Carlos Zambrano - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. His most impressive outing in a string of impressive outing. His stuff was nasty and he had great location. Hope you bought low on him like I did...I only regret not doing it in both leagues.
Mark Buehrle - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Another great outing from Buehrle, but it didn't get him a win thanks to the anemic White Sox offense. He's on a nice roll, giving up 2 ER or less in his last 3 starts. He's a candidate to be traded, and given he'll likely go to a contender in the NL, he's about to receive a boost in his fantasy value. He'll be going to a better team in a weaker hitting league.
Paul Konerko - 1/3, solo HR (12). He's been hitting very well recently, but with the upcoming dismantling of the lineup around him, he's not going to have a 50 R/50 RBI bounceback 2nd half like he might have.
Fausto Carmona - 6 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Owners expected more against the Nationals, but it was still a quality start, and would have been good for a win had his supporting offense managed more than 1 measley run.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/4, 1 RBI. He had been quiet for a while, but he has 7 hits and 4 RBI in his last 4 games. He's continuing his excellent bounceback season.
Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. The zero walks are solid, but he only K'd 2 against a Florida offense prone to strikeouts. Little run support led to a ND for Bonser.
Justin Morneau - 1/3, 2 R, 1 RBI. Another solid game from Morneau, but the bad news is that a collision at the plate left him coughing up blood. A trip to the hospital ensued, but no serious damage was found. Get him out of your lineup for the rest of the weekend, and his status should be updated soon.
Hanley Ramirez - 1/4, solo HR (10). He's on pace for a .320 AVG, 20 HR, and 45 SB. He's outplaying his ADP despite cautious bidders this year, and he could be a late 1st rounder next year.
Dan Uggla - 1/2, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (14). He's proving his 27 HRs last year was no fluke, but he's not going to hit .280 again, especially since he's already K'd 79 times on the year. Still, he's producing to his ADP and his owners should be quite happy with his performance.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Still, no worries as his ERA sits at 2.64. With 4 appearances in his last 10 giving up 2 ER or more, he needs to settle down soon. He blew the lead for the Blue Jays in the 10th inning, and unfortunately he couldn't finish as Colorado's Fuentes blew the save and the game in the bottom half of the inning.
Vernon Wells - 2/4, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (7). Wells is one of fantasy baseball's bigger OF busts of the year. Toronto is looking to restart his bat by leading him off, and Wells responded with a great game. Like I've said before he has a very inconsistent past, but he's not a bad idea to buy low on as he'll probably improve in the 2nd half, and he hits in a quality lineup. He'll move back down to the 3rd spot once he gets back into a groove.
Derek Lowe - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another solid outing from Lowe, who's turning in his best year as a starter since 2002. He has 6 quality starts in his last seven outings.
Andrew Sonnanstine - 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. I don't think he's worth writing about anymore. He had a great outing against the Marlins, but on the whole he's not going to be a good enough pitcher to be worth owning.
Takashi Saito - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K, SV (20). He's been the best value at closer this year outside of J.J. Putz. He's proving that last year is no joke with a 1.45 ERA and a 0.778 WHIP. He's pitched 3 days in a row, so I expect Broxton to get the save chance if the Dodgers generate one tonight.
Delmon Young - 3/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He's a good, undervalued OF to go after for the 2nd half. Pitchers obviously adjusted to what he was doing at the end of last year, and he's obviously re-adjusting back and hitting well now. He's especially valuable in keeper leagues.
Tom Glavine - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Back on his game with a strong start against Oakland last night. Now that interleague is over with, he should go back to being a solid end-of-the-rotation starter for your fantasy rotation.
Rich Harden - 1 IP, 2 K. Oakland activated him from the DL, and they're going to ease him back into things via the bullpen. Given the erratic schedule that bullpen pitchers endure, my guess is that he'll have some sort of scheduled usage until he's moved back into the rotation. There's an outside chance that they'll turn him into a closer with the uncertainty surrounding Huston Street's elbow, but I think that's a rather remote possibility. He might actually be someone to target given his owners are probably quite irritated with him. Just don't count on him to stay healthy the rest of the year.
Carlos Beltran - 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (10). If he's healthy, I expect him to have a big 2nd half. Given his subpar numbers, he's one to ask about as you position yourself for a strong 2nd half. Let's hope this is the start of a nice hot streak.
Kenny Rogers - 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Detroit activated him from the DL last night, and he did not disappoint with 6 shutout innings. If you were waiting on him getting healthy, go ahead and activate him. His K numbers aren't very good whatsoever, but he should pick up plenty of wins pitching in front of Detroit's offense, and his ratios should be pretty solid.
John Smoltz - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. He got hit hard by Detroit, so this is nothing to worry about. They tend to do this to pitchers quite often.
Magglio Ordonez - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI. The thing to note was that he left the game early after a HBP, but X-rays were negative and he should be back out there tonight.
Ryan Braun - 4/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (5), SB (3). He's quickly becoming a fantasy stud at 3B. Keeper leaguers should use him all year, but redraft players might want to think about packaging him with someone else to get an established 3B who won't go through the rookie rough patches. Don't trade him unless you get a top shelf 3B in return, though.
Corey Hart - 3/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (9). Wow. He was a sleeper at the beginning of the year, but he was lost in the shuffle after a slow start. He's as hot as any fantasy player right now, providing great value in all 5 catagories. Leading off for a lineup like Milwaukee will give him great value all year long.
Anthony Reyes - 4 1/3 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Again, 1 bad inning. It's the story of his year as he dropped to 0-9. I know he's been brutal so far this year, but he's going to be a pretty good pitcher at some point. Like Daniel Cabrera, don't completely forget about him.
Ryan Howard - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI. He has his AVG up to .253, and I expect that to climb to the .275-.285 range at some point this year to stay.
Lance Berkman - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). A 10 game hitting streak has his AVG back up to .262. He's another good 2nd half buy.
Brandon Webb - 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Not sharp last night, and his defense completely abandoned him to boot. Nothing to worry about. He has a 2.12 ERA and 1.09 WHIP this month as he's recovered his Cy Young form.
Daniel Cabrera - 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. His best start since May 5th. With 3 BB, he still had some command issues. Let's see if he builds off this start for once.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 9 K. Walked the first 3 guys of the game, but really settled down and dominated from that point. He has his ERA down to 4.01, and he now has 4 straight starts of giving up 2 ER or less.
Greg Maddux - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. A very good start, especially against the powerful Red Sox lineup.
Jason Bay - 1/5, 2 run HR (12). He's due to get hot again sometime real soon.
Aaron Harang - 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Awesome outing from Harang, and he's proving that last year's breakthrough season is not a fluke. He's posted a 3.59 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 97 K in 107 2/3 IP.
Brandon Phillips - 3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (13). He hasn't hit for the AVG that Utley has (.277), but he's been every bit as valuable with 13 HR and 15 SB. He's ready to join Utley in the top tier of fantasy 2B.
Josh Hamilton - 2/4, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). A long, quiet time for Hamilton recently, but he's starting to get hot again. Throw him in your lineup until he cools off again.
Matt Cain - 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, O K. An ugly outing, although against the Yankees, you can't fault him too much. He was dominant to start the year, but his command problems have returned and he's been struggling. Hopefully he can get it turned around and flash the potential he showed down the stretch last year.
Barry Bonds - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (15). He's got his AVG back up to .284 as he's hitting the ball well again. Get him back in your lineup if you sat him while he was cold.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Chicago Cubs Trade Michael Barrett To San Diego Padres
The Chicago Cubs traded catcher Michael Barrett to the San Diego Padres for catcher Rob Bowen and minor league OF Kyler Burke.
Who didn't see this coming? The Cubs weren't playing Barrett much anymore, using Koyie Hill in most games. After his altercation with Zambrano, he had another argument with pitcher Rich Hill during a game in which he caught him. Given his subpar defense, his struggles at the plate, and his recent arguments with teammates, the Cubs decided to ship him off. They sure as hell didn't get much in return given Barrett has been one of the better offensive catchers for the past three years. He's hit 16 HRs in each of the past 3, hit .287/.276/.307 in the past 3, and has put up decent R/RBI totals. If the Cubs weren't so stubborn with batting him low in the order, he would have put up even better R/RBI totals given how much he was getting on base. All they got was an unheralded catcher in Bowen, and an underperforming minor leaguer in Burke.
Fantasy Impact: I'd be surprised if people were still using Barrett given his horrible performance at the plate this year, but if you were, his upside is even dimmer now that he plays half his games in Petco Park. I'd leave him on waiver wire if he's there, and I wouldn't start him if you still have him. I'd much rather be using guys like Bengie Molina and Mike Napoli, for example.
Who didn't see this coming? The Cubs weren't playing Barrett much anymore, using Koyie Hill in most games. After his altercation with Zambrano, he had another argument with pitcher Rich Hill during a game in which he caught him. Given his subpar defense, his struggles at the plate, and his recent arguments with teammates, the Cubs decided to ship him off. They sure as hell didn't get much in return given Barrett has been one of the better offensive catchers for the past three years. He's hit 16 HRs in each of the past 3, hit .287/.276/.307 in the past 3, and has put up decent R/RBI totals. If the Cubs weren't so stubborn with batting him low in the order, he would have put up even better R/RBI totals given how much he was getting on base. All they got was an unheralded catcher in Bowen, and an underperforming minor leaguer in Burke.
Fantasy Impact: I'd be surprised if people were still using Barrett given his horrible performance at the plate this year, but if you were, his upside is even dimmer now that he plays half his games in Petco Park. I'd leave him on waiver wire if he's there, and I wouldn't start him if you still have him. I'd much rather be using guys like Bengie Molina and Mike Napoli, for example.
Aramis Ramirez Activated From DL
The Chicago Cubs activated 3B Aramis Ramirez from the DL today.
Fantasy Impact: Go ahead and get him back in there.
Fantasy Impact: Go ahead and get him back in there.
Thursday: Felix Looks Like A King
Ted Lilly - 7 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. A good start for Lilly with the exception of the ERs. This should have been expected against a weakened Texas lineup. His only problem was the 2 HRs allowed in the 2nd inning, but Arlington Stadium is well know for that.
Victor Diaz - 1/3, 2 run HR (9). 9 HRs in 90 AB for Diaz. That's good. 30:1 K:BB ratio for Diaz. That's bad. He'll get fairly consistent playing time, but he won't hit for good AVG unless he can cut down on the Ks. I think with injuries to Teixeira and Blalock, Texas will keep playing him as they need power outside of Sosa in their lineup.
Felix Pie - I'd leave him either reserved or on your waiver wire at this point. I thought he had a fighting chance, but he's not hitting well at all. Chicago will continue to give him the chance to get out of it, but it might be a while before he starts hitting well enough to become relevant in fantasy leagues. Keeper leaguers with a bench spot can speculate on success later on this season, but redrafters shouldn't bother.
Roger Clemens - 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Colorado got him, too. They're one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, and Roger was just giving up too many singles last night. It's back to the AL for him next, so I'm curious to see how he'll pitch.
Troy Tulowitski - 3/4, solo HR (4). I think he's a year away from making a fantasy impact. Kaz Matsui has settled into the #2 hole, and Tulo only has 4 HR and 2 SB on the season. He's a guy to remember for next year, though.
Hideki Matsui - 1/4, run HR (8). Matsui has quietly put together a very nice hot streak, getting his AVG up to .290, and he's also had 13 RBI over the past 10 games. He's back into his groove now and should be a very good fantasy OF the rest of the way. A poor April has held back his overall numbers, so you might want to inquire about him if you need some OF help.
Erik Bedard - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W. Another great start from Bedard, although he left early due to a strained left hamstring. It's the least severe type of strain, so don't expect him to miss any time.
Miguel Tejada - This is why some records are stupid. Tejada had a streak of 1,152 consecutive games played, but he's been battling some wrist pain and couldn't play last night. In a lame attempt to keep the streak going, he hit 2nd instead of 3rd, bunted into a fielder's choice, then was pinch-run for. It hurt the team because Tejada as a #3 hitter is not going to be a good bunter, and they got Roberts erased from the basepath as a result. I have no idea if it was Tejada's or Perlozzo's idea, but regardless, it was one of the stupidest things I've seen a while. Be a man and sit out if you're hurt...your streak doesn't mean shit if you're going to do stuff like this to extend it.
