Orlando Hernandez - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (4). Another solid outing from Hernandez as he has bounced back from his worst outing of the season against the Yankees and posted 2 great starts since. His 2.78 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in the first half of the season have been a great surprise for his owners.
John Maine - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (9). He concludes his improbable 1st half with a 2.74 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 84 K in 102 IP. He's only walked 4 hitters in his last 6 outings, so he's well past the control problems he was working through in the first two months.
Cole Hamels - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Terrible outing for Hamels as he battled control problems and gave up 2 more HRs. Luckily he limited the damage to only 3 ER for his owners' sake.
Billy Wagner - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, SV (16). He pitched in both games of the doubleheader yesterday. I'm sure owners would like to see a could more saves from a dominant closer on a very good team, but he's given his owners almost exactly what they've expected from him so far.
Carlos Delgado - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). I think the now 35 year old is showing his age. He's hitting a miserable .228, only has 12 HR, and has 44 RBI. Nobody expected much in the AVG department after he hit .265 last year, but he cranked 38 HR with 114 RBI. He should rebound some in the 2nd half, so I do think he's a decent buy low candidate, but he's past his prime so temper your expectations somewhat.
Carlos Beltran - 2/5, 2 solo HR (12). He apparently liked what Hamels was tossing up there last night, smacking both HRs off of him. He had 3 straight multi-hit games, but then cooled off for a few before hitting the HRs last night. He's due to get real hot here.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Another great outing last night. I was able to watch him pitch yesterday afternoon. He does a good job locating his pitches, changing speeds, and mixing in his quality curveball with his fastball which topped out about 94 MPH last night. He has a changeup, but doesn't use it too much yet. He doesn't have A+ dominant stuff, but he does have very good stuff that he uses well. He's definitely going to be a good pitcher, and shows more polish than most pitchers his age.
Rich Hill - 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He didn't have command of his curveball for most of this outing, and it showed in the results. Nothing to worry about here as it was just one of those bad outings.
Francisco Cordero - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BS (3). Another pitcher who didn't have it last night. He was getting hit hard, and Derek Lee just missed one prior to A-Ram's walkoff bomb. He wasn't locating his fastball, and he was hanging his breaking stuff. He had put together 5 straight scoreless appearances since his rough spot earlier this month, so I wouldn't worry about this.
Carlos Marmol/Bob Howry - I'm not sure what's going on in the Cubs bullpen right now with Dempster out. Howry had converted 2 save chances in a row, but then working for the 4th time in 5 nights, he blew a save in his 3rd straight appearance. He got a night off the day after that, but then the following day with Howry presumably available, Marmol was used instead and pitched a perfect inning with 2 Ks. Last night in a game the Cubs weren't winning, Marmol was used in the 8th and Howry in the 9th. If I had to guess, I'd guess that Howry is still the closer given the bullpen arrangement used last night. Marmol definitely has the best pure stuff in that pen, Dempster or not. Since the Cubs have found a quality 5th starter in Marshall and are going to be in the playoff chase, I don't think Marmol will get his chance this season.
Kelvim Escobar - 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. If you own Escobar, you'll understand that he is due for one of these once in a while. As frustrating as it is, you can't really do anything about it. As long as his velocity was OK, this should be another one time thing.
Howie Kendrick - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (4). He's had a great month, hitting .347 with 24 R. He really needs to add more HR and SB like I mentioned before, and hopefully those will come now that he's shaken off the after-effects of the broken finger.
Chuck James - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). A very good outing for James last night, pushing his ERA down to 4.08. That 1.50 WHIP is a killer, and unfortunately he hasn't improved that number in any month. Unless you can afford that WHIP hit and an ERA around 4, I wouldn't use him in something other than a spot-starting role.
Jeff Francoeur - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. He's heating up, and I think his buy-low window is about closed after going 8/9 the past two games. After only 8 HRs in the first half, I have to think he's due for a power surge as well.
Ben Francisco - In a night of walkoff HR, his was cool in the fact it was his first career HR. Congrats, Ben!
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (9). The Tigers offense? Who cares, it's Santana. It's scary to think his current 2.76 ERA is the best of his career heading into the All Star break.
Justin Verlander - 5 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Unfortunately this excellent pitching matchup failed to materialize as his command failed him last night. Oh well.
Joe Mauer - 1/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, GS (4). A big grand slam off Verlander last night for Mauer, the first of his career. I really hope his power starts developing in the 2nd half this year...it'll be the only way his owners will convert on the high draft slot he required this year.
Mike Mussina - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (4). Mussina has been very good recently, only allowing 9 ER in his last 31 2/3 IP. He's definitely turned his season around, and I was wrong in saying that he was done as a useful fantasy starter. Make sure he's owned in your league.
Ian Snell - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Nothing like a matchup with the Nationals to get well after a rough start. His offense didn't get him the support he needed to pick up the win. He caps his amazing first half with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.
Kenny Lofton - 4/4, 4 SB (20). Huge game for those who had him active last night. With a .301 AVG and 51 R, he's been a solid speed OF. He's much better in Rotisserie where his SB droughts don't leave you with a worthless offensive player in your lineup.
Bronson Arroyo - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. That's two solid starts in a row following 6 straight bad outings. Give some consideration to re-adding him, but I'd keep him benched for one more start just to be safe.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, 2 run HR (13). Definitely on fire with 4 HR in his last 8 games. Keep him active while he hits like this.
Brian Fuentes - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, BS (6). There's no closer pitching worse than Fuentes right now. In his last 4 outings, his stat line is 2 1/3 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. That's just brutal for his owners, but you can't do anything other than hope he turns it around. I hope you sold high on him like I suggested...I just don't see him being on the Rockies roster or closing after the trading deadline.
Garrett Atkins - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (12). After a vomit inducing first 2 months, Atkins has put up a June of .304, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 1 SB. His minor league numbers don't support the 29 HRs he hit last year, but it's possible that he's a late bloomer. I'd be surprised if he hit more than 10 HRs or so in the 2nd half given that, but he should definitely be a .300 hitter with 50 or so RBIs. Maybe he'll show last year wasn't a fluke in the power department as an added bonus.
Lance Berkman - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). He's locked in now. His first 2 months weren't quite as bad as Atkins', but he's heated up similarly in June with a line of .297, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 19 R, 1 SB. If you can catch an owner looking more at his stats so far rather than last month, get him at a discount. Same goes for Atkins.
Zach Greinke - 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV (1). With Octavio Dotel likely out the door come the trading deadline, Greinke will take over as the Royals closer. Go get him now...he's done quality work in a MR relief role and can at least help in ratios/Ks til he takes over as the closer.
J.J. Putz - 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (23). He lowered his ERA to a ridiculous 0.95. His last 3 save chances have been over an inning. I don't really like seeing a closer used like that, especially one who had elbow problems in the Spring, but I wouldn't worry too much unless he starts showing symptoms of being overworked.
Matt Morris - 7 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Boy, he got lucky in this outing only giving up 1 ER. If you can get something valuable in return for him, I still suggest doing it. Your best bet might be combining him with another player for an upgrade.
Barry Bonds - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). Owners are getting about what was expected from him, but since he seemed to fall quite far in both of mine, odds are you're getting good value from him.
Chris Young - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, W (8). Another great outing from Young, and his owners are defintely getting more than they expected from him when they drafted him this year.
Juan Pierre - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB (29). With a .277 AVG and 45 R, he's really only a 1 1/2 catagory player. Still, if your lineup is strong enough around him, he's on pace for almost 60 SB, which is a huge boost for that catagory.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday: Frank's 500th, Biggio's 3000th
Scott Olsen - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, W (6). He keeps teasing us with something good in most outings, but he hasn't put it all together yet. He still remains one to monitor.
Kevin Gregg - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (15). A nice bounce back outing after giving up 2 ER and taking the loss the previous game. He's the unquestioned closer and there's no debate about it anymore.
Joe Blanton - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. His bullpen allowed 2 runners to score along with one other to blow the game for him. Still, this was an impressive outing against the powerful Cleveland lineup.
Dan Johnson - 4/4, solo HR (7). He's all the way down to .269. I sold him high, and I don't remember if I mentioned here, so I apologize if I didn't. I talked him up when he was hitting well, but he was over his head and he just doesn't project to have much power in the majors. If you're still hanging onto him, I'd see if he's about to go on a hot streak and then ride it out, but don't be afraid to cut bait.
Josh Barfield - 2/4, 2 R, 2 SB (8). A popular sleeper at the 2B position heading into the year, but he hasn't panned out at all. He's hitting .266 with 2 HR and 8 SB, so he's not providing fantasy value to what few owners he has left.
Kenny Rogers - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Well, pick him up if he's still out there. He's pitched very well in his 2 outings since coming back from a blood clot. With the explosive Detroit offense supporting him, he should be a good source of solid ratios and Ws down the stretch.
Gary Sheffield - 1/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (18), SB (10). He's been one of the best OFs in fantasy baseball this year. I had my reservations with him coming off a serious wrist injury and moving to a more pitcher's friendly park, but he's shattered all of that with his tremendous first half.
A.J. Burnett - 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Not the best outing for Burnett, but with the 6 strikeouts versus 0 walks, he pitched pretty well and just made a couple mistakes within the strikezone. He should be good to go, but there's no question in my mind that if he puts together a couple good starts, trade him. A pitcher with a history of arm problems combined with a team that doesn't take care of their pitchers....bad times for everyone.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (13). Congratulations to Frank Thomas on his 500th HR. In an age of athletes that have taken performance enhancing drugs on their way to big careers, I believe Frank is one of the ones that did it the right way. He's always been a big, strong, power hitter from day 1. A favorite of mine while on the White Sox; he's capped his HOF career by hitting a big career milestone.
Randy Wolf - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K. Another mediocre outing from Randy Wolf. I dumped him in one league in favor of Gallardo, and I'm plenty happy I did. I'm not going to write about him anymore unless he turns it around.
Randy Johnson - 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Pretty ugly outing from Johnson in his return from the DL. He should be alright heading forward though, although more injury problems are quite possible.
Russell Martin - 3/6, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He's been as consistent as you can get each month so far this year and he's elevated himself into the elite fantasy catcher catagory.
Jimmy Rollins - 4/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (15). He had a pretty pedestrian May, but he's come back strong, hitting .324 with 4 HR and 5 SB in June.
Chase Utley - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (15), SB (6). He's awesome, isn't he?
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K. His 2nd straight outing only allowing 1 ER. What's next? Probably a disasterous one. Still, his owners have to be loving his overall performance this year as he's exceeding expectations with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.
Scott Kazmir - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. 114 pitches didn't even get him out of the 6th inning as he's continuing to have efficiency and command problems. It's been 3 months now, and I'm wondering if my suggestion to buy low was erroneous. He doesn't seem to be getting any better, and you have to wonder where that 2006 form has gone.
Paul Konerko - 3/5, 2 solo HR (14). 14 HR, 41 RBI, and a .257 AVG. Not what his owners have wanted, but given he's hitting .314 with 7 HR and 15 RBI in June, he's put the awful first 2 months behind him.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A step in the right direction as Oswalt tries to bounce back from a string of 4 mediocre outings.
Troy Tulowitzki - 3/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (8), SB (4). Well, right after I posted that he wasn't doing enough in the HR/SB department, he's gone on a tear, hitting 5 HR and stealing 2 bases in the last 8 games. Ride out the hot streak, and perhaps he's ready to take the next step and become a consistent fantasy option. He's obviously worth adding to find out.
Carlos Lee - 2/6, walkoff GS (15), SB (5). It doesn't get much better than a walkoff grand slam. Lee is hitting .294 with 15 HR, 5 SB, and 66 RBI, so he's doing an excellent job of living up to his draft day position.
