J.J. Putz and Chad Cordero To The DL

Let the race for saves begin!

Seattle closer J.J. Putz is headed to the DL indefinitely with rib cartilage inflammation. Washington closer Chad Cordero is headed to the DL with shoulder tendonitits.

Fantasy Impact: Pick up Mark Lowe and Jon Rauch immediately. Both should be solid closer options while they have the job.

Miguel Bautista picked up the save yesterday, but Lowe had pitched the previous 2 days, and he's coming back from elbow surgery. Lowe is without question the best candidate for saves in their bullpen right now, and you might still have a chance at him with Bautista potentially tricking some owners into picking him up instead.

Jon Rauch picked up the save yesterday, and he'll get all the save chances with Cordero sidelined.

Pedro Martinez Leaves Start Early - DL?

New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez left his start in the 4th inning last night with a "strained hamstring".

Fantasy Impact: Given Martinez stated that he heard a "twinge or pop", this sounds like it could be serious. It would be a major upset if he didn't land on the DL and miss a few starts, plus there's a definite possibility that this could be a multiple month injury. Owners like myself who drafted Pedro as a 3rd starter or so knew that he wasn't going to pitch 200 innings this year, but to have him injured in his first start is very disappointing. He looked very good in spring training despite topping out in the high 80s with his fastball.

Hopefully he'll only miss a few starts. Keep a close eye on starters while he's out. Each year, many mixed league starters being to emerge in the first month. This year will be no different. The season is too young to call who those pitchers might be, but I'll start name dropping after a couple weeks.

Opening Day!

Hey All

Thanks to work obligations, vacations, and general laziness, I haven't been able to do much up until now. With baseball season underway, I plan to contribute more articles here. I no longer have the time necessary to do daily recaps of every game, but I instead plan to write a couple pieces each week about player values. It's too late to do a draft value analysis, obviously, but I can comment on what's happened so far.

- Numerous sources indicated that Manny Ramirez re-dedicated himself to the gym this year, and given this is his contract year, you can expect big things from him. Given his age you can almost bet on 1-2 DL stints, but he'll be plenty motivated to light up the stat lines this year. Given his down year last year, his value was depressed enough to where he was going in the 3rd round, which is solid value for a hitter of his pedigree.

- Rich Harden enjoyed his first healthy offseason in some time, so if there was a year that he'll make 30 starts, this is probably it. I'm not saying that he will, and odds are that he'll only make 10-15 starts again. He is often compared to Kerry Wood, but one must remember that Wood did manage back-to-back 30+ start seasons in 2002 and 2003, posting a big fantasy season in 2003. Harden got things going with a great outing last night (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 9 K). Given he was picked as a 4th starter type this year, it's no big deal for your team if he gets hurt again.

Erik Bedard Traded To The Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have traded for SP Erik Bedard. The Baltimore Orioles have received OF Adam Jones, RP George Sherrill, RP Chris Tillman, RP

Fantasy Impact: Erik Bedard, much like Johan Santana, is moving to a much improved situation. He's moving to one of the best pitcher's ballparks in the AL, in a weaker offensive division, in front of a better offense, and with a better supporting bullpen. With the Orioles dealing Miguel Tejada, they look to be set on trotting out one of the worst lineups in baseball this year, so while the Mariners are hardly an offensive machine, the upgrade is pretty large. This should lead to Bedard building off of last year's breakthrough season, and the ballpark/division switch should help him post similar numbers. Be careful as Bedard has only had one ace season and hasn't lasted 200 innings yet, but last season's injury was not arm-related, and he should post an ace-like season and have a solid chance at 200 innings. He'll likely be taken 3rd after Santana and Peavy, and I think he has a great chance to live up to that draft slot in relation to the rest of the pitchers. He'll probably go too early for when I'd recommend taking an ace, however.

Much like the Twins, the centerpiece of the deal is a top OF prospect in Adam Jones. He has bigger fantasy potential than Carlos Gomez for the short term, and perhaps the long term as well, but his 2008 value will depend on playing time and his position in the batting order. He's worth keeping an eye on, but certainly not drafting as anything more than a reserve OF.

Johan Santana Traded To The Mets

The New York Mets have traded for SP Johan Santana. The Minnesota Twins received OF Carlos Gomez, SP Deolis Guerra, SP Kevin Mulvey, and SP Phillip Humber.

Fantasy Impact: The initial reaction to this trade would be that Santana's fantasy stock just went through the roof. On the surface, this appears to be the case. He's moving to the weaker league, which should mean more Ks as he'll face pitchers and pinch hitters rather than designated hitters. He's moving to a stronger team (although with a weaker bullpen), which should mean more Ws. He's also moving to a bigger ballpark, which combined with the weaker hitters, should mean a stronger ERA/WHIP. This is definitely a boon for his fantasy potential in 2008, but I still feel he's over-valued. He was a top 3 pick last year on average behind Pujols and Reyes, and he figures to go in the top 5 this year among Pujols, A-Rod, Reyes, and Hanley Ramirez. He's the surest bet among pitchers, but since there's so much turnover from year to year among the top pitchers, you'll have no problem finding a steady ace later on in the draft. Starting pitchers, even ones as dominant as Johan Santana, still only contribute to 4 catagories. When you start looking at the middle to lower half of the first round where guys like David Wright, Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Braun are taken, you just can't substitute the 5 catagory contributions those guys add to your team as easily as you can a starting pitcher. 2008 very well could be Santana's best season yet, potentially creating a dominant performance in the 4 SP catagories, but it's not enough for me.

Among the players headed to the Twins, the only player with a chance of making a contribution in 2008 is Carlos Gomez. That depends on the playing time he'll log in CF for the Twins, plus if he'll hit in the leadoff spot when he does play. It's worth keeping in mind, but as a rookie, temper your most optimistic expectations.

Roger Clemens To Have MRI

Roger Clemens is scheduled for an MRI after feeling discomfort in his right elbow in his start yesterday.

Fantasy Impact: Considering where Clemens was drafted in most leagues, he's probably not a big part of your rotation, but he's been a fairly solid contributor since joining the Yankee rotation during the season. He's going to miss at least one start, and could be headed to the DL depending on the results of the MRI. I'll update this once the MRI results are released.

Gary Sheffield To The DL

The Detroit Tigers will place OF Gary Sheffield on the DL with shoulder soreness.

He's been battling problems on and off with it since injuring it while attempting a diving catch a while ago. He's been miserable since the AS break, hitting .220 with 3 HR, 13 RBI, and 19 R in 32 games.

Fantasy Impact: Sheffield was a fantasy monster in the 1st half prior to the injury, but he clearly has not been the same since. Given the value he's provided his owners, odds are your team is doing pretty well if you drafted him, so this is a big loss. He's been mostly DH'ing this year, which was helped keep his brittle body healthy for most of it, but unfortunately one of the 14 games in the field has led to his demise. Nobody knows if you'll get anything out of him if he does come back. Mike Cameron still isn't owned in as many leagues as he should be, so you could look to him for help. Jacque Jones has been on fire and might not be owned either, so take a look his way as well. Jonny Gomes and Aubrey Huff are other options, Gomes being underrated and Huff being very hot at the plate as of late. If you play Sheffield at first, you could try Kotchman, who would help you in AVG, R, and RBI.

