Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/8

Wandy Rodriguez continues to pitch quite impressively at home, as he threw a complete game shutout on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, striking out 11. Wandy is a guy that I have learned to have more faith in this season, especially at Minute Maid (which is surprising considering some of its dimensions). He is a guy that I have on a few of my teams, generally as my fifth starter. Even if your staff is good, he is worth picking up for a good, home matchup from time to time. When he's on, Rodriguez can deal.

Chris Volstad is impossible to figure out. Volstad had lost six of his last seven decisions, and then all of a sudden (when I benched him!) he goes out and throws a shutout. In his last outing, he only lasted three innings against the PIRATES! Why would I have started him, or anyone for that matter, against the Giants who have been hitting. I still really like Volstad, and he is one of the better young pitchers in Florida, but he is going to have his moments that will make you want to touch that drop button.

Jorge De La Rosa won his fourth straight start, allowing three runs over 6.1 innings and struck out five. He has been an incredibly streaky guy. He started the season by losing his first six decisions. Since then he has gone 6-1. Which guy is the real one? Your guess is as good as mine. If nothing else he will get you a pretty good number of strikeouts, so even when he is bad he will help you in one category. However, even with this win his ERA sits at 5.03 and his WHIP is 1.43, mostly because of too many walks.

Chad Gaudin is another pitcher that you can look at if you really need strikeouts. He is on a roll lately, but this one won't last. Tonight Gaudin allowed just one run over 6.2 innings and struck out seven. That now makes it four of his last five starts that he allowed three runs or less. He mostly pitched out of the bullpen (ineffectively) last season, and wasn't a good starter for the A's back in 2007. Put that together with the fact that he pitches for the Padres and that makes him a guy that you can't put too much stock in. You can expect strikeouts, but not much else.

David Hernandez is one of the good young arms that the Orioles have coming through their farm system. He might be the worst of the group, but that doesn't mean he won't be good. Hernandez had a good minor league career, with a record of 15-6 record, and ERA under 3.00 and 245 Ks in 198 innings. So far in his last three starts in the majors, Hernandez has looked pretty good. The strikeouts haven't been there, but he allowed just two runs over six innings against the Mariners. He has also been walking too many guys, but his control should improve as he gets more comfortable and could be a guy who has a solid second half.

Homer Bailey was good again, even though he wasn't in line for a win. Bailey allowed just two runs over six innings and struck out six. The best part of the start was that Bailey didn't walk anyone. His control has been by far the biggest problem, and if he can continue to pitch like this, perhaps he will finally start to live up to all of the hype that was given to him when he was in the minors.

Scott Kazmir had his first bad start since coming back from the Disabled List, and BOY was it bad. Kazmir allowed seven runs over 6.1 innings, but kept his control walking only two and striking out four. Feel free to start Kazmir like you would have before his injury. He was good most of the time, but was prone to this kind of outing once in a while.

I know I promised I would never talk about him again, but I feel it is worth mentioning that Oliver Perez was back for the Mets, and was his usual self. It was like Oliver never left. He only allowed two runs over five innings against a great Dodgers' team and actually collected the win. However, like I said, the same old Oliver showed up. Perez walked seven guys over his five innings and threw 108 pitches in that span. He is worth a look if you are desperate, but don't put too much stock in this one outing, he has always pitched good against good teams.

Martin Prado continues to hit for the Braves, accumulating another two knocks and drove in his 16th run of the year. He had 17 hits over the last eight games, and has been on fire since being named the starter at second. I would consider using him as a short-term replacement for a middle infield spot, but I still don't have faith that he will keep this up for the rest of the year. He never showed much power or speed in the minors, so I think this is just a hot streak, and in a month we won't be talking about Prado anymore.

Andruw Jones had three homers on Wednesday, giving him 14 on the season. I don't think that this is a guy that you want to focus on. He does have seven homers in his past ten games, but even with that production, Jones is still not playing every day. This is a good story that he was able to find his talent again in Texas, but I still don't believe Jones to be fantasy worthy unless you are in an AL-only league.

Ervin Santana was bad again, and now the question comes "what should you do with him?" I would say this; While I don't have him in any league, I have to admit that it would be difficult for me to keep him on my roster considering the way he has been pitching. However, what are your options in free agency? If there is a solid pitcher out there that probably shouldn't have been dropped, then go ahead and drop him. If you are thinking of picking up Oliver Perez or Chad Gaudin or someone like that, I would hold on to Santana. The leash he would be on couldn't get any shorter though.

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; Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Birthday America! While we all celebrated today with parades, barbeques, and fireworks, let's not forget what this day is about. This is the day that we declared our independence from England, and the greatest country in the world was formed. We live in a place where anything is possible if you have a dream and work hard. Be thankful for the freedoms and the opportunities that are afforded us here in America, there is truly no other place like it. And of course, be thankful for the men and women who protect our country and keep us safe. Our Armed Forces are a special group and perform an important job. I have the utmost respect for each and every one of them and a special thank you goes out to them on this day. So again, Happy Birthday to the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world! Now, what's more American than baseball? Let's find out what happened today.

