I've been on vacation and won't post again til tomorrow. I'll recap tonight's games at some point tomorrow, but I don't feel like playing catchup on anything but the injuries from the past couple days. :)
What I'll do instead to make up for lost time is run down a list of sell high/buy low candidates as we get going in the 2nd half. I've mixed that analysis in with all of my daily player notes, but I think a comprehensive, consolidated list would prove a bit more helpful. I'll also note down my 2 teams and how they're doing, just for fun.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Injury Updates: John Smoltz, Mike Piazza, David Ortiz, Akinori Otsuka
John Smoltz - Smoltz is going to miss his scheduled start on Saturday due to a sore shoulder. I will imagine that the Braves will hold him out until after the All Star break so that they can maximize the rest time for the veteran pitcher. That will give him the best chance of staying healthy down the stretch.
Mike Piazza - Thanks to Jack Cust's emergence (and lack of defensive value), Oakland told Piazza to stay in rehab until his shoulder felt good enough to throw from behind the plate. He can already hit fine, but they're delaying his return so he can platoon at catcher with Kendall, and also at DH with Cust. I'm very tempted to drop him after hanging onto him all season, but don't do so yet unless you really need the DL spot.
David Ortiz - Ortiz complained about a sore right quad which has bothered him for some time now. It helps explain the lack of power (2 HR in his last 22 games), but he's willing to play through the injury. Not much owners can do except hope for a quick recovery that will allow him to be the fantasy monster we've grown accustomed to.
Akinori Otsuka - He's bothered by a sore forearm, so go ahead and bench him. I don't know if he'll return before the All Star break, but he says he probably won't. He might be rusty/still be hurt when he does take the mound, so I wouldn't risk having him active until he proves he's healthy. As a MR, there's just no upside to it.
Mike Piazza - Thanks to Jack Cust's emergence (and lack of defensive value), Oakland told Piazza to stay in rehab until his shoulder felt good enough to throw from behind the plate. He can already hit fine, but they're delaying his return so he can platoon at catcher with Kendall, and also at DH with Cust. I'm very tempted to drop him after hanging onto him all season, but don't do so yet unless you really need the DL spot.
David Ortiz - Ortiz complained about a sore right quad which has bothered him for some time now. It helps explain the lack of power (2 HR in his last 22 games), but he's willing to play through the injury. Not much owners can do except hope for a quick recovery that will allow him to be the fantasy monster we've grown accustomed to.
Akinori Otsuka - He's bothered by a sore forearm, so go ahead and bench him. I don't know if he'll return before the All Star break, but he says he probably won't. He might be rusty/still be hurt when he does take the mound, so I wouldn't risk having him active until he proves he's healthy. As a MR, there's just no upside to it.
Randy Wolf To The DL
The Los Angeles Dodgers placed SP Randy Wolf on the DL with a sore shoulder.
Fantasy Impact: Well, this explains the downturn in production over the past few weeks. He's not worth hanging onto if you still own him, so drop him. Hopefully he can come back strong and regain fantasy relevance later in the season.
Fantasy Impact: Well, this explains the downturn in production over the past few weeks. He's not worth hanging onto if you still own him, so drop him. Hopefully he can come back strong and regain fantasy relevance later in the season.
Al Reyes To The DL
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays placed closer Al Reyes on the DL with a strained rotator cuff.
Fantasy Impact: Well, now I really hoped you sold high on him when I suggested it. He has a long history of arm problems, and this is just the latest. This really hurts Tampa Bay because if he was healthy, he was their one reliable reliever, and he would have commanded a decent prospect in return at the trading deadline. Stash him and hope he comes back healthy, for those who still own him.
Fantasy Impact: Well, now I really hoped you sold high on him when I suggested it. He has a long history of arm problems, and this is just the latest. This really hurts Tampa Bay because if he was healthy, he was their one reliable reliever, and he would have commanded a decent prospect in return at the trading deadline. Stash him and hope he comes back healthy, for those who still own him.
Randy Johnson To The DL
The Arizona Diamondbacks placed SP Randy Johnson on the DL with a sore back.
Fantasy Impact: Ugh, again. It's becoming clear that Johnson will have a few good starts, have a bad one, then go on the DL again. Owners can't do much other than stash him again and hope that he'll produce once he returns. I'd suggest keeping him benched for his first start back.
Fantasy Impact: Ugh, again. It's becoming clear that Johnson will have a few good starts, have a bad one, then go on the DL again. Owners can't do much other than stash him again and hope that he'll produce once he returns. I'd suggest keeping him benched for his first start back.
Tuesday's Action: Zambrano, Matsuzaka....and Blanton?
Chris Capuano - 3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Capuano was not sharp in his return from the DL, but that was to be expected. Given his overall stats are 5-5, 4.28 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 63 K in 73 2/3 IP, I don't see where he has much fantasy value other than Ks. He had a good 5th fantasy starter season last year, but he's been bad in the WHIP department this year, further degrading his value.
Yovani Gallardo - 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Gallardo's first bullpen appearance. In my personal opinion, I think it's a bad idea to convert Gallardo to the bullpen. Bullpen work is for those who are used to it...it's a very erratic schedule that can produce a lot of wear and tear on the body. I know starters throw a lot more innings over the season, but they're on a schedule that allows them to stay fresh and loose. It seems like they're putting him at risk for arm problems this year by having him start until now, moving him to the bullpen, and then moving him back to the rotation if injury/sub-par performance strikes. I don't like the idea, but he's worth holding onto. I wouldn't keep him active for right now.
Ryan Braun - 2/5, 1 RBI, SB (8). If Braun played 155 games at the pace he's setting right now, he'd end up with a .343 AVG, 31 HR, 35 SB, 132 R, and 115 RBI. He's obviously going to slow down, but it goes to show that he's probably going to be an elite fantasy 3B, perhaps as soon as next year. He has .300/30/30 skills, and hitting 3rd in the Milwaukee lineup will allow for a lot of run production.
Chien Ming-Wang - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, W (8). He scattered his baserunners and turned in another outstanding performance. His ERA is down to 3.58 on the season as he's trimmed it down almost a run over the past month. Make sure to surround him with K guys in your rotation and bullpen, but he'll provide solid value in W/ERA/WHIP all year long.
Derek Jeter - 3/5, 2 RBI. With a .343 AVG, 43 RBI, and 53 R, Jeter is providing solid value, but his 5 HR and 7 SB are a bit disappointing. He's averaged 19 HR and 24 SB over the past 3 years, so while the .343 AVG is great, owners would like to see a little more pop and speed in the 2nd half. He was probably a touch overrated in drafts this year coming off a career high 34 SB season last year, but he's definitely not a bust by any means.
Alex Rodriguez - 0/4. Owners got a scare when he was removed from Monday's game with a lame hammy, but he was back in the lineup last night and it's only a minor concern on his running game while he's on the mend. He'll play through it, and can DH if necessary.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. More of the same from Kazmir, who's turning into a pretty big bust this year. As I've mentioned before, he had a breakthrough with his command last year, and was pitching very well until an injury shut him down for the season. Many drafters figured he'd at least repeat if not improve upon that, but he's definitely regressed to his 2005 performance with his command and pitch inefficiency. I still hold out hope that he'll get it turned around, but he's not showing any signs of it.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. He's really hit his stride, pitching his 4th straight game of 1 ER or less. Those who were patient or bought low are being rewarded with one of the hottest pitchers in fantasy baseball. In a longer streak, he's allowed 2 or less ER in 6 straight games, with 8 or 9 Ks in each game. Now that's consistency.
Ben Francisco - He's making quite a name for himself since being called up, hitting .500 with 3 HR and 5 RBI in only 14 AB. The desparate might want to add him, but I can't see him being a mixed league option at all.
Gary Sheffield - 3/5, solo HR (19). Not much left to say about Sheffield. He's completely erased his miserable April by posting back to back .320+, 22 RBI months that included 16 HR. The fact he has both 1B and OF eligibility in Yahoo is a plus as well.
Carlos Guillen - 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI. Guillen is up to 60 RBI, which is huge for a SS. He leads that catagory by 8 over J.J. Hardy among SS.
Carlos Zambrano - 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, W (10). Ever since the fight with Barrett, Zambrano has 6 straight appearances of 2 ER or less, with at least 8 Ks in 5 of those 6 games. He's pitching as well in anyone in baseball right now. He still walks too many people, but given the fact he doesn't allow that many hits, it doesn't seem to be a problem.
Bobby Howry - 2/3 IP, 2 K. It seems like Pinella is going to use a combination of Ohman/Howry in the 9th inning, but Howry will pick up most of the saves and is the one to own here. Marmol is the 8th inning guy and setup man. Dempster isn't too far away from returning, so Howry might only have a save or two left in him.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/4, 2 R, SB (12). 2 SBs in 2 days, so let's hope Soriano starts running whenever he gets a chance and can put up 15+ SBs in the 2nd half for his owners.
Barry Zito - 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 5 K. His control was obviously all over the place last night, and he didn't last long as a result. The 2 H and 5 K are encouraging, if you're looking for the silver lining in this cloud.
Aaron Harang - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, W (9). OK, now that I see both pitchers had 6 walks last night, I have to wonder about the strikezone of the umpire last night. It's very possible that both pitchers had off nights, but it's also possible the strikezone was rather small for both pitchers to work with. Harang has definitely shown that last year was not a fluke, and that he's a quality 3rd/4th starter for your fantasy team.
Barry Bonds - 1/3, 2 run HR (17). Bonds continues to roll after a horrible May, and he's pushed his AVG up to .305. #751 as Bonds gets closer to Hammerin' Hank.
Brandon Phillips - 2/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, GS (16). He continues his outstanding season as he cements himself among the elite 2B in fantasy baseball. It appears he's here to stay as a .270'ish hitter, but with the 30/30 potential and run producing ability, nobody will complain.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. More of the same medocrity from Oswalt, and his owners have to be frustrated at this point. The thing to take from this start is the fact he didn't walk anyone. His main problem this year is that he's already walked 43 hitters as opposed to season totals of 48 and 38 the past two years. The rest of his stats are in line with previous seasons, so if he can get past the command problems, he'll likely go back to the pitcher he's been the past several years.
Hunter Pence - 3/6, solo HR (10). Everyone who used their waiver priority on him is looking like a genius right now. He, Braun, and Hart are having an outstanding ROY competition.
Shane Victorino - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB (27). Davey Lopes has done an outstanding job turning Victorino into one of the best base stealers in baseball. After only 4/7 SB in 415 AB last year, Victorino is 27/29 on the basepaths so far this year in only 319 AB. It just goes to show that it takes way more than speed to be an effective baserunner.
Chris B. Young - 1/5, 2 R, solo HR (12). Young was moved back to the leadoff spot last night by Arizona, and I really hope he stays there. He has a miserable .238 AVG, but he's hitting .315 in 108 AB as the leadoff hitter, so it appears that he's very comfortable there. They've hit him all over the lineup, and he's definitely performed the best there. With the way Byrnes is hitting, he should be left in an RBI spot and let Young leadoff.
Billy Butler - 3/6, 4 R, 6 RBI, HR (2). Butler is one of the best hitting prospects in baseball, but after a miserable first stint with the club earlier this year, they called him back up after Sweeney went down and he'll be the fulltime DH while Sweeney is on the mend. He's been hitting pretty well since his recall, so he could force his way into the lineup if he continues on like this. He's worth keeping an eye on, or possibly picking up and using temporarily while he's hot.
Javier Vazquez - 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Vazquez is on quite a roll, giving up exactly 1 ER in his last 3 starts. He's always had the stuff to do this, but the mental aspect of his game has held him back every year. Before we get too excited, we have to realize that he has a long history of toying with us by putting together some great starts, only to start getting blown up again. Don Cooper successfully transformed Contreras into an ace during the White Sox 2005 WS season, but an injury in 2006 halted his run as a great pitcher. Perhaps he's been able to do something similar with Vazquez, but history says this won't last for long. I doubt you can sell high on him, so I wouldn't really bother. Just enjoy the hot streak, and hold out some slim hope that Cooper has worked some magic here.
Jim Thome - 1/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (12). Nothing much to note here, other than the fact it was nice to see him turn on a high mid-90s Cabrera fastball and deposit it into the left-center field bleachers. Given he's 36 years old, reaction time starts to slow, so it's nice to see him still be able to get to an elite fastball and drive it. I've always loved watching this guy hit, and I'll thoroughly enjoy his quest to 500 in a White Sox uniform since we weren't able to see Frank Thomas get it here.
Ervin Santana - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 11 K. The 11 Ks are great, but the evil road Santana strikes again. I mentioned that Scoscia thought he might be hurting after his last start, but the 11 Ks here prove otherwise. I'd feel safe using him during his home starts again.
Howie Kendrick - 2/3, 2 RBI. When I drafted him in both leagues this year, I was hoping that he'd get off to a hot start and get moved up in the lineup where he could help us fantasy owners a bit more. Unfortunately, Figgins, Cabrera, and Willits are all hitting extremely well, and there's no hope of that happening.
Joe Blanton - 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 7 straight quality starts, 5 of those including 1 ER or less. Blanton is right up there with Zambrano and Matsuzaka as being the hottest fantasy pitchers going right now, albeit with a few less Ks. He's been quite a waiver wire find, and I'm thoroughly amused that I tossed him in with Soriano to get Beltran earlier this year.
Greg Maddux - 6 1/3 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 5 K. He just wasn't on his game last night. He had 7 straight 3 ER or less outings in a row prior to this, so he's been pitching very well recently.
Kevin Gregg - 1 IP, 3 K, SV (16). A fantasy owners favorite kind of save. He's been struggling a bit of late, so it was nice to see him rebound like this. Hopefully he'll string together some scoreless outings now.
Hanley Ramirez - 1/1, 2 run HR (12). He left the previous game early with a hamstring problem, but he pinch-hit last night and delivered a pinch-hit 2 run HR that helped lead Florida to a win. I dunno if we'll see him out there at SS today, but it's obvious the injury isn't too serious.
Yovani Gallardo - 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Gallardo's first bullpen appearance. In my personal opinion, I think it's a bad idea to convert Gallardo to the bullpen. Bullpen work is for those who are used to it...it's a very erratic schedule that can produce a lot of wear and tear on the body. I know starters throw a lot more innings over the season, but they're on a schedule that allows them to stay fresh and loose. It seems like they're putting him at risk for arm problems this year by having him start until now, moving him to the bullpen, and then moving him back to the rotation if injury/sub-par performance strikes. I don't like the idea, but he's worth holding onto. I wouldn't keep him active for right now.
Ryan Braun - 2/5, 1 RBI, SB (8). If Braun played 155 games at the pace he's setting right now, he'd end up with a .343 AVG, 31 HR, 35 SB, 132 R, and 115 RBI. He's obviously going to slow down, but it goes to show that he's probably going to be an elite fantasy 3B, perhaps as soon as next year. He has .300/30/30 skills, and hitting 3rd in the Milwaukee lineup will allow for a lot of run production.
Chien Ming-Wang - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, W (8). He scattered his baserunners and turned in another outstanding performance. His ERA is down to 3.58 on the season as he's trimmed it down almost a run over the past month. Make sure to surround him with K guys in your rotation and bullpen, but he'll provide solid value in W/ERA/WHIP all year long.
Derek Jeter - 3/5, 2 RBI. With a .343 AVG, 43 RBI, and 53 R, Jeter is providing solid value, but his 5 HR and 7 SB are a bit disappointing. He's averaged 19 HR and 24 SB over the past 3 years, so while the .343 AVG is great, owners would like to see a little more pop and speed in the 2nd half. He was probably a touch overrated in drafts this year coming off a career high 34 SB season last year, but he's definitely not a bust by any means.
Alex Rodriguez - 0/4. Owners got a scare when he was removed from Monday's game with a lame hammy, but he was back in the lineup last night and it's only a minor concern on his running game while he's on the mend. He'll play through it, and can DH if necessary.
Scott Kazmir - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. More of the same from Kazmir, who's turning into a pretty big bust this year. As I've mentioned before, he had a breakthrough with his command last year, and was pitching very well until an injury shut him down for the season. Many drafters figured he'd at least repeat if not improve upon that, but he's definitely regressed to his 2005 performance with his command and pitch inefficiency. I still hold out hope that he'll get it turned around, but he's not showing any signs of it.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. He's really hit his stride, pitching his 4th straight game of 1 ER or less. Those who were patient or bought low are being rewarded with one of the hottest pitchers in fantasy baseball. In a longer streak, he's allowed 2 or less ER in 6 straight games, with 8 or 9 Ks in each game. Now that's consistency.
Ben Francisco - He's making quite a name for himself since being called up, hitting .500 with 3 HR and 5 RBI in only 14 AB. The desparate might want to add him, but I can't see him being a mixed league option at all.
Gary Sheffield - 3/5, solo HR (19). Not much left to say about Sheffield. He's completely erased his miserable April by posting back to back .320+, 22 RBI months that included 16 HR. The fact he has both 1B and OF eligibility in Yahoo is a plus as well.
Carlos Guillen - 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI. Guillen is up to 60 RBI, which is huge for a SS. He leads that catagory by 8 over J.J. Hardy among SS.
Carlos Zambrano - 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, W (10). Ever since the fight with Barrett, Zambrano has 6 straight appearances of 2 ER or less, with at least 8 Ks in 5 of those 6 games. He's pitching as well in anyone in baseball right now. He still walks too many people, but given the fact he doesn't allow that many hits, it doesn't seem to be a problem.
Bobby Howry - 2/3 IP, 2 K. It seems like Pinella is going to use a combination of Ohman/Howry in the 9th inning, but Howry will pick up most of the saves and is the one to own here. Marmol is the 8th inning guy and setup man. Dempster isn't too far away from returning, so Howry might only have a save or two left in him.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/4, 2 R, SB (12). 2 SBs in 2 days, so let's hope Soriano starts running whenever he gets a chance and can put up 15+ SBs in the 2nd half for his owners.
Barry Zito - 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 5 K. His control was obviously all over the place last night, and he didn't last long as a result. The 2 H and 5 K are encouraging, if you're looking for the silver lining in this cloud.
Aaron Harang - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, W (9). OK, now that I see both pitchers had 6 walks last night, I have to wonder about the strikezone of the umpire last night. It's very possible that both pitchers had off nights, but it's also possible the strikezone was rather small for both pitchers to work with. Harang has definitely shown that last year was not a fluke, and that he's a quality 3rd/4th starter for your fantasy team.
Barry Bonds - 1/3, 2 run HR (17). Bonds continues to roll after a horrible May, and he's pushed his AVG up to .305. #751 as Bonds gets closer to Hammerin' Hank.
Brandon Phillips - 2/4, 3 R, 4 RBI, GS (16). He continues his outstanding season as he cements himself among the elite 2B in fantasy baseball. It appears he's here to stay as a .270'ish hitter, but with the 30/30 potential and run producing ability, nobody will complain.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. More of the same medocrity from Oswalt, and his owners have to be frustrated at this point. The thing to take from this start is the fact he didn't walk anyone. His main problem this year is that he's already walked 43 hitters as opposed to season totals of 48 and 38 the past two years. The rest of his stats are in line with previous seasons, so if he can get past the command problems, he'll likely go back to the pitcher he's been the past several years.