Mike Cameron - 2/4, R, RBI. He's raised his AVG 28 points the last 10 days, adding 3 HR, 9 RBI, and 11 R during that span. He's well worth using in mixed leagues the rest of the year. He won't do much for your AVG, but he has 25/20 skills.
Chad Billingsley - 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Not the best outing for Billingsley, but it's a step towards building his stamina back up as he threw 70 pitches last night. Plus, Toronto is a fairly tough offense to face on the road. I think he'll have fantasy value before too long.
Jeff Kent - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (10). He's been bad dead for a while, so perhaps this will get him going again. Age has caught up to him, unfortunately, so he's only a fringe fantasy 2B these days.
Felix Hernandez - 8 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Baby steps. Finally, something to get a bit excited about. Yes, it's the Pirates, but I read that he was throwing high 90s for most of the game, and he exhiibited much better control of his pitches last night. Boston is up next, so I'd keep him benched again for that one, but that'll be a big test to see if he's starting to make his way back or not. Us Felix owners finally have a little something to feel good about. Pick him up if some impatient owner dumped him...he's too good not to at least stash on your bench.
Victor Diaz - 1/3, 2 run HR (9). 9 HRs in 90 AB for Diaz. That's good. 30:1 K:BB ratio for Diaz. That's bad. He'll get fairly consistent playing time, but he won't hit for good AVG unless he can cut down on the Ks. I think with injuries to Teixeira and Blalock, Texas will keep playing him as they need power outside of Sosa in their lineup.
Felix Pie - I'd leave him either reserved or on your waiver wire at this point. I thought he had a fighting chance, but he's not hitting well at all. Chicago will continue to give him the chance to get out of it, but it might be a while before he starts hitting well enough to become relevant in fantasy leagues. Keeper leaguers with a bench spot can speculate on success later on this season, but redrafters shouldn't bother.
Roger Clemens - 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Colorado got him, too. They're one of the hottest teams in baseball right now, and Roger was just giving up too many singles last night. It's back to the AL for him next, so I'm curious to see how he'll pitch.
Troy Tulowitski - 3/4, solo HR (4). I think he's a year away from making a fantasy impact. Kaz Matsui has settled into the #2 hole, and Tulo only has 4 HR and 2 SB on the season. He's a guy to remember for next year, though.
Hideki Matsui - 1/4, run HR (8). Matsui has quietly put together a very nice hot streak, getting his AVG up to .290, and he's also had 13 RBI over the past 10 games. He's back into his groove now and should be a very good fantasy OF the rest of the way. A poor April has held back his overall numbers, so you might want to inquire about him if you need some OF help.
Erik Bedard - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W. Another great start from Bedard, although he left early due to a strained left hamstring. It's the least severe type of strain, so don't expect him to miss any time.
Miguel Tejada - This is why some records are stupid. Tejada had a streak of 1,152 consecutive games played, but he's been battling some wrist pain and couldn't play last night. In a lame attempt to keep the streak going, he hit 2nd instead of 3rd, bunted into a fielder's choice, then was pinch-run for. It hurt the team because Tejada as a #3 hitter is not going to be a good bunter, and they got Roberts erased from the basepath as a result. I have no idea if it was Tejada's or Perlozzo's idea, but regardless, it was one of the stupidest things I've seen a while. Be a man and sit out if you're hurt...your streak doesn't mean shit if you're going to do stuff like this to extend it.
Mike Cameron - 2/4, R, RBI. He's raised his AVG 28 points the last 10 days, adding 3 HR, 9 RBI, and 11 R during that span. He's well worth using in mixed leagues the rest of the year. He won't do much for your AVG, but he has 25/20 skills.
Chad Billingsley - 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Not the best outing for Billingsley, but it's a step towards building his stamina back up as he threw 70 pitches last night. Plus, Toronto is a fairly tough offense to face on the road. I think he'll have fantasy value before too long.
Jeff Kent - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (10). He's been bad dead for a while, so perhaps this will get him going again. Age has caught up to him, unfortunately, so he's only a fringe fantasy 2B these days.
Felix Hernandez - 8 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Baby steps. Finally, something to get a bit excited about. Yes, it's the Pirates, but I read that he was throwing high 90s for most of the game, and he exhiibited much better control of his pitches last night. Boston is up next, so I'd keep him benched again for that one, but that'll be a big test to see if he's starting to make his way back or not. Us Felix owners finally have a little something to feel good about. Pick him up if some impatient owner dumped him...he's too good not to at least stash on your bench.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wednesday: Manny Is Smokin'
Barry Zito - 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. I'm glad I stayed away from him this year. 3 starts in a row of 1 ER or less followed by 15 ER in his last 13 1/3 IP. Gotta stick with him and hope he settles into one of his famous grooves.
Francisco Cordero - 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K, SV. Encountered the rough stretch he was due for, but that's now 3 scoreless innings in his last 3 appearances.
Bill Hall - 1/3, GS (8). As productive as one hit can be. 2 HR and 11 RBI in his last 8 games, so let's hope he stays hot for a while. Keeper league owners should beware that he'll only be OF eligibile next year, and that obviously hurts his value quite a bit after this season.
Bengie Molina - 1/4, GS (7). He's been a pretty productive fantasy catcher so far this year with a .294 AVG, 7 HR, and 38 RBI.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Nice outing from Garland, again. I guess you can't ignore the 3.61 ERA and 1.17 WHIP so far, but with only 43 K in 97 1/3 IP and 4 wins, he hasn't been a strong fantasy asset.
Sergio Mitre - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He's been a very underrated fantasy asset this year with a 2.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 45 K in 69 1/3 IP. Make sure he's owned in your league, but don't be afraid to boot him if he puts up 2-3 bad outings in a row. He might have been dumped after the leg injury and his rough last outing.
Paul Konerko - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). He's still quietly getting better, and can still be owned for a discount thanks to the .246 AVG. Go inquire about him.
Dan Haren - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. His first start giving up 3 ER since April 13th. What an amazing season so far. Some wonder if he'll fall apart, but his peripherals suggest he's not pitching too far over his head. He's posting the 14th best FIP among qualified starters, and he has a 40.9% GB ratio, 2nd worst among those top 14. He does post the best LD% at 14.3, which means guys aren't hitting the ball very hard off of him. Given all that, it looks like he's due for some regression, but he should still be a top 10 starter from this day on out. If you could use him to get Santana, I would, but other than that he's about as good as anyone else.
Alan Embree - 2 IP, 3 K, SV. Outside of one blown save, he's been flawless in the closer's role. Definitely one of the better waiver wire closers this year, and he has a chance to close all season with the problems surrounding Street's elbow and Duch's hip.
Josh Hamilton - 1/2, 2 run HR (10). He's been close to worthless recently, and my advice to sell high on him earlier was hopefully followed. He's definitely slowed down, and he wasn't helped by the dehydration problems he's had recently either. I'd keep him on the bench until you see him get hot again.
Jack Cust - 1/3, 2 run HR (10). He's been pretty hot over his last 6 games, so I'd throw him back in there until he cools off again. Pitchers obviously adjusted to him, and now he's possibly adjusted back. I still don't see him as much more than a bench OF though.
James Shields - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. More HR problems. He gave up 2 3 run HRs, one in the 3rd and one in the 4th. He still pitched very well outside of those HRs, so this isn't something to worry about yet.
Eric Byrnes - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (11). I'm starting to wonder if he's a sell high guy. His highest AVG in any season in which he's played at least 100 games is .283, so it seems like he's playing over his head with the current .318 AVG. However, he's a .255 lifetime hitter against righties, but he's hitting .342 against them this year. His .348 BA/BIP is a bit high, but I just don't see any signs of him crashing back down.
C.C. Sabathia - 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Not at his best, but good enough to join John Lackey and Josh Beckett as MLB's 10 game winners. Now that we're about half way through the season, it seems as though this is the breakthrough year the people have been predicting for 2-3 years from Sabathia.
Jeremy Bonderman - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's had a rough stretch recently, giving up 13 ER in his last 17 IP, but thanks to the explosive Tigers offense, he has 3 wins to show for it. I expect him to improve those ratios real soon, and he still has a very solid 1.18 WHIP.
Roy Halladay - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's still a top 5 fantasy starter when healthy, and he's settled down into a nice groove of 3 straight wins after being shelled by Tampa Bay.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (10). Huge bust for those who drafted him this year. He hit .298 after the AS Break last year, but that hasn't carried over to his new team as he's currently hitting .231. I expect some modest improvement, but I wouldn't count on another 2nd half swing like last year. Only 3 more HRs til 500, though.
Oliver Perez - 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K. He needs to settle down quickly. After showing vastly improved command all year long, he's now allowed 16 BB in 24 2/3 IP across his last 4 starts. I'd be a bit worried if I were an owner, so look into potential deals, but don't give him up just to get rid of him. There's a pretty good chance he'll return to early season form since he was so good for the first 2 months.
Scott Baker - 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Not a fantasy worthy pitcher at this point, but this will quiet the Matt Garza talk down for another start or two. I'd still give him an outside chance that he learns the major league level at some point. He's probably better off in the NL.
Carlos Beltran - 3/4, 1 RBI. He's been dead weight since returning from his bruised knee, so let's hope this gets him going.
Manny Ramirez - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). 5 XBH and 6 RBI in his last 5 games. One of those patented Manny hot streaks is upon us. Us owners really need him to start killing the ball to make up for his horrible start.
Gil Meche - 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Just didn't have it last night.
Alex Gordon - 4/6, 1 R, SB (7). I think he's arrived. I picked him up in the league that I start Encarnacion at 3B, and you should too now. He's been hot for a while, but thanks to the horrible lineup around him, his fantasy impact will be dulled a bit.
Octavio Dotel - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, BS. Pujols happened. No worries, especially after 6 straight scoreless appearances. I still say sell high due to the probability he'll be traded.
Jason Marquis - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. I'm done posting about him as he shouldn't be on anyone's roster at this point. Reality has set in...he's not a good fantasy pitcher, or real pitcher for that matter. Thankfully the Cubs locked him up for a few years. Wonderful.
Sammy Sosa - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). #600 for Slammin' Sammy. I don't really care for him and the selfish way he carried himself with the Cubs, but congrats to one of the most feared power hitters of the 90s. He's a cheap source of power in fantasy leagues if you can afford the AVG hit.
Jeff Francis - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. His amazing season continues...that's 8 outings of 2 ER or less in his past 9. I'm disappointed I didn't keep him around as my 5th starter in a league I picked him up in. I have Sean Marshall instead, so that's not all bad.
Andy Pettitte - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Oh well, a bad start in Colorado is nothing to hang your head about. He wore down and gave up 4 of those runs in the 7 th inning. Nothing to worry about here.
Matt Holliday - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). Stud. He's still off last year's pace of 34 HRs by a few, but he's hit 3 HRs in 6 games and is hitting .366 on the season now.
Jeff Weaver - 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. The Pittsburgh Pirates franchise has just hit rock bottom.
Ichiro Suzuki - 1/4, 1 R, 2 SB (22). First time in 5 games that he hasn't gathered multiple hits, so obviously upon knowing this would happen in the 3rd inning, Ichiro decided to placate his fantasy owners by stealing both 2nd and 3rd base. What a guy.
Richie Sexson - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). That's 3 straight games of 2 hits to raise his AVG up to .209. It's been a very ugly season for him so far, but as a career .266 hitter, you have to think things will get better for him.
Jeremy Guthrie - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. I guess he's good. Make sure he's not unowned, but beware of repeat opponents like I said earlier. He was drafted in the 1st round out of Stanford several years ago, but never met expectations in the minor leagues until last year. Cleveland promoted him to the majors, but he got smacked around (6.98 ERA, 2.02 WHIP). He was looked upon as a reliever instead of a starter thanks to his minor league problems. He's definitely come back from the dead, but I remain doubtful that this is sustainable.
Justin Germano - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Still pitching great, although he ran into the only better unknown pitching force than him...Jeremy Guthrie. He's still giving you a nice sell-high window if you can find someone that gives a crap about him.
Ervin Santana - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He puts up 2 solid road starts, then performs sub-par at home. He's still a great fantasy option when pitching at home.
Hunter Pence - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). Still on fire, and providing you redrafters with more reason to sell him high.
Vladimir Guerrero - 1/4, 3 run HR (13). He's a bit short of his usually 30-35 HR pace, so expect him to get going again here pretty soon.
Francisco Cordero - 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K, SV. Encountered the rough stretch he was due for, but that's now 3 scoreless innings in his last 3 appearances.
