Belated Sunday Summary: A-Rod's Big Fly

Jeremy Bonderman - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. He's truly taken a step forward this year and continues to post quality outings with a high K rate. These are the guys to target if you go heavy hitters early in your draft.

Gary Sheffield - He continues to kill the ball, smashing his 13th HR, and has his AVG up to .266 now. With 13 HRs and 7 SBs, he's been one of the best fantasy outfielders over the past month.

Jim Thome - Outside of the big 3/3, 5 RBI day he had in his 2nd game back from injury, he's been pretty quiet. He's known for hitting HRs in bunches, so a hot streak is likely right around the corner.

Jeremy Accardo - Another scoreless inning and save. Along with Al Reyes, he's been the most valuable waiver wire closer that has emerged this year.

Jim Thome - He's been quiet since his 3/3, 5 RBI game the 2nd day after returning from his injury, but he's shown a history to hit HRs in bunches, so a hot streak is likely around the corner.

Oliver Perez - 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. A 2nd straight quality start that hasn't resulted in a victory. He's been great all year long, and those 3 BBs are the most he's allowed in a month. Given he has a history of command problems, that's a noteworthy stat for this comeback player of the year candidate.

Jose Valverde - 2 straight scoreless inning saves since his 3 ER blowup a few days ago. Given he has a history of putting bad outings together in bunches, this is a great sign for his breakthrough year. He's saved 20 games already.

Tim Lincecum - 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. It's not too often a pitcher limits an offense to 8 baserunners in 6 2/3 IP, but still allows 6 ER. He deserved a lot better, and this is nothing to worry about. He's throwing as well as any pitcher in baseball right now.

Aaron Rowand - His solid season continues, going 3/4 with his 8 HR. He's hitting .325 with 3 SBs and 37 runs scored, so he's defintely been a fine 3rd OF for your fantasy team. Given he's playing for a new contract, he'll have the motivation to keep up these fine numbers all year long. Unfortunately with Rollins and Victorino at the top of the lineup, he probably won't get moved from the 6th spot, even though the only advantage Victorino has on him is SBs.

Ryan Zimmerman - Hit his 8th HR, so his rebound continues. His AVG hasn't moved in the past 10 days, but he's showing increased power and run production.

Jason Bay - 5 HRs in the past 11 games, so he's as hot as any hitter in baseball right now. Gotta love those hot streaks!

Takashi Saito - He hurt his hamstring during one of his pitches and had to come out of the game in the middle of a save chance. He'll need at least 3 days off, and could be headed to the DL if he doesn't show improvement. Broxton will close in the meantime, and this is yet another reason why you want to own the elite setup man in front of your closer, if the team has one.

B.J. Upton - His power has disappeared, only homering once in the past month compared to 7 before this stretch, but with 5 SBs, he's doing more of what his owners expect from him. His AVG will most likely end the year under .300, but if he keeps running and hits a couple HRs here and there, his owners won't complain. Plus he's permanently in the 2nd spot of the order, which is a great spot for him.

J.P. Howell - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. His first start came against the Royals, so don't read too much into it. He's only 24 years old, but isn't an elite prospect. Still, it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on him.

Ben Sheets - 6 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. A great outing from Sheets as he continues to put together his first healthy season in a few years. He's more than capable of keeping this up for a long period of time.

Dontrelle Willis - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 0 K. Talk about dodging bullets. He's the anti-Lincecum. He stranded runners left and right to avoid ER damage while allowing 13 baserunners in 6 IP. A pretty ugly outing as his inconsistent season continues. Expect trade rumors concerning Willis to heat up as the deadline approaches.

Albert Pujols - 2/5 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. 2 of his outs were bombs to CF caught before the stupid hill in center at Minute Maid Park, so he probably would have had 4 HRs in almost any other ballpark. Hopefully this is the start of a long hot streak for El Hombre.

Hunter Pence - This kid has been unreal so far, hitting .375 with 5 HR, 23 RBI, 14 Rs, and 5 SBs in 128 ABs. Redraft owners should sell high before he hits his first slump of the year. but this kid is the real deal and all keeper league owners should be elated. I saved my #1 waiver priority for him when he was called up, and he's easily the leading candidate for NL ROY so far.

Sean Marshall - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. That's 3 straight impressive outings for Marshall. It's time to start taking this kid seriously. He has a quality fastball for a lefty, and a big curveball not unlike Rich Hill.

Edwin Encarnacion - He continues to hit the ball well since returning from the minors, going 3/6 with 2 Rs and an RBI. He should be a top 10 3B from here on out, so pick him up if you're struggling with the position and he's somehow still out there.

Garrett Atkins - The biggest 3B bust of the year so far went 3/5 with a HR and 4 RBIs last night. He's not going to repeat last season's pace over the rest of the year, but hopefully this is the start of him getting his act together.

Ervin Santana - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Yes, he pitched at home. He continues his ridiculous home/away splits, and makes for a great spot starter at home.

Victory Diaz - Hit 2 more HRs last night, bringing him to 7 HR and 16 RBIs in only 64 AB. Keep an eye on him to see if he starts getting regular ABs and hits in a favorable lineup spot. He hits in a great ballpark for power hitters. Teixeira could definitely use some help behind him.

Johan Santana - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4K. Not at his best last night as his command failed him a bit. What's to like about this stat line? This is about as bad as you'll see him pitch.

Alex Rodriguez - Finally, some signs of life. After a brutal May, he hits a game winning HR, his 20th of the year, off a great pitch from Jon Papelbon. He also added an RBI infield single, so perhaps he's ready to take off again.

Josh Beckett - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Francona probably should have started the 7th with his bullpen, but Beckett had a chance to move to 9-0 before the bullpen blew it for him today. The statline isn't what we've come to expect this year, but against a tough Yankees lineup it's not so bad.

Andy Pettitte - 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Left his start with back pain tonight, which likely led to his poor statline. He was pitching well before falling apart in the 5th, so hopefully it's nothing too serious.