Wednesday Wrapup - Tim Lincesuck

Aaron Rowand - He continues his terrific season, hitting a pinch-hit grand slam last night against the pathetic White Sox bullpen. He also added an RBI groundout to give him 5 RBIs on the day, so hopefully you guys in daily transaction leagues didn't sit him seeing as though he wasn't starting. As I mentioned before, this is a contract year for him, so while this production is definitely his best since 2004, it's sustainable for him.

Tim Lincecum - 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. OK, so he's not Francisco Liriano. I want to point out that last year we were very spoiled by the consistent rookie performances from pitchers like Liriano, Jered Weaver, and Josh Johnson. The normal rookie path is one like Cole Hamels...he gets called up, struggles, then puts it together later and flashes both his potential and consistency. Be patient with Lincecum, and don't drop him. Bench him if you don't like his next matchup, as he might continue to frustrate for a while. The talent is definitely there, and since he dominated AAA, odds are he'll work through his troubles here as long as he doesn't keep getting lit up each start.

Jeremy Accardo -Nice to see a bounceback scoreless 9th for his 8th save last night after his recent struggles. He should settle back into a nice groove.

Chris Ray - Pitched a scoreless 10th to preserve the tie, but then blew up in the 11th allowing 2 H, 2 BB, and 3 ER. There's nothing about his peripherals (1.24 WHIP, 51:27 K;BB ratio) to indicate that 4.70 ERA is for real, so he's a good buy-low candidate right now. He still has job security, if for nothing else than the lack of internal replacement candidates. I don't see any reason to panic, but it'd be nice if he could string a few scoreless appearances together.

Bill Hall - 3/3 with a 2 run HR and 2 R last night. His AVG is right in line with last year, but his SLG is down over 100 points. His 35 HR last year will likely go down as his career high, but he definitely has 20-25 HR power and he should show some modest improvement over the rest of the season in the power department. Perhaps the toll of playing CF everyday is wearing on him a bit.

Mike Mussina - 7 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. 2 straight solid performances from someone whom I thought was finished as a fantasy option. If he turns in another start like this, I might have to re-think my analysis of him. Still, the outings came against the pathetic White Sox offense and an average Arizona offense, so the numbers don't tell the whole story. If nothing else, perhaps he's good for a spot-start here and there. I don't think he has the stuff to shut down AL East offenses consistently, which severely dampens his value.

Alex Rodriguez - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, and his 25th HR last night. I like it when A-Rod is on my fantasy team.

Ian Snell - 9 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. He's been nothing short of outstanding so far in this, his breakthrough season. This was his first complete game of the season, needing only 105 pitches to dispose of the injury-riddled Ranger lineup. I think he's a sell-high candidate for 2 reasons - he won't post a sub-3 ERA all year, and he's likely to wear down as the season progresses since he hasn't thrown over 200 innings before. Now's the time to evaluate your players and if you think their stats are over their head, sell before their regression begins.

Curt Schilling - 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. From almost a no-hitter to this? Jackass. His defense let him down, so he pitched better than his line indicated.

Matt Holliday - 3/4 last night with 3 R and an RBI. Now up to .352 this season, it's official that his breakthrough year last year is no fluke. His HRs are a bit down, but he should still challenge 28-30 by year's end.

Grady Sizemore - 1/3 last night with his 19th SB, and I noticed his AVG is now currently at .288, much more in line with what I expected a few weeks ago. I told ya he'd get that back up there. He's entered the elite OF catagory along with Soriano, Beltran, and Guerrero.

Hanley Ramirez - 2/5 with 1 R and 2 RBI last night, along with his 22nd SB. He's very comparable than Jose Reyes (less speed, more power), but is cheaper due to lesser name recognition.

Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Back to business for the NL's best starting pitcher.

Adrian Gonzalez - Hit his 13th HR last night, his first since May 27th. He was due to regress a bit in the power department, but his overall season has been excellent, especially for where he was drafted.

John Lackey - 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. MLB's first 10 game winner as of last night. He's provided great value as a fantasy SP this year.

Vladimir Guerrero - 3/5 with 4 RBI last night. His R catagory suffers a bit due to the lack of a big bat behind him, and he doesn't steal as much anymore, but he's still a fantasy monster in the OF. He only trails A-Rod in RBIs now.

Sean Marshall - 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. His curveball wasn't its sharpest last night, hurting his Ks, but he pitched great otherwise. I spot started him last night, and I'm going to keep running him out there until he blows up. I don't think he's this good, but as I mentioned before, his vastly improved command shows that he's definitely taken a nice step forward.

Richie Sexson - 2/4 with his 10th HR last night. Hey Richie, you're at the mendoza line again. Try not to fall under it this time.

Felix Pie - 1/2 with 2 BB last night, and 1/2 in steals. The 2 BBs are great as he's showing some plate patience for a young hitter.

Joe Blanton - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. He's bounced back in an impressive fashion after 2 shellings. His 66:21 K:BB ratio is way better than last year, and his BAA is a solid .239. His peripherals indicate that he could be for real this year. He won't be star, but he'd fit solidly as a #4/#5 starter.

Dan Wheeler - 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, and a shoved teammate. The opponent hits you, so you hit a teammate. Nice work, Dan. Brad Lidge seems settled in as the closer for now despite his blown save yesterday.

Eric Chavez - Hit his 10th HR last night, and his 3rd in the last 9 games. Perhaps he'll heat up for a while and not suck. He's been a 2nd half player, so if he's healthy for once, maybe he'll put together a solid 2nd half. Or, he'll get hurt again. My money's on hurt.

Adam Wainwright - 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Great performance for the youngster last night, going 5 2/3 hitless innings. Unfortuantely with 2 out, Aaron Miles commited an error, and then the next battle broke up the no hit bid. He's been pretty damn good 3 out of his last 4 appearances, so mixed leaguers should keep an eye on him. He was thought to be a great young starting pitcher before the injury to Isringhausen last year turned him into a closer for a while.

Albert Pujols - 2/4 with 1 R and 3 RBI last night. I think he's hitting well again.

Alex Gordon - Hit a 3 run HR in the bottom of the 9th last night, and his AVG sits at .199. Just one more hit in the next 4 at bats...

Carlos Silva - 9 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. He gets lit up by Washington and then this? Don't pick him up. When you have a .292 BAA, you're not doing something right, or you just aren't very good.

Torii Hunter - 2/4 with his 14th HR last night. He's still hitting .312 in his contract year, so perhaps his first .300 season is on the way. What money does to some people.

Brad Penny - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. He's making me look stupid for telling you to sell high by continuing to post outstanding starts. He's always had the pure talent and the stuff to put together a season like this, but something always happens and he falls apart. Maybe at 29 years old he'll put it together for 200 innings, but he did the exact same thing last year before blowing up. Trust me, sell high.

Wilson Betemit - Hit his 7th HR last night, and he's only had 103 AB. He has legit power, but his brutal start to this year got him relegated to a seat on the bench. If he can keep hitting for a while, his multiple position eligibility in Yahoo will be of great use to those who want to ride out his hot streak. Who knows, maybe he's ready to hit for real the rest of the year.