The Atlanta Braves placed SS Edgar Renteria on the DL with a sprained ankle.
He tried to come back from it too soon, and now he's headed to the DL.
Fantasy Impact: Throw him on the DL, and look for guys like Julio Lugo and Felipe Lopez on your waiver wire. Lopez has been a disappointment, but with 4 HR and 5 SB over the past month, perhaps he can give your team a little production while Renteria is out.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Cole Hamels To The DL
The Philadelphia Phillies placed SP Cole Hamels on the DL with a strained left elbow.
Not good. The MRI results showed no ligament damage, so while Tommy John surgery is not needed, the Phillies really need to manage his arm better than they did with Brett Myers. This is one of the game's top young pitchers, and while the Phillies are in a playoff race with Utley hopefully back soon, they can't risk the future here for the present.
Fantasy Impact: Throw him on your DL slot, but prepare to be without him the rest of the year as a precaution. Your best bet right now is probably to selectively use spot starters as I imagine any starter worth a damn is probably already owned. Ervin Santana is someone to keep a close eye on, however.
Not good. The MRI results showed no ligament damage, so while Tommy John surgery is not needed, the Phillies really need to manage his arm better than they did with Brett Myers. This is one of the game's top young pitchers, and while the Phillies are in a playoff race with Utley hopefully back soon, they can't risk the future here for the present.
Fantasy Impact: Throw him on your DL slot, but prepare to be without him the rest of the year as a precaution. Your best bet right now is probably to selectively use spot starters as I imagine any starter worth a damn is probably already owned. Ervin Santana is someone to keep a close eye on, however.
Wednesday - Our First 30 Run Game In 100+ Years
Esteban Loaiza - 7 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (1). Loaiza pitched for the first time this year after returning from knee surgery, and he pitched quite well. He doesn't have the stuff necessary to get hitters out unless his velocity is up, and it was apparently up yesterday. He could have fringe mixed league value in the final month, but I'd make him prove his worth in his next start.
A.J. Burnett - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. A Matt Stairs error opened up a 4 run floodgate in the 7th inning. Had that error not been committed, we might have been looking at 7 scoreless innings and a win. Burnett has pitched great since returning, and his pitch counts has remained reasonable, so hopefully he'll finish strong.
Jack Cust - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). Cust has hit .333 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in August, turning in one of his finest months in this surprise season. His K rate remains at an alarming level with 20 K in 19 G this month, but with 20 BB, he's evening things out. He remains a solid 2 catagory, borderline 3 catagory OF worth owning in all leagues.
Carlos Silva - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (10). Silva has been on fire this month, posting a 1.61 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. His K rate remains bad with only 17 K in 28 IP, and with a WHIP no less than 1.23 and usually in the 1.40 in other months along with his career, he's only an option if you want to ride out a hot streak. Don't count on him keeping this up.
Michael Cuddyer - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, GS (13). With a .276 AVG and only 13 HR, Cuddyer has not matched his breakout season last year. Now that he's hitting lower in a suddenly weak Twins offense, he's not much of a fantasy option in mixed leagues.
Paul Konerko - 1/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (25). Back to back HR games for Konerko who has been the Konerko of old after a slow start the first few months. He'll likely reach 30 HR again barring injury, but with only 69 RBI right now and the lack of anyone getting on base in front of him, his 4th straight 100 RBI season won't happen. He's been a fantasy disappointment this year between the slow start and weak lineup around him.
Kason Gabbard - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (6). Hard to lose when given 30 runs of support. In fact, I'd argue it's damn near impossible. He's been surprising so far for the Rangers, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP since coming over from Boston in the trade for Eric Gagne. He'll likely settle in as a middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Rangers in the upcoming years, but his lack of Ks and average WHIP makes him a poor bet for the final month.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 4/6, 5 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR (4). He hasn't been as good as I thought he would be in Texas so far, but he sure made up for a lot of problems with his monster game yesterday in the 30-3 blowout. He's hitting .219 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 12 R in 19 G with the Rangers so far, but obviously those are mostly padded by last night's performance. Still, those are solid overall numbers minus the AVG for a C, so I'd stick with him if you're still starting him.
C.J. Wilson - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (7). Well, I missed the boat here. Benoit was the stated closed everywhere until Wilson started saving games, and even then many outlets stated that it was due to matchups. There's no question now that Wilson is the Ranger's closer for the rest of the year, and he's been excellent since taking over the role, with 11 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, and 11 K.
Justin Verlander - 4 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Bonderman must have taught him how to pitch in the 2nd half. Joking aside, he's been horrible after the AS break, posting a 5.83 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP with a .286 BAA to boot. He's very likely worn down from pitching deep into last year when he wasn't used to it, and then following that up with a full season this year. I've been warning about this for a while, but it's definitely come true. Unfortunately it's too late for those who still own him to do anything about it other than hope he'll finish strong.
Carlos Guillen - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (17). He's at .305, 17 HR, 82 RBI, 68 R, and 11 SB on the year. He's in the ballpark in AVG, will probably surpass HR and RBI, but will fall a bit short on R and SB this year, although he's spent far more time this year hitting deeper into the order. Considering how close he is to last year's numbers and how far he fell in many drafts this year, he's been a steal.
Derek Lowe - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (10). Much better. Hopefully Lowe has finally overcome his back injury and can resume pitching like he was prior to it.
