Veteran left-hander J.A. Happ announced his retirement in an appearance on the Heart Strong podcast with Jessica Lindberg on Tuesday after spending parts of 15 seasons in the major leagues. The 39-year-old said he went "back and forth for pretty much the whole winter" trying to decide if he wanted to return for another season. Happ spent last year with the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals, going 10-8 with a 5.79 ERA and 1.48 WHIP while walking 48 and striking out 122 in 152 1/3 innings over 30 starts. He'll finish his career with a 4.13 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, a 20.6% strikeout rate and an 8.3% walk rate in 1,893 2/3 innings over 354 career appearances (328 starts). Happ made the All-Star team once, back in 2018.
J.A. Happ Throws Four Scoreless, Wild Innings On Friday
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher J.A. Happ made it through four scoreless innings in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. In his four innings, Happ allowed no runs and only two hits, but walked four and struck out six. The veteran lefty threw 74 pitches, just 43 for strikes. Given that it was a seven inning game, Happ's four innings were enough to deliver the 13th consecutive win for the Cardinals. Happ's season ERA sits at a concerning 5.86.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher J.A. Happ lasted five innings in his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. Happ was decent, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings. He did not issue a walk and struck out three. With the Cardinals only scoring two runs, Happ took his eighth loss of the season, evening his record at 8-8. His ERA sits at 6.24 and he may not get too many more shots in the starting rotation, although the Cardinals don't exactly have any other starters waiting in the wings. Happ shouldn't be rostered in most formats.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher J.A. Happ was destroyed by the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader. Happ got just three outs, pitching one inning while allowing seven runs on eight hits and two walks. He allowed two home runs and ballooned his already rough ERA all the way up to 6.20. The Cardinals trade deadline plan of "trade for soft throwing lefties" has worked okay with Jon Lester, but Happ has been a disaster so far. He may not get too many more shots to start with the Cardinals in the thick of the wild card race.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher J.A. Happ was very good in Saturday's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, picking up a quality start despite a Cardinals loss. Happ went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight. It was Happ's best performance as a Cardinal, but he's still the owner of a 5.88 ERA and can only be trusted as a streaming option against weaker offenses at best.
J.A. Happ Falls An Out Shy Of A Quality Start On Sunday
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher J.A. Happ was very good in Sunday's start against the Kansas City Royals, falling one out shy of a quality start but still earning the win. He tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing just five hits and two walks, while striking out two and not allowing a run. Happ improves to 7-6 and lowers his ERA to 6.03. He's had a rough season, but the Cardinals need him to make more starts like this one.
Updating an earlier report, the Minnesota Twins have traded starting pitcher J.A. Happ to the St. Louis Cardinals for starting pitcher John Gant and relief pitcher Evan Sisk, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB Network. Happ has struggled on the mound this season, going 5-6 with a 6.77 ERA, 1.586 WHIP and 17.3 percent strikeout rate. He'll look to turn things around in the NL Central now with the Cardinals. Meanwhile Gant has also struggled this season, going 4-6 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.572 WHIP and 16.2 percent strikeout rate over 76 1/3 innings of work. Sisk has been having a good year between High-A and Double-A this season, going 2-0 with four saves, a 3.31 ERA, 1.592 WHIP and a 29.1 percent strikeout rate. Gant and Happ likely won't have much value the rest of this season, while Sisk could be a solid pickup in dynasty formats.
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher J.A. Happ struggled in Wednesday's loss to the Tigers. Happ matched a season-high, allowing nine earned runs on 10 hits with four walks issued over just three frames of work. The veteran lefty navigated scoreless frames in the first and third innings but ran into trouble, specifically in the top of the fourth, where he was charged with seven earned runs. Happ has now yielded seven or more runs in two of his last three starts, two of them coming against the Tigers. His 6.77 ERA is his worst mark since his fifth year in the big leagues, leaving him off the fantasy radar.
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher J.A. Happ pitched at least six innings for the third straight outing in Friday's no-decision against the Angels. Happ surrendered four runs, including two home runs, on seven hits while walking one batter. The veteran lefty struck out four batters. Happ has been giving the Twins length in each of his latest starts, but the results haven't been great, as he has pitched to a 7.03 ERA in July. Happ isn't striking out hitters- and is allowing too much hard contact, a recipe for more poor performances moving forward.
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher J.A. Happ struggled once again in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Tigers. Happ gave the Twins some solid length in the outing, but he was certainly not effective by any means, allowing seven earned runs on a season-high 11 hits. The lefty walked one and struck out four batters. Per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, Happ had a 1.91 ERA through his first five starts with the Twins but has allowed 57 runs in 61 innings since, along with a .348 opponent batting average and .644 slugging percentage. He can only be considered in DFS formats as a streamer, though he is a shaky option even in those scenarios.