Hunter Pence - 3/6, solo HR (10). Everyone who used their waiver priority on him is looking like a genius right now. He, Braun, and Hart are having an outstanding ROY competition.
Shane Victorino - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB (27). Davey Lopes has done an outstanding job turning Victorino into one of the best base stealers in baseball. After only 4/7 SB in 415 AB last year, Victorino is 27/29 on the basepaths so far this year in only 319 AB. It just goes to show that it takes way more than speed to be an effective baserunner.
Chris B. Young - 1/5, 2 R, solo HR (12). Young was moved back to the leadoff spot last night by Arizona, and I really hope he stays there. He has a miserable .238 AVG, but he's hitting .315 in 108 AB as the leadoff hitter, so it appears that he's very comfortable there. They've hit him all over the lineup, and he's definitely performed the best there. With the way Byrnes is hitting, he should be left in an RBI spot and let Young leadoff.
Billy Butler - 3/6, 4 R, 6 RBI, HR (2). Butler is one of the best hitting prospects in baseball, but after a miserable first stint with the club earlier this year, they called him back up after Sweeney went down and he'll be the fulltime DH while Sweeney is on the mend. He's been hitting pretty well since his recall, so he could force his way into the lineup if he continues on like this. He's worth keeping an eye on, or possibly picking up and using temporarily while he's hot.
Javier Vazquez - 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Vazquez is on quite a roll, giving up exactly 1 ER in his last 3 starts. He's always had the stuff to do this, but the mental aspect of his game has held him back every year. Before we get too excited, we have to realize that he has a long history of toying with us by putting together some great starts, only to start getting blown up again. Don Cooper successfully transformed Contreras into an ace during the White Sox 2005 WS season, but an injury in 2006 halted his run as a great pitcher. Perhaps he's been able to do something similar with Vazquez, but history says this won't last for long. I doubt you can sell high on him, so I wouldn't really bother. Just enjoy the hot streak, and hold out some slim hope that Cooper has worked some magic here.
Jim Thome - 1/3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (12). Nothing much to note here, other than the fact it was nice to see him turn on a high mid-90s Cabrera fastball and deposit it into the left-center field bleachers. Given he's 36 years old, reaction time starts to slow, so it's nice to see him still be able to get to an elite fastball and drive it. I've always loved watching this guy hit, and I'll thoroughly enjoy his quest to 500 in a White Sox uniform since we weren't able to see Frank Thomas get it here.
Ervin Santana - 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 11 K. The 11 Ks are great, but the evil road Santana strikes again. I mentioned that Scoscia thought he might be hurting after his last start, but the 11 Ks here prove otherwise. I'd feel safe using him during his home starts again.
Howie Kendrick - 2/3, 2 RBI. When I drafted him in both leagues this year, I was hoping that he'd get off to a hot start and get moved up in the lineup where he could help us fantasy owners a bit more. Unfortunately, Figgins, Cabrera, and Willits are all hitting extremely well, and there's no hope of that happening.
Joe Blanton - 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 7 straight quality starts, 5 of those including 1 ER or less. Blanton is right up there with Zambrano and Matsuzaka as being the hottest fantasy pitchers going right now, albeit with a few less Ks. He's been quite a waiver wire find, and I'm thoroughly amused that I tossed him in with Soriano to get Beltran earlier this year.
Greg Maddux - 6 1/3 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 5 K. He just wasn't on his game last night. He had 7 straight 3 ER or less outings in a row prior to this, so he's been pitching very well recently.
Kevin Gregg - 1 IP, 3 K, SV (16). A fantasy owners favorite kind of save. He's been struggling a bit of late, so it was nice to see him rebound like this. Hopefully he'll string together some scoreless outings now.
Hanley Ramirez - 1/1, 2 run HR (12). He left the previous game early with a hamstring problem, but he pinch-hit last night and delivered a pinch-hit 2 run HR that helped lead Florida to a win. I dunno if we'll see him out there at SS today, but it's obvious the injury isn't too serious.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Monday's Ballgames: Felix Sharp, Bay Sucks
Ted Lilly - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). Lilly bounced back from two rough outings to shut down the Nationals. Washington is a great team to catch when you're not pitching too well. He's been a solid 3rd/4th starter this year.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, SB (11). Soriano's numbers are down across the board this year other than his AVG, but they do compare favorably to to 2005 if you're not looking at the RBI column. As is, he's been a pretty large disappointment to those who spend a high 1st round pick on him. He'll probably pick it up a bit in the 2nd half, but he won't give you the return on investment that you wanted.
Aramis Ramirez - 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI. A-Ram has pretty much fulfilled expectations so far, although his numbers, like Soriano's, mirror his 2005 season rather than this career high 2006 season. Still, with the weak overall class of 3B this year, he's definitely been right behind A-Rod/Wright/Cabrera...exactly where he was drafted.
Jason Bay - 0/4...again. I bet I can't name one of you who's happy with Bay right now. He's coming off a complete disaster of a June, hitting a disgusting .173 with 4 HR and 11 RBI. His AVG is down to .256. There nothing in his stats that really indicate a steep decline, although his HR/F is at 12.4%, a good 7% down from where it normally is. Hopefully he'll reward us patient owners with a scorching hot streak sometime very soon. I'd buy low.
Damien Miller - 4/5, 2 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR (3). He's still Estrada's backup, so if you've lost a catcher recently, don't go picking him up based on the hot game.
Roger Clemens - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (2). I knew I should have started him last night given the "he's due" thought process, but I benched him and was punished for it. I know I ranted about him in my last entry, but he's too good of a pitcher to keep pitching poorly, plus he didn't have as much preparation time since the Yankees needed him ASAP. Expect him to be better from here on out, but he won't touch the ERA/WHIP he had for the Astros the past few years.
Boof Bonser - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. If you're holding onto him for his Ks, stop. His 4.76 ERA and 1.54 WHIP are killing you.
Bobby Abreu - 3/4, solo HR (5). Another high priced fantasy OF killing his owners. He got hot there for a while, but his .253 AVG, 5 HR, and 38 RBI are huge disappointments. The Yankees have bounced him all over the lineup, but nothing has worked so far. I just don't see him continuing to struggle all year long unless he's hiding an injury. His BA/BIP is down a bit, so I expect to see that rebound and his AVG should reflect that. His BA/RISP is a disgusting .230 after hitting over .300 the last few years, so the low RBI total is no surprise.
Jacoby Ellsbury - 2/2, 2 R, SB (1). Boston's prized position prospect is up, but probably not to stay. He could be a cheap source of steals if you're into that sort of thing while he's up, and he has a minor league history of great OBPs. I wouldn't bother with him unless you're looking for a quick fix, although if he stays hot, Boston would be better off replacing the overpriced JD Drew with him Won't happen, though.
Fausto Carmona - 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (9). A great bounce back start after last outing's disaster. He's obviously not hurt, and those 9 wins are pretty impressive. Keep on using him.
Al Reyes - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB. He was Sizemored. His dream season has come to an end as he now sports a 4.09 ERA. I hope you moved him back when I said you should. He's still the closer, but he's not helping owners anywhere near what he was doing a month or so ago.
Grady Sizemore - 1/5, GS (14). Made his one hit count as much as possible. Gotta love this guy.
Carl Crawford - 0/4, 3 K. He's really struggling, and Tampa Bay is moving him back into the #2 spot. Hopefully getting him out of a more RBI-oriented lineup position will get Crawford back on track. He had a mixed bag in July...he only hit .257, but he was 8/8 in steals with 19 RBI and 18 R. Expect him to get going again.
Dan Wheeler - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. He is a disaster right now. De-activate him, and expect Lidge to move back into the closer's role sooner than later. Perhaps he'll right the ship in the 8th inning.
Hunter Pence - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He just won't stop hitting. Nice.
Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). He's quietly putting together the season he was drafted to do, and he's hitting a very nice .296. I'm so happy I picked Jason Bay over him. Pure genius.
Felix Hernandez - 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another nice outing from Felix, giving him 2 in 3 appearances. Unfortunately those two came against Pittsburgh and KC. While his owners will take it, I want to see this sort of performance come against a better offense. I'm keeping him reserved until I see that.
Gil Meche - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. A pretty solid outing against his old team. He's doing a good job being a quality end-of-the-rotation fantasy starter, only being held back by the bad offense that supports him.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 K, W (1). Gotta love it when your closer gets ya a win. Make sure to sell him very soon if you can.
Brandon Webb - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Another blah outing from Webb. STL has given Webb a lot of problems in the past as he's compiled a 4.27 ERA against them in 34 2/3 IP. Just chalk it up to a problem team and don't worry about it. His 3.27 ERA is exactly what owners wanted when drafting him to be their ace this year.
Scott Rolen - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI. A nice game from Rolen, but with a .271 AVG, 4 HR, and 35 RBI, he's done as a fantasy force.
Erik Bedard - 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Against a weak offense who had problems hitting lefties so far this year, owners expected much more. The problem was the HR ball, as he gave up 3 2 run shots to end his evening early. When you have a good fastball like Bedard does, outings like this will happen from time to time if the location isn't there, and the 4 walks definitely suggest that.
Jim Thome - 2/3, 2 run HR (11). He's due to get on a hot streak sometime soon, so let's hope this is the start of it. He hasn't really had a big tear yet this year.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K. A rare bad command game from Glavine, although many pitchers have trouble against Colorado in Coors Field. He had bounced back well after the beatings both the Tigers and Yankees gave him, so I wouldn't worry much about this despite it being his 3rd bad start in 5 tries. Just be careful who you start him against.
David Wright - 2/4, SB (18). He's really cranked up the running this year as I've touched on several times. He doesn't seem to be slowing down, so expecting a total of 30 steals out of him this year seems quite reasonable.
Vernon Wells - 4/5, 2 solo HR (11). He's really taken well to heading leadoff, batting .361 in 9 games there. Hopefully that was necessary to get his bat moving again, and he'll be dropped back down to the 3 hole that he usually occupies, and his hot streak will continue in the more RBI-friendly spot.
Sergio Mitre - 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. No offensive support for him today, but he turned in yet another quality start. He's been a nice waiver wire find, and he's giving you no reason to stop using him yet.
John Smoltz - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Another good start from Smoltz, although Lowe outduled him for the win. He's provided a nice value to those who drafted him this year, and he should be ready for another solid 2nd half.
Derek Lowe - 5 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He's rolling right along, dropping his ERA to 2.98 after this outing. He's been a great find for fantasy leaguers this year as the entire Dodgers pitching staff has really stepped it up. Expect another solid 2nd half from this guy, who probably provides more value to you than to someone you could trade him to.
Alfonso Soriano - 2/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, SB (11). Soriano's numbers are down across the board this year other than his AVG, but they do compare favorably to to 2005 if you're not looking at the RBI column. As is, he's been a pretty large disappointment to those who spend a high 1st round pick on him. He'll probably pick it up a bit in the 2nd half, but he won't give you the return on investment that you wanted.
Aramis Ramirez - 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI. A-Ram has pretty much fulfilled expectations so far, although his numbers, like Soriano's, mirror his 2005 season rather than this career high 2006 season. Still, with the weak overall class of 3B this year, he's definitely been right behind A-Rod/Wright/Cabrera...exactly where he was drafted.
Jason Bay - 0/4...again. I bet I can't name one of you who's happy with Bay right now. He's coming off a complete disaster of a June, hitting a disgusting .173 with 4 HR and 11 RBI. His AVG is down to .256. There nothing in his stats that really indicate a steep decline, although his HR/F is at 12.4%, a good 7% down from where it normally is. Hopefully he'll reward us patient owners with a scorching hot streak sometime very soon. I'd buy low.
Damien Miller - 4/5, 2 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR (3). He's still Estrada's backup, so if you've lost a catcher recently, don't go picking him up based on the hot game.
Roger Clemens - 8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (2). I knew I should have started him last night given the "he's due" thought process, but I benched him and was punished for it. I know I ranted about him in my last entry, but he's too good of a pitcher to keep pitching poorly, plus he didn't have as much preparation time since the Yankees needed him ASAP. Expect him to be better from here on out, but he won't touch the ERA/WHIP he had for the Astros the past few years.
Boof Bonser - 5 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. If you're holding onto him for his Ks, stop. His 4.76 ERA and 1.54 WHIP are killing you.
Bobby Abreu - 3/4, solo HR (5). Another high priced fantasy OF killing his owners. He got hot there for a while, but his .253 AVG, 5 HR, and 38 RBI are huge disappointments. The Yankees have bounced him all over the lineup, but nothing has worked so far. I just don't see him continuing to struggle all year long unless he's hiding an injury. His BA/BIP is down a bit, so I expect to see that rebound and his AVG should reflect that. His BA/RISP is a disgusting .230 after hitting over .300 the last few years, so the low RBI total is no surprise.
Jacoby Ellsbury - 2/2, 2 R, SB (1). Boston's prized position prospect is up, but probably not to stay. He could be a cheap source of steals if you're into that sort of thing while he's up, and he has a minor league history of great OBPs. I wouldn't bother with him unless you're looking for a quick fix, although if he stays hot, Boston would be better off replacing the overpriced JD Drew with him Won't happen, though.
Fausto Carmona - 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, W (9). A great bounce back start after last outing's disaster. He's obviously not hurt, and those 9 wins are pretty impressive. Keep on using him.
Al Reyes - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB. He was Sizemored. His dream season has come to an end as he now sports a 4.09 ERA. I hope you moved him back when I said you should. He's still the closer, but he's not helping owners anywhere near what he was doing a month or so ago.
Grady Sizemore - 1/5, GS (14). Made his one hit count as much as possible. Gotta love this guy.
Carl Crawford - 0/4, 3 K. He's really struggling, and Tampa Bay is moving him back into the #2 spot. Hopefully getting him out of a more RBI-oriented lineup position will get Crawford back on track. He had a mixed bag in July...he only hit .257, but he was 8/8 in steals with 19 RBI and 18 R. Expect him to get going again.
Dan Wheeler - 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. He is a disaster right now. De-activate him, and expect Lidge to move back into the closer's role sooner than later. Perhaps he'll right the ship in the 8th inning.
Hunter Pence - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He just won't stop hitting. Nice.
Carlos Lee - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). He's quietly putting together the season he was drafted to do, and he's hitting a very nice .296. I'm so happy I picked Jason Bay over him. Pure genius.
Felix Hernandez - 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Another nice outing from Felix, giving him 2 in 3 appearances. Unfortunately those two came against Pittsburgh and KC. While his owners will take it, I want to see this sort of performance come against a better offense. I'm keeping him reserved until I see that.
Gil Meche - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. A pretty solid outing against his old team. He's doing a good job being a quality end-of-the-rotation fantasy starter, only being held back by the bad offense that supports him.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 K, W (1). Gotta love it when your closer gets ya a win. Make sure to sell him very soon if you can.
Brandon Webb - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Another blah outing from Webb. STL has given Webb a lot of problems in the past as he's compiled a 4.27 ERA against them in 34 2/3 IP. Just chalk it up to a problem team and don't worry about it. His 3.27 ERA is exactly what owners wanted when drafting him to be their ace this year.
Scott Rolen - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI. A nice game from Rolen, but with a .271 AVG, 4 HR, and 35 RBI, he's done as a fantasy force.
Erik Bedard - 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. Against a weak offense who had problems hitting lefties so far this year, owners expected much more. The problem was the HR ball, as he gave up 3 2 run shots to end his evening early. When you have a good fastball like Bedard does, outings like this will happen from time to time if the location isn't there, and the 4 walks definitely suggest that.
Jim Thome - 2/3, 2 run HR (11). He's due to get on a hot streak sometime soon, so let's hope this is the start of it. He hasn't really had a big tear yet this year.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 3 K. A rare bad command game from Glavine, although many pitchers have trouble against Colorado in Coors Field. He had bounced back well after the beatings both the Tigers and Yankees gave him, so I wouldn't worry much about this despite it being his 3rd bad start in 5 tries. Just be careful who you start him against.
David Wright - 2/4, SB (18). He's really cranked up the running this year as I've touched on several times. He doesn't seem to be slowing down, so expecting a total of 30 steals out of him this year seems quite reasonable.
Vernon Wells - 4/5, 2 solo HR (11). He's really taken well to heading leadoff, batting .361 in 9 games there. Hopefully that was necessary to get his bat moving again, and he'll be dropped back down to the 3 hole that he usually occupies, and his hot streak will continue in the more RBI-friendly spot.
Sergio Mitre - 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. No offensive support for him today, but he turned in yet another quality start. He's been a nice waiver wire find, and he's giving you no reason to stop using him yet.
John Smoltz - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Another good start from Smoltz, although Lowe outduled him for the win. He's provided a nice value to those who drafted him this year, and he should be ready for another solid 2nd half.
Derek Lowe - 5 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He's rolling right along, dropping his ERA to 2.98 after this outing. He's been a great find for fantasy leaguers this year as the entire Dodgers pitching staff has really stepped it up. Expect another solid 2nd half from this guy, who probably provides more value to you than to someone you could trade him to.
Monday, July 2, 2007
DL Stints: A.J Burnett, Ian Kinsler, Mike Napoli, Oliver Perez, Scott Podsednik
Good lord.
A.J. Burnett - The Toronto Blue Jays placed SP A.J. Burnett back on the DL with shoulder soreness. Could the Blue Jays be any worse with their starting pitchers? He was rushed back off the DL, only to go back on it with the same injury that he obviously wasn't fully recovered from. There was no reason to do this, so who knows how long he'll be out now. He might be done for a while.
Ian Kinsler - The Texas Rangers placed 2B Ian Kinsler on the DL with a stress fracture in his left foot. He'll probably be out 4-8 weeks and should be held onto.
Mike Napoli - The Los Angeles Angels placed C Mike Napoli on the DL with a sprained left ankle. Owners of Piazza, like me, might have been using him as a replacement. I wouldn't assume he'll miss more than the minimum, but he can be dropped in the mean time.
Oliver Perez - The New York Mets will place SP Oliver Perez on the DL with lower back soreness. He had his start postponed by a couple days, but he continued to feel pain his in back and will be shelved for 15 days while he recovers. I wouldn't think he'll miss too much more time than the 15 days, if any.
Scott Podsednik - The Chicago White Sox placed Scott Podsednik on the DL with a strained rib cage. Pods hurt himself again and will go right back on the DL. Unless you're completely desparate for SBs, drop him.
Pickup Recommendations:
SP - Matt Garza makes an interesting spot start on Friday against the light hitting White Sox. Chad Billingsley is a possibility after his strong start, but he's risky with his varying command. Scott Baker and Chuck James are also not bad.
2B - Kelly Johnson, if he was dropped. Mike Fontenot is red hot, and you could ride out his hot streak, especially with him hitting 2nd ahead of Lee and Ramirez. Mark DeRosa is also swinging a hot bat and is a possible temporary solution.
