Mike Bacsik never had a chance. Armed with a mid-80s fastball and a variety of decent off-speed stuff, Bacsik is not the type of pitcher that can get Barry Bonds out. With a 3-2 count in the 5th inning, Bacsik challenged him with an inside fastball, and Bonds turned on it, sending a few rows up into the deepest part of the ballpark, just left of center field. Barry knew it as soon as he hit, raising his arms in the air. Upon seeing Bonds' reaction, Bacsik knew he had served up a piece of history.
I was working late last night, so I had that game on in the background since nothing else was on TV. When Barry came up, I felt motivated to set down what I was doing to watch his at-bat. He didn't disappoint with the big homerun. I've been very lucky in regards to seeing memorable HRs. Although I didn't watch baseball in college very often, I flipped through the Cubs/Cardinals game, and I just so happened to watch McGwire hit a line drive that just got over the left field fence at old Busch stadium for HR #62, breaking Maris' single season record for HR. I was at a bar the summer that Bonds hit #71 deep into McCovey cove to break McGwire's single season record of 70, and happened to watch that at-bat on a corner TV. Last night, I got to watch Bonds break another record, the big one, Hank Aaron's HR record.
I had been pretty blah on the whole Bonds situation this year up until last night. I was rather surprised at how excited I was last night watching him break the record. As a sports fan, whenever you get to watch history, you usually remember where you were when you saw it. I doubt I'll forget where I was last night. It was far more memorable than McGwire's HR as it was a deep bomb of a HR, unlike McGwire's line drive that made you wonder "wait, he just broke Maris' record?" Bonds' reaction at the plate, Bacsik's reaction on the mound, and the crowd's reaction as the ball took flight were all very cool when combined together. There was quite a skirmish where the ball landed, as it hit something and bounced back and to the right a bit. Hopefully nobody was injured in the scrum. I give a lot of credit to Mike Bacsik, who tipped his cap towards Barry as he approached homeplate. It was a very classy move. I also give a lot of credit to the Nationals franchise for allowing Barry to have his moment of glory while applauding his accomplishment. Another very classy move.
The steroids talk really puts a damper on what he accomplished because there's no doubt in most people's minds that he used something, and he might still be using something. It's all hearsay evidence at the current time, but logic prevails for most of us and we understand what Bonds has done. The fact is that Bonds is not the only guilty party here, despite what most of the media would like you to think. Steroids is not a Bonds problem, it's a major league/minor league baseball problem, in the scope of the sport of baseball. I'm sure it has spread to college and even high school as time has gone on. MLB, in an ignorant PR move, has shined the light of steroids brightest on Barry Bonds because he's the easy scapegoat. If he's found guilty, persecuted by a court of law, whatever...baseball hopes that the fans think that sport of baseball has won the war against steroids. Don't let them make you think that.
The steroids scandal in baseball is far, far greater than Barry Bonds. It infiltrated the sport and an unknown amount of players have taken them in their quest to become a better baseball player. Baseball cannot weed it out of it's history because the roots are way too deep at this point. We as fans cannot possibly fathom how many players were taking them, how many managers and coaches turned the other way, and how many league official turned the other way until the situation got too big to handle and baseball was forced to battle it in the public eye. They made that very same public eye stare at Barry Bonds and try to detach the vision against the logic of the brain behind it to say "he's the problem, not us". Can you imagine what baseball would have to go through if they unveiled the entire truth? Years upon years and players upon players would be put through the wringer. It would cast a black cloud over the sport of baseball that wouldn't lift for who knows how long.
I am sure that Bonds has played with steroid users, against steroid users, went to battle against steroid using pitchers, caught fly balls from steroid using hitters, and so on. The fact is, Bonds was a better player than almost all of them. Bonds was selected because of the records he was breaking. If you look at his career stats, you see some of the greatest numbers you've ever seen. Not just the HR, but the SB, the RBI, the AVG, the gold gloves, and so on. It's impossible to say when he started to take them, or if he had been taking them all along. You could do a chronology of what he looked like each year, but that wouldn't give you any clear evidence one way or another. There's also no clear evidence as to how exactly steroids enhances your play, so who knows exactly what has been affected by his usage. Regardless of this, Bonds is still one of the greatest baseball players we have seen play the game. In his prime, there was nothing he couldn't do.
The other thing to take into account here is the change in baseball players preparation for the game. Strength training is more emphasized than ever, starting in the 90s. In fact, society as a whole seems to have a greater fascination with lifting weights. Baseball players are bigger today than they ever were thanks to the enhanced technology of weight training, knowing our bodies better, creating effective workout supplements, etc. Players today, thanks to that, are going to be stronger, playing in similarly sized parks, so HRs are going to be a bigger part of the game. Who's to say exactly how many HRs Bonds would have hit had he not taken steroids knowing this trend?
Finally, I respect Bonds for what he went through to achieve this. In today's game, the media scrutiny of every aspect makes it even tougher to mentally prepare for the game. There's interviews, public showings, cameras, thousands upon thousands of media members analyzing every little thing. Aaron had to go through a lot himself to hit 755 HRs. He went through racism, death threats, and incredible hatred to get where he was. Bonds has also gone through a lot. He's endured hatred at every away game, constant media bombardments and accusations, the national media following every game in a way that Aaron didn't have to deal with, among other things. Now, a lot of what Bonds has gone through was his fault as to where Aaron didn't deserve any of it. Bonds was the one who took steroids and Bonds is the one who's been surly to the media in the past. Still, regardless of that, Bonds still had to deal with all of it in his quest to become the HR king, and he dealt with it successfully. That deserves at least some credit, in my opinion.
Minor league players have been caught with steroids that were having horrible careers. Guillermo Mota was caught, and he was nothing more than a good reliever. Jason Giambi was caught, and while he was a good hitter, he was nowhere near the level Bonds is at. This is only a very short list of steroid users in the game of baseball. The bottom line is that Bonds is a cheater in a game of cheaters, but he's still the best baseball player of any of them.
Congrats to Barry on his 756th HR. I enjoyed watching it.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Monday/Tuesday Recap
Sorry, between work and vacation last week, I'm really slacking. I'll be catching up today and things should be smoother for a while. :)
Andy Pettitte - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, W (8). Yet another subpar outing from Pettitte, but he limited the damage and picked up the win. With his luck turning around and the Yankees offense hitting very well, he's likely to start helping out in the win column, but his declining K-rate and high WHIP make him a fringe mixed league starter.
Justin Verlander - 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Detroit didn't rally with runs until the 7th after Verlander had departed, so we has denied a victory in this one. He's clearly not pitching as well as he was earlier in the season, and my suggestion that he might fatigue later on this year seems to be accurate. He has the talent to bounceback, but he worked a long year last year. Keep an eye on him.
B.J. Upton - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (16). Upton had 9 HR before the AS break in 200 AB, but has slugged 7 HR after the AS break in only 94 AB. This isn't exactly what owners had in mind as he hasn't stolen a base since June 7th, prior to his DL stint, but nobody's complaining. He was a huge preseason sleeper in the SB department as many were expecting 40 if he won significant playing time, but instead he's hitting .323 with 16 HR, 52 RBI, 53 R, and has been moved to the 3rd spot in the order. He's a bigtime keeper candidate.
Adrian Gonzalez - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (18). Gonzalez has been a bum since May. He started out hot and was defying the odds while playing most of his games at Petco Park, but he really went south in June and has stayed that way since. He's wasn't quite as good as he started, but he's too good to be playing this bad. Benching him until he gets hot isn't a bad idea, depending on your alternatives.
Rich Hill - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. This was his best start in quite some time. He dominated down the stretch last year and to start this year, but like I mentioned before, he hasn't pitched all that well since April. This was a step in the right direction, even if it did come against a weak Houston offense. It's likely the league adjusted to him as they saw him more, so now it's up to him to re-adjust. His command has been part of the problem.
Wandy Rodriguez - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Ervin Santana part 2. He is well worth using at home, and well worth benching on the road. His home stats are 74 2/3 IP, 6-2, 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 65 K. His road stats are 57 1/3 IP, 1-8, 8.16 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 51 K. Is that's not a split worth playing into, I dunno what is.
Prince Fielder - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (33). He's starting to heat up again with 3 HR in his past 6 games after not homering in July after the 13th. Just the ups and downs of owning players, and it's clear he's ready to start mashing again.
Matt Holliday - 3/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). Who doesn't love Matt Holliday? He's turned into one of the best fantasy OF over the past 2 years and continues to kill the ball. He's an elite 1st OF.
Curt Schilling - 6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He had good control, but missed too much over the plate and was hit by a good hitting team. Overall, this was a pretty successful return and he's safe to activate for his next start.
Jered Weaver - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Good progress made here, especially against Boston's offense. He's likely to remain an inconsistent pitcher given the fact he's giving up 120 H in 107 1/3 IP, but he's good enough to pitch around problems and he pitches in front of a solid offense.
Kevin Youkilis - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12), SB (3). Youkilis has picked it back up in August so far, hitting .323 this month. He's been moved to the 2nd spot in the order, which is a solid spot for him. He doesn't strike out a lot and makes solid contact. He'll remain a very nice asset in AVG and R, and he'll be decent in RBI. He has some pop and doesn't steal. Overall, he's a lower tier 3B. He shouldn't be used at 1B.
Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K. Thanks to the Ks and lowly Nationals offense, he limited the 10 baserunners to only 1 run. He's walked 5 in 3 of his last 5 starts, so his control is becoming a problem. He won't continue to only give up a run or two by doing that.
Dmitri Young - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (10). Young cooled off a bit in the 2nd half of July, ending with a .295 AVG, but he's hitting .414 in August with 8 RBI in 7 games. He's not going to score a lot of runs or hit for big power, but his lofty AVG and solid RBI production make him worth using as a UTIL hitter. It looks like he's here to stay this year as a solid fantasy option.
Ryan Howard - 2/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (32). He's almost caught up to Prince Fielder despite the DL stint as he's now 1 behind him in the NL HR race. He's put together back-to-back 10 HR months, hitting .280 and then .323 in those months. He's clearly back to being a bigtime fantasy 1B after his disappointing start. He was overrated a bit in drafts this year, but should settle in as a solid late 1st round pick next year. Philly needs to find a bat to support him in the lineup this offseason.
Jose Guillen - 4/6, 2 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .290 on the year, but Safeco has sapped some of his power as he's only hit 13 HR. Still, he's on pace for .290, 20 HR, 100 RBI, and 90 R. A pretty solid season as a 3rd fantasy OF.
Raul Ibanez - 3/6, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (8). Ibanez had a big June with 5 HR and 20 RBI, but he's nowhere close to last season's career year and is proving that he's not worth a spot on your fantasy roster with his performance this season. Don't hang onto him thinking last year will resurface.
Magglio Ordonez - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (18). He's come roaring back in August after a pedestrian July, hitting .478 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in 6 games. I was very skeptical about him continuing his hot hitting and suggested selling high, but while his AVG has dipped to .313 from .367 and his R pace is down after the AS break, his HR and RBI pace are right in line. I still think the high tier OF you could have gotten in return will outproduce him from here on out, but he's going to make it close from the looks of it.
Jonny Gomes - 3/4, 2 R, 4 RBI, GS (13). Gomes is producing as advertised, showing 30 HR power and RBI production from the bottom half of the order. They should move him up to 5th to make use of what he does well, and he should remain in your fantasy lineup if you need HR/RBI and can take his AVG hit.
Roger Clemens - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (4). A very nice start last night from Clemens, and he also got ejected in the 7th inning for hitting Alex Rios. It was well deserved as the Blue Jays finally hit A-Rod for the popup play earlier in the year. Clemens saved his best fastball and pegged the Jays best hitter in return. The ejection was deserved, but I don't fault Clemens at all for retaliating.
Robinson Cano - 0/1, 3 BB, SB (3). Cano has displayed poor baserunning at the major league level, but the thing to note here is the huge turnaround he's displayed at the plate. He hit .385 with 6 HR and 24 RBI in July, and is hitting .435 with 2 HR and 8 RBI in August so far. He's raised his AVG up to .308 on the season and now has very solid RBI and R totals. His 6th/7th spot in the order will allow him to rack up great RBI totals with A-Rod, Matsui, and Posada ahead of him.
Bronson Arroyo - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (5). Much better. Washington blasted him last time out, but he shut down a much better Dodgers offense this time around. You can ignore his last start as an abhoration given his much improved performance around that outing.
Oliver Perez - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He had his command last night, but Atlanta was all over him and hit him hard. He still has great numbers on the year, and it was nice to see another start from him without a walk. Don't worry about this outing.
Jeff Francouer - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). Big night for Francouer as he raised his AVG to a completely shocking .310 on the season. He's already surpassed last year's walk total in 50 less games, so it's obvious that his improved patient at the plate has led to this. He's still not showing the same power, though.
Sean Marshall - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. He was pitching well last night, but surrendered 4 hits in the 6th inning, and the Kerry Wood allowed both of the inherited runners to score before Marshall's book was done. His last bad start was against a great Philly offense, but this was against Houston. I'm a bit worried, but I wouldn't drop him yet.
Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (12). Another dominant start by Peavy as he's allowed 1 ER in his last 3 starts, winning all 3. He's back on top of his game as NL's best starting pitcher.
Anthony Reyes - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Reyes was a tough luck loser last night as he continues to get terrible run support. He remains on the radar, and pro-active owners needing a pitcher should think about picking him up to see if he's finally adjusted to the major league level.
Mark Teahen - 4/4, 2 R, 1 RBI. Teahen was a popular sleeper heading into this year given his monster run during last summer, but he's settled into a .290 hitter with little pop and only 10 SB. The .290 AVG and 64 R are nice, but that's not enough to make him worth starting at either 3B or in the OF. He's a solid fantasy reserve, but that's all for now.
Todd Helton - 3/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (11). It's weird that Helton only has 11 HR after being used to him hitting 30+ every year, but it's clear that his constant back injuries in recent years have sapped him of his power. The .298 AVG and 65 RBI are nice, but he's just not producing enough to warrant starting at 1B. He's a solid reserve.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). Tulo really cooled off last month, and he had been hitting horribly this month as well until last night. Let's hope he starts getting hot again now.
Tom Gorzelanny - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, W (10). To my surprise, he certainly bounced back well from his shoulder injury. Given how well he pitched last night, I'd ignore this last shoulder injury moving forward. Keep in mind he does have a history of arm issues, though.
Justin Upton - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (1). Just missed the cycle last night by a single, grounding out in his last at bat. Mixed leaguers might as well take a chance on him now if he's going to hit well from the start, depending on your OF situation. Just keep in mind that he's 19 years old.
Gary Matthews Jr. - 3/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (14). Big night last night for Matthews, although his AVG now sits at .274. As I've said before, he's right on pace with his breakout season last year in everything but AVG and R, but the lack of R production is explained by him hitting further down in the order.
Barry Zito - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Dump him. His velocity is down, which makes his curve less effective, and his location is horrible. Something is wrong here.
Barry Bonds - 3/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (22). #756 for Bonds, baseball's new all-time HR king. I'll touch on this in it's own article.
Bengie Molina - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (12). He's maintaining his lower tier fantasy catcher status with solid power numbers for a backstop. Continue using him if you don't have a top catcher.
Andy Pettitte - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, W (8). Yet another subpar outing from Pettitte, but he limited the damage and picked up the win. With his luck turning around and the Yankees offense hitting very well, he's likely to start helping out in the win column, but his declining K-rate and high WHIP make him a fringe mixed league starter.
Justin Verlander - 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Detroit didn't rally with runs until the 7th after Verlander had departed, so we has denied a victory in this one. He's clearly not pitching as well as he was earlier in the season, and my suggestion that he might fatigue later on this year seems to be accurate. He has the talent to bounceback, but he worked a long year last year. Keep an eye on him.
B.J. Upton - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (16). Upton had 9 HR before the AS break in 200 AB, but has slugged 7 HR after the AS break in only 94 AB. This isn't exactly what owners had in mind as he hasn't stolen a base since June 7th, prior to his DL stint, but nobody's complaining. He was a huge preseason sleeper in the SB department as many were expecting 40 if he won significant playing time, but instead he's hitting .323 with 16 HR, 52 RBI, 53 R, and has been moved to the 3rd spot in the order. He's a bigtime keeper candidate.
Adrian Gonzalez - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (18). Gonzalez has been a bum since May. He started out hot and was defying the odds while playing most of his games at Petco Park, but he really went south in June and has stayed that way since. He's wasn't quite as good as he started, but he's too good to be playing this bad. Benching him until he gets hot isn't a bad idea, depending on your alternatives.
Rich Hill - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. This was his best start in quite some time. He dominated down the stretch last year and to start this year, but like I mentioned before, he hasn't pitched all that well since April. This was a step in the right direction, even if it did come against a weak Houston offense. It's likely the league adjusted to him as they saw him more, so now it's up to him to re-adjust. His command has been part of the problem.
Wandy Rodriguez - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Ervin Santana part 2. He is well worth using at home, and well worth benching on the road. His home stats are 74 2/3 IP, 6-2, 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 65 K. His road stats are 57 1/3 IP, 1-8, 8.16 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 51 K. Is that's not a split worth playing into, I dunno what is.
Prince Fielder - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (33). He's starting to heat up again with 3 HR in his past 6 games after not homering in July after the 13th. Just the ups and downs of owning players, and it's clear he's ready to start mashing again.
Matt Holliday - 3/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). Who doesn't love Matt Holliday? He's turned into one of the best fantasy OF over the past 2 years and continues to kill the ball. He's an elite 1st OF.
Curt Schilling - 6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He had good control, but missed too much over the plate and was hit by a good hitting team. Overall, this was a pretty successful return and he's safe to activate for his next start.
