The non-waiver trade deadline has come and past, let's take a look at the deals over the past couple of days and see how they will effect the players involved and others on each team.

Padres trade Jake Peavy to the White Sox for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter, and Adam Russell

In attempt number two the White Sox get their man. Peavy will still be out for at least another month, but what will his value be next year? He goes to a smaller home ball park, and goes to the tougher American League, but Peavy should be among the top 20 pitchers in baseball.

Richard definitely will go into the Padres rotation, and Poreda probably isn't far behind. Richard had been pitching better lately, but is still somewhat of a wild card. He has a 4.85 ERA this season, but has been great his last two times out. Aaron Poreda was the second best prospect for the White Sox coming into the season, and was great at AA, but didn't fare so well after he was promoted. The White Sox had been using him out of the bullpen, but he sill start for San Diego. For those of you in keeper leagues, Poreda is the guy to monitor out of this deal. Carter is a hard throwing prospect in the lower levels of the Sox minor league system.

Indians trade Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to the Phillies for Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald, and Jason Knapp

Cliff Lee should get a slight bump in fantasy value with this trade with a move to the lighter hitting National League and the fact that he goes to a team that actually will give him run support. His strikeouts might go up a little, and his ERA down a little, but the big bump will come with the wins. Lee's record is under .500 at the moment, but that should change over the last two months. Ben Francisco will now likely see very little playing time anymore and what little fantasy value he had is now gone.

Jason Knapp is in Single-A and is not a fantasy factor in 2009. Donald is a long shot to find his way to Cleveland this season. With the Indians also trading Victor Martinez there is an outside chance that Marson might see a cup of coffee at the end of the year or if Kelly Shoppach were to go down, but he isn't someone to target. Carrasco was once one of the Phillies untouchables but has struggled the past two seasons in the minors. He could slide into the Cleveland rotation, but he is 6-9 with an ERA over 5.00 at AAA this season, but he does have just over a strikeout an inning. In the right situation he might be worth taking a chance on, but I wouldn't expect much.

Indians trade Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price

Hagadone is a fairly high ranking prospect for the Sox, but he was a long way from the big leagues for them. He has just nine starts at AA, so he is likely in the minors for the year, but could be worth remembering for next year. Price is a decent prospect, but is also a ways away from the majors, so don't worry about him. Masterson has been both a starter and a reliever for the Red Sox, but I would expect him to slide right into the Indians rotation unless they send him to the minors to stretch him out since he has been in the bullpen for so long. He made six starts for the Sox and was 2-2. He allowed six runs in his two losses, but no more than two runs in the other four starts. Masterson could definitely be worth adding if you need pitching. Unfortunately, he likely won't get too many wins.

Victor Martinez will do some catching, play some first base, and likely also do some DHing. He gains some value because he goes to a team with a great lineup and he should get ample chances to drive in more runs. Kelly Shoppach is the main beneficiary of this trade. With Martinez gone, Shoppach should get enough starts behind the plate to make him fantasy worth again. He hit over 20 homers in only 352 at bats in 2008. If your catcher is really doing bad, I would probably give Shoppach a try.

Mariners trade Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers for Luke French and Mauricio Robles

French had been pitching fairly well for the Tigers and likely goes right into the Mariners' rotation. He doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, and now loses the run support that he could have gotten in Detroit. I wouldn't drop him though, because Seattle is still doing pretty good even though they don't have a high powered offense. If French can continue to pitch like he has been, he still should carry some value. Robles throws hard, but he is in Single-A and has no value in fantasy for this season.

Any of you who have read my articles all year long know that I am not a fan of Washburn. So, while I still don't think he will keep pitching well, his value does take an uptick going from Seattle to Detroit. The Tigers have some good bats, and could offer Washburn some run support to help him win a few more games.

Orioles trade George Sherrill to the Dodgers for Josh Bell and Stephen Johnson

I was on WTMM ESPN Radio in Albany, NY on Wednesday and predicted that Sherrill would not be traded. Not even 24 hours later he was on his way to Los Angeles. And of course, the host of the show Brian Sinkoff called me out on it the next day. I'm a big boy, I can take it. Sherrill's fantasy value goes in the toilet unless you are in a league that rewards holds.

Bell will be the third baseman of the future for the O's, but he is just in AA right now and won't have value in 2009. Johnson appears to have somewhat of a future but he is still also at least a year away from the majors. With the load of starting pitching that Baltimore has, he could be a long way off. The man who benefits the most from this trade should be Jim Johnson who should take over as closer for Baltimore. As far as how successful he will be, that is still up for discussion. Danys Baez could also be in the mix, but I think Johnson gets first dibs.

Finally, a note to Sinkoff. Hey buddy, I thought Huff and Baez were going to be traded too! We'll have to talk about that next time I am on! And for all of you out there go to wtmm.com to hear the Sound Off With Sinkoff program every weekday from 3-7 pm EST, especially on Wednesday at 5pm when they have the weekly Fantasy Freakout segment.

Blue Jays trade Scott Rolen to the Reds for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart

Do the Reds think they are in this race? They are 9.5 games out of first place and they trade their 3B and two prospects for Scott Rolen? I know Rolen has enjoyed a resurgence this season, but he is getting up there in age and has had a history of injury problems. Rolen might get a slight bump in value going back to the National League, and to a smaller ballpark in Cincinnati.

I guess the Reds had lost faith in Edwin to deal him away for Rolen, but he is only a couple years removed from a pretty good offensive season. He had been battling some injuries this year, but I am surprised by this move. He may lose a bit of value going to a much bigger ballpart, but he will be the everyday third sacker for the Jays. Roenicke is a pretty good relief prospect who has seen some time in the majors. Stewart appears to be a high rising prospect who has been in three levels of the Reds minor league system already this year.

Red Sox trade Adam LaRoche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman

This one has me scratching my head to a certain extent. I understand the Braves getting an upgrade at first base, as LaRoche is a better hitter than Kotchman, but what the Sox are going to do with Kotchman I'm not sure. Since LaRoche would have been relegated to the bench in Boston, he gets a big boost, but his value is still similar to what it was when the season started.

Athletics trade Orlando Cabrera to the Twins for Tyler Ladendorf

This trade doesn't have a lot of flair as far as fantasy baseball is concerned. Cabrera might steal a few more bases as he goes to a team that likes to run more than they do in Oakland, but I don't see the trade having a big impact on his average or his power. Ladendorf is a former second round pick who is still in the low levels of the minors.

Dodgers trade Claudio Vargas to the Brewers for Vinny Rottino

YAWN! Even if Vargas does start for the Brewers, you don't want him on your team. Rottino is a decent bench player at best, but is no one that has any fantasy value.

