John Danks - Fantasy News & Updates
John Danks - Fantasy News & Updates
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It's not uncommon for pitchers to revert to form after enjoying a breakthrough season, but Danks hardly fell apart this past season. Proving 2008 was the real thing, the White Sox lefty compiled a sub-3.00 ERA and double-digit wins for the second straight year. At the ripe old age of 24, Danks seems to be just beginning to reach his full potential as one of the AL's elite starters.
Danks ended the year in nearly as confusing a manner as possible. He mixed in a pair of one-earned run appearances with a seven-earned run outing and Sunday's effort. Still, he still came out of the year with a manageable 3.77 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 200 1/3 innings to make himself a worthy starting option in mixed leagues.
An impressive night on the hill for Danks, who notched his first complete game in 90 career starts. He was in dire need of a positive effort after getting torched by the Twins for seven runs in his last outing and enduring a five-start winless streak. He made only one mistake on Monday, which was sent out of the park by Shin-Soo Choo. The young southpaw will carry a rock-solid 3.69 ERA and 148/69 K/BB ratio into Detroit for his last start of the year Oct. 4.
An outing Danks would probably like to forget, as he matched a career high by serving up three gopher balls. Considering he hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his previous eight starts, Tuesday’s poor effort should be able to go into the books as a hiccup. The young southpaw will look to get back on track when he toes the rubber again on Sept. 28 in Cleveland vs. the Indians.
Danks was well on his way to cashing in his career-best 13th victory before watching it slip away when closer Bobby Jenks squandered a two-run lead in the ninth. Still, this was the ninth consecutive quality start for Danks, who cut his ERA to 3.59. With momentum on his side, look for the lefty to deliver another strong outing when he squares off with the Twins next time out.
Make that seven straight quality starts for the hard-throwing left-hander who is winless over his last three despite stitching together a 3.32 ERA during that span. Danks should get bonus points for his masterful outing on Saturday, as he held one of the game's most explosive offensives completely in check without allowing a single extra-base hit. Danks will try for his 13th win on Sept. 18 at home against the Royals, against whom he is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts this season.
There was no reason for Danks to hang his head in this one, as he submitted a respectable effort but simply ran into Jon Lester on the wrong afternoon. The loss ended his five-start unbeaten streak, during which he went 3-0 with a 2.34 ERA. He’ll look to get back in the win column when he totes a solid 3.84 ERA into his next outing on Sept. 12 in Anaheim vs. the Angels.
Michael Cuddyer was the bane of Danks' existence on Tuesday, as the Twins right fielder accounted for two of the runs with a pair of long balls. Danks has served up two blasts in back-to-back starts, and he could find himself watching more balls leave the yard when he faces a powerful Red Sox lineup on Sept. 6 at U.S. Cellular Field.
Danks won for the third time in four starts on the strength of solid command -- he issued just one free pass for the third time in four starts -- and good stuff, as the six Ks represented his second-highest total in 12 starts. It'll be tough for him to maintain an impressive K/BB ratio on Sept. 1 when he goes against a Twins offense that ranks in the bottom half of the Majors in team strikeouts and top 10 in team walks.
Danks' walk rate is up over his 2008 breakout -- he's issuing 3.5 BB/9 this year, versus 2.6 in '08 -- but this particular bout of Wildman Syndrome was almost certainly an aberration. Take this mixed-blessing of an outing together with his previous two starts -- in which he walked a grand total of two batters, incidentally -- and Danks now has a 1.66 ERA, 14 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings and a 2-0 record in his last three turns. His next start is on Aug. 27 in Boston.
A solid outing for Danks, who cruised through the first six innings before allowing single runs in the seventh and eighth to give up a 2-0 lead. Despite the outcome of the game, Danks has looked good in back-to-back starts after a rocky stretch, yielding just three earned runs over 15 1/3 innings of work. Owners can feel confident throwing the young southpaw when he takes a solid 116/51 K/BB ratio into his next start on Aug. 22 vs. the Orioles.
An important bounce-back outing for Danks, who served up three long balls and seven runs in a loss to the Angels last time out. The young lefty has been up and down all season, but his .247 batting average against and 113/50 K/BB ratio are quality complements to a solid 4.04 ERA. He’s on track to hurl again on Aug. 16 in Oakland vs. the light-hitting A’s.
Danks’ poor peripherals caught up to him Thursday. The left-hander threw just 60 percent of his offerings for strikes and allowed too many fly balls against an opportunistic Angels lineup. With 5.1 BB/9 and 6 K/9 over his last five turns, he’ll have to show more consistency before owners can feel confident starting him every time out. He’ll try to right the ship Aug. 11 against the Mariners at roomy SAFECO Field.
Danks has four wins in his last six starts even though he's struggled with his command. Danks has issued four or more walks in three of those starts, and his ERA ramped back up to 4.00 after Saturday's start. He could be in danger of issuing several more walks Aug. 7 against an Indians squad which ranks in the top 10 in the Majors in walks drawn.
Three White Sox errors handed the Twins two unearned runs on top of the two earned they were able to muster off Danks, and that proved to be enough. A loss is a loss, though -- what's more important is that Danks made a strong return from the blister problems and circulatory issues that prevented him from making his last scheduled start. Danks looked sharp throughout this outing, and can safely be slotted back into fantasy rotations for his home start on August 1 against the Yankees.
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