Jered Weaver - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Good progress made here, especially against Boston's offense. He's likely to remain an inconsistent pitcher given the fact he's giving up 120 H in 107 1/3 IP, but he's good enough to pitch around problems and he pitches in front of a solid offense.
Kevin Youkilis - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12), SB (3). Youkilis has picked it back up in August so far, hitting .323 this month. He's been moved to the 2nd spot in the order, which is a solid spot for him. He doesn't strike out a lot and makes solid contact. He'll remain a very nice asset in AVG and R, and he'll be decent in RBI. He has some pop and doesn't steal. Overall, he's a lower tier 3B. He shouldn't be used at 1B.
Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 8 K. Thanks to the Ks and lowly Nationals offense, he limited the 10 baserunners to only 1 run. He's walked 5 in 3 of his last 5 starts, so his control is becoming a problem. He won't continue to only give up a run or two by doing that.
Dmitri Young - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (10). Young cooled off a bit in the 2nd half of July, ending with a .295 AVG, but he's hitting .414 in August with 8 RBI in 7 games. He's not going to score a lot of runs or hit for big power, but his lofty AVG and solid RBI production make him worth using as a UTIL hitter. It looks like he's here to stay this year as a solid fantasy option.
Ryan Howard - 2/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (32). He's almost caught up to Prince Fielder despite the DL stint as he's now 1 behind him in the NL HR race. He's put together back-to-back 10 HR months, hitting .280 and then .323 in those months. He's clearly back to being a bigtime fantasy 1B after his disappointing start. He was overrated a bit in drafts this year, but should settle in as a solid late 1st round pick next year. Philly needs to find a bat to support him in the lineup this offseason.
Jose Guillen - 4/6, 2 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .290 on the year, but Safeco has sapped some of his power as he's only hit 13 HR. Still, he's on pace for .290, 20 HR, 100 RBI, and 90 R. A pretty solid season as a 3rd fantasy OF.
Raul Ibanez - 3/6, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (8). Ibanez had a big June with 5 HR and 20 RBI, but he's nowhere close to last season's career year and is proving that he's not worth a spot on your fantasy roster with his performance this season. Don't hang onto him thinking last year will resurface.
Magglio Ordonez - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (18). He's come roaring back in August after a pedestrian July, hitting .478 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in 6 games. I was very skeptical about him continuing his hot hitting and suggested selling high, but while his AVG has dipped to .313 from .367 and his R pace is down after the AS break, his HR and RBI pace are right in line. I still think the high tier OF you could have gotten in return will outproduce him from here on out, but he's going to make it close from the looks of it.
Jonny Gomes - 3/4, 2 R, 4 RBI, GS (13). Gomes is producing as advertised, showing 30 HR power and RBI production from the bottom half of the order. They should move him up to 5th to make use of what he does well, and he should remain in your fantasy lineup if you need HR/RBI and can take his AVG hit.
Roger Clemens - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (4). A very nice start last night from Clemens, and he also got ejected in the 7th inning for hitting Alex Rios. It was well deserved as the Blue Jays finally hit A-Rod for the popup play earlier in the year. Clemens saved his best fastball and pegged the Jays best hitter in return. The ejection was deserved, but I don't fault Clemens at all for retaliating.
Robinson Cano - 0/1, 3 BB, SB (3). Cano has displayed poor baserunning at the major league level, but the thing to note here is the huge turnaround he's displayed at the plate. He hit .385 with 6 HR and 24 RBI in July, and is hitting .435 with 2 HR and 8 RBI in August so far. He's raised his AVG up to .308 on the season and now has very solid RBI and R totals. His 6th/7th spot in the order will allow him to rack up great RBI totals with A-Rod, Matsui, and Posada ahead of him.
Bronson Arroyo - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (5). Much better. Washington blasted him last time out, but he shut down a much better Dodgers offense this time around. You can ignore his last start as an abhoration given his much improved performance around that outing.
Oliver Perez - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He had his command last night, but Atlanta was all over him and hit him hard. He still has great numbers on the year, and it was nice to see another start from him without a walk. Don't worry about this outing.
Jeff Francouer - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). Big night for Francouer as he raised his AVG to a completely shocking .310 on the season. He's already surpassed last year's walk total in 50 less games, so it's obvious that his improved patient at the plate has led to this. He's still not showing the same power, though.
Sean Marshall - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. He was pitching well last night, but surrendered 4 hits in the 6th inning, and the Kerry Wood allowed both of the inherited runners to score before Marshall's book was done. His last bad start was against a great Philly offense, but this was against Houston. I'm a bit worried, but I wouldn't drop him yet.
Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (12). Another dominant start by Peavy as he's allowed 1 ER in his last 3 starts, winning all 3. He's back on top of his game as NL's best starting pitcher.
Anthony Reyes - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Reyes was a tough luck loser last night as he continues to get terrible run support. He remains on the radar, and pro-active owners needing a pitcher should think about picking him up to see if he's finally adjusted to the major league level.
Mark Teahen - 4/4, 2 R, 1 RBI. Teahen was a popular sleeper heading into this year given his monster run during last summer, but he's settled into a .290 hitter with little pop and only 10 SB. The .290 AVG and 64 R are nice, but that's not enough to make him worth starting at either 3B or in the OF. He's a solid fantasy reserve, but that's all for now.
Todd Helton - 3/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (11). It's weird that Helton only has 11 HR after being used to him hitting 30+ every year, but it's clear that his constant back injuries in recent years have sapped him of his power. The .298 AVG and 65 RBI are nice, but he's just not producing enough to warrant starting at 1B. He's a solid reserve.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). Tulo really cooled off last month, and he had been hitting horribly this month as well until last night. Let's hope he starts getting hot again now.
Tom Gorzelanny - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, W (10). To my surprise, he certainly bounced back well from his shoulder injury. Given how well he pitched last night, I'd ignore this last shoulder injury moving forward. Keep in mind he does have a history of arm issues, though.
Justin Upton - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (1). Just missed the cycle last night by a single, grounding out in his last at bat. Mixed leaguers might as well take a chance on him now if he's going to hit well from the start, depending on your OF situation. Just keep in mind that he's 19 years old.
Gary Matthews Jr. - 3/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (14). Big night last night for Matthews, although his AVG now sits at .274. As I've said before, he's right on pace with his breakout season last year in everything but AVG and R, but the lack of R production is explained by him hitting further down in the order.
Barry Zito - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Dump him. His velocity is down, which makes his curve less effective, and his location is horrible. Something is wrong here.
Barry Bonds - 3/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (22). #756 for Bonds, baseball's new all-time HR king. I'll touch on this in it's own article.
Bengie Molina - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (12). He's maintaining his lower tier fantasy catcher status with solid power numbers for a backstop. Continue using him if you don't have a top catcher.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Sunday's Action: Glavine's 300th Win
Gil Meche - 4 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. A brutal outing from Meche, but it should have been expected against the Yankees. His ERA is at 3.96, which is far more reasonable given his 1.33 WHIP. The Royals will probably regret giving him this contract, but at least it's only for 4 years. His stuff is still good, but his execution is not. He remains a fringe mixed league starter.
Mike Mussina - 6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (7). He's won 3 straight starts now since his shelling at the hands of the Devil Rays. It was the only time he's given up more than 3 ER in his last 10 starts, although he's only pitched past the 6th inning twice. He remains a solid mixed league fantasy starter thanks to the resurgent Yankees offense.
Hideki Matsui - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (22). Don't get too carried away with his huge 13 HR July as that won't happen again this year. However, expecting 8-10 HR over the last 2 months is very reasonable, and that would put him over 30 for just the 2nd time in his US career. He's on pace to surpass 100 R and RBI thanks to a very nice 2nd half rebound.
Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (23). Lee has already hit half the amount of HR post-AS break as he did pre-AS break, in about a quarter of the games. He's still on a serious roll and is helping his owners to big numbers right now.
Hanley Ramirez - 1/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19), SB (32). His AVG sits at .341, too. He's official made the race to be fantasy's best SS a dead heat between Jose Reyes and himself. Reyes will continue to steal a lot more bases, but Ramirez obviously has more pop and can hit for a higher AVG. Boston knew he'd be good, but there's no way any predicted he'd perform like this in his 2nd full season.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, 2 K, SV (32). 10 consecutive scoreless innings for Jenks as he's made a remarkable turnaround after a horrible stretch between mid-June and mid-July. He's pitching as well as any closer in baseball right now, showing his owners a big 2nd half after looking like he might melt down for the 2nd straight year.
Chuck James - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. You can't use a fringe starter like James against an offense like Colorado. He's definitely a pitcher that you should play the matchups with, although with the acquisition of Teixeira, the Atlanta offense is even strong, making James a slightly better play due to the higher chances of a win.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER. He pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first two Braves appearances against Houston, but Colorado lit him up for 4 H, 5 R and 1 BB in 1 1/3 IP. He's well worth benching given his setup roll status until he turns himself around.
Dustin McGowan - 8 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (8). That's 4 straight appearances of 2 ER or less. Unless you have a rotation full of no brainer starters, there's no harm is riding out the hot streak. He has a lot of talent, with a very good fastball and a quality slider/changeup. TJ surgery back in 2004 dimmed his star as did the inconsistency that followed it. I still wouldn't start him against the Yankees and Red Sox, but he's well worth owning for his other starts until he cools down.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (20). He's only allowed 2 ER in his past 12 outings, settling some concerns that he was being figured out. He still doesn't project as a long-term closer, but he's giving his owners some relief after having problems in June and early July.
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Pretty solid outing against the Nationals. Despite his improved performance over the past 10 outings or so, his WHIP remains a problem and he hasn't turned the corner yet. He's moved himself into the fringe mixed league starter catagory, though.
Erik Bedard - 6 2/3 IP. 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, W (12). This is a bad start by his standards these days. He's become a strikeout monster this season, posting 192 K in 154 1/3 IP. He's won 8 of his last 9 starts, and he's turned into a fantasy ace this season.
Miguel Tejada - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (9). He's only hitting .243 since his return, but he's chipped in 2 HR, 6 RBI, and 5 R in those 9 games. The power was the biggest concern given the wrist injury, but he's proving that he can still hit the long ball. He should be a very solid fantasy SS the rest of the season.
Fausto Carmona - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Carmona obviously had terrible command, but he pitched around jams and turned in another great outing. Unfortunately he was out-dueled and went 0-2 in his bid to become a 14 game winner.
Scott Baker - 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Wow, and against a good Cleveland offense as well. Again, he must be owned at this point. He has quality stuff and is finally succeeding at the major league level. I like his chances the rest of the year before the AL offenses better understand him and start to adjust.
John Lackey - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (14). A sloppy outing, but he limited the damage and picked up the win thanks to some timely hitting in the 7th inning. He's going to continue to see his ERA rise with a 1.24 WHIP unless he can cut down on the baserunners.
Dan Haren - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He also did a good job dodging baserunners and only allowing 2 runs. He's definitely been far more hittable since the start of July, and he's also going to see an ERA spike if that continues.
Josh Beckett - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K,. W (14). Another pitcher that dodged baserunners, although his strong K count came in handy in making that happen. He stayed with Lackey atop the AL in wins, and he's on his way to his 2nd straight 200 IP season if he can continue to avoid the blister problems that plagued him much of his Florida career.
Manny Ramirez - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (19). Keep mashing, Manny!
Brandon Webb - 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (11). Webb is rolling now, with 24 straight scoreless innings. Amazing how he improves his command, then goes on a hot streak. Hopefully he has a strong finish to the season ahead of him, but his 2.92 ERA does not match his 1.24 WHIP. However, his recent streak of pitching definitely supports the ERA plummet.
Brad Penny - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Very strong outing from Penny, but his supporting offense was thorough dominated by Brandon Webb in his 2nd failed attempt to reach win #14. He was due for some bad luck anyways given this was his 3rd loss of the season.
Justin Upton - 2/4, 1 RBI. He's awfully raw at 19 years old, but B.J.'s little brother is a bigtime offensive prospect and was mashing minor league pitcher prior to his promotion. If your OF is in shambles, give the kid a shot. Odds are stacked against him making a big fantasy splash, though.
Tom Glavine - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Congrats to Glavine for career win #300. He pitched a fine ballgame and it was a pleasure to watch him achieve this career milestone. Given the change in the game with more relief pitchers, less durable pitchers, and fewer starts per season, Glavine might be the last pitcher to reach this mark for quite a while.
Lastings Milledge - 3/4, 2 R, SB (1). He's hitting .305 on the season, and only his lineup position (usually 7th or 8th) is holding him back from making a bigger fantasy impact. He's a great sleeper for next year as he seems to have finally adjusted to major league pitching, at least for now. Will Beltran still out for a while and Shawn Green not hitting well, he still has a chance to start the rest of the year and be a borderline 3rd OF in mixed leagues.
Mike Mussina - 6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (7). He's won 3 straight starts now since his shelling at the hands of the Devil Rays. It was the only time he's given up more than 3 ER in his last 10 starts, although he's only pitched past the 6th inning twice. He remains a solid mixed league fantasy starter thanks to the resurgent Yankees offense.
Hideki Matsui - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (22). Don't get too carried away with his huge 13 HR July as that won't happen again this year. However, expecting 8-10 HR over the last 2 months is very reasonable, and that would put him over 30 for just the 2nd time in his US career. He's on pace to surpass 100 R and RBI thanks to a very nice 2nd half rebound.
Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (23). Lee has already hit half the amount of HR post-AS break as he did pre-AS break, in about a quarter of the games. He's still on a serious roll and is helping his owners to big numbers right now.
Hanley Ramirez - 1/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19), SB (32). His AVG sits at .341, too. He's official made the race to be fantasy's best SS a dead heat between Jose Reyes and himself. Reyes will continue to steal a lot more bases, but Ramirez obviously has more pop and can hit for a higher AVG. Boston knew he'd be good, but there's no way any predicted he'd perform like this in his 2nd full season.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, 2 K, SV (32). 10 consecutive scoreless innings for Jenks as he's made a remarkable turnaround after a horrible stretch between mid-June and mid-July. He's pitching as well as any closer in baseball right now, showing his owners a big 2nd half after looking like he might melt down for the 2nd straight year.
Chuck James - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. You can't use a fringe starter like James against an offense like Colorado. He's definitely a pitcher that you should play the matchups with, although with the acquisition of Teixeira, the Atlanta offense is even strong, making James a slightly better play due to the higher chances of a win.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER. He pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first two Braves appearances against Houston, but Colorado lit him up for 4 H, 5 R and 1 BB in 1 1/3 IP. He's well worth benching given his setup roll status until he turns himself around.
Dustin McGowan - 8 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (8). That's 4 straight appearances of 2 ER or less. Unless you have a rotation full of no brainer starters, there's no harm is riding out the hot streak. He has a lot of talent, with a very good fastball and a quality slider/changeup. TJ surgery back in 2004 dimmed his star as did the inconsistency that followed it. I still wouldn't start him against the Yankees and Red Sox, but he's well worth owning for his other starts until he cools down.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (20). He's only allowed 2 ER in his past 12 outings, settling some concerns that he was being figured out. He still doesn't project as a long-term closer, but he's giving his owners some relief after having problems in June and early July.
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Pretty solid outing against the Nationals. Despite his improved performance over the past 10 outings or so, his WHIP remains a problem and he hasn't turned the corner yet. He's moved himself into the fringe mixed league starter catagory, though.
Erik Bedard - 6 2/3 IP. 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, W (12). This is a bad start by his standards these days. He's become a strikeout monster this season, posting 192 K in 154 1/3 IP. He's won 8 of his last 9 starts, and he's turned into a fantasy ace this season.
Miguel Tejada - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (9). He's only hitting .243 since his return, but he's chipped in 2 HR, 6 RBI, and 5 R in those 9 games. The power was the biggest concern given the wrist injury, but he's proving that he can still hit the long ball. He should be a very solid fantasy SS the rest of the season.
Fausto Carmona - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Carmona obviously had terrible command, but he pitched around jams and turned in another great outing. Unfortunately he was out-dueled and went 0-2 in his bid to become a 14 game winner.
Scott Baker - 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Wow, and against a good Cleveland offense as well. Again, he must be owned at this point. He has quality stuff and is finally succeeding at the major league level. I like his chances the rest of the year before the AL offenses better understand him and start to adjust.
John Lackey - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (14). A sloppy outing, but he limited the damage and picked up the win thanks to some timely hitting in the 7th inning. He's going to continue to see his ERA rise with a 1.24 WHIP unless he can cut down on the baserunners.
Dan Haren - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He also did a good job dodging baserunners and only allowing 2 runs. He's definitely been far more hittable since the start of July, and he's also going to see an ERA spike if that continues.
Josh Beckett - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K,. W (14). Another pitcher that dodged baserunners, although his strong K count came in handy in making that happen. He stayed with Lackey atop the AL in wins, and he's on his way to his 2nd straight 200 IP season if he can continue to avoid the blister problems that plagued him much of his Florida career.
Manny Ramirez - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (19). Keep mashing, Manny!
Brandon Webb - 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (11). Webb is rolling now, with 24 straight scoreless innings. Amazing how he improves his command, then goes on a hot streak. Hopefully he has a strong finish to the season ahead of him, but his 2.92 ERA does not match his 1.24 WHIP. However, his recent streak of pitching definitely supports the ERA plummet.
Brad Penny - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Very strong outing from Penny, but his supporting offense was thorough dominated by Brandon Webb in his 2nd failed attempt to reach win #14. He was due for some bad luck anyways given this was his 3rd loss of the season.
