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Posted at 2:00 PM EST 

10:05 PM EST. The Angels have no chance here against Mike Fiers (RHP - OAK) but we’re playing them anyway. We’ll get back to Fiers in a sec after we discuss Jaime Barria (RHP - LAA). Barria made a start vs. Texas on Aug. 20 and five days later started against the Astronauts. He didn’t look a bit out of place in either. We're still short innings on this Angels beleaguered pitching staff and flailing around as to guessing who might get them but Barria might get more opportunities despite being demoted earlier this month after posting a 6.62 ERA (5.01 xERA) in 52 innings. Overall, Barria has thrown just 62 frames at this level this season but he has 59 K’s over nine starts and five relief appearances. No skill is exceptional, but his results are more arresting given age and prior experience (20 starts above Single-A). Not shown here is grit; in high leverage situations, (oOPS was .285) but he’s literally learning on the job. He’s good and he’ll get better but this one doesn’t come without risk, as the Angels are struggling. However, making life miserable for an in-state rival figures to get their juices flowing. 

Mike Fiers tightrope walking continues. The A’s are 7-0 in Fiers’ last seven starts. As a ridiculous -208 favorite in Kansas City last game, Fiers lasted 5.1 innings, gave up eight hits and walked two. He also hit a batter. That’s 11 baserunners in 5.1 innings. One of those came home to score and the A’s ended up winning 2-1 despite getting five hits the entire game. Oddsmakers got away with posting a bad line on Fiers again, who finished the game with an xERA of 5.27, It doesn’t end there, however. The previous game against the Yanks, Fiers once again made it to 5.1 frames before being yanked. The Yanks LOB was 10, Oakland’s was three and Fiers once again benefited from all those hard hit balls being hit right at someone. 

Fiers is 13-3. Every year there are one or two complete stiffs that get every bounce go their way and we have been exposing those stiffs for years. This year’s prize goes to Fiers but don’t take our word for it. In the graph below, Mike Fiers xFIP (which is similar to xERA) is 5.22, which is among the worst on today’s card and puts him in similar range to Dereck Rodriguez, a starter that was sent down to Single-A ball this year at one point. It’s not just xFIP either. Fiers has a BABIP of .249 and a strand rate or LOB (Left on Base) rate of 80.1%. Dude has been riding a trifecta of pure luck for six months when in fact, he remains one of the most hittable starters in MLB. Will his luck run out here? It may not but we’ll repeat that Mike Fiers being priced in this range is beyond absurd and if we lose again, so be it. Huge value.

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