Craig Biggio - 5/6, 1 R, 1 RBI. Congrats to Craig Biggio for collecting his 3000th hit last night, capping off what's been a borderline HOF career. With 3000 hits, 413 SBs, and 286 HRs on his resume, and given the fact he spent much of his career catching and playing 2B, I think he has a very legit shot of getting into Cooperstown. He wasn't a dominant force at any given time in his career, but I think he'll eventually make it.
Kevin Gregg - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (15). A nice bounce back outing after giving up 2 ER and taking the loss the previous game. He's the unquestioned closer and there's no debate about it anymore.
Joe Blanton - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. His bullpen allowed 2 runners to score along with one other to blow the game for him. Still, this was an impressive outing against the powerful Cleveland lineup.
Dan Johnson - 4/4, solo HR (7). He's all the way down to .269. I sold him high, and I don't remember if I mentioned here, so I apologize if I didn't. I talked him up when he was hitting well, but he was over his head and he just doesn't project to have much power in the majors. If you're still hanging onto him, I'd see if he's about to go on a hot streak and then ride it out, but don't be afraid to cut bait.
Josh Barfield - 2/4, 2 R, 2 SB (8). A popular sleeper at the 2B position heading into the year, but he hasn't panned out at all. He's hitting .266 with 2 HR and 8 SB, so he's not providing fantasy value to what few owners he has left.
Kenny Rogers - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Well, pick him up if he's still out there. He's pitched very well in his 2 outings since coming back from a blood clot. With the explosive Detroit offense supporting him, he should be a good source of solid ratios and Ws down the stretch.
Gary Sheffield - 1/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (18), SB (10). He's been one of the best OFs in fantasy baseball this year. I had my reservations with him coming off a serious wrist injury and moving to a more pitcher's friendly park, but he's shattered all of that with his tremendous first half.
A.J. Burnett - 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Not the best outing for Burnett, but with the 6 strikeouts versus 0 walks, he pitched pretty well and just made a couple mistakes within the strikezone. He should be good to go, but there's no question in my mind that if he puts together a couple good starts, trade him. A pitcher with a history of arm problems combined with a team that doesn't take care of their pitchers....bad times for everyone.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (13). Congratulations to Frank Thomas on his 500th HR. In an age of athletes that have taken performance enhancing drugs on their way to big careers, I believe Frank is one of the ones that did it the right way. He's always been a big, strong, power hitter from day 1. A favorite of mine while on the White Sox; he's capped his HOF career by hitting a big career milestone.
Randy Wolf - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K. Another mediocre outing from Randy Wolf. I dumped him in one league in favor of Gallardo, and I'm plenty happy I did. I'm not going to write about him anymore unless he turns it around.
Randy Johnson - 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Pretty ugly outing from Johnson in his return from the DL. He should be alright heading forward though, although more injury problems are quite possible.
Russell Martin - 3/6, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He's been as consistent as you can get each month so far this year and he's elevated himself into the elite fantasy catcher catagory.
Jimmy Rollins - 4/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (15). He had a pretty pedestrian May, but he's come back strong, hitting .324 with 4 HR and 5 SB in June.
Chase Utley - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (15), SB (6). He's awesome, isn't he?
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K. His 2nd straight outing only allowing 1 ER. What's next? Probably a disasterous one. Still, his owners have to be loving his overall performance this year as he's exceeding expectations with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.
Scott Kazmir - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. 114 pitches didn't even get him out of the 6th inning as he's continuing to have efficiency and command problems. It's been 3 months now, and I'm wondering if my suggestion to buy low was erroneous. He doesn't seem to be getting any better, and you have to wonder where that 2006 form has gone.
Paul Konerko - 3/5, 2 solo HR (14). 14 HR, 41 RBI, and a .257 AVG. Not what his owners have wanted, but given he's hitting .314 with 7 HR and 15 RBI in June, he's put the awful first 2 months behind him.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A step in the right direction as Oswalt tries to bounce back from a string of 4 mediocre outings.
Troy Tulowitzki - 3/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (8), SB (4). Well, right after I posted that he wasn't doing enough in the HR/SB department, he's gone on a tear, hitting 5 HR and stealing 2 bases in the last 8 games. Ride out the hot streak, and perhaps he's ready to take the next step and become a consistent fantasy option. He's obviously worth adding to find out.
Carlos Lee - 2/6, walkoff GS (15), SB (5). It doesn't get much better than a walkoff grand slam. Lee is hitting .294 with 15 HR, 5 SB, and 66 RBI, so he's doing an excellent job of living up to his draft day position.
Craig Biggio - 5/6, 1 R, 1 RBI. Congrats to Craig Biggio for collecting his 3000th hit last night, capping off what's been a borderline HOF career. With 3000 hits, 413 SBs, and 286 HRs on his resume, and given the fact he spent much of his career catching and playing 2B, I think he has a very legit shot of getting into Cooperstown. He wasn't a dominant force at any given time in his career, but I think he'll eventually make it.
Belated Wednesday Recap
Lance Berkman - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Continues his recent solid hitting with another good game. It seems he's snapped out the slump that's seemingly plagued him through the first half of the season.
Carlos Zambrano - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (9). He was dominant again before tiring a bit in the 6th and giving up 4 baserunners and both ER in that inning. He was pulled after, and the bullpen held up for him. He's pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now.
Ryan Theriot - 1/4, 1 RBI, SB (14). Those still holding onto him can cut bait. With Lee and Ramirez entrenched at the corner infield spots and both DeRosa and Fontenot yielding hot bats, Theriot will no longer have consistent playing time. His only value lies in steals, so he's not worth owning.
Mark DeRosa - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He's going to keep playing while hot, so if you need a middle infielder, pick him up for his hot streak. He's swinging the bat very well right now, but he's not going to be a long-term option.
Greg Maddux - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (7). The veteran is moving right along, and he might post his first sub-4 ERA in 4 years with Petco Park aiding him.
Matt Cain - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. He dropped to 2-9 on the year, and while he's had some problems with his command in numerous starts, he's pitching far better than his record indicates. Play up the bad record and try to buy him for the 2nd half when things should even out.
Khalil Greene - 1/3, solo HR (13). 6 HR and 11 RBI in his last 10 games. Still, the hot streak only leaves him with a .241 AVG, and he just doesn't do enough in other catagories to make him worth using.
Jered Weaver - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Unfortunately he allowed the only run in the game as his offense failed to score against De La Rosa and the Royals bullpen. He's definitely healthy again and ready to roll. I don't like him as much as most due thanks to this flyball tendencies (only sporting a 34.7 GB%), but thanks to the strong team around him, he should be a solid fantasy option in the 2nd half.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Probably his best start as a major leaguer. He was dominant against Seattle, and he's now allowed 2 or less ER in 5 straight starts. He's on top of his game now, and has rewarded both patient owners and guys who bought low with a very solid string of outings. Expect a better and more consistent 2nd half, but you obviously won't be able to get a discount on him with his recent performance.
Fausto Carmona - 1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ouch. Hopefully it's just a one-time thing, so I wouldn't worry about this, but don't look at your ERA or WHIP for a few days.
Jack Cust - 2/5, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (13). Is he seriously settling in as a quality DH for the long-haul? Oakland sure thinks so, and they've actually postponed Mike Piazza's return from his injury until he can perform catching duties. That's 5 HR in his last 8 games. For fantasy purposes, use him while hot, but don't be afraid to pull the plug when he goes cold again.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for a career high in HR, RBI, and R. In a normal season he'd be a candidate for bounceback player of the year for the majors. but with the Josh Hamilton story this year, I'm not sure if he'll be able to claim that.
Aaron Harang - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Had an off game, and it came against Philly in Philly. That'll happen.
Ryan Howard - 1/4, 3 run HR (18). The AVG will throw you off, but after the early season struggles and the injury/recovery, he's performing about where you should expect him to.
Sergio Mitre - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. A rough outing for Mitre, but he's still worth using unless he strings together a couple poor performances. He has a solid lineup supporting him, his K rate is quality at 50 K in 75 1/3 IP, and he's getting groundballs at a high rate of 59.8%.
Xavier Nady - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's been quite a surprise this year, hitting .283 with 13 HR and 46 RBI. He's not a bad 2nd 1B/3rd OF for your fantasy team. He's managing to drive in plenty of runs despite having a pathetic lineup hitting ahead of him.
Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Completed dominated the Yankees lineup. Even though he pitches in the AL East, he has the stuff to take care of great offenses when he's on. That is why he's a great #2 starter for your fantasy team.
Roger Clemens - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. We waited 2 months for this? I hate Roger Clemens, but I know his fantasy value and didn't have any problem drafting him and sitting on him until he came back. He's been horrible so far. Owners don't have any choice right now though...you can't trade him for much since he's not pitching well, but you can't drop him either because odds are he'll probably get back on top of his game.
Brian Roberts - 1/4, SB (25). I'm sure owners were expecting more along the lines of 30 steals, so the fact Roberts is on pace for 50 is very nice. Plus he's sporting a .322 AVG to boot.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He finally puts in the quality performance that was long overdue, but his offense fails to show up and the game gets rained out. It's partially luck like that as to why he's 0-10.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (7). At only 81 pitches, he probably had another inning left in him, but his owners have to be elated with what they did get with him in the game.
Albert Pujols - 0/1, CS (5). He surprised owners with 16 SB 2 years ago, but dropped back to 7 last year and is 1/6 on the basepaths his year. Not that it impacts his fantasy value that much, but I don't think we'll see double digit steals from him again.
David Wright - 1/1, 2 run HR (13). Wright is back on top of his game, and should provide his owners with a great 2nd half. He's raised his AVG back to .288, and could get that to .300 by year's end.
Mark Buehrle - 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (5). Pitched his way out of some jams and turned in a fine outing. If the Sox can plug the bullpen holes, the hitting should come around and Buehrle should win a few more games in the 2nd half. Rumors of trading him have subsided, only to be replaced with re-signing. It's a bit of a disappointment since the NL would have given his fantasy value a boost, but he's pitching very well regardless of the league right now.
Scott Podsednik - 2/5, 1 R. Probably a forgotten man in many fantasy leagues after hitting a disappointing .261 last year, and then having a serious groin injury knock him out a touch over 2 months this year. If he can hit .300, he can be a decent 3 catagory player for you assuming he can score with the slumping offense behind him. Still, with Thome and Konerko behind him, he'll be able to score enough to maintain some fantasy value. Just keep an eye on his AVG...if he can't hit .300 he's not worth owning.
John Smoltz - 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Right on par with what was expected from him facing the weak Washington offense. He was pinch-run for since with the big lead, there was no reason for him to keep pitching at that point, especially coming off of shoulder soreness a little bit ago. Smart move by Atlanta, who seemingly always handle their pitchers well.
Chipper Jones - 3/4, 1 R, 4 RBI. He's rolling right along since coming back from the DL.
Jeff Francoeur - 3/3, 1 R, 3 RBI. He's been in quite a slump, as I mentioned previously, so hopefully this is the start of him turning things around. I put him back in my active lineup just in case, so if you've been benching him, you might think about doing the same. He's not going to keep hitting this poorly for much longer.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 2 run HR (6). Much like Francouer, I think McCann should turn it around shortly as well. I was on the fence with him, but I have a hard time thinking that last year was a fluke the more I consider it. Not a bad buy-low guy depending on your catcher situation.
Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. That's at least 4 ER in 4 of his last 5 starts. I'd consider matchups with him...I don't believe he's an automatic start.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, W (8). He wasn't at his best last night as his command failed him, but he did a great job pitching out of jams, and amazingly enough with those 12 baserunners and his big sinker, he didn't force a single GIDP.
