Need Some Saves?

So You Are in the Market for Saves

Maybe you’re in a deep rotisserie league and had Eric Gagne and Jason Isringhausen as your two closers, what can you do now? Well first off you should be kicking yourself for drafting two of the most injury prone closers in the game. That being said, I would stay away from acquiring guys who have frequented the DL more than Bartolo Colon goes to McDonalds; avoid guys like, Kerry Wood, Brad Lidge and Troy Percival.

Look for Spot Closers

With Izzy predictably going on the DL, Tony LaRussa has turned to Ryan Franklin in the ninth. So far he has responded with 3 saves, and the entire bullpen has gone 12 1/3 straight scoreless innings.

Gagne’s DL spot also opens up another closer job, which won’t be going over to one-time all-star closer Derrick Turnbow because he was recently released by the team. Instead manager Ned Yost will likely piece together the ninth with Salomon Torres and Guillermo Mota, both of whom have closer experience. I think most of the save chances will go to Torres, and in a league where saves are at a premium and he’s still available, snatch him up.

Look for Closers in Training

If all the closers are taken, start looking to the bullpen for up-and-coming closers. Many teams are grooming closers for the future, and they are just a few blown saves or an injury away from getting their chance.

Chris Perez of the Cards was just called up from the minors and has good stuff and good poise for a young guy. Keep an eye on Franklin, because if he slips, LaRussa is not afraid to put his young players in big situations.

Carlos Marmol of the Cubbies is a Kerry Wood sore shoulder away from getting his job as a dominant closer which he truly deserves.  Marmol has electric stuff and has already gathered 41 Ks in 29 innings this year. He is a must add if closers are at a premium and you need help in ERA or Ks.

Jonathon Broxton of the Dodgers is in the same category as Marmol. This guy is a moose, who really goes after hitters with a heavy fastball and lots of grit. Only the brittle 38 year-old Saito stands in his way.

Rafael Perez of the Indians returns to his role of setup man as Joe Borowski has been activated off the disabled list. This leaves him behind both Borowski and Betancourt. But both of those guys are older and shakier than the younger and more talented Perez. For now, give him a look only in really deep leagues. Also keep an eye to the minors for Adam Miller who may join the Tribe’s bullpen later this year, and anyone who can hit 100 on the gun is worth a look!

Tony Pena of the D-Backs is the back up to oft-injured Brandon Lyon so he is worth a look. Although his numbers this year suggest he may not do well in the role if he gets it.

Lastly, on an unrelated note, if Clayton Kershaw is available in your leagues, pick him up now. The whispers that he’s is starting for the Dodges this Saturday are getting louder! Think, last year’s Tim Lincecum.

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/8/08 Kershaw, Injuries, Young Pitchers, Justin Upton

I want to start tonight with a little warning. I am going to be a dad for the second time any day now. So, if I go for a day or two without an article, or if I don’t get back to an email in my usual speedy fashion, that could be the reason. I’m not going away, and I’ll be back as soon as it is possible. Now without further ado, Beyond the Boxscore, gonna be a little bit of a short one tonight I think.

I know I mentioned the other day that Clayton Kershaw could be coming sooner rather than later, and there have been more rumblings, including in the LA Times that it is possible his first start could be May 17. Now, this is not written in stone by any stretch, but those of you who have been waiting for the next big thing, your wait might not be that much longer.

Justin Upton hit his first home run today since April 12^th. I know some of you might have soured some on the young stud during this power draught, but let’s look at the situation. He is just 20 years old, he is starting everyday for a quality team, and today he hit cleanup. Even with his slump lately, he is still hitting a robust .345. He is still going to make a good impact this year, don’t lose the love for Upton.

Is it time to be concerned about Justin Verlander? As much as I touted him as a guy who would jump to superstar status this year, I am officially worried about this guy. Where have his statistics gone? Granted he has gotten garbage for run support, but he just isn’t performing. Poor run support doesn’t make your ERA 6.43 and he isn’t striking out batters at a good rate. You can’t drop Verlander by any stretch, but I’m starting to worry that something might be wrong.

