Chris Archer was the latest arm to fall victim to the Jays’ offense

The last week of the baseball season is upon us. Good job for making it this far and thank you for reading this weekly column. I hope that it was entertaining and allowed you to be in the position that you are in right now. For the last time this year, I will highlight the lower tier players that performed the best/worst over the past week. May one of them provide you with the precious points that you are seeking. Many teams have clinched playoff spots, so they may be resting their players this week.

RISERS

• Kevin Pillar (OF – Toronto Blue Jays) – 10 hits, five runs scored, two home runs, five RBI and six stolen bases. Even though he’s hitting seventh, the Blue Jays have such a potent lineup that batting order is irrelevant. On the season, Pillar is hitting .269, 74 R, 12 HR, 53 RBI and 25 SB. The stolen bases are the real surprise. In two major league seasons prior to 2015, Pillar had stolen one base in 89 games. He did have a high of 51 in the minors though.

• Jarrett Parker (OF – San Francisco Giants) – Six hits, six runs scored, five home runs, 10 RBI and one stolen base. Parker had a monster game against the Athletics in which he clubbed three home runs and drove in seven. Since being called up in earlier in the month, Parker is hitting .370 with 8 R, 6 HR, 12 RBI and 1 SB. In five minor league seasons, he hit .261/.365/.448 with 84 home runs and 93 stolen bases in 2,215 at-bats. Keep in mind that he has not been receiving regular at-bats. His monster game occurred in Oakland with the DH.

• Rich Hill (RP – Boston Red Sox) – Two wins. In Toronto, Hill allowed three earned runs and struck out 10 in seven innings. Five days later, he pitched a complete game shut out with 10 strikeouts against the Orioles. Since moving to the starting rotation in September, Hill has 10 strikeouts in all three starts and has only walked two, allowed three earned runs and 10 hits in 23 innings.

• Kevin Kiermaier (OF – Tampa Bay Rays) – Nine hits, six runs scored, two home runs, four RBI and two stolen bases. On the season, Kiermaier is hitting .264 with 62 R, 10 HR, 39 RBI and 18 SB. In 823 minor league at-bats, he hit .264/.306/.434 with 20 home runs and 23 stolen bases. Just be aware that he usually hits eighth in the batting order and will occasionally sit against LHP.

• Daniel Murphy (2B/1B/3B – New York Mets) – 13 hits, seven runs scored, one home run and six RBI. On the season, he’s hitting .285 with 54 R, 13 HR, 70 RBI and 2 SB. The Amazing’s! are back in the playoffs for the first time in nine years. They are supposedly going to be playing their backups this week so be aware.

• Collin McHugh (SP – Houston Astros) – Two wins. Against the Athletics, McHugh allowed one earned run and struck out eight in eight innings. Six days later against the Rangers, he allowed four earned runs and struck out six in 6 2/3 innings. After a rough start to the year, McHugh has bounced back to some degree. He’s still given up plenty of runs but hasn’t been as terrible as early in the season. He is now 18-7 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and has struck out 165 batters in 196 2/3 innings.

• Stephen Piscotty (3B/1B/OF – St. Louis Cardinals) – Nine hits, five runs scored, two home runs and eight RBI. Is it the water in St. Louis or does that arch have mystical qualities? It’s pretty amazing how they find players and develop them. In 1,457 minor league at-bats, Piscotty hit .288/.360/.444 with 39 home runs and 30 stolen bases. In 60 major league games, he’s hit .315 with 28 R, 6 HR, 38 RBI and 2 SB. He’s mainly been hitting sixth in the lineup but has hit second a few times.

• Cody Asche (3B/OF – Philadelphia Phillies) – Seven hits, four runs scored, three home runs, four RBI and one stolen base. Asche won’t hit for a high average, will strike out a lot, but has double digit pop. In 963 major league at-bats, he’s hit .247/.303/.395 with 27 home runs and 248 strikeouts.

• Tyler Duffey (SP – Minnesota Twins) – Two wins. Against the Angels, Duffey did not allow an earned run and struck out seven in seven innings pitched. Six days later in Detroit, he allowed two earned runs and struck out three in six innings. That makes four quality starts in a row. Since being called up in August, Duffey has a 3.14 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 47 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings and a 5-1 record. His fastball sits in the 90 mph range and he throws a curveball and changeup.

• Darren O’Day (RP – Baltimore Orioles) – Three saves. Filling in for the injured Zach Britton, O’Day did not allow a baserunner in three innings pitched last week. He also struck out five during that span.

FALLERS

• Ryan Weber (SP – Atlanta Braves) – Allowed seven earned runs in two innings without recording a strikeout in Miami. Since being called up, Weber is 0-2 with a 5.91 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.

• Brett Anderson (SP – Los Angeles Dodgers) – Got blasted in two starts. Against the Diamondbacks, Anderson allowed five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. Five days later in Colorado, he allowed six earned runs in four innings. He’s a soft-tossing lefty that pitches to contact. These types of outings are to be expected from time to time. He’s also battled some minor injuries and he’s logged the second highest inning total of his career. It wouldn’t surprise me if physical and mental fatigue could be contributing to his struggles.

• Christian Bergman (RP/SP – Colorado Rockies) – Allowed seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Pirates. Bergman was thrust into the starting rotation due to the Jorge De La Rosa injury. It was only his second start of the season.

• Chris Archer (SP – Tampa Bay Rays) – Got pummeled by the Blue Jays for nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays have an amazing offense and the Rays are in evaluation mode. It’s too bad for Archer owners as he’s been great all year.

• Derek Holland (SP – Texas Rangers) – Allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Mariners then allowed four earned runs in five innings against the Astros. He’s allowed four or more runs in his last four starts. On the season, Holland is 3-3 with a 4.99 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings.

Good luck to everyone this week!

Stan Son is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.