Billy Butler hit his 11th homer of the year on Tuesday, one day after a five hit effort and now has four RBI in the last two games. He still isn't hitting for the power that I assumed he would when he came to the majors, but he is hitting near .300 and soon these doubles (31 through today) have got to start leaving the yard. Butler should continue to be a very solid hitter for the rest of the season, and hopefully the recent increase in power (three dingers in the last eight games) will keep going and he will get to 17 or 18 homers.
Matt Wieters looks like he is showing little signs of life, as he had a four hit game on Tuesday. The bad news is they were all singles, but seeing the way that he is disappointing those of you who spent early draft picks on him and waited all year for him to come to the majors. He has now hit safely in seven straight games and has driven in a run in three straight. I think it is safe to assume he won't be the difference maker we thought he might be when he came to the big leagues this season, but if he can hit .280 with a little power, his owners would likely sign up for that at this point.
Scott Kazmir is another guy that you absolutely have no idea what to expect when he takes the mound. Kazmir either gives up five to seven runs per game or else he throws a game like he did on Tuesday. He gave up just one run over seven innings and struck out four. It was the first time all season that he got through seven innings and Kazmir has been all over the map this season. He is still too talented to let go of, but you might not want to start him every time out. Of course with that strategy you likely would have benched him against New York. I guess what I am saying is good luck trying to figure out what you are going to get from Kazmir.
Clay Buchholz had his win blown by the bullpen, but he had a nice bounceback after a rough outing against the A's. Of course most pitchers will fare better against Oakland than they will against Texas, but it is good to see Clay pitching pretty well and keeping the strikeouts up. Buchholz allowed two runs over 5.2 innings and struck out five. It is still very likely that he is only in the majors until Tim Wakefield is ready to return from a back injury, but enjoy the production from Clay while it lasts.
Kevin Kouzmanoff not only has a five game hit streak, but also has a five game RBI streak. He will always have some value in deeper leagues because of his power potential, but his horrible batting average will always keep him from being a guy who is owned in most 12 team leagues except for a time like now that he is hot. Someday I still think that Kouzmanoff will be a consistent threat who will hit .265 with 25-30 home runs. 2009 will obviously not be it, but it could be a couple more years before he truly realizes his potential.
Mike Pelfrey is all over the map. Sometimes he is great, sometimes he is horrible, most of the time he is average. Pelfrey won his eighth game of the season as he shut out the Rockies over 6.1 innings and struck out five. He has some value as an end of the rotation guy in 12 team leagues, but his ERA near 5.00 and his WHIP of 1.50 makes it likely that he could be a free agent in your league. He is better as a guy you pick up against some of the weaker hitting teams in the National League. His performance tonight against the Rockies has to be classified as a surprise.
Gordon Beckham has been hitting and looking more comfortable by the day for the White Sox. Beckham drove in two runs, giving him at least one RBI in four straight games, and he now has seven hits in the last five games. In keeper leagues, Beckham is a must have as he should have an incredibly bright future in the majors and he could be a 20/20 guy as soon as 2010.
Jhonny Peralta homered for the third straight day, and even though it might have taken a long time, you should consider this him finally breaking out of his slump. Peralta now has nine dingers with 52 RBI and he has gotten his average up to .271. If you have any need for help at middle infield and he is still available, don't hesitate to get him on your team.
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.
Ervin Santana didn't pitch well, but he was able to collect a win and put up some pretty good strikeout numbers. Santana allowed five runs over six innings, walked just one and struck out seven. This is his second consecutive start that he allowed only one run, so perhaps this is finally the time that Santana pitches like everyone expected him to during draft time back in March. I do not own Santana in any of my ten leagues, but I can't say I feel 100% confidence in him. It is growing by the day, and I'm not saying to not start him, but I still have a little reservation that he might still have some rough days in front of him.
According to reports, the Marlins are set to call Gaby Sanchez to the major leagues. Sanchez is a 1B, which could have some implications on the rest of the Marlins infield. It would make sense for them to move Jorge Cantu over to third, and sit Emilio Bonifacio, but we will see if that how it shakes out. Bonifacio had been showing some signs of life, but hasn't been anything near what he was that first week of the season. Sanchez is a pretty good prospect, but not one of the elite. He was ranked by Baseball America as #8 in the Florida organization. He kind of reminds me of a James Loney type with a bit more power, and not as much average. In 58 games he has 9 HRs and 37 RBI while hitting .277. That average is the lowest of his minor league career, but he got off to a real bad start. Last year at AA he hit.314 with 17 HRs and 92 RBI. He also stole 17 bases, but I wouldn't expect him to bring you consistent speed. He isn't someone that I would run out and grab unless you had someone go on the DL or if you had a player that you were looking to dump. And I suppose at this time of year if you are in a keeper league and look like you don't have a chance to compete, you can stick him on your roster and hope that maybe he does more than is expected.
The Red Sox have placed Tim Wakefield who has a lower back strain. They have recalled Clay Buchholz and he will start Wednesday against Texas. This is likely another short term promotion, but Buchholz could be worth even a short term addition.
Rich Harden is also on the road to redemption as he had his second straight good start. After hurling six shutout innings his last time up, Harden gave up just one run over seven innings and struck out six. For months we have been wondering what the heck has been wrong with Harden because he is always very good when he is healthy except for the last eight or ten weeks. Hopefully for Harden owners and Cubs fans, this is Rich turning the corner, because they will need him at his best to challenge for the playoffs, both MLB and fantasy baseball.