Matt Kemp - 4/6, 3 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .335 so far this year, albeit in limited time with 64 G. He's hit 8 HR, 30 RBI, 32 R, and 5 SB, showing what he can do given playing time. He'll likely be a nice late round target next year as his talent definitely supports his numbers so far, minus the AVG. His K:BB ratio of 43:11 doesn't show that he's ready to hit .300 at the major league level yet, but he's obviously still growing.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Another strong start from Dice-K, but the walks continue to haunt him. He limited the hits, but the lack of offensive support cost him a win.
B.J. Upton - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (18). His AVG has taken the inevitable nosedive this month as he's only hitting .224 in August, but he continues to provide surprising power with 4 HR and 11 RBI this month, plus 11 R. He hasn't stolen a base since June, barely trying by going 0/2 since then, so don't count on any SB from him the rest of the way as the groin injury that put him on the DL is clearly preventing him from running. Still, the power is keeping him plenty valuable.
Bronson Arroyo - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). It wasn't pretty, but his owners will take it. Arroyo continues to struggle pitching at home, but he managed to get out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam by getting Teixeira and McCann out.
Andruw Jones - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (24). He came back strong with a big July of .263, 8 HR, 23 RBI, and 24 R, but has again slumped in August with a line of .211, 4 HR, 13 RBI, and 11 R. Hopefully he has a solid September to make my buy low suggestion look better.
Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 11 K, W (14). His command failed him, but he pitched around the baserunners and picked up the win by turning in a very solid effort otherwise. He's won 5 of his last 6 starts, including 3 double digit K games as he's back on top of his form.
Jose Reyes - 1/5, 1 R, 3 SB (67). Reyes has gone back on a ridiculous tear on the basepaths, stealing 13 bases in his last 10 games to give him 17 already this month. With a week left, he should easily post his highest monthly SB total this year.
Brad Lidge - 1 IP, 1 K, 1 SV (12). 5 consecutive scoreless inning save conversions for Lidge since his 4 ER meltdown against the Brewers earlier this month. It seems as though he's close to being an elite closer once again.
Albert Pujols - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (30). That's now 5 straight games with a HR for Pujols who's heating up at exactly the right time for his owners.
Jeremy Hermida - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). Hermida has been hitting great since the AS break, posting a line of .340 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, and 12 R in 37 G. Unfortunately due to his spot in the batting order, the R/RBI are quite low given what he's been doing at the plate. Give him another look if your OF is under-performing.
Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (12). A very surprising and quality performance from Tom G in Colorado against a powerful offense. He bounced back nicely after getting hit hard by the Phillies his last time out.
Jason Bay - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's worthless, despite the nice game last night. He's shown no signs of turning it around for any period of time, so I'm very tempted to bench him for the rest of the year barring a miracle hot streak in September from this turd.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (14). Sadly, the scoreless inning streak ended in the first inning, but Webb continued to pitch like the ace that he has become and turned in a great start for his 6th consecutive win.
Chris Young - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (26). His AVG in August is the 2nd worst month of his season at .209, but he's banged out 7 more HR this month. Unfortunately since he leads off, that's only equated to 8 RBI and 13 R. It's a shame the Diamondbacks haven't moved him into an RBI spot since he's really only hitting for power to help the team, although he does have 6 SB this month as well. Still, he could be running while hitting in the middle of the order as well.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (11). One of his best starts of the year, versus the Angels no less. He's won 5 in a row, and has pitched very well in the process. He'll likely be inconsistent still, but at least he's helping fantasy teams a lot right now.
John Lackey - 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Bad start, but it was the Yankees. Lackey failed in his bid to become the first 16 game winner in MLB.
Bobby Abreu - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's taken his AVG all the way up to .288 on the year as he continues to have a big 2nd half. He's hitting .340 with 10 HR, 46 RBI, 20 R, and 3 SB after the AS break.
Rich Hill - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. That's back-to-back great outings from Hill, who is hopefully turning the corner for a solid stretch run. Both the Cubs and his fantasy owners alike need a nice final month from the youngster.
Barry Zito - 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Amazing what happens when you don't walk everyone. Zito has dominated the Cubs both times he's faced them recently, so it'd be nice to see him put up a line like that against a team that isn't inept against LHP. It's a start, and perhaps he could provide mixed league value in the final month.
A.J. Burnett - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. A Matt Stairs error opened up a 4 run floodgate in the 7th inning. Had that error not been committed, we might have been looking at 7 scoreless innings and a win. Burnett has pitched great since returning, and his pitch counts has remained reasonable, so hopefully he'll finish strong.
Jack Cust - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). Cust has hit .333 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in August, turning in one of his finest months in this surprise season. His K rate remains at an alarming level with 20 K in 19 G this month, but with 20 BB, he's evening things out. He remains a solid 2 catagory, borderline 3 catagory OF worth owning in all leagues.
Carlos Silva - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (10). Silva has been on fire this month, posting a 1.61 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. His K rate remains bad with only 17 K in 28 IP, and with a WHIP no less than 1.23 and usually in the 1.40 in other months along with his career, he's only an option if you want to ride out a hot streak. Don't count on him keeping this up.
Michael Cuddyer - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, GS (13). With a .276 AVG and only 13 HR, Cuddyer has not matched his breakout season last year. Now that he's hitting lower in a suddenly weak Twins offense, he's not much of a fantasy option in mixed leagues.
