Rob Whalen notches victory in MLB debut
by Steve Painter | Thu, Aug 4th 3:50pm EDT
The first inning of his debut went like this: 36 pitches (17 were strikes), four runs, three hits, one home run, one HBP, two walks, one WP. But he gutted it out. Through five innings last night, he allowed four hits and four runs (all earned) while walking four and striking out five. The Braves offense picked it up, garnering 15 hits, and the team won 8-4. Whalen now sits at 1-0 on the year while the Braves stand at 38-69. He is scheduled to face the Brewers and Zach Davies on Monday in Milwaukee.
Fantasy Impact:
Whalen showed maturity after the initial first-inning meltdown, caused by nerves, no doubt. He settled in quite nicely and gave a tremendous effort. He is projected as a possible fifth starter at this level but more likely as a middle reliever. He is starting now because the Braves rotation has been hammered by injuries and trades. He may have some small value for those that stream starters but like any other pitcher he has to show consistent production in order to be trusted in most fantasy rotations.
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