Nationals trade Nick Johnson to the Marlins for Aaron Thompson

This won't effect Johnson too much, but likely will keep both Gaby Sanchez and Emilio Bonifacio out of the Florida lineup. Jorge Cantu will push over to third base. Thompson is an ok pitcher that likely won't even crack the Nats' rotation. If he does, he still has no fantasy value.

Johan Santana threw shutout baseball for the third time in his last four starts, as he looks to have the kind of second half that he is famous for in fantasy circles. For his career after the All-Star Break, Santana is now 60-18 with an ERA around 2.71. If you have even considered trading him because the Mets are riddled with injury, don't do it. In fact, I would try to see if his current owner might be a bit down on him because of the situation in New York.

Jorge De La Rosa continues to roll as he won the nightcap of the double dip with the Mets and has now won seven straight decisions. He gave up two runs over 6.1 innings and struck out five. During this streak he has only given up more than three runs once, and he has struck out at least five batters in every appearance. De La Rosa has never shown this kind of consistency at any point in his career to this point, so I'm not sure how long it will last, but definitely enjoy the ride while he stays hot.

Johnathon Niese took the loss against Colorado, but he wasn't too bad. Niese allowed four runs over 6.1 innings. He had some control issues, walking four guys, but given it was his second start since being recalled, and against a fairly good offensive team it isn't too bad. Unless you are in a bind I wouldn't be using Niese until the Mets get healthy (if they get healthy), but if you are in a head to head matchup and perhaps you need a win or a few strikeouts, Niese might be worth a shot in a situation like that.

Luke Hochevar proved today that while he is making progress he still has a long way to go. After throwing two straight gems, Hochevar got rocked allowing seven runs over six innings against the Orioles. He is worth owning on your team, but you have to understand that there will be games like this and he will still get tattooed from time to time. The problem with dropping him after this is that he will likely do good again very soon, and if you keep dropping him every time he does bad and adding him every time he does well, you will never get the good starts.

Johnny Cueto lost his fourth straight decision, and has fantasy owners thinking about letting him go. I urge you to fight that because there is likely no one better in free agency. Cueto is still doing better than he was last year when he was a fantasy darling. He is striking out a few less guys, but his ERA is a run lower than it was in 2008, and I truly believe that he will break out of this funk.

Kevin Hart pitched well for the fourth consecutive start for the Cubs and then his reward was being traded to the Pirates. He hadn't been pitching deep into games, and he hasn't been striking out too many guys and with his move to Pittsburgh he loses what little fantasy value he had left. I would stay away from Hart at this point.

Rick VandenHurk pitched well for the third consecutive start, but given his history you should not be making a move on him. He has been up and down to all levels of the minors with some stints in the majors over the past few years, and he has never shown much of anything before. He was not a high ranking prospect at any time, and his career ERA in the majors is 6.50. I know he has been doing somewhat well, but it won't last.

Derek Holland pitched the game of his life, and nearly threw a complete game but fell just one out short. He has had a good start here and there but mostly he has been pretty awful and has been moved in and out of the rotation a few times. Holland does have a world of potential and was ranked as the second best prospect in the Rangers' organization coming into the season, so this didn't come entirely out of left field, but you really shouldn't expect this to continue.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Saves: 6


Leo Nunez has been lightening hot lately and recorded his eight save of the season against the Atlanta Braves tonight. He gave up one hit and walked one in the 6-3 win. Nunez has been pitching like we all expected him too. He is throwing hard and throwing strikes. 11 of his 12 pitches landed for strikes and when that happens, you will have success. It was his fourth save in ten days, and fifth overall for the month.

Joe Nathan is quickly catching up with Brian Fuentes for the league lead in saves. He notched his 29th save of the season tongiht with a 3-2 win. It wasn't easy, he put two runners on with one out, but ended up striking out Chris Getz and got Mark Kotsay to lineout. Nathan wasn't his sharpest today, but he got the job done and buckled down when he needed too. Nathan is regaining is hold as the top closer in the league.

To my dismay, Jonathan Broxton continues his slump with another blown save (3rd of the season). He blew a great performance by Clayton Kershaw, who left the game for Broxton with a 1-0 lead. It wasn't as bad as it looks. He got the first two outs, which was against Pujols and Holliday. He then gave up a soft single to Ludwick, but the big mistake was the wild pitch that allowed Ludwick to get to second base and eventually score on Rasmus's single. I'll keep a watch on Broxton, but just chalk this up as a bad luck outing. Ryan Franklin didn't look any better in 11th. He entered the game and promptly gave up two singles and after a sharp lineout by Russell Martin, gave up the sac fly to Matt Kemp. Joe Torre then made a huge managerial boo-boo. He allowed Ramon Troncoso to hit, so he could stay in the game. He struck out and the next inning gave up the tying run.

David Aardsma got his 25th save of the season and helped to beat Roy Halladay in the same day. It wasn't his best night as he needed 20 pitches to get the save and walked one with two strikeouts.

Other Appearances:
Trevor Hoffman (23) - Very good outing for Hoffman. He struck out two and gave up one hit. It was only his sixth appearance with two or more strikeouts.
Andrew Bailey (13) - Got his second save in a row against the Red Sox and for the second day in a row gave up a run on three hits.
Jim Johnson (2) - Came in for the eighth and after the Orioles added two more runs, he stayed in for the save.
Brian Wilson - Got the win in an extra inning game. Looked great with two strikeouts
Matt Capps - Dropped his sixth game of the season. He entered a 0-0 game in the tenth inning and quickly gave up a run on two hits and a walk. Just terrible.
Mariano Rivera - only pitched .2 innings in a non-save situation, but struck out both batters and gave up one hit.

Joba Chamberlain had perhaps the best outing of his young career, as he shutout the Rays over eight innings and struck out five. This is now the third straight time to the mound that Joba has pitched into the seventh inning as he looks to turn the corner to a reliable starter. As happy as his fantasy owners have to be about this outing, there is still talk here in New York that he is supposed to be on an inning limit of 150. Will he be shut down? Will he go to the 'pen? Will the Yankees take the kid gloves off and just let the guy pitch? Only time will tell, but if I had to guess right now I would think he is a few weeks away from going back to the bullpen, crushing his value.The Cleveland Indians traded their ace Cliff Lee to the Philadelphia Phillies for four prospects. What should you expect from Lee in the National League? Well, for one that sub-.500 record should be a thing of the past. Lee was not getting nearly the run support that he deserved, and it showed in his 7-9 record. But Lee's ERA is just 3.14 and he has 107 strikeouts on the year. He won't have a C.C. Sabathia-type impact in the National League, but he should get more wins and the rest of his numbers should also improve in the lighter hitting National League.