C - Bengie Molina as he's not getting the love he should as a decent starting catcher in a 12 team league. Jason Kendall has hit .300 the past month and isn't horrible.
A.J. Burnett - The Toronto Blue Jays placed SP A.J. Burnett back on the DL with shoulder soreness. Could the Blue Jays be any worse with their starting pitchers? He was rushed back off the DL, only to go back on it with the same injury that he obviously wasn't fully recovered from. There was no reason to do this, so who knows how long he'll be out now. He might be done for a while.
Ian Kinsler - The Texas Rangers placed 2B Ian Kinsler on the DL with a stress fracture in his left foot. He'll probably be out 4-8 weeks and should be held onto.
Mike Napoli - The Los Angeles Angels placed C Mike Napoli on the DL with a sprained left ankle. Owners of Piazza, like me, might have been using him as a replacement. I wouldn't assume he'll miss more than the minimum, but he can be dropped in the mean time.
Oliver Perez - The New York Mets will place SP Oliver Perez on the DL with lower back soreness. He had his start postponed by a couple days, but he continued to feel pain his in back and will be shelved for 15 days while he recovers. I wouldn't think he'll miss too much more time than the 15 days, if any.
Scott Podsednik - The Chicago White Sox placed Scott Podsednik on the DL with a strained rib cage. Pods hurt himself again and will go right back on the DL. Unless you're completely desparate for SBs, drop him.
Pickup Recommendations:
SP - Matt Garza makes an interesting spot start on Friday against the light hitting White Sox. Chad Billingsley is a possibility after his strong start, but he's risky with his varying command. Scott Baker and Chuck James are also not bad.
2B - Kelly Johnson, if he was dropped. Mike Fontenot is red hot, and you could ride out his hot streak, especially with him hitting 2nd ahead of Lee and Ramirez. Mark DeRosa is also swinging a hot bat and is a possible temporary solution.
C - Bengie Molina as he's not getting the love he should as a decent starting catcher in a 12 team league. Jason Kendall has hit .300 the past month and isn't horrible.
Sunday's Action: A Sunday Night Pitching Duel
Dan Haren - 5 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W (10). You know it's your year when you turn in a performance like this and still win. Haren's worst start in quite some time, but yet he got tons of run support and picked up his 10th win of the first half.
Andy Pettitte - 1 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Yuck. His ERA was due for bump, and unfortunately he picked one start to blow it up there. Hopefully he's not hurting.
Jack Cust - 3/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (14). That's 5 HR in 9 games as Cust is on another power binge and he has to be used until he cools off again. His AVG is back up to .288.
Dontrelle Willis - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Thanks to a rain delay, Willis' quality start was cut short. No worries in case you checked the boxscore and wondered why he only pitched 4 innings.
Kevin Gregg - 2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, BS (1). His control was all over the place and he blew his first save of the year. Had Benitez not gotten rocked in the 8th, Gregg wouldn't have been needed in that inning along with the 9th. This won't affect his role as the closer, especially since Benitez caused the problem in the first place.
Bob Wickman - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BS (4). Two rough outings in a row, and given his advanced age and earlier back problems, one might wonder if he's hurting again. Hopefully that's not the case, but if you have an extra roster spot and Rafael Soriano is available, you might want to pick him up for a few days to see if Wickman is alright.
Andruw Jones - 1/5, solo HR (13). Another one of fantasy baseball's biggest busts. He's never been a big AVG hitter, but his current .199 mark is killing his owners. He's just too good to keep this up, so I'd suggest buying low as odds are very high that he'll rebound in some fashion in the 2nd half.
James Shields - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K. Another great start from Shields as he bounced back from 3 ugly outings against a strong Cleveland offense, but unfortunate his effort wasn't good enough to pick up a win. He's safe to use again in case you benched him.
Carlos Pena - 1/4, solo HR (18). Here comes that cold streak as he's dropped his AVG 29 points over the past 10 games as it comes back down to a normal level. Your sell high window is passing you buy if you haven't tried to move him for a more established player in return. That .200 AVG against LHP just won't cut it, so the smart owners will keep platooning him.
Mike Maroth - 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I still think he has a chance for success in the NL, but mixed leaguers who have picked him up should keep him benched for a bit.
Homer Bailey - 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Horrible. He's just not polished enough to sustain success at the major league level yet. I wouldn't use him in redraft leagues until he puts together a few starts in a row, if he can manage that. I don't have the same confidence factor that he'll bounce back like Lincecum has. He's going to be very good, but that time isn't now.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (22). His renaissance season continues with a .292 AVG, 22 HR, and 53 RBI. He's providing amazing return on investment, and it seems like his move to RF has contributed to him staying healthy.
John Lackey - 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (11). Another fine start from Lackey as he picked up win #11 on the season. He's given you fantasy ace value from a middle round draft choice. He's not as flashy as some of the other aces, but he gets it done just like they do.
Jeremy Guthrie - 8 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Another quality statline from Guthrie, but a couple HR did him in for those earned runs.
Carlos Delgado - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's been scuffling, so the last 4 games give his owners some hope that he'll bust out of his 2nd slump of the year. He has a good chance of getting hot for a while.
Shane Victorino - 3/4, solo HR (9), 2 SB (24). He's only hitting .271, so like I said before, he's only a 2 catagory player with 51 R and 24 SB. The 9 HR is more than more steal guys give you, so he's a bit more valuable in that sense than many "emptier" speed guys.
Akinori Otsuka - 2/3 IP, 2 H. Otsuka left with a forearm problem, so let's hope this isn't a serious ailment. Nothing more has been reported at this time.
Kevin Youkilis - 2/4, 1 RBI. He's slowed down from that monster pace he was on earlier, but with a .329 AVG, 44 RBI, and 48 R, he's providing his owners with a quality fantasy 3B.
Hunter Pence - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. That 5 game mini-slump apparently pissed him off.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (6). His 3.15 ERA is very impressive as he might become the White Sox ace if Buehrle is traded.
David Bush - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not too bad of a start, but the offense had nothing on Marquis last night after exploding for 19 runs the first 2 games of the series.
Corey Hart - 1/4, solo HR (11). Combining him along with Fielder, Hardy, Weeks, and fellow super-rookie Braun, and this young offense is looking very scary for the next several years. The Milwaukee crowd has to be loving this.
Tim Linecum - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. He only needed 97 pitches to accomplish this, his best outing as a major leaguer. Getting Bengie Molina back behind the plate has definitely put Lincecum back on track.
Bengie Molina - 2/4, 3 run HR (8). With a .289 AVG, 8 HR, and 44 RBI, Molina's putting together a very solid season for a fantasy catcher.
Shaun Marcum - 6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Another great start from Marcum as he's definitely worth using in mixed leagues during his hot streak.
Jeff Weaver - 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. What the hell is going on? I've read that he's found a few extra MPH on his fastball, so that's allowed him to go from batting practice dummy to decent major league starter, and he's actually putting together a nice little streak of starts. Still, he can't be picked up in mixed leagues.
J.J. Putz - 1 IP, 2 K, W (1). Nice little win bonus for his owners.
Chad Billingsley - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. What a nice start from Billingsley last night. He's back on the radar. He can provide a lot of performances like this if he could find consistent control of his pitches.
Justin Germano - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Roughed up a little bit last night. He's still a good sell high guy if you can toss him into a deal for an upgrade before his numbers start to even out.
Rafael Furcal - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (2), SB (9). He's been a massive disappointment for those owners expecting the ~12 HR and ~40 steals that he usually provides. The problem is the extreme lack of patience behind him in Juan Pierre, who just doesn't take pitches and allow Furcal to steal. It seems like it might be a problem all year long.
Scott Baker - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. What a great performance from Baker last night against a red hot Detroit Tigers offense, needing only 79 pitches. That's 3 straight solid starts from Baker who is possibly understanding how to pitch at the major league level. One more good start against a quality offense and I'll be recommending a pickup.
Jeremy Bonderman - 8 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (9). Just shut down the Twins offense, and got the run of support he needed in the bottom of the 8th to pick up the victory.
Andy Pettitte - 1 2/3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Yuck. His ERA was due for bump, and unfortunately he picked one start to blow it up there. Hopefully he's not hurting.
Jack Cust - 3/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (14). That's 5 HR in 9 games as Cust is on another power binge and he has to be used until he cools off again. His AVG is back up to .288.
Dontrelle Willis - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Thanks to a rain delay, Willis' quality start was cut short. No worries in case you checked the boxscore and wondered why he only pitched 4 innings.
Kevin Gregg - 2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, BS (1). His control was all over the place and he blew his first save of the year. Had Benitez not gotten rocked in the 8th, Gregg wouldn't have been needed in that inning along with the 9th. This won't affect his role as the closer, especially since Benitez caused the problem in the first place.
Bob Wickman - 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BS (4). Two rough outings in a row, and given his advanced age and earlier back problems, one might wonder if he's hurting again. Hopefully that's not the case, but if you have an extra roster spot and Rafael Soriano is available, you might want to pick him up for a few days to see if Wickman is alright.
Andruw Jones - 1/5, solo HR (13). Another one of fantasy baseball's biggest busts. He's never been a big AVG hitter, but his current .199 mark is killing his owners. He's just too good to keep this up, so I'd suggest buying low as odds are very high that he'll rebound in some fashion in the 2nd half.
James Shields - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K. Another great start from Shields as he bounced back from 3 ugly outings against a strong Cleveland offense, but unfortunate his effort wasn't good enough to pick up a win. He's safe to use again in case you benched him.
Carlos Pena - 1/4, solo HR (18). Here comes that cold streak as he's dropped his AVG 29 points over the past 10 games as it comes back down to a normal level. Your sell high window is passing you buy if you haven't tried to move him for a more established player in return. That .200 AVG against LHP just won't cut it, so the smart owners will keep platooning him.
Mike Maroth - 3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I still think he has a chance for success in the NL, but mixed leaguers who have picked him up should keep him benched for a bit.
Homer Bailey - 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Horrible. He's just not polished enough to sustain success at the major league level yet. I wouldn't use him in redraft leagues until he puts together a few starts in a row, if he can manage that. I don't have the same confidence factor that he'll bounce back like Lincecum has. He's going to be very good, but that time isn't now.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (22). His renaissance season continues with a .292 AVG, 22 HR, and 53 RBI. He's providing amazing return on investment, and it seems like his move to RF has contributed to him staying healthy.
John Lackey - 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (11). Another fine start from Lackey as he picked up win #11 on the season. He's given you fantasy ace value from a middle round draft choice. He's not as flashy as some of the other aces, but he gets it done just like they do.
Jeremy Guthrie - 8 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Another quality statline from Guthrie, but a couple HR did him in for those earned runs.
Carlos Delgado - 2/3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's been scuffling, so the last 4 games give his owners some hope that he'll bust out of his 2nd slump of the year. He has a good chance of getting hot for a while.
Shane Victorino - 3/4, solo HR (9), 2 SB (24). He's only hitting .271, so like I said before, he's only a 2 catagory player with 51 R and 24 SB. The 9 HR is more than more steal guys give you, so he's a bit more valuable in that sense than many "emptier" speed guys.
Akinori Otsuka - 2/3 IP, 2 H. Otsuka left with a forearm problem, so let's hope this isn't a serious ailment. Nothing more has been reported at this time.
Kevin Youkilis - 2/4, 1 RBI. He's slowed down from that monster pace he was on earlier, but with a .329 AVG, 44 RBI, and 48 R, he's providing his owners with a quality fantasy 3B.
Hunter Pence - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. That 5 game mini-slump apparently pissed him off.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (6). His 3.15 ERA is very impressive as he might become the White Sox ace if Buehrle is traded.
David Bush - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not too bad of a start, but the offense had nothing on Marquis last night after exploding for 19 runs the first 2 games of the series.
Corey Hart - 1/4, solo HR (11). Combining him along with Fielder, Hardy, Weeks, and fellow super-rookie Braun, and this young offense is looking very scary for the next several years. The Milwaukee crowd has to be loving this.
Tim Linecum - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. He only needed 97 pitches to accomplish this, his best outing as a major leaguer. Getting Bengie Molina back behind the plate has definitely put Lincecum back on track.
Bengie Molina - 2/4, 3 run HR (8). With a .289 AVG, 8 HR, and 44 RBI, Molina's putting together a very solid season for a fantasy catcher.
Shaun Marcum - 6 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Another great start from Marcum as he's definitely worth using in mixed leagues during his hot streak.
Jeff Weaver - 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. What the hell is going on? I've read that he's found a few extra MPH on his fastball, so that's allowed him to go from batting practice dummy to decent major league starter, and he's actually putting together a nice little streak of starts. Still, he can't be picked up in mixed leagues.
J.J. Putz - 1 IP, 2 K, W (1). Nice little win bonus for his owners.
Chad Billingsley - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. What a nice start from Billingsley last night. He's back on the radar. He can provide a lot of performances like this if he could find consistent control of his pitches.
Justin Germano - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Roughed up a little bit last night. He's still a good sell high guy if you can toss him into a deal for an upgrade before his numbers start to even out.
Rafael Furcal - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (2), SB (9). He's been a massive disappointment for those owners expecting the ~12 HR and ~40 steals that he usually provides. The problem is the extreme lack of patience behind him in Juan Pierre, who just doesn't take pitches and allow Furcal to steal. It seems like it might be a problem all year long.
Scott Baker - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. What a great performance from Baker last night against a red hot Detroit Tigers offense, needing only 79 pitches. That's 3 straight solid starts from Baker who is possibly understanding how to pitch at the major league level. One more good start against a quality offense and I'll be recommending a pickup.
Jeremy Bonderman - 8 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, W (9). Just shut down the Twins offense, and got the run of support he needed in the bottom of the 8th to pick up the victory.
Saturday's Action: We're Halfway There!
Chad Gaudin - 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. He caught a cold hitting Yankees bunch at the right time, and he put together one of his best outings to date. He continues to pitch well, and his ERA currently sits at 2.92. Very impressive for the AL. He's been one of the better AL waiver wire pickups of the year at the SP position.
Rich Harden - 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K. Well, unfortunately he's not doing much for his owners despite him being relatively healthy pitching in a 7th/8th inning role right now. He was finally able to go 2 innings despite not being able to do such last time. You won't get much for him in a trade, but he's not worth dropping either. Just use him as a solid ratio/K middle inning reliever for the moment and hopefully his role for the 2nd half will become defined a bit better after the AllStar break.
Nick Swisher - He's been pretty worthless for a while now. His AVG has come back down, sitting at .271. He's only hit 10 HR in the first half of this year despite hitting 31 last year. I would think he'll hit a few more in the 2nd half though, so I wouldn't worry.
Ben Sheets - 8 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, W (10). He bunched a few hits together in the 1st and 6th innings, but he pitched brilliantly outside of that en route to posting a season high K total. He's pitching as well as he ever has this year, and he's giving his owners more than they paid for.
Sean Marshall - 2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Things are evening out for Marshall as his ERA rose to 3.50 with this outing. I can see his ERA sitting around there for most of the year. The problem with Marshall is the fact that he follows Rich Hill in the rotation. Both pitchers have very similar pitching styles, and if Hill and Marshall both face the same team in the same series, Marshall is going to have trouble because the team just got done facing a slightly better version of him. Perhaps it should be something people consider when deciding whether to use him or not. There isn't enough of a stat sample to say one way or another.
Ryan Braun - 4/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (7). He and Pence have been the rookie waiver wire finds of the year thus far. Braun is enjoying an incredible run right now, and his power/speed combination will keep him valuable all year long even if his AVG slides a bit. With 30 K in 33 games, it likely will.
Rickie Weeks - 0/4, 1 R, SB (9). Now hitting .236 and also 8th in the lineup, his fantasy value has crashed since coming back from his injury. If you're struggling at 2B, I consider buying him low. He has good power/speed combo, and even though his R total will take a hit not leading off anymore, I think he's playing under his potential as long as he's healthy.
Jorge Sosa - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not too bad in a tough start at Philly, but unfortunately he left early with a strained left hamstring. He's headed to the DL, and I'm sure his owners won't miss him too terribly even though he had been pitching well for the most part.
Carlos Beltran - 4/5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (14). 4 HRs in 2 games...buy low opportunity closed. [luigi] He's a hot. [/luigi]
Kevin Slowey - 6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (3). He pitched pretty well given he was going against the powerful Tigers offense, and he limited the damage enough to pick up the win. This will be my last post about him for a while because his ratios just don't allow him to be used in mixed leagues right now.
Andrew Miller - 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A rough start for Miller against the Twins. He'll be up and down like most rookies, but given he has a permanent rotation spot, a lot of talent, and decent polish for a young pitcher, I think he'll be a mixed league asset for a while.
Michael Cuddyer - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (9). His AVG, RBI, and R are right in line with last year, but his 9 HR leave him a little short of the 24 he hit last season. Hopefully he picks up the power pace a bit in the 2nd half.
Curtis Granderson - 2/5, solo HR (11). He's at .289 with 11 HR, 41 RBI, 58 R, and 9 SB, and he's proving to be a quality 3rd OF. Like I said before, however, his value is best maximized by only starting him against RHP, as he's hitting a miserable .129 against them, with only 2 HR and 0 SB.
Josh Beckett - 5 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Missed too often within the strikezone apparently, and Texas hit him pretty hard. You'd rather see this sort of outing come against a stronger offense, but it'll happen from time to time, and he didn't get completely lit up either. He ends the first half healthy, and with great stats. He's definitely been one of the best draft day values among SPs.
Sammy Sosa - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). 14 HR and 63 RBI has made Sammy Sosa relevant in fantasy leagues this year. The .255 AVG is definitely a downer, but he's giving you a reason to use him as a cheap power source.
Jason Bergmann - 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Very disappointing 2nd start after coming off the DL, especially since it was against Pittsburgh. I won't write about him again until he strings together a few performances and is worth picking up again.
Tom Gorzelanny - 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER 3 BB, 6 K. Good stuff against the Nationals offense. He finishes the first half with a 3.05 ERA. Between him and Snell, the Pirates have a very nice 1-2 punch at the front of their rotation. I still think he's a good sell-high guy given the fact he hasn't pitched 200 innings before, and the fact he has a history of arm injuries. Plus, the 1.27 WHIP does not support an ERA hovering at 3.00.
Adam LaRoche - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (10). A bust this year so far, especially considering the miserable .223 AVG. I hope you don't still own him, or worse yet use him.
Brian Burres - 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. The good? A 3.38 ERA and 53 K in 64 IP. The bad? A 1.47 WHIP and 38 BB in 64 IP. Don't pick him up despite the decent stats so far.
Paul Shuey - 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, SV (1). Chris Ray had worked 3 out of the past 4 games, so he got a rest. However, it was stated yesterday that the Orioles want to reduce Chris Ray's workload, especially considering he's been struggling. Unfortunately I suggested him as a buy low candidate, but his value is on the rocks right now. Shuey might factor into the situation, but he's not worth picking up yet.
