MLB Fantasy News 2010

[HacheMan]

Fractured Pair Of Sox
Dustin Pedroia had finally gotten over his knee injury, going 26-for-52 (.500) with four homers and five doubles in 13 games since donning a brace, but that amazing run came to an end Saturday when he fouled a ball off his left foot. He's been diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture and the Red Sox immediately put him on the disabled list, and while there's no official word yet several reports have him missing at least six weeks.

He'll be examined further Monday, but Bill Hall is the new starting second baseman and the Red Sox picked up Eric Patterson from the A's to potentially take some playing time versus right-handers. I've long thought Patterson is an intruing player because of his defensive versatility, great speed, and decent power, but he's hit just .224/.301/.340 in 378 plate appearances as a big leaguer and Hall figures to get first crack at the job.

As if losing Pedroia wasn't enough for one weekend, Victor Martinez exited Sunday's game after taking a foul tip off the left thumb and has been diagnosed with a fracture. For now Boston has held off placing him on the DL, so the injury to his non-throwing hand may not be considered serious, but Martinez is a switch-hitter and could struggle trying to play through the pain. Jason Varitek will start for however long he's out.

While the Red Sox hope to keep rolling without Pedroia and perhaps Martinez, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Given that the Mariners are 15 games out of first place at 31-44 and may be close to trading away Cliff Lee, no one seems quite sure why general manager Jack Zduriencik would send a pair of mid-level prospects to the Indians for 35-year-old Russell Branyan. Branyan has hit well since returning from a season-opening stint on the disabled list and would make some sense for a contender, but the Mariners aren't a contender.

If not for concerns about his balky back and too-high salary demands the Mariners likely would've re-signed Branyan after he slugged 31 homers as a bargain pickup last year, but Seattle is too far gone for him to make an impact this year and a $5 million option for 2011 is hardly enough to justify the move. Branyan's value doesn't change much, but his exit does re-open the door for Matt LaPorta to play in Cleveland and I'm still a believer.

* One move you can justify is following me on Twitter.

* Back-to-back clunkers from Tommy Hanson in his 36th and 37th career starts has me worried considering how great he was through his first 35 outings. This time last week Hanson had a career record of 18-7 with a 3.07 ERA, including a 3.38 mark this season, but his ERA has ballooned to 4.50 after allowing nine runs in 3.2 innings Tuesday and six runs in 3.2 innings Sunday. Hanson and Bobby Cox both insist he's 100 percent healthy.

AL Quick Hits: B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria had to be separated following an argument in the dugout Sunday ... Matt Thornton will have at least a few days as the White Sox's closer after Bobby Jenks was placed on the family medical emergency list Sunday ... Jon Lester allowed one run in a complete-win Sunday, out-dueling Tim Lincecum ... Mike Napoli homered Sunday as rumors swirl about the Angels shopping him for a so-called "natural" first baseman ... Carl Crawford's shoulder is improved enough that he could rejoin the lineup Tuesday ... Shin-Soo Choo hit multiple homers Sunday for the second time in five games ... Brett Cecil was rocked for seven runs Sunday and has followed a five-game winning streak with three straight losses ... Paul Konerko tied Miguel Cabrera and Jose Bautista for the MLB lead with his 20th homer Sunday ... As expected, the Orioles designated Garrett Atkins for assignment Sunday to make room on the roster for Koji Uehara ... Mark Teahen (finger) is not expected to return before the All-Star break.

NL Quick Hits: Initially believed to have the job, Bobby Valentine is reportedly now out of the running to be the Marlins' manager ... Tim Lincecum struggled Sunday and was yanked after throwing 79 pitches in three innings, ending a streak of four straight Quality Starts ... Heath Bell got Sunday off after closing out wins Friday and Saturday, so Luke Gregerson picked up his first save ... Jorge De La Rosa (finger) tossed six innings of one-run ball Sunday in his second rehab start at Triple-A ... Tyler Colvin homered and knocked in four runs Sunday, giving him 10 long balls in 135 at-bats ... Jaime Garcia didn't make it out of the third inning Sunday, allowing five runs ... Chris Narveson tossed eight shutout innings Sunday, although it came against a terrible Mariners lineup ... Jhoulys Chacin allowed five runs Sunday, but only two were earned and he racked up 12 strikeouts ... Jenrry Mejia left his Sunday start at Double-A with shoulder soreness ... According to general manager Doug Melvin "there's nothing going on at this time" regarding a Prince Fielder contract extension

 

[HacheMan]

Heyward Hits The DL
Jason Heyward hit just .172 with one homer and 33 strikeouts over the past 25 games while playing through a thumb injury, so the Braves finally shut him down Monday night and placed the stud rookie on the disabled list with what has now been diagnosed as a deep bone bruise. Matt Diaz is ready to return from a thumb injury of his own, so he's expected to take Heyward's roster spot and most of his playing time.

Diaz hit just .178 in 26 games before undergoing surgery, but batted .313/.390/.488 in 125 games last season and has a .303/.351/.448 career line. He hasn't played since mid-May, but the Braves felt good enough about his recovery that Diaz was slated to return following just three rehab games even before Heyward was put on the shelf. Assuming he's healthy Diaz is a must-grab in NL-only leagues.

As for Heyward, don't let the injury convince you that he's anything but a Hall of Fame talent. At age 20 he batted .301/.421/.596 with 10 homers, 23 extra-base hits, and 29 walks through 46 games and even after the month-long slump dragged down his overall season line to .251/.366/.455 his current .821 OPS would be the 14th-highest ever for a 20-year-old, sandwiched in between Willie Mays (.828) and Rogers Hornsby (.814).

While the Braves hope some time off will keep Heyward's injury from lingering all season, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Monday provided mostly good news for the Red Sox's various injuries. Dustin Pedroia is expected to avoid surgery and won't need a pin inserted into his fractured foot, which means he could be back in 4-6 weeks. Victor Martinez is also expected to avoid surgery on his fractured thumb, but it sounds like he won't be able to stay off the disabled list as initially hoped. However, he could return shortly after the All-Star break.

On the pitching side, Clay Buchholz has been diagnosed with a "minor hamstring tear" after initial reports deemed the injury a hyper-extended knee. Whatever the case, he sounded hopeful about staying off the DL and perhaps even making his next scheduled start, although the Red Sox may opt to play it safe by skipping Buchholz in the rotation one time. With all three injuries, things could have been a whole lot worse.

Jason Varitek will turn back the clock and take over as the primary catcher with Martinez sidelined after hitting .258/.328/.562 with seven homers and six doubles in just 98 plate appearances as a little-used backup. Bill Hall and the newly acquired Eric Patterson are expected to split time at second base in place of Pedroia, with the speedy Patterson being worth a pickup in AL-only leagues.

* After a loss and a no-decision despite allowing one run in each of his previous two starts Stephen Strasburg's teammates let him down again Monday, as the lineup failed to score a run in seven innings, Ian Desmond booted a double play that at least would have kept the score 0-0, and Sean Burnett allowed both inherited runners to score after coming on in relief. Don't let the box score fool you. He was good. His teammates stunk.

AL Quick Hits: Joel Zumaya suffered a gruesome-looking arm injury Monday, falling to the ground and literally trembling in pain after delivering a pitch ... Designated for assignment over the weekend, Garrett Atkins is willing to go Triple-A for a new team but not to remain with the Orioles ... Colby Lewis will get two extra days off before his next start, with the Rangers calling up Omar Beltre to pitch Wednesday ... Magglio Ordonez (ribs) was scratched from the lineup Monday for the second straight game ... J.J. Hardy (wrist) is aiming to begin a brief rehab assignment Wednesday ... Kansas City is reportedly "really pushing to move" Jose Guillen ... Brett Gardner is day-to-day after X-rays on his injured wrist came back negative ... Bobby Jenks is expected to return from the family medical emergency list later this week ... For random thoughts and links throughout the day, follow me on Twitter.

NL Quick Hits: Chase Utley will undergo an MRI exam after leaving Monday's game with a hand injury ... Jair Jurrjens (hamstring) has been cleared to come off the disabled list Wednesday for his first start since April, with Kenshin Kawakami moving to the bullpen ... Matt Kemp was a healthy scratch Monday for the second straight game ... Todd Helton left Monday's game with back spasms, which he's struggled with in the past ... Jonathan Broxton will be unavailable until at least Wednesday after being overworked by Joe Torre ... Placido Polanco said Monday that he may need offseason elbow surgery ... R.A. Dickey took his first loss Monday, allowing five runs in five innings ... Neil Walker (concussion) left the team Monday and traveled back to Pittsburgh to be examined by doctors ... Brad Hawpe (ribs) was out of the lineup Monday for the third straight game, with Ryan Spilborghs starting in his place ... Oliver Perez (knee) could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment later this week, which would start the 30-day clock on his Mets return ... The next 300-game winner may come a lot sooner (and be a lot older) than you think.

 

[HacheMan]

Is Paps on the decline?

Thor Nystrom's been gone a week and it's time to shake things up a little here at Saves & Steals. Sometimes the top tier can get a little complacent. They can get used to seeing the same old guys around the country club. Well now it's time for the concierge to at least take a look at the identification of one of the erstwhile top closers. Is the license still valid? Is he still the same guy? Is he hiding an injury? Is this where he should be?

While there are some players on the move in these tiers, your faithful correspondent is actually on a literal move - from New York to California. Of course, said move had to happen in a week that can only be described as "Hot as Meatballs." While waiting for the subway, the thought popped up that it would be a long time before I had to endure that special torture again. So, in honor of all of the Manhattan commuters that will have to descend into that heat on a daily basis this summer, the tiers will be named after the five levels of sweatiness on the summer subway platform. Again, the hotter the better in this particular instance, just because.


Tier 1: Elite (3) (AKA: The "I left half of my back skin on that bench" Tier.)


Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers
Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs

Comment:
You may notice a certain Red Sox closer is absent from this tier. Unfortunately, Jonathan Papelbon is sporting a strikeout rate that is half of Marmol's, a walk rate that is the worst of his career, and a 3.89 ERA that is masking the fact that he's actually been lucky on batted balls. His underlying performance is not elite, and he's blown two saves in the past week. People have even begun wondering out loud if Daniel Bard is ready for the role. No-one is wondering if the other guys in this tier are long for their roles, even if Jonathon Broxton had a bad inning against the New York Yankees this past week.


Tier 2: Rock Steady (9) (AKA: The "I believe the buttons on my phone just fused together" Tier.)

Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets
Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
Billy Wagner, Atlanta Braves
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants
Rafael Soriano, Tamp a Bay Rays
Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics

Comment:
Even in this tier, players below Papelbon have much healthier underlying statistics. Heath Bell and Francisco Rodriguez, for example, move up a little just because those secondary stats favor them more than Jose Valverde, despite his pristine ERA. Even Wilson could make a case to move ahead the fist-pumping Tiger closer, but had a little trouble nailing down a save this week. Billy Wagner is actually showing velocity on his fastball that he hasn't shown since 2006, so he's found the (TJ) fountain of youth.


Tier 3: OK options (6) (AKA: The "I'm going to shave all of my hair off. All of it." Tier.)


Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Leo Nunez, Florida Marlins
Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds
Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals
Jon Rauch, Minnesota Twins
Matt Capps, Washington Nationals

Comment:
We promised last week that a week without a mention of Feliz' long-term future (as a starter?) would mean a new tier for him, but he didn't have a great week. He only pitched once and gave up a walk in a scoreless inning. Let's wait for a nice week and move him up with some momentum behind him. Besides, with his new (higher) strikeout rate, Leo Nunez is looking pretty good these days himself. Of course Nunez has a fastball that is two-and-a-half MPH slower than the rookie's, but let's give it another week shall we.


Tier 4: Question marks (7) (AKA: The "I'm going to have to argue for a no-pants policy in the summer dress code" Tier.)


Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies
Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox
Matt Lindstrom, Houston Astros
Kevin Gregg, Toronto Blue Jays
David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners
Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels
Kerry Wood, Cleveland Indians

Comment:
We'll wait another week to move Brad Lidge up, considering he wasn't used once this past week. David Aardsma is getting some interest around the league, and if he ever was traded, it's possible Brandon League would do a better job in the role. League has a much better groundball rate for one.

Fundamentally, Matt Lindstrom has not been a great pitcher this year. His strikeout rate is below-average for a reliever, and his walk rate only average. On the other hand, he's adept at inducing grass-guzzlers and he had three saves in the past week, so he moves up a little bit.

There are a lot of small up and down weeks in this tier, but most of these guys should live to see another week in their role, which is not always the case for the final tier.


Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (5) (AKA: The "Just thinking is making me sweat" Tier.)


Huston Street, Colorado Rockies
Octavio Dotel, Pittsburgh Pirates
John Axford, Milwaukee Brewers
Alfredo Simon, Baltimore Orioles
Aaron Heilman, Arizona Diamondbacks

Comment:
Huston Street had a good appearance and a bad appearance since coming off the DL last week, but most importantly he doesn't have a save yet on his young season. Once he settles in, he'll move up these tiers pretty quickly.

John Axford had a fine week, but finds himself dropping a spot because Trevor Hoffman also had a fine week and is only four saves short of 600. Popular sentiment (read: lagging attendance) might force Hoffman back into the role even if Axford is probably the future.

Really, the only pitcher on this list that really had a terrible week was the last one. Aaron Heilman promptly blew two saves in the past week after we reported here that he was moving into the role. Chad Qualls is not yet in the graveyard, despite giving up a run in his only appearance last week. That pen is a mess, and those desperate for saves might actually reach for Sam Demel, who was in AAA just a couple weeks ago. Manager AJ Hinch has been slowly using him in more tense situations and Demel has responded well. He hasn't walked a batter yet, and could quickly become a "We've got no-one else" sort of option, with some upside to become a more solid closer.

* * * * * * * * * *


Injured

Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins (Out for the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow)
Mike Gonzalez, Baltimore Orioles (60-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder)
Ryan Madson, Philadelphia Phillies (15-day disabled list with a broken toe)

Comment:
Mike Gonzalez got rocked in Single-A ball on his rehab assignment, and Alfredo Simon dealt three straight scoreless appearances this past week. Who knows how that will work out, but it's never fun to have a high-priced closer coming back shakily from poor performances in his rehab appearances. Hold on to Simon for a little while still.

Ryan Madson had his first rehab appearance, but should end up backing up Lidge, at least until the next Lidge-ian explosion.

The Graveyard:
Frank Francisco, Texas Rangers
Jason Frasor, Toronto Blue Jay
Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles

* * * * * * * * * *

The Steals Department

Sometimes a player has had wheels his whole life. Johnny Damon has famously raced cars in his subdivision and stole as many as 29 bags just two years ago with the Yankees. He has amassed 381 of the things in the major leagues since he started out in 1995 in Kansas City, and also put up 152 in 400 minor league games. As a 19-year-old in A-ball, he gobbled up 59 bags even.

Of course, this isn't the old days any more. Damon has lost a step or two along the way. But this is a man that has honed the tools of his trade and hasn't forgotten how to take a free bag. He's only playing against righties right now - and that's why there's a chance he is on your waiver wire. On the good side of the ledger is the fact that he stole two bags in one game this week, and three on the week, and is capable of doing that any time. If you are starved for speed, and can change your lineups daily, a little dose of Damon might go a long way.

Sometimes a player grows into his wheels, though. Jose Tabata was once a young toolsy Venezuelan outfielder in the Yankees organization. He showed a tiny bit of power for such a young player, and had a chance to become an all-around solid-to-above-average center fielder.

Well, then Tabata showed that he wasn't really a center fielder, and that the power maybe wasn't on the way. He had a couple run-ins with coaches, and some whispers began about his work ethic. The Yankees had maybe seen enough and decided to send Tabata to Pittsburgh in the Xavier Nady deal.

In his second try at AAA this year, Tabata regained some of his former luster. He played harder by some accounts, took walks at his best rate since he hit the upper levels of the minors, and began to be much more aggressive on the basepaths. In just half a season, he set his career single-season stolen base record, and was promoted.

Now hitting a mediocre .257, the part of his game that made the best transition to the major leagues has been his base-stealing ability. Tabata is leading off with the Pirates and has five steals in a mere seventeen games. The good news also is that he has also been showing a decent amount of patience in the games and isn't striking out much as well. That power is probably never going to arrive - he's hitting over half of his balls on the ground - but the speed seems to be for real.

