Fantasy News

• Athletics' JP Sears: Allows two hits over five innings

  Rotowire Apr 17, 2024

  Sears did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out two in five innings. Sears was effective for a second straight start, but his strikeout numbers remain unimpressive. The 28-year-old struck out 161 batters in 172.1 innings last year but currently sits at a 9:9 K:BB in 20.2 innings through four starts so far this season. He's now allowed just one run over his last 11.1 innings after giving up nine runs in 9.1 innings over his first two starts to open up the year. Sears owns a 4.35 ERA and 1.16 WHIP and lines up to face the Yankees on the road next week.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Stifles Rangers over 6.1 frames

  Rotowire Apr 12, 2024

  Sears (1-1) earned the win against Texas on Thursday, pitching 6.1 scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and three walks while striking out five batters. Sears didn't allow a hit until the seventh frame, when Adolis Garcia knocked a one-out single to left field. While the left-handed hurler did issue three leadoff walks, only one of those batters got past first base. Oakland scored just one run in support of Sears, but it was enough for him to pick up his first win, as the Athletics' bullpen managed to complete the shutout. This was the first good outing of the season for Sears -- he entered the game having allowed nine runs across 9.1 innings over his first two starts.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Gives up four in no-decision

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  Sears didn't factor into the decision Friday, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk over 5.2 innings against the Tigers. He struck out two. Sears looked good early, facing the minimum through his first three innings. However, Matt Vierling led off the fourth with a solo home run before Detroit tacked on two more runs with three consecutive hits. While his final line wasn't great, it was an improvement for Sears after he gave up five runs in just 3.2 innings in his first start. The left-hander sports an unsightly 8.68 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP and two strikeouts through his first 9.1 innings this season.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Lasts just 3.2 frames in loss

  Rotowire Mar 31, 2024

  Sears (0-1) was charged with loss Saturday versus Cleveland after he surrendered five runs on six hits and two walks across 3.2 innings. He struck out one. The left-hander gave up two runs in the second inning and fell apart in the fourth, as the Guardians tallied three more runs on two singles, a double, a sacrifice fly and a hit-by-pitch before he was lifted. Sears generated nine swinging strikes and needed 83 pitches to record just 11 outs, with Cleveland fouling off 20 pitches. The 28-year-old was Oakland's most reliable rotation piece last season with a 4.54 ERA in 32 starts, and his fantasy utility will likely be limited in 2024 with wins at a premium, barring a significant improvement in his effectiveness.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Sharp in Cactus League loss

  Rotowire Mar 15, 2024

  Sears allowed two earned runs on five hits over five innings in a Cactus League loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He struck out three without walking anyone but did hit a batter. The left-hander opened the spring with five scoreless, one-hit innings across his first two Cactus League appearances, and although he's allowed a total of three runs over his next two turns, those have come across eight frames. Even more encouraging is the fact Sears has recorded 13 strikeouts while issuing just one walk, and he appears to be almost built up for the start of the season after his extended time on the mound Thursday.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Working with sinker this spring

  Rotowire Feb 29, 2024

  Sears is incorporating a sinker into his repertoire this spring and enjoyed success with it in his first Cactus League start Tuesday, Steve Stockmar of MLB.com reports. "I've been feeling pretty confident with it. It's a new pitch for me," Sears said. "I've never thrown a sinker. I'm just trying to get educated on it from the other guys that throw it and the catchers and results from the hitters on my team whenever I face them live." Sears was the picture of stability in an otherwise makeshift Athletics starting rotation last season, logging a team-high 32 starts and posting a 4.54 ERA and 1.26 WHIP that somewhat belied an ugly 5-14 record. The 28-year-old southpaw, who had 70 innings of big-league experience coming into the 2023 season, will be counted on as the No. 2 starter to open the new campaign, and he got his official regular-season prep off to an impressive start against the Guardians on Tuesday with two perfect innings during which he threw only 19 pitches (13 strikes). Sears rolled out the sinker for the first time in live action as well, recording a strikeout and a flyout on two of the three occasions he deployed it.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Yields four runs in loss

