05.31.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/30/08
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05.28.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/27/08
Reds’ rookie Jay Bruce had quite the major league debut for himself. Bruce went 3-3 with two walks and a stolen base. The same thing applies to Bruce that I said about Kershaw the other day. There’s not much more to say about Bruce. If he is available, go get him right away, he should have a major fantasy impact in 2008.
I have been avoiding writing about Eric Hinske because I don’t believe this production is for real. Hinske has been bouncing around the league for about ten years now, and as I have said before, guys just don’t all of a sudden figure it out at age 30. Hinske’s career high in homers in a season is 24, and that was in his rookie season. Hinske hasn’t topped 15 since. It is a safe assumption he will do that this season (he already has 10), but I don’t believe he will set a new career high.
Reds’ pitcher Johnny Cueto had a pretty decent start on Tuesday, as he went five innings, allowed two earned runs and struck out four. Not bad, and this is three straight starts where he hasn’t allowed more than three runs. Cueto certainly has taken a big step back from all the hype that surrounded him in the beginning of the year, but he still can be an effective starter.
Aaron Laffey continues to be a very effective pitcher for the Indians, but you would never know it by his 3-3 record. Laffey allowed just one earned run on Tuesday, and although he didn’t record a strikeout, he still pitched well enough to earn his third run of the year. Continue to add Laffey in leagues where he is still available.
With the injuries to Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday, Seth Smith has been given the chance to play the last few days, and although he has generally played well over the time that he has been on the field, I can’t recommend picking him up except for the most rare cases. I would only pick him up if he was an injury replacement for one of his teammates, and the league had at least 12 teams in it.
Twins starter Nick Blackburn pitched well right into the ninth inning, but Joe Nathan could hold the lead for him. Blackburn allowed just one run in 8.1 innings and struck out four, but was denied the win. Even though he has been pretty good the last few times out, I would still try to find better options than Blackburn.
Since his call up in place of Rich Hill, Cubs’ starter Sean Gallagher has been rotating good starts with bad starts. Tuesday was a time for a good start. Gallagher allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out three. Except in the most desperate of situations, I would look for better options if I were looking to add a player.
Given the injury to Travis Hafner, it is looking like former top prospect Andy Marte will get another chance to prove his value for the next week or so. Once a white-hot prospect, Marte is now just a marginal player at best and isn’t worth a spot on your fantasy roster. However, this guy had a ton of hype, and if he gets a chance to play, keep an eye on him for the future.
Injury News
Gary Sheffield has been placed on the 15 day DL with a left oblique strain. Sheff was barely batting over .210 before this injury and really shouldn’t have been on many fantasy teams. Give him a couple of weeks to see if he heals, although oblique injuries typically last closer to four weeks than two.
Pedro Martinez has been slated to start the June 3rd game against the San Francisco Giants. Pedro has been on the DL all season long with a hamstring injury, but barring any setbacks it looks like he is close to returning. Martinez will have a favorable matchup against the light hitting Giants, so he could have a successful return but I wouldn’t trust him in the long term.
Yankees rookie pitcher Ian Kennedy left his start on Monday after four innings with a strained muscle in his rib cage. Kennedy was having his usual ineffective start as he had allowed three runs in three innings before he left. I don’t see any reason to have him on your roster at this point, but wanted to report this injury.
Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes was placed on the disabled list with sore hamstrings that have been bothering him since Spring Training. His fantasy owners are hoping and praying that this was the cause for his ineffective play all season, as Byrnes was batting under .220 with just six homers and four steals. Hopefully when he is able to return, he will be able to pick up where he left off last season.
Indians DH Travis Hafner missed his second consecutive start on Tuesday with a sore shoulder, and he could be heading to the DL. Hafner won’t be playing on Wednesday and the Indians are off Thursday, so it is looking like Pronk will miss most of the week. If he doesn’t show some improvement soon, they will place him on the disabled list.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
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05.26.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/25/08
Today, the big time prospect did not disappoint. Clayton Kershaw was as good as advertised on Sunday as he had his way with many of the St. Louis Cardinals. Kershaw went six innings, allowed two runs and struck out seven. There’s not too much else to say, if you were debating on using your waiver priority on him, this should seal the deal. Pick him up in all formats.
It finally looks like Justin Verlander has figured it out again. Verlander threw seven innings of one run baseball and struck out three. Control was still a bit of a problem as he walked four batters, but this is SO much better than the outings he was having in April. Verlander was still a victim of poor run support as the Tigers scored just one run and the bullpen lost the game, but it is a big step in the right direction. Hopefully you bought low on Verlander a couple weeks ago, the opportunity might still be there, but the price tag must have gone up some by now.
Just when you think Danny Cabrera has turned the corner, he goes out and puts up a stinker like he did on Sunday. Cabrera was up to his old tricks again, as he gave up four runs and walked six in just 5.2 innings. I believe that this will be what you get more often than not, and can’t recommend adding him to your roster at any time.