 

[HacheMan]

Phillies Lose Half An Infield
Half of the Phillies' infield hit the disabled list Tuesday, as Chase Utley was placed on the shelf with the sprained thumb he suffered Monday and Placido Polanco was shut down after unsuccessfully trying to play through elbow pain. Polanco's elbow failed to respond to multiple cortisone injections and anti-inflammatory medication, and the third baseman admitted that he may need offseason surgery to remove a bone spur.

For now Utley's status is less clear, with surgery potentially being an option depending on how his trip to see a hand specialist goes Wednesday. Even while posting an OPS under .900 for the first time in five years Utley was still on pace for 25 homers, 85 RBIs, 110 runs, and a dozen steals, so his going under the knife would be a massive blow to both the Phillies and his fantasy owners.

Losing both guys is particularly tough because the Phillies can't shift Polanco to second base as Utley's replacement and will instead try to get some kind of production out of Greg Dobbs, Wilson Valdez, Juan Castro, and Brian Bocock, which is a group of names you might see available on the waiver wire in the world's deepest fantasy league. You can almost certainly do better than anyone from that foursome even if the Phillies can't.

While the Phillies try to keep pace in the NL East with two replacement-level players in the lineup, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Demoted to the minors last month after becoming the odd man out in the Rockies' outfield, Dexter Fowler hit .340/.435/.566 with 16 extra-base hits and 17 walks in 27 games at Triple-A and was called back up Tuesday. Fowler started in center field and led off, but it's unclear how much playing time he'll actually be in line for once Brad Hawpe returns from a rib injury. In the meantime he's certainly worth a claim in NL-only leagues.

* Joel Zumaya will miss the rest of the season following his gruesome-looking arm injury Monday, but is optimistic about pitching at some point next year after being diagnosed with a fractured elbow. Anyone who saw Zumaya quivering in pain knows the injury is a serious one, but the good news is that he avoided ligament damage and may not need surgery. He's battled back from serious injuries before, so hopefully he can do it again.

* Tampa Bay designated Hank Blalock for assignment Tuesday after he batted just .254/.319/.349 with one homer in 26 games, likely opening the door for Matt Joyce to stick around in a semi-starting role platooning with Gabe Kapler. Joyce has 25-homer pop to make up for what will likely be mediocre batting averages and should definitely be picked up by any fantasy team that was still carrying Blalock on the roster.

AL Quick Hits: Carl Crawford (shoulder) rejoined the lineup Tuesday with four hits and a steal ... Dallas Braden was scratched from Tuesday's start with elbow soreness, so Vin Mazzaro tossed six innings of one-run ball in his place ... Juan Samuel said Tuesday that Mike Gonzalez won't be handed the closer job once he returns from the disabled list ... Cliff Lee hurled his third straight complete game Tuesday, beating the Yankees despite two Nick Swisher homers ... B.J. Upton was a healthy scratch Tuesday, but Joe Maddon downplayed the notion that he was being "benched" for the dugout incident with Evan Longoria ... Travis Snider (wrist) is set to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday at rookie-ball ... Denard Span tied the modern record with three triples Tuesday and did so within the first five innings ... Dayan Viciedo started Tuesday for just the third time in 11 games since his call-up ... Jason Donald hasn't played since jamming his wrist last week and will be examined by a specialist Wednesday ... J.J. Hardy (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday at Single-A.

NL Quick Hits: Edwin Rodriguez will reportedly remain the Marlins' manager after the team opted against hiring Bobby Valentine ... Felipe Lopez will take over as the Cardinals' starting third baseman with David Freese (ankle) landing on the shelf Tuesday ... Matt Kemp was a healthy scratch Tuesday for the third straight game ... Jenrry Mejia has been placed on the Triple-A disabled list with a strained shoulder ... Edwin Jackson's next start has been pushed back two days following his 149-pitch no-hitter, so Barry Enright will come up from Double-A to start Wednesday ... Impending free agent Adam Dunn is reportedly being targeted by the White Sox, with the Nationals apparently not interested in working out an extension ... Arthur Rhodes' scoreless streak came to an end Tuesday at 30 innings ... Todd Helton remained out of the lineup Tuesday because of back spasms ... General manager Walt Jocketty said Aroldis Chapman's transition to the bullpen at Triple-A has gone "excellent" thus far ... Oliver Perez (knee) is slated to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday at Single-A.

 

[HacheMan]

Posey Time
It seemed odd that the Giants kept Buster Posey out of the lineup Monday and Tuesday, but apparently they were showcasing Bengie Molina for a possible trade. And it worked, as San Francisco shipped the veteran catcher to Texas for Chris Ray and a player to be named later Wednesday night. The move is a good fit for both teams, as the Rangers have long been looking for catching help and the Giants needed to clear room for Posey.

Posey has come back to earth since collecting 20 hits in his first 45 at-bats and is hitting just .289/.314/.381 overall, but it was only a matter of time before the 23-year-old took over as the long-term catcher in San Francisco and the Giants did well to cash in Molina before his value vanished completely. Molina is 35 years old, his OPS is below .700 for the first time since 2002, and he's 22-for-115 (.191) with one homer since mid-May.

As bad as Molina has been he's still better than the .212/.311/.328 line Texas catchers have combined for and Ray has been terrible since returning from elbow surgery last year, so assuming the PTBNL is of minimal significance the deal makes some sense for the Rangers too. Molina is an impending free agent, so if he plays well they could re-sign him to another one-year deal or perhaps even get draft pick compensation if he leaves.

While the Posey era officially begins in San Francisco, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Erik Bedard may be making his final rehab start when he takes the mound Thursday at Triple-A, with Don Wakamatsu saying the Mariners "are looking at starting him against Kansas City" next week. Bedard will have to avoid a setback and look decent in his final tune-up, but he pitched well in his first two rehab outings and the Mariners want him in the rotation so they can give potential trade deadline bidders time to scout the lefty.

* Juan Samuel said earlier this week that Mike Gonzalez won't be handed the closer job once he comes off the disabled list, but that's a non-issue for now following Thursday's news that Gonzalez won't be ready until at least mid-July. He's been shaky rehabbing a shoulder injury in the low minors, so Gonzalez will likely need to string together several solid appearances against better competition before a return is possible.

* Franklin Morales began the year filling in at closer for Huston Street, but landed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury in mid-May and has struggled so much since returning a month ago that the Rockies demoted him to the minors Wednesday. Morales handed out seven walks and allowed seven runs in 8.1 innings since coming off the DL, so he'll try to get a handle on his career-long control problems at Triple-A.

AL Quick Hits: Felix Hernandez was brilliant Wednesday, allowing just two hits in a complete-game shutout of the Yankees ... Brett Anderson (elbow) threw 40 pitches off a mound earlier this week and is now aiming for a late-July return ... General manager Theo Epstein indicated Wednesday that Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) is not close to coming off the disabled list ... Travis Snider (wrist) went 1-for-3 in his first rehab game Wednesday at rookie-ball ... Kevin Slowey left Wednesday's start after six innings of one-run ball thanks to a Carlos Guillen liner off his ankle ... After a great first Triple-A outing last week, Rick Porcello allowed five runs in his second start there ... Kerry Wood got Wednesday off after saving three straight games, so Chris Perez closed out the win ... Franklin Gutierrez left Wednesday's game with an upset stomach before his first at-bat ... There's speculation that the Phillies could be targeting Jose Lopez as a replacement for the injured Placido Polanco ... Joe Mauer got Wednesday off, so Delmon Young batted third for the first time with the Twins.

NL Quick Hits: Finally out of Joe Torre's doghouse, Matt Kemp went 3-for-4 with a homer Wednesday ... Jose Reyes was scratched from Wednesday's lineup after tweaking his back during batting practice ... Arizona demoted Dontrelle Willis to the bullpen Wednesday after 21 walks in 17 innings as a starter ... Manny Ramirez (hamstring) is headed for an MRI exam after missing Wednesday's game ... Oliver Perez (knee) served up two homers and allowed four runs in his first rehab start Wednesday at Single-A ... Brad Lincoln shut out the Cubs for seven innings Wednesday to notch his first MLB victory ... Clayton Richard racked up 10 strikeouts and drove in a pair of runs as a hitter Wednesday ... Todd Helton (back) and Brad Hawpe (ribs) both rejoined the Rockies' lineup Wednesday ... Roy Halladay's workhorse reputation may have hurt him Wednesday, as he allowed a career-high 13 hits in a complete-game loss ... Tom Gorzelanny returned to the rotation with five shutout innings Wednesday before being lifted after 77 pitches ... Jeff Francis was rocked for eight runs in three innings Wednesday after four straight solid starts ... Mark Prior reportedly wasn't very impressive while throwing in front of scouts Wednesday.

 

[HacheMan]

Catch Cahill

Welcome to July, fantasy fiends. Yes, I mean fiends, not friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure we'd be great friends in real life. No, seriously. Anyway, we're reaching that time in the baseball calendar where things are about to get very, very interesting.

As you know, the Giants have tentatively agreed to trade Bengie Molina to the Rangers in exchange for reliever Chris Ray, opening the door for Buster Posey to be the full-time catcher in San Francisco. I'm psyched. Not just for the specific fallout of this deal, but for all the trades that are likely to come down the pike this month. With each one, there are sure to be some fantasy ramifications that could stir some things up in your league.

While we wait, here are some names to pluck off the wire.

MIXED LEAGUES

Trevor Cahill SP, Athletics (Yahoo: 47 percent owned, ESPN: 46.2 percent)

It has taken me a while to come around on Cahill, but you can finally count me among the converted. I was skeptical about his 1.96 ERA in May due to the lack of strikeouts, but in addition to his 2.70 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over five starts in June, Cahil notched 32 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings. Remember that he averaged 9.9 K/9 in the minor leagues, so perhaps he has finally adjusted to the major league level. Now, he's not as good as his 2.88 ERA indicates -- by virtue of a .235 batting average in balls in play -- but his penchant for the groundball should provide him with some margin for error.

Bengie Molina C, Giants (Yahoo: 51 percent owned, ESPN: 37.6 percent)

Sure, lots of people are amped that Buster Posey will finally take his rightful place behind the plate in San Francisco, and that's just great, but fantasy owners should also be intrigued by Molina playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark in Arlington. Molina, who turns 36 later this month, is having a down year by any measure, batting just .257 with three homers and 17 RBI over his first 202 at-bats this season, but he now moves from a pitcher's park in San Francisco to one of the best parks in baseball for right-handed hitters. Call me a crazy optimist, but if he can add some more flyballs during the second half, I could see him hitting 10 home runs. That's worth something at the catcher position.

Felipe Lopez 2B/3B/SS, Cardinals (Yahoo: 20 percent owned, ESPN: 2.5 percent)

For those of you fishing for a replacement for Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia or David Freese, the multi-position eligible Lopez should do just fine in a pinch. With the aforementioned Freese on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle, Lopez should see consistent playing time at third base until the All-Star break. The 30-year-old infielder is batting .260/.340/.396 with four homers, 18 RBI, 22 runs scored and five steals in 169 at-bats this season. While he doesn't excel in any one area, the value of his flexibility cannot be understated. He's a nice short-term fix.

Trevor Hoffman RP, Brewers (Yahoo: 38 percent owned, ESPN: 41 percent)

Yeah, yeah. John Axford is 8-for-8 in save chances, I get that. He's been a nice find for the Brew Crew and fantasy owners, alike. But the dirty secret is that he hasn't exactly been "lights out" since taking over the ninth inning, allowing runs in four out of his eight save opportunities. He has struck out 27 batters in 21 innings with the big club, which is excellent, but he has also walked 10 batters. Remember, he averaged 6.0 BB/9 in the minor leagues, so struggles with his command are nothing new. In a nutshell, I'm not completely sold. Meanwhile, Trevor Hoffman hasn't allowed a run in his last seven appearances dating back to June 1. Just something to think about.

Brandon Morrow SP, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 30 percent owned, ESPN: 30.9 percent)

Including Tuesday's poor outing against the Indians, Morrow compiled a stunning 1.91 ERA and 34/10 K/BB ratio over 33 innings in June. He now ranks sixth in the American League with 100 strikeouts over 90 innings, while his strikeout rate of 10 K/9 is only topped by Tim Lincecum and Jered Weaver among qualified starters. I'm not going to pretend that five starts in June has fixed his control issues. He still has some flaws. But underneath his 4.50 ERA this season, we see that he has actually pitched to an xFIP of 3.90, better than that of AL East rivals CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes and his Toronto teammates Shaun Marcum and Brett Cecil. Simply put, this sort of elite strikeout potential shouldn't be sitting on the wire.

Kris Medlen SP, Braves (Yahoo: 19 percent owned, ESPN: 11.5 percent)

I mentioned Medlen a few weeks back, but now that he has successfully booted Kenshin Kawakami to the bullpen after Jair Jurrjens' return from the disabled list, he's well worth recommending again. The 24-year-old right-hander is 4-0 with a 3.40 ERA and a 37/10 K/BB ratio in 55 2/3 innings over nine starts since joining the starting rotation on May 8. The only thing that gives me pause is that Medlen has already logged 74 1/3 innings this season and has never thrown more than 120 1/3 innings as a pro. And that was when he was with Double-A Mississippi in 2008. As long as you are aware that he may hit a wall at some point, he's a safe buy.

Will Venable OF, Padres (Yahoo: 9 percent owned, ESPN: 15.3 percent)

Venable missed back-to-back games this week due to lower back stiffness, but it isn't hurting his momentum in fantasy leagues. The 27-year-old outfielder is batting .346 (9-for-26) with four home runs, 12 RBI, six runs scored and two stolen bases over his last eight games. He now has eight home runs and 14 stolen bases through 211 at-bats this season, qualifying as a nice first-half surprise. He doesn't hit a lick against left-handers, but that's perfectly okay if he is deployed correctly. His power-speed combo should still come in handy in deeper mixed leagues or for those who use five outfielders, even if he does sit a couple times per week.

Clint Barmes 2B/SS, Rockies (Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 10.6 percent)

Here's another one for those who may be searching for a temporary middle infielder solution. Since taking over the shortstop position for the injured Troy Tulowitzki, Barmes has gotten hot at precisely the right time, batting .419 (13-for-31) with two homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored over his last eight games. The 31-year-old infielder isn't likely to finish with a high batting average, but he has hit line drives about 20 percent of the time while improving his contact rate dramatically from last season. His surprising combination of power and speed has some value in deeper mixed leagues or for those who use a MI spot.

Shopping at the five-and-dime:

Tom Gorzelanny SP, Cubs (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 6.9 percent)

Gorzo tossed five shutout innings in his return to the starting rotation on Wednesday. And yes, while it was against the Pirates, it affirmed my belief that he didn't deserve being moved to the bullpen in the first place. I mean, the southpaw has a 3.34 ERA and a 58/23 K/BB ratio in 56 2/3 innings over 10 starts that season. Wouldn't you sign up for that any day of the week from one of your starters? I know I would, especially when xFIP backs up his success. Gorzelanny was held to 77 pitches in his return to the rotation, but it shouldn't be too long before he works his way back to 100 pitches. He's a pretty nice bargain right now.

Coco Crisp OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 6 percent owned, ESPN: 7.3 percent)

Thanks to two rather lengthy trips to the disabled list, Crisp has only played in just nine of his team's first 79 games. The lack of action has made some fantasy owners forget just how useful the oft-injured outfielder can be. In his first seven games since his return from a strained right intercostal muscle, Crisp is batting .407 (11-for-27) with two home runs, two doubles, two triples, six RBI and 10 runs scored. The A's outfield is awful crowded, to be sure, but I don't see playing time being a problem for him, as Crisp is likely to be showcased for trade this month. Should he remain healthy, Crisp remains an undervalued source for batting average and stolen bases.