The Indians got prospects pitcher Carlos Carrasco, catcher Lou Marson, young pitcher Jason Knapp, and shortstop Jason Donald. For fantasy purposes in 2009 the only guy you likely have to worry about is Carrasco. He was once a pretty high ranking prospect for the Phillies, but he has struggled over the past couple seasons. His ERA at AAA was over 5.00 this season, so while he might get a look in the rotation, he is not someone I would go get. Donald could play shortstop for them someday, but not likely this season. Knapp is still in single-A, but is a hard throwing guy. IF the Indians do trade Victor Martinez in the next couple of days Marson could see some time in the big leagues, but Kelly Shoppach would see most of the starts there. So, for the Indians side this trade doesn't have much fantasy impact in 2009.

The Pirates made a couple of deals, first trading Jack Wilson and Ian Snell for a bunch of prospects including Jeff Clement from Seattle. Clement was once a top ten pick in the draft, and if Pittsburgh decides to call him up he could have some fantasy impact. He bascially has nothing more to prove in the minor leagues, but his talent has yet to translate to the majors. If the Pirates decide to take a long look at Clement, he is likely to be catcher eligible, and should be worth a look if you have any need for a backstop. He likely will struggle again, but is worth taking a flier on.

The better move for the future of the Pirates was when they acquired young pitching prospect Tim Alderson from the San Francisco Giants for Freddy Sanchez. Now, I understand that Sanchez is a better actual baseball player than in fantasy, but Alderson was one of the top 50 prospects in the whole game according to Baseball America even though he was just in AA. There is very little chance that Alderson will see the majors this season, but he is 6-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 13 starts. Keep him on your radar for young pitchers to watch in 2010.

Aramis Ramirez is hitting like crazy, despite reports that HE said he didn't think he would hit for much power for the rest of the season because of his shoulder injury. Well, I guess Aramis even shortchanged himself. He homered for the fourth time in his last six games on Wednesday and now has nine dingers in 36 games. I guess despite his own questions about his abilities, that Ramirez will be his usual power hitting self. If he has nine homers right now, look for him to challenge 20 for the season despite missing a huge chunk of the year.

Howie Kendrick had three hits including his sixth home run and drove in five runs. Even with this outburst, he is still hitting in the .260s and he just isn't bringing much to the table as far as fantasy is concerned in 2009. Is this the start of something good for Kendrick? Anything is possible, but I certainly wouldn't bet on it. Howie was pegged as a batting champion waiting to happen, but so far he hasn't shown much. He likely will never hit for much power or steal many bases, so I foresee Kendrick being a guy who is more valuable in actual baseball rather than in fantasy.

Chris Tillman made his first career major league start for the Orioles, and while it wasn't anything to get excited about at all, you have to keep your expectations under control. Tillman has a ton of talent and very well could go out and throw gems in his next few starts. You can see it now, next time out Tillman will likely last six innings and give up three runs again and strikeout five. It may take a little while, but this kid should be special.

Mat Latos improves a little bit each time out, and on Wednesday he took a pretty good step forward. Latos allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out four against a pretty decent hitting Reds team. He continues his command of the strikeout, as he has only walked four batters in his three starts. I know he has two wins in his first three starts, but being on the Padres will limit his win possibilites. At just 21 years old, it appears this is the start of a long, fabulous career, but with all young pitchers there will likely be a fair share of bumps in the road. So far, Latos looks like he might be the real deal, but I always get worried with pitchers who make the jump from AA to the majors.

Brett Anderson had a tough first inning, but then dug in and gave up nothing further to the Red Sox and earned his sixth win of the season. Anderson also struck out eight in his six innings of work, and continues to look like the guy we thought we would see when the season started. He has only given up more than three runs once since the middle of June and should be a good contributor for the rest of the year. If you are in a keeper league and he is out there, don't hesitate to pick him up. Seasonal leagues, I think he certainly warrants consideration, and if you don't grab him after this outing if he pitches well again five days from now then he would have to be picked up.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Billy Butler hit his 11th homer of the year on Tuesday, one day after a five hit effort and now has four RBI in the last two games. He still isn't hitting for the power that I assumed he would when he came to the majors, but he is hitting near .300 and soon these doubles (31 through today) have got to start leaving the yard. Butler should continue to be a very solid hitter for the rest of the season, and hopefully the recent increase in power (three dingers in the last eight games) will keep going and he will get to 17 or 18 homers.

Matt Wieters looks like he is showing little signs of life, as he had a four hit game on Tuesday. The bad news is they were all singles, but seeing the way that he is disappointing those of you who spent early draft picks on him and waited all year for him to come to the majors. He has now hit safely in seven straight games and has driven in a run in three straight. I think it is safe to assume he won't be the difference maker we thought he might be when he came to the big leagues this season, but if he can hit .280 with a little power, his owners would likely sign up for that at this point.

Scott Kazmir is another guy that you absolutely have no idea what to expect when he takes the mound. Kazmir either gives up five to seven runs per game or else he throws a game like he did on Tuesday. He gave up just one run over seven innings and struck out four. It was the first time all season that he got through seven innings and Kazmir has been all over the map this season. He is still too talented to let go of, but you might not want to start him every time out. Of course with that strategy you likely would have benched him against New York. I guess what I am saying is good luck trying to figure out what you are going to get from Kazmir.

Clay Buchholz had his win blown by the bullpen, but he had a nice bounceback after a rough outing against the A's. Of course most pitchers will fare better against Oakland than they will against Texas, but it is good to see Clay pitching pretty well and keeping the strikeouts up. Buchholz allowed two runs over 5.2 innings and struck out five. It is still very likely that he is only in the majors until Tim Wakefield is ready to return from a back injury, but enjoy the production from Clay while it lasts.

Kevin Kouzmanoff not only has a five game hit streak, but also has a five game RBI streak. He will always have some value in deeper leagues because of his power potential, but his horrible batting average will always keep him from being a guy who is owned in most 12 team leagues except for a time like now that he is hot. Someday I still think that Kouzmanoff will be a consistent threat who will hit .265 with 25-30 home runs. 2009 will obviously not be it, but it could be a couple more years before he truly realizes his potential.

Mike Pelfrey is all over the map. Sometimes he is great, sometimes he is horrible, most of the time he is average. Pelfrey won his eighth game of the season as he shut out the Rockies over 6.1 innings and struck out five. He has some value as an end of the rotation guy in 12 team leagues, but his ERA near 5.00 and his WHIP of 1.50 makes it likely that he could be a free agent in your league. He is better as a guy you pick up against some of the weaker hitting teams in the National League. His performance tonight against the Rockies has to be classified as a surprise.

