Zach Eflin DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin allowed 10 hits and eight earned runs over 5 1/3 innings in Sunday's 10-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. He struck out four, walked none, and hit one batter, falling to 3-2 in five starts this season. The 31-year-old easily had his worst outing of the year, and it started right away when he let up a CJ Abrams home run to lead off the game. He'd escape the frame with no further damage, but yielded three more long balls and six total runs one inning later (including one more to Abrams) before he'd finally settle in. It's one to forget for Eflin, who will carry a bloated 5.08 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 28 1/3 innings (17:3 K:BB) into his next appearance, which should come later this week against the Boston Red Sox.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Zach Eflin (lat) was officially cleared to start Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Angels. Eflin has been sidelined for nearly a month due to a lat strain. The southpaw made his last start on April 7. Through his first three starts of the campaign, the left-hander logged 18 innings of work to the tune of a 3.00 ERA and a stellar 0.83 WHIP. During this stint, he struck out just eight batters but only allowed one walk. Under the hood, the 31-year-old has generated a modest 3.43 xERA and a .257 xBA, which place him in the 56th and 43rd percentile among qualified pitchers. Given his elite control, Eflin remains a strong SP3/SP4 when looking to boost your WHIP ratio. This afternoon, he has an excellent matchup against the Angels and should be viewed as a strong play in all DFS competitions.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin (lat) will "more than likely" return from the 15-day injured list this weekend to face the Los Angeles Angels in the series finale on Sunday, according to manager Brandon Hyde. The Orioles announced on Wednesday that Eflin would be returning from the IL this weekend after throwing a successful bullpen session, but now we know the exact date. Although the matchup will be an excellent one for the 31-year-old veteran -- the Angels rank 25th in MLB with a .665 team OPS -- but Eflin could be limited pitch-count wise in his first start back after throwing only 58 pitches in his only minor-league rehab start. Still, Eflin is tempting for fantasy lineups after posting a 3.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 18 innings over his first three starts this year before injuring his lat.