AL ONLY

Matt LaPorta OF/1B, Indians (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 2.5 percent)

I'm not sure how many times this guy has to burn me before I finally give up, but he keeps doing just enough to pique my interest. After batting .362 with five homers and 16 RBI during a recent demotion to Triple-A Columbus, LaPorta returned to the majors this week and has went deep in each of the last two games. While it's great to finally see the missing power, it doesn't change the fact that he has a .243 batting average and a middling 701 OPS over his first 313 at-bats in the big leagues. He'll have to do more in order to earn consideration in mixed formats, but he's obviously worth owning in AL-only leagues now that Russell Branyan has been swapped back to Seattle.

Felix Pie OF, Orioles (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: N/A)

Luke Scott injured his left hamstring on a home run trot (seriously) Wednesday, meaning that Pie's stay with Double-A Bowie could be shorter than originally expected. The 25-year-old outfielder is currently working his way back from a tear to the latissimus dorsi muscle in his back suffered in early April. The O's are going to be very cautious with him, but with Scott out and Corey Patterson taking up residency in left field, it shouldn't be long before Pie gets a chance at semi-regular playing time. Remember, the former top prospect batted .304 with seven homers and 18 RBI over his final 30 games last season, so there's still some interesting upside here.

Milton Bradley OF, Mariners (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 2.8 percent)

When a player has struggled as much as Bradley has this season -- both on and off the field -- we have no choice but to speculate on incremental progress. And that's pretty much what we've seen with Bradley this week, as he is 5-for-16 (.313) with two solo homers in four games since snapping an 0-for-23 hitless streak. That doesn't change that he's hitting just .212 and has seemingly lost his plate discipline, but this week's small-sample of success shows that he's not completely done being a fantasy asset. Personally, I'm encouraged that he has managed to collect eight homers and six stolen bases while playing at his absolute worst.

J.P. Arencibia C, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: N/A)

As I told you last week, John Buck has made for quite the surprise among fantasy catchers this season, but don't be shocked if he has to share playing time with Arencibia at some point this summer. The 24-year-old backstop is currently making a mockery of the hitter-friendly PCL, batting .308/.357/.615 with 18 homers and 49 RBI in 260 at-bats with Triple-A Las Vegas, including three homers and 11 RBI over his last four games. While he has a pretty long swing and is often prone to the strikeout, one encouraging sign is that he has already walked 21 times this season after walking just 26 times in 466 at-bats last season. He's close, but it's probably just a matter of whether the Jays think he is ready behind the plate.

NL ONLY

Bud Norris SP, Astros (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)

Yes, Norris is a bit of a mess this season. He has a lousy 6.84 ERA and 1.79 WHIP over 10 starts. And take out two excellent efforts against the Cardinals and things would look much worse. I understand all that, but just hang with me for a second. Even though he allowed four runs over five innings against the Brewers in his return from the DL this week, he also struck out six batters and walked just one. We already know he can rack up the strikeouts (60 in 48 2/3 innings), so why not stash him in hopes that he has finally figured out how to command his fastball? Oh, and by the way, he faces the Cardinals before the All-Star break.

Matt Diaz OF, Braves (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 2.8 percent)

While the Braves lost young phenom Jason Heyward to a thumb injury this week, they also welcomed Diaz back from surgery on his right thumb. Diaz really struggled before being placed on the disabled list in May and is batting just .176 with zero homers and five RBI in 74 at-bats this season, but don't forget that he put together a .313/.390/.488 batting line to go along with 13 home runs, 58 RBI and an 878 OPS in 371 at-bats last season. The Braves are only hitting .244 with a 683 OPS against left-handers this season, so Diaz's .337 career batting average and 900 OPS against southpaws should prove pretty valuable.

Ben Francisco OF, Phillies (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.3 percent)

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel hinted this week that Francisco could be in line for more playing time, possibly at the expense of the slumping Raul Ibanez. I don't necessarily buy it, but Francisco shouldn't be ignored in deeper NL-only formats. The 28-year-old outfielder has basically been invisible for the Phillies this season, batting .253 with zero homers and nine RBI over 75 at-bats, but hit he combined to hit 15 home runs and steal 14 bases in 405 at-bats between Philadelphia and Cleveland last season. There's obviously some interesting power-speed potential here, especially in cozy Citizens Bank Park, but just be aware that Domonic Brown may eventually get the call should Ibanez continue to struggle.

Manny Parra SP, Brewers (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 1.3 percent)

Always a sleeper candidate, Parra was 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA and 36/13 K//BB ratio in 28 innings over five starts last month. While the win-loss record wasn't so great, only six NL starters managed more strikeouts than Parra in June. And by the way, all six of those pitchers are universally owned in mixed leagues. Nudge, nudge. It might be time to give the 27-year-old left-hander a look. I'm only slightly concerned about what will happen when Doug Davis returns from the DL next week, but hopefully this will mean the end for Chris Narveson, not Parra. There's too much talent here for him to be wasted in the bullpen again.

 

[HacheMan]

Utley Out
I started doing the "Daily Dose" column way back on April 3, 2006, which is so long ago that Stephen Strasburg was in high school. I've written a new Daily Dose basically every weekday of every baseball season since then, which adds up to 514 different columns. Actually, this is the 515th column and it's also my last one. I'm stepping aside (but remaining a big part of Rotoworld) to focus more on my work at Hardball Talk on NBCSports.com (which hopefully you already read).

Fear not, however, because I'd never leave my baby in anything less than very capable hands. Beginning next week the Daily Dose will be written by the three-headed monster of Rotoworld player news director Drew Silva, Fan Graphs and Bloomberg Sports staffer Eno Sarris, and Rotoworld and NBCSports.com regular Matt Stroup. If you've enjoyed my writing and this column over the years, I'm confident you'll like their work as well.

And if you miss me, you can find me blogging throughout each weekday at Hardball Talk. You can also find my Twins-centric and non-baseball writing at AaronGleeman.com and follow me on Twitter for various nonsense. Writing this column has been a huge part of my life for five years and the thought of stepping aside is already making me sad, but my hope is you'll continue to read Daily Dose and check out my stuff at Hardball Talk too.

While you think of some good hazing initiation possibilities for Drew, Eno, and Matt, here are some notes from around baseball ...

* Chase Utley would get my vote as the most underrated player in baseball during the five seasons I've been writing this column, but he'll be sidelined for at least the next eight weeks following Thursday's surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. Utley missing two months is a massive blow to the Phillies, as his combination of offense and defense at an up-the-middle position is incredibly rare and impossible to replace.

For now Wilson Valdez is filling at second base, which is just about the biggest possible dropoff between two players, but the Phillies are hoping Placido Polanco can avoid his own surgery for an elbow injury and slide across the infield to replace Utley in a month or so. In the meantime expect Philadelphia to be in the market for a veteran infielder, with speculation already linking them to guys like Jose Lopez and Ty Wigginton.

* Travis Wood has boosted his prospect stock dramatically by posting great numbers in the minors since 2008 shoulder problems and turned in an impressive debut Thursday, taking a shutout into the eighth inning. He exited with two runners on base and they both scored off reliever Nick Masset, but the 23-year-old lefty and former second-round pick pitched well enough to remain in the rotation at least until Edinson Volquez returns.

Wood is far from an elite prospect and as a fly-ball pitcher Cincinnati's ballpark isn't an ideal fit, but the combination of a low-90s fastball with a strong cutter and changeup potentially makes him a mid-rotation starter long term. He has a 2.27 ERA and 232/76 K/BB ratio in 265.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A since the beginning of last season, making Wood a worthwhile NL-only flier and someone to keep an eye on.

* Boston's incredibly poor luck with injuries continued Thursday, with reports that Jason Varitek will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken foot. Victor Martinez is already on the disabled list with a busted thumb, so suddenly the Red Sox are left with Kevin Cash and Gustavo Molina as a Triple-A caliber duo behind the plate. Perhaps they'll give the Brewers a call about bringing George Kottaras back to Boston, because Cash is a career .188 hitter.

* If you follow only one piece of my advice from the past five years, make it selling high on Livan Hernandez. His deal with the devil continued Thursday, as he sliced his ERA to 2.98 by holding the Mets to one run in seven innings. Hernandez has pitched far better than expected from a guy who hasn't had an ERA below 4.75 since 2005, but he's also gotten incredibly lucky and secondary stats show an ERA that should be closer to 5.00.

AL Quick Hits: Justin Masterson took a shutout into the ninth inning Thursday before giving way to Frank Herrmann for his first career save ... B.J. Upton remained out of the Rays' lineup Thursday because of a quadriceps injury ... Kevin Slowey expects to make his next start despite taking a line drive off his ankle Wednesday ... Finally playing every day, Matt LaPorta homered Thursday for the third straight game ... Dallas Braden (elbow) threw a bullpen session Thursday and reported no problems ... Josh Beckett (back) tossed a two-inning simulated game Thursday, but isn't close to returning ... Daric Barton exited Thursday's game after injuring his right knee sliding into second base ... Rich Harden threw a 58-pitch bullpen session Thursday, saying afterward that he's "feeling good" ... Luke Scott landed on the disabled list Thursday after injuring himself on a home run trot, but it's unclear how long call-up Josh Bell will be in the majors as his replacement.

NL Quick Hits: Thursday night the Diamondbacks fired both manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Josh Byrnes, naming Kirk Gibson the new skipper ... Carlos Beltran (knee) is slated to play consecutive nine-inning games on his rehab assignment this weekend ... Manny Ramirez (hamstring) is day-to-day after an MRI exam revealed merely inflammation ... Ubaldo Jimenez's next turn in the rotation will likely come Thursday, which would give him four days off before starting the All-Star game ... San Francisco's haul for Bengie Molina looks much better after pitching prospect Michael Main was surprisingly revealed as the player to be named later ... Neil Walker (concussion) could be cleared to play as soon as this weekend after taking ground balls Thursday ... J.A. Happ (forearm) will make a sixth rehab start Sunday at Triple-A after posting a 6.98 ERA in his first five outings ... Ryan Ludwick (calf) was unavailable again Thursday and hasn't played since June 25 ... Elijah Dukes has signed with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League ... Beginning next year Bobby Bonilla will be back on the Mets' payroll until 2035.

 

[HacheMan]

Bedard's Back

Fresh off a successful minor-league rehab stint, Erik Bedard is set to join the Mariners rotation this week and he'll debut as a two-start pitcher. Considering his long layoff with shoulder surgery, it's tough to fully recommend the lefty right away, but he's certainly not a bad risk. His first start comes at home against the Royals and his second comes at home against the Yankees.

He's listed among other two-start pitchers, along with streamers and team-by-team match-ups, below. Enjoy the long weekend!

Going Twice...



American League

Strong Plays

Jake Peavy: LAA (Weaver), KC (Bannister)
Jered Weaver: @CWS (Peavy), @OAK (Sheets)
CC Sabathia: @OAK (Cahill), @SEA (Bedard)
Felix Hernandez: KC (Bannister), NYY (Vazquez)
Jeff Niemann: BOS (Buchholz), CLE (Masterson)
C.J. Wilson: CLE (Masterson), BAL (Arrieta)

Decent Plays

Kevin Millwood: @DET (Galarraga), @TEX (Beltre)
Daisuke Matsuzaka: @TB (Garza), @TOR (Litsch)
Gavin Floyd: LAA (Kazmir), KC (Lerew)
Justin Masterson: @TEX (Wilson), @TB (Niemann)
Armando Galarraga: BAL (Millwood), MIN (Slowey)
Brian Bannister: @SEA (Hernandez), @CWS (Peavy)
Kevin Slowey: @TOR (Litsch), @DET (Galarraga)
Javier Vazquez: @OAK (Sheets), @SEA (Hernandez)
Ben Sheets: NYY (Vazquez), LAA (Weaver)
Matt Garza: BOS (Matsuzaka), CLE (Laffey)
Erik Bedard: KC (Greinke), NYY (Sabathia)

At Your Own Risk

Jake Arrieta: @DET (Oliver), @TEX (Wilson)
Aaron Laffey: @TEX (Beltre), @TB (Garza)
Scott Kazmir: @CWS (Floyd), @OAK (Sheets)
Jesse Litsch: MIN (Slowey), BOS (Matsuzaka)
Omar Beltre: CLE (Laffey), BAL (Millwood)

National League

Strong Plays

Tom Gorzelanny: @ARI (Kennedy), @LAD (Ely)
Carlos Silva: @ARI (Enright), @LAD (Padilla)
Mike Pelfrey: CIN (Harang), ATL (Lowe)
Roy Halladay: ATL (Lowe), CIN (Harang)
Cole Hamels: ATL (Jurrjens), CIN
Clayton Richard: @WAS (Martin), @COL (Francis)
Jonathan Sanchez: @MIL (Bush), @WAS (Stammen)

Decent Plays

Derek Lowe: @PHI (Halladay), @NYM (Pelfrey)
Aaron Harang: @NYM (Pelfrey), @PHI (Halladay)
Jeff Francis: STL (Suppan), SD (Richard)
Nate Robertson: @LAD (Ely), @ARI (Kennedy)
Chris Volstad: @LAD (Padilla), @ARI (Enright)
John Ely: FLA (Robertson), CHC (Gorzelanny)
Vicente Padilla: FLA (Volstad), CHC (Silva)
Randy Wolf: SF (Bumgarner), PIT (Lincoln)
Ian Kennedy: CHC (Gorzelanny), FLA (Robertson)
Madison Bumgarner: @MIL (Wolf), @WAS (Martin)
J.D. Martin: SD (Richard), SF (Bumgarner)

At Your Own Risk

Barry Enright: CHC (Silva), FLA (Volstad)
Wandy Rodriguez: PIT (Lincoln), STL (Suppan)
Dave Bush: SF (Sanchez), PIT (Karstens)
Brad Lincoln: @HOU (Rodriguez), @MIL (Wolf)
Jeff Suppan: @COL (Francis), @HOU (Rodriguez)


Streamer City



The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Thursday, 7/8: Wade Davis vs. CLE
The talented young right-handed has undergone has fair share of struggles this year, but righted the ship in his last outing and should fare well in this home turn against the Tribe.

Friday, 7/9: Joel Pinero @ OAK
Pineiro has drastically improved his performance recently and will look to keep it going in Oakland.

National League

Wednesday, 7/7: Edwin Jackson vs. CHC
He might not have another no-hitter on tap, but Jackson has generally been throwing a lot better lately.

Thursday, 7/8: Anibal Sanchez @ ARI
Look for a strong performance out of the talented young right-hander as he travels to Arizona to face the league's most strikeout-prone lineup.




Total Games



American League

6: BOS, DET, KC, MIN, TOR
7: BAL, CWS, CLE, LAA, NYY, SEA, TB, TEX

National League

6: ATL, COL, HOU, NYM, PIT, SD, SF, STL, WAS
7: ARI, CHC, CIN, FLA, LAD, MIL, PHI


Lefty/Righty Breakdown



American League

BAL: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
BOS: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CWS: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
CLE: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
DET: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
KC: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
LAA: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
MIN: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
NYY: 3 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHP
OAK: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
SEA: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
TB: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TEX: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
TOR: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP

National League

ARI: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
ATL: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
CHC: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CIN: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
COL: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
FLA: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
HOU: 6 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
LAD: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
MIL: 3 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHP
NYM: 6 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
PHI: 7 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
PIT: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
SD: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
SF: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
STL: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
WAS: 2 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP


The Infirmary





Felipe Paulino: Out until mid-July
Brett Anderson: Out until late July
Jason Heyward: Out until mid-July
Brad Penny: Out until late July
Mark DeRosa: Out for the season
Grady Sizemore: Out for the season
Mike Sweeney: Out until mid-July
Erik Bedard: Returning this week
Luke Scott: Out until late July
Kyle Blanks: Out indefinitely
Chase Utley: Out until September
Placido Polanco: Out until August
Derek Holland: Out until late July
Dustin Pedroia: Out until late July
Troy Tulowitzki: Out until August
Joel Zumaya: Out for the season

 

[HacheMan]

Young and Definitely Not Done
Another double feature this week -- Week That Was by Glenn Colton and Fantasy Advice for the Second Half by Bobby Colton (plus, of course what Schultz says).