Goodbye Daily Baseball Updates, Hello Daily Football Updates

Well that's now two weekends in a row where I haven't posted anything, but I was hardly around a computer. I have decided that I will quit doing daily player updates for baseball over the rest of the season. First of all, I don't have the time I'd like to have to write about both sports simultaneously as in depth as I'd like to. I have to pick one to focus on. Given that, like I've mentioned before, everyone's fantasy basebally trading deadlines have kicked in, and the waiver wire doesn't produce much towards the end of the season. I will note September callups that might have value as Felix Hernandez was very valuable 2 years ago when he was called up, for example. I will still post injury news as it relates to baseball as well, but going through noting hot streaks and slumps won't do you much...you have to put your best lineup out there every day at this point and hope for a nice closing stretch from your team. Hopefully I helped get you into a position to win your league. With that being said, I'd rather help people prep for the football season.

Tomorrow I will start posting football depth chart and injury updates as necessary. It's time to get primed for the pigskin season as the baseball season comes into its final month, and I pledge to provide as much NFL FF knowledge and news analysis as I can.

Edgar Renteria To The DL

The Atlanta Braves placed SS Edgar Renteria on the DL with a sprained ankle.

He tried to come back from it too soon, and now he's headed to the DL.

Fantasy Impact: Throw him on the DL, and look for guys like Julio Lugo and Felipe Lopez on your waiver wire. Lopez has been a disappointment, but with 4 HR and 5 SB over the past month, perhaps he can give your team a little production while Renteria is out.

Cole Hamels To The DL

The Philadelphia Phillies placed SP Cole Hamels on the DL with a strained left elbow.

Not good. The MRI results showed no ligament damage, so while Tommy John surgery is not needed, the Phillies really need to manage his arm better than they did with Brett Myers. This is one of the game's top young pitchers, and while the Phillies are in a playoff race with Utley hopefully back soon, they can't risk the future here for the present.

Fantasy Impact: Throw him on your DL slot, but prepare to be without him the rest of the year as a precaution. Your best bet right now is probably to selectively use spot starters as I imagine any starter worth a damn is probably already owned. Ervin Santana is someone to keep a close eye on, however.

Wednesday - Our First 30 Run Game In 100+ Years

Esteban Loaiza - 7 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (1). Loaiza pitched for the first time this year after returning from knee surgery, and he pitched quite well. He doesn't have the stuff necessary to get hitters out unless his velocity is up, and it was apparently up yesterday. He could have fringe mixed league value in the final month, but I'd make him prove his worth in his next start.

A.J. Burnett - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. A Matt Stairs error opened up a 4 run floodgate in the 7th inning. Had that error not been committed, we might have been looking at 7 scoreless innings and a win. Burnett has pitched great since returning, and his pitch counts has remained reasonable, so hopefully he'll finish strong.

Jack Cust - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). Cust has hit .333 with 4 HR and 15 RBI in August, turning in one of his finest months in this surprise season. His K rate remains at an alarming level with 20 K in 19 G this month, but with 20 BB, he's evening things out. He remains a solid 2 catagory, borderline 3 catagory OF worth owning in all leagues.

Carlos Silva - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (10). Silva has been on fire this month, posting a 1.61 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. His K rate remains bad with only 17 K in 28 IP, and with a WHIP no less than 1.23 and usually in the 1.40 in other months along with his career, he's only an option if you want to ride out a hot streak. Don't count on him keeping this up.

Michael Cuddyer - 1/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, GS (13). With a .276 AVG and only 13 HR, Cuddyer has not matched his breakout season last year. Now that he's hitting lower in a suddenly weak Twins offense, he's not much of a fantasy option in mixed leagues.

Paul Konerko - 1/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (25). Back to back HR games for Konerko who has been the Konerko of old after a slow start the first few months. He'll likely reach 30 HR again barring injury, but with only 69 RBI right now and the lack of anyone getting on base in front of him, his 4th straight 100 RBI season won't happen. He's been a fantasy disappointment this year between the slow start and weak lineup around him.

Kason Gabbard - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (6). Hard to lose when given 30 runs of support. In fact, I'd argue it's damn near impossible. He's been surprising so far for the Rangers, posting a 3.51 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP since coming over from Boston in the trade for Eric Gagne. He'll likely settle in as a middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Rangers in the upcoming years, but his lack of Ks and average WHIP makes him a poor bet for the final month.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 4/6, 5 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR (4). He hasn't been as good as I thought he would be in Texas so far, but he sure made up for a lot of problems with his monster game yesterday in the 30-3 blowout. He's hitting .219 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 12 R in 19 G with the Rangers so far, but obviously those are mostly padded by last night's performance. Still, those are solid overall numbers minus the AVG for a C, so I'd stick with him if you're still starting him.

C.J. Wilson - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (7). Well, I missed the boat here. Benoit was the stated closed everywhere until Wilson started saving games, and even then many outlets stated that it was due to matchups. There's no question now that Wilson is the Ranger's closer for the rest of the year, and he's been excellent since taking over the role, with 11 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, and 11 K.

Justin Verlander - 4 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Bonderman must have taught him how to pitch in the 2nd half. Joking aside, he's been horrible after the AS break, posting a 5.83 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP with a .286 BAA to boot. He's very likely worn down from pitching deep into last year when he wasn't used to it, and then following that up with a full season this year. I've been warning about this for a while, but it's definitely come true. Unfortunately it's too late for those who still own him to do anything about it other than hope he'll finish strong.

Carlos Guillen - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (17). He's at .305, 17 HR, 82 RBI, 68 R, and 11 SB on the year. He's in the ballpark in AVG, will probably surpass HR and RBI, but will fall a bit short on R and SB this year, although he's spent far more time this year hitting deeper into the order. Considering how close he is to last year's numbers and how far he fell in many drafts this year, he's been a steal.

Derek Lowe - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, W (10). Much better. Hopefully Lowe has finally overcome his back injury and can resume pitching like he was prior to it.

Matt Kemp - 4/6, 3 R, 2 RBI. He's hitting .335 so far this year, albeit in limited time with 64 G. He's hit 8 HR, 30 RBI, 32 R, and 5 SB, showing what he can do given playing time. He'll likely be a nice late round target next year as his talent definitely supports his numbers so far, minus the AVG. His K:BB ratio of 43:11 doesn't show that he's ready to hit .300 at the major league level yet, but he's obviously still growing.

Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Another strong start from Dice-K, but the walks continue to haunt him. He limited the hits, but the lack of offensive support cost him a win.

B.J. Upton - 1/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (18). His AVG has taken the inevitable nosedive this month as he's only hitting .224 in August, but he continues to provide surprising power with 4 HR and 11 RBI this month, plus 11 R. He hasn't stolen a base since June, barely trying by going 0/2 since then, so don't count on any SB from him the rest of the way as the groin injury that put him on the DL is clearly preventing him from running. Still, the power is keeping him plenty valuable.

Bronson Arroyo - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). It wasn't pretty, but his owners will take it. Arroyo continues to struggle pitching at home, but he managed to get out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam by getting Teixeira and McCann out.

Andruw Jones - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (24). He came back strong with a big July of .263, 8 HR, 23 RBI, and 24 R, but has again slumped in August with a line of .211, 4 HR, 13 RBI, and 11 R. Hopefully he has a solid September to make my buy low suggestion look better.

Jake Peavy - 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 11 K, W (14). His command failed him, but he pitched around the baserunners and picked up the win by turning in a very solid effort otherwise. He's won 5 of his last 6 starts, including 3 double digit K games as he's back on top of his form.

Jose Reyes - 1/5, 1 R, 3 SB (67). Reyes has gone back on a ridiculous tear on the basepaths, stealing 13 bases in his last 10 games to give him 17 already this month. With a week left, he should easily post his highest monthly SB total this year.

Brad Lidge - 1 IP, 1 K, 1 SV (12). 5 consecutive scoreless inning save conversions for Lidge since his 4 ER meltdown against the Brewers earlier this month. It seems as though he's close to being an elite closer once again.

