Velocity coming back Knebel struck out six batters over two scoreless innings and finished Tuesday's blowout victory over the Cardinals. Impact Knebel struggled early on while getting back up to speed following Tommy John surgery, and he owned a 9.45 ERA when he landed on the injured list Aug. 20. Once a pitcher whose fastball sat in the upper 90s, he had a tough time recording outs while topping out at 94 mph. However, since being activated last week, he has looked more like his old self, allowing just two hits and one earned run over four innings (2.25 ERA) while posting a 7:1 K:BB. Not surprisingly, he has regained a few ticks on his fastball, regularly hitting 95 and 96 mph on the radar gun in Tuesday's outing. Knebel has been used mainly in low-stress situations all season, but if that velocity is the norm again, he could find himself working in a key spot or two down the stretch.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 • ROTOWIRE
