Not a full slate of games tonight, so this is going to be a quick Beyond the Boxscore tonight, quick hitters all around.
Pirates starter Zach Duke has actually thrown a few good outings in a row, after six shutout innings on Monday. However, repeat after me…..I will not pick up Zach Duke on my fantasy team, even if I currently own Barry Zito. Say that five times, and you should be safe. Duke had a great second half in his rookie year, and has been basically useless since.
Tim Hudson is putting together another consistent season. After his win Monday, Hudson now sits at 6-2
with a nice 2.54 ERA. Huddy still doesn’t strikeout enough hitters to be considered one of the elite (35 Ks in 56 IP), but he is quietly gotten himself back to a top 20 pitcher.
There were some questions coming into 2008 as to if Fausto Carmona could repeat his 2007 performance. Through the first two weeks in May, the answer is yes. Carmona threw a complete game shutout Monday and improved his record to 4-1. Like Hudson, Carmona isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, in fact he has walked twice as many as he has fanned. However, at just 24 years old he is one of the more desirable pitchers in keeper leagues.
The Indians had a doubleheader and their bullpen threw one inning. After Carmona went all the way, Cliff 
Lee threw nine shutout innings in a ten-inning game against Toronto. Lee was amazing again, as he struck out five and lowered his ERA to a miniscule 0.67. I still say sell high on Lee, but I now suggest to shoot higher for a trade request.
A huge “buy low” candidate is the Reds’ “ace” Aaron Harang. Somehow, Harang has a 3.32 ERA….and is 2-5. Harang has been one of the more consistent pitchers in the majors for the past few years, but has been lost from the media eye in Cincinnati. His ERA is usually in the high 3s, and has won 16 games while striking out over 200 for two consecutive seasons. See if the price tag is low for Harang in your league, he should have a good rest of the season.
We spoke recently about Jeremy Hermida starting to breakout. It isn’t just Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla powering the Marlins to the best record in the majors. Hermida is now batting near .310 with four homers and 19 RBI. Hermida always had a world of talent, but couldn’t stay healthy. Is he finally putting it all together? It appears so.
The Rays’ improbable season continued Monday thanks in large part to the seven shutout innings thrown by Matt Garza. Garza is now 2-0 since he returned from the DL, with a 3.86 ERA. He was always one of the top pitching prospects in the Twins’ organization before his trade for Delmon Young, so this could be for real that Garza could win his fair share of games for the suddenly potent Rays.
The time to buy low on Ryan Braun has now officially past. After two home runs on Sunday, Braun
followed that up with two more on Monday and now has nine on the year. Another point to prove Braun’s heat is he hasn’t struck out in five consecutive games. He now should be on track to repeat last year’s statistics.
Mariners’ rookie Wladimir Balentien isn’t getting a ton of hits, but he is making the hits he does get count. Balentien hit his fourth homer of the year tonight, although his average is just .244. As with most young players, they will take you on a roller coaster of emotions and it appears Balentien will be no different. He still has plenty of pop in his bat, but will struggle with his consistency.
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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