Jose Valverde - 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, SV (25). He's been one of the best draft day values at reliever, and yet another example of why you don't need to spend early round picks on closers to put together a solid bullpen. His 2.78 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are very good.
Derek Lowe - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Deserved a win, but his offense couldn't break through against Webb. He's been an outstanding draft day value at the SP position.
Carlos Zambrano - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (9). He was dominant again before tiring a bit in the 6th and giving up 4 baserunners and both ER in that inning. He was pulled after, and the bullpen held up for him. He's pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now.
Ryan Theriot - 1/4, 1 RBI, SB (14). Those still holding onto him can cut bait. With Lee and Ramirez entrenched at the corner infield spots and both DeRosa and Fontenot yielding hot bats, Theriot will no longer have consistent playing time. His only value lies in steals, so he's not worth owning.
Mark DeRosa - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He's going to keep playing while hot, so if you need a middle infielder, pick him up for his hot streak. He's swinging the bat very well right now, but he's not going to be a long-term option.
Greg Maddux - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (7). The veteran is moving right along, and he might post his first sub-4 ERA in 4 years with Petco Park aiding him.
Matt Cain - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. He dropped to 2-9 on the year, and while he's had some problems with his command in numerous starts, he's pitching far better than his record indicates. Play up the bad record and try to buy him for the 2nd half when things should even out.
Khalil Greene - 1/3, solo HR (13). 6 HR and 11 RBI in his last 10 games. Still, the hot streak only leaves him with a .241 AVG, and he just doesn't do enough in other catagories to make him worth using.
Jered Weaver - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Unfortunately he allowed the only run in the game as his offense failed to score against De La Rosa and the Royals bullpen. He's definitely healthy again and ready to roll. I don't like him as much as most due thanks to this flyball tendencies (only sporting a 34.7 GB%), but thanks to the strong team around him, he should be a solid fantasy option in the 2nd half.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Probably his best start as a major leaguer. He was dominant against Seattle, and he's now allowed 2 or less ER in 5 straight starts. He's on top of his game now, and has rewarded both patient owners and guys who bought low with a very solid string of outings. Expect a better and more consistent 2nd half, but you obviously won't be able to get a discount on him with his recent performance.
Fausto Carmona - 1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ouch. Hopefully it's just a one-time thing, so I wouldn't worry about this, but don't look at your ERA or WHIP for a few days.
Jack Cust - 2/5, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (13). Is he seriously settling in as a quality DH for the long-haul? Oakland sure thinks so, and they've actually postponed Mike Piazza's return from his injury until he can perform catching duties. That's 5 HR in his last 8 games. For fantasy purposes, use him while hot, but don't be afraid to pull the plug when he goes cold again.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for a career high in HR, RBI, and R. In a normal season he'd be a candidate for bounceback player of the year for the majors. but with the Josh Hamilton story this year, I'm not sure if he'll be able to claim that.
Aaron Harang - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Had an off game, and it came against Philly in Philly. That'll happen.
Ryan Howard - 1/4, 3 run HR (18). The AVG will throw you off, but after the early season struggles and the injury/recovery, he's performing about where you should expect him to.
Sergio Mitre - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. A rough outing for Mitre, but he's still worth using unless he strings together a couple poor performances. He has a solid lineup supporting him, his K rate is quality at 50 K in 75 1/3 IP, and he's getting groundballs at a high rate of 59.8%.
Xavier Nady - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's been quite a surprise this year, hitting .283 with 13 HR and 46 RBI. He's not a bad 2nd 1B/3rd OF for your fantasy team. He's managing to drive in plenty of runs despite having a pathetic lineup hitting ahead of him.
Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Completed dominated the Yankees lineup. Even though he pitches in the AL East, he has the stuff to take care of great offenses when he's on. That is why he's a great #2 starter for your fantasy team.
Roger Clemens - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. We waited 2 months for this? I hate Roger Clemens, but I know his fantasy value and didn't have any problem drafting him and sitting on him until he came back. He's been horrible so far. Owners don't have any choice right now though...you can't trade him for much since he's not pitching well, but you can't drop him either because odds are he'll probably get back on top of his game.
Brian Roberts - 1/4, SB (25). I'm sure owners were expecting more along the lines of 30 steals, so the fact Roberts is on pace for 50 is very nice. Plus he's sporting a .322 AVG to boot.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He finally puts in the quality performance that was long overdue, but his offense fails to show up and the game gets rained out. It's partially luck like that as to why he's 0-10.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (7). At only 81 pitches, he probably had another inning left in him, but his owners have to be elated with what they did get with him in the game.
Albert Pujols - 0/1, CS (5). He surprised owners with 16 SB 2 years ago, but dropped back to 7 last year and is 1/6 on the basepaths his year. Not that it impacts his fantasy value that much, but I don't think we'll see double digit steals from him again.
David Wright - 1/1, 2 run HR (13). Wright is back on top of his game, and should provide his owners with a great 2nd half. He's raised his AVG back to .288, and could get that to .300 by year's end.
Mark Buehrle - 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (5). Pitched his way out of some jams and turned in a fine outing. If the Sox can plug the bullpen holes, the hitting should come around and Buehrle should win a few more games in the 2nd half. Rumors of trading him have subsided, only to be replaced with re-signing. It's a bit of a disappointment since the NL would have given his fantasy value a boost, but he's pitching very well regardless of the league right now.
Scott Podsednik - 2/5, 1 R. Probably a forgotten man in many fantasy leagues after hitting a disappointing .261 last year, and then having a serious groin injury knock him out a touch over 2 months this year. If he can hit .300, he can be a decent 3 catagory player for you assuming he can score with the slumping offense behind him. Still, with Thome and Konerko behind him, he'll be able to score enough to maintain some fantasy value. Just keep an eye on his AVG...if he can't hit .300 he's not worth owning.
John Smoltz - 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Right on par with what was expected from him facing the weak Washington offense. He was pinch-run for since with the big lead, there was no reason for him to keep pitching at that point, especially coming off of shoulder soreness a little bit ago. Smart move by Atlanta, who seemingly always handle their pitchers well.
Chipper Jones - 3/4, 1 R, 4 RBI. He's rolling right along since coming back from the DL.
Jeff Francoeur - 3/3, 1 R, 3 RBI. He's been in quite a slump, as I mentioned previously, so hopefully this is the start of him turning things around. I put him back in my active lineup just in case, so if you've been benching him, you might think about doing the same. He's not going to keep hitting this poorly for much longer.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 2 run HR (6). Much like Francouer, I think McCann should turn it around shortly as well. I was on the fence with him, but I have a hard time thinking that last year was a fluke the more I consider it. Not a bad buy-low guy depending on your catcher situation.
Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. That's at least 4 ER in 4 of his last 5 starts. I'd consider matchups with him...I don't believe he's an automatic start.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, W (8). He wasn't at his best last night as his command failed him, but he did a great job pitching out of jams, and amazingly enough with those 12 baserunners and his big sinker, he didn't force a single GIDP.
Jose Valverde - 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, SV (25). He's been one of the best draft day values at reliever, and yet another example of why you don't need to spend early round picks on closers to put together a solid bullpen. His 2.78 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are very good.
Derek Lowe - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Deserved a win, but his offense couldn't break through against Webb. He's been an outstanding draft day value at the SP position.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday: Buy Beltran / Otsuka / Zito, Sell Gagne
Dontrelle Willis - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Willis actually pitched pretty well, although it was against the lowly Pirates. Honestly, if it wasn't for his name, his 4.83 ERA and 1.56 WHIP would be on the waiver wire. I'm not saying you should drop him, but I'd bench him until I see a hot streak. He hasn't had a good month yet, ending June with a 4.82 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.
Matt Capps - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (6). He's done a fairly solid job as a closer...exactly what I said he would do. He's given up some runs here and there, but his 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP are very nice, and the 31 K in 43 1/3 IP isn't too bad.
Dan Haren - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Haren has slowly become more like the pitcher he is recently, but he's done an outstanding job of not getting blown up to make everyone notice. If you can turn him into a legit ace, I'd still do it, but I wouldn't trade him for anything less than that.
Alan Embree - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB. Yuck. That's 2 consecutive days of getting hit hard. He had 7 straight scoreless apperances before this, so I'm guessing his job isn't in jeopardy yet, but he better string together a couple more scoreless outings sometime soon. With Rich Harden currently in the bullpen and not seemingly able to pitch more than one inning at a time, and with Duch and Street still on the DL, the rumors of Harden closing I'm sure will be very popular about now.
Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for 25 HR, 45 SB, and 130 R. He could be a late 1st round draft pick next year.
Homer Bailey - 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. You knew he was going to get blown up sometime, and it came against Philly last night. I'd be picky with my matchups when starting him.
Adam Dunn - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). His current .271 AVG would be a career high, and he's on pace for a 40 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R season. Pretty much what his owners expected, although the 7 SB and higher AVG is definitely a plus, making him a bit of a draft day bargain.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, HR (12). He's actually been hot at the plate recently, hitting 3 HR in his past 5 games. With only 25 RBI and 29 R, he's not much of a fantasy option right now, although you could ride out his power hot streak. He's definitely a solid bench OF with some upside, though.
Ryan Howard - 1/5, 2 run HR (17). One of the bigger draft day busts so far, although his 2nd half should definitely be an improvement over his 1st half. You might be able to get him at a discount, so take a shot at it.
Chase Utley - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). Outside of only stealing 4 bases, he's giving his owners exactly what they wanted, including posting a career high (so far) OPS of .971, and he's on pace for 120 RBIs.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Tons of baserunners, but he limited the damage. Too bad the offense didn't support him, although that's been his downfall all season long.
Jeremy Guthrie - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His first time facing the Yankees was a success. I'm curious to see what happens the next time through.
Johnny Damon - 1/4, 2 run HR (5). Outside of the stolen bases, he's been a huge bust. He's playing hurt in order to avoid the DL for the first time in his career. The tough guy image is crap and he's clearly hurting the team and his fantasy owners with his subpar performance this year.
Akinori Otsuka - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (2). The bad news? His stat line. The good news? Todd Jones didn't preserve the tie and Otsuka picked up the win. The better news? Eric Gagne is being shopped around, and Otsuka would reclaim the closer's role if Gagne is dealt. Given Gagne's injury history and age, there's no reason for the Rangers, who are out of contention, to hang onto Gagne. Be pro-active here and make sure Otsuka isn't unowned in your league.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (8). The flipside of the Otsuka argument - trade Gagne. Trade him for a closer if you need one, or use him to upgrade another position. I just don't see Gagne being a Ranger through the end of the year.
Todd Jones - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB. The price you pay for saves. He won't lose the closer's role because he's 18/21 in save chances, and 12 of the 21 ER he's given up have come in non-save chances. Still, owning him is like playing hot potato with a ticking timebomb...you just never know when he'll trot out there in a tie game to ruin your ratios.
Curtis Granderson - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (10), SB (9). With a .294 AVG, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 56 R, and 9 SB, he kinda reminds me of a cheaper, productive Johnny Damon.
Oliver Perez - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Another solid performance from Perez, but that's 3 more walks, making it at least 3 walks in 5 straight starts. I'm sure they'll continue to work with him to figure out what's causing the recent lack of command, but in the meantime, he still has the stuff to be productive.