Chris Young: Chris Young made his new manager Kirk Gibson look brilliant Friday night. Young, in his first game as a leadoff hitter, went 3-5 with a dinger, five RBI and a swipe. I have to admit that I have a vested interest in Young succeeding this year. In early March, I was sitting in the stands at a cactus league game with many of the best fantasy baseball minds in the business, including my partner Rick Wolf, my NFBC partner Nate Ravitz, and the constant thorn in the side of anyone who wants to win an expert league, Jason Grey. When I opined that the 26 year old Chris Young is ready to move to the next level, I was met with scoffs, polite laughter and a few remarks I cannot e-print. Well, while I have missed some other predictions, this one has me looking pretty good. Through approximately half of a season, Young has upped his average from .234 a year ago to .267 while posting 57 RBI, 44 Runs, 15 HR and 14 SB. Of course, it is not this easy, but doubling those numbers, you have 30 HR, 28 SB, 114 RBI and 88 Runs. Nice! Lesson – young players with top talent often make the show too early and get labeled a failure. They then reach 26 or 27 and show why there was so much hype. Young is one of those guys.


Delmon Young: Staying with men named Young who were overhyped then unfairly labeled. Thursday night, Delmon Young went 2-4 with a tater and two RBI. As of Thursday, Delmon had 9 jacks and 53 RBI in just 247 at-bats. With Michael Cuddyer playing some 3b and opening more time for Young, a strong second half is on the way. Buy! Fantasy lesson – see Young, Chris.


Shaun Marcum: Shaun Marcum ended up on the DL with what is being described as right elbow inflammation. Not good. When you consider that he had TJ surgery in September of 2008, it is REALLY not good! To be fair, Marcum has been very strong so far this year with a 3.44 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. However, as is often preached in this space, players coming off of major injury carry substantial risk and should be valued accordingly. Also, it is typical for post TJ pitchers to hit their strides in the second year post TJ (for Marcum, 2011). If he comes back and pitches a good game, sell while you still can. I see a rocky second half coming.


Sean Gallagher: The Padres designated RHP Sean Gallagher for assignment. This one is just puzzling. Yes, he has not been very good this year and was out of options. However, Gallagher is a young live arm with vast potential. What went wrong this year? The BB! In the last two years, Gallagher had 2-1 K/BB and struck out more than one per inning. Conclusion: If you are in a deep NL league, hold Gallagher – he will get picked up and will be back in the bigs this year. If you are in a keeper league and have room, stash Gallagher – live arms like that are hard to find.


Tim Stauffer: The reason the Pods cut Gallagher was to activate Tim Stauffer from the 15-day disabled list. Stauffer represents a buying opportunity for those in deep NL leagues. First, his injury was not arm related – he had an appendectomy. Second, before the injury, Tim had a silly 0.39 ERA over 23+ innings. Add in the fact that this guy is a former number one pick who is just 28 and the fact that he pitches in Petco, and you have a Buy.


Chase Utley: Chase Utley has a torn ligament in his thumb and will miss at least eight weeks. Frankly, I would be shocked if he can come back this year and add any pop. Typically, players take quite a while after returning from a hand injury to resume hitting the way they can. See Ethier, Andre. If you own Chase, what can you? DL him and hope. Just don't bet on Wilson Valdez to stay at 2B all year in Philly. There will be a deal. Count on it.


Bengie Molina: In a deal that shows the Rangers want to win now, they nabbed catcher Bengie Molina from the Giants. Molina will get the lion' share of AB at C for Texas while Max Ramirez heads back to the minors and Matt Treanor returns to his proper role as career backup. If you can, buy low on Molina. He is a good hitter who was hitting just .257 with three homers and 17 RBI in San Francisco. Hitting in a lineup with Vlad, Hamilton and crew in a great hitter's park, the numbers are bound to go up. Buy.


Josh Bell: Orioles called up 3B Josh Bell from AAA. This is simple. If you are in a keeper league and can stash him away, go ahead. However, I would not get too excited. Bell was hitting .266 in AAA (meaning .240 or less in the majors is coming). Another reason to doubt any near term success is the fact that Bell has not managed to hit .300 in the minors since his rookie league showing at Ogden four years ago. Add in the fact that he has never topped 20 dingers in a minor league season and you have little reason for optimism.


Jose Lopez: I have been reading reports that Jose Lopez is on the trading blocks. Boy would that be good news for Lopez owners. For a 26 year old on a great trajectory, the first half of the season has been an abject failure. So far, Lopez is hitting a meager .244 with only 5 dingers and just 30 RBI. Combine the rumors with the track record and the likelihood that he lands in a better park on a better team and you have a real buy low candidate.


Chan Ho Park: Who would have thought? Chan Ho enters a game with the Yankees still in striking distance and by the time he is done committing atrocious acts of baseball arson, the Yankees are burned and buried. Friday against the Jays, Park entered with the Yankees trailing 2-1. He then walked Vernon Wells, gave up a triple to that slugger extraordinaire DeWayne Wise (yes, that is sarcasm) and then hits Aaron Hill. Ugh! I am almost at the point of hoping for the return of Kei Igawa. I know I am ranting here but it is patently clear that this guy needs to be shipped out of Gotham. It is almost to the point where an astute fan turns off the game when Park enters.


And now, as promised another two for one special:

Fantasy Advice for the Second Half
By: Bobby Colton

With another half of the fantasy season to go, here is a look at some things you can do to make a big second half push.

1. Ride the Texas Bats the Rest of the Way

These guys have proven to the whole league that they can in fact hit. It's not just the friendly ballpark, but the immense talent they have at the dish. If the Rangers had even one respectable pitcher, they would be in the same class as those powerhouses in the AL East. Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton each own 18 homers into July, tied for 6th in the majors, while Vlad's 68 rbi places him in a tie for first with Hamilton's 58 good for 5th. Julio Borbon, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz are all batting over .280, with Kinsler, Cruz, and Young all over .300. The exception that proves the rule in Texas is much touted first baseman Justin Smoak. Smoak will hit cheap homers in Arlington, but he won't do jack as far as average goes. It is shocking to me that the team gave up on Chris Davis so soon, yet keeps running Smoak out there, risking their playoff standing. Basically, buy low on Bengie Molina and buy whoever Texas brings in at first this month.

2. Sell High on Your Sub-Par Middle Infielders

With Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley, Troy Tulowitzki, and second base eligible Placido Polanco all sidelined, owners are going to be scrambling to replace their star infielders. This is a prime time to move your over achieving infielders, like Alex Gonzalez, Marco Scutaro, Ty Wigginton, Kelly Johnson, Christian Guzman, and Juan Uribe. Even gauge interest in your Yuniesky Betencourts and Jerry Hairston Jrs. You easily can pick up middle infielders who can fill in for your overachievers. That way, you will not flounder when your overachievers predictably fall back to earth. Guys like Skip Schumaker, Felipe Lopez, Orlando Cabrera, and Alcedes Escobar will be just as good as Gonzalez, Guzman and the like in the second half. Try to capitalize on an owner's injury woes to reel in a quality pitcher or outfielder for one of your doomed infielders.

3. Buy Low on Slumping Stars

The key word in this section is "stars". Stars will bounce back, no matter what. If you can get your hands on Aramis Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Pena, Lance Berkman, Mark Reynolds, Adam Lind, BJ Upton, or Carlos Lee, go for it. I would even throw Aaron Hill, Jason Bartlett, and Carlos Quentin in the "bound to improve" category. All these guys are overdue for a huge second half, and if you can convince a naïve owner into parting with one of his top picks for something less than spectacular, you are destined for a title run.

4. Sell Ubaldo Jimenez

No, I'm not crazy, but thanks for checking. Don't get me wrong, he will be an all-star caliber pitcher the rest of the way, but he won't come close to the way he has been pitching so far. During the month of June, Jimenez' ERA has ballooned .90 points. Had it gone from 3.10 to 4.00, the fans would be condemning his season. Instead, it has risen from .93 to 1.83. In his last two starts against Boston and San Diego, he allowed 10 runs and 14 hits in 11.2 innings. He has also had a 1.61 WHIP in those two starts. Honestly, owners would be willing to give up quite literally anything for a chance to get their hands on Jimenez, but when Ubaldo's season ends with a 17-8 record and a 2.75 ERA, you will be very happy with the slew of talent you collected for him.

5. Avoid AJ Burnett and Javier Vazquez Like the Plague

I have never been a Javy Vazquez fan, nor did I think Burnett was worth the giant contract the Yankees gave him two winters ago. Now both "aces" are proving that a whole lot of hype and even more money don't really translate into good production. They will get their wins, thanks in large part to the Yanks' offense, not their production, but the ERA's will be ugly the rest of the way. For comparison's sake, Burnett has allowed 20 more hits than Jaime Moyer, in 2 less innings. Vazquez has been better of late, but better doesn't equal good. If you fall in love with Yankees pitchers not named Sabathia or Rivera, odds are you will be disappointed.

6. Buy Young Padres Pitchers

Mat Latos, Clayton Richards, and Wade LeBlanc are all top flight starters this year, thanks in large part to the spacious confines of PETCO Park. I'm sure if you asked the White Sox if they'd prefer to have Clayton Richards over Jake Peavy and if really offered, Peavy would be shipped out of town faster than Ozzie Guillen can go into a tirade. Of the trio, LeBlanc's 3.25 ERA is the highest, with the other two below 3. Latos' ERA is good for third best among pitchers, standing at 1.00. Playing out in San Diego, these pitchers go relatively unnoticed in smaller leagues, yet their production is huge. Spewing some garbage about how young pitchers have innings limits could be enough to get owners to squirm enough to trade their young phenoms.

If you utilize these suggestions, you will be sure to be at the top of your league.


And last, but not least, Schultz says: "Watching the World Cup games over the last few weeks, you get a sense as to what type of excitement the World Baseball Classic tries to achieve. More than actual baseball fans - who run the gamut from obsessively involved to drunkenly committed to fair-weather bandwagoneers - World Cup fans remind me more of roto-baseball fans, quite possibly our readers. To eliminate any confusion: this is a compliment. Rotisserie baseball participants may not live and die on every single pitch and swing but we do follow each at-bat with the same type of emotional attachment that's involved with each and every World Cup game. It's what makes this endeavor so much fun. Even if it's the exact type of behavior that annoys the non-participants.

If you are playing in an AL only league, you have to be cringing anytime you hear a news report about the Phillies and their trade options. Between Cliff Lee and nearly every single player on the Orioles, including Ty Wigginton, Philadelphia sounds like they are trying to singlehandedly destroy AL only teams throughout the country. For those who are scratching their heads and wondering what I'm talking about, in most AL-only (and NL-only too), a trade to the other league is essentially a death sentence. It's one thing if its a marginal prospect but if the ace of your staff in a shallow league simply vanishes, it can be fatal. I've never liked this aspect of league-specific talent pools. There's enough that happens outside of your control that an Interleague trade, especially one that's unforeseen at the start of the season, seems criminally unfair.

Happy 4th of July. Enjoy the celebration of our Independence and the return of Erik Bedard."


Response: Good stuff from Bobby. I advocate following his advice. Schultz also makes a great point about interleague trades. That is why the Tout and LABR leagues allow teams to keep players even if they are traded to the other league. To those in leagues that let you keep the players traded for yours, here is my argument against. Rickey Henderson for Craig (life is a) Caderet, Eric (ker) Plunk and Louis Polonia. (Thanks to Chris Berman for the nicknames).

Enjoy our nation's birthday. Sit back and reflect on the wonderful freedoms we all enjoy as a result of the brave and thoughtful acts of our forefathers. Happy Birthday to the USA.

 

[HacheMan]

All-Star Selection Monday
More than ten years ago, I played in my first fantasy league and was wondering where I might find the quickest-updated player news items so that I could dominate my league. I wandered on over to RotoWorld and have been an addict ever since, so it is with great pleasure and yet great humility that I accept the assignment to help follow Aaron Gleeman's formidable footsteps here.

Let's have a little fun.

* You know who's not having any fun? Joey Votto. He's batting over .300, is second in the National League in home runs, has almost sixty RBI, and even has seven stolen bases to boot. Any way you slice it, he's been the second-best first baseman in his league… and he's no All-Star, at least not now. Subjecting him to a fan vote may yet allow him onto the All-Star roster, but it's not the way it should be. Maybe frustration over his non-selection is why Votto argued balls and strikes after a first-inning strikeout Sunday and was ejected.

Votto's not the only player that should be upset about the All-Star rosters. As Drew Silva showed on Hardball Talk yesterday, there are plenty of deserving players that were snubbed. Francisco Liriano, in particular, should have made the team. 116 strikeouts in 105.2 innings is an elite strikeout rate for a starter, and fantasy owners didn't even have to pay retail to get him. Just goes to show that it doesn't make a lot of sense to overpay for good starting pitching in fantasy baseball.

Missed in all the talk about the snubs is a look at undeserving All-Stars. After all, if Votto and Liriano are supposed to make the team, that means that a couple guys don't deserve to be there. Omar Infante is the most obvious - he's only started 46 games, doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, and is an underpowered backup infielder at best. Even the deepest of fantasy leagues might have Infante on the wire because of his lack of regular at-bats. Trevor Cahill is having a nice season, but doesn't have the strikeouts to backup his numbers, and is starting the last game before the break so he won't be available. Nice one. Evan Meek is having a nice year in Pittsburgh and could be the eventual closer there. That's nice. But if they were looking for a Pittsburgh rep, why not Andrew McCutchen, who's having a much better year than Michael Bourn? This whole one-representative-from-each-team thing makes for silly rosters.

* Carlos Beltran looks like he may return around July 15 according to Mets staff, which is to say that there's a non-zero chance he returns some time this season. All kidding aside, Beltran has looked pretty good on his rehab stint, with eleven hits and three walks in 34 plate appearances. Some reports had him limping, but others attributed the limp to his bulky knee brace. Will he play center field? What will happen to Angel Pagan, whose great early-season work has helped the Mets recover from the loss of their former starting center fielder? Why oh why will Jerry Manuel continue to run Jeff Francouer out there once Beltran returns? Questions that remain to be answered abound, but at least Beltran is playing, and if he's on your wire, he shouldn't be.

* Baseball lost an all-star and one of its best names for a six to eight weeks when Shin-Soo Choo sprained his right thumb on an outfield dive. While we all lose, Michael Brantley wins, as he was called up and should get plenty of playing time. The youngster was playing well in the minor leagues, but his .407 slugging percentage at the time of his callup was his career-best down there. He'll provide some speed (160 minor league stolen bases in 558 games), and not much else. He's a good pickup in deep leagues, but otherwise he's a watch-and-wait at best.

NL Quick Hits: Aramis Ramirez re-injured his thumb and his 2010 is looking more like a lost year with every missed game … Manny Ramirez re-visits the DL with an injured hamstring, making Xavier Paul an interesting short-term add for NL-only owners … In other Dodger news, Chad Billingsley came back from a groin injury, gave up one run in six innings, and makes for a decent buy-low opportunity for the second half … Brandon Webb threw a bullpen session Saturday and felt good - he could be cleared for rehab sometime around the All-Star break … Yovani Gallardo was selected (rightly) to the All-Star game, but left his Sunday start with an oblique strain, with more news coming … Jon Jay homered and drove in two runs on Sunday, and with Ryan Ludwick out at least two weeks, the speedy prospect (with some power) is worth picking up in NL-only leagues … Jorge De La Rosa had a rough second rehab start, and the Rockies now have too many starters, so they may give him more time to recover … Dexter Fowler had a great series against the Giants, getting on base 17 times in four games, and could be in line for enough playing time to be mixed-league relevant if the team decides to sit the struggling Todd Helton ever … Pedro Alvarez hit his first two home runs over the weekend and also has a hit in seven straight games, and with his upside could make a good pickup in deeper leagues.

AL Quick Hits: Coco Crisp, whose name has come up in trade rumors, was removed from Sunday's game with a hamstring injury but thinks he will be back as soon as today … Felix Pie will return to the Orioles on Tuesday after asking for another day, and everyone but Corey Patterson's owners is happy about the news … Clay Buchholz will probably go on the DL and the surging Felix Doubront will once again take his place in the rotation for a at least one start … Brett Anderson threw a simulated game Sunday and could be on track for a post-All-Star game return … Michael Cuddyer continues to get time at third base to the consternation of defense everywhere, and despite manager Ron Gardenhire saying that he would like to get Danny Valencia at-bats, the youngster might be headed for the minor leagues soon with J.J. Hardy activated over the weekend … Nick Johnson took some swings on Saturday and may begin his rehab soon, but his manager said the process would take "weeks," which is about right for the ever-brittle on-base machine … Texas lefty Derek Holland says his knee is feeling better, and the shoulder also, so expect him back soon after the All-Star break … Paul McAnulty was called up to be the Angels first baseman, but despite his Sunday home run, offers only Casey Kotchman-like upside and may just represent the Angels' need for an offense-boosting trade.