Paul Konerko - 1/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (25). Back to back HR games for Konerko who has been the Konerko of old after a slow start the first few months. He'll likely reach 30 HR again barring injury, but with only 69 RBI right now and the lack of anyone getting on base in front of him, his 4th straight 100 RBI season won't happen. He's been a fantasy disappointment this year between the slow start and weak lineup around him.
Kason Gabbard - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (6). Hard to lose when given 30 runs of support. In fact, I'd argue it's damn near impossible. He's been surprising so far for the Rangers, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP since coming over from Boston in the trade for Eric Gagne. He'll likely settle in as a middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Rangers in the upcoming years, but his lack of Ks and average WHIP makes him a poor bet for the final month.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 4/6, 5 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR (4). He hasn't been as good as I thought he would be in Texas so far, but he sure made up for a lot of problems with his monster game yesterday in the 30-3 blowout. He's hitting .219 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 12 R in 19 G with the Rangers so far, but obviously those are mostly padded by last night's performance. Still, those are solid overall numbers minus the AVG for a C, so I'd stick with him if you're still starting him.
C.J. Wilson - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (7). Well, I missed the boat here. Benoit was the stated closed everywhere until Wilson started saving games, and even then many outlets stated that it was due to matchups. There's no question now that Wilson is the Ranger's closer for the rest of the year, and he's been excellent since taking over the role, with 11 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, and 11 K.
Justin Verlander - 4 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Bonderman must have taught him how to pitch in the 2nd half. Joking aside, he's been horrible after the AS break, posting a 5.83 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP with a .286 BAA to boot. He's very likely worn down from pitching deep into last year when he wasn't used to it, and then following that up with a full season this year. I've been warning about this for a while, but it's definitely come true. Unfortunately it's too late for those who still own him to do anything about it other than hope he'll finish strong.
Carlos Guillen - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (17). He's at .305, 17 HR, 82 RBI, 68 R, and 11 SB on the year. He's in the ballpark in AVG, will probably surpass HR and RBI, but will fall a bit short on R and SB this year, although he's spent far more time this year hitting deeper into the order. Considering how close he is to last year's numbers and how far he fell in many drafts this year, he's been a steal.
Derek Lowe - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (10). Much better. Hopefully Lowe has finally overcome his back injury and can resume pitching like he was prior to it.
Matt Kemp - 4/6, 3 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .335 so far this year, albeit in limited time with 64 G. He's hit 8 HR, 30 RBI, 32 R, and 5 SB, showing what he can do given playing time. He'll likely be a nice late round target next year as his talent definitely supports his numbers so far, minus the AVG. His K:BB ratio of 43:11 doesn't show that he's ready to hit .300 at the major league level yet, but he's obviously still growing.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Another strong start from Dice-K, but the walks continue to haunt him. He limited the hits, but the lack of offensive support cost him a win.
B.J. Upton - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (18). His AVG has taken the inevitable nosedive this month as he's only hitting .224 in August, but he continues to provide surprising power with 4 HR and 11 RBI this month, plus 11 R. He hasn't stolen a base since June, barely trying by going 0/2 since then, so don't count on any SB from him the rest of the way as the groin injury that put him on the DL is clearly preventing him from running. Still, the power is keeping him plenty valuable.
Bronson Arroyo - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). It wasn't pretty, but his owners will take it. Arroyo continues to struggle pitching at home, but he managed to get out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam by getting Teixeira and McCann out.
Andruw Jones - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (24). He came back strong with a big July of .263, 8 HR, 23 RBI, and 24 R, but has again slumped in August with a line of .211, 4 HR, 13 RBI, and 11 R. Hopefully he has a solid September to make my buy low suggestion look better.
Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 11 K, W (14). His command failed him, but he pitched around the baserunners and picked up the win by turning in a very solid effort otherwise. He's won 5 of his last 6 starts, including 3 double digit K games as he's back on top of his form.
Jose Reyes - 1/5, 1 R, 3 SB (67). Reyes has gone back on a ridiculous tear on the basepaths, stealing 13 bases in his last 10 games to give him 17 already this month. With a week left, he should easily post his highest monthly SB total this year.
Brad Lidge - 1 IP, 1 K, 1 SV (12). 5 consecutive scoreless inning save conversions for Lidge since his 4 ER meltdown against the Brewers earlier this month. It seems as though he's close to being an elite closer once again.
Albert Pujols - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (30). That's now 5 straight games with a HR for Pujols who's heating up at exactly the right time for his owners.
Jeremy Hermida - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). Hermida has been hitting great since the AS break, posting a line of .340 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, and 12 R in 37 G. Unfortunately due to his spot in the batting order, the R/RBI are quite low given what he's been doing at the plate. Give him another look if your OF is under-performing.
Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (12). A very surprising and quality performance from Tom G in Colorado against a powerful offense. He bounced back nicely after getting hit hard by the Phillies his last time out.
Jason Bay - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's worthless, despite the nice game last night. He's shown no signs of turning it around for any period of time, so I'm very tempted to bench him for the rest of the year barring a miracle hot streak in September from this turd.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (14). Sadly, the scoreless inning streak ended in the first inning, but Webb continued to pitch like the ace that he has become and turned in a great start for his 6th consecutive win.
Chris Young - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (26). His AVG in August is the 2nd worst month of his season at .209, but he's banged out 7 more HR this month. Unfortunately since he leads off, that's only equated to 8 RBI and 13 R. It's a shame the Diamondbacks haven't moved him into an RBI spot since he's really only hitting for power to help the team, although he does have 6 SB this month as well. Still, he could be running while hitting in the middle of the order as well.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (11). One of his best starts of the year, versus the Angels no less. He's won 5 in a row, and has pitched very well in the process. He'll likely be inconsistent still, but at least he's helping fantasy teams a lot right now.