Jon Lester had his first start since his no-hitter and……not so good. You obviously don’t expect him to throw another no-hitter, but it was not even close. Lester gave up three runs over five innings and took the loss. He is still a decent pitcher that belongs towards the back end of your rotation so don’t drop him after this subpar outing, but you can’t expect the kind of brilliance that he showed last week either.
J.J. Putz owners, are you worried? Should you be? Putz was always a so-so reliever before given the opportunity to close when he suddenly became Superman. After a few years of dominance, Putz has struggled mightily in 2008. Is it the result of a nagging injury? It could be. Is it that he has just lost it? That could also be. Putz blew his third save in eight attempts, and his ERA is at 4.50. Some closers just lose it one day and never get it back (Brad Lidge, Eric Gagne, etc.). Is this what is happening with Putz? Too soon to tell, but if I owned him I would be shaking in my boots.
Dustin McGowan was a big disappointment on Sunday. After two consecutive starters threw complete games, McGowan was only able to go seven innings and allow one run. The Blue Jays just simply can’t have this! But seriously, McGowan was great today and struck out seven hitters and raised his record to 3-4, while lowering his ERA under 4.00. After the successful end of the season in 2007, I expect McGowan to continue this type of success and approach 15 wins this year, even after a bad start.
Micah Owings continued his great start to the season with his sixth win of the season. Owings allowed just two earned runs over six innings against the Braves, and although his strikeouts weren’t as high as other starts, he still got the job done. He was probably upset that he took an 0-fer at the plate, as Micah is possibly the best hitting pitcher in baseball. I don’t expect him to win 18 games or anything, but I believe he will be an effective pitcher all season long and win 13 to 15 games.
One of the better surprises of the first two months of the season is Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook. He actually might be the only thing that is going right in Colorado. Cook shut down the Mets today, as he went the distance, allowing just one run. Looking back at his career, Cook has been a .500 pitcher at best. As I have said many times before, guys don’t usually just become stars at 29 years old. Cook is a great sell high candidate, if you own him, shop him heavily this week.
Although the Diamondbacks are still doing very well, a huge disappointment has been Eric Byrnes. After averaging 23 HRs and 35 SBs for the past two season, Byrnes hit just his fifth on Sunday (a grand slam at least), has only four steals, and his average is around .220. Byrnes is one of my favorite players for the way he plays the game, and I believe he will improve from this horrendous start. Don’t give up too much, but I would try to buy low on a guy who can give you some power and steal a bunch of bases.
Baltimore rookie Adam Jones is making small strides towards proving he was worth acquiring in the deal that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle. After an atrocious start to the year, Jones is starting to drive in a few more runs, and has his average above .250. This is not a ringing endorsement to go grab Jones now, but certainly keep your eye on his progress, he has a load of speed/power talent. Plus, (and I am required to write this) he has the funniest picture in history on his Yahoo profile.
Jason Kubel has long been one of the top hitting prospects for the Twins, but he was never able to stay healthy. So far in 2008 he has been on the field on most days, and he is showing signs of that potential. Kubel hit a grand slam on Sunday, and brought his RBI total to a respectable 25. His average (.255) is still lower than he would like, but it is looking like the injury issues are behind him, and he is someone to watch in the second half.
Rangers 2B/leadoff hitter Ian Kinsler is again off to a great start. Kinsler hit his sixth homer of the year and drove in his 28th run, and his average is near .300. Kinsler is close to being a top 5 option at second, and if he can stay on the field he has a real chance of cracking that top 5. Kinsler has never played more than 130 games however, but when he is in there, he puts up great stats at a weak position.
White Sox OF Carlos Quentin hit two homers Sunday night to reclaim the sole lead in the AL home run race. You might expect me to tell you to sell him high, but that will not be the case. As a Diamondback prospect, Quentin always flashed 30 HR potential. Now past his shoulder injury it is looking like Carlos will be living up to that potential, as he bombed out his 14th of the season, a game winner off of John Lackey.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
05.25.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/24/08 Kershaw is Here! Longoria, Ian Stewart, Injury News
I would like to start out tonight by welcoming the NEW (and second) member of the Fighting Chance Fantasy Sports Team. Andy Houle will bring a number of things to the table. One, he is a great fantasy player. He has been playing in leagues with me for about eight years now, and has been my stiffest competition. His opinions and knowledge are very respectable. He made his blogging debut today with the article “Need Some Saves?” Take a look at it, and give him a welcome and some feedback. Not only will he bring fantasy knowledge, but also brings a good deal of web design as well. There will be some great changes to the Fighting Chance site in the coming days/weeks, so we are all looking forward to that. Organization and beautification have been long overdue.
