Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/30/08

Welcome to the Bigs!

The Mariners sent both of their top prospects to the field tonight as they promotoed both Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement. Balentien started in right field, had a homer and three RBI in his debut. Clement didn’t start but came in to replace Johjima and did have a single in his only plate appearance. Balentien strikes out a lot but has had 22-25 HRs in each of the past three years in the minors, so if you need an outfielder, he may be worth the look. Clement has C eligibility in CBS leagues, but not in Yahoo. He did catch when he came into the game, so that should bring him a little closer to gaining C eligibility in all leagues.

It was also announced in Atlanta that hot prospect Jo-Jo Reyes will be called to the majors to start on Saturday and will be placed in the number four spot in the rotation. With injuries to John Smoltz, and the never ending injury to Mike Hampton, Reyes might get a long look to see if he is ready to stay in the majors. He did start ten games in the majors last year, and not only was his ERA over six, but he walked more guys than he struck out. However, he was crushing in AAA this year, so it will be interesting to see which Jo-Jo makes the trip to Atlanta.

It didn’t take Diamondbacks phenom Max Scherzer much time to make an impact in the majors. One day after not allowing a hit and striking out seven in 4.1 innings, it was announced that Scherzer will be headed into the rotation and will make his first major league start on Monday. Will the D-Backs baby him like so many other teams have done with their prized pitching prospects, or will they behave like the Tigers did with Justin Verlander, and just let him pitch? That is the $64,000 question when deciding if you want to add Scherzer.

After struggling in two straight starts, the Cincinnati Reds have decided to give rookie pitcher Johnny Cueto a couple more days between his starts. Cueto will now be starting on Tuesday, instead of Sunday, possibly costing some of you his two start status for next week. This could be just what Johnny needs to get his head back in the game.

Injury News

John Smoltz went on the 15 day DL with an injured right shoulder, but that isn’t the news of the day. Smoltz could be headed back to the bullpen as the Braves closer. Manager Bobby Cox didn’t squash the rumor when asked about it, but it does make some sense with the injury to his shoulder, maybe it is best for Smoltz to pitch hard, but limit the number of innings he throws. I’ll keep you informed on this situation as more details become available.

Alfonso Soriano will be coming off the DL tomorrow, May 1^st , after sustaining an injury apparently while doing his signature hop when he catches the ball. The Cubs have said that Soriano will continue to lead off when he comes back. Plug ‘em back in people!

Yankees struggling starter Phil Hughes was placed on the DL with a strained right oblique muscle. This could be a tricky injury for the young pitcher, as you really use your obliques when pitching. This came into the news kind of unexpectedly, so I will pass along more news as it becomes available.

Nationals closer Chad Cordero will miss the next four to six weeks with a tear in the muscle in his right shoulder. This gives those of you who vultured Jon Rauch off the wire some more time with the big guy closing games for you. Consider Rauch a low end closer, but he will be closing games none the less.

Travis Hafner has been benched but it’s hard to say right now how long it will last. Pronk is 2-16 in recent games, and manager Eric Wedge didn’t say how long it would last, but my guess is a fairly short amount of time.

Arizona pitcher Micah Owings did the impossible tonight. Ok, that’s a little dramatic. First, the D-Backs used a pitcher as a pinch hitter, what are they thinking, right? Wrong, starting pitcher Micah Owings went deep to make their manager look like a genius. Not a lot of fantasy relevance, but an interesting story nonetheless

The Dodgers announced that they might play catcher Russell Martin at third base some to give him a break from behind the mound, and to keep his bat in the lineup. He didn’t start at third, but when Blake DeWitt was lifted in a double switch, Martin ended the game at third. Obviously if you have Martin, you don’t need to use him a third. Catching talent is so thin, you wouldn’t dream to use Martin anywhere else, but the flexibility is nice once he gains 3B eligibility.

Dodgers’ second year starter Chad Billingsley finally showed what we thought to expect on Wednesday. He went seven innings, gave up just one run and struck out eight. I think he will right his ship sometime soon and begin pitching effectively, so if you have some excess baggage on your staff, find a spot for Chad

After a surprising 12-12 year as a starter last year, Braden Looper is doing it again for the Cards. Looper improved his record to 4-1 after giving up just two runs over six innings and striking out four. I only recommend looking at Looper for those who are absolutely desperate for pitching, but if he does just what he did last year, some of you would be happy with that at the end of your rotations.