Bill Hall - 1/3, GS (8). As productive as one hit can be. 2 HR and 11 RBI in his last 8 games, so let's hope he stays hot for a while. Keeper league owners should beware that he'll only be OF eligibile next year, and that obviously hurts his value quite a bit after this season.
Bengie Molina - 1/4, GS (7). He's been a pretty productive fantasy catcher so far this year with a .294 AVG, 7 HR, and 38 RBI.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Nice outing from Garland, again. I guess you can't ignore the 3.61 ERA and 1.17 WHIP so far, but with only 43 K in 97 1/3 IP and 4 wins, he hasn't been a strong fantasy asset.
Sergio Mitre - 6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He's been a very underrated fantasy asset this year with a 2.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 45 K in 69 1/3 IP. Make sure he's owned in your league, but don't be afraid to boot him if he puts up 2-3 bad outings in a row. He might have been dumped after the leg injury and his rough last outing.
Paul Konerko - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). He's still quietly getting better, and can still be owned for a discount thanks to the .246 AVG. Go inquire about him.
Dan Haren - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. His first start giving up 3 ER since April 13th. What an amazing season so far. Some wonder if he'll fall apart, but his peripherals suggest he's not pitching too far over his head. He's posting the 14th best FIP among qualified starters, and he has a 40.9% GB ratio, 2nd worst among those top 14. He does post the best LD% at 14.3, which means guys aren't hitting the ball very hard off of him. Given all that, it looks like he's due for some regression, but he should still be a top 10 starter from this day on out. If you could use him to get Santana, I would, but other than that he's about as good as anyone else.
Alan Embree - 2 IP, 3 K, SV. Outside of one blown save, he's been flawless in the closer's role. Definitely one of the better waiver wire closers this year, and he has a chance to close all season with the problems surrounding Street's elbow and Duch's hip.
Josh Hamilton - 1/2, 2 run HR (10). He's been close to worthless recently, and my advice to sell high on him earlier was hopefully followed. He's definitely slowed down, and he wasn't helped by the dehydration problems he's had recently either. I'd keep him on the bench until you see him get hot again.
Jack Cust - 1/3, 2 run HR (10). He's been pretty hot over his last 6 games, so I'd throw him back in there until he cools off again. Pitchers obviously adjusted to him, and now he's possibly adjusted back. I still don't see him as much more than a bench OF though.
James Shields - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. More HR problems. He gave up 2 3 run HRs, one in the 3rd and one in the 4th. He still pitched very well outside of those HRs, so this isn't something to worry about yet.
Eric Byrnes - 4/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (11). I'm starting to wonder if he's a sell high guy. His highest AVG in any season in which he's played at least 100 games is .283, so it seems like he's playing over his head with the current .318 AVG. However, he's a .255 lifetime hitter against righties, but he's hitting .342 against them this year. His .348 BA/BIP is a bit high, but I just don't see any signs of him crashing back down.
C.C. Sabathia - 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Not at his best, but good enough to join John Lackey and Josh Beckett as MLB's 10 game winners. Now that we're about half way through the season, it seems as though this is the breakthrough year the people have been predicting for 2-3 years from Sabathia.
Jeremy Bonderman - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's had a rough stretch recently, giving up 13 ER in his last 17 IP, but thanks to the explosive Tigers offense, he has 3 wins to show for it. I expect him to improve those ratios real soon, and he still has a very solid 1.18 WHIP.
Roy Halladay - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's still a top 5 fantasy starter when healthy, and he's settled down into a nice groove of 3 straight wins after being shelled by Tampa Bay.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (10). Huge bust for those who drafted him this year. He hit .298 after the AS Break last year, but that hasn't carried over to his new team as he's currently hitting .231. I expect some modest improvement, but I wouldn't count on another 2nd half swing like last year. Only 3 more HRs til 500, though.
Oliver Perez - 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 K. He needs to settle down quickly. After showing vastly improved command all year long, he's now allowed 16 BB in 24 2/3 IP across his last 4 starts. I'd be a bit worried if I were an owner, so look into potential deals, but don't give him up just to get rid of him. There's a pretty good chance he'll return to early season form since he was so good for the first 2 months.
Scott Baker - 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Not a fantasy worthy pitcher at this point, but this will quiet the Matt Garza talk down for another start or two. I'd still give him an outside chance that he learns the major league level at some point. He's probably better off in the NL.
Carlos Beltran - 3/4, 1 RBI. He's been dead weight since returning from his bruised knee, so let's hope this gets him going.
Manny Ramirez - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11). 5 XBH and 6 RBI in his last 5 games. One of those patented Manny hot streaks is upon us. Us owners really need him to start killing the ball to make up for his horrible start.
Gil Meche - 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Just didn't have it last night.
Alex Gordon - 4/6, 1 R, SB (7). I think he's arrived. I picked him up in the league that I start Encarnacion at 3B, and you should too now. He's been hot for a while, but thanks to the horrible lineup around him, his fantasy impact will be dulled a bit.
Octavio Dotel - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, BS. Pujols happened. No worries, especially after 6 straight scoreless appearances. I still say sell high due to the probability he'll be traded.
Jason Marquis - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. I'm done posting about him as he shouldn't be on anyone's roster at this point. Reality has set in...he's not a good fantasy pitcher, or real pitcher for that matter. Thankfully the Cubs locked him up for a few years. Wonderful.
Sammy Sosa - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). #600 for Slammin' Sammy. I don't really care for him and the selfish way he carried himself with the Cubs, but congrats to one of the most feared power hitters of the 90s. He's a cheap source of power in fantasy leagues if you can afford the AVG hit.
Jeff Francis - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. His amazing season continues...that's 8 outings of 2 ER or less in his past 9. I'm disappointed I didn't keep him around as my 5th starter in a league I picked him up in. I have Sean Marshall instead, so that's not all bad.
Andy Pettitte - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Oh well, a bad start in Colorado is nothing to hang your head about. He wore down and gave up 4 of those runs in the 7 th inning. Nothing to worry about here.
Matt Holliday - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). Stud. He's still off last year's pace of 34 HRs by a few, but he's hit 3 HRs in 6 games and is hitting .366 on the season now.
Jeff Weaver - 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. The Pittsburgh Pirates franchise has just hit rock bottom.
Ichiro Suzuki - 1/4, 1 R, 2 SB (22). First time in 5 games that he hasn't gathered multiple hits, so obviously upon knowing this would happen in the 3rd inning, Ichiro decided to placate his fantasy owners by stealing both 2nd and 3rd base. What a guy.
Richie Sexson - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). That's 3 straight games of 2 hits to raise his AVG up to .209. It's been a very ugly season for him so far, but as a career .266 hitter, you have to think things will get better for him.
Jeremy Guthrie - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. I guess he's good. Make sure he's not unowned, but beware of repeat opponents like I said earlier. He was drafted in the 1st round out of Stanford several years ago, but never met expectations in the minor leagues until last year. Cleveland promoted him to the majors, but he got smacked around (6.98 ERA, 2.02 WHIP). He was looked upon as a reliever instead of a starter thanks to his minor league problems. He's definitely come back from the dead, but I remain doubtful that this is sustainable.
Justin Germano - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Still pitching great, although he ran into the only better unknown pitching force than him...Jeremy Guthrie. He's still giving you a nice sell-high window if you can find someone that gives a crap about him.
Ervin Santana - 6 2/3 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He puts up 2 solid road starts, then performs sub-par at home. He's still a great fantasy option when pitching at home.
Hunter Pence - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). Still on fire, and providing you redrafters with more reason to sell him high.
Vladimir Guerrero - 1/4, 3 run HR (13). He's a bit short of his usually 30-35 HR pace, so expect him to get going again here pretty soon.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Curt Schilling To The DL
The Boston Red Sox will place Curt Schilling on the DL with right shoulder discomfort.
This is the correct move here for a 40 year old pitcher. I'm glad to see that they'll give him at least 2 weeks of rest. He received a cortizone injection, so hopefully that will help out as well. His timetable will be determined by his bullpen sessions, but since the MRI didn't show any structural damage, he should be ready to come back shortly after he's eligible, if not right on the day (July 4th).
Fantasy Impact: Us owners have to be happy that we can put him on the DL immediately and go pick up someone to replace him, along with the fact they're being proactive and making sure he's 100% before taking the mound again. I just looked over the FA wire in the league I have Schilling in, and there's a big pile of turds out there. I honestly don't have a recommendation for a pitching replacement.
This is the correct move here for a 40 year old pitcher. I'm glad to see that they'll give him at least 2 weeks of rest. He received a cortizone injection, so hopefully that will help out as well. His timetable will be determined by his bullpen sessions, but since the MRI didn't show any structural damage, he should be ready to come back shortly after he's eligible, if not right on the day (July 4th).
Fantasy Impact: Us owners have to be happy that we can put him on the DL immediately and go pick up someone to replace him, along with the fact they're being proactive and making sure he's 100% before taking the mound again. I just looked over the FA wire in the league I have Schilling in, and there's a big pile of turds out there. I honestly don't have a recommendation for a pitching replacement.
Brad Lidge To The DL
The Houston Astros have placed closer Brad Lidge on the DL with a strained left oblique.
These injuries are tough to predict and have a large variance in recovery times, so it's impossible to say right now how long he'll be out.
Fantasy Impact: Ugh, what horrible timing for us Lidge owners. Wheeler will go back to closing, and it makes the situation a mess if he is lights out. Odds are he won't be given his track record this season, and Lidge will be a candidate for saves once he returns. Make sure to put him on your DL and hold onto him if at all possible.
These injuries are tough to predict and have a large variance in recovery times, so it's impossible to say right now how long he'll be out.
Fantasy Impact: Ugh, what horrible timing for us Lidge owners. Wheeler will go back to closing, and it makes the situation a mess if he is lights out. Odds are he won't be given his track record this season, and Lidge will be a candidate for saves once he returns. Make sure to put him on your DL and hold onto him if at all possible.
Tuesday: Griffey Hits One Deep To Right...
Ryan Howard - 3/4, 3 R, 4 RBI. He's due to get hot sometime soon, and it might have already started. He wasn't much of a buy low candidate because his power numbers were still there, but you could get a discount on him if you act quickly.
Jason Simontacci - 3 IP, 10 H, 10 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ever need a good laugh? Take a look at the Nationals starting rotation. *snicker* Jim Bowden sucks.
Magglio Ordonez - 3/3, 3 R, 2 RBI. Like I said before, sell high. He has a ridiculous .391 BA/BIP, and the reason that's so high is due to luck. He'll start to normalize soon, but like I said before, only trade him if you can get an elite OF in return. It's not that his numbers will fall off the map, but it's a suggestion based on getting max value from a player.
Gary Sheffield - 2/3, 3 R. Remember when he was hitting about .200? I don't.
Brad Penny - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He just keeps making me look stupid by pimping selling him high, doesn't he? He has a strong GB% of 52.8 and his FIP is second best in the NL at 2.95, so while his peripherals don't indicate that he's due for a blowup, I still don't trust him after the All Star break. (2006: Pre AS Break - 2.91/1.21, Post AS Break - 6.25, 1.60). Now, one thing to note was that he was grunting and chucking 98 MPH fastballs in the All Star game, and he might have screwed up his arm doing that.
Russell Martin - 2/4, 8th HR. Was in a small slump prior to this game, but no catcher has been better filling up the stat sheet. Martinez has more power, but 11 SB from a catcher is awesome.
Juan Pierre - 2/4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB. He's up to .281 with 23 SB and 39 R, so he's doing exactly what's expected of him in the fantasy world.
Johan Santana - 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Sure, only 1 K sucks, but he was amazingly efficient against a very aggresive, struggling Mets lineup. Owners will take it!
Jorge Sosa - 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Hmm, 2 bad starts in a row. Might want to sit him next time out, depending on the matchup, and make sure he isn't going south for good. He's not the type of pitcher you want active while you're waiting to ride out a cold streak.
Joe Mauer - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI. 4 for his last 11 with 5 R. He's really struggled at the plate since coming back from the DL, but that was to be expected given he didn't have much of a minor league rehab assignment. Let's hope he starting to get hot. I'm really irritated that the Twins moved him out of RBI chances into the #2 hole, but it makes sense for their team given the lack of alternatives. Plus Cuddyer has really responded to the #3 spot, hitting .325 with 6 HR and 25 RBI.