Carlos Beltran - 1/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (12). A pretty disappointing 1st half for Beltran with only 10 HR, 44 RBI, and 40 R coming off a season in which he put up 41 HR, 116 RBI, and 127 R. It's obvious his legs are healthy by the stolen bases, so he's another guy that I expect to put up a much improved 2nd half. The Mets offense is slumping, but they're too good for that to keep up.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (5). The bullpen held a lead for the 2nd straight night, incredible! He's continuing to pitch well and provide marginal value in fantasy leagues. With 46 K in 104 1/3 IP, 41.8 GB%, and a 22.8 LD%, he's definitely defying the odds.
James Shields - 7 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. All good other than the ER. It was one bad inning as with 2 outs, he committed a throwing error on a ball hit to him, and that unraveled him as he gave up a 3 run HR, a solo HR, and 2 more singles before finally getting out of the inning. More was expected of him against the weak Chicago offense, but it was just one mistake here that led to the subpar outing. He does need to limit the HR, though, as he's given up 2 in each of his last 3 outings.
Jim Thome - 2/4, solo HR (10). Disappointing first half with only 10 HR and 30 RBI, although there was an injury mixed in that cost him about a month. Give him that month back, and he'd probably be at 15 HR/45 RBI, which isn't that bad.
Jeff Francouer - 1/4, CS. Andruw Jones must be screwing around with Francouer's swing. With a .232, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R line in June, he's been absolutely worthless. He's been sitting on my bench in favor of Willy Taveras for about 2 weeks now, and I suggest you do the same until he does something positive. At least he produced runs last year when he wasn't hitting for an AVG. I do think he's a buy-low guy as he's too good of a hitter to keep doing nothing.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 2/4, 2 HR (4). I hope I don't have to type this name too much. He's a very good young hitter with a lot of potential, and he's also catcher eligible. Keep an eye on him due to that fact as the Braves are playing him some at 1B to get his bat in the lineup.
Ted Lilly - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, W (6). Quite wild last night, but hung around long enough to pick up his 6th win. He'll be a bit erratic, but he's a solid 3rd/4th starter in your fantasy rotation.
Ryan Braun - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (6), SB (6). If he keeps this up, he won't be a sleeper at 3B next year. I really wish I had used my WW on him in the league I don't have A-Rod. He's been outstanding in all 5 catagories so far, hitting .342 to boot. He's hitting 3rd in a great Milwaukee lineup, so he'll be a run producer all year long.
Scott Baker - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Quite impressive against a solid Toronto lineup. I talked him up a bit after his quality start following his callup, but he went south in a hurry. He threw well against the Mets last time out, and now this. Don't pick him up, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
Shaun Marcum - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I guess I should address him with his 3.13 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He was a reliever to start the year, but he's put up a 2.26 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP since moving into the rotation. With a 42:19 K:BB ratio, he's obviously not this good, but you should definitely ride out the hot streak. He might be a Chad Gaudin type.
Takashi Saito - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (21). With a 1.41 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 41 K in 32 IP, he's been among the best closers in fantasy baseball so far. Amazing draft value for those who didn't doubt his season last year.
Chris Young - 1/5, HR (11). An injury held him back a bit and threw off his rhythm, but I expect an improved 2nd half from this youngster as he should be adjusted to the major leagues now. He'll probably be a liability in AVG, but his power/speed combination is very good and that will help your fantasy team in the 2nd half. I wish Arizona would lead him off again like they were earlier in the season.
James Loney - 3/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (3). Another good, young hitting prospect has been called up, and it's about time. The Dodgers moved Garciaparra over to 3B to make room, and Loney's responded in a big way since starting every day for the past 5 games. I'm not sure what to make of his fantasy value yet.
Felix Hernandez - 5 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Again with the garbage, although against Boston I expected this to happen. Apparently he wasn't locating his fastball very well at all, proving that you need more than just 97 MPH heat to get major leaguers out. I think he gets KC next, so I'll consider him depending on how I feel on the day.
Julio Lugo - 0/0, SB (20). Hitless over his past 8 games, and he's currently at .191. I hope you aren't still starting him trying to get steals...that's quite a price to pay in the AVG catagory. I don't know how much longer Boston will put up with this.
Gil Meche - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (5). A solid outing against Anaheim, the team with the most wins in all of major league baseball. He continues to be a solid fantasy starter.
Ervin Santana - 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. A horrendous home start for Santana against a weak offense, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia mentioned after the game that he thought Santana might be hurt. If so, that'd provide a much better explanation for this performance than anything else.
Alex Gordon - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). Gordon is hitting .341 with 3 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, and 5 SB in June. He's clearly arrived, so make sure he's owned in all leagues. He's defintely worth starting at this current time, and hopefully this carries over into a very strong 2nd half.
Joey Gathright - 3/3, 2 R, 2 SB (4). I don't know what the hell the Royals are doing by sparingly playing Gathright. He's hitting .333 in limited time, and he easily has the most speed on the team. This man should be leading off for them until he proves he can't handle doing so...it's not like the Royals are going anywhere. I know I suggested picking him up for his steals, but he's not worth using until the Royals commit more playing time to him.
Barry Zito - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 2 solo HRs did him in, and the offense gave him no support. His 4.62 ERA and 1.38 WHIP are ugly right now, but keep in mind that the AL did the most damage. In 2 starts against Oakland and 1 against Boston, he had a 10.80 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Against the NL, he has a 3.61 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. So, now that interleague is over, he should be a fairly consistent fantasy pitcher the rest of the way. I think he's a decent buy-low guy who's 2nd half numbers will improve.
Matt Capps - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (6). He's done a fairly solid job as a closer...exactly what I said he would do. He's given up some runs here and there, but his 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP are very nice, and the 31 K in 43 1/3 IP isn't too bad.
Dan Haren - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Haren has slowly become more like the pitcher he is recently, but he's done an outstanding job of not getting blown up to make everyone notice. If you can turn him into a legit ace, I'd still do it, but I wouldn't trade him for anything less than that.
Alan Embree - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB. Yuck. That's 2 consecutive days of getting hit hard. He had 7 straight scoreless apperances before this, so I'm guessing his job isn't in jeopardy yet, but he better string together a couple more scoreless outings sometime soon. With Rich Harden currently in the bullpen and not seemingly able to pitch more than one inning at a time, and with Duch and Street still on the DL, the rumors of Harden closing I'm sure will be very popular about now.
Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for 25 HR, 45 SB, and 130 R. He could be a late 1st round draft pick next year.
Homer Bailey - 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. You knew he was going to get blown up sometime, and it came against Philly last night. I'd be picky with my matchups when starting him.
Adam Dunn - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). His current .271 AVG would be a career high, and he's on pace for a 40 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R season. Pretty much what his owners expected, although the 7 SB and higher AVG is definitely a plus, making him a bit of a draft day bargain.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, HR (12). He's actually been hot at the plate recently, hitting 3 HR in his past 5 games. With only 25 RBI and 29 R, he's not much of a fantasy option right now, although you could ride out his power hot streak. He's definitely a solid bench OF with some upside, though.
Ryan Howard - 1/5, 2 run HR (17). One of the bigger draft day busts so far, although his 2nd half should definitely be an improvement over his 1st half. You might be able to get him at a discount, so take a shot at it.
Chase Utley - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). Outside of only stealing 4 bases, he's giving his owners exactly what they wanted, including posting a career high (so far) OPS of .971, and he's on pace for 120 RBIs.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Tons of baserunners, but he limited the damage. Too bad the offense didn't support him, although that's been his downfall all season long.
Jeremy Guthrie - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His first time facing the Yankees was a success. I'm curious to see what happens the next time through.
Johnny Damon - 1/4, 2 run HR (5). Outside of the stolen bases, he's been a huge bust. He's playing hurt in order to avoid the DL for the first time in his career. The tough guy image is crap and he's clearly hurting the team and his fantasy owners with his subpar performance this year.
Akinori Otsuka - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (2). The bad news? His stat line. The good news? Todd Jones didn't preserve the tie and Otsuka picked up the win. The better news? Eric Gagne is being shopped around, and Otsuka would reclaim the closer's role if Gagne is dealt. Given Gagne's injury history and age, there's no reason for the Rangers, who are out of contention, to hang onto Gagne. Be pro-active here and make sure Otsuka isn't unowned in your league.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (8). The flipside of the Otsuka argument - trade Gagne. Trade him for a closer if you need one, or use him to upgrade another position. I just don't see Gagne being a Ranger through the end of the year.
Todd Jones - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB. The price you pay for saves. He won't lose the closer's role because he's 18/21 in save chances, and 12 of the 21 ER he's given up have come in non-save chances. Still, owning him is like playing hot potato with a ticking timebomb...you just never know when he'll trot out there in a tie game to ruin your ratios.
Curtis Granderson - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (10), SB (9). With a .294 AVG, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 56 R, and 9 SB, he kinda reminds me of a cheaper, productive Johnny Damon.
Oliver Perez - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Another solid performance from Perez, but that's 3 more walks, making it at least 3 walks in 5 straight starts. I'm sure they'll continue to work with him to figure out what's causing the recent lack of command, but in the meantime, he still has the stuff to be productive.
Carlos Beltran - 1/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (12). A pretty disappointing 1st half for Beltran with only 10 HR, 44 RBI, and 40 R coming off a season in which he put up 41 HR, 116 RBI, and 127 R. It's obvious his legs are healthy by the stolen bases, so he's another guy that I expect to put up a much improved 2nd half. The Mets offense is slumping, but they're too good for that to keep up.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (5). The bullpen held a lead for the 2nd straight night, incredible! He's continuing to pitch well and provide marginal value in fantasy leagues. With 46 K in 104 1/3 IP, 41.8 GB%, and a 22.8 LD%, he's definitely defying the odds.
James Shields - 7 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. All good other than the ER. It was one bad inning as with 2 outs, he committed a throwing error on a ball hit to him, and that unraveled him as he gave up a 3 run HR, a solo HR, and 2 more singles before finally getting out of the inning. More was expected of him against the weak Chicago offense, but it was just one mistake here that led to the subpar outing. He does need to limit the HR, though, as he's given up 2 in each of his last 3 outings.
Jim Thome - 2/4, solo HR (10). Disappointing first half with only 10 HR and 30 RBI, although there was an injury mixed in that cost him about a month. Give him that month back, and he'd probably be at 15 HR/45 RBI, which isn't that bad.
Jeff Francouer - 1/4, CS. Andruw Jones must be screwing around with Francouer's swing. With a .232, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R line in June, he's been absolutely worthless. He's been sitting on my bench in favor of Willy Taveras for about 2 weeks now, and I suggest you do the same until he does something positive. At least he produced runs last year when he wasn't hitting for an AVG. I do think he's a buy-low guy as he's too good of a hitter to keep doing nothing.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 2/4, 2 HR (4). I hope I don't have to type this name too much. He's a very good young hitter with a lot of potential, and he's also catcher eligible. Keep an eye on him due to that fact as the Braves are playing him some at 1B to get his bat in the lineup.
Ted Lilly - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, W (6). Quite wild last night, but hung around long enough to pick up his 6th win. He'll be a bit erratic, but he's a solid 3rd/4th starter in your fantasy rotation.
Ryan Braun - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (6), SB (6). If he keeps this up, he won't be a sleeper at 3B next year. I really wish I had used my WW on him in the league I don't have A-Rod. He's been outstanding in all 5 catagories so far, hitting .342 to boot. He's hitting 3rd in a great Milwaukee lineup, so he'll be a run producer all year long.
Scott Baker - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Quite impressive against a solid Toronto lineup. I talked him up a bit after his quality start following his callup, but he went south in a hurry. He threw well against the Mets last time out, and now this. Don't pick him up, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
Shaun Marcum - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I guess I should address him with his 3.13 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He was a reliever to start the year, but he's put up a 2.26 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP since moving into the rotation. With a 42:19 K:BB ratio, he's obviously not this good, but you should definitely ride out the hot streak. He might be a Chad Gaudin type.
