Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/10

Alex Rios has been claimed by the Chicago White Sox, and the Blue Jays basically said, "hey, he's yours!" So, how does Rios' value change? I would say it definitely takes a hit unless there is an injury on the Sox. Carlos Quentin, Scott Podsednik and Jermaine Dye man the White Sox outfield, and Jim Thome is entrenched as the DH. So, who is the odd man out? Rios? Podsednik? I think right now the Sox are kind of surprised they got him for absolutely nothing and now must find a way to get playing time for all those guys. I'm not sure I would drop him, but I would certainly sit him on the bench until you find out how the playing time shakes out.

Pedro Martinez will be back in the majors on Wednesday against the Cubs. Jaime Moyer has been moved to the bullpen, which should have been done a while ago. Pedro's last two solid starts were against the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and the minor league rehab starts. Not exactly anything that instills confidence in me. I wouldn't touch Pedro with a ten foot pole. The last time he was in the majors he got tattooed like a bunch of rebellious teenagers. Chicago is slumping right now, but I still wouldn't touch Martinez.

Chad Billingsley is going to be skipped from his Wednesday start and will hope to avoid the DL with his hamstring injury. Not too much else to say on this one, watch for further updates to see if he will be back next Monday.

Leo Nunez picked up another save tonight for the Marlins, but it was Matt Lindstrom who started the ninth inning. Manager Fredi Gonzalez has said that Lindstrom would get the job back "eventually, but he didn't know when". Well, Lindstrom crapped the bed in his first attempt back in the 9th, although it wasn't a save situation. He made it one for Nunez, and he had to clean up after him. Is this going to make it a longer time for Lindstrom to get his job back? WILL he get his job back? Nunez has been great in the closers role, so he deserves to keep getting the chances. I wish they would just tell us who is the closer, I have both Marlins relievers in FOUR leagues and they are taking up roster spots that I could use on others! C'mon Fish, make up your mind!!!

Johnny Cueto injured his hip running the bases tonight, and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. If he is going to miss any significant time, I would let him go, but if he is going to make his next start, I would continue to hold him on your roster. He was once 8-4, but is now 8-9. Cueto has talent, he has just been in an incredible slump.

Geovany Soto had his first hit since returning from his latest stint on the Disabled List and he made the most of it with his ninth home run of the year. Soto has been one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy this year, and his owners are praying that he will be back on track now and will finish the season strong. I'll believe it when I see it.

Outside of that one start where he allowed eleven runs (tough to forget, I know), Gio Gonzalez has pitched pretty well. He ran his record to 4-2 as he shut down the Orioles over six innings with just one walk and striking out five. That is now two straight starts that he hasn't allowed a run, and he has struck out 26 batters in his last four outings. I still don't quite trust him yet, but Gonzalez was a high ranking prospect, so this could be for real.

Troy Tulowitzki had his best career game today as he hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs. Tulowitzki is putting those couple years of disappointment behind him, and is now ranking among the top few shortstops in baseball. I know this isn't breaking news, but just wanted to give credit where credit is due.

Jorge De La Rosa bounced back nicely from his last outing in which he gave up seven runs. De La Rosa pitched into the eighth inning, allowed just one run and struck out eleven. That is now six of his last seven starts in which he has allowed two runs or less, and he now has more strikeouts than innings pitched. If he is available in your league, please make sure he isn't much longer.

Don’t forget to send me an email about the football email list. Much like in baseball if I find breaking news I will shoot out a quick email to you so you can hopefully make a move before your competition. Put football mailing list in the subject line to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

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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.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/12; The Break!

Red Sox super phenom pitcher Clay Buchholz will be called up and start for the Red Sox at Toronto. Although he has struggled some in his past major league outings (5-10, 5.56 ERA in 18 career starts), he has dominated at AAA this year with a 7-2 record with a 2.36 ERA and 86 Ks in 93 innings. I'm not sure if this is one start or he will be in the rotation following the ASG, but I am trying to find that out as we speak. If you are looking for a strong spot start, Buchholz is an amazing choice. In keeper leagues I think you have to grab him whether he only starts once or not. Unless you really can't afford a dead spot on your roster. If you want you can email me your situation and I will try to analyze if for you.

By the way, Jake Fox didn't start behind the plate, but he has come in to catch in the nightcap for the Cubs. See if that trend continues.

Another typical outing for Jordan Zimmerman. He allows just one run through six innings and then gives up a two run homer to put a damper on his appearance. And do the Nats do anything to help out his cause? Ah, no. No runs on 11 hits total for Washington and Zimmerman falls to 3-4. He did strikeout six in those six innings, so he is helping you there even if he can't buy a win. I still like this kid and think he is a great guy to have in keeper leagues. This was the first time he had given up more than two runs since June 4th. He is a good pitcher, and hopefully Washington will start to give him some support at some point.