Gordon Beckham has been hitting and looking more comfortable by the day for the White Sox. Beckham drove in two runs, giving him at least one RBI in four straight games, and he now has seven hits in the last five games. In keeper leagues, Beckham is a must have as he should have an incredibly bright future in the majors and he could be a 20/20 guy as soon as 2010.

Jhonny Peralta homered for the third straight day, and even though it might have taken a long time, you should consider this him finally breaking out of his slump. Peralta now has nine dingers with 52 RBI and he has gotten his average up to .271. If you have any need for help at middle infield and he is still available, don't hesitate to get him on your team.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: billy butler, clay buchholz, gordon beckham, jhonny peralta, kevin kouzmanoff, matt wieters, Mike Pelfrey, scott kazmir

Saves: 7


Today was one of those days were you just say "huh"? Let's start with Mr. Automatic, Brian Fuentes. He was rocked by home runs from Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta and received his first blown save since May 30. He ended up giving up four runs on four hits and got the loss along with the blown save. These are the kind of imploding we expect from Fuentes, but he has still been very consistent and his owners just have to shake it off. He ERA did jump up to 3.79 and falling well below 3.00.

Kerry Wood worked around the blown save for a back door save. For all you dirty birds, I using a play on words for the back door curveball. Can you say trademark? Wood nailed his 14th save going through a stunned Angel team that never thought they would have to bat in the bottom of the ninth. The DH had to run out of the shower!

Joe Nathan rebounded nicely after his second blown save of the season. He scored his 27th save on six pitches and one strikeout. A great performance from Nathan with little effort required.

C.J. Wilson got another save today, taking the place of an ailing Frank Francisco. He struck out the side and closed out the 5-2 win. Wilson has been outstanding as the Rangers closers this year. He is 11 out of 12 in save chances as the closers and has his ERA at a remarkable 2.80. He also has 43 strikeouts in 45 innings, which is better then his career K/9 rate of 7.75. Take that for what it is worth.

Francisco Cordero finally got some work in a save situation and the rust showed. He almost had a quick and easy save, but gave up a bomb to Kevin Kouzmanoff on a poorly located fastball. Cordero still has a low ERA, but has only recorded five saves this month and the opportunities are far and few between. His last save was July 19.

Other Appearances:
Ryan Franklin (23) - Came in with the bases loaded in the eight and recorded a easy save winning 6-1. Overall he pitched 1.1 innings giving up one hit and striking out one.
Joakim Soria (16) - Needed 18 pitches and wasn't sharp, but got the perfect save.
David Robertson (1) - Pitched one out in the eighth and then the Yankees put on four runs and got to pitch the ninth. It was probably best for Rivera owners that he got the rest.
Jose Valverde - Pitched 1.1 innings in a tie game. He got three strikeouts and looked outstanding as usual.
Brad Lidge - Didn't get a save chance, but didn't get hammered either in one inning of work. Beers for everyone!

Jeff Francoeur hit his third home run as a Met, and he continues to be the offensive force the Mets have so badly needed all year long. He has 13 RBI since coming over from Atlanta and MIGHT be worth a spot on your roster. I would feel much more comfortable if he was either a fourth outfielder or some bench insurance, but in larger leagues he could be in your lineup. I really don't see this continuing, but he should be an integral parts of the Mets offense while their stars are hurt. In fact, he could be even better when the Mets' hitters are healthy, as he would be surrounded by better hitters.

When Julio Lugo was traded to the Cardinals, I wasn't sure that he would get enough playing time to warrant fantasy consideration. Since coming over, Lugo has nine hits in four games and has started each day. If you are in dire need of middle infield help, I would give him a chance. He had some pretty decent steal numbers in Boston when he was healthy.

Ryan Garko has been traded to the San Francisco Giants for a low level minor leaguer. He had finally started to get hot and the Indians were playing him in the outfield to get his bat into the lineup, but now he should have no problem playing everyday. The Giants have tried lots of guys at first, but Garko should see the lion's share of starts there. NL-only leagues or teams in need of some pop could possibly try Garko.

Kelly Shoppach could be the number one beneficiary of this trade. With Garko out of the mix, that could have the Tribe moving Victor Martinez to first base more often, which would get Shoppach in the game more. He hit 21 home runs in limited at bats last year when Martinez was injured, so he could be a nice addition down the stretch. He only hit .261 over that time, so you have to be patient with his batting average. Shoppach started tonight, keep an eye out to see how much he plays in the next couple days.

Alex Gordon has started to hit a little bit. Gordon had two hits on Monday and now has hit safely in five straight games, and he has driven in two runs over that span. I wouldn't run out and grab him right now, but the guy was an elite prospect, so if he starts to hit some more, he could be worth adding. Definitely monitor Gordon in the near future.

Michael Saunders was called up a couple of days ago by the Seattle Mariners and has been installed as the everyday left fielder. He was ranked as the second best prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America coming into the season, and in 64 games at AAA he was hitting .310 with 13 HRs and 32 RBI. He will also bring you a decent amount of speed and could steal 15-20 bases in a full season. In his first two games for Seattle he is 2/8 with an RBI. He seems to be flying under the radar so far, but keep an eye on him over the next couple of days to see if he can help you.

Jonny Gomes hit two home runs on Monday, and now has five in the last seven days. So, is he someone you can expect to continue to do this? In a short answer, no. Gomes has shown power in small bursts throughout his career, but he has never been a consistent enough hitter to either stay in a lineup or even in the major leagues. This is short lived, don't buy into it.

Homer Bailey pitched fairly well, but I urge you to temper your excitement. Just remember that it was against the Padres. Second, his last two starts were nightmares, so he hasn't been anything near consistent. Unless you are in an NL-only, or a 16 team league, I would just leave Bailey in free agency, it is likely where he belongs.

Nyjer Morgan reached the 30 steal plateau this season. He has been a great surprise, as his batting average is above .300 as well. He doesn't drive in many runs, but he is at least a two category guy, and if he is helping you in steals he isn't someone I would sell high on, I think he will get close to 45 for the year.

I will be joining Steve Gardner at usatoday.com for the third installment of the Fantasy Roundtable on Tuesday 7/29 at 12pm EST. This one will focus on the trade dealine, but any topic in fantasy can be discussed. It will be featuring a more user friendly chat format, and should be smoother than our previous attempts. You can join us here, and I look forward to seeing many of you at the chat.

Labels: alex gordon, homer bailey, jeff francoeur, jonny gomes, julio lugo, kelly shoppach, michael saunders, njyer morgan, ryan garko

Max Scherzer won his first game in just over a month, but it isn't like he has been pitching horribly. Scherzer only gave up four earned runs in one start since May 31st. Unfortunately, he pitches for the Diamondbacks and that will lmit his wins. Don't be mistaken though, Scherzer has a ton of talent and is one of the better strikeout pitchers in baseball. He just turned 25, and I think 2010 will be his huge breakout. For the rest of this season you can expect him to pitch to an ERA around 3.50 and strikeout a ton of guys. He won his sixth game of the year tonight, he likely won't get far past ten wins.