  Rotowire Sep 19, 2023

  Sears (5-12) allowed four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings to take the loss Monday versus the Mariners. Sears had allowed a total of three runs over 17 innings across his first three starts in September, all of which were wins. He wasn't able to continue his success Monday, with Jose Caballero's two-run home run in the fourth inning being the biggest hit off Sears. The Oakland lefty is now at a 4.52 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 150:49 K:BB through 163.1 innings over 30 starts. He's lined up for a more favorable home start versus the Tigers over the weekend.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Grabs fourth win

  Rotowire Sep 6, 2023

  Sears (4-11) earned the win Wednesday, allowing a run on four hits and four walks over five innings in a 5-2 victory over the Blue Jays. He struck out three. Sears dealt with frequent traffic Wednesday, but he managed to hold Toronto to just one run through five innings, earning his second straight win. The 27-year-old Sears has now allowed just two runs in 11 innings over his last two outings after surrendering 13 runs in his prior two starts (10 innings). Overall, the southpaw sports a 4.51 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and 141:43 K:BB across 28 starts (151.2 innings) this season. Sears is currently lined up for a tough road matchup with the Astros in his next outing.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Bounces back against Angels

  Rotowire Sep 2, 2023

  Sears (3-11) threw six scoreless innings in a win over the Angels on Friday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out three. Sears had an 8.25 ERA over five starts (24 innings) in August, but he started September with a much better performance. The southpaw likely benefited from facing an Angels team that has essentially run up the white flag on 2023. Nonetheless, Sears hasn't been all that good this year either with a 4.60 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 138:39 K:BB through 146.2 innings over 27 starts. He's tentatively lined up for a home start versus the Blue Jays next week.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Roughed up by Orioles

  Rotowire Aug 20, 2023

  Sears (2-10) allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out four over four innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Orioles. Across four starts in August, Sears has yielded 16 runs over 18 innings, though he's had three tough matchups in that span. Sunday marked the first time in five starts he's given up multiple home runs, though one was an inside-the-park shot from Jorge Mateo. Sears is now at a 4.61 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 127:35 K:BB through 134.2 innings through 25 starts this season. He's lined up for a road outing against the White Sox in his next appearance.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Walks four in no-decision

  Rotowire Aug 14, 2023

  Sears yielded three runs on six hits and four walks over five innings in Monday's loss to the Cardinals. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision. Sears allowed one run through four innings before coughing up a two-run shot to Paul Goldschmidt in the fifth. Sears has coughed up seven runs in his last two starts, raising his ERA to 4.27. In six starts since the All-Star break, he's registered a 5.23 ERA. Sears' next outing is projected to be at home against the Orioles.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Gives up four runs in loss

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2023

  Sears (2-9) allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out six over four innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Rangers. Sears had gone at least five innings in each of his last six appearances before falling short of the mark Tuesday. The Rangers tagged him for three runs in the fourth inning. The southpaw is now at a 4.23 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 117:29 K:BB through 125.2 innings over 23 starts this season. He's projected for a road start in St. Louis next week.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Falls to 2-8

  Rotowire Aug 4, 2023

  Sears (2-8) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters over five innings. Of the six hits Sears allowed, five went for extra bases, but the Dodgers managed to score just twice while he was in the game. Despite keeping Oakland in the contest, the left-hander got little run support and took his eighth loss of the season. Sears has been better than his record indicates-- his 4.07 ERA is far from disastrous, and he's posted seven quality starts across 22 outings -- but such is the fate of a starting pitcher on one of the league's worst offensive teams. Wins aren't likely to start coming in abundance for Sears, but he's not entirely off the fantasy radar, as he's provided some positive stats this season. For instance, his 1.08 WHIP ranks 10th among qualified MLB pitchers, ahead of more heralded hurlers such as Logan Webb, Zac Gallen and Spencer Strider.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Snags second win

