Weekend Catchup

Had a 4 day vacation of relaxation, and also went to the Cubs/Sox game on Friday. Yay for ballpark food and beer, boo to the outcome.

Ian Snell - He's still pitching quite well so far, but an ERA of 2.76 does not match up with a WHIP of 1.21, which is what he's got going on right now. He'll have to cut down the baserunners if he's going to keep his ERA around 3, but I think a mid-3s ERA is more correlated to him this season. If you can package him for an ace for your staff, go for it.

Byung-Hyun Kim - Kim enjoyed a successful return to the rotation, and maybe getting out of Colorado's thin air will help him. He's worth keeping an eye on after being traded to the Marlins and moved back into the starting rotation. He still has a bit of upside, although for mixed leagues he'll probably just remain a spot-starting option.

Brett Myers - He's making it impossible for the Phillies to remove him from the closer's role. He made things interesting on Friday by loading the bases, but he's 6/6 in save opportunities, and he's also K'ing a ton of batters in the process.

Albert Pujols - Now's your last chance to deal for him before he goes off. 4/4 on Friday with a HR, and continued solid hitting over the rest of the weekend. I just traded David Ortiz and Dan Wheeler for him, to give you an idea of what an owner might be looking for. I believe an offensive explosion is imminent. He's currently at .273, and he's only hit below .329 once in his career.

Oliver Perez - Wow, has he rebounded this year or what? He held the Yankees to 2 runs and 5 hits in 7 2/3 IP. He's becoming an every-outing start at this point.

Eric Gagne - He's back healthy, for now. He converted a save opportunity on Friday, and he hasn't been scored upon yet. The 5 walks in 7 1/3 IP are a bit of a concern, but those can be disregarded for now given how little he's pitching in recent years. I'd try to move him immediately if you don't own both Gagne and Otsuka.

Boof Bonser - 12 Ks on Friday! Very nice performance from this kid, and it probably led to many mixed league adds if he wasn't already owned. He's got pretty good stuff and can be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter for your fantasy team this year.

Torii Hunter - All of you who drafted him are reaping the rewards of his terrorizing start. This just goes to show you that contract year players are usually worth drafting due to their added motivation. He's never hit .300 before, but he did reach .289 once back in 2002, so perhaps the extra motivation will keep his average up there. I'd bet it'll probably come back down to the .270 - .280 area, though.

Barry Zito - 2 disgusting starts in a row. He's been known to start slow the last couple years, so I'd suggest inquiring into his availability in your league. His ERA was fine before his last 2 starts. His move to the NL will most likely benefit him in the long run.

Chris Young (SD) - He's rolling right along with a 2.89 ERA, but just like with Ian Snell, his 1.26 WHIP doesn't match up. Combine that with his propensity to fade in the 2nd half the last two years (almost an ERA rise of 1), and now might be a good time to sell.

Alex Rodriguez - After a long HR/RBI slump, he's homered in the past 3 games and also stole a base last night. Back to normal for A-Rod!

David Wright - 3 HRs in the past two games show the power has returned. I hope you bought low on him when I recommended it a few weeks ago, if it was possible.

Paul Konerko - Another buy-low candidate starting to heat up...7/16 with a HR and a 2B the past 4 games. I'd suggest making a move for him now while his numbers are still terrible and catch him on the upswing.

Chris Ray - 2 converted saves after a blowup against Boston a few days ago. He's the opposite of Snell/Young...his 4.35 ERA is too high for his 1.16 WHIP. He's throwing well, so expect that ERA to drop while racking up saves. A good buy-at-a-discount candidate.

Brandon Phillips - The 2B crop after Chase Utley is turning out to be quite a deep bunch. 2 HRs over the weekend, giving him 8 HRs/SBs along with a .286 average and plenty of Rs/RBIs. Given Cincy is hitting him in the middle of the order, expect big numbers the rest of the way. He was an elite talent in the minors who got lost after a few failed chances with the Indians, so he's not playing over his head.