Justin Upton - 2/4, 1 RBI. He's awfully raw at 19 years old, but B.J.'s little brother is a bigtime offensive prospect and was mashing minor league pitcher prior to his promotion. If your OF is in shambles, give the kid a shot. Odds are stacked against him making a big fantasy splash, though.
Tom Glavine - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Congrats to Glavine for career win #300. He pitched a fine ballgame and it was a pleasure to watch him achieve this career milestone. Given the change in the game with more relief pitchers, less durable pitchers, and fewer starts per season, Glavine might be the last pitcher to reach this mark for quite a while.
Lastings Milledge - 3/4, 2 R, SB (1). He's hitting .305 on the season, and only his lineup position (usually 7th or 8th) is holding him back from making a bigger fantasy impact. He's a great sleeper for next year as he seems to have finally adjusted to major league pitching, at least for now. Will Beltran still out for a while and Shawn Green not hitting well, he still has a chance to start the rest of the year and be a borderline 3rd OF in mixed leagues.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Wednesday - Saturday Recap
Sorry guys, I took a long weekend and wasn't around the computer until today. I'll recap the last couple days that I missed, but I'll be far more selective in who I cover. I'll be back to the daily updates tomorrow.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (7). Pettitte turned in his best start in about a month and a half, and even though the White Sox performing like a weak offense this year, they're even worse against LHP. Still, it was nice to see him turn in a great start, and that's 4 straight quality starts in a row. He's a fringe mixed league starter despite the name recognition.
Bronson Arroyo - 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ugh, and against the Nationals no less. He had been pitching quite well before this game, so let's give him a pass on this ugly outing and hope he bounces back in his next appearance. It's only his 2nd non-quality start in his past 8 appearances.
Rich Hill - 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Bad times for Hill against Philly, even without Utley in the lineup. Rich Hill's numbers are living off of his strong April, where he posted a 1.77 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Since then, he's posted a 4.40 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He's also only had 3 wins in the past 3+ months as well, so he's really only contributing in the K column. I'm surprised I didn't notice this earlier, and it's very possible that the league has caught up to his average fastball and big curve combination. See what you can get for him in trade.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/4, 3 SB (18). I can't imagine owning him in H2H leagues with his ridiculous streaks. Still, it was nice to see him get active on the basepaths again. He's on pace for 27 HR and 27 SB, so he's way behind what people were expecting this year. Still, he's had a productive fantasy season. The Cubs would be smart to pursue a leadoff hitter in free agency and move Soriano to the 5 spot, whether or not Soriano likes it.
Oliver Perez - 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 11 K, W (10). Perez wasn't at his best last night, but he still pitched pretty well against a solid Milwaukee offense, and picked up the win thanks to good run support. Plus, who doesn't love 11 Ks?
Jered Weaver - 6 IP, 12 K, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Back to back 6 ER starts from Weaver. He's been very erratic so far this year, but he pitches for a great team and patience should be shown here. He should bounce back from these outings and be useable.
Felix Hernandez - 8 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Love the K:BB ratio here as Felix continues to show more and more progress as the season moves along. He was in line for the win until Putz uncharacteristically blew the save.
Tim Lincecum - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. He can get through outings like this with all the walks thanks to how unhittable he is right now. Over his last 7 starts, he's allowed 27 H in 44 1/3 IP, which is incredible. He's pitching about as well as anyone in baseball, but given the innings limitation he'll most likely be on come season's end, redraft leaguers should part with him for a n equal value veteran pitcher.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not what I was looking for against Pittsburgh. He's slowly getting better, but I expected more against a weaker offense. He's not worth picking up, but he's very well worth monitoring down the stretch.
Jeremy Guthrie - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Boston smacked him around pretty good, and he was really lucky his ERA wasn't crushed given the amount of baserunners allowed. His stellar command is falling apart, and his ratios will go nowhere but up. As I've been preaching, get rid of him, if you can.
Jon Garland - 1 1/3 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. His ERA has shot from 3.15 to 4.60 over the past month. I was saying how I had no idea why he was continuing to post the numbers he was, and things have evened out now. He's not worth hanging onto anymore.
Roger Clemens - 1 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K. And his ERA shoots back over 4. He gave up 8 runs in all. I am elated I was able to get good value for him because he's just not going to be providing consistent mixed league value in the AL. Deal him if you still have him, and hopefully cash in on the name recognition.
Sean Marshall - 2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Philly really lit him up. I still view him as a fringe mixed league starter, but be careful with his matchups. As I mentioned before, his Ks are way down since his first few starts. His command is still better than it was last year, and it's possible he can keep his ERA under 4, but it's probably best if he's just used for spot starts against weaker teams.
Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W (11). Vintage Peavy. This is his best start in quite some time, and hopefully he'll go back to being the dominant Peavy from the start of the season. Still, through all of his, he avoided getting lit up and he pitched pretty well.
Barry Zito - 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (8). That's a start, I guess. He's on the waiver wire in many leagues, but he's well worth watching because I still think he can turn it around. I'd definitely leave him on waivers, but keep an eye on him and see if he can build off of this.
Orlando Hernandez - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. What we've come to expect from El Duque this year, but Zambrano kept him from preventing a win. He continues to amaze despite his age and poor performace last year. I still say he's a great sell high candidate before the deadline thanks to his frequency of injuries.
Carlos Zambrano - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 5 K. So yeah, he didn't have his command at all this game, but his ability to be unhittable when he needs to be allowed him to strand a whole host of runners. He again left his start early due to dehydration (I was at this game...it was really hot), so he needs to figure out what's causing this since that's the 2nd straight start he's left with the same problem.
Ryan Dempster - 1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. A leadoff walk, and this happened. Outside of Delgado's rope double down the right field line, it was a bunch of seeing eye singles, so while he didn't pitch well, he wasn't getting killed. Unless he turns in more starts like this, his job as the closer remains safe despite all the hype about the return of Kerry Wood.
Chien Ming-Wang - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (13). Typical start from Wang, and it was nice to see him bounce back after 4 straight starts of 3 ER or more, even if it was against the Royals. Thanks to his lowered ratios over last year, he's become a more reliable fantasy pitcher this season as Ks are the only catagory he's not truly a contributor in.
Tim Redding - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He's pitched quite well since re-joining the major league rotation, but that's only earned him 1 win. His history says this won't last for long, even if he did have the talent to pitch like this at one point earlier in his career. Stay away.
Roy Oswalt - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (11). Oswalt appears to be back at this point, turning in 2 dominant performances in a row. Let's hope he continues to build on this and returns to the great fantasy pitcher he's been over the past several years.
Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (9). Tigers or Royals, it just doesn't matter this year for Buehrle. I still remain skeptical about his 3.07 ERA at this point and I think it's due for a correction, but he's pitching as well as any point in his career right now. I'd be really tempted to sell high before the deadline.
Andrew Miller - 4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He left this start hurt in the 5th inning, and has been placed on the DL with a bum hamstring. I'll fully take the blame for suggesting everyone stick with him. He's very inefficient with his pitches, and while he's a great talent, it doesn't appear he's ready for the majors yet. You can safely drop him.
Ian Snell - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. He's lost 5 straight starts, and he only mixed in one quality start in that span. He's not useable right now, but given how well he was pitching earlier in the season, his owners should stash him and hopes he turns it around.
Roy Halladay - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, W (12). Not his best start, but the W and Ks more than make up for it. He's still on a very nice roll and is finally turning back into the fantasy ace he usually is when healthy.
Dannys Baez - 1 IP, 1 BB, SV (1). Baez is finally feeling well, and he cashed in on his first save opportunity. Consider him the strongest candidate for saves in the Baltimore bullpen.
James Shields - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He's been a very mediocre pitcher for the past 10 starts, but his 2 starts have shown a bit of progress back towards the right direction. If you're deep in pitching, you can cut him like I did, but he's worth stashing in most formats to see if he can turn it around. I read that his schedule is very rough over the rest of the year, so that will only complicate his chances of returning to fantasy relevance.
Jeff Francis - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (12). He's come roaring back over his last two starts after a very worrisome set of starts where he was giving up 5-6 ER consistently. Pick him back up if he was dropped.
John Smoltz - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. A bad outing against Colorado is not a bad thing, so don't worry about his one. He had 3 straight quality starts since coming off the DL until this one.
Mark Teixeira - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (16). He's been on fire since joining his new team, slamming HRs in his first three games. Some will make noise about the ballpark switch affecting his value, but like I mentioned in the trade summary, his HR rate was still very strong on the road, and the only thing he needs to prove is that he can hit for a solid AVG.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Another outstanding start from this season's 2nd best rookie pitcher. The Brewers have stated that he'll be limited to about 175 IP, so he's only got about 40 IP left. Try to cash in on this in redraft leagues and deal him before the deadline.
C.C Sabathia - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (14). AL's first 14 game winner. He's settled back into a fantasy ace after a tough stretch of games earlier last month.
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He's been far more hittable this summer than usual, losing as many games this summer as the past 3 years combined. His numbers are still elite thanks to a stronger start than usual to the season, so expect him to be more Santana-ish very soon.
Joe Borowski - 1 IP, SV (30). His ERA still sits at 4.85, but that's mostly to a brutal April. He had an ERA of 4.00 in May, 3.38 in June, and 3.60 in July, so he's not hurting your team as bad as his overall numbers indicate. He was pretty solid in both May and July in the WHIP catagory, so hopefully he can continue pitching well and not make his owners pay too much for all the saves he generates.
Jon Lester - 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He's not pitching like a mixed league option, so he's not worth owning right now. Don't forget about him though, since he's still a talented pitcher.
Matt Cain - 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K. Is anyone unluckier than this guy? I'm not sure what he has to do to pick up a win, but he's posted 2 straight impressive starts and appears to be re-capturing mixed league form. He's safe to activate again, but he's risky and can't seem to win. He's not a good option for a team that can't afford a blowup risk in their rotation, so trade him unless you have solid options that can offset his ratio risk.
Greg Maddux - 6 1/3 IP., 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Steady, if not exciting. Cain outpitched him tonight. I'm not a big fan of his mixed league value, but he is fairly consistent and is probably better than most waiver wire options at this point.
Chad Billingsley - 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He continues alternating strong and weak outings. As I said before, it'll balance out to be a pretty good positive for your mixed league rotation when all is said and done. He's well worth owning.
Phillip Hughes - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not a great start, but there's good news here. Thanks to his leg injury, his arm will be fresh, and unlike Lincecum and Gallardo, he's at no risk to be shut down prior to the season's finish. This kid is for real, and while he'll present the usual inconsistency risk that rookie pitchers offer, he has bigtime upside and great win potential. He'll have good mixed league value over the rest of the year.
Alex Rodriguez - 3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR (36), SB (13). #500 for A-Rod! What a career so far for A-Rod, and count me in with the many people who hope he eventually breaks the HR record. He's busted his slump with 2 very nice games in a row, so settle in and enjoy fantasy's #1 player over the rest of the year.
Bobby Abreu - 3/5, 4 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's carried over his big July into August so far as he's reclaiming his previous fantasy value. Let's hope he's re-found his groove and continues to close out the year in a very strong fashion.
Shaun Marcum - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (8). 3 straight wins for Marcum who's definitely providing mixed league value right now. Continue using him while he's hot, and don't be afraid to cut bait if he puts together a couple bad outings.
Matt Garza - 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Very inefficient with his pitches, needing 93 pitches to get through 4 innings. He'll have outings like this, and he had a tough assignment pitching against Cleveland last night. He'll be more useful than not, so he's worth owning in mixed leagues as well. He'll be at risk of being shut down early as well, but he likely has no trade value, so just use him in the right matchups.
Kelvim Escobar - 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 2 K. Obviously nowhere close to his best start, but he pitched around all the baserunners and held Oakland to only 2 hits. Unfortunately his offense failed him for the 2nd start in a row.
Joe Blanton - 7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. Not bad for not striking out a single batter. This was a step in the right direction after a run of bad starts, but the 0 strikeouts still has me worried a bit. He was lucky here.
Alan Embree - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (13). He's still the closer even though Street has returned. Oakland's manager has stated that he's in no rush thanks to the success Embree is enjoying in the closer's role, so Street owners might have to be patient. Don't drop him yet, and make sure Embree is owned in your league.
John Maine - 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. Didn't have his control last night. He had bounced back well after a couple rough stretches, but odds are he'll have some control problems here and there and turn in an outing like this. Nothing to worry about here.
Ted Lilly - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, W (12). Back on the winning path. He's been on an incredible winning streak, winning 8 of his last 10 starts. With the Cubs on fire, he's in a great position to win each time he turns in a quality start. He's turned into a great late round pickup in drafts this year.
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (12). Hudson shut down the powerful Colorado offense last night in the latest of his 5 consecutive great outings. He's pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now, and would have 5 consecutive wins as well if not for a blown save by Wickman mixed in.
Garrett Atkins - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (17). He's on fire again so far this month, hitting .467 with 2 HR and 10 RBI in 4 games. After two straight months hitting over .300, he's back as a great fantasy option at 3B after a slow first two months.
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (9). He continues to pitch well against even the toughest of opponents in a mixed league revelation. He's been a great find for his owners, only turning in one substandard month (5.03 ERA despite a 1.09 WHIP) on the season so far. Too bad the offense has tanked or else he'd likely be contending for the AL lead in wins.
Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. It's happening again as Bonderman continues to blow up after the AS break. Many, including myself, thought this would be the year that he finally stopped the 2nd half meltdown, but he's going to have to be incredble the rest of the way to avoid yet another bad 2nd half.
Cole Hamels - 7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Tom Gordon blew the lead for him in the 8th inning, and that was the night for Hamels. He again pitched well, but gave up 3 of those 4 ER in his last inning of work, coupling several hits together. He's still pitching very well.
Dave Bush - 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A bad outing from Bush against a quality Philly offense. He's definitely one you have to watch out for in his matchups...he's not a starter you should plug in regardless of his opponent.
Jason Bay - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (17). Bay is hitting .288 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, and 13 R in 20 games since the AS break, so he's definitely hitting more like he usually does. I still think he's due for a patented Bay hot streak sometime soon.
Scott Kazmir - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. I took longer than I anticipated, but Kazmir is definitely back on track now, posting 5 straight quality starts. Kazmir is showing much improved control, leading to these improved results. Ever since he said that he wanted to stop worrying about his mechanics all the time and just pitch the ball, he's produced far better results. Expect a nice finish.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. 2 solo HR accounted for all the damage as Matsuzaka turned in a very nice outing. He had a 3 outing speedbump after a long stretch of successful starts, but he's back on top of his form with 3 straight quality outings. He seems to be streaky, but he's been more good than bad so far this year.
Barry Bonds - 1/1, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (21). #755 for Bonds. Meh.
Derek Lowe - 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another rough start for Lowe who hasn't pitched the same since injuring his groin. I'm not sure if he's still not feeling healthy. Never underestimate a leg injury for a pitcher, especially if that's his planting foot. Hopefully he shows some progress in his next outing.
Eric Byrnes - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (17), SB (28). He's done an incredible job of being consistent this year, which was his downfall last year during the first fantasy-relevant season of his career. Given he's playing for a new contract, expect a solid finish, which was his problem last year. He's coming of an incredible 12 steal July.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (7). Pettitte turned in his best start in about a month and a half, and even though the White Sox performing like a weak offense this year, they're even worse against LHP. Still, it was nice to see him turn in a great start, and that's 4 straight quality starts in a row. He's a fringe mixed league starter despite the name recognition.
Bronson Arroyo - 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ugh, and against the Nationals no less. He had been pitching quite well before this game, so let's give him a pass on this ugly outing and hope he bounces back in his next appearance. It's only his 2nd non-quality start in his past 8 appearances.
Rich Hill - 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Bad times for Hill against Philly, even without Utley in the lineup. Rich Hill's numbers are living off of his strong April, where he posted a 1.77 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Since then, he's posted a 4.40 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He's also only had 3 wins in the past 3+ months as well, so he's really only contributing in the K column. I'm surprised I didn't notice this earlier, and it's very possible that the league has caught up to his average fastball and big curve combination. See what you can get for him in trade.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/4, 3 SB (18). I can't imagine owning him in H2H leagues with his ridiculous streaks. Still, it was nice to see him get active on the basepaths again. He's on pace for 27 HR and 27 SB, so he's way behind what people were expecting this year. Still, he's had a productive fantasy season. The Cubs would be smart to pursue a leadoff hitter in free agency and move Soriano to the 5 spot, whether or not Soriano likes it.
Oliver Perez - 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 11 K, W (10). Perez wasn't at his best last night, but he still pitched pretty well against a solid Milwaukee offense, and picked up the win thanks to good run support. Plus, who doesn't love 11 Ks?
Jered Weaver - 6 IP, 12 K, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Back to back 6 ER starts from Weaver. He's been very erratic so far this year, but he pitches for a great team and patience should be shown here. He should bounce back from these outings and be useable.
Felix Hernandez - 8 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Love the K:BB ratio here as Felix continues to show more and more progress as the season moves along. He was in line for the win until Putz uncharacteristically blew the save.
Tim Lincecum - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. He can get through outings like this with all the walks thanks to how unhittable he is right now. Over his last 7 starts, he's allowed 27 H in 44 1/3 IP, which is incredible. He's pitching about as well as anyone in baseball, but given the innings limitation he'll most likely be on come season's end, redraft leaguers should part with him for a n equal value veteran pitcher.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not what I was looking for against Pittsburgh. He's slowly getting better, but I expected more against a weaker offense. He's not worth picking up, but he's very well worth monitoring down the stretch.
Jeremy Guthrie - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Boston smacked him around pretty good, and he was really lucky his ERA wasn't crushed given the amount of baserunners allowed. His stellar command is falling apart, and his ratios will go nowhere but up. As I've been preaching, get rid of him, if you can.