  Rotowire Jul 29, 2023

  Sears (2-7) allowed one run on four hits and a walk over five innings Friday, striking out five and earning a win against Colorado. The lone blemish on Sears' line came in the fourth inning, when he served up a solo shot to Randal Grichuk. Sears snapped a streak of four straight losses dating back to his last win June 11. Since the start of June, he's produced a 3.79 ERA through 57 frames, lowering his season mark to 4.09 across 21 starts. His next outing is projected to be on the road against the Dodgers next week.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Allows three homers in loss

  Rotowire Jul 22, 2023

  Sears (1-7) took the loss Friday versus the Astros, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out just one over 5.2 innings. All of the damage came on a trio of home runs -- two from Kyle Tucker and the other from Alex Bregman. This was the second start in a row that Sears has allowed multiple homers, and he's now yielded 24 long balls through 20 starts this season. The southpaw is at a 4.19 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 101:24 K:BB through 111.2 innings. His struggles with keeping the ball in the yard make him a high-risk fantasy play, though he's been able to limit the damage by not giving up too many baserunners. That's little comfort heading into his next start, which is projected to come at Coors Field.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Yields three runs

  Rotowire Jul 16, 2023

  Sears did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits over 6.1 innings against the Twins. He struck out seven. Sears worked through four scoreless frames before allowing a pair of solo homers in the fifth inning. Entering Sunday's contest, he'd allowed two long balls over his previous 23.1 innings. Sears is quietly putting together a decent 2023 campaign; he's allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last 11 outings, lowering his season ERA to 3.99 across 19 starts. Sears' next appearance is currently lined up to be at home against Houston.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Fires 7.1 scoreless in no-decision

  Rotowire Jul 4, 2023

  Sears did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing five hits and no walks over 7.1 scoreless innings against Detroit. He struck out four. The left-hander broke a string of three consecutive losses with his second scoreless outing of the campaign, but he missed out on the win since the game remained a 0-0 tie until the 10th inning. Sears surrendered five earned runs his last time out against the Yankees, but he's now covered at least seven frames in three of his past four starts. The 27-year-old holds a 4.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 89:20 K:BB through 94.2 innings this season, and he tentatively lines up for one more start Sunday in Boston before the All-Star break.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: On wrong side of perfect game

  Rotowire Jun 29, 2023

  Sears (1-6) allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out five over four-plus innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Yankees. Not only was Sears' performance lackluster, but his Oakland teammates couldn't muster a baserunner against Yankees starter Domingo German. Prior to Wednesday, Sears had allowed all of nine runs over his first four starts in June. The southpaw saw his ERA rise to 4.43 with a 1.08 WHIP and 85:20 K:BB through 87.1 innings over 16 starts this season. Sears will attempt to bounce back in his projected road start in Detroit next week.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Fans seven in loss

  Rotowire Jun 17, 2023

  Sears (1-4) allowed four runs on four hits over seven innings Friday, striking out seven and taking a loss against Philadelphia. Sears coughed up four runs on three homers in what was otherwise a pretty strong outing Friday. It was his second straight start without issuing a walk after allowing five free passes to the Pirates on June 5. The 27-year-old southpaw is now sporting a 4.24 ERA while yielding 17 homers through 76.1 frames this season. Sears will carry an impressive 72:16 K:BB into his next outing, which is projected to be next week in Cleveland.

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• Athletics' JP Sears: Solid in no-decision

  Rotowire May 26, 2023

  Sears allowed a run on three hits and struck out one over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Thursday. Sears threw just 59 pitches (40 strikes), but Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports this was likely a tactical decision rather than anything influenced by injuries, as the Athletics didn't want Sears to go a third time through the order. The lone blemish on his line was a Ty France solo shot in the first inning, making this his third straight start where he allowed three runs or fewer. Sears lowered his season ERA to 4.70 with a 1.10 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB through 53.2 innings over 10 starts. He's projected for a challenging home start versus Atlanta next week.

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