Takashi Saito - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (21). With a 1.41 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 41 K in 32 IP, he's been among the best closers in fantasy baseball so far. Amazing draft value for those who didn't doubt his season last year.
Chris Young - 1/5, HR (11). An injury held him back a bit and threw off his rhythm, but I expect an improved 2nd half from this youngster as he should be adjusted to the major leagues now. He'll probably be a liability in AVG, but his power/speed combination is very good and that will help your fantasy team in the 2nd half. I wish Arizona would lead him off again like they were earlier in the season.
James Loney - 3/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (3). Another good, young hitting prospect has been called up, and it's about time. The Dodgers moved Garciaparra over to 3B to make room, and Loney's responded in a big way since starting every day for the past 5 games. I'm not sure what to make of his fantasy value yet.
Felix Hernandez - 5 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Again with the garbage, although against Boston I expected this to happen. Apparently he wasn't locating his fastball very well at all, proving that you need more than just 97 MPH heat to get major leaguers out. I think he gets KC next, so I'll consider him depending on how I feel on the day.
Julio Lugo - 0/0, SB (20). Hitless over his past 8 games, and he's currently at .191. I hope you aren't still starting him trying to get steals...that's quite a price to pay in the AVG catagory. I don't know how much longer Boston will put up with this.
Gil Meche - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (5). A solid outing against Anaheim, the team with the most wins in all of major league baseball. He continues to be a solid fantasy starter.
Ervin Santana - 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. A horrendous home start for Santana against a weak offense, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia mentioned after the game that he thought Santana might be hurt. If so, that'd provide a much better explanation for this performance than anything else.
Alex Gordon - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). Gordon is hitting .341 with 3 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, and 5 SB in June. He's clearly arrived, so make sure he's owned in all leagues. He's defintely worth starting at this current time, and hopefully this carries over into a very strong 2nd half.
Joey Gathright - 3/3, 2 R, 2 SB (4). I don't know what the hell the Royals are doing by sparingly playing Gathright. He's hitting .333 in limited time, and he easily has the most speed on the team. This man should be leading off for them until he proves he can't handle doing so...it's not like the Royals are going anywhere. I know I suggested picking him up for his steals, but he's not worth using until the Royals commit more playing time to him.
Barry Zito - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 2 solo HRs did him in, and the offense gave him no support. His 4.62 ERA and 1.38 WHIP are ugly right now, but keep in mind that the AL did the most damage. In 2 starts against Oakland and 1 against Boston, he had a 10.80 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Against the NL, he has a 3.61 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. So, now that interleague is over, he should be a fairly consistent fantasy pitcher the rest of the way. I think he's a decent buy-low guy who's 2nd half numbers will improve.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday's Games, Or Lack Of
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. Back to the NL, back to weaker offenses, and back on his game. I'm sure Hudson is one of many NL hurlers that enjoy the fact interleague games are a thing of the past for this year.
Jason Bergmann - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Remember that almost no-hitter? Seems like quite a while ago, but Bergmann became a popular pickup after that when people realized how well he had been pitching. The upside is low pitching in front of the Washington offense, but he's one to keep an eye on.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). This coming on the heels of 4 hitless games. His power exploded in the 2nd half of last year, when he hit 19 of his 24 HRs in the last 3 months. Owners can hope he'll repeat that sort of performance in the 2nd half of this year.
Felipe Lopez - 1/4, SB (9). He's likely waiver wire fodder in most leagues, but he's stolen a base in 3 consecutive games. I don't really like him as a fantasy property while playing in Washington, but ifhe starts stealing more bases, he could re-emerge as an option.
C.C. Sabathia - 9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. A great complete game effort from the big lefthander. He's had an impressive season so far, and is the first pitcher to reach 11 wins on the season.
Chad Gaudin - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A pretty solid performance against a tough Cleveland lineup. Gaudin had some problems against Houston and Cincinnati, so it's nice to see him get back on track here.
Travis Hafner - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). Let's hope this is the start of a long hot streak to end that long slump he's been in. Your buy low time might start ticking with this game.
Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K. He'd been living dangerous recently, having his offense bail him out with wins despite not pitching well the last 3 times out. He actually pitched better last night, but his own throwing error led to a couple unearned runs, and ultimately his first loss of the year. His ERA stands at 3.90, and he's traditionally been a 1st half pitcher. 2006 Pre AS Break: 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP. 2006 Post AS Break: 4.87 ERA, 1.49 WHIP. 2005 Pre AS Break: 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP. 2005 Post AS Break: 5.61 ERA, 1.56 WHIP. If I had to wager, I'd bet on him putting together the first solid 2nd half of his career this season. I wouldn't sell high on him.
Ian Kinsler - 1/3, 2 R. He's quiet been hitting better recently, racking up 9 hits in his last 7 games. He's been due to bust out of his slump for a while now, so hopefully this is the beginning of that. Nobody expected him to keep up the pace he started in April, but he was rotten in May .174 AVG). June's stats are .269, 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 4 SB. That's more in line with what should be expected from him each month.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, SV (19). A pretty good half for Jenks so far. He's posted a 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 19 saves, and 29 K in 29 2/3 IP. He's not putting up the same gaudy K numbers he had the past two seasons, but his owners will take the improved ratios instead.
Mike Maroth - 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A very impressive NL debut for Maroth. He could become a back-of-the-rotation fantasy option now that he's in the NL, so keep an eye on him. At worst he could prove to be a good spot-starter against weaker offenses, although tonight's performance came against the Mets.
Jorge Sosa - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Another solid performance from Sosa, who rebounded nicely after getting pounded in 2 straight starts.
Ben Sheets - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He keeps rolling right along, winning his 5th straight decision, all coming in the last 6 starts. He has definitely risen back to fantasy ace status this year, and he is giving his owners a bit more than what they drafted him for so far. He's already within 3 wins of his career high thanks to the great offense.
Hunter Pence - 1/3, SB (6). Always finding a way to help his owners out.
Prince Fielder - 1/4, solo HR (27). His first HR in 6 games. Pretty good for mere mortals, but that's a long dry spell for a Prince.
Jeff Francis - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. The Cubs were all over him last night. He had turned in two straight stellar starts against the Red Sox and Yankees, so I guess this is just fate catching up with him.
Kaz Matsui - 2/5, 2 R, SB (15). I've been sleeping on this guy, but make sure you aren't. With a .311 AVG, 15 SB, and 32 R, he's proving to be a pretty solid commodity at 2B in mixed leagues.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He is really on fire with 4 HR in his last 5 games. Maybe he's coming into his own now. I wouldn't want to trust him as my starting SS the rest of the year, but he's worth picking up to see what happens.
Roy Halladay - 7 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not at his best last night, but still good enough to beat the Twins and pick up his 9th win.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, SV (9). Nice to seem him again bounce back after a bad performance in his last outing. This was actually his first save opportunity in almost 2 weeks.
Kevin Slowey - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Back on his command, but haunted again by the long ball. He's now surrendered at least 1 HR in each start, including mutiple HRs his last 3 outings. He's not much of a fantasy option right now thanks to his HR rate, but he could become one later if he finds a way to keep the ball in the ballpark when it's hit.
Vernon Wells - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (9). He's starting to heat up, so this is your last buy-low chance. Go get him.
Alex Rios - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (17), SB (7). An amazing first half for Rios, who's on pace for 35/15.
Brad Penny - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Penny became NL's first 10 game winner last night, and with the 2.04 ERA he's sporting, it's no wonder why. His K rate is a bit down from where it was last year at this time, but he's put together even better ratios. It's still very unlikely he can replicate this in the 2nd half, but he's on a serious roll right now with 4 straight starts of at least 7 IP and exactly 1 ER.
Jeff Weaver - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. 1/3 of an inning more, and it would have been 3 straight quality starts. This one came against Boston. Combine this with Ichiro not getting a hit, and I'm seriously worried about the apocolypse occuring sometime soon.
Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (8). Thanks to the terrible surrounding offense, he only has 31 RBI and 27 R despite hitting .308. If he were hitting on a better team, he'd be a top fantasy option at catcher. As is, he's a solid late round value.
John Lackey - 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Not a bad fantasy line for someone coming off shoulder tightness. If he's healthy, expect a return to form soon enough.
Howie Kendrick - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI. Over the past 3 weeks he's yanked his AVG up from .236 to .299. He's scoring a lot of Rs, but the lack of HR, SB, and RBI is keeping his fantasy value down a bit. He's a mixed league option at 2B while he's hitting so well, but it'd be nice to see some contribution to the HR/SB catagories.
Justin Germano - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another great outing, but this is yet another team that hadn't seen him. As I've expressed before, be careful when starting him against teams that have already seen him. He's due for some regression soon, and also remember that the only team that's seen him twice, Seattle, hit him pretty hard the 2nd time around.
Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Still a bit of a control problem here, but he pitched very well outside of that. Unfortunately the bullpen blew it. Guillermo Rodriguez was his catcher the past two outings, ironically the 2 worst of his young career. Bengie Molina was back behind the plate for this one, and a very good outing ensued. I imagine SF will try to pair Lincecum with Molina as much as possible going forward. I actually started him last night despite standard logic not saying so, but I forgot to post the catcher switch news, not thinking it would be that big of a deal. Arizona has a below average Team BA and OBP, but is fairly strong with BB and K. It's an average matchup up next.
Mike Cameron - 2/5, 3 run HR (9). The reason the Giants bullpen blew it for Lincecum. Since I own him on the same team, no complaints here.
Jason Bergmann - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Remember that almost no-hitter? Seems like quite a while ago, but Bergmann became a popular pickup after that when people realized how well he had been pitching. The upside is low pitching in front of the Washington offense, but he's one to keep an eye on.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). This coming on the heels of 4 hitless games. His power exploded in the 2nd half of last year, when he hit 19 of his 24 HRs in the last 3 months. Owners can hope he'll repeat that sort of performance in the 2nd half of this year.
Felipe Lopez - 1/4, SB (9). He's likely waiver wire fodder in most leagues, but he's stolen a base in 3 consecutive games. I don't really like him as a fantasy property while playing in Washington, but ifhe starts stealing more bases, he could re-emerge as an option.
C.C. Sabathia - 9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. A great complete game effort from the big lefthander. He's had an impressive season so far, and is the first pitcher to reach 11 wins on the season.
Chad Gaudin - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A pretty solid performance against a tough Cleveland lineup. Gaudin had some problems against Houston and Cincinnati, so it's nice to see him get back on track here.
Travis Hafner - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). Let's hope this is the start of a long hot streak to end that long slump he's been in. Your buy low time might start ticking with this game.
Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K. He'd been living dangerous recently, having his offense bail him out with wins despite not pitching well the last 3 times out. He actually pitched better last night, but his own throwing error led to a couple unearned runs, and ultimately his first loss of the year. His ERA stands at 3.90, and he's traditionally been a 1st half pitcher. 2006 Pre AS Break: 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP. 2006 Post AS Break: 4.87 ERA, 1.49 WHIP. 2005 Pre AS Break: 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP. 2005 Post AS Break: 5.61 ERA, 1.56 WHIP. If I had to wager, I'd bet on him putting together the first solid 2nd half of his career this season. I wouldn't sell high on him.
Ian Kinsler - 1/3, 2 R. He's quiet been hitting better recently, racking up 9 hits in his last 7 games. He's been due to bust out of his slump for a while now, so hopefully this is the beginning of that. Nobody expected him to keep up the pace he started in April, but he was rotten in May .174 AVG). June's stats are .269, 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 4 SB. That's more in line with what should be expected from him each month.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, SV (19). A pretty good half for Jenks so far. He's posted a 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 19 saves, and 29 K in 29 2/3 IP. He's not putting up the same gaudy K numbers he had the past two seasons, but his owners will take the improved ratios instead.