Jon Garland - 1 1/3 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. His ERA has shot from 3.15 to 4.60 over the past month. I was saying how I had no idea why he was continuing to post the numbers he was, and things have evened out now. He's not worth hanging onto anymore.
Roger Clemens - 1 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K. And his ERA shoots back over 4. He gave up 8 runs in all. I am elated I was able to get good value for him because he's just not going to be providing consistent mixed league value in the AL. Deal him if you still have him, and hopefully cash in on the name recognition.
Sean Marshall - 2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Philly really lit him up. I still view him as a fringe mixed league starter, but be careful with his matchups. As I mentioned before, his Ks are way down since his first few starts. His command is still better than it was last year, and it's possible he can keep his ERA under 4, but it's probably best if he's just used for spot starts against weaker teams.
Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W (11). Vintage Peavy. This is his best start in quite some time, and hopefully he'll go back to being the dominant Peavy from the start of the season. Still, through all of his, he avoided getting lit up and he pitched pretty well.
Barry Zito - 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W (8). That's a start, I guess. He's on the waiver wire in many leagues, but he's well worth watching because I still think he can turn it around. I'd definitely leave him on waivers, but keep an eye on him and see if he can build off of this.
Orlando Hernandez - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. What we've come to expect from El Duque this year, but Zambrano kept him from preventing a win. He continues to amaze despite his age and poor performace last year. I still say he's a great sell high candidate before the deadline thanks to his frequency of injuries.
Carlos Zambrano - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 5 K. So yeah, he didn't have his command at all this game, but his ability to be unhittable when he needs to be allowed him to strand a whole host of runners. He again left his start early due to dehydration (I was at this game...it was really hot), so he needs to figure out what's causing this since that's the 2nd straight start he's left with the same problem.
Ryan Dempster - 1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. A leadoff walk, and this happened. Outside of Delgado's rope double down the right field line, it was a bunch of seeing eye singles, so while he didn't pitch well, he wasn't getting killed. Unless he turns in more starts like this, his job as the closer remains safe despite all the hype about the return of Kerry Wood.
Chien Ming-Wang - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (13). Typical start from Wang, and it was nice to see him bounce back after 4 straight starts of 3 ER or more, even if it was against the Royals. Thanks to his lowered ratios over last year, he's become a more reliable fantasy pitcher this season as Ks are the only catagory he's not truly a contributor in.
Tim Redding - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He's pitched quite well since re-joining the major league rotation, but that's only earned him 1 win. His history says this won't last for long, even if he did have the talent to pitch like this at one point earlier in his career. Stay away.
Roy Oswalt - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (11). Oswalt appears to be back at this point, turning in 2 dominant performances in a row. Let's hope he continues to build on this and returns to the great fantasy pitcher he's been over the past several years.
Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (9). Tigers or Royals, it just doesn't matter this year for Buehrle. I still remain skeptical about his 3.07 ERA at this point and I think it's due for a correction, but he's pitching as well as any point in his career right now. I'd be really tempted to sell high before the deadline.
Andrew Miller - 4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He left this start hurt in the 5th inning, and has been placed on the DL with a bum hamstring. I'll fully take the blame for suggesting everyone stick with him. He's very inefficient with his pitches, and while he's a great talent, it doesn't appear he's ready for the majors yet. You can safely drop him.
Ian Snell - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. He's lost 5 straight starts, and he only mixed in one quality start in that span. He's not useable right now, but given how well he was pitching earlier in the season, his owners should stash him and hopes he turns it around.
Roy Halladay - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, W (12). Not his best start, but the W and Ks more than make up for it. He's still on a very nice roll and is finally turning back into the fantasy ace he usually is when healthy.
Dannys Baez - 1 IP, 1 BB, SV (1). Baez is finally feeling well, and he cashed in on his first save opportunity. Consider him the strongest candidate for saves in the Baltimore bullpen.
James Shields - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He's been a very mediocre pitcher for the past 10 starts, but his 2 starts have shown a bit of progress back towards the right direction. If you're deep in pitching, you can cut him like I did, but he's worth stashing in most formats to see if he can turn it around. I read that his schedule is very rough over the rest of the year, so that will only complicate his chances of returning to fantasy relevance.
Jeff Francis - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (12). He's come roaring back over his last two starts after a very worrisome set of starts where he was giving up 5-6 ER consistently. Pick him back up if he was dropped.
John Smoltz - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. A bad outing against Colorado is not a bad thing, so don't worry about his one. He had 3 straight quality starts since coming off the DL until this one.
Mark Teixeira - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (16). He's been on fire since joining his new team, slamming HRs in his first three games. Some will make noise about the ballpark switch affecting his value, but like I mentioned in the trade summary, his HR rate was still very strong on the road, and the only thing he needs to prove is that he can hit for a solid AVG.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Another outstanding start from this season's 2nd best rookie pitcher. The Brewers have stated that he'll be limited to about 175 IP, so he's only got about 40 IP left. Try to cash in on this in redraft leagues and deal him before the deadline.
C.C Sabathia - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (14). AL's first 14 game winner. He's settled back into a fantasy ace after a tough stretch of games earlier last month.
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He's been far more hittable this summer than usual, losing as many games this summer as the past 3 years combined. His numbers are still elite thanks to a stronger start than usual to the season, so expect him to be more Santana-ish very soon.
Joe Borowski - 1 IP, SV (30). His ERA still sits at 4.85, but that's mostly to a brutal April. He had an ERA of 4.00 in May, 3.38 in June, and 3.60 in July, so he's not hurting your team as bad as his overall numbers indicate. He was pretty solid in both May and July in the WHIP catagory, so hopefully he can continue pitching well and not make his owners pay too much for all the saves he generates.
Jon Lester - 5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He's not pitching like a mixed league option, so he's not worth owning right now. Don't forget about him though, since he's still a talented pitcher.
Matt Cain - 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K. Is anyone unluckier than this guy? I'm not sure what he has to do to pick up a win, but he's posted 2 straight impressive starts and appears to be re-capturing mixed league form. He's safe to activate again, but he's risky and can't seem to win. He's not a good option for a team that can't afford a blowup risk in their rotation, so trade him unless you have solid options that can offset his ratio risk.
Greg Maddux - 6 1/3 IP., 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Steady, if not exciting. Cain outpitched him tonight. I'm not a big fan of his mixed league value, but he is fairly consistent and is probably better than most waiver wire options at this point.
Chad Billingsley - 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He continues alternating strong and weak outings. As I said before, it'll balance out to be a pretty good positive for your mixed league rotation when all is said and done. He's well worth owning.
Phillip Hughes - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not a great start, but there's good news here. Thanks to his leg injury, his arm will be fresh, and unlike Lincecum and Gallardo, he's at no risk to be shut down prior to the season's finish. This kid is for real, and while he'll present the usual inconsistency risk that rookie pitchers offer, he has bigtime upside and great win potential. He'll have good mixed league value over the rest of the year.
Alex Rodriguez - 3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR (36), SB (13). #500 for A-Rod! What a career so far for A-Rod, and count me in with the many people who hope he eventually breaks the HR record. He's busted his slump with 2 very nice games in a row, so settle in and enjoy fantasy's #1 player over the rest of the year.
Bobby Abreu - 3/5, 4 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's carried over his big July into August so far as he's reclaiming his previous fantasy value. Let's hope he's re-found his groove and continues to close out the year in a very strong fashion.
Shaun Marcum - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (8). 3 straight wins for Marcum who's definitely providing mixed league value right now. Continue using him while he's hot, and don't be afraid to cut bait if he puts together a couple bad outings.
Matt Garza - 4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Very inefficient with his pitches, needing 93 pitches to get through 4 innings. He'll have outings like this, and he had a tough assignment pitching against Cleveland last night. He'll be more useful than not, so he's worth owning in mixed leagues as well. He'll be at risk of being shut down early as well, but he likely has no trade value, so just use him in the right matchups.
Kelvim Escobar - 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 2 K. Obviously nowhere close to his best start, but he pitched around all the baserunners and held Oakland to only 2 hits. Unfortunately his offense failed him for the 2nd start in a row.
Joe Blanton - 7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. Not bad for not striking out a single batter. This was a step in the right direction after a run of bad starts, but the 0 strikeouts still has me worried a bit. He was lucky here.
Alan Embree - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (13). He's still the closer even though Street has returned. Oakland's manager has stated that he's in no rush thanks to the success Embree is enjoying in the closer's role, so Street owners might have to be patient. Don't drop him yet, and make sure Embree is owned in your league.
John Maine - 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. Didn't have his control last night. He had bounced back well after a couple rough stretches, but odds are he'll have some control problems here and there and turn in an outing like this. Nothing to worry about here.
Ted Lilly - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, W (12). Back on the winning path. He's been on an incredible winning streak, winning 8 of his last 10 starts. With the Cubs on fire, he's in a great position to win each time he turns in a quality start. He's turned into a great late round pickup in drafts this year.
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (12). Hudson shut down the powerful Colorado offense last night in the latest of his 5 consecutive great outings. He's pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now, and would have 5 consecutive wins as well if not for a blown save by Wickman mixed in.
Garrett Atkins - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (17). He's on fire again so far this month, hitting .467 with 2 HR and 10 RBI in 4 games. After two straight months hitting over .300, he's back as a great fantasy option at 3B after a slow first two months.
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (9). He continues to pitch well against even the toughest of opponents in a mixed league revelation. He's been a great find for his owners, only turning in one substandard month (5.03 ERA despite a 1.09 WHIP) on the season so far. Too bad the offense has tanked or else he'd likely be contending for the AL lead in wins.
Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. It's happening again as Bonderman continues to blow up after the AS break. Many, including myself, thought this would be the year that he finally stopped the 2nd half meltdown, but he's going to have to be incredble the rest of the way to avoid yet another bad 2nd half.
Cole Hamels - 7 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Tom Gordon blew the lead for him in the 8th inning, and that was the night for Hamels. He again pitched well, but gave up 3 of those 4 ER in his last inning of work, coupling several hits together. He's still pitching very well.
Dave Bush - 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A bad outing from Bush against a quality Philly offense. He's definitely one you have to watch out for in his matchups...he's not a starter you should plug in regardless of his opponent.
Jason Bay - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (17). Bay is hitting .288 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, and 13 R in 20 games since the AS break, so he's definitely hitting more like he usually does. I still think he's due for a patented Bay hot streak sometime soon.
Scott Kazmir - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. I took longer than I anticipated, but Kazmir is definitely back on track now, posting 5 straight quality starts. Kazmir is showing much improved control, leading to these improved results. Ever since he said that he wanted to stop worrying about his mechanics all the time and just pitch the ball, he's produced far better results. Expect a nice finish.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. 2 solo HR accounted for all the damage as Matsuzaka turned in a very nice outing. He had a 3 outing speedbump after a long stretch of successful starts, but he's back on top of his form with 3 straight quality outings. He seems to be streaky, but he's been more good than bad so far this year.
Barry Bonds - 1/1, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (21). #755 for Bonds. Meh.
Derek Lowe - 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another rough start for Lowe who hasn't pitched the same since injuring his groin. I'm not sure if he's still not feeling healthy. Never underestimate a leg injury for a pitcher, especially if that's his planting foot. Hopefully he shows some progress in his next outing.
Eric Byrnes - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (17), SB (28). He's done an incredible job of being consistent this year, which was his downfall last year during the first fantasy-relevant season of his career. Given he's playing for a new contract, expect a solid finish, which was his problem last year. He's coming of an incredible 12 steal July.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Carlos Beltran To The DL
The New York Mets placed OF Carlos Beltran on the DL with vaginitis. I mean a strained oblique.
Carlos "Fragile" Beltran strikes again. This DL stint was retroactively applied to July 25th, meaning he can return on August 10th.
Fantasy Impact: Toss him on your DL, and he should return when ready. This gives another shot of job security to Lastings Milledge, and both he or Pat Burrell would make very good injury replacements in the time that Beltran is out.
Carlos "Fragile" Beltran strikes again. This DL stint was retroactively applied to July 25th, meaning he can return on August 10th.
Fantasy Impact: Toss him on your DL, and he should return when ready. This gives another shot of job security to Lastings Milledge, and both he or Pat Burrell would make very good injury replacements in the time that Beltran is out.
Tuesday: 2/3 Through, 14 Game Winner Failures
Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (10). Not his best work, but you can afford to give up baserunners to the Pirates...odds are they won't score. He continues his nice run of mixed-league quality starts and should be owned in all leagues.
Jason Bay - 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI. Slowly but surely he's becoming a quality hitter again. I'm hoping for a big last 2 months from his huge bust.
Fausto Carmona - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 14 game winner failure #1. Unfortunately Brandon McCarthy surprisingly shut down the Indians to deny Carmona his 14th win. He still pitched well enough to get it, however.
Mike Mussina - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (6). Another quality start from Mussina. He's clearly taken a step back from last year, but he's still providing enough value to be used in mixed leagues consistently.
Hideki Matsui - 2/3, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (21). He ends July with a .345 AVG, 13 HR (!!), 28 RBI, and 31 R. I can't see anyone else getting AL player of the month. You really have to dig though the HR totals for the Yankees last night to find this since they hit 8 of them during batting practice, I mean their game against the White Sox last night.
Bobby Abreu - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (8). Abreu was another bigtime producing Yankee this month, posting a .353 AVG, 5 HR, 29 RBI, and 20 R. This is more like the Abreu that fantasy owners saw on a yearly basis in Philly, so hopefully he's turned the corner for good this time.
Alex Rodriguez - 0/5. On a night when the Yankees homered 8 times, who would have figured that A-Rod wouldn't have been among them? He's still hitless since his 499th HR, stretching that streak to 15 AB last night. Hopefully he doesn't keep this up too much longer as he tries to slug his 500th. It's obviously affecting his plate approach.
Manny Corpas - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (7). Corpas is rolling right along in the closer's role, giving up 1 run while being a perfect 7/7 in save chances. With Fuentes not having pitching in the minors yet on a rehab assignment, Corpas looks safe for a while, and there's also no guarantee that Fuentes will get his role back. I would imagine that Corpas will have to pitch himself out of the role at this point.
Erik Bedard - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, W (11). Luckily he's quite unhittable these days as those walks would have killed most pitchers. Still, walks are not a problem for Bedard these days. Daniel Cabrera must have touched his pitching hand before the game or something.
Jamie Walker - 2/3 IP, 1 BB, SV (4). The Baltimore bullpen situation is still a mess with Ray out, likely for the season, but Walker has stepped up with 4 saves so far. Use him now, but don't think that he's the new closer. I'd still bank on Baez once he gets over his illness as being the leading candidate for saves. Walker and Bradford are too specialized to be a fulltime closer, although Baez is far from a safe closer himself. My advice? Avoid the situation.
Josh Beckett - 8 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. 14 game winner failure #2. Far from his best outing last night, obviously, but he pitched deep into the game and kept his team in the game. He had a rough June, but he finishes July with a 3.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Those are more in line with what we should expect from Beckett.
Brian Roberts - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (9), SB (32). Roberts is showing improved pop over the summer months with 7 of his 9 HR coming in the last 2 months. He hasn't stolen less than 6 bases in any month, so he's been very consistent on the basepaths all season long. He's turning this into a monster season from a fantasy perspective for a 2B.
Corey Patterson - 1/4, 1 R, 2 SB (27). Patterson ends July with a .340 AVG, 4 HR, and 12 SB. He's looking more like the breakthrough Patterson of last season than the horrible version of himself that surfaced the first 3 months. The AVG is obviously a fluke, but hopefully he'll continue hitting more in the .280 range for the rest of the season.
David Ortiz - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (18). His AVG has remained at high levels every month so far, but this is his first 5 HR month since April. Hopefully he'll get this thing turned around the last 2 months and provide the bigtime power his owners expect.
Ryan Zimmerman - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI. He finally turned in a solid month at the plate with a .311 AVG, but thanks to the absolutely miserable offense he's in, he only has 53 RBI through 4 months, less than half of what he put up last year. He should continue improving at the plate, but his surrounding situation and lack of great power makes him only a lower tiered mixed league 3B.
Edwin Jackson - 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. An error lead to the unearned run, which was good enough to land Jackson the loss. He's hardly fantasy-worthy in any league this year with a 6.56 ERA, but he's posted 82 K in 96 IP, showing that there is some potential here. He's a good young arm that should eventually come around at some point, and he's one to consider next year if he can close strong.
Chuck James - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (9). He just doesn't pitch deep into games, does he? He's still managed 17 decisions on the year regardless of that, and he's settled into becoming a fringe mixed league starter. Last night ended his 5 start streak of 2 ER or less.
Jeff Francouer - 3/5, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Hopefully that power swing is coming around now for the stretch run. He's up to a shocking .300 so far this year, and the 69 RBI put him on pace for about 110 on the season. That pace shouldn't slow down any with Mark Teixeira joining the lineup tonight.
Kelly Johnson - 4/4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (12). Can someone please explain to me what the hell the Braves were doing benching this guy earlier this season? It looks like he's back to becoming more of a mainstay in the lineup, and while Willie Harris starts to fade like everyone knew, Johnson and his .392 OBP belong back at the top of the lineup.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (12). McCann finishes July with a .282 AVG, 5 HR and 22 RBI. Consider him among the elite catchers again even if his fluky 2006 AVG of .333 never returns.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Ugly walk total, but he only allowed 2 hits and pitched well despite the walks. Unfortunately the bullpen blew his 1st attempt at his 300th career win.
Jose Reyes - 2/5, 1 R, SB (50). First to 50 wins....nothing. He's on pace for 75 steals, which would be his career high.