Josh Beckett - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He left after only 88 pitches, but that was due to a 45 minute rain delay. No injury concerns here in case you looked at the box score wondering what happened.
Tim Hudson - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Hopefully you sold high before his cold streak, like I suggested a few weeks back. His ratios (3.43 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) are now fairly normalized, so he should be good to go from here on out.
David Ortiz - 1/3, 12th HR. His HR pace has slammed on the breaks recently. He should get going and start hitting for more power as he recovers from his hamstring problems.
Ben Sheets - 9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's been awesome since April, and should continue rolling right along. I was definitely on the fence about him in the early going after his struggles given his injury history, but he's definitely proving that he's healthy.
Tim Lincecum - 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. Do NOT give up on him. He's going through a rough rookie patch with his control. He will turn it around, I promise you. Just keep him benched for a bit.
Corey Hart - 2/4, 2 R, 13th SB. He's proving to be just as valuable as Hunter Pence in terms of fantasy value for rookie hitters. Awesome keeper potential here.
Chris Duncan - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 13th HR. He looks healthy again and ready to go back to being the underrated fantasy OF that he is right now. He doesn't get the hype that guys like Pence and Braun get, but he's turning into a very nice young player for the Cardinals.
Dontrelle Willis - 1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. He's hurting, complaining of left forearm tightness after the game. He might miss a start, but it appears minor and he'll avoid the DL for now. We'll know more after his upcoming bullpen sessions.
Kevin Gregg - Boy do I look stupid for dropping Kevin Gregg. I sometimes don't take my own advice that I write here, and that usually doesn't work out well since it's an impulse move when I don't. Gregg is definitely the closer for the rest of the year unless he pitches himself out of it.
Josh Fields - 1/4 with a 3 run HR. His AVG will fluctuate as it does with most rookies, especially given his 17:2 K:BB ratio, but continue keeping an eye on him if you have 3B problems.
Hanley Ramirez - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 9th HR. The Boston/Florida trade looks a lot better for Boston this year with Beckett turning into their ace, but this could go down as a rare trade that works out for both teams. Hanley's numbers are great, but could you imagine him leading off for the Red Sox in front of Youkilis/Ortiz/Ramirez?
Sean Marshall - 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His first hiccup of the year. I watched his start, and he just didn't have it last night. His command was terrible from the first inning, and he left too many pitches over the plate, leading to 3 HRs. No worries, yet.
Ian Kinsler - 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR. He's been close to worthless recently, but his .237 AVG is out of line. He hit .286 last year in his rookie season, so he's not a .240 hitter. His .231 BA/BIP is incredibly low and he should start hitting for a higher AVG soon. One thought I had was due to his huge April with all the HRs, he might have altered his swing to swing for the fences a lot, severely affecting his AVG. Dunno if that's the case, but that might be something he's working to fix.
Alfonso Soriano - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB. That's his first SB since May 25th. Even with the massive power streak, he's been a huge bust for those expecting close to 40/40 again. He's on pace for 25/20 right now. I figure he'll get a bit better from here on out, though.
Mike Mussina - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Not bad for an outing in Colorado. I'm curious to see what happens with him when he gets back to facing AL lineups.
Brian Fuentes - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV. He's quietly been an elite closer, posting a 1.95 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Given Colorado is going nowhere and Fuentes will be 32 years old this year, he's a closer that could be moved to a setup role with a new team. The Yankees have been rumored for a while, so you might want to play up his great numbers and get a closer with more job security in return. Making proactive moves like the one I suggested is a good way to quitely make your team strong for the stretch run.
Al Reyes - 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BS. Well, all closers have that ugly outing, but using a 37 year old reliever with a history of arm problems for more than an inning at a time is a bad idea. However, he is Tampa's bullpen, pretty much, so they don't have a choice sometimes if they want to win ballgames.
Eric Byrnes - 3/6, 1 R, 1 RBI, 14th SB. What a steal he's been this year, huh?
Chris Young (OF) - 3/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, 10th HR. He's doing exactly as expected of him. He has a low AVG (.252), but he has 10 HR and 7 SB. Quietly turning in a nice 3rd OF fantasy season, and he should improve as well. Awesome keeper value here, too, and possibly a high ceiling than Pence and Braun.
Homer Bailey - 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. More command problems, but it didn't cost him here. If he's going to walk people like this, expect a lot of inconsistency across his starts, especially when he's pitching at home in that HR launching pad.
Chad Gaudin - 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. 2 rough outings in a row. Much like Jorge Sosa, he's not the kind of guy you ride a cold streak out with in your active lineup. Consider benching him depending on his next matchup.
Santiago Casilla - 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 4 K. He's had control problems in the minors which have held him back, but he's pitching brilliantly and has turned into the A's setup man. I'd think he's #2 for saves behind Alan Embree. I don't see any switch being made since Embree has pitched well in the closer's role, but with the uncertain futures in 2007 for Street and Duchscherer, he's a name to become familiar with.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 2/4, 19th HR. I'm loving every second of this. Who doesn't like this guy?
Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Cruising until the 6th, where he got into trouble and gave up all 3 runs, 3 hits, and 2 walks. That seems to be his only problem this year...random innings where things go bad and he gives up a couple runs. Another quality start though as he continues to pitch as well as anyone in baseball.
Nick Markakis - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB. He's heating up a bit with 4 multi-hit games in his last 6, with 3 SBs to boot. Maybe the new manager will find a way to get him going. He was a very popular sleeper in the OF, but has done little to justify that so far this year.
Tom Gorzelanny - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. A nice bounceback outing after 2 outings in which he struggled. I still think he's a great sell-high candidate given sparkling 3.01 ERA, but he's a good pitcher when healthy.
Ichiro Suzuki - 2/4, 1 RBI, 20th SB. Chone Figgins is the hottest hitter in baseball, but don't tell Ichiro that. He might be 1A right now.
Justin Jennings - 5 2/3 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Something's not right. I wouldn't waste a roster spot on him right now.
Bartolo Colon - 6 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Read above.
Carlos Lee - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, 12th HR. He hadn't homered since June 2nd, so he was due. Expect him to get hot again sometime soon in the power department.
Hunter Pence - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 6th HR. Re-draft leaguers, it's time to sell high. He's hitting .344, and I just don't think that's sustainable for much longer. He has a .407 BA/BIP, and that's insanely high. Keeper league owners shouldn't trade him unless you get a great player in return that will help you down the stretch. He's a legit stud hitter in the making.
Jason Simontacci - 3 IP, 10 H, 10 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ever need a good laugh? Take a look at the Nationals starting rotation. *snicker* Jim Bowden sucks.
Magglio Ordonez - 3/3, 3 R, 2 RBI. Like I said before, sell high. He has a ridiculous .391 BA/BIP, and the reason that's so high is due to luck. He'll start to normalize soon, but like I said before, only trade him if you can get an elite OF in return. It's not that his numbers will fall off the map, but it's a suggestion based on getting max value from a player.
Gary Sheffield - 2/3, 3 R. Remember when he was hitting about .200? I don't.
Brad Penny - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He just keeps making me look stupid by pimping selling him high, doesn't he? He has a strong GB% of 52.8 and his FIP is second best in the NL at 2.95, so while his peripherals don't indicate that he's due for a blowup, I still don't trust him after the All Star break. (2006: Pre AS Break - 2.91/1.21, Post AS Break - 6.25, 1.60). Now, one thing to note was that he was grunting and chucking 98 MPH fastballs in the All Star game, and he might have screwed up his arm doing that.
Russell Martin - 2/4, 8th HR. Was in a small slump prior to this game, but no catcher has been better filling up the stat sheet. Martinez has more power, but 11 SB from a catcher is awesome.
Juan Pierre - 2/4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB. He's up to .281 with 23 SB and 39 R, so he's doing exactly what's expected of him in the fantasy world.
Johan Santana - 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Sure, only 1 K sucks, but he was amazingly efficient against a very aggresive, struggling Mets lineup. Owners will take it!
Jorge Sosa - 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Hmm, 2 bad starts in a row. Might want to sit him next time out, depending on the matchup, and make sure he isn't going south for good. He's not the type of pitcher you want active while you're waiting to ride out a cold streak.
Joe Mauer - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI. 4 for his last 11 with 5 R. He's really struggled at the plate since coming back from the DL, but that was to be expected given he didn't have much of a minor league rehab assignment. Let's hope he starting to get hot. I'm really irritated that the Twins moved him out of RBI chances into the #2 hole, but it makes sense for their team given the lack of alternatives. Plus Cuddyer has really responded to the #3 spot, hitting .325 with 6 HR and 25 RBI.
Josh Beckett - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He left after only 88 pitches, but that was due to a 45 minute rain delay. No injury concerns here in case you looked at the box score wondering what happened.
Tim Hudson - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Hopefully you sold high before his cold streak, like I suggested a few weeks back. His ratios (3.43 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) are now fairly normalized, so he should be good to go from here on out.
David Ortiz - 1/3, 12th HR. His HR pace has slammed on the breaks recently. He should get going and start hitting for more power as he recovers from his hamstring problems.
Ben Sheets - 9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's been awesome since April, and should continue rolling right along. I was definitely on the fence about him in the early going after his struggles given his injury history, but he's definitely proving that he's healthy.
Tim Lincecum - 4 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. Do NOT give up on him. He's going through a rough rookie patch with his control. He will turn it around, I promise you. Just keep him benched for a bit.
Corey Hart - 2/4, 2 R, 13th SB. He's proving to be just as valuable as Hunter Pence in terms of fantasy value for rookie hitters. Awesome keeper potential here.
Chris Duncan - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 13th HR. He looks healthy again and ready to go back to being the underrated fantasy OF that he is right now. He doesn't get the hype that guys like Pence and Braun get, but he's turning into a very nice young player for the Cardinals.
Dontrelle Willis - 1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. He's hurting, complaining of left forearm tightness after the game. He might miss a start, but it appears minor and he'll avoid the DL for now. We'll know more after his upcoming bullpen sessions.
Kevin Gregg - Boy do I look stupid for dropping Kevin Gregg. I sometimes don't take my own advice that I write here, and that usually doesn't work out well since it's an impulse move when I don't. Gregg is definitely the closer for the rest of the year unless he pitches himself out of it.
Josh Fields - 1/4 with a 3 run HR. His AVG will fluctuate as it does with most rookies, especially given his 17:2 K:BB ratio, but continue keeping an eye on him if you have 3B problems.
Hanley Ramirez - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 9th HR. The Boston/Florida trade looks a lot better for Boston this year with Beckett turning into their ace, but this could go down as a rare trade that works out for both teams. Hanley's numbers are great, but could you imagine him leading off for the Red Sox in front of Youkilis/Ortiz/Ramirez?
Sean Marshall - 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His first hiccup of the year. I watched his start, and he just didn't have it last night. His command was terrible from the first inning, and he left too many pitches over the plate, leading to 3 HRs. No worries, yet.
Ian Kinsler - 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR. He's been close to worthless recently, but his .237 AVG is out of line. He hit .286 last year in his rookie season, so he's not a .240 hitter. His .231 BA/BIP is incredibly low and he should start hitting for a higher AVG soon. One thought I had was due to his huge April with all the HRs, he might have altered his swing to swing for the fences a lot, severely affecting his AVG. Dunno if that's the case, but that might be something he's working to fix.
Alfonso Soriano - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB. That's his first SB since May 25th. Even with the massive power streak, he's been a huge bust for those expecting close to 40/40 again. He's on pace for 25/20 right now. I figure he'll get a bit better from here on out, though.
Mike Mussina - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Not bad for an outing in Colorado. I'm curious to see what happens with him when he gets back to facing AL lineups.
Brian Fuentes - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV. He's quietly been an elite closer, posting a 1.95 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Given Colorado is going nowhere and Fuentes will be 32 years old this year, he's a closer that could be moved to a setup role with a new team. The Yankees have been rumored for a while, so you might want to play up his great numbers and get a closer with more job security in return. Making proactive moves like the one I suggested is a good way to quitely make your team strong for the stretch run.
Al Reyes - 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, BS. Well, all closers have that ugly outing, but using a 37 year old reliever with a history of arm problems for more than an inning at a time is a bad idea. However, he is Tampa's bullpen, pretty much, so they don't have a choice sometimes if they want to win ballgames.
Eric Byrnes - 3/6, 1 R, 1 RBI, 14th SB. What a steal he's been this year, huh?