John Lackey - 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Bad start, but it was the Yankees. Lackey failed in his bid to become the first 16 game winner in MLB.
Bobby Abreu - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's taken his AVG all the way up to .288 on the year as he continues to have a big 2nd half. He's hitting .340 with 10 HR, 46 RBI, 20 R, and 3 SB after the AS break.
Rich Hill - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. That's back-to-back great outings from Hill, who is hopefully turning the corner for a solid stretch run. Both the Cubs and his fantasy owners alike need a nice final month from the youngster.
Barry Zito - 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Amazing what happens when you don't walk everyone. Zito has dominated the Cubs both times he's faced them recently, so it'd be nice to see him put up a line like that against a team that isn't inept against LHP. It's a start, and perhaps he could provide mixed league value in the final month.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday's Action: A 10 RBI Game and Tulo Rules
OK, when I promised more updates yesterday, I forgot about the softball team outing after work. Here we are, back on track.
Brett Myers - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (12). He's been great since returning from the DL, allowing 3 ER in 10 2/3 IP, sporting a 13:3 K:BB ratio in the process. He's definitely back as an elite closer, and expect him to stay that way while he's healthy.
Ryan Howard - 2/4, 1 R, SB (1). Howard, the big power/well, power threat, finally stole his first base of the season last night. He's on a roll right now on the basepaths, so expect about 0 more SB over the rest of the season.
Russell Martin - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's definitely been quiet recently, and outside of his 2 HR game and then his 2 SB game, he hasn't offered up much production this month. He had been incredibly consistent before then, so it's his first prolonged slump of the year. Expect a nice finish if he hasn't worn down too much behind the plate.
Fausto Carmona - 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Incredible performance from Carmona last night against the Tigers, but some jerk named Jurrjens had to 1 hit his offense and give him the loss. He's taken his WHIP down to 1.20, but his 3.11 ERA still doesn't match. He's been delaying it by pitching great the last two outings, but he's probably due for a correction before the end of the year. You can't bench him, though.
Jhonny Peralta - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (18). He's been real quiet in August, hitting .236 with only 2 HR and 6 RBI. Hopefully he'll get things turned back around and heat up at the plate...he only has 15 RBI over the past 2 months.
Magglio Ordonez - 1/3, 1 R. 1 RBI, HR (23). Boy was I wrong here. Ordonez has gone back to killing the ball, hitting .370 with 7 HR and 23 RBI this month. He has continued his improbable run back to stud fantasy OF this season, and has posted an amazing 111 RBI so far this year.
Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, W (14). Whatever he did last offseason, let's hope he does it again. His amazing season continues, and he's only posted one start allowing more than 3 ER since April. He's been absolutely incredible.
Miguel Tejada - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). Tejada has only hit .268 this month after returning from a broken wrist, but he's displayed plenty of power with 5 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R scored. He's gone back to having solid fantasy value as a SS in mixed leagues.
Dan Haren - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W (14). A bit unlucky to give up 4 ER only allowing 6 H, but when 3 of his hits are HR, this will happen. He's been mediocre in the 2nd half in the ratio department (3.60 ERA, 1.44 WHIP), allowing 58 H in 50 IP. However, he's avoided getting blown up, and he's still provided 4 W and 46 K in 50 IP.
Huston Street - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV (12). Street has been awesome this month, allowing 1 ER in 11 IP with 17 K, 5 H, and 1 BB. He's also back to being an elite closer and will provide great value to those who stayed with him through the injury.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (21). Thomas had a brutal May, but he's been very solid since then, giving us his best month in August with a .309 AVG, 5 HR, and 22 RBI. He's mostly a 3 catagory player as the bottom of the Blue Jays lineup doesn't drive in many runs, but he's been very good in those 3 catagories.
Jon Papelbon - 1 1/3 IP, 3 K, SV (30). This is the 2nd time in 3 appearances that Papelbon has gone over an inning for a save, and hopefully that's not the start of a trend down the stretch. One of the reasons that the Red Sox believe he had shoulder problems last year was the excessive multiple inning saves thanks to their leaky bullpen, and with Gagne pitching horribly since joining the team, he's been asked to do a bit more. Hopefully they'll back off and keep him healthy when his owners need him the most.
Chris Young - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not only was this a bad start, but he left the start early with discomfort in his back and will miss at least a start. Odds are he came back too fast from his oblique injury he originally suffered back on July 24th, even though he had pitched successfully his last time out. As I've said before, these injuries are very tricky, and unfortunately his owners will be without him for a while. I hope you sold high on him when I suggested doing so around the AS break.
John Maine - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. His control problems continue to plague him, and he's not pitching around them like in the first half. You can think about benching him next time out, but I'd imagine he'll get things straightened out soon. That's 4 straight blah starts, however.
Carlos Beltran - 3/3, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (25). Beltran is smoking, hitting .351 in August with 6 HR, 18 RBI, and 10 R in 10 games. Us Beltran owners look to be owning a hot Beltran at just the right time down the stretch. Hopefully he'll give us a big finish to make up for all the lost time this year.