Albert Pujols - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (30). That's now 5 straight games with a HR for Pujols who's heating up at exactly the right time for his owners.

Jeremy Hermida - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). Hermida has been hitting great since the AS break, posting a line of .340 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, and 12 R in 37 G. Unfortunately due to his spot in the batting order, the R/RBI are quite low given what he's been doing at the plate. Give him another look if your OF is under-performing.

Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (12). A very surprising and quality performance from Tom G in Colorado against a powerful offense. He bounced back nicely after getting hit hard by the Phillies his last time out.

Jason Bay - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). He's worthless, despite the nice game last night. He's shown no signs of turning it around for any period of time, so I'm very tempted to bench him for the rest of the year barring a miracle hot streak in September from this turd.

Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (14). Sadly, the scoreless inning streak ended in the first inning, but Webb continued to pitch like the ace that he has become and turned in a great start for his 6th consecutive win.

Chris Young - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (26). His AVG in August is the 2nd worst month of his season at .209, but he's banged out 7 more HR this month. Unfortunately since he leads off, that's only equated to 8 RBI and 13 R. It's a shame the Diamondbacks haven't moved him into an RBI spot since he's really only hitting for power to help the team, although he does have 6 SB this month as well. Still, he could be running while hitting in the middle of the order as well.

Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, W (11). One of his best starts of the year, versus the Angels no less. He's won 5 in a row, and has pitched very well in the process. He'll likely be inconsistent still, but at least he's helping fantasy teams a lot right now.

John Lackey - 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Bad start, but it was the Yankees. Lackey failed in his bid to become the first 16 game winner in MLB.

Bobby Abreu - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's taken his AVG all the way up to .288 on the year as he continues to have a big 2nd half. He's hitting .340 with 10 HR, 46 RBI, 20 R, and 3 SB after the AS break.

Rich Hill - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. That's back-to-back great outings from Hill, who is hopefully turning the corner for a solid stretch run. Both the Cubs and his fantasy owners alike need a nice final month from the youngster.

Barry Zito - 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Amazing what happens when you don't walk everyone. Zito has dominated the Cubs both times he's faced them recently, so it'd be nice to see him put up a line like that against a team that isn't inept against LHP. It's a start, and perhaps he could provide mixed league value in the final month.

Tuesday's Action: A 10 RBI Game and Tulo Rules

OK, when I promised more updates yesterday, I forgot about the softball team outing after work. Here we are, back on track.

Brett Myers - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (12). He's been great since returning from the DL, allowing 3 ER in 10 2/3 IP, sporting a 13:3 K:BB ratio in the process. He's definitely back as an elite closer, and expect him to stay that way while he's healthy.

Ryan Howard - 2/4, 1 R, SB (1). Howard, the big power/well, power threat, finally stole his first base of the season last night. He's on a roll right now on the basepaths, so expect about 0 more SB over the rest of the season.

Russell Martin - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). He's definitely been quiet recently, and outside of his 2 HR game and then his 2 SB game, he hasn't offered up much production this month. He had been incredibly consistent before then, so it's his first prolonged slump of the year. Expect a nice finish if he hasn't worn down too much behind the plate.

Fausto Carmona - 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Incredible performance from Carmona last night against the Tigers, but some jerk named Jurrjens had to 1 hit his offense and give him the loss. He's taken his WHIP down to 1.20, but his 3.11 ERA still doesn't match. He's been delaying it by pitching great the last two outings, but he's probably due for a correction before the end of the year. You can't bench him, though.

Jhonny Peralta - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (18). He's been real quiet in August, hitting .236 with only 2 HR and 6 RBI. Hopefully he'll get things turned back around and heat up at the plate...he only has 15 RBI over the past 2 months.

Magglio Ordonez - 1/3, 1 R. 1 RBI, HR (23). Boy was I wrong here. Ordonez has gone back to killing the ball, hitting .370 with 7 HR and 23 RBI this month. He has continued his improbable run back to stud fantasy OF this season, and has posted an amazing 111 RBI so far this year.

Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, W (14). Whatever he did last offseason, let's hope he does it again. His amazing season continues, and he's only posted one start allowing more than 3 ER since April. He's been absolutely incredible.

Miguel Tejada - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). Tejada has only hit .268 this month after returning from a broken wrist, but he's displayed plenty of power with 5 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R scored. He's gone back to having solid fantasy value as a SS in mixed leagues.

Dan Haren - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, W (14). A bit unlucky to give up 4 ER only allowing 6 H, but when 3 of his hits are HR, this will happen. He's been mediocre in the 2nd half in the ratio department (3.60 ERA, 1.44 WHIP), allowing 58 H in 50 IP. However, he's avoided getting blown up, and he's still provided 4 W and 46 K in 50 IP.

Huston Street - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV (12). Street has been awesome this month, allowing 1 ER in 11 IP with 17 K, 5 H, and 1 BB. He's also back to being an elite closer and will provide great value to those who stayed with him through the injury.

Frank Thomas - 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (21). Thomas had a brutal May, but he's been very solid since then, giving us his best month in August with a .309 AVG, 5 HR, and 22 RBI. He's mostly a 3 catagory player as the bottom of the Blue Jays lineup doesn't drive in many runs, but he's been very good in those 3 catagories.

Jon Papelbon - 1 1/3 IP, 3 K, SV (30). This is the 2nd time in 3 appearances that Papelbon has gone over an inning for a save, and hopefully that's not the start of a trend down the stretch. One of the reasons that the Red Sox believe he had shoulder problems last year was the excessive multiple inning saves thanks to their leaky bullpen, and with Gagne pitching horribly since joining the team, he's been asked to do a bit more. Hopefully they'll back off and keep him healthy when his owners need him the most.

Chris Young - 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not only was this a bad start, but he left the start early with discomfort in his back and will miss at least a start. Odds are he came back too fast from his oblique injury he originally suffered back on July 24th, even though he had pitched successfully his last time out. As I've said before, these injuries are very tricky, and unfortunately his owners will be without him for a while. I hope you sold high on him when I suggested doing so around the AS break.

John Maine - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. His control problems continue to plague him, and he's not pitching around them like in the first half. You can think about benching him next time out, but I'd imagine he'll get things straightened out soon. That's 4 straight blah starts, however.

Carlos Beltran - 3/3, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (25). Beltran is smoking, hitting .351 in August with 6 HR, 18 RBI, and 10 R in 10 games. Us Beltran owners look to be owning a hot Beltran at just the right time down the stretch. Hopefully he'll give us a big finish to make up for all the lost time this year.

Mike Cameron - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). He's enjoying a solid August, hitting .265 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 13 R, and 4 SB. He's hitting well recently, so pick him up if someone dropped him and you still have a hole in your OF. He goes through extreme hot/cold streaks, but he's very valuable when hot.

Brandon Phillips - 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (23). He's been incredibly consistent this year from month to month, spreading out his HR/SB contribution pretty equally. 23 HR and 25 SB will make him a 3rd round pick next year or thereabouts, at least.

Wandy Rodriguez - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. Shocking that this came at home against the Nationals. Ignore it as an anomaly and continue starting him when he's at home unless it happens again next time out.

Ryan Zimmerman - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR (19). Zimmerman is back to his old self post-AS break, hitting .312 with 5 HR, 25 RBI, and 26 R in 38 G. He's provided solid fantasy value to those who waited out his power outage in April, and then his subpar AVG in the first half.

Scott Baker - 6 IP, 14 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Hardly at his best, but that is one fine example of stranding baserunners. He's been pitching great for a while now, so stay with him as an end-of-the-rotation starter.