David Wright - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, SB (24). He's on pace for 36 SB, so he's not slowing down on the basepaths at all. He also has his AVG up to an even .300 after struggling earlier this season. The 18 HR so far equate to a pace of 27 (he's hit 26 and 27 the past two years), so while many people expect him to be a 35 HR hitter, his power hasn't developed to that level quite yet. Regardless, he's right there with A-Rod and Cabrera as elite fantasy 3B, with Ryan Braun knocking on the door.
Pat Burrell - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). He's up to .435 this month, with 6 HR 22 RBI, and 17 R. His overall numbers still look horrible, but there's no reason he should not be owned and in lineups while he's hitting like this. He could post a very nice 2nd half of the season. His career numbers show inconsistency, but his talent is definitely still there.
Torii Hunter - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (22). He's been very quiet, hitting an ugly .239 this month with 0 SB. He still managed to hit 5 HR with 11 RBI, so the power was still there. Expect him to settle into his current AVG of .288 for the rest of the year, but a further decline can't be ruled out.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (10). Vintage 2006 Webb here as he lowered his ERA to 3.08 on the season. This should have been expected while pitching at Petco versus a weak SD offense.
Chris Young - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). Young had a big month despite only hitting .240. He hit 8 HR with 10 RBI (victim of the leadoff spot), scored 21 R and had 7 SB. That sort of production makes up for the low AVG, but this is his first month he's been able to do that. Keep an eye on his trends, because that AVG will be a killer to your team if he's not hitting HR and stealing bases.
John Lackey - 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (13). An efficient Lackey scattered baserunners and stranded all 10 in a CG SHO. He lowered his ERA to 3.07 with this effort as he continues to pitch like a fantasy ace.
Gary Matthews Jr. - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (12). Matthews is on pace for 18 HR, so he's on pace with his HR total from Texas last year, which is a bit of a surprise. The 12 SB so far has already exceeded his 2006 total. Labeled a bust by many fantasy outlets, he's actually maintaining similar fantasy value as his breakthrough season last year. His AVG and R are down, but his SB are up and his HR and RBI total is on par.
Justin Verlander - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Just a bad outing from Verlander last night, who raised his July totals to a 4.50 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, his worst month so far. With a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP on the season, he's turning in another strong compaign and is slowly joining the elite fantasy pitchers in the AL. He's still a candidate to wear down, so hopefully he can bounce back with a strong August.
Dan Haren - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (13). He's settled back down nicely after a stretch of mediocre starts and has joined the ever growing 13 win club.
Brad Penny - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K. 14 game winner failure #3. He went 3-1 in July, but he posted a 4.91 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. His K rate remained about on par, but his walk rate shot up to 17 BB in 29 1/3 IP. I've been warning for a while about his tendency to collapse in the 2nd half, and July is indicating that it's starting again. If you still own him, I still advise you to trade him.
Jason Bay - 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI. Slowly but surely he's becoming a quality hitter again. I'm hoping for a big last 2 months from his huge bust.
Fausto Carmona - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 14 game winner failure #1. Unfortunately Brandon McCarthy surprisingly shut down the Indians to deny Carmona his 14th win. He still pitched well enough to get it, however.
Mike Mussina - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (6). Another quality start from Mussina. He's clearly taken a step back from last year, but he's still providing enough value to be used in mixed leagues consistently.
Hideki Matsui - 2/3, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (21). He ends July with a .345 AVG, 13 HR (!!), 28 RBI, and 31 R. I can't see anyone else getting AL player of the month. You really have to dig though the HR totals for the Yankees last night to find this since they hit 8 of them during batting practice, I mean their game against the White Sox last night.
Bobby Abreu - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (8). Abreu was another bigtime producing Yankee this month, posting a .353 AVG, 5 HR, 29 RBI, and 20 R. This is more like the Abreu that fantasy owners saw on a yearly basis in Philly, so hopefully he's turned the corner for good this time.
Alex Rodriguez - 0/5. On a night when the Yankees homered 8 times, who would have figured that A-Rod wouldn't have been among them? He's still hitless since his 499th HR, stretching that streak to 15 AB last night. Hopefully he doesn't keep this up too much longer as he tries to slug his 500th. It's obviously affecting his plate approach.
Manny Corpas - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (7). Corpas is rolling right along in the closer's role, giving up 1 run while being a perfect 7/7 in save chances. With Fuentes not having pitching in the minors yet on a rehab assignment, Corpas looks safe for a while, and there's also no guarantee that Fuentes will get his role back. I would imagine that Corpas will have to pitch himself out of the role at this point.
Erik Bedard - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, W (11). Luckily he's quite unhittable these days as those walks would have killed most pitchers. Still, walks are not a problem for Bedard these days. Daniel Cabrera must have touched his pitching hand before the game or something.
Jamie Walker - 2/3 IP, 1 BB, SV (4). The Baltimore bullpen situation is still a mess with Ray out, likely for the season, but Walker has stepped up with 4 saves so far. Use him now, but don't think that he's the new closer. I'd still bank on Baez once he gets over his illness as being the leading candidate for saves. Walker and Bradford are too specialized to be a fulltime closer, although Baez is far from a safe closer himself. My advice? Avoid the situation.
Josh Beckett - 8 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. 14 game winner failure #2. Far from his best outing last night, obviously, but he pitched deep into the game and kept his team in the game. He had a rough June, but he finishes July with a 3.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Those are more in line with what we should expect from Beckett.
Brian Roberts - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (9), SB (32). Roberts is showing improved pop over the summer months with 7 of his 9 HR coming in the last 2 months. He hasn't stolen less than 6 bases in any month, so he's been very consistent on the basepaths all season long. He's turning this into a monster season from a fantasy perspective for a 2B.
Corey Patterson - 1/4, 1 R, 2 SB (27). Patterson ends July with a .340 AVG, 4 HR, and 12 SB. He's looking more like the breakthrough Patterson of last season than the horrible version of himself that surfaced the first 3 months. The AVG is obviously a fluke, but hopefully he'll continue hitting more in the .280 range for the rest of the season.
David Ortiz - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (18). His AVG has remained at high levels every month so far, but this is his first 5 HR month since April. Hopefully he'll get this thing turned around the last 2 months and provide the bigtime power his owners expect.
Ryan Zimmerman - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI. He finally turned in a solid month at the plate with a .311 AVG, but thanks to the absolutely miserable offense he's in, he only has 53 RBI through 4 months, less than half of what he put up last year. He should continue improving at the plate, but his surrounding situation and lack of great power makes him only a lower tiered mixed league 3B.
Edwin Jackson - 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. An error lead to the unearned run, which was good enough to land Jackson the loss. He's hardly fantasy-worthy in any league this year with a 6.56 ERA, but he's posted 82 K in 96 IP, showing that there is some potential here. He's a good young arm that should eventually come around at some point, and he's one to consider next year if he can close strong.
Chuck James - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (9). He just doesn't pitch deep into games, does he? He's still managed 17 decisions on the year regardless of that, and he's settled into becoming a fringe mixed league starter. Last night ended his 5 start streak of 2 ER or less.
Jeff Francouer - 3/5, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Hopefully that power swing is coming around now for the stretch run. He's up to a shocking .300 so far this year, and the 69 RBI put him on pace for about 110 on the season. That pace shouldn't slow down any with Mark Teixeira joining the lineup tonight.
Kelly Johnson - 4/4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (12). Can someone please explain to me what the hell the Braves were doing benching this guy earlier this season? It looks like he's back to becoming more of a mainstay in the lineup, and while Willie Harris starts to fade like everyone knew, Johnson and his .392 OBP belong back at the top of the lineup.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (12). McCann finishes July with a .282 AVG, 5 HR and 22 RBI. Consider him among the elite catchers again even if his fluky 2006 AVG of .333 never returns.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Ugly walk total, but he only allowed 2 hits and pitched well despite the walks. Unfortunately the bullpen blew his 1st attempt at his 300th career win.
Jose Reyes - 2/5, 1 R, SB (50). First to 50 wins....nothing. He's on pace for 75 steals, which would be his career high.
David Wright - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, SB (24). He's on pace for 36 SB, so he's not slowing down on the basepaths at all. He also has his AVG up to an even .300 after struggling earlier this season. The 18 HR so far equate to a pace of 27 (he's hit 26 and 27 the past two years), so while many people expect him to be a 35 HR hitter, his power hasn't developed to that level quite yet. Regardless, he's right there with A-Rod and Cabrera as elite fantasy 3B, with Ryan Braun knocking on the door.
Pat Burrell - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). He's up to .435 this month, with 6 HR 22 RBI, and 17 R. His overall numbers still look horrible, but there's no reason he should not be owned and in lineups while he's hitting like this. He could post a very nice 2nd half of the season. His career numbers show inconsistency, but his talent is definitely still there.
Torii Hunter - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (22). He's been very quiet, hitting an ugly .239 this month with 0 SB. He still managed to hit 5 HR with 11 RBI, so the power was still there. Expect him to settle into his current AVG of .288 for the rest of the year, but a further decline can't be ruled out.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (10). Vintage 2006 Webb here as he lowered his ERA to 3.08 on the season. This should have been expected while pitching at Petco versus a weak SD offense.
Chris Young - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). Young had a big month despite only hitting .240. He hit 8 HR with 10 RBI (victim of the leadoff spot), scored 21 R and had 7 SB. That sort of production makes up for the low AVG, but this is his first month he's been able to do that. Keep an eye on his trends, because that AVG will be a killer to your team if he's not hitting HR and stealing bases.
John Lackey - 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (13). An efficient Lackey scattered baserunners and stranded all 10 in a CG SHO. He lowered his ERA to 3.07 with this effort as he continues to pitch like a fantasy ace.
Gary Matthews Jr. - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (12). Matthews is on pace for 18 HR, so he's on pace with his HR total from Texas last year, which is a bit of a surprise. The 12 SB so far has already exceeded his 2006 total. Labeled a bust by many fantasy outlets, he's actually maintaining similar fantasy value as his breakthrough season last year. His AVG and R are down, but his SB are up and his HR and RBI total is on par.
Justin Verlander - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Just a bad outing from Verlander last night, who raised his July totals to a 4.50 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, his worst month so far. With a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP on the season, he's turning in another strong compaign and is slowly joining the elite fantasy pitchers in the AL. He's still a candidate to wear down, so hopefully he can bounce back with a strong August.
Dan Haren - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (13). He's settled back down nicely after a stretch of mediocre starts and has joined the ever growing 13 win club.
Brad Penny - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 1 K. 14 game winner failure #3. He went 3-1 in July, but he posted a 4.91 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. His K rate remained about on par, but his walk rate shot up to 17 BB in 29 1/3 IP. I've been warning for a while about his tendency to collapse in the 2nd half, and July is indicating that it's starting again. If you still own him, I still advise you to trade him.
Atlanta Braves Trade For Octavio Dotel
The Atalnta Braves finalized a deal that will net them RP Octavio Dotel from the Kansas City Royals for SP Kyle Davies.
This is a good trade for both teams. The Braves now have a solid 7th/8th/9th inning combination as well, with Rafael Soriano likely moving to the 7th inning, and Octavio Dotel moving to the 8th inning. Bob Wickman will likely remain the closer, even though he hasn't been very good. If the Braves were smart, they would have dealt Wickman for peanuts, traded for Dotel to be the 8th inning guy, and let Soriano close. On the other hand, the Kansas City Royals get a solid, young starter with upside, something they lack outside of prospect Luke Hochevar.
Fantasy Impact: Octavio Dotel is obviously the biggest loser here as he moves from closer to setup man. Dotel was always a great setup man, but he never carried that same success over to the closer's role. He's now #2 in line for saves, taking that position away from Soriano. He's still worth owning, especially with Wickman's unimpressive performance this season. His ratios might improve now that he's not closing anymore, given his history of pitching much better in a setup role. Soriano's value is like Okajima's now, except he doesn't carry the same impressive ratios. He can probably be dropped.
Pick up Joakim Soria immediately. He will replace Dotel as KC's closer, and he did a good job in that role earlier in the season. He should stay in that role all season long.
This is a good trade for both teams. The Braves now have a solid 7th/8th/9th inning combination as well, with Rafael Soriano likely moving to the 7th inning, and Octavio Dotel moving to the 8th inning. Bob Wickman will likely remain the closer, even though he hasn't been very good. If the Braves were smart, they would have dealt Wickman for peanuts, traded for Dotel to be the 8th inning guy, and let Soriano close. On the other hand, the Kansas City Royals get a solid, young starter with upside, something they lack outside of prospect Luke Hochevar.
Fantasy Impact: Octavio Dotel is obviously the biggest loser here as he moves from closer to setup man. Dotel was always a great setup man, but he never carried that same success over to the closer's role. He's now #2 in line for saves, taking that position away from Soriano. He's still worth owning, especially with Wickman's unimpressive performance this season. His ratios might improve now that he's not closing anymore, given his history of pitching much better in a setup role. Soriano's value is like Okajima's now, except he doesn't carry the same impressive ratios. He can probably be dropped.
Pick up Joakim Soria immediately. He will replace Dotel as KC's closer, and he did a good job in that role earlier in the season. He should stay in that role all season long.
Boston Red Sox Trade For Eric Gagne
The Boston Red Sox finalized a deal that will net them RP Eric Gagne from the Texas Rangers for SP Kason Gabbard, OF David Murphy, and OF Engel Beltre.
This was a nice upgrade for the Red Sox without having to part with Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, or Jacoby Ellsbury. They now have a killer 7th/8th/9th inning combination with Hideki Okajima moving to the 7th inning, Eric Gagne moving to the 8th inning, and Jonathan Papelbon staying in the 9th inning.
Fantasy Impact: I mentioned a while ago that Gagne was a candidate to be traded, so hopefully you moved him before this trade. He moves to a setup role, and is now #2 in line for saves, so his fantasy value drops quite a bit. The Red Sox are careful with Papelbon and his shoulder, so Gagne now has the fantasy value that Okajima used to have and is still worth owning. You can still use Okajima for ratios, but he won't be vulturing saves anymore, so his fantasy value drops a bit as well. Kason Gabbard was an interesting spot-start candidate, but going to Texas kills his fantasy value and he should not be used in mixed leagues. He'll probably have a permanent rotation spot now, though.
The Texas closer situation is one to monitor. C.J. Wilson closed last night for 1 2/3 IP, but he's far more effective against left handers and probably isn't the true closer. That should belong to Joaquin Benoit, and he's the guy I've picked up in both of my leagues. Benoit has posted a 3.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 56 K in 55 IP, so it looks like he could be a successful closer.
This was a nice upgrade for the Red Sox without having to part with Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, or Jacoby Ellsbury. They now have a killer 7th/8th/9th inning combination with Hideki Okajima moving to the 7th inning, Eric Gagne moving to the 8th inning, and Jonathan Papelbon staying in the 9th inning.
Fantasy Impact: I mentioned a while ago that Gagne was a candidate to be traded, so hopefully you moved him before this trade. He moves to a setup role, and is now #2 in line for saves, so his fantasy value drops quite a bit. The Red Sox are careful with Papelbon and his shoulder, so Gagne now has the fantasy value that Okajima used to have and is still worth owning. You can still use Okajima for ratios, but he won't be vulturing saves anymore, so his fantasy value drops a bit as well. Kason Gabbard was an interesting spot-start candidate, but going to Texas kills his fantasy value and he should not be used in mixed leagues. He'll probably have a permanent rotation spot now, though.
The Texas closer situation is one to monitor. C.J. Wilson closed last night for 1 2/3 IP, but he's far more effective against left handers and probably isn't the true closer. That should belong to Joaquin Benoit, and he's the guy I've picked up in both of my leagues. Benoit has posted a 3.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 56 K in 55 IP, so it looks like he could be a successful closer.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Frank Gore Breaks Hand
San Francisco 49ers RB Frank Gore broke his hand during practice yesterday.
Fantasy Impact: This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yes, Gore got hurt got hurt again, but established RBs need the least amount of time on the field during the preseason. Tomlinson, for example, barely ever plays in the preseason. With the pounding that RBs take over the course of the season, there's no need to give them many carries. It'll take a few weeks for him to heal, but coach Mike Nolan stated that he expects Gore to return to practice with a cast on his hand.
There's been some discussion as to whether or not this will affect his "fumbling problem", but I'm not buying it, nor do I believe there's much of a problem to begin with. Yes, he did fumble in his first 4 games last season, most of which were near the goal line, and that caused him to lose goal line carries for a while. He only fumbled twice the rest of the year (12 games), losing one, so he clearly corrected the problem. Plus he earned goal line carries back towards the end of the year. He'll likely score more TDs this season. Besides, it's a broken hand, not ligament damage that could affect the strength of his grip. Ignore this babble.
I understand the injury concerns that Gore has with the 2 ACL tears (1 in each knee) in college, and the torn labrum in both shoulders that he had surgery on prior to the 2006 season. He had 312 carries last year without an injury, and none of the injuries he's suffered previously are recurring issues. Don't move him in your rankings because of this.
Fantasy Impact: This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yes, Gore got hurt got hurt again, but established RBs need the least amount of time on the field during the preseason. Tomlinson, for example, barely ever plays in the preseason. With the pounding that RBs take over the course of the season, there's no need to give them many carries. It'll take a few weeks for him to heal, but coach Mike Nolan stated that he expects Gore to return to practice with a cast on his hand.
There's been some discussion as to whether or not this will affect his "fumbling problem", but I'm not buying it, nor do I believe there's much of a problem to begin with. Yes, he did fumble in his first 4 games last season, most of which were near the goal line, and that caused him to lose goal line carries for a while. He only fumbled twice the rest of the year (12 games), losing one, so he clearly corrected the problem. Plus he earned goal line carries back towards the end of the year. He'll likely score more TDs this season. Besides, it's a broken hand, not ligament damage that could affect the strength of his grip. Ignore this babble.