Chris Young (OF) - 3/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, 10th HR. He's doing exactly as expected of him. He has a low AVG (.252), but he has 10 HR and 7 SB. Quietly turning in a nice 3rd OF fantasy season, and he should improve as well. Awesome keeper value here, too, and possibly a high ceiling than Pence and Braun.
Homer Bailey - 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. More command problems, but it didn't cost him here. If he's going to walk people like this, expect a lot of inconsistency across his starts, especially when he's pitching at home in that HR launching pad.
Chad Gaudin - 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. 2 rough outings in a row. Much like Jorge Sosa, he's not the kind of guy you ride a cold streak out with in your active lineup. Consider benching him depending on his next matchup.
Santiago Casilla - 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 4 K. He's had control problems in the minors which have held him back, but he's pitching brilliantly and has turned into the A's setup man. I'd think he's #2 for saves behind Alan Embree. I don't see any switch being made since Embree has pitched well in the closer's role, but with the uncertain futures in 2007 for Street and Duchscherer, he's a name to become familiar with.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 2/4, 19th HR. I'm loving every second of this. Who doesn't like this guy?
Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Cruising until the 6th, where he got into trouble and gave up all 3 runs, 3 hits, and 2 walks. That seems to be his only problem this year...random innings where things go bad and he gives up a couple runs. Another quality start though as he continues to pitch as well as anyone in baseball.
Nick Markakis - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB. He's heating up a bit with 4 multi-hit games in his last 6, with 3 SBs to boot. Maybe the new manager will find a way to get him going. He was a very popular sleeper in the OF, but has done little to justify that so far this year.
Tom Gorzelanny - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. A nice bounceback outing after 2 outings in which he struggled. I still think he's a great sell-high candidate given sparkling 3.01 ERA, but he's a good pitcher when healthy.
Ichiro Suzuki - 2/4, 1 RBI, 20th SB. Chone Figgins is the hottest hitter in baseball, but don't tell Ichiro that. He might be 1A right now.
Justin Jennings - 5 2/3 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Something's not right. I wouldn't waste a roster spot on him right now.
Bartolo Colon - 6 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Read above.
Carlos Lee - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, 12th HR. He hadn't homered since June 2nd, so he was due. Expect him to get hot again sometime soon in the power department.
Hunter Pence - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 6th HR. Re-draft leaguers, it's time to sell high. He's hitting .344, and I just don't think that's sustainable for much longer. He has a .407 BA/BIP, and that's insanely high. Keeper league owners shouldn't trade him unless you get a great player in return that will help you down the stretch. He's a legit stud hitter in the making.
Belated Monday Recap
Cole Hamels - 5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Just didn't have it against one of the AL's top offenses in Cleveland. Nothing to worry about as he had 4 straight quality outings prior to this one.
Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 2 R, 2 SB. He's scored 60 runs, so last year's amazing total of 134 seems within reach yet again. He now has 22 SBs on the season, which is already tied for his career high. Owners have to be loving the speed boom this year.
Todd Jones - 1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Another bad outing for Jones, although he had gone 5 appearances in a row without being scored upon prior to this. With a 5.86 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP, he's doing an awful job, but due to a lack of better options, his job appears safe. Zumaya is hurt, and Rodney isn't pitching well. His fantasy owners have to be cringing at the ratios he's giving them. He did this last year too, but then rebounded and closed out the year strong. You have to hope that he'll do the same this year since he doesn't really have any fantasy trade value.
Carlos Guillen - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, and his 10th HR. Great production from a SS drafted so late, and he's finally proving he can stay healthy. I still think he's likely due for a DL stint at some point this year given his history, but maybe he'll prove me wrong.
Curt Schilling - 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. More like Curt Shelling. A complete disaster, and his fastball topped out at 89 MPH. I was going to blog that it appeared he was pitching hurt yesterday if I had time, and ironically the day after this start, Boston sent Schilling home to have an MRI done on his shoulder. This morning it was reported that no structural damage was found, so that's great news for the long term prognosis. It would be smart for Boston to DL him and let him rest for 2 weeks as they'll need him down the stretch, even if they can't find anything in the MRI. We'll see what happens.
Chuck James - 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. Not bad against the Boston offense. Since the beginning of May, he's gone at least 5 IP in all but 2 starts, and he's given up less than 3 ER in all but one start. You could do worse for your last starter, especially once interleague play is done for the year. He has control problems and won't be of much help to your WHIP, but he'll likely win a decent number of games, keep his ERA around 4.00, and he has 60 K in 81 IP.
J.D. Drew - 1/5 with his 5th HR. What a waste of talent he's been, and he's surely not giving the Red Sox what they paid for. Fantasy owners don't need to be as patient with him as Boston does. If you're still starting him, at least bench him until he gets hot. He's better than this, but you do have to wonder if all those injuries have caught up to him and he's just not that good anymore.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, and his 5th HR. Easily the biggest bust among catchers. McCann is one reason why I don't pay for one year's worth of numbers as he was likely the 2nd catcher drafted in your league this year. He's nowhere near his numbers last year, although he's only 23 years old and should get better this year. His owners should stick it out with him just due to the fact he'll be better over the rest of the year than anyone you could find on waivers, even if he doesn't start hitting like last year again.
John Maine - 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He's only walked 4 hitters in his last 4 appearances, so it looks like he's worked through the control problems he displayed earlier this year. Thanks to that, I no longer think he's due for a ERA tumble. He's not a sub 3 ERA guy, but I don't see him pitching above 3.50 either.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A very successful and promising debut for the youngster. The Brewers probably shouldn't have let him come back out for the 7th inning at 90+ pitches, but they did and he gave up a solo HR and a walk, which later scored on a HR. He pitched a bit better than his line indicated. He had some control problems and jitters early, but he settled down nicely. With a start against the Royals up next, he has to be activated now.
Prince Fielder - 1/4 with a 2 run HR. Meet the Ryan Howard of 2007. A new power hitter has emerged.
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Not what was expected of him coming off a near no-hit performance, especially against the Royals. You can safely leave him on your waivers still, but don't forget about him.
John Buck - 1/3 with his 13th HR. He now has 13 HRs in 154 AB this season, compared to 23 HRs in 772 AB over the past two years. Dunno where the power is coming from, but his fantasy owners will take it.
Jose Contreras - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. After a solid May, he's crashed in June, posting a 5.70 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. I don't know if age has caught up to him, but on the other hand he has not been the same pitcher after an early season injury last year. It can be argued that he just hasn't recovered from it because his performance is night and day before and after that injury. I'm not going to post about him again unless he goes on a true hot streak.
Josh Johnson - 3 2/3 IP, 9 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. He's returned after an elbow injury has kept him on the DL since the start of the year. Last year's most underrated rookie pitcher is finally back, so keep an eye on his progress. After not pitching for so long he'll probably start off slow, so pick him up if you see some signs of progress. He's not going to post another 3.10 ERA like last year, but he could be of some help once he settles back in.
Jermaine Dye - Dye hurt himself making a great diving grab and had to come out of the game. He returned last night and said he'll be playing through the injury. As if his owners needed another reason to worry about him. I'd keep him benched for a while, if you haven't done that already. He's a perfect example of why not to overpay for older players coming off career years.
Brendan Harris - 3/4, 2 R, solo HR. He was a double short of the cycle and had another great game. I love the fact I gave up on Crosby and gave Harris a shot. He shouldn't be left unowned in any league.
Jonny Gomes - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR. Pick him up and ride out the hot streak. It might be a bit late, but he's killing the ball right now. He will cool off, so just use him until he strings together a couple O fers.
Joe Blanton - 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Boy he's making me look stupid for throwing him in with Soriano to get Beltran. After a 2 start hiccup, he's been great over his past 4 starts. Like I said before, thanks to his vastly improve K rate, he should remain very good all year long.
John Lackey - 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. His worst start of the year. He complained of some shoulder tightness after the game, so keep an eye on this.
Chone Figgins - 6/6, 1 R, 3 RBI, 15th SB. I honestly don't think there's a hotter hitter in baseball right now. He's been amazing since busting out of his early season slump, and is back to being a great fantasy 2B/3B.
Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 2 R, 2 SB. He's scored 60 runs, so last year's amazing total of 134 seems within reach yet again. He now has 22 SBs on the season, which is already tied for his career high. Owners have to be loving the speed boom this year.
Todd Jones - 1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Another bad outing for Jones, although he had gone 5 appearances in a row without being scored upon prior to this. With a 5.86 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP, he's doing an awful job, but due to a lack of better options, his job appears safe. Zumaya is hurt, and Rodney isn't pitching well. His fantasy owners have to be cringing at the ratios he's giving them. He did this last year too, but then rebounded and closed out the year strong. You have to hope that he'll do the same this year since he doesn't really have any fantasy trade value.
Carlos Guillen - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, and his 10th HR. Great production from a SS drafted so late, and he's finally proving he can stay healthy. I still think he's likely due for a DL stint at some point this year given his history, but maybe he'll prove me wrong.
Curt Schilling - 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. More like Curt Shelling. A complete disaster, and his fastball topped out at 89 MPH. I was going to blog that it appeared he was pitching hurt yesterday if I had time, and ironically the day after this start, Boston sent Schilling home to have an MRI done on his shoulder. This morning it was reported that no structural damage was found, so that's great news for the long term prognosis. It would be smart for Boston to DL him and let him rest for 2 weeks as they'll need him down the stretch, even if they can't find anything in the MRI. We'll see what happens.
Chuck James - 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. Not bad against the Boston offense. Since the beginning of May, he's gone at least 5 IP in all but 2 starts, and he's given up less than 3 ER in all but one start. You could do worse for your last starter, especially once interleague play is done for the year. He has control problems and won't be of much help to your WHIP, but he'll likely win a decent number of games, keep his ERA around 4.00, and he has 60 K in 81 IP.
J.D. Drew - 1/5 with his 5th HR. What a waste of talent he's been, and he's surely not giving the Red Sox what they paid for. Fantasy owners don't need to be as patient with him as Boston does. If you're still starting him, at least bench him until he gets hot. He's better than this, but you do have to wonder if all those injuries have caught up to him and he's just not that good anymore.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, and his 5th HR. Easily the biggest bust among catchers. McCann is one reason why I don't pay for one year's worth of numbers as he was likely the 2nd catcher drafted in your league this year. He's nowhere near his numbers last year, although he's only 23 years old and should get better this year. His owners should stick it out with him just due to the fact he'll be better over the rest of the year than anyone you could find on waivers, even if he doesn't start hitting like last year again.
John Maine - 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He's only walked 4 hitters in his last 4 appearances, so it looks like he's worked through the control problems he displayed earlier this year. Thanks to that, I no longer think he's due for a ERA tumble. He's not a sub 3 ERA guy, but I don't see him pitching above 3.50 either.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A very successful and promising debut for the youngster. The Brewers probably shouldn't have let him come back out for the 7th inning at 90+ pitches, but they did and he gave up a solo HR and a walk, which later scored on a HR. He pitched a bit better than his line indicated. He had some control problems and jitters early, but he settled down nicely. With a start against the Royals up next, he has to be activated now.
Prince Fielder - 1/4 with a 2 run HR. Meet the Ryan Howard of 2007. A new power hitter has emerged.
Adam Wainwright - 7 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Not what was expected of him coming off a near no-hit performance, especially against the Royals. You can safely leave him on your waivers still, but don't forget about him.
John Buck - 1/3 with his 13th HR. He now has 13 HRs in 154 AB this season, compared to 23 HRs in 772 AB over the past two years. Dunno where the power is coming from, but his fantasy owners will take it.
Jose Contreras - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. After a solid May, he's crashed in June, posting a 5.70 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. I don't know if age has caught up to him, but on the other hand he has not been the same pitcher after an early season injury last year. It can be argued that he just hasn't recovered from it because his performance is night and day before and after that injury. I'm not going to post about him again unless he goes on a true hot streak.
Josh Johnson - 3 2/3 IP, 9 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. He's returned after an elbow injury has kept him on the DL since the start of the year. Last year's most underrated rookie pitcher is finally back, so keep an eye on his progress. After not pitching for so long he'll probably start off slow, so pick him up if you see some signs of progress. He's not going to post another 3.10 ERA like last year, but he could be of some help once he settles back in.
Jermaine Dye - Dye hurt himself making a great diving grab and had to come out of the game. He returned last night and said he'll be playing through the injury. As if his owners needed another reason to worry about him. I'd keep him benched for a while, if you haven't done that already. He's a perfect example of why not to overpay for older players coming off career years.