Josh Hamilton will not return to the Rangers on Sunday. His rehab game on Saturday was rained out, delaying his return to the majors at least one more day. There is still a chance that Hamilton might return on Monday, but nothing definite has been announced. I will give the news on this again tomorrow, because I am a Hamilton owner as well and I am very curious to see if I will be able to play him in my one league with weekly transactions. Hopefully he will be back on Monday.

Despite pitching less than great in a rehab assignment, Oliver Perez will be back in the Mets' rotation on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perez allowed three runs over five innings, walking four and striking out four. I understand that given the Mets' situation that they need to get their starters back from injury as soon as possible, but this start doesn't instill any confidence in me that Perez will be any better than he was before he went on the DL. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole before this start unless you are really desperate for help in pitching.

Kevin Slowey was placed on the 15 day DL, right after he had his worst outing of the season. Slowey allowed six earned runs over just three innings, but he got off the hook for the loss. Slowey has been diagnosed with a strained wrist. I have been unable to come up with a timetable for his return as of now, hopefully it will just be the required 15 days.

Howie Kendrick has been recalled by the Angels, and they optioned Sean Rodriguez. Kendrick hit .346 with two homers, 11 RBI, and four steals while he was in the minors. I would likely give Kendrick a try if he is available in your league. He has always supposed to be a great talent but has struggled in his time in the majors. He should hit for a good average with 10-12 homer power and a dozen steals. Not great, but if you need help at middle infield he could be worth a shot.

Erik Bedard is set to start on Tuesday against the Orioles. Bedard has been great when he has been able to stay on the mound, however he has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career. If you own him, definitely have him ready to start on Tuesday, Bedard is the kind of pitcher that you start against anyone.

Chien-Ming Wang allowed four runs over 5.1 innings, and after the game it was announced that he was diagnosed with a strained shoulder and bursitis. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday, but it seems likely he will miss his next start. I doubt he is owned in too many leagues, but if he is, it might be time to let him go.

Rich Harden had his worst start in who knows how long, and I am struggling to come up with an explanation for why he is pitching so poorly. I have speculated that he could have some sort of injury, but there is absolutely no sign of a report of anything wrong with him. Harden gave up seven earned runs in just two innings and struck out only one. All you can do is keep pitching him every time out. Harden is better than this, and it has to be just a matter of time before he starts to pitch like it.

Although the bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him, Tommy Hanson was great again. It might have only been against the Nationals, but Hanson allowed just one run over seven innings, striking out five. In five of his six starts, Hanson has allowed two runs or less, including three in which he allowed no earned runs. The walks are higher and the strike outs are lower than I expected, but Hanson has been everything else that he was supposed to be, and has to be the early front runner for the NL Rookie of the Year. Continue to start him every time out with extreme confidence.

Francisco Liriano might not have gotten the decision, but he had his third straight start that his owners had to be happy with. He allowed just three runs over seven innings and struck out eight. He has been much better over the last six weeks or so, and hopefully he will continue to improve and he can get back to the form that once made him one of fantasy baseball's most coveted pitchers. I have said before that I don't see his rookie year statistics coming back, and that hasn't changed, but it would be nice to see him pitch like this more often.

David Price was terrible again, and I don't know where the guy who pitched in the playoffs last year went. Price lasted just 1.1 innings, allowed six runs and walked five. Coming into the year I thought that Price was that rare young pitcher that wouldn't be susceptible to the growing pains that most rookies go through. Obviously that won't be the case. Keeper league players, I'm sorry to tell you that you just have to live through these tough times. Price has all the skills, and he will be awesome, who knows when that will be. Honestly, this might be a good opportunity for those who don't own him in keeper leagues to buy low on Price. Seasonal leagues I still wouldn't drop him, but I might see if there was someone in the league who might give you a good deal for him.

Jimmy Rollins is starting to show some signs of life, with five hits in the last three days. He also has three doubles and has driven in four runs over those games, and PERHAPS this is the start of something good. He's still hitting .213, so don't get too excited, but for those of us who have owned him all season long this is about as exciting as it has been all year long.

Is Emilio Bonifacio working his way back to fantasy relevance? He was 4/4 on Saturday and stole his 17th base of the year. He now has a hit in ten of his last eleven games, and six bases over that stretch. I would say if you need stolen bases that he is worth adding to your roster, but just be ready to cut ties with him if another cold streak starts to show.

ESPN.com has relaunched the ESPN Arcade with hundreds of games for you to play. Regardless of your interests there is sure to be something to get you addicted. Sports games, driving games, cards, puzzles, and even action sports. So far I have played Carniball (skeeball), a basketball shooting game, a baseball game in which you try to make a comeback in the bottom of the Ninth, and of course, some video poker. However, my favorite game so far is the Hair & Staches Concentration. This is a timed memory game in which you try to match up cards with some of the more interesting looks in baseball history. Not only fun but funny as well.

Mailing List

I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

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.