The “next big thing” is arriving on Sunday! The Dodgers have called up phenom pitcher Clayton Kershaw to start the final game of the series against the Cardinals. A few things need to be said. First, he may be on an innings limit for the season. Many teams put a maximum on the number of innings they want their young pitchers to throw. Two, he is going to get bombed from time to time. Almost all young pitchers have rough patches and are prone to big innings. Finally, as soon as he is available in your league, go get him. Use your waiver priority, as he could have the biggest fantasy impact of any young player.
The “next big thing” in the hitting category isn’t disappointing. Ok, so we would like to see Evan Longoria
hitting for a better average and striking out less, but after a two homer, six ribbie game, Longoria has seven homers and 26 RBI in 39 games. Not to mention that two of those homers are game winners. If he’s still available, I would grab him if you have the available roster spot.
Cliff Lee collected his eighth win of the year tonight against the Texas Rangers, although he wasn’t incredibly sharp. He did allow just two runs over 6.2 innings, but he also walked four. The walks didn’t cost him since they went with eight strikeouts. Lee’s ERA still sits at 1.50, but I am still urging you to sell high on Lee while his value is still very high.
The strong pitching of the Toronto Blue Jays continued on Saturday, as it continues to be what is keeping them hanging around in the standings. A day after Roy Halladay went the distance, Jesse Litsch did him one better. Not only did Litsch throw a complete game, but his was a shutout to boot. Litsch isn’t a fireballing strikeout machine, but at 6-1 is a great option at the bottom of your rotation, and possibly a very valuable trade chip.
We warned yesterday that Robinson Cano could be breaking out of his funk. Apparently Seattle pitching is just what the doctor ordered. Cano went 4-4 on Saturday, doubling three times and driving in another run. If you are planning on making a move to trade for Cano, do it quickly before the Yankee 2B gets any hotter.
Randy Johnson did something on Saturday that he hadn’t done in just over a year, reach double digits in strikeouts. Unfortunately for the Unit, the Diamondbacks didn’t provide him with any run support, and his masterful outing was for nothing. Johnson lasted six innings, allowed just the one run and fanned 10. He left trailing by a run, and although the D-Backs quickly tied the game, they would lose it on the walkoff homer by Jeff Francoeur. Continue to play Johnson while he is pitching well, but be ready to have a back up plan for when the Unit goes back on the DL, which is almost inevitable.
As much as I would like to endorse picking up a guy who isn’t named Boof Bonser, he is just not pitching in a way that makes picking him up possible. Boof lasted just three innings and gave up eight runs, raising his ERA to over 6.00.
Royals rookie Luke Hochevar just seems to pitch on the wrong day. His last outing he opposed Jon Lester in his no-hitter, and then Saturday his opponent was Jesse Litsch who threw a shutout. In fact in Hochevar’s seven starts the Royals have only scored ten runs. Luke’s ERA is over 4.50 so you can’t just blame no run support for his 3-4 record, but it isn’t helping him either. Chances are there is someone better on the waiver wire than Hochevar at this point.
Although his average is still really low at least Carlos Delgado is starting to hit for some more power than he did last season. Delgado hit only 24 homers all last season, but on Memorial Day Weekend he is already up to eight. His stock has fallen to an all time low for Delgado, but if you have an injury, you could do worse than Delgado. At least he should hit for some power for you.
A sleeper going forward is Cleveland’s Ben Francisco. After a fairly successful call up in 2007, Francisco followed that up with a great 2008 Spring before being sent back down to the minors to start the season. Francisco is making the most of his second opportunity, as he is hitting .365 and driven in 11 runs in just 19 games. I don’t know how long he will be playing everyday, but he is certainly worth keeping an eye on for the next couple of days to see if this hot hitting continues.
The Tigers dropped 19 runs on the Twins on Saturday, with the attack led by Magglio Ordonez. Maggs hit his eighth and ninth homers today, and has pretty much picked up where he left off in 2007. I wouldn’t recommend trying to trade for Ordonez, but if you own him, he should put up great stats again in 2008.
A sleeper going into the season who has disappointed greatly is Washington’s Lastings Milledge. I expected him to hit for a good average with 20/20 capabilities. Well, he’s got a shot at the 20 steals, but Milledge hit just his second home run on Saturday, making 20 HRs a long shot. In a year-to-year league, it may be time to cut ties with Lastings if he doesn’t turn it around in the next couple of days. Keeper league players, you have to exercise more patience with a guy under 25 with this kind of potential.
Injury News
Matt Holliday suffered a slightly strained hamstring and left Saturday’s game. It isn’t believed to be a serious injury, but he may miss a game or two. Holliday will be re-evaluated on Sunday, so stay tuned for further details.