Carlos Gomez and Willy Taveras both stole their league leading 11^th bases of the year. Taveras stole three on the night to get to that number, but they are both running very well to open the season. If you need SBs, obviously either of these guys would be someone to target.

I wouldn’t call him Jack Cust, but Rick Ankiel is apparently going to be another streaky slugger. After his average had dropped to .248, Ankiel had three hits for the second consecutive game, and appears to be about to go on one of his hot streaks. He has eight hits and five RBI in his last three games.

Cliff Lee went to an improbable 5-0 after giving up three runs over six innings and fanning three. He is a serious sell high candidate right now. He might have a good year, but his value will never be higher, so if you own him see what you can get for him.

Atlanta rookie Jair Jurrjens continued his great start to the season. Although he didn’t factor in the decision, Jurrjens was great again on Wednesday, going seven strong innings, in which he gave up just one run and struckout three. Even better for Jair’s owners is that he didn’t walk a batter. If he happens to be available still in your league, it is time to pick him up.

Possible middle infield fill in Placido Polanco may be breaking out of his slump to begin the season. After a great fantasy season for a second baseman last year, Polanco came into the year really struggling. But after tonight, Polanco has ten hits in his last four games, and has driven in five runs. If you have an injury to your middle infield or drafted crap at that position, consider turning to Polanco.

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 4/29/08 Injury Notes, Pitching Good and Bad, Sell High

Roy Halladay has got a lot to complain about. He has now gone the distance in four consecutive starts, and his record during this time? 1-3. Granted, they weren’t your traditional complete games (he gave up four runs in one, and five in another), but when your pitcher goes all the way, you gotta score enough runs to get him the win. Halladay has been extremely durable this year, but I am concerned given his injury history and all the innings that he is putting on his arm early in the season. If you own him, maybe test the market for his value.

Yanks rook Phil Hughes is having a tough season. Hughes has not only had a tough time going deep into games (only lasting through six once), but he is getting tattooed pretty regularly, and Tuesday was no different. Hughes threw 82 pitches in just 3.2 innings and he gave up six runs. Hughes even uncorked two wild pitches. I still believe that Hughes will find his confidence at some point during the year and pitch well, but I don’t know when that will be.

Johnny Cueto had another one of those “bump in the road” games tonight. He had been rotating bad start and good start for his last four, but this is two pretty bad ones in a row. Cueto gave up six runs in just 1.2 innings for his shortest outing of the year. The next start will be a big one for Cueto to see what he is made of. Can he bounce back from back to back bad starts to get back on track? Or will he go down the path of many young pitchers before him, and collapse under some adversity?

Marlins rookie Andrew Miller looked like he had turned the corner his last time out, but he was awful again tonight. Miller lasted just three innings again (he is yet to go past five innings yet), and gave up six earned and didn’t strike out a batter. He got off the hook for the loss by a good comeback by the Marlins, but his ERA is now over nine and he would need to put together a good month before I could recommend putting him on your roster.

All the pitching Tuesday was bad. Red Sox starter Jon Lester was amazing Tuesday. Lester went eight shutout innings, gave up just one hit and fanned six. Lester has been no better than average so far this season, but the talent is there, and when he throws games like this it shows what is possible when the guy learns to be consistent.

Arizona minor league phenom Max Scherzer made his major league debut tonight, and boy did he make some noise. Mad Max went 4.1 innings, didn’t give up a hit or a walk and struck out seven. If he is going to be this good, I guarantee the Diamondbacks will find a way to give him starts. I didn’t turn on the TV until after he was relieved, but they showed his strikeouts afterwards, and he had a really live fastball with some movement on it. He could make a big fantasy impact in 2008.

Any excuse to write about Boof Bonser, I will take it. The Boofer was nasty tonight, going seven innings, only giving up one run and whiffing eight. Bonser has been good in 2008 outside of one bad start, and is getting close to be worth owning in all leagues. He strikes out a pretty good number, and although the Twins aren’t great, they aren’t so bad that they often waste solid efforts from their starters.