Mike Cameron - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). He's enjoying a solid August, hitting .265 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 13 R, and 4 SB. He's hitting well recently, so pick him up if someone dropped him and you still have a hole in your OF. He goes through extreme hot/cold streaks, but he's very valuable when hot.
Brandon Phillips - 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (23). He's been incredibly consistent this year from month to month, spreading out his HR/SB contribution pretty equally. 23 HR and 25 SB will make him a 3rd round pick next year or thereabouts, at least.
Wandy Rodriguez - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. Shocking that this came at home against the Nationals. Ignore it as an anomaly and continue starting him when he's at home unless it happens again next time out.
Ryan Zimmerman - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR (19). Zimmerman is back to his old self post-AS break, hitting .312 with 5 HR, 25 RBI, and 26 R in 38 G. He's provided solid fantasy value to those who waited out his power outage in April, and then his subpar AVG in the first half.
Scott Baker - 6 IP, 14 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Hardly at his best, but that is one fine example of stranding baserunners. He's been pitching great for a while now, so stay with him as an end-of-the-rotation starter.
Adrian Beltre - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (20). He'll never recapture the magic that lead to his huge contract year during his last season in a Dodgers uniform, but he's settled into a quality lower tier fantasy 3B in the middle of an underrated lineup.
Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. A bit heavy on the hits, but overall another very solid outing from Wainwright, who's dramatically up his K rate since the start of July (53 K in 61 IP since), and is seeing the benefits of missing more bats. The Cardinals are starting to get hot and put pressure on the NL Central leading CUbs and Brewers, so expect more wins from Wainwright down the stretch if the team continues playing well, along with the vastly improved ratios (2.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) since the AS break.
Albert Pujols - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (29). 4 straight games with a HR. Here comes Pujols!
Javier Vazquez - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (11). Another great outing from Vazquez as he continues to pitch well. Unfortunately he won't make Sox fans forget about trading young OF sensation Chris Young in the deal to get him since Vazquez is over a year late in finally settling down and becoming a very good AL pitcher.
Jim Thome - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (21). Thome is working his way out of a huge slump during August. Considering he missed time with his aching back, it was likely the root cause of the problem. He's back hitting well again, so if he can manage his back down the stretch, expect a nice finish from big Jim. He's 8 HR away from the magical 500 HR mark.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (17). He's been huge in August, posting a .365 AVG with 5 HR, 20 RBI, and 12 R in 20 games. He has definitely arrived, and with his depressed stats thanks to a slow start, he's a candidate to be undervalued in drafts next year.
Dave Bush - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (10). He's been up and down, but he turned in a great start against the Diamondbacks last night. He really hasn't been very good this year, so only consider him as a spot starter against weaker offenses. He hasn't been able to limit the baserunners like last season.
Mike Mussina - 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. To say he pitched badly last night would be an understatement. He's been far more good than bad, so swallow this huge lump and keep using him.
Kelvim Escobar - 6 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, W (14). A rough outing for Escobar as well, but the offense provided him with 18 runs of support on his way to an easy win.
Garret Anderson - 4/6, 3 R, 10 RBI, 2 HR (8). What a career night for Anderson, but unfortunately it was probably accomplished on your waiver wire.
Howie Kendrick - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. Need a 2B for your stretch run? Look no further. He's fully health for once now that his finger has healed a 2nd time, and he should provide a nice spark at the 2B position in the final month plus.
Tim Lincecum - 8 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. He was brilliant for 8 innings, but then allowed 3 consecutive hits and 1 run to start the 9th, and his bullpen pushed the other 2 runners home, plus 2 more. It's a shame he didn't get a win for his efforts, but he just wore down in the 9th and pitched an excellent ballgame.
Brett Myers - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (12). He's been great since returning from the DL, allowing 3 ER in 10 2/3 IP, sporting a 13:3 K:BB ratio in the process. He's definitely back as an elite closer, and expect him to stay that way while he's healthy.
Ryan Howard - 2/4, 1 R, SB (1). Howard, the big power/well, power threat, finally stole his first base of the season last night. He's on a roll right now on the basepaths, so expect about 0 more SB over the rest of the season.
Russell Martin - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's definitely been quiet recently, and outside of his 2 HR game and then his 2 SB game, he hasn't offered up much production this month. He had been incredibly consistent before then, so it's his first prolonged slump of the year. Expect a nice finish if he hasn't worn down too much behind the plate.
Fausto Carmona - 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Incredible performance from Carmona last night against the Tigers, but some jerk named Jurrjens had to 1 hit his offense and give him the loss. He's taken his WHIP down to 1.20, but his 3.11 ERA still doesn't match. He's been delaying it by pitching great the last two outings, but he's probably due for a correction before the end of the year. You can't bench him, though.
Jhonny Peralta - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (18). He's been real quiet in August, hitting .236 with only 2 HR and 6 RBI. Hopefully he'll get things turned back around and heat up at the plate...he only has 15 RBI over the past 2 months.
Magglio Ordonez - 1/3, 1 R. 1 RBI, HR (23). Boy was I wrong here. Ordonez has gone back to killing the ball, hitting .370 with 7 HR and 23 RBI this month. He has continued his improbable run back to stud fantasy OF this season, and has posted an amazing 111 RBI so far this year.
Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, W (14). Whatever he did last offseason, let's hope he does it again. His amazing season continues, and he's only posted one start allowing more than 3 ER since April. He's been absolutely incredible.
