MLB Fantasy News 2012

[HacheMan]

Suddenly Craving Crawford Maybe it’s because the Red Sox have played such underwhelming baseball this year. Or perhaps it’s because of that disappointing 2011 campaign.

Either way, it sure seems like Carl Crawford’s triumphant return to the major leagues is flying well under the radar.

The $142 million man went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and two runs scored on Tuesday night in a 7-5 loss to the White Sox and is now 4-for-7 (.571) with four runs scored since being activated from the 60-day disabled list on Monday afternoon.

Crawford seems doubtful to ever meet the expectations that come with such a massive free agent contract, but he’s still a highly talented player and appears ready to regain his status as a reliable fantasy contributor.

In 2010 -- his final season with the Rays -- Crawford finished with a .307/.356/.495 batting line, 19 home runs, 47 stolen bases and 90 RBI. He may have lost a step on his way to Boston, but anything close to that kind of numbers pace would vault him into the realm of elite second-half fantasy outfielders. Pick him up if he was dropped. Trade for him if another owner is giving him away. We’re high on Crawford’s potential down the stretch.


K-Rod Named New Closer In Milwaukee

For the first time in over 11 months, Francisco Rodriguez is a great name to own in non-holds fantasy leagues.

The Brewers finally took action after watching John Axford blow his sixth save of the season on Monday night against the Cardinals, installing K-Rod into the ninth-inning role while demoting “The Ax Man” to a setup gig.

Rodriguez is throwing harder this year -- with an average fastball of 91.6 mph -- than he has since the 2009 season and is also having a good amount of success with his off-speed deliveries. He made things interesting on Tuesday night against St. Louis, yielding a leadoff double to David Freese and a single to Yadier Molina, but he operated well in damage control and escaped mostly unscathed as Milwaukee grabbed a 3-2 victory.

K-Rod has a 3.59 ERA and 40/18 K/BB ratio in 42-plus innings this year. He needs to be owned in all formats.


Astros Lose Shortstop Lowrie For Month At Least

The Astros are 34-57 and occupy the very bottom of the barrel in the weak National League Central division, but they might need to make an addition to their major league roster -- rather than a subtraction -- here in the next few days.

Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie was diagnosed Tuesday evening with nerve irritation in his lower right leg. He’ll be in a protective walking boot through Saturday and is expected to miss at least four weeks.

That leaves Marwin Gonzalez and Brian Bixler to handle shortstop duties in Houston, and neither player is a legitimate major leaguer. The ‘Stros can’t replace the 14 homers, 36 RBI and .799 OPS that Lowrie was rocking in his 80 games played, but they’ll have to do something to remain respectable down the stretch.



National League Quick Hits: Reds ace Johnny Cueto lowered his ERA to 2.28 in Tuesday night’s defeat of the Diamondbacks … Ryan Braun is day-to-day with a strained muscle in his right thigh … Buster Posey tallied a season-high five RBI in the Giants’ victory over the Braves on Tuesday night in Atlanta … The Mets have ruled out calling up top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler at any point this summer … Trevor Bauer allowed four runs on five walks and one hit in Tuesday’s loss to the Reds … Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-4 on Tuesday night against the Rockies, raising his batting line to .374/.426/.657 … Nationals starter Ross Detwiler hurled seven scoreless innings Tuesday against the Mets … Barry Zito tossed seven shutout innings Tuesday night in the Giants’ defeat of the Braves … Matt Holliday is day-to-day after exiting Tuesday’s game against the Brewers with a left thigh contusion … The Diamondbacks are hopeful that Jason Kubel (hamstring) will be ready to return to action Wednesday after missing three straight games … Giants catcher Hector Sanchez departed Tuesday’s game with a left knee sprain and is considered day-to-day … Chad Billingsley was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation … Padres pitcher Joe Wieland needs Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery … The Braves are hoping to sign Martin Prado to a long-term contract extension … Jonathan Lucroy (hand) is aiming to return from the disabled list on July 26 … Astros catcher Jason Castro has meniscus damage in his right knee and will be out longer than anticipated … Carlos Quentin (knee) is aiming to return Wednesday … The Dodgers are showing serious trade interest in Cubs starter Ryan Dempster … Roy Halladay allowed two earned runs in five innings against the Dodgers Tuesday in his first start back from the disabled list.

American League Quick Hits: The Royals designated left-hander Jonathan Sanchez (7.76 ERA, 2.04 WHIP) for assignment on Tuesday afternoon … An MRI taken Tuesday morning on Jose Bautista’s ailing left wrist showed no structural damage … David Ortiz is expected to miss at least a week due to soreness in his right Achilles tendon … Yankees ace CC Sabathia went six-plus scoreless innings Tuesday against the Blue Jays in his first game back from the 15-day disabled list … Mike Trout had a four-hit night Tuesday against the Tigers, lifting his season slash line to .355/.408/.582 … Kevin Youkilis blasted a three-run homer against his former team on Tuesday as the White Sox topped the Red Sox at Fenway Park … The Twins placed closer Matt Capps back on the disabled list due to ongoing discomfort in his right shoulder … Roy Oswalt tossed six-plus innings of one-run ball Tuesday in the Rangers’ victory over the A’s … Brett Anderson (elbow) has been cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday with High-A Stockton … The White Sox placed Gavin Floyd on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis … Jon Lester is now sporting a 4.80 ERA through 19 starts this season … Charlie Furbush is day-to-day with triceps tightness … Blue Jays prospect Anthony Gose collected the first hit of his major league career on Tuesday night against the Yankees … Tigers youngster Jacob Turner was shelled for seven runs in just two innings Tuesday in a loss to the Angels … Brandon McCarthy (shoulder) is aiming to rejoin the Oakland starting rotation by the end of July … The Red Sox have moved Franklin Morales back to the bullpen … Jared Burton notched his third save of the season Tuesday in the Twins’ defeat of the Orioles.

 

[HacheMan]

Birthing New Closers Still here on vacation, if you can call it that. Visiting the sister in law and her newborn, and her 18-month-old, all with my three-month-old… it's a babypocalypse. Or maybe it's just an episode of Oprah -- You get a baby! You get a baby! You get a baby!

Hardly leaves much time for vacation. At least we have some great examples of baby ages at our disposal. Each of these babies can be an inspiration for a tier. All babies are great, and all parents are proud, but there are just time periods in a baby's life that are better than others.

So, in honor of the life I'm suddenly living, I present to you this week's tiers, named after the stages in a baby's life. Nothing if not topical, am I right?

Tier 1: Elite (6) (AKA: The "Newborn" Tier.)

Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies
Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals
Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers

Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers

There's nothing bad a person can say about a newborn. I guess if you're just not planning to have babies, and you're not a baby person, you can say that they just aren't your style. But even those cats -- and I know plenty -- are a little stymied when they come face to face with a baby that was inside a womb less than a month before. Those babies basically don't cry. They don't throw temper tantrums. They don't have tempers. They sleep, they eat, they poop -- and even their poop's not such a big deal. And they look like little angels maybe 99% of the time.

Aroldis Chapman has had two Kimbrels since he hit that rough patch. He has 21 strikeouts in his last 8 2/3 innings… He has two walks. And, given his age -- 24 -- his arm is fresh. He even pitched back-to-back-to-back innings between the 13th and the 15th of July. There's really nothing to not love about this guy right now. He's just a baby, man. A fierce, gas-throwing, strikeout hoarding baby.

Kenley Jansen is the newborn of this family, and he's blown two saves in a row, but he's not going to drop out of the tier just yet. With 64 strikeouts in 42 and 2/3 innings, he's giving you good value in every other category, and he's probably not going to lose the job for giving up three hits and no walks while getting his last seven outs.

Tier 2: Rock Steady (5) (AKA: The "One Year" Tier.)

Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates
Rafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies
Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees
J.J. Putz, Arizona Diamondbacks
Ernesto Frieri, Los Angeles Angels

Every baby develops differently. Instead of 'one year,' think of this tier as that magical moment when the baby takes his first steps, begins to form words, and still can't get into the cupboard and do serious damage. He's not yet completely mobile, but he's giving you all the firsts that you can handle.

This tier seems lonely, maybe it needs a fresh face. Maybe you could say that Fernando Rodney, who's had a magical season full of firsts at the ripe age of 35, should be here. After all, he's still thriving despite Kyle Farnsworth's return. He's not a pumpkin yet. Still, with a story this unique, it feels like the magic could disappear at any moment. Maybe you could say Chris Perez should be up here. But he's striking out more than a batter per nine innings over his career rate, and his swinging strike rate and velocity predict a lower strikeout rate as well. His career walk rate predicts a worse walk rate. Regression seems to be coming, at least the numbers say so. Maybe you could move Huston Street up because of the rumors that the Padres don't want to swallow any of his salary, making him a possible Padre after the trade deadline. Instead, we'll pass, and wait for another week of information before bringing someone up a tier.

Tier 3: OK options (8) (AKA: The "Three Months" Tier.)

Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays
Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians
Huston Street, San Diego Padres
Addison Reed, Chicago White Sox
Tom Wilhelmsen, Seattle Mariners
Santiago Casilla, San Francisco Giants
Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles

I'm lucky enough to be in this tier, and I'll take it about a million times over the storm that is on the horizon. First directed smiles come in this tier, and the baby is finally acknowledging you and staring into your face lovingly. They can't talk, they can't play with a toy, most won't even sit still through a baby book, they just want to be carried around to look at things, they sleep every other hour for a half hour, they can finally pee enough quantity to be dangerous, and they require constant attention -- but they'll smile at you!

Maybe Santiago Casilla is getting as tired as the parent of a newborn. He's been thrown in two back-to-back-to-backs in the last month, and both times he blew one of his three chances. He's blown four of his last seven opportunities, and he's not on the most stable footing. On the other hand, he came back from a blister issue and got his job handed right back to him, and the team prefers Sergio Romo setting up. Might be good enough.

Every closer with a job is cute, just like every baby is cute. So even though Jim Johnson is suddenly blowing games left and right -- six runs over his last four outs -- and he doesn't give you strikeouts (23 in his 38 and 2/3 innings this season, or about 15 less than a normal closer), he's a closer! And look, he's smiling at you. Kinda, sorta, not really.

Tier 4: Question marks (5) (AKA: The "Eighteen Months" Tier.)

Ryan Cook, Oakland Athletics
Jonathan Broxton, Kansas City Royals
Alfredo Aceves, Boston Red Sox
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers

Casey Janssen, Toronto Blue Jays
Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals

Eighteen months is the tier of question marks. Will the baby angelically run towards you for a hug? Or will the baby run away from you screaming? Will the baby sit still for a book? Or will he cry so hard that he can't breathe, blow snot bubbles into the air and then cry some more? You never know what you're going to get, and boy, hope you babyproofed the house by now, because that baby will get into something the minute you look away

Jonathan Broxton might not survive four months as the newest addition to the Royals family, but if he ends up a Met, he might still be a closer. Behind him in Kansas City, you have to admit that Aaron Crow has been decent again in the pen, but that Greg Holland has been pitching later in games and striking out many more batters. He's the closer if Brox the Ox leaves.

Tyler Clippard was supposed to keep ascending in the ranks. He's got a double-digit strikeout rate backed by a double-digit swinging strike rate, all built on 93-mph gas and a platoon-neutral changeup that's 12 mph slower. He'd be perfect if not for spotty control. Well, now in his last four appearances, he's had a two-walk-no-strikeout inning, lost a tie game, and blown a save spectacularly. Tuesday night, he gave up a single to Josh Thole, a single to David Wright, struck out Scott Hairston, allowed a three-run homer to light-hitting utility man Jordany Valdespin, and then struck out Ike Davis and got a pop out from Andres Torres. That's not enough to give Drew Storen the job back without a statement from his manager, but it is enough to keep Drew Storen within arm's reach.

And really the only problem with Casey Janssen -- other than a strikeout rate that's about three per nine better than his career rate -- was that Sergio Santos was on his way back. Now that's no longer the case. So now Casey Janssen is just a question mark -- based on that strikeout rate that's about three per nine better than his career rate.

Read more about the most volatile closer situations on the next page.
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Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (6) (AKA: The "Two Years" Tier.)

Francisco Rodriguez (first chair), John Axford (second chair), Milwaukee Brewers

Steve Cishek (first chair), Heath Bell (second chair), Mike Dunn (third chair), Miami Marlins
Carlos Marmol (first chair), Shawn Camp (second chair), Chicago Cubs
Brett Myers (first chair) Brandon Lyon (second chair), Wesley Wright (third chair), Houston Astros
Jared Burton (first chair), Glen Perkins (second chair), Minnesota Twins
Bobby Parnell (first chair), Jon Rauch (second chair), Miguel Batista (third chair), New York Mets

Depending on the baby, you might be getting new teeth, dealing with leaving the home for school for the first time, skinned knees, unfulfillable desires, or the whys. The whys look like they could be some fun, at first. At some point it's not fun anymore and then come the becauses.

Looks like Francisco Rodriguez is the new closer in Milwaukee. Why? Because he got the save Tuesday night. Why? Because John Axford couldn't find the zone? Why? Mostly because he didn't throw first-pitch strikes. Why? Well you'd have to ask him. Why? Because I don't know. Why? Because I don't know everything. Why? Because. What I do know is that John Axford is still under team control for about five years longer than Francisco Rodriguez. So after a little while, if Ax finds the zone, it will be very tempting for the Brew Crew to move him back into the role. Why? Because it makes economic sense to do so.

Mike Dunn got the save the other night in Miami, but he's probably the third fiddle. And he's not playing behind Juan Carlos Oviedo, because Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez), now has elbow issues in the minors. He's got to mend before he can contend. Heath Bell is still there, and Steve Cishek is the sexy new own. Dunn's much better against lefties, and Cishek was sick the night they went to Dunn, so that makes him the situational guy (although maybe he should be second).

Carlos Marmol is the closer in Chicago, and with his almost ten-per-nine walk rate, he's probably not going to attract much trade interest. The other men in his pen are worse than he is, probably, and his velocity has been up since he returned from the DL this latest time. He's a sneaky buy-low? He actually could be. If you can stomach the WHIP being around 1.4 going forward.

This is a big deal. Matt Capps has rotator cuff problems, and those are a big deal. He came off the DL and went right back on it, which is almost always a big deal. Which means that there might actually be a legitimate, long-term closer role up for grabs in Minnesota. Glen Perkins is still the better pitcher, but Jared Burton got the save Tuesday night, and throws with his right hand. Managers are about half as likely as they should be to pick a lefty closer. So even though Perkins has a great strikeout rate, a better-than-average walk rate, and batted ball luck that should turn in his favor soon, and even though Jared Burton is doing it more with good batted ball luck and better control -- bet on the righty that got the last save. Ever since he started throwing his changeup almost 40% of the time, Burton has been much better. Own both if you can or choose the available one if the other is gone, of course, but pick Burton if you have to choose.

Bobby Parnell stays in the first chair because Jon Rauch is just as liable to pitch the seventh as the eighth, Miguel Batista is needed in the starting rotation, and Frank Francisco felt a twinge. But now Jonathan Broxton is rumored to be headed to New York, and that would throw the whole thing out of whack -- Broxton could even close over Francisco, even though Broxton's swinging strike rate is inferior. You'd have to bet on the in-house closer if healthy, but Broxton would make this a pick'em pretty quickly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

Injured

Andrew Bailey (thumb), Boston Red Sox
Drew Storen (elbow), Washington Nationals
Sergio Santos (shoulder), Toronto Blue Jays
Matt Capps (shoulder), Minnesota Twins
Frank Francisco (oblique), New York Mets

Oh boy. There goes Sergio. Shoulder injuries are the worst, and now Santos is in doubt for parts of next year. The claim is that his cuff was fine and he might be fine, but labrum tears are terrible, and they end careers. He might even be a dropper in dynasties and keepers, depending on your format. The rest of this list was supposed to be healthy by now. But Matt Capps is back on the DL with rotator cuff issues now, Frank Francisco felt a twinge, Andrew Bailey might go on rehab next week, and Drew Storen got lit up in the minor leagues on his rehab assignment. There might not be a bargain in this bin.

The Deposed

Jordan Walden, Los Angeles Angels
Hector Santiago, Chicago White Sox
Grant Balfour, Oakland Athletics
Brian Fuentes, Oakland Athletics
Javy Guerra, Los Angeles Dodgers
Sean Marshall, Cincinnati Reds
Henry Rodriguez, Washington Nationals
Brandon League, Seattle Mariners
Rafael Dolis, Chicago Cubs
Sergio Santos, Toronto Blue Jays

Heath Bell is… very… slowly… walking… this… way. Sergio Santos took the knife and ends up here because of it. Drew Storen is still a question mark.

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The Steals Department

Of course Carl Crawford is probably not on your waiver wire right now, but those three steals Tuesday night should probably be enough for you to make sure that he isn't. He's still a threat to steal 20+ over the second half, and in that lineup, he'll be a runs machine. Alexei Ramirez is probably also gone off your wire, but he's begun stealing bases again (two in his last five, with an unsuccessful attempt three games before that) and power takes the longest to stabilize. With just a little boost, he could hit six or seven homers and steal another six or seven. And he's a shortstop! Last on the shallower-league list is Lorenzo Cain, who's back in the big leagues and even hit a pinch-hit homer run Tuesday night. Sure, he hasn't attempted a steal and doesn't have Jarrod Dyson-like speed, and sure, he hasn't started two of the five games he's seen since he returned, but he's still interesting and could steal more than 10 with a little bit of pop in the second half.

For deeper leagues, let's look at some middle infielders. Jed Lowrie went down with a nerve issue in his leg (after being slid into, which is just strange, but about par for the course for the oft-injured shortstop) and now there's time for Marwin Gonzalez to play some. He's not really a long-term option, nor is he really a three-hundred-hitter, and he doesn't really have a lot of speed. But he'll play every day for a month-plus and could steal three-to-five without killing your batting average. Or maybe you could go with former Saves and Stealer Alexi Amarista, who has more speed but less obvious playing time. Maybe someone dropped him after he didn't start a game, but Amarista is the new utility man extraordinaire in San Diego, and he's been playing at shortstop, which might just be where he ends up full time. Everth Cabrera has his faults, after all.

 

[HacheMan]

Frankie's Fun Park
He's like the girl with all the world's potential who got away. He's the symbol for all aspirations in your life you never achieved because of forces outside your control. He's your grass-sucking genius buddy that threw away a six-figure job to work at an American Inn because he'd prefer to smoke and watch Christopher Nolan movies all day (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Francisco Liriano embodies every failed-opportunity metaphor one could conceive of in a lifetime. And yet, he's a paragon of determination. Arguably baseball's most dominant pitcher as a rookie in 2006, Liriano shredded his elbow, missed 2007, remade himself during a rocky 2008 campaign (much of which was spent at Triple-A), went 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA in 2009, won AL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2010, hurled a no-hitter in 2011 (despite ending with an ERA over 5.00) and has gone from sub-replacement level in 2012 over the season's first month-and-a-half to one of the league's most sought-after trade targets. One day he looks like a Cy Young contender. In his next outing, he could resemble a left-handed Sidney Ponson. Life is like a box of chocolates. Or something like that.

People who aren't understood become the victims of transference. Humans are wired to believe they are omniscient. When confronted by a conundrum, they excrete metaphors, similes and allusions until they convince themselves they aren't confused.

This is why psychiatry is a profession. This is why there is an idiom called psychobabble.

Francisco Liriano, perhaps the most frustrating talent in baseball today, struck out 10 over six innings against the Orioles Wednesday. He gave up two runs on just four hits. Banished to the bullpen in May, Liriano has posted a 2.84 ERA and 77/28 K/BB ratio over 63 1/3 innings since returning to the rotation on the 30th of that month. He's whiffed 25 batters over his last two outings.

Minnesota fans, the Twins' organization, fantasy owners, the author of this column, Francisco Liriano and Francisco Liriano's family have no idea which Francisco Liriano is going to toe the rubber during any given start.

We do know two things, however: 1) Liriano is likely to get dealt for a few promising prospects within the next two weeks. 2) He's a must-start fantasy pitcher at this point, even though there's a chance that he'll detonate your pitching stats with a six-walk, seven-earned-run outing next time out.

“When we treat man as he is, we make him worse than he is; when we treat him as if he already were what he potentially could be, we make him what he should be,” Terry Ryan told Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos yesterday.

Jon Heyman reported that Ryan has been reading a lot of Goethe recently. That joke will make a lot more sense in Section Three, ESPN's Buster Olney writes.



Red Sox Lose Big Papi for the rest of July



The Red Sox placed David Ortiz on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a right Achilles injury.

Ortiz suffered the injury while rounding the bases on a three-run homer by Adrian Gonzalez in Monday's win over the White Sox. Fortunately, he didn't suffer a tear or rupture, which might have ended the veteran slugger's season. Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Ortiz would miss "a week to 10 days," but his placement on the D.L. means that Big Papi will be out until August 1 -- at least.

Mauro Gomez replaced Ortiz on Boston's roster. Expect Daniel Nava to gobble up most available DH at-bats until the calendar turns.



Extra! Extra!


You are the type of person that reads The Superficial. You watch TMZ after midnight in your underwear while eating a PB&J to sober yourself up. You speculate with co-workers as to who Tom Cruise's next beard will be -- I meant girlfriend! Wife! You are legitimately concerned with whether or not Kristen Stewart's breasts are natural. It's important that you know who People thinks Scarlett Johansson is or isn't sleeping with at all times.

None of this is because you are a voyeur. No sir. You aren't a housewife who gets her jollies from reading Star. You would never pick that up at the checkout counter.

What you actually crave is trade rumors, the act of pulling back the curtains of Major League Baseball and speculating on news before it becomes news. Perception is reality. Rumors are an invitation. Jon Heyman knows this. So does Ken Rosenthal and J.P. Morosi and Buster Olney.

Because the hot stove is getting muggy, let's pull these Quick Hits out of the sections below and let them breath a bit, shall we? It's the first step toward Harvey Levin buying Rotoworld and re-proportioning it into a sports news site of the future: MMZ. You see, TMZ stands for Thirty Mile Zone, a radius around Hollywood where most celebrities live. Soon, distance will not constrict personal access to our athletes. This is the utopia represented by Heyman's Twitter feed.

• ESPN's Olney believes it's likely that the Diamondbacks will wait until the offseason to trade Justin Upton (Harvey Levin cackles).

• According to CBS Sports' Heyman, the Phillies plan to make Cole Hamels an initial extension offer of about six years and $130 million (Harvey Levin raises an eyebrow mysteriously).

• Heyman also writes that the Marlins could trade Anibal Sanchez and the Blue Jays "want to deal" Yunel Escobar (Harvey Levin throws his hands up in exasperation, as if to say: "This Heyman guy only needs to pass on rumors past the embryonic stage!").

• According to Morosi of FOX Sports, the Tigers, White Sox and Orioles have spoken to the Padres about the availability of left-hander Clayton Richard (Harvey Levin mumbles something under his breath).

• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports passes along that the Red Sox are gauging league-wide trade interest in Carl Crawford (Harvey Levin nods head smugly).

• The Fox Sports duo tag-teamed a story that let us know that the Brewers and Zack Greinke aren't talking much about a contract extension (Harvey Levin says: "Trade him back to the Royals! Those fans hate Robbie Cano! They love Greinke! It makes sense! Right? Am I right?").

• The Mets are targeting Athletics' reliever Grant Balfour, says David Lennon of New York Newsday (Harvey Levin rolls his eyes).

• Danny Knobler of CBS Sport believes the Angels would offer up Peter Bourjos for "the right reliever" (Harvey Levin launches into an expletive-laced diatribe toward L.A. management).

• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports passes along that the Red Sox are gauging league-wide trade interest in Carl Crawford (Harvey Levin nods head smugly).

• Scott Miller and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com report, respectively, that San Diego will not trade Carlos Quentin and the Rangers might ponder a deal for Cliff Lee (Harvey Levin murmurs "Hmmmm...")

• Nate Schierholtz wants to be traded if it's to a team that would offer him more playing time (Harvey Levin fires staffer who proposes this story on the spot).

National League Quick Hits: The Marlins don't expect Juan Carlos Oviedo to pitch this season after the Artist Formerly Known as Leo Nunez was diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow over the weekend ... Brewers manager Ron Roenicke expects Ryan Braun (groin) to return to the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Reds ... Jordan Zimmerman hurled six scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out four in a win over the Mets ... Ian Kennedy tossed eight innings of one-run ball in the Diamondbacks' victory over the Reds ... Jason Kubel propelled the offense in the same contest by smacking two homers ... Jayson Werth (wrist) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Thursday ... Clayton Kershaw and Cliff Lee each tossed eight innings of one-run ball in LA's 5-3 victory ... Lance Berkman told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't have "any bat speed"; bench him in normal mixed leagues at the moment ... Jeremy Guthrie got shelled -- yeah, you're right; this isn't news.. Francisco Rodriguez gave up a run in the ninth but picked up a save against the Cardinals despite pitching for the fourth straight day ... The Diamondbacks optioned Trevor Bauer to Triple-A after the 21-year-old right-hander yielded 14 hits, 13 walks and 11 earned runs over his first 16 1/3 innings of big-league action ... Zack Greinke will return to the Brewers' starting rotation on Tuesday against the Phillies ... Drew Storen (elbow) could be activated Thursday, but the 24-year-old right-hander will initially return as Tyler Clippard's setup man ... Jeff Samardzija spun six frames of one-run ball against the Marlins and is now 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 24/6 K/BB ratio over 19 innings in three July starts ... Santiago Casilla blew his fifth save in nine chances, but lucked into a win against the Braves -- his seat is hot enough to burn skin at this point.


American League Quick Hits: Brett Lawrie suffered a right calf contusion Wednesday when he fell into the third-base camera well while trying to track down a foul ball; he hopes to return to the lineup Friday ... Anthony Gose made his first career start, batting leadoff Wednesday against the Yankees and going 0-for-3 in a rain-shortened loss ... Ted Lilly (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday ... Brandon McCarthy (shoulder) threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday; he hopes to rejoin the A's rotation without a rehab assignment ... Cody Ross (.269/.345/.557) smoked a pair of three-run homers in a rout over the White Sox ... Doug Fister punched out 10 while tossing eight innings of one-run ball on two hits in a win over the Angels ... Jordan Walden (biceps) has yet to resume throwing but still might return before the end of July ... Twins general manager Terry Ryan said Matt Capps (shoulder) will be shut down "for a while," meaning that the veteran closer is no longer a trade candidate ... Colby Lewis was removed from Wednesday's start after five innings when his forearm tightened up on him; he shouldn't miss a start ... Hiroki Kuroda earned his first shutout since 2008 when he pitched seven scoreless innings in the Yankees' rain-shortened win over the Blue Jays ... In a spot start in the place of Jason Hammel, Tommy Hunter gave up just one run in 7 1/3 innings to the Twins; it dropped his ERA from 6.11 to 5.71 and he needn't be owned in any format ... Dustin Pedroia (thumb) will likely be activated from the disabled list Thursday ... Billy Butler, now hitting .300/.371/.502 with 18 homers and 56 RBI, spanked a walkoff home run into the Kansas City night to push the Royals to a victory over the Mariners.

 

[HacheMan]

Shake the Sheets While we're all twiddling our thumbs waiting for a major trade to go down, there are a couple of interesting closer situations brewing around the majors.

Santiago Casilla blew his fifth save in his last seven chances last night against the Braves by giving up a game-tying two-run homer to Brian McCann in the 10th inning. He ended up getting the win after the Giants rallied for six runs in the top of the 11th, so it wasn't a complete lost cause for fantasy owners, but manager Bruce Bochy said after the game that he will consider making a change at closer.

Sergio Romo (Yahoo: 39 percent owned, ESPN: 22.6 percent) is unquestionably the best pitcher in San Francisco's bullpen and could get some save chances in the days ahead, but the Giants have been reluctant to give him a full-time crack at the closer role, likely because they don't want to risk the health of his throwing elbow. Jeremy Affeldt (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent) and Javier Lopez (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent) are also options, but probably only in certain matchups. With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants end up acquiring a reliever (Brett Myers, Francisco Rodriguez, Huston Street, Jonathon Broxton, Grant Balfour or Brandon Lyon, just to name a few) before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Nationals' closer Tyler Clippard has also looked a bit vulnerable recently, albeit to a lesser degree. The bespectacled right-hander blew a save Tuesday against the Mets by giving up a three-run homer to Jordany Valdespin and while he bounced back to notch a save on Wednesday, he served up solo homers to David Wright and Jason Bay.

Clippard still owns a 2.83 ERA and 51/17 K/BB ratio this season and is 15-for-17 in save opportunities, so he deserves some rope here, but it's worth noting that the Nationals activated Drew Storen (Yahoo: 67 percent owned, ESPN: 50.3 percent) from the disabled list on Thursday morning. Storen saved 43 games last year while posting a 2.75 ERA, so he could find himself back in the closer role if he bounces back from elbow surgery and/or if Clippard continues to scuffle. While Storen is over my 50 percent ownership threshold for the purposes of this column, he may still be available in some shallow mixed leagues.

MIXED LEAGUES

Ben Sheets SP, Braves (Yahoo: 29 percent owned, ESPN: 25.1 percent)

I'll be honest when I say that I snickered a bit when I saw the Braves had signed Sheets. I mean, we're talking about a guy who hasn't been effective since 2008 and sat out all of last season recovering from major elbow surgery. However, I'm happy to eat some crow here, as the 34-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits over six shutout innings in a win over the Mets on Sunday. Sheets is a poor bet to hold up physically and had a 4.53 ERA over 20 starts with the A's during his last stint in the majors back in 2010, but he's worth a flier in most mixed fantasy leagues.

Brennan Boesch OF, Tigers (Yahoo: 29 percent owned, ESPN: 23.9 percent)

It looks like Boesch is on one of his patented streaks again. The 27-year-old outfielder went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Angels and is hitting .395 (15-for-38) with two homers, five doubles and 11 RBI in 11 games this month. While Boesch has been a disappointment to those who were counting on him as a sleeper this season, he should be started in fantasy leagues as long as he's swinging a hot bat.

Francisco Rodriguez RP, Brewers (Yahoo: 41 percent owned, ESPN: 25.3 percent)

After John Axford blew his sixth save of the season on Monday night, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke announced that "The Ax Man" was being pulled from the closer role and Rodriguez would get a chance to fill in. K-Rod has saved two games since then -- and boy were they an adventure -- but he managed to get the job done. In other words, it's not unlike most of his other save opportunities over the years. It's unclear whether this is just a temporary move, but even if it is, Rodriguez could find himself closing games if he is dealt to certain contenders in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Jayson Werth OF, Nationals (Yahoo: 44 percent owned, ESPN: 29.6 percent)

Werth was well on his way to a rebound season before he broke his left wrist while trying to make a sliding catch against the Phillies back on May 6. However, he managed to take a full round of batting practice for the first time on Wednesday and is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday with High-A Potomac. This puts him on pace to rejoin the Nationals in the early part of August. It's fair to wonder if the wrist will affect his power the rest of the way, but he should still be stashed on a DL spot in most formats.

Steve Cishek RP, Marlins (Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 23.4 percent)

Last week I recommended Juan Carlos Oviedo as a possibility to take over the closer role from the struggling Heath Bell in Miami, but he sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during a minor league tuneup game over the weekend and is considered doubtful to pitch this year. While left-hander Michael Dunn notched a save on Monday and should get a look in certain matchups, Oviedo's injury clears the way for Cishek to lead Ozzie Guillen's closer-by-committee. The 26-year-old right-hander has a 2.08 ERA, 39 strikeouts over 39 innings and a ground ball rate of 55.3 percent this season. He's plenty worthy of your attention.

Lorenzo Cain OF, Royals (Yahoo: 10 percent owned, ESPN: 7.8 percent)

I mentioned Cain in Waiver Wired about a month ago just as he was beginning a minor league rehab assignment, but it seems he is still flying under the radar in many fantasy leagues. It's time to change that. The 26-year-old center fielder is batting .474 (9-for-19) with two homers, two doubles, six RBI and six runs scored in six games since returning from the disabled list last week. With his speed and surprising pop, there's still time for him to justify his status as a draft day sleeper.

Cody Ross OF, Red Sox (Yahoo: 33 percent owned, ESPN: 44.5 percent)

Ross' ownership numbers took a bit of a tumble after Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford returned from the disabled list, but fantasy owners would be wise to take another look. The 31-year-old had a huge game Wednesday against the White Sox, slugging two homers and driving in six runs as part of a 10-1 victory. While the Red Sox outfield is pretty crowded right now, David Ortiz's stint on the disabled list should provide some short-term flexibility out of the DH spot. Ross is best utilized in a daily league, as he figures to get most of his at-bats against left-handed starting pitchers.

Jeff Samardzija SP/RP, Cubs (Yahoo: 36 percent owned, ESPN: 29.1 percent)

It looked like Samardzija was hitting the wall in his first season as a starting pitcher in the major leagues, but he has turned things around a bit recently. The 27-year-old right-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball in Wednesday's win over the Marlins and has a 2.37 ERA and 24/6 K/BB ratio in 19 innings across three starts this month. The Cubs could decide to shut Samardzija down at a certain point later this summer, but he should remain a fine source of strikeouts in the interim.

Jared Burton RP, Twins (Yahoo: 12 percent owned, ESPN: 6.2 percent)

Matt Capps went back on the disabled list this week with rotator cuff issues and Twins general manager Terry Ryan admitted Wednesday that the veteran right-hander could be shut down "for a while." This means we'll continue to see Burton and Glen Perkins handle the late innings. Perkins is the superior pitcher and has the higher strikeout rate, but as I said a few weeks ago, Burton gets a slight edge here because he throws from the right side. If you have any doubts, just look at how Ron Gardenhire used them in Tuesday's game. Still, both should be owned if you need saves.

Alexi Amarista 2B/SS/OF, Padres (Yahoo: 13 percent owned, ESPN: 36.6 percent)

There's no telling where Amarista will play on any given night, but he continues to hit no matter where the Padres put him in the lineup. The diminutive utility man is hitting .390 (23-for-59) with four home runs, four doubles, 16 RBI and two stolen bases over his last 16 games and has raised his season batting average from .222 to .298 in the process. While the Padres value his versatility, he has made a strong case to start over Everth Cabrera at shortstop. With his speed and multi-position eligibility, he's well worth snagging if you need a MI (middle infielder) option.

Geovany Soto C, Cubs (Yahoo: 24 percent owned, ESPN: 12.4 percent)

Soto's struggles have led to Steve Clevenger taking away some at-bats against right-handed pitching, but the past few days have provided reason for optimism. The 29-year-old backstop had a go-ahead single in Wednesday's win over the Marlins and is hitting .346 (9-for-26) with one home run, two doubles and four RBI over his last seven games. Soto hasn't crushed southpaws this season like he usually does, but at least he has a lengthy history of doing so. With his value at rock bottom, he makes for a nice gamble in deeper leagues and two-catcher formats.

Shopping at the five-and-dime:

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

Todd Frazier 3B/OF, Reds (Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 4.5 percent)

Joey Votto is expected to miss three to four weeks after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair the torn medial meniscus cartilage in his left knee. While this is a crushing blow to the Reds as they try to keep pace in the National League Central, the injury opens the door for Frazier to play regularly at first base. The 26-year-old has managed to remain under the radar in fantasy leagues, despite hitting .277/.343/.554 with 10 homers, 30 RBI and an .896 OPS in 216 plate appearances this season. Scott Rolen isn't exactly the model of durability at this point of his career, so Frazier has a good chance of keeping his value even after Votto returns.

Anthony Gose OF, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 1.6 percent)

Another player getting a shot due to injury, Gose was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas this week after Jose Bautista was placed on the disabled list with left wrist inflammation. Ranked as the game's No. 39 prospect on Baseball America's midseason list, Gose was hitting .292/.375/.432 with five home runs, 18 doubles, 10 triples, 29 stolen bases and an .808 OPS through 92 games this season prior to his call-up. The 21-year-old outfielder has a penchant for the strikeout, so his first stint in the majors could be a bumpy ride, but his speed makes him worth a flier for anyone on the lookout for stolen bases. <!--RW-->

NL ONLY

Josh Rutledge SS, Rockies (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)

The Rockies were reluctant to rely on Marco Scutaro everyday at shortstop with Troy Tulowitzki on the disabled list, especially with the 36-year-old floating in trade rumors, so they called up Rutledge from Double-A Tulsa last week. The 23-year-old has played well in a limited sample thus far, batting .300 (6-for-20) with two doubles, one triple, two stolen bases and an .848 OPS through six games. Rutledge was a .320/.374/.496 hitter over 211 minor league games and has flashed some speed and pop, so he's a strong buy in NL-only formats at the moment.

Logan Forsythe 2B/3B, Padres (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 1.1 percent)

Forsythe doesn't have a clear path to playing time at the moment, but he's doing his best to force Bud Black's hand. The 25-year-old has hit safely in seven out of his last eight games and while he was hitless in three-bats on Wednesday against the Padres, he did draw a pair of walks. Forsythe's patience is his best attribute, as he has compiled a .414 on-base percentage and 285/229 K/BB ratio over parts of five seasons in the minors. He's worth owning while he's swinging a hot bat, but he could be a nice find if the Padres end up trading Chase Headley before the deadline.

Chris Snyder C, Astros (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

Jason Castro was placed on the disabled list with what the Astros are calling right knee effusion. He's dealing with meniscus damage, but hopes to put off surgery until after the season. Snyder will be tasked with carrying the load behind the plate for now. The 31-year-old backstop is a .227 career hitter and is batting just .182 with 43 strikeouts in 137 at-bats this season, so there is some risk involved, but remember that he clubbed 15 home runs as recently as 2010 between the Diamondbacks and Pirates. Give him a flier in two-catcher formats.

Marwin Gonzalez SS, Astros (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

Jed Lowrie's chance at a breakout season hit an unfortunate snag this week as he was diagnosed with a nerve issue in his leg and is expected to miss four to six weeks. Gonzalez, who was acquired from the Red Sox after being selected in December's Rule 5 Draft, should see most of the playing time at shortstop during his absence. The 23-year-old switch-hitter doesn't bring a lot to the table offensively, but he has a knack for making contact and could surprise by swiping a few bags. Let's bet honest, sometimes playing time is king in single-league universes, so he's worth a look if you're really hurting for a MI (middle infielder) option.

AL ONLY

Sam Fuld OF, Rays (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

The legend of Sam Fuld continues. When the 30-year-old outfielder underwent right wrist surgery in early April, the Rays weren't sure whether he would be able to contribute at all this season. However, he progressed well ahead of schedule and is currently on a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. If all goes as planned, he should rejoin the Rays later this month. Remember that Fuld stole 20 bases in 105 games with the Rays last season, so his speed could give him some value in deeper leagues down the stretch, even in a reserve outfielder role.

Ryan Lavarnway UTIL, Red Sox (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

There have been a number of rumors in recent days that the Mets are targeting Kelly Shoppach in a possible trade, so those in AL-only leagues would be wise to secure his potential replacement. Lavarnway has struggled a bit this month, but still has a respectable .294/.383/.447 batting line to go along with eight homers and an .830 OPS in 74 games with Triple-A Pawtucket this season. The 24-year-old may end up as first baseman/DH-type in the long run, but his power makes him worth stashing.

Ben Francisco OF, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

Francisco has been completely irrelevant in fantasy leagues this season, but Jose Bautista's wrist injury should pave the way for some additional playing time in the short-term. Top prospect outfielder Anthony Gose was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas this week and should start regularly against right-handed starting pitchers, but Francisco figures to see at-bats against southpaws. The 30-year-old has shown a bit of pop and speed in the past, so he makes sense if you need an outfielder and can make daily lineup changes.

Dan Straily SP, Athletics (Yahoo: N/A, ESPN: N/A)

These days, it's rare that a prospect comes out nowhere to surprise us. However, that's exactly what has happened with Straily in 2012. The 23-year-old right-hander wasn't included among the A's top 30 prospects by Baseball America coming into the season, yet he has a 2.64 ERA and a minor-league leading 162 strikeouts through 126 1/3 innings. This includes a microscopic 1.10 ERA and 54/10 K/BB ratio over 41 innings since being promoted from Double-A Midland to Triple-A Sacramento. Pretty impressive for the Pacific Coast League. With a low-90s fastball, slider and changeup in his arsenal, Straily should get his first taste of the big leagues later this summer. Stash in keeper leagues and put him on your watch list in AL-only formats.

 

[HacheMan]

Gardner Grounded
Brett Gardner encountered yet another setback with his ailing right elbow over the weekend, but the Yankees were still holding out hope that he would be able to return at some point this season. Not anymore.

The Yankees announced Thursday night that Gardner will undergo surgery next week to remove inflamed tissue from the elbow and that he will likely miss the rest of the season. The surgery will be performed by Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad.

Gardner injured the elbow when he made a sliding catch back on April 17. The speedy outfielder tried to come back multiple occasions, even going on a pair of rehab assignments, but each time he was shut down due to renewed discomfort. He tried to ramp things up again recently after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection and a cortisone shot, but felt more pain after facing live pitching on Sunday. Surgery was deemed necessary following an MRI this week.

While news of the surgery is tough to take for anyone who drafted Gardner this spring and then stashed him on a DL-spot for the past three months, Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones have been surprisingly productive in his absence and should continue to get plenty of playing time moving forward. Unfortunately neither are all that relevant outside of AL-only and deeper mixed leagues. The Yankees could add an outfielder in the coming days, but it's unlikely to be a big name like Shane Victorino or Carlos Quentin.

No Set Number for Strasburg

The Nationals continue to say that Stephen Strasburg will be shut down at some point this season. It's really just a matter of when. The assumption until now has been that the Nats will likely limit him to around 160 innings, similar to what they did with Jordan Zimmermann last year in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. However, in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said they have no set number in mind.

"There is no magic number," Rizzo told ESPN. "It will be the eye test. (Manager) Davey (Johnson) won't decide and ownership won't decide. It will be the general manager, and that's me."

Strasburg, who turns 24 on Friday, underwent Tommy John surgery in September of 2010 and returned last season to log 44 1/3 innings between the majors and minors. He has an excellent 2.66 ERA and 135/29 K/BB ratio in 105 innings this season and hasn't shown any signs of wearing down yet.

The Nationals will enter Friday's action 3 1/2 games in front the Braves in the National League East and have an excellent chance to go to the postseason for the first time in their brief history in D.C., so criticism will surely follow if Strasburg is shut down in September and the team falters. Or even worse, if they shut him down and he gets hurt next spring. The encouraging part is that the Nationals are at least willing to say that Strasburg could possibly go higher than 160 innings, so perhaps fantasy owners will get a bit more out of him than originally expected on draft day.

Carp Goes Under the Knife

Chris Carpenter racked up 273 innings between the regular season and playoffs last year en route to the Cardinals' 11th World Series title, but he will not throw a pitch in the major leagues in 2012. After fighting through nerve issues in his neck and shoulder dating back to spring training, the 37-year-old right-hander underwent season-ending surgery Thursday in Dallas to correct his thoracic outlet syndrome.

Carpenter, who is in the first year of a two-year, $21 million extension, is expected to need two to three months of recovery time and the Cardinals believe that he "should be fully able to have a normal off-season in preparation for the 2013 season." There are pitchers like Jeremy Bonderman and Noah Lowry who were never the same after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery, but Matt Harrison and Alex Cobb also had the procedure and are doing just fine right now. Granted, Carpenter is much older than those last two examples, but they provide reason for cautious optimism just the same.

NL Quick Hits: ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that the Phillies are making a "major push" to sign Cole Hamels to a contract extension and are now willing to offer a six-year deal … R.A. Dickey allowed four runs -- three earned -- over 7 1/3 innings against the Nationals on Thursday to become the first National League pitcher to reach 13 victories … David Wright slugged two homers and drove in five runs Thursday against the Nationals … Brandon Phillips homered, doubled and drove in five runs Thursday in the Reds' comeback victory over the Diamondbacks … Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports that the Dodgers have made the Cubs a trade proposal for Ryan Dempster … Ian Desmond (wrist) is expected to return to the Nationals' starting lineup Friday … Drew Storen (elbow) was activated from the disabled list Thursday and tossed a scoreless ninth inning against the Mets in a non-save situation … Rick Ankiel was designated for assignment Thursday to make room for Storen on the Nationals' roster … Jonathan Lucroy (hand) went 2-for-3 with a double Thursday in his first rehab game with Class A Wisconsin … Josh Collmenter will take the rotation spot of Trevor Bauer, who was demoted to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday … Edinson Volquez gave up just one-hit in a complete game shutout Thursday night against the Padres … Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Padres want to sign both Carlos Quentin and Huston Street to multi-year deals … Todd Helton (hip) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday with the Rockies' rookie league affiliate in Grand Junction … John Lannan will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start in Saturday's doubleheader against the Braves, but he can be ignored in fantasy leagues … Nationals prospect third baseman Anthony Rendon has begun playing rehab games after missing the first three and a half months of the season with a fractured left ankle …

AL Quick Hits: Robinson Cano went 1-for-4 in Thursday's loss against the Athletics and now has a 22-game hitting streak … David Price tossed seven shutout innings Wednesday against the Indians en route to becoming the first pitcher in the majors to reach 13 wins. He just eeked out Mets' right-hander R.A. Dickey, who notched his 13th win minutes later … Felix Hernandez limited the Royals to one run over eight innings Thursday and now holds a 2.82 ERA through 20 starts this year … Dustin Pedroia (thumb) went 1-for-4 with a run scored in his return from the disabled list Thursday … Kevin Youkilis didn't play Thursday due to left hamstring tightness and is considered day-to-day … Cody Ross clubbed a walkoff three-run home run off Addison Reed in Thursday's win over the White Sox, spoiling a brilliant start by Jose Quintana … Jesus Montero busted out of his slump by going 10-for-17 with a home run and eight RBI during a four-game series against the Royals this week … Matt Joyce sat out Thursday's game with general soreness and stiffness, but he could be back as soon as Friday … Chris Iannetta (wrist, forearm) is tentatively scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Salt Lake … Torii Hunter told the Los Angeles Times that the Angels are the only team he wants to play for and that "money will not be an issue" in negotiations … Vernon Wells is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday with Triple-A Salt Lake … 49-year-old Jamie Moyer, who was released by the Blue Jays earlier this month, said Wednesday that he is not retired … Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports that Travis Snider has been summoned from Triple-A Las Vegas to join the Blue Jays in Boston on Friday, but it's not clear if he'll be activated …

 

[HacheMan]

Moving Parts Francisco Liriano has been utterly dominant over his past two starts, notching 25 strikeouts over 14 innings while allowing only eight hits. Since returning to the bullpen in late May, he has posted a 2.84 ERA and 77/28 K/BB ratio over 63 1/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .171 average.

His value may never be higher, which is why there's a good chance he won't make it through the next week in a Twins uniform. Minnesota is 12 games out in the Central and set to sell, and certainly there are plenty of contenders who could take an interest in the hottest pitcher in baseball.

Another two-start pitcher in position to potentially switch teams is Zack Greinke. He's set to return Tuesday after skipping a start, and with a hot trade market there's no guarantee he'll stick around in Milwaukee for his second start on Sunday, although it seems there's increased reluctance from buyers at this point.

Wandy Rodriguez and Clayton Richard are other two-start guys whose names have hovered on the trade market with the deadline approaching.

There's no telling whether the team acquiring any of these hurlers would keep them on regular rest, so their two-start statuses carry an asterisk.

Going Twice…

American League

Strong Plays

Felix Hernandez: NYY (Garcia), KC (Smith)
Jeremy Hellickson: @BAL (Chen), @LAA (Wilson)
Francisco Liriano: @CWS, CLE (Jimenez)
C.J. Wilson: KC (Chen), TB (Hellickson)
Hiroki Kuroda: @SEA (Millwood), BOS (Doubront)

Decent Plays

Roy Oswalt: BOS (Doubront), CWS
Bruce Chen: @LAA (Wilson), @SEA (Millwood)
Doug Fister: @CLE (Jimenez), @TOR (Cecil)
Justin Masterson: BAL (Hunter), @MIN (Deduno)
Ubaldo Jimenez: DET (Fister), @MIN (Liriano)
Tommy Hunter: @CLE (Masterson), OAK (Colon)
Wei-Yin Chen: TB (Hellickson), OAK (Blackley)

At Your Own Risk

Brett Cecil: OAK (Blackley), DET (Fister)
Kevin Millwood: NYY (Kuroda), KC (Chen)
Travis Blackley: @TOR (Cecil), @BAL (Chen)
Will Smith: @LAA (Williams), @SEA (Hernandez)
Felix Doubront: @TEX (Oswalt), @NYY (Kuroda)

National League

Strong Plays

Gio Gonzalez: @NYM (Dickey), @MIL (Greinke)
Jordan Zimmermann: @NYM (Young), @MIL (Wolf)
Adam Wainwright: LAD (Kershaw), @CHC (Samardzija)
Ryan Vogelsong: SD (Richard), LAD (Kershaw)
James McDonald: CHC (Maholm), @HOU (Harrell)
Roy Halladay: MIL (Wolf), @ATL (Minor)
R.A. Dickey: WAS (Gonzalez), @ARI (Saunders)
Zack Greinke: @PHI (Lee), WAS (Gonzalez)
Clayton Kershaw: @STL (Wainwright), @SF (Vogelsong)

Decent Plays

Joe Kelly: LAD, @CHC (Wood)
Clayton Richard: @SF (Vogelsong), @MIA (Johnson)
Erik Bedard: CHC (Samardzija), @HOU (Rodriguez)
Chris Young: WAS (Zimmermann), @ARI (Kennedy)
Josh Johnson: ATL (Minor), SD (Richard)
Wandy Rodriguez: CIN (Latos), PIT (Bedard)
Mat Latos: @HOU (Rodriguez), @COL (Pomeranz)
Jeff Samardzija: @PIT (Bedard), STL (Wainwright)
Ian Kennedy: COL (Guthrie), NYM (Young)
Joe Saunders: COL (Pomeranz), NYM (Dickey)

At Your Own Risk

Randy Wolf: @PHI (Halladay), WAS (Zimmermann)
Lucas Harrell: CIN (Leake), PIT (McDonald)
Drew Pomeranz: @ARI (Saunders), CIN (Latos)
Jeremy Guthrie: @ARI (Kennedy), CIN (Cueto)
Mike Minor: @MIA (Johnson), PHI (Halladay)
<!--RW-->
Streamer City

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

American League

Thursday, 7/26: Luis Mendoza @ SEA
The Royals righty continues to roll with five quality starts in his last six turns (and an impressive 31/9 K/BB to boot).

Thursday, 7/26: Jason Vargas vs. KC
If you're not interested in Mendoza, Vargas is a solid option in the same game. Over his past four starts, he has gone 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA, allowing only 22 hits in 29 2/3 innings.

Friday, 7/27: Scott Diamond vs. CLE
Diamond has picked up a win in three of his last four starts at Target Field and owns a 2.96 ERA on the season.

National League

Tuesday, 7/25: Edinson Volquez @ SF
The hard-throwing righty tossed a one-hitter in his last outing and matches up favorably against the Giants.

Friday, 7/27: Ben Sheets vs. PHI
Sheets was outstanding in his debut. He's worth a look at home against the Phils.

Total Games

American League

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

National League

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

Lefty/Righty Breakdowns

American League

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

National League

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

Robert Andino: Out until mid-August (shoulder)
Jason Hammel: Out until September (knee)
David Ortiz: Out indefinitely (heel)
Joey Votto: Out until mid-August (knee)
Gavin Floyd: Out indefinitely (elbow)
Drew Smyly: Out until late July (ribs)
Giancarlo Stanton: Out until mid-August (knee)
Chad Billingsley: Out until early August (elbow)
Matt Capps: Out indefinitely (shoulder)
Charlie Furbush: Out until early August (triceps)
Jose Bautista: Out until early August (wrist)

 

[HacheMan]

Prospects: Trade deadline is near

By Kevin Goldstein | Baseball Prospectus

Note: The top 12 fantasy prospects (players currently in the minor leagues) for 2012 are below. These rankings are a bit different from other prospect rankings; these are strictly for 2012 fantasy purposes. So not only do talent and recent performance play a role in the rankings, potential paths to the big leagues also factor in. All young players in the minors are eligible, including those in "prospect purgatory," those who have exceeded rookie status but are still young and unproven commodities.




<offer></offer>1. Wil Myers, OF, Kansas City Royals (Last week's rank: 1)




Last week's stats (at Triple-A Omaha): 4-for-22 (.182), HR, 3 RBIs
Season totals: .319-28-76, 5 SB in 90 games
Update: A ho-hum week for one of, if not, the top offensive prospects in the game. Further complicating matters is the fact that the Royals don't really have a good reason to call him up at this time. A trade could change that, of course, as could the fact that the team might consider trying to generate a positive buzz from its increasingly hostile fan base.
What he can do: Myers has been ready for the big leagues on a talent level for a while, and he should be able to hit the ground running when the call finally arrives, given his ability to hit for both average and power and get on base with plenty of walks.



2. Jedd Gyorko, 2B, San Diego Padres (Last week's rank: 3)




Last week's stats (at Triple-A Tucson): 8-for-19 (.421), HR, 5 RBIs, SB
Season totals: .319-21-72, 3 SB in 90 games
Update: There has been a lot of hand-wringing over the aforementioned Myers and Startling Marte (below) still being in the minors, but what about Gyorko? He just keeps on hitting while the Padres' offense remains last in runs scored. A trade of Chase Headley would give Gyorko a shot; otherwise, he'll have to wait, as second base is one of the few positions the Padres are actually getting a bit of offense from right now.
What he can do: Gyorko has done nothing but hit since signing as a second-round pick two years ago, and there's no reason to think that won't continue in the big leagues. He won't be the power source he has proven to be in the minors, and the ballpark in San Diego certainly won't help him, but he can hit.



3. Starling Marte, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Last week's rank: 2)




Last week's stats (at Triple-A Indianapolis): 4-for-22 (.182), 2 HR, 6 RBIs, SB
Season totals: .281-11-58, 19 SB in 92 games
Update: Speculation that Marte could get the call any day now continues to build steam, and all indications are the Pirates aren't willing to include him in trade talks. If they're not going to trade him, they might as well let him help the team shoot for their first winning record since Kriss Kross was on the charts with "Jump."
What he can do: Marte can hit, run and has a bit of power. He can help in every fantasy category and hurt you nowhere, but his aggressive approach at the plate could require him to make some adjustments at the big league level.



4. Dan Straily, SP, Oakland Athletics (Last week's rank: 11)





Last week's stats (at Triple-A Sacramento): 15 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 21 K's
Season totals: 6-6, 2.64 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 126 1/3 IP, 162 K's
Update: Straily continues to not only pitch well, but dominate every time out, including eight innings of two-hit ball Wednesday during a showdown with Danny Hultzen. The A's are in a fascinating position for the rest of the month, as they're trying to be both buyers and sellers, and the right move could give Straily a much-deserved big league look.
What he can do: The minor league leader in strikeouts, Straily might be a 24th-round pick who entered the season with little fanfare, but he's the real deal with his fastball command and control both rating as plus, and his changeup is turning into a big league out pitch.

5. Danny Hultzen, SP, Seattle Mariners (Last week's rank: 7)




Last week's stats (at Triple-A Tacoma): 11 IP, 11 H, 3 R (2 ER), 5 BB, 15 K's
Season totals: 9-4, 1.74 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 98 1/3 IP, 109 K's
Update: Hultzen finally delivered his first good Triple-A start Wednesday, and he was outstanding before falling apart a bit in the sixth inning after surrendering a leadoff home run. The concern is that he has a tendency to pour gasoline onto fires, and while just one start isn't going to get him to the big leagues, he's still on pace to make his big league debut at some point in 2012, his first full season of pro ball.
What he can do: Hultzen is not a future star, but he's arguably the safest prospect in prospect land due to the deepness of his arsenal and his pitchability.


6. Travis Snider, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (Last week's rank: 8)

Last week's stats (at Triple-A Las Vegas): 12-for-24 (.500), 4 HR, 10 RBIs
Season totals: .325-13-57, 4 SB in 61 games
Update: Snider remains red-hot at Las Vegas, but it was pretty clear where he stands with Toronto when the big league club needed at outfielder and called upon Anthony Gose instead. However, Brett Lawrie's injury gives Snider a shot to prove himself again. Snider will be called up later today, and the Blue Jays have indicated both he and Gose will get plenty of playing time until Jose Bautista returns from his wrist injury, and whichever one plays the best gets to stick around.
What he can do: Snider deserves another shot, but it's foolish to assume he'll do well after multiple failed big league stints. He could be one of the best second-half pickups, or remain a frustration, so he's for thrill-seekers only.


7. Brett Wallace, 3B/1B, Houston Astros (Last week: unranked)





Last week's stats (at Triple-A Oklahoma City): 12-for-26 (.462), HR, 3 RBIs
Season totals: .304-14-49 in 78 games
Update: He's hardly a prospect anymore, and he's on his fourth organization, but Wallace figures to be the biggest beneficiary of the Carlos Lee deal. He'll get regular at-bats during the second half of the season in what could be his final shot at proving he can be a full-time player in the big leagues.
What he can do: Wallace has not lived up to the expectations of a first-round pick, but he still has some believers who feel he can hit big league pitching. Nobody sees future stardom in him, but he could become an everyday player who can hold his own, which is really all the Astros need at this point.



8. Nick Castellanos, 3B/OF, Detroit Tigers (Last week's rank: 12)





Last week's stats (at Double-A Erie): 4-for-21 (.192), 2 HR, 3 RBIs
Season totals: .360-9-50, 5 SB in 90 games
Update: What looked like a temporary move to right field has become permanent, or at least semipermanent, and there have been recent reports from Tigers management saying they feel his bat is close to big league-ready. Meanwhile, he just keeps raking as one of the youngest players at Double-A.
What he can do: Castellanos isn't going to come up unless he plays everyday. If he does, chances are good he'll hit immediately, at least for average, and his burgeoning power seems to become more of a reality with each passing week.



9. Matt Harvey, SP, New York Mets (Last week's rank: 4)





Last week's stats (at Triple-A Buffalo): 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K's
Season totals: 7-4, 3.34 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 105 IP, 106 K's
Update: Mets GM Sandy Alderson ruled out Harvey coming up on Saturday to pitch, but at the same time, he made every indication that we should see Harvey in The Big Apple at some point this season. A more dominant start last time out might have made the decision more difficult, though he's likely one such outing away from getting the call.
What he can do: Harvey is already a better option than Miguel Batista, but the Mets are as focused on Harvey's development as much as his ability to help the team right now. That doesn't help your fantasy team, but it makes him more prepared to do so when the Mets do reach for him.

10. Josh Vitters, 3B, Chicago Cubs (Last week's rank: 9)




Last week's stats (at Triple-A Iowa): 6-for-28 (.214), 3 RBIs
Season totals: .297-13-52, 2 SB in 94 games
Update: The Cubs likely will have plenty of roster upheaval over the next 10 days, and when the dust finally settles, don't be surprised to see Vitters get an extended look at the hot corner. He's keeping up his end of the bargain by having a career year at Triple-A, and it's not like the Cubs have all sorts of options at third base.
What he can do: The good news is that once Vitters is up, he'll get consistent playing time, barring a complete disaster. That will at least allow him to contribute in some of the "counting" categories (runs, RBIs), while he adjusts to major league pitching, and he could turn out to be a nifty find for keeper-league owners.



11. Johnny Giavotella, 2B, Royals (Last week: unranked)




Last week's stats (at Triple-A Omaha): 9-for-28 (.321), HR, 6 RBIs
Season totals: .325-9-44, 5 SB in 62 games
Update: Giavotella returns to this list, and once again, it's confusing as to why he's not in Kansas City. Sure, he's not the slickest defender in the world, but he's a better offensive player than both Yuniesky Betancourt and Chris Getz, and more importantly, he's a much bigger part of the team's future.
What he can do: He's not big, he's not "toolsy," and yes, the defensive deficiencies are real, but Giavotella consistently barrels up the ball and has a bit of power to boot. C'mon Royals, do the right thing.



12. Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Blue Jays (Last week: unranked)





Last week's stats (at Triple-A Las Vegas): 9-for-31 (.290), 2 RBIs
Season totals: .315-6-60, 8 SB in 89 games
Update: The final spot in these rankings is usually reserved for a long shot, so bear with me here. In a trade deadline devoid of up-the-middle players, there is some talk of the Blue Jays, whose season has been torched by injuries, becoming sellers and playing "Price is Right" with Yunel Escobar. If that happens, Hechavarria, who has taken a huge step forward offensively in 2012, would be the new sheriff in town.
What he can do: Always known for his plus-plus defense, Hechavarria has altered his swing in order to be more direct to the ball. While he now projects as a .270-.280 hitter in the big leagues, there are big questions as to what he can do around that batting average, as he's not a power source or a base stealer.



Bonus round: Future save sources





Carter Capps, RHP, Mariners: A third-round pick last June, Capps is a 6-foot-5 beast with an upper-90s fastball that touches 100 mph and a solid slider, which has helped him rack up 65 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA in 46 innings at Double-A Jackson.
Bruce Rondon, RHP, Tigers: Rondon threw just four pitches in the Futures Game, and all of them were 101 mph or more. Suddenly throwing strikes for the first time in his career, he has reached Double-A with a 1.23 ERA and could see big league time by this time next year.
Yordano Ventura, RHP, Royals: The 21-year-old righty just moved to Double-A, and while he's been groomed as a starter, many scouts see him as a late-inning reliever because of his small frame and the effort in his delivery. Like Capps and Rondon, Ventura can touch 100 mph, and his breaking ball has improved dramatically this season.

 

[HacheMan]

Replacing Ian Desmond a tough task

Eric Karabell

The unfortunate oblique injury suffered by Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond is a significant one for fantasy owners. Desmond is likely to miss at least a month of action and, well, good luck finding a replacement at middle infield. The Nationals will simply move their left fielder to second base (Stephen Lombardozzi), their second baseman (Danny Espinosa) to shortstop and find a left fielder, but fantasy owners will have a tougher time filling the hole, even in shallow leagues. In fact, one could argue it hasn't been this tough to find a middle infielder in many years.


Sure, we know runs, home runs and even stolen bases are down from previous seasons and especially from the fun, high-offense days from a decade ago, but fantasy owners really take the hit when it comes to middle infielders. Entering Sunday's action a mere five second basemen/shortstops made up the top 50 on ESPN's Player Rater, and Desmond was No. 2 of that group. The others are, in order, Robinson Cano, Jason Kipnis, Ian Kinsler and Aaron Hill at No. 50. You might notice a trend with that group, as none are shortstops. After Desmond the No. 2 shortstop on the Rater is Starlin Castro, at No. 67 overall. It's possible Desmond misses a month but doesn't drop from being the top shortstop in that time, which is telling.

It's pretty clear that one of the things we've learned for fantasy purposes in 2012 is that if you don't build a strong middle infield on draft day, and get some luck with health, you could be pretty desperate in late-July when someone like Desmond disappears. The production trends for middle infielders are a bit disturbing, and it makes fellows like Jhonny Peralta, Erick Aybar and the .194-hitting Rickie Weeks among the most popular additions in standard leagues over the past week, despite the fact their numbers are neither good nor assuredly trending in that direction.


A season ago the league averages for second basemen were a .260 batting average with 13 home runs, 60 RBIs and 15 stolen bases, and each year the numbers seem to get worse. At shortstop, the 2011 numbers were similar to second base with a .262 batting average and 11 home runs, 62 RBIs and 17 steals. As recently as 2009 it wasn't that tough to find middle infielders capable of hitting 20 home runs. So far in 2012 only three middle infielders have reached 15 home runs, and they are Cano, Desmond and yes, Trevor Plouffe, a shortstop from 2011. Last year five middle infielders hit 28 or more home runs. Will anyone other than Cano do it in 2012.


There were plenty of helpful middle infield fantasy options in 2011, as Dustin Pedroia, Jose Reyes, Cano, Kinsler, Troy Tulowitzki, Castro, Brandon Phillips, Asdrubal Cabrera and Ben Zobrist all finished among the top 50 options on the Player Rater, and Elvis Andrus, Emilio Bonifacio and Jimmy Rollins just missed. There were second basemen and shortstops amply represented, and considerably more depth than there is now. For perspective, six middle infielders were among the first 21 on average in ESPN live drafts.


We're roughly a week away from being two-thirds through this baseball regular season, and the average second baseman is hitting .255 with seven home runs and eight stolen bases. Shortstops are at .256 with seven home runs and nine steals. Sure, the numbers are down everywhere across all offensive positions, though I'd argue it's tough to complain about the depth at any other spots including catcher. At middle infield it pays to trade for one of the top guys, though hopefully you didn't recently acquire the surprising Desmond, who -- surprise! -- might not return until September. Desmond and MVP candidates Mike Trout and Ryan Braun are the only players in baseball with as many as 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases (others like Carlos Gonzalez, Andrew McCutchen, Hanley Ramirez and Alex Rios are close), and, of course, only Desmond is middle infield eligible.


OK, so we've hammered home this point about middle infielders in fantasy baseball for 2012. It's not so pleasant. A combined 16 middle infield eligibles are owned in 100 percent of ESPN standard leagues, which is pretty low and more evidence that fantasy owners are willing to try anything, and that's probably a wise strategy. There are 41 outfielders owned in all leagues, for comparison. Tulowitzki, a consensus first-rounder on draft day and the best shortstop in the game, has played in only 47 games this year. He's been out since May with a groin injury that required surgery, and while some reports have Tulowitzki returning in August, others are skeptical he plays again this season. He is 99.5 percent owned.


Ultimately, this current middle infield mess should drive fantasy owners to not only covet the top options at middle infield and hope they remain healthy, but also to try a bit harder to get those choices in-season. The Angels' Trout might be the consensus pick for real-life AL MVP honors so far (and I can't argue), but the Yankees' Cano is pretty special, too, especially considering how most teams aren't getting his production from their middle infielders combined. The Twins and Giants still don't have any home runs from second basemen, at least while playing the position. The Pirates and Orioles don't have any stolen bases from their shortstops.


It's why the Twins' Plouffe, for example, was worth adding because of his shortstop eligibility when he started displaying his power, even when he couldn't hit his weight. Plouffe skyrocketed in ownership. It's why Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres should be more popular; he's stolen 18 bases already in 180 at-bats. The fact he doesn't possess a lick of power or batting average upside is easier to overlook because at least he runs, right?


However, it's also time for fantasy owners to employ a strategy I've been using for many years in deeper formats with multi-catcher positions. When I need a second catcher, I make it a point to avoid the J.P. Arencibia and John Buck types who can really hinder a fantasy team's batting average, even if there is power potential. Team power needs aside, it's often better to either choose a second catcher who rarely plays, or one that hits for a safe batting average but little power, a Josh Thole type, for example. In some respects that's kind of what middle infield has become, playing it safe as opposed to suffering with Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks.



Take the work of Ruben Tejada, Alexi Amarista, Jeff Keppinger and Skip Schumaker, for example. Sure, you look at these guys and the counting numbers just aren't there, but the batting average is. The Mets' Tejada hasn't homered this year, and who knows when and if he will. He has one stolen base in two attempts, so he's not exactly Dee Gordon there, either. But he's hitting .309. Obviously it hurts to lose an across-the-board contributor like Desmond, but batting average is important, too. In this era of middle infielders, perhaps it's more important than ever.

 

[HacheMan]

Desmond likely out a month with oblique injury

Stephania Bell

Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond tried valiantly to play through the oblique injury he suffered over a month ago and was, arguably, effective in the presence of the ailment. Even after the brief respite provided by the All-Star break (Desmond opted not to participate despite being selected), it seemed that while he continued to deliver offensively, the injury simply was not improving.


Last week, Desmond was given a rare day off to rest after he acknowledged cutting short a swing due to pain. The natural concern from a health standpoint when a hitter starts making these adjustments midswing is that he runs the risk of further injury, potentially to an entirely different area.
When the Nationals played a doubleheader Saturday, it seemed to exhaust what was left in the tank for Desmond, as the discomfort persisted. An MRI on Sunday confirmed a tear in his left oblique, and the decision to place Desmond on the DL was automatic.


Several times this year, I have cited the article "Abdominal Muscle Strains in Professional Baseball" (published in the March 2012 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine) with regards to average length of DL time for abdominal injuries, but it seems to bear repeating here, particularly in light of Desmond's recent MRI results. The average DL stay for position players suffering an abdominal injury such as this one is 26.7 days (slightly lower than the 35.4 days for pitchers).


As is often the case with a right-handed batter, Desmond's oblique injury is on the left side, and the pain is uniquely sharp when swinging a bat at full speed, a motion that is hard to simulate or reproduce outside of that specific function. This is one of the things that makes evaluating recovery so challenging; a hitter will often feel he can do everything without pain until he attempts a full-speed swing and feels the familiar grab in his side.


Desmond will not pick up a bat for at least two weeks, at which point he will be re-evaluated. While he has been receiving treatment all along and is hopeful he can return more quickly than teammate Mark DeRosa, who missed six weeks with a similar problem, Desmond has not yet received the one key ingredient so important to full recovery: rest. In other words, although the injury has been present for some time and he has been receiving treatment, the real recovery clock starts now. While it may not be six weeks, and it may not even be 27 days, until he rejoins his team, expect Desmond's absence to steer closer to a month than 15 days.

 

[HacheMan]

Milone Lookin Like a $Million
Milone looking like Millions highlights this week’s Week That Was.



Timeout for a shameless piece of self-promotion: Don’t forget to tune in to hear Rick Wolf and me on Colton and the Wolfman on SiriusXM fantasy sports radio Tuesday nights from 8-11pm eastern time. It’s a fun three hours of sports, fantasy and goofy humor.



Tommy Milone : Tommy Milone struck out 10 Yankees Friday night and looked impressive doing it. That the pen blew a win for him cannot take away from what the lefty has accomplished in 2012. Milone has a 3.34 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a K/BB ratio of well over 3:1. While those numbers are good, check out these over the last 6 starts: 41 innings, 5 ER, 36 K, 3 BB. Yes, his strikeout/walk ratio in the last 6 starts is 12:1. Want more proof Milone is a guy to go get? Ok, here it is: during most of the first half Milone succeeded only at home. Of those sweet 6 starts, 3 were on the road. Milone is for real. Go get him now before others figure out he is not just a home start any more. [Note: Smart roto drafters saw that Milone had a 155/16 K:BB ratio in AAA in 2011 and grabbed him cheap. If you were one of those, well played!]



Ben Sheets: Speaking of hot pitchers, Ben Sheets put up another six shutout innings (with 6K) to beat the Nats Saturday. That is now 12 scoreless to start the season. Yes, there is a real risk that he will be bitten by the injury bug yet again, but until he does, why not ride the wave? After all, in his last full season of 2008, he tossed 198 innings of 3.09 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Stated another way, we know he has the talent. With good pitching so hard to come by, this roll of the dice is an easy call. Play the line.



Brett Myers: In proof of why the T in SMART stands for Team, Brett Myers has been traded from Astro closer to White Sox set up guy. For those new to this column, Rick Wolf and I play by the SMART system. The T for Team means that players on better real major league teams should be valued higher -- they get more runs and RBI on the offensive side and more opportunities for wins and saves on the pitching side. More importantly for this blurb, closers on good teams do not get traded in July to become setup guys. The Astros are not good and now Myers is not a closer. Stay SMART!



Gavin Floyd: In more good news for the south siders, Gavin Floyd will come off the shelf and take the ball Monday against the Twins. This is an easy call. If you own him, start him. If you don’t, try and get him. In the short term, the Twins cannot hit, so this is a tasty matchup for his re-entry into the rotation. Second, Floyd has been reliably solid albeit not spectacular over the last three years. His three year averages are: 4.19 ERA; 1.25 WHIP; 155K/54BB. If you are in a 10 team mixed league, you probably can do better. However, if you are in a 15 team mixed or an AL-only, this is exactly the type of solid starter you need to lengthen your rotation. Buy.



Johan Santana: What many predicted after the 130+ pitch no-hitter has come to pass. Johan Santana landed on the 15-day disabled list. However, the lengthy history making performance is not likely to blame for the injury -- a sprained right ankle is. Not so fast. While the no-no did not likely cause the ankle injury, astute roto owners probably have noticed that since the no-no, Santana has been, well, bad. Over his last three outings, he has been downright awful: 12.6 innings, 28 hits, 19 earned runs. Yuck. Bottom line, Santana’s comeback has been impressive. His no-hitter was a shining moment of the 2012 season and of the Mets 50 year history. However, when we take emotion out of it, we see an aging pitcher who has not pitched in two years and thus we see a pitcher who quite predictably is sliding south in the second half. Sell if you still can.



Jonathan Sanchez: The newest Rockie, Jonathan Sanchez, will take the hill for his new team Monday against the Diamondbacks. Only if you are truly desperate will you risk rostering and starting Sanchez. In KC, not nearly a hitter haven like Colorado, Sanchez was 1-6 with a putrid 7.76 ERA and a hideously ugly 44BB against just 36K. Yes, Sanchez is young enough and has a live enough arm to bounce back from the nightmare of the last year and a half. Yes, just two years ago in 2010 he posted a 3.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 205 K. So, if you want to stash him on reserve and hope, go ahead. He is simply too flammable to store on your active roster. [Note -- I cannot resist and I apologize in advance but I have to ask: do you think the MVP caliber Melky for the cut in three months Sanchez will go down in the annals of baseball history as one of the worst deals ever?].



Justin Upton: Justin Upton is one of the biggest questions of the second half and many a fantasy title will be won or lost depending on whether the real Justin Upton shows up. Friday, he did. Upton went yard and knocked in 3. J-UP has hit in six straight, so there is reason for optimism. If you find yourself in second or third place and need to take a chance to scale the mountain, a great talent like Justin Upton is a pretty good place to do it. For what it is worth, my gut says he has a strong second half. The nonsense about trades will end and he will settle in for the last two months and produce. Buy!



B.J. Upton: Sticking with the Uptons, J-Up’s brother B.J. also went yard Friday (and added a swipe). The numbers thus far are uninspiring: .252 with nine homers, 36 RBI and 16 steals on the season. However, he was hurt at the beginning of the year. Now, he is hitting leadoff where he can use his speed and has responded. In just the last two nights, he is 5-11 with 5 RBI. Yes, I know he is frustrating to own. However, his downside is 20 HR, 40 SB numbers. His upside is just sick. He is playing for a contract and this is where he puts the pedal to the metal. I believe.



Brett Gardner: In move that seemed more and more likely as time went on, the Yankees announced this week that Brett Gardner’s season is over. He will have elbow surgery next week. There are roto effects of this move big and small. First, I predict the Yankees will go out and get a speedy, small ball, good fielding OF. Thus, those in AL-only leagues should look out for a good place to park their FAAB (like maybe Shane Victorino?). Second, until a new player arrives, Eric Chavez and Jayson Nix will continue to get real time (one against RHP and one against LHP) and have value in AL-only leagues. Third, and this is more of a gripe than a real piece of analysis -- many leagues require players to be out for the year before they can reclaim the salary and convert it to FAAB. Many of those leagues also require that this reclaim happen before the All-Star break. Because the Gardner announcement came this late, his owners are out of luck.



Josh Beckett: Josh Beckett continues to confound. He really has become the girl with the curl. When he is good, he is really good (you get the point). Friday, Beckett was not good, giving up four runs on seven hits over his six innings. With his next outing coming in Texas, there is reason for concern. Bottom line -- for those in 10 or 12 team mixed leagues, he is a streaming spot start only. For those in AL only deep leagues, his 4.53, 1.25 is enough good to make it worth enduring the ugly outings. [Full disclosure, even though I am a diehard Yankee fan, I am a Beckett fan too. I have watched him pitch games where he looks like the best there is. So, Rick Wolf and I will stick with him in Tout Wars. Just so you know]



And last and but not least, this from the Baron of the Bottom of the Page -- Schultz says: “The headline that scrolled across the bottom of ESPN was arguably one of the least informative in the network's history: "Bartolo Colon traded to the Expos for Lee Stevens and three minor leaguers." As everyone likely knows by now, those three minor leaguers were Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee. A supposedly laughable trade turned out to be one the shrewdest of the decade. With this year's trading deadline looming on the horizon, there are going to be a handful of trades in which well-known names like Ryan Dempster, Zack Greinke and Matt Garza may change teams in exchange for players whose names make the majority of onlookers go "huh." Skilled roto-owners though take note - those minor leaguers tend to evolve into fine major leaguers a year or two down the road.


Just this winter, Mat Latos went from San Diego to Cincinnati for a package of players that included Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal. While Alonso wasn't exactly an unknown, Grandal was mostly known to minor league junkies and uber-roto-geeks. The 23-year-old catcher has hit 5 home runs in his first 60 at bats and seems poised to become one of the elite roto-catchers sooner rather than later. While A.J. Cole and Brad Peacock have yet to make an impression, Tommy Milone, one of the other players the Nationals traded for Gio Gonzalez, has become an above-average starter that hardly walks a soul and just last night fanned 10 Yankees (savvy roto-owners have learned it's better to start Milone at home than on the road). The A's also don't need Colin Cowgill to become a star as Jarrod Parker alone seems to make their Trevor Cahill one a success.


Not every deadline deal reaps a Jeff Bagwell or John Smoltz in return for Larry Anderson or Doyle Alexander. Jason Knapp, the centerpiece of the Indians/Phillies trade for Cliff Lee, has had more shoulder surgeries (2) than major league games (0) and the Tribe's haul from the CC Sabathia trade may be remembered as Michael Brantley and not Matt LaPorta.


As superstars change uniforms over the next couple week, remember the lesser-known names going in the other direction. It just may give you an edge in winning your 2014 or 2015 roto-championship."



Response: This has been a Schultz mantra for years and for years he has been dead on. Those in keeper and dynasty leagues should pay attention now. Those in redraft leagues should remember to review the late July trades when looking for their diamonds in the rough.

 

[HacheMan]

Des Down

The Nationals tried to nurse Ian Desmond through his oblique injury. Unsurprisingly, it ultimately didn’t work.

An MRI has revealed a torn left oblique muscle, an injury that has finally sent the All-Star shortstop to the disabled list. The Nationals haven’t put a timetable on when he’ll come back, but return in the latter part of August is probably a best-case scenario.

It puts Desmond’s pursuit of a 20/20 season in serious jeopardy, as he’ll need to knock off the rust and hit three bombs and steal five bases whenever he returns to the lineup. It’s also obviously a big blow to the Nats’ lineup, as Desmond’s .503 slugging percentage and .825 OPS are easily the best marks in baseball this season for a shortstop.

To fill the void at shortstop, the Nats will slide Danny Espinosa to the other side of second base, while Steve Lombardozzi will take over as the starter at second. Espinosa made his sixth start of the season at shortstop Sunday, and he came up through the minors primarily playing that position, so Washington should be fine defensively. Veteran Mark DeRosa will now act as the primary backup middle infielder. He hasn’t played either position a single time this season, and he’s started just four games at second and zero at short since 2009.

Texas Injury Two-Step

Over the last month, the Rangers have gotten Derek Holland and Colby Lewis back from the disabled list and added Roy Oswalt from the minor leagues. Their depth will be tested again, though, as Lewis is still having forearm issues, and Oswalt’s back is giving him problems again.

Both pitchers have already been scratched from their next scheduled starts, and it’s certainly possible, and likely in Lewis’ case, that a trip to the disabled list is in order. Lewis had been scheduled for Tuesday, but he hasn’t done any throwing since leaving his last outing, and he’ll visit Dr. Keith Meister on Monday in Arlington. The righty sounded resigned to the fact that he’ll be out for a while when he spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

"I'm not going to sit here and push the situation," he said. "I've got to think about a career and not a month."

As far as Oswalt goes, the Rangers are hopeful that he’ll only have to miss one start. He’s left the team for Houston, where he’ll see his regular back doctor and possibly receive a cortisone shot. The veteran right-hander seems to think it’s just a minor flare-up and he’ll be able to get back on track after a shot, but it’s hard to be too confident that that’s the case after the ongoing back issues he had last year.

For now, the Rangers will go with Scott Feldman and either Martin Perez or Justin Grimm (Perez is looking like the preferred option) to fill out the rotation. The Rangers should get Neftali Feliz (elbow) back soon, though. The hard-throwing right-hander made a second rehab start this past Friday and will likely only need one or two more before being ready for activation. He had been looking likely to return to a relief role, but the recent injuries probably mean he’ll be put in the rotation.





National League Quick Hits: Most expected Carlos Quentin to be one of the biggest bats moved at the trade deadline. Instead, the Padres signed him to a three-year extension that includes a mutual option for a fourth year. The Pads are also looking to lock up closer Huston Street … Matt Garza left Saturday’s start against the Cardinals with a triceps injury, but he’s already feeling better and might not even miss a start … Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen isn’t convinced that Hanley Ramirez (hand) will make it back during the team’s upcoming six-game homestand. Ramirez’s right hand is infected, an injury that occurred after he punched a cooling fan in frustration … Jaime Garcia (shoulder) is throwing from a mound without any issues and is expected to begin a rehab assignment in 10-14 days. He’s on track to rejoin the Cardinals’ rotation in mid-August … Jason Kubel followed up his three-homer game Saturday with a 3-for-4 performance Sunday that included another homer and a triple. He now has an NL-leading 71 RBI … The Mets will call up Matt Harvey to start on Thursday in Arizona. He’s getting a shot following injuries to Johan Santana (ankle, shoulder) and Dillon Gee (shoulder).

American League Quick Hits: Jon Lester suffered through the worst start of his career Sunday, as he was pounded for 11 runs on nine hits and five walks over just four innings in a loss to the Blue Jays. The lefty’s velocity has been fine, but something is clearly wrong, as he’s been knocked around for a whopping 21 runs over his last three outings … The Blue Jays are saying that Jose Bautista (wrist) is recovering faster than expected, though he’s still yet to swing a bat. Joey Bats is expected to skip a rehab assignment and should return not far into August … Erick Aybar is dealing with a contusion on his right big toe, and the Angels are contemplating placing him on the disabled list. Top prospect Jean Segura has been called up as insurance … Adrian Gonzalez homered Sunday for the third time in eight games since the All-Star break. He’s also hitting .438 in the second half … Roberto Hernandez has finally received his U.S. visa and is expected to rejoin the Indians’ rotation around August 11 following a three-week suspension for falsifying his identity. He’ll either bump Zach McAllister or Josh Tomlin from among the starting five.​

 

[HacheMan]

Concerns about workloads

Are some starting pitchers due to drop off because of overuse?

By AJ Mass | ESPN.com

Greetings, dear readers! Tristan H. Cockcroft is getting a well-earned week off after tirelessly covering things from all angles while the players took some time to recharge their batteries. Once again he has asked me to "take the conn" and steer this ship past the second star on the right and straight on 'til morning. So let's get the U.S.S. Starting Pitcher up and running.

Last week's 60 Feet, 60 Inches focused on whether it made sense to start pitchers on their first outing back after being on the disabled list. Part of the reason for the concern whenever a pitcher gets out on the mound for the first time after a lengthy stint away from the game is the fear that it might be "too much, too soon." A pitch count or innings cap is typically in place to help minimize the risk of re-injury.



Terms such as "pitch counts" and "innings caps" are all the rage in the baseball world in 2012, but it wasn't always so. This may come as a surprise to some younger readers, but back in ye olde days, pitchers were actually expected to finish every game they started. Crazy, isn't it?


Today, once a pitcher reaches that "magic" 100th pitch, the manager is already halfway to the mound to make a change, but back in 1989 Nolan Ryan threw 130 or more pitches 16 times. Since 2005, one pitcher (Tim Lincecum in 2008) has been allowed to reach that plateau twice in a season.


Managers are constantly afraid that too much strain on a pitcher's arm in one game will lead to end-of-the-year slumps or other health issues later on. You may be hard-pressed to convince Terry Collins that the reason Johan Santana has gone 3-5 with a 6.54 ERA and a .305 batting average against since throwing the New York Mets' first no-hitter isn't because he let his ace throw 134 pitches in the effort.

The key to identifying which pitchers might be headed in that same direction because of overwork -- and therefore which pitchers to start shopping now while the going is still somewhat good -- is not, however, simply counting pitches, but rather taking a look at who is throwing more pitches than he should. If we can find the pitchers who are under constant stress by working too hard inning after inning, start after start, it will be far more predictive of a late-season decline than a simple pitch count could ever be.


To that end, I will once again trot out a stat that I like to call Work Factor: the difference in the expected number of pitches and the actual number of pitches thrown. Based on Tom Tango's work with estimating historical pitch counts, what Work Factor does is figure out the expected number of pitches a pitcher "should have thrown" so far this season, based on his innings pitched, strikeouts, walks and hits allowed.


It stands to reason that if we have a solid formula for predicting the expected number of pitches based on actual game outcomes, which Tango's work does provide us, then any variance between that number and the actual pitch count is likely the result of a pitcher working harder than he needs to. That's where we can plant our red flags.

Cruise Control



Here are eight pitchers who Work Factor indicates have put less stress on their arms this season than what is historically expected of pitchers who have faced the same numbers of batters with the same statistical results. Additionally, all of them have an overall P/IP (pitches per inning pitched) of 15.0 or under, which typically signals an even workload throughout the season and less of a likelihood of the development of "tired arm syndrome" as the end of the season approaches.


<table><thead><tr><th> Name </th><th> P/IP </th><th> IP </th><th> H </th><th> BB </th><th> SO </th><th> Pitches </th><th> Exp Pitches </th><th> Work Factor </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Felix Hernandez </td><td> 14.7 </td><td> 140 2/3 </td><td> 128 </td><td> 36 </td><td> 143 </td><td> 2070 </td><td> 2227 </td><td> -157 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Bartolo Colon </td><td> 14.0 </td><td> 118 </td><td> 129 </td><td> 19 </td><td> 73 </td><td> 1655 </td><td> 1808 </td><td> -153 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> R.A. Dickey </td><td> 14.2 </td><td> 133 1/3 </td><td> 106 </td><td> 29 </td><td> 132 </td><td> 1890 </td><td> 2027 </td><td> -137 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Tim Hudson </td><td> 14.5 </td><td> 97 1/3 </td><td> 93 </td><td> 28 </td><td> 61 </td><td> 1410 </td><td> 1516 </td><td> -106 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Cliff Lee </td><td> 14.7 </td><td> 111 1/3 </td><td> 107 </td><td> 22 </td><td> 106 </td><td> 1634 </td><td> 1735 </td><td> -101 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Clayton Richard </td><td> 14.5 </td><td> 140 1/3 </td><td> 140 </td><td> 30 </td><td> 75 </td><td> 2037 </td><td> 2129 </td><td> -92 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Mike Leake </td><td> 14.9 </td><td> 110 </td><td> 121 </td><td> 24 </td><td> 72 </td><td> 1642 </td><td> 1728 </td><td> -86 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Josh Beckett </td><td> 15.0 </td><td> 101 1/3 </td><td> 100 </td><td> 27 </td><td> 79 </td><td> 1522 </td><td> 1600 </td><td> -78 </td></tr></tbody></table>



What is interesting to note in this group is that since 2008, Felix Hernandez, Bartolo Colon, Tim Hudson and Cliff Lee have not had even one season (that they played) in which they threw more pitches than the expected total, so there's a track record here of being somewhat more efficient, even as the innings add up.


R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball seem to be immune to the same kind of arm issues that plague many more traditional pitchers. In fact, his Work Factor number has improved steadily over the past five years, to the point we have little to no concern about the possibility of his second straight 200-plus-inning season.


Working Overtime



Conversely, if you're looking for reasons to worry, here are eight arms that Work Factor indicates have faced far too many deep counts and may well run out of gas sooner rather than later. Additionally, all of them have an overall P/IP well over 15.5, many dramatically so, which typically signals a pitcher who may tend to work harder than his peers to get through the same number of opposing hitters.


<table><thead><tr><th> Name </th><th> P/IP </th><th> IP </th><th> H </th><th> BB </th><th> SO </th><th> Pitches </th><th> Exp Pitches </th><th> Work Factor </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Phil Hughes </td><td> 16.8 </td><td> 114 1/3 </td><td> 115 </td><td> 28 </td><td> 102 </td><td> 1923 </td><td> 1818 </td><td> 105 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Bruce Chen </td><td> 17.0 </td><td> 113 2/3 </td><td> 129 </td><td> 27 </td><td> 86 </td><td> 1927 </td><td> 1828 </td><td> 99 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Johnny Cueto </td><td> 16.1 </td><td> 133 1/3 </td><td> 124 </td><td> 32 </td><td> 103 </td><td> 2151 </td><td> 2060 </td><td> 91 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Max Scherzer </td><td> 18.0 </td><td> 109 1/3 </td><td> 114 </td><td> 39 </td><td> 134 </td><td> 1963 </td><td> 1874 </td><td> 89 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Jeremy Hellickson </td><td> 17.1 </td><td> 99 </td><td> 94 </td><td> 40 </td><td> 63 </td><td> 1692 </td><td> 1605 </td><td> 87 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Felix Doubront </td><td> 17.6 </td><td> 107 </td><td> 109 </td><td> 41 </td><td> 105 </td><td> 1884 </td><td> 1802 </td><td> 82 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Aaron Harang </td><td> 17.2 </td><td> 112 </td><td> 106 </td><td> 48 </td><td> 87 </td><td> 1928 </td><td> 1853 </td><td> 75 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Randy Wolf </td><td> 17.4 </td><td> 112 </td><td> 135 </td><td> 38 </td><td> 76 </td><td> 1952 </td><td> 1877 </td><td> 75 </td></tr></tbody></table>



Johnny Cueto has been phenomenal and is 7-2 with a 1.88 ERA since June 6. However, he also has thrown over 110 pitches in five of his past nine starts with his low total being 106 in that stretch. Take a look at his career ERA splits by month and you'll notice a disturbing trend:



April: 3.63; May: 2.98; June: 2.96; July: 3.82; August: 4.20; September: 4.61.



By working way too hard consistently throughout the season, there typically ends up being little left in Cueto's tank as the schedule runs out of dates. The same fate can easily befall a pitcher like Max Scherzer, whose high strikeout totals often cause him to burn through at least 100 pitches before the time the sixth inning is through.



TOP 100 STARTING PITCHERS

Note: AJ Mass' 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 </th><th style="vertical-align: bottom;"><center> Prev
Rnk </center></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 1 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Justin Verlander, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 1 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 2 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Cain, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 3 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 3 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Clayton Kershaw, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 2 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 4 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Felix Hernandez, Sea </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 4 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 5 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Madison Bumgarner, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 6 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 6 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jered Weaver, LAA </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 5 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 7 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Stephen Strasburg, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 8 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 8 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Cole Hamels, Phi </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 7 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 9 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Gio Gonzalez, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 11 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 10 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> David Price, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 9 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 11 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> CC Sabathia, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 10 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 12 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Zack Greinke, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 12 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 13 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Cliff Lee, Phi </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 13 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 14 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Chris Sale, CWS </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 19 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 15 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Johnny Cueto, Cin </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 18 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 16 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Adam Wainwright, StL </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 14 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 17 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jordan Zimmermann, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 17 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 18 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> R.A. Dickey, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 23 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 19 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> C.J. Wilson, LAA </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 15 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 20 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jake Peavy, CWS </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 24 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 21 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Roy Halladay, Phi </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 20 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 22 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Yovani Gallardo, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 16 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 23 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> James McDonald, Pit </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 26 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 24 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Josh Johnson, Mia </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 21 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 25 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Yu Darvish, Tex </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 30 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 26 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Hiroki Kuroda, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 29 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 27 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Mat Latos, Cin </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 25 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 28 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Garza, ChC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 22 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 29 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ryan Vogelsong, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 31 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 30 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Wade Miley, Ari </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 44 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 31 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Lance Lynn, StL </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 42 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 32 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Max Scherzer, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 37 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 33 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jon Lester, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 27 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 34 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ryan Dempster, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 40 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 35 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tommy Hanson, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 28 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 36 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tim Hudson, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 36 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 37 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Chris Capuano, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 45 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 38 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> James Shields, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 39 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 39 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Dan Haren, LAA </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 35 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 40 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Vance Worley, Phi </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 32 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 41 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ian Kennedy, Ari </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 49 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 42 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ivan Nova, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 38 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 43 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Harrison, Tex </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 46 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 44 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Edwin Jackson, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 41 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 45 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jonathon Niese, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 47 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 46 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Anibal Sanchez, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 50 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 47 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Phil Hughes, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 51 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 48 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jarrod Parker, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 52 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 49 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Johan Santana, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 34 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 50 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Doug Fister, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 53 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 51 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Moore, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 43 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 52 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Kyle Lohse, StL </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 65 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 53 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> A.J. Burnett, Pit </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 59 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 54 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Wandy Rodriguez, Hou </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 57 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 55 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Brandon Morrow, Tor </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 62 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 56 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jason Hammel, Bal </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 68 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 57 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Francisco Liriano, Min </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 54 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 58 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Trevor Cahill, Ari </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 58 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 59 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Josh Beckett, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 63 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 60 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tim Lincecum, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 56 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 61 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Justin Masterson, Cle </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 61 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 62 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Brandon McCarthy, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 66 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 63 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tommy Milone, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 72 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 64 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ricky Romero, Tor </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 55 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 65 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Wei-Yin Chen, Bal </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 67 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 66 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ben Sheets, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 64 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 67 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Trevor Bauer, Ari </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 48 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 68 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Mark Buehrle, Mia </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 81 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 69 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jose Quintana, CWS </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 75 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 70 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Shaun Marcum, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 74 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 71 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ubaldo Jimenez, Cle </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 60 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 72 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Joe Blanton, Phi </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 91 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 73 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Homer Bailey, Cin </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 82 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 74 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Derek Holland, Tex </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 69 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 75 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Bartolo Colon, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 87 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 76 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Marco Estrada, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 86 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 77 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ricky Nolasco, Mia </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 79 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 78 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Clay Buchholz, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 71 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 79 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Luke Hochevar, KC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 78 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 80 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jeff Samardzija, ChC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 83 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 81 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Andy Pettitte, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 85 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 82 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Edinson Volquez, SD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 88 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 83 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Chad Billingsley, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 77 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 84 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Mike Fiers, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 93 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 85 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Bronson Arroyo, Cin </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 96 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 86 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Felix Doubront, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 89 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 87 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Erik Bedard, Pit </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 80 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 88 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Scott Diamond, Min </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 94 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 89 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jeremy Hellickson, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 76 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 90 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Clayton Richard, SD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 92 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 91 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Bud Norris, Hou </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 84 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 92 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Gavin Floyd, CWS </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 90 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 93 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ervin Santana, LAA </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 73 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 94 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Travis Blackley, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 100 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 95 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jair Jurrjens, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 70 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 96 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Aaron Harang, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 99 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 97 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Chris Young, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> NR </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 98 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ted Lilly, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 95 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 99 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jason Vargas, Sea </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> NR </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 100 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Carlos Villanueva, Tor </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 97 </td></tr></tbody></table>




Felix Doubront has been slowly but surely deteriorating since the start of June, when he was 6-2. Since that time, including Monday night's six runs in five innings versus the Texas Rangers, he has gone 4-3 and only managed to see the seventh inning twice. The rest of the way may see his ability to work deep into contests slip even further.


Certainly you don't want to use Work Factor as the only reason to consider getting out from under these potential problems before it's too late. But if you're already seeing smoke, throwing another stick on the pile isn't going to make things any better.


Streamer's delight



Among streaming starter -- something Tristan defines as a single-start option in daily leagues among pitchers owned in 25 percent of ESPN leagues or fewer -- options for the upcoming week, here are his picks by day:


Tuesday, July 24: Paul Maholm at Pittsburgh Pirates
Wednesday, July 25: Homer Bailey at Houston Astros
Thursday, July 26: Jake Westbrook versus Los Angeles Dodgers
Friday, July 27: Carlos Zambrano versus San Diego Padres
Saturday, July 28: Barry Zito versus Los Angeles Dodgers
Sunday, July 29: Clayton Richard at Miami Marlins
Monday, July 30: Marco Estrada versus Houston Astros


Past picks
Tuesday, July 17: Jordan Lyles --6 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Wednesday, July 18: Clayton Richard -- W, 8 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Thursday, July 19: Lucas Harrell -- QS, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Friday, July 20: Drew Pomeranz -- 3 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Saturday, July 21: Ben Sheets -- W, QS, 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Sunday, July 22: Joe Blanton -- QS, 8 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Monday, July 23: Mike Minor -- QS, 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K


Week's total: 7 GS, 2 W (28.6%), 4 QS (57.1%), 45 IP, 51 H, 22 ER, 4 BB, 30 K, 4.40 ERA, 1.22 WHIP
Season total: 98 GS, 39 W (39.8%), 52 QS (53.0%), 588 2/3 IP, 575 H, 259 ER, 198 BB, 446 K, 3.96 ERA, 1.31 WHIP


Three up



Mark Buehrle, Miami Marlins: In his past five starts, Buehrle is 4-1 with a 1.87 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk rate of 5.0 in that solid stretch of games. On the surface, it seems hard to imagine that a 33-year-old pitcher in his 13th season would suddenly post his best ERA and WHIP since 2005 and a career-best left-on-base percentage (76.6), but it makes complete sense. For his career, the ninth hitter in the batting order had a .251 batting average against Buehrle, and this year, with primarily pitchers in that slot, they've combined for only four hits in 41 at-bats (.098). That not only easily accounts for the improvements we've already discussed, but also the slightly higher strikeouts per nine innings rate (5.30) and lower walks per nine (1.36) rate as well.


Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks: Miley did seem to limp into the All-Star break with two subpar outings just before the time away: 3 2/3 IP, 8 ER in a 10-2 loss in Milwaukee on June 30 and 6 2/3 IP, 4 ER in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 5. Even with those outings in the mix, Miley has a 3.30 ERA and a .230 batting average against in his past eight starts. Take them out of the equation and you get a 5-1 record with a 1.66 ERA since June 6. Miley's Work Factor is minus-18, and he's still about 60 innings away from matching his innings pitched count from last season (at three levels), so we're not concerned that his rookie year will end with anything but a bang.


Chris Young, New York Mets: The Mets have been hurting this season on the mound in a big way with Mike Pelfrey, Dillon Gee, Frank Francisco and Johan Santana all on the disabled list right now. When Matt Harvey starts this week, he'll be the 24th pitcher to suit up for the team this season, tied for third-most in the majors. Since Young joined the staff on June 9, he has been as solid as they come. Six of his nine appearances were quality starts, and two of the ones that didn't meet the criteria only fell short because of pitch count concerns related to his shoulder surgery. Especially at home, where opponents are hitting just .208 against Young and his "rise ball," expect good things from what might be the only reliable option at Citi Field the rest of the way.


Three down



Vance Worley, Philadelphia Phillies: Since June 15, Worley has struggled, with a 2-4 record, a 4.85 ERA and a K/9 rate of just 6.53, well below his 9.0 K/9 pace before this most recent string of games. He has averaged 105 pitches per game in his past seven starts, dropping his Work Factor from minus-39 to minus-11. That's headed well in the wrong direction. Why all the excess work lately? The Phillies' bullpen has been particularly awful with a 4.66 ERA this season. Only the Houston Astros and New York Mets have been worse, and Charlie Manuel seems afraid to use his relievers. Only the San Francisco Giants' relief corps has worked fewer innings. At this rate, Worley is surely going to fall deeper into the abyss.


Ubaldo Jimenez, Cleveland Indians: Back when Jimenez was with the Colorado Rockies, it was easy to pass off any odd outing in which he gave up a few long balls as being part and parcel of pitching at Coors Field, still the "highest-scoring stadium" in the league, according to ESPN's Park Factor. Progressive Field ranks 21st on that list, so it makes little sense that this season Jimenez is seeing his career-worst home run-to-fly ball rate (12.7 percent) alongside his lowest-ever ground ball rate (38 percent). With 17 home runs allowed on the season, and nine in his past eight starts, it's not looking as if it will get any better any time soon, and it's hard to fathom Jimenez's ERA getting below 5.00 again this season.


Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels: So not only has Santana failed to finish the second inning in two of his past three starts, in his five appearances since a 2-0 shutout win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 16, he is 0-3 with an ERA of 9.41. He has only 14 strikeouts in those games, and 10 of them came on June 23 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the height of their biggest slump of the season, a 1-11 stretch of games in which their only win was this game versus Santana. To fix his pitcher, Mike Scioscia has put a hard cap of 15 outs in place. After five complete innings in his next start, Friday against Tampa Bay, he's done for the night, even if he's throwing a perfect game. The goal is to get him to leave it all out there on the mound from the first pitch, but if he can't even reach that fifth-inning finish line on Friday, he might not get another chance for quite some time.

 

[HacheMan]

Monday Madness

The trade deadline isn’t for another week, but the action really started to heat up Monday.



Two big trades occurred. The Tigers acquired Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante from the Marlins for a package revolving around Jacob Turner, while the Yankees picked up Ichiro Suzuki from the Mariners for a couple low-level prospects. Another trade – one that would have sent Ryan Dempster to the Braves in exchange for Randall Delgado – had appeared close to completion, but now there looks to be a good chance it won’t happen.



The Tigers plugged two big holes with their deal, as they’ve been searching for capable starters behind Justin Verlander, as well as a steady presence at second base. Sanchez has appeared to officially put the “injury-prone” tag behind him, as he’s working on a third straight healthy season and a second straight year where he’s put up very good numbers. The right-hander holds a 3.94 ERA and 1.26 WHIP to go along with a terrific 110/33 K/BB ratio over 121 innings and could wind up being the Tigers’ second-best starter.



Infante offers a sure-fire upgrade over a group of Tigers second basemen that have managed to hit just .201/.286/.276 this season. The former All-Star batted .287/.312/.442 with eight homers over 328 at-bats for the Marlins, and he gets to return to where he spent the first six seasons of his major league career.



The deal didn’t come without a cost to the Tigers, as Turner could wind up being a good No. 2-3 starter eventually. He’s put up an 8.28 ERA over six career starts for the Tigers, but the former first-round pick is just 21 years old and boasts a 3.21 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in his minor league career. That’s where he’ll head for now for the Marlins, as Wade LeBlanc will take Sanchez’s spot in Miami’s rotation. The Fish also acquired catching prospect Rob Brantly and lefty prospect Brian Flynn in the deal.



The Ichiro trade doesn’t have nearly the impact that the Tigers/Marlins swap does, both because there aren’t as many players involved and because he’s simply not the player he used to be. But, it’s still quite a shock to see such an iconic figure change uniforms.



Suzuki is sporting an ugly .261/.288/.352 batting line this season after his 1-for-4 debut for the Yankees Monday, and he put up just a .272/.310/.335 line last year. He has hit a much better .289/.320/.362 away from spacious Safeco Field since the start of last season, and he’ll certainly benefit from a cozy new home park. But, the 38-year-old helps fantasy teams with stolen bases and that’s about it at this point. He played right field Monday with Nick Swisher out but will be the Yankees’ regular left fielder when Swisher returns.



Lewis to go Under the Knife



The Rangers thought Colby Lewis was dealing with more forearm issues that resulted in his early removal from a start last week. As it turns out, he has a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow, an injury that will require season-ending surgery.



The injury comes at a poor time for the Rangers and also for Lewis, who was hoping to hit it rich this winter in free agency. He’s expected to be sidelined for 9-12 months, so he’ll almost surely have to take an incentive-laden deal and hope to come back around midseason next year. His season ends with a nifty 3.43 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 93/14 K/BB ratio over 105 innings.



The Rangers called up Martin Perez to fill in for Lewis Tuesday, but he’s likely just a short-term fix. They’re interested in both Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke via the trade route, but they also have other options internally. Neftali Feliz (elbow) will need a couple more rehab starts but should be ready to join the rotation next month if needed. Texas has also considered moving Alexi Ogando in from the bullpen.







National League Quick Hits: The Marlins might not be done dealing, as they’re reportedly willing to trade disappointing star Hanley Ramirez and could also entertain offers for Josh Johnson, among others. Johnson was brilliant Monday, limiting the Braves to just one hit while striking out nine over six innings. He left with a blister but is expected to be fine … Francisco Rodriguez blew a save in epic fashion Monday, coughing up a three-run lead while allowing four runs on three hits and three walks. He’s retired just eight of 20 hitters since taking over as closer. Milwaukee could use John Axford for the next save chance … Roy Halladay was blasted for six runs over six innings Monday. Doc insists that he’s healthy and blamed the poor showing on rust … Lucas Duda is expected to be sent down when the Mets bring Matt Harvey up. He’s batting just .140/.260/.233 in July … Jeff Samardzija spun a gem Monday, giving up just one hit over eight shutout innings against the Pirates. He’s allowed just five runs over four July starts. … Drew Pomeranz reported improvement with his arm after playing catch Monday and thinks he'll avoid a DL stint … Matt Garza (triceps) isn’t expected to go on the DL but will likely have his next start pushed back until next week.



American League Quick Hits: The Rays are interested in acquiring Ryan Roberts from the Diamondbacks as they look for help at third base until Evan Longoria returns. Tatman is batting just .250/.306/.357 with six homers and six steals this season, but he hit 19 bombs and stole 18 bases last year and is capable of playing multiple positions … Erick Aybar has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right big toe. He’s in a walking boot, but the Angels are still considering him day-to-day for now… Roy Oswalt expects to take his next turn in the rotation after receiving an injection for his ailing back Monday. Scott Feldman pitched very well in his place Monday … Joel Pineiro will undergo surgery to repair a SLAP tear in the labrum in his right shoulder. He’s pitched all year at the Triple-A level … Nick Swisher’s strained hip flexor is feeling better, but he’s expected to miss the entire series with the Mariners … The Angels will limit Ervin Santana to 15 outs in his next outing. It’s an unorthodox technique, but the Angels are running out of options at this point with the struggling right-hander … Jon Lester will make his next scheduled start Friday. The Red Sox had considered skipping him … The struggling Justin Smoak was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma after Monday’s game. Mike Carp will take his spot as the regular first baseman.​

 

[HacheMan]

What is Hanley's value with Dodgers?

Eric Karabell

Fantasy owners expecting new Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Hanley Ramirez to suddenly emerge from a multiseason malaise and produce near-MVP numbers should look closer at what the Miami Marlins received from Wednesday morning's trade. They didn't exactly get Matt Kemp back. They didn't get a top Dodgers prospect, either. They got right-handed pitcher Nate Eovaldi and a modest prospect back. The Marlins basically said to the Dodgers, "Here, take this underachieving player and pay him the money he is owed. Farewell."

Ramirez is a better fantasy option than real-life player, and sure, it's certainly possible a trade to a contender will invigorate someone whose motivation and drive have been questioned. He's obviously owned in all fantasy leagues and there's no reason to expect his offensive production is about to get worse. However, this trade hasn't altered much from a fantasy perspective, despite moving from one end of the country to the other.


We don't know for sure which infield position Ramirez will handle in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers basically have nothing at shortstop and third base for the next few weeks, but it's irrelevant in fantasy for 2012, as Ramirez is already eligible at both spots. It would be nice for his 2013 value if he qualified at shortstop, though, since it is considerably weaker than third base. Currently Ramirez has not played any games at shortstop in 2012, so he would need 20 games there the final 10 weeks.



In moving from one presumed pitcher's park (it's still a bit premature to evaluate Miami's new ballpark) to Dodger Stadium, it's not as if Ramirez's production should improve in home games. I don't buy much into lineup protection but surely Ramirez batting a spot ahead of Matt Kemp would be a potentially nice treat, but Ramirez wasn't exactly starring when Giancarlo Stanton was hitting behind him. Put simply, Ramirez remains a strong fantasy option; he is fourth on the Player Rater among shortstops (eligible from 2011) and 10th for third basemen, and he's No. 87 overall among all players. Still, remember when this was the top player in fantasy drafts, or among the best? While he's only 28 years old, he's apparently not the same hitter.


Ramirez hit .243 in an injury-plagued 2011 campaign, but there have been no reports of health issues this year, and he's hitting .246. His numbers bear strong resemblance to 2011, actually. In one more game and 15 more at-bats, Ramirez has hit for more power but run quite a bit less. His walk rate is down, strikeout rate is up and if you think he's had trouble adjusting to his new home ballpark, note that Ramirez is hitting .302 with a .874 OPS at Marlins Park, and .187 with a .614 OPS on the road. Ramirez does have a .388 batting average and 1.065 OPS at Dodger Stadium, his best OPS at any NL park, but that doesn't tell us very much in 67 at-bats. Ramirez is also a career .300 hitter with a 30/30 season to his credit. He's on pace for 23 home runs and 23 steals, but don't expect him to bat .300.


Ultimately, the Dodgers receive a very talented player. Fantasy owners can expect a slight bump in production, but don't expect a .246 hitter to raise his batting average 50 points, either.


As for how this affects other Dodgers, you shouldn't have been relying on Juan Uribe, Adam Kennedy and Luis Cruz in the first place. Shortstop Dee Gordon will get his job back when healthy, but he's out another few weeks after thumb surgery. Plus, Gordon was hitting .229 this season, albeit with a league-leading 30 stolen bases. Expect Ramirez to eventually settle in at third base, with Gordon at shortstop.
The loss of Eovaldi, 22, won't be felt. Stephen Fife, with one big league start to his credit, probably moves back into the Dodgers' rotation, but fantasy owners should avoid him. Eovaldi was holding the spot for Ted Lilly, whose return is pending. I was an Eovaldi fan when the Dodgers promoted him from Double-A to the majors last season, but command was an issue and he didn't miss a lot of bats. The Marlins get a decent arm here, but he's not a likely ace.


Those in deep leagues should keep an eye on young Donovan Solano in Miami, as one would think he gets a legitimate chance for regular playing time at third base, but don't overrate his current .328 batting average in 58 at-bats. In eight minor league seasons, including four at the Triple-A level, the right-handed hitting Solano never hit for power, never stole bases and batted .260. Perhaps Greg Dobbs will play third base in Miami, but that isn't exciting, either.

 

[HacheMan]

Fantasy owners shouldn't wait for A-Rod

Eric Karabell

It's July 25, and baseball's regular season is scheduled to run through the first three days of October, meaning there are 10 weeks left. Why is this relevant? Well, when a player hits the disabled list in the wee hours of the morning on this date with a broken hand and it's announced he'll likely be out of action for six to eight weeks, as is the case for New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, it means one thing to unfortunate fantasy owners: move on.


Rodriguez is fantasy's No. 6 third baseman on the ESPN Player Rater. No, he's not having a spectacular season by any means, certainly not for his historic career, but he's hitting .276 and on pace for 25 home runs, 73 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and 90 runs. That's pretty good. The point is, he's not going to get there. This could be the top third baseman in fantasy (Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers) and the message would be roughly the same, that a six-to-eight week absence when there are 10 weeks left in the season from today isn't enough to expect proper return on the investment, whether you're simply keeping the player on your bench or buying low. In 10-team standard leagues, the roster spot can likely be better used.


<offer></offer>Plus, this is a hand injury and there's little reason to believe the first-place Yankees will be pushing Rodriguez back in to the lineup quickly with a likely postseason berth pending. Eric Chavez, for now the interim replacement against right-handed pitching, has dealt with this injury and missed eight weeks. Rodriguez suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left fifth metacarpal when Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez hit him late Tuesday night. In the best-case scenario, which is six weeks, that means Rodriguez would return for the final four weeks. Sure, if we knew that was the scenario, I'd keep him owned and on the bench, but there are no guarantees. Basically it depends on your team's situation and its depth.

As for what the Yankees will do at the hot corner, there's a week to go before the non-waiver trade deadline. One would think an upgrade on Chavez, Jayson Nix and potentially Eduardo Nunez (remember him?) is coming. Chavez is hitting .269 with eight home runs in 64 games, with nearly all his production against right-handed pitching. Alas, he's not the most durable fellow around. Nix can hit a lefty … but this is irrelevant. Nunez hasn't had a very good season and his defense was a problem, but he can certainly steal bases if given the opportunity. If choosing from this group, fantasy owners should look at Nunez for the speed, but ultimately the Yankees should make a trade since this is not simply a 15-day DL stint for A-Rod.


As for other third basemen that might be available in your league, note that this position has been roughly as strong as first base, in terms of top options and depth. Three players eligible at third base are in the overall top 10 (Cabrera, David Wright, Edwin Encarnacion). Your team can survive this.


Chase Headley is owned in 74 percent of leagues, and his value is about to rise when the San Diego Padres trade him. Headley's career and season road numbers are far better than his home production, and he's one of 19 players with double digits in home runs and stolen bases. Chipper Jones and Kyle Seager are owned in roughly half of ESPN's leagues. Todd Frazier continues to play and hit for the Reds. Ryan Roberts was traded to Tampa Bay overnight and, after hitting 19 home runs and stealing 18 bases last season, is certainly capable of providing all-around numbers. He will play. And digging deeper, Stephen Lombardozzi hits leadoff for Washington and can steal bases. Brandon Inge has pop, but at the cost of batting average. And Jeff Keppinger is safe for batting average.

 

[HacheMan]

Wandy Ahoy!
The trade winds are already blowing strong.

On Monday, it was the Tigers acquiring right-handed starter Anibal Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante from the Marlins for a package of prospects, and the Yankees snatching outfielder Ichiro Suzuki from the Mariners. On Tuesday, it was Wandy Rodriguez playing the starring role.

The 33-year-old left-hander was dealt from the Astros to the Pirates in exchange for outfield prospect Robbie Grossman and young pitchers Rudy Owens and Colton Cain. That’s quite a bit of talent for the Bucs to surrender, but they’re 12 games over .500 and charging hard for their first playoff appearance in 20 years. Wandy will improve the odds, and he should maintain his fantasy value given that he’s staying in the ever-comfortable National League Central. He might even get a slight bump in value if the Pirates don’t fade down the stretch like they did in 2011.



Greinke Looks Recharged, Reignites Trade Value

Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke surrendered nine earned runs in eight innings between July 7 and July 13. Not wanting to spoil his trade value any further, Milwaukee management decided to give him a week off. And it really couldn’t have worked out better.

Greinke roared back on Tuesday night against the Phillies, hurling seven innings of one-run, three-hit ball while fanning five batters and walking none. He needed only 87 pitches and also hit a no-doubt solo home run off opposing starter Cliff Lee.

There are still a number of high quality arms on the trade block as the July 31 deadline approaches, but Greinke is probably the best of them all and should attract a wild amount of interest over the next six days. The Rangers, White Sox and Cardinals are known to be intrigued.

Greinke, a 28-year-old impending free agent, has a 3.44 ERA and 122/28 K/BB ratio in 123 innings this season.



Astros Get First Bitter Taste of Coco Cordero

When the Astros traded both Brett Myers and Brandon Lyon last week in the span of two days, most thought they would ask in-house option Wilton Lopez to handle ninth-inning duties down the stretch. Newcomer Francisco Cordero got the nod instead, but it sure doesn’t seem like it’s meant to last.

Cordero coughed up a 2-1 lead on Tuesday against the Reds, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks in his first save opportunity with Houston. He now has a 6.25 ERA and 1.86 WHIP in 36 total innings this season, and he’s just 2-for-6 in save chances.

Lopez, meanwhile, has a sparkling 2.61 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 30/5 K/BB ratio in 38 frames. Grab the 29-year-old right-hander in all fantasy leagues. His time is coming, and he should be much more effective than the guys who have come before him this season.



National League Quick Hits: The Phillies are nearing a six-year extension with Cole Hamels that will top $137.5 million in total value … Matt Garza was excused from the Cubs for the birth of his child and isn’t expected to pitch again before Monday … Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright has a 71/15 K/BB ratio over his last 72 1/3 innings and earned his eighth win of the season Tuesday against the Dodgers … Pablo Sandoval suffered a strained left hamstring Tuesday while stretching for a ball at first base … Stephen Strasburg could throw up to 180 innings this year … Ryan Dempster told reporters Tuesday that he will use “much of the next week” to decide whether he wants to accept a trade … Drew Stubbs is up to 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases … Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said Tuesday that Justin Upton is unlikely to be moved this summer … Lance Berkman left Tuesday’s game against the Dodgers with a bad knee bruise after getting hit with a Clayton Kershaw slider … Cliff Lee surrendered four home runs Tuesday in a no-decision against Milwaukee … The Phillies have indicated to teams that they are eager to trade Hunter Pence … Ryan Braun went 3-for-4 on Tuesday and is now hitting .313 with a .996 OPS on the year … Mets closer Frank Francisco (oblique, knee) is scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment Wednesday at Double-A Binghamton … Jason Giambi was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a virus … The Diamondbacks are struggling to attract decent trade offers for shortstop Stephen Drew … Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez is day-to-day with a sore shoulder.

American League Quick Hits: White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko went 4-for-4 on Tuesday and is now batting .336/.410/.533 on the year … Alex Rodriguez was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture in his left hand late Tuesday night and is headed to the 15-day disabled list … Anibal Sanchez will make his debut for the Tigers on Saturday … The Angels are working on trade packages for Rays right-hander James Shields … Adrian Beltre was drilled in the helmet Tuesday by Red Sox pitcher Vicente Padilla but has passed his initial concussion tests … Brandon Morrow (oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Sunday … The Rays acquired third baseman Ryan Roberts after he was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks … Carlos Santana is batting .353 with two home runs and seven RBI in 12 games since the All-Star break … Roy Oswalt (back) is on track to make his next scheduled start … Rangers youngster Martin Perez held the Red Sox to one run in six innings Tuesday … Evan Longoria (hamstring) could begin a rehab assignment within the next several days … Josh Willingham is up to 25 home runs and 72 RBI … Jeremy Hellickson dominated the Orioles on Tuesday and has now turned in four straight quality starts … White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is day-to-day with a minor right oblique strain … Miguel Cabrera launched his 24th home run of the season and carried his RBI total to 81 on Tuesday night against the Indians … Sergio Santos underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday … The Blue Jays are hopeful that Jose Bautista (wrist) can begin swinging a bat by the end of this week … Brett Gardner had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his right elbow … The Red Sox traded utilityman Brent Lillibridge to the Indians.

 

[HacheMan]

Trades Done, Trades to Come It's trading time. Time for new closers to be born into the world. Trading time. Turn up the lights on every bullpen and take a look.

Terrible song references aside, it really is that time of year again. Over the next four weeks, the buyers -- and there are a ton of them now that there are two wild cards -- will pick over the sellers' rosters. Twenty scouts were on hand to watch Zack Greinke against the Phillies! The new wild card rules might make for more buyers, even if it also makes for fewer sellers.

In any case, at least one more high-profile reliever will trade places, and we've already seen two get moved. Some of the moves so far were totally predictable, and some weren't, that's the nature of the game. So we'll focus on trade rumors and trade possibilities in this week's Saves and Steals. And we'll name the tiers after high-profile reliever trades of the past, just to get an idea of how long this has been happening.

Tier 1: Elite (5) (AKA: The "Octavio Dotel" Tier.)

Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers
Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies

Octavio Dotel is not elite, himself. But in terms of a hired hands, he's got to be the most available, cheapest best arm of the past two decades. Here's the list of names that have been traded in deals including Dotel: Derek Bell, Mike Hampton, Mark Teahen, Mike Wood, Carlos Beltran, Kyle Davies, Andrew Lambo, James McDonald, Anthony Jackson, Trever Miller, Colby Rasmus, Brian Tallet & P.J. Walters. There are some good names on there, but Dotel was often traded in packages. It really just serves as a reminder of how many times he's been traded. He's the elite rental arm.

This tier is full of elite pitchers, no doubt. Aroldis Chapman deserves a special shoutout for racking up two Kimbrels in his past ten appearances, and adding in three three-strikeout, no-walk, one-hit appearances as well. In fact, he 'only' struck out one batter once in his past ten, and that was in an outing that lasted… one out.

But what makes this tier even more special is that these pitchers come with the benefit of leash to boot. None of their teams is rumored to be looking for help in the bullpen, either, so that leash won't get any shorter. And even if they did acquire a reliever, there's little chance these guys would lose their job to a newcomer.

Tier 2: Rock Steady (7) (AKA: The "Ugueth Urbina" Tier.)

Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals
Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates
Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees
J.J. Putz, Arizona Diamondbacks
Ernesto Frieri, Los Angeles Angels
Rafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies

Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays

In 2003, Ugueth Urbina was traded from the Rangers to the Marlins for Will Smith (minors), Adrian Gonzalez and Ryan Snare. Urbina helped the Marlins win the world series that year and was excellent. He did about as much as could be expected from a mid-season acquisition. Of course, that IS the Adrian Gonzalez, but that was way before Adrian Gonzalez was Adrian Gonzalez. (Also before Ugueth Urbina was Ugueth Urbina, prisoner.) The Rangers made the same mistake later, so the Marlins are forgiven.

Jason Motte leaves the top tier, but it's no fault of his own. If you look up and down the top tier, though, you'll notice that Motte would be the only pitcher without a double-digit strikeout rate. Sure, he strikes out a player per inning, but the average rate for the top thirty pitchers in saves in a given year is over eight per nine. So the top pitchers are elite in the truest sense of the word, while Motte is merely great.

There isn't a ton of worry in terms of trade rumors affecting this tier. Most of these players are either cheap, pitching well for a contender, or both. Rafael Betancourt might be the one that catches your eye -- but he's only going to cost the Rockies around nine million dollars over the next two years, and that sort of affordable closer works for a team with any budget or plans for contention.

Fernando Rodney walked two batters in an inning Tuesday night. That was the first time he'd done so this year. He managed that same feat eight times last year, in ten fewer innings. The 35-year-old had a 4.52 career walk rate coming into this season. Before he walked those two batters Tuesday night, Rodney's 1.03 walks per nine was the seventh-lowest walk rate by a reliever over 35 since free agency began in 1974. Seventh-lowest! This guy was walking a guy every other inning for 440+ innings before this season! This is an amazing story.

Tier 3: OK options (7) (AKA: The "Matt Mantei" Tier.)

Tom Wilhelmsen, Seattle Mariners
Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians
Huston Street, San Diego Padres
Santiago Casilla, San Francisco Giants
Addison Reed, Chicago White Sox
Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles

In a strange link to the last tier, Brad Penny was traded to the Marlins for Matt Mantei in 1999, and he won two games for the Marlins in that same 2003 World Series that included Ugueth Urbina. In fact, the Marlins got Vladimir Nunez and Abraham Nunez along with Brad Penny. The Diamondbacks got five years of Mantei, but he was only the closer for two and a half of them, and had some injuries, and wasn't quite the pitcher they thought they were trading for. Most people would take the starter in this situation, but the Diamondbacks found some use in Mantei, and you'll get good use out of the closers in this tier.

Tom Wilhelmsen is the man, and I"m not just saying that because I own him about eight times. He has 12 strikeouts against five walks in his last ten outings, and that does well to describe him: filthy and a little wild. He may not be the best dynasty league asset since that wildness lurks, but the bartender is tending bar in my heart for now.

There are some definite trade rumors in this group. In fact, two have been linked recently -- Chris Perez and Santiago Casilla. The Giants have some interest in the Indians reliever, and he'd probably push Casilla into a setup role. The Indians are still in the chase, though, so the deal would have include some interesting prospects. The Giants do, sometimes, give up interesting prospects for rentals. Just ask the Mets. Nothing that Casilla and Perez owners can do other than wait and hope -- the rumors are out there and have already damaged the fantasy trade value for both pitchers.

The rest of the tier might survive the deadline. Huston Street is suddenly negotiating a long-term contract in San Diego instead of being on the block. Addison Reed is supposedly still the closer -- sorry Brett Myers owners, but that trade was a long time coming -- and Jim Johnson is cheap and good and on a team that's in the mix for a wild card spot.

Tier 4: Question marks (6) (AKA: The "Ron Davis" Tier.)

Ryan Cook, Oakland Athletics
Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals
Casey Janssen, Toronto Blue Jays
Jonathan Broxton, Kansas City Royals
Alfredo Aceves, Boston Red Sox
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers

In 1981, Ron Davis threw 73 excellent relief innings for the Yankees, and set up Goose Gossage in the modern sense of the word. He struck out ten per nine with great control and was headed for closerdom when traded to the Twins after the season. What happened then? Let WikiPedia take it away:

Among Twins fans, with whom he came to be known as Ron "Boom-Boom" Davis, his name is still synonymous with ineffective relief pitching, despite finishing in the top 5 for saves in the A.L. in three of his five seasons with the team. In 1984, Davis tied the record for blown saves in a single season with 14. No one since has blown this many saves in a single season.
​

Oops. Some of the guys in this tier might put up some Jekyll and Hyde numbers this season in the Ron "Boom-Boom" Davis tradition.

Well, not Tyler Clippard. He is moving up the ranks -- Drew Storen is back and his velocity is reduced, and he's not even pitching in the eighth inning in close games. Clippard might keep this job all year, and the peripherals are awesome. He has deserved this chance for a long time now. While Ryan Cook has the bad walk rate as an asterisk, Clippard really has no asterisks other than Storen. Casey Janssen doesn't have Clippard's strikeout rate, but he's in the same boat. With every save, these guys are pushing for promotion to the next tier.

Jonathan Broxton has an asterisk as hefty as his frame: he's both involved in trade rumors and he's not quite the pitcher he used to be. He's not getting the swinging strikes, and if he ends up in the wrong pen, he won't be the closer. If he ends up in New York, though, all bets are off. That's a terrible pen and he could actually be the best pitcher in the group.

Read more about the most volatile closer situations on the next page.
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Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (6) (AKA: The "Heathcliff Slocumb" Tier.)

Jared Burton (first chair), Glen Perkins (second chair), Minnesota Twins
Carlos Marmol (first chair), Shawn Camp (second chair), Chicago Cubs
Francisco Rodriguez (first chair), John Axford (second chair), Milwaukee Brewers
Steve Cishek (first chair), Heath Bell (second chair), Mike Dunn (third chair), Miami Marlins
Bobby Parnell (first chair), Jon Rauch (second chair), Miguel Batista (third chair), New York Mets

Francisco Cordero (first chair), Wilton Lopez (second chair), Wesley Wright (third chair), Houston Astros

You already know what's coming, but it's so legendary it needs to be said again. In 1987, the Red Sox traded Heathcliff Slocumb to the Mariners for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek. Yes, those two weren't well-regarded prospects, but wow. Slocumb was walking as many batters as he struck out. He wasn't worth any lottery tickets, let alone two of them that turned out to be winning tickets. Speaking of lottery tickets, every member of this tier is a long-shot lotto ticket for rest-of-season closer value.

Jared Burton and Glen Perkins were a tandem, but managers don't really like lefty closers, and Burton has more of the saves recently. Are they just keeping the seat warm for Matt Capps? Maybe, but Capps' shoulder issues are not getting better. Burton is a good pickup if he's on your wire.

Carlos Marmol is doing it ugly. Francisco Rodriguez is doing it ugly. Carlos Marmol has nobody to worry about in his pen. Francisco Rodriguez has the cheap, long-term asset with great stuff and a mustache to boot behind him -- John Axford. Axford has found the zone a little more since his demotion, and Rodriguez has been a shadow of his former self. This little pen shakeup should get shook back up again soon.

Miami is harder to figure out. Steve Cishek is a good pitcher, and Juan Carlos Oviedo (formerly Leo Nunez) now has a hurt elbow. But Heath Bell has been a little better recently, and we've seen Ozzie Guillen tell his beefy closer that he believes in him (in his own special way), so Bell might get a third chance at the role this year. One thing we know -- nobody is trading for Bell.

Bobby Parnell is just keeping the seat warm for Frank Francisco, who is now ready to rehab. Trades could bring a new closer to town, but the Mets are one of those teams that should probably stand pat and see how the wild card race goes. The wild card is not a full playoff seat -- it's only half of one, really -- so mortgaging any of their future for an extra game of revenue is probably silly.

Francisco Cordero just showed up in Houston, but with Brandon Lyon and Brett Myers gone, he was suddenly the guy with closing experience. He's also a worse pitcher than Wilton Lopez. And he blew his first chance with the Astros Tuesday night. That's quite the first impression. Lopez is the guy I'm buying, but I'm just skipping over all the grief in the meantime. Co-Co Cordero ain't what he used to be, but he's the closer right now. It's a pick'em.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

Injured

Frank Francisco (oblique), New York Mets
Andrew Bailey (thumb), Boston Red Sox
Sergio Santos (shoulder), Toronto Blue Jays
Matt Capps (shoulder), Minnesota Twins

Sergio Santos had some shoulder issues and now he's down for the year. Matt Capps has had some shoulder issues, and he might be headed in the same direction. On the other side of the spectrum are Frank Francisco, who should be back any day, and Andrew Bailey, who is ready to head out on rehab any day.

The Deposed

Jordan Walden, Los Angeles Angels
Hector Santiago, Chicago White Sox
Grant Balfour, Oakland Athletics
Brian Fuentes, Oakland Athletics
Javy Guerra, Los Angeles Dodgers
Sean Marshall, Cincinnati Reds
Henry Rodriguez, Washington Nationals
Brandon League, Seattle Mariners
Rafael Dolis, Chicago Cubs
Brett Myers, Chicago White Sox

We'll call Sergio Santos an injury thing. He'd probably be closing if he was healthy. Brett Myers was fun while it lasted.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

The Steals Department

Ichiro Suzuki in New York is a little more interesting -- the park is much nicer, the lineup around him will give him runs, and his team believes in him again. On the other hand, he's probably not on your wire, he's 38, and his bat has slowed. If Juan Pierre is on your wire, he'll do about the same thing for cheaper. On the other hand, if you need a little steals boost in the infield, try Steve Lombardozzi maybe. Danny Espinosa is more exciting, but Lombardozzi is more available, and now he's playing every day while Ian Desmond is out. He could steal bags at a 20-steal pace while he's in, all while putting up a decent average and hitting a dinger or two. Depends on who's on your wire, after all.

In the deepest of leagues, none of these guys is out there. If Save and Steals tout Alexi Amarista is gone -- he's playing every day, everywhere on the field -- maybe you could take a look at Josh Rutledge in Colorado. Rutledge is playing every day and has the skills to hit for a decent batting average, with power and speed. Maybe he's a .280 20/20 guy over a full season. He doesn't walk, and maybe his defense isn't superb at shortstop, we'll see, but the good news for dynasty players is that Rutledge was given a vote of confidence -- if he plays well, he should take over second base next year or later this year. He's worth a look at least while Tulowitzki is out.

 

[HacheMan]

Hanley Heads West
Some players leave town with grace and humility (Kerry Wood). Others set sail with mixed emotions (Kevin Youkilis).

Hanley Ramirez? He punched a fan (the thing that blows cool air, thankfully, not a person), got a nasty cut, didn’t take his antibiotics and developed an infection.

It was a crazy, if fitting, encapsulation of his time with the Marlins, which featured a lot of great baseball, but even more immaturity, mental lapses and a general sense of “what the hell is this guy doing?”

There’s no question Ramirez — a player who counts Manny Ramirez as one of his primary mentors — has all the talent in the world, but the question is, what has he made of it?

After hitting .342 to win the 2009 National League batting title and come in second to a man named Albert Pujols in the MVP race, Ramirez has played some baffling baseball, hitting .269/.350/.435 to go along with an OPS+ of 110 since Opening Day 2010.

Granted, those are still numbers a large majority of MLBers would take (particularly shortstops, H2R’s position before 2012, and likely home in Los Angeles), but befitting of the six-year, $70 million pact he signed in May 2008? Hardly.

The production is even more troubling when you isolate it to the past two seasons, where Ramirez has hit .245/.327/.404 and posted a 97 OPS+. 100, of course, is considered the baseline for normalized on-base plus slugging percentage.

So what does it mean for the man going forward? Will getting traded do what Jack McKeon, Ozzie Guillen, a new position and “new era” of Marlins baseball couldn’t — wake Ramirez back to being one of the game’s most exciting and versatile offensive talents?

Or will it prove to be just the latest detour in a career that’s taken nothing but wrong turns after things seemed full steam ahead?

Only one man knows. We can only hope he’s focused enough to find the right answer.

It Tolls For Thee

Francisco Cordero was awful for the Blue Jays this season, posting a 5.77 ERA and 1.81 WHIP while blowing three of five save opportunities.

So is it surprising or predictable that he’s been even worse for the Astros, allowing six runs and eight baserunners in 2 1/3 innings while blowing both of his save chances?

Whatever it is, it’s one thing: an impetus for change in the ninth inning in Houston.

Wilton Lopez was pitching better than Brett Myers before he was traded, and is certainly pitching better than Cordero. In 38 innings across 37 appearances, Lopez has allowed just 11 runs and 40 baserunners (2.61 ERA, 1.05 WHIP), and could potentially be one of the league’s better stoppers if given the opportunity.

Chances are, he will be, and provided he isn’t shipped out of town before Tuesday’s trade deadline, he could be that sneaky, cheap source of saves you’ve long been looking for.

Ricky Romero’s Broke, J.P. Arencibia Is Too

There’s no such thing as a good 16-0 loss, but the Blue Jays suffered a particularly brutal one at the hands of the A’s on Wednesday, losing their hot-hitting catcher to a fractured right hand, and would-be ace to yet another disastrous performance.

With Arencibia, at least there’s clarity. The .242/.279/.466 hitting backstop — .321/.345/.736 in July entering play on Wednesday — will need six weeks to heal, and won’t take the field again until September.

With Romero, however, there’s questions followed by more questions topped off by questions. The 27-year-old lefty has allowed at least four runs in 10 of his past 12 starts, and surrendered six or more four times in the same timespan. Wednesday, he was torched for eight tallies on four hits and six walks while recording four outs.

It’s unacceptably bad pitching for a team that desperately needs a stabilizing force in a rotation that’s been ravaged by injury, and might finally have Romero in for at least a bumped start. Romero’s next scheduled matchup — on the road in Seattle — would be any pitcher’s dream, but don’t count on him making it, and certainly don’t leave him in your lineup if he does.

Game Notes: Mike Trout did Mike Trout things. The MVP talk grows louder and less fanciful. … Stephen Strasburg made mincemeat of the collapsing Mets. … Kyle Lohse tossed his 10th consecutive quality start, and 16th of the season. … Yoenis Cespedes roped two more doubles and drove in two more runs. He’s hitting .477 since the All-Star break, and has 50 RBI in 65 games. … The evil Tim Lincecum showed up and got out-dueled by...Jason Marquis. … Chase Headley hit his 12th, and possibly last as a Padre, home run. … Ryan Roberts had himself a day in his Rays debut. … David Price fanned 10, picked up his 14th win. … Dustin Pedroia hit his first home run since coming off the disabled list. … Miguel Montero went 3-for-3 with a home run against a lefty, whom he was hitting .202/.297/.292 against entering play on Wednesday.

National League Short Hops: The Phillies gave Cole Hamels six-years and $144 million — the second richest deal ever handed out to a pitcher — to remain in Philadelphia. … The Pirates finally promoted top outfield prospect Starling Marte, who was hitting .286/.348/.500 for Triple-A Indianapolis. If you’re a Season Pass subscriber, you can read more about the Pirates’ latest outfield fix in yesterday’s Prospect Report. … FOX’s Ken Rosenthal reported the Reds have “kicked the tires” on Denard Span. Span would certainly fill the Reds’ leadoff hole, but likely cost too much in prospects for a team that surrendered a boatload of them in the Mat Latos deal. … The Phillies are actively shopping Shane Victorino, and possibly shopping Cliff Lee. From the sound of things, Victorino could be had for as little as a competent bullpen arm. It’s highly unlikely Lee is dealt. … Jayson Werth (wrist) could be activated as early as Tuesday. … Giancarlo Stanton (knee surgery) estimates he’s two weeks away from a return.

American League Short Hops: Albert Pujols is day-to-day following a flare up with his perennially troublesome right elbow. The joint has bothered El Hombre since 2003. He should return on Friday. … Evan Longoria (hamstring) has been cleared to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham. Rays manager Joe Maddon originally believed Longo would need only 3-4 games to get back up to speed, but he'll likely spend at least a week on the farm. Nevertheless, his return is finally near. … Kevin Youkilis left the White Sox win over the Twins with a sprained left ankle. He’s tentatively hoping to return on Friday. … The Rays DFAed Hideki Matsui. Godzilla hit an abysmal .147/.214/.221 during his 34-game Tampa tenure. If he’s done for good, he’ll finish his MLB career with an .822 OPS compiled over 1,236 games. Not too shabby.

 

[HacheMan]

Cuckoo For Coco We're still five days away from the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but there's already been plenty of interesting developments. The Mariners stunned the baseball world on Monday by dealing Ichiro Suzuki to the Yankees. The underachieving Marlins became sellers, dealing Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers and Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Tigers. And the pesky Pirates plucked Wandy Rodriguez away from the Astros.

Cole Hamels is off the market after agreeing to a six-year, $144 million extension with the Phillies, but all sorts of intriguing names continue to float in trade rumors, including Zack Greinke, Josh Johnson, Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, James Shields, Francisco Liriano, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, Denard Span, Jonathan Broxton and Chase Headley, just to name a few.

If you are struggling to make up ground in an NL-only or AL-only league, don't lose hope yet. That's what your FAAB budget (free agent acquisition budget) is for. If you still have some cash to spend, the next few days could legitmately change the direction of your team.

MIXED LEAGUES

Mike Minor SP, Braves (Yahoo: 20 percent owned, ESPN: 27.5 percent)

Hyped as a sleeper on draft day, Minor has disappointed fantasy owners this season by posting an ugly 5.49 ERA across 18 starts while serving up 21 homers in 105 innings. Only six pitchers have allowed more home runs. The good news is that the 25-year-old southpaw has quietly righted the ship this month by registering a 2.33 ERA and 17/4 K/BB ratio across three starts. He actually has a 3.64 ERA dating back to the start of June. Minor's fly ball rate (45.4 percent) indicates that the home run ball may continue to be a thorn in his side, but he's pitching well enough to keep a rotation spot, even if the Braves snag another starter before the July 31 trade deadline.

Coco Crisp OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 28 percent owned, ESPN: 36.4 percent)

When I last mentioned Crisp in Waiver Wired back on May 24, he had just returned from an inner ear infection and was hitting an underwhelming .175 on the year. The 32-year-old outfielder has turned things around quite nicely since then, including a .350 batting average to go along with four home runs, 11 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 20 runs scored over his last 31 games. Sure, the two-homer night in Wednesday's blowout win over the Blue Jays was nice to see, but fantasy owners aren't buying him for his power. Crisp is currently tied for 13th in the majors with 20 stolen bases, despite appearing in just 68 of the A's 97 games this season.

Wilton Lopez RP, Astros (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)

The Astros acquired Francisco Cordero (Yahoo: 32 percent owned, ESPN: 31.5 percent) from the the Blue Jays late last week and moved him into the closer role after Brett Myers was dealt to the White Sox. While the 37-year-old right-hander has 329 saves to his name, it's increasingly clear that he just can't get major league hitters out. Cordero has blown each of his first two save opportunities with Houston while allowing six runs on five hits and three walks over just 1 1/3 innings. He now owns a 6.87 ERA through 44 appearances this season. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Lopez has a quality 2.61 ERA and 30/5 K/BB ratio across 38 innings of work. A change appears inevitable, so even if the Astros don't figure to win many games the rest of the way, now is the time to stash in all formats.

Erik Bedard SP, Pirates (Yahoo: 27 percent owned, ESPN: 10.7 percent)

Bedard has thrown me for a loop this season. I expected him to benefit with the league switch, but miss a bunch of time due to injury. Instead, he owns a mediocre 4.32 ERA in 19 starts while he's currently on pace for his most innings pitched since 2007 as a member of the Orioles. Go figure. On the bright side, Bedard is coming off perhaps his strongest outing of the season, limiting the Cubs to just one run on two hits and two walks while striking out 11 as part of a tough-luck loss. The 33-year-old southpaw now has 93 strikeouts in 100 innings this year. The Pirates' rotation is getting a little crowded after the acquisition of Wandy Rodriguez, but assuming Bedard stays on turn to face the lowly Astros this weekend, he's a must-start.

Peter Bourjos OF, Angels (Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 7.5 percent)

Here's a stash with the upcoming trade deadline in mind. The Angels are reportedly seeking another starting pitcher or perhaps another impact late-inning arm, so naturally Bourjos is coming up as a potential trade chip. The 25-year-old has only been playing a couple days a week in the crowded Angels' outfield and could see his playing time diminish even further when Vernon Wells returns from thumb surgery, but he would be right back on the radar in mixed leagues if he is dealt elsewhere. Remember, Bourjos was a popular sleeper on draft day after hitting .271 with 12 homers and 22 stolen bases last season.

Neftali Feliz SP/RP, Rangers (Yahoo: 43 percent owned, ESPN: 39.7 percent)

Feliz had a 3.16 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings prior to being placed on the disabled list in mid-May with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. The Rangers have naturally handled him with care over the past two months, but he recently began a minor league rehab assignment and struck out three over three scoreless innings in his most recent outing on Tuesday. He's expected to make two more rehab appearances before being activated from the disabled list. Colby Lewis needs elbow surgery and is done for the season and Roy Oswalt's back is acting up again, so there's a chance for Feliz to have some value as a starter down the stretch. Of course, the Rangers could opt to have him pitch in relief if they acquire another starter before the deadline, but he's worth stashing in a DL spot while we wait.

Vinnie Pestano RP, Indians (Yahoo: 25 percent owned, ESPN: 5.3 percent)

There was a juicy little rumor earlier this week that the Giants have interest in Chris Perez. The thought is that the Indians could listen to offers because they are deep in relievers and Perez's salary figures to jump to about $7 million next season in his second year of arbitration. It would probably take a whopper of an offer to pry Perez away, as he has silenced his critics by posting a 2.89 ERA and a dominant 42/7 K/BB ratio over 37 1/3 innings this season, but Pestano would be the most logical replacement in the closer role. The 27-year-old right-hander has a microscopic 1.50 ERA and 52/16 K/BB ratio over 42 innings this season and has averaged 11.9 K/9 over his first 116 appearances in the big leagues. Regardless of whether a trade happens before next Tuesday, there are worse pitchers to stash on your roster for a few days.

A.J. Griffin SP, Athletics (Yahoo: 11 percent owned, ESPN: 10.1 percent)

Griffin continues to surprise. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out nine over six shutout innings in Wednesday's blowout win over the Blue Jays and now holds a 2.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 29/8 K/BB ratio over his first 36 innings in the big leagues. He has allowed three runs or less in all six of his starts. And we aren't talking about pushovers here, as he has made starts against the Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees. Griffin has only averaged 89.8 mph on his fastball, but he limits walks and keeps hitters off balance by mixing his pitches, including a super-slow curveball. He's worth a look with a start against the Rays at home next week.

Shopping at the five-and-dime:

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

Travis Snider OF, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 4.7 percent)

Jose Bautista landed on the disabled list last week with a wrist injury and Ben Francisco was traded to the Astros in a 10-player deal, so Snider is currently getting his latest chance to prove that he belongs in the big leagues. The former top prospect was hitting .335 with 13 homers and a 1.021 OPS in 56 games with Triple-A Las Vegas this year. Of course, tearing up the Pacific Coast League is nothing for him. The 24-year-old owns an underwhelming .248/.306/.428 batting line over 898 plate appearances in the big leagues and has struck out 27.3 percent of the time, so there's plenty of reason for skepticism, but his power potential makes him flier-worthy in deeper formats.

Jordany Valdespin 2B/SS/OF, Mets (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 3.6 percent)

While the Mets have faded in a big way in recent weeks, Valdespin is showing some signs of being a useful piece for the future. The 24-year-old is hitting .292 (28-for-96) with seven homers, 22 RBI, four stolen bases and a .903 OPS over his first 48 games in the big leagues. This includes five pinch-hit home runs, a single-season club record. Lucas Duda was sent to the minors this week and Jason Bay is losing playing time against right-handed pitching, so Valdespin should get the chance for more regular at-bats in the days ahead. Keep in mind that he has only drawn two walks thus far and his plate discipline was an issue in the minors, but his power-speed combo makes him worth a flier in deeper mixed formats.

Starling Marte OF, Pirates (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.6 percent)

The Pirates dabbled in trade talks for Diamondbacks' outfielder Justin Upton, but they're now hoping one of their top prospects will provide a boost for their outfield. Marte is set to make his major league debut Thursday after hitting .304/.362/.463 with an .826 OPS through 1,985 plate appearances in the minors. Checking in at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, the 23-year-old outfielder was hitting .286/.348/.500 with 12 homers, 20 doubles, 13 triples, 21 stolen bases and an .848 OPS in 98 games with Triple-A Indianapolis this year. Now that's filling up a box score. Marte's plate discipline is still a work in progress, as evidenced by his 393/101 K/BB ratio, but he has enough speed and pop to warrant a look in deeper mixed leagues as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

Chris Iannetta C, Angels (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 0.7 percent)

Iannetta is finally close to rejoining the Angels' lineup. The 29-year-old backstop underwent wrist surgery in early May and had a rehab stint pushed back after experiencing soreness in his forearm last month, but he's currently playing rehab games with Triple-A Salt Lake and could be activated before the end of the month. Iannetta was only hitting .197 (13-for-66) prior to the wrist injury and holds a .233 career batting average, so keep expectations in check, but his pop makes him a perfectly reasonable option in two-catcher formats. <!--RW-->

NL ONLY

Donovan Solano SS/OF, Marlins (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

The Marlins cut ties with Hanley Ramirez this week, but they don't have an obvious internal option to take over at third base. Matt Dominguez likely would have gotten the nod if he wasn't sent to Houston in the Carlos Lee deal, but it now appears Solano will get the first crack at the job. The 24-year-old is hitting .322 through 59 at-bats this year, but he's doing it on the strength of an unsustainable .422 batting average on balls in play. He's also never shown much power or speed in the minor leagues. Solano probably profiles best as a utility player in the long-term, but with his eligibility at shortstop and the promise of semi-regular playing time, he could have some relevancy in NL-only leagues the rest of the way.

Domonic Brown OF, Phillies (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

No, I'm not giving up on this guy yet. Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino are being mentioned regularly in trade rumors, so Brown could soon find his way back to the big leagues. The 24-year-old former top prospect was on fire prior to being diagnosed with MCL and PCL strains in his right knee last month and has picked up where he left off since returning earlier this month. The Phillies would need to play out of their minds to make a run at one of the Wild Cards, so if they are selling off some pieces, it's about time they see what they have here.

Ben Francisco OF, Astros (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

From AL-only recommendation to NL-only in the space of a week? Hey, weird things can happen around the trade deadline. Francisco was swapped from the Blue Jays to the Astros last week as part of a 10-player trade. While the 30-year-old is already an obvious non-tender candidate this offseason, he should at least get semi-regular playing time for the rest of the summer. Francisco had 10 homers and 13 RBI in 2009 and 12 homers and 12 stolen bases in 2010, so he's worth a look if you're desperate for an outfielder.

AL ONLY

Ryan Roberts 2B/3B, Rays (Yahoo: 20 percent owned, ESPN: 23.8 percent)

Ignore those ownership numbers, as they are mostly meaningless when it comes to players switching leagues midseason. Roberts was acquired from the Diamondbacks this week and promptly homered in his first game with his new club on Wednesday. The "Tatman" has been a disappointment this season, but he's multi-position eligible and offers power and speed. Evan Longoria is expected to be eased back into action as the designated hitter when he comes off the disabled list, so Roberts should continue to get plenty of playing time in the short-term.

Jeremy Guthrie SP, Royals (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.7 percent)

The Royals and Rockies completed a swap of disappointments late last week, as erratic left-hander Jonathan Sanchez was sent to Colorado in exchange for Guthrie. The 33-year-old right-hander was ill-suited for the thin air in Colorado, posting an obscene 9.45 ERA while allowing 15 homers over just 46 2/3 innings, but he did have a much more palatable 3.67 ERA in eight starts and two relief appearances away from Coors Field. Guthrie managed a 4.12 ERA while pitching with the Orioles from 2007-2011 and while that's not outstanding, he would obviously have value in AL-only leagues if he gets back to that level in his new digs.

Jayson Nix 3B/SS/OF, Yankees (Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)

The Yankees were dealt a tough blow this week, as Alex Rodriguez suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch. He's expected to be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks, which means we can rule him out until September. Eric Chavez is the top option to fill in, but given his injury history, it's unlikely he'll play everyday. Nor should he be trusted to do so. Granted, Nix owns a lousy .210/.281/.372 batting line in the big leagues, but he has enough pop to be interesting.

 

[HacheMan]

How to identify safe, risky closers

y AJ Mass | ESPN.com

With Tristan H. Cockcroft still enjoying a well-earned week off, a call to the bullpen needed to be made. Luckily, yours truly was there to pick up the phone, and so I'm here to provide some relief efforts of my very own as we attempt to close out this July without incident.

When it comes to major league bullpens, managers don't like uncertainty. They want to have that one go-to guy to answer the call anytime a victory hangs in the balance, and they don't want to have any second thoughts about the decision. As long as the skipper feels "his guy" is doing a good job, he keeps his job, even if the entire stadium starts to feel sick to their stomach the moment the first notes of a less-than-dominant closer's entrance music emerges from the stadium PA.


Trying to guess what's going on inside a manager's head is virtually impossible. We can make educated guesses by what we see in the highlights and read in the box scores, but at the end of the day, no matter how many blown saves Santiago Casilla racks up, if Bruce Bochy decides that he'd rather continue to use Sergio Romo in a setup role, then there's nothing that Romo's owners can do but shake their heads in disbelief.


As a way of trying to play mind reader, I've found that there is one statistic that may do the trick. I call it FBA: the combined batting average of the first hitter that a reliever faces upon entering a game. After all, the quickest way for the boo birds in the stands to gain momentum and for the manager to start to question the status quo is to see his closer consistently struggle out of the gate.


FBA might well be a window into this thought process and a forecaster of change. Is it based on a very small sample size? Of course it is. But closers are all about the small sample size. In most cases they have no room for error, and one bad pitch is all it takes for a lead to vanish into thin air.


FBA foreshadowed the demise of Jonathan Broxton as the Los Angeles Dodgers closer in 2010 and last year it also predicted the rise of then-future closers Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen. So what does it say about the rest of 2012? Let's take a look at the current slate of closers around the league and see if there are any unexpected collapses on the horizon, and if so, who might be affected.


Group 1: Security Blankets



Here are nine pitchers who have an FBA under .200, and as such, should be able to maintain a stranglehold on their respective closer jobs for the rest of the season, even if they experience a few bumps in the road.


Certain names, such as Aroldis Chapman, Fernando Rodney and Craig Kimbrel should not be surprising to see here. There's little chance any of their managers will remove them from their closer duties anytime soon. Additionally, reports of a possible Huston Street contract extension in San Diego are certainly validated by his inclusion in this group.


In the case of Santiago Casilla, his solid FBA might be part of the reason that even with his recent struggles -- five blown saves in his past 10 appearances -- Bruce Bochy has indeed stood firm. It doesn't guarantee the Giants skipper won't wake up the morning after the next blown opportunity and pull the trigger on Sergio Romo. After all, anything certainly can happen.


However, the Casilla example should be a reason for owners of Kenley Jansen and Ryan Cook to not panic too much should any further bumps in the road -- the pair have a combined nine blown saves this season -- occur.


<table><thead><tr><th> Closer </th><th> Team </th><th> SV </th><th> BS </th><th> FBA </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Aroldis Chapman </td><td> CIN </td><td> 19 </td><td> 4 </td><td> .098 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Casey Janssen </td><td> TOR </td><td> 13 </td><td> 1 </td><td> .118 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Fernando Rodney </td><td> TB </td><td> 28 </td><td> 1 </td><td> .125 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Ernesto Frieri </td><td> LAA </td><td> 11 </td><td> 0 </td><td> .129 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Huston Street </td><td> SD </td><td> 17 </td><td> 0 </td><td> .133 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Ryan Cook </td><td> OAK </td><td> 10 </td><td> 4 </td><td> .139 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Craig Kimbrel </td><td> ATL </td><td> 29 </td><td> 2 </td><td> .162 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Santiago Casilla </td><td> SF </td><td> 24 </td><td> 6 </td><td> .171 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Kenley Jansen </td><td> LAD </td><td> 19 </td><td> 5 </td><td> .175 </td></tr></tbody></table>



Group 2: Only as Good as Today



This next group of pitchers each has an FBA in the "neutral zone" between .200 and .250. In this range, and with lurking competition, their jobs are only going to be as safe as their team's win-loss record.


In the past, potential trades have typically come from this neck of the woods, since there are always trusted (though clearly at varying levels) alternatives to be found on the staffs of the teams with closers in this grouping. With the addition of the extra wild-card spot in 2012, though, only Seattle can legitimately be considered to be a "seller" of these closers' squads, making deals for most of these arms very unlikely.


Still, the fact that these teams all have playoff aspirations only heightens the pressure on their managers to "win today." It might only take a few consecutive poor outings for someone such as Rafael Soriano or Tyler Clippard, neither of whom started the season as his team's closer, to be given a temporary vacation from the job.


This is especially true in Washington, where Drew Storen and his 43 saves from 2011 has finally rejoined the team and could easily step into his old role if Clippard suddenly struggles. That being said, there's no reason to expect any of these pitchers to be pulled from their jobs as long as their team keeps pace with the rest of the contenders.


<table><thead><tr><th> Closer </th><th> Team </th><th> SV </th><th> BS </th><th> FBA </th><th> Potential Closer </th><th> FBA </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Jim Johnson </td><td> BAL </td><td> 30 </td><td> 2 </td><td> .214 </td><td> Pedro Strop </td><td> .206 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Tom Wilhelmsen </td><td> SEA </td><td> 11 </td><td> 2 </td><td> .233 </td><td> Lucas Luetge </td><td> .194 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> J.J. Putz </td><td> ARI </td><td> 18 </td><td> 3 </td><td> .233 </td><td> David Hernandez </td><td> .195 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Jason Motte </td><td> STL </td><td> 21 </td><td> 4 </td><td> .235 </td><td> Mitchell Boggs </td><td> .209 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Chris Perez </td><td> CLE </td><td> 28 </td><td> 2 </td><td> .237 </td><td> Vinnie Pestano </td><td> .189 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Rafael Soriano </td><td> NYY </td><td> 26 </td><td> 2 </td><td> .250 </td><td> David Robertson </td><td> .200 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Tyler Clippard </td><td> WAS </td><td> 18 </td><td> 3 </td><td> .250 </td><td> Drew Storen </td><td> 1-for-3 </td></tr></tbody></table>



Group 3: Only Game in Town



This next trio also rests in the FBA neutral zone, only the next-in-line candidates have not done much to make a lasting impression. We're tempted to call this the "Carlos Marmol Zone" because it always seems that the Chicago Cubs closer ends up falling into this group.


Though Marmol is a perfect 4-for-4 in saves over his past six outings, he's also walked seven batters in that stretch. FBA doesn't take first-batter walks into account because sometimes the situation calls for pitching around the first batter a reliever faces, and doing so would not negatively impact the manager's opinion of their closer.


In Texas, other alternatives to a somewhat slumping Joe Nathan "could" include Alexi Ogando or Neftali Feliz, but with the Rangers' rotation in disarray after Colby Lewis' injury and Roy Oswalt's back soreness, who knows where that pair may be needed. That leaves Ron Washington little to fall back on in the ninth inning going forward should the need for change arise.


<table><thead><tr><th> Closer </th><th> Team </th><th> SV </th><th> BS </th><th> FBA </th><th> Potential Closer </th><th> FBA </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Rafael Betancourt </td><td> COL </td><td> 17 </td><td> 4 </td><td> .200 </td><td> Rex Brothers </td><td> .268 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Carlos Marmol </td><td> CHC </td><td> 12 </td><td> 2 </td><td> .222 </td><td> Shawn Camp </td><td> .227 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Joe Nathan </td><td> TEX </td><td> 20 </td><td> 1 </td><td> .237 </td><td> Mike Adams </td><td> .368 </td></tr></tbody></table>



Group 4: In Flux



This group is comprised of the jobs that are up in the air due to injuries, or (in the case of the Marlins) an opening due to the previous closer being completely ineffective and finally pulled from the job.


Yes, Heath Bell, we're talking about you and your .341 FBA. If you're wondering why Steve Cishek might emerge from the "committee" that was put in place after Bell's demotion, FBA may help you see the light.


Although Alfredo Aceves has done well in Andrew Bailey's absence, there's a good chance that Bobby Valentine might simply want to see what he's got in Bailey when he ultimately arrives at Fenway Park. Terry Collins, on the other hand, is probably counting the days until Frank Francisco is healthy, even though Bobby Parnell hasn't truly been as awful as the New York Mets' recent 1-11 slide, all with him as the closer, might imply.


Jared Burton's own injury history has Minnesota treating him with kid gloves, but my guess is that over time, if Matt Capps does not return from the disabled list promptly, Burton will end up being the Twins reliever to own for saves and not Glen Perkins.


<table><thead><tr><th> Team </th><th> Closer Choice A </th><th> FBA </th><th> Closer Choice B </th><th> FBA </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Marlins </td><td> Steve Cishek </td><td> .194 </td><td> Edward Mujica </td><td> .243 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Red Sox </td><td> Alfredo Aceves </td><td> .214 </td><td> Andrew Bailey </td><td> --- </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Mets </td><td> Bobby Parnell </td><td> .220 </td><td> Frank Francisco </td><td> .241 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Twins </td><td> Glen Perkins </td><td> .256 </td><td> Jared Burton </td><td> .154 </td></tr></tbody></table>



Group 5: Danger, Will Robinson!



Here are the pitchers who simply have not been doing the job, at least not on the psychological level. This is where we most expect to see a changing of the guard at some point over the next two months.


Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies have won 8 of 11 and appear to have one last bit of fight in them, but Jonathan Papelbon has blown three saves since June 23. If the team continues to rebound and Papelbon can't shut the door on victories, Charlie Manuel might not have a choice.


The Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates are all having terrific seasons. That goes a long way toward a manager giving his closer leeway. If the tide turns, however, September might see Jose Valverde and Joel Hanrahan yielding their jobs down the stretch. The White Sox are probably the likeliest of the trio to make a change. They may be saying all the right things to keep Addison Reed's confidence up, but they acquired Brett Myers for a reason. Sometimes you have to use those insurance policies you've paid for.


Our good friend Jonathan Broxton has been the subject of many trade rumors, but there's a reason he hasn't been scooped up by a contending team just yet. Care to guess why he's both available and also not finding any takers?


Lastly, expect John Axford to retake the closer's job in Milwaukee sooner rather than later. Although he had a rough patch with five blown saves in a 30-day stretch, Francisco Rodriguez hasn't exactly been a rock for Ron Roenicke since taking over the closer's job.


As for Francisco Cordero, we would not be surprised to see him removed from the closer's job in Houston by the time we finish typing this sentence. Then again, at 30 games under .500, does it really matter to manager Brad Mills at this point?


<table><thead><tr><th> Closer </th><th> Team </th><th> SV </th><th> BS </th><th> FBA </th><th> Potential Closer </th><th> FBA </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td> Jonathan Papelbon </td><td> PHI </td><td> 22 </td><td> 3 </td><td> .270 </td><td> Antonio Bastardo </td><td> .188 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Jose Valverde </td><td> DET </td><td> 19 </td><td> 4 </td><td> .275 </td><td> Joaquin Benoit </td><td> .195 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Joel Hanrahan </td><td> PIT </td><td> 29 </td><td> 3 </td><td> .278 </td><td> Jason Grilli </td><td> .171 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Addison Reed </td><td> CHW </td><td> 16 </td><td> 3 </td><td> .286 </td><td> Brett Myers </td><td> .250 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Jonathan Broxton </td><td> KC </td><td> 23 </td><td> 4 </td><td> .344 </td><td> Greg Holland </td><td> .265 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Francisco Rodriguez </td><td> MIL </td><td> 3 </td><td> 6 </td><td> .413 </td><td> John Axford </td><td> .278 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td> Francisco Cordero </td><td> HOU </td><td> 2 </td><td> 5 </td><td> .439 </td><td> Wilton Lopez </td><td> .235 </td></tr></tbody></table>



Certainly, FBA is not an absolute measure of job security, but in the past it has served well to help identify pitchers who may be causing their managers to reach for the bottle of antacids, even when they do manage to keep the floodgates from opening.


If you're looking for where the next source of untapped saves are likely to come from, both for the rest of 2012 and beyond, look no further than the vultures circling above the walking dead of Group 5.



TOP 75 RELIEF PITCHERS

Note: AJ Mass' top 75 relief 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 </th><th style="vertical-align: bottom;"><center> Prev
Rnk </center></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 1 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Craig Kimbrel, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 1 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 2 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Aroldis Chapman, Cin </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 3 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 3 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Fernando Rodney, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 5 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 4 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Kenley Jansen, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 2 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 5 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Joe Nathan, Tex </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 4 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 6 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jason Motte, StL </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 7 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 7 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Rafael Soriano, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 8 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 8 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jonathan Papelbon, Phi </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 12 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 9 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Joel Hanrahan, Pit </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 6 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 10 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Chris Perez, Cle </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 14 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 11 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tyler Clippard, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 10 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 12 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Huston Street, SD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 15 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 13 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jim Johnson, Bal </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 11 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 14 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> J.J. Putz, Ari </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 13 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 15 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ernesto Frieri, LAA </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 9 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 16 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Rafael Betancourt, Col </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 16 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 17 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Casey Janssen, Tor </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 19 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 18 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Ryan Cook, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 18 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 19 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jose Valverde, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 17 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 20 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tom Wilhelmsen, Sea </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 24 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 21 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Santiago Casilla, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 20 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 22 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Addison Reed, CWS </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 21 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 23 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jonathan Broxton, KC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 22 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 24 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Sergio Romo, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 29 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 25 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Alfredo Aceves, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 25 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 26 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Brett Myers, ChW </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 27 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 27 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Glen Perkins, Min </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 28 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 28 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Sean Marshall, Cin </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 36 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 29 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Bobby Parnell, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 32 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 30 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Carlos Marmol, ChC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 26 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 31 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Steve Cishek, Mia </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 31 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 32 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> John Axford, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 38 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 33 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> David Robertson, NYY </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 30 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 34 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> David Hernandez, Ari </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 34 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 35 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jared Burton, Min </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 33 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 36 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Scott Downs, LAA </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 35 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 37 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Vinnie Pestano, Cle </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 40 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 38 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Frank Francisco, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 37 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 39 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Luke Gregerson, SD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 39 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 40 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Greg Holland, KC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 41 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 41 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Rex Brothers, Col </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 42 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 42 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Capps, Min </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 49 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 43 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Heath Bell, Mia </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 43 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 44 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Grant Balfour, Oak </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 46 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 45 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Joaquin Benoit, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 44 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 46 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Joel Peralta, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 47 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 47 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Mike Adams, Tex </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 45 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 48 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Andrew Bailey, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 50 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 49 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Robbie Ross, Tex </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 57 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 50 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Tim Collins, KC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 54 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 51 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Francisco Rodriguez, Mil </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 23 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 52 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Thornton, CWS </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 55 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 53 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> James Russell, ChC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 51 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 54 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jeremy Affeldt, SF </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 52 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 55 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jason Grilli, Pit </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 56 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 56 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jon Rauch, NYM </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 59 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 57 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Octavio Dotel, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 64 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 58 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Sean Burnett, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 60 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 59 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Brayan Villarreal, Det </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 62 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 60 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Matt Belisle, Col </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 66 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 61 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Drew Storen, Wsh </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 48 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 62 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Brandon League, Sea </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 58 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 63 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Javy Guerra, LAD </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 63 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 64 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Mark Melancon, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 53 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 65 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Kyle Farnsworth, TB </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 61 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 66 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Randy Choate, Mia </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 69 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 67 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Pedro Strop, Bal </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 73 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 68 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Jonny Venters, Atl </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 65 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 69 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Aaron Crow, KC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 70 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 70 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Brandon Lyon, Hou </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 68 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 71 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Charlie Furbush, Sea </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> NR </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 72 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Shawn Camp, ChC </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 74 </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 73 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Darren O'Day, Bal </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> NR </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 74 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Wilton Lopez, Hou </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> NR </td></tr><tr class="last"><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> 75 </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;"> Vicente Padilla, Bos </td><td style="vertical-align: middle;" align="center"> NR </td></tr></tbody></table>