Adrian Beltre - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (20). He'll never recapture the magic that lead to his huge contract year during his last season in a Dodgers uniform, but he's settled into a quality lower tier fantasy 3B in the middle of an underrated lineup.

Adam Wainwright - 6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. A bit heavy on the hits, but overall another very solid outing from Wainwright, who's dramatically up his K rate since the start of July (53 K in 61 IP since), and is seeing the benefits of missing more bats. The Cardinals are starting to get hot and put pressure on the NL Central leading CUbs and Brewers, so expect more wins from Wainwright down the stretch if the team continues playing well, along with the vastly improved ratios (2.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) since the AS break.

Albert Pujols - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (29). 4 straight games with a HR. Here comes Pujols!

Javier Vazquez - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (11). Another great outing from Vazquez as he continues to pitch well. Unfortunately he won't make Sox fans forget about trading young OF sensation Chris Young in the deal to get him since Vazquez is over a year late in finally settling down and becoming a very good AL pitcher.

Jim Thome - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (21). Thome is working his way out of a huge slump during August. Considering he missed time with his aching back, it was likely the root cause of the problem. He's back hitting well again, so if he can manage his back down the stretch, expect a nice finish from big Jim. He's 8 HR away from the magical 500 HR mark.

Troy Tulowitski - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (17). He's been huge in August, posting a .365 AVG with 5 HR, 20 RBI, and 12 R in 20 games. He has definitely arrived, and with his depressed stats thanks to a slow start, he's a candidate to be undervalued in drafts next year.

Dave Bush - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (10). He's been up and down, but he turned in a great start against the Diamondbacks last night. He really hasn't been very good this year, so only consider him as a spot starter against weaker offenses. He hasn't been able to limit the baserunners like last season.

Mike Mussina - 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. To say he pitched badly last night would be an understatement. He's been far more good than bad, so swallow this huge lump and keep using him.

Kelvim Escobar - 6 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, W (14). A rough outing for Escobar as well, but the offense provided him with 18 runs of support on his way to an easy win.

Garret Anderson - 4/6, 3 R, 10 RBI, 2 HR (8). What a career night for Anderson, but unfortunately it was probably accomplished on your waiver wire.

Howie Kendrick - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. Need a 2B for your stretch run? Look no further. He's fully health for once now that his finger has healed a 2nd time, and he should provide a nice spark at the 2B position in the final month plus.

Tim Lincecum - 8 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. He was brilliant for 8 innings, but then allowed 3 consecutive hits and 1 run to start the 9th, and his bullpen pushed the other 2 runners home, plus 2 more. It's a shame he didn't get a win for his efforts, but he just wore down in the 9th and pitched an excellent ballgame.

Wednesday - Patterson's Stealin', Street's Closin'

Daisuke Matsuzaka - 6 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. A flatout bad outing from Matsuzaka, although he had been rolling in his previous 4 starts. He's been a frustrating pitcher to own this year. He tends to get blown up too often, which masks how many good starts he's turned in. All in all, he's only had one great month in June (1.59 ERA, 1.09 WHIP) and he's been mediocre to bad in the rest of the months. The biggest problem is the walks...he's on pace for over 80 this season. Still, he's been big in the K department, has 13 wins, and an ERA under 4.00, so he's been a good 3rd starter.

Al Reyes - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, SV (18). Reyes hasn't been the same since getting hurt, but odds are he'll do more good than bad for your team. Consider him a solid 3rd closer for your bullpen, if you carry that many. He's a shaky #2 due to his ratios, although his job remains secure.

Carlos Pena - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI. He's quietly crashed in the AVG department, all the way down to .263. This is more like the Pena we know. The biggest problem is his power slump, hitting only 1 HR so far this month along with his dreadful .184 AVG. Expect him to hit for more power soon, but you had to know this was coming.

Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Not even the Yankees can handle the hottest pitcher in fantasy baseball, although the bullpen blew the save, costing him the win. His ERA has dropped all the way down to 2.98, and he's honestly been pitching like Johan Santana since April. There's no pitcher that's been more valuable in that stretch.

Phillip Hughes - 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A little erratic, but not too bad. Of course, he faced Bedard, so he had no chance anyways.

Alex Rodriguez - 4/4, 1 R, SB (15). The only guy better than Bedard, apparently. He's always been contributing something almost all year long, save the stretch when he was pressing to get his 500th HR.

Corey Patterson - 2/5, 1 R, 2 SB (35). Other than Chone Figgins, there hasn't been a hotter base stealer since the AS break. His horrible start landed him on the waiver wire in many leagues, but his 2nd half turnaround has turned him into a free agent star, just like last year.

Scott Baker - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. A bit erratic, but he turned in a fine start yet again. Unfortunately the offense didn't break through until after he left, leaving him with a victory for his efforts. He's been hit hard in two of his past 10 starts, but he's been way more good than bad during that stretch.

Ichiro Suzuki - 2/4, 2 SB (34). Ichiro's quitely been doing his thing, with a .347 AVG and 34 SB on the season. Kick in the fact that he'll be going over 100 R again this year, and he's been one of the best speed threats in fantasy baseball yet again.

Eric Byrnes - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (32). I think I've mentioned him enough for one year. The 32 steals have been a ridiculous return on investment so far given he was probably drafted as your 3rd OF.

Fausto Carmona - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, W (14). Carmona set a career-high in Ks last night, and pitched great while picking up his 14th win of the season. I stated before that his ERA of 3.16 does not match his 1.24 WHIP, but when he pitches like this, it doesn't matter. He'll need to keep limiting baserunners like that to keep his ERA where it is, however, which is unlikely in the AL.

John Maine - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (13). The win is nice, but again with the walks. He got away with erratic control early on, but he's not getting away with it this time around. He'll need to improve his command to start seeing better results.

Moises Alou - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (8), SB (3). Alou is on fire right now, and while he's healthy hitting in the Mets lineup, he's well worth using in mixed leagues. Pick him up if he's still out there.

Shaun Marcum - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (10). Riding the hot streak. Loving it. Stay on the bandwagon...he's won his last 5 starts. Maybe Toronto has found a diamond in the rough here. Odds are strong that he'll eventually fade, however.

Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, SV (23). He's allowed 2 ER since July 6th, so he's on a serious role again and has reclaimed a large amount of job security in the process. It looks like the rough spot was just an ERA correction that he was due for, as he's now sitting at 2.32 on the year. His 47 K in 50 1/3 IP is solid, but the 20 BB are not. His command has been much better lately, however.

Tim Hudson - 8 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (14). Hudson has won 4 straight starts and 8 of his last 10 as he's settled into the same sort of groove that he was in earlier this season. He's on quite a roll, and the improved offensive support helped by the acquisition of Teixeira is definitely a big part of his very nice win total.

Joel Piniero - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. His velocity has improved with his return to the rotation (a bit backwards), and the switch to the NL has helped as well. He's turned in 2 strong outings in a row, but I wouldn't use him in mixed leagues until he proves himself a bit more. If the velocity stays up, he could be a nice NL pitcher down the stretch. Keep an eye on him...he had quite a bit of potential in Seattle years ago before injuries struck.

Yovani Gallardo - 5 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. He just needs to cut down on the hits...the K:BB ratio was obviously solid last night. He's going through a tough rookie patch, so as long as he's not hurt, he'll bounce back just like Lincecum did.

Albert Pujols - 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (25). He hasn't been the fantasy monster per usual this year, but he's turning in another fine year regardless. He's been bothered by several nagging injuries so far along the way, so that might explain a "down year" by his standards.