Miguel Tejada - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). Tejada has only hit .268 this month after returning from a broken wrist, but he's displayed plenty of power with 5 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R scored. He's gone back to having solid fantasy value as a SS in mixed leagues.
Dan Haren - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W (14). A bit unlucky to give up 4 ER only allowing 6 H, but when 3 of his hits are HR, this will happen. He's been mediocre in the 2nd half in the ratio department (3.60 ERA, 1.44 WHIP), allowing 58 H in 50 IP. However, he's avoided getting blown up, and he's still provided 4 W and 46 K in 50 IP.
Huston Street - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV (12). Street has been awesome this month, allowing 1 ER in 11 IP with 17 K, 5 H, and 1 BB. He's also back to being an elite closer and will provide great value to those who stayed with him through the injury.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (21). Thomas had a brutal May, but he's been very solid since then, giving us his best month in August with a .309 AVG, 5 HR, and 22 RBI. He's mostly a 3 catagory player as the bottom of the Blue Jays lineup doesn't drive in many runs, but he's been very good in those 3 catagories.
Jon Papelbon - 1 1/3 IP, 3 K, SV (30). This is the 2nd time in 3 appearances that Papelbon has gone over an inning for a save, and hopefully that's not the start of a trend down the stretch. One of the reasons that the Red Sox believe he had shoulder problems last year was the excessive multiple inning saves thanks to their leaky bullpen, and with Gagne pitching horribly since joining the team, he's been asked to do a bit more. Hopefully they'll back off and keep him healthy when his owners need him the most.
Chris Young - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not only was this a bad start, but he left the start early with discomfort in his back and will miss at least a start. Odds are he came back too fast from his oblique injury he originally suffered back on July 24th, even though he had pitched successfully his last time out. As I've said before, these injuries are very tricky, and unfortunately his owners will be without him for a while. I hope you sold high on him when I suggested doing so around the AS break.
John Maine - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. His control problems continue to plague him, and he's not pitching around them like in the first half. You can think about benching him next time out, but I'd imagine he'll get things straightened out soon. That's 4 straight blah starts, however.
Carlos Beltran - 3/3, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (25). Beltran is smoking, hitting .351 in August with 6 HR, 18 RBI, and 10 R in 10 games. Us Beltran owners look to be owning a hot Beltran at just the right time down the stretch. Hopefully he'll give us a big finish to make up for all the lost time this year.
Mike Cameron - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). He's enjoying a solid August, hitting .265 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 13 R, and 4 SB. He's hitting well recently, so pick him up if someone dropped him and you still have a hole in your OF. He goes through extreme hot/cold streaks, but he's very valuable when hot.
Brandon Phillips - 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (23). He's been incredibly consistent this year from month to month, spreading out his HR/SB contribution pretty equally. 23 HR and 25 SB will make him a 3rd round pick next year or thereabouts, at least.
Wandy Rodriguez - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. Shocking that this came at home against the Nationals. Ignore it as an anomaly and continue starting him when he's at home unless it happens again next time out.
Ryan Zimmerman - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR (19). Zimmerman is back to his old self post-AS break, hitting .312 with 5 HR, 25 RBI, and 26 R in 38 G. He's provided solid fantasy value to those who waited out his power outage in April, and then his subpar AVG in the first half.
Scott Baker - 6 IP, 14 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Hardly at his best, but that is one fine example of stranding baserunners. He's been pitching great for a while now, so stay with him as an end-of-the-rotation starter.
Adrian Beltre - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (20). He'll never recapture the magic that lead to his huge contract year during his last season in a Dodgers uniform, but he's settled into a quality lower tier fantasy 3B in the middle of an underrated lineup.
Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. A bit heavy on the hits, but overall another very solid outing from Wainwright, who's dramatically up his K rate since the start of July (53 K in 61 IP since), and is seeing the benefits of missing more bats. The Cardinals are starting to get hot and put pressure on the NL Central leading CUbs and Brewers, so expect more wins from Wainwright down the stretch if the team continues playing well, along with the vastly improved ratios (2.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) since the AS break.
Albert Pujols - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (29). 4 straight games with a HR. Here comes Pujols!
Javier Vazquez - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (11). Another great outing from Vazquez as he continues to pitch well. Unfortunately he won't make Sox fans forget about trading young OF sensation Chris Young in the deal to get him since Vazquez is over a year late in finally settling down and becoming a very good AL pitcher.
Jim Thome - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (21). Thome is working his way out of a huge slump during August. Considering he missed time with his aching back, it was likely the root cause of the problem. He's back hitting well again, so if he can manage his back down the stretch, expect a nice finish from big Jim. He's 8 HR away from the magical 500 HR mark.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (17). He's been huge in August, posting a .365 AVG with 5 HR, 20 RBI, and 12 R in 20 games. He has definitely arrived, and with his depressed stats thanks to a slow start, he's a candidate to be undervalued in drafts next year.
Dave Bush - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (10). He's been up and down, but he turned in a great start against the Diamondbacks last night. He really hasn't been very good this year, so only consider him as a spot starter against weaker offenses. He hasn't been able to limit the baserunners like last season.
Mike Mussina - 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. To say he pitched badly last night would be an understatement. He's been far more good than bad, so swallow this huge lump and keep using him.
Kelvim Escobar - 6 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, W (14). A rough outing for Escobar as well, but the offense provided him with 18 runs of support on his way to an easy win.
Garret Anderson - 4/6, 3 R, 10 RBI, 2 HR (8). What a career night for Anderson, but unfortunately it was probably accomplished on your waiver wire.