John Lannan continues to pitch under the radar and is quietly having a pretty good team. I think he is available in probably half of the leagues that I am in. However, he threw a complete game shutout against the Mets on Tuesday, although he only struck out one. If Lannan pitched for a team that ever scored runs, he would be owned in most leagues. However, he is on the Nats and that will limit his wins. He only strikes out a guy about every other inning which also keeps him in free agency. If you are in a league with more than 12 teams, an NL only league, or have a pitcher go on the shelf, I would certainly consider Lannan. I know the Mets' offense is anemic right now, but his ERA for the season is just 3.38, that is pretty impressive.
Magglio Ordonez hit a grand slam tonight, and it was his second home run this month. However, don't get excited thinking this is the turnaround for him. Ordonez isn't even close to playing every day, and he is still hitting only .260. If you own Magglio, I would definitely drop him, and I wouldn't pick him up unless you are in a 30 or 40 team league.
Brett Cecil allowed no earned runs for the second consecutive outing, but he wasn't around for the decision. Cecil is looking more like the guy who started the season, more than the guy who pitched just before and just after he was placed on the Disabled List. If he is available in your league, I would give him a chance if you have any need for starting pitching at all. I know I've said this before, but Cecil came into the year ranked as the #3 prospect for the Blue Jays, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
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Mark DeRosa had a two home run game tonight for the Cardinals, his first two since being traded, and hopefully this is a sign of him breaking out of the funk he has been in. DeRosa had 21 home runs last season, and 13 for the Indians before the trade, so you have to figure that he is going to start to hit. He got off to a rough start with a few games with no hits and then the injury. Get DeRosa into your lineup, it appears he will be ok now.
Jeff Niemann has allowed three runs or less in now six straight starts after Tuesday, and he is now 9-4. Unfortunately, he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, but his ERA is only 3.61. I still am liking Niemann for any of you looking for an extra arm. He won't win a league for you, but he will stabilize your pitching staff if you have a hole.
Miguel Montero homered again as he tries to keep a hold on the catching job in Arizona even when Chris Snyder comes back. Montero homered fourth time in the last seven games, and has driven in eight runs over that time. Snyder is supposed to be back around the end of July, so it will remain to be seen what the playing time situation will be once Snyder is back. For now, if you need a hot catcher, they don't get hotter than Montero.
Homer Bailey was absolutely awful again tonight. He gave up nine runs (six earned) over just 2.2 innings, walked two, and didn't strike anyone out. This was his second consecutive horrendous start, and he now has more walks than strikeouts. He has had a couple of decent starts too, but I would not touch him at this point. Jeff Mans will likely get on my case for flip flopping if he reads this, but you all know from the get go that I am not a Bailey fan.
John Danks is expected to miss his next start due to a blister on his finger. The White Sox don't expect him to miss more than one start because of this, but if you own him keep your eye out for more news. Until then, don't look for Danks to start tomorrow.
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.
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.
Josh Hamilton finally hit his first home run and stole his first base since returning from the Disabled List, and he did them both in the same game. Hamilton was 3/4 and drove in three runs, calming some of his fantasy owners' fears that he would not return to the form we are accustomed to after his many injuries this year. It is just one game, but this is a step in the right direction. The guy was a monster last year, if he is healthy, and we have to believe he is, he should mash in the second half.
Chris Carpenter continues his magical season with another dominating performance against the Diamondbacks on Friday. Carpenter scattered seven hits over eight innings and struck out seven batters. He is now 8-3 with an ERA of only 2.26 and a WHIP of 0.88. He was a large injury risk coming into the season, but for those of you with some stones, he is paying off big time. I certainly hope I don't need to say that Carpenter is a must start every single game he is in.
Clay Buchholz pitched very well for himself, and now the question is whether he will be able to stay in the big leagues or whether he will be headed right back down to Pawtucket. Buchholz allowed only one run over 5.2 innings, walked three and struck out three. It wasn't dominant, but it was obviously more than the Sox needed. He certainly deserves to stay with the big club, but barring a trade of Brad Penny or an injury somewhere, I have to think that he is going back down. Man, I hope I'm wrong!
Aramis Ramirez hit his first homer since May 6th, and it was his first since coming back from injury. He is a perpetual 30 home run guy, and although he won't get there this year, he should have a good second half of the year. Look for Aramis to threaten to hit 20 homers, but I believe he will fall a little short.
Ricky Romero was able to strike out eight batters on Friday, but he couldn't even get through the fifth inning, and he also walked five guys. Romero allowed four runs, and his WHIP went up over 1.30. I have been skeptical of him all season long, and to this point he has proven me wrong. Is this the start of a bad streak? I don't wish that on anyone, but I would not be surprised if he had a bad stretch at the end of July.
Edwin Encarnacion homered for the second straight game, and is now 7/7 in the two games after the All-Star Break. If all goes well, Edwin could hit ten or twelve more homers before the end of the year, and he is worth at least a bench spot on your team, I just wouldn't put much stock in him. He is helped by the fact that there are about four good 3Bs this year.
Martin Prado continues to hit, and I continue not to buy in to it. Prado doubled and homered on Friday, raising his season average to .330. He has certainly gotten a stranglehold on the second base job for Atlanta and he has five multi-hit games in the last eight. This is the first chance in his career to get regular at bats and he is certainly making the most of it, but I really don't see this trend continuing. You might be able to sell high on him while he is hot.
Chad Billingsley had his worst outing of the season by far, as he didn't even get out of the second inning. Billingsley was pounded for six runs and didn't strikeout a batter. This is his second straight HORRIBLE start. However, there is no indication that anything is wrong with Billingsley physically, so you have to continue to pitch him every fifth day. He has to turn this around sometime soon, he is too good to pitch this poorly.
Alex Gordon was back in the lineup for the first time since April 15th, and he was able to contribute a single. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from him in the second half of this season. Chances are he will continue to disappoint, not only has he not played in three months, but I have also read that he is coming back at less than 100%. If you have a roster spot that is just rotting he is worth a flier, but other than that I would leave him be.
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.
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.