It had to happen eventually. Ancient Rays’ closer Troy Percival finally blew a save tonight. Percival hadn’t given up a run this season before Vernon Wells took Troy out of the yard tonight. He was seven for seven on save opportunities, and no one is perfect. Percival has far exceeded everyone’s expectations this year, and it looks like he will be a decent second level closer in 2008.

For all of you who went running to the waiver wire when Frank Thomas was released by the Jays, it is time for you to drop Adam Lind now. The trendy pickup a couple of weeks ago, Lind struggled mightily. Lind hit just .059, and was a total bomb in his time in Toronto. As I suspected, I think he is a 4A player, and might never make an impact in the majors.

It happened late last night after I was finished writing, but Twins’ rookie Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle. Gomez hit his second homer, along with the single, double, and triple. Gomez has been shipped to free agency in a lot of leagues, and if you have someone underperforming, he is a good addition. I believe he will hit around .275 with 50+ steals in 2008.

Cardinals OF Ryan Ludwick is on fire. After hitting his fifth homer last night, Ludwick did even better hitting two on Thursday. Ludwick is now hitting .356. He isn’t playing every single day with the Cardinals crowded outfield, but the more he plays like this, the more at bats he will get. Ludwick is looking like a good sleeper this season.

Brandon Webb threw another complete game Thursday, as he ran his record to start the season to 8-0. Webb was his usual sharp self, allowing only six hits, two earned runs, and no walks. News flash! He is one of the top five starters in the majors, perhaps top three.

Jacoby Ellsbury continues his impressive rookie season, and is in the discussion of the AL ROY. He is now hitting .290 with 13 RBI and 13 steals (and hasn’t been caught yet). Ellsbury looks like he could be on pace for 12 HRs and 50 steals.

Matt Cain is still struggling with his consistency. He was having a great outing today, giving up just two runs over six innings, and then in the seventh the wheels fall off. He kept his walks under control, but ended up being charged with all five earned runs, and took the loss. Cain has been pitching better as of late, so stay patient with him.

Danny Cabrera has been a little better this year than most, but I still wouldn’t trust him. He has teased us before with good starts, but always ends up doing the same thing. But he hasn’t given up more than three runs in six straight starts, and went the distance on Thursday and gave up only one run and one walk. He did have an eight walk game recently, but I still recommend staying away from Cabrera.

Royals rookie Luke Hochevar was OK on Thursday. He went seven innings, gave up four runs and struck out five. The rookie has been somewhat inconsistent, but still has a high ceiling and should stay in the rotation for the near future.

Injury News

Michael Young left the game last night with an injured hip flexor. He wasn’t in the game tonight, and is listed as day-to-day. He is off to a pretty good start, and the injury doesn’t appear serious. It looks like you just might have to sit on him for a few days, and hope he might be back by Monday.

Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes left his start today with a blister on his left index finger. No word on how long he might miss, but if it is any length of time, you might have to think about cutting him. He is still showing signs of inconsistency, although in keeper leagues, you might want to wait on him.

Kevin Slowey made his return to the majors, but to unimpressive results. Slowey lasted five innings, but gave up three runs and struck out four. That isn’t terrible, but the Twins weren’t scoring runs. Leave him a free agent right now, but watch his next start to see if it improves. He will be roster worthy at some point this year.

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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Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/23/08 Closers, Injuries, Rookies, more

couple of aging closers are really dealing so far in 2008. In New York, Mets’ closer Billy Wagner has been completely dominant. Not only has Wagner not given up a run yet in his eight appearances, but Wagner is yet to give up a hit! He does only have four saves and six Ks, but Billy has been dealing every time out for Manager Willie Randolph, whether it has been a save situation or not. Although he too isn’t filling up the save category (only has three), Rays’ closer Troy Percival has also yet to give up a run, and has allowed only one hit. This is a little more surprising than Wagner’s season, as many wondered how Percival would do being in the closer’s role for the first time in a number of years. I believe the last time that Percival had a save, Jesus himself was playing left field. Although he doesn’t get a ton of chances, he is making the most out of the chances he gets.