 

[HacheMan]

I Had A Friend Named Lee
First of all, let me say what a pleasure it is to be trusted with writing the Daily Dose on a semi-regular basis. Aaron Gleeman is someone I have admired (and copied off) for years, and I hope this column will remain as interesting and useful as it has been for the last four baseball seasons under Aaron's watch. Oh, and if you identified the title of this Dose as a Tenacious D lyric, pass "Go" and collect your $200. We'll get a long just fine.

The 2010 season, for many teams, has already reached its halfway point. We've seen four no-hitters, home run after home run from 29-year-old former utilityman Jose Bautista, the rise of the pitching-first Padres, and even a blown call or twenty. All in all, it has been an intriguing year and we have yet to even reach the July 31 trade deadline.

Let's get to the juicy stuff...

* Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse reported Monday that the Twins have offered catching prospect Wilson Ramos and 2008 first-round pick Aaron Hicks to the Mariners for left-hander Cliff Lee. Whether the bid is legit or not, it's pretty clear that interest in Lee around the league is extremely high. Up to 10 teams could make offers, and the Twins appear to have struck first with a rather serious proposal. Lee has gone 8-3 this year on a bad Seattle team with a 2.34 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He has fanned 89 batters in 103 2/3 innings and has walked only six for a league-leading 14.83 K/BB ratio. The next closest K/BB ratio in the majors is 6.61, and it belongs to Phillies ace Roy Halladay.

From a fantasy standpoint, Seattle is the perfect home for Lee. He plays in one of baseball's most spacious ballparks and is surrounded by quality defenders, and that all keeps his ERA and WHIP looking shiny. But moving on to another city shouldn't throw him off too much, if at all. His potential for wins will skyrocket in a place like Minnesota, where the Twins have a beat on the American League Central crown, and we saw in last year's World Series that he fares well under pressure. Moving to a contender may only lift the southpaw's fantasy value.

* Reds first baseman Joey Votto was left off the National League All-Star roster despite leading the league in OPS, home runs and a whole lot of other categories. On Monday, he took his frustration out on the Mets. Votto went 3-for-4, smashed two home runs, drew a walk and scored three runs of his own as the Reds grabbed an 8-6 win at New York's Citi Field and moved slightly further ahead of the Cardinals in the National League Central standings. Many believe that Cincinnati might fade in the second half, or at least fail to capture the division crown from the heavily favored Cards, but Votto should remain in the hunt for the NL MVP all season long.

* Phillies second baseman Chase Utley told reporters on Monday that he expects to return before the eight-week timetable that he was prescribed last week after undergoing surgery on his right thumb. The .294/.380/.518 career hitter will rest for the next month or so and then his highly celebrated work ethic will take over. We don't doubt that he can beat the clock and return in the month of August. In fact, we're in full support. Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro simply don't have the fantasy chops of Utley, a perennial first-round selection. The 31-year-old second baseman was batting .277/.383/.466 with 11 homers, 37 RBI, 49 runs scored and five stolen bases at the time of his injury.

* Lost in the shuffle of a billion All-Star snub articles, Rays closer Rafael Soriano has quietly put together a fantastic first half this season. Through 32 appearances and 22 save opportunities, the Dominican-born rigthy has a 1.42 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP and 21 successful saves. He's not fanning batters at the ridiculous rate that we saw last year in Atlanta, but 28 strikeouts against 5 walks is not half-bad. Soriano was traded to Tampa Bay this offseason after controversially accepting arbitration from the Braves and has been a lightning bolt at the back end of the second-place Rays' bullpen.

NL Quick Hits: Phillies setup man Ryan Madson is less than a week away from returning ... Juan Uribe has a swollen left ring finger and could be out for a few days ... Dan Uggla reached base four times on Monday and is on pace to match his career high in homers and top his career high in RBI ... Suspended Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano has begun working out and is expected to resume throwing in the next few days ... Nate McLouth could be cleared for a rehab assignment by the middle of this week ... Yovani Gallardo is likely to hit the disabled list later this week due to an oblique injury ... Scratched from his start on Monday, Aaron Harang is likely to pitch Tuesday against the Mets ... Manny Ramirez is hoping to begin a rehab assignment soon and is aiming to return right after the All-Star break ... Impressive rookie David Freese is in line to return the day after the All-Star break ... Mike Pelfrey was shelled for a season-high seven runs on Monday against the Reds ... The Phillies are considering leaving J.A. Happ in the minor leagues ... Edinson Volquez is in line to return from the disabled list right after the All-Star break ... Out since Friday with a swollen left knee, Troy Glaus is hoping to return to the Braves' lineup Tuesday.

AL Quick Hits: Rafael Soriano picked up save No. 22 on Monday for the Rays ... Jorge Posada is not expected to play for the next few days due to a finger injury ... Matt LaPorta suffered a head contusion on Monday, but showed no initial concussion-like symptoms and should be fine in a few days ... Mike Gonzalez will not be returning to the Orioles until after the All-Star break, which is nice for Alredo Simon owners ... Erik Bedard's rehab has been slowed once again by a sore shoulder ... Gavin Floyd threw seven innings of one-run ball on Monday and has a 1.27 ERA in his last six starts ... Josh Beckett is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this week ... The Orioles believe Kevin Millwood might be hurt and could place him on the disabled list shortly ... Juan Rivera has conquered his blurred vision and may be able to return Tuesday ... Andy Pettitte has replaced injured Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz on the American League All-Star roster ... A's outfielder Conor Jackson has been placed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury ... Joel Zumaya will require surgery to fix the broken bone at the tip of his throwing elbow ... Brett Anderson could begin a minor league rehab assignment by the end of this week.

 

[HacheMan]

Street is streaking

Another week, another pang of loss for the traveling Thor Nystrom. Or maybe that's a pang of jealousy for Thor's nice, fat, block of vacation.

Yeah, it must be jealousy, as I'm currently trying to deal with that special torture of moving into a new place. Arriving at a new house is a nerve-wracking thing. You have no idea where anything is, everything is broken, and you have to set up all your utilities and services. It's just not fun. It's so not fun that we're going to dedicate the tiers to the particularities of moving. The worse the annoyance, the better the closer - because why change up something that's working.


Tier 1: Elite (3) (AKA: The "I'm pretty sure this switch here flushes the toilet upstairs" Tier.)


Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers
Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs

Comment:
The perfect one, Mariano Rivera, blew a save against Toronto this week. That means he's tied last year's blown saves (two) half-way through the season. No time to panic. He still owns a 0.66 (!) WHIP and analysts are still trying to figure out how he is so good with basically one pitch. Check out this great breakdown by the New York Times. Broxton had a rough patch over the last week-plus, but a 52-to-7 strikeout to walk ratio buys you a long leash.


Tier 2: Rock Steady (9) (AKA: The "Oh well, this ratty dishtowel will make a fine bath towel, I guess" Tier.)


Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets
Billy Wagner, Atlanta Braves
Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
Rafael Soriano, Tamp a Bay Rays
Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants

Comment:
Francisco Rodriguez blew an 'easy' save by giving up three hits, three runs, and three walks (symmetry!) against the Nationals, so he moves down a bit. Billy Wagner blew a save, but less spectacularly, and also notched his 400th save so he moves up. Jose Valverde isn't having the best July so far, but his strikeout rate over the past month has recovered to 9+ per nine since the first month of the season, so he deserves to be among the big boys. Valverde and Jonathan Papelbon, who settled down to record three straight saves, could yet move to the top with an extended burn of strikeouts and converted save opportunities. At least Papelbon isn't suffering from a lack of velocity (94.6 MPH this year, 94.5 MPH career) or swinging strikes (12% this year, 13.3% career) - his struggles could have just been a sample-size blip. Joakim Soria could actually move up too actually, since it's not that hard to rack up saves on a poor team.

Heath Bell moves down a little of no fault of his own - there's just the (granted, outside) chance that he gets dealt for offense. The guys behind him (Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson) are so good that even a contending team might deal Bell for a bat. Brian Wilson, on the other hand, moves down because of something he did: walked five guys in his last 4.2 innings. He's been wild before, and if he gets the yips again, it will affect his numbers.


Tier 3: OK options (6) (AKA: The "I'm getting the shakes, it's been so long since I had internet or television hooked up" Tier.)


Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals
Leo Nunez, Florida Marlins
Matt Capps, Washington Nationals
Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds
Jon Rauch, Minnesota Twins

Comment:
We're going to wait one more week to move up Neftali Feliz. It's looking like the Rangers are competing, and won't move the rookie to the rotation like they had originally planned, but Feliz got hung with a loss this week, and after a mostly pristine season, we'll just wait for a perfect week to move up him up the ladder. Ryan Franklin moves up because, despite not having the strikeouts, is just not blowing any saves.


Tier 4: Question marks (7) (AKA: The "Climb over the couch, under the table, third box on the right" Tier.)

Huston Street, Colorado Rockies
Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox
Matt Lindstrom, Houston Astros
Kevin Gregg, Toronto Blue Jays
Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels
David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners
Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies

Comment:
Huston Street zooms to the top of this tier with a healthy week that featured no blown saves and no walks. With some more healthy work this week, he'll jump another tier. Bobby Jenks didn't have a good appearance returning from some time off to tend to his ailing wife, but he's had a really nice stretch and looks more cemented as the closer in Chicago. Brad Lidge on the other hand, has blown two of his last three opportunities, and Ryan Madson returns this week. Uh-oh. Brian Fuentes blew a save, but it was a mess of someone else's doing as he only gave up one hit which allowed his inherited runner to score.

David Aardsma was hung with a loss this past week and Brandon League is still pitching better than him despite a blown save of his own the past week. If Aardsma wasn't cheap and young on a poor team, he'd have lost the job by now. Another poor week might drop him to the tier below. Everyone on this list has - yes - question marks.



Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (5) (AKA: The "Yes, please give us EXTRA plastic forks, we can't find our real ones" Tier.)

Kerry Wood, Cleveland Indians
Octavio Dotel, Pittsburgh Pirates
John Axford, Milwaukee Brewers
Alfredo Simon, Baltimore Orioles
Aaron Heilman, Arizona Diamondbacks

Comment:
Kerry Wood did not have a bad week. In fact, he only pitched once and didn't record a save. But his team is obviously cleaning house and wants to move his salary. No contender will want him to close, but some might want him to set up. That spells doom for Wood's value.

Octavio Dotel, John Axford and Alfredo Simon all had middling weeks with no blow-ups, but they all have different reasons to be nervous. Dotel is on a team that would move him for prospects at the drop of a dime, Axford has a legendary closer behind him, and Simon has an overpaid closer trying to get healthy behind him.

The last person on this list, however, is just a place-holder. There is no Arizona closer right now. Aaron Heilman not only blew a game, but he did it pitching in the eighth inning. Chad Qualls might already be back in the role, and we wouldn't know. At least Qualls has had four straight scoreless innings, with four strikeouts and no walks. If the team sees another save chance, it just might be Qualls that takes the ball. We've been rooting for Sam Demel, but he's just not getting high leverage chances - his last inning was in a 14-1 blowout loss.

* * * * * * * * * *


Injured

Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins (Out for the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow)
Mike Gonzalez, Baltimore Orioles (60-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder)
Ryan Madson, Philadelphia Phillies (15-day disabled list with a broken toe)

Comment:
Mike Gonzalez is still not ready to pitch in the major leagues, but at least the results in AA have been a little better. He's supposedly targeting a post-All-Star break return.

Ryan Madson has also not been lights-out on his rehab stint, but with Lidge not worth of the moniker either, he may just sneak in some saves this year. He'll be up this week, too, so the Phillie pen bears watching.

The Graveyard:
Frank Francisco, Texas Rangers
Jason Frasor, Toronto Blue Jay
Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles

* * * * * * * * * *

The Steals Department

This week, we have a little something old and a little something new (but nothing blue). Old and new are key words here, in fact.

You might think that Andres Torres was the 'new' thing. After all, before his extended burn this year in the San Francisco outfield, he'd only had 455 plate appearances in his career. In fact, before last year, that number was 285, and it was for good reason. In his previous stint in the major leagues with the Tigers, Torres couldn't take a walk, struck out a ton, and didn't show any power. It wasn't a nice package.

Well, then Torres went to work. He went back to the minor leagues and toiled for the Tigers, then the Cubs, and then the Giants. At each stop, he showed a much-improved walk rate, a decent strikeout rate, and more power than he'd shown in the major leagues. He consistently put up nice batting lines and showed he could get on base and play an excellent center field. And, of course, all along he showed he had wheels to burn.

Torres is now a fantasy all-star, in a sense. He's one of those waiver-wire acquisitions that will give his owners close to thirty steals and a decent batting average. Considering the price, that is all-star talent. He's still available on a lot of wires, and he's stealing bases much more effectively (80% success rate) than, say, Nyjer Morgan (60% success rate).

The punch line here is that Coco Crisp, despite being a much more familiar name, is a year younger than Torres. That's right, all that time in the minor leagues really added up for Torres. And while it seems that Crisp spent half of that time on the disabled list, he's healthy now and has stolen three bases over the past week. He had a little hiccup and left Sunday's game with a tight hamstring, but came right back and played the next day.

Now that Crisp is healthy, and getting average luck on his batted balls, he should be able to continue doing what he's doing currently (well, without the increased power of course). If you need stolen bases, either of these guys is a viable option. Torres is walking more than Crisp, but Crisp has more track record. Pick something old or something new, you saves-starved managers out there.

 

[HacheMan]

Rox Stage Incredible Rally
The Rockies rang up their 45th victory of the season in amazing fashion on Tuesday night, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 12-9 win over the Cardinals. It was the kind of rally that can change a season, or at least ignite a little momentum boost.

Down 9-3 and with St. Louis' reliable lefty Dennys Reyes on the mound, the Rockies simply chipped away.

Miguel Olivo reached on a single to open the inning, but Seth Smith lined out in Colorado's next at-bat and it appeared likely that the Rox would fade into the night. Not so. Melvin Mora hit a one-out pinch-hit single, Clint Barmes walked, Chris Iannetta homered, Dexter Fowler doubled, Carlos Gonzalez singled, and Jason Giambi knocked CarGo in to make the score 9-9. Olivo reached again in his second at-bat of the frame, then Seth Smith sent the fans at Coors Field into a frenzy with a walk-off three-run shot that snuck over the right field wall.

With so many storylines to digest, we'd better get cracking...

* CarGo, as the fans in Colorado call him, finished 4-for-6 on Tuesday with three RBI and is about to emerge as one of the top outfielders in the major leagues. In fact, four general managers told the MLB Network's Peter Gammons this week that Gonzalez will be "one of the National League's 10 best players" by next season. With a .303/.335/.510 batting line, 15 home runs, 55 RBI and 12 stolen bases through 304 at-bats, he has already arrived in our book. The 24-year-old is primed for a major second half and may be a second-round fantasy lock in the spring of 2011 if he keeps at his current pace.

* Ryan Franklin gave up the final six earned runs on Tuesday night, including Smith's walkoff jack. He entered the game with a 2.16 ERA and left with a 3.74 mark. Franklin was classy enough to talk with reporters in the Cardinals clubhouse after the heart-wrenching loss and simply said that his pitches were not breaking in the thin Denver air. The 37-year-old veteran has been fairly solid this season beyond a few blips and will surely retain his spot as the club's closer despite such an awful showing. But we may as well note that Jason Motte, considered St. Louis' closer of the future in some circles, has posted a stellar 2.08 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 33 appearances this season. That could be a situation to watch as July turns to August. Remember, Franklin faded badly last year and the Cards limped into the playoffs partly because of his struggles. You can bet that manager Tony La Russa has not forgotten that.