Mike Maroth - 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A very impressive NL debut for Maroth. He could become a back-of-the-rotation fantasy option now that he's in the NL, so keep an eye on him. At worst he could prove to be a good spot-starter against weaker offenses, although tonight's performance came against the Mets.
Jorge Sosa - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Another solid performance from Sosa, who rebounded nicely after getting pounded in 2 straight starts.
Ben Sheets - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He keeps rolling right along, winning his 5th straight decision, all coming in the last 6 starts. He has definitely risen back to fantasy ace status this year, and he is giving his owners a bit more than what they drafted him for so far. He's already within 3 wins of his career high thanks to the great offense.
Hunter Pence - 1/3, SB (6). Always finding a way to help his owners out.
Prince Fielder - 1/4, solo HR (27). His first HR in 6 games. Pretty good for mere mortals, but that's a long dry spell for a Prince.
Jeff Francis - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. The Cubs were all over him last night. He had turned in two straight stellar starts against the Red Sox and Yankees, so I guess this is just fate catching up with him.
Kaz Matsui - 2/5, 2 R, SB (15). I've been sleeping on this guy, but make sure you aren't. With a .311 AVG, 15 SB, and 32 R, he's proving to be a pretty solid commodity at 2B in mixed leagues.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He is really on fire with 4 HR in his last 5 games. Maybe he's coming into his own now. I wouldn't want to trust him as my starting SS the rest of the year, but he's worth picking up to see what happens.
Roy Halladay - 7 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not at his best last night, but still good enough to beat the Twins and pick up his 9th win.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, SV (9). Nice to seem him again bounce back after a bad performance in his last outing. This was actually his first save opportunity in almost 2 weeks.
Kevin Slowey - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Back on his command, but haunted again by the long ball. He's now surrendered at least 1 HR in each start, including mutiple HRs his last 3 outings. He's not much of a fantasy option right now thanks to his HR rate, but he could become one later if he finds a way to keep the ball in the ballpark when it's hit.
Vernon Wells - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (9). He's starting to heat up, so this is your last buy-low chance. Go get him.
Alex Rios - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (17), SB (7). An amazing first half for Rios, who's on pace for 35/15.
Brad Penny - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Penny became NL's first 10 game winner last night, and with the 2.04 ERA he's sporting, it's no wonder why. His K rate is a bit down from where it was last year at this time, but he's put together even better ratios. It's still very unlikely he can replicate this in the 2nd half, but he's on a serious roll right now with 4 straight starts of at least 7 IP and exactly 1 ER.
Jeff Weaver - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. 1/3 of an inning more, and it would have been 3 straight quality starts. This one came against Boston. Combine this with Ichiro not getting a hit, and I'm seriously worried about the apocolypse occuring sometime soon.
Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (8). Thanks to the terrible surrounding offense, he only has 31 RBI and 27 R despite hitting .308. If he were hitting on a better team, he'd be a top fantasy option at catcher. As is, he's a solid late round value.
John Lackey - 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Not a bad fantasy line for someone coming off shoulder tightness. If he's healthy, expect a return to form soon enough.
Howie Kendrick - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI. Over the past 3 weeks he's yanked his AVG up from .236 to .299. He's scoring a lot of Rs, but the lack of HR, SB, and RBI is keeping his fantasy value down a bit. He's a mixed league option at 2B while he's hitting so well, but it'd be nice to see some contribution to the HR/SB catagories.
Justin Germano - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another great outing, but this is yet another team that hadn't seen him. As I've expressed before, be careful when starting him against teams that have already seen him. He's due for some regression soon, and also remember that the only team that's seen him twice, Seattle, hit him pretty hard the 2nd time around.
Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Still a bit of a control problem here, but he pitched very well outside of that. Unfortunately the bullpen blew it. Guillermo Rodriguez was his catcher the past two outings, ironically the 2 worst of his young career. Bengie Molina was back behind the plate for this one, and a very good outing ensued. I imagine SF will try to pair Lincecum with Molina as much as possible going forward. I actually started him last night despite standard logic not saying so, but I forgot to post the catcher switch news, not thinking it would be that big of a deal. Arizona has a below average Team BA and OBP, but is fairly strong with BB and K. It's an average matchup up next.
Mike Cameron - 2/5, 3 run HR (9). The reason the Giants bullpen blew it for Lincecum. Since I own him on the same team, no complaints here.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday: Gallardo Pitching For A Job, Pence Stays Hot
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Just another day at the office for Johan.
Joe Nathan - 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K. He's back to giving up tons of hits, surrendering 9 in his last 4 outings. Some of it might have to do with the lack of save opportunities that the Twins are giving him, some of it has to do with his defense, and some of it has to do with him giving up more hard hit balls. His defensive efficiency rating is .618 this year, down over 100 points from the past 3 years, but part of that has to do with his skyhigh 0.30 LD%. After giving up 84 hits in 138 1/3 IP the last 2 years, he's given up 35 H in 31 1/3 IP this year. We can hope that he rebounds.
Joe Mauer - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (3). 2 HR and 4 doubles in his past 5 games. He's showing some more power as he gets back into it, and owners can hope that he improves upon the 13 HRs he hit last year.
Miguel Cabrera - 2/4, solo HR (17). Back on pace for about 35 HRs this year. He's proving to be worth where he was selected in drafts, and the improved lineup around him will help his R and RBI totals.
Dustin McGowan - 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. About as good as it gets, but unfortunately McGowan lost his no hit bid against the first batter of the 9th inning. He's actually posted 6 QS in the past 7 appearances, so he's pitching pretty well right now.
Frank Thomas - 1/4, solo HR (12). 4 HRs in 7 games for the Big Hurt as he's now just 1 HR away from 500.
John Maine - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. His continued command improvement is a big reason why he's pitching as well as he is right now. Along with Oliver Perez and James Shields, he's definitely been one of the best WW finds for starting pitching this year. He could post the best stats of the 3 by the time the season is done.
Jack Cust - 1/4, solo HR (11). He's actually hitting .327 this month, and he's maintaining decent fantasy value. His current AVG of .268 is fairly reasonable given his skills.
Travis Hafner - 1/3. His AVG has crashed down to .255. I read he's implemented a new swing of some sort, but it's obviously not working very well. His HR/FB% is down to 15.9%, about half of last year. His GB% has shot up to 49%, about 10% higher than last year. It's obvious from those stats that he's not striking the ball well, and rolling over more balls with his swing. I still think, given his history, he's an excellent buy low. He has two straight seasons of .300, 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. At only 10 HR, I think he's due to break out big time in the 2nd half. Go get him.
Ty Wiggington - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's proving to be quite a valuable fantasy asset as he has multiple infield position eligibility, and he's up to .280, 13 HR, and 38 RBI on the season. His power is the same no matter what the pitcher, but do note that he's hitting .319 against LHP and .268 against RHP.
Sean Marshall - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Another great start from Marshall. I found it curious that he was removed in the 7th inning after only 81 pitches. He had just induced a fly out, and there wasn't anyone on base. I dunno why Pinella took him out there as he was cruising along. No injury was reported.
Bob Howry - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV. Another save in place of Dempster. I'd pick him up. Oblique injuries, as I've stated before, are tricky to predict recovery from. There's a good chance Dempster ends up on the DL. Howry's pitching much better, and was a solid closer for the White Sox years ago. He might be worth more than just 2 saves.
Yovani Gallardo - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Unfortunately Turnblow came in and gave the game away, or else Gallardo would have picked up his 2nd win. He turned in another great performance, and he'll have one more start before Capuano returns. What happens then is anyone's guess...there's still a possibility that he gets sent back down despite his performance so far. He gets the Cubs next weekend.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 K. Blew the save by allowing a HR to Corey Hart. Hart's hitting off anyone and everyone, so it's nothing to be concerned about.
Corey Hart - 1/5, 2 run, HR (10). His HR in the 9th off Dotel sent the game to extra innings. Unreal performance thus far.
Alex Gordon - 1/3, 1 R, 2 SB (9). He's really helping fantasy owners now in all 5 catagories. Amazing what happens when you can get yourself on base.
Cole Hamels - 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A lengthy rain delay ended his outing early. No worries.
Jimmy Rollins - 2/5, 2 R, SB (14). .284, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 60 R, and 14 SB. His SB are a bit down from previous years, but he's been just a step behind Reyes and Ramirez at SS this year.
Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A QS against one of the best teams in the AL. Not much more could be asked from him in this matchup.
Francisco Rodriguez - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Very wild last night with 2 walks and 2 wild pitches. He walked a hitter, then 2 wild pitches got him to 3rd, and he allowed a single to bring in the tying run. Only his 2nd blown save of the season. After 31 pitches last night, I bet Shields gets the save chance tonight.
Chone Figgins - 1/2, 1 R, 2 SB (18). Continues his torrid post-injury pace. He's hitting .442 this month with 13 steals. Ridiculous.
Orlando Cabrera - 2/5, SB (9). A very nice lower tier SS this year as he's hitting .336, 4 HR, 44 RBI, 50 R, and 9 SB on the year. His SB are a bit down, but he's been very solid.
Mike Mussina - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Another decent line in his final interleague start. I'm still wary about him once he starts facing more powerful AL lineups again.
Josh Beckett - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Business as usual for Beckett as he did what was expected facing a weak lineup in a pitcher's park. This seems to be the year that it all comes together for Beckett.
Jake Peavy - 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The best pitching matchup of the year didn't quite materialize. He wasn't his sharpest last night, although it was one bad inning again. 5 of those hits all came in one inning, and most of them were weak singles. Still, he pitched pretty well against a great offense.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 3/4, 2 solo HR (21). Griffey has now passed Mark McGwire on the HR chart with 584 in his career. He's on fire as trade winds continue to swirl. He's such a huge draw for the Cincy faithful at this point, so I'm not sure whether he'll be traded or not. He hits HRs anywhere, so I don't see a trade impacting his fantasy value.
Chris Young - 2/4, 3 R, SB (8). His AVG hasn't been very good so far (.246), but with 10 HR and 8 SB, he's done a good job as a rookie in the first half of the season. Expect him to hit for a better AVG in the 2nd half.
Brian Roberts - 4/5, solo HR (4). He hasn't shown the same power he did in the first half of the 2005 season, but with a .324 AVG, 46 R, and 24 SB, he's definitely lived up to his draft position. He has 6 multi-hit games in his last 8.
Andrew Miller - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He's a permanent member of the Detroit rotation now, so make sure he's unowned in all leagues. This kid is going to be a good one.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. Didn't perserve the tie in this one, but his ERA still stands at 1.29. He was due to give up a few runs, so owners should feel lucky it wasn't in a save chance.
Dan Wheeler - 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. 3 HRs allowed as he blew 2 run leads in consecutive innings. Wheeler is a complete mess right now.
Hunter Pence - 4/6, 4 R, 1 RBI, HR (8). I said Guillen and Hart were the two hottest hitters in baseball right now, and I obviously forgot to include Pence in that catagory as well. Like I've been saying all along, though, he's not going to hit .350 all year. His 39:7 K:BB ratio just won't allow that to happen. He's a 5 catagory guy, though, so when his AVG slumps he should still be of some use. As I've been saying, you should shop him in redraft leagues and see what you can get.