I understand the injury concerns that Gore has with the 2 ACL tears (1 in each knee) in college, and the torn labrum in both shoulders that he had surgery on prior to the 2006 season. He had 312 carries last year without an injury, and none of the injuries he's suffered previously are recurring issues. Don't move him in your rankings because of this.
Monday's 5 Games
Cole Hamels - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (12). The Cubs don't hit lefties well at all, so this should have been expected. It's a small fact that could help you determine a spot starter down the line, too. He thoroughly dominated a very good lineup and only allowed a solo HR to Ryan Theriot.
Brett Myers - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (7). His health remains a serious concern, but he's back for now and will produce very good fantasy numbers while healthy. You can drop Alfonseca now except for deep leagues, where you might want to stash him and see if Myers can avoid further shoulder problems.
Ted Lilly - 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. His win streak had to end sometime, and it came against a very good offense. He battled himself all game, but he dodged most bullets with most of the damage coming on a 2 out HR by Aaron Rowand.
Aaron Rowand - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (15). Continues to amaze. .329, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 64 R. He's on pace to set a career high AVG, fall just short of his career high in HR, blow away his career high in RBI, and match his career high in R. Just don't draft him next year.
Tadahito Iguchi - 1/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (7), SB (9). He didn't have any fantasy value in standard mixed leagues before the trade to the Phillies, but he's hitting in the #2 spot in the order with Utley out. If he stays there and hits the way he did the previous two seasons, he's not a bad injury-replacement fantasy 2B at all.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BS (4). Over the last two months, Accardo is having some problems. He's posted a 4.74 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP, and the main problem is the 12 BB in 19 IP. He's proving that he's not a true closer, even though his overall ratios remain strong. He's 17/21 in save chances, so his role remains safe, and even if he worsens, it's not like the Blue Jays have a great alternative.
Alex Rios - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI. He's on pace for a .305 AVG, 30 HR, 93 RBI, 110 R, and 13 SB. That's quite a stat line from this fine young player.
B.J. Upton - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). Remember when I said his power had slowed down? He's up to 5 HR and 15 RBI in 17 games this month. He's only attempted one steal this month, and that might be because his quad is still bothering him a bit. Expect him to pick up the steals a bit down the stretch, and enjoy what's been a great fantasy season from him thus far.
Jonny Gomes - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). He hit .274 with 5 HR, 12 RBI, 10 R, and chipped in 3 SB to boot this month. Those numbers are pretty much in line with what he'd be doing for the Devil Rays if they continue to play him regularly, and those are good enough to be an OF3 in fantasy leagues.
Gil Meche - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Pretty good outing. He's still a fringe mixed league starter in most formats.
Scott Baker - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. What a great outing from Baker, even if it came against the Royals. They had just come off a 29 run, 4 game series against Texas, and Baker shut them down. He's settling in as an unheralded fantasy starter despite the ugly overall numbers. Be careful with his matchups, but his emergence isn't a completely surprise.
Joe Mauer -2/4, 3 RBI. He had a very bad .229 June, but he's bounced back with a solid .315 July and should close the season strong. He's also had back-to-back 16 RBI months.
Joe Blanton - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. 5 straight starts of either 4 or 5 ER. It's starting to become a real concern, even if last night's outing was against Detroit. Given the last 2 were against very good offenses (Angels, Tigers), I'd give him another shot depending on the matchup.
Placido Polanco - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI. He's only a 2 catagory player, but with the .343 AVG at the 2B position, he's a pretty damn good option even if R is the only other catagory he really contributes to. The 60+ RBI he's on pace for isn't hurting you, either.
Todd Jones - 1 IP, 1 H, SV (28). Almost a carbon copy of last year. He had a bad May and a brutal June, but he's sporting a 1.38 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 9 saves in July. He's settled back down as a reliable closer for your fantasy team.
Kelvim Escobar - 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. This would get a win on most nights, but not last night, as the Angels were shutout by Miguel Batista. Escobar is sporting a nifty 2.87 ERA.
Reggie Willits - 2/3, SB (22). The white Chone Figgins, apparently. Willits is hitting .306 with 22 SB in 27 attempts. He's playing pretty much every day, hits well from both sides of the plate, and steals equally against RHP/LHP. Not too much you could ask for from a SB expert.
Brett Myers - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (7). His health remains a serious concern, but he's back for now and will produce very good fantasy numbers while healthy. You can drop Alfonseca now except for deep leagues, where you might want to stash him and see if Myers can avoid further shoulder problems.
Ted Lilly - 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. His win streak had to end sometime, and it came against a very good offense. He battled himself all game, but he dodged most bullets with most of the damage coming on a 2 out HR by Aaron Rowand.
Aaron Rowand - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (15). Continues to amaze. .329, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 64 R. He's on pace to set a career high AVG, fall just short of his career high in HR, blow away his career high in RBI, and match his career high in R. Just don't draft him next year.
Tadahito Iguchi - 1/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (7), SB (9). He didn't have any fantasy value in standard mixed leagues before the trade to the Phillies, but he's hitting in the #2 spot in the order with Utley out. If he stays there and hits the way he did the previous two seasons, he's not a bad injury-replacement fantasy 2B at all.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BS (4). Over the last two months, Accardo is having some problems. He's posted a 4.74 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP, and the main problem is the 12 BB in 19 IP. He's proving that he's not a true closer, even though his overall ratios remain strong. He's 17/21 in save chances, so his role remains safe, and even if he worsens, it's not like the Blue Jays have a great alternative.
Alex Rios - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI. He's on pace for a .305 AVG, 30 HR, 93 RBI, 110 R, and 13 SB. That's quite a stat line from this fine young player.
B.J. Upton - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). Remember when I said his power had slowed down? He's up to 5 HR and 15 RBI in 17 games this month. He's only attempted one steal this month, and that might be because his quad is still bothering him a bit. Expect him to pick up the steals a bit down the stretch, and enjoy what's been a great fantasy season from him thus far.
Jonny Gomes - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). He hit .274 with 5 HR, 12 RBI, 10 R, and chipped in 3 SB to boot this month. Those numbers are pretty much in line with what he'd be doing for the Devil Rays if they continue to play him regularly, and those are good enough to be an OF3 in fantasy leagues.
Gil Meche - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Pretty good outing. He's still a fringe mixed league starter in most formats.
Scott Baker - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. What a great outing from Baker, even if it came against the Royals. They had just come off a 29 run, 4 game series against Texas, and Baker shut them down. He's settling in as an unheralded fantasy starter despite the ugly overall numbers. Be careful with his matchups, but his emergence isn't a completely surprise.
Joe Mauer -2/4, 3 RBI. He had a very bad .229 June, but he's bounced back with a solid .315 July and should close the season strong. He's also had back-to-back 16 RBI months.
Joe Blanton - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. 5 straight starts of either 4 or 5 ER. It's starting to become a real concern, even if last night's outing was against Detroit. Given the last 2 were against very good offenses (Angels, Tigers), I'd give him another shot depending on the matchup.
Placido Polanco - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI. He's only a 2 catagory player, but with the .343 AVG at the 2B position, he's a pretty damn good option even if R is the only other catagory he really contributes to. The 60+ RBI he's on pace for isn't hurting you, either.
Todd Jones - 1 IP, 1 H, SV (28). Almost a carbon copy of last year. He had a bad May and a brutal June, but he's sporting a 1.38 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 9 saves in July. He's settled back down as a reliable closer for your fantasy team.
Kelvim Escobar - 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. This would get a win on most nights, but not last night, as the Angels were shutout by Miguel Batista. Escobar is sporting a nifty 2.87 ERA.
Reggie Willits - 2/3, SB (22). The white Chone Figgins, apparently. Willits is hitting .306 with 22 SB in 27 attempts. He's playing pretty much every day, hits well from both sides of the plate, and steals equally against RHP/LHP. Not too much you could ask for from a SB expert.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Atlanta Braves Trade For Mark Teixeira
The Atlanta Braves are close to finalizing a deal that will net them 1B Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers for C/1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia, P Elvis Andrus, P Matt Harrison, and P Neftali Feliz.
The one and only blockbuster that will happen before the trading deadline as Teixeira was the only bigtime player on the market. The Braves net the power hitting Teixeira, who is also a very solid defnder at 1B. The Rangers get the ultra-talented Saltalamacchia and a trio of very interesting pitching prospects. This will give the Braves a loaded lineup and enough firepower to battle the Mets, while the Rangers get young for a player that probably wouldn't have re-signed with them after the 2008 season. It looks like a win/win, but for this trade to balance out over its entirety, the Braves will need to re-sign Teixeira, or win the World Series in 2007 or 2008.
Fantasy Impact: Teixeira and Saltalamacchia are the players of note here.
Teixeira's overall fantasy value should go up. He was isolated in a weak lineup without protection in Texas, and he's projected to hit cleanup behind Renteria and Chipper, and then ahead of Andruw/Francouer/McCann. It's an amazing set of players around him. The only concern is that Teixeira is a career .302 hitter at Arlington, but a .264 hitter on the road. He's hit 84 HR at home, but 69 on the road in the exact same number of AB. The road HR ratio still projects to be 32.5 per season (based on 620 AB), so expecting about 10-12 HR the rest of the way from him seems reasonable. He could be a monster in R/RBI if he can find a way to hit .280.
Saltalamacchia is also a winner here. With Texas completely out of the playoff picture, he'll get a chance to play every day, in a very hitter friendly lineup, with C eligiblity in fantasy leagues. I'm not sure what position he'll play the rest of the year, but he's too talented of a hitter to stay at the C position long term. He could be one of the more valuable fantasy C over the last 2 months of the season.
The one and only blockbuster that will happen before the trading deadline as Teixeira was the only bigtime player on the market. The Braves net the power hitting Teixeira, who is also a very solid defnder at 1B. The Rangers get the ultra-talented Saltalamacchia and a trio of very interesting pitching prospects. This will give the Braves a loaded lineup and enough firepower to battle the Mets, while the Rangers get young for a player that probably wouldn't have re-signed with them after the 2008 season. It looks like a win/win, but for this trade to balance out over its entirety, the Braves will need to re-sign Teixeira, or win the World Series in 2007 or 2008.
Fantasy Impact: Teixeira and Saltalamacchia are the players of note here.
Teixeira's overall fantasy value should go up. He was isolated in a weak lineup without protection in Texas, and he's projected to hit cleanup behind Renteria and Chipper, and then ahead of Andruw/Francouer/McCann. It's an amazing set of players around him. The only concern is that Teixeira is a career .302 hitter at Arlington, but a .264 hitter on the road. He's hit 84 HR at home, but 69 on the road in the exact same number of AB. The road HR ratio still projects to be 32.5 per season (based on 620 AB), so expecting about 10-12 HR the rest of the way from him seems reasonable. He could be a monster in R/RBI if he can find a way to hit .280.
Saltalamacchia is also a winner here. With Texas completely out of the playoff picture, he'll get a chance to play every day, in a very hitter friendly lineup, with C eligiblity in fantasy leagues. I'm not sure what position he'll play the rest of the year, but he's too talented of a hitter to stay at the C position long term. He could be one of the more valuable fantasy C over the last 2 months of the season.
Sunday: Chone ".400" Figgins
Matt Garza - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K. Bigtime K output from the youngster Garza, who's posted a 1.37 ERA this season so far. He's due for an ERA correction, but his stuff is for real and he's definitely someone to use in mixed leagues against most offenses.
C.C. Sabathia - 7 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. The defense failed him, although it was a tie game anyways, so it didn't directly cost him a win. Still, he pitched great and is bouncing back nicely after a rough spot.
John Maine - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (12). A rain shortened game, but Maine was dominating the lowly Nationals anyways. He's bounced back with 2 straight wins after back-to-back rough outings.
Jose Reyes - 2/3, 2 R, SB (49). He's yet another player alternating good and bad months, July being a bad one. He's only hitting .259 this month, but he's stolen at least 10 bases in all 4 months, and he's chipped in 20 R this month as well. He'll end up with a career high 70 bases if he keeps that up the next two months.
Carlos Zambrano - 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (14). MLB's first 14 game winner as he won for the 9th time in 12 starts since the fight with Barrett. He's been the best pitcher in the NL since that incident, vying with Erik Bedard for best pitcher in MLB. His ERA has gone from 5.62 to 3.47.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/5, 1 R, 2 SB (15). 2 HR game followed by a 2 SB game. Let's hope that Soriano can start increasing those numbers over the last 2 months as the Cubs are now nibbling on Milwaukee's heels.
Derrek Lee - 1/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). His 5th HR in 9 games. I told ya he'd start hitting for more power. There was just no statistical reason behind his power slump in the first half.
Chien Ming-Wang - 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, W (12). A rather ugly start from the peripherals, but he again pitched around baserunners to pick up another win, his 5th in 6 starts. Things will even out for him if he keeps putting that many men on base, but he hasn't allowed a HR in 6 starts and the walks are uncommon for him.
Alex Rodriguez - 0/2. He's hitless in his last 9 official AB since his 499th HR, so as with many sluggers, he might be thinking about the milestone too much. I'd expect some struggles until he hits #500, which shouldn't be too long. Not really fantasy noteworthy, but just an observation.
Bobby Abreu - 2/3, 1 R, 2 RBI. Abreu has quitely put together a very nice month, hitting .337 with 4 HR, 26 RBI, 18 R, and 2 SB. His HR and SB numbers are well down from usual standards, but he has a chance to put in a very good 2nd half. The Yankees will need it in order to grab a playoff spot.
Ian Snell - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Not bad, but he's really struggling right now. If you look at his bad starts over the past month and a half, they've come against the Angels, Braves, Rockies, and Mets. He's also turned in a substandard outing against the Phillies here, all good offenses. Perhaps you should think about paying closer attention to the matchups with Snell from here on out, if you haven't been able to trade him yet.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Solid outing from Matsuzaka, but the offense was quiet and he started to fall apart in the 7th, plus the bullpen pinned the 2nd run on him. That's back to back quality outings since his 3 start rough patch.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. He's starting to turn the corner. This was an outstanding start against the Red Sox. His control is getting better and his results are bearing that out. He's still mixed in 2 3+ walk starts in his past 4 outings, but he's allowing less hits and missing more bats. His buy-low window is closing.
Carlos Pena - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (25). He's not going away, yet at least. He's posted a solid .286 AVG with 8 HR and 22 RBI this month. His splits against LHP are still very ugly, but he's really emerged this season as the player several teams in the past hoped he would become. He's a legit power 1B for the Rays, but at 28, this is probably his best season. There's still a chance he'll collapse the last 2 months, so if you're in contention and can't afford the risk, I'd move him.
Brad Lidge - 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 K. What the hell are the Astros doing using him for 2 innings with a 4 run deficit? He had pitched 5 times in the previous 9 days, so he didn't need the work. Ridiculous.
Lance Berkman - 1/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). His first HR in 14 games since the AS break, and he's hitting .235 in that span. The offense isn't very good, but Carlos Lee hits behind him, so he has protection and probably isn't getting pitched around too often. His LD% and BA/BIP are down a bit, but not alarmingly. His HR/FB is definitely down, at 15.8%. He's still sporting a very nice .326 AVG with RISP, so maybe he's just bored with so few people on in front of him. I don't see any reason why he's struggling as badly as he has been.
Milton Bradley - 3/6, 3 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .349 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 15 R in 17 games for SD. He's always been a talented hitter, but given he'll be hitting in Petco half the time, I believe this hot streak is definitely an anomaly. Still, he can be used in mixed leagues til he cools off if you have a hole in your lineup.
Adrian Gonzalez - 2/5, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR (16). He's hitting .309 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in 17 games since the AS break. Hopefully he'll get his AVG up over the last 2 months, but like Bradley, since he plays in Petco, the power numbers will remain down compared to his talent level. His hot streak to start the season has turned into an anomaly as well.
Shaun Marcum - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (7). Bigtime performance against the struggling White Sox. He's a fringe mixed league starter who I'd be wary of given his matchup. He's better off as a spot starter.
Javier Vazquez - 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He was cruising until the 8th inning, when he fell apart, and then his defense failed him on the 3rd out, causing 2 unearned runs and putting the game away. He's still pitching very well and just had a bad inning. His trade value is quite high right now if the White Sox blow the team up before the deadline, but signs point to only Dye being moved right now.
Jermaine Dye - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's on fire, hitting .318 with 7 HR and 13 RBI in 18 games since the AS break. He's pushed his trade value back up, although with him being 33 years old and a free agent at year's end, it remains to be seen exactly what type of deal the Sox can get for him.
Yovani Gallardo - 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. 3 singles, a walk, and a passed ball in the 5th inning lead to all 4 runs scoring in that frame, making his outing look worse than it actually was. Just the victim of a bad inning, all of which was not his fault. His 100 pitches through 5 innings show a lack of efficiency, but his bullpen blew the win for him.
Albert Pujols - 2/4, 3 RBI. Had a big bases clearing double to put the game away. He's quite clutch.
Chad Billingsley - 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His command failed him, but the Rockies are a tough matchup for any pitcher. Stay with him.
Matt Holliday - 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (20), SB (7). Who doesn't love this guy? He actually came undervalued in fantasy leagues this year because people weren't sold on him after one good year. His HR and R totals are a bit off of last year, but he's right on target with everything else. He's borderline 1st round material next year as he reminds me a lot of Miguel Cabrera production-wise, only in the OF. In real life, however, his value is questionable given he's hit over .370 at home each of the past two years, and about .280 on the road.
Mike Piazza - 3/5, 3 RBI. He's been great at the plate since returning, hitting .400 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in 8 games. He's still a very good hitter, and hopefully if he's traded, he'll be moved to a team with a permanent DH role.
