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 5/18/08

Again, I would like to thank the guys from fantasybaseballsearch.com for having me as a guest on their weekly radio show. They do an hour and a half show every Sunday, and I was lucky enough to make my second appearance. Please check out the show as well as their sites. They are fantasybaseballsearch.com, www.fantasybaseballgenerals.com, and www.junkyardjake.com. Please visit these sites as they are great tools to help your fantasy teams.

Let the demise of Cliff Lee as Cy Young begin. A guy who many have touted as this year’s big pitcher to have, will slowly turn back into the pitcher he has been for the last few years. He lasted just 5.2 innings and allowed five earned runs, striking out only two while taking his first loss of the season. I see Lee winning 14 games with an ERA near 4.00 by the end of the year. He is one player that I certainly would try to sell high on now, as you might be able to get one of the top15 pitchers in the league, but move quickly.

2007 17 game winner Jeff Francis finally picked up his first win of the season on Sunday. Francis had been a victim of poor run support on some days, but he was incredibly awful on others. I believe he will finish the season at around the .500 mark, and is a decent option to pick up if you have someone who is really struggling.

A guy I would work on acquiring is Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. The guy has a ton of talent, is still very young, and has a great strikeout rate. King Felix had a good start Sunday going six innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. Felix has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career, but remember he came up when he was 19. Still under 25, he is more of a veteran now, and I believe he will start being very effective regularly very soon.

Although he is almost eligible to start receiving his social security benefits, Randy Johnson continues to be an effective pitcher when he is healthy enough to take the mound. The Big Unit threw seven shutout innings and struck out five improving his record to 4-1. His ERA is higher than he would like, but at his age, if you can get any contribution from him you should be happy, and he is far exceeding my expectations.

Whenever there is a game that is big to the Mets, it always seems that Oliver Perez pitches well. Not that a game in May is huge in the grand scheme of things, but you know the Mets want to beat the Yanks, especially on national television. And right on cue Perez threw well. Oliver went 7.2 innings, allowed two earned runs and fanned four. You know my thoughts on the guy, although he isn’t the most consistent, he is one that I really like.

Although Zach Greinke continues to pitch well and win, he is starting to allow more hits and runs. In the beginning of the season he was giving up zero or one run. The last few times out it has been two or three. I know what you are thinking, boy that’s really splitting hairs. But I really don’t expect this production to continue, and if you need something to point to for backup, it is that he hasn’t been as dominant later. He is another sell high candidate.

Chris Perez is going to be a name that you will be hearing plenty about in the coming days. Perez is a minor leaguer for the Cardinals who was just called up when Jason Isringhausen was put on the DL. Chris appears to have been the Cards closer in waiting, who may not be waiting anymore. Isringhausen is close to the end of his career, and if Perez pitches well while he is in St. Louis, you might not see Izzy back in the 9^th inning when he is healthy enough to return. I’m not sure that Perez is worth all the hype he has received the past couple days, but if you are looking for a new source of saves, Perez might be closing for the Cardinals within the next few weeks.

Home Run Derby

Light hitting White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera hit two baseballs out on Sunday, hopefully the start of a turnaround to a nightmare start of the season for the OC. Cabrera will never lead your team to the top of your game in homers, but it is nice to get this kind of game from an unexpected source. I expect his numbers will improve from the .220 he is currently hitting, just don’t expect this power showing to continue.

Adam Dunn has now homered in four straight games. One of the best home run hitters in the majors, you can pretty much write Adam down for 40 bombs now. You can also probably write him down for a .245 average too, but you didn’t draft him for his ability to take the ball the other way, or hit with two strikes. After a power outage to start the year, Dunn is now where we expected, and you can safely expect him to keep hitting homers.

In the past eight games, Ryan Howard now has four home runs, and is another player who is getting back on track from a tough start to the year. He still is striking out at an alarming rate (64 in 45 games), but at least now he is showing the power that we expect from him. Continue to start Howard (obviously) and expect him to play like the first round pick he was.

Fenway Park was a launching pad between the Red Sox and Brewers, as an amazing eight taters went over the fence. Leading the charge were formerly struggling sluggers Ryan Braun (eight in the last eight games), and David Ortiz (three in the past three games) as it seems both of them are back on track to produce like they did last season. But also leaving the yard was J.J. Hardy, Dustin Pedroia, Prince Fielder, and Kevin Youkilis.

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 5/3/08 Injury News, Blue Jays pitching, Jo-Jo Reyes, Clayton Kershaw and more

Felix vs. Mussina Saturday night, it’s a no brainer, right? Put it in the win column for the Mariners. Ahh, not so fast. Mike Mussina has put together three consecutive good starts, and beat King Felix and the Mariners 6-1 as Hernandez struggled mightily. Felix had his worst outing of the season, as he needed 105 pitches to get through 5.2 innings. He gave up six runs and walked three, while only striking out three. He is still one of my picks to near 20 wins, but he’s got to limit these kind of games as he has given up ten earned runs in his last two starts. Mussina could now be seen as an injury replacement now, as I have been touting him as a bottom of the barrel pitcher all year long.