Not only was Holliday injured but the Rockies put two other starters on the disabled list. Clint Barmes has a sprained knee and Brad Hawpe has a sore right hammy. Neither injury is considered serious, but if you own these players you will have to be looking for a short term replacement. More important than these injuries was the news that prospect Ian Stewart was recalled when Barmes was DL’d. Stewart has a chance to play some third, some first, or some outfield. Saturday Garrett Atkins missed the game and Stewart filled in for him. Ian was having an incredible year at AAA this season, so if you are a Hawpe or Barmes owner I would go right after Stewart. Given the chance to play, he could have an impact.
A day after leaving his last start, Indians’ starter Fausto Carmona was placed on the DL due to his hip injury. Carmona had an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, but the results are not yet known. Stash him in your injury spot for now.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
05.24.08
Two Start Pitchers — Week 9 (Sunday-Saturday)
No Brainers
Cole Hamels, PHI—5/25 vs. HOU (Sampson), 5/31 vs. FLA (Hendrickson)
C.C. Sabathia, CLE—5/25 vs TEX (Mathis), 5/31 vs. KC (Tomko)
Brandon Webb, ARI—5/26 vs. ATL (Jurrjens), 5/31 vs. WAS (Bergmann)
Ben Sheets, MIL—5/25 vs. WAS (Bergmann), 5/31 vs. HOU (Sampson)
Gotta Play ‘Em
John Maine, NYM—5/25 vs. COL (De La Rosa), 5/30 vs. LAD (Billingsley)
Chien-Ming Wang, NYY—5/25 vs. SEA (Silva), 5/31 vs. MIN (Perkins)
Javier Vasquez, CWS—5/26 vs. CLE (Byrd), 5/31 vs. TB (Kazmir)
James Shields, TB—5/25 vs. BAL (Cabrera), 5/30 vs. CWS (Contreras)
Scott Kazmir, TB—5/25 vs. TEX (Ponson), 5/31 vs. CWS (Vasquez)
Justin Verlander, DET—5/25 vs. MIN (Perkins), 5/30 vs. SEA (Silva)
John Lackey, LAA—5/25 vs. CWS (Contreras), 5/31 vs. TOR (Marcum)
Ted Lilly, CHC—5/25 vs. PIT (Maholm), 5/30 vs. COL (De La Rosa)
Micah Owings, ARI—5/25 vs. ATL (Glavine), 5/20 vs. WAS (Redding)
Chad Billingsley, LAD—5/25 vs. STL (Wellemeyer), 5/30 vs. NYM (Maine)
Jon “No Hitter” Lester, BOS—5/25 vs. OAK (Blanton), 5/30 vs. BAL (Trachsel)
Jair Jurrjens, ATL—5/26 vs. ARI (Webb), 5/31 vs. CIN (Belisle)
Dustin McGowan, TOR—5/25 vs. KC (Meche), 5/30 vs. LAA (Weaver)
Daniel Cabrera, BAL—5/25 vs. TB (Shields), 5/31 vs. BOS (Colon)
Worthwhile For Two Starts
Shaun Marcum, TOR—5/26 vs. KC (Tomko), 5/31 vs. LAA (Lackey)
Ryan Dempster, CHC—5/26 vs. LAD (Kuroda), 5/31 vs. COL (Cook)
Todd Wellemeyer, STL—5/25 vs. LAD (Billingsley), 5/31 vs. PIT (Maholm)
Joe Blanton, OAK—5/25 vs. BOS (Lester), 5/31 vs. TEX (Mathis)
Aaron Cook, COL—5/26 vs. PHI (Moyer), 5/31 vs. CHC (Dempster)
Greg Maddux, SD—5/25 vs. CIN (Belisle), 5/31 vs. SF (Misch)
Bartolo Colon, BOS—5/26 vs. SEA (Washburn), 5/31 vs. BAL (Cabrera)
Mark Hendrickson, FLA—5/25 vs. SF (Misch), 5/31 vs. PHI (Hamels)
Tom Glavine, ATL—5/25 vs. ARI (Owings), 5/30 vs. CIN (Arroyo)
Hiroki Kuroda, LAD—5/26 vs. CHC (Dempster), 5/31 vs. NYM (Pelfrey)
Getting Desperate
Jose Contreras, CWS—5/25 vs. LAA (Lackey), 5/30 vs. TB (Shields)
Tim Redding, WAS—5/25 vs. MIL (Parra), 5/30 vs. ARI (Owings)
Gil Meche, KC—5/25 vs. TOR (McGowan), 5/30 vs. CLE (Lee)
Carlos Silva, SEA—5/25 vs. NYY (Wang), 5/31 vs. DET (Verlander)
Manny Parra, MIL—5/25 vs WAS (Redding), 5/30 vs. HOU (Moehler)
Mike Pelfrey, NYM—5/26 vs. FLA (Nolasco), 5/31 vs. LAD (Kuroda)
Jason Bergmann, WAS—5/26 vs. MIL (Sheets), 5/31 vs. ARI (Webb)
Paul Maholm, PIT—5/25 vs. CHC (Lilly), 5/31 vs. STL (Wellemeyer)
Glen Perkins, MIN—5/25 vs. DET (Verlander), 5/31 vs. NYY (Wang)
Matt Belisle, CIN—5/25 vs. SD (Maddux), 5/31 vs. ATL (Jurrjens)
Patrick Misch, SF—5/25 vs. FLA (Hendrickson), 5/31 vs. SD (Maddux)
Brett Tomko, KC—5/26 vs. TOR (Marcum), 5/31 vs. CLE (Sabathia)
Chris Sampson, HOU—5/25 vs. PHI (Hamels), 5/31 vs. MIL (Sheets)
Doug Mathis, TEX—5/25 vs. CLE (Sabathia), 5/31 vs. OAK (Blanton)
Jorge De La Rosa, COL—5/25 vs. NYM (Maine), 5/30 vs. CHC (Lilly)
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/23/08
The majority of the news tonight revolves around starting pitching, so let’s just get the hitting out of the way quickly.
Rangers’ catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit his second homer of the season, and he made it count. Salty went Grand Salami, and although he is hitting just over .220, he is certainly an option for those of you suffering with a crappy option at catcher. He is young, he is powerful, now he just needs some experience
and confidence and he could be a tough out for years to come.
Yankees 2B Robinson Cano looks like he might be breaking out of his season long slump. Cano has five hits in the last three games, and has driven in a run in three straight games. If his owner in your league is even a little bit down on Cano, see if you can swing a deal for him now (unless you own Chase Utley of course). Cano is a great hitter and when he does bust out of this funk, he is going to fill a lot of fantasy categories.
Another 2B in the news is Florida’s Dan Uggla. Uggla continues to punish the baseball, and he is putting himself in the company with the best at his position. However, if you think he will finish the season with numbers similar to Chase Utley, I believe you will be sorely disappointed. Uggla has his average up to .320 and hit his 15th homer of the year on Friday. His power was never a question, but I think his average will take a sharp dive in the wrong direction.
Injury News
Another great cancer survivor story came from Arizona’s Doug Davis today. Davis had surgery to remove his cancer on April 10th, and just six weeks later is back on the mound in a major league mound. Not only that, but he pitched very well. Davis lasted seven innings, allowed just one run and struck out four. His return signals the end of Max Scherzer as part of the rotation, so Davis isn’t very popular with fantasy players, especially those in keeper leagues. Davis is an average fantasy option, and even saying that, unless you have an injury I can’t recommend picking up Davis. He has been an average starter throughout his career, and I believe he will continue to be just that.
Indians starter Fausto Carmona left his start tonight after injuring his hip covering first base. It is too soon to find out if he will miss any extended time, or any at all. Keep an eye on this situation for details.
More Pitching News
The rumors are flying again about the arrival of super prospect Clayton Kershaw for the Dodgers. The speculation comes from the fact that he was pulled after just one inning in his last start Kershaw is in line to make his next start on Tuesday, the exact time that the Dodgers would need a fifth starter again. More details if this becomes official, but right now it is still just a rumor.
Angels starter Joe Saunders continues to pitch way over his head. Saunders ran his record to 8-1 on Friday after pitching into the ninth inning against the White Sox. Saunders was almost able to go the distance, but got into a little trouble in the ninth before being relieved by K-Rod. Saunders is a guy that I would definitely try to sell high on, and after tonight’s performance, he may have made that a lot easier for you to do.
Saunders’ opponent, Gavin Floyd, was able to go the distance, although it was in a losing effort. Floyd has been a very effective pitcher in most of his starts in 2008, and his ERA is under 3.00. Floyd deserves better than his 4-3 record and is a pretty decent option if you are looking to add a pitcher.
Even with Josh Hamilton leading the world in RBI, the trade which sent him to Texas continues to look good for both teams, as Edinson Volquez continues to pitch masterful baseball. On Friday, Volquez allowed just one run over six innings and fanned 12 to actually raise his ERA to an incredible 1.34. Although he is going to have to start allowing SOME runs, Volquez should finish the season as one of the top 15 starters in the majors.
The inconsistencies from Mets’ starter Oliver Perez continue. I keep touting him as a guy who can give your team a lot of help in the second half, but unless he learns to keep these walks under control, Perez is going to hurt you more than help. On Friday, Perez allowed only two runs over five innings, but in could have been much worse if some of his eight walks were to have crossed the plate. I still like Perez, but am starting to become more and more concerned about his control, and if he can give you consistent outings each time he takes the ball on the mound.
The recent shakiness for Royals’ SP Zach Greinke finally manifested itself into a bad start for the youngster. One of the best sell high options, Greinke finally allowed more than three runs for the time all season as he allowed six runs over just five innings. For those of you who are consistent readers of this blog know that I have been waiting for this sort of outing from Greinke, and I believe there are more where this came from in the future.
The Tampa Bay Rays continue to get strong pitching, and continue to have the best season in their franchise
history. Friday it was Matt Garza’s turn, and the man they got for Delmon Young didn’t disappoint. Garza went 7.1 innings, allowed just one run and struck out four. Long considered the Twins top pitching prospect, Garza has been up and down some after returning from an injury that cost him the beginning of the season. Keep your expectations under control, and you won’t be disappointed with having Garza on your roster.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
05.23.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/22/08
The next young arm that is going to be added in a lot of fantasy leagues in the next 24 hours is going to be
the Marlins’ Andrew Miller. Miller was one of the two big pieces that the Marlins got back in the Miguel Cabrera trade, but he got off to a terrible start. This is the fourth consecutive good start for Miller, and tonight was the best of his major league career. Miller lasted seven shutout innings, while striking out nine. Not bad for a guy who turned 23 yesterday. Unless your staff is stacked, see if you have someone you can replace with Miller, and keeper league players, act quickly.
Yankees rookie Ian Kennedy finally had a start that he didn’t embarrass himself. Kennedy has been a whopping disappointment for both the Yankees and fantasy players, and I am guessing most people had given up on him by now. Kennedy gave up just one run over six innings with four punchouts. I still think that you should wait for two or three more starts like this before thinking of adding him to your roster.
After swirling rumors about his job security, Rangers’ closer C.J. Wilson collected his ninth save of the season. He still could be replaced sometime soon by Eddie Guardado, but perhaps he has bought himself some more time with the 1-2-3 performance he gave on Thursday.
Despite walking more than a batter an inning, Daisuke Matsusaka remained unbeaten with his 8th win of the season against Kansas City. Dice allowed three runs, walked six and struck out seven over 5.2 innings in which he threw 118 pitches. It wasn’t pretty, but he got the job done.
Both Santanas took the loss on Thursday, with Johan losing to the Braves and Ervin going down to the Jays. Ervin gave up four runs over six innings with seven Ks. He has been shaky his last few times out which is to be expected. He is pitching over his head, I would try to move him if I had him (which I do, and I will).
Johan Santana had two parts to his line score which wouldn’t make me happy if I owned him. First, Santana gave up a career high 12 hits, second, he struck out only one over seven innings. He is a great buy low candidate. Don’t expect anyone to give him away, but I bet the price is lower than it was when the season started.
Even when he loses, Aaron Laffey is pretty impressive. The great Indians’ rookie threw seven, one-run innings and struck out six while only walking one. Laffey has been one of the more impressive rookies in 2008 and is starting to look like a must-start each time out.
Ryan Howard is on a tear, and is starting to show he was worthy of your first round pick. After his 13th on Thursday, Howard now has six in his last nine games. Ryan will most likely finish with 50, or somewhere near that, you just have to hope that he starts to cut down on the strikeouts which have plagued him this year.
Tigers rookie Matt Joyce is making the most of his opportunity to play. Joyce connected on his fifth homer of the season Thursday, and raised his average to .276. Joyce is worth a look in larger leagues as he is showing that he has some pop. Joyce did have a season of 17 HRs in 130 games, so this isn’t a total fluke. Continue to watch Joyce, and if he continues to hit like this, pick him up.
Jason Bay continues on the road to fantasy relevance again with his 11th homer of the season Thursday while he now has 22 RBI. After hitting just 21 HRs all of last season, Bay looks to be on pace to get back to the numbers he put up his first two years in the league.
With his third homer in five days, it also looks like Corey Hart is getting back to the form that made him a very sexy pickup in 2007. Hart also stole his eighth base of the year, which puts him on pace to smash his career high of 23 last season. I believe that Hart will hit fewer homers in 2008, but steal more bases than he did in 2007.
Injury News
Brewers closer Eric Gagne has been shut down indefinitely with rotator cuff tendonitis. It is too soon to have a timetable for his return, but if you have him, try ANYTHING to get someone to take him or just cut him off your team.
One day after taking a Pujols line drive to the nose, San Diego pitcher Chris Young was placed on the
Disabled List with the broken nose. He hopes to miss just the mandatory 15 games, so stash him in your injury spot on your roster and hope that there are no lingering effect to that scary injury.
Indians closer Joe Borowski will be activated off the DL on Friday and immediately regain his role as closer in the Cleveland bullpen. Yeah, he gives up a lot of runs and blows some saves, but after the way his replacements performed during his absence Borowski’s job security has never been higher. Put him back in your lineup immediately.
Indians catcher Victor Martinez left the game Thursday with an injured finger, making him day-to-day. This is just the latest is in a string of tough events for one of the best catchers in the league. Martinez is hitting for a good average, but still hasn’t homered yet this year. Considering you probably have no second option behind the plate, continue to play Victor and hope this doesn’t keep him out long.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
05.22.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/2108
Even when he loses, Brandon Webb is pretty damn good. Webb went seven innings, allowed just three
runs and struck out seven. His offense just didn’t show up tonight and his record fell to 9-1. Obviously, Webb is a must start every time out, and is getting to be a shoe in to start the All-Star Game for the National League.
Derek Jeter is a special player whose drive and competitiveness is almost unmatched. A day after being hit on the wrist with a pitch, Jeter played and stole a base and drove in a run. It looks like the Yankee captain is ok, and get him back into your lineup.
Dontrelle Willis has been activated from the disabled list, but he will go to the bullpen for the time being, while Armando Gallaraga will remain in the rotation. I urge all of you to stay away from the D-Train. He is a great example of someone who has a great love for the game, but isn’t a good fantasy option.
Joba Chamberlain pitched two innings tonight in a blowout win against the Orioles, which is weird since they have been so protective of him. Joe Girardi confirmed after the game that they have begun the process 
of stretching Joba out to put him in the starting rotation. This isn’t a one week process, but he will be starting before the All-Star Break. This guy has some electric stuff, and although he hasn’t been the same dominator as last season, I would try to get him on the cheap right now before the news spreads. He could have a big impact in the rotation.
One guy that Chamberlain won’t be replacing in the rotation is Darrell Rasner, who has been so much more than the Yankees could have hoped for. Rasner went to 3-0 since his recall, after throwing seven shutout innings and striking out six. I don’t see Rasner keeping this up all season long, but if you have an injury or some dead weight, ride the hot hand while Rasner is producing.
Ben Sheets continues to do what he does when he is healthy. Sheets threw his second complete game of the season and improved his record to 5-1 with a win over the Pirates. Sheets allowed just one run and struck out six and now has an ERA under three. I still warn you greatly about Sheets’ inability to remain healthy and not to target him in a trade. If you own Sheets, now is a great time to test his value around your league and see if you can find someone who likes him.
Bartolo Colon did well in his first start of the season as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but I’m not sure that he is a guy that I would target for my team. Colon was a former Cy Young award winner, but that was a few years ago and he has been through a lot since. Colon threw five innings, allowed two runs and struck out four. He is on a team that would lend themselves to getting some wins, but I’m not sure how long he will be in the rotation, and I don’t know if you can expect him to produce well.
Dana Eveland threw his fourth consecutive great start, in fact, it was the best of his career. Eveland threw a complete game on Wednesday, and only allowed a home run to Johnny Gomes and struck out five. Eveland is now 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA for an Oakland team that doesn’t score a ton of runs. Eveland is a great option for the end of your rotation, but you have to expect that ERA to jump up at least a half a run by the end of the season.
The Seattle Mariners sent rookie Jeff Clement back to AAA the other day after his struggles became too much. Clement had only eight hits in 15 games without a home run and only two ribbies. Clement still has a ton of long term talent, especially in keeper leagues, but for now he won’t be able to help you.
Ok, so Derrek Lee hit his 11th homer of the year today. However, after a blazing start Lee has slowed way down. After the month of April Lee had eight homers, 21 days into May he only has 11. Through the first month of the season, Lee was hitting .364, that average has now dropped to .302. Finally, 23 of his 30 RBI came during the month of April. I believe that Lee will still have a respectable year, but that incredible start had to come to an end.
Boston rookie Jacoby Ellsbury continues to be incredibly impressive. Not only did Ellsbury lead off tonight’s game with a homer, but also had three hits and stole his 19th base in 20 attempts. It is looking more and more that Ellsbury will give the Red Sox their second consecutive rookie of the year (Pedroia in ’07).
Stephen Drew is really starting to show the hitting ability we all knew he had. Drew has been on a good
roll lately and is now hitting near .300. Stephen also hit his 6th homer of the year as he has started to show a little more power as of late. If for some reason he is still available, definitely go and grab him, if not, see if you can get him on the cheap. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a good second half from Drew.
Geriatric Homer Run Derby—Both Jermaine Dye and Vladimir Guerrero both hit the ball out of the ballpark twice on Wednesday. While Vlad still carries a good deal of fantasy value, I don’t hold much stock at all in Dye. Even after the breakout tonight, Guerrero still only has 6 home runs, so you might be able to get him cheap. I still expect 28-30 HRs from Vlad by the end of the season.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
05.21.08
Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/20/08
This could be the beginning of a big turnaround for Justin Verlander. After finally having a start worth talking about his last time out, Verlander had his best start of the season on Tuesday to collect just his second win. The Tigers ace lasted six innings, allowed just one run, one walk, and also fanned seven. This is the kind of performance that we were expecting out of Verlander all season long. For those of you who bought low, or exercised extreme patience look like they will start to be rewarded.
Has Daniel Cabrera turned into a must-own pitcher? After giving up just two runs in seven innings to the Yankees, Cabrera improved his record to an incredible (for him, anyway) 5-1. More incredible than his record, he has walked just three batters in his last four starts! It has long been said that if Danny could ever get his control down he has the stuff to be one of the top pitchers in baseball. That may be a little strong but, this is certainly looking like a career year.
Although he isn’t pitching deep into games, the Marlins’ Mark Hendrickson is another guy having a career year. With another strong showing on Tuesday, Hendrickson improved to 6-2 with an ERA under 4.00. I would definitely be trying to sell high if you own Hendrickson, I am waiting for the bottom to fall out of this story. Hendrickson has only had one season in his career that he wasn’t under .500, he’s not breaking out now.
Justin Masterson got another spot start for the Red Sox, and again, made the most of his opportunity. Masterson threw 6.2 innings of one run, four hit ball as he collected his first win. He also walked three but struck out five. If there is ever a time where he will be in the Sox rotation for a longer period of time he is worth adding to your rotation, but at this point he won’t see enough starts to be worth it.
Brewers’ rookie Manny Parra threw his second consecutive good start on Tuesday, and might be heading back to the form that had him lighting up Spring Training. Parra threw 5.2 shutout innings while walking only one and striking out six. Parra’s talent was never in question, and now it looks like he is getting past his rookie jitters and is back to throwing the ball. If you have some dead weight, he is worth adding now. If not, give him another start or two to see if this can continue.
Cole Hamels hasn’t allowed a run in 16 innings now after his seven shutout inning performance tonight. Hamels is cementing himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball, and if he can avoid his yearly short trip to the DL, he could be in the mix for the Cy Young Award. Hamels struck out 11 in his seven innings tonight, and now has 65 Ks in 72.1 innings. His price tag may be a little high now after his consecutive great performances, but he is a guy I would try to get on my team as soon as possible via trade.
John Lackey had another impressive start as he looks like he is in midseason form after coming off the disabled list. He has allowed just two runs in his 14 innings, and continues to be one of the more underrated pitchers in fantasy baseball. There should be no reason that he is available in your league, but see what his owner is looking for in return.
Orioles rookie Adam Jones is starting to put it together a little. Jones went 4-5 on Tuesday, and now has 11 hits in his last six games. He still isn’t hitting for the power we expected, but some young players take some time getting out of the box. Jones was the centerpiece of the Erik Bedard trade and has a ton of talent. Unless you need an injury replacement, I wouldn’t add Jones yet. But keep a very close eye on him. If he keeps this up a few more days, grab him. Those of you in keeper leagues, if he’s still out there, I would grab him right away.
With another save chance for C.J. Wilson blown, don’t be surprised if the Rangers turn to Eddie Guardado in the 9th inning. This is not definite right now, so unless you are desperate for saves this is just a situation to watch, not worth action yet.
Injury News
Before we get to the bad news, there is some good news.
Alex Rodriguez returned to the Yankee lineup tonight, but it wasn’t good enough to get them a win, or a significant number of runs. The important thing is that A-Rod is back and get him back into your lineups immediately.
That’s it for good news.
Reigning NL Cy Young Winner Jake Peavy was placed on the DL on Tuesday, and he could be there a while. Peavy is experiencing pain and swelling in his elbow, but it seems they caught this before it got to be a real problem. Peavy had a similar injury a couple of years ago and it cost him four weeks. For right now, that is what I would expect him to miss, so start making alternate plans for him right away.
Is this the explanation for it all? Andruw Jones has torn cartiledge in his knee, which if it involves surgery to repair, will cost him 4-6 weeks. It’s almost nice to find out that Jones is injured, perhaps it is the reason he has been so incredibly terrible this season. I wouldn’t stash Jones unless you have the spot, I would just let him go. The good news about this is that you can now expect the Dodgers outfield to consist of Kemp, Ethier, and Pierre everyday until Jones is ready to return.
Derek Jeter was hit on the wrist with a pitch tonight and left the game immediately. The good news is that the x-rays came back negative. It wouldn’t shock me to see him miss a couple of games, but at least as of now it doesn’t seem like a trip to the disabled list is in his future. The Yanks, and his fantasy owners dodged a huge bullet.
Marlins OF Josh Willingham could miss another month with the herniated disk in his back. This is a shame because it looked like Willingham was on his way to his best season. Continue to keep him stashed and hope he is able to return sooner than this projection.
With the return of Doug Davis on the horizon, it appears that rookie phenom Max Scherzer may be out of a starting job very soon. Davis is expected back early next week, so Scherzer may have made his last start until someone gets hurt again. Fantasy owners are hoping for Randy Johnson’s creaky back to start acting up any minute to keep Scherzer starting games.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