Ted Lilly - 5 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. The start of the game was delayed by rain, and when it finally started, the pitching on both sides was horrible. Lilly had been on fire prior to this, so this is just a bump in the road on a night when the offenses went nuts.

Josh Hamilton - 1/1, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (15). I have no idea why the Reds are platooning him right now, benching him against lefties. He's a young player that needs to develop, so the Reds need to be giving him consistent playing time. I really question his mixed league value if he's not in there every day, but he obviously has legit power. If you're using him, keep an eye on whether or not he's active when the lineups are released.

Aramis Ramirez - 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (18). That cortizone shot definitely has him feeling better. 2 HRs in a row, so he's definitely feeling fine.

Gil Meche - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Are you seriously still using him?

Ian Kinsler - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (15). Kinsler is hitting .311 with 1 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R, and 4 SB in 14 games this month. Pick him up if someone gave up on him, which is likely the case. He probably has a solid finish left in him as he remains a quality fantasy 2B when healthy.

Chris Young - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. That's much better. Young was back in form last night after struggling in his first start back after going on the DL. He apparently feels fine, so continue using him. With a 1.93 ERA, however, it has nowhere to go but up.

Mark Buehrle - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not one of his finer performances, but he stranded baserunners and turned in a quality outing. Unfortunately the offense let him down again, keeping him at 9 wins on the season despite a 3.36 ERA.

Joe Blanton - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W (10). June Joe Blanton returned, at least for last night. Hopefully he'll get things turned around and give his remaining owners a solid rest of the season.

Huston Street - 1 IP, 3 K, SV (10). Welcome back to the closer's role, Huston. He and Embree switched roles last night, and given Embree allowed 2 ER and Street turned in a perfect inning, you can bet that this will be the bullpen arrangement the rest of the season. This seems a bit weird given how good Embree was closing, but Street is the team's closer and the switch happened a bit sooner than expected.

Brad Penny - 6 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (14). Well, this makes up for the no-decision Penny received last time out despite 7 shutout innings. He was hittable, but limited the damaged and picked up the win.

Russell Martin - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (14). Didn't I just get done saying that he was slumping? Well this is a nice way to prove me wrong.

Tuesday: Zambrano, Martin Slumping

Brett Myers - 1 IP, 3 K, SV (10). An owner's favorite kind of save. Since he's returned from the DL, he's pitched 8 2/3 IP, allowing 5 H, 3 BB, and 3 ER while K'ing 9. He's back on top of his game and will remain a borderline elite closer while he's healthy. Much like Papelbon, the Phillies will likely limit his appearances in order to protect his arm.

Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. The Indians are really struggling if they can't hit Batting Practice Bonderman. On a serious note, it was obviously very nice to see this sort of outing after allowing 5 or more ER in 4 straight starts. Hopefully he can build on this and close the season strong.

C.C. Sabathia - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Sabathia is rolling with 6 straight quality starts, the last 5 in which he's allowed 2 ER or less. Thanks to the struggling offense, he's only won 2 of those starts, and he's actually lost 2 of them as well. At any rate, he's elevated himself to a fantasy ace with his breakthrough this season, and at 27 years old, he should stay that way for a few years.

Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (20). 20/20 for the 3rd straight year to start what figures to be a very bright career. He was moved to the 3rd spot in the order yesterday with Lofton leading off as the Indians attempt to put together something different to get the offense going. If he'd stay there (unlikely at this point), he'd receive a slight bump in fantasy value with more RBI chances.

Orlando Hernandez - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 8 K. His command failed him, but thanks to the miserable Pirates offense, he was able to limit the damage. His 3.12 ERA on the season is nothing short of remarkable for this veteran.

Ian Snell - 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Well, it looks like Snell has fixes his problems with a 2nd straight positive performance. He's safe to use again if you had been benching him.

Carlos Beltran - 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). He's hitting when he's in the lineup, but it remains to be seen when he'll be ready to bat right handed again. Continue to monitor who his opponent is and sit him against lefties until he actually plays against one.

Chris Young - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (21). Young had been 5/45 this month prior to last night, so he's clearly not turning any corner with his AVG so far. The 21 HR and 19 SB show the type of great potential this kid has, but the .233 AVG is brutal. His strikeouts have increased every single month, and this month has been no exception so far. Until he reverses that trend, his AVG will remain a problem.

Miguel Cabrera - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (29). He's 4 HR away from his career high, which seems to be a lock to be broken this year. He's hitting a scorching .373 since the AS break as he's moving himself to a middle 1st round pick next year.

Brian Roberts - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB (36). Roberts has already matched his career high in SB, and we still have a month and a half left to play. He's hitting .317, and with 79 R, he's been a fine asset in 3 catagories this year, making him close to a top flight 2B.

Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. He's still rolling, turning in a fine performance against the Red Sox last night. He's turned in 7 straight quality starts, picking up 4 wins in that streak. He was in line for the win last night until Reyes blew the save and took the loss in the 9th.

Mike Lowell - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (16). He's had a history of slowing down after the AS break, but he's hitting .336 since the break this year. His power has quieted down with only 2 HR and 16 RBI that span, but owner's can blame the surrounding offense for that one.

Roy Halladay - 9 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (14). Halladay has posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and has 4 wins since the AS break. He's indeed regained his form and is rewarding those who bought low or kept him through his struggles.

John Smoltz - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Another quality start from Smoltz, who's posted 7 strong starts in his last 8 tries. He was again denied a win since Wickman blew another save. His 3.09 ERA doesn't quite match his 1.26 WHIP, but that's the worst WHIP he's posted since 1993. Hopefully he'll regain his form and start limiting the baserunners a bit more, but he's still pitching very well.

Aaron Harang - 7 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (12). Unfortunately 3 of the hits he allowed were HRs, leading to the high amount of ER despite the lack of hits. His bullpen barely held on and gave him the win despite the subpar start.

Carlos Zambrano - 7 IP, 13 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. What, did the Cubs re-acquire Barrett? Zambrano's been horrible the last two starts, and this was especially bad. Hopefully he can bounce back during his next outing or we might have to start wondering about how he's feeling.

Aramis Ramirez - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (17). Very nice to see. In his first game back since receiving a cortizone injection for his troublesome wrist, he slams a HR. Usually the first thing to go with a wrist injury is power, so it's nice to see him immediately homer. Get him back in there.

Ryan Braun - 3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (23). He's either one up on Superman since nothing can slow him down, or no one has found his kryptonite yet. This is among the most memorable rookie seasons in some time, and he's an absolute lock for NL ROY.

Matt Garza - 7 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, W (2). It was nice to finally see Garza pick up a win for his efforts. He's been very good since returning to the majors this year after struggling during his callup last season. One has to wonder about whether or not the Twins will shut him down to preserve his arm, but continue using him in mixed leagues until you hear otherwise.

Torii Hunter - 3/4, 4 R, SB (13). He had been struggling pretty bad since the AS break, hitting .257 with 4 HR and only 10 RBI until last night. He was playing a bit over his head, but the entire Minnesota offense has been in a collective slump recently, so expect both him and the offense to get going sometime soon.

Jack Cust - 2/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (20). His power is for real, is it not? He's actually hitting a respectable .273, so he's not dragging your AVG down that bad at all. That's 20 HR and 63 RBI in only 260 AB. The 105 K is absolutely ridiculous, but he's countered that with 59 BB as well.

Jeff Francis - 3 1/3 IP, 6 H, 8 ER, 6 BB, 4 K. A disaster. 6 walks? He had won 3 straight after a rough patch before imploding versus San Diego last night, at Petco nonetheless. Very frustrating, but walks are usually not a problem for him.