Adrian Beltre - 2/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (16). He's up to 12 RBI in his past 5 games as he's killing the ball right now. He has much better numbers after the AS break, so he might be due for a big 2nd half once again. He's almost living up to that monster contract he got with one good year. OK, not really.
Ichiro Suzuki - 2/5, 2 R, 2 SB (29). He'd been fairly quiet on the basepaths recently, so hopefully he's ready to start running wild again. His .271 AVG this month is easily his worst output in any month this year, but he'll start hitting again very soon.
Sergio Mitre - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, W (5). Dump him. No point in wasting a roster spot on him anymore.
Miguel Cabrera - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (25). He's hitting .400 with 7 HR, 16 RBI, and 12 R in 17 games since the AS break. Enjoy the hot streak from one of the game's best hitters.
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (11). Got 14 runs of support, needed only 1. Another great performance from Hudson who only has one bad inning in his last 4 starts.
Chone Figgins - 3/5, 3 R, 1 RBI, SB (27). He's up to .337 on the year in the most shocking fantasy season to date, almost solely in the last 2 months. He's hitting .419 with 42 R, 31 RBI, and 22 SB in June/July. He's going to cool off, but this was a guy that often looked lost at the plate last year, and was miserable after coming off the DL earlier this season. His LD% is up to an incredible 26.1%, showing that he's making very good contact. However, his BA/BIP is .391, which is almost unsustainable even with all the great contact. It does go to show, however, that he's hitting the ball the best of his career and that while he'll slow down a bit, he probably won't come screeching to a halt.
C.C. Sabathia - 7 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. The defense failed him, although it was a tie game anyways, so it didn't directly cost him a win. Still, he pitched great and is bouncing back nicely after a rough spot.
John Maine - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (12). A rain shortened game, but Maine was dominating the lowly Nationals anyways. He's bounced back with 2 straight wins after back-to-back rough outings.
Jose Reyes - 2/3, 2 R, SB (49). He's yet another player alternating good and bad months, July being a bad one. He's only hitting .259 this month, but he's stolen at least 10 bases in all 4 months, and he's chipped in 20 R this month as well. He'll end up with a career high 70 bases if he keeps that up the next two months.
Carlos Zambrano - 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (14). MLB's first 14 game winner as he won for the 9th time in 12 starts since the fight with Barrett. He's been the best pitcher in the NL since that incident, vying with Erik Bedard for best pitcher in MLB. His ERA has gone from 5.62 to 3.47.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/5, 1 R, 2 SB (15). 2 HR game followed by a 2 SB game. Let's hope that Soriano can start increasing those numbers over the last 2 months as the Cubs are now nibbling on Milwaukee's heels.
Derrek Lee - 1/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). His 5th HR in 9 games. I told ya he'd start hitting for more power. There was just no statistical reason behind his power slump in the first half.
Chien Ming-Wang - 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, W (12). A rather ugly start from the peripherals, but he again pitched around baserunners to pick up another win, his 5th in 6 starts. Things will even out for him if he keeps putting that many men on base, but he hasn't allowed a HR in 6 starts and the walks are uncommon for him.
Alex Rodriguez - 0/2. He's hitless in his last 9 official AB since his 499th HR, so as with many sluggers, he might be thinking about the milestone too much. I'd expect some struggles until he hits #500, which shouldn't be too long. Not really fantasy noteworthy, but just an observation.
Bobby Abreu - 2/3, 1 R, 2 RBI. Abreu has quitely put together a very nice month, hitting .337 with 4 HR, 26 RBI, 18 R, and 2 SB. His HR and SB numbers are well down from usual standards, but he has a chance to put in a very good 2nd half. The Yankees will need it in order to grab a playoff spot.
Ian Snell - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Not bad, but he's really struggling right now. If you look at his bad starts over the past month and a half, they've come against the Angels, Braves, Rockies, and Mets. He's also turned in a substandard outing against the Phillies here, all good offenses. Perhaps you should think about paying closer attention to the matchups with Snell from here on out, if you haven't been able to trade him yet.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Solid outing from Matsuzaka, but the offense was quiet and he started to fall apart in the 7th, plus the bullpen pinned the 2nd run on him. That's back to back quality outings since his 3 start rough patch.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. He's starting to turn the corner. This was an outstanding start against the Red Sox. His control is getting better and his results are bearing that out. He's still mixed in 2 3+ walk starts in his past 4 outings, but he's allowing less hits and missing more bats. His buy-low window is closing.
Carlos Pena - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (25). He's not going away, yet at least. He's posted a solid .286 AVG with 8 HR and 22 RBI this month. His splits against LHP are still very ugly, but he's really emerged this season as the player several teams in the past hoped he would become. He's a legit power 1B for the Rays, but at 28, this is probably his best season. There's still a chance he'll collapse the last 2 months, so if you're in contention and can't afford the risk, I'd move him.
Brad Lidge - 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 K. What the hell are the Astros doing using him for 2 innings with a 4 run deficit? He had pitched 5 times in the previous 9 days, so he didn't need the work. Ridiculous.
Lance Berkman - 1/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). His first HR in 14 games since the AS break, and he's hitting .235 in that span. The offense isn't very good, but Carlos Lee hits behind him, so he has protection and probably isn't getting pitched around too often. His LD% and BA/BIP are down a bit, but not alarmingly. His HR/FB is definitely down, at 15.8%. He's still sporting a very nice .326 AVG with RISP, so maybe he's just bored with so few people on in front of him. I don't see any reason why he's struggling as badly as he has been.
Milton Bradley - 3/6, 3 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .349 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 15 R in 17 games for SD. He's always been a talented hitter, but given he'll be hitting in Petco half the time, I believe this hot streak is definitely an anomaly. Still, he can be used in mixed leagues til he cools off if you have a hole in your lineup.
Adrian Gonzalez - 2/5, 3 R, 3 RBI, HR (16). He's hitting .309 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in 17 games since the AS break. Hopefully he'll get his AVG up over the last 2 months, but like Bradley, since he plays in Petco, the power numbers will remain down compared to his talent level. His hot streak to start the season has turned into an anomaly as well.
Shaun Marcum - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (7). Bigtime performance against the struggling White Sox. He's a fringe mixed league starter who I'd be wary of given his matchup. He's better off as a spot starter.
Javier Vazquez - 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He was cruising until the 8th inning, when he fell apart, and then his defense failed him on the 3rd out, causing 2 unearned runs and putting the game away. He's still pitching very well and just had a bad inning. His trade value is quite high right now if the White Sox blow the team up before the deadline, but signs point to only Dye being moved right now.
Jermaine Dye - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's on fire, hitting .318 with 7 HR and 13 RBI in 18 games since the AS break. He's pushed his trade value back up, although with him being 33 years old and a free agent at year's end, it remains to be seen exactly what type of deal the Sox can get for him.
Yovani Gallardo - 5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. 3 singles, a walk, and a passed ball in the 5th inning lead to all 4 runs scoring in that frame, making his outing look worse than it actually was. Just the victim of a bad inning, all of which was not his fault. His 100 pitches through 5 innings show a lack of efficiency, but his bullpen blew the win for him.
Albert Pujols - 2/4, 3 RBI. Had a big bases clearing double to put the game away. He's quite clutch.
Chad Billingsley - 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His command failed him, but the Rockies are a tough matchup for any pitcher. Stay with him.
Matt Holliday - 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (20), SB (7). Who doesn't love this guy? He actually came undervalued in fantasy leagues this year because people weren't sold on him after one good year. His HR and R totals are a bit off of last year, but he's right on target with everything else. He's borderline 1st round material next year as he reminds me a lot of Miguel Cabrera production-wise, only in the OF. In real life, however, his value is questionable given he's hit over .370 at home each of the past two years, and about .280 on the road.
Mike Piazza - 3/5, 3 RBI. He's been great at the plate since returning, hitting .400 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in 8 games. He's still a very good hitter, and hopefully if he's traded, he'll be moved to a team with a permanent DH role.
Adrian Beltre - 2/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (16). He's up to 12 RBI in his past 5 games as he's killing the ball right now. He has much better numbers after the AS break, so he might be due for a big 2nd half once again. He's almost living up to that monster contract he got with one good year. OK, not really.
Ichiro Suzuki - 2/5, 2 R, 2 SB (29). He'd been fairly quiet on the basepaths recently, so hopefully he's ready to start running wild again. His .271 AVG this month is easily his worst output in any month this year, but he'll start hitting again very soon.
Sergio Mitre - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, W (5). Dump him. No point in wasting a roster spot on him anymore.
Miguel Cabrera - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (25). He's hitting .400 with 7 HR, 16 RBI, and 12 R in 17 games since the AS break. Enjoy the hot streak from one of the game's best hitters.
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (11). Got 14 runs of support, needed only 1. Another great performance from Hudson who only has one bad inning in his last 4 starts.
Chone Figgins - 3/5, 3 R, 1 RBI, SB (27). He's up to .337 on the year in the most shocking fantasy season to date, almost solely in the last 2 months. He's hitting .419 with 42 R, 31 RBI, and 22 SB in June/July. He's going to cool off, but this was a guy that often looked lost at the plate last year, and was miserable after coming off the DL earlier this season. His LD% is up to an incredible 26.1%, showing that he's making very good contact. However, his BA/BIP is .391, which is almost unsustainable even with all the great contact. It does go to show, however, that he's hitting the ball the best of his career and that while he'll slow down a bit, he probably won't come screeching to a halt.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saturday: Thanks, Offense
Orlando Hernandez - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (7). Exactly what was expected against the Nationals. He continues to be a great fantasy starter found on the waiver wire this season. I'd still move him for the fear that he'll run into another physical problem by the time the year's up.
Carlos Delgado - 3/7, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Really the only notable offensive performance in this doubleheader. His .322, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R performance in 17 games is hopefully a sign of a solid 2nd half from Delgado.
Anthony Reyes - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (1). He ups his record to 1-10 with this performance. He is one to watch now that he's back in the bigs. I believe in his talent, but don't think the Cardinals have done enough to develop it. He remains a potential fantasy option down the stretch if he can show some consistency, and also remains a possible trade candidate.
Albert Pujols - 4/8, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB (2). A very nice doubleheader for Pujols as he continues his scorching hitting post-AS break, posting a .356 AVG with 7 HR, 16 RBI, and 15 R in 16 games.
Ryan Braun - 3/8, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (18). He continues to hit like a top 5 fantasy stud in his rookie year. He's bound to slump at some point, but he's showing no signs of it. His redraft value couldn't be any higher if you agree that he's due to slump.
Greg Maddux - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. The SD bullpen is elite, but the offense is not. Given the lack of Ks and lack of Ws, I don't believe Maddux is much of a mixed league option anymore. I know I've been touting him as a decent end-of-the-rotation option, but his numbers just don't support that. You could do worse, but I think you could do better.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. Finally. I've been touting him as a bounce back candidate for a while, and while his last start showed progress, this was the breakout start I was waiting for. Let's hope he continues building on this.
Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (22). He's gone on an absolute tear since the AS break, posting a .316 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI, and 8 R in 15 games. I'm elated that I took Jason Bay over him, and it's costing me 1st place. Ugh.
Andrew Miller - 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. He pitched around the baserunners and produced a fairly solid line, but the bullpen let him down. Continue to stay with him.
Carlos Guillen - 2/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (9). With a .316 AVG, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 57 R, and 9 SB, he's been an insanely underrated fantasy SS in terms of where he was drafted. He's stayed relatively healthy for the 2nd consecutive year as he's starting to ease concerns about his durability.
John Smoltz - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Another great start from Smoltz, but his offense didn't give him enough run support to pick up the victory. He's easing concerns about his shoulder with each consecutive solid start.
Chris Young - He's come out with guns blazing after the AS break with a .295 AVG, 5 HR, 6 RBI, 16 R, and 6 SB. Odds are he's in for a very nice 2nd half as he starts to figure out the major league level. His AVG figures to be a question mark, but the Diamondbacks finally have him leading off consistently, and he's actually hit .293 in that spot this season. The daily consistency in the lineup position figures to help him.
Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's been really scuffling over the past 2 months. He started off with 2 months hitting over .300, but then hit .268 in June and .179 so far in July. Due to the lack of solid options at the catcher position, you have to stick with him and figure that he'll bounce back soon enough.
J.J. Putz - 1 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 4 K, SV (30). He bounced back just fine after his first blown save of the season.
Johan Santana - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. Thanks, offense. He apparently wasn't happy about that 4 HR performance last time out, mowing down Cleveland with ease.
Roy Halladay - 8 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Thanks, offense, part 2. 0 runs of support in this one, but Halladay is starting to get on a roll, allowing 3 ER over his last 24 IP.
Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, (8). Bounced right back after the Detroit shelling, putting in one of his best outings of the year. He's continued to be quite a surprise in fantasy leagues this year, especially his ERA which currently sits at 3.06. The Sox signed him to a contract extension, appeasing the fans, but I really wonder what he'll be worth in another 2 years staying in the AL. His pitching style would be far more effective in the NL.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (30). 6 straight scoreless innings including 5 saves and a win. His ERA is back down to 3.38, so he's bounced back nicely after a very rough stretch. Hopefully he'll hold up and turn in a solid 2nd half, unlike last year.
Roger Clemens - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He had turned in back-to-back outings of 1 and 2 ER, but came back with another mediocre outing against Baltimore. I think this will be a trend his owners will have to put up with this year.
Hideki Matsui - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's up to 11 HR this month as he continues the most impressive power surge of his career.
Miguel Tejada - 2/4, 4 RBI. A nice 2nd game back for Tejada, who's hitting 5th instead of 3rd currently. If he hits well, he'll get moved back up to his usual spot. With Roberts having a great season and Patterson on fire, the 3rd spot is a very nice RBI spot for the Orioles right now, as Markakis and his 13 RBI in 15 games post-AS break can attest.
Jason Bay - 2/3, 1 R, SB (3). No, the 20 SB Bay is not coming back, no matter how much us owners would like it to happen. He is, however, hitting much better, going 9 for his last 18. I think his hot streak is finally kicking off. Your buy-low window will start to close, so go get him.
Jimmy Rollins - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, SB (18). He was moved to the 3rd spot in the lineup last night with Utley hurt. If he stays there, his fantasy value gets a boost with the increased RBI opportunities he'll receive.
Sean Marshall - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (5). A great performance from Marshall, who's maintaining solid mixed league value. Continue using him unless he starts struggling over the course of several outings. Always ride the hot hand.
Aaron Harang - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. He left the start early with a strained back. An MRI showed nothing serious, so he's only scheduled to miss one start as it stands right now.
Alfonso Soriano - 3/5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (18). Another hot streak? Hopefully. He had been without a HR in July 14th, and he hasn't stolen a base since July 7th. He continues to frustrate his owners, but will likely go on another power surge shortly. The stolen bases apparently will be sporadic as he was running for a contract last year. He's only stolen 5 bases over the past 2 months.
Jon Lester - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A pretty solid start despite the ER. He's looking good so far, but I'd avoid picking him up yet until he proves himself a bit more.
James Shields - 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. That's actually not a bad outing at all against the Boston Red Sox, especially with his recent performances against powerful offenses. I'd still suggest benching him against the strong offenses.
Jonny Gomes - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (10). He had been scuffling since the AS break, so it was nice to see him bust out with a big game like this, especially since Tampa Bay is so fickle with his performance. If he remains in the lineup, he'll be a downer on your AVG, but his power numbers will be there and he'll be worth using.
Kevin Millwood - 2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. I spot started him last night. Gross. He's gone back to sucking his last two outings, so I'd put him back on the waiver wire.
Jeff Francis - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (11). He's really been Jeckyl/Hyde over his past 7 starts, but weirdly enough Colorado has won 6 of them. I'm on the fence about him. I'd likely keep him benched for another start to see what happens.
Garrett Atkins - 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's picked up his AVG a ton over the past 2 months, hitting .311 with 12 HR and 41 RBI in 48 games, He's back to being a great fantasy 3B, especially given the very productive Colorado lineup around him. Try to sell his owner on poor overall numbers and land him for cheap.
Matt Cain - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. His best start in about a month and a half, but per usual, no win for his effort. This gives his owners some positive news, so let's hope he builds on this.
Kevin Gregg - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, BS (2). Only his 2nd blown save, although he's quietly not doing his owners much help in the ERA department. His overall mark stands at a solid 3.32, but he had a 5.14 ERA in June and currently sports a 4.76 ERA in July. His job is secure because he's not blowing saves and Benitez is giving up a lot of runs, but I'd trade him because he's really hurting your ERA.
Miguel Cabrera - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (24). He's been remarkably steady this year, making him a great H2H player. May was a down month, but in April, June, and July, he's hit at least .337 with 7 HR and 17-19 RBI in each month. Not too bad, huh?
Carlos Delgado - 3/7, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Really the only notable offensive performance in this doubleheader. His .322, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R performance in 17 games is hopefully a sign of a solid 2nd half from Delgado.
Anthony Reyes - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (1). He ups his record to 1-10 with this performance. He is one to watch now that he's back in the bigs. I believe in his talent, but don't think the Cardinals have done enough to develop it. He remains a potential fantasy option down the stretch if he can show some consistency, and also remains a possible trade candidate.
Albert Pujols - 4/8, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB (2). A very nice doubleheader for Pujols as he continues his scorching hitting post-AS break, posting a .356 AVG with 7 HR, 16 RBI, and 15 R in 16 games.
Ryan Braun - 3/8, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (18). He continues to hit like a top 5 fantasy stud in his rookie year. He's bound to slump at some point, but he's showing no signs of it. His redraft value couldn't be any higher if you agree that he's due to slump.
