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 15^th 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 10^th, 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.

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/2/08

The Reds had two rookie starters going into this season, and it looks like the one with less hype will make the bigger fantasy impact this year. While Johnny Cueto has begun to struggle some now, Edinson Volquez is not. He will take the loss tonight, but it wasn’t all his fault. He was the victim of a horrible drop in the outfield by Corey Patterson (I’m talking right in his glove!), and then gave up a bomb to Brian McCann. And that was it. Volquez final line was six innings, one earned run, and struck out nine in his first loss. Continue to start him with supreme confidence as we keep waiting for him to come back to life, and he keeps mowing down hitters. He obviously can’t keep up the 1.27 ERA, but you can expect him to have a tremendous season as he will be one of the fantasy gems of 2008.

And speaking of Corey Patterson, CAN WE CALL UP JAY BRUCE YET?!?!!???!? PLEASE!!!!!!! Patterson is a bum, and needs to be replaced. He has four home runs, sure, but they all came in a seven day stretch. After an 0 for 4 tonight, he is hitting a lofty .205 while Bruce is making the minor leagues his bitch again. Bruce is now hitting .307 with five homer, 21 ribbies and has stolen six bases. C’mon Cincy, don’t you ever think about us fantasy players?????

Who was that pitching for the Braves tonight in Tim Hudson’s jersey, because it certainly wasn’t him. Hudson went the distance against the Reds while striking out 10. Now no one is going to name the Reds the team with the best plate discipline, but this was the first time since last April. I view Hudson as a low end fantasy starter due to his low strikeout rate, but I might be the minority in that opinion.

I am scouring a bunch of websites to see if there is any reason besides he was sucking, why Rich Hill was pulled in the first inning tonight in St. Louis. Hill only lasted 2/3 of an inning and gave up a run on four walks. There is no doubt that the Cubs have lost confidence in him, and he is apparently on the shortest leash in history. If there is a decent option in free agency, it may be time to consider cutting ties with the guy.

Update:  Rich Hill has been pulled from the rotation, although not sure if he is being sent down or going to the pen.  Pinella says Shawn Marshall will most likely take his spot.  Time to cut ties with Mr. Hill.

The Reds have changed their minds again on how their rotation will be set this coming week. Johnny Cueto will now pitch Monday and Aaron Harang is moved back a day to Tuesday. “We saw an opportunity to get Harang an extra day’s rest, so we are going to take advantage of it, that’s why they call them probable pitchers” was the quote from Reds pitching coach Dick Pole. Ok, I gotta stop there because that is the only reason I included this. If your name is Richard Pole, why would you let people call you Dick? Especially if you will have a public-type job like pitching coach of a major league team. Can anyone explain this to me?

The Yankees inched closer to the .500 mark as the Mariners couldn’t handle Wang. Ok, ok, I’m done with the dirty stuff tonight. Chien-Ming did go to 6-0, however, and continues to be one of the more underrated pitchers in fantasy baseball.

When Frank Thomas was released by the Blue Jays, fantasy players went running to the waiver wire for Adam Lind. And why not, Lind has had a fairly successful minor league career. But for some reason his bandwagon has passed me by. Lind may be what is known as a 4A player, too good for Triple A, but doesn’t make it in the big leagues. After another 0-3 tonight, Lind is hitting .062 since being called up on 4/26. Keep tabs on him as he is talented, but I can’t recommend having him on your roster right now.

Why do the Dodgers’ continue to play Andruw Jones? Well, I know there are over 100 million reasons why, but he is killing them, and anyone who still has him on their fantasy team. Through six innings tonight, Jones is 0-3 with another three strikeouts, lowering his average to .154 and he now has 32 K’s in just 29 games. Meanwhile Andre Eithier, Matt Kemp, and even Juan Pierre are performing well. Thanks Scott Boras, you suck! (well, that’s not true, you are awesome at what you do for your players, but you handcuff teams when your players don’t perform; see J.D. Drew, Andruw Jones, Barry Zito, etc.)

Injury News

I hate to tell you this Yovani Gallardo owners, but it looks like your guy is done for the year. After it appeared Gallardo avoided injury in a collision yesterday, word came today that he has a tear in his ACL and if surgery is done, his season will be over. In keeper leagues if you can stash him on your DL all year I would certainly do that, but in yearly leagues, let him go and let’s go searching the waiver wire.

Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins now looks on pace to return to the lineup this coming Thursday. This is good news, because the reports yesterday were looking cloudy as far as when he might be able to return to the field.

It looks like Yanks’ catcher Jorge Posada isn’t going to have surgery until after the season, meaning he will probably miss about 6-8 weeks to heal his inflamed rotator cuff. Great news for Posada owners, because if you need to replace your catcher at this point, you are usually scraping the bottom of an already shallow barrel.

