Monday's 5 Games

Cole Hamels - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (12). The Cubs don't hit lefties well at all, so this should have been expected. It's a small fact that could help you determine a spot starter down the line, too. He thoroughly dominated a very good lineup and only allowed a solo HR to Ryan Theriot.

Brett Myers - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (7). His health remains a serious concern, but he's back for now and will produce very good fantasy numbers while healthy. You can drop Alfonseca now except for deep leagues, where you might want to stash him and see if Myers can avoid further shoulder problems.

Ted Lilly - 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. His win streak had to end sometime, and it came against a very good offense. He battled himself all game, but he dodged most bullets with most of the damage coming on a 2 out HR by Aaron Rowand.

Aaron Rowand - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (15). Continues to amaze. .329, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 64 R. He's on pace to set a career high AVG, fall just short of his career high in HR, blow away his career high in RBI, and match his career high in R. Just don't draft him next year.

Tadahito Iguchi - 1/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (7), SB (9). He didn't have any fantasy value in standard mixed leagues before the trade to the Phillies, but he's hitting in the #2 spot in the order with Utley out. If he stays there and hits the way he did the previous two seasons, he's not a bad injury-replacement fantasy 2B at all.

Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BS (4). Over the last two months, Accardo is having some problems. He's posted a 4.74 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP, and the main problem is the 12 BB in 19 IP. He's proving that he's not a true closer, even though his overall ratios remain strong. He's 17/21 in save chances, so his role remains safe, and even if he worsens, it's not like the Blue Jays have a great alternative.

Alex Rios - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI. He's on pace for a .305 AVG, 30 HR, 93 RBI, 110 R, and 13 SB. That's quite a stat line from this fine young player.

B.J. Upton - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). Remember when I said his power had slowed down? He's up to 5 HR and 15 RBI in 17 games this month. He's only attempted one steal this month, and that might be because his quad is still bothering him a bit. Expect him to pick up the steals a bit down the stretch, and enjoy what's been a great fantasy season from him thus far.

Jonny Gomes - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). He hit .274 with 5 HR, 12 RBI, 10 R, and chipped in 3 SB to boot this month. Those numbers are pretty much in line with what he'd be doing for the Devil Rays if they continue to play him regularly, and those are good enough to be an OF3 in fantasy leagues.

Gil Meche - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Pretty good outing. He's still a fringe mixed league starter in most formats.

Scott Baker - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. What a great outing from Baker, even if it came against the Royals. They had just come off a 29 run, 4 game series against Texas, and Baker shut them down. He's settling in as an unheralded fantasy starter despite the ugly overall numbers. Be careful with his matchups, but his emergence isn't a completely surprise.

Joe Mauer -2/4, 3 RBI. He had a very bad .229 June, but he's bounced back with a solid .315 July and should close the season strong. He's also had back-to-back 16 RBI months.

Joe Blanton - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. 5 straight starts of either 4 or 5 ER. It's starting to become a real concern, even if last night's outing was against Detroit. Given the last 2 were against very good offenses (Angels, Tigers), I'd give him another shot depending on the matchup.

Placido Polanco - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI. He's only a 2 catagory player, but with the .343 AVG at the 2B position, he's a pretty damn good option even if R is the only other catagory he really contributes to. The 60+ RBI he's on pace for isn't hurting you, either.

Todd Jones - 1 IP, 1 H, SV (28). Almost a carbon copy of last year. He had a bad May and a brutal June, but he's sporting a 1.38 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 9 saves in July. He's settled back down as a reliable closer for your fantasy team.

Kelvim Escobar - 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. This would get a win on most nights, but not last night, as the Angels were shutout by Miguel Batista. Escobar is sporting a nifty 2.87 ERA.

Reggie Willits - 2/3, SB (22). The white Chone Figgins, apparently. Willits is hitting .306 with 22 SB in 27 attempts. He's playing pretty much every day, hits well from both sides of the plate, and steals equally against RHP/LHP. Not too much you could ask for from a SB expert.