Greg Maddux - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. The SD bullpen is elite, but the offense is not. Given the lack of Ks and lack of Ws, I don't believe Maddux is much of a mixed league option anymore. I know I've been touting him as a decent end-of-the-rotation option, but his numbers just don't support that. You could do worse, but I think you could do better.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. Finally. I've been touting him as a bounce back candidate for a while, and while his last start showed progress, this was the breakout start I was waiting for. Let's hope he continues building on this.
Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (22). He's gone on an absolute tear since the AS break, posting a .316 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI, and 8 R in 15 games. I'm elated that I took Jason Bay over him, and it's costing me 1st place. Ugh.
Andrew Miller - 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. He pitched around the baserunners and produced a fairly solid line, but the bullpen let him down. Continue to stay with him.
Carlos Guillen - 2/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (9). With a .316 AVG, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 57 R, and 9 SB, he's been an insanely underrated fantasy SS in terms of where he was drafted. He's stayed relatively healthy for the 2nd consecutive year as he's starting to ease concerns about his durability.
John Smoltz - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Another great start from Smoltz, but his offense didn't give him enough run support to pick up the victory. He's easing concerns about his shoulder with each consecutive solid start.
Chris Young - He's come out with guns blazing after the AS break with a .295 AVG, 5 HR, 6 RBI, 16 R, and 6 SB. Odds are he's in for a very nice 2nd half as he starts to figure out the major league level. His AVG figures to be a question mark, but the Diamondbacks finally have him leading off consistently, and he's actually hit .293 in that spot this season. The daily consistency in the lineup position figures to help him.
Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's been really scuffling over the past 2 months. He started off with 2 months hitting over .300, but then hit .268 in June and .179 so far in July. Due to the lack of solid options at the catcher position, you have to stick with him and figure that he'll bounce back soon enough.
J.J. Putz - 1 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 4 K, SV (30). He bounced back just fine after his first blown save of the season.
Johan Santana - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. Thanks, offense. He apparently wasn't happy about that 4 HR performance last time out, mowing down Cleveland with ease.
Roy Halladay - 8 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Thanks, offense, part 2. 0 runs of support in this one, but Halladay is starting to get on a roll, allowing 3 ER over his last 24 IP.
Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, (8). Bounced right back after the Detroit shelling, putting in one of his best outings of the year. He's continued to be quite a surprise in fantasy leagues this year, especially his ERA which currently sits at 3.06. The Sox signed him to a contract extension, appeasing the fans, but I really wonder what he'll be worth in another 2 years staying in the AL. His pitching style would be far more effective in the NL.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (30). 6 straight scoreless innings including 5 saves and a win. His ERA is back down to 3.38, so he's bounced back nicely after a very rough stretch. Hopefully he'll hold up and turn in a solid 2nd half, unlike last year.
Roger Clemens - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He had turned in back-to-back outings of 1 and 2 ER, but came back with another mediocre outing against Baltimore. I think this will be a trend his owners will have to put up with this year.
Hideki Matsui - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's up to 11 HR this month as he continues the most impressive power surge of his career.
Miguel Tejada - 2/4, 4 RBI. A nice 2nd game back for Tejada, who's hitting 5th instead of 3rd currently. If he hits well, he'll get moved back up to his usual spot. With Roberts having a great season and Patterson on fire, the 3rd spot is a very nice RBI spot for the Orioles right now, as Markakis and his 13 RBI in 15 games post-AS break can attest.
Jason Bay - 2/3, 1 R, SB (3). No, the 20 SB Bay is not coming back, no matter how much us owners would like it to happen. He is, however, hitting much better, going 9 for his last 18. I think his hot streak is finally kicking off. Your buy-low window will start to close, so go get him.
Jimmy Rollins - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, SB (18). He was moved to the 3rd spot in the lineup last night with Utley hurt. If he stays there, his fantasy value gets a boost with the increased RBI opportunities he'll receive.
Sean Marshall - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (5). A great performance from Marshall, who's maintaining solid mixed league value. Continue using him unless he starts struggling over the course of several outings. Always ride the hot hand.
Aaron Harang - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. He left the start early with a strained back. An MRI showed nothing serious, so he's only scheduled to miss one start as it stands right now.
Alfonso Soriano - 3/5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (18). Another hot streak? Hopefully. He had been without a HR in July 14th, and he hasn't stolen a base since July 7th. He continues to frustrate his owners, but will likely go on another power surge shortly. The stolen bases apparently will be sporadic as he was running for a contract last year. He's only stolen 5 bases over the past 2 months.
Jon Lester - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A pretty solid start despite the ER. He's looking good so far, but I'd avoid picking him up yet until he proves himself a bit more.
James Shields - 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. That's actually not a bad outing at all against the Boston Red Sox, especially with his recent performances against powerful offenses. I'd still suggest benching him against the strong offenses.
Jonny Gomes - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (10). He had been scuffling since the AS break, so it was nice to see him bust out with a big game like this, especially since Tampa Bay is so fickle with his performance. If he remains in the lineup, he'll be a downer on your AVG, but his power numbers will be there and he'll be worth using.
Kevin Millwood - 2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. I spot started him last night. Gross. He's gone back to sucking his last two outings, so I'd put him back on the waiver wire.
Jeff Francis - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (11). He's really been Jeckyl/Hyde over his past 7 starts, but weirdly enough Colorado has won 6 of them. I'm on the fence about him. I'd likely keep him benched for another start to see what happens.
Garrett Atkins - 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's picked up his AVG a ton over the past 2 months, hitting .311 with 12 HR and 41 RBI in 48 games, He's back to being a great fantasy 3B, especially given the very productive Colorado lineup around him. Try to sell his owner on poor overall numbers and land him for cheap.
Matt Cain - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. His best start in about a month and a half, but per usual, no win for his effort. This gives his owners some positive news, so let's hope he builds on this.
Kevin Gregg - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, BS (2). Only his 2nd blown save, although he's quietly not doing his owners much help in the ERA department. His overall mark stands at a solid 3.32, but he had a 5.14 ERA in June and currently sports a 4.76 ERA in July. His job is secure because he's not blowing saves and Benitez is giving up a lot of runs, but I'd trade him because he's really hurting your ERA.
Miguel Cabrera - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (24). He's been remarkably steady this year, making him a great H2H player. May was a down month, but in April, June, and July, he's hit at least .337 with 7 HR and 17-19 RBI in each month. Not too bad, huh?
Friday: #754
Pat Burrell - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). Burrell is on fire since the AS Break, hitting .455 with 2 HR and 16 RBI in 15 games. He's well worth using in mixed leagues while he's on fire. He's always been a very talented hitter, but a complete mystery as to why he has long periods of problems at the plate. Don't be afraid to cut bait or bench him if he gets cold. He's mostly a 2 catagory player in HR and RBI, but will score enough runs too.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Not a bad start, and he dodged baserunners to post a solid ERA for the day. You really have to question his fantasy value this year. He's 6-7 (mostly due to bad luck), 4.11 ERA, a horrible 1.45 WHIP, and only 86 K in 138 IP. If you didn't sell high like I suggested earlier, see if you can use him as throw-in to upgrade a position and get name recognition value for him.
Jeremy Guthrie - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, W (7). He's skating by keeping his ERA in check so far, but the peripherals tell a different story. Make sure to move him before things start going south for one of this year's fantasy surprises.
Ramon Hernandez - 3/3, 2 RBI. Hernandez had been a huge fantasy bust this year, but he's been playing well below his performace the last couple seasons. He's only 31 years old, so while catchers age faster than most positions, I think he could put together a solid 2nd half for those stuck with a crappy option at catcher. Give him a try.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (16). He's been quiet recently as these are his first HR and RBI since the AS Break. Expect him to start producing more runs as he's in a great RBI position, bouncing back and forth between the 5th and 6th spot in the Cleveland lineup.
Kevin Youkilis - 1/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (10). Take note, he's only had 1 good fantasy month despite the solid overall numbers. Outside of an explosive May, he's been very pedestrian for a 1B/3B eligible player. Move him at the deadline for an upgrade.
Jorge Sosa - 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. He seems to be slowly falling apart and is no longer a mixed league option given his current performance. He's likely the first Mets pitcher to be dropped if they upgrade at the deadline, or if Pedro Martinez gets healthy in time to contribute this season.
Rich Hill - 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Not his best outing, but his quality ERA and Ks made this a fairly positive start. He's been quite unlucky this year with only 6 wins on a strong team, especially with the solid 3.59 ERA. He's settling in as what he'll likely be the next several years...a strong K pitcher with solid ratios and decent win totals. He reminds me a lot of a young Barry Zito given his pitching style.
Bronson Arroyo - 7 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another quality start from Arroyo who's really settled back down as a solid mixed league option. Unfortunately wins will continue to be a problem thanks to a very shallow, shoddy bullpen.
Edwin Encarnacion - 2/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (7). Not fantasy worthy thanks to how he's handled, but worth mentioning. What a frustrating season for Encarnacion. For his sake, I hope he's used in a deadline deal so he can be given a true opportunity somewhere else. The Reds have yanked him around enough, and perhaps he'll land in a place where he will provide fantasy value the rest of the way.
Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (10). He gave up 3 H and 1 ER in the first inning, and then 1 H and 2 BB the last 6 innings as he settled down and dominated the way we're used to. Perhaps he's finally over the sore biceps that was likely causing him problems the last few starts.
Brian Giles - 2/5, 3 RBI. He's leading off currently for SD. It's amazing how Petco Park has killed his fantasy value. He was a great fantasy OF for Pittsburgh, but his power died once moving to spacious Petco Park.
Bill Hall - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI. Huge fantasy bust this year. 9 HR and 41 RBI through 4 months compared to 35 HR and 85 RBI last year. The rest of his rate stats are in line, but his HR are way down from his random outburst last year thanks to his HR/FB% of 9.8%. Given he'll lose his SS eligibility this year, he'll likely not be draftable next year unless he shows more power the last 2 months. He doesn't have more than 1 year of huge power, so it's hard to expect that he will indeed bounceback due to the small sample size.
Corey Hart - 3/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (15). He's crashed to .208 this month, but he's still hit 6 HR. His AVG now is more in line with what's expected from him, so he should be good to go the rest of the way.
Jon Garland - 7 1/3 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (8). Back to the outings he seems to be famous for...numerous baserunners, solid ERA, and few Ks. I look at how he's pitching over the past month, and while the blowup against Minnesota was flukey, I'm not seeing enough here to warrant continued use. The poor offense and bad bullpen hurt his wins, he doesn't K enough hitters, and his WHIP is rising back to normal levels.
Eric Byrnes - 2/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). A walkoff HR for Byrnes last night as he continues to provide amazing fantasy value. He's never performed at this level before, so while I'm a bit worried about a 2 month fall-off down the stretch, his power/speed combination matches what he did last year, so he should provide enough value in catagories even if his AVG starts to fall.
Stephen Drew - 1/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (7). Big things were expected from Drew, but like most rookies in fantasy leagues, he's disappointed with his performance. This will likely turn him into a nice draft day value next season, but not one to use this year.
Felix Hernandez - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (7). I didn't like him coming back out to pitch the 7th in a 7-1 game, pushing his pitch total up to 120. However, he continued his success over the A's and turned in a great outing. He's turned himself around this month and his patient owners will likely get a quality mixed league pitcher the rest of the way. Be careful that he might be shut down early again this year, though. Given that, depending on your team situation, give though to moving him.
Jered Weaver - 5 1/3 IP, 11 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (7). He had pitched well in June, and his stats in July had been solid too, prior to this start. He'll likely never pitch like he was last year now that the league has figured him out a bit, but he's here to stay as a quality mixed league starter.
Barry Zito - 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. This is ridiculous. I apologize for recommending him as a buy low, but I still hold out hope that he figures out whatever the hell is causing this. He's not this bad, especially in the NL. He has such a long history of quality pitching to think that he's going to stay bad.
Hanley Ramirez - 3/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (17). I think he feels fine now after a 5 day absence, don't you?
Barry Bonds - 1/1, 2 R, HR (20). #754 for Barry. I'm not going to get going on the whole Barry situation. I don't think there's been a baseball record about to be broken that I could care less about. I know Bonds is far from the only guilty one, and that he would have been a great player regardless, but I just can't get myself to care about this.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Not a bad start, and he dodged baserunners to post a solid ERA for the day. You really have to question his fantasy value this year. He's 6-7 (mostly due to bad luck), 4.11 ERA, a horrible 1.45 WHIP, and only 86 K in 138 IP. If you didn't sell high like I suggested earlier, see if you can use him as throw-in to upgrade a position and get name recognition value for him.
Jeremy Guthrie - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, W (7). He's skating by keeping his ERA in check so far, but the peripherals tell a different story. Make sure to move him before things start going south for one of this year's fantasy surprises.
Ramon Hernandez - 3/3, 2 RBI. Hernandez had been a huge fantasy bust this year, but he's been playing well below his performace the last couple seasons. He's only 31 years old, so while catchers age faster than most positions, I think he could put together a solid 2nd half for those stuck with a crappy option at catcher. Give him a try.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (16). He's been quiet recently as these are his first HR and RBI since the AS Break. Expect him to start producing more runs as he's in a great RBI position, bouncing back and forth between the 5th and 6th spot in the Cleveland lineup.
Kevin Youkilis - 1/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (10). Take note, he's only had 1 good fantasy month despite the solid overall numbers. Outside of an explosive May, he's been very pedestrian for a 1B/3B eligible player. Move him at the deadline for an upgrade.
Jorge Sosa - 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. He seems to be slowly falling apart and is no longer a mixed league option given his current performance. He's likely the first Mets pitcher to be dropped if they upgrade at the deadline, or if Pedro Martinez gets healthy in time to contribute this season.
Rich Hill - 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Not his best outing, but his quality ERA and Ks made this a fairly positive start. He's been quite unlucky this year with only 6 wins on a strong team, especially with the solid 3.59 ERA. He's settling in as what he'll likely be the next several years...a strong K pitcher with solid ratios and decent win totals. He reminds me a lot of a young Barry Zito given his pitching style.
Bronson Arroyo - 7 2/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another quality start from Arroyo who's really settled back down as a solid mixed league option. Unfortunately wins will continue to be a problem thanks to a very shallow, shoddy bullpen.
Edwin Encarnacion - 2/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (7). Not fantasy worthy thanks to how he's handled, but worth mentioning. What a frustrating season for Encarnacion. For his sake, I hope he's used in a deadline deal so he can be given a true opportunity somewhere else. The Reds have yanked him around enough, and perhaps he'll land in a place where he will provide fantasy value the rest of the way.
Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (10). He gave up 3 H and 1 ER in the first inning, and then 1 H and 2 BB the last 6 innings as he settled down and dominated the way we're used to. Perhaps he's finally over the sore biceps that was likely causing him problems the last few starts.
Brian Giles - 2/5, 3 RBI. He's leading off currently for SD. It's amazing how Petco Park has killed his fantasy value. He was a great fantasy OF for Pittsburgh, but his power died once moving to spacious Petco Park.
Bill Hall - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI. Huge fantasy bust this year. 9 HR and 41 RBI through 4 months compared to 35 HR and 85 RBI last year. The rest of his rate stats are in line, but his HR are way down from his random outburst last year thanks to his HR/FB% of 9.8%. Given he'll lose his SS eligibility this year, he'll likely not be draftable next year unless he shows more power the last 2 months. He doesn't have more than 1 year of huge power, so it's hard to expect that he will indeed bounceback due to the small sample size.
Corey Hart - 3/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (15). He's crashed to .208 this month, but he's still hit 6 HR. His AVG now is more in line with what's expected from him, so he should be good to go the rest of the way.
Jon Garland - 7 1/3 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (8). Back to the outings he seems to be famous for...numerous baserunners, solid ERA, and few Ks. I look at how he's pitching over the past month, and while the blowup against Minnesota was flukey, I'm not seeing enough here to warrant continued use. The poor offense and bad bullpen hurt his wins, he doesn't K enough hitters, and his WHIP is rising back to normal levels.
Eric Byrnes - 2/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). A walkoff HR for Byrnes last night as he continues to provide amazing fantasy value. He's never performed at this level before, so while I'm a bit worried about a 2 month fall-off down the stretch, his power/speed combination matches what he did last year, so he should provide enough value in catagories even if his AVG starts to fall.
Stephen Drew - 1/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (7). Big things were expected from Drew, but like most rookies in fantasy leagues, he's disappointed with his performance. This will likely turn him into a nice draft day value next season, but not one to use this year.
Felix Hernandez - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (7). I didn't like him coming back out to pitch the 7th in a 7-1 game, pushing his pitch total up to 120. However, he continued his success over the A's and turned in a great outing. He's turned himself around this month and his patient owners will likely get a quality mixed league pitcher the rest of the way. Be careful that he might be shut down early again this year, though. Given that, depending on your team situation, give though to moving him.
Jered Weaver - 5 1/3 IP, 11 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (7). He had pitched well in June, and his stats in July had been solid too, prior to this start. He'll likely never pitch like he was last year now that the league has figured him out a bit, but he's here to stay as a quality mixed league starter.
Barry Zito - 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. This is ridiculous. I apologize for recommending him as a buy low, but I still hold out hope that he figures out whatever the hell is causing this. He's not this bad, especially in the NL. He has such a long history of quality pitching to think that he's going to stay bad.
Hanley Ramirez - 3/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (17). I think he feels fine now after a 5 day absence, don't you?
Barry Bonds - 1/1, 2 R, HR (20). #754 for Barry. I'm not going to get going on the whole Barry situation. I don't think there's been a baseball record about to be broken that I could care less about. I know Bonds is far from the only guilty one, and that he would have been a great player regardless, but I just can't get myself to care about this.
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