* New Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson has declared an open competition on the club's ninth-inning gig, and it appears that Chad Qualls may slide his way back into the role. Qualls has delivered four straight one-inning appearances since June 26 and has allowed only two hits and no walks in that span. Aaron Heilman, who was named closer under former skipper A.J. Hinch's watch, has allowed four earned runs in his last two innings and may soon move back to a setup job. Qualls has far better career numbers and Gibson told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert on Tuesday that he has noticed a boost in confidence from the 31-year-old former Astro. Qualls should be considered the favorite for saves in Arizona over the 2010 season's second half.

* Jacoby Ellsbury has made significant strides in his rehab from a rib cage injury and is expected to meet up with the Red Sox in Toronto later this week to get some work in with his teammates and to be reevaluated by the club's medical staff. He has resumed throwing and could be cleared for all baseball-related activities by the All-Star break. The speedy outfielder has been dropped in many leagues because of his indefinite timetable, but we may have a clearer picture on the date of his return within the next few days. Ellsbury has played in only nine games due to the rib injury that he suffered on April 11 in a collision with Boston third baseman (and first-time All-Star) Adrian Beltre.

NL Quick Hits: The Padres are already making plans to lessen Mat Latos' workload ... Struggling Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez hit a pair of two-run homers on Tuesday ... Erik Bedard has inflammation in his left shoulder and is no longer expected to return before the All-Star break ... Vicente Padilla struck out a career-high nine batters Tuesday against the Marlins and boasts a 2.18 ERA in his last three starts ... Injured Cardinals starter Brad Penny had a setback Tuesday and is now feeling new tightness in his triceps ... Matt Kemp has stolen three bases in the last two days ... The Giants are attempting to acquired outfielder Corey Hart from the Brewers ... Nate McLouth is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Friday ... First-half fantasy bust Wandy Rodriguez struck out 10 Pirates hitters on Tuesday and threw seven innings of one-run ball ... The Rockies have confirmed that Jhoulys Chacin will be moved to the bullpen later this week when Jorge De La Rosa returns from the disabled list ... Jose Reyes returned to the Mets' lineup Tuesday after a week-long absence and finished 2-for-4 against the Reds ... The Brewers placed Yovani Gallardo on the disabled list with a right oblique strain.

AL Quick Hits: The Orioles released Garrett Atkins ... Jake Peavy has been diagnosed with a strained lat muscle and probably won't pitch again before the All-Star break ... Yankees ace CC Sabathia has earned a win in his last seven starts and is 11-3 on the year with a 3.19 ERA ... Rich Harden is throwing bullpen sessions and is expected to return to the Rangers in late July ... Maicer Izturis is hoping to return from a forearm injury soon after the All-Star break ... Trade talks for Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee are heating up considerably ... C.J. Wilson surrendered only two hits over six innings Tuesday against the Indians and hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since June 4 ... Jered Weaver has rightfully been named to the American League All-Star roster ... Rangers DH Vladimir Guerrero has tallied 72 RBI in 79 games and trails only Miguel Cabrera for the major-league lead ... Mariano Rivera has opted not to participate in the All-Star Game ... Kevin Youkilis was lifted from Tuesday's game with a muscle spasm in his ankle but should be good to go Wednesday ... Dallas Braden is on pace to return to the A's rotation about five days after the All-Star break.

 

[HacheMan]

My Name is Gerald
Maybe Buster Posey should grab his wrist in extreme discomfort more often.

On Monday against the Brewers, Posey badly missed an offspeed pitch and was having clear pain in his troublesome left wrist. After being attended to by the trainer, he opted to stay in the game, then promptly blasted his third homer of the season.

But that was just a prelude to Wednesday night, when Posey broke out for career-highs of four hits, two homers and six RBI, reaching base five times and scoring three runs in a 15-2 shellacking of the Brewers.

If there was any knock on Posey from a fantasy perspective, it was that he hadn't shown much power since being called up from Triple-A. But with five homers now in 121 big league at-bats to go with six in the minors, the 23-year-old is showcasing 20-plus homer pop, suddenly establishing himself as a must-start in all leagues.

Now all he needs is the occasional friendly-but-slightly-painful wake-up call from that oddly inspirational injured wrist.

* Speaking of recent power awakenings, Mr. Sub-600 OPS (Aramis Ramirez) has now drilled three homers with seven RBI in his last two games after taking Chad Qualls deep for a three-run bomb on Wednesday. I'd like to see a couple more productive games before being 100 percent convinced that Ramirez is back, but it's well past time to add him if he ended up on waivers in a shallow mixed league.

* Posey wasn't the only Giant having a big night on Wednesday. After consecutive rough outings against Boston and Colorado, Tim Lincecum bounced back with a gem against Milwaukee (seven innings, four hits, one run, two walks, 10 K's). Lincecum's WHIP is at an uncharacteristic 1.48 since he posted a 0.82 WHIP in April, but Wednesday's outing is a reminder that he could still be in line for a huge second half. Conversely, if you were desperately looking for a chance to sell, you now have it.

* In far less happy news, Jake Peavy (detached lat) is headed for the dreaded second opinions from Drs. Andrews and Yocum before making a decision on whether he'll need season-ending surgery. The guess here is that he will, and either way, it looks like he could miss several months, making it safe to drop him in most formats. It's a particularly frustrating turn of events given that Peavy had a 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 71/14 K/BB ratio since the end of a wretched April. On a more positive note, his expected replacement, Daniel Hudson, had a 3.47 ERA and 108/31 K/BB ratio in 91 1/3 innings at Triple-A, making him well worth a look in AL-Only and deeper mixed leagues.

* Strange succession of events revolving around Robinson Cano on Wednesday. First it was reported that he wouldn't participate in the Home Run Derby. Then it was reported that he was out of Wednesday's lineup due to a back injury. Then Cano said he still expected to participate in the Derby. And then Joe Girardi made it clear that Cano would indeed not participate in the home run blasting festival. The bottom line is that Cano's non-participation is obviously a good thing for his fantasy value (no need to mess with that swing unnecessarily), and right now there's no reason to think that the back injury is serious (unless of course the Yankees' brain trust is non-communicating with us about that too, but hopefully that's not the case).

NL Quick Hits: Adam Dunn blasted three homers, becoming the third NL player to 20… Martin Prado hit his ninth and 10th homers as the Braves tagged Jamie Moyer for seven runs… Manny Ramirez (hamstring) is headed for a rehab assignment this weekend… Brad Penny (strained lat) will be shut down for 7-10 days and may not return until mid-August… Mike Stanton homered and drove in three for a second consecutive game… Jason Heyward (thumb) is making progress and has a BP session scheduled this weekend… Alfonso Soriano left Wednesday with an elbow contusion… Matt Holliday has three homers in two games back in his beloved Colorado… Carlos Silva may hit the DL with knee trouble… Placido Polanco (elbow) believes that he has "turned the corner," but is still expected to miss all of July… Ryan Madson (toe) could return Thursday… The Marlins demoted Chris Volstad and may hand Alejandro Sanabia his rotation spot… The Pirates acquired Sean Gallagher from the Padres for cash, and the hard-throwing righty is worth monitoring in NL leagues… Also worth considering in NL leagues: Brad Eldred (22 homers, 64 RBI at Triple-A; 3-for-4 Wednesday), who joins Colorado with Todd Helton (back) hitting the DL.

AL Quick Hits: Kevin Youkilis played through his ankle injury, going 0-for-5… With Rafael Soriano having pitched four straight days, Matt Garza got the call to save David Price's 12th win… Luke Hochevar's elbow rehab is on hold, making it unlikely he'll be back this month… Gil Meche (shoulder) threw what Ned Yost deemed an "electric" bullpen and could be back after the All-Star break… Add the Rangers and Reds to the teams reportedly lining up to acquire Cliff Lee… Clay Buchholz (hamstring) is on track to pitch the second game after the break… Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) is making progress, but still several weeks from returning (says the broken record)… Jose Bautista took over the MLB lead with his 22nd homer… Carlos Quentin (knee) could be out until Friday… Matt LaPorta (head) appears likely to return later this week… Aaron Hill (stomach virus) is expected to return Thursday… Jose Guillen (quad) could be back on Friday… Phil Coke got a surprise save on Wednesday, but Jim Leyland was simply playing matchups and Jose Valverde still has a strong grip on the closer's job… Max Scherzer won again on Wednesday and now has a 1.98 ERA in his last six starts.

 

[HacheMan]

My Name is Gerald
Maybe Buster Posey should grab his wrist in extreme discomfort more often.

On Monday against the Brewers, Posey badly missed an offspeed pitch and was having clear pain in his troublesome left wrist. After being attended to by the trainer, he opted to stay in the game, then promptly blasted his third homer of the season.

But that was just a prelude to Wednesday night, when Posey broke out for career-highs of four hits, two homers and six RBI, reaching base five times and scoring three runs in a 15-2 shellacking of the Brewers.

If there was any knock on Posey from a fantasy perspective, it was that he hadn't shown much power since being called up from Triple-A. But with five homers now in 121 big league at-bats to go with six in the minors, the 23-year-old is showcasing 20-plus homer pop, suddenly establishing himself as a must-start in all leagues.

Now all he needs is the occasional friendly-but-slightly-painful wake-up call from that oddly inspirational injured wrist.

* Speaking of recent power awakenings, Mr. Sub-600 OPS (Aramis Ramirez) has now drilled three homers with seven RBI in his last two games after taking Chad Qualls deep for a three-run bomb on Wednesday. I'd like to see a couple more productive games before being 100 percent convinced that Ramirez is back, but it's well past time to add him if he ended up on waivers in a shallow mixed league.

* Posey wasn't the only Giant having a big night on Wednesday. After consecutive rough outings against Boston and Colorado, Tim Lincecum bounced back with a gem against Milwaukee (seven innings, four hits, one run, two walks, 10 K's). Lincecum's WHIP is at an uncharacteristic 1.48 since he posted a 0.82 WHIP in April, but Wednesday's outing is a reminder that he could still be in line for a huge second half. Conversely, if you were desperately looking for a chance to sell, you now have it.

* In far less happy news, Jake Peavy (detached lat) is headed for the dreaded second opinions from Drs. Andrews and Yocum before making a decision on whether he'll need season-ending surgery. The guess here is that he will, and either way, it looks like he could miss several months, making it safe to drop him in most formats. It's a particularly frustrating turn of events given that Peavy had a 3.45 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 71/14 K/BB ratio since the end of a wretched April. On a more positive note, his expected replacement, Daniel Hudson, had a 3.47 ERA and 108/31 K/BB ratio in 91 1/3 innings at Triple-A, making him well worth a look in AL-Only and deeper mixed leagues.

* Strange succession of events revolving around Robinson Cano on Wednesday. First it was reported that he wouldn't participate in the Home Run Derby. Then it was reported that he was out of Wednesday's lineup due to a back injury. Then Cano said he still expected to participate in the Derby. And then Joe Girardi made it clear that Cano would indeed not participate in the home run blasting festival. The bottom line is that Cano's non-participation is obviously a good thing for his fantasy value (no need to mess with that swing unnecessarily), and right now there's no reason to think that the back injury is serious (unless of course the Yankees' brain trust is non-communicating with us about that too, but hopefully that's not the case).

NL Quick Hits: Adam Dunn blasted three homers, becoming the third NL player to 20… Martin Prado hit his ninth and 10th homers as the Braves tagged Jamie Moyer for seven runs… Manny Ramirez (hamstring) is headed for a rehab assignment this weekend… Brad Penny (strained lat) will be shut down for 7-10 days and may not return until mid-August… Mike Stanton homered and drove in three for a second consecutive game… Jason Heyward (thumb) is making progress and has a BP session scheduled this weekend… Alfonso Soriano left Wednesday with an elbow contusion… Matt Holliday has three homers in two games back in his beloved Colorado… Carlos Silva may hit the DL with knee trouble… Placido Polanco (elbow) believes that he has "turned the corner," but is still expected to miss all of July… Ryan Madson (toe) could return Thursday… The Marlins demoted Chris Volstad and may hand Alejandro Sanabia his rotation spot… The Pirates acquired Sean Gallagher from the Padres for cash, and the hard-throwing righty is worth monitoring in NL leagues… Also worth considering in NL leagues: Brad Eldred (22 homers, 64 RBI at Triple-A; 3-for-4 Wednesday), who joins Colorado with Todd Helton (back) hitting the DL.

AL Quick Hits: Kevin Youkilis played through his ankle injury, going 0-for-5… With Rafael Soriano having pitched four straight days, Matt Garza got the call to save David Price's 12th win… Luke Hochevar's elbow rehab is on hold, making it unlikely he'll be back this month… Gil Meche (shoulder) threw what Ned Yost deemed an "electric" bullpen and could be back after the All-Star break… Add the Rangers and Reds to the teams reportedly lining up to acquire Cliff Lee… Clay Buchholz (hamstring) is on track to pitch the second game after the break… Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) is making progress, but still several weeks from returning (says the broken record)… Jose Bautista took over the MLB lead with his 22nd homer… Carlos Quentin (knee) could be out until Friday… Matt LaPorta (head) appears likely to return later this week… Aaron Hill (stomach virus) is expected to return Thursday… Jose Guillen (quad) could be back on Friday… Phil Coke got a surprise save on Wednesday, but Jim Leyland was simply playing matchups and Jose Valverde still has a strong grip on the closer's job… Max Scherzer won again on Wednesday and now has a 1.98 ERA in his last six starts.

 

[HacheMan]

Mind Over Matusz
No worries, you have just entered a LeBron-free zone. I have nothing against the NBA -- I'm a casual fan, at best -- but what does it say about a sport when more people are interested in the free agent period than the regular season and the playoffs? Just saying. Things might be a little off balance there.

Anyhow, we're only days away from the All-Star break, giving most of us some time to unwind and look ahead towards the second half. I'll have a little bit of time next week to kick back, but I'm not going to slack off on you guys. Quite the opposite, in fact. I encourage you to get in touch with me with any questions you may have about your team. You can find my contact info at the bottom of this page.

Now, on to the good stuff.

MIXED LEAGUES

Randy Wells SP, Cubs (Yahoo: 47 percent owned, ESPN: 6.5 percent)

While Wells managed an impressive 3.05 ERA as a rookie last season, his secondary stats suggested that he was actually getting pretty fortunate. This season, the opposite has been the case. Granted, it hasn't been all bad luck. The 27-year-old right-hander has given up a ton of line drives, resulting in an inflated .345 batting average on balls in play and 67.8 percent strand rate. Those numbers are pretty revealing, but his lack of superficial success is somewhat odd when you consider that he is currently striking out more batters than he did during rookie season and that opposing batters are making contact less often. Is he a great fantasy pitcher? Clearly, no. But he has been better than his numbers indicate.

Sean Rodriguez 2B/OF, Rays (Yahoo: 34 percent owned, ESPN: 45.6 percent)

No infielder has made a bigger jump on my radar over the past month or so. Rodriguez is batting .279/.312/.446 with six homers, 30 RBI and seven stolen bases over his first 204 at-bats this season, staking his claim as the Rays' primary second baseman. I'm afraid his batting average is likely unsustainable given the fact that he has a .362 batting average on balls in play and that he is making contact at less than the league average, but his power-speed combo is obviously intriguing for a second baseman. Those still searching for an alternative to Dustin Pedroia or Chase Utley on the cheap should look no further.

Brian Matusz SP, Orioles (Yahoo: 15 percent owned, ESPN: 37.5 percent)

Matusz hasn't won a game since April 18, but that's hardly been his fault, especially lately. The 23-year-old left-hander has very quietly posted a 3.13 ERA over his last seven starts dating back to June 1, allowing three runs or less in six of them. He tossed perhaps his most impressive start of the season against the Red Sox on Sunday, allowing just two hits over seven shutout innings while striking out eight and walking three. Matusz still has some obvious flaws and probably won't help win many leagues this season, but don't forget all the superlatives cast upon him over the winter. That potential shouldn't be lost on those in deeper leagues.

Dexter Fowler OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 11 percent owned, ESPN: 35 percent)

I was on the fence about including Fowler in my mixed league recommendations last week given the wealth of quality outfield options at Jim Tracy's disposal, but the events of the past few days have caused me to reconsider. For one, Fowler has played everyday since his promotion from Triple-A Colorado Springs on June 29. Also, he has hit safely in each of his last six games, batting .480 (12-for-25) with one home run, six RBI, two stolen bases and 11 runs scored. If that isn't enough to keep him in the lineup for an extended period of time, I don't know what is. Finally, remember that Brad Hawpe is currently sidelined with a rib injury and he may see some time at first base once he returns now that Todd Helton is on the disabled list. If Fowler can finally find some success against right-handers, look out.