Greg Maddux - 5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (8). His outing versus Colorado is quite different when it's in Petco Park. His owners had to enjoy the solid performance last night.

Russell Martin - 0/4. Martin has disappeared this month, hitting .224 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, and 1 SB. He was due to slow down at some point after the feverish pace he started the season with, but this is a slight concern given how catchers tend to wear down, especially since this is his first full season behind the plate. Still, there's no reason to panic.

Monday's Slight Of Games: Wang Gets Pounded

Matt Cain - 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Another solid stat line, but he was again the victim of horrible run support. The Giants offense is just absolutely horrible, and it's that much worse when Bonds doesn't play. Unrelated, but continue to target spot starters against the Giants. In terms of Cain, you just can't count on him to put up more than 2-3 wins over the rest of the year, even though he's definitely pitching much better.

Paul Maholm - 9 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. That's great, but as mentioned above, it came against the Giants. He's working on his 3rd straight sub 4.00 ERA month, but with the lack of Ks and wins combined with the fact he isn't this good, and I'm not going to recommend him in mixed leagues.

Noah Lowry - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, W (13). He has an impressive 3.28 ERA on the season now, but he's combined that with a hideous 1.46 WHIP and 79 K in 142 2/3 IP. He's fool's gold and due for an ERA correction in a big way, but as with Garland earlier, you might as well ride out the hot streak if you can stomach the WHIP.

Shannon Stewart - 4/5, 3 R. He's sporting a nice .303 AVG on the season, and despite the modest contribution with 10 SB, he's not really doing much for your fantasy team with 9 HR, 36 RBI, and only 59 R despite hitting leadoff with a good AVG.

Jeremy Guthrie - 4 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Further poundings are being laid down on Guthrie, who's ERA has shot up to 3.50. Hope you sold high on him back around the AS break.

Chien Ming-Wang - 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. That's 2 straight bad outings from Wang, who's seen his ERA shoot up to 4.09 and his WHIP shoot up to 1.30. He's sporting a 8.04 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP this month so far. Hopefully he gets back on track. I traded for him in a deadline deal since I needed wins, and thanks to 2 wild pitches in the 7th by Ron Villone, the 5th run came around to score, and then Rivera blew the save despite having a runner thrown out at home. I hate the damn wins catagory.

Corey Patterson - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (6), SB (33). He continues his post AS break assault, upping his numbers to .347 with 4 Hr, 14 RBI, 23 R and 15 SB in 29 games since the AS break. He's clearly re-established himself as the bigtime speed threat with solid pop that we saw break out last season, and he's acclimated himself well as the #2 hitter.

Bobby Abreu - 1/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Post AS break assault #2. He's hitting .333 with 7 HR, 38 RBI, and 27 R in 30 games. That's compared to .263 with 5 HR, 41 RBI, and 59 R in 85 games before the AS break. He's clearly back as a fantasy stud in the OF, and the recent power outburst has been 2 years coming.

James Shields - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Shields has rebounded nicely in his last 3 starts, allowing 5 ER over his last 19 2/3 IP with 20 K and 3 BB. That includes a matchup with Detroit, and then against Boston last night. Unfortunately due to the stagnant TB offense, he's only picked up 1 win in that span. He's re-emerged as a solid mixed league option.

Alex Rios - 2/3, RBI. Rios has cooled off in a big way in the power department, only homering 3 times in his last 42 games, but he's raised his AVG from .293 to .306 in that time frame and is still scoring plenty of runs. The HR/RBI should rebound eventually, but he's making himself useful despite the power outage.

Johan Santana - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. The relatively mediocre starts continue for Santana, and with the dreadful Minnesota offense, it's not getting him any wins despite him pitching well by normal standards. I know you want to drop his sorry ass, but I encourage you not to.

Felix Hernandez - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Felix turned in his best outing since his last 2 starts versus Oakland. He's someone you have to worry about matchups with, unfortunately, but he's showing the consistency to shut down weak offenses at least. Pitch inefficiency (110 pitches through 6 innings) kept him back from going deeper, and then the bullpen handed the lead away the very next inning to prevent a win. It'd be nice to see him turn in one of these outings against a quality offense.

Joe Mauer - 3/4, 2 RBI, SB (7). He's hitting .364 in August so far, but thanks to the horrible offense around him and his continued lack of power, he's not helping in any other catagory right now.

Roy Oswalt - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (13). I told you he'd bounce back. Oswalt has been his dominant self over the past 5 starts, allowed 3 ER over 33 IP with 26 K and 8 BB. He's back on a roll as a fantasy ace right now.

Chad Billingsley - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. The Ks were there, per usual, but his control failed him once again. The roller coaster ride continues.

Chad Qualls - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (3). Qualls picked up the save chance with Lidge pitching the past 3 games, and converted flawlessly. He's valuable insurance for Lidge owners, and clearly 2nd in line should Lidge implode again later on this year.

Sunday's Action: Ordonez Back On Fire, Burnett Returns

Andy Pettitte - 7 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (9). He cruised through the first 6 innings, started to tire in the 7th, and then was pulled in the 8th after putting 2 on with 1 out, 1 of which scored. Still, it was a solid effort from Pettitte, and he's posted 7 straight starts of 3 ER or less.

Melky Cabrera - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (8), SB (10). He's a fine injury replacement OF in mixed leagues. He's being over looked, but he's hit .361 with 4 HR, 20 RBI, and 22 R in 31 games since the AS break. He's up to .302 on the season and while he doesn't possess great HR power nor great SB speed, he's going to contribute enough in those catagories while hitting .300 and producing runs.

Grady Sizemore - 1/4, SB (29). Sizemore is slumping, going 7 for his last 39 to lower his AVG to .275 on the season. He hasn't hit well since the start of July, but expect him to heat back up sometime shortly.

Mike Piazza - 0/5. Piazza is 1 for his last 15 and he only got one AB between the 8th and the 12th. Since he plays the catcher position, he should still have solid mixed league value, but the way he's being randomly inserted into the lineup on a team with 2 DH's is starting to become a problem. He's not going to find a rhythm at the plate during a cold streak this way. He cleared waivers last week, and it would be for the best if another team made a deal for him.

Magglio Ordonez - 2/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (21). So much for Ordonez slowing down. My sell high plea to him doesn't look so good right now, although I did conditionalize it by saying go after a top flight OF in return. It's just that Ordonez has remained top flight himself, smashing 5 HR already this month after a slow June/July with 4 HR combined.

Oliver Perez - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. Perez was due for a rough stretch as he had been posting an ERA below 3 for a while, and now that it's at 3.46, it's more in line with how's pitching, so expect better results moving forward. Too bad he didn't have another inning left him as they took the lead for good the inning following his departure.

Moises Alou - 3/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (7). Alou's back, healthy (for now), and hitting well like usual. Consider him as an option if you have a hole in your OF before his next DL stint.

Jake Peavy - 6 2/3 IP. 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (13). He got sloppy towards the end of the outing, allowing 5 of the 8 baserunners, and 3 of the 4 runs he gave up in the last 1 2/3. Still, it was another fairly strong outing that lead to his 4th win in a row.

Bronson Arroyo - 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. He just can't be trusted at home, even against a weak Padres offense, can he? Keep in mind where he's pitching before plugging him into your lineup.

Brian Giles - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (7). 5 HR in his last 3 games, all of which came at Cincinnati. Don't pick him up...he's not going through a career renassaince.

Curt Schilling - 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K. He pitched pretty well, but the complete lack of Ks is very concerning at this point for a pitcher that's having shoulder issues. I didn't watch the game, but I didn't read that he had any diminshed velocity. Keep an eye on him, though.