Brett Cecil continues to pitch well, and it is time for you to find out if he is available in your league. Cecil was one of the better pitching prospects for Toronto, and was doing well before he was injured earlier in the season. In his last five starts, including tonight, Cecil had allowed one run or less in four of them. I think at this point he deserves to be on someone's roster in a 12 team league, and he just turned 23 in the beginning of July.

It is looking very likely that Chris Tillman will be called up to start on Wednesday. Tillman can have an immediate impact, so if you need pitching, I would make the move now. I spoke about this last week, so jump back to that article if you want to know more about Tillman.

Joe Blanton has been pitching great over the past couple of months, but I don'[t think that it can continue at this rate. Blanton ran his record to 7-4 after allowing just two runs over eight innings and struck out six. He has always been an average pitcher, but Blanton hasn't given up more than three earned runs in six straight starts and only once since Memorial Day. His career ERA is near 4.25, so I just can't see this run keeping up. Blanton is also striking out more than usual (103 in 117 innings), so don't be surprised if he starts to tail off some.

Mark DeRosa has finally woken up for the Cardinals and for those of you who have been waiting for him all season long. He started 0-13 with St. Louis with a two week Disabled List stint in there. In the last week, DeRosa has four two hit games, four home runs, and six RBI. He likely won't stay THIS hot, but he should be a very productive player for your team for the rest of the year.

Kyle Blanks is starting to show some power, but he isn't being consistent enough to warrant fantasy attention yet. Blanks does have three home runs in the last six games, but only two other hits in those games. Keep an eye on Blanks, but is just not worthy of a roster spot at this time.

David Hernandez continues to be a giant killer for the Orioles as he collected a win against the Red Sox. In his starts against the Red Sox, Angels, Yankees, and Tigers, Hernandez is 3-0 and pitched great in the one game where he didn't get the win. He isn't a big strikeout pitcher by any means, but he looks like a reasonable pickup if you really need the pitching.

Rich Harden now has three straight very good starts, and if you own him you should start to feel confidence again. Harden allowed just one run and one hit over six innings and struck out eight. This isn't any mind-blowing analysis, but be sure he is in your lineup every time he takes the mound.

Aaron Cook is again having a strong season as far as wins are concerned, but his secondary numbers make his value lowered. Cook won his tenth game of the year, but his ERA is close to 4.00, his WHIP is 1.41, and he strikes out a very low number (69 in 128 innings). He has some fantasy value because of his solid win total, but I am just not a fan of his. I would rather have a young guy with some upside.

Ervin Santana was absolutely awful again, and if you have lost patience with him, I can't say I blame you. Santana couldn't get out of the fourth inning, and allowed six runs while striking out four. He has now given up four earned runs or more in six of his last seven starts. I know he was great last season, but this is getting tough to swallow. His ERA is now over 7.00 and his WHIP is over 1.70. There is a chance he could turn this around and he plays for a team with a good offense, but he is certainly testing your loyalty.

Rick Porcello struggled again, although he settled in after a bad first inning. He has now given up four earned runs or more in four straight starts and he is not going deep into games anymore. Porcello hasn't gotten through the sixth inning since June 12th. Tonight against the White Sox Porcello allowed four runs partly due to some inexperience on his part. But after the first he allowed just one more run over his next 4.1 innings. Seasonal leagues I can feel you wanting to cut this guy, and I can't blame you. I believe I am about to do so in one of mine. Keeper leagues all you can do is ride out the storm with this guy. He is 20 years old and has already shown a good deal of some signs of the future.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: aaron cook, brett cecil, chris tillman, david hernandez, ervin santana, joe blanton, kyle blanks, mark derosa, max scherzer, rich harden, rick porcello

With the trade deadline looming, everybody is trying to speculate which teams are going to buy and which are going to sell as well as what players they wish to part with and so on and so forth. I see fantasy owners guessing already on which players may or may not be traded by making waiver claims or trading for such players. Instead of worrying about which players are going to go from bad teams to good teams, how about focusing on the players who will be taking over on the bad teams? After all, these guys are the ones that are going to see more playing time the rest of the way. Unless you are Matt Holliday or Roy Halladay, chances are the players moving on to the contending teams will have a lesser role than they did before. This makes them less valuable fantasy wise. So don't get caught up in the hype. Keep your eyes on the prize and make moves for the players that will help you close out this championship season and not the ones who are in the headlines this week.

DON'T FIGHT THE POWER

1) Garrett Jones (Outfield) -- Pirates -- This is Jones second week in a row in The Hot 8 and I assure you if he is still available in your league he won't be for long. Jones has 10 HR's in his first 80 AB's this year and is hitting at a nice little clip of .350/.402/.825. He is a big powerful kid who is playing with purpose in what might have been his last ever attempt at a major league career. If you read this blog every week then you are familiar with the Garrett Jones story and if not go back and read about the decision that may have changed his life. Power like this does not grow on trees and I don't know of any fantasy team that has too much power.

ABSOLUTE MUSTS

2) Joel Pineiro (RHP - Starter) -- Cardinals -- Pineiro is a ground ball machine. Dave Duncan has him pitching to his strengths and not trying to be something he is not and this approach is working wonders for the thirty year old right hander. I feel that Pineiro is a must have fantasy starter at this point. If your team is thin in the pitching department especially with starters or if you have been going the ole' pitch and ditch route it is time for you to stick with Pineiro now. This is the kind of guy that can lead you to the championship this year believe me. He is owned in less than half of leagues right now so leave this screen right now and make the move for Pineiro. Just please come right back...3) Seth Smith (Outfield) -- Rockies -- I have been touting Rockies outfielders all season long with my favorite being Dexter Fowler. But Smith was on my preseason watch list and I personally drafted him in both of my fantasy leagues this year. He had not been getting the playing time I thought he would have received earlier in the season but he now appears to be the Rockies everyday left fielder. It is no coincidence that Colorado is now atop the wild card standings in the National League and poised to make a strong playoff push. Smith's numbers are fantastic this year especially for a platoon player who often would be used for one at-bat a game. He has power, gets on base, hits for a solid average, drives in runs and can even steal a few bases. This is a great opportunity for your fantasy team to pickup a player that is sure to start for you down the stretch this season.