Jeff Francis - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, W (8). He keeps rolling right along, lowering his ERA to a solid 3.56 on the season. He finishes the month of June with a 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 35 K in 38 IP. He continues to be a solid fantasy starter despite a horrible first month of the season.
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (8). He's rolling right along, and ends the first half with a 3.18 ERA. He's definitely a contender for comeback player of the year in the NL.
Kelly Johnson - 1/3, 1 RBI, SB (6). He's been very good this year in an overall sense, but he hasn't hit that well the past two months, and now Atlanta is toying with the idea of platooning him with Yuniel Escobar. He's already been dropped from the leadoff spot. I'd keep an eye on the daily lineups to see whether or not he's playing, and plan on having a backup ready just in case. Odds are he'll hit his way out of this situation, but let's hope Atlanta gives him the opportunity to do so.
C.C. Sabathia - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (12). He continues his fantasy ace ways as he wraps up the first half with a 3.20 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 116 K in 129 1/3 IP.
Travis Hafner - 1/3, solo HR (13). He's slowly starting to heat up, so make sure to try to buy him now before the 2nd half. I think he's in store for a big one.
Noah Lowry - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (8). His 8 wins and 3.46 ERA are nice, but his 59 K in 101 1/3 IP and 1.40 WHIP are not. I wouldn't want to start him consistently, but he's not a bad spot starter against weaker teams.
Brad Hennessey - 1 IP, 1 H, SV (4). He's definitely the preferred choice for saves in San Fran, just to re-affirm.
Roy Halladay - 6 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. That would be good enough to win more times than not, but the Toronto offense struggled and couldn't get him the run support he needed. He's been pitching well, and despite a disappointing first half, he should be in for a better 2nd half if he can stay healthy. That's a big if with him, though.
Ichiro Suzuki - 3/5, SB (23). He's up to .368, and he's been a real fantasy force in the first half. He finishes June with a ridiculous .427 AVG.
Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. The pitching duel between Peavy and Penny proved it's worth in gold as both pitchers put up almost identical statlines, and the game went into extra innings as a result. Peavy finishes the first half as the best fantasy pitcher in the NL, and as long as his shoulder holds up, he should prove to be just as valuable in the 2nd half.
Brad Penny - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. No, there isn't an echo in here. Penny finishes the first half as probably the most surprising elite fantasy pitcher. I've expressed my doubts on him, but while he put up a fluky ERA the first month, he followed that up with an excellent May and June. Like I've noted several times before, he crashed after the All Star break last year, so selling high is still probably a good idea. He does have the talent to keep this up, but he's never done it for a full season before.
Russell Martin - 1/5, SB (15). 15 steals from a catcher in the first half. Awesome.
Rich Harden - 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K. Well, unfortunately he's not doing much for his owners despite him being relatively healthy pitching in a 7th/8th inning role right now. He was finally able to go 2 innings despite not being able to do such last time. You won't get much for him in a trade, but he's not worth dropping either. Just use him as a solid ratio/K middle inning reliever for the moment and hopefully his role for the 2nd half will become defined a bit better after the AllStar break.
Nick Swisher - He's been pretty worthless for a while now. His AVG has come back down, sitting at .271. He's only hit 10 HR in the first half of this year despite hitting 31 last year. I would think he'll hit a few more in the 2nd half though, so I wouldn't worry.
Ben Sheets - 8 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, W (10). He bunched a few hits together in the 1st and 6th innings, but he pitched brilliantly outside of that en route to posting a season high K total. He's pitching as well as he ever has this year, and he's giving his owners more than they paid for.
Sean Marshall - 2 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Things are evening out for Marshall as his ERA rose to 3.50 with this outing. I can see his ERA sitting around there for most of the year. The problem with Marshall is the fact that he follows Rich Hill in the rotation. Both pitchers have very similar pitching styles, and if Hill and Marshall both face the same team in the same series, Marshall is going to have trouble because the team just got done facing a slightly better version of him. Perhaps it should be something people consider when deciding whether to use him or not. There isn't enough of a stat sample to say one way or another.
Ryan Braun - 4/5, 3 R, 4 RBI, HR (7). He and Pence have been the rookie waiver wire finds of the year thus far. Braun is enjoying an incredible run right now, and his power/speed combination will keep him valuable all year long even if his AVG slides a bit. With 30 K in 33 games, it likely will.
Rickie Weeks - 0/4, 1 R, SB (9). Now hitting .236 and also 8th in the lineup, his fantasy value has crashed since coming back from his injury. If you're struggling at 2B, I consider buying him low. He has good power/speed combo, and even though his R total will take a hit not leading off anymore, I think he's playing under his potential as long as he's healthy.
Jorge Sosa - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not too bad in a tough start at Philly, but unfortunately he left early with a strained left hamstring. He's headed to the DL, and I'm sure his owners won't miss him too terribly even though he had been pitching well for the most part.
Carlos Beltran - 4/5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (14). 4 HRs in 2 games...buy low opportunity closed. [luigi] He's a hot. [/luigi]
Kevin Slowey - 6 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (3). He pitched pretty well given he was going against the powerful Tigers offense, and he limited the damage enough to pick up the win. This will be my last post about him for a while because his ratios just don't allow him to be used in mixed leagues right now.
Andrew Miller - 5 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A rough start for Miller against the Twins. He'll be up and down like most rookies, but given he has a permanent rotation spot, a lot of talent, and decent polish for a young pitcher, I think he'll be a mixed league asset for a while.
Michael Cuddyer - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (9). His AVG, RBI, and R are right in line with last year, but his 9 HR leave him a little short of the 24 he hit last season. Hopefully he picks up the power pace a bit in the 2nd half.
Curtis Granderson - 2/5, solo HR (11). He's at .289 with 11 HR, 41 RBI, 58 R, and 9 SB, and he's proving to be a quality 3rd OF. Like I said before, however, his value is best maximized by only starting him against RHP, as he's hitting a miserable .129 against them, with only 2 HR and 0 SB.
Josh Beckett - 5 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Missed too often within the strikezone apparently, and Texas hit him pretty hard. You'd rather see this sort of outing come against a stronger offense, but it'll happen from time to time, and he didn't get completely lit up either. He ends the first half healthy, and with great stats. He's definitely been one of the best draft day values among SPs.
Sammy Sosa - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (14). 14 HR and 63 RBI has made Sammy Sosa relevant in fantasy leagues this year. The .255 AVG is definitely a downer, but he's giving you a reason to use him as a cheap power source.
Jason Bergmann - 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Very disappointing 2nd start after coming off the DL, especially since it was against Pittsburgh. I won't write about him again until he strings together a few performances and is worth picking up again.
Tom Gorzelanny - 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER 3 BB, 6 K. Good stuff against the Nationals offense. He finishes the first half with a 3.05 ERA. Between him and Snell, the Pirates have a very nice 1-2 punch at the front of their rotation. I still think he's a good sell-high guy given the fact he hasn't pitched 200 innings before, and the fact he has a history of arm injuries. Plus, the 1.27 WHIP does not support an ERA hovering at 3.00.
Adam LaRoche - 2/4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (10). A bust this year so far, especially considering the miserable .223 AVG. I hope you don't still own him, or worse yet use him.
Brian Burres - 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. The good? A 3.38 ERA and 53 K in 64 IP. The bad? A 1.47 WHIP and 38 BB in 64 IP. Don't pick him up despite the decent stats so far.
Paul Shuey - 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, SV (1). Chris Ray had worked 3 out of the past 4 games, so he got a rest. However, it was stated yesterday that the Orioles want to reduce Chris Ray's workload, especially considering he's been struggling. Unfortunately I suggested him as a buy low candidate, but his value is on the rocks right now. Shuey might factor into the situation, but he's not worth picking up yet.
Jeff Francis - 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, W (8). He keeps rolling right along, lowering his ERA to a solid 3.56 on the season. He finishes the month of June with a 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 35 K in 38 IP. He continues to be a solid fantasy starter despite a horrible first month of the season.
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (8). He's rolling right along, and ends the first half with a 3.18 ERA. He's definitely a contender for comeback player of the year in the NL.
Kelly Johnson - 1/3, 1 RBI, SB (6). He's been very good this year in an overall sense, but he hasn't hit that well the past two months, and now Atlanta is toying with the idea of platooning him with Yuniel Escobar. He's already been dropped from the leadoff spot. I'd keep an eye on the daily lineups to see whether or not he's playing, and plan on having a backup ready just in case. Odds are he'll hit his way out of this situation, but let's hope Atlanta gives him the opportunity to do so.
C.C. Sabathia - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, W (12). He continues his fantasy ace ways as he wraps up the first half with a 3.20 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 116 K in 129 1/3 IP.
Travis Hafner - 1/3, solo HR (13). He's slowly starting to heat up, so make sure to try to buy him now before the 2nd half. I think he's in store for a big one.
Noah Lowry - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (8). His 8 wins and 3.46 ERA are nice, but his 59 K in 101 1/3 IP and 1.40 WHIP are not. I wouldn't want to start him consistently, but he's not a bad spot starter against weaker teams.
Brad Hennessey - 1 IP, 1 H, SV (4). He's definitely the preferred choice for saves in San Fran, just to re-affirm.
Roy Halladay - 6 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. That would be good enough to win more times than not, but the Toronto offense struggled and couldn't get him the run support he needed. He's been pitching well, and despite a disappointing first half, he should be in for a better 2nd half if he can stay healthy. That's a big if with him, though.
Ichiro Suzuki - 3/5, SB (23). He's up to .368, and he's been a real fantasy force in the first half. He finishes June with a ridiculous .427 AVG.
Jake Peavy - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. The pitching duel between Peavy and Penny proved it's worth in gold as both pitchers put up almost identical statlines, and the game went into extra innings as a result. Peavy finishes the first half as the best fantasy pitcher in the NL, and as long as his shoulder holds up, he should prove to be just as valuable in the 2nd half.
Brad Penny - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. No, there isn't an echo in here. Penny finishes the first half as probably the most surprising elite fantasy pitcher. I've expressed my doubts on him, but while he put up a fluky ERA the first month, he followed that up with an excellent May and June. Like I've noted several times before, he crashed after the All Star break last year, so selling high is still probably a good idea. He does have the talent to keep this up, but he's never done it for a full season before.
Russell Martin - 1/5, SB (15). 15 steals from a catcher in the first half. Awesome.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday: Night Of The Walkoff HR
Orlando Hernandez - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W (4). Another solid outing from Hernandez as he has bounced back from his worst outing of the season against the Yankees and posted 2 great starts since. His 2.78 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in the first half of the season have been a great surprise for his owners.
John Maine - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (9). He concludes his improbable 1st half with a 2.74 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 84 K in 102 IP. He's only walked 4 hitters in his last 6 outings, so he's well past the control problems he was working through in the first two months.
Cole Hamels - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Terrible outing for Hamels as he battled control problems and gave up 2 more HRs. Luckily he limited the damage to only 3 ER for his owners' sake.
Billy Wagner - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, SV (16). He pitched in both games of the doubleheader yesterday. I'm sure owners would like to see a could more saves from a dominant closer on a very good team, but he's given his owners almost exactly what they've expected from him so far.
Carlos Delgado - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). I think the now 35 year old is showing his age. He's hitting a miserable .228, only has 12 HR, and has 44 RBI. Nobody expected much in the AVG department after he hit .265 last year, but he cranked 38 HR with 114 RBI. He should rebound some in the 2nd half, so I do think he's a decent buy low candidate, but he's past his prime so temper your expectations somewhat.
Carlos Beltran - 2/5, 2 solo HR (12). He apparently liked what Hamels was tossing up there last night, smacking both HRs off of him. He had 3 straight multi-hit games, but then cooled off for a few before hitting the HRs last night. He's due to get real hot here.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Another great outing last night. I was able to watch him pitch yesterday afternoon. He does a good job locating his pitches, changing speeds, and mixing in his quality curveball with his fastball which topped out about 94 MPH last night. He has a changeup, but doesn't use it too much yet. He doesn't have A+ dominant stuff, but he does have very good stuff that he uses well. He's definitely going to be a good pitcher, and shows more polish than most pitchers his age.
Rich Hill - 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He didn't have command of his curveball for most of this outing, and it showed in the results. Nothing to worry about here as it was just one of those bad outings.
Francisco Cordero - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BS (3). Another pitcher who didn't have it last night. He was getting hit hard, and Derek Lee just missed one prior to A-Ram's walkoff bomb. He wasn't locating his fastball, and he was hanging his breaking stuff. He had put together 5 straight scoreless appearances since his rough spot earlier this month, so I wouldn't worry about this.
Carlos Marmol/Bob Howry - I'm not sure what's going on in the Cubs bullpen right now with Dempster out. Howry had converted 2 save chances in a row, but then working for the 4th time in 5 nights, he blew a save in his 3rd straight appearance. He got a night off the day after that, but then the following day with Howry presumably available, Marmol was used instead and pitched a perfect inning with 2 Ks. Last night in a game the Cubs weren't winning, Marmol was used in the 8th and Howry in the 9th. If I had to guess, I'd guess that Howry is still the closer given the bullpen arrangement used last night. Marmol definitely has the best pure stuff in that pen, Dempster or not. Since the Cubs have found a quality 5th starter in Marshall and are going to be in the playoff chase, I don't think Marmol will get his chance this season.
Kelvim Escobar - 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. If you own Escobar, you'll understand that he is due for one of these once in a while. As frustrating as it is, you can't really do anything about it. As long as his velocity was OK, this should be another one time thing.
Howie Kendrick - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (4). He's had a great month, hitting .347 with 24 R. He really needs to add more HR and SB like I mentioned before, and hopefully those will come now that he's shaken off the after-effects of the broken finger.
Chuck James - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). A very good outing for James last night, pushing his ERA down to 4.08. That 1.50 WHIP is a killer, and unfortunately he hasn't improved that number in any month. Unless you can afford that WHIP hit and an ERA around 4, I wouldn't use him in something other than a spot-starting role.
Jeff Francoeur - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. He's heating up, and I think his buy-low window is about closed after going 8/9 the past two games. After only 8 HRs in the first half, I have to think he's due for a power surge as well.
Ben Francisco - In a night of walkoff HR, his was cool in the fact it was his first career HR. Congrats, Ben!
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (9). The Tigers offense? Who cares, it's Santana. It's scary to think his current 2.76 ERA is the best of his career heading into the All Star break.
Justin Verlander - 5 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Unfortunately this excellent pitching matchup failed to materialize as his command failed him last night. Oh well.
Joe Mauer - 1/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, GS (4). A big grand slam off Verlander last night for Mauer, the first of his career. I really hope his power starts developing in the 2nd half this year...it'll be the only way his owners will convert on the high draft slot he required this year.
Mike Mussina - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (4). Mussina has been very good recently, only allowing 9 ER in his last 31 2/3 IP. He's definitely turned his season around, and I was wrong in saying that he was done as a useful fantasy starter. Make sure he's owned in your league.
Ian Snell - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Nothing like a matchup with the Nationals to get well after a rough start. His offense didn't get him the support he needed to pick up the win. He caps his amazing first half with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.
Kenny Lofton - 4/4, 4 SB (20). Huge game for those who had him active last night. With a .301 AVG and 51 R, he's been a solid speed OF. He's much better in Rotisserie where his SB droughts don't leave you with a worthless offensive player in your lineup.
Bronson Arroyo - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. That's two solid starts in a row following 6 straight bad outings. Give some consideration to re-adding him, but I'd keep him benched for one more start just to be safe.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, 2 run HR (13). Definitely on fire with 4 HR in his last 8 games. Keep him active while he hits like this.
Brian Fuentes - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, BS (6). There's no closer pitching worse than Fuentes right now. In his last 4 outings, his stat line is 2 1/3 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. That's just brutal for his owners, but you can't do anything other than hope he turns it around. I hope you sold high on him like I suggested...I just don't see him being on the Rockies roster or closing after the trading deadline.
Garrett Atkins - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (12). After a vomit inducing first 2 months, Atkins has put up a June of .304, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 1 SB. His minor league numbers don't support the 29 HRs he hit last year, but it's possible that he's a late bloomer. I'd be surprised if he hit more than 10 HRs or so in the 2nd half given that, but he should definitely be a .300 hitter with 50 or so RBIs. Maybe he'll show last year wasn't a fluke in the power department as an added bonus.
Lance Berkman - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). He's locked in now. His first 2 months weren't quite as bad as Atkins', but he's heated up similarly in June with a line of .297, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 19 R, 1 SB. If you can catch an owner looking more at his stats so far rather than last month, get him at a discount. Same goes for Atkins.
Zach Greinke - 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV (1). With Octavio Dotel likely out the door come the trading deadline, Greinke will take over as the Royals closer. Go get him now...he's done quality work in a MR relief role and can at least help in ratios/Ks til he takes over as the closer.
J.J. Putz - 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (23). He lowered his ERA to a ridiculous 0.95. His last 3 save chances have been over an inning. I don't really like seeing a closer used like that, especially one who had elbow problems in the Spring, but I wouldn't worry too much unless he starts showing symptoms of being overworked.
Matt Morris - 7 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Boy, he got lucky in this outing only giving up 1 ER. If you can get something valuable in return for him, I still suggest doing it. Your best bet might be combining him with another player for an upgrade.
Barry Bonds - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). Owners are getting about what was expected from him, but since he seemed to fall quite far in both of mine, odds are you're getting good value from him.
Chris Young - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, W (8). Another great outing from Young, and his owners are defintely getting more than they expected from him when they drafted him this year.
Juan Pierre - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB (29). With a .277 AVG and 45 R, he's really only a 1 1/2 catagory player. Still, if your lineup is strong enough around him, he's on pace for almost 60 SB, which is a huge boost for that catagory.
John Maine - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, W (9). He concludes his improbable 1st half with a 2.74 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 84 K in 102 IP. He's only walked 4 hitters in his last 6 outings, so he's well past the control problems he was working through in the first two months.
Cole Hamels - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Terrible outing for Hamels as he battled control problems and gave up 2 more HRs. Luckily he limited the damage to only 3 ER for his owners' sake.
Billy Wagner - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, SV (16). He pitched in both games of the doubleheader yesterday. I'm sure owners would like to see a could more saves from a dominant closer on a very good team, but he's given his owners almost exactly what they've expected from him so far.
Carlos Delgado - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (12). I think the now 35 year old is showing his age. He's hitting a miserable .228, only has 12 HR, and has 44 RBI. Nobody expected much in the AVG department after he hit .265 last year, but he cranked 38 HR with 114 RBI. He should rebound some in the 2nd half, so I do think he's a decent buy low candidate, but he's past his prime so temper your expectations somewhat.
Carlos Beltran - 2/5, 2 solo HR (12). He apparently liked what Hamels was tossing up there last night, smacking both HRs off of him. He had 3 straight multi-hit games, but then cooled off for a few before hitting the HRs last night. He's due to get real hot here.
