Tuesday: Starting Pitcher Bouncebacks

Roy Oswalt - 1/3 IP. Pretty random relief appearance, but rather than throwing on the side, they decided to use Oswalt to get an out of relief. If you had him active, enjoy the massive ERA/WHIP boost you got. Woohoo!

Brad Lidge - 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K. Baby steps. Lidge successfully converted save #1 since coming back from the DL. He's no lock to experience great success now that he's back closing, but the bigger risk for his owners is that the Astros will obviously be sellers at the deadline, so they might be showcasing Lidge for a trade. I'm not sure what to expect here, but a healthy and effective Lidge would allow them to receive a decent return for him. I'm rather pessimistic that he'll have the closer role over the entire rest of the season due to the possibility of a trade.

Carlos Lee - 2/4, 2 run HR. Lee has homered in 2 straight games, and he has been known to go on scorching hot streaks before. His numbers are very good as they are now, but who wouldn't like a big push from Lee right about now?

Jon Garland - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Garland was pretty lucky to only allow 3 runs despite 10 baserunners against the powerful Cleveland offense, but if you started him last night, you had to be pleased at the decent results. Unfortunately, the bullpen blew it yet again and he was left without a win.

Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BS (5). Jenks is now part of the White Sox bullpen problem. Jenks has allowed 7 ER in his last 6 2/3 IP, blowing 3 saves in that time period. This is turning into a carbon-copy of last year when Jenks had a great first half, made the All Star game, and then fell apart in the 2nd half. As an owner you can't do much other than hope he turns it around...his job isn't in any jeopardy right now. Not that the Sox have anything resembling an alternative, anyways. This just makes me sick to my stomach as a fan...I can't take this anymore this year. If it's not one person, it's another. So many good starts from the rotation are being thrown away this year. Ugh.

Jim Thome - 3/6, 2 RBI. He continues his hot July, upping his stats for the month to a .351 AVG, 5 HR, and 17 RBI in 15 games. I cautiously suggest selling high at this point because liek I've mentioned before, his age and injury history suggests another health problem before the end of the season. I hate to say it as a fan, but if this team is going to start over, why not move Thome? He's hitting very well this year, still has a couple productive years left as a DH, and could bring back a decent prospect. This is just me thinking out loud...I have read zero trade rumors involving Thome.

Ryan Garko - 2/2, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (12). Not bad for a pinch hitting apperance in the 9th inning. That's 5 straight 2 hit games for Garko who's really heating up again. The only problem is that he's not technically an every day player, but he plays most days unless Shoppach is catching, at whichpoint Martinez moves to 1B and Garko hits the bench. Still, he plays enough to warrant utilizing him in your UTIL roll when he's active. With a .313 AVG, 12 HR, 38 RBI, and 41 R, he's been very productive.

Alex Gordon - 3/4, 3 R, SB (10). He had been worthless so far this month just like in April and May, but this moves his July AVG back to .233. Let's hope he builds on this game and starts to get hot again.

Julio Lugo - 3/4, 1 R. Lugo is on fire this month, hitting .395 with 4 SB. Given the AVG/R/SB contributions he'll make to your fantasy team, and the fact he's eligible at 2B/SS/3B in Yahoo, pick him up if he's out there and you need MI or SB help. He's coming out of his slump and will likely make a very positive contribution to your team the rest of the way. He had 2 straight .300-ish seasons in Tampa Bay before the trade to LA last year, so he's capable for hitting for a solid AVG.

Jason Bay - 0/3. Seriously, when will this end? Get him back out of your lineup. He had a big game before the AS break, but has hit 2/16 since then to drop his AVG to a season-low .247. He's not producing anything right now and can't be used until he figures out how to hit again. I'm gonna hit myself twice if he keeps this up...once for drafting him, and again for recommending him as a buy low. As frustrated as I am with him, he's due to turn this around soon.

Roy Halladay - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. There's the Halladay we know and love. It's his best start among his last 4 appearances, and hopefully the turning point of his season. He didn't do this against a weak offense either, it was against the Yankees.

Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Halladay must have inspired him, I guess. Pettitte also turned in his best outing over his past 4 apperances with this offering, and he looks safe to resume using, if you're into that sort of thing.

Hideki Matsui - 2/4, SB (3). Matsui has been on fire with 2 straight 2 hit games, and he's also hit 5 HR in his last 10 games to go along with 9 RBI and 10 R. He's re-establishing himself as a fantasy force and a solid 2nd OF given his current hot streak. His AVG is up to .283 on the year, much more like what we've come to expect from him.

Hanley Ramirez - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (15). Ramirez has been moved back to the leadoff spot. The 3 spot was probably the best for his fantasy value given the extra RBI opportunities he was getting there, but he makes the most sense for the Marlins in the leadoff spot. His .388 OBP ranks 2nd behind Cabrera on the team.

Ervin Santana - 6 IP, 14 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. He was on the road again last night, so he shouldn't have been in your lineup. This might be the last straw for the Angels regarding Santana and he could be headed back to the minors after this performance. There's no excuse for this.

James Shields - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (8). Much better. The Angels are a pretty tough offense, so this outing wasn't a gimme against a powderpuff lineup. He remains a shaky play against AL offenses like the Yankees and Red Sox, but he should still have enough fantasy value outside of those to be a valuable starter for your staff.