Freakin Nate McLouth just won’t go away. I sound frustrated with him today because the owner I am playing in a head to head league has Nate. McLouth led off the game today at Shea with his seventh homer of the year, and now has driven in 22 runs, while hitting .327. I keep thinking that you should sell high before he comes back to earth, but McLouth keeps hitting. Can he keep this up all year? I still don’t think so.

Stop the presses, Andruw Jones got a hit. Jones seems to be in a competition with Barry Zito for worst contract ever, as his batting average continues to be well below the Mendoza line. He is averaging over a strike out per game, and has just four RBI in 25 games. It is time for you to cut ties with Jones if you can find anything on the waiver wire worthwhile. Jones may still turn it around, but this is a long drawn out slump that he is stuck in.

Injury Notes

It has just been announced that Alex Rodriguez will be sent to the DL after the game against the Tigers tonight. This is a devastating blow to his fantasy teams, as he was certainly your first round pick. Hopefully this rest will be what he needs to get back healthy, and back on the field.

Troy Tulowitzki left the game tonight in the first inning with some sort of leg injury. The last play that he was a part of was a grounder up the middle that he pretty much just waved at on the way by him and he was taken out of the game after that. Too soon for details, but stay tuned on a guy who was really in a funk anyway.

Scott Kazmir has been told that he will be pitching for the Rays this Sunday against the Red Sox. Kazmir was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA during his three rehab starts, but more importantly he got through them pain free. I am still nervous about Kazmir, but if you have him, you have to plug him back into your lineup when he is set to come off the DL, and hope he gets back to the form that showed him leading the AL in strikeouts.

One pitcher comes off the DL, another goes on. John Smoltz will be returning to the DL with inflammation in the rotator cuff and severly inflamed biceps tendon. It was diagnosed that it could be cured without surgery, but there has been no timetable for his return. Put him on your injury list, and wait to see if fantasy waste Chuck James, or hot prospect Jo Jo Reyes are called up to take his spot.

Ben Sheets made his first start since coming off the DL, and was far from impressive but still improved his record to 4-0. Sheets threw 108 pitches in five innings, gave up just three earned runs, but walked seven batters. I have been advising anyone who asks me that owns Sheets to try to find an owner in your league that will trade for him and get him off of your team. The fact that he got another win most likely keeps his trade value higher than it should, so take advantage while he still has value.

Quick Hitters

Nats 3B Ryan Zimmerman hit his first homer tonight since the first weekend of the season. Zimmerman has been in a pretty good slump since that first weekend, and his owners are hoping that this is the key to getting him back on track. I was pretty high on Zim going into the season, but now it is looking like last year’s numbers might be what we should expect. If you’ve got him, play him, if you don’t maybe you can buy him at a very low point.

Orioles closer George Sherrill collected his 10^th save of the year tonight and was tied for the league lead until K-Rod notched his 11^th just a few minutes ago. This is completely unexpected from a guy who was setting up in Seattle until he was traded for Erik Bedard and was anointed closer. You might want to try to sell high, but I am confident that Sherrill will nail down most chances presented to him, it is just a matter of how many chances the Orioles will give him.

Mike Cameron’s 25 game suspension for stimulant use is up, and he was back in the lineup for the Brewers. You pretty much know what to expect from Cameron, a decent amount of pop, and a lot of strikeouts.

Yankees 2B Robinson Cano connected on his second homer tonight, and with all the injuries that the Yanks have endured the last week or so, they need him to start contributing more than ever.

Mets’ RF Ryan Church continues to be one of the sleeper stories of the year. Church is still hitting over .315 and connected on his third homer of the season and is closing in on 20 RBI. No one could’ve expected this when they traded Lastings Milledge for Church and Schneider, but right now that trade is looking great for the Mets. He is certainly worth owning while he has a hot bat, but I would be trying to sell high if at all possible.

Angels starter Joe Saunders moved to 5-0 tonight after another incredibly strong start. Saunders threw eight shutout innings and whiffed five. It is the fourth time that Saunders has thrown eight innings, as he continues his improbable season. He is definitely a sell high candidate, but if you can’t find a taker keep running Saunders out there and enjoy it while it lasts. He has the talent to be a good fantasy starter, but he will certainly take a step back from the unheard of start he is on.

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.