Howie Kendrick - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. Need a 2B for your stretch run? Look no further. He's fully health for once now that his finger has healed a 2nd time, and he should provide a nice spark at the 2B position in the final month plus.
Tim Lincecum - 8 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. He was brilliant for 8 innings, but then allowed 3 consecutive hits and 1 run to start the 9th, and his bullpen pushed the other 2 runners home, plus 2 more. It's a shame he didn't get a win for his efforts, but he just wore down in the 9th and pitched an excellent ballgame.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Apology, Plus Fantasy Football Prep
Between work obligations, plans for the weekend, and doing some research for my 3 upcoming fantasy football drafts, I obviously didn't get a chance to do anything on this site since last Thursday. I'll be back with the daily baseball updates tomorrow.
To be honest, there hasn't been much of note in baseball outside of the usual daily grind, and with the fantasy baseball trade deadlines likely past and the waiver wire about dry, there isn't a whole lot to do with your rosters other than pray you made the right moves along the way and feel comfortable with your roster come crunchtime in the last month. Hopefully I've helped you get there in some fashion, which was the whole point of me starting this blog. Once the season is over, I will go over all the sell high and buy low suggestions I've made and see how I did. There's always something to learn.
I'm very conflicted on giving fantasy football advice regarding specific players, but I did give a complete RB breakdown a couple weeks ago. The problem is that some of my friends that I play fantasy football with read my blog as good friends do, and I don't need them inside my head as our draft approaches the final weekend before the season starts. :)
I will say this though: simply going through "mass media" rankings won't get you anywhere, in all likelihood. The way to get ahead is to be smarter than the average player. Every "expert" out there gives you his top rankings for each position, and if you've seen one, you've seen them all. LT #1? Really? Wow, that dude's awesome. You have Chad Johnson in your top 5 WR? Well, there's something new. The fact is that the top 10 at each position has close to 50% turnover from year to year, and you're best served by avoiding the half that turns over. Most rankings don't take that into account...they likely mirror last year's top 10 with a few exciting young players mixed in. Which leads me to my list of things to know.
1) Average Draft Position (ADP). If you haven't used it before, make this your first year doing it. This gives you an idea of where players are going, and it's best to look at the most recent results prior to your draft to pick up on the latest trends. If someone is going at a certain location in a draft, take a minute to understand why he's there. Is it a player who experienced a career year? Is it a breakout youngster with the ability to do more? Is it an unproven player who is subject to too much hype? Is it a veteran player who's on the verge of wearing down? Has the player moved to a better/worse team? How has his team changed in the offseason? Factor everything in.
2) Know your draft position. Commissioners, I'm looking at you. I hate leagues that don't provide your position slightly ahead of time. Even if it's only a week, give your guys an advanced heads up as to where they're picking. It makes planning easier for everyone, and the draft spot selection process can be fun as well.
3) Throw out players that likely won't be available to you in the first few rounds. It goes without saying, really, but don't get into arguments over whether you like Larry Johnson or Frank Gore better if you pick 8th. Focus on the guys that will likely be available, but be prepared to pounce if someone slips too far.
4) Don't go in with a set strategy. You're going to hurt yourself if you go in saying "well, I want to go RB/RB" and stick with it. Say there's a huge RB run early on, and Manning makes it to you in the late 2nd round. Do you really want to take Cedric Benson over Peyton Manning because you went in wanting 2 RBs?
5) Pick a sleeper at each position. This somewhat ties into my last point. There's going to be a position you tackle later on in every draft. Whether it's your 3rd WR, your QB, whatever...have a guy picked at each position based on ADP that you wouldn't mind starting, but can get later in the draft. That way you're not scrambling if you take 4 RBs in the first 7-8 rounds because you liked who fell to you, but don't have a QB or TE yet.
6) Don't take a defense til late. OK, I know how the Bears defense paid off big for those who drafted them early, but Baltimore burned people who took them early the year before, and Carolina the year before that. I understand those who take the Bears high again this year thanks to the returning players. However, don't be passing up on important RB and WR depth just because your friends make fun of you since you don't have a starting lineup yet. They'll be wanting that quality 4th RB you took later because they panicked and drafted some 2nd rate defense too early.
7) Don't take a kicker til the last round. Half of the kickers that finish in the top 10 come off the waiver wire. Did anyone draft Robbie Gould last year? How about Neil Rackers the year before? Doubt it. Unless you're in the 2nd to last round and just don't like the players left, go ahead and reach for a Vinatieri or some established star kicker on a powerful offense. Otherwise, just wait til the last round. Kickers are a dime a dozen.
8) Don't draft a backup TE, K, or D unless your league roster specifications require it. Unless you have a TE like Winslow who is an injury risk to start the season, there's no point in having a 2nd TE. There's never a reason to draft an extra K or D. Those roster spots are far more valuable when used on RBs and WRs that could emerge at some point during the season.
9) Lastly, don't be afraid to take a risk. The best part about a draft is when you take a chance that pays off and gets you into the playoffs or the championship. Just because all the fantasy outlets have LT ranked over Steven Jackson, for example, don't be afraid to take Jackson first because you like him more this season. Do what you think is best for your team.
