Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/26

Max Scherzer won his first game in just over a month, but it isn't like he has been pitching horribly. Scherzer only gave up four earned runs in one start since May 31st. Unfortunately, he pitches for the Diamondbacks and that will lmit his wins. Don't be mistaken though, Scherzer has a ton of talent and is one of the better strikeout pitchers in baseball. He just turned 25, and I think 2010 will be his huge breakout. For the rest of this season you can expect him to pitch to an ERA around 3.50 and strikeout a ton of guys. He won his sixth game of the year tonight, he likely won't get far past ten wins.

Brett Cecil continues to pitch well, and it is time for you to find out if he is available in your league. Cecil was one of the better pitching prospects for Toronto, and was doing well before he was injured earlier in the season. In his last five starts, including tonight, Cecil had allowed one run or less in four of them. I think at this point he deserves to be on someone's roster in a 12 team league, and he just turned 23 in the beginning of July.

It is looking very likely that Chris Tillman will be called up to start on Wednesday. Tillman can have an immediate impact, so if you need pitching, I would make the move now. I spoke about this last week, so jump back to that article if you want to know more about Tillman.

Joe Blanton has been pitching great over the past couple of months, but I don'[t think that it can continue at this rate. Blanton ran his record to 7-4 after allowing just two runs over eight innings and struck out six. He has always been an average pitcher, but Blanton hasn't given up more than three earned runs in six straight starts and only once since Memorial Day. His career ERA is near 4.25, so I just can't see this run keeping up. Blanton is also striking out more than usual (103 in 117 innings), so don't be surprised if he starts to tail off some.

Mark DeRosa has finally woken up for the Cardinals and for those of you who have been waiting for him all season long. He started 0-13 with St. Louis with a two week Disabled List stint in there. In the last week, DeRosa has four two hit games, four home runs, and six RBI. He likely won't stay THIS hot, but he should be a very productive player for your team for the rest of the year.

Kyle Blanks is starting to show some power, but he isn't being consistent enough to warrant fantasy attention yet. Blanks does have three home runs in the last six games, but only two other hits in those games. Keep an eye on Blanks, but is just not worthy of a roster spot at this time.

David Hernandez continues to be a giant killer for the Orioles as he collected a win against the Red Sox. In his starts against the Red Sox, Angels, Yankees, and Tigers, Hernandez is 3-0 and pitched great in the one game where he didn't get the win. He isn't a big strikeout pitcher by any means, but he looks like a reasonable pickup if you really need the pitching.

Rich Harden now has three straight very good starts, and if you own him you should start to feel confidence again. Harden allowed just one run and one hit over six innings and struck out eight. This isn't any mind-blowing analysis, but be sure he is in your lineup every time he takes the mound.

Aaron Cook is again having a strong season as far as wins are concerned, but his secondary numbers make his value lowered. Cook won his tenth game of the year, but his ERA is close to 4.00, his WHIP is 1.41, and he strikes out a very low number (69 in 128 innings). He has some fantasy value because of his solid win total, but I am just not a fan of his. I would rather have a young guy with some upside.

Ervin Santana was absolutely awful again, and if you have lost patience with him, I can't say I blame you. Santana couldn't get out of the fourth inning, and allowed six runs while striking out four. He has now given up four earned runs or more in six of his last seven starts. I know he was great last season, but this is getting tough to swallow. His ERA is now over 7.00 and his WHIP is over 1.70. There is a chance he could turn this around and he plays for a team with a good offense, but he is certainly testing your loyalty.

Rick Porcello struggled again, although he settled in after a bad first inning. He has now given up four earned runs or more in four straight starts and he is not going deep into games anymore. Porcello hasn't gotten through the sixth inning since June 12th. Tonight against the White Sox Porcello allowed four runs partly due to some inexperience on his part. But after the first he allowed just one more run over his next 4.1 innings. Seasonal leagues I can feel you wanting to cut this guy, and I can't blame you. I believe I am about to do so in one of mine. Keeper leagues all you can do is ride out the storm with this guy. He is 20 years old and has already shown a good deal of some signs of the future.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.