Brad Lidge - 1/3 IP, SV (8). Bounced back from his latest meltdown to get the final out for another save. It'd be nice to see him string together a few more scoreless outings before I'd say he's out of the woods, obviously.

Jim Thome - He's 1 for his last 22 as his back is probably bothering him again. This is exactly why I said to trade him before your trading deadline, although I was unsuccessful in finding a deal for him. Smart owners.

Anthony Reyes - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (2). Finally another win for Reyes. He's pitching pretty well, so don't forget about him. He's only worth a spot start against weaker offenses for now.

Tom Gorzelanny - 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. The CG SHO is great, but did the Pirates really need to leave their starter a few starts removed from shoulder injuries in to throw 117 pitches in a 5-0 game? A great start, but not a smart move from the Pirates coaching staff.

Troy Tulowitski - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (15). One of my best waiver wire pickups of the season. He has really come alive since the start of June, hitting .294 with 13 HR, 39 RBI, and 38 R in that span. He's become a top 10 SS and only figures to get better at the plate.

Jered Weaver - 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, W (8). A great start from Weaver against the reeling Minnesota offense. He's put together back-to-back solid starts since getting lit up in back-to-back outings. Such is the life for a young flyball pitcher.

Chone Figgins - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (2). Dueces wild. Figgins has been ridiculous since the start of June, hitting .407 with 27 SB and 50 R in that timeframe. He's been an incredible WW pickup that rivals that of Ryan Braun, but in a different capacity.

A.J. Burnett - 7 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (6). A very successful return for Burnett against the soft Royals offense. The fact he was limited to 90 pitches is a plus, but the Jays history of over-using him and his arm troubles state that he's very risky going forward. Unfortunately with the fantasy trade deadlines past in most leagues, you can't try to sell him off of this performance. He'll remain pretty helpful while healthy.

Ryan Howard - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (33). He hits the ball far.

Jimmy Rollins - 2/5, 3 R, SB (22). He had been off to an awful start so far this month, but with a .290 AVG, 21 HR, 22 SB, and 100 R already, he's been the elite SS all his owners drafted/traded for him to be.

Saturday's Recap

Derek Lowe - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Another mediocre outing from Lowe as he continues to struggle since coming back from his hip injury. If he continues to pitch, I imagine it's not an injury that will get worse, so expect him to bounce back soon. He was much better in the last 3 innings of this one.

Rick Ankiel - 3/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (3). Ankiel is a great story, moving from prized pitching prospect who battled injuries and extreme wildness to power hitting OF, but his flaws at the plate (lack of patience, inability to hit a solid breaking ball) will be exposed soon enough, and he's not going to be useful in mixed leagues. You could attempt to ride out a hot streak if you're desparate.

Tim Lincecum - 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. More hittable than usual today as Pittsburgh gave him a hard time. Not a very good outing, but the improvement in the walks catagory is reason to smile.

Adam LaRoche - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (17). LaRoche has quietly turned his season around. He hit .321 with 4 HR and 12 RBI last month, and he's started off August with a .325 AVG with 3 HR and 8 RBI in 9 games. He'll continue to be limited by the weak Pittsburgh offense and the slumping Jason Bay, but he's well worth using hitting the way he is.

Josh Beckett - 8 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. Beckett gave up consecutive RBI hits with 2 outs in the 9th, and Boston decided to replace him after 115 pitches and turned to Delcarmen to get the last out. Despite him falling an out short of a CG SHO, he turned in a great outing to pick up win #15.

Wandy Rodriguez - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Another stellar home outing from Rodriguez, but the bullpen blew a 4-1 lead.

Brad Lidge - 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 K, BS (5). That's his 3rd blown save since regaining the closer role, and this was obviously very ugly. He's allowed 9 ER in his past 6 2/3 IP, shooting his ERA to 3.28. Since Qualls also struggled tonight, Lidge will remain the closer for now, but he'd better right the ship quickly.

Ryan Braun - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (22). He decided to do all his damage the last two innings, including a game winning HR. The only way he could help owners more is if he started pitching.

Jeff Francouer - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). He's hitting a scorching .395 this month with 2 HR and 7 RBI in 10 games. He seems to be enjoying Teixeira's arrival.

Josh Fields - 2/5, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (12). That's 3 HR in 2 days from Fields who's hitting .282 with 4 HR and 10 RBI in 10 games so far this month. He's still striking out way too much, so he's not going to be useful in AVG. Still, with 12 HR in 2.5 months, he's displaying the power that made him a well regarded prospect.

Dan Haren - 6 1/3 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Back to the 3 ER outings for Haren, although this qualifies as a solid performance against the Tigers. His 2.53 ERA still ranks first in the AL.

Justin Verlander - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, W (12). Still a bit shaky, but he stranded baserunners and picked up the win for his effort. His 2nd half numbers are still a bit worrisome as they sit at a 4.86 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He's been quite a bit more hittable since the start of July.

Mike Mussina - 7 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (8). Tied for his longest outing of the year, although the Cleveland lineup is hitting very lame these days. Still, he hasn't walked a hitter in 3 consecutive outings and has won 4 straight.

Alex Rodriguez - 2/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (39). His 5th multi-HR game of the season. He's settled back into a groove once he finally hit #500.

Tom Glavine - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another quality start from Glavine, although the bullpen blew his bid for win #301 for his

Kevin Gregg - After struggling for a while, he's strung together 5 consecutive scoreless appearances, 4 consecutive saves, and only 2 H and 2 BB allowed in those 6 innings. He has no threat to his job, so Benitez's struggles have given him a longer leash.

David Wright - 3/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (22). Wright responded with 2 HR just as I mentioned he needed to get going a bit to reach a career high in HR. Wright still has further upside as he continues to develop as a 24 year old hitter.

Dustin McGowan - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another solid outing from McGowan against the Royals here, but a lack of offense prevented him from picking up another win. Continue using him in mixed leagues.

Alex Gordon - 3/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (9), SB (11). I had just tired of his 2nd extended slump of the season and dumped him the day before this in favor of Nomar Garciaparra. Thanks, asshole. Maybe he can build on this for once and finally show some consistency.

Rich Hill - 5 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Hill is sporting a 11.32 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP at Coors field in 2 starts there, so give serious consideration to benching him in his next trip to Colorado. Coors Field and big curveballs don't mix well thanks to the thin air.

Brandon Webb - 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. Webb is up to 33 consecutive scoreless innings as he's lowered his ERA to a sparkling 2.77 for the season. That's 2 consecutive CG SHOs as well. Needless to say, he's been the hottest pitcher in fantasy baseball over that span, compiling 29 K over that span while only allowing 22 H and 6 BB.

Edwin Jackson - 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Easily the best outing of the youngster's career. The 5.84 ERA makes him completely unusable in mixed leagues, but he's only allowed 2 ER over his past 21 IP as he's on a nice little roll. He remains a sleeper for next season as he was a prized Dodgers pitching prospect at one point.

John Lackey - 8 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 0 BB, 3 K, W (15). Lackey scattered his baserunners and tied Beckett for the MLB lead with his 15th win. He's been an unheralded fantasy ace this season, breaking through much like Brandon Webb did last season. The improved Angels offense and consistently stellar bullpen continue to support him.

Friday's Games: Hughes Back On Track

Phillip Hughes - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (2). That's much better. Hughes bounced back from his terrible first start after spending a few months on the DL with a bigtime performance against a good Cleveland offense. He'll be slightly inconsistent as with most rookies, but his arm is fresh for the stretch run and he'll be a valuable asset in mixed leagues for the rest of the year.