Shane Victorino got his second start since coming back from the DL tonight, and it is now safe to get him back into your lineups. The “Flyin Hawaiian” will hopefully now get on track to repeat his breakout performance from 2007. Victorino was 1-5 in the Phillies comeback win, and stole his first base since returning to the field.

Marlins’ OF Josh Willingham was placed on the 15 day DL with a stiff back. He had been missing some time with the injury, and now he will get a couple of weeks to try to rest it. Back injuries are tricky and tend to linger for a while, so this could really cool off the hot start that Josh got off to. Put him in your injury slots, and hope that the rest cures what’s ailing him.

The only man to play in 12 different decades, Moises Alou returned to the Mets’ lineup after missing the beginning of the season after hernia surgery. If he can stay on the field, Alou isn’t a bad option to have on your bench to play in case of emergencies, but he shouldn’t be more than an injury replacement on your roster.

Quick Hitters

I’m watching my beloved Cardinals against the hated Cubs and Alfonso Soriano looks LOST in left field. He has completely misplayed two balls in the outfield tonight, and you can bet that Lou Pinella will have a press conference tonight that will be NSFW.

Aramis Ramirez was hit on the wrist by a pitch by Adam Wainwright tonight, but he stayed in the game initially, but was lifted shortly after. Damn it, Soriano just atoned for his sins and hit a two run homer in the 9^th to tie the game.

As much as I have been bashing him, Aaron Rowand is starting to heat up a little for the Giants. Rowand had his fourth consecutive two hit game and connected on his third homer of the year (his second in four days). I can’t see him repeating 2007 statistics, but perhaps he will be better than I thought. A decent fourth outfielder, but don’t expect great production.

Ichiro is also hitting a bunch of singles. The speedy slap hitter had two hits and stole three bases tonight to bring his season total to 10. He has hit in 10 of his last 11 games and has 15 hits during that time. He has got to be on the downside of his career, but should have a few more productive seasons left.

I am so tired of writing about Nate McLouth, but the guy keeps on producing. McLouth was 2-3 with a double and a stolen base, and looks to be single handedly costing me my matchup in my head-to-head league. Thanks Nate!

Marlins’ 2B Dan Uggla is doing exactly what we figured, hitting with some pop, and an average that is poop. After his two taters tonight Uggla now has six on the season and is on pace to hit his 23-28 HRs, and at .245 his average is right where you expect it to be.

After hitting 27 HRs and nearing 100 RBI many had hopes that Khalil Greene would finally put it together…..but they were wrong. Greene finally hit his first homer of the year tonight and is batting an awful .217. If you own Tulowitzki, Greene may be an option to look at, he should improve some from this terrible start.

Mark Hendrickson continues to pitch out of his butt. With seven strong innings on Friday, Hendrickson ran his record to an improbable 5-1 and kept the Marlins around the lead in the NL East. A lifetime 47-56 pitcher, Hendrickson is the poster boy for selling high. Hurry, before it’s too late.

Shawn Marcum continues to pitch well in Toronto when nothing else is going right. Marcum went 6.2 gave up no runs and struck out nine. He has given up two runs or less in four of his six starts and is trying to prove that 2007 was no fluke.

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

2008 Fantasy MLB Two Start Pitchers 4/26/08

For those of you in weekly leagues, and for those of you who are into streaming pitchers, Fighting Chance Fantasy presents to you this week’s two start pitchers.

No Brainers

Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs. Arizona; vs. Florida

Opponents: Brandon Webb (5-0, 2.31 ERA); Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 5.91 ERA)

Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs San Diego; vs. New York

Opponents: Jake Peavy (3-0, 2.00 ERA); Nelson Figueroa (1-1, 4.05 ERA)

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Oakland; vs. New York

Opponents: Joe Blanton (1-4, 4.32 ERA); Mike Mussina (2-3, 4.94 ERA)

Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Tampa Bay; vs. Tampa Bay

Opponents: James Shields (2-1, 3.30 ERA); James Shields (2-1, 3.30 ERA)

Chien Ming Wang, New York Yankees

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Cleveland; vs. Seattle

Opponents: C.C. Sabathia (1-3, 10.13 ERA); Erik Bedard (1-0, 3.27 ERA)

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Anaheim; vs. Minnesota

Opponents: Jered Weaver (1-.3, 4.51 ERA); Scott Baker (2-0, 3.51 ERA)

C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland Indians

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Friday, May 2

Teams: vs Yankees; vs. Kansas City

Opponents: Chien Ming Wang (5-0, 2.31 ERA); Luke Hochevar (1-1, 5.91 ERA)

Gotta Play ‘Em

Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Pittsburgh; vs. San Francisco

Opponents: Paul Maholm (1-2, 4.22 ERA); Barry Zito (0-5, 5.61 ERA)

Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs San Francisco; vs. Atlanta

Opponents: Barry Zito (0-5, 5.61 ERA); Tim Hudson (3-1, 2.93 ERA)

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Friday, May 2

Teams: vs Detroit; vs. Baltimore

Opponents: Justin Verlander (1-3, 5.93 ERA); Jeremy Guthrie (0-2, 4.18 ERA)

Ian Snell, Pittsburgh Pirates

Starts: Monday, April 28; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Mets; vs. Washington

Opponents: Johan Santana (3-2, 3.12 ERA); John Lannan (1-2, 3.42 ERA)

Strong Play

James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Friday, May 2

Teams: vs Boston; vs. Boston

Opponents: Josh Beckett (2-1, 5.12 ERA); Josh Beckett (2-1, 5.12 ERA)

Jeff Francis, Colorado Rockies

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3
Teams: vs Dodgers; vs. Dodgers
Opponents: TBA; Hong Chih Kuo (0-1, 3.60 ERA)

Joe Blanton, Oakland Athletics

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Friday, May 2

Teams: vs Seattle; vs. Texas

Opponents: Felix Hernandez (2-0, 1.67 ERA); TBA

Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Washington; vs. St. Louis

Opponents: John Lannan (1-2, 3.42 ERA); Adam Wainwright (3-1, 2.79 ERA)

Worthwhile For Two Starts

Jon Garland, Los Angels Angels of Anaheim

Starts: Monday, April 28; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Oakland; vs. Baltimore

Opponents: Chad Gaudin (2-1, 3.37 ERA); Daniel Cabrera (2-0, 4.40 ERA)

Gil Meche, Kansas City Royals

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Toronto; vs. Cleveland

Opponents: Jesse Litsch (2-1, 6.16 ERA); Fausto Carmona (3-1, 2.89 ERA)

Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Houston; vs. Cubs

Opponents: Brandon Backe (1-2, 4.15 ERA); Rich Hill (1-0, 3.79 ERA)

Getting Desperate

Daniel Cabrera, Baltimore Orioles

Starts: Monday, April 28; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs White Sox; vs. Angels

Opponents: Mark Buehrle (1-2, 5.96 ERA); Jon Garland (3-2, 5.04 ERA)

Chad Gaudin, Oakland Athletics

Starts: Monday, April 28; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Angels; vs. Texas

Opponents: Jon Garland (3-2, 5.04 ERA); Vincente Padilla (2-2, 4.97 ERA)

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Cincinnati; vs. Philadelphia

Opponents: Edinson Volquez (3-0, 1.21 ERA); Brett Myers (2-1, 4.78 ERA)

Mike Mussina, New York Yankees

Starts: Monday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Cleveland; vs. Seattle

OpponentsAaron Laffey (no starts yet); Felix Hernandea (2-0, 1.67 ERA)

Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Friday, May 2

Teams: vs White Sox; vs. Angels

Opponents: Jose Contreras (1-2, 4.68 ERA;) Jered Weaver (1-3, 4.50 ERA)

Manny Parra, Milwaukee Brewers

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Florida; vs. Houston

Opponents: Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 5.91 ERA); Bradon Backe (1-2, 4.15 ERA)

John Lannan, Washington Nationals

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Cubs; vs. Pittsburgh

Opponents: Ted Lilly (1-3, 7.30 ERA); Ian Snell (2-1, 4.45 ERA)

Only When Desperate

Vicente Padilla, Texas Rangers

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Minnesota; vs. Oakland

Opponents: Livan Hernandez (3-0, 3.55 ERA); Chad Gaudin (2-1, 3.37 ERA)

Nelson Figueroa, New York Mets

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Atlanta; vs. Arizona

Opponents: John Smoltz (3-1, 0.78 ERA); Brandon Webb (5-0, 2.31 ERA)

Jose Contreras, Chicago White Sox

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Baltimore; vs. Toronto

Opponents: Jeremy Guthrie (0-2, 4-18 ERA); Jesse Litsch (2-1, 6.16 ERA)

Jesse Litsch, Toronto Blue Jays

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Kansas City; vs. White Sox

Opponents: Gil Meche (1-3, 8.00 ERA); Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 4.68 ERA)

Brandon Backe, Houston Astros

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs St. Louis; vs. Brewers

Opponents: Kyle Lohse (2-0, 2.54 ERA); Manny Parra (1-1, 5.40 ERA)

Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh Pirates

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Philadelphia; vs. Washington

Opponents: Brett Myers (2-1, 4.78 ERA); Matt Chico (0-4, 6.04 ERA)

Ricky Nolasco, Florida Marlins

Starts: Sunday, April 27; Saturday, May 3

Teams: vs Milwaukee; vs. Florida

Opponents: Manny Parra (1-1, 5.40 ERA); Jake Peavy (3-0, 2.00 ERA)

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/22/08 Aces, Rookies, Injuries, more

A couple of aces have shown on Tuesday, that maybe they still have it. In Detroit, Justin Verlander might not have been dominant, but right now he’ll take it. Verlander threw six innings giving up just one run and striking out three against the Rangers. After the way he started the season, Justin and his fantasy owners must be breathing a sigh of relief that he was able to pitch so well. After being talked about as someone potentially to drop after his last awful start, C.C. Sabathia came back with a vengeance Tuesday against the Royals. Sabathia went six shutout innings and struck out 11, and is in line to take the win. As I have said previously, I don’t expect him to come close to last year’s Cy Young statistics, but he should be more than a .500 pitcher this season.

Not that Ted Lilly would be described as an ace, but another guy that fantasy owners were starting to think of parting ways with had a turn around start himself. Lilly collected his first win of the season giving up just one run in six innings, while striking out four. Like Verlander, he wasn’t dominant (he did walk four), but it was good to see a guy that some players put some big stock in having a good time out.

It was good news/bad news for the Brewers on Tuesday. The good news was young gun Manny Parra had a better outing than his last couple. Parra has struggled going deep into games, and that continued as he only lasted five innings. But, he did give up only three runs today, and was in line for the win….until the bad news game into the game. After converting give straight save chances, Eric Gagne has now blown two in a row. He continues to show that it was most likely foolish for the Brewers to sign him to that ridiculous contract.

Red Sawks rookie Jacoby Ellsbury is really heating up now. After having two consecutive two-hit, two-steal games, Jacoby added another 2-fer, as he hit two homers on Tuesday. Ellsbury came into the season with the hype that he was a strong candidate for the Rookie of the Year, and after he couldn’t get a start in the beginning of the season, he was cut in many leagues. Well, get yourself running to the waiver wire to see if this guy is available in your league, he could be a 20/50 kind of guy.

The greatest hitter of all time, Nate McLouth, finally had his season beginning hitting streak come to an end. McLouth was up to 19 games before he took the 0-fer tonight. He did still walk twice, so he continues to find ways on base even if he doesn’t hit. I have been urging you to try to sell high on McLouth, as his past performance doesn’t show this type of production in his future.

Injury Notes

Alex Rodriguez was not in the lineup today for the Yankees due to a combination of his second child being born, and a quad injury. It was reported on Baseball Tonight that he is due to rejoin the lineup on Thursday.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was scratched from his start due to neck pain. This appears to have just been a giant precaution, and manager Terry Francona has said that Beckett will make his next scheduled start.

That giant sigh of relief you hear is coming from Seattle. The Mariners activated closer J.J. Putz from the disabled list today, and free agent prize Eric Bedard is due to come of the DL on Saturday. Get both of these guys back into your lineups immediately.

Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano has targeted May 1^st as his return to action after missing time with a strained calf suffered when making his signature hop when catching a fly ball. Get ready to get him back into your lineup.

Quick Hitters

Reds rookie pitcher Edinson Volquez continues to impress. Volquez improved to 3-0 Tuesday, with a commanding seven innings with seven strikeouts. Volquez gave up just one run, and his season ERA sits at just 1.21. He was a highly touted prospect for the Rangers, so he shouldn’t be considered a flash in the pan.

Rickie Weeks has got to be one of the more frustrating players to own. Weeks will go 0-4 with 3 Ks two or three times a week, but then he has a game like he did on Tuesday and you go back to thinking that he could be an impact player. Weeks had three hits including a triple, drove in three runs with that triple, and stole his fifth base of the year. These are the days that you try to find someone to bite on a trade with Weeks, or you will have no hair left by the end of the year.

Angels 1B Casey Kotchman is showing signs of living up to his potential. Kotchman hit his fifth homer of the season, and is now batting .315. Casey now has 15 RBI, and could be looking at a .300/22/85 kind of season.

Marlins 3B Jorge Cantu is starting to really look like that guy we knew three years ago. Cantu went 3-4 on Tuesday, and hit his third homer of the season. Jorge also has 7 doubles in his first 20 games, and should be a good option toward the bottom of your roster as a sleeper. Pick him up if you have some dead weight on your team.

Nats SP John Lannan has been great in three of his first four starts. Lannan followed up a one run, 11 strikeout performance, with seven shutout innings with four Ks against the Braves. It is time to give this guy a serious look to see if he should have a spot on your roster. He had a pretty good 2007 in the minors, so he might be for real although I’m not ready to make that statement just yet.

Braves Old Man River John Smoltz joined the exclusive 3,000 strikeout club Tuesday, but unfortunately his team could score any runs for him. Smoltz gave up just one run in seven innings and fanned 10. He continues to defy Mother Nature and pitches great.

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.