Hunter Pence: En fuego. He hasn't needed much rookie adjustment so far. Pence has played in 16 games, racking up a .355 AVG, 4 HRs, 15 RBIs, and 2 SBs to boot. Owners might have dropped him after an initially slow start, but he's raking right now and needs to be active in mixed leagues.
Randy Wolf: Comeback player of the year? If Josh Hamilton continues his decline, Wolf might have a shot. Now more than a year removed from TJ surgery, he's posted a 5-3 record with a 3.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and most impressively 62 Ks in 53 IP. He's been a quality K guy in the past, but nothing like this before. Perhaps his new elbow ligament came from a horse. He's definitely worth starting in mixed leagues at the moment while he's pitching well. Maybe a move to LA was just what he needed.
Hank Blalock: Blalock underwent tests on his forearm after the game, but nothing major showed up. He might miss a game or so to rest his soreness, but a DL stint seems unlikely at the moment.
John Danks: Danks has been on a roll with 3 straight quality starts, the latest being last night against the Yankees. He has a great arm, but many thought he wasn't quite ready for the major league level yet. He's proving them wrong so far, and another quality start or two might warrant a pickup in mixed leagues. If the White Sox offense continues to come out of its slumber, he'll be worth spot starting against weaker offenses thanks to his K potential (35 in 41 2/3 IP so far).
Matt Thornton/Bobby Jenks: I haven't read anything about Jenks having arm troubles, so my guess last night was that Guillen played matchups in the 9th inning (2 lefties, plus a switch hitter who didn't hit lefties at all due up in the 9th) and saved his closer for the 2nd game. The Sox got blown out in the 2nd game, but Thornton pitched a clean 9th for his first save. Nothing to worry about here for Jenks owners.
Cole Hamels: 8 IP, 2 Hits, 2 Runs, and 11 Ks last night. He's rounding into ace form, so hopefully you followed my advice earlier and at least inquired about buying low.
Ryan Zimmerman: 2/3 with a HR last night. He was due to heat up, and with his current .247 average, he has room to grow. He's a decent buy-low guy, but with the inept offense around him, his R and RBI ceilings are fairly low. Still, he's a top 10 3B that could be had on the cheap right now.
Chad Cordero: Cordero is being eased back into the closer's role, so don't fret about his 8th inning appearance last night. His manager Manny Acta stated this would happen, so maybe think about making an inquiry into his owner to see if he is spoofed by his appearance last night. He's still a candidate to be traded towards the trading deadline, and I'm not sure if he'd be dealt somewhere where he can close. If he can be had cheaply, it'd probably be worth the saves up until that point, but just beware of that possibility.
C.C. Sabathia: A great 1 run, 5 hit performance last night in 8 innings with 5 Ks. He was a popular candidate to ascend to #1 fantasy starter role this year, and so far he's living up to that. A great draft day value so far.
A.J. Burnett: CG, 1 run, 5 hits/walks, and 10 Ks. Just what the doctor ordered for my struggling fantasy rotation, that's for sure. Only 2 BBs, so his command was good last night. He's put together 3 straight quailty starts, so despite the 5 BBs last time out, he's finding his groove.
Jorge Sosa: Brilliant outing last night against the Cubs, and that's now 3 straight solid performances since joining the rotation. He had a surprising 2005 stint in the starting rotation with Atlanta, but I wouldn't read too much into this yet.
Rich Hill: He's struggled a bit in 3 of his 5 last starts, but he's still enjoying a fine season and his WHIP is a very strong 1.06. It isn't much of an opportunity with his very strong numbers, but perhaps you can talk about his recent struggles and past poor performance and get him for a discount. He reminds me a lot of Barry Zito, who would have had an even better career had he spent his prime years in the NL. Great sleeper heading into the season, and a quality option the rest of the year.
Mark Teixeira: He's continued his torrid hitting going 3/4 last night and adding his 4th HR in May. Hopefully you didn't trade him away after his slow start, learning from last year!
Noah Lowry: A tough luck CG loss last night, and his ERA is all the way down to 3.04 now. His ERA does NOT match his low K rate and 1.35 WHIP, so don't be fooled into picking him up. Some shellings are likely on the way, but he might be worth a spot start here and there against weaker offenses.
Brandon Webb: He's been irritating to own so far, serving up 2 HRs to Brad Hawpe last night which accounted for 4/5 ERs he allowed. He's alternated great starts with mediocre ones for much of the season. His WHIP sits at 1.29, but he's only walked 3 in his last two outings. He's not really a buy-low, but he might be a "buy at a discount". I expect him to eventually find his form from last year if his command stays stable. He won't post the same numbers, but he'll be plenty valuable the rest of the way.
John Lackey: 6 shoutout innings last night, and he's been awesome this year with a 2.43 ERA and 54 Ks in 59 1/3 IP. Another good draft day value.
Duchscherer/Calero/Embre/Witasick: With Dutch not able to pitch the past two days and Street on the DL, the bullpen has blown a save in each of the last two nights. This situation is a mess, but I think Duchscherer is worth holding onto to see if he gets the rest he needs to take over the closer's role until Street returns. None of the rest are worth owning right now.
Bronson Arroyo: To everyone's surprise, he's pitching just as well this year as he did last year, posting a 2.64 ERA thus far, and amassing a quality 43 Ks in 61 1/3 IP. His ERA will hop back over 3 before too long, but he'll provide his owners with a reliable back-end starter all year long.
Jake Peavy: Awesome again last night, although not quite so dominant with only 5 Ks but 9 hits in 7 IP. Allowed 2 runs in the first, then blanked them the next 6 innings. Too bad his offense didn't give him that final run he needed until after he left.
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