Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Tuesday In Review

Tom Gorzelanny - Gorzelanny was a bit sloppy in 7 IP, allowing 7 Hs and 3 BBs, but he limited the Padres to 1 ER and lowered his ERA to 2.39. As I said before, he won't keep his ERA below 3 for very long with a WHIP of 1.26, but he'll be a quality pitcher for as long as he remains healthy. That sounds like a sell high candidate, doesn't it?

Jason Bay - Bay is officially on fire, registering 4 multiple hit games in his last 5, including 3 HRs. It was overdue, but he might keep this up for quite some time. Now if only the Butt Pirates would be smart enough to bat their best hitter 3rd instead of sliding both Sanchez and Bay down in the order so that Duffy and his .236 AVG can hit 2nd.

Salomon Torres - By allowing only 2 ER in his last 10 appearances, Torres has added some job security to his role as the Pittsburgh closer. I'm sure his owners were living life on the edge, but he's settled down quite a bit since his rough start. Owners might want to play up the hot streak and move him for a closer with more job security. Much like Chad Cordero, he's closing for a team going nowhere and could be an attractive setup man while the Pirates explore younger, in-house alternatives for next season.

Carlos Quentin - Those who need OF help should look here. He's a quality, young hitter who was probably dropped in many leagues due to his slow start and injury. He's only 24 with limited major league experience, so he'll have his ups and downs, but he has solid upside and could prove to be a nice pickup as he gets acquainted with the major leagues.

Josh Beckett - He returned from his blister like he never left, allowing 3 Hs, 1 BB, and 2 ER while K'ing 7 in 7 innings. I'm starting to re-think my suggestion to never start pitchers coming off an injury. It's been a mixed bag this year, and that seems to be the case when starting most pitchers. Unless you know they'll be on a strict pitch count and have missed a month or more, it seems reasonable to go ahead and start them as you normally would.

Hideki Okajima - Okajima picked up his 4th save of the season last night. He's turning out to be a very valuable non-closer. Between Boston's ability to generate lots of save chances and Papelbon's inability to be used like most rubber-armed closers, Okajima will continue to pick up a save here and there throughout the season. Papelbon owners should take a serious look into acquiring him as insurance as he probably can be had fairly cheap.

Brad Penny - He continues to dominate, throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings while only allowing 4 Hs and 1 BB. He also K'd 4 in the outing. He's extending his sell-high window with outings like this, so make sure to take advantage. Don't have him on your team when he goes south.

Jason Giambi - He stole a base last night. Must have had one of those injections in his leg muscles.

Jeremy Accardo - 1 2/3 more innings of shutout ball last night against the Yankees. He did finally give up a few runs in a blown save against the Twins a few nights ago, but he was due for one of those. What's most important here is his mental state and ability to bounce back after an outing like that. It's a great sign for him going forward.

Tim Lincecum - He continues to roll, allowing 6 baserunners and 3 ERs in 7 IP against the powerful Mets offense. He also K'd 8 hitters. He is an every-outing start, and he's making me look silly for not stashing him in at least one of my leagues.

Oliver Perez - The amazing comeback season continues as he allowed 5 hits and 3 ER in 7 IP while K'ing 8 of his own against Lincecum last night. It's a shame 3 of those 5 hits were HRs, but at least they were all solo shots. He had only allowed 6 all season prior to this outing, so HRs shouldn't be a problem for him moving forward.

Carlos Delgado - 2 more HRs last night, so his buy-low window has officially closed. Hopefully you tried to acquire him when I suggested it a couple weeks ago!

Gary Sheffield - 2 more HRs last night as well, and he's on complete fire with 9 Rs, 5 HRs, and 9 RBIs over his past 10 games. His slow start is a thing of the past, and his AVG should continue it's rise towards the .300 territory.

Jeremy Bonderman - Another great outing post-injury, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing 1 ER on 4 Hs while K'ing 8. He's been on a roll since coming back from his blister, and hopefully this will be his breakout year where he both starts and finishes strong.

Jeremy Hermida - Hit a towering 3 run blast and also stole a base last night. After his torrid start coming off the DL, he's cooled down quite a bit and his batting average plummeted to .240. Hopefully he's shaken off the mini-slump and can resume his quest towards becoming a great fantasy OF.

Kevin Gregg - No save opportunity presented itself at the beginning of the 9th inning the last two nights, but he's come in and given up 2 singles and struck out the other 5 guys he's faced for 2 saves. He has a real chance to hold this job down all year.

David Weathers - He bounced back from his ugly 6 ER outing by allowing 2 BBs in a scoreless inning for his 10th save. He's not a good bet to stay the closer all year long, so he remains one to be moved as his overall numbers remain solid.

Ben Sheets - He endured a tough 3 ER, 4 H 1st inning, but he settled down nicely after that, posting a 6 IP, 11 H, 2 K a performance. Given he was coming back from a finger blister, this was a solid outing and he should pitch better next time out.

John Smoltz - Not good. He left after allowing 3 ER and 8 Hs in 3 1/3 IP with both an irritated pinky finger from his previous injury, and more alarmingly a strained right shoulder. If he was dealing with finger pain on his throwing hand, it's possible he might have altered his delivery and hurt his shoulder, but that's just pure speculation. Smoltz said that it's no big deal, but this is obviously cause for some concern. They'll see how his bullpen session goes and take it from there.

Mark Teahen - A HR? Really? Gee, thanks Mark. Unfortunately I'm starting him at 3B thanks to the lack of any other option there on one of my teams. I thought he'd bust through a little more this year, and while his overall numbers are fairly solid, he doesn't have any catagory that stands out.

Boof Bonser - 10 baserunners in 6 2/3 IP, but he K'd 6 and pitched around jams by only allowing 1 ER. He won't continue to do that, so he'll have to keep working on his walks and Hs to keep his ERA below 4.

Scott Rolen - Slowly but surely he's turning his season around. 3/4 with a HR last night, and he's raised his average 32 points over the past 10 games. Only 1 HR in that stretch, but the power should come as he starts to hit better.

Ervin Santana - Wanna know one of the wildest split stats in baseball? Here is your man. At home: 2.95 ERA, 1.13 WHIP. On the road: 6.98 ERA, 1.63 WHIP. He makes for a great 6th starter that you only use when he's at home. That's as extreme as splits get, but this is about 2 years worth of numbers so it's a legit reason to use him in that manner. At home last night he went 7 IP, allowing 6 baserunners and striking out 4.

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