Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes authored a complete-game shutout with four strikeouts in Wednesday's masterful showing against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels. Estes came out of nowhere with this effort, striking out Angels outfielder Taylor Ward to complete the shutout on just 92 pitches for his third win of the year on Wednesday. The 22-year-old right-hander has been unpredictable at times in 2024, but he's got a modest 4.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 43:13 K:BB through 55 1/3 innings (10 starts) overall for the A's. He'll face a more difficult assignment against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in his next projected start on Tuesday, so fantasy managers should think twice before picking up Estes from waiver wires and starting him in a less favorable environment.
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes struck out eight batters over 5 2/3 innings in his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday afternoon, but he was saddled with his third loss of the year after giving up two runs on three hits and two walks. Estes also notably put out Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar to escape a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The 22-year-old right-hander will carry a 5.24 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 39:12 K:BB through 46 1/3 frames into his next scheduled start, which lines up sometime during next week's series at home against these same division-rival Angels. Fantasy managers can do a lot better on waiver wires.
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes took a perfect game into the seventh inning in Wednesday's victory over the division-rival Seattle Mariners, striking out five batters in a strong start in his second win of the campaign. Estes tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball before being pulled on Wednesday, pouring in 58 of his 78 pitches for strikes. The 22-year-old right-hander was utterly magnificent in this one, but it's hard to imagine him suddenly blooming into a consistent mixed-league fantasy contributor with his 4.67 ERA through five starts this year. Estes' 0.96 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB over 27 innings tell a different story, though. All told, he'll be hard to trust in Monday's scheduled start on the road against the San Diego Padres.
Aaron Brooks, Joey Estes Making Starts For A's This Week
Oakland Athletics pitchers Aaron Brooks and Joey Estes will be called up from the minors this week to make starts on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively against the Houston Astros. The A's currently have six starters on the injured list and Alex Wood (shoulder) and Osvaldo Bido (finger) also hurt. The 34-year-old Brooks will be making his first appearance in the big leagues since 2022 and his first start since 2019. At Triple-A Las Vegas this year, he's 1-6 with a 4.57 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 10 walks and 32 K's in eight starts. Estes, the team's No. 11 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gave up just a run in five innings while striking out five against Seattle in his first start of the year last weekend to earn another turn in Oakland's rotation. Both Brooks and Estes, 22, will be shaky streaming options against Houston this week in fantasy, but Estes is the more attractive upside play, and he could even stick around longer if he pitches well again.
Oakland Athletics rookie right-hander Joey Estes will make his second major-league start on Tuesday in Minnesota against the Twins. Estes' big-league debut against the division-rival Seattle Mariners on Sept. 20 didn't go as well as he would have liked, as he gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits (three home runs) while walking one and striking out two in 4 2/3 innings of work to pick up the loss. But the A's will give the 21-year-old another go at it in the final week of the regular season against a Twins team that has already clinched the American League Central title. For those still competing for a fantasy championship, you should be able to find better streaming options than an unproven rookie.
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay confirmed on Tuesday that rookie right-hander Joey Estes will be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas in order to make his major-league debut in a start on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. The team's No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, has gone a combined 9-6 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 43 walks and 131 strikeouts in 137 innings over 27 outings (23 starts) for Double-A Midland and Las Vegas on the farm this year. The 21-year-old was acquired as part of the trade that sent first baseman Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves last March. The rebuilding A's will give him a chance to get his feet wet to close out the regular season, but he'll be a pretty risky fantasy streamer with everything on the line in the final two weeks of the year.
