t as bad, though they weren’t great.
Ultimately, there’s nothing to really show Wentz is much more than roster fodder. The strikeout rate is around 8 per 9, and the walk rate is around 4 per 9. The ERA is over 5, and the xFIP is near 5. Statcast is more bullish (?).
Framber Valdez, however, is legitimately very good. The strikeout and walk rates look only slightly better than average, but the groundball rate … well … is really good, especially when combined with the quality rates elsewhere.
Valdez is probably one of the more underappreciated starters in the game. Over the past 4 seasons, he’s been worth around 4 wins in each season. He’s really good. Statcast, however, isn’t as impressed.
As for the repertoire, there’s a … say it with me … heavy dose of sinkers.
The lefty Allah throws a curve and change, and there’s a couple other pitches he throws or maybe just get classified incorrectly.
Either way, Atlanta has gotten embarrassed in this series so far, so here’s to looking at least respectable.
Time: Sunday, September 14th at 1:35 pm EST
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan