MLB Fantasy News 2011

[HacheMan]

Bad News for Ike Davis?
Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson gave an update on the condition of Ike Davis yesterday and the news was not good. Not only is the cartilage damage Davis suffered while spraining his ankle not healing, but neither is the bone bruise. To make matters worse, season-ending surgery was mentioned as a possibility if he doesn't show more healing over the next three weeks. Season-ending microfracture surgery.

His long-term prognosis would still be fine - he's young and doesn't play a speed position. Rehab would take three months and he'd be good to go next year. But microfracture is the boogeyman of American sports, and performing the surgery on the ankle can be even more delicate than working on the knee. Good luck to Davis in avoiding the ugly surgery.

Some other injury news from around the league probably won't be as devastating but still deserves mention. Shaun Marcum left Wednesday's start after three innings. He apparently aggravated his strained hip. Going into the season, the move to the NL meant he'd probably be excellent and he'd probably miss some time with injury. So far so good on both, but the pitcher said he intends to make his next start. Even when going well, Darwin Barney was mostly an empty batting average. Well, he should begin his rehab assignment Saturday, so that empty average should be back soon. Jim Thome, a cheap source of power in deeper leagues, will be back with the team Friday, so it's there's some good news for you. Even David Freese is finally playing baseball and should be up after the weekend. Oh, and Jake Peavy returned to hold the Cubs to three runs in five and a third innings. He was a little rusty, gets Coors Field next, and once had groundbreaking surgery to reconnect tendons in his back. Don't depend on him.

* How about some surprise pitching to lighten the mood! Brandon Beachy has been excellent this year, but his ownership rates dwindled as he was out with an oblique injury. Well, go get him if he's out there for you. He struck out 11 Blue Jays and allowed only one run in six innings. Suddenly Johnny Cueto has added ground balls to his arsenal, which includes some strikeouts and strong control. He can't keep these numbers up, but holding the Yankees to one run on six strikeouts and three walks in seven innings practically demands that he be picked up. Erik Bedard has quietly been great. He struck out ten against the Nationals and still lost when he gave up two unearned runs. While healthy, he's an every-starter. When R.A. Dickey has the fast knuckler going, he's RAD. He struck out nine Athletics and allowed only one run, but is still a little hard to depend on from start to start. Gio Gonzalez struck out eight, walked one, allowed one run in seven innings and is slightly more dependable. Ryan Vogelsong has never had control like this in his career (counting Japan even), is getting lucky in three key statistics, and should turn into a pumpkin any day. That day wasn't yesterday, as he held the Twins to one unearned run with three strikeouts and only one walk. You could say similar things about Nick Blackburn, who allowed two earned runs to the Giants on four strikeouts and three walks. The only difference is that Blackburn gets grounders and hasn't been lucky on fly balls this year. Still, he strikes out less that five per nine. Go there if you have to, not because you want to.

Let's look at the deep league relevant starters. Clayton Richard is a decent deep league spot start at home, but there probably weren't many managers starting him in Boston against that juggernaut lineup. Well, Richard held the Sawx to one run in five innings and won the rain-shortened game. Still, he allowed ten baserunners and this doesn't change much about his use going forward. Freddy Garcia holding the Reds to two unearned runs in seven innings might not be a surprise in the context of his work so far this year, but his overall production has to be rated as a pleasant gift to his owners. He won't continue pitching this well - he's getting lucky in a couple categories - but if he stays healthy he'll have some use all year. Brett Myers was dead in the water earlier this month. Then he threw a complete game against the Dodgers, and then he only allowed two runs on six strikeouts against the Rangers. He's interesting in deeper leagues, but still doesn't get the swinging strikes or the ground balls to be dependable. Despite being an extreme fly-ball guy, his opponent Colby Lewis does get the whiffs to pair with his excellent control and can be a reliable spot start away from home - even in mixed leagues. This time, the park didn't matter, as he he threw seven scoreless with eight strikeouts and one walk against the Astros. Josh Tomlin has control and nothing else. Accordingly, he struck out three and walked none while allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Rockies. He's a meh starter for deep leaguers. His opponent Jason Hammel used to have strikeouts, but they've disappeared and now his four-ish ERA pretty much tells the story. He gave up four runs with four strikeouts and five walks in six innings.

* Could some struggling veterans be turning things around? Nick Markakis has a thirteen-game hitting streak now after his three hits on Wednesday. His batting average is back up to respectability, and despite his waning power and speed, he might make for a good pickup in at least one or two categories in most leagues. Dan Uggla hit a home run against the Jays and that's three in his last eleven games - maybe the 31-year-old is finally heating up too? Magglio Ordonez hit a home run, but that might have been more about the opposing pitcher. Ted Lilly didn't have it and allowed home runs to Maggs, Miguel Cabrera and Casper Wells. Don't pick him up for power anyway. James Loney collected three hits against the Tigers and is hitting .348 in June but he still has middle infield power at a power position. Delmon Young collected two hits and is hitting over .300 for the month. He still only has about .280-ish 10-homer upside the rest of the way and is a pass in most mixed leagues.

* Flawed players can still be useful in NL- and AL-only leagues. Jorge Posada has fallen far over the last couple of years as the years of catching have 'caught' up to him. He hit a home run and walked while starting at first base in an NL park, and he could hit about .250 with power going forward. That works in plenty of leagues. Ty Wigginton homered twice and plays most every day if you can handle the bad batting average. Another example, Will Venable, has had a power outage and has failed to capitalize on some incremental improvements he had made the year before. But he still has plenty of tools, as his first home run of the season and bases-loaded walk against the Red Sox showed Wednesday. Brent Lillibridge strikes out too much to keep even this mediocre batting average going, and his power is not real. On the other hand, he's better against lefties and usually has some nice eligibilities in deeper leagues. He singled twice against lefty Doug Davis on Wednesday, for instance.

* Rounding up the bullpen information is always useful. Reports had it that the Phillies and Cardinals checked in with the Padres about the availability of Heath Bell and Chad Qualls. It seems likely that Bell will be traded, meaning Mike Adams is a strong speculative pickup. Neftali Feliz blew up against the Astros Wednesday, and this after he'd been settling down. Maybe it's just a bump in the road. Brandon Lyon is undergoing season-ending right biceps surgery on Thursday, which has been in the works for a while. Mark Melancon should be owned in all saves leagues and is fairly comfortable going forward. Jonathan Broxton (elbow) will eventually regain his job as the closer says his manager. He's probably a couple days away from returning and was hitting 94-97 MPH in the minor leagues. If someone dropped him, pick him up. Joe Nathan pitched in back-to-back days on his rehab assignment and will be back Friday. Brandon League took a liner off his right calf but should be available going forward. After the inning of death Tuesday, the Cardinals released Miguel Batista and called up Lance Lynn. That shouldn't factor in too much at the end of the bullpen, as Lynn will be a long reliever and spot starter.

National League Quick Hits: Hunter Pence (elbow) missed Wednesday's game and is still day-to-day with that sprain; Jason Bourgeois will continue to start for him in the meantime … Jay Bruce did not have a good day game against the Yankees, as he struck out twice and was picked off; He's still good … Tommy Hanson (shoulder) felt good after a bullpen session … Ian Kennedy is no longer a surprise; He gave up one run to the Royals with four strikeouts and two walks and is built mostly upon strong control and enough strikeouts to make it work … Chris Heisey homered three times (!) against the Yankees and is looking more and more like the Reds' primary left fielder … Carlos Gomez went hitless against David Price and may not even get at-bats against lefties going forward, meaning Nyjer Morgan (Tony Plush) is safer every day … Drew Stubbs was moved off of the leadoff spot, which impact his runs and steals totals in a negative (but slight) way … The Phillies, Reds and Mariners all checked in on the availability of Ryan Ludwick so he has a 2/3 shot of landing in a nicer home park shortly … Kyle Lohse only really has control going for him, and he didn't walk anyone in giving up three runs in eight innings to the Phillies - too bad he didn't strike anyone out (and also went up against Cliff Lee's complete-game shutout) … Aroldis Chapman (shoulder) will soon be activated from the DL and optioned to Triple-A … Homer Bailey (shoulder) struck out three, walked one, and most importantly went six innings and is ready to rejoin the rotation in place of the optioned Travis Wood Sunday … John Lannan allowed only one run to the Mariners but he's still an avoid for most starts … Justin Turner achieved a game-winning HBP Wednesday, but is best used for an okay batting average (and little else) at MI spots in deeper leagues … Unsurprisingly, Mike Leake wasn't up for the challenge the Yankees provided, giving up four runs in six innings - at least he struck out four … Eli Whiteside collected two hits and three RBI Wednesday but is not a play outside of two-catcher NL-only league where living, breathing regulars are all you seek.

American League Quick Hits: David Price held the Brewers to two runs and struck out ten, which might have been predictable given his matchup … Josh Beckett (stomach illness) might miss his start Saturday against the Pirates, which would be a shame for his owners … John Lackey came back from the rain delay and walked two batters and hit two with a wet ball, so maybe his five runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Padres doesn't mean that much … Jemile Weeks held on to his starting spot despite Mark Ellis' return, which is nice for those looking for speed on the middle infield … Alex Avila sat out Wednesday's game after fouling a ball off his leg … Jason Kubel (foot) still isn't running the bases … Eric Hosmer is still an excellent young hitter despite his June slump, and his RBI triple Wednesday was a nice sign … Rick Porcello hd been useful with his ground-ball ways despite his poor strikeout rate, but after giving up five runs to the Dodgers (in 4 2/3 innings), he's hard to start in any league right now … If you've punted your batting average, look for Mark Trumbo, who has lots of power and some speed and collected three hits in the Angels' win … Torii Hunter made a leaping catch and is day-to-day with a rib contusion … David DeJesus couldn't make the lineup with Josh Willingham (Achilles) out and the team in an NL park, so he's a miss in most leagues for now … Jeff Francis was decent against Arizona (three runs in seven innings) but doesn't do enough other than have nice control (two strikeouts and no walks) and is really too close to league average to be interesting … The Rangers are thinking about moving Tommy Hunter to the bullpen … Laynce Nix (Achilles) should return Thursday to the lineup … Jo-Jo Reyes allows to many home runs to be rostered in most leagues; He lost to his old team Wednesday … Kelly Shoppach hit a two-run home run off a right-hander, but Shaun Marcum's changeup acts like it comes from a lefty and Shoppach is still only a play against lefties in deeper leagues.

 

[HacheMan]

Beachy Keen
Last night's power exploits by Chris Heisey got me thinking: Are we more likely to pick up a player following a three-homer game or a superb pitching performance?

Maybe it's a flawed question since great pitching performances happen all the time and can come in different shapes and sizes. Meanwhile, someone who would hit three home runs in a game would probably already be owned in most leagues. I guess that's why I find the Heisey situation so interesting, since he's so widely available at the moment.

Heisey's ownership will no doubt shoot up in the next day or so and given that the Reds can use the DH for the next six games in Baltimore and Tampa Bay, it's probably justified. But what happens after that? He'll still have to fend with Jonny Gomes and Fred Lewis for playing time in left field.

I've always been of the belief that Heisey could be a solid major-league regular if given the opportunity. I'm just not sure when (or if) that will actually happen. Do I need to remind you that Dusty Baker fills out the lineup card?

Let's move on to the good stuff.

MIXED LEAGUES

Brandon Beachy SP, Braves (Yahoo: 34 percent owned, ESPN: 26.9 percent)

What else did you expect? Beachy was fantastic in his return from the disabled list Wednesday against the Blue Jays, tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out a career-high 11 and walking two. He had a 3.45 ERA and 46/12 K/BB ratio before landing on the disabled list with an oblique injury last month, so he's a no-brainer add in all formats now that he's back.

Roger Bernadina OF, Nationals (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 17.3 percent)

Missing Rick Ankiel? I didn't think so. Bernadina had his seven-game hitting streak snapped in Wednesday's win over the Mariners, but he's still batting .346 with three homers and seven RBI over his last 52 at-bats. Even better, he already has four homers and 10 stolen bases over just 41 games. Whatever you get in the batting average department is just gravy, as his power-speed combo is what you're really buying here.

Jason Bay OF, Mets (Yahoo: 43 percent owned, ESPN: 33.9 percent)

Just one day after going 3-for-3 with his first home run since May 13, Bay went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts on Wednesday night. Will the hot streak ever come? On the bright side, the Mets will travel to the hitter-friendly Ballpark at Arlington this weekend, where they are scheduled to face a pair of left-handed starters. This may be his best shot to find his way back into fantasy relevancy. Similar to the way I recommended Vernon Wells last week, I'm just not ready to give up on someone with Bay's track record. Not yet, anyway.

David Freese 3B, Cardinals (Yahoo: 28 percent owned, ESPN: 27.3 percent)

Freese is two games into a minor league rehab stint with Triple-A Memphis and is currently on track to return from the disabled list next Tuesday when the Cardinals begin a three-game series against the Orioles. He was hitting .356/.394/.471 with two homers and 14 RBI until he fractured his left hand on a hit-by-pitch on May 1. The third base position has been a difficult one to fill at certain points this season, particularly because of injuries in the National League, but a healthy Freese should be owned in most mixed formats.

Ty Wigginton 1B/2B/3B/OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 27 percent owned, ESPN: 39.7 percent)

How does he do it? Though Wigginton entered the season with an uncertain role, he has once again managed to find regular playing time. Remember that if you doubt him again next season. Wigginton homered twice Wednesday night against the Indians and is now batting .266 with nine homers, 27 RBI and an .811 OPS over 206 plate appearances this season. Ian Stewart is currently swinging a hot bat with Triple-A Colorado Springs, so things could change at any time, but Wiggy's pop and useful multi-position eligibility shouldn't be ignored.

Jemile Weeks 2B, Athletics (Yahoo: 14 percent owned, ESPN: 11 percent)

I was curious how much value Weeks would provide after being called up from the minors two weeks ago, but his early play has won me over. The 24-year-old is batting .321/.357/.509 through 59 plate appearances while scoring 10 runs and stealing four bases over his 14 major league games. New A's skipper Bob Melvin has used him out of the leadoff spot in the last four games, which gives him a slight boost, even in a weak lineup. Granted, he won't be able to maintain his current lofty batting average on balls in play, but at least he'll keep the starting job at second base now that Mark Ellis is destined for a utility role. The youngster makes for a solid target in deeper formats or leagues that use MI (middle infielder) spots.

Jon Jay OF, Cardinals (Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 13.5 percent)

While there's nothing good about Albert Pujols' injury, it at least means that Lance Berkman can play some first base while Jay gets semi-regular playing time in the outfield. Jay's current .300/.350/.418 batting line is almost identical to last season, even though he's striking out more, walking less and hitting considerably more ground balls. Still, you'll get some speed and pop from the left side of the plate, which has value in deeper formats.

Jorge Posada C, Yankees (Yahoo: 38 percent owned, ESPN: 24.3 percent)

It finally happened. Posada hit his first home run since April 23 in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Reds. Many in mixed leagues gave up on Posada after he pulled himself out of the lineup last month -- and for good reason -- but he's now batting .391 (18-for-46) in June. Sure, Joe Girardi will likely sit him against left-handers, but there's still a lot of upside here considering the lack of quality catchers available.

Shopping at the five-and-dime:

(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)

Doug Fister SP, Mariners (Yahoo: 8 percent owned, ESPN: 4.3 percent)

While his 3-8 record is likely keeping him under the radar, Fister has a very solid 3.34 ERA over his first 15 starts this season. Thanks to an uptick in velocity, he's averaging a career-high 5.89 K/9 -- hey, it's an improvement -- to go along with his usual solid command. And his success isn't completely Safeco-driven, either. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 3.31 ERA over seven road starts. Give him a try against the Marlins this weekend.

Jeff Baker 1B/2B/3B, Cubs (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.9 percent)

Here's a sneaky option for those in need of short-term infield help. Baker is batting an astounding .444 (24-for-54) with two homers and 12 RBI against southpaws this season. And wouldn't you know it, the Cubs are scheduled to face left-handers Bruce Chen and Danny Duffy in Kansas City this weekend. You know what to do.

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AL ONLY

Bruce Chen SP, Royals (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 1.2 percent)

After missing more than six weeks with a lat strain, Chen will return from the disabled list to start Friday against the Cubs. The 34-year-old left-hander had a 3.59 ERA over his first seven starts prior to the injury, though it was partially fueled by a low batting average on balls in play and stingy strand rate. Chen is ultimately a middle-of-the-road option in AL-only leagues due to the limited upside, but he should keep a spot in the starting rotation as long as he's healthy.

Josh Reddick OF, Red Sox (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

Called up to replace the injured Carl Crawford on the active roster, Reddick has hit safely in three out of four games since being recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. He should continue to share playing time with Mike Cameron and Darnell McDonald until Crawford is ready to return, though I would downgrade him slightly if Adrian Gonzalez ends up playing some outfield in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Chris Carter OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

The Athletics promoted Carter from the minors Thursday morning after Josh Willingham was placed on the disabled list with a strained left Achilles tendon. Carter recently returned from a thumb injury and was batting .333 with three homers and eight RBI over nine games this month. With Daric Barton now in the minor leagues, the 24-year-old should have a prime opportunity for playing time in the big leagues. He has much greater fantasy upside than Conor Jackson, who has started each of the last three games at first base. Let's hope he gets a fair shake.

NL ONLY

Cory Luebke RP/SP, Padres (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

After posting an impressive 3.23 ERA and 43/15 K/BB ratio over 39 innings as a reliever this season, Luebke will make his first start of the season Sunday against the Braves. The 26-year-old southpaw averaged 7.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over parts of four seasons in the minors, where he was used primarily as a starting pitcher. Luebke is relevant in NL-only leagues right away based on upside, but I wouldn't be afraid to use him in mixed formats for matchups at home.

Scott Hairston OF, Mets (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

Here's a short-term option for you. Mets manager Terry Collins indicated earlier this week that Hairston will get increased playing time this week as the Mets face a few left-handed starters. He got the start over Angel Pagan on Wednesday night and will likely play at least twice this weekend at Texas, especially with the added presence of the designated hitter. While Hairston got off to a very slow start in April, he's batting .393 with two homers and two doubles over his last 28 at-bats.

Wily Mo Pena OF, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)

I wasn't sure we'd ever see this guy in the majors again, but Pena got the call from the minors this week after batting .363/.439/.726 with 21 homers and a 1.165 OPS over 63 games with Triple-A Reno. Granted, those numbers were accomplished in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but the 29-year-old did go yard in his first game with the D-Backs on Tuesday night. He could provide a short-term boost in the power department.

Vance Worley SP, Phillies (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.7 percent)

Worley allowed one run over five innings in a spot-start against the Mariners last Saturday, which was apparently enough for him to get the nod over Kyle Kendrick this Friday against the Athletics. The 23-year-old right-hander has a 3.09 ERA and 27/13 K/BB ratio over seven major league starts, so I would take advantage of the favorable matchup. He will likely stick around until Joe Blanton is ready to return from the disabled list.

 

[HacheMan]

Ten lists of 10


These are 10 lists. Each of them has 10 items. When you put them together, it's 10 lists … of 10.


List 1: Pitchers who are better than their surface stats and are due for a turnaround:
1. Matt Garza (.332 BABIP, 64.4 LOB%, 2.90 xFIP)
2. Edwin Jackson (.352 BABIP, 70.4 LOB%, xFIP 3.37)
3. Chad Billingsley (.338 BABIP, 70.7 LOB%, xFIP 3.36)
4. Madison Bumgarner (.333 BABIP, 66.7 LOB%, 3.47 xFIP)
5. Ricky Nolasco (.333 BABIP, 67.8 LOB%, 3.38 xFIP)
6. Ryan Dempster (.331 BABIP, 68.1 LOB%, 3.38 xFIP)
7. Ubaldo Jimenez (.308 BABIP [career .281]), 64 LOB%, 3.80 xFIP)
8. Brian Duensing (.333 BABIP, 64.1 LOB%, 3.96 xFIP)
9. Chris Carpenter (.327 BABIP, 67.5 LOB%, 3.34 xFIP)
10. Chris Narveson (.303 BABIP, 68.1 LOB%, 3.42 xFIP)


Notes: All stats from FanGraphs.com. LOB% is left-on-base percentage. League norm is about 71 percent. xFIP is expected fielding-independent percentage and is considered a good indicator of future ERA.


List 2: Potential call-ups I would stash in deeper leagues:

1. Desmond Jennings, OF, Rays
2. Kyle Gibson, SP, Twins
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Diamondbacks
4. Kyle Weiland, SP, Red Sox
5. Dayan Viciedo, 3B, White Sox
6. Zack Cozart, SS, Reds
7. David Phelps, SP, Yankees
8. David Carpenter, SP, Astros
9. Alex Presley, OF, Pirates
10. Trayvon Robinson, OF, Dodgers


List 3: Hitters I would have no issue dropping or I've bailed on this year:
(Suggested by Bruce Bentley on my Facebook page)


1. Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins
2. Chone Figgins, 2B/3B, Mariners
3. Mike Moustakas, 3B, Royals
4. Raul Ibanez, OF, Phillies
5. Jason Bay, OF, Mets
6. Geovany Soto, C, Cubs
7. Ryan Ludwick, OF, Padres
8. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees
9. Nick Markakis, OF, Orioles
10. Grady Sizemore, OF, Indians


List 4: My summer-movie league list:


Every year, I do a summer-movie league pool with my college buddies. And Chris Jericho. Yes, the wrestler. Seriously. One guy in the league is friends with him. He's terrible at the game but very funny with the smack talk. Anyway, we pick the 10 movies we think will make the most money between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This year, sequels or franchises (like "Planet of the Apes" or "X-Men") were not allowed. I discussed this in depth (along with making a bet I very much don't want to lose) with Michelle Beadle on her podcast. Much fun. Anyway, here's my list of movies.



1. "Green Lantern"
2. "Super 8"
3. "Cowboys & Aliens"
4. "Captain America"
5. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"
6. "Larry Crowne"
7. "Zookeeper"
8. "The Help"
9. "Conan the Barbarian" (A sleeper pick by the Current Mrs. Roto. You have to have one surprising movie to win this thing, so this is our dark horse. We'll see.)
10. "Bad Teacher"


List 5: Hitters with so-so overall stats but who have played much better in June:
(All stats for June only)


1. Alexi Casilla, 2B, Twins: .329, 12 runs, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 6 stolen bases
2. Carlos Pena, 1B, Cubs: .227 (which is decent for him), 7 HR, 14 RBI
3. Aubrey Huff, 1B, Giants: .316, 9 R, 4 HR, 14 RBI
4. Ty Wigginton, 3B, Rockies: .274, 11 R, 4 HR, 11 RBI
5. Miguel Olivo, C, Mariners: 7 HR, 16 RBI and, um, a .221 batting average
6. Scott Rolen, 3B, Reds: .294, 1 HR, 12 RBI
7. Xavier Paul, OF, Pirates: .311, 10 R, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 6 SB
8. Angel Pagan, OF, Mets: .282, 9 R, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 5 SB
9. Roger Bernadina, OF, Nationals: .318, 9 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB
10. Mark Reynolds, 3B, Orioles: .345, 13 R, 6 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB



List 6: Pitchers with interesting home/road splits whom you can spot-start:
(Suggested by Curtis Hatfield on my Facebook page) These guys are not without danger, and many of them don't have great strikeout-to-walk ratios (which I've included, so you know what you're getting into), but there are some fairly available names you can start in the right situation.


1. Bud Norris, Astros: (at home): 2.10 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 58/25 K/BB in 60 innings
2. Paul Maholm, Pirates (at home): 2.12 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 35/20 K/BB in 51 innings
3. Clayton Richard, Padres (at home): 2.25 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 23/13 K/BB in 40 innings
4. Nick Blackburn, Twins (at home): 2.40 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 23/11 K/BB in 41 1/3 innings
5. Livan Hernandez, Nationals (at home): 2.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 33/6 KBB in 54 1/3 innings
6. Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays (on the road): 1.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 32/11 K/BB in 30 innings
7. Kevin Correia, Pirates (on the road): 2.34 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 27/17 K/BB in 57 2/3 innings
8. Dustin Moseley, Padres (on the road): 2.36 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 20/11 K/BB in 42 innings
9. Carlos Villanueva, Blue Jays (on the road -- four games as a starter): 2.52 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 22/9 K/BB in 35 2/3
10. Matt Harrison, Rangers (on the road): 2.23 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 25/17 K/BB in 44 1/3 innings


List 7: Rejected ideas for lists of 10 submitted on Facebook:


1. Sean Kelly: 10 hottest women taller than 6 feet
2. Steve Connolly: 10 WNBA players who could start in the San Francisco Giants' lineup
3. David Katz: 10 concession foods at a ballpark that resemble players
4. Charlie Aquilina: Since you said you'd be horrible at "Survivor," 10 reality shows you would like to be on.
5. Charlie Robinson: 10 best LeBron James and/or Tiger Woods jokes.
6. Steven R. Sayers: 10 new column-format ideas -- I need innovation, Berry!
7. Dave Sizemore: 10 professional athletes you'd like to see step into the Octagon and fight each other
8. Markus Videnjeks: 10 reasons other teams in my league should want to trade for Jhonny Peralta, who is having a heck of a year and, with Ryan Zimmerman back, is stuck on my bench. (Apparently, Markus thinks this column is all about him.)
9. Eli Miller: 10 Karabellisms
10. Joel Michael Brody: 10 reasons you still have a job


List 8: Guys to sell high on:
(Suggested by both Greg Otto and Kaiden Davis from my Facebook page)
These are guys who will continue to have value, but I feel their value is at its peak right now.



1. Brett Wallace, 1B, Astros
2. Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers
3. Michael Young, 3B, Rangers
4. Melky Cabrera, OF, Royals
5. Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies
6. Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs
7. Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox
8. James Shields, SP, Rays
9. Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Rays
10. Ricky Romero, SP, Blue Jays


List 9: Surprising stats:


1. Since changing his batting stance in early June, Alcides Escobar is hitting .333 with 13 runs, 1 homer, 7 RBIs and 7 steals. He's still available in 30 percent of leagues.


2. Nate Ravitz discussed this on the podcast the other day, but it bears repeating here. Of qualified pitchers, Roy Halladay leads the majors with a 7.44 strikeout-to-walk rate. Zack Greinke, who doesn't currently qualify because of the missed starts at the beginning of the year, has a K/BB of 8.89.


3. Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens, who's available in 84 percent of leagues, has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12 starts.


4. In 78 innings pitched this year, Karstens has walked just 14 batters.


5. Per FanGraphs, only three pitchers in the major leagues have a ground-ball percentage of more than 60 percent. Only 29 starting pitchers have a strikeout-per-nine ratio of 7.9 or higher.


6. Only one guy makes both lists: Jhoulys Chacin.


7. Juan Pierre has attempted 19 stolen bases this season. He has been caught stealing nine times. By comparison, last year, Juan Pierre had 86 stolen-base attempts. He was caught 18 times.


8. In 60 games started this year, A.J. Pierzynski has allowed 52 stolen bases, most in MLB.


9. Nobody in baseball averages more pitches per plate appearance than Carlos Santana, and he is tied for fifth in the majors in total walks.


10. Against left-handed pitching this season, Michael Cuddyer is hitting .388 with six home runs. Against right-handed pitching, he his hitting .246.


List 10 (Also suggested by Bruce Bentley on facebook): With "Green Lantern" being released, top superheroes in order of awesomeness.


1. Spider-Man
2. Wolverine
3. Batman
4. Iron Man
5. Professor X
6. Flash
7. Superman
8. Captain America
9. Storm
10. Space Ghost (that's for a 5-year-old TMR, who never missed an episode).

 

[HacheMan]

Oswalt Again Bound For DL?
Only five games were played on Thursday, but it was not a 24 hours devoid of headlines.

First, the big one: Nationals manager Jim Riggleman resigned after Thursday's victory over the Mariners -- the Nats' 11th win in their last 12 games -- due to a contract dispute with upper management. He wanted the front office to recognize the success that the club has enjoyed this season under his wing by exercising his option for 2012. But GM Mike Rizzo wouldn't budge, and refused to even have a conversation about the contract.

Riggleman rides into the sunset having led the Nationals to a surprising 38-37 start. He wants to manage again and seems likely to get offers this year.

Thursday's resignation might have brought forth character concerns, but major league teams are vultures. One of 'em will be seduced by the play of Riggleman's 2011 Nats.

This is Friday's edition of the MLB Daily Dose...

* Phillies right-hander Roy Oswalt had to be lifted from his Thursday evening start against the Cardinals due to renewed tightness in his lower back. He allowed four runs in two innings of work and admitted after the game that he's been having trouble "walking" and even "sleeping" due to the back discomfort that has plagued him since early May. It seems likely that he will be placed on the 15-day disabled list after undergoing an MRI scheduled for Monday. The Phillies have already scratched him from his next listed start.

Oswalt had a nice April and pitched well when he was healthy in May, but the results have worsened in June and there's now a chance that he will be sidelined for several weeks. If the Phillies indeed place him on the disabled list, they're not going to rush him back. Especially if their lead in the National League East stays strong.

Oswalt is worth shopping around in fantasy leagues. Snagging a low-end starter for him before Monday's MRI would be ideal.

* The Blue Jays got some tough news Thursday on top prospect Brett Lawrie.

The 21-year-old third baseman was nearly promoted to the major leagues in early June, but he suffered a fracture in his left hand while finishing up his tenure with Triple-A Las Vegas and is still showing very little progress.

Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters on Thursday evening that Lawrie is unable to grip a bat firmly with his left hand and won't be able to play in live minor league games until early August. Accounting for the handful of weeks that he will need to get his offensive timing back, it could be late August or early September before we see the promising infielder in the major leagues. He's worth dropping in non-keeper leagues.

National League Quick Hits: Mets third baseman David Wright has been cleared to resume baseball-related activities and could be two weeks from activation … Jonathan Broxton (elbow) tossed a scoreless rehab inning Thursday for Triple-A Albuquerque … Giants ace Tim Lincecum struck out 12 batters Thursday in seven scoreless innings against the Twins … Lance Berkman clubbed a three-run homer in the Cardinals' 12-2 rout of the Phillies on Thursday evening … Chris Capuano was pulled from his Thursday start against the A's due to right abdomen soreness … The Pirates are making plans to call up prospects Chase d'Arnaud and Alex Presley … Phillies setup man Jose Contreras is out 4-6 weeks with a right forearm strain … Chris Carpenter held the Phillies to one run Thursday over seven strong innings … D'Backs closer J.J. Putz earned his 20th save Thursday in Arizona's win over the Royals … Adam Wainwright is planning to play catch Monday for the first time since having Tommy John surgery … Francisco Rodriguez earned his 20th save Thursday in the Mets' defeat of Oakland … Cardinals setup man Eduardo Sanchez is going to be sidelined a few more weeks with shoulder inflammation … Jason Marquis shut out the Mariners for eight innings Thursday in a no-decision.

American League Quick Hits: The Twins have activated Joe Nathan from the disabled list but should continue to use Matt Capps at closer … Josh Beckett has been battling a flu-like illness for close to a week and won't return to the Boston rotation until Tuesday … The Blue Jays are moving Jose Bautista to third base, opening playing time in the outfield for 24-year-old Eric Thames … Red Sox reliever Bobby Jenks has been cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment … Bartolo Colon, on the disabled list with a hamstring strain, is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session on Friday … Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero has been having "focus" issues at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre … The Tigers activated Brandon Inge from the disabled list. … J.P. Howell has been diagnosed with gout … Michael Pineda pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine Thursday in a no-decision against the Nationals … The Rangers are still planning to move Tommy Hunter to the bullpen … Derek Jeter has played catch each day for the past three days and is on track for an early July return … Denard Span (concussion) is expected to begin a hitting program this weekend … Josh Willingham was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a strained left Achilles tendon … The Yankees are not planning to pursue Jose Reyes.

 

[HacheMan]

Ageless Wonder

How about the season Ryan Vogelsong is having? The 33-year-old entered the 2011 campaign with a 10-22 career record in the majors along with a 5.86 ERA, and hadn't pitched in the bigs since 2006. Yet, he's been a godsend for the Giants, quickly transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, where he's been masterful.

In 11 starts, Vogelsong has gone 5-1 with a 1.99 ERA, allowing two or fewer runs every single time he's taken the mound. Eight of his past nine turns have been quality starts. His strikeout and walk rates are both the best of his career. Opposing hitters have routinely marveled at his stuff in post-game interviews.

Vogelsong appears atop of this week's "Strong Plays" among National League two-start pitchers, and I couldn't be happier to write him in there. What a great story. With match-ups against the Cubs and Mariners on deck, there's a good chance we'll see it last at least another week.

Going Twice...



American League

Strong Plays
C.J. Wilson: @HOU (Lyles), FLA (Vazquez)
Jeremy Hellickson: CIN (Cueto), STL (Lohse)
Gio Gonzalez: FLA (Vazquez), ARI (Kennedy)
Ervin Santana: WAS (Lannan), LAD (Billingsley)

Decent Plays
Jo-Jo Reyes: PIT (Correia), PHI (Lee)
Erik Bedard: ATL (Beachy), SD (Latos)
Freddy Garcia: MIL (Greinke), @NYM (Dickey)
Nick Blackburn: LAD (Billingsley), MIL (Greinke)
Jeff Francis: @SD (Latos), @COL (Hammel)
Max Scherzer: TOR (Stewart), SF (Bumgarner)
Mitch Talbot: @ARI (Kennedy), @CIN (Cueto)
Jeremy Guthrie: STL (Lohse), @ATL

At Your Own Risk
Zach Stewart: @DET (Scherzer), PHI (Halladay)
Andrew Miller: @PHI (Lee), @HOU (Lyles)

National League

Strong Plays
Ryan Vogelsong: @CHC (Davis), @SEA (Bedard)
Cliff Lee: BOS (Miller), @TOR (Reyes)
Kyle Lohse: @BAL (Guthrie), @TB (Hellickson)
Mat Latos: KC (Francis), @SEA (Bedard)
Zack Greinke: @NYY (Garcia), @MIN (Blackburn)
Chad Billingsley: @MIN (Blackburn), @LAA (Santana)
Jhoulys Chacin: @CHC (Garza), KC (Hochevar)
Johnny Cueto: @TB (Hellickson), CLE (Talbot)
Ian Kennedy: CLE (Talbot), @OAK (Gonzalez)
Matt Garza: COL (Chacin), CWS (Danks)
Brandon Beachy: @SEA (Bedard), BAL

Decent Plays
John Lannan: @LAA (Santana), PIT
Kevin Correia: @TOR (Reyes), @WAS (Marquis)
R.A. Dickey: @DET (Porcello), NYY (Garcia)
Jordan Lyles: TEX (Wilson), BOS (Miller)
Jason Hammel: CWS (Floyd), KC (Francis)

At Your Own Risk
Javier Vazquez: @OAK (Gonzalez), @TEX (Wilson)
Doug Davis: SF (Vogelsong), CWS (Humber)


Streamer City



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

American League

Wednesday, 6/29: Carlos Carrasco @ ARI
Carrasco has allowed only one run over his past three starts.

Wednesday, 6/29: Bruce Chen @ SD
Chen, freshly activated from the disabled list, owns a 4-1 record and 3.59 ERA this year. Meanwhile, the Padres offense is very, very bad.

National League

Wednesday, 6/29: Rubby de la Rosa @ MIN
The rookie has shown pretty good stuff since being called up directly from Double-A. Give him a look at the spacious confines of Target Field.

Friday, 7/1: Josh Collmenter @ OAK
Despite his 2.06 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, Collmenter remains unowned in just over half of all ESPN leagues.

Friday, 7/1: Juan Nicasio vs. KC
Nicasio has generally looked sharped since joining the big-league ranks, posting a 24/7 K/BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings.

<!--RW-->


Total Games



American League

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

National League

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


Lefty/Righty Breakdown



American League

BAL: 6 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
BOS: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
CWS: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
CLE: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
DET: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
KC: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAA: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
MIN: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
NYY: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
OAK: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
SEA: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TB: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TEX: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TOR: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP

National League

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


The Infirmary



You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld's Injury Page, but here's the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:

Clay Buchholz: Out indefinitely
Carl Crawford: Out indefinitely
Matt LaPorta: Out until mid-July
Chris Coghlan: Out until early July
Josh Willingham: Out until early July
Roy Oswalt: Out indefinitely
Jose Contreras: Out until August
Albert Pujols: Out until early August
Mike Napoli: Out indefinitely
Rick Ankiel: Out indefinitely

 

[HacheMan]

Chicago Cubs enjoy eight-game week


On tap: Interleague play concludes with a second consecutive week comprised almost entirely of interleague games. There are two National League intraleague series: San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs (Tuesday-Thursday), which includes a doubleheader on Tuesday; and Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals (Friday-Sunday), which also includes a doubleheader, that one on Saturday. There is also an NL makeup game, Colorado Rockies at Cubs, and an American League makeup game, Toronto Blue Jays at Detroit Tigers, both of those on Monday. All those makeup games give the Cubs eight games and the Blue Jays, Giants, Nationals, Pirates, Rockies and Tigers seven apiece, a noticeable advantage in a week when the other 23 teams play six each.

The impact of the designated hitter -- or lack of it -- is always a significant fantasy storyline during interleague play. These American League teams will lose their DH due to all six games being played at National League parks:


Boston Red Sox (@PHI-3, @HOU-3): By now you've probably heard about Adrian Gonzalez's offer to play the outfield, freeing up first base for David Ortiz. That seems unlikely to be an every-game arrangement, though it'd make sense with Carl Crawford currently sidelined. If the Red Sox employ it for most of their June 24-26 series in Pittsburgh, then Ortiz becomes a safer option here.
Chicago White Sox (@COL-3, @CHC-3): Floundering DH Adam Dunn, a .143/.250/.286 hitter in 15 June games, played one of the three games in right field during the June 17-19 series at Arizona, that against a right-handed starter. Two starts in six games this week sounds about right; but that'd make Dunn a sit.
Cleveland Indians (@ARI-3, @CIN-3): Travis Hafner can no longer effectively throw a baseball following 2008 shoulder surgery, so he'll be a pinch hitter all week. Sit him in all but the deepest AL-only leagues.
Kansas City Royals (@SD-3, @COL-3): The Royals went straight platoon at first base during their June 17-19 series at St. Louis, though with Eric Hosmer slumping (.250/.310/.288 hitter in 20 June games), Billy Butler might be able to sneak in two to three starts. If they split time, neither will be mixed-league-worthy.


These AL teams will lose the DH for only three games:


Baltimore Orioles (@ATL-3): Vladimir Guerrero didn't start any of the Orioles' first six games in NL parks, so he likely won't here, either.
New York Yankees (@NYM-3): Jorge Posada could get one start at first base, but it's more likely that the reason he did on June 22 was that it was a doubleheader, and Joe Girardi didn't want Mark Teixeira playing both games.
Texas Rangers (@HOU-3): Michael Young has started all six NL games at first base, and in the most recent series in Atlanta on June 17-19, Josh Hamilton was in center field all three games, Nelson Cruz started all three, Mitch Moreland two (both in right field). None of the fantasy assets suffered that much.

These National League teams will benefit from the addition of the DH in American League parks. Number of games in AL parks listed first in parentheses:


Arizona Diamondbacks (3 games, @OAK-3): Wily Mo Pena, who homered on June 21 after hitting .363/.439/.726 in 63 games for Triple-A Reno, is the Diamondbacks' DH. Take a look in deep NL-only leagues, because the Oakland Athletics will start two left-handers in the series.
Atlanta Braves (3, @SEA-3): It could be Eric Hinske, otherwise Chipper Jones will DH, freeing up third base for Brooks Conrad or Diory Hernandez.
Cincinnati Reds (3, @TB-3): They should take every opportunity to give the DH at-bats to Chris Heisey, who has four homers and 11 RBIs in 17 June games.
Florida Marlins (6, @OAK-3, @TEX-3): The Marlins have been rotating players at DH, ultimately meaning only a couple of extra at-bats for players like Emilio Bonifacio, Greg Dobbs, Wes Helms, Jose Lopez and Dewayne Wise.
Los Angeles Dodgers (6, @MIN-3, @LAA-3): Marcus Thames is such an obvious DH, except that the Dodgers will face five right-handed starters. We might see a little more Tony Gwynn Jr. and Trent Oeltjen.
Milwaukee Brewers (6, @NYY-3, @MIN-3): They're content to rotate regulars at DH, meaning only a handful of extra at-bats for players like Craig Counsell, Mark Kotsay, Nyjer Morgan and Josh Wilson.
New York Mets (3, @DET-3): Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston are the most likely to benefit, and the Mets are scheduled to face four right-handed starters (favoring Duda), two left-handed (favoring Hairston).
Philadelphia Phillies (3, @TOR-3): Another rotation, so perhaps an additional start apiece for Ben Francisco, Ross Gload and Michael Martinez.
Pirates (3, @TOR-3): Several reports have Alex Presley, a .338/.389/.507 hitter with 18 stolen bases in 73 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, due to join the team in time for this series beginning Tuesday. He's left-handed, so he might sit the Tuesday game against Jo-Jo Reyes, but he's the notable name for NL-only owners to consider this week.
St. Louis Cardinals (6, @BAL-3, @TB-3): Andrew Brown? Mark Hamilton? Both raked in Triple-A, so flip a coin … but only in a deep NL-only league.
San Diego Padres (3, @SEA-3): Jesus Guzman, a .332/.423/.529 hitter in 63 games for Triple-A Tucson, scored all three DH starts in the June 20-22 series in Boston. He could be of use in deep NL-only formats.
Giants (3, @DET-3): They mostly regard the DH as a way to get Cody Ross, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz and Andres Torres into the same lineup.
Nationals (3, @LAA-3): Matt Stairs, born to DH. The Nationals face only right-handed starters in that series. It's a natural fit.


Week 13 also marks the mathematical midpoint of the 2011 season. Barring any postponements, one-half of the total games on the season schedule will be in the books once the first six games on Thursday -- exactly the number of scheduled day games on that date -- go final. It's a good time for fantasy owners to step back and assess where they are in the standings.


Red Sox at Phillies is the marquee interleague matchup of Week 13; it's actually a potential World Series preview, being that both teams were widely picked as their respective league's favorites, not to mention that, as of the morning of June 24, they had the top two winning percentages in baseball. Unfortunately, while the Red Sox have lined up Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, their top two starters, for that series, the Phillies will counter with Cliff Lee, then probably back-of-the-rotation options Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley. We can't have it all!


Crosstown rivals will battle from Friday-Sunday, the concluding weekend of interleague play, with the Yankees and Mets at Citi Field and the White Sox and Cubs at Wrigley Field. And Roy Halladay will get a long-overdue return trip to Toronto; he'll start against his old mates at Rogers Centre on Saturday.


Reminder: For those of you in weekly-transactions leagues, the Rockies-Cubs makeup game on Monday is a day game with a 2:20 p.m. ET start time, so the week gets an earlier start. Here are this week's other scheduled first pitches by day: Tuesday 2:20 p.m. ET, Wednesday 12:10 p.m. ET, Thursday 1:05 p.m. ET, Friday 1:07 p.m. ET, Saturday 1:07 p.m. ET, Sunday 1:05 p.m. ET.


Quick click by section, if you're seeking advice in a specific area:
Projected starting pitchers | Pitching strategies
Team advantages | Hitting strategies
Weather report | Week 13 pitcher rankings


Projected starting pitchers




The chart below lists each of the 30 MLB teams' schedules and projected starting pitchers, and provides a matchup rating for each day's starter. Pitchers scheduled to start twice this week are in gray/beige boxes.


<STYLE type=text/css>.mod-inline td img {margin: 0px;}</STYLE>
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px; WIDTH: 100%"><THEAD><TR><TH style="WIDTH: 30px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Team</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Mon
6/27</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Tue
6/28</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Wed
6/29</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Thu
6/30</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Fri
7/1</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Sat
7/2</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 14%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Sun
7/3</CENTER></TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
Britton
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
Arrieta
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
Jakubasks
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ATL
Matusz
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ATL
Guthrie
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ATL
Britton
(LHP)
P: 7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@PHI
Beckett
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@PHI
Lackey
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@PHI
Lester
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
Wakefield
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
Miller
(LHP)
P: 1</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
Beckett
(RHP)
P: 8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
Floyd
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
Buehrle
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
Peavy
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
Jackson
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
Danks
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
Humber
(RHP)
P: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ARI
Talbot
(RHP)
P: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ARI
Tomlin
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ARI
Carrasco
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CIN
Masterson
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CIN
Carmona
(RHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CIN
Talbot
(RHP)
P: 1</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TOR
Scherzer
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYM
Porcello
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYM
Coke
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYM
Verlander
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
Penny
(RHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
Scherzer
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
Porcello
(RHP)
P: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SD
Francis
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SD
Paulino
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SD
Chen
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
Davies
(RHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
Hochevar
(RHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
Francis
(LHP)
P: 3</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>WAS
Santana
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>WAS
Pineiro
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>WAS
Haren
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
Chatwood
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
Weaver
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
Santana
(RHP)
P: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
Blackburn
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
Duensing
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
Baker
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
Liriano
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
Pavano
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
Blackburn
(RHP)
P: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
Garcia
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
Gordon
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
Burnett
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYM
Sabathia
(LHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYM
Nova
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYM
Garcia
(RHP)
P: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
Gonzalez
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
Godfrey
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
Moscoso
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ARI
Cahill
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ARI
Outman
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ARI
Gonzalez
(LHP)
P: 7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ATL
Bedard
(LHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ATL
Pineda
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ATL
Hernandez
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SD
Vargas
(LHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SD
Fister
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SD
Bedard
(LHP)
P: 10</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CIN
Hellickson
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CIN
Price
(LHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CIN
Shields
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
Davis
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
Niemann
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
Hellickson
(RHP)
P: 7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
Wilson
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
Lewis
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
Harrison
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
Ogando
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
Holland
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
Wilson
(LHP)
P: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Stewart
(RHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
Reyes
(LHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
Morrow
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
Villnueva
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PHI
Romero
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PHI
Stewart
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PHI
Reyes
(LHP)
P: 2</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
Kennedy
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
Hudson
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
Duke
(LHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
Collmnter
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
Saunders
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
Kennedy
(RHP)
P: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
Beachy
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
Hanson
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
Lowe
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BAL
Jurrjens
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BAL
Hudson
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BAL
Beachy
(RHP)
P: 7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>COL
Garza
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF-2
Davis
(LHP)
P: 5
Lopez
(RHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
Dempster
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
Zambrano
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
Wells
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
Garza
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
Davis
(LHP)
P: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
Leake
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
Cueto
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
Volquez
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
Arroyo
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
Bailey
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
Leake
(RHP)
P: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
Chacin
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
Hammel
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
Jimenez
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
Cook
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
Nicasio
(RHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
Chacin
(RHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
Hammel
(RHP)
P: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
Vazquez
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
Nolasco
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
Volstad
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TEX
Sanchez
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TEX
TBD

P: 1</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TEX
Vazquez
(RHP)
P: 3</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TEX
Lyles
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TEX
Myers
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TEX
W.Rdrguez
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
Norris
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
Happ
(LHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
Lyles
(RHP)
P: 2</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
Billingsley
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
Lilly
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
DeLaRosa
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
Kuroda
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
Kershaw
(LHP)
P: 10</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
Billingsley
(RHP)
P: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYY
Greinke
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYY
Marcum
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYY
Wolf
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
Gallardo
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
Narveson
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
Greinke
(RHP)
P: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Dickey
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Capuano
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Pelfrey
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYY
Niese
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYY
Gee
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYY
Dickey
(RHP)
P: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
Lee
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
Kendrick
(RHP)
P: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
Worley
(RHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
Hamels
(LHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
Halladay
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
Lee
(LHP)
P: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
Correia
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
Maholm
(LHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
Karstens
(RHP)
P: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@WAS
Morton
(RHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@WAS-2
McDonald
(RHP)
P: 4
Lincoln
(RHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@WAS
Correia
(RHP)
P: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@BAL
Lohse
(RHP)
P: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@BAL
Carpenter
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@BAL
Westbrook
(RHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
Garcia
(LHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
McClellan
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
Lohse
(RHP)
P: 3</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
Latos
(RHP)
P: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
Richard
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
Stauffer
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
Moseley
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
Luebke
(LHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
Latos
(RHP)
P: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC-2
Vogelsong
(RHP)
P: 8
Zito
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
Lincecum
(RHP)
P: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
Sanchez
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Cain
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Bumgarner
(LHP)
P: 3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
Vogelsong
(RHP)
P: 7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
Lannan
(LHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
Marquis
(RHP)
P: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
Zimmrmnn
(RHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
Gorzelanny
(LHP)
P: 4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT-2
Hernandez
(RHP)
P: 5
Lannan
(LHP)
P: 7</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
Marquis
(RHP)
P: 7</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>P: The starting pitcher's matchup rating, which accounts for past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days), opponent and ballpark. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst.





Tristan's pitching strategies




• The Tigers have arguably the week's most favorable set of pitching matchups on paper, being that both the visiting Mets and Giants have a sub-.700 team OPS both in road games and in the month of June. While the Tigers haven't had a lot of good fortune on the mound this season, they do have a 3.80 ERA and 13 quality starts in their past 25 games, not to mention a 22-14 record, 3.44 ERA and 25 quality starts in 36 home games for the year. Two-start pitcher Max Scherzer is 13-5 with a 3.07 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 24 career starts at Comerica Park, and he held the Blue Jays, his Monday opponent, to a mere unearned run and eight hits in seven innings in a May 16 start at Comerica. Closer Jose Valverde, meanwhile, is 6-for-6 in saves with nine scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts and a .103 batting average allowed in his past nine appearances. Expect more success for him this week.


• Home games also favor the Los Angeles Angels, whose 3.22 ERA at home ranks seventh and 1.24 WHIP 12th in the majors. Returning to Angel Stadium could be a plus for struggling Dan Haren, whose 2.61 career ERA at that venue ranks 11th all time among pitchers with 125-plus innings there; he also has a 1.08 WHIP and 15 quality starts in 19 tries at the "Big A." Two-start pitcher Ervin Santana has a lifetime ERA more than a run lower at Angel Stadium (3.84) than on the road (4.98). But it's rookie Tyler Chatwood who is the Angels' most promising sleeper. He has wins in both of his first two career interleague starts (combined 14 IP, 9 H, 1 R), he has a 3.08 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in his past six starts overall and he'll be facing a Dodgers team that has the game's eighth-worst OPS (.691).


• Don't let my pro-Angels take dissuade you from using Nationals pitchers, however. This team is a combined 15-6 with a 2.58 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 12 quality starts in 21 games in June, led by Jordan Zimmermann, who was riding a nine-quality start streak into his June 24 assignment. Zimmermann isn't the only Nationals pitcher you should be considering, however. Two-start pitcher John Lannan is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in five June starts, and he'll be facing a pair of opponents who rank 19th (.697) and 26th (.663) in team OPS this season. Jason Marquis, also scheduled for two starts, has a 1.82 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in four June turns, not to mention he's 7-1 with a 2.64 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in his past nine starts versus the Pirates, his Sunday opponent.


Also favorable: Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Padres, Seattle Mariners
Unfavorable: Indians, Mets, Phillies, White Sox


For more insight into Week 13 pitching matchups, see my rankings for the top 75 starting pitchers, as well as every two-start pitcher, at column's end.



Team advantages




The chart below lists each of the 30 teams' total number of scheduled games, home games and games versus right- and left-handed pitchers, and provides a matchup rating for the week's games in terms of overall offense, offense for left- and right-handed hitters and base stealing. Matchup ratings for each individual game are listed under the corresponding date.


<STYLE type=text/css>.mod-inline td img {margin: 0px;}</STYLE>
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px; WIDTH: 100%"><THEAD><TR><TH style="WIDTH: 30px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Team</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 12%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Games</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Overall
Rating</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Mon
6/27</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Tue
6/28</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Wed
6/29</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Thu
6/30</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Fri
7/1</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Sat
7/2</CENTER></TH><TH style="WIDTH: 11%; VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Sun
7/3</CENTER></TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
0 vs. L
6 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 6
R: 3
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
H: 9
L: 10
R: 8
S: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
H: 2
L: 1
R: 3
S: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
H: 8
L: 8
R: 8
S: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ATL
H: 3
L: 6
R: 1
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ATL
H: 1
L: 4
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ATL
H: 4
L: 4
R: 4
S: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
2 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 6
R: 4
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@PHI
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@PHI
H: 8
L: 10
R: 5
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@PHI
H: 6
L: 7
R: 5
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
H: 3
L: 6
R: 1
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
H: 6
L: 4
R: 6
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
H: 7
L: 7
R: 8
S: 8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 7
L: 6
R: 7
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
H: 7
L: 6
R: 8
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
H: 3
L: 3
R: 4
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
H: 7
L: 10
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
H: 5
L: 5
R: 5
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
H: 5
L: 3
R: 7
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
H: 8
L: 9
R: 7
S: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 7
R: 3
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ARI
H: 4
L: 4
R: 4
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ARI
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@ARI
H: 10
L: 9
R: 10
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CIN
H: 5
L: 9
R: 2
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CIN
H: 6
L: 6
R: 6
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CIN
H: 5
L: 9
R: 1
S: 3</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 total
7 home
2 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 4
R: 8
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TOR
H: 7
L: 7
R: 7
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYM
H: 4
L: 5
R: 3
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYM
H: 5
L: 5
R: 5
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYM
H: 5
L: 5
R: 4
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
H: 2
L: 1
R: 3
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
H: 7
L: 1
R: 9
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
H: 2
L: 1
R: 4
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 3
L: 2
R: 6
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SD
H: 2
L: 1
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SD
H: 5
L: 1
R: 7
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SD
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
H: 9
L: 10
R: 9
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@COL
H: 7
L: 6
R: 8
S: 8</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
6 home
2 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 2
L: 4
R: 1
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>WAS
H: 5
L: 7
R: 5
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>WAS
H: 5
L: 5
R: 5
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>WAS
H: 4
L: 3
R: 4
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
H: 2
L: 3
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
H: 5
L: 6
R: 5
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
6 home
2 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 5
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
H: 5
L: 5
R: 4
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
H: 4
L: 8
R: 3
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>LAD
H: 5
L: 5
R: 6
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
H: 5
L: 5
R: 5
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
H: 5
L: 1
R: 6
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
H: 3
L: 6
R: 1
S: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
2 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 2
L: 2
R: 2
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
H: 3
L: 7
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
H: 4
L: 3
R: 5
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>MIL
H: 5
L: 1
R: 6
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYM
H: 5
L: 3
R: 6
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYM
H: 1
L: 1
R: 3
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYM
H: 3
L: 4
R: 3
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
6 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 7
R: 4
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
H: 7
L: 10
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
H: 6
L: 7
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
H: 7
L: 10
R: 4
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ARI
H: 2
L: 2
R: 2
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ARI
H: 8
L: 6
R: 9
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ARI
H: 3
L: 3
R: 3
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
6 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 1
L: 2
R: 1
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ATL
H: 4
L: 4
R: 4
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ATL
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>ATL
H: 4
L: 4
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SD
H: 5
L: 6
R: 5
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SD
H: 2
L: 3
R: 2
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SD
H: 3
L: 1
R: 5
S: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
6 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 4
R: 6
S: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CIN
H: 5
L: 9
R: 1
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CIN
H: 4
L: 3
R: 5
S: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CIN
H: 7
L: 5
R: 8
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
H: 1
L: 1
R: 2
S: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
H: 3
L: 1
R: 5
S: 1</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>STL
H: 8
L: 9
R: 7
S: 1</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
1 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 6
R: 7
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
H: 7
L: 7
R: 8
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
H: 4
L: 3
R: 5
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@HOU
H: 4
L: 2
R: 5
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
H: 5
L: 5
R: 4
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
H: 6
L: 6
R: 6
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>FLA
H: 8
L: 10
R: 4
S: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 total
6 home
3 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 6
R: 2
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 6
L: 8
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
H: 7
L: 8
R: 6
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
H: 5
L: 1
R: 7
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
H: 6
L: 9
R: 3
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PHI
H: 2
L: 5
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PHI
H: 1
L: 2
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PHI
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
2 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 5
R: 7
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
H: 10
L: 10
R: 8
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
H: 7
L: 5
R: 9
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
H: 5
L: 5
R: 4
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
H: 4
L: 5
R: 3
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
H: 3
L: 1
R: 5
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
H: 3
L: 4
R: 3
S: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
3 vs. L
3 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 2
L: 1
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
H: 1
L: 1
R: 2
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BAL
H: 8
L: 2
R: 9
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BAL
H: 7
L: 8
R: 5
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BAL
H: 4
L: 1
R: 6
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>8 total
8 home
3 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 3
R: 7
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>COL
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF-2
H: 2
L: 1
R: 5
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
H: 1
L: 2
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>SF
H: 5
L: 4
R: 5
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
H: 7
L: 6
R: 8
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
H: 4
L: 5
R: 4
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
H: 2
L: 1
R: 4
S: 7</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 7
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
H: 3
L: 2
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
H: 2
L: 1
R: 3
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
H: 5
L: 5
R: 4
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
H: 6
L: 10
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
H: 9
L: 10
R: 5
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CLE
H: 10
L: 10
R: 8
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 total
6 home
2 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 10
L: 9
R: 10
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
H: 5
L: 3
R: 7
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
H: 6
L: 7
R: 6
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
H: 7
L: 10
R: 6
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>CHW
H: 4
L: 5
R: 3
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
H: 9
L: 10
R: 8
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
H: 9
L: 10
R: 5
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
H: 8
L: 5
R: 8
S: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
3 vs. L
3 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 2
R: 6
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
H: 3
L: 4
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
H: 6
L: 2
R: 9
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@OAK
H: 5
L: 8
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TEX
H: 1
L: 4
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TEX
H: 8
L: 1
R: 10
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TEX
H: 3
L: 1
R: 3
S: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
6 home
3 vs. L
3 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 7
R: 6
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TEX
H: 3
L: 1
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TEX
H: 6
L: 10
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>TEX
H: 8
L: 8
R: 8
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
H: 5
L: 5
R: 6
S: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
H: 10
L: 10
R: 10
S: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
H: 3
L: 5
R: 1
S: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 4
L: 5
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
H: 7
L: 8
R: 6
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
H: 3
L: 1
R: 6
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
H: 3
L: 4
R: 3
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
H: 6
L: 5
R: 6
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
H: 1
L: 2
R: 1
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
H: 7
L: 9
R: 4
S: 9</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 6
L: 6
R: 8
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYY
H: 7
L: 6
R: 7
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYY
H: 7
L: 5
R: 9
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@NYY
H: 6
L: 5
R: 6
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
H: 3
L: 1
R: 5
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
H: 5
L: 6
R: 5
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@MIN
H: 7
L: 8
R: 6
S: 3</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
2 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 1
L: 3
R: 2
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 7
L: 8
R: 5
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 3
L: 1
R: 5
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 1
L: 1
R: 2
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYY
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYY
H: 3
L: 4
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>NYY
H: 6
L: 6
R: 6
S: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
3 vs. L
3 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 7
L: 6
R: 6
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
H: 3
L: 5
R: 1
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
H: 7
L: 8
R: 6
S: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>BOS
H: 3
L: 2
R: 3
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
H: 5
L: 9
R: 3
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
H: 7
L: 7
R: 7
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
H: 10
L: 5
R: 10
S: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 total
0 home
3 vs. L
4 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 9
L: 7
R: 9
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
H: 10
L: 5
R: 10
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
H: 5
L: 7
R: 2
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TOR
H: 3
L: 4
R: 3
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@WAS
H: 8
L: 5
R: 9
S: 3</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@WAS-2
H: 7
L: 10
R: 5
S: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@WAS
H: 5
L: 5
R: 5
S: 3</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
0 home
1 vs. L
5 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 5
L: 5
R: 5
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@BAL
H: 5
L: 1
R: 7
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@BAL
H: 5
L: 10
R: 1
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@BAL
H: 7
L: 9
R: 5
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
H: 6
L: 5
R: 7
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
H: 4
L: 5
R: 4
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@TB
H: 3
L: 2
R: 4
S: 6</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 total
3 home
4 vs. L
2 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 3
L: 4
R: 1
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
H: 6
L: 3
R: 6
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
H: 7
L: 10
R: 3
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>KC
H: 6
L: 4
R: 7
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
H: 2
L: 1
R: 3
S: 4</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
H: 3
L: 6
R: 1
S: 2</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@SEA
H: 1
L: 1
R: 1
S: 4</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 total
0 home
1 vs. L
6 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 10
L: 10
R: 10
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC-2
H: 8
L: 9
R: 7
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
H: 6
L: 8
R: 4
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@CHC
H: 4
L: 6
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 9
L: 8
R: 10
S: 6</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 6
L: 8
R: 3
S: 5</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@DET
H: 7
L: 8
R: 5
S: 5</TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>

</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 total
4 home
0 vs. L
7 vs. R</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8f8f2; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>H: 9
L: 9
R: 8
S: 10</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
H: 7
L: 9
R: 4
S: 9</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
H: 6
L: 9
R: 4
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>@LAA
H: 3
L: 5
R: 2
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
H: 9
L: 10
R: 4
S: 8</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT-2
H: 7
L: 5
R: 9
S: 7</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top" align=middle>PIT
H: 7
L: 8
R: 6
S: 6</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Some of the data used to generate this chart is derived from Baseball Musings' Day-by-day database.

H: Hitters' matchup rating, which accounts for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. L: Hitters' matchup rating accounting only for left-handed hitters. R: Hitters' matchup rating accounting for only right-handed hitters. S: Base stealing matchup rating, which accounts for the opponent's catchers' ability to gun down opposing base stealers. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst.





Tristan's hitting strategies




• The quantitative advantage of eight games for the Cubs and seven apiece for the Giants and Nationals helps explain their high offensive ratings; if you play in a league in which quantity dictates all -- think particularly points-based and head-to-head -- it's a smart week to load up on hitters from those teams, despite the fact the Giants and Nationals face the previously endorsed Tigers and Angels pitching staffs, respectively. Red-hot Nationals Danny Espinosa (.294/.344/.471 in 21 games in June) and Michael Morse (.313/.387/.614 in 21) seem likely to keep up their solid hitting, especially during those four weekend games against the pitching-starved Pirates. Fresh-off-the-DL Alfonso Soriano should feast upon the three left-handed starters the Cubs are set to face; he's a .365/.400/.712 hitter against southpaws this season, not to mention he leads the team in homers (8) and RBIs (22) at Wrigley. Owners in deep NL-only leagues might also be interested to learn that Jeff Baker is a .444/.455/.611 hitter against left-handers, and has started 18 of the team's 20 games against lefty starters, this season.


• The White Sox might have a "home-away-from-home" feeling, as they'll make a three-game stop at hitting-friendly Coors Field, followed by a return to Chicago to play across town at Wrigley Field. Current, active White Sox hitters have combined .319/.375/.430 rates at Coors and .282/.355/.455 at Wrigley, among the notables being Juan Pierre, who played for the Rockies from 2000 to 2002 and Cubs in 2006. Pierre has .338/.383/.408 lifetime rates in 215 games at Coors and .272/.325/.349 in 113 at Wrigley, and the White Sox's steals ratings are five and up all week, so if there's any week for him to rebound, this is the one. Speaking of struggling hitters, Alex Rios is a .333/.444/.600 hitter in nine career games at those venues, and .337/.387/.561 in 25 interleague contests between this and last season, increasing his chances at a promising week. It's merely a shame the aforementioned Adam Dunn has nowhere ideal to play; he's a .272/.385/.592 hitter in 29 career games at Coors and .282/.410/.651 in 66 at Wrigley.


• Expect the opposing Rockies to also thrive offensively, being that in addition to their facing a White Sox staff with a 4.39 road ERA, eighth worst in the majors, they'll battle a Royals staff that has a 5.07 road ERA, worst overall. All six of their interleague games will be played at Coors, where, naturally, the Rockies have managed the third-most runs per game (5.32) and sixth-best team OPS (.779) among teams in home games. Many Rockies hitters -- Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, I'm looking at you -- are obvious plays in all fantasy leagues every week, but it's the lesser names who warrant a closer look. Notably, Charlie Blackmon is a .421 hitter in his 10 games so far at Coors, and three games against the White Sox's weak-armed catchers could pad his stolen base total. Seth Smith, meanwhile, should score starts against the Rockies' five right-handed starting pitching opponents, and he's red hot, hitting .338/.368/.600 in 18 games in June.


Also favorable: Rangers, Red Sox
Unfavorable: Angels, Braves, Mariners, Mets



Weather report




Weatherproof games: Rangers at Astros (3, Tue-Thu); Red Sox at Astros (3, Fri-Sun); Pirates at Blue Jays (3, Tue-Thu); Phillies at Blue Jays (3, Fri-Sun); Indians at Diamondbacks (3, Mon-Wed); Braves at Mariners (3, Mon-Wed); Padres at Mariners (3, Fri-Sun); Reds at Rays (3, Mon-Wed); Cardinals at Rays (3, Fri-Sun).



Tristan's Week 13 pitcher rankings: Top 75




Rankings take into account several factors: The pitcher's raw talent, historical and recent performance; number of starts; strength of opponent(s); and ballpark factors. Be aware that different leagues might emphasize different pitching statistics that could change these rankings slightly. These are based upon a fairly standard rotisserie scoring system, like ESPN's.

1. Cliff Lee (PHI) -- Tue-BOS (Beckett), Sun-@TOR (Reyes)
2. Jhoulys Chacin (COL) -- Mon-@CHC (Garza), Sat-KC (Hochevar)
3. Josh Beckett (BOS) -- Tue-@PHI (Lee), Sun-@HOU (Lyles)
4. Justin Verlander (DET) -- Thu-NYM (Pelfrey)
5. Roy Halladay (PHI) -- Sat-@TOR (Stewart)
6. Zack Greinke (MIL) -- Tue-@NYY (Garcia), Sun-@MIN (Blackburn)
7. Jered Weaver (LAA) -- Sat-LAD (Kershaw)
8. Clayton Kershaw (LAD) -- Sat-@LAA (Weaver)
9. Erik Bedard (SEA) -- Mon-ATL (Beachy), Sun-SD (Latos)
10. Felix Hernandez (SEA) -- Wed-ATL (Lowe)
11. Ian Kennedy (ARI) -- Mon-CLE (Talbot), Sun-@OAK (Gonzalez)
12. Cole Hamels (PHI) -- Fri-@TOR (Romero)
13. Michael Pineda (SEA) -- Tue-ATL (Hanson)
14. Daniel Hudson (ARI) -- Tue-CLE (Tomlin)
15. C.J. Wilson (TEX) -- Tue-@HOU (Lyles), Sun-FLA (Vazquez)
16. Tim Hudson (ATL) -- Sat-BAL (Guthrie)
17. Gio Gonzalez (OAK) -- Tue-FLA (Vazquez), Sun-ARI (Kennedy)
18. Tim Lincecum (SF) -- Wed-@CHC (Dempster)
19. Jon Lester (BOS) -- Thu-@PHI (Worley)
20. CC Sabathia (NYY) -- Fri-@NYM (Niese)
21. David Price (TB) -- Tue-CIN (Cueto)
22. Ryan Vogelsong (SF) -- Tue-@CHC, Gm. 1 (Davis), Sun-@DET (Porcello)
23. Mat Latos (SD) -- Mon-KC (Francis), Sun-@SEA (Bedard)
24. Scott Baker (MIN) -- Wed-LAD (De La Rosa)
25. James Shields (TB) -- Wed-CIN (Volquez)
26. Anibal Sanchez (FLA) -- Fri-@TEX (Ogando)
27. Max Scherzer (DET) -- Mon-TOR (Stewart), Sat-SF (Bumgarner)
28. Matt Garza (CHC) -- Mon-COL (Chacin), Sat-CHW (Danks)
29. Jordan Zimmermann (WAS) -- Wed-@LAA (Haren)
30. Johnny Cueto (CIN) -- Tue-@TB (Price)
31. Brandon Beachy (ATL) -- Mon-@SEA (Bedard), Sun-BAL (Britton)
32. Matt Cain (SF) -- Fri-@DET (Penny)
33. Ricky Romero (TOR) -- Fri-PHI (Hamels)
34. Dan Haren (LAA) -- Wed-WAS (Zimmermann)
35. Hiroki Kuroda (LAD) -- Fri-@LAA (Chatwood)
36. Jason Vargas (SEA) -- Fri-SD (Moseley)
37. Francisco Liriano (MIN) -- Fri-MIL (Gallardo)
38. Jaime Garcia (STL) -- Fri-@TB (Davis)
39. Jeremy Hellickson (TB) -- Mon-CIN (Leake), Sun-STL (Lohse)
40. Philip Humber (CHW) -- Sun-@CHC (Davis)
41. Ervin Santana (LAA) -- Mon-WAS (Lannan), Sun-LAD (Billingsley)
42. Alexi Ogando (TEX) -- Fri-FLA (Sanchez)
43. Yovani Gallardo (MIL) -- Fri-@MIN (Liriano)
44. John Danks (CHW) -- Sat-@CHC (Garza)
45. Wandy Rodriguez (HOU) -- Thu-TEX (Harrison)
46. Chris Carpenter (STL) -- Wed-@BAL (Arrieta)
47. Tim Stauffer (SD) -- Wed-KC (Chen)
48. Chad Billingsley (LAD) -- Mon-@MIN (Blackburn), Sun-@LAA (Santana)
49. Jair Jurrjens (ATL) -- Fri-BAL (Matusz)
50. Ted Lilly (LAD) -- Tue-@MIN (Duensing)
51. Ryan Dempster (CHC) -- Wed-SF (Lincecum)
52. Zach Britton (BAL) -- Tue-STL (Lohse), Sun-@ATL (Beachy)
53. Doug Fister (SEA) -- Sat-SD (Luebke)
54. Ubaldo Jimenez (COL) -- Wed-CHW (Buehrle)
55. Brett Myers (HOU) -- Wed-TEX (Lewis)
56. Carlos Zambrano (CHC) -- Thu-SF (Sanchez)
57. Bronson Arroyo (CIN) -- Fri-CLE (Masterson)
58. Trevor Cahill (OAK) -- Fri-ARI (Collmenter)
59. Carlos Carrasco (CLE) -- Wed-@ARI (Duke)
60. John Lannan (WAS) -- Mon-@LAA (Santana), Sat-PIT, Gm. 2 (Lincoln)
61. Mike Leake (CIN) -- Mon-@TB (Hellickson), Sun-CLE (Talbot)
62. A.J. Burnett (NYY) -- Thu-MIL (Wolf)
63. Colby Lewis (TEX) -- Wed-@HOU (Myers)
64. Freddy Garcia (NYY) -- Tue-MIL (Greinke), Sun-@NYM (Dickey)
65. Jason Hammel (COL) -- Tue-CHW (Floyd), Sun-KC (Francis)
66. Derek Lowe (ATL) -- Wed-@SEA (Hernandez)
67. Jonathan Sanchez (SF) -- Thu-@CHC (Zambrano)
68. Brandon Morrow (TOR) -- Wed-PIT (Maholm)
69. Bud Norris (HOU) -- Fri-BOS (Wakefield)
70. Tommy Hanson (ATL) -- Tue-@SEA (Pineda)
71. Kevin Correia (PIT) -- Tue-@TOR (Reyes), Sun-@WAS (Marquis)
72. Ricky Nolasco (FLA) -- Wed-@OAK (Godfrey)
73. Josh Collmenter (ARI) -- Fri-@OAK (Cahill)
74. Dillon Gee (NYM) -- Sat-NYY (Nova)
75. Jason Marquis (WAS) -- Tue-@LAA (Pineiro), Sun-PIT (Correia)

Two-start options for AL-/NL-only leagues:
Nick Blackburn (MIN) -- Mon-LAD (Billingsley), Sun-MIL (Greinke)
Doug Davis (CHC) -- Tue-SF, Gm. 1 (Vogelsong), Sun-CHW (Humber)
R.A. Dickey (NYM) -- Tue-@DET (Porcello), Sun-NYY (Garcia)
Rick Porcello (DET) -- Tue-NYM (Dickey), Sun-SF (Vogelsong)

No-thank-yous, among two-starts:
Jeff Francis (KC) -- Mon-@SD (Latos), Sun-@COL (Hammel)
Kyle Lohse (STL) -- Tue-@BAL (Britton), Sun-@TB (Hellickson)
Jordan Lyles (HOU) -- Tue-TEX (Wilson), Sun-BOS (Beckett)
Jo-Jo Reyes (TOR) -- Tue-PIT (Correia), Sun-PHI (Lee)
Zach Stewart (TOR) -- Mon-@DET (Scherzer), Sat-PHI (Halladay)
Mitch Talbot (CLE) -- Mon-@ARI (Kennedy), Sun-@CIN (Leake)
Javier Vazquez (FLA) -- Tue-@OAK (Gonzalez), Sun-@TEX (Wilson)

One-start sleepers:
Phil Coke (DET) -- Wed-NYM (Capuano)
Matt Harrison (TEX) -- Thu-@HOU (Rodriguez)
Cory Luebke (SD) -- Sat-@SEA (Fister)
Dustin Moseley (SD) -- Fri-@SEA (Vargas)
Chris Narveson (MIL) -- Sat-@MIN (Pavano)
Ivan Nova (NYY) -- Sat-@NYM (Gee)
Josh Outman (OAK) -- Sat-ARI (Saunders)
Felipe Paulino (KC) -- Tue-@SD (Richard)

 

[HacheMan]

Uggla Ugly in Atlanta
Uggla's numbers looking ugly plus injury news headline the Week That Was.


Dan Uggla: The good news is that Dan Uggla had a good game Saturday going 2-3 with a homer and 4 RBI. The bad news is that he is hitting an atrocious .180. What fantasy lessons can be learned here? First, players going to new teams are often saddled with huge expectations. Many press and fail to live up to those expectations in their first year. Yes, there are exceptions (see Gonzalez, Adrian) but avoidance of risk is a key factor in roto. Getting burned on your early draft picks or big money auction acquisitions means a bad summer for you. Uggla simply carried too much risk. Post script -- it is also a risky proposition to grab a guy after a career year. Yes, it may be a new norm, but a career year is more likely to be an outlier. With Uggla, who had hit .240, .260, .243, his 2010 average of .287 looked to be a major outlier. Stated another way, he was a major risk of a batting average free fall. That risk has come home to roost.


Delmon Young: In bad news for the Twins and his fantasy owners, Delmon Young landed on the dl with a sprained right ankle. While it is true that Young has been pretty bad so far with a .259 batting average with only two homers, he was heating up. Last year he arrived hitting .299 with 21 HR and 112 RBI. He is not going to have that kind of year, but he is a good bet to post above expectations numbers in the season's final two months. At just 24 with 5 years of big league experience, Young is still way undervalued on the talent scale. If you need a late summer jolt, Young could be your man. Stash him cheaply now if you can.


Tom Gorzelanny: Tom Gorzelanny tossed seven innings of one-run ball Saturday but lost because well, the Nats don't hit. I have always like Gorzo's talent and I am not alone. He is not a great bet for wins on the Nats, but he does pitch in a pitcher's park, will get to face the Mets and the Marlins a lot, and had 25K in his last 22 innings before landing on the DL in May. This 28 year old lefty is undervalued. Buy if you can.


Shin-Soo Choo: In a nightmare season getting worse, Shin-Soo Choo broke his left thumb and will be out at least six weeks. Fantasy lesson here -- sometimes there is nothing you can do about bad luck. Take my home league for example. I own Choo. He is in his prime, has played full seasons for three years in a row and posted consistent speed/power stats. There simply was no way to know he would fall off of a cliff and then get hurt on the way down. Now, I am not saying I would have won the venerable Mercer Street league this year if Choo stayed healthy, I am just saying that with Pujols, Zimmerman, and Choo missing huge chunks of time, there is no way to win. Sometimes, you can make good moves and they don't work out. Stick to the fundamentals (SMART baseball) and you will finish "in the money" far more often that not.


Matt Harrison: Matt Harrison proved the value of matchup managing in roto, by tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the offensively challenged team from Flushing. After a few bumps, Harrison has righted the ship and given up just one earned run in each of his last three starts. Watching this kid pitch, you know he is a good one. The big, hard throwing lefty has a 3.00 ERA and 1.26 WHIP so far. Considering that he will get the A's, Angels and Mariners much of the way down the stretch, he is a good investment for teams planning for the pennant drive this year.


Jason Bay: The good news is that Bay went 3-4 Friday and as of Friday, had hit .378 over a nine game span. The bad news is that he has shown NO POWER at all. Indeed, Bay has 3 HR and 15 RBI on the season. Those are numbers fit for a part time "punch and judy" shortstop or backup catcher, not a big money slugger. If you ever needed proof of the "it is too risky to invest in big money players on new major league teams" principle, think Jason Bay. At this point, I think it is clear that he will not hit with the Mets in that park and needs to be moved. Unless he is traded, you should stay far far away.


Evan Longoria: Evan Longoria is finally coming out of it. Friday, he hit a two-run jack and had a third RBI in the win over Houston. There is nothing in the number trends that says Longoria is back. However, he is a star entering his prime on a very good offensive team. He also plays a very weak position. If you can get him at a discount, do it. He will have a very good summer in Florida.


Josh Beckett: Josh Beckett's next scheduled start has been pushed back again. This time until Tuesday (reportedly because of a nasty flu). Remarkably, there are still many out there who are not Beckett believers. Forget about the fact that Beckett has won two world series. Forget about the fact that he is throwing in the mid 90s. Forget about the fact that he is just 30. People just seem to think he will fall. Encourage that nonsense and grab Beckett now. His 1.86 ERA and 0.92 WHIP may not be sustainable, but great ratios, wins on a Boston team that hits and hits and strong K numbers are there for the taking. Do it.


Eric Thames: Reversing a move that should not have been made in the first place, the Jays recalled Eric Thames from AAA. While people still think of Thames as a benchwarmer, grab him. He has raked at AAA and with his .286 average in Toronto, proven he can hit in the big leagues. Buy.


Josh Hamilton: In a story I repeat here just because it amazes me, Josh Hamilton reportedly attributes his struggles during day games to his blue eyes. Hmmm, maybe the Cubs, who play more day games than any other team, have had too many blue eyed players over the last 100+ years and that is why they have not won? Um, no.


And last but not least, Schultz Says: "Playing Time. In leagues where the talent is spread thin, those two words signify the lifeblood of your chances for roto-success. It makes no difference that you own Albert Pujols for the next few weeks as he amasses no statistics while sitting on the bench. As your league's trading deadline approaches, pay heed to statements that concern "get him some rest," "lose playing time" or "moving into a platoon." The greatest roto-catchers of all time have been those that don't catch - i.e. have catcher eligibility but play daily at first base (Carlos Santana, of late) or designated hitter (Victor Martinez) - for the simple reason that they play everyday.

It may not feel like it while they are dragging your team to the bottom of the standings but the best thing that can happen for a struggling hitter is that he remains in the lineup. You don't fix your swing by sitting on the bench. Terry Collins has to constantly deflect rumors that he's moving Jason Bay into a platoon, Eric Wedge is about to convert Chone Figgins into a role player, Dexter Fowler might abandon switch hitting while he watches Charles Blackmon become the player he should have become and since Jack Hannahan's deal with the devil has apparently expired, he's spending time watching Orlando Cabrera learn a new position, namely his. Anyone hoping for a second half resurgence from an underperforming hitter isn't going to get it if they aren't on the field. Pay attention to what managers are saying in their press conferences and act accordingly.

A bit of a no-brainer but pay attention to what they are doing as well. Before his abrupt resignation, Edwin Rodriguez moved last year's surprise roto-studlet Omar Infante from second to eighth in the batting order. While this didn't affect his batting average - in fact, he started hitting better from the eight hole - Infante's peripheral numbers suffered. Runs scored diminished as the pitchers hitting behind him don't generate the same RBI potential as Gaby Sanchez or Mike Stanton and he was less likely to get the green light with a weak hitter up at the plate. I fear that Ozzie Guillen will have more diabolical plans in store for Gordon Beckham than a drop to ninth if he doesn't start hitting soon. Roto-owners that were counting on solid production from the Sox 2B may not lift a finger to stop him.

This leads to a non-roto baseball question: in a world where we follow Kardashians, Ice T and Playboy models around with cameras 24/7, why aren't ESPN or HBO recording Ozzie Guillen on a never-ending loop?"


Response: I would love to see the all Ozzie channel. Good stuff on playing time but I would add another note -- sometimes a quick break gives players the time to recharge their batteries and get back to form. It is not always easy to discern but keep that in mind.

 

[HacheMan]

Choo On Wrong Side of Tracks
Adding insult to injury, Shin-Soo Choo broke his thumb. His fractured left thumb (and subsequent surgery) will keep him out at least six weeks, which is too bad. Just another thing not going right for Choo - he might be a good bounce-back pickup next year at this point. Travis Buck is up to play a little, in case the deep-leaguers are wondering.

But the doctor also had bad news for others. Alex Rodriguez won't miss time like Choo, but he admitted that he is playing through a sore right knee right now. Add that to his shoulder issue and you realize what it's like to get older. He'll end up with fine numbers, but he'll also miss time with aches and pains. We only know about the drama, but Jose Tabata was carted off the field after a quad injury Sunday. It looked bad enough to assume that he'll miss a good amount of time. The newly recalled Alex Presley might split time with Matt Diaz and Garrett Jones to make up for Tabata's lost time. Rafael Furcal won't move to second base, his coach says. He's also still out until early July, so Dee Gordon is deep-league relevant for now. Delmon Young is on the DL dealing with a sprained right ankle that had him carted off the field. Bad year getting worse.

Not all news from the doctor was bad news. David Wright was cleared for baseball activities recently, and over the weekend his GM and manager admitted he might be back as soon as the first game after the All-Star break. Denard Span has been concussion-free for two straight days of workouts and should be back soon. Good thing Jason Kubel is not quite bak from his foot injury, or Ben Revere's run would be over any day. Oh - Kubel should hit a rehab assignment this week most likely. Time to root for a trade if you own Revere. Brian Roberts made it through his first concussion-symptom-free day of workouts, which was a nice step forward. Martin Prado is making significant progress back from his staph infection and his team hopes he'll return before the All-Star break. Matt LaPorta will join his team this weekend and might even be activated then. Somebody is happy about that.

* Pitchers did not escape the doctor's wrath either. He's been talking about retiring, but let's just wait for the doctors to work on him. Roy Oswalt is at least out until August while he deals with the back. Still, the team would welcome him back at that point, so don't drop him. John Danks had been doing better recently (against weaker offenses), but now he's got a strained oblique and will hit the DL for the first time in his career. More news coming. Another lefty, Jonathan Sanchez is on the DL with left biceps tendinitis. He might be taking a team-sanctioned break to try and corral the walks. Aaron Harang's foot is going to keep him out until after the All-Star break. He'll return and be useful in about half of his starts. Jon Niese struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings while keeping the Rangers to two runs, continuing his run of surprising performances. He also left the start early for a rapid heartbeat issue. Most of the team expects it to be a non-issue.

* Some of the weekend's pitching gave hints about future performance, perhaps. Madison Bumgarner had the velocity and the swinging strikes but not the results. Sunday he fanned a career-high 11 batters in seven one-run innings over the Indians. He's worth owning in all leagues going forward. Chris Narveson is a borderline guy, but he struck out seven twins and gave up only two runs in 6 2/3 innings. He can strike guys out and has enough upside to be a great spot-start away from home, where his average ground-ball rate won't be as much of a factor. Cory Luebke doesn't have great minor league stats, but as a reliever he's shown that he can hang with big leaguers so far this season. He made his first start of the season against the Braves and kept the mediocre offense scoreless, striking out six. Luebke is a fringe starter in deep leagues until he proves he can keep the ball on the ground regularly and that some of the strikeout gains he's made are for real, but he's already worth a spot start in most leagues. Kyle McClellan was a mediocre reliever, and now, after allowing five runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Blue Jays, maybe more will see how he's really a mediocre starter at best. Brad Penny gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings - against the Diamondbacks. He'll continue to be a decent spot-start. Alexi Ogando gave up three earned (six total) in three innings Saturday. It was the Mets and he's already hit a career-high in innings. Watch out.

Once in a while I get a question about why I didn't include an excellent start from a top-line pitcher over the weekend. For example, Clayton Kershaw and Jered Weaver teaming up for an excellent duel on Sunday. Kershaw pitched a shutout for the win with 11 strikeouts, and Weaver struck out four, walked one, and gave up one run in seven innings. Or Justin Verlander striking out 14 against one walk in eight shutout innings Saturday. Or Roy Halladay throwing a complete game against the A's. Or Ricky Romero throwing his second career shutout against the decimated Cards offense. Or even Trevor Cahill going seven-plus and giving up one run against the Phillies. But you know what? It's a little too much like 'excellent pitcher was excellent.' There's not a ton of fantasy knowledge to be gained from that sort of performance.

* And then, of course, were the fool's gold pitching performances of the weekend. Some looked good but weren't really good. Philip Humber has been doing 'pretty good.' He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and all was awesome. Then Danny Espinosa hit a two-run home run and he lost the game. He only struck out four and walked three, though, and that's another good reason to be suspicious. Dillon Gee got his eight win by holding the Rangers to three runs in six innings, but he only struck out one and gave up ten baserunners. Overall, he doesn't have enough strikeout stuff, is only marginally more likely to induce ground balls than your average starter, and has been getting lucky on batted balls. He's due for some regression. You might like the fact that J.A. Happ struck out eight Rays, even if he gave up five runs in five innings. Well, move on. He's got a mediocre strikeout rate, a bad walk rate, and is an extreme fly-ball pitcher in a home-run happy park. Yuck. Livan Hernandez struck out nine White Sox in 6 2/3 innings! He's still mediocre in all of his rates and is only ownable if league-average is useful. Andrew Miller struck out four, walked two, and held the Pirates to one earned in six innings. It was the Pirates, though, and his run of success has been short. Remain cynical.

Some looked bad but weren't bad. Derek Holland gave up seven runs and didn't strike out a batter against the Mets. Then again, only three were earned. He's still a four-pitch lefty with a legit fastball, so don't give up on him in deeper keeper leagues. Redrafts might be able to move on. Homer Bailey returned from the DL and gave up five runs in five innings, but struck out five (against two walks) and still has decent upside.

But some were bad and are bad. Ivan Nova gave up four runs in six innings to the Rockies, but it's not bad luck. He's deserved every bit of his mediocre ratios. His opponent, Juan Nicasio, also allowed four runs (in five innings), but he only walked one and has excellent control. If he can strike out a few more going forward (only two Sunday), he can overcome his poor ground-ball rate.

* How about some work with the wood? Joey Votto hit two home runs Saturday. Where you sleeping on him? Jimmy Rollins went four for four Sunday and is a top-twelve shortstop in any setting. Dan Uggla had two home runs since Friday. And two hitless days. Sounds about right. Jason Heyward doubled twice Saturday and is doing pretty good since his return from the DL. B.J. Upton homered three times in three days over the weekend and looks like he can be the modern Mike Cameron in many ways. Teammate Evan Longoria had been slumping, but he got rid of his batting gloves for the first time since his rookie year and racked up eight hits (three home runs) over the weekend. If you can buy low, it's still worth it even if the price went up a little. Eric Hosmer is an excellent prospect for the future. This year, he'll have his ups and downs. After a bad couple of weeks, he collected a couple of hits Sunday and will end up being a great bench play in mixed leagues, most likely. Geovany Soto is being dropped here and there, but his three-for-three with a home run Sunday should remind you why he will still end up being a top-twelve catcher over the rest of the year.

More marginal position players came through as well. Tsuyoshi Nishioka collected two hits Sunday and might just BABIP his way into a decent batting average and enough steals to be useful in many leagues. Jeff Keppinger has no power, but can put up a good batting average at multiple positions and has been getting playing time. He hit a home run Sunday. Ty Wigginton has power but won't ever put up a good batting average. How about going three-for-four with two solo home runs against the Yankees to solidify his playing time at third base, though? Conor Jackson had three hits Sunday and is playing every day, right? In the right league, that means something.

* You can't go through a weekend without checking in on the bullpens. Joakim Soria saved two games over the weekend, and struck out four in two innings. Yeah he's back. Jordan Walden blew his fifth save of the season and it was at least partially due to his iffy control. That's something he'll deal with his whole career, but he's been good enough that he's earned himself the leash to get through this. Mark Melancon hit his first speed bump as a closer, as he gave up five runs while getting four outs. It wasn't a great day but there's not much else in that pen. He should get a few more chances to blow games before he's out. Jonathan Broxton was supposed to be the next closer in Los Angeles after being the last closer there, but he was scratched from a rehab appearance in Triple-A and his status is up in the air right now. Javy Guerra for the short-term, it seems. Ryan Madson will attempt to throw Monday or Tuesday! Huzzah!

National League Quick Hits: Hanley Ramirez might be in the leadoff spot to stay, says his new manager … Tommy Hanson (shoulder) has been cleared to start Tuesday … Chase Headley (shoulder) returned to the lineup after missing two games … Jay Bruce just missed Sunday with some sort of flu-like illness … You have to have noticed that Miguel Montero (three hits Sunday) is worth owning in all leagues, I hope … Mike Fontenot (groin) begins his rehab Monday and might be interesting if his team continues to give him time at shortstop … Brandon Belt (hand) will take batting practice Monday … James McDonald didn't give up an earned run, and struck out five in six innings against the Red Sox; He might still blow up against the Nationals next time out, what do we know … Chris Volstad held the Mariners to two runs in 6 2/3 innings and has been using his ground-balling ways to be a spot-start for al title bit now … He's been out for a while, but Pedro Alvarez (quad) had another setback and is not going to be back before the All-Star break … Lucas Duda had four hits (three doubles) Saturday and might get some NL-only type of time while Ike Davis is out … Joe Saunders allowed one run in seven innings giants the Tigers, but if you're reading here you know he's not very useful in most leagues … The Giants are looking to acquire Yorvit Torrealba but need some help on next year's contract before they pull the trigger … The Brewers are once again considering calling up all-bat no-glove Mat Gamel for some interleague games … Marcus Thames (calf) will avoid the disabled list … Tony Gwynn Jr. won the game against the Angels with a walk-off single but doesn't have enough power or defense and consequently doesn't play enough to matter in most leagues … Kerry Wood (blister) is not close to returning.

American League Quick Hits: Jake Peavy struck out seven in four scoreless and won his first career relief appearance; He makes for a good waiver pickup, but not a trade acquisition because of his injury risk … Jeff Niemann only lasted three innings against the Astros and was only a marginal pitcher before he strained his shoulder since (and barely even a spot-starter since) … Justin Masterson gave up one unearned run and did what was expected of him against the Giants … On the other hand, Fausto Carmona had his rotation spot on the line and gave up three runs in six innings to the Giants; Meh, as usual … There's no way to decide when he'll be unlucky or lucky - Jeremy Guthrie had a mediocre start (four walks, six hits, four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings) and won this time … It wasn't the greatest start - five runs on five strikeouts in six innings - but Carl Pavano only walked one and and got more ground balls then fly balls … Phil Hughes (arm) hit 94 on the gun Friday but will need a few more starts … He's still going to avoid the DL, and Torii Hunter played catch, ran and took some dry swings Sunday so he's close to a return … Juan Pierre collected two hits Sunday and might just ugly his way into a useful season … Juan Rivera hit a three-run home run Saturday and is doing pretty much the same thing on the power side … He won't have a good batting average, but J.P. Arencibia homered in the Jays win Sunday and will continue to show good power … Carlos Guillen (knee) is going to begin a rehab assignment shortly … In related news, Rich Harden (shoulder) should be activated in the next week-plus, role TBD … Luke Hochevar allowed three runs and ten baserunners in 5 2/3 innings against the Cubs and is always a risky play in any format … Brian Matusz will remain in the rotation because his team needs to see what they've got, even if Saturday (six earned in four-plus against the Reds) wasn't good … Carlos Peguero got two hits Saturday against the Marlins, but his K/BB ratio suggests that he's not a good play in any league.

 

[HacheMan]

Trends: Wigginton Bonanza
SURGING

Ty Wigginton, 1B/2B/3B, COL

Stats: .333 avg (9-for-27) with six homers and nine RBI in his last seven games entering a Monday afternoon matchup with the Cubs.

Bottom line: Wigginton appeared in this column a few weeks ago, so hopefully he made his way into your lineup prior to this recent power binge. I do expect him to cool off at some point given how freely he's swinging (just one walk in his last 10 games), but he's obviously a must-start these days and has a legit chance to surpass his career-high of 24 homers playing in Colorado.

Will Venable, OF, SD

Stats: .375 avg (9-for-24) with a homer, three RBI and two steals in his last eight games entering a Monday night matchup with Kansas City.

Bottom line: Still boasting a healthy 13 steals despite spending more than two weeks in the minors, Venable is back atop the San Diego batting order after finally connecting on his first homer of the season last week. Notably streaky last season and widely available in fantasy leagues (three percent owned in Yahoo), he's worth a look at the moment to see if he can unleash a power-speed outburst in the near future.

Cory Luebke, SP, SD

Stats: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's in his first start of the season on Sunday.

Bottom line: The 26-year-old lefty showcased a plus fastball and excellent command against the Braves on Sunday, and with a 2.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 49/17 K/BB ratio and .170 BAA in 44.0 innings on the season, he looks like a promising consideration for those in need of a starter in mixed leagues.

Chris Heisey, OF, CIN

Stats: .333 avg (7-for-21) with three homers and six RBI in his last four games entering a Monday night matchup with the Rays.

Bottom line: As you probably recall, Heisey did most of his recent damage during that memorable three-homer game last week. He's still not a must-add in mixed leagues at this point, but eight homers in just 144 at-bats makes him worth watching closely if he can seize the left field job for good.

Follow me on Twitter: @MattStroup

Chris Capuano, SP, NYM

Stats: 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 32/9 K/BB ratio in his last six starts (37.0 IP).

Bottom line: Capuano has had the benefit of facing some pretty weak offenses lately (including Pittsburgh twice and Oakland once), but that doesn't change the fact that he has looked outstanding since an ugly outing at Yankee Stadium back on May 21 (5.1 IP, 6 ER, 4 HR allowed). Owned in just nine percent of Yahoo leagues, he's a useful mixed league spot starter in the right matchup.

STRUGGLING

Charles Blackmon, OF, COL

Stats: 2-for-23 with no RBI and no steals in his last seven games.

Bottom line: It's been pretty ugly for the Rockies' rookie since a 13-for-24, five-steal stretch that landed him in the "surging" section of this column last week. I remain encouraged by the fact that Blackmon is still making a lot of contact (just one strikeout in his last eight games and only four strikeouts in 62 at-bats on the season), so there's reason to hope he can break out of this slump soon.

Drew Stubbs, OF, CIN

Stats: 4-for-32 with one homer, two steals, no walks and 10 strikeouts in his last eight games prior to a Monday night matchup with the Rays.

Bottom line: Stubbs' homers (11), steals (22) and runs (54) all make him a very valuable fantasy option, but his lack of consistent contact (a major league-leading 105 strikeouts) also renders him wildly streaky (and pretty frustrating when things are going badly). With that said, now is a good time to float an offer in the direction of a frustrated owner in anticipation of Stubbs inevitably heating back up.

Editor's Note: For exclusive columns, rankings, projections and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Season Pass.

Adam Dunn, 1B, CWS

Stats: 2-for-26 with no homers, one walk and 16 strikeouts in his last seven games; .173 avg on the season.

Bottom line: We have yet to address the truly surreal subject of Dunn's miserably awful season in this column, but after Sunday's 0-for-4, four-strikeout game (Dunn's third time striking out four times in a game this year), the topic is practically begging to be addressed. If there's a positive to be gleaned here, it's that Dunn was showing signs of finding his swing a couple of weeks ago, going 3-for-12 with two homers and six RBI during a four-game series against Oakland, but he lost playing time (and momentum) with no DH during an interleague series in Arizona and has been virtually useless again ever since. It's still not too late for Dunn to wake up (and heat up), but with 16 strikeouts in his last 26 at-bats, there's no sign that it's going to be happening any time soon.

 

[HacheMan]

Danny Espinosa among many worthy Nats

Eric Karabell

Welcome back to the big leagues, Davey Johnson! You're the new manager of the Washington Nationals! A few months ago, someone as accomplished as Johnson probably would have scoffed at leading this type of franchise. But after 13 wins in 15 games, the Nationals are like the Ricky Vaughn-led Cleveland Indians team from the movie "Major League": They're contenders!


OK, so perhaps the Nationals won't end up in the postseason, but there are plenty of reasons to like this organization, even before we start talking about Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg and the enticing future, including from a fantasy perspective. Consider that in 2010 there weren't many valuable Nationals. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was solid (and healthy!) and Adam Dunn hit his home runs, but a mere two players in the top 175 on the Player Rater does not a strong fantasy franchise make.


Things are quite a bit better now, and let's just say Johnson has plenty to work with. Let's analyze from a fantasy perspective, and look ahead with the Nationals.

First at second base: No second baseman in baseball has more home runs than Danny Espinosa. His two-run whack in the seventh inning Sunday scored all the runs the Nationals needed, and he's picking the right times to homer as well; Since June 12, he has four home runs and 10 RBIs, with a .455 batting average -- from the seventh inning on. By the way, he's a rookie. This looks statistically a bit like the old Dan Uggla, before 2010 (and 2011), of course. Espinosa seems incapable of hitting for a high batting average -- he strikes out quite a bit (on pace for 145) -- but a 30-100 season is possible. Also, he steals bases. Incredibly, he's not 100 percent owned, so check your free-agent list. I see him finishing with roughly 25-27 home runs, 16 stolen bases and a .240 batting average, the latter of which you can overcome.


Safe for saves: Remember early April when left-hander Sean Burnett upset the closer apple cart by saving a few games? Drew Storen, also known as that other first-rounder in the Strasburg draft, was supposed to close, but former manager Jim Riggleman wanted to temper the expectations, and see more velocity. Storen's numbers have always been strong, as he's fantasy's No. 3 relief pitcher on the Player Rater, just a tad behind Joel Hanrahan and Brian Wilson. The Nationals don't score a ton of runs, and that tends to lead to more save opportunities for closers on those teams. We like that. By the way, it's not just Storen rockin' the bullpen; the unhittable Tyler Clippard is having another terrific season, but sans the victories. He's one strikeout off the big league lead for relievers, and nobody has more holds.


More, more, Morse!: Yes, I was all over the Mike Morse bandwagon this past winter; I drafted the fellow on multiple teams. And when Morse hit .211 with one home run in April, I stuck with the guy despite evidence he didn't look like much. Would I have stuck with Morse in a standard (10-team) league? Probably not. Luckily, I play in numerous deep leagues! Morse is hitting .300 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs. A right-handed hitter, he's doing his best work against right-handed pitching, and he's eligible at outfield and first base, the positional beneficiary of the Adam LaRoche injury. Look, Morse shouldn't hit .300 much longer; he's on pace for 29 walks and his BABIP is awfully high (.344). However, I never expected even a .275 batting average. The power, though, is legit, and I see him flirting with 32-35 home runs.


Ace No. 2: Like the San Francisco Giants with Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, I don't expect Jordan Zimmermann to get a whole lot of attention once Strasburg returns. Heck, Zimmermann isn't the most talked about fellow now, despite a 2.85 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Now in his second year post-Tommy John surgery, Zimmermann is the pitcher I'd name first if you're concerned about innings limits (Michael Pineda would be next). The Nationals don't want Zimmermann topping 160 innings this season, which means he probably won't be helping fantasy owners in September, but there's no reason to avoid him for the next two months. Zimmermann tossed seven shutout innings over the weekend, though that earned him a no-decision; his last bad outing came in April. Don't avoid the pitchers with pending reduced workloads -- enjoy them while you can, even if for only 10-12 more starts.


Other thoughts: There's little question outfielder Roger Bernadina can steal bases, and he possesses some pop, but can he continue hitting .282? I'd say he's a borderline own for standard leagues right now. … Laynce Nix might hit 20 home runs, but there's definite batting average regression on the way. He was hitting .300 a few weeks ago; by mid-July he might be down to .250. Be wary, choose Bernadina first. … I'm using John Lannan in an NL-only format, but the truth is he's viable only in home games. Lannan sports a 1.81 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at Nationals Park. You don't want him active on the road (5.23 ERA). Same with right-hander Livan Hernandez (2.48 ERA at home, 5.13 ERA on the road) … I'm not owning Wilson Ramos yet, unless it's a multi-catcher format. He's hit .195 since May 1. Trading Ivan Rodriguez to open up at-bats won't help. … Finally, Jayson Werth owners are whining, but the guy is on pace for a 20/20 season. I could see him hitting .275 in any month, too. Hey, he could be Adam Dunn.

 

[HacheMan]

Chisenhall Gets the Call
Another day, another top prospect makes his way to the major leagues.

After scoring just four runs in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Giants over the weekend, the offense-starved Indians called up top prospect third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall before Monday's game against the Diamondbacks. The 22-year-old responded by going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI single in his major league debut.

Chisenhall never had eye-popping numbers on the minor league level, including a .265 batting average and .779 OPS over 65 games with Triple-A Columbus this season, but his promotion is worth a shot when Indians' third basemen have combined to bat just .220 with a .634 OPS this season. Jack Hannahan began the season as the starter, but is hitting just .180 since the start of May.

There's a chance Manny Acta will sit Chisenhall against tough left-handed starters, as he had a .200 batting average in 75 at-bats against southpaws at Triple-A this season, but otherwise he should be the starting third baseman on most nights. I wouldn't bank on Chisenhall having value in mixed leagues right away, but the third base eligibility certainly helps his cause. He's at least worth securing in AL-only formats.

While we wait for the next top prospect to get the call to the majors, here are some more news and notes from around a light Monday in the baseball world.

- Contrary to earlier indications from the team, Mariners manager Eric Wedge said Sunday that rookie right-hander Michael Pineda will not have a strict innings limit this season. Instead, they plan to "manage his game-to-game pitch count and inning-to-inning pitch count."

Pineda has quickly emerged as a must-start in mixed leagues this season by posting a 2.45 ERA and 94/27 K/BB ratio over his first 15 major league starts, but he already has 95 2/3 innings under his belt. The 22-year-old is currently on pace to throw 200 innings this season after throwing 139 1/3 innings between Double-A West Tennessee and Triple-A Tacoma last season.

If that sounds like a scary innings-jump to you, you're not alone. Wedge has likely softened in his stance because the Mariners are surprisingly competitive in the AL West, but I wonder if his tune will change if they eventually fall out of things. Considering what we've seen from Mat Latos this season following a huge innings-jump last year, it's probably the best thing that could happen to Pineda for the long-term. In short, don't assume anything in fantasy leagues.

- Angels closer Jordan Walden is going through some tough times right now.

The hard-throwing rookie gave up a game-tying solo homer to Danny Espinosa on Monday night against the Nationals, blowing his third consecutive save and sixth in 23 chances.

Walden has a 3.12 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 34 2/3 innings this season, but he has also walked 17 batters. On the bright side, Monday's homer was the first he has given up all season long. It's unlikely he'll be pulled from the role and if he is, it will only be for a short period of time, but Scott Downs would be worth adding if Mike Scioscia wants to give him a few days to clear his head.

- Brian McCann hit his eighth home run of the month in Monday's win over the Mariners. He now has 14 home runs of his first 70 games this season, which is incredible when you realize that he had just two home runs over his first 38 games.

McCann hasn't hit as many as 24 home runs since his first full season in 2006, but he's now a near-lock to establish a new-career high if he stays healthy. It's hard to say he's not the best offensive catcher in the game -- both in fantasy and real life -- at the moment.

NL Quick Hits: Martin Prado (staph infection) could be cleared to begin running soon … Carlos Gonzalez homered twice Monday and is batting .344 this month … Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena both hit two homers in Monday's win over the Rockies … Matt Kemp had four of the Dodgers' 25 hits in a 15-0 rout of the Twins on Monday night … Pedro Alvarez (quad, neck) began his rehab assignment Monday with the GCL Pirates … Jonathan Broxton underwent an MRI on his right elbow Monday … Stephen Strasburg (elbow) tossed 20 fastballs in a bullpen session Monday without any issues … Jay Bruce (illness) singled in his return to the starting lineup Monday … Jason Heyward batted leadoff for the first time in his career Monday night … The Cardinals activated David Freese and Nick Punto from the disabled list Monday … The Astros are unlikely to trade Hunter Pence this season … Danny Espinosa and Michael Morse both hit their 15th homers of the season Monday night … Nick Hundley is likely out until Friday with a sore right elbow … Mike Leake tossed six shutout frames in Monday's win over the Rays … The Brewers called up Mat Gamel on Monday for their upcoming interleague series against the Yankees and Twins … Hiroki Kuroda is drawing early trade interest … Ryan Hanigan (back) hopes to return to the starting lineup Wednesday … Cubs manager Mike Quade said Monday that Kerry Wood (blister) is improving and is a week or so away from returning from the disabled list … Chien-Ming Wang (shoulder) allowed two runs over three innings Monday in his first minor league rehab start with Class A Hagerstown … The Brewers designated Sergio Mitre for assignment …

AL Quick Hits: Derek Jeter (calf) jogged Monday for the first time since being placed on the disabled list … Joe Mauer took grounders at first base prior to Monday's game against the Dodgers … Shin-Soo Choo had his broken left thumb examined by Dr. Thomas Graham on Monday … Torii Hunter (ribs) entered Monday's game as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning and could return to the starting lineup Tuesday … Bartolo Colon (hamstring) threw a four-inning simulated game Monday and could return as soon as this weekend against the Mets … Denard Span is making progress from his concussion, but continues to deal with fatigue … With Kyle Davies (shoulder) expected to return from the disabled list this weekend, the Royals will implement a six-man rotation … Jesse Litsch (shoulder) will need at least two more rehab starts before returning from the disabled list … Edwin Encarnacion is day-to-day with a lower back strain … Kevin Slowey (abdominal strain) will throw 50 pitches Wednesday in his second minor league rehab appearance with High-A Fort Myers … The Yankees will skip Brian Gordon in the starting rotation this week … Alex White (finger) played long-toss Monday at a distance of 75 feet … Pedro Feliciano (shoulder) made 15 soft throws off a bullpen mound Monday … Angels' 2011 first-round pick C.J. Cron will attempt to put off shoulder surgery in order to make his professional debut this summer … The Indians designated Adam Everett for assignment …

 

[HacheMan]

Five most underrated fantasy starters

Apparently, it's not just beauty that's in the eye of the beholder; fantasy value also fits nicely in that idiom.

Let me share with you a story from my longtime 14-team, mixed points-based league -- one that I reference occasionally in chats. In this league, teams can make trades freely, but in the event of an objectionable deal, we don't poll the league as a whole; we appoint at the draft a three-man "trade committee," the committee's job to rule on the relative fairness of any controversial deal in the event two or more owners raise an objection to it. I'm a member of this committee this season.


This league has seen a controversial deal or two, both in seasons past and this, but it was the strangest deal that became the first in 2011 to go to the committee:


Ian Kinsler for Jordan Zimmermann.


Without looking up any facts, take a second and think about where you'd stand on that particular trade. What's your gut instinct on that one? Or, to steal that favorite-with-chatters-though-not-with-me phrase, is that trade fair in a vacuum?


Kinsler is a perennial fantasy favorite, having been selected fourth-highest at his position and 45th overall in ESPN live drafts (average draft position: 45.0). In this particular league, he was the fourth-most expensive second baseman and 44th-most expensive player overall ($23, league cap is $260).

Zimmermann, meanwhile, is 25 years old, has a Tommy John surgery on his résumé and all of 38 big league starts under his belt. He was the 60th starting pitcher and 236th starting pitcher off the board in ESPN drafts (ADP: 215.0), and in this league, he cost a mere $9, cheaper than 52 other starting pitchers.


Those are the perceptions. Now let's check the facts.


Kinsler seems like a fantasy stud, but in six big league seasons he has made six trips to the disabled list, each of them for an entirely different injury. His batting average varies wildly, in three of the past five years finishing at .280 or higher but twice ending up beneath .270, and this year he's hitting .235. And that bears out in a points league: In this particular league, he has finished the year with the 25th-, 14th-, fifth-, fourth- and 21st-most points among second basemen, working forward from 2006. This season he's eighth, despite having stayed healthy all year.


Zimmermann, meanwhile, might have nowhere near the track record of even a still-somewhat-young player like Kinsler, who just turned 29, but thanks to a 10-quality-start streak, has vaulted himself to 46th among starting pitchers in that league. The fact that resonates best: During a near-eight-week stretch from May 1-June 24, Zimmerman actually outscored Kinsler by 100 points in this league, 334-234.


Other than the obvious decision to approve the trade, I came to this realization: Kinsler is an overrated fantasy player, and Zimmermann is significantly underrated.


And that got me thinking: Who else is underrated in fantasy? Who are the pitchers who, despite outing after outing of valuable numbers, seem to suffer from unfair past perceptions? That's where today's column comes in.


Today, I present the five most underrated starting pitchers in fantasy. These are in no other order than how underrated I feel they are; and recognize, of course, that this is one man's opinion, so maybe the order changes in your particular league.


One thing a list like this can do: help identify bargain candidates on the trade market. Heck, some might even be free agents in your league!

Stauffer



Tim Stauffer, San Diego Padres: He was a favorite sleeper both of mine and many of the sabermetric minds out there in the preseason, and after a so-so start to the season that was somewhat matchups-driven (@STL, SF, CIN were his first three assignments), he has rattled off 10 quality starts in his past 13 turns. During that time, Stauffer's ERA is 2.79, WHIP 1.10 and he has averaged 8.04 strikeouts per nine innings, which I'd argue was his most surprising outcome of those three categories. He's owned in a mere 34.4 percent of ESPN leagues -- barely one out of every three! -- a number that has risen by nearly 9 percent since Monday (25.9 percent then) alone, and it should be obvious why he doesn't get a fair shake: He's a San Diego Padre. They're a .438 team and they've averaged 3.46 runs per game, which is bottom-five in the majors.


Owning Stauffer means living with so-so win potential, but if he's sound in the other three, isn't that what's important? Excellence breeds wins. Stauffer is excellent: His two-seam fastball and changeup are good enough to neutralize lefties, he commands them as well as anyone in the game and he uses them to generate grounders 56.7 percent of the time so far in 2011, which enhances his chances of keeping this up.

Vargas



Jason Vargas, Seattle Mariners His is a similar problem to Stauffer's; he's on a Mariners team that provides even less run support (3.42 runs per game) than the Padres. That helps explain how he's available in even more ESPN leagues than Stauffer; he's only spoken for in 13.2 percent, down nearly 7 since Monday (20.1 percent). (Note: Remember that daily ownership percentages can swing by as much as 10 percent based upon distance from the pitcher's next starting assignment; streaming has an impact on these numbers.) Still, if you want to point to a reason for the Mariners' surprising early-season success, you should first look to Felix Hernandez, then Michael Pineda, but after that, you shouldn't wait any longer to heap praise upon Vargas. Did you know this guy is tied for third in the majors in shutouts (2), and has a 3.10 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 10 starts since May 1?


Vargas was profiled in last week's "60 Feet 6 Inches" for his increased use of the slider, but his progress warrants a second mention. He's got a pitching-friendly ballpark helping him, and while his upside isn't as great as Stauffer's, if you're choosy enough with his matchups, he'll be of help all year. Of lesser note in the same rotation: Doug Fister, owned in only 7.4 percent of ESPN leagues.

Baker



Scott Baker, Minnesota Twins: Many people will argue that Baker is the most underrated on this list, and I'd hardly disagree, but the fact that he's owned in 72.7 percent of ESPN leagues -- most of any of these pitchers -- has me thinking there's a growing amount of respect for the right-hander. Still, he's actually started in only 41.1 percent of ESPN leagues, a shockingly low number for a starting pitcher who places only nine spots lower than Zimmermann on our Player Rater. (Another streaming-affects-ownership note: At 41.1 percent, Baker is started in fewer leagues than fellow Wednesday starter Ricky Nolasco, who is active in 59.6 percent.) I've long been a Baker fan; I ranked him among my top 25 starters entering 2009, when all of his numbers were trending significantly upward. A shoulder problem derailed him that year and he never really regained his momentum in either 2009 or 2010, but a couple of things have since changed that have helped restore his fantasy stock: One, the arrival of Target Field, one of the worst homer-hitting venues in baseball, and two, a decrease in his fly-ball rate, which has dropped from 59.4 percent in 2009 to 42.9 so far this year. Baker's strikeout rate thus far is a career-best 8.42 per nine, so there's a lot of room for optimism.

Carrasco



Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians: Four consecutive quality starts resulting in three wins, a 0.61 ERA and 0.78 WHIP have his fantasy ownership percentage soaring, but at 53.9 percent of ESPN leagues, it's still a bit too low for such a skilled hurler. Carrasco might have started the year slowly, like Stauffer, but if you were patient with him -- or watchful of the wire if you dropped him -- you've been pleasantly rewarded since. Carrasco's strengths have been every bit as described when I touted his sleeper status in "30 Questions," and a developing changeup should only help improve his prospects against left-handed hitters, previously his greatest weakness. I said in March I thought Carrasco would top Indians starters in fantasy value. It's June, and he's already almost there.


Zimmermann: He's fifth on the list because he's also the hottest of the five and therefore increasing in stock, but that trade alone -- and I do respect the fact that owners in my mixed league would question his track record -- says all you need to know about his still-underrated status. Since May 1, he's sixth in the majors in ERA (2.08), 19th in WHIP (1.05) and 21st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.79), and his talent backs it up. Remember, he was the No. 14 pitching prospect on Baseball America's Top 100 list entering his rookie year of 2009. There's only one thing to sweat with Zimmermann: a potential innings cap.


Any list of underrated players wouldn't be complete without a list of overrated players, right? These three get way too much credit:

Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds: His career has gone somewhat the way of Oliver Perez's, meaning one exceptional season (2008) but nothing but disappointments in every other year. Even if you want to cut him a break due to August 2009 Tommy John surgery, the numbers simply aren't there in 26 starts since his return: 11 quality starts (42.3 percent!), 5.10 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 5.63 walks-per-nine ratio. He's a WHIP-killer, never having registered a number beneath 1.33 in the category. Volquez has a 4.43 ERA and 4.84 walks-per-nine in four starts since his minor league "refresher" stint, so it's not getting any better.



TOP 100 STARTING PITCHERS

Note: Tristan H. Cockcroft's top 100 starting pitchers are ranked for their expected performance from this point forward, not for statistics that have already been accrued.
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Rnk </CENTER></TH><TH style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom">Player, Team <CENTER></CENTER></TH><TH style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Prev
Rnk </CENTER></TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>1 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Roy Halladay, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>1 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>2 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Felix Hernandez, SEA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>2 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>3 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Justin Verlander, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>3 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>4 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Cole Hamels, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>4 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>5 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jered Weaver, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>5 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Cliff Lee, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Clayton Kershaw, LAD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>8 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>8 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Tim Lincecum, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>9 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">CC Sabathia, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>10 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>10 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jon Lester, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>9 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>11 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">David Price, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>11 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>12 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Zack Greinke, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>12 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>13 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Josh Beckett, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>13 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>14 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Matt Cain, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>14 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>15 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Anibal Sanchez, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>17 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>16 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">James Shields, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>18 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>17 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Tommy Hanson, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>22 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>18 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Yovani Gallardo, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>15 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>19 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Dan Haren, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>16 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>20 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Daniel Hudson, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>21 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>21 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jhoulys Chacin, COL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>20 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>22 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Tim Hudson, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>25 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>23 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Shaun Marcum, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>19 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>24 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Josh Johnson, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>23 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>25 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ubaldo Jimenez, COL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>26 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>26 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ricky Romero, TOR </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>37 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>27 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mat Latos, SD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>24 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>28 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Scott Baker, MIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>30 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>29 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jaime Garcia, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>29 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>30 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ian Kennedy, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>32 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>31 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jordan Zimmermann, WAS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>36 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>32 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jair Jurrjens, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>27 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>33 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Johnny Cueto, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>43 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>34 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">C.J. Wilson, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>31 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>35 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Chris Carpenter, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>33 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>36 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Michael Pineda, SEA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>35 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>37 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Trevor Cahill, OAK </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>41 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>38 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Matt Garza, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>39 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>39 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Gio Gonzalez, OAK </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>42 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>40 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Erik Bedard, SEA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>49 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>41 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Max Scherzer, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>44 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>42 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Wandy Rodriguez, HOU </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>47 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>43 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brandon Beachy, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>67 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>44 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Chad Billingsley, LAD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>40 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>45 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ted Lilly, LAD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>38 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>46 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jeremy Hellickson, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>46 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>47 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Tim Stauffer, SD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>62 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>48 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Bud Norris, HOU </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>51 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>49 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Hiroki Kuroda, LAD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>53 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>50 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Colby Lewis, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>54 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>51 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jonathan Sanchez, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>34 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>52 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brandon Morrow, TOR </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>59 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>53 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Madison Bumgarner, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>50 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>54 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ryan Vogelsong, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>55 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>55 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Clay Buchholz, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>56 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>56 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ryan Dempster, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>57 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>57 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Francisco Liriano, MIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>45 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>58 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ervin Santana, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>60 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>59 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Carrasco, CLE </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>65 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>60 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">A.J. Burnett, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>63 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>61 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brett Myers, HOU </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>64 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>62 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ricky Nolasco, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>58 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>63 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Gavin Floyd, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>61 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>64 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">John Danks, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>52 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>65 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Philip Humber, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>66 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>66 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alexi Ogando, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>48 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>67 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jason Vargas, SEA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>70 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>68 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Zambrano, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>68 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>69 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Bronson Arroyo, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>71 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>70 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Zach Britton, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>72 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>71 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Edwin Jackson, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>79 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>72 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Randy Wolf, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>78 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>73 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jake Peavy, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>83 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>74 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Derek Holland, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>73 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>75 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Kyle Lohse, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>76 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>76 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Justin Masterson, CLE </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>81 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>77 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mike Leake, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>86 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>78 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Dillon Gee, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>77 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>79 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jake Arrieta, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>84 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>80 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Doug Fister, SEA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>85 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>81 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Derek Lowe, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>69 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>82 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jeremy Guthrie, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>80 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>83 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Bartolo Colon, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>82 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>84 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Matt Harrison, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>88 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>85 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carl Pavano, MIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>93 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>86 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mike Pelfrey, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>99 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>87 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Edinson Volquez, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>74 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>88 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Josh Tomlin, CLE </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>90 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>89 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">John Lackey, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>87 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>90 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Kevin Correia, PIT </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>91 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>91 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">James McDonald, PIT </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>92 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>92 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Aaron Harang, SD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>94 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>93 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Freddy Garcia, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>94 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jonathon Niese, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>95 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Chris Narveson, Mil </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>96 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Wade Davis, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>97 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Phil Hughes, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>98 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>98 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jordan Lyles, Hou </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>99 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Felipe Paulino, KC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>100 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ivan Nova, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>




Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins: There have been so many Cy Young-caliber stretches during Liriano's brief big league career, but also so many horrendous cold spells, many of those outlasting the good ones. The perception is that he's a top-25 caliber starter; a 4.98 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 7.59 K's-per-nine in his 13 starts this season say otherwise. Point out his 2.96 ERA in eight starts since May 1, not to mention the two performances of a game score north of 80, if you wish. I'll point out that his Saturday outing was a momentum-killer. I'm not saying that Liriano is without value, rather that he's the scariest of the "top 25 in reputation" starters out there.


Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox: In his case the love is understandable, because we've got all those memories of his Cy Young days in San Diego. The problem is that Peavy is history; this White Sox edition is maybe 75 percent of the Padres version, if that. His White Sox stats: 27 games, 26 starts, 12 quality starts (46.2 percent), 4.14 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 7.78 K's per nine (9.04 as a Padre), four stints on the DL. There's value here, but it's closer to the level of matchups/streaming starter than one you want active every time out.


Three up



Brandon Beachy, Atlanta Braves: He missed 39 days with a strained left oblique, and upon his return didn't skip a beat, despite the Braves rushing him back to their rotation one rehab turn early due to the injury to fellow rotation-mate Tommy Hanson. In his past two starts, Beachy has a 1.50 ERA, has held opponents to a .167 batting average and has whiffed 20 in 12 innings. Two things have made him a breakout star: His slider, which has limited opponents to .180/.342/.238 rates in the 42 plate appearances that have ended with the pitch this year; and his ability to keep the ball down and away, limiting foes to .102/.170/.122 rates in the 53 PAs that ended on a pitch judged "down and outside." That's 23.5 percent of his plate appearances, incidentally, a fairly healthy number. If Beachy can keep that up, he's got top-25 starter potential, and there's an added benefit to his DL time: It greatly enhances his prospects of not needing an innings cap, being that the time off effectively served to keep his workload in check already.


Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds: Had Cueto not missed the first 38 days of the season, might we not be looking at him differently today? Just for fun, let's project his performance to date to the full 80-game season the Reds have played thus far, and see where he might have ranked in some key categories: 9 wins (fifth), 14 quality starts (third), 71 K's (60th). Incidentally, among pitchers with 60-plus innings, his 1.63 ERA leads the majors and his 0.97 WHIP ranks eighth. Most notably, Cueto has answered a significant question addressed in our profile of him in the draft kit: "his ability to work deep into games; he averaged 5.99 innings per start in 2010 and made it into the seventh inning only nine times in 31 starts." This year, he has averaged 6.74 innings per start and has worked into the seventh or later in seven of his nine outings, an extraordinary number for a pitcher who missed so much time on the DL. The primary reason Cueto hasn't soared to top-20 fantasy starter status is the health risk, but he's got that kind of talent.

Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays: He'd have been in my "underrated" list above if I believed he was underrated; but I think I might be the only one "underrating" him. Romero has his backers, and with good reason. He's 12th in the majors in ERA (2.74), 28th in WHIP (1.16) and 16th in strikeouts (96), and he has done it despite the black mark of being a member of the hitting-rich American League East. Here's what's to like about Romero: After fading miserably the second half of his rookie 2009 campaign, he was consistently successful his entire sophomore season of 2010, posting eight wins, a 3.75 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 14 second-half starts. Then, he took another step forward the first half of this year. Romero has understandably earned even more of my trust.


Three down



Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves: In general, no one really expects Lowe to top the Player Rater, or to register any Cy Young votes, but this year's mediocre performance actually warrants some concern. There are two big reasons why: Mike Minor and Julio Teheran, two talented youngsters who are biding their time in Triple-A until a rotation spot opens up. Lowe has now gone three consecutive turns without a quality start, two of those assignments at Houston and at San Diego, both of those favorable on paper. That can't help but frustrate his fantasy owners. This isn't to say Lowe's rotation spot is in imminent jeopardy, and the $15 million he's still owed this and next year might keep the Braves more patient with him, but if you're looking for a "weak link" in Atlanta right now, he's your man.


Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles: The only rational explanation for his struggles is that he's not entirely healthy after missing the first two months of the season with a strained intercostal muscle, because a 6.85 ERA, 1.84 WHIP and zero quality starts in his first five appearances of 2011 is a performance that's completely out of whack with his skills. Two significant warning signs: His fastball velocity, once 91.5 mph on average in 2009, has slipped to 86.6 mph this season; and his ground-ball rate, although historically never high, has dropped to a frightening 21.5 percent. If you play in a keeper league and have the luxury of an extended bench to hold out hope, by all means keep Matusz reserved. In any other case, feel free to cut him.


Alexi Ogando, Texas Rangers: You've probably heard the facts about his splits against the two New York teams, as he's 0-2 with an 11.45 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in three starts against the Mets and Yankees, compared to 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.90 WHOP in 12 starts against everyone else. Here's the problem with taking those as a positive evaluation of Ogando going forward: Two of those starts came in his past three turns, the one between it hardly extraordinary (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER at Atlanta on June 19), and it's not like you could use it to justify matchups potential, because it's not like it's the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, two of the game's most loaded offenses. The Mets? They're not an elite offense, not at all, so that performance should serve as a warning sign for Ogando, who might be hitting a wall.

 

[HacheMan]

Who's next as Phillies closer?

Eric Karabell

Well, when the first, second and now third closer-options on a team hit the disabled list, it's time to look at a pair of fellows who weren't guaranteed to make the team back in late March. Such is the state for baseball's top team, as Philadelphia Phillies closer Ryan Madson was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, where he can play cards with injured former closers Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras.

The Phillies likely will hand the ninth-inning duties to left-hander Antonio Bastardo, though rookie right-hander Michael Stutes should also be in the mix. Bastardo is having a terrific season, and unlike former teammate J.C. Romero, his role isn't merely to handle lefty hitters. With Atlanta Braves lefty Jonny Venters blowing up in a recent outing, Bastardo sports the lowest ERA for any relief pitcher this season, at 0.96 (minimum 20 innings). His WHIP is 0.86, and he's permitting left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters to a .118 and .121 batting average, respectively. In 10 June appearances covering 8 1/3 innings, he has allowed one hit and no runs. Owned in 12.7 percent of ESPN standard (10-team) leagues, Bastardo can handle the closing role for however long it lasts, and makes for a wise addition in all leagues, even if the save chances don't last.
<OFFER>Of course, therein lies the rub; Madson has been dealing with numbness in his pitching hand since being struck by a batted ball more than a month ago, and he might return to the active roster -- and resume his closing duties -- in as little as a week. Madson has not pitched since June 18, but he was pitching fine the past few weeks despite hand inflammation that was hindering his ability to grip the baseball on all his pitches. The Phillies originally announced over the weekend that Madson would miss just a few games, and even now they don't expect this to be a long-term problem. Madson can return in a week, but the Phillies might extend his absence until after the All-Star break. Don't cut him in fantasy; Madson ranks 12th among current closers on the Player Rater, and Madson earned only two of his 15 saves in April.
Stutes has done a nice job as the team's surprise right-handed setup man, though he loses command at times, notably against left-handed hitters. Even though every save counts, I wouldn't add Stutes in standard leagues.
Philadelphia's long-term bullpen outlook this season likely will feature Madson and Bastardo in the key roles, and nobody else. It's also unlikely the team will be trading for someone else's closer, like Heath Bell. Lidge is working his way back from shoulder woes and could return in July, but he has told reporters he's aware that Madson likely will remain the closer. Contreras is really out of the picture, and likely out until August. The team's problem with elevating Bastardo and Stutes to later-inning roles is replacing them in the middle innings; it's up to David Herndon, Danys Baez and Scott Mathieson to bridge the gap to the eighth inning. This is why having Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels eat innings -- Phillies relievers have thrown easily the fewest innings in the majors -- is so valuable. It means less Danys Baez, in theory.
Ultimately, let this be another reminder that the league's most successful teams, like fantasy rosters, don't necessarily boast the best or healthiest closers. Sure, we'd all love Mariano Rivera in the bullpen at the right price, but for the next few weeks, and perhaps longer, Antonio Bastardo could be just as valuable, and he's readily available. Saves are saves, the Phillies are on pace for 100 wins and on their fourth closing option and here's yet another example of new save options for fantasy owners showing up in late-June. There will be more.

 

[HacheMan]

See Choo Next Year?

We'll be checking in on Ryan Madson, Josh Johnson and Jonathan Broxton shortly, but we begin with some news we did not want to hear regarding Shin-Soo Choo's injured thumb: Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the struggling outfielder underwent surgery Tuesday and is expected to be out until at least late August, with the possibility remaining that he could miss the rest of the season.

One of the bigger statistical disappointments of 2011, Choo hasn't homered since May 13, hitting just .244 overall with five homers, 28 RBI and 11 steals after averaging 21 homers, 22 steals and 88 RBI the past two seasons. Stashing him on the DL for now is the safest move for fantasy owners, but it's also understandable if owners in need of the roster spot decide to cut him loose in mixed leagues.

In the latest setback for the Phillies' bullpen, Ryan Madson (hand) hit the 15-day DL (retroactive to June 19), leaving Antonio Bastardo (0.96 ERA, 33/13 K/BB ratio in 28 innings) as Charlie Manuel's preferred closer for the moment. Manuel may give Michael Stutes some opportunities as well, but Bastardo looks like the player to immediately add in mixed leagues. As for Madson, the retroactive nature of his DL stint gives hope for optimism, but it remains unclear how much time he'll need to recover from the ongoing numbness in his hand. Meanwhile, another plausible closing option in the Philadelphia bullpen, Brad Lidge (elbow), is likely sidelined at least a couple more weeks.

In a quietly unsettling development, Josh Johnson (shoulder) is scheduled to have his shoulder examined by Dr. James Andrews Wednesday. The Marlins are calling it simply a precautionary visit, but we all understand the concerns surrounding any visit to Dr. Andrews. If all goes well, Johnson could still be ready to return soon after the All-Star break.

The Dodgers are shutting down Jonathan Broxton (elbow) for the next three weeks, with manager Don Mattingly telling beat writer Dylan Hernandez that it would be a bonus if Broxton pitches again this season. With Broxton's season outlook continuing to appear bleak, Javy Guerra still looks like the best option for saves in the L.A. bullpen right now.

Sweeny Murti of New York's WFAN radio reports that Bartolo Colon (hamstring) was bunting on Tuesday, fueling speculation that the right-hander is preparing to return against the Mets this weekend. Meanwhile, ESPNNewYork.com reports that Colon is slated to have his hamstring reevaluated on Wednesday, which will likely determine his status for the weekend. Colon had a 1.29 ERA in his last three starts prior to hitting the DL and will be worth activating immediately whenever he does return.

Contrary to a previous report, Johan Santana (shoulder) has not yet resumed throwing from a mound, but is close to doing so, according to MLB.com. There's no current timetable for the left-hander's return, but previous indications have been that he could be back sometime in August.

MLB.com reports that Alexi Ogando (9.31 ERA in his last three starts) could be sent to Triple-A after Friday's start as the Rangers show concern that the reliever-turned-starter is beginning to wear down. If sent down to Triple-A (which will likely only happen if Ogando struggles Friday), the right-hander wouldn't even report, but would simply rest before potentially rejoining the big league rotation after the break. In this scenario, the rehabbing Scott Feldman (knee) would likely take Ogando's place in the rotation.

Jose Tabata (quad) hit the 15-day DL Tuesday, with the Pirates are expecting him to be back after the All-Star break. Alex Presley (.336 average, eight homers, 18 steals at Triple-A) promptly homered as the Pittsburgh leadoff hitter on Tuesday and is worth an immediate add in NL-Only leagues.

Updates on some injured Red Sox: Carl Crawford (hamstring) did some jogging on Tuesday and is eligible to return on Sunday, but Terry Francona told the Boston Globe that "I don't know how realistic that is." Meanwhile, Clay Buchholz (back) says he doesn't want to pitch until he's 100 percent, and it sounds like he's iffy for the July 4 start that has been previously mentioned as a possibility.

Follow me on Twitter: @MattStroup

Pitcher injury notes: Jon Niese (rapid heartbeat) appears to have a good chance to make his next scheduled start after a series of tests came back clean … Adam Wainwright (Tommy John) has begun a throwing program and told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's hoping to be back for the playoffs, but odds are he won't be back until 2012 … Rich Harden (shoulder) will be activated from the DL to start on Friday … An MRI on John Danks' oblique revealed only a mild strain, but he's still likely out until after the All-Star break … Alfredo Simon (hamstring) appears likely to return Wednesday.

Position player injury notes: An MRI on Delmon Young's ankle showed no ligament damage, suggesting that he should be able to return after the All-Star break … Torii Hunter (ribs) returned to action and went 1-for-5 … David Wright (back) could be cleared to begin hitting off a tee Wednesday as he targets a return immediately after the All-Star break … Derek Jeter (calf) ran the bases Tuesday as the Yankees continue to hope he can return in early July … Elvis Andrus (wrist) was available off the bench Tuesday, but may not return to the starting lineup until Thursday … Mike Napoli (oblique) is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment Thursday and could be back as soon as Monday … Laynce Nix went 4-for-4 with a homer, but will sit out Wednesday's game with Achilles tightness before hopefully returning Friday.

Position player injury notes (part 2): Jason Bourgeois left Tuesday's game with more quad trouble and could be headed to the DL … Darwin Barney (knee) is expected to return Wednesday … Marlon Byrd (face) went 0-for-3 with a walk in his first rehab game at Triple-A, and the timetable for his return remains uncertain … Nick Johnson (wrist) sat out Tuesday's game at Triple-A … Denard Span (concussion) has begun taking BP indoors, but isn't likely to be back until after the All-Star break … Luke Scott left with a right knee contusion, which could mean more playing time in the short term for Nolan Reimold.

Miscellaneous notes: The slumping Drew Stubbs hit eighth on Tuesday, with Dusty Baker telling MLB.com that Stubbs will regain his leadoff role "eventually" … Carlos Beltran said that he'd be open to waiving his no-trade clause to be dealt to a contender … Padres prospect outfielder Donavan Tate, the No. 3 overall pick in 2009, has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse … The Blue Jays recalled Brett Cecil from Triple-A in anticipation of a Thursday start against the Pirates … Jake Peavy is ready for his regularly scheduled start on Thursday after appearing in relief over the weekend … Adrian Gonzalez is expected to play right field on Wednesday to get David Ortiz's bat in the lineup at first base … Alex Rios was pulled in the seventh inning for not running hard to first on a fly out.

Editor's Note: For exclusive columns, rankings, projections and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Season Pass.

Notable pitching: Cliff Lee's absolutely dominant run continued as the left-hander threw his third consecutive shutout, a two-hitter (with two walks and five K's) to finish June with a 0.21 ERA … Tommy Hanson picked up his ninth win in his return from the DL against the Mariners … Zack Greinke gave up a season-worst seven earned runs in just two innings against the Yankees … Josh Beckett allowed five runs in six innings against the Phillies in his first start back from an illness … David Price struck out 12 in 7 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Reds … Barry Zito threw seven innings of two-run ball to beat the Cubs in his first start back from the DL … Rick Porcello was hit hard for a third consecutive start, giving up seven runs on 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Mets … Gio Gonzalez allowed one hit with nine K's over eight shutout innings against the Marlins.

Notable hitting: Domonic Brown homered for the first time since June 14 … Evan Longoria's walkoff shot was his fourth homer in his last five games … Jose Reyes went 4-for-4 to up his average to .349 … J.J. Hardy hit his ninth homer of June … Edwin Encarnacion hit his fourth and fifth homers of the year … Ichiro Suzuki hit his first homer of the season and stole his 20th base … Aramis Ramirez homered for the eighth time since May 29 … Cameron Maybin (3-for-3 with a steal) had his fourth multi-hit game in his last seven … Wily Mo Pena hit a pinch-hit, walkoff homer to beat the Indians … Jack Cust homered, doubled and hit a rocket lineout to the right field wall … Vernon Wells went 4-for-5 and hit his sixth homer of June.

 

[HacheMan]

The Rise of the Kimbrel

It probably happens once a minute across the digital landscape. The jarring song shuffle. This morning, I ran with it. Went right from Weezer into Outkast and kept on rocking. Only took a quick musical shiver and was back to singing along to the classics.

I know, I know -- really keeping a stiff upper lip here. Managing to go on despite serious problems. Serious, easily solvable problems.

So let's name this week's closer tiers in honor of the jarring song shuffle! The more jarring the shuffle, the better the closer. And since I'm not on your computer right now (that would be weird), I'll use the songs from my playlist to populate these tiers.

Let's have some (discordant) fun.


Tier 1: Elite (4) (AKA: The "Beastie Boys Sabotage into Iron and Wine Such Great Heights" Tier.)


Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox

Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants

This one comes from Steve Alexander over on the basketball side, but it's genius. You could actually use the Beastie Boys song as your pump-up music on the way out to bat against one of these closers, but it's probably Iron and Wine in your head as you drag your bat back to the dugout. See? That's the link between these two things.
Let's revel in the brilliance that is Craig Kimbrel. Walks were supposedly the problem, but he has only five walks in thirteen June innings - against 23 strikeouts. That other-worldly strikeout rate has followed him up through the minor leagues and is built on an excellent swinging strike rate. He's the real deal and has two Kimbrels (three strikeouts, no baserunners, one inning) in the past two weeks. 96 MPH heat with an 87 MPH, hard-breaking slider is making a lot of batters rock themselves to sleep with Iron and Wine playing. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that old man Mariano Rivera struck out five in his last two innings and suddenly has a decent strikeout rate again. Not quite classic Mo, but he's not done yet.


Tier 2: Rock Steady (7) (AKA: The "Weezer My Name is Jonas into Outkast Wheelz of Steel" Tier.)

Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates
Huston Street, Colorado Rockies
Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs
John Axford, Milwaukee Brewers
J.J. Putz, Arizona Diamondbacks
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers

Yes, this was the musical shuffle that inspired the column. Both great songs. Both completely different in terms of tempo, genre and feel. Kinda like going from Heath Bell's 94 MPH fastball to his 82 MPH curveball. See? Not so much of a stretch as it first appeared.
Heath Bell is still a great closer. Heath Bell has walked one guy in two weeks. Heath Bell is also on a team that's floundering, doesn't have much money, and has turned out excellent relievers like a factory. They've even traded relievers recently. There's still a slight chance he signs a below-market deal to stay with the team, but if his agent is not saying the right things, the Padres won't hesitate to move him and insert Mike Adams into the role. That's a real risk for Bell owners. Enough to at least pick up Adams.
Joel Hanrahan has one walk in his last eleven appearances (and nine strikeouts). He hasn't blown a save all year. If he had any more pedigree, he'd be in the elite tier. As is, he probably still deserves it. Really, you could almost say the same for John Axford. He's only walked three in his last ten (against 12 strikeouts) and has only blown two saves all year. Mustache power!
J.J. Putz, on the other hand, has hit a little rough patch. Not enough to drop him a tier, but there's enough going on that he has to drop in the ranks. In his last ten appearances, he's given up seven runs and blown four games. In his last seven appearances, he has five strikeouts against three walks and has given up six runs. Eh, it's just a little bad stretch. David Hernandez would probably be next in line if there's an injury lurking.


Tier 3: OK options (7) (AKA: The "Beenie Man Bad Man Nuh into Bon Iver Skinny Love" Tier.)


Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics
Drew Storen, Washington Nationals

Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Leo Nunez, Florida Marlins
Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds
Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians
Jordan Walden, Anaheim Angels

Comment:
This combination isn't quite as jarring musically, but the content separates them pretty well. From Beenie Man's bravado to Justin Vernon's nostalgia stands a chasm. And between the near-elites of tier two and the flawed closers of tier three stands a chasm. Still, these guys are useful.
Andrew Bailey hasn't really stumbled since returning. He had a great save Tuesday night as he accomplished his first-ever Kimbrel. Usually, strikeouts haven't been a big part of his game. Then again, you could say the same about Drew Storen, and there are actually some similarities. They both have the repertoire of a starter - three-plus pitches. That gives them a step up even if the rates aren't quite elite in terms of strikeout rate.
Joakim Soria is a bad man suddenly. Since being re-inserted into the closer role, he has 11 strikeouts and two walks in seven innings. That's the Soria of old, and even his velocity has returned. That's also boss, and hopefully you didn't drop him when he was struggling. Of course, the team still has a viable replacement in Aaron Crow, so if someone is interested in Soria, he could still get traded. But for now, he deserves this ranking.

Oh what a week. Jordan Walden has now blown three save chances in a row. He has two walks and no strikeouts over those chances too. The control is always an issue, but with gas like he's got, he should be fine. We'll see how much leash he's earned, but mosey on over to Scott Downs' numbers and you might want to find a way to get Downs on your team as a handcuff.
Here's some love for Chris Perez: He has eight strikeouts and two walks in his last ten appearances (nine innings). If he can keep up those kinds of ratios, he'll be solid all year.


Tier 4: Question marks (7) (AKA: The "Wale Strings into Cut Copy Lights and Music" Tier.)


Sergio Santos, Chicago White Sox

Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets
Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
Kyle Farnsworth, Tampa Bay Rays
Brandon League, Seattle Mariners
Matt Capps, Minnesota Twins

Comment:
In some strange world, this transition makes sense. Perhaps that strange world is the one between my ears. Even the hardest core of Cut Copy fans would have to admit how not hard core their music is, though. Good thing Wale is really just about the good times, too.
If we're going to move Heath Bell down a tier, then Francisco Rodriguez deserves to be demoted a little bit as well. Depending on the circumstances of the team after a probable Rodriguez trade, the new closer will likely be Jason Isringhausen or Bobby Parnell. The knock on Parnell so far has been that he's got gas but no control, but the youngster has managed 14 strikeouts against three walks in his last ten outings (and 13 hits). Despite his hittability, Parnell is the only young reliever worth developing in the closer role. If the team continues to try and compete, Terry Collins will go with the reliable veteran with closing experience - Jason Isringhausen. Most likely it's Izzy with Parnell moving into higher-leverage setup innings.
Sergio Santos could be ready to make the leap in tiers. He had a poor stretch at the beginning of the season but now has struck out ten batters in his last five appearances - against zero walks. If he's going to make progress with his walks, he's going to be a nasty nasty closer. There's little reason to worry about him at this point.
Neftali Feliz was on a path to redemption, but maybe he turned on the lights and music a little early. He still has ten strikeouts in his last ten appearances, and only one walk, but he also blew a save spectacularly in Houston last week. And his team is deflecting rumors about their interest in Francisco Rodriguez. There is reason to worry about Feliz, but unfortunately for his owners, his handcuff is probably a closer for another team right now.

Read more about the most volatile closer situations on the next page.

<!--RW-->
Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (5) (AKA: The "The Meters Fire on the Bayou into Pinback Good to Sea" Tier.)


1st Chair: Kevin Gregg, 2nd Chair: Koji Uehara, Baltimore Orioles
1st Chair: Frank Francisco, 2nd Chair: Jon Rauch, Toronto Blue Jays
1st Chair: Mark Melancon, 2nd Chair: Wilton Lopez, Houston Astros

1st Chair: Fernando Salas, 2nd Chair: Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals

1st Chair: Antonio Bastardo, 2nd Chair: , Philadelphia Phillies
1st Chair: Javy Guerra, 2nd Chair: Blake Hawksworth, Los Angeles Dodgers

Comment:
This is one of those shuffles that might make you think for a second. Funk is not supposed to mesh seamlessly with alternative rock. But, there's something there. It's not a terrible juxtaposition. Like some of these closer battles, it's a pick 'em.
The first three closer situations in this tier are significantly more settled than the rest. As bad as Kevin Gregg has been at times, his control has gotten much bettering June (one walk all month), and even his 'bad' games have been okay (three one-run innings this month). Frank Francisco has overcome his home run issues and hasn't given up a donger this month either. He's the closer until gopheritis returns. And Mark Melancon has upped his strikeout rate recently and has been pretty solid as the Astros closer. Then he gave up five runs against Tampa and besmirched his record to date. Still, there's not much else in that pen and he's got a little more leash.
Fernando Salas didn't last long in the fourth tier. Even though his overall rates and ratios look okay, he's hit enough of a bad stretch that his owners should be worried. He's allowed seven runs in his last ten outings. He has no strikeouts in his last three. He's given up home runs in three of his last five appearances. He's lost or blown the save in four of those games. He was also used for one out in a blowout… before Jason Motte pitched the ninth. He could still be the guy, but Motte is suddenly interesting again.
Ryan Madson was placed on the disabled list with a bruised hand, but the team did so retroactively, so he will be eligible to return as soon as the weekend of July 4th. Then again, he's feeling numbness in his hand, and Brad Lidge is still out another couple of weeks. Jose Contreras is not even throwing for two more weeks. And the Phillies are rumored to interested in trading for relief help. This is why we didn't move Madson up in the rankings despite his excellent work so far. There's risk here.
Last in the closing tiers, and featuring an owner that is last in our hearts, the Dodgers situation almost feels uninteresting at this point. They had two saves as a team in the all of June! So, yeah, Javy Guerra is probably the guy still despite his wonky control and iffy stuff. Jonathan Broxton was supposed to be back soon to be the closer, and now he's not. Kenley Jansen could be closing by the end of the year if he shows better control and Broxton ends up out for the rest of the year. This may not even be worth the trouble.

<CENTER>* * * * * * * * * *</CENTER>


Injured

David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners (elbow)
Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies (shoulder)
Ryan Madson, Philadephia Phillies (hand)
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers (elbow)
Vicente Padilla, Los Angeles Dodgers (neck)

Comment:
Brad Lidge threw a successful bullpen! After a cortisone injection, he seems ready to go out on rehab this week. He could be back before the All-Star break even. It's worth checking your waiver wires for him at least, especially with Madson out with a phantom hand injury. Jonathan Broxton was picked back up in many leagues when his manager said he'd return as the closer, and then dropped again when they had to go find the extra large MRI machine again. Now he's going to be shut down for three weeks before doing anything.

The Deposed:
Fernando Rodney, Los Angeles
Ryan Franklin, St. Louis
Brandon Lyon, Houston
Matt Thornton, Chicago A.L.

Is Fernando Salas on the way? Should Jon Rauch qualify for this list? Which current White Sox reliever should be on here? Deep questions.

<CENTER>* * * * * * * * * *</CENTER>

The Steals Department

Angel Pagan is owned in less than half of the leagues on most platforms. How does this make any sense? Sure his batting average doesn't look good, but he's hitting about .270 on balls in play (BABIP). Give him a .300 BABIP, and he'd have close to a .270 batting average. But Pagan has also hit more ground balls in the past, and he's a speedy guy. If he hits a few more on the ground and beats out a few more throws, he could easily expect a BABIP above .300. So now we're talking about a playable batting average. We know he has wheels - he stole 37 bags last year, after all. He doesn't have great power, but league-average power, with wheels, and a playable batting average -- that's useful. Look bast the current batting average, do a ritual, and go Pagan for speed.

Desmond Jennings is owned in 10% of leagues, so he's gone in your deepest of leagues. But if you're in a league that's any deeper than your standard 12-teamer, and he's out there, it's time for the good old speculative play. Sure, he's in the minor leagues. But he's also putting up an excellent .280/.373/.459 line in Triple-A (with 15 stolen bases and one caught stealing), and at 24, he's as polished as he'll ever be. He's faced enough inferior competition. And speaking of inferior competition, Sam Fuld and Justin Ruggiano have helped Tampa Bay left fielders put up an underwhelming .271/.331/.412 line so far this year. That team could use an offensive boost, too, by moving parts around on the diamond. Jennings is past the super-Two threshold, so there would be no arbitration-related issues for keeping him in the minor leagues. He has some power and a lot of speed, and if he is as polished as he seems to be -- he's played over 200 games at Triple-A -- he could even outproduce Angel Pagan. Possibly.

 

[HacheMan]

Four underrated, four overrated hitters


Maybe Evan Longoria is mad at me.

I won't mince words. During this past Thursday's chat, I said this: "Evan Longoria is overrated. There, I said it. Hey, great player, his future is bright, but right now there's this belief, based upon his reputation, that he's an automatic top-10 player."


In five games since, Longoria is hitting .429 (9-for-21) with three doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs, two walks and seven runs scored.


Obviously, I'm being facetious about there being any correlation between these two things, but frankly, I'm sure I'm not the only one who looked at Longoria's weekend production and reacted with the comment, "It's about time."


This isn't to say that Longoria is the most overrated player in baseball. Far from it; the point was that he was a top-10 player in reputation while not even putting forth top-25 production to date. Even with his five-game hot streak, he's on pace for .249-20-69 numbers, and even if you project his year-to-date performance to 162 games, he'd still be a .249-31-106 hitter. That's an exceptional fantasy hitter, definitely top-25. It is not, however, top-10.


Continuing the topic from Tuesday's "60 Feet 6 Inches," fantasy owners as a whole often lean too much on players' reputations, failing to quickly recognize shifting trends. In Longoria's case, it's that perhaps he's no longer worthy of his No. 4 overall position in ESPN live drafts this preseason (ADP: 5.2), but rather has the kind of value equivalent to a second-rounder.


There are certainly more extreme cases, and today, let's start with a quartet that's underrated. All of these players remain available in a handful of ESPN leagues and, even if they're owned in yours, they might be cheap trade targets:

Wigginton



Ty Wigginton, 1B/2B/3B, Colorado Rockies: Why don't fantasy owners have more respect for this guy? In his past five seasons, Wigginton has both batted at least .273 and hit 22 or more home runs four times, and in each of those five years he has qualified at two different positions or more. This season he's batting .267 and is on pace for 25 homers, and since he's two games away from 20 at first base, he's right on track for another .270-20-multi-position campaign. No, that's not a fantasy superstar, but that's an awfully valuable back-of-your-lineup option, especially as an injury plug-in for multiple spots on your roster.

Bernadina



Roger Bernadina, OF, Washington Nationals: I completely understand why he's underrated. Heck, he's underrated by his own team! Remember, Bernadina didn't even crack the Nationals' 25-man opening-day roster, the team instead deciding that Rick Ankiel was the smarter choice in center field. Bernadina promptly batted .270 and swiped eight bases in 18 games for Triple-A Syracuse, earning himself a late-April call-up and, eventually, the center-field gig. He has 12 consecutive starts at the position and .296/.321/.500 numbers in them, but it's what Bernadina can do over the long haul that warrants respect. He's capable of a healthy batting average -- he hit .299 in 267 combined games between Double-A and Triple-A in his minor league career -- he can hit for double-digit power, as evidenced by his 11 homers for the Nationals in 2010 (13 if you include the minors), and he's capable of stealing as many as 40 bases. Remember, he had at least that many in both 2007 and 2008, and he's already on pace for 22 this year … in 95 games!

Freeman



Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves: To those of you in the 59.1 percent of ESPN leagues in which Freeman remains available, it's time to buy. And to those of you in the 40.9 percent of ESPN leagues in which he's already owned, it's time to make a trade offer for the rookie first baseman.


Although I wasn't much of a Freeman fan in the preseason, I'm warming to him as he earns experience, and his perceived value remains low enough that acquiring him is an attainable goal. Remember, he was Jason Grey's No. 2 fantasy prospect and Keith Law's No. 43 prospect overall in the preseason, so at some point soon he should be an impact player for our purposes. Freeman has made some noticeable improvements as the season progresses: In June, he has his highest well-hit average (.233), isolated power (.211), line-drive rate (19.7 percent) and fly-ball rate (44.3 percent) of any single month this season, so his recent uptick in value can be labeled legit. I cannot remember being asked a single question about Freeman since the season started, which shows how off-the-radar he has been, and perhaps it's because he's widely regarded a lower-tier option at his position. Sure, he's a lower-tier player, but he's not one devoid of upside.

Headley



Chase Headley, San Diego Padres: In an era where third base is becoming increasingly weak, how can you not like a player batting .303? There are two knocks on Headley that fuel his underrated status, and both are understandable: He's a Padre, and the team doesn't score many runs; and he's almost devoid of power, with only two home runs to date. Still, Headley has 22 doubles, suggesting a possibility of a meager power surge the rest of the year, he has boosted his walk rate to 13.0 percent, a career best, and his 22.9 percent line-drive rate helps back up his .386 BABIP. The BABIP should come down slightly in the coming weeks, adversely affecting his batting average, but don't expect it to be substantial, considering that his .340 career number shows that he has always excelled in the category. Headley also has one other attractive trait in fantasy: eight stolen bases, putting him on pace for 16, just one shy of his 2010 number (17).


Returning to the Longoria example, I won't put him among my four most overrated players in fantasy baseball. These would be my top four choices:


Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers: Perhaps accomplishments like his 30-game hitting streak from April 2-May 6 this season, his four walk-off home runs in 2009, tying the single-season major-league record, or his status as a 2010 All-Star starter feed his reputation, because in fantasy, his numbers surely do not back up his No. 59 spot overall -- No. 17 among outfielders -- in ESPN live drafts this preseason (average draft position: 60.7). <\p>

Let's check the facts. Ethier has finished among the top 20 players in baseball in one of the five prominent rotisserie categories exactly once in his career, when he placed 14th with 106 RBIs in 2009. In fact, if you take all active players with at least 500 games played and scale their lifetime numbers to 162 contests, here's how Ethier would rank: 33rd in batting average (.294), 90th in homers (21.3), 74th in RBIs (85.7) and 124th in runs scored (79.8).


Even more damning: In each of his first five big-league seasons (2006-10), he endured a 50-game stretch (or longer) during which his batting average was beneath .260 and OPS was .725 or worse, showing how lengthy his cold spells tend to be. Since his hitting streak ended, Ethier has batted .274 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 48 games. He's simply not deserving of "elite" status.



TOP 125 HITTERS

Note: Tristan H. Cockcroft's top 125 hitters are ranked for their expected performance from this point forward, not for statistics that have already been accrued.
<TABLE><THEAD><TR><TH style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Rnk </CENTER></TH><TH style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom">Player, Team <CENTER></CENTER></TH><TH style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom"><CENTER>Prev
Rnk </CENTER></TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>1 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ryan Braun, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>1 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>2 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Adrian Gonzalez, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>2 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>3 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Matt Kemp, LAD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>3 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>4 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Miguel Cabrera, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>5 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>5 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jose Bautista, TOR </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>4 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jose Reyes, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>7 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Joey Votto, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>6 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>8 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Robinson Cano, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>8 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>9 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Gonzalez, COL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>9 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>10 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alex Rodriguez, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>10 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>11 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Troy Tulowitzki, COL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>11 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>12 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mark Teixeira, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>13 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>13 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>12 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>14 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Curtis Granderson, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>14 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>15 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Justin Upton, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>16 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>16 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Evan Longoria, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>23 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>17 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Prince Fielder, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>15 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>18 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Josh Hamilton, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>17 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>19 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Andrew McCutchen, PIT </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>18 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>20 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Dustin Pedroia, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>19 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>21 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Matt Holliday, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>22 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>22 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Hanley Ramirez, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>20 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>23 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jay Bruce, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>21 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>24 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Rickie Weeks, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>25 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>25 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Adam Lind, TOR </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>26 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>26 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Nelson Cruz, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>28 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>27 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Paul Konerko, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>27 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>28 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">David Ortiz, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>24 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>29 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ryan Howard, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>29 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>30 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Drew Stubbs, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>31 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>31 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Kevin Youkilis, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>30 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>32 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mike Stanton, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>32 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>33 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carl Crawford, BOS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>33 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>34 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Michael Bourn, HOU </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>35 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>35 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Hunter Pence, HOU </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>34 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>36 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Chris Young, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>37 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>37 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ryan Zimmerman, WAS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>38 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>38 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Shane Victorino, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>41 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>39 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Elvis Andrus, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>36 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>40 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Chase Utley, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>39 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>41 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>40 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>42 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Adam Jones, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>43 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>43 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ian Kinsler, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>44 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>44 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Victor Martinez, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>46 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>45 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brandon Phillips, CIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>48 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>46 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jimmy Rollins, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>45 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>47 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">David Wright, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>42 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>48 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">B.J. Upton, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>49 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>49 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brian McCann, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>51 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>50 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Adrian Beltre, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>50 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>51 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Michael Morse, WAS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>56 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>52 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jason Heyward, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>52 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>53 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Albert Pujols, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>55 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>54 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Quentin, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>47 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>55 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Andre Ethier, LAD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>59 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>56 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ben Zobrist, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>58 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>57 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ichiro Suzuki, SEA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>57 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>58 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alexei Ramirez, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>53 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>59 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Danny Espinosa, WAS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>70 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>60 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mark Reynolds, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>61 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>61 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Corey Hart, MIL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>62 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>62 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Santana, CLE </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>63 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>63 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Starlin Castro, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>66 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>64 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jayson Werth, WAS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>60 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>65 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Joe Mauer, MIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>64 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>66 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Michael Young, TEX </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>74 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>67 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brett Gardner, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>73 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>68 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Gaby Sanchez, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>67 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>69 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Pablo Sandoval, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>68 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>70 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Lance Berkman, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>65 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>71 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Beltran, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>75 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>72 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Aramis Ramirez, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>86 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>73 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Neil Walker, PIT </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>69 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>74 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Colby Rasmus, STL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>77 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>75 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Billy Butler, KC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>72 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>76 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alex Rios, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>76 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>77 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Stephen Drew, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>71 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>78 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Nick Swisher, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>91 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>79 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Dan Uggla, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>90 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>80 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Michael Cuddyer, MIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>78 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>81 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Coco Crisp, OAK </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>82 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>82 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Brennan Boesch, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>80 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>83 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alex Gordon, KC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>81 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>84 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Bobby Abreu, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>87 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>85 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Miguel Montero, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>88 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>86 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">J.J. Hardy, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>92 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>87 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Pena, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>107 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>88 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Nick Markakis, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>97 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>89 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jhonny Peralta, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>96 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>90 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Kelly Johnson, ARI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>79 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>91 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Angel Pagan, NYM </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>85 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>92 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Eric Hosmer, KC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>84 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>93 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Adam Dunn, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>89 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>94 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Howard Kendrick, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>105 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>95 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alex Avila, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>101 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>96 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Derek Jeter, NYY </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>95 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>97 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Aubrey Huff, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>98 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>98 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Martin Prado, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>99 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>99 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Logan Morrison, FLA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>93 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>100 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Johnny Damon, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>103 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>101 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alfonso Soriano, CHC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>102 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>102 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Vernon Wells, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>109 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>103 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Erick Aybar, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>111 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>104 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Chase Headley, SD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>105 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Roger Bernadina, WAS </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>114 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>106 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Derrek Lee, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>107 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Rajai Davis, TOR </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>83 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>108 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Vladimir Guerrero, BAL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>100 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>109 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Denard Span, MIN </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>104 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>110 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Shin-Soo Choo, CLE </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>54 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>111 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Austin Jackson, DET </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>118 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>112 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Ty Wigginton, COL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>113 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jeff Francoeur, KC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>123 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>114 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Cameron Maybin, SD </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>115 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Juan Pierre, CHW </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>110 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>116 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Andres Torres, SF </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>117 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>117 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Freddie Freeman, ATL </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>118 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Matt Joyce, TB </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>108 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>119 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Carlos Lee, HOU </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>115 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>120 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Alcides Escobar, KC </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>121 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Mark Trumbo, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>122 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Domonic Brown, PHI </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>121 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>123 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Aaron Hill, TOR </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>120 </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>124 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Jemile Weeks, OAK </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>NR </TD></TR><TR class=last><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>125 </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Torii Hunter, LAA </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" align=middle>116 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>




Derek Jeter, New York Yankees: He's a surefire Hall of Famer and on the verge of joining the 3,000-hit club, but in fantasy, Jeter still gets far more credit than he deserves. He's coming off a career-worst 2010 campaign that saw him lead the majors in ground-ball percentage (65.4), resulting in a mediocre .270 batting average, and all he did before getting hurt was again put up the majors' highest ground-ball percentage (65.5) that has resulted in a .260 batting average. New York sports-talk radio is abuzz about whether Jeter deserves to bat leadoff upon his return from a strained right calf, and the truth is that he doesn't. But he will, and that's one thing that keeps him on the fantasy radar even in shallow mixed leagues because of what it means in terms of run potential.


The main reason he's overrated, however, is the space he occupies on fantasy rosters. Surely those in the 95.4 percent of ESPN leagues in which he's owned could find a better option for their lone DL spot? I can name 10: Clay Buchholz, Shin-Soo Choo, Carl Crawford, John Danks, Josh Johnson, Ryan Madson, Martin Prado, Albert Pujols, Jonathan Sanchez and David Wright.


Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox: Like Ethier, Rios is simply a streaky player, so his sluggish start to 2011 really shouldn't have taken anyone by surprise. Although he enjoyed a bounce-back 2010, keep in mind that he did have just .258/.300/382 rates in 82 games from June 23 forward, meaning his season was awfully front-loaded. Rios' hot spells can come at any moment and, his cold spells can be team-killers -- just look at what he did following his trade to the White Sox in 2009. He'll always tantalize you with his 20/30 potential, but he's also one of the players with whom you should never feel completely cozy.


Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles: I'll state upfront that I hate putting him on this list, and that I hate doing it means I'm probably as responsible as anyone for hyping Wieters to the point that he's overrated. At some point, however, shouldn't we demand production worthy of a top-10 ADP among catchers (eighth, 171.7)? In five half-seasons so far, he has never had an OPS higher than .765, and in four of them that number was .730 or worse. It's often a long learning curve that a young catcher faces, and at 25 years old, Wieters still has plenty of time to get it figured out. But here's the scary number: He's being started -- not owned, started -- in 87.0 percent of ESPN leagues! Nine catchers currently rate higher than him on the Player Rater and three others are close in rank, so he's no automatic, every-week play.


Three up



Carlos Pena, Chicago Cubs: Whereas fellow league switcher and Chicagoian Adam Dunn has struggled to adapt to a new league, Pena appears to have not had the same problem. Though he endured an awful April, batting .159/.289/.175 in 23 games, he has roared back with .249/.372/.571 rates, 17 home runs and 39 RBIs in 52 games since May 1, an extremely lengthy hot streak for a player who whiffs as often as he does. Pena has a .900-plus OPS in both May and June, and to put that into perspective, he had only three such months total from 2008-10 (counting only his healthy months, that is). He remains a terrible player against left-handed pitchers, with .097/.240/.210 rates in 75 plate appearances, but that only enhances his appeal in daily leagues. So long as you pick his matchups, he's worth it.


Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: Though the Cubs have had their troubles scoring runs at times -- they averaged 2.65 runs per game over a 17-game stretch from May 27-June 13 -- Ramirez, along with Pena, has helped them begin to turn things around. In the month of June, Ramirez has .294/.318/.559 rates, seven homers and 19 RBIs in 25 games. That comes on the heels of a 36-game stretch during which he managed .263/.315/.350 rates from April 16-May 31. It's not the first time he has run so hot and cold; he was a .307/.348/.587 hitter in July and August last season but only .162/.227/.269 in April and May. Might it be that Ramirez is simply a player who needs a few weeks to hit his groove? Perhaps, as he has a lifetime second-half OPS (.869) 60 points higher than in the first half (.809).


Nick Swisher, New York Yankees: It took him more than two months, but finally Swisher is performing like the player we saw with the Yankees from 2009-10. He hit three home runs during a nine-game, west-coast swing to Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles and, beginning with those games, he has batted .320/.444/.649 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in his past 29 contests. Breaking pitches are still problematic for him; he's a .145/.250/.145 hitter in 64 plate appearances that ended on a curveball or slider this season, his .457 in 14 PAs against those pitches in June scarcely better. But Swisher has been killing fastballs -- .435/.509/.978 in 55 PAs ending with them in June -- as he has historically in his better seasons, and that should help restore his fantasy owners' faith.


Three down



Rajai Davis, Toronto Blue Jays: It's not so much that he's not hitting, though his .079 batting average (5-for-63) in his past 22 games is terribly unpleasant. It's that Davis isn't even running anymore, going 0-for-1 on stolen-base attempts during his slump, robbing his owners of the one category in which we've come to trust him most. Davis also isn't drawing walks, so his opportunities are down; he has only one free pass in his past 65 plate appearances. He plays on a team that has alternatives in the outfield, and although fantasy owners should obviously have him benched, he might begin to lose at-bats soon, which could drop him to must-drop status for our purposes.


Adam Dunn, White Sox: This just isn't getting any better, and now that the White Sox are in the midst of a six-game stretch at National League parks, where they won't have the designated hitter, there's no reason for them to play Dunn. Here's how bad things have gotten: Dunn is a .143/.239/.270 hitter in 18 games in June, striking out in 49.2 percent of his at-bats, and he has been held out of four White Sox games in the month. He's on pace for 205 strikeouts, and his .173 batting average actually puts him on pace for the sixth-worst single-season number in modern history. Dunn continues to struggle with fastballs, batting .161/.257/.226 in 35 plate appearances that have ended with one in June, and there's nothing in his peripherals to suggest a turnaround is imminent.


Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies: We might not be far from the rumors returning that the Phillies might consider benching Ibanez. He's a .193/.244/.253 hitter with no homers and three RBIs in 23 games in June and continues to have problems with left-handers, batting only .200/.200/.240 in 25 plate appearances against them in the month. Now 39, Ibanez probably warrants being dropped into a platoon role, something that could happen should either Ben Francisco heat up or the Phillies decide to recall John Mayberry Jr. from the minors. Ibanez is no longer the kind of player you want active every week; he's ride the streaks/matchups potential and nothing more.


New position eligibility



The following players have become eligible at new positions -- it's 10 games to qualify at a new spot -- in ESPN standard leagues during the past week: Brian Bixler (OF), Lucas Duda (1B), Pete Kozma (2B), DJ LeMahieu (2B), Daniel Murphy (3B), Tsuyoshi Nishioka (SS), Scott Sizemore (3B), Omar Vizquel (2B).

 

[HacheMan]

Is David Freese a top-10 option at third?

Eric Karabell

The other day, I was asked which National League third baseman I'd vote as starter in the All-Star Game. Hey, it wasn't so easy, assuming one looks statistically at this year and doesn't merely base the decision on reputation and career accomplishments. David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman and Pablo Sandoval have missed significant time this season; Casey McGehee has been terrible; Aramis Ramirez hasn't hit for much power until the past few days; and leading vote getter Placido Polanco is pretty much all batting average, and it's a below-.300 batting average anyway. Chipper Jones is a nice story coming back, but he's not having a great season. Whom would you choose? Where's Mike Schmidt?


<OFFER>The top six third-base-eligibles on the ESPN Fantasy Player Rater all play for American League squads. The leading NL options entering Tuesday were, believe it or not, Arizona's Ryan Roberts, Colorado's Ty Wigginton and San Diego Padres on-base machine Chase Headley (and I chose him thanks to his .400 OBP). Statistically and with a minimum of 25 at-bats at the position, the NL OPS leader at third base by 50 points is actually St. Louis Cardinals option David Freese. Hey, wasn't Freese activated off the disabled list and in the lineup Tuesday night? Why yes, yes he was!

I admit to being on the fence about how to evaluate Freese, who singled twice Tuesday while hitting in the No. 5 lineup spot. I've believed since the spring of 2009 that he can hit for average and 15-20 home runs annually, although it's tough to tell because he's rarely on the field. Over 26 games and 91 at-bats this season, he's hitting .363 with a .870 OPS, but with little power and a poor walk-to-strikeout rate. Freese is unlikely to hit .363 for long; his other two at-bats Tuesday were strikeouts. Still, last season he hit .296 in 240 at-bats, and he hit for average and with power in the minor leagues. At a seriously watered-down fantasy position, it's kind of easy to envision Freese's making his mark -- perhaps with a .300 batting average -- as a top-10 option.


Of course, Freese needs to stay on the field, and although 27 isn't necessarily old, the truth is the Cardinals have prospect Zack Cox in Double-A, perhaps a year away. Freese missed more than half of last season with a serious ankle injury, and the plan was to play him two of every three games this season. Then Atlanta Braves right-hander Scott Linebrink busted Freese's left hand with a pitch two months ago. I hate calling players brittle, especially when the injuries aren't connected, but … Freese isn't making this easy, either, with annual DL stints.


I'm sure people will wonder why I chose Headley over, I suppose, Ramirez, Jones, Polanco and pals. Look, Ramirez might be the pick, as he's hitting for power all of a sudden. Then again, for real life and fantasy, Headley's .300 batting average is valuable. Roberts ranks just a tad ahead on the Player Rater, and he has more power and speed, but I think Headley might keep hitting .300. The age-old theory is that real and fantasy teams need more than two home runs from a third baseman, but numbers are numbers, right? When Chone Figgins was good, it didn't matter that he was a third baseman. I can't hate on Headley for the lack of power. I'd like 15 home runs, but I doubt he'll hit that many.


Regardless, I still hold out hope that Freese will hit for power in the big leagues; unlike Headley, he can't really blame his home ballpark. Freese doesn't have great plate discipline, and he did most of his damage last year against left-handed pitching. He's really a work in progress. Let's just say I'm paying close attention, and I'm sure Cardinals fans would prefer to see him at the hot corner over Nick Punto and Daniel Descalso. The Cardinals have tried myriad options at third base; Albert Pujols and Allen Craig played some there and are currently hurt. Freese was supposed to be the answer, and if he can just stay healthy, I think he will be.

 

[HacheMan]

Injured Player is Injured
Maybe it's because the All-Star break is less than a couple weeks away and players are on their last legs, desperate for that three-day break. Or maybe three months of near-daily baseball is enough to drag a healthy man into the trainer's room. But it certainly seems like updates from the doctor dominate the news these days.

On the other hand, it's no surprise that Erik Bedard is now on the DL, but it might be a surprise that it's for his knee. His manager thinks he won't need much more than the minimum, so perhaps this was just a team playing it safe with their fragile commodity. Similarly, Maicer Izturis has always been on and off the list. He'll stay off for now, but missed his second-straight start Wednesday with a sore foot. He should be back Friday. Freddy Sanchez is another oft-injured dude. He'll begin upper-body work this week in order to determine if he can avoid season-ending surgery on his shoulder. This has happened before, right? Chipper Jones is still having trouble with his right knee and is trying to avoid surgery! Yeah, not surprising.

Not all of the medical news was bad. Dr. James Andrews found no structural damage in Josh Johnson's shoulder and will begin his throwing program in ten days. That's okay news I guess. David Wright should begin his rehab assignment within the next week. Derek Jeter took batting practice, ran the bases, and took ground balls Wednesday and will begin ramping up his rehab for a possible early July return from his calf strain. Jon Niese had his heart cleared and should make his next start, Friday against the Yankees. Really good news. Bartolo Colon should return Saturday against the Mets and forgo a real rehab assignment. Darwin Barney is back from the DL, but is more of a deeper-league guy since he's an empty batting average. Leonys Martin, a Cuban outfielder in the Rangers organization, is back from his injury and could still figure into the team's plans this year considering his .357/.444/.583 line in Double-A.

* And even some of the news was performance-related. Ubaldo Jimenez still hasn't found the velocity he used to have, so it's no surprise the swinging strikes aren't there either. He did have a good game against the White Sox (two runs, four strikeouts and two walks in seven innings), but he also doesn't fundamentally look like the Ubaldo of old. Carlos Carrasco enjoyed his trip to the NL, allowing only two runs in seven innings in Arizona. The best news was that he struck out seven, since his per-pitch whiff numbers are better than his per-at-bat strikeout numbers. He's useful in most leagues. Ricky Nolasco survived his trip to the AL by drawing the Athletics. He threw a shutout but only struck out three, so he's still an enigma. Colby Lewis held the Astros to two runs in 6 2/3 innings (with six strikeouts and no walks), proving he's still at least a spot start in all leagues. Brandon Morrow will always be risky because of the walks, but the strikeouts make him tantalizing. He struck out 10 Pirates in seven innings in what was a tantalizing matchup. Tim Stauffer is totally different. He has good control and keeps the ball on the ground but doesn't have a great strikeout rate. One run, four hits, six strikeouts and two walks in seven innings against the Royals underlines the point.

A good start does not make a good pickup. Like John Lackey was great against the Phillies (two runs in seven innings with five strikeouts), and isn't facing Tommy John surgery (he claims), but is in the middle of an obvious decline (in swinging strikes, ground-ball and walk rates). Pass. A.J. Burnett has found some of his swinging strikes back, but fundamentally he's not much better off than last year. He struck out four Brewers and held them to two runs in seven innings, but is still more of a spot-start in most leagues. Brett Myers does do everything about average, but that makes an average pitcher. At least he's in the NL. He truck out four and allowed three runs in seven innings to the Rangers. Meh. Mark Buehrle is the eternal example. He only gave up two runs in seven innings against the Rockies, but he struck out four. All he's really got going for him going forward is control, and striking out four guys per nine makes him a liability.

In deeper leagues, the song remains the same. Vance Worley held the Red Sox to one run in seven innings, and even struck out five. Some like the Vanimal, but he doesn't get many swinging strikes and is only an average ground-baller. Guillermo Moscoso doesn't get swinging strikes, has bad control, and is an extreme fly ball guy. Maybe one earned on six innings isn't amazing, and his performance going forward shouldn't be considered amazing either.

* On the offensive side of the ball, Hanley Ramirez hit a home run and some power would really bring him back to his old heights. Jason Bay drew four walks, stole two bases and hit a double. There's some reason for optimism, but his batting average won't find old heights with this strikeout rate. More interesting for mixed leagues is Angel Pagan, who collected four hits, stole a base, and suddenly has a passable batting average to go with his real speed and good-enough power. Colby Rasmus may not ever have a great batting average, but he has power and speed. he hit a home run Wednesday night and might be heating back up again. Nick Markakis should have the good batting average but lacks the speed and power. He had his fourth straight multi-hit night. Freddie Freeman doesn't have traditional first-base-type power, but after collecting three hits Wednesday, he's a play-able utility bat in most leagues. The knock on Dustin Ackley was similar - not a ton of power or speed - but he's transitioning well and hit a home run off of Jonny Venters. Impressive.

Let's check out some older dudes. Raul Ibanez isn't going to have a great year, but three hits (one a home run) on Wednesday means he'll still have the occasional signs of life. Carlos Lee hit a solo home run and is doing okay this month. He's also a bad-body dude that isn't aging gracefully. Pick him up if you need to. Ty Wigginton homered for the sixth time in seven days. Considering his eligibilities, he's playable in most leagues even if his batting average won't improve. Staying on the middle infield, Orlando Cabrera had four hits Wednesday and might be back in charge at that second base position in Cleveland. Since they are suddenly competitive this year, the team will play whomever can contribute the most on offense right now.

* Bullpennery! Antonio Bastardo got his first save as the interim closer, but Brad Lidge will begin a rehab assignment early next week. His time might be limited. Carlos Marmol blew his fifth save, but limited the damage and got the win. Emmanuel Burris got the tying hit, though, and that sentence might not ever happen again. Jordan Walden snapped his blown-save streak by striking out one and preserving Dan Haren's 1-0 victory. He's probably fine going forward. Joe Nathan's velocity is back, and he struck out two Tuesday night. He needs some struggles or a trade from Matt Capps to return to his role. Tony La Russa pointed out that Lance Lynn has been great since he's moved to the bullpen, and that might mean something eventually since Fernando Salas has been struggling. Since Chris Carpenter went the distance (and is a great buy-low, by the way), the pen wasn't tested Wednesday night. Takashi Saito should return to the majors this weekend, and makes a good pickup in holds leagues.

* A couple of releases around the league might register with fantasy folk. Melvin Mora hasn't really been getting playing time, and his .524 OPS wasn't quite demanding more of it. This just means that Ryan Roberts is secure at the hot corner in Arizona. More of a surprise was Ryan Franklin's release. There had been some talk that he might be relevant again the Cards' bullpen, but his general manager preemptively struck. No more chin squirrels in St. Louis. Doug Davis was released by the Cubs but he was looking pretty unusable anyway.

National League Quick Hits: Jayson Werth is day-to-day with a sore hip … He only made it five innings, but there's no word about his aching hip, and Shaun Marcum did strike out six … Jordan Zimmermann threw an eight-inning complete game with four strikeouts and one walk against the Angels and looks like an every-starter … Anthony Rizzo collected two singles, but his long-term upside trumps his upside for this year … Chris Capuano struck out six, walked one, and is a decent spot start despite giving up five runs against the Tigers … Rubby De La Rosa has nasty stuff, but right now he's working on harnessing it, as his four strikeouts and two walks in seven one-run innings shows … Edinson Volquez gave up three runs and only two walks in 6 1/3 innings, but that control makes him risky … Paul Maholm has a tasty ERA, but even when he has a good start (two runs in seven innings against the Jays), he doesn't strike many out (one Wednesday night) … Jonny Venters might get some rest over the weekend if only to avoid overuse … The Pirates are also thinking about cutting back Kevin Correia's workload … Xavier Paul has been playing daily, but isn't as good as he looks and missed Wednesday's game with tightness in his hamstring … Fernando Martinez was recalled to the Mets to take over for Willie Harris (paternity) … Juan Miranda went hitless Wednesday and Paul Goldschmidt and Brandon Allen lurk in the minors … Jerry Hairston Jr. has a small break in his hand but will try to play through it.

American League Quick Hits: Ian Kinsler hit a pair of home runs and is heating up … David Ortiz went hitless and looked rusty at first base while Adrian Gonzalez looked okay in the outfield when the Red Sox went to the NL … Clay Buchholz was ramping up his return but now felt some discomfort and is probably out until after the All-Star break … James Shields struck out ten and still took the loss against the Reds when he gave up his first home run in five starts … Scott Baker struck out nine in 7 1/3 scoreless innings, but it was the Dodgers … Phil Hughes allowed one run in 6 1/3 rehab innings and topped out at 94 MPH; He could be an interesting waiver wire pickup for the pitching-starved … Jason Kubel played in his first rehab game and should be back sometime next week … Delmon Young (ankle) is going to take batting proactive and shag fly balls Friday … More Twins news - Denard Span (concussion) could take batting practice this weekend … One more Twins item says that Alexi Casilla missed Wednesday's game with a sore thumb, but he should be back Friday … Wait, Jim Thome returned … Rich Harden will be limited to 90 pitches in his Friday start in Arizona … Jeff Francoeur struck out four times against the Padres and if it wasn't for his seven stolen bases in June, he would be nigh-unownable in all leagues … Luke Scott (knee) was not in the lineup but should be fine soon … The Mariners are sending Miguel Olivo (hamstring) for an MRI … Phil Coke gave up eight runs in four innings to the Mets and is just not a play in any league … Chris Jakubauskas gave up five runs against the Cardinals and is not a great start in any league … The Yankees got Sergio Mitre back from the Brewers!

 

[HacheMan]

Maybe Maybin?
You won't find Lonnie Chisenhall in this week's edition of Wired. And the reason is really quite simple. He's already owned in 10 percent of Y! leagues and 6.6 percent of ESPN.com leagues, which puts him in a weird state of fantasy limbo for the purposes of this column. He's too obvious to mention in AL-only leagues at this point, but I'm not yet convinced he'll be an asset in standard mixed leagues right away.

Think about it. The Indians were getting next to nothing from third base after Jack Hannahan's hot start, so while Chisenhall had three multi-hit games in his last six before being promoted to the majors, his numbers with Triple-A Columbus this season didn't exactly scream priority add in mixed leagues. He could easily play into consideration with a hot start, given the lack of quality depth at the third base position this season, but he's going to have to earn his way there. At least with me, anyway.

Let's move on to the good stuff.

MIXED LEAGUES

Antonio Bastardo RP, Phillies (Yahoo: 32 percent owned, ESPN: 32.1 percent)

Now that Ryan Madson is on the disabled list with a bruised right hand, Bastardo is expected to serve as the short-term fill-in for the ninth inning. He was equal to the task in his first opportunity Wednesday night, sitting down the Red Sox in order to secure his third save of the season. The 25-year-old left-hander now has an outstanding 0.93 ERA to go along with 33 strikeouts over 29 innings. He's a no-brainer add if you're on the hunt for saves.

Jonny Gomes OF, Reds (Yahoo: 13 percent owned, ESPN: 10.5 percent)

All the talk about Chris Heisey's recent three-homer game has overshadowed the fact that Gomes is actually swinging the bat pretty well. The 30-year-old batted .321 with four homers and 11 RBI over 53 at-bats in June. While he still has a lowly .225 batting average, his current .790 OPS represents a career-high. You can do better in shallow mixed leagues, but Gomes certainly has his place in deeper formats, especially five OF leagues.

Cameron Maybin OF, Padres (Yahoo: 11 percent owned, ESPN: 11.5 percent)

After weathering a recent 0-for-16 skid, Maybin is batting .393 with four stolen bases and eight runs scored over his last eight games. The 24-year-old already has five homers and 11 stolen bases through 64 games, which puts him on pace for his first 10/20 season. Most fantasy owners would probably sign up for that. I'm not optimistic that he'll be able to maintain his current .262 batting average, as he still strikes out way too much and his line-drive rate doesn't support his lofty batting average on balls in play, but his power-speed combo is intriguing.

Jason Vargas SP, Mariners (Yahoo: 15 percent owned, ESPN: 12.9 percent)

I can understand the lack of enthusiasm with Vargas. He doesn't throw hard, his strikeout rate is underwhelming and he plays for the lowest scoring team in the majors. Got it. But if you play the matchups, he's actually quite useful. The 28-year-old left-hander has a 3.10 ERA over his last 10 starts dating back to May 1, including two complete game shutouts. And just where did those outings occur? The spacious Safeco Field, of course. In turn, I wouldn't hesitate using him against the light-hitting Padres on Friday night.

Derrek Lee 1B, Orioles (Yahoo: 27 percent owned, ESPN: 31.8 percent)

This year has been a struggle for Lee, but he has some shown signs of life lately by batting .340 with two homers, four doubles and six RBI over his last 11 games. I got lucky by recommending Vernon Wells two weeks ago and Jason Bay last week, so why not roll the dice with Lee, too? His health is a concern, but like the others mentioned above, he has too much of a track record to be hitting around .200 for the long haul.

Joe Nathan RP, Twins (Yahoo: 33 percent owned, ESPN: 29.8 percent)

Are we finally seeing the old Joe Nathan? He struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief Tuesday night against the Dodgers while averaging 93.2 mph on his fastball. The 36-year-old right-hander averaged just around 91 mph on his heater before going on the disabled list at the end of the May, so this is a very encouraging sign. Matt Capps has pitched well enough to keep his job for the short-term, but he's an obvious trade candidate should the Twins decide to become sellers. This makes Nathan an ideal stash if you're thinking long-term.

Rafael Furcal SS, Dodgers (Yahoo: 33 percent owned, ESPN: 22.1 percent)

Furcal is four games into a minor league rehab assignment and could return as soon as this weekend against the Angels. The 33-year-old has been limited to just 17 games this season due to thumb and oblique injuries, but he did bat .300 with eight homers and 22 stolen bases in 97 games in 2010. It's asking a lot for him to stay healthy for any long stretch, but it wouldn't take him much to provide value at the thin shortstop position.

Brett Myers SP, Astros (Yahoo: 38 percent owned, ESPN: 32.9 percent)

After posting an ugly 6.90 ERA in May, Myers just finished off the month of June with a 3.73 ERA and 29/8 K/BB ratio over six starts. While it's true that the veteran right-hander leads the majors with 22 homers allowed over 109 2/3 innings, he has at least limited the damage by issuing only 33 walks. I'd give him a try against the Pirates next week.

Shopping at the five-and-dime:

(Players owned in less than 10 percent of Y! and ESPN.com leagues)

Cory Luebke RP/SP, Padres (Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 3.8 percent)

NL-only to mixed league recommendation in the space of one week? I love when that happens. Luebke was as advertised in his first start of the season Sunday against the Braves, allowing just one hit over five shutout innings while striking out six and walking just two. He'll get the Mariners on Saturday at Safeco Field, which is one of the coziest matchups on tap for this weekend. Take advantage.

Javy Guerra RP, Dodgers (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 6.9 percent)

What a mess, huh? Jonathan Broxton appeared poised to regain the closer role this time last week, but he's now sidelined for at least three weeks after his elbow started barking during a rehab assignment. Guerra will remain the primary option for the ninth inning for the short-term, though it's worth noting that he hasn't saved a game since June 19. In case it wasn't obvious already, I prefer Bastardo over Guerra.

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AL ONLY

Rich Harden SP, Athletics (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

Were you expecting a joke about Harden's lack of durability? Pshh…too easy. If anything, his reputation as an injury-prone pitcher should increase your chances of finding him available on the waiver wire. Harden struck out 12 over 7 2/3 innings in the minors and reached 94 mph on the radar gun during his last rehab start, so I have no problem with taking a chance on his upside. I would consider keeping him in reserve Friday against the Diamondbacks, but I really like him against the Mariners next week.

Eric Thames OF, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.5 percent)

The major side benefit of Jose Bautista moving back to third base is that Thames is now getting the chance to play everyday in right field. The 24-year-old has hit safely in four straight games since being called from the minors last week -- all of them out of the No. 2 spot in the order -- and hit a solo homer during Wednesday's game against the Pirates. Small sample size, yes, but I could see him picking up some steam in mixed formats before long.

Brett Cecil SP, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.6 percent)

This is a shot in the dark more than anything else. Of course, Cecil was demoted to the minors in late-April after posting an ugly 6.86 ERA over his first four starts. The 24-year-old left-hander didn't exactly dominate during his stay with Triple-A Las Vegas either, compiling a 5.26 ERA over 12 starts, but the Blue Jays are confident that he has rediscovered his velocity. Pick him up in hopes that something clicked in the minor leagues.

NL ONLY

Alex Presley OF, Pirates (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 1.2 percent)

The Pirates were already planning to call up Presley last week, but he now finds himself in an everyday role following Jose Tabata's quad injury. The 25-year-old was batting .336 with eight homers and 18 stolen bases over his first 75 games with Triple-A Indianapolis and already has a homer and stolen base to his credit with the Pirates. While there's some pop in his bat, NL-only owners should invest for his speed and run-scoring potential at the top of the Pirates' lineup.

Mat Gamel 3B, Brewers (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

If I had a flashing sign that read, "for a limited time only," it would be hanging over Gamel right now. The Brewers called him up from Triple-A Nashville this week with the sole purpose of utilizing him in American League ballparks. The 25-year-old has been tearing the cover off the ball in the Pacific Coast League, but there's no place to play him under normal circumstances. He'll likely be in the lineup for at least two games this weekend against the Twins, so plug him in if you need a short-term power boost.

Barry Zito SP, Giants (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 2.7 percent)

Zito has a brief window to prove his worth while Jonathan Sanchez is sidelined with left biceps tendinitis, but he made a pretty strong opening argument in his return from the disabled list Tuesday night. The southpaw held the Cubs to just two runs over seven innings while striking out three and walking two. I'm not expecting miracles here, but he should be able to provide value in NL-only and even deeper mixed leagues.

 

[HacheMan]

Trading on up


Matthew Berry


I wasn't going to read it.

As I skimmed the cover of the July 4 edition of Us Magazine, I looked at the headlines, figuring nothing in the issue appealed to me. "How Khloe lost 10 lbs!" (Uh, I assume it's from not having to eat arena food anymore since her husband, inconsistent Lamar, decided not to show up against the Mavericks, helping my Lakers get swept in the conference semis instead of playing in the NBA Finals despite having the best team in the league, talent-wise, as Kobe got a year older. But I'm totally over it, why do you ask?)


"Bachelorette shocker -- Bentley's Cruel Return" (I have no idea what this means). And "Hef's Heartache -- Dumped at the Altar" (I think Hef's gonna be OK).


Then I see the main headline.


"How Jen Stole Her Man."


Stop it. Seriously? I look again. Yes, seriously.


For those who are behind on their celebrity gossip -- and in fairness, this story has been fairly quiet -- actress Jennifer Aniston has been single for a while. As Kevin O'Leary breathlessly writes, "In the two years since her tortured love affair with John Mayer ended, her dating life had consisted of false starts with everyone from Bradley Cooper to Cougar Town's Josh Hopkins, so who could blame her for jumping in?"


Who indeed?


I figured it was obvious, but who knows, maybe I was missing something. So I read on. Here are the details:


The guy in question is named Justin Theroux, a successful screenwriter ("Tropic Thunder," "Iron Man 2") and actor who has done a bunch of TV shows and is one of the stars of the upcoming movie "Wanderlust," which also features, you guessed it, Jennifer Aniston.

The point of contention, it appears, is that according to Us Magazine, Theroux had a girlfriend, Heidi Bivens, whom he had been with for 14 years. Then Theroux meets Aniston, they start canoodling (the kids still say canoodling, right?) and well, Heidi Bivens will head into Year 15 sans boyfriend. Which leads back to the headline: How did Jen steal her man?


I'll tell you how. All you single women out there, come close. I'm about to give you the secret, the intricate plan Jen used to turn her one into a two.


She walked up to him and said, "Hi, I'm Jennifer Aniston."


That's it. That's all it took. No master plan, Us Magazine. No tangled web she weaved. When you're really attractive, insanely rich and world-famous, you pretty much get to choose your partner. You don't have to like the rules, but there they are. Sorry, Heidi Bivens. I'm sure this is a terribly heartbreaking time and I feel badly for you. But that's the way of the world -- always has been, always will be.


I will tell you, Heidi, and all you ladies out there, that if you're not married after being together for 14 years, that's a big hint that things ultimately aren't gonna go your way. On the plus side, Hef's single now. Maybe give him a ring?


I know people want to beat up Theroux for his part in all this, but you know why he did this?


Because he was asked.


Most guys would have done what Justin did. Don't get all high and mighty on me. If you were in your 30s, unmarried and Jennifer Aniston gave you the high sign? You couldn't run fast enough. Justin's one of us.


Look, if he hadn't married Heidi after 14 years, something wasn't there for him. They started dating when he was a struggling writer-actor and she was with him for a long time. So yeah, it looks bad. I'm sure he wishes it went down differently and maybe he feels badly about it. Maybe he doesn't. He might be too busy living "in hog heaven," as a source told Us, exclusively.


(Side note to Us Magazine: He's sleeping with Jennifer Aniston. Not sure you needed a source to report how he feels about it, you know? Couldn't you have just written, "He's in hog heaven, common sense tells us.")


Anyway, Justin saw an opportunity to make his life happier and he took it. I'm sure it wasn't easy to get rid of someone who had been good to him, but ultimately, he traded Heidi for the big-name Jen.


As we start heading for the second half of the fantasy baseball season, we are all Justin Theroux. How can we make our life … er, team … better?


We do it the same way these two crazy kids did. Like Justin, we forget loyalties to longtime players who had been good for us but whose best days might be behind them. Like Justin, we trade up to improve our lot in life. And like Jen, we make it a no-brainer for the other person.


Here are five trades that I would make right now.


1. Trade up from Jon Lester to Brandon Beachy.


I've loved Lester for almost as long as Justin and Heidi were together, but despite his team and big name, the truth is that Lester hasn't been as dominant this year and, in fact, has been getting a bit lucky, with a left on base percentage (LOB) of 80.2 (per Fangraphs.com). His HR/FB rate is at a career high (14.3 percent, career 9.5) and his FIP (fielding-independent pitching) is actually 4.13 this year.


Meanwhile Beachy has been all that and a bag of Anistons. (You're damn right I'm gonna beat this analogy into the ground). Giving up two earned runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts, Beachy's strikeouts-per-9 rate is 10.54. I thought that was a typo, too. Nope, it's 10.54. And the strikeout-to-walk ratio is 4.40, which, if he had pitched enough to qualify, would be eighth best in baseball, just behind Cliff Lee's 4.41 and significantly ahead of Lester's 2.70.


Wins are hard to predict, but it's fair to assume Lester will do better in that category the rest of the way. But Beachy already has a better ERA and WHIP, and more strikeouts per nine innings than Lester. I like Lester, I just don't like him as much as Beachy the rest of the way, and honestly, if you were to do this deal, you could probably get Beachy plus someone for Lester.


2. Trade away Ian Kinsler for Danny Espinosa.

We discussed Espinosa on the podcast earlier this week but it bears repeating here. If you don't own him, you don't realize how good he's been. In fact, even if you own him, you may not realize it. The No. 1 second baseman on our Player Rater over the past 30 days (and No. 6 overall), Espinosa is on pace to have the following numbers at the end of the season: 80 runs, 30 home runs, 96 RBIs, 18 steals and a .238 average.


Here are the numbers that Kinsler is currently on pace for: 110 runs, 22 home runs, 60 RBIs, 30 steals and a .243 average.


Kinsler hits at the top of the order and Espinosa hits closer to the middle/bottom of the Nats' lineup and their runs and RBIs reflect that. Espinosa is never going to hit for a great average (though he did hit .295 in Triple-A last year before being recalled, so there's some hope), so I don't expect him to consistently hit better than .260. But you can live with that, given what else he is doing.


Power is scarce and speed is plentiful, so I'd rather have Espinosa's numbers than Kinsler's. Obviously your team makeup and needs will dictate this, but in a vacuum, I'll always choose power over speed these days. And more importantly, you don't have the health risk with Espinosa that you do with Kinsler, who is intimately acquainted with the disabled list.


Frankly, because I think you could get Espinosa plus another guy when you offer a big name, the only second basemen I wouldn't trade for Espinosa are Robinson Cano and Rickie Weeks. I'd have no issue dealing anyone else.


3. Goodbye, Josh Beckett; hello, Chris Carpenter.


I listed Beckett as a sell-high in last week's column and some folks questioned that, along with the inclusion of James Shields on that list. Although I like both pitchers and think both will continue to have value, I also think their values were at the absolute peak last week (and Shields has had a so-so start since then) because their peripherals suggest they've been getting a bit lucky. We discussed Shields on the podcast, so I'll get into Beckett here.

He's not a 2.20 ERA pitcher. His own history tells us that. In a season in which he's pitched at least 100 innings, his lowest ERA has been 3.04. And in the American League, the best mark is 3.27 -- and that was in 2007. His BABIP (currently .212, career .290) and his LOB percentage (unsustainable at 82.4, career 72) scream lucky, as does his HR/FB percentage (currently 5.3, career 10.4 ). His xFIP is 3.78. By the way, here are his career ERAs by month:


March/April: 3.99
May: 3.71
June: 3.34
July: 4.27
August: 4.63
Sept/Oct: 3.11


Yeah. Enjoy the next two months. Meanwhile, Carpenter has been the opposite of Beckett, getting a bit unlucky. Believe it or not, his K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 are all lower than they were last year. His xFIP is 3.26 and he's given up just two earned runs in his past 16 innings. He's back, the overall numbers just don't reflect it yet.


4. Let go of Andre Ethier, embrace Alex Rios.


Lord help me if the White Sox continue to tank in the second half. But here's my argument on this one, starting with Ethier. Currently getting very lucky with the average (BABIP of .376, career .324), he hit .256 over the second half of last season. He's actually hitting ground balls at a higher rate this season than he has in the previous three seasons.


In fact, let's look at his number this year: 40 runs, 7 home runs, 40 RBI, 0 steals, .314 average.
Now, let's look at Rios, who has been all sorts of brutal: 36 runs, 6 home runs, 20 RBI, 5 steals, .218 average.


In a half season in which Rios has been performing way below expectations, he's still a wash with Ethier in two categories (HR, R) and beats him in steals. Now, he obviously gets destroyed like Heidi's heart (thought I was done with that, didn't you?) in both average and RBIs.


I believe their averages will be much closer over the second half. Rios' .227 BABIP is fourth worst in the majors and well below his career average of .310. Meanwhile, you know I think Ethier's average is on borrowed time. That the RBIs will come for Rios, that's a bit of a leap of faith, but if you've read me at all, you know I feel the White Sox, as a team, will perform much better in the second half.


If you're dealing Ethier, you'll get back more than just Rios, and that will be a deal that will work well for you over the second half.



5. Dump Derek Jeter, try to hook up with Alcides Escobar or Alexei Ramirez or a bag of magic beans, instead.


I've made no secret of my belief that Jeter is done. He's still owned in 95 percent of ESPN.com leagues, he still has a big name and someone in your league still believes he's "buying low." That person is wrong.


Look, Jeter isn't this bad. He's actually striking out less this year (11.8 strikeout percentage, lowest of his career) and his .260 BABIP (career .312) suggests that although his average may not dramatically increase, it will improve. But he's got no power anymore and he's a much bigger name than fantasy producer.


Two guys that are the opposite of that are Ramirez and Escobar. I actually like Escobar more. I also mentioned him in my 10 lists of 10 last week. Since changing his batting stance at the start of June, he's hitting .305 with 15 runs, a home run, 8 RBIs and 7 steals in 27 games. He'll hit for a higher average than Jeter, steal more bases and keep pace in RBIs and home runs the rest of the way.


As for Ramirez, over the past three years he is a .331 hitter in July and a .291 hitter in August. He always seems to start slow, but always heats up. He's walking more and striking out less than last year, when he hit 18 homers and stole 13 bases. He'll hit for more power and drive in more runs than Jeter the rest of the way, and the difference between them in those categories will more than make up for the advantage Jeter will have in steals and runs. For the second half, I don't feel Jeter will hit that much better than Ramirez, and in fact, on our Player Rater, Ramirez is among the top 10 shortstops -- Jeter is outside the top 20.


Meanwhile, as I've written this, Heidi is once again too late to the party. Hef is off the market, taking up with Shera Bechard. You see, kids? If you wait too long to make a move, someone beats you to it.