Friday, May 11, 2007

Zambrano and Hallday Suck, Escobar Rules, And One Hot Johnson

Carlos Zambrano: Seriously, can the Cubs just start using him in the 2nd inning? Another first inning blowup led to 3 runs before the Cubs offense even got to hit. Again, he settled down after that and pitched good baseball the following 5 innings. He gave up 6 runs in total, 4 earned, with two coming after Murton screwed up a flyball that should have been out #3. He's actually pitching well the last three outings in the overall sense, but 2 first inning blowups have made his lines look worse. I'm sure he'll get this figured out, and his buy-low window is still wide open.

Jason Bay: 2-4 with a double and a bomb. Hopefully this is the start of another power outburst as he's still underproducing so far this early season. His numbers aren't bad enough to warrant much of a buy-low, but perhaps you can persuade his owner that the surrounding lineup is bad enough to get him at a discount with somewhat sub-par numbers thus far. Wouldn't hurt.

Roy Halladay: Yuck. 5 IP, 11 H, 7 ER. That's two straight bad outings from Halladay, and it's worth nothing that he never really did anything to completely fix his forearm problems. Maybe it's bothering him again, maybe not. His next start is a big one for his owners because 3 straight ugly appearances from a pitcher this good would be bad news.

Kelvim Escobar: Who had him benched yesterday? I did! Double yuck. 9 innings of shutout ball with 9 Ks against the powerful Cleveland offense. Escobar is on a serious roll, and now affords you a sell high opportunity because this man cannot stay off the disabled list for very long. If you can get a top notch starter for him in return for either him straight up or a package with a lesser player, jump ship. Still, he'll be putting up very nice numbers while he's healthy.

Dan Johnson: Perhaps he's pissed off about that AAA demotion last year, or perhaps he's realizing his potential. 4-4 with 2 HRs yesterday gives him a .383 line with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs on the season in limited action. His 8 K/11 BB ratio is excellent, and he's well worth an add in mixed leagues if you're not already too late. He's not a 30 HR guy from what I've read, but 18-20 more from here on out for a guy that's likely your UTIL man would be pretty nice along with a quality batting average.

Tim Wakefield: A 1.79 ERA? Crazy. He's more of the 4.00 ERA guy, but he's pitching extremely well and might be worth a spot start against weaker offenses, especially with Boston's powerhouse offense backing him. A much better pitcher in leagues that don't count Ks, but those leagues aren't fun anyways.

David Weathers: Easily one of the last closers off the board on draft day is providing solid value so far. A sub 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 14 Ks in 15 IP. A very unlikely closer candidate, but he's doing the job well so far and is probably worth shopping as he's never been this good.

Ken Griffey Jr.: He is en fuego right now with 5 HRs and 10 RBIs in the past 10 games, not to mention the .432 AVG in that same span. If you can find someone in your league that think he's jumped in the fountain of youth and will hit 40 HRs this season, you've found a trading partner, and also the league idiot.

Daniel Cabrera: There isn't a much better matchup for him than a young, impatient Tampa Bay lineup, but he found a way to give up 6 runs in 6 IP while only striking out 2, but walking none. What the hell? At least he won. From the looks of it, I'd guess he was around the strike zone a little too much. That being said, he'll probably throw a no hitter with 25 Ks the next time you bench him.

Jose Contreras: Two shutouts on the same day. Contreras is quietly pitching very well, but his K rate has gone south this season as he's only K'd 21 batters in 40 1/3 IP. He's worth keeping an eye on, and possibly spot starting against weaker offenses. He's worth less if he continues to not miss bats, but you can't ignore the sub 3.00 ERA he's posted since getting lit up on opening day.

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