IMPACT ROOKIES

4) Michael Saunders (Outfield) -- Mariners -- Saunders is a dynamic player who should have been called up long ago in my humble opinion. He is a big kid who has nice drive with his legs and loft in his swing. This suggests that he will be a legitimate power hitter at the big league level. But that is not the limit to Saunders game, not by a long shot. He has a great understanding of the strike zone and is a disciplined hitter. He uses all fields and shows power even when hitting to left field. Better yet, he is a good athlete who has above average speed and hustles every time out of the box. He is even a good drag bunter and will use it whenever he needs to just to get on base or move a runner over. The Mariners are going to love this kid and he will be their everyday left fielder for the rest of this year. I think he can be a difference maker in fantasy leagues the rest of the way. If you have the space I suggest picking him up if for no other reason than to keep him out of your competitions hands.

5) Chris Tillman (RHP - Starter) -- Orioles -- Tillman's time has finally come. He will be called up to start for the Orioles on Wednesday, making his major league debut opposite Zach Grienke and the Kansas City Royals. While I am not sold on Tillman's ability to dominate in the big leagues the way he has in the minors, he could be a useful piece in your fantasy leagues. The problem I have with Tillman is that I don't see an obvious out-pitch and he doesn't quite have the command of all his pitches the way Vin Mazzaro or Matt Maloney does. The Orioles are building themselves a very good ballclub for the future here and Tillman is definitely a part of that puzzle. If you are in a keeper league he is a must right away. Otherwise, he can be useful as a spot starter now and then when you are lacking or in two start weeks.

6) Matt Latos (RHP - Starter) -- Padres -- Unlike Chris Tillman, Latos has plenty of out-pitches and wow factors. His fastball is ridiculously good with sharp movement and 96 MPH speed coming on a downward plane from his 6'5" frame. His slider features fierce two way movement that can make even the best of hitters look silly. As big as Latos is, his ego and attitude may be even bigger. He is not a hard worker and has rubbed teammates the wrong way with his "better than the room" carelessness. He has already shown he can get major league hitters out after starting out the season in the A Midwest League. He may throw a no-hitter in his career if he doesn't burn out quickly.

ME AND JULIO, DOWN BY THE BALL-FIELD

7) Julio Lugo (Shortstop) -- Cardinals -- In all the hype surrounding the Cardinals acquisition of Matt Holliday, the minor deal they made with the Red Sox for Julio Lugo has kind of got lost in the shuffle. All Lugo has done since coming to St. Louis is go 6-10 with 2 3B, 1 2B and 1 HR. He also stole a base in his first game with the red birds, something he is sure to do more of while playing for Tony LaRussa. I love this pickup by the Cardinals. Lugo was just what they needed in the middle of their infield and while he doesn't possess the defense, he will be great for fantasy owners. Anybody who claims there are no middle infielders out there in free agency, Lugo is only owned in 2% of Yahoo leagues right now!

BACK FROM OBLIVION

8) Sergio Mitre (RHP - Starter) -- Yankees -- Mitre has long been abandoned by both major league general managers and fantasy league players. But now here he is resurrecting his career with the charging New York Yankees and making his way back onto our fantasy radar. Mitre was dominating in AAA this year and seems to have matured quite a bit since his days in Chicago and Florida. The Yankees will give Mitre a chance to win every time out and if he can just do a formidable job, he will turn out to be this years version of Aaron Small.


That is the Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think?
Post your comments below or email me at jeff@fantasybaseballsearch.com

Sometimes when you write about fantasy sports, it is important to admit when you are wrong. Well, I think it is about that time for me and Aaron Hill. He hit home runs number 23 and 24 today, and it is painfully obvious that he is having a far better season than I could have dreamed about if I wanted to dream about a good season for Aaron Hill. He is also hitting near .290 and has driven in 67 runs. It looks like Hill has a heck of a shot at 35 homers and 95 RBI. I still think there is a decent chance he struggles down the stretch, but I have to give the man credit when it is due.

I almost included in the article last night to count on the fact that Gio Gonzalez was going to get absolutely tattooed today by the Yankees. In his last start he had allowed 11 earned runs, and his ERA is over 9.00. The Yankees are rolling, winners of eight in a row. Makes sense right? And that is why, as they say, you play the game. Gonzalez was great today as he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings and struck out six. More times than not, you can figure that Gonzalez will struggle. He has been starting some and coming out of the bullpen some as well. His strikeouts are good, with 35 in 33 innings, but he is too unreliable to start each time he takes the ball.

Ted Lilly was placed on the 15 day Disabled List due to inflammation in his shoulder. Worse news than that is Lilly will be having arthroscopic knee surgery that will force him to miss four or five starts at the minimum. The Cubs are hoping that he will be able to return sometime in mid-August. This is not good news for fantasy teams, but hopefully Lilly will be back in time for your fantasy playoffs. Stash him on your injury spot if you can.

David Price is another guy that it appears that I won't be right about, but this is in the opposite direction. Considering the way that this guy pitched in the playoffs last season for the Rays, I don't think I was alone in predicting great things for the young phenom this season. He has had some short stints of greatness this year, but he has had more short outings than good outings. You really have no choice to keep Price on your roster. I can't blame you if you decide not to start him in certain matchups, but there is no way that you can cut him. Personally, I didn't draft him in any league I am in, but that was because he went before I took him, not because I didn't want him. But if I did have him, I would keep throwing him out there.

Are the Indians actually going to start to get something out of some of their young pitching prospects? In consecutive nights both Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey have both collected wins. Last night Laffey threw seven shutout innings and struck out seven to improve to 4-2, however most of those wins are from his time as a reliever. In 2007, Laffey was ranked the #5 prospect for the Indians, but he has struggled mightily in the majors and the minors. Even with his impressive outing last night, you can't add Laffey. Tonight, Jeremy Sowers returned from a stint in the minors and also threw seven shutout innings, but struck out only two. While Sowers has also struggled badly in the majors, he was always good in the minors. In six starts this year, he was 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA with 27 Ks in 37 innings. Even though the Indians are sure to be terrible for the rest of the season, Sowers might be worth a look. Unless you are really desperate, let him make another start before you pick him up, but definitely see how he does the next time out. Sowers was once one of the top 50 prospects in all of baseball, and in 2006 was ranked as the second best in the Cleveland organization.

Chone Figgins is hitting and running like it's 2005. Figgy his his third home run of the season (second this week), and stole three bases, giving him an impressive 31 on the season. He is also hitting over .310, and this isn't anything that you should be too surprised about. The last couple years he had only played 115 games a season because of injury, but when he has been healthy in his career, Figgins has been an elite basestealer who generally hits around .300. With third base becoming such a shallow position, Figgins value is at its highest point in years.