Brendan Harris - 3/4, 2 R, solo HR. He was a double short of the cycle and had another great game. I love the fact I gave up on Crosby and gave Harris a shot. He shouldn't be left unowned in any league.
Jonny Gomes - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR. Pick him up and ride out the hot streak. It might be a bit late, but he's killing the ball right now. He will cool off, so just use him until he strings together a couple O fers.
Joe Blanton - 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Boy he's making me look stupid for throwing him in with Soriano to get Beltran. After a 2 start hiccup, he's been great over his past 4 starts. Like I said before, thanks to his vastly improve K rate, he should remain very good all year long.
John Lackey - 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. His worst start of the year. He complained of some shoulder tightness after the game, so keep an eye on this.
Chone Figgins - 6/6, 1 R, 3 RBI, 15th SB. I honestly don't think there's a hotter hitter in baseball right now. He's been amazing since busting out of his early season slump, and is back to being a great fantasy 2B/3B.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Jim Edmonds and Braden Looper To The DL
The St. Louis Cardinals placed OF Jim Edmonds on the DL with a pinched nerve in his back, and SP Braden Looper on the DL with a sore right shoulder.
Edmonds ends up on the DL at some point every year, and given his declining production, it's about time St. Louis found a replacement for him. Looper was destined to either fade or hit the DL this year as he's not used to starting every 5th day. It's debatable whether starting or relieving is harder on your arm, and I think relieving is due to the erratic pitching schedule, but the conversion is always a tough one.
Fantasy Impact: These are fringe guys for most people and unowned in many leagues, so odds are they were bench players that you weren't using very frequently anyways. Finding a replacement shouldn't be a problem.
Edmonds ends up on the DL at some point every year, and given his declining production, it's about time St. Louis found a replacement for him. Looper was destined to either fade or hit the DL this year as he's not used to starting every 5th day. It's debatable whether starting or relieving is harder on your arm, and I think relieving is due to the erratic pitching schedule, but the conversion is always a tough one.
Fantasy Impact: These are fringe guys for most people and unowned in many leagues, so odds are they were bench players that you weren't using very frequently anyways. Finding a replacement shouldn't be a problem.
Casey Kotchman Suffers Concussion
Los Angeles Angels 1B Casey Kotchman suffered a concussion last night.
Kotchman was hurt on a pickoff play at second base where the throw from the catcher hit him in the back of the head. He was able to walk off the field, but looked woozy. The hospital diagnosed it as the least severe type of concussion, and he should only miss a few games.
Fantasy Impact: Get him out of your lineup, especially if you're in a weekly league. Keep an eye on the Angels lineups that Yahoo posts about 30 mins before gametime to see when he'll return. He shouldn't miss more than a few games.
Kotchman was hurt on a pickoff play at second base where the throw from the catcher hit him in the back of the head. He was able to walk off the field, but looked woozy. The hospital diagnosed it as the least severe type of concussion, and he should only miss a few games.
Fantasy Impact: Get him out of your lineup, especially if you're in a weekly league. Keep an eye on the Angels lineups that Yahoo posts about 30 mins before gametime to see when he'll return. He shouldn't miss more than a few games.
Rickie Weeks Activated From The DL
The Milwaukee Brewers activated 2B Rickie Weeks from the DL.
He'll go right back into the starting lineup tonight and play 2B.
Fantasy Impact: Get him back into your lineup. I'm not sure where he'll hit in the order. Leadoff was a great place for him with his speed and solid OBP, even if he won't hit for a high AVG. If it were up to me, I'd make the order Hart, Weeks, Hardy, Fielder, and Braun as the top 5. Hardy has been hitting 2nd, but with his power and run production capability, he'd make sense hitting 3rd. I wouldn't fault the Brewers for wanting to continue hitting Fielder 3rd as he's their best hitter, but the arrangement I suggested would work out just as well, and give them plenty of speed ahead of their power.
He'll go right back into the starting lineup tonight and play 2B.
Fantasy Impact: Get him back into your lineup. I'm not sure where he'll hit in the order. Leadoff was a great place for him with his speed and solid OBP, even if he won't hit for a high AVG. If it were up to me, I'd make the order Hart, Weeks, Hardy, Fielder, and Braun as the top 5. Hardy has been hitting 2nd, but with his power and run production capability, he'd make sense hitting 3rd. I wouldn't fault the Brewers for wanting to continue hitting Fielder 3rd as he's their best hitter, but the arrangement I suggested would work out just as well, and give them plenty of speed ahead of their power.
Jason Schmidt To The DL
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Jason Schmidt on the DL with a right shoulder injury.
Who didn't see this coming? Schmidt has had velocity problems all year long and never looked healthy. He was able to put together one quality start since Opening Day, and probably hasn't been healthy since the spring. The Dodgers were probably hoping that rest would allow them to recover the money put into Schmidt this offseason so they could get some sort of value out of him this year.
Fantasy Impact: I can't see this injury not being serious, so unless you're willing to wager a DL spot that he'll recover with rest, drop him. I don't see him having fantasy value again this year.
Who didn't see this coming? Schmidt has had velocity problems all year long and never looked healthy. He was able to put together one quality start since Opening Day, and probably hasn't been healthy since the spring. The Dodgers were probably hoping that rest would allow them to recover the money put into Schmidt this offseason so they could get some sort of value out of him this year.
Fantasy Impact: I can't see this injury not being serious, so unless you're willing to wager a DL spot that he'll recover with rest, drop him. I don't see him having fantasy value again this year.
Sunday - Another Week In The Books
Fausto Carmona - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Another great effort from this youngster as he continues to come into his own this year. His only non-quality start outside of Opening Day was against the Tigers, whom he had faced in his previous start. He's showing an improved K-rate this month as well.
Jeff Francouer - Wake up, man. He's been doing nothing for a while now, and his 8 HRs so far are well off his power pace from last year. He should get hot sooner than later, so now might be a good time to see if his owner is napping on him.
Micah Bowie - 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Resist the urge. 4 quality starts in 5 tries, but he's a fringe pitcher for a team with a terrible offense.
Ryan Zimmerman - Hit his 12th HR yesterday, his 4th in 8 games. He's on fire now, and showing improved power over last year. He only hit 20 HRs last year, but he's hit 11 in the past month and a half.
Bronson Arroyo - 6 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. This is my last post about him for a while. He's continuing to get hammered and should not be owned at this point.
Kevin Millwood - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. He's given up at least 4 ER in ever start since April 13th, but this is a step in the right direction. He could be a decent fantasy starter in the 2nd half of the year if he's healthy. Don't completely forget about him, but don't pick him up either.
Adam Dunn - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, and 2 HR last night. He has decided to get hot at the right time as trade rumors continue to swirl. Cincinnati's asking price is said to be quite high, so it remains to be seen if they can find a suitor for him, or if they back down from their demands a bit to get a deal done.
Justin Verlander - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Like I've said before, pitching against the Phillies in their home ballpark is a tough task, but Verlander turned in a quailty start. He's showing an improve K rate, which is what his fantasy owners were hoping for this year given his electric stuff.
Magglio Ordonez - 2/3 and 3 RBI last night, pushing his AVG up to .371. He's a serious sell-high candidate, but aim for elite OFs like Guerrero, Beltran, and Soriano if you're going to trade him. I'm not saying he'll completely collapse, but his AVG is due for a modest collapse.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Business as usual. He improved his command like I promised, and he's back to his Cy Young form. He's now sporting a 3.14 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.
Eric Byrnes - Hit his 10th HR last night. Add that to his 12 SB and his .307 AVG, and he's been the underrated 25/25 candidate he was viewed as during the spring, including a very nice bonus in the AVG department.
Javier Vazquez - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Bad Javy makes an appearance. With a struggling offense (not) supporting him, he's only been an asset in Ks and WHIP this year. You're not going to be able to trade him given his 3 W and 4.39 ERA, so you just have to put up with what he is. We expected better against the Pirates.
Roy Oswalt - 5 2/3 IP, 12 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Another rough outing by Oswalt, although he stranded a lot of baserunners to save his ERA for the day. He's been the most overrated ace drafted this year who hasn't gotten hurt. 3.50 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 77 K in 107 2/3 IP just isn't ace material. After 2 years of sub-3.00 ERAs, his owners are expecting more. Now might be a decent buy-low time on him though given his recent rough stretch.
Ichiro Suzuki - 4/5 yesterday, although he only had 1 RBI to show for all those hits. He's now hitting .356 on the season as his hot streak continues.
Mike Lamb - 2/3 with a HR and 5 RBI last night. He's been on a tear the last 4 games, going 11/15 with 2 HR and 10 RBI. I'll have to see more of this to recommend grabbing him as a UTIL player.
Matt Morris - 4 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. The Red Sox mauled Morris for his first non-quality start since April. He was simply overmatched by a quality offense, and it emphasizes the point that Morris should not be started against great offenses.
Barry Bonds - 2/3 with his 14th HR. He's quietly been hitting better over the past 10 days, indicating that his slump is over.
Manny Ramirez - 2/4, HR, 3 RBI. 2 HRs in 2 games, and hopefully the end of Manny's slumber as well. He's capable of getting as hot as any hitter in baseball, and we can pray that this is the start of one of those streaks.
Kevin Slowey - 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. A random bad control day for Slowey. On the days he doesn't have his pinpoint control, his stat lines will look like this if he's lucky, and much worse if he's not.
Justin Morneau - 2/2, 3 R, 3 RBI, and his 20th HR. He continues to show bigtime power as he proves himself as one of baseballs best young power hitters.
Prince Fielder - Hit his 25th HR last night...inside-the-park style. Lew Ford completely lost his high flyball in the Metrodome roof, and Prince motored around the bases and easily beat the throw home. Good times.
Corey Hart - 3/6, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, 1 SB. He's turning out to be an amazing waiver wire find as he's now up to 7 HR and 12 SB in limited time this year. It'll be interesting to see where he hits in the lineup once Weeks returns given how great he's hit the ball since he moved to the leadoff spot.
Scott Olsen - 6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Right back in the trash can after his encouraging start last time out. Considering this was against the Royals, it's extremely frustrating.
Alex Gordon - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI. He might have arrived, finally.
Jeremy Hermida -2/4, 2 run HR. Another struggling youngster with big upside that's starting to hit better. Keep an eye on him.
Rich Hill - 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. 3 HRs killed him. Like I've said before, he's prone to these outings being a flyball pitcher, especially if the wind is kind to hitters at Wrigley the day he pitches.
Greg Maddux - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. The old man is still pitching well, posting a 3.90 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP on the season. No upside anymore, obviously, but he's pretty steady.
Adrian Gonzalez - 4/5, 4 R, 3 RBI, and a HR. Took advantage of Hill's off day and pounded the ball. His full breakout season has definitely arrived.
Mike Cameron - 3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR. He's been hitting at a .293 clip over the past month as he shakes off his early season slump. He still could be on the waiver wire in your league, and with his power/speed combination, he shouldn't be. If the Padres leave him in the cleanup position, he'll be a great source of RBI as well.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. More of the same from Kazmir, who has clearly reverted to his 2005 lack of command form. Very frustrating for his owners after his breakout year last season in which he finally showed improved command. Like I've said before, I think he's still very capable of turning it around at some point.
Jonny Gomes - 3/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR. If you're looking for a quick lineup fix, look no further than Gomes. Many people have forgotten his 11 HR April last year until he hurt his shoulder and then his starting job. With Elijah Dukes in trouble yet again and possibly on the trading block, Gomes could be in store for a fulltime role soon.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. He was quietly recalled after 3 straight great outings in AAA, but turned in a disasterous 1 inning allowing all 5 runs. 4 hits, and 2 BB that inning along with a HBP. He settled down nicely after that, throwing 4 scoreless innings and allowing only 4 baserunners after that. He has some upside, so keep an eye on him to see if he figures things out.
Ryan Ludwick - 3/5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SB. A great statline for Ludwick, but this will probably be the only time I write about him. Don't bother.
Kelvim Escobar - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He picked up his 8th win the process. Another solid outing from Escobar who's really come into his own this year, mainly because he's staying healthy. He was always capable of this, but some injury constantly got in his way. Given his lengthy injury past, I'd consider selling high, but the Angels offense is among the best in baseball and he'll continue to post very good numbers while healthy.