Braves top pitching prospect Jo-Jo Reyes was called up to make the start on Saturday, and didn’t disappoint. Reyes was impressive in his first major league start in ’08 as he went 5.1 innings and gave up only one run. He did walk three, however, and struck out five. If Reyes is going to be successful in the majors, he is going to have to keep his walks to a minimum, as that has gotten him in trouble in the past. I wouldn’t drop an established veteran (ex. Brett Myers) for him, but if you have a need for pitching Reyes could be a nice surprise.

Speaking of Myers, he was in a matchup tonight of aces who have a problem with consistency against Matt Cain. Both pitchers pitched well, and Cain has put a nice stretch of starts together. Myers went seven gave up two and fanned ten, while Cain also went seven and gave up two and whiffed eight. Most impressive is that between the two of them they only walked four batters, as control is a problem for both. If you own either man, you have to start them every time out, but both can give you an ulcer every time they step on to the mound.

Starting to hear some rumblings about the call up of Clayton Kershaw happening before too long. It appears that the Dodgers want to limit him to about 150 innings this year, so the possibility is there that either he will come up and be shut down before the end of the season, or he might come up and work out of the bullpen at the start before working his way into the rotation. No matter what his role, the hype for Kershaw is immense, and I will be grabbing him in every league I can, and I would advise you to do the same unless your staff is already stockpiled with talent. And in that case, I would recommend trading one of your pitchers away to clear room.

The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff is putting up stupid numbers. Before Jermaine Dye hit a homer in the seventh inning tonight, the Jays pitchers hadn’t allowed a run in 24 innings. Many expected great things from Toronto, but things haven’t gone to plan so far in 2008. But this little surge gives those north of the border something to be excited about. Jesse Litsch gave them a great start tonight, going 7.1 innings, gave up only two and struck out three to improve to 4-1. All Jays’ starters are worth owning right now, and even their closer B.J. Ryan appears that even though they are not overusing him, he is regaining his All-Star form.

Injury News

Angels utility man Chone Figgins left the game tonight with a hamstring injury and is due for an MRI. No word yet on if he will miss any time, but if he does two things will most likely happen. One, his fantasy owners will lose the stolen base category for the upcoming week, and second and perhaps more important, prospect Brandon Wood will get yet another chance to prove himself at the major league level.

Scott Kazmir is due to pitch Sunday against the Red Sox, but Mother Nature might not cooperate. They are calling for a 100% chance of rain, so there is a chance that Kaz might not take the mound until Monday (that is if the game is called, if they play he will be out there). Those of you who have been patient, hopefully rest has cured Scott’s injury.

Angels’ starter John Lackey will make a rehab start Sunday, and if all goes according to plan he will be set to rejoin the Anaheim rotation on May 14.

Quick Hitters

Mike Pelfrey’s good start to the season appears to be over. He has now thrown three straight sub-par outings as he lasted only five innings, gave up five runs, walked four and only whiffed one. After two great starts to begin the season, it now looks as if the Mets may have overestimated Pelfrey’s talent.

White Sox OF Carlos Quentin continues his breakout season. Quentin connected on his 8^th homer of the year, and appears to be finally starting to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was a top notch Arizona prospect.

Cubs’ Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome continues to exceed expectations. Although he isn’t hitting for much power, Fukudome has kept his batting average over .340 with a 3-5 game on Saturday. He now has ten doubles, 12 RBI, and three steals. He is an every week starter going forward.

Joe Torre’s thought to play catcher Russell Martin at third to keep his bat in the lineup actually happened Saturday. Martin started at third and went 1-3. He is finishing the game behind the plate, but in the boxscore I see no indication of an error for Martin, so it appears the experiment is off to a good start.

It has now been confirmed that the reason that Rich Hill was pulled from the game after just 0.2 innings yesterday was due to his ineffectiveness. Hill has been demoted to Triple-A, and his spot in the rotation looks to be taken by Sean Marshall. Cut ties with Hill as he will now live in Pinella’s doghouse.

Royals rookie Luke Hochevar pitched pretty well again as he collected win number two. He still had a bit of control problems as he walked four in just six innings, but the rest of his line is solid. In those six innings, Hochevar gave up just three hits, two runs, and struck out six. I know a lot of you sent him packing after that first start, but he is immensely talented, and still could have a great rookie year.

Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly appears to have found his mojo again. After beginning the season giving up 4+ runs in his first four starts, Lilly has now allowed only six in his last three starts. He picked up his second win as struck out four in seven innings against the Cardinals. I have seen him dropped in more than one league I play, so check to see if someone gave up on him way to early in your leagues as well.

Pirates 3B Jose Bautista now has three homers in the past two games, but unless you need an injury replacement, don’t go chasing this little hot streak. Bautista has been around, and his numbers aren’t impressive. He will finish where he has the last couple of years. A .245 average with 15 HRs and 55 RBI. Let someone else grab him up after seeing this.

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. And remember what I said yesterday, leave those comments! I want to hear from all of you!

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.