Joe Nathan - 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K. He's back to giving up tons of hits, surrendering 9 in his last 4 outings. Some of it might have to do with the lack of save opportunities that the Twins are giving him, some of it has to do with his defense, and some of it has to do with him giving up more hard hit balls. His defensive efficiency rating is .618 this year, down over 100 points from the past 3 years, but part of that has to do with his skyhigh 0.30 LD%. After giving up 84 hits in 138 1/3 IP the last 2 years, he's given up 35 H in 31 1/3 IP this year. We can hope that he rebounds.
Joe Mauer - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (3). 2 HR and 4 doubles in his past 5 games. He's showing some more power as he gets back into it, and owners can hope that he improves upon the 13 HRs he hit last year.
Miguel Cabrera - 2/4, solo HR (17). Back on pace for about 35 HRs this year. He's proving to be worth where he was selected in drafts, and the improved lineup around him will help his R and RBI totals.
Dustin McGowan - 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. About as good as it gets, but unfortunately McGowan lost his no hit bid against the first batter of the 9th inning. He's actually posted 6 QS in the past 7 appearances, so he's pitching pretty well right now.
Frank Thomas - 1/4, solo HR (12). 4 HRs in 7 games for the Big Hurt as he's now just 1 HR away from 500.
John Maine - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. His continued command improvement is a big reason why he's pitching as well as he is right now. Along with Oliver Perez and James Shields, he's definitely been one of the best WW finds for starting pitching this year. He could post the best stats of the 3 by the time the season is done.
Jack Cust - 1/4, solo HR (11). He's actually hitting .327 this month, and he's maintaining decent fantasy value. His current AVG of .268 is fairly reasonable given his skills.
Travis Hafner - 1/3. His AVG has crashed down to .255. I read he's implemented a new swing of some sort, but it's obviously not working very well. His HR/FB% is down to 15.9%, about half of last year. His GB% has shot up to 49%, about 10% higher than last year. It's obvious from those stats that he's not striking the ball well, and rolling over more balls with his swing. I still think, given his history, he's an excellent buy low. He has two straight seasons of .300, 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. At only 10 HR, I think he's due to break out big time in the 2nd half. Go get him.
Ty Wiggington - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's proving to be quite a valuable fantasy asset as he has multiple infield position eligibility, and he's up to .280, 13 HR, and 38 RBI on the season. His power is the same no matter what the pitcher, but do note that he's hitting .319 against LHP and .268 against RHP.
Sean Marshall - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Another great start from Marshall. I found it curious that he was removed in the 7th inning after only 81 pitches. He had just induced a fly out, and there wasn't anyone on base. I dunno why Pinella took him out there as he was cruising along. No injury was reported.
Bob Howry - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV. Another save in place of Dempster. I'd pick him up. Oblique injuries, as I've stated before, are tricky to predict recovery from. There's a good chance Dempster ends up on the DL. Howry's pitching much better, and was a solid closer for the White Sox years ago. He might be worth more than just 2 saves.
Yovani Gallardo - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Unfortunately Turnblow came in and gave the game away, or else Gallardo would have picked up his 2nd win. He turned in another great performance, and he'll have one more start before Capuano returns. What happens then is anyone's guess...there's still a possibility that he gets sent back down despite his performance so far. He gets the Cubs next weekend.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 K. Blew the save by allowing a HR to Corey Hart. Hart's hitting off anyone and everyone, so it's nothing to be concerned about.
Corey Hart - 1/5, 2 run, HR (10). His HR in the 9th off Dotel sent the game to extra innings. Unreal performance thus far.
Alex Gordon - 1/3, 1 R, 2 SB (9). He's really helping fantasy owners now in all 5 catagories. Amazing what happens when you can get yourself on base.
Cole Hamels - 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A lengthy rain delay ended his outing early. No worries.
Jimmy Rollins - 2/5, 2 R, SB (14). .284, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 60 R, and 14 SB. His SB are a bit down from previous years, but he's been just a step behind Reyes and Ramirez at SS this year.
Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A QS against one of the best teams in the AL. Not much more could be asked from him in this matchup.
Francisco Rodriguez - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Very wild last night with 2 walks and 2 wild pitches. He walked a hitter, then 2 wild pitches got him to 3rd, and he allowed a single to bring in the tying run. Only his 2nd blown save of the season. After 31 pitches last night, I bet Shields gets the save chance tonight.
Chone Figgins - 1/2, 1 R, 2 SB (18). Continues his torrid post-injury pace. He's hitting .442 this month with 13 steals. Ridiculous.
Orlando Cabrera - 2/5, SB (9). A very nice lower tier SS this year as he's hitting .336, 4 HR, 44 RBI, 50 R, and 9 SB on the year. His SB are a bit down, but he's been very solid.
Mike Mussina - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Another decent line in his final interleague start. I'm still wary about him once he starts facing more powerful AL lineups again.
Josh Beckett - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Business as usual for Beckett as he did what was expected facing a weak lineup in a pitcher's park. This seems to be the year that it all comes together for Beckett.
Jake Peavy - 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The best pitching matchup of the year didn't quite materialize. He wasn't his sharpest last night, although it was one bad inning again. 5 of those hits all came in one inning, and most of them were weak singles. Still, he pitched pretty well against a great offense.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 3/4, 2 solo HR (21). Griffey has now passed Mark McGwire on the HR chart with 584 in his career. He's on fire as trade winds continue to swirl. He's such a huge draw for the Cincy faithful at this point, so I'm not sure whether he'll be traded or not. He hits HRs anywhere, so I don't see a trade impacting his fantasy value.
Chris Young - 2/4, 3 R, SB (8). His AVG hasn't been very good so far (.246), but with 10 HR and 8 SB, he's done a good job as a rookie in the first half of the season. Expect him to hit for a better AVG in the 2nd half.
Brian Roberts - 4/5, solo HR (4). He hasn't shown the same power he did in the first half of the 2005 season, but with a .324 AVG, 46 R, and 24 SB, he's definitely lived up to his draft position. He has 6 multi-hit games in his last 8.
Andrew Miller - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He's a permanent member of the Detroit rotation now, so make sure he's unowned in all leagues. This kid is going to be a good one.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. Didn't perserve the tie in this one, but his ERA still stands at 1.29. He was due to give up a few runs, so owners should feel lucky it wasn't in a save chance.
Dan Wheeler - 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. 3 HRs allowed as he blew 2 run leads in consecutive innings. Wheeler is a complete mess right now.
Hunter Pence - 4/6, 4 R, 1 RBI, HR (8). I said Guillen and Hart were the two hottest hitters in baseball right now, and I obviously forgot to include Pence in that catagory as well. Like I've been saying all along, though, he's not going to hit .350 all year. His 39:7 K:BB ratio just won't allow that to happen. He's a 5 catagory guy, though, so when his AVG slumps he should still be of some use. As I've been saying, you should shop him in redraft leagues and see what you can get.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Justin Morneau's X-Ray Results
The Minnesota Twins announced that X-Rays on Justin Morneau's chest came back negative. He's going to spend another night in the hospital, and the team hopes he'll be able to fly to Minnesota tomorrow and rejoin the team.
Fantasy Impact: Those of us in daily leagues can check the pre-game lineups and get him back in the lineup when he returns. Those in weekly leagues? Well unless you have a great option, I'd put him in your lineup for next week. 4-5 games of Morneau are probably better than 6-7 games of whoever else you might have.
Fantasy Impact: Those of us in daily leagues can check the pre-game lineups and get him back in the lineup when he returns. Those in weekly leagues? Well unless you have a great option, I'd put him in your lineup for next week. 4-5 games of Morneau are probably better than 6-7 games of whoever else you might have.
Saturday: Dempster Hurt, Escobar Rollin'
Rich Hill - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Given the White Sox aren't hitting lefthanders well at all this year, I'm sure a bit more was expected, but he turned in a fine performance regardless. He wasn't efficient with his pitches today, but only allowed 1 run, and the offense didn't score their 2nd run until the 9th.
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. Good Javy, this time. The offense let him down, per usual.
Bob Howry - 1 IP, 2 K, SV. Ryan Dempster is out for a few days with a strained oblique, so Howry filled in and nailed down the save. He's actually turned his season around with 10 scoreless appearances in his last 11, and he might be good for another save or two while Dempster is on the mend.
Troy Tulowitski - 1/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (6). 14 hits, 3 HR, and 2 SB in his last 10 games. A nice hot streak for the youngster, but I don't think he'll maintain this sort of pace long enough to have mixed league value this year. He's on a nice hot streak now, so if you need short term SS help, you could do worse.
Frank Thomas - 4/4, GS (11). Well, that yanked his AVG up a bit. He was actually available in one of my leagues, so if you need some HR/RBI help, he's your man. Like I said before, I doubt he'll have a ~.300 AVG 2nd half again like last year, but he should improve from where he'd been most of the year.
Matt Stairs - 4/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's up to 11 HR and 26 RBI on the year, and he's also hitting .309. Well, you should certainly ride out the hot streak, but I don't think this 39 year old is on his way to having some sort of career year.
Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Since the Dodgers blew him up back on May 15th, he's actually pitching fairly well. He's a young pitcher with solid potential, so if you're hurting in your rotation with injuries or ineffectiveness, he's not a bad idea as long as tempered expectations join him.
Chris Duncan - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (14). Vs. RHP, Duncan is at .288, 13 HR, 38 RBI. Vs. LHP, Duncan is at .220, 1 HR, 5 RBI. Platoon him and be happy with the great splits against RHP.
Chien Ming-Wang - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. Haha, well, so much for getting worked up about last start's 10 K performance. He still has some work to do to get those K's up apparently. His slider is definitely a solid pitch, as I said before, but he still has to learn how to harnass that pitch and miss more bats with his arsenal.
Matt Morris - 5 2/3 IP, 13 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Pounded again. Now it's not too concerning given he's been hit hard by the Yankees and Red Sox, but with a 1.35 WHIP and a 4.5 K/9 IP ratio, I don't think he's going to dominate the NL like he was doing before interleague started. He'll still have some success since he's in the NL, but like I've said a couple times, he was pitching over his head.
Alex Rodriguez - 4/6, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (28), SB (9). His HR was his 7th 9th inning HR of the season. He's defying all expectations with this ridiculous performance so far.
Barry Bonds - 2/3, 2 RBI. He's rolling right along now as he continues his quest towards 755.
Roy Oswalt - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. He's had one great start in his last 7 appearances. I'll recommend him as a buy low candidate, but be careful. Unless he's hurt, he's definitely pitching under his ability right now.
Justin Verlander - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K. One solo HR was the only damage. He's taken another step forward this year, and he's proving to be one of the best young pitchers in the game. Like I said before, however, I'd be wary of his career-high innings pitched number last year, how late he pitched into the year, and the likelihood of another career-high number this year. I'm still sticking by my predicition that he'll fade a bit in the 2nd half.
Carlos Guillen - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Over his last 7 games, he has 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 10 R. He is seriously on fire right now.
Chipper Jones - 1/4, HR (13). He's battling a number of ailments right now, but you wouldn't know that by looking at his numbers. He'll keep hitting like an elite 3B as long as he's in the lineup and not too hurt.
David Bush - 7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. 2 straight solid performances from Bush. He and Vazquez are quite similar. High ERAs despite very good WHIPs, solid K rates, and no explanation for why they buck the statistical trend. Bush was very bad early in the season, but he's been fairly solid this month for an end-of-the-rotation guy.
Corey Hart - 3/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, SB (14). He and Carlos Guillen are about the 2 hottest hitters going in fantasy right now. Hart has 19 hits, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 13 R, and 4 SB in the last 10 games. I think he's stolen the leadoff spot from Rickie Weeks on a permanent basis with his performance. I think he's a sell high guy in leagues if you can get an established stud (projected for similar performance) in return for him as part of a package deal. He's a rookie and is due to get cold.
