Saturday: Thanks, Offense

Orlando Hernandez - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (7). Exactly what was expected against the Nationals. He continues to be a great fantasy starter found on the waiver wire this season. I'd still move him for the fear that he'll run into another physical problem by the time the year's up.

Carlos Delgado - 3/7, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Really the only notable offensive performance in this doubleheader. His .322, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R performance in 17 games is hopefully a sign of a solid 2nd half from Delgado.

Anthony Reyes - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (1). He ups his record to 1-10 with this performance. He is one to watch now that he's back in the bigs. I believe in his talent, but don't think the Cardinals have done enough to develop it. He remains a potential fantasy option down the stretch if he can show some consistency, and also remains a possible trade candidate.

Albert Pujols - 4/8, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB (2). A very nice doubleheader for Pujols as he continues his scorching hitting post-AS break, posting a .356 AVG with 7 HR, 16 RBI, and 15 R in 16 games.

Ryan Braun - 3/8, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (18). He continues to hit like a top 5 fantasy stud in his rookie year. He's bound to slump at some point, but he's showing no signs of it. His redraft value couldn't be any higher if you agree that he's due to slump.

Greg Maddux - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. The SD bullpen is elite, but the offense is not. Given the lack of Ks and lack of Ws, I don't believe Maddux is much of a mixed league option anymore. I know I've been touting him as a decent end-of-the-rotation option, but his numbers just don't support that. You could do worse, but I think you could do better.

Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. Finally. I've been touting him as a bounce back candidate for a while, and while his last start showed progress, this was the breakout start I was waiting for. Let's hope he continues building on this.

Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (22). He's gone on an absolute tear since the AS break, posting a .316 AVG, 6 HR, 13 RBI, and 8 R in 15 games. I'm elated that I took Jason Bay over him, and it's costing me 1st place. Ugh.

Andrew Miller - 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. He pitched around the baserunners and produced a fairly solid line, but the bullpen let him down. Continue to stay with him.

Carlos Guillen - 2/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (9). With a .316 AVG, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 57 R, and 9 SB, he's been an insanely underrated fantasy SS in terms of where he was drafted. He's stayed relatively healthy for the 2nd consecutive year as he's starting to ease concerns about his durability.

John Smoltz - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Another great start from Smoltz, but his offense didn't give him enough run support to pick up the victory. He's easing concerns about his shoulder with each consecutive solid start.

Chris Young - He's come out with guns blazing after the AS break with a .295 AVG, 5 HR, 6 RBI, 16 R, and 6 SB. Odds are he's in for a very nice 2nd half as he starts to figure out the major league level. His AVG figures to be a question mark, but the Diamondbacks finally have him leading off consistently, and he's actually hit .293 in that spot this season. The daily consistency in the lineup position figures to help him.

Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). He's been really scuffling over the past 2 months. He started off with 2 months hitting over .300, but then hit .268 in June and .179 so far in July. Due to the lack of solid options at the catcher position, you have to stick with him and figure that he'll bounce back soon enough.

J.J. Putz - 1 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 4 K, SV (30). He bounced back just fine after his first blown save of the season.

Johan Santana - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. Thanks, offense. He apparently wasn't happy about that 4 HR performance last time out, mowing down Cleveland with ease.

Roy Halladay - 8 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Thanks, offense, part 2. 0 runs of support in this one, but Halladay is starting to get on a roll, allowing 3 ER over his last 24 IP.

Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, (8). Bounced right back after the Detroit shelling, putting in one of his best outings of the year. He's continued to be quite a surprise in fantasy leagues this year, especially his ERA which currently sits at 3.06. The Sox signed him to a contract extension, appeasing the fans, but I really wonder what he'll be worth in another 2 years staying in the AL. His pitching style would be far more effective in the NL.

Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (30). 6 straight scoreless innings including 5 saves and a win. His ERA is back down to 3.38, so he's bounced back nicely after a very rough stretch. Hopefully he'll hold up and turn in a solid 2nd half, unlike last year.

Roger Clemens - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He had turned in back-to-back outings of 1 and 2 ER, but came back with another mediocre outing against Baltimore. I think this will be a trend his owners will have to put up with this year.

Hideki Matsui - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's up to 11 HR this month as he continues the most impressive power surge of his career.

Miguel Tejada - 2/4, 4 RBI. A nice 2nd game back for Tejada, who's hitting 5th instead of 3rd currently. If he hits well, he'll get moved back up to his usual spot. With Roberts having a great season and Patterson on fire, the 3rd spot is a very nice RBI spot for the Orioles right now, as Markakis and his 13 RBI in 15 games post-AS break can attest.

Jason Bay - 2/3, 1 R, SB (3). No, the 20 SB Bay is not coming back, no matter how much us owners would like it to happen. He is, however, hitting much better, going 9 for his last 18. I think his hot streak is finally kicking off. Your buy-low window will start to close, so go get him.

Jimmy Rollins - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, SB (18). He was moved to the 3rd spot in the lineup last night with Utley hurt. If he stays there, his fantasy value gets a boost with the increased RBI opportunities he'll receive.

Sean Marshall - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (5). A great performance from Marshall, who's maintaining solid mixed league value. Continue using him unless he starts struggling over the course of several outings. Always ride the hot hand.

Aaron Harang - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. He left the start early with a strained back. An MRI showed nothing serious, so he's only scheduled to miss one start as it stands right now.

Alfonso Soriano - 3/5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR (18). Another hot streak? Hopefully. He had been without a HR in July 14th, and he hasn't stolen a base since July 7th. He continues to frustrate his owners, but will likely go on another power surge shortly. The stolen bases apparently will be sporadic as he was running for a contract last year. He's only stolen 5 bases over the past 2 months.

Jon Lester - 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A pretty solid start despite the ER. He's looking good so far, but I'd avoid picking him up yet until he proves himself a bit more.

James Shields - 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. That's actually not a bad outing at all against the Boston Red Sox, especially with his recent performances against powerful offenses. I'd still suggest benching him against the strong offenses.

Jonny Gomes - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (10). He had been scuffling since the AS break, so it was nice to see him bust out with a big game like this, especially since Tampa Bay is so fickle with his performance. If he remains in the lineup, he'll be a downer on your AVG, but his power numbers will be there and he'll be worth using.

Kevin Millwood - 2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. I spot started him last night. Gross. He's gone back to sucking his last two outings, so I'd put him back on the waiver wire.

Jeff Francis - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (11). He's really been Jeckyl/Hyde over his past 7 starts, but weirdly enough Colorado has won 6 of them. I'm on the fence about him. I'd likely keep him benched for another start to see what happens.

Garrett Atkins - 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's picked up his AVG a ton over the past 2 months, hitting .311 with 12 HR and 41 RBI in 48 games, He's back to being a great fantasy 3B, especially given the very productive Colorado lineup around him. Try to sell his owner on poor overall numbers and land him for cheap.

Matt Cain - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. His best start in about a month and a half, but per usual, no win for his effort. This gives his owners some positive news, so let's hope he builds on this.

Kevin Gregg - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, BS (2). Only his 2nd blown save, although he's quietly not doing his owners much help in the ERA department. His overall mark stands at a solid 3.32, but he had a 5.14 ERA in June and currently sports a 4.76 ERA in July. His job is secure because he's not blowing saves and Benitez is giving up a lot of runs, but I'd trade him because he's really hurting your ERA.

Miguel Cabrera - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (24). He's been remarkably steady this year, making him a great H2H player. May was a down month, but in April, June, and July, he's hit at least .337 with 7 HR and 17-19 RBI in each month. Not too bad, huh?