B.J. Upton - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI. He's 7/11 since returning from the DL, raising his AVG to .336. His ridiculous .473 BA/BIP is bound to come down, so don't fool yourself into thinking that he's a .300 hitter, at least for this season. He's going to have to continue getting very lucky to offset the 70 K in 60 games in order to keep hitting .300. However, with his HR/SB/R production at the top of the order, he will remain a valuable fantasy 2B. Just don't use him anywhere else because he's far more valuable there than at 3B or OF.

Bronson Arroyo - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Wow, his best performance of the year. I followed my own advice and picked him up in a league where my starting pitching is dropping like flies, and I couldn't have been more elated with this performance. It's clear that Arroyo has fixed his problems and will resume having fantasy value. One thing to note is his home/away splits, posting a 5.96 ERA and 1.60 WHIP at home while posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP away. Something to consider when starting him, although those numbers are ballooned a bit given the struggles he had earlier this year. Be selective in his home starts.

Ken Griffey Jr. - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB (6). Boy, his legs must still feel fresh this late into the season if he's swiping 2 bases in one game. He's having an outstanding fantasy season for all owners who took a chance on him later in drafts.

Barry Zito - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (7). In our 4th installment of starting pitcher bouncebacks, I present Exhibit D: Barry Zito. Zito looked like a $126 million man last night, tossing a gem and getting some late offense to pick up the win. Let's hope this is the start of his real turnaround for the 2nd half of the season. He has the talent, the home ballpark, and the league to re-establish solid fantasy value in the 2nd half.

Derrek Lee - 2/4, solo HR (8). 2 HR in 3 games for Lee now, who's hopefully re-discovered his power stroke. Unfortunately for his owners, he'll be riding the bench the next 5 games as he suddenly dropped his appeal of the suspension stemming from the fight with Chris Young. Those in weekly transaction leagues got screwed, but those in daily transaction leagues can remove him until Tuesday of next week.

Eric Byrnes - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB (22). 5 SB in the last 3 games for Byrnes who's doing his best Jose Reyes impression recently. Fantasy owners have to be loving the insane production for Byrnes this year given where he was drafted. Keep in mind that he's a strong candidate to be overvalued in drafts next year if he keeps this up all season long.

Matt Garza - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Unfortunately he allowed an unearned run, the only run allowed in the game, and he took the loss as a result. A very impressive showing against the powerful Tigers offense. He must be owned in all mixed leagues right now.

Todd Jones - 1 IP, SV (24). Jones was having some problems for a while, but he's put together 7 straight scoreless outings, racking up 6 saves during that timeframe. Fortunately for him and his owners, he would have been replaced as the closer had Zumaya been healthy, but that wasn't the case. Due to the lack of alternatives, he remained in the role and should close strong, just like he did last year. They just need to keep him out of non-save situations as best they can.

Orlando Hernandez - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (6). As dominant as ever last night, mowing down the weak Padres lineup. He's been one of the better waiver wire fantasy starters this year, along with fellow teammates John Maine and to a lesser extent, Jorge Sosa. Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson deserves a ton of credit for turning a huge weakness on paper to being the season into a strength. He even stole a base last night...his 2nd in 2 games. It was against Michael Barrett, though, so it probably deserves an asterisk.

Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Peavy had his start pushed back 2 days due to bicep soreness (I really need to get better at read news -> post news), but he was alright in this one, throwing 104 pitches without any noticeable problem. Let's just hope that it's not a bigger problem than they're letting on, but tonights performance against the Mets certainly wasn't any cause for concern.

Chad Gaudin - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 4 K. See that drop button next to Gaudin's name on Yahoo? Use it. Honeymoon is over.

Michael Young - 5/5, 1 R, 3 RBI. The overrated fantasy 2B put up a nice game last night, and although the .290 AVG is nice, his 4 HR and 6 SB aren't doing much for your squad as I've mentioned before. Those 2 20+ HR seasons are nice, but after 14 last year and 4 so far this year, that power doesn't appear to be coming back. Texas must be kicking themselves for signing him to that huge deal over the winter. Nobody but them thought it was a good idea at the time.

Jeremy Guthrie - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, W (5). Not a bad bounceback after the shelling he took last outing, but still not the type of outing owners were becoming accustomed to. I'm still not buying the fact he'll provide much fantasy value in the 2nd half of the season as teams get to know him better.

Felix Hernandez - 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. The curse of the Baltimore Orioles. Their offense is OK at best, especially without Tejada, but they constantly beat all of my fantasy pitchers for some reason. This is definitely a step back for Hernandez who is continually having baserunner problems. He dodged them all night until his other nemesis, the HR ball, put 3 runs on the board from the 2nd to last man he saw. I honestly don't know what offenses to trust him against right now other than the incredibly weak ones.

Tom Gordon - 1 IP, 1 H. Solid first inning back for Gordon. He admitted that he's pitching with a slight labrum tear in his pitching shoulder. That sounds bad, but if he's going to pitch through it, I assume it's not something that he's going to make worse by taking the mound. He can't be heading to the mound with his best stuff, so I'm not sure how effective he'll be. Regardless, odds are strong that he'll take the closer's role back from Alfonseca until Brett Myers is ready to return.

Ryan Howard - 2/6, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (24). He's still striking out all over the place, K'ing 105 times already in 75 games. However, he's still hitting for a ton of power, driving in a ton of runs, and hitting .288 since the start of June. He's resumed being a big time fantasy 1B.

Aaron Rowand - 5/5, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He continues his ridiculous contract year by getting the 2nd 5 hit game of the day. Owners have to be loving his production they picked off the waiver wire earlier this season.