Thursday Recap: Bombderman

Tim Hudson - 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (13). Hudson was not at his best last night, but he pitched he pitched well enough to pick up the win thanks to solid offensive support. The bullpen tried their best to blow it last night, but Willie Harris made an amazing catch at the wall on Delgado's would-be game-tying HR to preserve the win.

Oscar Villarreal - 2/3 IP, SV (1). Thanks to Wickman heading in for an MRI on his sore forearm, Cox turned to Villarreal last night when Tyler Yates turned a 4 run lead into a 1 run lead. I'm not sure why Cox went to him over Soriano and Dotel, but I would have to consider Dotel the favorite for saves if Wickman misses time. Keep an eye on the next save opportunity in Atlanta if Wickman remains sidelined.

John Maine - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Things are evening out for Maine. He's given up 4 ER or more in 4 of his last 6 outings, and the walks he was getting away with earlier in the season are coming back to haunt him now. His current 3.53 ERA is a better match for his 1.19 WHIP, and he's going to have to regain his good control to return to form. He'll still remain a mixed league asset over the rest of the year.

David Wright - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (20). Wright needs 8 HR over the rest of the year to set a career high. He should come awfully close, and given his excellent SB rate this year, he's turning in his best fantasy season to date.

Mark Teixeira - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (17). Teixeira is up to .286 with 4 HR and 10 RBI in 8 games since joining the Braves, so he's really helping out fantasy teams despite the ballpark switch. Let's hope it continues.

Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (9). Kazmir is back. He shut down the powerful Tigers offense last night, and has turned in 6 straight solid performances. Consider him a great 2nd SP while he's pitching like this.

Jeremy Bonderman - 6 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Bonderman continues his horrible 2nd half by getting lit up by the Devil Rays. There's absolute no excuse for why this happens every single 2nd half, and he's now up to a 4.75 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He's allowed 28 ER over his last 22 1/3 IP. Bench him.

Gary Sheffield - He missed a few days with a shoulder problem, and he's only hitting .238 with 2 HR and 9 RBI in 21 games since the AS break. There's no doubt that he's struggling because of the injury, so owners can't do much other than hope he starts feeling better soon. If you're in a playoff race, you might think about dealing him and his injury concerns to get a more reliable stud OF in return, if possible.

Carl Crawford - 3/4, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (10), SB (37). Monster game from Crawford who has been on fire since the AS break, hitting .433 with 4 HR, 11 RBI, 22 R, and 14 SB in 24 games. He's justifying the 1st round pricetag with his overall numbers as he's now hitting .316. He's often underrated on draft day given the fact that he's elite in SB, but still very solid in the other 4 major hitting catagories.

Matt Garza - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Another dominant outing from Garza, this one coming against the Royals. Unfortunately the run he allowed was the only run scored all game, so he was denied a victory. Given the offensive struggles the Twins are having right now, Garza remains a weak bet in the W catagory. He has a 1.70 ERA, but is 1-3.

Joakim Soria - 1 1/3 IP, 1 K, SV (12). Soria again has been very good since moving back to the closer's role, so consider him a solid 2nd closer in fantasy leagues over the rest of the season.

Felipe Lopez - He's hitting .283 with 4 HR, 13 RBI, 14 R, and 6 SB since the AS break. It very well could just be a hot streak, or perhaps it's Lopez returning to form. He's worth putting on your bench as a backup to find out. He's eligible at both 2B and SS in Yahoo, giving him extra value there.

Corey Patterson - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, SB (31). Patterson has really taken to the 2nd spot in the order, hitting .314 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, 16 R, and 14 SB in 24 games up there. He's a bigtime speed threat with solid power and decent run production as he's recaptured his 2006 form in the 2nd half so far. He's easily a top 30 OF while hitting like this.

Chris Young - 6 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Young was understandably rusty after returning from a strained oblique last night. He didn't take long to return, so one has to wonder if he's truly 100%. Keep an eye on him over his next start or two.

Mark Buehrle - 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Buehrle had a rough time against the Cleveland offense last night. His ERA currently sits at 3.34, which is a bit more reasonable for him. If I had to guess, he'll have another one of these type of outings again this year, but unfortunately it's anyone's guess as to when. His owners have definitely reaped the benefits of rebound season from him so far.

Ted Lilly - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, W (13). His curveball was all over the place last night, but he managed to limit the damage and was again given excellent run support to pick up his 13th win. Lilly is definitely enjoying his finest professional season to date, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP thus far. The league switch has been kind to him.

Ian Snell - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Much better. This is the first time Snell has allowed less than 3 ER over his past 7 starts. He holds questionable value moving forward as he might be wearing down.

Eric Byrnes - 1/3, 1 R, SB (30). Byrnes has joined the 30 SB club for the first time this season. He's really picked up the SB pace, swiping 13 of his 30 bases in 64 less games in the 2nd half so far. The green light on the basepaths only increases his already solid value.