Fausto Carmona - 7 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Not a bad start versus the Yankees. This was the first time he's allowed more than 3 ER over his past 8 starts as his surprising season continues. Still, with the 1.27 WHIP and only 89 K in 151 2/3 IP, his 3.26 ERA stands to rise.

Joba Chamberlain - 2 IP, 4 K. Another bigtime Yankees pitching prospect has been promoted, although he's being limited to the bullpen for now and probably won't have fantasy value. I post this because with Clemens serving his suspension over a 5 day stretch in which the Yankees play 5 games, they'll need an extra starter. If they call on Chamberlain to start one of those games, give him strong consideration for a spot start.

Joe Blanton - 4 IP, 7 H, 9 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Enough is enough. He had a strong April, mediocre May, an amazing June, but he's working on turning in his 2nd straight horrendous month. There's probably a lack of mixed league rotation candidates on your waiver wire, so the best bet here is probably to keep him on the bench versus strong offenses.

Jack Cust - 2/5, 2 R, 7 RBI, HR (18). He's still only hitting .265, and he's on a 75 R pace over an entire season, but he's providing very good value in HR and RBI. You could do worse for a 3rd OF, so continue using him there if you have. Just keep in mind you have to balance out the fact he's really only contributing to two catagories.

Daisuke Matsuzaka - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. Another strong performance, although he yet against displayed command problems. He was able to work around those, but the bullpen blew up and relinquished the lead. His stuff and K rate allows him to combat the random control issues.

Erik Bedard - 7 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Another great outing from Bedard, especially against the Red Sox. He's really taken a big step forward this year and has elevated himself into the role as a fantasy ace. He's been able to battle through a mediocre offense and a shaky bullpen to post a solid win total.

Eric Gagne - 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 1 BB. He has been horrible since being traded to the Red Sox, allowing 9 H, 2 BB, 6 ER in only 3 1/3 IP. Given he's not closing, he's well worth benching until he gets himself straigthened out.

Billy Wagner - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, BS (2). 2's galore. He hadn't allowed a run since June 13th, almost 2 months prior. Wagner continues to be an elite closer who just had an offnight last evening.

Carlos Beltran - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (20). Beltran belted his 20th HR in his return last night, but it appears that he'll only play in games where he can bat left-handed. The strained oblique that landed him on the DL still causes him pain when batting right-handed, so he'll be platooned for now. Make sure to have an extra OF on hand so that you can take him out in games where he doesn't start.

Hanley Ramirez - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB (36). This included 2 steals of 3rd base. Han-Ram is continuing his assault on major league pitching and is working his way into a early-middle 1st round pick in redraft leagues next year. He's among the top 4-5 keepers in all of fantasy baseball.

David Weathers - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. He's actually pitched very well in closing situations this year, but his owners will have to put up with outings like this in non-save situations. It's blowups like these that separate closers into different tiers as Weathers will be more vulnerable to outings like these.

Ken Griffey Jr. - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (27). 10 HR away from 600. He's really regressed in the 2nd half so far as his AVG has dropped down to .273 on the season. He should get hot again, but it's possible that he's just not a .290 hitter anymore. He should have been dealt a while ago due to injury concerns, but if you've hung onto him, he'll maintain solid power numbers while healthy, but AVG could be a problem.

Chuck James - 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. One bad inning. A pitcher like James probably shouldn't be used against Philly on the road, but he actually pitched pretty well. He's not a mixed league starter that can be plugged in regardless of opponent.

Cole Hamels - 7 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, W (13). Solid run support added another win to Hamels' total, who wasn't on his A game judging from the K total, but he still limited the baserunners and ended up with a solid start.

Tom Gordon - 1 IP, 1 BB, SV (6). Don't read too much into this...Myers just needed a night off. He might pick up a couple more saves this season, and thanks to both that and Myers' fragile health, he's well worth owning.

David Bush - 6 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Against Houston? I'm off the bandwagon again. If he can't consistently pitch well against softer offenses, he's not worth playing matchups with.

J.J. Hardy - 1/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (19). His first HR since June. He's turned into trash, so I hope he's still not on your team. It's a bit confusing as he came up through the Milwaukee system as a solid power prospect, and while he was definitely playing over his head the first two months, his complete collapse has lasted longer than anticipated.

Brad Penny - 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He's still been a quality start machine in the 2nd half, but this was the first outing in 5 starts that he hadn't allowed 3 ER. His 2.54 ERA is due for a correction as his WHIP sits at 1.20, but the .241 BAA is very good and shows how well he's pitching.

Adam Wainwright - 9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another great start from Wainwright, but unfortunately he was outdueled by Brad Penny last night.

Shaun Marcum - 6 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (9). He's still rolling on an improbable hot streak, mowing down the Royals last night with ease. Continue riding out the hot streak.

Gil Meche - 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He pitched pretty well last night, but was incredibly inefficient, needing 101 pitches to complete 5 innings, preventing him from pitching deeper into the ballgame.

Vernon Wells - 2/4, 2 RBI, SB (8). Wells continues his modest improvement in the 2nd half, although some more power would be nice.

Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (10). A little sloppy with the hits allowed, but he did a good job stranding baserunners and picked up his 10th win of the season. He's won 6 of his last 8 starts.

C.J. Wilson - 1 1/3 IP, 1 K, SV (4). 4/4 since Gagne left. These save situations are still involving key matchups against lefties, so Wilson is continuing to get save opportunities. We still haven't see Benoit in the 8th and Wilson in the 9th, so there's still not clear-cut pecking order despite the save chances saying otherwise.

Jacque Jones - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (3), SB (3). A great night for Jones, and considering how hot he is at the plate in August (.444, 10 RBI in 9 games), he's worth picking up for the short term.

Conor Jackson - 3/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (9), SB (2). Big night for Jackson, but he just hasn't become the hitter that he's been projected to be yet. He has 20-25 HR power, but should hit well over .300 once he matures. He'll be a lower tier 1B, but he's not there yet as his .272 AVG proves.

Scott Baker - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. The Angels are not a good matchup for fringe mixed league starters as they've hit the ball well all year. Baker was on quite a roll, so a bad outing against a very good offense should not be held against him. If anything, it proves that Baker should not be used against elite offenses.

Kelvim Escobar - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, W (12). 12 walks in his last two outings. That's a source of concern for the oft-injured pitcher, although he's done an incredible job of avoiding major damage by only allowing 3 ER in that span.

Atlanta Braves Closing Situation (Dotel To The DL)

Bob Wickman - Wickman's MRI on his forearm came back clean, and he's returned to the bullpen tonight in the closer's role. It looks like he's fine for now.

Octavio Dotel - The Atlanta Braves will place 8th inning man Dotel on the DL with a sore shoulder. Given how badly he's pitched since the Braves acquired him, it makes sense that he was hurting given how good he is when healthy. At least it's not his elbow, but the severity of the injury probably won't be known for a while. He's droppable if you don't have a DL spot.

Rafael Soriano - Soriano has been very disappointing, posting a 3.83 ERA which is way out of line given his 0.97 WHIP, even if his K rate has gone down a bit with 44 K in 51 2/3 IP. He has given up 10 HR already, which is the likely culprit. He will return to the primary setup man in Atlanta with Dotel headed to the DL, and is worth owning given Wickman's advanced age, mediocre performance, and fragile health.

Carlos Beltran Activated From The DL

The New York Mets activated CF Carlos Beltran from the DL this evening.

This was a surprise. It was expected that he'd be back sometime next week, but apparently he's feeling good enough to return tonight. He had been out with strained oblique, so we hope that he didn't rush back and end up back on the DL.

Fantasy Impact: He's starting in CF tonight, so throw him back in there if you have an open spot.