Victor Martinez - 1/4, 3 run HR (14). He's up to 62 RBIs. He's on pace to set a career high in HRs and RBIs as his previous highs were 23 and 108. He was undervalued a bit in drafts this year coming off a 16 HR season, but he's locked in and has a great lineup hitting ahead of him this year.
Josh Johnson - 3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. He's clearly not ready to help fantasy teams right now, so if you've been holding onto him and like someone on the waiver wire better, go for it. I don't think anyone will be picking him up right now.
Joe Blanton - 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His vastly improved K rate over last year is making all the difference so far, and he's improved his ERA from 4.82 to 3.19, and his WHIP from 1.54 to 1.08 over last year. I think his current numbers are a bit above his head, but he's obviously taken a big step this year and has to be taken seriously. He was matched by El Duque and his offense couldn't get him a win.
Orlando Hernandez - 7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Too bad his offense didn't feel like scoring til the 9th inning. His 2 rough outings are a thing of the past as he got back on his game with this outing. One might be worried about his high ERAs of the past few years, but the Mets have straightened out Oliver Perez as well, and it's possible they've helped El Duque find a flaw and his BAA is down from .292 to .205, which shows this is not as flukey as it appears. He's pitching a bit over his head, but the switch to the NL will allow a soft tosser with deception like him to have much more sustained success than in the AL. Given his history, his health is likely to fail him, so I'd still suggest selling for a more reliable pitcher.
Randy Wolf - 6 2/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He's had a rough June, giving up 3 or more ER in each of his starts this month. Especially concerning were that two of those starts came in SD and in PIT. I still think he can be an asset against weaker offenses, but I wouldn't blindly start him each time otu like most of us were doing last month.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. These walks are gross. He's consistently having control and pitch inefficiency problems almost every time out. He's not getting lit up, but he's not pitching like his owners expected. There's nothing you can do but hope he gets it figured out, and make sure your staff around him can absorb the WHIP hit.
Russell Martin - 1/4, SB (13). Stolen bases from catchers are sweet, especially this many of them.
Al Reyes - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV. He's a veteran, but it's nice to see him bounce back after the 4 run blowup in his last outing.
Kelvim Escobar - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He's been one of fantasy baseball's best kept secrets this year as he's throwing like staff ace, while being drafted like a 4th or 5th starter, or possibly going undrafted. Like I keep saying, depending on the depth of your fantasy rotation, I'd suggest trying to package him for an estblished ace given his injury history. If you can't get an ace-type back (or a stud hitter if you need that instead), just hope he stays healthy this year as he's not pitching over his head, despite what his career stats say. He has nasty stuff and is pitching for a very good offense. The only thing that's held him back the past few years is injuries.
Ian Snell - 6 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. The burn on the index finger of his pitching hand might have bothered him, but all 5 ER and 7 of those baserunners were allowed in the 2nd inning. I wouldn't worry too much about this start.
Chone Figgins - 3/5, 1 RBI, SB (16). He's now hitting .299 on the year. He's bounced back like no one could have imagined, especially after last year's disappointing season.
Howie Kendrick - 2/5, 3 R, 2 RBI. Howie, much like Stella before him, got his groove back. Go get him if he's still available.
Vladimir Guerrero - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (14). Amazing how a few late month HRs can get a player back on pace for what you expect.
Eric Byrnes - 1/5, 2 R, HR (12). He's right on pace for that 25/25 predicted season.
Richie Sexson - 2/3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (14). He's been dropped to the 7th spot in the lineup, but he's been hitting much better recently. I think his 2nd half performance will show us the Sexson we expect.
Chris Young - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K. Wow, what a performance against the Boston offense. His 0.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and .164 BAA stats at home are amazing. He's not been too shabby on the road, either.
Khalil Greene - 3/4, 2 HR (11). It's a shame he plays in Petco. His HR home/away splits are normal, but he hits .271 on the road and .216 at home. That's what keeps him from being a fantasy option.
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. Good Javy, this time. The offense let him down, per usual.
Bob Howry - 1 IP, 2 K, SV. Ryan Dempster is out for a few days with a strained oblique, so Howry filled in and nailed down the save. He's actually turned his season around with 10 scoreless appearances in his last 11, and he might be good for another save or two while Dempster is on the mend.
Troy Tulowitski - 1/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (6). 14 hits, 3 HR, and 2 SB in his last 10 games. A nice hot streak for the youngster, but I don't think he'll maintain this sort of pace long enough to have mixed league value this year. He's on a nice hot streak now, so if you need short term SS help, you could do worse.
Frank Thomas - 4/4, GS (11). Well, that yanked his AVG up a bit. He was actually available in one of my leagues, so if you need some HR/RBI help, he's your man. Like I said before, I doubt he'll have a ~.300 AVG 2nd half again like last year, but he should improve from where he'd been most of the year.
Matt Stairs - 4/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's up to 11 HR and 26 RBI on the year, and he's also hitting .309. Well, you should certainly ride out the hot streak, but I don't think this 39 year old is on his way to having some sort of career year.
Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Since the Dodgers blew him up back on May 15th, he's actually pitching fairly well. He's a young pitcher with solid potential, so if you're hurting in your rotation with injuries or ineffectiveness, he's not a bad idea as long as tempered expectations join him.
Chris Duncan - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (14). Vs. RHP, Duncan is at .288, 13 HR, 38 RBI. Vs. LHP, Duncan is at .220, 1 HR, 5 RBI. Platoon him and be happy with the great splits against RHP.
Chien Ming-Wang - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. Haha, well, so much for getting worked up about last start's 10 K performance. He still has some work to do to get those K's up apparently. His slider is definitely a solid pitch, as I said before, but he still has to learn how to harnass that pitch and miss more bats with his arsenal.
Matt Morris - 5 2/3 IP, 13 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Pounded again. Now it's not too concerning given he's been hit hard by the Yankees and Red Sox, but with a 1.35 WHIP and a 4.5 K/9 IP ratio, I don't think he's going to dominate the NL like he was doing before interleague started. He'll still have some success since he's in the NL, but like I've said a couple times, he was pitching over his head.
Alex Rodriguez - 4/6, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (28), SB (9). His HR was his 7th 9th inning HR of the season. He's defying all expectations with this ridiculous performance so far.
Barry Bonds - 2/3, 2 RBI. He's rolling right along now as he continues his quest towards 755.
Roy Oswalt - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. He's had one great start in his last 7 appearances. I'll recommend him as a buy low candidate, but be careful. Unless he's hurt, he's definitely pitching under his ability right now.
Justin Verlander - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K. One solo HR was the only damage. He's taken another step forward this year, and he's proving to be one of the best young pitchers in the game. Like I said before, however, I'd be wary of his career-high innings pitched number last year, how late he pitched into the year, and the likelihood of another career-high number this year. I'm still sticking by my predicition that he'll fade a bit in the 2nd half.
Carlos Guillen - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Over his last 7 games, he has 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 10 R. He is seriously on fire right now.
Chipper Jones - 1/4, HR (13). He's battling a number of ailments right now, but you wouldn't know that by looking at his numbers. He'll keep hitting like an elite 3B as long as he's in the lineup and not too hurt.
David Bush - 7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. 2 straight solid performances from Bush. He and Vazquez are quite similar. High ERAs despite very good WHIPs, solid K rates, and no explanation for why they buck the statistical trend. Bush was very bad early in the season, but he's been fairly solid this month for an end-of-the-rotation guy.
Corey Hart - 3/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, SB (14). He and Carlos Guillen are about the 2 hottest hitters going in fantasy right now. Hart has 19 hits, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 13 R, and 4 SB in the last 10 games. I think he's stolen the leadoff spot from Rickie Weeks on a permanent basis with his performance. I think he's a sell high guy in leagues if you can get an established stud (projected for similar performance) in return for him as part of a package deal. He's a rookie and is due to get cold.
Victor Martinez - 1/4, 3 run HR (14). He's up to 62 RBIs. He's on pace to set a career high in HRs and RBIs as his previous highs were 23 and 108. He was undervalued a bit in drafts this year coming off a 16 HR season, but he's locked in and has a great lineup hitting ahead of him this year.
Josh Johnson - 3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. He's clearly not ready to help fantasy teams right now, so if you've been holding onto him and like someone on the waiver wire better, go for it. I don't think anyone will be picking him up right now.
Joe Blanton - 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His vastly improved K rate over last year is making all the difference so far, and he's improved his ERA from 4.82 to 3.19, and his WHIP from 1.54 to 1.08 over last year. I think his current numbers are a bit above his head, but he's obviously taken a big step this year and has to be taken seriously. He was matched by El Duque and his offense couldn't get him a win.
Orlando Hernandez - 7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Too bad his offense didn't feel like scoring til the 9th inning. His 2 rough outings are a thing of the past as he got back on his game with this outing. One might be worried about his high ERAs of the past few years, but the Mets have straightened out Oliver Perez as well, and it's possible they've helped El Duque find a flaw and his BAA is down from .292 to .205, which shows this is not as flukey as it appears. He's pitching a bit over his head, but the switch to the NL will allow a soft tosser with deception like him to have much more sustained success than in the AL. Given his history, his health is likely to fail him, so I'd still suggest selling for a more reliable pitcher.
Randy Wolf - 6 2/3 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He's had a rough June, giving up 3 or more ER in each of his starts this month. Especially concerning were that two of those starts came in SD and in PIT. I still think he can be an asset against weaker offenses, but I wouldn't blindly start him each time otu like most of us were doing last month.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. These walks are gross. He's consistently having control and pitch inefficiency problems almost every time out. He's not getting lit up, but he's not pitching like his owners expected. There's nothing you can do but hope he gets it figured out, and make sure your staff around him can absorb the WHIP hit.
Russell Martin - 1/4, SB (13). Stolen bases from catchers are sweet, especially this many of them.
Al Reyes - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV. He's a veteran, but it's nice to see him bounce back after the 4 run blowup in his last outing.
Kelvim Escobar - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He's been one of fantasy baseball's best kept secrets this year as he's throwing like staff ace, while being drafted like a 4th or 5th starter, or possibly going undrafted. Like I keep saying, depending on the depth of your fantasy rotation, I'd suggest trying to package him for an estblished ace given his injury history. If you can't get an ace-type back (or a stud hitter if you need that instead), just hope he stays healthy this year as he's not pitching over his head, despite what his career stats say. He has nasty stuff and is pitching for a very good offense. The only thing that's held him back the past few years is injuries.
Ian Snell - 6 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. The burn on the index finger of his pitching hand might have bothered him, but all 5 ER and 7 of those baserunners were allowed in the 2nd inning. I wouldn't worry too much about this start.
Chone Figgins - 3/5, 1 RBI, SB (16). He's now hitting .299 on the year. He's bounced back like no one could have imagined, especially after last year's disappointing season.
Howie Kendrick - 2/5, 3 R, 2 RBI. Howie, much like Stella before him, got his groove back. Go get him if he's still available.
Vladimir Guerrero - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (14). Amazing how a few late month HRs can get a player back on pace for what you expect.
Eric Byrnes - 1/5, 2 R, HR (12). He's right on pace for that 25/25 predicted season.
Richie Sexson - 2/3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (14). He's been dropped to the 7th spot in the lineup, but he's been hitting much better recently. I think his 2nd half performance will show us the Sexson we expect.
Chris Young - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 K. Wow, what a performance against the Boston offense. His 0.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and .164 BAA stats at home are amazing. He's not been too shabby on the road, either.
Khalil Greene - 3/4, 2 HR (11). It's a shame he plays in Petco. His HR home/away splits are normal, but he hits .271 on the road and .216 at home. That's what keeps him from being a fantasy option.
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