Jered Weaver - He's made a successful return from a minor arm injury so far this year, proving his rookie year was not a fluke. Nobody expect him to post a sub 3.00 ERA in his first full season, so the 3.46 ERA and 36 Ks in 39 IP are right for him. He needs to cut down on his 1.41 WHIP, though, and I think he will as he shakes the rust off.

Anthony Reyes - A somewhat popular sleeper has been disgusting this year, posting an 0-7 mark to go along with a 5.84 ERA. He has a solid 1.23 WHIP, but thanks to numerous big innings, his ERA doesn't match it. He's only had one quality start this year, but remains someone to monitor given his minor league track record.

Scott Baker - Here's another guy to keep an eye on. He had a great first start back in the majors against the powerful Brewer offense, going 8 1/3 with 5 Ks and allowing only 2 ER. He was a sleeper last year as the 5th starter, but thanks to mis-managed outings that were often 10 days apart, he found no rhythm and posted ugly outings. If Minnesota commits to pitching him every 5th day, he could have value in mixed leagues before long.

Dan Haren - Enough can't be said about his amazing start. 1.74 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 54 Ks in 67 1/3 IP. I just wish I had targeted him this year.

John Smoltz - Well, my recommendation here shows why it's a mixed bag starting pitchers coming off of an injury. Can't argue it didn't make sense to sit him, especially against Boston's offense, although if you did, you missed out on 7 IP of shutout ball with 7 Ks.

Randy Johnson - He's back! 10 more Ks in 5 2/3 IP. After struggling to regain his form following his return from injury, he's pitching great and should post very good numbers this year being back in the NL.

Chad Cordero - I told ya. Back in the closer's role with his 5th save on Sunday. No worries here, other than the possibility he'll be traded near the deadline.

Chris Duncan - He's proving last year was no fluke by hitting his 7th HR so far this season to go along with his .290 average. His Rs and RBI have suffered with the slumping STL offense, but I expect those will rebound as Pujols and the rest of the Cardinals exit their slump.

Kevin Gregg - He notched his 3rd save on Sunday, proving he's the definitive closer in Henry Owens' absence. I can't imagine he'll remain the closer when Owens returns, given Owens didn't give them any reason to remove him.

Pat Burrell - He's entered a hot streak, homering 5 times in the past 10 games. His batting average is still in the .250s, but he's worth using in mixed leagues while hot. Given the offense around him, he could straighten himself out and have quite a bit of value the rest of the year.

Geoff Jenkins - He's as hot and cold as any player in the majors, but it's possible that he'll prove valuable in mixed leagues all year long. He's up to 9 HRs now, and with the Brewers offense maturing all at once, he should post plenty of Rs and RBIs as well.

Carlos Zambrano - All the progress he showed in his last start with the Mets just went right out the window. He deserved better given that Cotts gave up a 2 out grand slam to AJ Pierzynski, causing 3 more runs to be charged against Zambrano, but he shouldn't have loaded the bases to begin with. I watched this game, and his stuff doesn't look the same. I'm officially worried at this point. I don't know if it's bad mechanics or an injury.

Kelvim Escobar - That's more like it. 8 IP of shutout ball against the Dodgers on Sunday, so last week's massacre was definitely just a blip in the radar.

Felix Hernandez - He lasted only 5 IP this start, but he had already thrown over 100 pitches by that point. His stuff is still fine, as evidenced with the 9 Ks, but his command isn't there yet. He gave up 8 hits and 3 walks, but I won't worry unless this keeps up for another start or two.

Matt Morris - Holy flashback, Batman. Morris posted a complete game, 1 run, 2 hit start with 9 Ks. His ERA dropped to 2.93, but he's not worth much of a mixed league start unless he follows this up with another few quality outings. His WHIP stands at 1.34, so that ERA should be shooting up sometime very soon. His stuff isn't the same after shoulder surgery a few years ago.