Yovani Gallardo - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Another great outing last night. I was able to watch him pitch yesterday afternoon. He does a good job locating his pitches, changing speeds, and mixing in his quality curveball with his fastball which topped out about 94 MPH last night. He has a changeup, but doesn't use it too much yet. He doesn't have A+ dominant stuff, but he does have very good stuff that he uses well. He's definitely going to be a good pitcher, and shows more polish than most pitchers his age.
Rich Hill - 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He didn't have command of his curveball for most of this outing, and it showed in the results. Nothing to worry about here as it was just one of those bad outings.
Francisco Cordero - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BS (3). Another pitcher who didn't have it last night. He was getting hit hard, and Derek Lee just missed one prior to A-Ram's walkoff bomb. He wasn't locating his fastball, and he was hanging his breaking stuff. He had put together 5 straight scoreless appearances since his rough spot earlier this month, so I wouldn't worry about this.
Carlos Marmol/Bob Howry - I'm not sure what's going on in the Cubs bullpen right now with Dempster out. Howry had converted 2 save chances in a row, but then working for the 4th time in 5 nights, he blew a save in his 3rd straight appearance. He got a night off the day after that, but then the following day with Howry presumably available, Marmol was used instead and pitched a perfect inning with 2 Ks. Last night in a game the Cubs weren't winning, Marmol was used in the 8th and Howry in the 9th. If I had to guess, I'd guess that Howry is still the closer given the bullpen arrangement used last night. Marmol definitely has the best pure stuff in that pen, Dempster or not. Since the Cubs have found a quality 5th starter in Marshall and are going to be in the playoff chase, I don't think Marmol will get his chance this season.
Kelvim Escobar - 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. If you own Escobar, you'll understand that he is due for one of these once in a while. As frustrating as it is, you can't really do anything about it. As long as his velocity was OK, this should be another one time thing.
Howie Kendrick - 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (4). He's had a great month, hitting .347 with 24 R. He really needs to add more HR and SB like I mentioned before, and hopefully those will come now that he's shaken off the after-effects of the broken finger.
Chuck James - 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, W (7). A very good outing for James last night, pushing his ERA down to 4.08. That 1.50 WHIP is a killer, and unfortunately he hasn't improved that number in any month. Unless you can afford that WHIP hit and an ERA around 4, I wouldn't use him in something other than a spot-starting role.
Jeff Francoeur - 4/5, 3 R, 1 RBI. He's heating up, and I think his buy-low window is about closed after going 8/9 the past two games. After only 8 HRs in the first half, I have to think he's due for a power surge as well.
Ben Francisco - In a night of walkoff HR, his was cool in the fact it was his first career HR. Congrats, Ben!
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (9). The Tigers offense? Who cares, it's Santana. It's scary to think his current 2.76 ERA is the best of his career heading into the All Star break.
Justin Verlander - 5 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 5 K. Unfortunately this excellent pitching matchup failed to materialize as his command failed him last night. Oh well.
Joe Mauer - 1/3, 2 R, 4 RBI, GS (4). A big grand slam off Verlander last night for Mauer, the first of his career. I really hope his power starts developing in the 2nd half this year...it'll be the only way his owners will convert on the high draft slot he required this year.
Mike Mussina - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (4). Mussina has been very good recently, only allowing 9 ER in his last 31 2/3 IP. He's definitely turned his season around, and I was wrong in saying that he was done as a useful fantasy starter. Make sure he's owned in your league.
Ian Snell - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Nothing like a matchup with the Nationals to get well after a rough start. His offense didn't get him the support he needed to pick up the win. He caps his amazing first half with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.
Kenny Lofton - 4/4, 4 SB (20). Huge game for those who had him active last night. With a .301 AVG and 51 R, he's been a solid speed OF. He's much better in Rotisserie where his SB droughts don't leave you with a worthless offensive player in your lineup.
Bronson Arroyo - 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. That's two solid starts in a row following 6 straight bad outings. Give some consideration to re-adding him, but I'd keep him benched for one more start just to be safe.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, 2 run HR (13). Definitely on fire with 4 HR in his last 8 games. Keep him active while he hits like this.
Brian Fuentes - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, BS (6). There's no closer pitching worse than Fuentes right now. In his last 4 outings, his stat line is 2 1/3 IP, 11 H, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. That's just brutal for his owners, but you can't do anything other than hope he turns it around. I hope you sold high on him like I suggested...I just don't see him being on the Rockies roster or closing after the trading deadline.
Garrett Atkins - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (12). After a vomit inducing first 2 months, Atkins has put up a June of .304, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 1 SB. His minor league numbers don't support the 29 HRs he hit last year, but it's possible that he's a late bloomer. I'd be surprised if he hit more than 10 HRs or so in the 2nd half given that, but he should definitely be a .300 hitter with 50 or so RBIs. Maybe he'll show last year wasn't a fluke in the power department as an added bonus.
Lance Berkman - 2/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (13). He's locked in now. His first 2 months weren't quite as bad as Atkins', but he's heated up similarly in June with a line of .297, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 19 R, 1 SB. If you can catch an owner looking more at his stats so far rather than last month, get him at a discount. Same goes for Atkins.
Zach Greinke - 2 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 K, SV (1). With Octavio Dotel likely out the door come the trading deadline, Greinke will take over as the Royals closer. Go get him now...he's done quality work in a MR relief role and can at least help in ratios/Ks til he takes over as the closer.
J.J. Putz - 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (23). He lowered his ERA to a ridiculous 0.95. His last 3 save chances have been over an inning. I don't really like seeing a closer used like that, especially one who had elbow problems in the Spring, but I wouldn't worry too much unless he starts showing symptoms of being overworked.
Matt Morris - 7 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Boy, he got lucky in this outing only giving up 1 ER. If you can get something valuable in return for him, I still suggest doing it. Your best bet might be combining him with another player for an upgrade.
Barry Bonds - 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (16). Owners are getting about what was expected from him, but since he seemed to fall quite far in both of mine, odds are you're getting good value from him.
Chris Young - 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, W (8). Another great outing from Young, and his owners are defintely getting more than they expected from him when they drafted him this year.
Juan Pierre - 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB (29). With a .277 AVG and 45 R, he's really only a 1 1/2 catagory player. Still, if your lineup is strong enough around him, he's on pace for almost 60 SB, which is a huge boost for that catagory.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday: Frank's 500th, Biggio's 3000th
Scott Olsen - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, W (6). He keeps teasing us with something good in most outings, but he hasn't put it all together yet. He still remains one to monitor.
Kevin Gregg - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (15). A nice bounce back outing after giving up 2 ER and taking the loss the previous game. He's the unquestioned closer and there's no debate about it anymore.
Joe Blanton - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. His bullpen allowed 2 runners to score along with one other to blow the game for him. Still, this was an impressive outing against the powerful Cleveland lineup.
Dan Johnson - 4/4, solo HR (7). He's all the way down to .269. I sold him high, and I don't remember if I mentioned here, so I apologize if I didn't. I talked him up when he was hitting well, but he was over his head and he just doesn't project to have much power in the majors. If you're still hanging onto him, I'd see if he's about to go on a hot streak and then ride it out, but don't be afraid to cut bait.
Josh Barfield - 2/4, 2 R, 2 SB (8). A popular sleeper at the 2B position heading into the year, but he hasn't panned out at all. He's hitting .266 with 2 HR and 8 SB, so he's not providing fantasy value to what few owners he has left.
Kenny Rogers - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Well, pick him up if he's still out there. He's pitched very well in his 2 outings since coming back from a blood clot. With the explosive Detroit offense supporting him, he should be a good source of solid ratios and Ws down the stretch.
Gary Sheffield - 1/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (18), SB (10). He's been one of the best OFs in fantasy baseball this year. I had my reservations with him coming off a serious wrist injury and moving to a more pitcher's friendly park, but he's shattered all of that with his tremendous first half.
A.J. Burnett - 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Not the best outing for Burnett, but with the 6 strikeouts versus 0 walks, he pitched pretty well and just made a couple mistakes within the strikezone. He should be good to go, but there's no question in my mind that if he puts together a couple good starts, trade him. A pitcher with a history of arm problems combined with a team that doesn't take care of their pitchers....bad times for everyone.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (13). Congratulations to Frank Thomas on his 500th HR. In an age of athletes that have taken performance enhancing drugs on their way to big careers, I believe Frank is one of the ones that did it the right way. He's always been a big, strong, power hitter from day 1. A favorite of mine while on the White Sox; he's capped his HOF career by hitting a big career milestone.
Randy Wolf - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K. Another mediocre outing from Randy Wolf. I dumped him in one league in favor of Gallardo, and I'm plenty happy I did. I'm not going to write about him anymore unless he turns it around.
Randy Johnson - 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Pretty ugly outing from Johnson in his return from the DL. He should be alright heading forward though, although more injury problems are quite possible.
Russell Martin - 3/6, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He's been as consistent as you can get each month so far this year and he's elevated himself into the elite fantasy catcher catagory.
Jimmy Rollins - 4/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (15). He had a pretty pedestrian May, but he's come back strong, hitting .324 with 4 HR and 5 SB in June.
Chase Utley - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (15), SB (6). He's awesome, isn't he?
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K. His 2nd straight outing only allowing 1 ER. What's next? Probably a disasterous one. Still, his owners have to be loving his overall performance this year as he's exceeding expectations with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.
Scott Kazmir - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. 114 pitches didn't even get him out of the 6th inning as he's continuing to have efficiency and command problems. It's been 3 months now, and I'm wondering if my suggestion to buy low was erroneous. He doesn't seem to be getting any better, and you have to wonder where that 2006 form has gone.
Paul Konerko - 3/5, 2 solo HR (14). 14 HR, 41 RBI, and a .257 AVG. Not what his owners have wanted, but given he's hitting .314 with 7 HR and 15 RBI in June, he's put the awful first 2 months behind him.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A step in the right direction as Oswalt tries to bounce back from a string of 4 mediocre outings.
Troy Tulowitzki - 3/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (8), SB (4). Well, right after I posted that he wasn't doing enough in the HR/SB department, he's gone on a tear, hitting 5 HR and stealing 2 bases in the last 8 games. Ride out the hot streak, and perhaps he's ready to take the next step and become a consistent fantasy option. He's obviously worth adding to find out.
Carlos Lee - 2/6, walkoff GS (15), SB (5). It doesn't get much better than a walkoff grand slam. Lee is hitting .294 with 15 HR, 5 SB, and 66 RBI, so he's doing an excellent job of living up to his draft day position.
Craig Biggio - 5/6, 1 R, 1 RBI. Congrats to Craig Biggio for collecting his 3000th hit last night, capping off what's been a borderline HOF career. With 3000 hits, 413 SBs, and 286 HRs on his resume, and given the fact he spent much of his career catching and playing 2B, I think he has a very legit shot of getting into Cooperstown. He wasn't a dominant force at any given time in his career, but I think he'll eventually make it.
Kevin Gregg - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, SV (15). A nice bounce back outing after giving up 2 ER and taking the loss the previous game. He's the unquestioned closer and there's no debate about it anymore.
Joe Blanton - 6 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. His bullpen allowed 2 runners to score along with one other to blow the game for him. Still, this was an impressive outing against the powerful Cleveland lineup.
Dan Johnson - 4/4, solo HR (7). He's all the way down to .269. I sold him high, and I don't remember if I mentioned here, so I apologize if I didn't. I talked him up when he was hitting well, but he was over his head and he just doesn't project to have much power in the majors. If you're still hanging onto him, I'd see if he's about to go on a hot streak and then ride it out, but don't be afraid to cut bait.
Josh Barfield - 2/4, 2 R, 2 SB (8). A popular sleeper at the 2B position heading into the year, but he hasn't panned out at all. He's hitting .266 with 2 HR and 8 SB, so he's not providing fantasy value to what few owners he has left.
Kenny Rogers - 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Well, pick him up if he's still out there. He's pitched very well in his 2 outings since coming back from a blood clot. With the explosive Detroit offense supporting him, he should be a good source of solid ratios and Ws down the stretch.
Gary Sheffield - 1/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (18), SB (10). He's been one of the best OFs in fantasy baseball this year. I had my reservations with him coming off a serious wrist injury and moving to a more pitcher's friendly park, but he's shattered all of that with his tremendous first half.
A.J. Burnett - 4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Not the best outing for Burnett, but with the 6 strikeouts versus 0 walks, he pitched pretty well and just made a couple mistakes within the strikezone. He should be good to go, but there's no question in my mind that if he puts together a couple good starts, trade him. A pitcher with a history of arm problems combined with a team that doesn't take care of their pitchers....bad times for everyone.
Frank Thomas - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (13). Congratulations to Frank Thomas on his 500th HR. In an age of athletes that have taken performance enhancing drugs on their way to big careers, I believe Frank is one of the ones that did it the right way. He's always been a big, strong, power hitter from day 1. A favorite of mine while on the White Sox; he's capped his HOF career by hitting a big career milestone.
Randy Wolf - 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 4 K. Another mediocre outing from Randy Wolf. I dumped him in one league in favor of Gallardo, and I'm plenty happy I did. I'm not going to write about him anymore unless he turns it around.
Randy Johnson - 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Pretty ugly outing from Johnson in his return from the DL. He should be alright heading forward though, although more injury problems are quite possible.
Russell Martin - 3/6, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR (9). He's been as consistent as you can get each month so far this year and he's elevated himself into the elite fantasy catcher catagory.
Jimmy Rollins - 4/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (15). He had a pretty pedestrian May, but he's come back strong, hitting .324 with 4 HR and 5 SB in June.
Chase Utley - 3/5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (15), SB (6). He's awesome, isn't he?
Javier Vazquez - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K. His 2nd straight outing only allowing 1 ER. What's next? Probably a disasterous one. Still, his owners have to be loving his overall performance this year as he's exceeding expectations with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.
Scott Kazmir - 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. 114 pitches didn't even get him out of the 6th inning as he's continuing to have efficiency and command problems. It's been 3 months now, and I'm wondering if my suggestion to buy low was erroneous. He doesn't seem to be getting any better, and you have to wonder where that 2006 form has gone.
Paul Konerko - 3/5, 2 solo HR (14). 14 HR, 41 RBI, and a .257 AVG. Not what his owners have wanted, but given he's hitting .314 with 7 HR and 15 RBI in June, he's put the awful first 2 months behind him.
Roy Oswalt - 7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A step in the right direction as Oswalt tries to bounce back from a string of 4 mediocre outings.
Troy Tulowitzki - 3/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (8), SB (4). Well, right after I posted that he wasn't doing enough in the HR/SB department, he's gone on a tear, hitting 5 HR and stealing 2 bases in the last 8 games. Ride out the hot streak, and perhaps he's ready to take the next step and become a consistent fantasy option. He's obviously worth adding to find out.
Carlos Lee - 2/6, walkoff GS (15), SB (5). It doesn't get much better than a walkoff grand slam. Lee is hitting .294 with 15 HR, 5 SB, and 66 RBI, so he's doing an excellent job of living up to his draft day position.
Craig Biggio - 5/6, 1 R, 1 RBI. Congrats to Craig Biggio for collecting his 3000th hit last night, capping off what's been a borderline HOF career. With 3000 hits, 413 SBs, and 286 HRs on his resume, and given the fact he spent much of his career catching and playing 2B, I think he has a very legit shot of getting into Cooperstown. He wasn't a dominant force at any given time in his career, but I think he'll eventually make it.
Belated Wednesday Recap
Lance Berkman - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (12). Continues his recent solid hitting with another good game. It seems he's snapped out the slump that's seemingly plagued him through the first half of the season.
Carlos Zambrano - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (9). He was dominant again before tiring a bit in the 6th and giving up 4 baserunners and both ER in that inning. He was pulled after, and the bullpen held up for him. He's pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now.
Ryan Theriot - 1/4, 1 RBI, SB (14). Those still holding onto him can cut bait. With Lee and Ramirez entrenched at the corner infield spots and both DeRosa and Fontenot yielding hot bats, Theriot will no longer have consistent playing time. His only value lies in steals, so he's not worth owning.
Mark DeRosa - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He's going to keep playing while hot, so if you need a middle infielder, pick him up for his hot streak. He's swinging the bat very well right now, but he's not going to be a long-term option.
Greg Maddux - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (7). The veteran is moving right along, and he might post his first sub-4 ERA in 4 years with Petco Park aiding him.
Matt Cain - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. He dropped to 2-9 on the year, and while he's had some problems with his command in numerous starts, he's pitching far better than his record indicates. Play up the bad record and try to buy him for the 2nd half when things should even out.
Khalil Greene - 1/3, solo HR (13). 6 HR and 11 RBI in his last 10 games. Still, the hot streak only leaves him with a .241 AVG, and he just doesn't do enough in other catagories to make him worth using.
Jered Weaver - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Unfortunately he allowed the only run in the game as his offense failed to score against De La Rosa and the Royals bullpen. He's definitely healthy again and ready to roll. I don't like him as much as most due thanks to this flyball tendencies (only sporting a 34.7 GB%), but thanks to the strong team around him, he should be a solid fantasy option in the 2nd half.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Probably his best start as a major leaguer. He was dominant against Seattle, and he's now allowed 2 or less ER in 5 straight starts. He's on top of his game now, and has rewarded both patient owners and guys who bought low with a very solid string of outings. Expect a better and more consistent 2nd half, but you obviously won't be able to get a discount on him with his recent performance.
Fausto Carmona - 1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ouch. Hopefully it's just a one-time thing, so I wouldn't worry about this, but don't look at your ERA or WHIP for a few days.
Jack Cust - 2/5, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (13). Is he seriously settling in as a quality DH for the long-haul? Oakland sure thinks so, and they've actually postponed Mike Piazza's return from his injury until he can perform catching duties. That's 5 HR in his last 8 games. For fantasy purposes, use him while hot, but don't be afraid to pull the plug when he goes cold again.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for a career high in HR, RBI, and R. In a normal season he'd be a candidate for bounceback player of the year for the majors. but with the Josh Hamilton story this year, I'm not sure if he'll be able to claim that.
Aaron Harang - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Had an off game, and it came against Philly in Philly. That'll happen.
Ryan Howard - 1/4, 3 run HR (18). The AVG will throw you off, but after the early season struggles and the injury/recovery, he's performing about where you should expect him to.
Sergio Mitre - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. A rough outing for Mitre, but he's still worth using unless he strings together a couple poor performances. He has a solid lineup supporting him, his K rate is quality at 50 K in 75 1/3 IP, and he's getting groundballs at a high rate of 59.8%.
Xavier Nady - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's been quite a surprise this year, hitting .283 with 13 HR and 46 RBI. He's not a bad 2nd 1B/3rd OF for your fantasy team. He's managing to drive in plenty of runs despite having a pathetic lineup hitting ahead of him.
Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Completed dominated the Yankees lineup. Even though he pitches in the AL East, he has the stuff to take care of great offenses when he's on. That is why he's a great #2 starter for your fantasy team.