Chad Qualls RP, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 49 percent owned, ESPN: 48.7 percent)

Interim manager Kirk Gibson refused to name a primary closer when asked by reporters this week -- and with good reason. Aaron Heilman has an 8.31 ERA since being handed the keys to the ninth on June 15. Meanwhile, Qualls recently logged four consecutive scoreless appearances until serving up a three-run homer to Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday. Call me stubborn, but I'm not ready to give up on the sinkerballer quite yet. Qualls has averaged a career-high 3.56 BB/9 this season, so it's not as if he's been entirely unlucky, but he has also been the victim of a .458 batting average on balls in play and a 52.3 percent stand rate. I'm not saying Gibson is going to hand the ball to Qualls the next time he has a lead, but don't be surprised if he finds more success if given the benefit of a second chance.

Matt LaPorta 1B/OF, Indians (Yahoo: 16 percent owned, ESPN: 11.9 percent)

Well, that was fast. Just last week I expressed some skepticism about LaPorta in my AL-only recommendations, saying that "he'll have to do more" than terrorize the International League in order to get my attention in mixed leagues. Right on cue, he is batting .333 (10-for-33) with four homers and nine RBI over his first nine games since being called up from the minors. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old is currently sidelined with a head contusion as a result of a collision with Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus on Monday, but the good news is that he is showing no signs of a concussion and is expected to return to the lineup later this week. I wouldn't recommend him in a shallow league, but he's a must-own for those who use a CI slot or five outfielders.

Madison Bumgarner SP, Giants (Yahoo: 2.7 percent owned, ESPN: 12 percent)

I'm not afraid to go there and you shouldn't be either. Fresh off eight innings of shutout ball against the Brewers on Tuesday, Bumgarner has a 2.86 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through three starts since coming up from Fresno, posting a 15/5 K/BB ratio over 22 innings. Go ahead and scoff at his early success, but remember that the 20-year-old southpaw has managed these numbers against the Red Sox, Rockies and Brewers. None of them are pushovers. The issues with his velocity are well-documented, but he is currently averaging 90.3 mph on his heater. Not terrible. He'll never match the monster strikeout totals we saw in the Sally League, but if he can keep the ball on the ground and throw strikes, there's no reason why he can't be a productive fantasy starter in deeper mixed leagues right now.

Shopping at the five-and-dime

Tyler Colvin OF, Cubs (Yahoo: 9 percent owned, ESPN: 9.3 percent)

Just barely eligible for the five-and-dime, the 24-year-old rookie has a surprising 12 homers to go along with 32 RBI over 171 at-bats this season. Only six players with at least 150 plate appearances have have homered more often than Colvin (14.3 AB/HR) in 2010. As frustrating as it has been to watch Kosuke Fukudome play even semi-regularly, there are some recent signs that Colvin has begun to carve out a more defined role on the team. And with the Cubs currently 10 1/2 games out the NL Central and nine games out of the Wild Card, the organization should be doing everything in their power to look towards the future during the second half. He's worth a look in deeper leagues for now.

Daniel Hudson SP, White Sox (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

Another Chicago youngster, Hudson is expected to take Jake Peavy's place in the starting rotation against the Royals on Sunday. The 23-year-old right-hander is 11-4 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 17 starts with Triple-A Charlotte this season, leading the International League with 108 strikeouts over 93 1/3 innings. Ranked as the South Siders' top pitching prospect by Baseball America over the winter, Hudson has had a problem with the home run ball this season, giving up 13 of them, including five over his last five starts. That could be a problem in "The Cell," especially as the weather heats up. Still, I think Sunday's start makes for an intriguing streaming opportunity for those of you in H2H formats.

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AL ONLY

Jeremy Hellickson SP, Rays (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

It's probably only a matter of when. Wade Davis is winless over his last six starts dating back to May 29, producing a bloated 6.32 ERA in the process. Meanwhile, Hellickson is 11-2 with a 2.21 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 18 starts with Triple-A Durham, posting a very efficient 104/26 K/BB ratio over 105 2/3 innings. With a 2.62 ERA over parts of six minor league seasons, the 23-year-old right-hander simply doesn't have anything left to prove down there. Ultimately, it will come down to whether the Rays think Davis would be better served to work out his kinks on the minor league level. Keep in mind that the Rays are currently competing for a playoff spot, so if he continues to struggle, they'll eventually have no choice.

Jim Thome UT, Twins (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 3 percent)

Thome has enjoyed something of a renaissance of late, batting .360 (9-for-25) with four homers and nine RBI over his last seven games, passing Harmon Killebrew for 10th place on the all-time home run list and collecting his first triple since the 2004 season. Needless to say, the 39-year-old slugger was thrilled to wave bye-bye to interleague play. Still, with Delmon Young actually playing well and Jason Kubel competing for at-bats, Thome isn't a lock to play everyday moving forward. While this takes him out of consideration in most mixed formats, his 965 OPS should be enough to tell you that he is a must-own in AL-only formats, even if he only fits in the UT spot.

Jayson Nix 2B/3B/SS, Indians (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.8 percent)

Where did this come from? In 12 games since joining the Indians, Nix is batting .317 (13-for-41) with five home runs, eight RBI and a ridiculous 1.147 OPS, giving hope to other former top prospects looking to shed that pesky Quad-A tag. There's obviously reason to be skeptical here, as he has a .212 career batting average over 401 at-bats in the big leagues and he hits fly balls nearly 50 percent of the time. That being said, the Indians aren't going anywhere and he has certainly played well enough to start over Anderson Hernandez. His combination of power and speed is worth a look in AL-only leagues for the short term, but just know that he'll likely be sharing time at second base with Jason Donald once Asdrubal Cabrera returns from the disabled list.

Travis Snider OF, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 6 percent owned, ESPN: 3.3 percent)

I could have easily included Snider in my mixed league recommendations, but I'm keeping him under AL-only for now. It's been a long wait, but the 22-year-old outfielder is finally making strides in his rehab from a sprained right wrist, joining Double-A New Hampshire this week. It's expected that he will return a brief while after the All-Star break. Fantasy owners should always be leery of a player coming back from a wrist injury, but don't forget that he was hitting .385 with four homers and 11 RBI over his last 14 games before going on the disabled list on May 17. That power potential is worth stashing.

NL ONLY

Travis Wood SP, Reds (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.5 percent)

Wood was impressive in his major league debut against the Cubs last week, allowing two runs on just two hits over seven innings. And don't be fooled by Monday's line against the Mets, either. He was working on three days' rest and did yeoman's work as a last-minute injury replacement for Aaron Harang, giving up one run over over the first four innings before the wheels came off in the fifth. The 23-year-old left-hander has returned from some shoulder issues to post solid numbers over the past two seasons in the minors, including a 3.13 ERA and 129/39 K/BB ratio over 23 starts with Triple-A Louisville. He doesn't throw all that hard and gives up more flyballs than you'd like to see, but his spot in the rotation should be secure at least until Homer Bailey or the aforementioned Harang returns form the disabled list.

Jon Jay OF, Cardinals (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

Fresh off recommending him as the "Pickup of the Day" in our Season Pass feature, Jay went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two RBI against the Rockies on Wednesday night. It's high-time to buy in. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa loves his veterans, but the 25-year-old outfielder figures to the get the bulk of the playing time in right field while Ryan Ludwick is on the disabled list with a calf injury. Not sold? Well, Jay has batted fifth behind Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in each of his last two starts and has conveniently went deep in both of them. Coincidence? Probably. But those looking for a short-term play should take note.

Jordan Zimmermann SP, Nationals (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: N/A)

Zimmermann recently made his first game appearance back from Tommy John surgery, tossing two scoreless innings for Single-A Potomac on Saturday. The 24-year-old right-hander reported no pain and was clocked in the mid-90s on the radar gun, essentially matching his velocity from before last August's surgery. Zimmermann is still working with a pretty loose timetable right now, but some have suggested that he could be back in the majors by the end of the month. Anything is possible, but he could still be worth something to NL-only and deeper mixed league owners even if he doesn't appear until the middle of August. Keep in mind, though Zimmermann had a 4.61 ERA in his rookie season, he also averaged 9.07 K/9 and 2.86 BB/9. He should be on your radar.

Tyler Greene 3B/SS, Cardinals (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

I'm going with my gut here, but I see a real chance for Greene to earn steady playing time during the second half of the season. The wheels already appear to be in motion, as the slumping Brendan Ryan hasn't started a game since Saturday. Meanwhile, Greene is off to a pretty good start, impressing with the glove and going 5-for-17 (.294) with one home run and three RBI over his first five games since being called up from Triple-A Memphis. It's no mirage. The former 2005 first-round pick was batting .291/.362/.465 with seven homers, 28 RBI and 10 stolen bases with the Redbirds before his recent promotion. He strikes out a little too much, but that's easily forgiven with a power-speed combo like this. Tony La Russa will surely mess with our heads along the way, but Greene is one to speculate with.

 

[HacheMan]

Oswalt's been here for years

Even in the messiest, stinkiest room in a new house, there is opportunity. That's my mantra as I tackle this new house, and it's often been my mantra in fantasy baseball as well. Strong fantasy owners love bad teams - roles are in flux, players are being traded away, and prospects are being promoted. That's the trifecta of creating value in fantasy baseball right there. Let's try to cover those opportunities on a Friday that took pretty long to get here considering it was a short week.

* Roy Oswalt is one half of the story of last night's 2-0 victory, considering he one-hit the Pirates and showed his brand-spanking new strong strikeout rate. His resurgence deserves more thought, for sure. On the Astros side of the ledger, Lance Berkman also deserves note. His two home runs provided all of the Astros offense and he now has five in July, just nine days in. Both veterans look good, and will probably be wearing new laundry soon (if the Houston braintrust has any sense), so NL-only owners should follow the rumors closely.

One problem with this duo's possible trade-deadline moves is that, despite some possible changing roles and called up prospects, there's not really much to look forward in their wake in Houston. The Astros aren't known for their prospects, and Chris Johnson is no-one to write home about.

And so we get back to the game last night, because the Pittsburgh team Oswalt dominated last night is one in which roles have been in flux all year and prospects have been called up. But, as the game showed, those Buccos prospects have not been providing much offense. Their one top-shelf prospect, Pedro Alvarez, is having trouble with striking out (29 in his first 20 games), and like most young guys with that problem, will struggle to put up a good batting average with all those whiffs.

* Todd Helton is on a good team, but his back is hurt again and that provides some opportunity. Right now, it looks like an underwhelming platoon between Jason Giambi and Brad Eldred replacing him, but with the team's glut of outfielders, perhaps a new solution can be found. We do know that Brad Hawpe is perhaps the worst defensive outfielder in baseball, for example. Hey, just trying to get righty-killer Seth Smith more at-bats here, okay?

* Jordan Zimmermann threw three innings of one-hit ball in his second rehab start at Single-A last night. He's been ahead of schedule on his rehab and boasted of hitting 94 MPH on the gun. Both of his rehab starts were scoreless. With his strikeout potential, he's got the potential to be an excellent number two in Washington, so he's worth stashing in almost any league if you've got an open DL spot handy. He's even worth making room for in deeper leagues.

NL Quick Hits: Manny Ramirez is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday, and should return when eligible July 15th, if only to get injured again … Dan Runzler dislocated his knee on a swing that made the argument for the DH in the NL and the pitcher will be out at least two weeks on the DL … Joey Votto won his rightful place on the All-Star team in a fan vote for the final spot … Sam Demel got more scoreless innings for the Arizona pen, but he did so in another blowout and is still not a close-and-late option … Rafael Furcal had a good game that seemed to suggest he is healthy, with three hits, a home run and a stolen base … Aramis Ramirez is another veteran showing signs of life, and another possible buy-low candidate, as he's gone six for his last twelve with three home runs in three games.

AL Quick Hits: In the soda-tastes-good department, Nick Johnson is headed back to the doctor after feeling pain while swinging a bat before his rehab assignment … Scott Baker, a second-half guy so far in his career, did not earn much confidence in a coming streak with his five-run two-home-run performance in Toronto … Michael Brantley, who will see time with Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo both hurt, hit a home run on Thursday, but singles power and speed is more his game … David Hernandez has been pitching well in relief for the Orioles, and is worth tracking in case Alfredo Simon implodes and Mike Gonzalez is never healthy … David Aardsma has had two of his last three outings result in two runs for the opposition, and would be on a much hotter seat if the Mariners were any better.

 

[HacheMan]

Oswalt's been here for years

Even in the messiest, stinkiest room in a new house, there is opportunity. That's my mantra as I tackle this new house, and it's often been my mantra in fantasy baseball as well. Strong fantasy owners love bad teams - roles are in flux, players are being traded away, and prospects are being promoted. That's the trifecta of creating value in fantasy baseball right there. Let's try to cover those opportunities on a Friday that took pretty long to get here considering it was a short week.

* Roy Oswalt is one half of the story of last night's 2-0 victory, considering he one-hit the Pirates and showed his brand-spanking new strong strikeout rate. His resurgence deserves more thought, for sure. On the Astros side of the ledger, Lance Berkman also deserves note. His two home runs provided all of the Astros offense and he now has five in July, just nine days in. Both veterans look good, and will probably be wearing new laundry soon (if the Houston braintrust has any sense), so NL-only owners should follow the rumors closely.

One problem with this duo's possible trade-deadline moves is that, despite some possible changing roles and called up prospects, there's not really much to look forward in their wake in Houston. The Astros aren't known for their prospects, and Chris Johnson is no-one to write home about.

And so we get back to the game last night, because the Pittsburgh team Oswalt dominated last night is one in which roles have been in flux all year and prospects have been called up. But, as the game showed, those Buccos prospects have not been providing much offense. Their one top-shelf prospect, Pedro Alvarez, is having trouble with striking out (29 in his first 20 games), and like most young guys with that problem, will struggle to put up a good batting average with all those whiffs.

* Todd Helton is on a good team, but his back is hurt again and that provides some opportunity. Right now, it looks like an underwhelming platoon between Jason Giambi and Brad Eldred replacing him, but with the team's glut of outfielders, perhaps a new solution can be found. We do know that Brad Hawpe is perhaps the worst defensive outfielder in baseball, for example. Hey, just trying to get righty-killer Seth Smith more at-bats here, okay?

* Jordan Zimmermann threw three innings of one-hit ball in his second rehab start at Single-A last night. He's been ahead of schedule on his rehab and boasted of hitting 94 MPH on the gun. Both of his rehab starts were scoreless. With his strikeout potential, he's got the potential to be an excellent number two in Washington, so he's worth stashing in almost any league if you've got an open DL spot handy. He's even worth making room for in deeper leagues.

NL Quick Hits: Manny Ramirez is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday, and should return when eligible July 15th, if only to get injured again … Dan Runzler dislocated his knee on a swing that made the argument for the DH in the NL and the pitcher will be out at least two weeks on the DL … Joey Votto won his rightful place on the All-Star team in a fan vote for the final spot … Sam Demel got more scoreless innings for the Arizona pen, but he did so in another blowout and is still not a close-and-late option … Rafael Furcal had a good game that seemed to suggest he is healthy, with three hits, a home run and a stolen base … Aramis Ramirez is another veteran showing signs of life, and another possible buy-low candidate, as he's gone six for his last twelve with three home runs in three games.

AL Quick Hits: In the soda-tastes-good department, Nick Johnson is headed back to the doctor after feeling pain while swinging a bat before his rehab assignment … Scott Baker, a second-half guy so far in his career, did not earn much confidence in a coming streak with his five-run two-home-run performance in Toronto … Michael Brantley, who will see time with Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo both hurt, hit a home run on Thursday, but singles power and speed is more his game … David Hernandez has been pitching well in relief for the Orioles, and is worth tracking in case Alfredo Simon implodes and Mike Gonzalez is never healthy … David Aardsma has had two of his last three outings result in two runs for the opposition, and would be on a much hotter seat if the Mariners were any better.