Randy Wolf - 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. Despite 2 wins in 4 appearances, he's really regressed this month, allowing 16 ER in 21 IP, along with a 13:8 K:BB ratio. Be careful with him if you own him now that you know this.
Howie Kendrick - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB. My favorite preseason 2B sleeper is finally waking back up after a long slump following his injury. Pick him up if he was dropped and you need 2B help.
Gary Matthews Jr. - 1/1, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SB. If you didn't bench him despite him being out of the starting lineup, you were rewarded with a great line off the bench. With 10 HR and 11 SB on the year, he's becoming a quiet 25/25 candidate.
Orlando Hernandez - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Pitchers reliant on offspeed stuff rarely turn in good starts against the AL. This should have been expected from him.
Chien Ming-Wang - 8 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. He's turning the corner this year, using his quality slider as a K pitch. If he continues to master incorporating that into his arsenal, he'll post some solid K numbers along with quality peripherals and lots of wins. It might be a bit late, but he can go from overrated to underrated if he starts K'ing more hitters. I did not like him at all as a fantasy pitcher heading into this year, but thanks to his improved K rate (3.14 / 9 IP last year, 4.7 / 9 IP this year) and his 1.15 WHIP (1.31 last year), he could turn into the AL's version of Brandon Webb. I don't want to overreact too much to one start, but lets hope he learns from this performance about how to strike hitters out.
Alex Rodriguez - 2/2, 2 R, 3 RBI, and his 27th HR. Myeah.
Jeff Francouer - Wake up, man. He's been doing nothing for a while now, and his 8 HRs so far are well off his power pace from last year. He should get hot sooner than later, so now might be a good time to see if his owner is napping on him.
Micah Bowie - 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Resist the urge. 4 quality starts in 5 tries, but he's a fringe pitcher for a team with a terrible offense.
Ryan Zimmerman - Hit his 12th HR yesterday, his 4th in 8 games. He's on fire now, and showing improved power over last year. He only hit 20 HRs last year, but he's hit 11 in the past month and a half.
Bronson Arroyo - 6 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. This is my last post about him for a while. He's continuing to get hammered and should not be owned at this point.
Kevin Millwood - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. He's given up at least 4 ER in ever start since April 13th, but this is a step in the right direction. He could be a decent fantasy starter in the 2nd half of the year if he's healthy. Don't completely forget about him, but don't pick him up either.
Adam Dunn - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, and 2 HR last night. He has decided to get hot at the right time as trade rumors continue to swirl. Cincinnati's asking price is said to be quite high, so it remains to be seen if they can find a suitor for him, or if they back down from their demands a bit to get a deal done.
Justin Verlander - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Like I've said before, pitching against the Phillies in their home ballpark is a tough task, but Verlander turned in a quailty start. He's showing an improve K rate, which is what his fantasy owners were hoping for this year given his electric stuff.
Magglio Ordonez - 2/3 and 3 RBI last night, pushing his AVG up to .371. He's a serious sell-high candidate, but aim for elite OFs like Guerrero, Beltran, and Soriano if you're going to trade him. I'm not saying he'll completely collapse, but his AVG is due for a modest collapse.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Business as usual. He improved his command like I promised, and he's back to his Cy Young form. He's now sporting a 3.14 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.
Eric Byrnes - Hit his 10th HR last night. Add that to his 12 SB and his .307 AVG, and he's been the underrated 25/25 candidate he was viewed as during the spring, including a very nice bonus in the AVG department.
Javier Vazquez - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Bad Javy makes an appearance. With a struggling offense (not) supporting him, he's only been an asset in Ks and WHIP this year. You're not going to be able to trade him given his 3 W and 4.39 ERA, so you just have to put up with what he is. We expected better against the Pirates.
Roy Oswalt - 5 2/3 IP, 12 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Another rough outing by Oswalt, although he stranded a lot of baserunners to save his ERA for the day. He's been the most overrated ace drafted this year who hasn't gotten hurt. 3.50 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 77 K in 107 2/3 IP just isn't ace material. After 2 years of sub-3.00 ERAs, his owners are expecting more. Now might be a decent buy-low time on him though given his recent rough stretch.
Ichiro Suzuki - 4/5 yesterday, although he only had 1 RBI to show for all those hits. He's now hitting .356 on the season as his hot streak continues.
Mike Lamb - 2/3 with a HR and 5 RBI last night. He's been on a tear the last 4 games, going 11/15 with 2 HR and 10 RBI. I'll have to see more of this to recommend grabbing him as a UTIL player.
Matt Morris - 4 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. The Red Sox mauled Morris for his first non-quality start since April. He was simply overmatched by a quality offense, and it emphasizes the point that Morris should not be started against great offenses.
Barry Bonds - 2/3 with his 14th HR. He's quietly been hitting better over the past 10 days, indicating that his slump is over.
Manny Ramirez - 2/4, HR, 3 RBI. 2 HRs in 2 games, and hopefully the end of Manny's slumber as well. He's capable of getting as hot as any hitter in baseball, and we can pray that this is the start of one of those streaks.
Kevin Slowey - 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. A random bad control day for Slowey. On the days he doesn't have his pinpoint control, his stat lines will look like this if he's lucky, and much worse if he's not.
Justin Morneau - 2/2, 3 R, 3 RBI, and his 20th HR. He continues to show bigtime power as he proves himself as one of baseballs best young power hitters.
Prince Fielder - Hit his 25th HR last night...inside-the-park style. Lew Ford completely lost his high flyball in the Metrodome roof, and Prince motored around the bases and easily beat the throw home. Good times.
Corey Hart - 3/6, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, 1 SB. He's turning out to be an amazing waiver wire find as he's now up to 7 HR and 12 SB in limited time this year. It'll be interesting to see where he hits in the lineup once Weeks returns given how great he's hit the ball since he moved to the leadoff spot.
Scott Olsen - 6 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Right back in the trash can after his encouraging start last time out. Considering this was against the Royals, it's extremely frustrating.
Alex Gordon - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI. He might have arrived, finally.
Jeremy Hermida -2/4, 2 run HR. Another struggling youngster with big upside that's starting to hit better. Keep an eye on him.
Rich Hill - 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. 3 HRs killed him. Like I've said before, he's prone to these outings being a flyball pitcher, especially if the wind is kind to hitters at Wrigley the day he pitches.
Greg Maddux - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. The old man is still pitching well, posting a 3.90 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP on the season. No upside anymore, obviously, but he's pretty steady.
Adrian Gonzalez - 4/5, 4 R, 3 RBI, and a HR. Took advantage of Hill's off day and pounded the ball. His full breakout season has definitely arrived.
Mike Cameron - 3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR. He's been hitting at a .293 clip over the past month as he shakes off his early season slump. He still could be on the waiver wire in your league, and with his power/speed combination, he shouldn't be. If the Padres leave him in the cleanup position, he'll be a great source of RBI as well.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. More of the same from Kazmir, who has clearly reverted to his 2005 lack of command form. Very frustrating for his owners after his breakout year last season in which he finally showed improved command. Like I've said before, I think he's still very capable of turning it around at some point.
Jonny Gomes - 3/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR. If you're looking for a quick lineup fix, look no further than Gomes. Many people have forgotten his 11 HR April last year until he hurt his shoulder and then his starting job. With Elijah Dukes in trouble yet again and possibly on the trading block, Gomes could be in store for a fulltime role soon.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. He was quietly recalled after 3 straight great outings in AAA, but turned in a disasterous 1 inning allowing all 5 runs. 4 hits, and 2 BB that inning along with a HBP. He settled down nicely after that, throwing 4 scoreless innings and allowing only 4 baserunners after that. He has some upside, so keep an eye on him to see if he figures things out.
Ryan Ludwick - 3/5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SB. A great statline for Ludwick, but this will probably be the only time I write about him. Don't bother.
Kelvim Escobar - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. He picked up his 8th win the process. Another solid outing from Escobar who's really come into his own this year, mainly because he's staying healthy. He was always capable of this, but some injury constantly got in his way. Given his lengthy injury past, I'd consider selling high, but the Angels offense is among the best in baseball and he'll continue to post very good numbers while healthy.
Randy Wolf - 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. Despite 2 wins in 4 appearances, he's really regressed this month, allowing 16 ER in 21 IP, along with a 13:8 K:BB ratio. Be careful with him if you own him now that you know this.
Howie Kendrick - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB. My favorite preseason 2B sleeper is finally waking back up after a long slump following his injury. Pick him up if he was dropped and you need 2B help.
Gary Matthews Jr. - 1/1, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SB. If you didn't bench him despite him being out of the starting lineup, you were rewarded with a great line off the bench. With 10 HR and 11 SB on the year, he's becoming a quiet 25/25 candidate.
Orlando Hernandez - 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Pitchers reliant on offspeed stuff rarely turn in good starts against the AL. This should have been expected from him.
Chien Ming-Wang - 8 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. He's turning the corner this year, using his quality slider as a K pitch. If he continues to master incorporating that into his arsenal, he'll post some solid K numbers along with quality peripherals and lots of wins. It might be a bit late, but he can go from overrated to underrated if he starts K'ing more hitters. I did not like him at all as a fantasy pitcher heading into this year, but thanks to his improved K rate (3.14 / 9 IP last year, 4.7 / 9 IP this year) and his 1.15 WHIP (1.31 last year), he could turn into the AL's version of Brandon Webb. I don't want to overreact too much to one start, but lets hope he learns from this performance about how to strike hitters out.
Alex Rodriguez - 2/2, 2 R, 3 RBI, and his 27th HR. Myeah.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Randy Johnson To The DL...Again
The Arizona Diamondbacks placed starting pitcher Randy Johnson on the DL with back tightness.
Well, like I said in my previous entry about Johnson, he was probably due for another DL stint. Unfortunately it came immediately after he was finding his groove following his first DL stint. As it stands right now, Johnson should return in 15 days. His last start came on June 10th, so he'll be eligible to return on June 26th. Hopefully he will.
Fantasy Impact: Like I said above, this sucks for his owners because he was settling into a very nice groove before his back started giving him problems. Stash him on your DL, and aim for hot starters like Sean Marshall and Jeremy Guthrie. If you're on Yahoo, make use of their stat sorting features and look at the best stats over the past month.
Well, like I said in my previous entry about Johnson, he was probably due for another DL stint. Unfortunately it came immediately after he was finding his groove following his first DL stint. As it stands right now, Johnson should return in 15 days. His last start came on June 10th, so he'll be eligible to return on June 26th. Hopefully he will.
Fantasy Impact: Like I said above, this sucks for his owners because he was settling into a very nice groove before his back started giving him problems. Stash him on your DL, and aim for hot starters like Sean Marshall and Jeremy Guthrie. If you're on Yahoo, make use of their stat sorting features and look at the best stats over the past month.
Saturday Wrapup: Another Almost No-Hitter
Tom Glavine - 4 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. Pretty ugly outing, although the fact it came against the Yankees shouldn't surprise many. Hopefully you had him benched for this matchup. He's been pitching poorly, but as long as he's not hurt, he'll figure things out soon.
Jose Reyes - 2 more SBs, giving him 5 in the last two games and 37 on the year. He was slumping for a bit there, but it's safe to say he's back on fire and will threaten 80 SBs this year.
David Wright - His owners have to be elated with the 16 SBs so far. His career high was 20 last year, and he's at 16 with more than half the season left. Definitely a welcome boost to his fantasy value.
Alex Rodriguez - 2/4 with 3 R, 2 RBI, his 26th HR, and his 8th SB. He plays baseball well.
Carlos Zambrano - 9 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K. Nobody likes the 5 walks, but that's how it goes with Zambrano. A very frustrating loss of a no-hitter in the 8th inning as a high bouncing ball went off Zambrano's glove during his leap and didn't make it to the second baseman on time. The 2nd hit he gave up was a solo HR with 1 out in the 9th after strike 3 was not called on the previous pitch, and that was the game's only run. Another great outing from Zambrano, who is definitely back in top form.
Vernon Wells - 2/3 with a R and 4 RBI last night, including his 6th HR. He's been a pretty big bust so far, hitting .258 with only 6 HR. Unfortunately he's seemingly regressed back to his 2005 numbers rather than repeating his 2006 numbers. It should get better from here on out, but only 2 of his last 5 years have been truly great seasons for fantasy purposes. He was definitely overrated heading into drafts this year with lots of inconsistency through his 5 full seasons.