Roger Clemens - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. We waited 2 months for this? I hate Roger Clemens, but I know his fantasy value and didn't have any problem drafting him and sitting on him until he came back. He's been horrible so far. Owners don't have any choice right now though...you can't trade him for much since he's not pitching well, but you can't drop him either because odds are he'll probably get back on top of his game.
Brian Roberts - 1/4, SB (25). I'm sure owners were expecting more along the lines of 30 steals, so the fact Roberts is on pace for 50 is very nice. Plus he's sporting a .322 AVG to boot.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He finally puts in the quality performance that was long overdue, but his offense fails to show up and the game gets rained out. It's partially luck like that as to why he's 0-10.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (7). At only 81 pitches, he probably had another inning left in him, but his owners have to be elated with what they did get with him in the game.
Albert Pujols - 0/1, CS (5). He surprised owners with 16 SB 2 years ago, but dropped back to 7 last year and is 1/6 on the basepaths his year. Not that it impacts his fantasy value that much, but I don't think we'll see double digit steals from him again.
David Wright - 1/1, 2 run HR (13). Wright is back on top of his game, and should provide his owners with a great 2nd half. He's raised his AVG back to .288, and could get that to .300 by year's end.
Mark Buehrle - 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (5). Pitched his way out of some jams and turned in a fine outing. If the Sox can plug the bullpen holes, the hitting should come around and Buehrle should win a few more games in the 2nd half. Rumors of trading him have subsided, only to be replaced with re-signing. It's a bit of a disappointment since the NL would have given his fantasy value a boost, but he's pitching very well regardless of the league right now.
Scott Podsednik - 2/5, 1 R. Probably a forgotten man in many fantasy leagues after hitting a disappointing .261 last year, and then having a serious groin injury knock him out a touch over 2 months this year. If he can hit .300, he can be a decent 3 catagory player for you assuming he can score with the slumping offense behind him. Still, with Thome and Konerko behind him, he'll be able to score enough to maintain some fantasy value. Just keep an eye on his AVG...if he can't hit .300 he's not worth owning.
John Smoltz - 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Right on par with what was expected from him facing the weak Washington offense. He was pinch-run for since with the big lead, there was no reason for him to keep pitching at that point, especially coming off of shoulder soreness a little bit ago. Smart move by Atlanta, who seemingly always handle their pitchers well.
Chipper Jones - 3/4, 1 R, 4 RBI. He's rolling right along since coming back from the DL.
Jeff Francoeur - 3/3, 1 R, 3 RBI. He's been in quite a slump, as I mentioned previously, so hopefully this is the start of him turning things around. I put him back in my active lineup just in case, so if you've been benching him, you might think about doing the same. He's not going to keep hitting this poorly for much longer.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 2 run HR (6). Much like Francouer, I think McCann should turn it around shortly as well. I was on the fence with him, but I have a hard time thinking that last year was a fluke the more I consider it. Not a bad buy-low guy depending on your catcher situation.
Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. That's at least 4 ER in 4 of his last 5 starts. I'd consider matchups with him...I don't believe he's an automatic start.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, W (8). He wasn't at his best last night as his command failed him, but he did a great job pitching out of jams, and amazingly enough with those 12 baserunners and his big sinker, he didn't force a single GIDP.
Jose Valverde - 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, SV (25). He's been one of the best draft day values at reliever, and yet another example of why you don't need to spend early round picks on closers to put together a solid bullpen. His 2.78 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are very good.
Derek Lowe - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Deserved a win, but his offense couldn't break through against Webb. He's been an outstanding draft day value at the SP position.
Carlos Zambrano - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, W (9). He was dominant again before tiring a bit in the 6th and giving up 4 baserunners and both ER in that inning. He was pulled after, and the bullpen held up for him. He's pitching as well as anyone in baseball right now.
Ryan Theriot - 1/4, 1 RBI, SB (14). Those still holding onto him can cut bait. With Lee and Ramirez entrenched at the corner infield spots and both DeRosa and Fontenot yielding hot bats, Theriot will no longer have consistent playing time. His only value lies in steals, so he's not worth owning.
Mark DeRosa - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He's going to keep playing while hot, so if you need a middle infielder, pick him up for his hot streak. He's swinging the bat very well right now, but he's not going to be a long-term option.
Greg Maddux - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, W (7). The veteran is moving right along, and he might post his first sub-4 ERA in 4 years with Petco Park aiding him.
Matt Cain - 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. He dropped to 2-9 on the year, and while he's had some problems with his command in numerous starts, he's pitching far better than his record indicates. Play up the bad record and try to buy him for the 2nd half when things should even out.
Khalil Greene - 1/3, solo HR (13). 6 HR and 11 RBI in his last 10 games. Still, the hot streak only leaves him with a .241 AVG, and he just doesn't do enough in other catagories to make him worth using.
Jered Weaver - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Unfortunately he allowed the only run in the game as his offense failed to score against De La Rosa and the Royals bullpen. He's definitely healthy again and ready to roll. I don't like him as much as most due thanks to this flyball tendencies (only sporting a 34.7 GB%), but thanks to the strong team around him, he should be a solid fantasy option in the 2nd half.
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Probably his best start as a major leaguer. He was dominant against Seattle, and he's now allowed 2 or less ER in 5 straight starts. He's on top of his game now, and has rewarded both patient owners and guys who bought low with a very solid string of outings. Expect a better and more consistent 2nd half, but you obviously won't be able to get a discount on him with his recent performance.
Fausto Carmona - 1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Ouch. Hopefully it's just a one-time thing, so I wouldn't worry about this, but don't look at your ERA or WHIP for a few days.
Jack Cust - 2/5, 1 R, 5 RBI, HR (13). Is he seriously settling in as a quality DH for the long-haul? Oakland sure thinks so, and they've actually postponed Mike Piazza's return from his injury until he can perform catching duties. That's 5 HR in his last 8 games. For fantasy purposes, use him while hot, but don't be afraid to pull the plug when he goes cold again.
Jhonny Peralta - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for a career high in HR, RBI, and R. In a normal season he'd be a candidate for bounceback player of the year for the majors. but with the Josh Hamilton story this year, I'm not sure if he'll be able to claim that.
Aaron Harang - 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K. Had an off game, and it came against Philly in Philly. That'll happen.
Ryan Howard - 1/4, 3 run HR (18). The AVG will throw you off, but after the early season struggles and the injury/recovery, he's performing about where you should expect him to.
Sergio Mitre - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. A rough outing for Mitre, but he's still worth using unless he strings together a couple poor performances. He has a solid lineup supporting him, his K rate is quality at 50 K in 75 1/3 IP, and he's getting groundballs at a high rate of 59.8%.
Xavier Nady - 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's been quite a surprise this year, hitting .283 with 13 HR and 46 RBI. He's not a bad 2nd 1B/3rd OF for your fantasy team. He's managing to drive in plenty of runs despite having a pathetic lineup hitting ahead of him.
Erik Bedard - 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Completed dominated the Yankees lineup. Even though he pitches in the AL East, he has the stuff to take care of great offenses when he's on. That is why he's a great #2 starter for your fantasy team.
Roger Clemens - 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. We waited 2 months for this? I hate Roger Clemens, but I know his fantasy value and didn't have any problem drafting him and sitting on him until he came back. He's been horrible so far. Owners don't have any choice right now though...you can't trade him for much since he's not pitching well, but you can't drop him either because odds are he'll probably get back on top of his game.
Brian Roberts - 1/4, SB (25). I'm sure owners were expecting more along the lines of 30 steals, so the fact Roberts is on pace for 50 is very nice. Plus he's sporting a .322 AVG to boot.
Anthony Reyes - 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He finally puts in the quality performance that was long overdue, but his offense fails to show up and the game gets rained out. It's partially luck like that as to why he's 0-10.
Tom Glavine - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (7). At only 81 pitches, he probably had another inning left in him, but his owners have to be elated with what they did get with him in the game.
Albert Pujols - 0/1, CS (5). He surprised owners with 16 SB 2 years ago, but dropped back to 7 last year and is 1/6 on the basepaths his year. Not that it impacts his fantasy value that much, but I don't think we'll see double digit steals from him again.
David Wright - 1/1, 2 run HR (13). Wright is back on top of his game, and should provide his owners with a great 2nd half. He's raised his AVG back to .288, and could get that to .300 by year's end.
Mark Buehrle - 7 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, W (5). Pitched his way out of some jams and turned in a fine outing. If the Sox can plug the bullpen holes, the hitting should come around and Buehrle should win a few more games in the 2nd half. Rumors of trading him have subsided, only to be replaced with re-signing. It's a bit of a disappointment since the NL would have given his fantasy value a boost, but he's pitching very well regardless of the league right now.
Scott Podsednik - 2/5, 1 R. Probably a forgotten man in many fantasy leagues after hitting a disappointing .261 last year, and then having a serious groin injury knock him out a touch over 2 months this year. If he can hit .300, he can be a decent 3 catagory player for you assuming he can score with the slumping offense behind him. Still, with Thome and Konerko behind him, he'll be able to score enough to maintain some fantasy value. Just keep an eye on his AVG...if he can't hit .300 he's not worth owning.
John Smoltz - 5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Right on par with what was expected from him facing the weak Washington offense. He was pinch-run for since with the big lead, there was no reason for him to keep pitching at that point, especially coming off of shoulder soreness a little bit ago. Smart move by Atlanta, who seemingly always handle their pitchers well.
Chipper Jones - 3/4, 1 R, 4 RBI. He's rolling right along since coming back from the DL.
Jeff Francoeur - 3/3, 1 R, 3 RBI. He's been in quite a slump, as I mentioned previously, so hopefully this is the start of him turning things around. I put him back in my active lineup just in case, so if you've been benching him, you might think about doing the same. He's not going to keep hitting this poorly for much longer.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 2 run HR (6). Much like Francouer, I think McCann should turn it around shortly as well. I was on the fence with him, but I have a hard time thinking that last year was a fluke the more I consider it. Not a bad buy-low guy depending on your catcher situation.
Boof Bonser - 6 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. That's at least 4 ER in 4 of his last 5 starts. I'd consider matchups with him...I don't believe he's an automatic start.
Brandon Webb - 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, W (8). He wasn't at his best last night as his command failed him, but he did a great job pitching out of jams, and amazingly enough with those 12 baserunners and his big sinker, he didn't force a single GIDP.
Jose Valverde - 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, SV (25). He's been one of the best draft day values at reliever, and yet another example of why you don't need to spend early round picks on closers to put together a solid bullpen. His 2.78 ERA and 1.11 WHIP are very good.
Derek Lowe - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Deserved a win, but his offense couldn't break through against Webb. He's been an outstanding draft day value at the SP position.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday: Buy Beltran / Otsuka / Zito, Sell Gagne
Dontrelle Willis - 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Willis actually pitched pretty well, although it was against the lowly Pirates. Honestly, if it wasn't for his name, his 4.83 ERA and 1.56 WHIP would be on the waiver wire. I'm not saying you should drop him, but I'd bench him until I see a hot streak. He hasn't had a good month yet, ending June with a 4.82 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.
Matt Capps - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (6). He's done a fairly solid job as a closer...exactly what I said he would do. He's given up some runs here and there, but his 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP are very nice, and the 31 K in 43 1/3 IP isn't too bad.
Dan Haren - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Haren has slowly become more like the pitcher he is recently, but he's done an outstanding job of not getting blown up to make everyone notice. If you can turn him into a legit ace, I'd still do it, but I wouldn't trade him for anything less than that.
Alan Embree - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB. Yuck. That's 2 consecutive days of getting hit hard. He had 7 straight scoreless apperances before this, so I'm guessing his job isn't in jeopardy yet, but he better string together a couple more scoreless outings sometime soon. With Rich Harden currently in the bullpen and not seemingly able to pitch more than one inning at a time, and with Duch and Street still on the DL, the rumors of Harden closing I'm sure will be very popular about now.
Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for 25 HR, 45 SB, and 130 R. He could be a late 1st round draft pick next year.
Homer Bailey - 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. You knew he was going to get blown up sometime, and it came against Philly last night. I'd be picky with my matchups when starting him.
Adam Dunn - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). His current .271 AVG would be a career high, and he's on pace for a 40 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R season. Pretty much what his owners expected, although the 7 SB and higher AVG is definitely a plus, making him a bit of a draft day bargain.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, HR (12). He's actually been hot at the plate recently, hitting 3 HR in his past 5 games. With only 25 RBI and 29 R, he's not much of a fantasy option right now, although you could ride out his power hot streak. He's definitely a solid bench OF with some upside, though.
Ryan Howard - 1/5, 2 run HR (17). One of the bigger draft day busts so far, although his 2nd half should definitely be an improvement over his 1st half. You might be able to get him at a discount, so take a shot at it.
Chase Utley - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). Outside of only stealing 4 bases, he's giving his owners exactly what they wanted, including posting a career high (so far) OPS of .971, and he's on pace for 120 RBIs.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Tons of baserunners, but he limited the damage. Too bad the offense didn't support him, although that's been his downfall all season long.
Jeremy Guthrie - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His first time facing the Yankees was a success. I'm curious to see what happens the next time through.
Johnny Damon - 1/4, 2 run HR (5). Outside of the stolen bases, he's been a huge bust. He's playing hurt in order to avoid the DL for the first time in his career. The tough guy image is crap and he's clearly hurting the team and his fantasy owners with his subpar performance this year.
Akinori Otsuka - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (2). The bad news? His stat line. The good news? Todd Jones didn't preserve the tie and Otsuka picked up the win. The better news? Eric Gagne is being shopped around, and Otsuka would reclaim the closer's role if Gagne is dealt. Given Gagne's injury history and age, there's no reason for the Rangers, who are out of contention, to hang onto Gagne. Be pro-active here and make sure Otsuka isn't unowned in your league.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (8). The flipside of the Otsuka argument - trade Gagne. Trade him for a closer if you need one, or use him to upgrade another position. I just don't see Gagne being a Ranger through the end of the year.
Todd Jones - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB. The price you pay for saves. He won't lose the closer's role because he's 18/21 in save chances, and 12 of the 21 ER he's given up have come in non-save chances. Still, owning him is like playing hot potato with a ticking timebomb...you just never know when he'll trot out there in a tie game to ruin your ratios.
Curtis Granderson - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (10), SB (9). With a .294 AVG, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 56 R, and 9 SB, he kinda reminds me of a cheaper, productive Johnny Damon.
Oliver Perez - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Another solid performance from Perez, but that's 3 more walks, making it at least 3 walks in 5 straight starts. I'm sure they'll continue to work with him to figure out what's causing the recent lack of command, but in the meantime, he still has the stuff to be productive.
Carlos Beltran - 1/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (12). A pretty disappointing 1st half for Beltran with only 10 HR, 44 RBI, and 40 R coming off a season in which he put up 41 HR, 116 RBI, and 127 R. It's obvious his legs are healthy by the stolen bases, so he's another guy that I expect to put up a much improved 2nd half. The Mets offense is slumping, but they're too good for that to keep up.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (5). The bullpen held a lead for the 2nd straight night, incredible! He's continuing to pitch well and provide marginal value in fantasy leagues. With 46 K in 104 1/3 IP, 41.8 GB%, and a 22.8 LD%, he's definitely defying the odds.
James Shields - 7 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. All good other than the ER. It was one bad inning as with 2 outs, he committed a throwing error on a ball hit to him, and that unraveled him as he gave up a 3 run HR, a solo HR, and 2 more singles before finally getting out of the inning. More was expected of him against the weak Chicago offense, but it was just one mistake here that led to the subpar outing. He does need to limit the HR, though, as he's given up 2 in each of his last 3 outings.
Jim Thome - 2/4, solo HR (10). Disappointing first half with only 10 HR and 30 RBI, although there was an injury mixed in that cost him about a month. Give him that month back, and he'd probably be at 15 HR/45 RBI, which isn't that bad.
Jeff Francouer - 1/4, CS. Andruw Jones must be screwing around with Francouer's swing. With a .232, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R line in June, he's been absolutely worthless. He's been sitting on my bench in favor of Willy Taveras for about 2 weeks now, and I suggest you do the same until he does something positive. At least he produced runs last year when he wasn't hitting for an AVG. I do think he's a buy-low guy as he's too good of a hitter to keep doing nothing.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 2/4, 2 HR (4). I hope I don't have to type this name too much. He's a very good young hitter with a lot of potential, and he's also catcher eligible. Keep an eye on him due to that fact as the Braves are playing him some at 1B to get his bat in the lineup.
Ted Lilly - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, W (6). Quite wild last night, but hung around long enough to pick up his 6th win. He'll be a bit erratic, but he's a solid 3rd/4th starter in your fantasy rotation.
Ryan Braun - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (6), SB (6). If he keeps this up, he won't be a sleeper at 3B next year. I really wish I had used my WW on him in the league I don't have A-Rod. He's been outstanding in all 5 catagories so far, hitting .342 to boot. He's hitting 3rd in a great Milwaukee lineup, so he'll be a run producer all year long.
Scott Baker - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Quite impressive against a solid Toronto lineup. I talked him up a bit after his quality start following his callup, but he went south in a hurry. He threw well against the Mets last time out, and now this. Don't pick him up, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
Shaun Marcum - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I guess I should address him with his 3.13 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He was a reliever to start the year, but he's put up a 2.26 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP since moving into the rotation. With a 42:19 K:BB ratio, he's obviously not this good, but you should definitely ride out the hot streak. He might be a Chad Gaudin type.
Takashi Saito - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (21). With a 1.41 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 41 K in 32 IP, he's been among the best closers in fantasy baseball so far. Amazing draft value for those who didn't doubt his season last year.
Chris Young - 1/5, HR (11). An injury held him back a bit and threw off his rhythm, but I expect an improved 2nd half from this youngster as he should be adjusted to the major leagues now. He'll probably be a liability in AVG, but his power/speed combination is very good and that will help your fantasy team in the 2nd half. I wish Arizona would lead him off again like they were earlier in the season.
James Loney - 3/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (3). Another good, young hitting prospect has been called up, and it's about time. The Dodgers moved Garciaparra over to 3B to make room, and Loney's responded in a big way since starting every day for the past 5 games. I'm not sure what to make of his fantasy value yet.
Felix Hernandez - 5 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Again with the garbage, although against Boston I expected this to happen. Apparently he wasn't locating his fastball very well at all, proving that you need more than just 97 MPH heat to get major leaguers out. I think he gets KC next, so I'll consider him depending on how I feel on the day.
Julio Lugo - 0/0, SB (20). Hitless over his past 8 games, and he's currently at .191. I hope you aren't still starting him trying to get steals...that's quite a price to pay in the AVG catagory. I don't know how much longer Boston will put up with this.
Gil Meche - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (5). A solid outing against Anaheim, the team with the most wins in all of major league baseball. He continues to be a solid fantasy starter.
Ervin Santana - 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. A horrendous home start for Santana against a weak offense, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia mentioned after the game that he thought Santana might be hurt. If so, that'd provide a much better explanation for this performance than anything else.