 

[HacheMan]

Seeing Stars

This week's edition of The Week Ahead will be a little bit different and less robust than normal. That's because we've got the All-Star break on deck, meaning that every team will have at least three days off and no pitchers will start twice. Two-start pitchers typically make up the meat of this column, so for this week we'll go with a shorter format that still includes several streamer suggestions and breakdowns of the schedules for each club.

First, a quick glance at the players who will be participating in Tuesday night's mid-summer classic. Here are your official rosters, per MLB.com:

American League

C: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
2B: Robinson Cano
3B: Evan Longoria
SS: Derek Jeter
OF: Josh Hamilton
OF: Ichiro Suzuki
OF: Carl Crawford
DH: Vladimir Guerrero

Pitchers: Clay Buchholz (injured), Trevor Cahill, Fausto Carmona, Neftali Feliz, Phil Hughes, Cliff Lee, Andy Pettitte, Jon Lester, David Price, Mariano Rivera (injured), CC Sabathia, Joakim Soria, Rafael Soriano, Matt Thornton, Jose Valverde

Reserves: John Buck, Victor Martinez (injured), Miguel Cabrera, Dustin Pedroia (injured), Ian Kinsler, Ty Wigginton, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Bautista, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, David Ortiz

National League

C: Yadier Molina
1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Chase Utley (injured)
3B: David Wright
SS: Hanley Ramirez
OF: Ryan Braun
OF: Andre Ethier
OF: Jason Heyward

Pitchers: Heath Bell, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Capps, Chris Carpenter, Yovani Gallardo (injured), Roy Halladay, Tim Hudson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Johnson, Tim Lincecum, Evan Meek, Arthur Rhodes, Adam Wainwright, Brian Wilson

Reserves: Brian McCann, Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Howard, Brandon Phillips, Martin Prado, Jose Reyes, Troy Tulowitzki (injured), Omar Infante, Scott Rolen, Michael Bourn, Marlon Byrd, Corey Hart, Matt Holliday, Chris Young

As usual, there were a few snubs, a few questionable entries and some reserves who deserve to be starting, but for the most part it looks like they got most of the right players in this year. (And how could they not with how big these rosters have gotten?)

From a fantasy standpoint, the only important aspects of the All-Star Game are health and pitching schedules. Obviously, most of the participants in this game are key fantasy players so owners across the land will be crossing their fingers and hoping no freak injury befalls one of their guys in this exhibition contest. Meanwhile, if you own pitchers who are participating in this game (especially the starters), you'll want to make sure it doesn't throw off their pitching schedule.

While the big game will be the center of the baseball world in the upcoming week, we'll still have some baseball to be played. So let's run through a few streamer suggestions and break down team-by-team schedules for the shortened week.

Streamer City



The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Thursday, 7/15: Joel Pineiro vs. SEA
Riding a hot streak, Pineiro gets the light-hitting Mariners at home in his first game back from the All-Star break.

Friday, 7/16: Gio Gonzalez @ KC
Gonzalez has been outstanding when matched up against weak offenses this year, and this obviously qualifies as such an instance.

Friday, 7/16: Marc Rzepczynski @ BAL
The lefty is always a good bet for strikeouts (he fanned seven over 5 2/3 innings in his season debut this past week) and shouldn't have trouble shutting down the O's.

Sunday, 7/18: Kevin Slowey vs. CWS
Slowey's overall numbers this year aren't too pretty, but that's mostly because he's struggled on the road. At Target Field he holds a 3.54 ERA.

National League

Saturday, 7/17: Brett Myers @ PIT
Myers continues to pitch well for the Astros and will look to ramp up his trade value against the punchless Pirates.
Sunday, 7/18: Wandy Rodriguez @ PIT
Myers' teammate Rodriguez has been looking a lot more like the ace-caliber 2009 version of himself recently, with a three wins and only two earned runs allowed over his past two starts.

Sunday, 7/18: John Ely @ STL
The impressive rookie will look to shake off a rough outing against the Marlins when he faces off against Jeff Suppan and the Cards.

Sunday, 7/18: R.A. Dickey @ SF
At some point, the veteran knuckleballer and his 2.62 ERA are bound to come hurdling back to Earth. It probably won't happen against the Giants, though.


Total Games



American League

3: BAL, CLE, DET, KC, NYY, OAK, TB, TOR
4: BOS, CWS, LAA, MIN, SEA, TEX

National League

3: ARI, CIN, COL, FLA, HOU, PIT, SD, WAS
4: ATL, CHC, LAD, MIL, NYM, PHI, SF, STL


Lefty/Righty Breakdown



American League

BAL: 0 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
BOS: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
CWS: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
CLE: 3 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
DET: 3 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
KC: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAA: 1 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
MIN: 2 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
NYY: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
OAK: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
SEA: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TB: 1 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
TEX: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TOR: 3 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP

National League

ARI: 1 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
ATL: 1 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
CHC: 2 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CIN: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
COL: 3 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
FLA: 3 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
HOU: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAD: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
MIL: 4 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
NYM: 2 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
PHI: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
PIT: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
SD: 3 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
SF: 2 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
STL: 3 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
WAS: 2 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP


The Infirmary




Conor Jackson: Out until late July
Dallas Braden: Out until late July
Shaun Marcum: Out until late July
Yovani Gallardo: Out until late July
David Freese: Returning this week
Manny Ramirez: Out until mid-July
Shin-Soo Choo: Out until late August
Carlos Beltran: Returning this week
Kevin Millwood: Out until August
Clay Buchholz: Returning this week
Jake Peavy: Out for the season

 

[HacheMan]

Lee's a Texan but Tex is Hot
Another double feature this week -- Week That Was by Glenn Colton and Mid-Season Fantasy Awards by Bobby Colton (plus, of course what Schultz says).


Mark Teixeira: Mark Teixeira hit two more dingers Friday night to help the Yankees dispatch the hapless Mariners. While there is little doubt that Tex has been a fantasy disappointment this year, make no mistake – a monster second half is coming. In the first 10 days of July, Tex has four homers, four doubles and just two strikeouts. For six straight years, Tex has hit over 30 HR and driven in over 100. The lowest average he has had in that span is .281 with the lowest OBP being .370 (oh, and those were at the ripe old age of 24). Yeah, yeah, I will get to the point – Tex is a superstar in the prime of his career with a jaw dropping record of consistency. Yes, he was bad in April and June, but he is healthy, hits in a great lineup and is primed for a great second half. Buy now while you still can. (Full disclosure – I did deal Tex on my home league, but I was winning all three counting categories already and got Doc Halladay in exchange).


Chris Davis: The big winner in the Cliff Lee deal might well be Chris Davis. After sending Justin Smoak and his .209 average packing for Seattle, Texas recalled Davis from AAA (note – who would have thought Smoak would hit under .210 when he hit only .240 in AAA last year? I think you all get the fantasy lesson there). Ok, back to Davis. After being as putrid as Smoak at the beginning of 2010, Davis went to AAA and raked to the tune of .354 with 10 homers and 56 RBI. Davis still might be a batting average risk. However, hitting in that Texas lineup, he is a must FAAB if his owner had cut him loose prematurely in April.


Nick Swisher: Nick Swisher put an exclamation point on his first All-Star selection by going 4-4 with two doubles Thursday night. Through Thursday, Swish was raking to a .307 clip with 14 dingers. While no one could have seen the .300 average, all of you out there should have seen the big time counting numbers Swish would put up. After all, who needs a switch hitter with power who gets on base on the best team in baseball and also has both OF and 1B eligibility? Remember, the T in SMART stands for team and Swisher was worth the extra buck or two for his team. He may not hit .300 in the second half but all the other numbers will be there.


Clayton Kershaw: When he is on, Clayton Kershaw can be the most impressive pitcher not drafted number one by the Nats. Thursday, Kershaw went eight strong innings, mowing down a dozen in an LA win. Most impressively, Kershaw got those 12 Ks with only 97 pitches. What is in store for the kid for the second half? A very strong second half, that is what. Over his last six starts, Kershaw has a gaudy 6:1 K/BB. Buy with confidence. If you are still not sure, watch him pitch – a lefty with a 93-94 MPH fastball and a 71-72 MPH curve. That is just plain unfair when both are working.


Carl Crawford: Carl Crawford continues to prove he is one of the best players in the game. Thursday, Crawford collected two more hits and four more RBI. He now boasts a .320 average with 10 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 67 runs scored. At 28 years old and in his prime, there is no reason to think he will slow down. His record of consistent success in the bigs is pretty impressive. Crawford already has five seasons where he hit over .295 and five where he stole over 50 bases. So, while you do not need me to tell you he is a star, I can point out that he is one of the safest stars in the baseball galaxy. If you need speed, runs or average, Carl is your target (plus, if it is a keeper league, just imagine him hitting in front of Jeter, Tex, ARod and Cano next year!)


Nick Johnson: In a development that can surprise only those who never heard of Nick Johnson, the Yankee DH is reported to have felt pain while swinging a bat and will be shut down and reevaluated. For those who drafted Nick the Sick and thought he could stay on the field, I sincerely hope you did not pay too much. Injury-prone players get hurt. It is as simple as that. Remember that at next year's draft table.


Corey Patterson: Corey Patterson had a huge night last night, going 4-5, including a grand slam and five RBI. While the Orioles have stunk up every joint they have visited, Patterson has reclaimed his career. Thus far, he is hitting .292 with five homers and 16 stolen bases through 192 at-bats. Can this continue? Answer: some of it. Patterson is only 30 and has consistently hit for decent power and posted very strong swipe numbers. The lurking Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie notwithstanding, given that I expect the O's to trade some veterans, they will have room for Patterson to get enough ABs to help any fantasy team looking for steals with decent power.


James Shields: James Shields continues to have a puzzling season. On the bad side, he gave up 4 runs to the lowly Indians to drop his record to just 7-9. On the plus side, Shields struck out 9 and walked just one. If he can just get the gopher ball under control, he could have a very good second half. Thus far, despite the 19 dingers and 9 losses, Shields has a better than 4:1 K/BB and an 8:1 ratio over his last 4 starts. There are question marks here, but I think he is a good high upside bet for those looking for a solid 2 or 3 starter.


Ted Lilly: Ted Lilly continued to have a tough July. Last night, he gave up five earned runs in just 3 2/3 innings against the Dodgers. Overall, Lilly has a respectable 4.02 ERA with a strong 1.15 WHIP. Given his record of consistency – a three year average of 170K, 3.71 ERA and 1.15 WHIP – Lilly is a good bet for a strong second half. Add in the fact that he might be dealt away from the mosh pit that is the Cubs these days and his prospects improve even more. BUY.


Chan Ho Park: Ah, we have found the perfect role for Park – he should pitch only in games where the Yankees are up or down by 5. In other words, he should never be in the game where one swing of the bat can tie it up. Last night, with the Yankees up 5, he had a good outing (for him). One inning, two hits, no runs. In his previous outing, Park entered with an 8 run lead and pitched a scoreless inning. Yes, we are now on to something. Doesn't every team need a guy who mops up? Chan Ho still remains the worst free agent signing of the year for the Yankees (and that is saying something since Randy Winn was sent packing and Nick the Sick has been on the shelf most of the year). The Yankees will add a bullpen arm this month. Count on it.


And now, as promised another two for one special:

Mid Season Fantasy Awards
BY: Bobby Colton

We find ourselves half-way through the baseball season, right at the point where owners are shifting into panic mode, attempting to make one last push to a top playoff seed. With that in mind, here are the mid-season awards.

AL MVP- Miguel Cabrera: One of my personal favorite fantasy studs. Cabrera leads the AL in average, RBI and OPS, is second in OBP, and is third in homeruns. Quite frankly, he has outperformed the rest of the league by a lot. Despite destroying Armando Galarraga's perfect game (is it just me, or was that not even close to being his ball?), he has been the key to the Tigers' successful season.
Also considered: Justin Morneau; Josh Hamilton; Vladimir Guerrero; Robinson Cano

NL MVP- Joey Votto: This award could have gone to any number of NL players. In the end, I went with Votto because he didn't have as much hype as Albert Pujols, David Wright, Ryan Howard, and Andre Ethier. I know Votto's popularity has actually soared after his initial All-Star snub, but I had to join the bandwagon for this one. Honestly, I would have given it to Ethier had he been healthy for that entire month of May. Votto gets the nod because he has outperformed the three-headed first base monster in the NL of Pujols, Howard, and Adrian Gonzalez.
Also considered: Andre Ethier; Albert Pujols; David Wright; Ryan Howard; Martin Prado

AL CY Young- David Price: Bottom line is this: Cliff Lee missed the month of April. David Price has not just outperformed everyone not named Lee, but also has done it in the AL East, competing against the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays (well, they were in the same class early this year). His AL leading 12 wins and second place 2.42 ERA give him this much deserved honor.
Also considered: Cliff Lee; Clay Buchholz; Jeff Niemann; John Lester; Jered Weaver

NL CY Young- Mat Latos: How good is this kid? He should be an All-Star, hands down. Forget Votto as the biggest snub, Mat Latos has been phenomenal this season. He holds a WHIP under 1, an ERA at 2.45, and 10 wins. Is he helped out by PETCO Park? Maybe, but its all part of the game. Are they going to penalize Josh Hamilton for playing in Arlington or Alex Rodriguez for playing in Yankee Stadium? No way. Josh Johnson has had a better year, but Mat Latos has been more valuable for owners this year because he came out of relative anonymity.
Also considered: Josh Johnson; Ubaldo Jimenez; Roy Halladay; Mike Pelfrey; Adam Wainwright

AL ROY- Brennan Boesch: Where the heck did this guy come from? I know that he went undrafted in both of my leagues. Boesch has been raking all year, hitting .343 with 48 batted in. There's really no one close to Boesch's production.
Also considered: Austin Jackson; Neftali Feliz

NL ROY- Jaime Garcia: I was going to give this award to Mike Leake due to his unheard of start without pitching any minor league innings, but Garcia's numbers are just too darn good. Garcia's 2.15 ERA is astoundingly good, better than Jimenez's number. The only thing that Garcia could work on is pitching deeper into games.
Also considered: Mike Leake; Jason Heyward; Ike Davis; Gaby Sanchez; Kris Medlen

AL LVP- Adam Lind: .205 average, 12 homers, and a measly 38 RBI. That is just so disheartening to owners who expected the All-Star caliber player that wore his jersey last year. One can only hope that he does better in the second half.
Also considered: Aaron Hill; Carlos Pena; Chone Figgins

NL LVP- Derek Lee: It could have been any number of Cubs, most notably Aramis Ramirez. I go with Lee because there is so much potential here as a high average guy. His .230 average is despicable and he has just 36 RBI despite hitting in the middle of the order. That is just embarrassing. At least Ramirez had an injury to blame some of the bad season on. All Lee has to his credit this year is a win against Carlos Zambrano.
Also considered: Aramis Ramirez; Nate McLouth; Raul Ibanez; Todd Helton

AL CY Bum- Josh Beckett: How good was the Red Sox rotation supposed to be? I can guarantee that owners did not sign on for a 1-1 record through 8 starts, with a 7.29 ERA and a .305 BAA. I just can't imagine anyone being any worse in the AL than this guy.
Also considered: AJ Burnett; Gil Meche; Rick Porcello

NL CY Bum- John Lannan: Lannan was supposed to be the ace of this National's staff, at least until Strasburg came up. 2 wins and a BAA of .327 earned him a trip to AA. Carlos Zambrano is probably the popular choice for this award, but I will give him a little credit because the Cubs did jerk him around between the rotation and the bullpen, though there is no excuse for his tantrum in the dugout.
Also considered: Carlos Zambrano; Oliver Perez; Wandy Rodriguez; Aaron Harang


And last, but not least, Schultz says: " This native Clevelander is too apoplectic over the Le[expletive deleted] to write coherently about fantasy baseball this week. Once my rage dials down to .25 Gilbert, I'll be back."


Response: Great stuff from Bobby though I disagree with his assessment of Josh Beckett. Injuries shouldn't land you in the doghouse. I for one think he will come back strong for the last 10 weeks. As to Schultz, well, no way I can pile on. My condolences go out to all Cav and Knick and Net and Bull fans out there.

Final Question for Schultz: So, who is more reviled in Cleveland – Art Modell or Lebron?