Dmitri Young - Hit his 7th HR last night, and he's hitting .335 on the year so far. He's been a pretty solid hitter throughout his career, so he makes a fine fill-in 1B for those looking for help at the position. I picked him up to replace Teixeira since Garko's gone cold.
Jered Weaver - 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Extermely fortunate not to allow a run, but his owners will take the 0.00 ERA on the day along with the Win. His back might still be bothering him, but it doesn't appear to be a major issue.
Jason Schmidt - 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. Still not looking too good. If you feel he'll regain a decent portion of his previous form, make sure to at least keep him benched until he turns in a few positive outings. I personally think it's best to dump him and let someone else waste a roster spot on a resurgence.
Francisco Rodriguez - A perfect, 3 K save last night. He continues to be an elite closer for all who drafted him.
Reggie Willits - Stole his 16th base last night, and he should maintain his value as a cheap source of steals as long as he receives consistent playing time. He's hitting a solid .324, so he's contributing in 2 catagories for now. Play up his 16 steals, move him to a steals-hungry team, and get a player with real value in return.
John Smoltz - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. A great start against a great Cleveland offense. It appears his shoulder issues are behind him for the moment, although he might not be totally out of the woods yet given his advanced age. It doesn't appear to be affecting his performance at all.
Edgar Renteria - 5/5 with 2 R, 2 RBI, his 10th HR, and his 5th SB. He's having a career year at age 31 so far.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Still walking too many hitters, but that didn't affect him at all today as he pitched brilliantly other than that. He's looked very good his last 3 outings.
Jon Papelbon - Picked up his 16th save last night, lowering his ERA to 1.85 with a perfect inning. With a 0.99 WHIP and 34 K in 24 1/3 IP, he's been the elite closer all expected him to be after being moved back to the bullpen. With Okajima around, the Red Sox now have a reliable backup closer, and this is great for Papelbon owners as they can afford to be careful with his arm.
Matt Cain - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A very encouraging outing against a slumping Boston offense. Unfortunately Matsuzaka was better and Cain didn't receive the win for his effort.
Manny Ramirez - 1/3 with his 9th HR last night. Hopefully this will wake this frustrating fantasy player up for good. Please?
Daniel Cabrera - 8 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. The peripherals were there, but the 3 HRs did him in. There is honestly improvement being shown amongst all the earned runs, but he's obviously not worth picking up yet.
Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. A solid performance against a subpar offense...just what his owners were looking for.
Josh Fields - The young brightspot in a dismal White Sox season. He's going to be a great hitter, and he hit his 2nd major league HR last night, his first this season. His power/speed combination should make him a valuable fantasy asset in time, so keep an eye on his performance and pick him up if he gets hot. He's not as highly touted as Pence and Braun, and he doesn't have the polish that they do, but he's one to watch.
Ichiro Suzuki - 3/4 to raise his AVG to .348, and he stole his 18th and 19th bases last night. Despite his slow start, he could challenge 50 bases if he keeps running the way he has the past month and a half.
Andrew Miller - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He had a tough matchup against Philly in Citizen's Bank, but put up reasonable fantasy stats for his effort. I'm not sure if his 2007 future contains a permanent spot in the Detroit starting rotation, but he hasn't pitched too poorly against 2 of the NL's best offenses (he had the Mets last time out). If he gets sent back down and is dropped in your league because of it, try to jump the gun and pick him up if he's recalled. He belongs in the majors.
Aaron Harang - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He was not at his best, but he did enough to pick up his 7th win.
Ken Griffey Jr. - Career HRs number 590 and 591 last night as he continues to mash the ball like he's 25 again. Gotta love it!
Miguel Cabrera - 2/5 with 2 R, 4 RBI, and 2 HRs, giving him 16 HR on the season. After a disappointing 26 HR season last year, he's back on pace to hit around 35 this year, which is what his owners expected from him this year.
Alex Gordon - 1/4 last night, and he stole his 6th base when he got on. He's quietly continuing to hit the ball well.
David Bush - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Maddeningly inconsistent, but he turned in a solid performance last night. It's hard to figure out when to start him and when not to, so it's best to let someone else gamble on which Bush shows up when he takes the mound.
Boof Bonser - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Pretty good outing despite the ERs, although his 1.52 WHIP on the season is really hurting his owners. If you can afford the ratio hits for his Ks and Ws, he's a good fit for your team.
Jason Hirsh - 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. So much for that recent progress. He's going to be too inconsistent in his rookie year to count on, but keep an eye on him to see if he finally puts it together later in the year.
Andrew Sonnanstine - 5 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. 3 HRs did him in, and that's now 6 HRs allowed in 19 IP. He's a young pitcher akin to Kevin Slowey. A WHIP specialist who will have his solid outings mixed in with outings where he gets hit hard. In other words, let someone else own him.
Brad Hawpe - 2/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, and his 11th HR last night. With a .299 AVG, 11th HR, 46 RBI, and 33 R, he's been a very solid fantasy outfielder this year. He faded badly last year, but that's not a strong enough sample size to worry about.
Garrett Atkins - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, and his 7th HR. With 3 HR and 9 RBI in his past 3 games, he is absolutely killing the ball and is rewarding his patient owners.
Brendan Harris - 3/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, and his 7th HR. I picked him up in a league where I was starting Crosby at SS, and he's been a pleasant surprise this year. He's hitting .320 and could be a solid fantasy SS all season long.
Albert Pujols - Your team scores 15 runs, and you have 1 RBI and 0 R? C'mon man!
Chris Duncan - A pinch hit grand slam for his 12th HR last night. There was skepticism about his power surge last season heading into this year, but he's proving his doubters wrong.
Jose Reyes - 2 more SBs, giving him 5 in the last two games and 37 on the year. He was slumping for a bit there, but it's safe to say he's back on fire and will threaten 80 SBs this year.
David Wright - His owners have to be elated with the 16 SBs so far. His career high was 20 last year, and he's at 16 with more than half the season left. Definitely a welcome boost to his fantasy value.
Alex Rodriguez - 2/4 with 3 R, 2 RBI, his 26th HR, and his 8th SB. He plays baseball well.
Carlos Zambrano - 9 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K. Nobody likes the 5 walks, but that's how it goes with Zambrano. A very frustrating loss of a no-hitter in the 8th inning as a high bouncing ball went off Zambrano's glove during his leap and didn't make it to the second baseman on time. The 2nd hit he gave up was a solo HR with 1 out in the 9th after strike 3 was not called on the previous pitch, and that was the game's only run. Another great outing from Zambrano, who is definitely back in top form.
Vernon Wells - 2/3 with a R and 4 RBI last night, including his 6th HR. He's been a pretty big bust so far, hitting .258 with only 6 HR. Unfortunately he's seemingly regressed back to his 2005 numbers rather than repeating his 2006 numbers. It should get better from here on out, but only 2 of his last 5 years have been truly great seasons for fantasy purposes. He was definitely overrated heading into drafts this year with lots of inconsistency through his 5 full seasons.
Dmitri Young - Hit his 7th HR last night, and he's hitting .335 on the year so far. He's been a pretty solid hitter throughout his career, so he makes a fine fill-in 1B for those looking for help at the position. I picked him up to replace Teixeira since Garko's gone cold.
Jered Weaver - 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Extermely fortunate not to allow a run, but his owners will take the 0.00 ERA on the day along with the Win. His back might still be bothering him, but it doesn't appear to be a major issue.
Jason Schmidt - 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. Still not looking too good. If you feel he'll regain a decent portion of his previous form, make sure to at least keep him benched until he turns in a few positive outings. I personally think it's best to dump him and let someone else waste a roster spot on a resurgence.
Francisco Rodriguez - A perfect, 3 K save last night. He continues to be an elite closer for all who drafted him.
Reggie Willits - Stole his 16th base last night, and he should maintain his value as a cheap source of steals as long as he receives consistent playing time. He's hitting a solid .324, so he's contributing in 2 catagories for now. Play up his 16 steals, move him to a steals-hungry team, and get a player with real value in return.
John Smoltz - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. A great start against a great Cleveland offense. It appears his shoulder issues are behind him for the moment, although he might not be totally out of the woods yet given his advanced age. It doesn't appear to be affecting his performance at all.
Edgar Renteria - 5/5 with 2 R, 2 RBI, his 10th HR, and his 5th SB. He's having a career year at age 31 so far.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Still walking too many hitters, but that didn't affect him at all today as he pitched brilliantly other than that. He's looked very good his last 3 outings.
Jon Papelbon - Picked up his 16th save last night, lowering his ERA to 1.85 with a perfect inning. With a 0.99 WHIP and 34 K in 24 1/3 IP, he's been the elite closer all expected him to be after being moved back to the bullpen. With Okajima around, the Red Sox now have a reliable backup closer, and this is great for Papelbon owners as they can afford to be careful with his arm.
Matt Cain - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A very encouraging outing against a slumping Boston offense. Unfortunately Matsuzaka was better and Cain didn't receive the win for his effort.
Manny Ramirez - 1/3 with his 9th HR last night. Hopefully this will wake this frustrating fantasy player up for good. Please?
Daniel Cabrera - 8 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. The peripherals were there, but the 3 HRs did him in. There is honestly improvement being shown amongst all the earned runs, but he's obviously not worth picking up yet.
Mark Buehrle - 8 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. A solid performance against a subpar offense...just what his owners were looking for.
Josh Fields - The young brightspot in a dismal White Sox season. He's going to be a great hitter, and he hit his 2nd major league HR last night, his first this season. His power/speed combination should make him a valuable fantasy asset in time, so keep an eye on his performance and pick him up if he gets hot. He's not as highly touted as Pence and Braun, and he doesn't have the polish that they do, but he's one to watch.
Ichiro Suzuki - 3/4 to raise his AVG to .348, and he stole his 18th and 19th bases last night. Despite his slow start, he could challenge 50 bases if he keeps running the way he has the past month and a half.
Andrew Miller - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He had a tough matchup against Philly in Citizen's Bank, but put up reasonable fantasy stats for his effort. I'm not sure if his 2007 future contains a permanent spot in the Detroit starting rotation, but he hasn't pitched too poorly against 2 of the NL's best offenses (he had the Mets last time out). If he gets sent back down and is dropped in your league because of it, try to jump the gun and pick him up if he's recalled. He belongs in the majors.
Aaron Harang - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He was not at his best, but he did enough to pick up his 7th win.
Ken Griffey Jr. - Career HRs number 590 and 591 last night as he continues to mash the ball like he's 25 again. Gotta love it!
Miguel Cabrera - 2/5 with 2 R, 4 RBI, and 2 HRs, giving him 16 HR on the season. After a disappointing 26 HR season last year, he's back on pace to hit around 35 this year, which is what his owners expected from him this year.
Alex Gordon - 1/4 last night, and he stole his 6th base when he got on. He's quietly continuing to hit the ball well.
David Bush - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Maddeningly inconsistent, but he turned in a solid performance last night. It's hard to figure out when to start him and when not to, so it's best to let someone else gamble on which Bush shows up when he takes the mound.
Boof Bonser - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Pretty good outing despite the ERs, although his 1.52 WHIP on the season is really hurting his owners. If you can afford the ratio hits for his Ks and Ws, he's a good fit for your team.
Jason Hirsh - 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. So much for that recent progress. He's going to be too inconsistent in his rookie year to count on, but keep an eye on him to see if he finally puts it together later in the year.
Andrew Sonnanstine - 5 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. 3 HRs did him in, and that's now 6 HRs allowed in 19 IP. He's a young pitcher akin to Kevin Slowey. A WHIP specialist who will have his solid outings mixed in with outings where he gets hit hard. In other words, let someone else own him.
Brad Hawpe - 2/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, and his 11th HR last night. With a .299 AVG, 11th HR, 46 RBI, and 33 R, he's been a very solid fantasy outfielder this year. He faded badly last year, but that's not a strong enough sample size to worry about.
Garrett Atkins - 2/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, and his 7th HR. With 3 HR and 9 RBI in his past 3 games, he is absolutely killing the ball and is rewarding his patient owners.
Brendan Harris - 3/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, and his 7th HR. I picked him up in a league where I was starting Crosby at SS, and he's been a pleasant surprise this year. He's hitting .320 and could be a solid fantasy SS all season long.
Albert Pujols - Your team scores 15 runs, and you have 1 RBI and 0 R? C'mon man!
Chris Duncan - A pinch hit grand slam for his 12th HR last night. There was skepticism about his power surge last season heading into this year, but he's proving his doubters wrong.
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