Bobby Jenks blew his second consecutive save opportunity and has now allowed at least one earned run in five of his last six appearances. I still don't think that Jenks will be replaced based on this outing, but I do think the leash that he is on is getting a little shorter. For those of you who are in the market of grabbing middle relievers in the hopes that they become closers, Matt Thornton got a save the other day when Jenks needed a day of rest.

Rodrigo Lopez continues to pitch pretty well, but you still have to wonder about how secure his rotation spot is. Pedro Martinez continues to get closer to the majors, and the Phillies are still the lead team in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes according to rumors. But Lopez improved to 3-0 after beating the Cardinals, allowing three earned runs over six innings and struck out two. This was actually his worst of his four starts for Philly. I'm not a huge fan of Lopez, but the Phillies are rolling and he is hot. For a short term fix, I think he is valuable. If you think he will fix your staff's problems, you are likely to be disappointed.

After being a colossal disappointment Rick Ankiel has all of a sudden decided he wants to contribute. In the last three days, Ankiel has seven hits which includes two home runs and two doubles. With Matt Holliday now in St. Louis, either Colby Rasmus or Ankiel have to lose at bats. If he can keep it up, you have to figure Ankiel will be in centerfield, as he is also a great centerfielder.

Johnathon Niese got another start in the majors for the Mets tonight, and this time he made the most of his opportunity. In his previous two starts for New York, Niese lasted just two innings and had an ERA near 6.00. But he was so hot down at AAA and the Mets needed him after the injury to Fernando Nieve. Niese allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out three. In the minors he struck out more batters than he showed tonight, so IF he can keep pitching this way and IF the Mets can get healthy, Niese could be fantasy worthy. For those of you who are out of it and looking for a potential keeper, I would grab him on speculation now. If you are competing, I wouldn't grab him unless you are desperate for pitching. Niese is out a while, so unless he really stinks, Niese should be up for a while if not the rest of the season.

Can Luke Hochevar please decide if he is going to be good or if he is going to suck, because he is confusing me. He has actually now won four consecutive decisions, but in two of them he gave up a combined nine runs. Now, in the last two he gave up a combined three runs. On Saturday he allowed two runs over seven innings and struck out 13. Although he is likely to still be inconsistent and struggle to get a ton of wins because he is on the Royals, I think he is worth adding in 12 team leagues. He was a top ten overall pick and has a ton of talent. This could be his time when he finally figures it all out.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: Aaron Hill, aaron laffey, bobby jenks, chone figgins, david price, gio gonzalez, jeremy sowers, johnathon niese, Luke Hochevar, matt thornton, rick ankiel, rodrigo lopez, ted lilly

Matt Holliday was traded today to the St. Louis Cardinals for prospects Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson. Holliday now goes back to the National League, back to a team with a chance to win, and he is now hitting right behind Albert Pujols. All of these factors lead me to believe that Holliday will have a great end of the season. Now, you can't expect his numbers back from his days with Colorado, but I definitely think he will be better than he was in Oakland. St. Louis isn't Coors Field, but it is better for hitters than Oakland is. If you have been holding Holliday all year long, today is a day for a small celebration. Holliday had his own celebration by having a four hit night against the Phillies.

Even though he faltered in the eighth inning, Joba Chamberlain pitched well and Phil Coke bailed him out. Joba lasted seven innings and threw just over 100 pitches, allowing just one run and striking out six. This is the second consecutive start that Chamberlain has gotten into the seventh inning, after three straight of not being able to complete six. I hate to be a buzzkill, but I have to report what I hear. On NY sports talk radio today all the chatter was about the return of the Joba Rules and how many innings the Yankees were going to let him throw. It seems the limit is somewhere near 150 innings. Well, with his seven tonight, that brings Joba to 102 for the season. You don't need a math degree to figure out that he won't be starting for the rest of the season. So, is does he go back to the bullpen? Do they just shut him down? It is very unlikely they stop him from pitching. I would think he has seven or eight starts left in him and then he's back to the pen. But if the Yankees are scratching for a playoff spot and he keeps pitching like this, perhaps they will let him continue to start, but from what I heard today that is highly unlikely. With Mariano as the closer and Hughes seemingly entrenched in the eighth inning, I'm not sure what kind of role Chamberlain would have in that Yankee pen.

Carlos Guillen played in a game for the first time for the Tigers since May 4th, and he did pretty good. Guillen was DHing for Detroit in both games of a doubleheader on Friday, and he collected three hits combined in the games, including a home run. He had an injury riddled 2008 season that saw his statistics go in the toilet, but the guy can still hit. Unfortunately, he likely won't get regular playing time right away, so if you do make a move to pick him up, don't be surprised if he gets some regular days off the first few weeks. I wouldn't expect too much from Guillen for the rest of this year, but maybe over the last four to five weeks of the season when he is feeling better he might have a hot streak in him.

Aramis Ramirez had four hits, including his second home run since the All-Star Break, maybe he will be OK. I have been very leery of Aramis since he came back from the Disabled List since I read quotes from him that he didn't expect to hit for much power for the rest of the year due to his shoulder injury. Today he goes out and hits two doubles and a homer. Given his career history I suppose you have to figure that he will be ok and play him every day. I only own him in one league, and of course he was on my bench today. He won't be tomorrow.

Congratulations to Padres' rookie Mat Latos for collecting his first career victory in the major leagues in just his second start. Latos allowed just two runs over 5.2 innings and struck out five. Latos is the Padres best pitching prospect who made the big jump from AA all the way to the majors. He is only 21 years old, so even though he has a ton of talent, my guess is that the rest of 2009 will be full of ups and downs for Latos. In keeper leagues and deeper seasonal leagues he is worth the risk, but if you are in a 12 team league I would think there are safer options out there. At worst he will help you with strikeouts, the rest of the categories are a crap shoot right now.

This may be a little late, but for those of you who don't pay attention to the box scores every night, it appears that J.P. Howell has taken over as the Rays closer. He collected his 11th save of the year tonight, and his fifth this month. The Rays are back to their winning ways, so if he is available and you need saves, I would certainly jump on that bandwagon for as long as it lasts. He allowed just three earned runs in June and July combined, and they all came in one outing. He also has 58 Ks in just 47 innings.

Manny Parra screwed everyone who started him today. After allowing just one run in his first two starts after coming back from the minors, Parra gave up four runs over five innings against the Braves who don't exactly have Murderer's Row for a batting order. While he should be better than he was to start the season, it appears that the inconsistency that has been the trademark of his career will continue.