Clete Thomas had three hits, including his fifth homer of the season and he drove in five runs. Do I really think that Clete Thomas is an exciting fantasy player? Actually, no. However, this is the guy that is supposed to platoon in the outfield with Magglio Ordonez, so the better he does the less and less that Ordonez will see the field. I'm not sure there are too many situations where I would continue to hold Maggs on my team, and the better that Thomas plays the fewer situations make sense to have Ordonez on your team.

J.A. Happ was great again and has ran his record to 6-0. If he is still available in your league WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? The guy pitches for one of the best offensive teams in baseball, plays in a division without a great offense, and hasn't lost a game yet. His ERA is just 2.90 and his WHIP is only 1.17. Definitely pick up Happ if he is on your waiver wire.

Kyle Lohse returned from the DL for the Cardinals and he STUNK! Lohse allowed four runs over five innings, walked three and struck out two. Now I don't expect Lohse to be Johan Santana, but he should be better than that. He could be a guy at the end of your rotation, or even better a guy you pick up to start when he pitches against a bad team.

Kurt Suzuki remains one of the hottest catchers among those that weren't drafted among the elite. Suzuki has gotten at least one hit in ten straight game, and has driven in six runs over that span. I picked him up in one league where I had a rough time with my catcher and have been more than happy with the results. If you don't have one of the elite catchers and are at all dissatisfied with your guy, pick up Suzuki. He won't win you the league, but he will stabilize that spot for you.

Yovani Gallardo had his second straight subpar start and lost his third straight decision. Of course the Brewers hadn't scored in his two starts before today, but even with run support he was bad. Gallardo allowed five runs over five innings, walked four and struck out three. Even with this little skid, he still has an 8-5 record and his ERA is only 3.22. Gallardo will be one of the top 15 pitchers in baseball when all is said and done in 2009, and he will have a great second half of the year. Fifteen wins is well within his grasp.

Clayton Kershaw had some control issues again on Sunday, but the kid has found his groove. He allowed just one run over six innings, walked five and struck out four. Sure the walks don't make you feel good, but he allowed no earned runs in four of his last six starts leading to the break, and hadn't allowed more than three earned runs in an outing since May. He will be one of the more coveted pitchers to keep when 2009 is over.

Jim Thome owners are probablywishing the All-Star Break didn't arrive. Over the past two days Thome drove in seven runs to bring his half season total to 50. He will turn 39 in August and is batting around .250 so don't get too excited about this little streak, but if you own him I would consider starting him on Thursday when the schedule resumes.

Brandon Morrow was sent down to AAA, and like Tommy Hanson it is because they Mariners won't need a fifth starter until July 25th, but unlike Hanson I'm not 100% sure that he will be called back up when the time comes. I don't know what other options that Seattle might have, but Morrow certainly hasn't pitched well enough to hold that spot down. He has been wildly inconsistent all season long, and if I owned him I think I would feel comfortable enough to let him go.

Injury News

Matt Lindstrom is doing fine in his rehab from his elbow injury, but according to the Marlins it will likely be another month before he is able to return. When this injury initially happened I worried about Lindstrom's ability to reclaim his job when he returned. Leo Nunez had been pitching well and I thought if he continued that while Lindstrom was out he could be the Marlins' closer for the remainder of the season. But seeing that Florida has given some opportunites to Dan Meyer, I am now guessing that Lindstrom will go back to closing when he returns, even though he has certainly had his moments of wildness. Stash him if possible.

Jay Bruce fractured his wrist last night and will likely miss several weeks. He is going to be examined today and the Reds are awaiting that report before they give a timetable for his return. My guess is that you will hear six to eight weeks as an estimate for the time he will miss. Stash the future star on your DL slot. Doesn't look like he will be back any time soon.

The New York Post reported that Jose Reyes ran without a noticeable limp, but there is still no indication of when he might return. Reyes will need at least a couple of weeks to get back into shape and some rehab games once he begins baseball-related activities. It is looking like you won't have your starting shortstop back any sooner than August 1st.

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.

2009 FBS Sleeper Player: Matt Lindstrom

Team: Florida Marlins

Throws: Right

Position: RP (Closer)

In 2009 29 year old Matt Lindstrom will start the Florida closer carousel (as it's called) and likely finish it. We like Lindstrom and even liked him in 2008. Lindstrom fits the mold of a closer. His pitches are dominant. He uses a 100 MPH fastball and mixes in a 100 MPH slider and a work-in-progress split finger fastball. The only issue left for Lindstrom to prove is can he mentally handle the job. We think he can. The Marlins have retooled their team and should be in allot of close games. Lindstrom should see plenty of activity. The one downfall of Lindstrom and really any pitcher that heavily relies on power pitching is ERA. He will get hammered sometimes, especially when he relies too much on his fastball. His ERA won't be kind to you, but the rest of his numbers will.

The True Guru Projections: 3.41 ERA, 5-4 rec, 1.35 WHIP, 69K, 36 Saves

We feel he will achieve these projections through our formula based on our secret formula of 11 herbs and spices (its locked at Fort Knox). Of course we are assuming he stays relatively healthy for the entire season.
Check out the rest of our sleepers here

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