Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/15

Scott Kazmir can't figure out if he wants to be good, or if he is just going to drag your team down. It was back to pretty good again on Saturday as he allowed three runs over 6.1 innings and struck out seven. OK, it isn't great, but considering he gave up seven runs over just 4.1 innings against the Mariners his last time out, that was a Cy Young performance. He has become nearly impossible to predict, and all you can do is put him in your lineup every time out. You are going to get burned every second or third start, but you don't want to miss one of his good ones. If he is one of your keepers, chances are your league keeps too many guys.

Johnny Cueto has officially entered the "suck zone". After leaving his previous start after two innings with a hip flexor, Cueto gutted it out to make his next start. Well, he probably should have gone on the DL. Cueto got absolutely rocked. Cueto didn't get out of the third inning, but he gave up seven runs and lost his tenth game of the year. It has gotten to the point where you really can't start him anymore. Hell you can barely even keep him on your team. In seasonal leagues I think it is time to let him go. Keeper leagues, it is still probably time to let him go. What in the world happened to this guy?

Brian Matusz had his second consecutive rough start after a solid debut start, but he did show some signs of life. Matusz allowed four runs over 5.2 innings, but he did strikeout seven. The kid still has a world of talent, so if you are in a keeper league, you likely just have to live with the rough patches. In seasonal leagues you might want to give him one more start because of the strikeouts, but he's giving up too many hits, runs, and walking too many guys. See what happens next time out.

Some question marks arose again after Gavin Floyd got roughed up his last time out. But he silenced any murmurs of an upcoming slump with another solid outing. Floyd allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out eight. I'm not saying that he is going to be unstoppable for the rest of the year, but I believe that he is worth a start any time he takes the mound.

Brad Lidge blew his eighth save of the year, and his second in the last five days. To add to the disgrace, Lidge also committed two errors during his stint. Not much more to say on this one. He has been a complete trainwreck and there's no reason to think that every second or third save chance he is going to implode.

Joey Votto looks like he may have broken out of his slump with a three RBI game on Saturday. He had just one RBI in the last ten games, so hopefully this is the start of a strong finish for Votto. He has been striking out more than usual, and he hasn't been getting as many hits. His average is still over .310 so it isn't like he's having a bad season. Everyone knows how much I like Votto, so he better finish strong so I don't look like a moron.

Johnathan Broxton blew another save on Saturday, and that was his third since July 29th. I'm not sure if it is his toe injury that is lingering or he is just out of gas. I would guess that it is his toe is still not right and he is just trying to tough through it. Broxton is still getting a ton of strikeouts, and is among the best closers out there. Just keep him in your lineups and hope that he gets it right.

There were a rash of people getting hit in the head on Saturday, but the least of it was Ian Kinsler. He was beaned in the fourth inning, but was able to finish the game. Don't be surprised if he doesn't play tomorrow, but it appears he avoided serious injury.

As if the Mets' season couldn't get any worse, David Wright was hit in the head by a Matt Cain fastball and had to be takent to the hospital. He does have a concussion but the tests came back clean. He is expected to stay in the hospital over night, meaning it is almost a certainty that he won't be playing tomorrow. In fact if you are in a weekly league, there is a very good chance that you should sit him for the upcoming week. I have him in one league that scores from Sunday to Saturday and I have decided to sit him for next week.

Hideki Kuroda was hit in the head with a line drive for the second time in his career. He crumpled to the ground and had to be carted off the field. He did give a sign that he could move his extremities, but I think there is a very strong chance that he is going to miss at least one start. I will report on more news as I find it out, but I wouldn't start him next week if you have weekly transactions.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was placed on the 15 day DL due to recurring numbness in his hand. There is no timetable for his return yet, but talented youngster Taylor Teagarden will be the everyday catcher now for the Rangers. He has struggled so far, but is supposed to have an incredibly high ceiling. If you need to take a chance on a catcher, perhaps Teagarden is worth a shot.

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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.