Speaking of closers, it was Derrick Turnbow, not Eric Gagne who came in to finish the game for the Brewers on Wednesday. Most likely this was because Gagne has pitched in five of the last six days. Even though Gagne has struggled, Turnbow hasn’t been much better, with an ERA over nine. He did convert the save with no trouble, but I don’t see this as any change in the guard, Gagne is still the Brewers closer.

In Colorado, closer Manny Corpas is in the middle of a meltdown. After blowing tonight’s chance, Corpas has now blown three out of the last four opportunities. Haven’t heard anything about changing jobs yet, but if it isn’t already in the works, you have to believe Corpas is on a very short leash now. Might be worth grabbing Brian Fuentes as insurance.

Trevor Hoffman was victimized again on Wednesday, as Giants catcher Bengie Molina took Hoffman out of the yard for a blown save. There is still some concern over Hoffman, but he will have to do much more to put his job in jeopardy.

If I am going to crush people when they suck, I should give credit when they don’t. One of my favorite whipping posts, Mike Mussina was good tonight as the Yanks played the White Sox. The Moose gave up only two runs over seven innings for the longest outing of his season, and the Bronx Bombers remained above the .500 mark. Don’t expect this type of production to continue, Mussina’s fantasy days are in his rear view mirror…..and out of sight.

Ok, time to check back in with Evan Longoria. He has now played in 11 games, and although the average is lower than what we expected (.243), he does have two homers and seven ribbies. I have to say that so far he has been a success, and as time passes and he becomes comfortable in the majors, it is dangerous to think what he might do.

Another rookie, Geovany Soto is starting to get noticed. The Cubs catcher got off to a pretty horrendous start, but he is locked in now. Soto was a triple away from the cycle tonight, collecting his seventh double and third homer of the season. He is a welcome addition to a position that is starving for some young talent.

The Tigers have made a fairly drastic change to their infield already in this young season. It was announced on Wednesday that 3B Miguel Cabrera would now play first base, and 1B Carlos Guillen would now be the starting third baseman. This is great for those of you who own these players, as the added flexibility helps your team out. Especially with Guillen, your league most likely gives him SS eligibility from last year, he probably already gained 1B eligibility, and now he will soon have 3B as well.

I know I usually try to stay away from reporting about first round picks, but a few were completely awesome on Wednesday. Chase Utley hit his seventh home run in the last seven games, and has driven in 12 runs during that span. Hanley Ramirez not only hit his seventh homer of the year (his fourth in four games), but stole his sixth base as well. He is definitely proving last year was no fluke. Prince Fielder went yard twice as he aims to get back on his pace to get to 50 HRs again his year.

Injury Notes

Welcome back Curtis Granderson! One of my guys going into this year to come close to replicating last season’s numbers, Granderson came back from the DL today after being hit by a pitch in the Spring. Granderson didn’t disappoint, going 2-4 with two walks, three runs scored and two ribeyes. Get him back into your lineups immediately and get ready for Curtis to fill up the boxscore.

For the second time in two days, the Boston Red Sox had to scratch their projected starter. After Josh Beckett couldn’t make his start, Daisuke Matsusaka had to miss his start due to flu like symptoms. I didn’t see any quotes, but I am sure that Dice will make his next start.

Quick Hitters

Marlins’ pitcher Andrew Miller finally put up a decent outing. Miller went five innings and only gave up one earned run. He didn’t strike anybody out, but consider the growing pains, everyone doesn’t execute right away as rookies. There was talk of sending Miller down, but this start most likely bought him a few more.

The Colorado middle infield situation is a mess. Today’s combination was Clint Barmes at second and Troy Tulowitzki at short. I believe that this is the best lineup for the rookies and the Rockies, keep watching Barmes, he hit another long ball today and is earning his playing time.

When the Cardinals and Blue Jays traded Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus, it seemed as both teams were just changing for the same guy. It is looking like the Cardinals got the better end of that deal. While Glaus isn’t exactly mashing (he is yet to go deep), he does have ten doubles and is hitting .267. I know, I know these aren’t all-star numbers, but thinking of those two guys when the season started you would’ve taken those numbers from Glaus.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.