Alex Gordon - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). Gordon is hitting .341 with 3 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, and 5 SB in June. He's clearly arrived, so make sure he's owned in all leagues. He's defintely worth starting at this current time, and hopefully this carries over into a very strong 2nd half.
Joey Gathright - 3/3, 2 R, 2 SB (4). I don't know what the hell the Royals are doing by sparingly playing Gathright. He's hitting .333 in limited time, and he easily has the most speed on the team. This man should be leading off for them until he proves he can't handle doing so...it's not like the Royals are going anywhere. I know I suggested picking him up for his steals, but he's not worth using until the Royals commit more playing time to him.
Barry Zito - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 2 solo HRs did him in, and the offense gave him no support. His 4.62 ERA and 1.38 WHIP are ugly right now, but keep in mind that the AL did the most damage. In 2 starts against Oakland and 1 against Boston, he had a 10.80 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Against the NL, he has a 3.61 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. So, now that interleague is over, he should be a fairly consistent fantasy pitcher the rest of the way. I think he's a decent buy-low guy who's 2nd half numbers will improve.
Matt Capps - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (6). He's done a fairly solid job as a closer...exactly what I said he would do. He's given up some runs here and there, but his 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP are very nice, and the 31 K in 43 1/3 IP isn't too bad.
Dan Haren - 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Haren has slowly become more like the pitcher he is recently, but he's done an outstanding job of not getting blown up to make everyone notice. If you can turn him into a legit ace, I'd still do it, but I wouldn't trade him for anything less than that.
Alan Embree - 2/3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB. Yuck. That's 2 consecutive days of getting hit hard. He had 7 straight scoreless apperances before this, so I'm guessing his job isn't in jeopardy yet, but he better string together a couple more scoreless outings sometime soon. With Rich Harden currently in the bullpen and not seemingly able to pitch more than one inning at a time, and with Duch and Street still on the DL, the rumors of Harden closing I'm sure will be very popular about now.
Grady Sizemore - 2/3, 3 R, 1 RBI, HR (13). He's on pace for 25 HR, 45 SB, and 130 R. He could be a late 1st round draft pick next year.
Homer Bailey - 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. You knew he was going to get blown up sometime, and it came against Philly last night. I'd be picky with my matchups when starting him.
Adam Dunn - 1/3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (21). His current .271 AVG would be a career high, and he's on pace for a 40 HR, 100 RBI, 100 R season. Pretty much what his owners expected, although the 7 SB and higher AVG is definitely a plus, making him a bit of a draft day bargain.
Josh Hamilton - 1/3, HR (12). He's actually been hot at the plate recently, hitting 3 HR in his past 5 games. With only 25 RBI and 29 R, he's not much of a fantasy option right now, although you could ride out his power hot streak. He's definitely a solid bench OF with some upside, though.
Ryan Howard - 1/5, 2 run HR (17). One of the bigger draft day busts so far, although his 2nd half should definitely be an improvement over his 1st half. You might be able to get him at a discount, so take a shot at it.
Chase Utley - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). Outside of only stealing 4 bases, he's giving his owners exactly what they wanted, including posting a career high (so far) OPS of .971, and he's on pace for 120 RBIs.
Andy Pettitte - 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K. Tons of baserunners, but he limited the damage. Too bad the offense didn't support him, although that's been his downfall all season long.
Jeremy Guthrie - 6 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His first time facing the Yankees was a success. I'm curious to see what happens the next time through.
Johnny Damon - 1/4, 2 run HR (5). Outside of the stolen bases, he's been a huge bust. He's playing hurt in order to avoid the DL for the first time in his career. The tough guy image is crap and he's clearly hurting the team and his fantasy owners with his subpar performance this year.
Akinori Otsuka - 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, W (2). The bad news? His stat line. The good news? Todd Jones didn't preserve the tie and Otsuka picked up the win. The better news? Eric Gagne is being shopped around, and Otsuka would reclaim the closer's role if Gagne is dealt. Given Gagne's injury history and age, there's no reason for the Rangers, who are out of contention, to hang onto Gagne. Be pro-active here and make sure Otsuka isn't unowned in your league.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, SV (8). The flipside of the Otsuka argument - trade Gagne. Trade him for a closer if you need one, or use him to upgrade another position. I just don't see Gagne being a Ranger through the end of the year.
Todd Jones - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB. The price you pay for saves. He won't lose the closer's role because he's 18/21 in save chances, and 12 of the 21 ER he's given up have come in non-save chances. Still, owning him is like playing hot potato with a ticking timebomb...you just never know when he'll trot out there in a tie game to ruin your ratios.
Curtis Granderson - 2/5, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (10), SB (9). With a .294 AVG, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 56 R, and 9 SB, he kinda reminds me of a cheaper, productive Johnny Damon.
Oliver Perez - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Another solid performance from Perez, but that's 3 more walks, making it at least 3 walks in 5 straight starts. I'm sure they'll continue to work with him to figure out what's causing the recent lack of command, but in the meantime, he still has the stuff to be productive.
Carlos Beltran - 1/4, 1 RBI, 2 SB (12). A pretty disappointing 1st half for Beltran with only 10 HR, 44 RBI, and 40 R coming off a season in which he put up 41 HR, 116 RBI, and 127 R. It's obvious his legs are healthy by the stolen bases, so he's another guy that I expect to put up a much improved 2nd half. The Mets offense is slumping, but they're too good for that to keep up.
Jon Garland - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, W (5). The bullpen held a lead for the 2nd straight night, incredible! He's continuing to pitch well and provide marginal value in fantasy leagues. With 46 K in 104 1/3 IP, 41.8 GB%, and a 22.8 LD%, he's definitely defying the odds.
James Shields - 7 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. All good other than the ER. It was one bad inning as with 2 outs, he committed a throwing error on a ball hit to him, and that unraveled him as he gave up a 3 run HR, a solo HR, and 2 more singles before finally getting out of the inning. More was expected of him against the weak Chicago offense, but it was just one mistake here that led to the subpar outing. He does need to limit the HR, though, as he's given up 2 in each of his last 3 outings.
Jim Thome - 2/4, solo HR (10). Disappointing first half with only 10 HR and 30 RBI, although there was an injury mixed in that cost him about a month. Give him that month back, and he'd probably be at 15 HR/45 RBI, which isn't that bad.
Jeff Francouer - 1/4, CS. Andruw Jones must be screwing around with Francouer's swing. With a .232, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R line in June, he's been absolutely worthless. He's been sitting on my bench in favor of Willy Taveras for about 2 weeks now, and I suggest you do the same until he does something positive. At least he produced runs last year when he wasn't hitting for an AVG. I do think he's a buy-low guy as he's too good of a hitter to keep doing nothing.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - 2/4, 2 HR (4). I hope I don't have to type this name too much. He's a very good young hitter with a lot of potential, and he's also catcher eligible. Keep an eye on him due to that fact as the Braves are playing him some at 1B to get his bat in the lineup.
Ted Lilly - 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, W (6). Quite wild last night, but hung around long enough to pick up his 6th win. He'll be a bit erratic, but he's a solid 3rd/4th starter in your fantasy rotation.
Ryan Braun - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (6), SB (6). If he keeps this up, he won't be a sleeper at 3B next year. I really wish I had used my WW on him in the league I don't have A-Rod. He's been outstanding in all 5 catagories so far, hitting .342 to boot. He's hitting 3rd in a great Milwaukee lineup, so he'll be a run producer all year long.
Scott Baker - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Quite impressive against a solid Toronto lineup. I talked him up a bit after his quality start following his callup, but he went south in a hurry. He threw well against the Mets last time out, and now this. Don't pick him up, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
Shaun Marcum - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I guess I should address him with his 3.13 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He was a reliever to start the year, but he's put up a 2.26 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP since moving into the rotation. With a 42:19 K:BB ratio, he's obviously not this good, but you should definitely ride out the hot streak. He might be a Chad Gaudin type.
Takashi Saito - 1 IP, 1 K, SV (21). With a 1.41 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 41 K in 32 IP, he's been among the best closers in fantasy baseball so far. Amazing draft value for those who didn't doubt his season last year.
Chris Young - 1/5, HR (11). An injury held him back a bit and threw off his rhythm, but I expect an improved 2nd half from this youngster as he should be adjusted to the major leagues now. He'll probably be a liability in AVG, but his power/speed combination is very good and that will help your fantasy team in the 2nd half. I wish Arizona would lead him off again like they were earlier in the season.
James Loney - 3/5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (3). Another good, young hitting prospect has been called up, and it's about time. The Dodgers moved Garciaparra over to 3B to make room, and Loney's responded in a big way since starting every day for the past 5 games. I'm not sure what to make of his fantasy value yet.
Felix Hernandez - 5 2/3 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Again with the garbage, although against Boston I expected this to happen. Apparently he wasn't locating his fastball very well at all, proving that you need more than just 97 MPH heat to get major leaguers out. I think he gets KC next, so I'll consider him depending on how I feel on the day.
Julio Lugo - 0/0, SB (20). Hitless over his past 8 games, and he's currently at .191. I hope you aren't still starting him trying to get steals...that's quite a price to pay in the AVG catagory. I don't know how much longer Boston will put up with this.
Gil Meche - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, W (5). A solid outing against Anaheim, the team with the most wins in all of major league baseball. He continues to be a solid fantasy starter.
Ervin Santana - 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K. A horrendous home start for Santana against a weak offense, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia mentioned after the game that he thought Santana might be hurt. If so, that'd provide a much better explanation for this performance than anything else.
Alex Gordon - 2/5, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). Gordon is hitting .341 with 3 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, and 5 SB in June. He's clearly arrived, so make sure he's owned in all leagues. He's defintely worth starting at this current time, and hopefully this carries over into a very strong 2nd half.
Joey Gathright - 3/3, 2 R, 2 SB (4). I don't know what the hell the Royals are doing by sparingly playing Gathright. He's hitting .333 in limited time, and he easily has the most speed on the team. This man should be leading off for them until he proves he can't handle doing so...it's not like the Royals are going anywhere. I know I suggested picking him up for his steals, but he's not worth using until the Royals commit more playing time to him.
Barry Zito - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. 2 solo HRs did him in, and the offense gave him no support. His 4.62 ERA and 1.38 WHIP are ugly right now, but keep in mind that the AL did the most damage. In 2 starts against Oakland and 1 against Boston, he had a 10.80 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Against the NL, he has a 3.61 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. So, now that interleague is over, he should be a fairly consistent fantasy pitcher the rest of the way. I think he's a decent buy-low guy who's 2nd half numbers will improve.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday's Games, Or Lack Of
Tim Hudson - 7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. Back to the NL, back to weaker offenses, and back on his game. I'm sure Hudson is one of many NL hurlers that enjoy the fact interleague games are a thing of the past for this year.
Jason Bergmann - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Remember that almost no-hitter? Seems like quite a while ago, but Bergmann became a popular pickup after that when people realized how well he had been pitching. The upside is low pitching in front of the Washington offense, but he's one to keep an eye on.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). This coming on the heels of 4 hitless games. His power exploded in the 2nd half of last year, when he hit 19 of his 24 HRs in the last 3 months. Owners can hope he'll repeat that sort of performance in the 2nd half of this year.
Felipe Lopez - 1/4, SB (9). He's likely waiver wire fodder in most leagues, but he's stolen a base in 3 consecutive games. I don't really like him as a fantasy property while playing in Washington, but ifhe starts stealing more bases, he could re-emerge as an option.
C.C. Sabathia - 9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. A great complete game effort from the big lefthander. He's had an impressive season so far, and is the first pitcher to reach 11 wins on the season.
Chad Gaudin - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A pretty solid performance against a tough Cleveland lineup. Gaudin had some problems against Houston and Cincinnati, so it's nice to see him get back on track here.
Travis Hafner - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). Let's hope this is the start of a long hot streak to end that long slump he's been in. Your buy low time might start ticking with this game.
Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K. He'd been living dangerous recently, having his offense bail him out with wins despite not pitching well the last 3 times out. He actually pitched better last night, but his own throwing error led to a couple unearned runs, and ultimately his first loss of the year. His ERA stands at 3.90, and he's traditionally been a 1st half pitcher. 2006 Pre AS Break: 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP. 2006 Post AS Break: 4.87 ERA, 1.49 WHIP. 2005 Pre AS Break: 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP. 2005 Post AS Break: 5.61 ERA, 1.56 WHIP. If I had to wager, I'd bet on him putting together the first solid 2nd half of his career this season. I wouldn't sell high on him.
Ian Kinsler - 1/3, 2 R. He's quiet been hitting better recently, racking up 9 hits in his last 7 games. He's been due to bust out of his slump for a while now, so hopefully this is the beginning of that. Nobody expected him to keep up the pace he started in April, but he was rotten in May .174 AVG). June's stats are .269, 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 4 SB. That's more in line with what should be expected from him each month.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, SV (19). A pretty good half for Jenks so far. He's posted a 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 19 saves, and 29 K in 29 2/3 IP. He's not putting up the same gaudy K numbers he had the past two seasons, but his owners will take the improved ratios instead.
Mike Maroth - 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A very impressive NL debut for Maroth. He could become a back-of-the-rotation fantasy option now that he's in the NL, so keep an eye on him. At worst he could prove to be a good spot-starter against weaker offenses, although tonight's performance came against the Mets.
Jorge Sosa - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Another solid performance from Sosa, who rebounded nicely after getting pounded in 2 straight starts.
Ben Sheets - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He keeps rolling right along, winning his 5th straight decision, all coming in the last 6 starts. He has definitely risen back to fantasy ace status this year, and he is giving his owners a bit more than what they drafted him for so far. He's already within 3 wins of his career high thanks to the great offense.
Hunter Pence - 1/3, SB (6). Always finding a way to help his owners out.
Prince Fielder - 1/4, solo HR (27). His first HR in 6 games. Pretty good for mere mortals, but that's a long dry spell for a Prince.
Jeff Francis - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. The Cubs were all over him last night. He had turned in two straight stellar starts against the Red Sox and Yankees, so I guess this is just fate catching up with him.
Kaz Matsui - 2/5, 2 R, SB (15). I've been sleeping on this guy, but make sure you aren't. With a .311 AVG, 15 SB, and 32 R, he's proving to be a pretty solid commodity at 2B in mixed leagues.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He is really on fire with 4 HR in his last 5 games. Maybe he's coming into his own now. I wouldn't want to trust him as my starting SS the rest of the year, but he's worth picking up to see what happens.
Roy Halladay - 7 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not at his best last night, but still good enough to beat the Twins and pick up his 9th win.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, SV (9). Nice to seem him again bounce back after a bad performance in his last outing. This was actually his first save opportunity in almost 2 weeks.
Kevin Slowey - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Back on his command, but haunted again by the long ball. He's now surrendered at least 1 HR in each start, including mutiple HRs his last 3 outings. He's not much of a fantasy option right now thanks to his HR rate, but he could become one later if he finds a way to keep the ball in the ballpark when it's hit.
Vernon Wells - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (9). He's starting to heat up, so this is your last buy-low chance. Go get him.
Alex Rios - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (17), SB (7). An amazing first half for Rios, who's on pace for 35/15.
Brad Penny - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Penny became NL's first 10 game winner last night, and with the 2.04 ERA he's sporting, it's no wonder why. His K rate is a bit down from where it was last year at this time, but he's put together even better ratios. It's still very unlikely he can replicate this in the 2nd half, but he's on a serious roll right now with 4 straight starts of at least 7 IP and exactly 1 ER.
Jeff Weaver - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. 1/3 of an inning more, and it would have been 3 straight quality starts. This one came against Boston. Combine this with Ichiro not getting a hit, and I'm seriously worried about the apocolypse occuring sometime soon.
Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (8). Thanks to the terrible surrounding offense, he only has 31 RBI and 27 R despite hitting .308. If he were hitting on a better team, he'd be a top fantasy option at catcher. As is, he's a solid late round value.
John Lackey - 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Not a bad fantasy line for someone coming off shoulder tightness. If he's healthy, expect a return to form soon enough.
Howie Kendrick - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI. Over the past 3 weeks he's yanked his AVG up from .236 to .299. He's scoring a lot of Rs, but the lack of HR, SB, and RBI is keeping his fantasy value down a bit. He's a mixed league option at 2B while he's hitting so well, but it'd be nice to see some contribution to the HR/SB catagories.
Justin Germano - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another great outing, but this is yet another team that hadn't seen him. As I've expressed before, be careful when starting him against teams that have already seen him. He's due for some regression soon, and also remember that the only team that's seen him twice, Seattle, hit him pretty hard the 2nd time around.
Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Still a bit of a control problem here, but he pitched very well outside of that. Unfortunately the bullpen blew it. Guillermo Rodriguez was his catcher the past two outings, ironically the 2 worst of his young career. Bengie Molina was back behind the plate for this one, and a very good outing ensued. I imagine SF will try to pair Lincecum with Molina as much as possible going forward. I actually started him last night despite standard logic not saying so, but I forgot to post the catcher switch news, not thinking it would be that big of a deal. Arizona has a below average Team BA and OBP, but is fairly strong with BB and K. It's an average matchup up next.
Mike Cameron - 2/5, 3 run HR (9). The reason the Giants bullpen blew it for Lincecum. Since I own him on the same team, no complaints here.
Jason Bergmann - 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Remember that almost no-hitter? Seems like quite a while ago, but Bergmann became a popular pickup after that when people realized how well he had been pitching. The upside is low pitching in front of the Washington offense, but he's one to keep an eye on.
Brian McCann - 2/4, 1 R, 4 RBI, HR (6). This coming on the heels of 4 hitless games. His power exploded in the 2nd half of last year, when he hit 19 of his 24 HRs in the last 3 months. Owners can hope he'll repeat that sort of performance in the 2nd half of this year.
Felipe Lopez - 1/4, SB (9). He's likely waiver wire fodder in most leagues, but he's stolen a base in 3 consecutive games. I don't really like him as a fantasy property while playing in Washington, but ifhe starts stealing more bases, he could re-emerge as an option.
C.C. Sabathia - 9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. A great complete game effort from the big lefthander. He's had an impressive season so far, and is the first pitcher to reach 11 wins on the season.
Chad Gaudin - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A pretty solid performance against a tough Cleveland lineup. Gaudin had some problems against Houston and Cincinnati, so it's nice to see him get back on track here.
Travis Hafner - 2/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR (11). Let's hope this is the start of a long hot streak to end that long slump he's been in. Your buy low time might start ticking with this game.
Jeremy Bonderman - 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K. He'd been living dangerous recently, having his offense bail him out with wins despite not pitching well the last 3 times out. He actually pitched better last night, but his own throwing error led to a couple unearned runs, and ultimately his first loss of the year. His ERA stands at 3.90, and he's traditionally been a 1st half pitcher. 2006 Pre AS Break: 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP. 2006 Post AS Break: 4.87 ERA, 1.49 WHIP. 2005 Pre AS Break: 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP. 2005 Post AS Break: 5.61 ERA, 1.56 WHIP. If I had to wager, I'd bet on him putting together the first solid 2nd half of his career this season. I wouldn't sell high on him.