My last point is combining the top two things on my list with my last point: mixing ADP, your draft position, and your opinion. Let's say you picked first, and you're looking over your options with the first pick of the 5th round. Let's also say you like a guy who's usually going in the middle of the 6th round better than the guys at the same position that usually go towards the start of the 5th round. Understand that it's your team, and it's your decision. Don't follow the ADP herd and let it drag you down; use it to your advantage. Use it to realize that the guy you like most that goes in the middle of the 6th might not get back to you, and go for him. It's much better screwing up with your own decision than missing out on a gem because you're not supposed to take him there.
Now, who's ready for some football!?!?
To be honest, there hasn't been much of note in baseball outside of the usual daily grind, and with the fantasy baseball trade deadlines likely past and the waiver wire about dry, there isn't a whole lot to do with your rosters other than pray you made the right moves along the way and feel comfortable with your roster come crunchtime in the last month. Hopefully I've helped you get there in some fashion, which was the whole point of me starting this blog. Once the season is over, I will go over all the sell high and buy low suggestions I've made and see how I did. There's always something to learn.
I'm very conflicted on giving fantasy football advice regarding specific players, but I did give a complete RB breakdown a couple weeks ago. The problem is that some of my friends that I play fantasy football with read my blog as good friends do, and I don't need them inside my head as our draft approaches the final weekend before the season starts. :)
I will say this though: simply going through "mass media" rankings won't get you anywhere, in all likelihood. The way to get ahead is to be smarter than the average player. Every "expert" out there gives you his top rankings for each position, and if you've seen one, you've seen them all. LT #1? Really? Wow, that dude's awesome. You have Chad Johnson in your top 5 WR? Well, there's something new. The fact is that the top 10 at each position has close to 50% turnover from year to year, and you're best served by avoiding the half that turns over. Most rankings don't take that into account...they likely mirror last year's top 10 with a few exciting young players mixed in. Which leads me to my list of things to know.
1) Average Draft Position (ADP). If you haven't used it before, make this your first year doing it. This gives you an idea of where players are going, and it's best to look at the most recent results prior to your draft to pick up on the latest trends. If someone is going at a certain location in a draft, take a minute to understand why he's there. Is it a player who experienced a career year? Is it a breakout youngster with the ability to do more? Is it an unproven player who is subject to too much hype? Is it a veteran player who's on the verge of wearing down? Has the player moved to a better/worse team? How has his team changed in the offseason? Factor everything in.
2) Know your draft position. Commissioners, I'm looking at you. I hate leagues that don't provide your position slightly ahead of time. Even if it's only a week, give your guys an advanced heads up as to where they're picking. It makes planning easier for everyone, and the draft spot selection process can be fun as well.
3) Throw out players that likely won't be available to you in the first few rounds. It goes without saying, really, but don't get into arguments over whether you like Larry Johnson or Frank Gore better if you pick 8th. Focus on the guys that will likely be available, but be prepared to pounce if someone slips too far.
4) Don't go in with a set strategy. You're going to hurt yourself if you go in saying "well, I want to go RB/RB" and stick with it. Say there's a huge RB run early on, and Manning makes it to you in the late 2nd round. Do you really want to take Cedric Benson over Peyton Manning because you went in wanting 2 RBs?
5) Pick a sleeper at each position. This somewhat ties into my last point. There's going to be a position you tackle later on in every draft. Whether it's your 3rd WR, your QB, whatever...have a guy picked at each position based on ADP that you wouldn't mind starting, but can get later in the draft. That way you're not scrambling if you take 4 RBs in the first 7-8 rounds because you liked who fell to you, but don't have a QB or TE yet.
6) Don't take a defense til late. OK, I know how the Bears defense paid off big for those who drafted them early, but Baltimore burned people who took them early the year before, and Carolina the year before that. I understand those who take the Bears high again this year thanks to the returning players. However, don't be passing up on important RB and WR depth just because your friends make fun of you since you don't have a starting lineup yet. They'll be wanting that quality 4th RB you took later because they panicked and drafted some 2nd rate defense too early.
7) Don't take a kicker til the last round. Half of the kickers that finish in the top 10 come off the waiver wire. Did anyone draft Robbie Gould last year? How about Neil Rackers the year before? Doubt it. Unless you're in the 2nd to last round and just don't like the players left, go ahead and reach for a Vinatieri or some established star kicker on a powerful offense. Otherwise, just wait til the last round. Kickers are a dime a dozen.
8) Don't draft a backup TE, K, or D unless your league roster specifications require it. Unless you have a TE like Winslow who is an injury risk to start the season, there's no point in having a 2nd TE. There's never a reason to draft an extra K or D. Those roster spots are far more valuable when used on RBs and WRs that could emerge at some point during the season.
9) Lastly, don't be afraid to take a risk. The best part about a draft is when you take a chance that pays off and gets you into the playoffs or the championship. Just because all the fantasy outlets have LT ranked over Steven Jackson, for example, don't be afraid to take Jackson first because you like him more this season. Do what you think is best for your team.
My last point is combining the top two things on my list with my last point: mixing ADP, your draft position, and your opinion. Let's say you picked first, and you're looking over your options with the first pick of the 5th round. Let's also say you like a guy who's usually going in the middle of the 6th round better than the guys at the same position that usually go towards the start of the 5th round. Understand that it's your team, and it's your decision. Don't follow the ADP herd and let it drag you down; use it to your advantage. Use it to realize that the guy you like most that goes in the middle of the 6th might not get back to you, and go for him. It's much better screwing up with your own decision than missing out on a gem because you're not supposed to take him there.
Now, who's ready for some football!?!?
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