Ian Kinsler - 1/3, 2 R. He's quiet been hitting better recently, racking up 9 hits in his last 7 games. He's been due to bust out of his slump for a while now, so hopefully this is the beginning of that. Nobody expected him to keep up the pace he started in April, but he was rotten in May .174 AVG). June's stats are .269, 4 HR, 8 RBI, and 4 SB. That's more in line with what should be expected from him each month.
Bobby Jenks - 1 IP, SV (19). A pretty good half for Jenks so far. He's posted a 3.03 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 19 saves, and 29 K in 29 2/3 IP. He's not putting up the same gaudy K numbers he had the past two seasons, but his owners will take the improved ratios instead.
Mike Maroth - 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A very impressive NL debut for Maroth. He could become a back-of-the-rotation fantasy option now that he's in the NL, so keep an eye on him. At worst he could prove to be a good spot-starter against weaker offenses, although tonight's performance came against the Mets.
Jorge Sosa - 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Another solid performance from Sosa, who rebounded nicely after getting pounded in 2 straight starts.
Ben Sheets - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He keeps rolling right along, winning his 5th straight decision, all coming in the last 6 starts. He has definitely risen back to fantasy ace status this year, and he is giving his owners a bit more than what they drafted him for so far. He's already within 3 wins of his career high thanks to the great offense.
Hunter Pence - 1/3, SB (6). Always finding a way to help his owners out.
Prince Fielder - 1/4, solo HR (27). His first HR in 6 games. Pretty good for mere mortals, but that's a long dry spell for a Prince.
Jeff Francis - 5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. The Cubs were all over him last night. He had turned in two straight stellar starts against the Red Sox and Yankees, so I guess this is just fate catching up with him.
Kaz Matsui - 2/5, 2 R, SB (15). I've been sleeping on this guy, but make sure you aren't. With a .311 AVG, 15 SB, and 32 R, he's proving to be a pretty solid commodity at 2B in mixed leagues.
Troy Tulowitski - 2/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (7). He is really on fire with 4 HR in his last 5 games. Maybe he's coming into his own now. I wouldn't want to trust him as my starting SS the rest of the year, but he's worth picking up to see what happens.
Roy Halladay - 7 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Not at his best last night, but still good enough to beat the Twins and pick up his 9th win.
Jeremy Accardo - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, SV (9). Nice to seem him again bounce back after a bad performance in his last outing. This was actually his first save opportunity in almost 2 weeks.
Kevin Slowey - 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Back on his command, but haunted again by the long ball. He's now surrendered at least 1 HR in each start, including mutiple HRs his last 3 outings. He's not much of a fantasy option right now thanks to his HR rate, but he could become one later if he finds a way to keep the ball in the ballpark when it's hit.
Vernon Wells - 3/5, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (9). He's starting to heat up, so this is your last buy-low chance. Go get him.
Alex Rios - 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (17), SB (7). An amazing first half for Rios, who's on pace for 35/15.
Brad Penny - 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Penny became NL's first 10 game winner last night, and with the 2.04 ERA he's sporting, it's no wonder why. His K rate is a bit down from where it was last year at this time, but he's put together even better ratios. It's still very unlikely he can replicate this in the 2nd half, but he's on a serious roll right now with 4 straight starts of at least 7 IP and exactly 1 ER.
Jeff Weaver - 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. 1/3 of an inning more, and it would have been 3 straight quality starts. This one came against Boston. Combine this with Ichiro not getting a hit, and I'm seriously worried about the apocolypse occuring sometime soon.
Kenji Johjima - 1/3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (8). Thanks to the terrible surrounding offense, he only has 31 RBI and 27 R despite hitting .308. If he were hitting on a better team, he'd be a top fantasy option at catcher. As is, he's a solid late round value.
John Lackey - 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Not a bad fantasy line for someone coming off shoulder tightness. If he's healthy, expect a return to form soon enough.
Howie Kendrick - 1/3, 1 R, 1 RBI. Over the past 3 weeks he's yanked his AVG up from .236 to .299. He's scoring a lot of Rs, but the lack of HR, SB, and RBI is keeping his fantasy value down a bit. He's a mixed league option at 2B while he's hitting so well, but it'd be nice to see some contribution to the HR/SB catagories.
Justin Germano - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Another great outing, but this is yet another team that hadn't seen him. As I've expressed before, be careful when starting him against teams that have already seen him. He's due for some regression soon, and also remember that the only team that's seen him twice, Seattle, hit him pretty hard the 2nd time around.
Tim Lincecum - 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 K. Still a bit of a control problem here, but he pitched very well outside of that. Unfortunately the bullpen blew it. Guillermo Rodriguez was his catcher the past two outings, ironically the 2 worst of his young career. Bengie Molina was back behind the plate for this one, and a very good outing ensued. I imagine SF will try to pair Lincecum with Molina as much as possible going forward. I actually started him last night despite standard logic not saying so, but I forgot to post the catcher switch news, not thinking it would be that big of a deal. Arizona has a below average Team BA and OBP, but is fairly strong with BB and K. It's an average matchup up next.
Mike Cameron - 2/5, 3 run HR (9). The reason the Giants bullpen blew it for Lincecum. Since I own him on the same team, no complaints here.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Sunday: Gallardo Pitching For A Job, Pence Stays Hot
Johan Santana - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Just another day at the office for Johan.
Joe Nathan - 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K. He's back to giving up tons of hits, surrendering 9 in his last 4 outings. Some of it might have to do with the lack of save opportunities that the Twins are giving him, some of it has to do with his defense, and some of it has to do with him giving up more hard hit balls. His defensive efficiency rating is .618 this year, down over 100 points from the past 3 years, but part of that has to do with his skyhigh 0.30 LD%. After giving up 84 hits in 138 1/3 IP the last 2 years, he's given up 35 H in 31 1/3 IP this year. We can hope that he rebounds.
Joe Mauer - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (3). 2 HR and 4 doubles in his past 5 games. He's showing some more power as he gets back into it, and owners can hope that he improves upon the 13 HRs he hit last year.
Miguel Cabrera - 2/4, solo HR (17). Back on pace for about 35 HRs this year. He's proving to be worth where he was selected in drafts, and the improved lineup around him will help his R and RBI totals.
Dustin McGowan - 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. About as good as it gets, but unfortunately McGowan lost his no hit bid against the first batter of the 9th inning. He's actually posted 6 QS in the past 7 appearances, so he's pitching pretty well right now.
Frank Thomas - 1/4, solo HR (12). 4 HRs in 7 games for the Big Hurt as he's now just 1 HR away from 500.
John Maine - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. His continued command improvement is a big reason why he's pitching as well as he is right now. Along with Oliver Perez and James Shields, he's definitely been one of the best WW finds for starting pitching this year. He could post the best stats of the 3 by the time the season is done.
Jack Cust - 1/4, solo HR (11). He's actually hitting .327 this month, and he's maintaining decent fantasy value. His current AVG of .268 is fairly reasonable given his skills.
Travis Hafner - 1/3. His AVG has crashed down to .255. I read he's implemented a new swing of some sort, but it's obviously not working very well. His HR/FB% is down to 15.9%, about half of last year. His GB% has shot up to 49%, about 10% higher than last year. It's obvious from those stats that he's not striking the ball well, and rolling over more balls with his swing. I still think, given his history, he's an excellent buy low. He has two straight seasons of .300, 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. At only 10 HR, I think he's due to break out big time in the 2nd half. Go get him.
Ty Wiggington - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's proving to be quite a valuable fantasy asset as he has multiple infield position eligibility, and he's up to .280, 13 HR, and 38 RBI on the season. His power is the same no matter what the pitcher, but do note that he's hitting .319 against LHP and .268 against RHP.
Sean Marshall - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Another great start from Marshall. I found it curious that he was removed in the 7th inning after only 81 pitches. He had just induced a fly out, and there wasn't anyone on base. I dunno why Pinella took him out there as he was cruising along. No injury was reported.
Bob Howry - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV. Another save in place of Dempster. I'd pick him up. Oblique injuries, as I've stated before, are tricky to predict recovery from. There's a good chance Dempster ends up on the DL. Howry's pitching much better, and was a solid closer for the White Sox years ago. He might be worth more than just 2 saves.
Yovani Gallardo - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Unfortunately Turnblow came in and gave the game away, or else Gallardo would have picked up his 2nd win. He turned in another great performance, and he'll have one more start before Capuano returns. What happens then is anyone's guess...there's still a possibility that he gets sent back down despite his performance so far. He gets the Cubs next weekend.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 K. Blew the save by allowing a HR to Corey Hart. Hart's hitting off anyone and everyone, so it's nothing to be concerned about.
Corey Hart - 1/5, 2 run, HR (10). His HR in the 9th off Dotel sent the game to extra innings. Unreal performance thus far.
Alex Gordon - 1/3, 1 R, 2 SB (9). He's really helping fantasy owners now in all 5 catagories. Amazing what happens when you can get yourself on base.
Cole Hamels - 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A lengthy rain delay ended his outing early. No worries.
Jimmy Rollins - 2/5, 2 R, SB (14). .284, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 60 R, and 14 SB. His SB are a bit down from previous years, but he's been just a step behind Reyes and Ramirez at SS this year.
Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A QS against one of the best teams in the AL. Not much more could be asked from him in this matchup.
Francisco Rodriguez - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Very wild last night with 2 walks and 2 wild pitches. He walked a hitter, then 2 wild pitches got him to 3rd, and he allowed a single to bring in the tying run. Only his 2nd blown save of the season. After 31 pitches last night, I bet Shields gets the save chance tonight.
Chone Figgins - 1/2, 1 R, 2 SB (18). Continues his torrid post-injury pace. He's hitting .442 this month with 13 steals. Ridiculous.
Orlando Cabrera - 2/5, SB (9). A very nice lower tier SS this year as he's hitting .336, 4 HR, 44 RBI, 50 R, and 9 SB on the year. His SB are a bit down, but he's been very solid.
Mike Mussina - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Another decent line in his final interleague start. I'm still wary about him once he starts facing more powerful AL lineups again.
Josh Beckett - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Business as usual for Beckett as he did what was expected facing a weak lineup in a pitcher's park. This seems to be the year that it all comes together for Beckett.
Jake Peavy - 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The best pitching matchup of the year didn't quite materialize. He wasn't his sharpest last night, although it was one bad inning again. 5 of those hits all came in one inning, and most of them were weak singles. Still, he pitched pretty well against a great offense.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 3/4, 2 solo HR (21). Griffey has now passed Mark McGwire on the HR chart with 584 in his career. He's on fire as trade winds continue to swirl. He's such a huge draw for the Cincy faithful at this point, so I'm not sure whether he'll be traded or not. He hits HRs anywhere, so I don't see a trade impacting his fantasy value.
Chris Young - 2/4, 3 R, SB (8). His AVG hasn't been very good so far (.246), but with 10 HR and 8 SB, he's done a good job as a rookie in the first half of the season. Expect him to hit for a better AVG in the 2nd half.
Brian Roberts - 4/5, solo HR (4). He hasn't shown the same power he did in the first half of the 2005 season, but with a .324 AVG, 46 R, and 24 SB, he's definitely lived up to his draft position. He has 6 multi-hit games in his last 8.
Andrew Miller - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He's a permanent member of the Detroit rotation now, so make sure he's unowned in all leagues. This kid is going to be a good one.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. Didn't perserve the tie in this one, but his ERA still stands at 1.29. He was due to give up a few runs, so owners should feel lucky it wasn't in a save chance.
Dan Wheeler - 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. 3 HRs allowed as he blew 2 run leads in consecutive innings. Wheeler is a complete mess right now.
Hunter Pence - 4/6, 4 R, 1 RBI, HR (8). I said Guillen and Hart were the two hottest hitters in baseball right now, and I obviously forgot to include Pence in that catagory as well. Like I've been saying all along, though, he's not going to hit .350 all year. His 39:7 K:BB ratio just won't allow that to happen. He's a 5 catagory guy, though, so when his AVG slumps he should still be of some use. As I've been saying, you should shop him in redraft leagues and see what you can get.
Joe Nathan - 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 K. He's back to giving up tons of hits, surrendering 9 in his last 4 outings. Some of it might have to do with the lack of save opportunities that the Twins are giving him, some of it has to do with his defense, and some of it has to do with him giving up more hard hit balls. His defensive efficiency rating is .618 this year, down over 100 points from the past 3 years, but part of that has to do with his skyhigh 0.30 LD%. After giving up 84 hits in 138 1/3 IP the last 2 years, he's given up 35 H in 31 1/3 IP this year. We can hope that he rebounds.
Joe Mauer - 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR (3). 2 HR and 4 doubles in his past 5 games. He's showing some more power as he gets back into it, and owners can hope that he improves upon the 13 HRs he hit last year.
Miguel Cabrera - 2/4, solo HR (17). Back on pace for about 35 HRs this year. He's proving to be worth where he was selected in drafts, and the improved lineup around him will help his R and RBI totals.
Dustin McGowan - 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. About as good as it gets, but unfortunately McGowan lost his no hit bid against the first batter of the 9th inning. He's actually posted 6 QS in the past 7 appearances, so he's pitching pretty well right now.
Frank Thomas - 1/4, solo HR (12). 4 HRs in 7 games for the Big Hurt as he's now just 1 HR away from 500.
John Maine - 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. His continued command improvement is a big reason why he's pitching as well as he is right now. Along with Oliver Perez and James Shields, he's definitely been one of the best WW finds for starting pitching this year. He could post the best stats of the 3 by the time the season is done.
Jack Cust - 1/4, solo HR (11). He's actually hitting .327 this month, and he's maintaining decent fantasy value. His current AVG of .268 is fairly reasonable given his skills.
Travis Hafner - 1/3. His AVG has crashed down to .255. I read he's implemented a new swing of some sort, but it's obviously not working very well. His HR/FB% is down to 15.9%, about half of last year. His GB% has shot up to 49%, about 10% higher than last year. It's obvious from those stats that he's not striking the ball well, and rolling over more balls with his swing. I still think, given his history, he's an excellent buy low. He has two straight seasons of .300, 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. At only 10 HR, I think he's due to break out big time in the 2nd half. Go get him.
Ty Wiggington - 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (13). He's proving to be quite a valuable fantasy asset as he has multiple infield position eligibility, and he's up to .280, 13 HR, and 38 RBI on the season. His power is the same no matter what the pitcher, but do note that he's hitting .319 against LHP and .268 against RHP.
Sean Marshall - 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K. Another great start from Marshall. I found it curious that he was removed in the 7th inning after only 81 pitches. He had just induced a fly out, and there wasn't anyone on base. I dunno why Pinella took him out there as he was cruising along. No injury was reported.
Bob Howry - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV. Another save in place of Dempster. I'd pick him up. Oblique injuries, as I've stated before, are tricky to predict recovery from. There's a good chance Dempster ends up on the DL. Howry's pitching much better, and was a solid closer for the White Sox years ago. He might be worth more than just 2 saves.
Yovani Gallardo - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Unfortunately Turnblow came in and gave the game away, or else Gallardo would have picked up his 2nd win. He turned in another great performance, and he'll have one more start before Capuano returns. What happens then is anyone's guess...there's still a possibility that he gets sent back down despite his performance so far. He gets the Cubs next weekend.
Octavio Dotel - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 K. Blew the save by allowing a HR to Corey Hart. Hart's hitting off anyone and everyone, so it's nothing to be concerned about.
Corey Hart - 1/5, 2 run, HR (10). His HR in the 9th off Dotel sent the game to extra innings. Unreal performance thus far.
Alex Gordon - 1/3, 1 R, 2 SB (9). He's really helping fantasy owners now in all 5 catagories. Amazing what happens when you can get yourself on base.
Cole Hamels - 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. A lengthy rain delay ended his outing early. No worries.
Jimmy Rollins - 2/5, 2 R, SB (14). .284, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 60 R, and 14 SB. His SB are a bit down from previous years, but he's been just a step behind Reyes and Ramirez at SS this year.
Tom Gorzelanny - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. A QS against one of the best teams in the AL. Not much more could be asked from him in this matchup.
Francisco Rodriguez - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. Very wild last night with 2 walks and 2 wild pitches. He walked a hitter, then 2 wild pitches got him to 3rd, and he allowed a single to bring in the tying run. Only his 2nd blown save of the season. After 31 pitches last night, I bet Shields gets the save chance tonight.
Chone Figgins - 1/2, 1 R, 2 SB (18). Continues his torrid post-injury pace. He's hitting .442 this month with 13 steals. Ridiculous.
Orlando Cabrera - 2/5, SB (9). A very nice lower tier SS this year as he's hitting .336, 4 HR, 44 RBI, 50 R, and 9 SB on the year. His SB are a bit down, but he's been very solid.
Mike Mussina - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Another decent line in his final interleague start. I'm still wary about him once he starts facing more powerful AL lineups again.
Josh Beckett - 8 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Business as usual for Beckett as he did what was expected facing a weak lineup in a pitcher's park. This seems to be the year that it all comes together for Beckett.
Jake Peavy - 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The best pitching matchup of the year didn't quite materialize. He wasn't his sharpest last night, although it was one bad inning again. 5 of those hits all came in one inning, and most of them were weak singles. Still, he pitched pretty well against a great offense.
Ken Griffey Jr. - 3/4, 2 solo HR (21). Griffey has now passed Mark McGwire on the HR chart with 584 in his career. He's on fire as trade winds continue to swirl. He's such a huge draw for the Cincy faithful at this point, so I'm not sure whether he'll be traded or not. He hits HRs anywhere, so I don't see a trade impacting his fantasy value.
Chris Young - 2/4, 3 R, SB (8). His AVG hasn't been very good so far (.246), but with 10 HR and 8 SB, he's done a good job as a rookie in the first half of the season. Expect him to hit for a better AVG in the 2nd half.
Brian Roberts - 4/5, solo HR (4). He hasn't shown the same power he did in the first half of the 2005 season, but with a .324 AVG, 46 R, and 24 SB, he's definitely lived up to his draft position. He has 6 multi-hit games in his last 8.
Andrew Miller - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. He's a permanent member of the Detroit rotation now, so make sure he's unowned in all leagues. This kid is going to be a good one.
Eric Gagne - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. Didn't perserve the tie in this one, but his ERA still stands at 1.29. He was due to give up a few runs, so owners should feel lucky it wasn't in a save chance.
Dan Wheeler - 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. 3 HRs allowed as he blew 2 run leads in consecutive innings. Wheeler is a complete mess right now.
Hunter Pence - 4/6, 4 R, 1 RBI, HR (8). I said Guillen and Hart were the two hottest hitters in baseball right now, and I obviously forgot to include Pence in that catagory as well. Like I've been saying all along, though, he's not going to hit .350 all year. His 39:7 K:BB ratio just won't allow that to happen. He's a 5 catagory guy, though, so when his AVG slumps he should still be of some use. As I've been saying, you should shop him in redraft leagues and see what you can get.
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