Am I wrong on Martin Prado? While he seems to be one of the most added players in fantasy over the last month, I am still resisting that temptation. Prado had two hits on Friday, including a three run home run. He initially got fantasy attention because of his multi-position eligibility, but he has hit great in July. He has only gone hitless in two games the entire month of July so far, and he has 11 RBI this month. He never showed much power or much speed in his five years in the minors, so I'm not sure where this production is coming from. I can't say it is a bad idea to pick him up while he is hot, but just make sure you aren't giving up anyone that is too good, and don't be shocked if this nice run drops off.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: aramis ramirez, carlos guillen, j.p. howell, joba chamberlain, manny parra, martin prado, mat latos, matt holliday

Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game today against the Tampa Bay Rays. As much as I thought he would be a consistent performer, never did I expect this kind of season. Buehrle is now 11-3 and his ERA sits at 3.28. Although his ERA likely won't take an astronomical jump, I am expecting somewhat of a dropoff from Buehrle. He still is a lock to win 15 games, but I would be very surprised to see him get to 18. If it is at all possible, I would try to deal him while his value is at an all time high.

Buehrle's opponent, Scott Kazmir, had another in his line of good start/bad start pattern. He allowed five runs over six innings, walked three and struck out five. Here is what you can expect from Kazmir for the rest of the season. He will win his share of games, and he will look like Sandy Koufax at least a handful of games during the season. However, most of the time he will be very average, and he won't pitch deep into games. He will help you in strikeouts, but he will crush your WHIP. There will be some days, like today, where he isn't very good. He will give up too many runs and he will hurt you for the week. If he has ten starts left (which is likely not accurate I just picked that for round numbers), he will likely be lights out three times, average five times, and bad twice. I would nearly guarantee that he is better than any one in your free agent pool, so I wouldn't consider letting him go.

Barry Zito gave up a run in the second inning on a home run but that was it for the day as he improved to 6-10. He went through a period where he was getting some fantasy attention, but he is not someone that I would hold on my roster, even with this performance. He doesn't strike out enough guys, he doesn't win enough, and he has too many outings where he allows five runs or more. Against some of the weak hitting National League teams he is worth a spot start, but I would pitch him and ditch him against the Nats, Pads, etc.

Jarrod Washburn hates me. No matter how many times I call him and tell him that I keep writing and saying he sucks, he won't help a brother out. He threw seven shutout innings to improve to 8-6 and he now has four straight starts where he allowed one run or less. This was against the Tigers who are a pretty decent offensive team too. I will stay with what I have been telling you all since the beginning of the year. Washburn will falter down the stretch, even if it happens later than I expected.

Even though his ERA doesn't reflect it, Kerry Wood is actually on a little roll. Wood saved his fourth game in the month of July, but it was his first since July 11th. Wood has been a bitter disappointment to those who drafted him (except for him strikeouts), and especially for the Indians. This was Wood's 13 saves on the year, and there is basically no chance that he will get to 25. You have no chance to trade him and get anything but a Happy Meal in return, so all you can do is continue to have Wood in your lineup and going to church on Sunday wouldn't hurt either.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: barry zito, jarrod washburn, kerry wood, mark buehrle, scott kazmir

Saves: 9


Mariano Rivera is in another world for closers right now. With the slow down of Broxton, Bell, and Nathan, Rivera has surged this month as the premiere closer in fantasy baseball. Today he needed six pitches to dispatch the Baltimore Orioles for his 28th save of the season. Rivera has eight saves this month and more remarkable, he has given only four hits and no runs in in his last 14.2 innings.


Brain Fuentes continues to amaze us all and so do the Angels. They came back against the Kansas City Royals after being down 6-3 and that was in part to Brian Fuentes closing the door on the Royals in the ninth inning. He is the first closer to hit 30 saves and is heading for a 50 save season. No matter who closes for the Angels, as long as they are competitive look for big-time closers in southern California.

Huston Street had an incredible June, but his July has been a bit lackluster. Tonight he got only his fifth save of the month and his 24th of the season. He struck out two and lowered his WHIP below one to a tiny 0.94. Street continues to be one of the more valuable closers in fantasy baseball. He is one of the more valuable closers in the league because of his numbers combined with his trade value perception. He is as good as KROD, but owners would ask allot more for KROD than Street. Trade for Street if you can.

Kevin Gregg got a 1.1 inning save today in a 10-5 win over the Phillies. Gregg was called on in the eighth inning to get the final out after walking Utley. He then had a quick ninth inning and looked very sharp. The walk to Utley was one of those unintentional walks. The Cubs are starting to win and get hot, which bodes well for Gregg owners as he aims for his 20th save at his next opportunity.

David Aardsma rocked his way to his 23rd save of the season securing a 2-1 win for Felix Hernandez. Aardsma pitched a perfect innings and struck out two. He season strikeout total is now at 55. He has slowed down with strikeouts in the month of July, but he is pitching exceptionally well overall.

Ryan Franklin blew only his second save of the season tonight against the Houston Astros. He had poor command of all of his pitches and gave up three hits before recording an out. Just chalk this up as a bad outing, but I've been telling you to sell Franklin and get value for him before the trade deadline. In the game, Valverde pitched a quite inning to get the win.

Other Appearances:
Matt Thornton (1) - Pitched two innings for the save as the White Sox elected to give him the two inning save and give Jenks the night off. pick up Thornton if you can. He doesn't have the job, but he can get it sooner than later.
Mike McDougal (6) - Closed out the Mets 1-2-3 in a rare save opportunity. His ERA is at a comfortable 2.25.
Rafael Soriano (14) - He was quiet for awhile, but got back on his horse getting the save tonight. He did give up a run on two hits.
Doug Mathis(1) - Got the save while CJ Wilson was resting.
Matt Capps - Capps got the win coming in a tie game. He walked one and gave up a hit, while striking out two.
Jose Valverde - Got the win after Ryan Franklin blew the save.
Brad Lidge - The deuces were wild for Lidge today. In .2 innings he gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 2. He is terrible.
George Sherrill - Got some work today and gave up a run on three hits. He did strikeout the side.

Ryan Doumit had two home runs on Wednesday, which were his first two of the year. He has been doing respectable since coming off the DL, but hadn't been hitting for any extra bases. He had 15 homers in just over 110 games last season, so he has good pop for a catcher and there should be more where this is coming from. He could pop out ten more before the season is over, or at least get to ten, so if you have an underperforming catcher and Doumit is available, I wouldn't hestitate to make the move.

OK, that's enough. I've been fighting it. I don't want to advise starting Garrett Jones of the Pirates, but at this point how can you sit him? He homered AGAIN this afternoon and now has nine in just 17 games. Now with trade of Adam LaRoche, Jones will likely be playing first base most days for Pittsburgh. Obviously, he can't keep this pace up, but you have ride the hot hand while it lasts. I would suggest waiting until he takes an Ofer for two or three days before removing him from your starting lineup

Ryan Theriot seems to be a popular fantasy middle infielder, but I'm not really sure why. OK, he is hitting .300, but he offers little else. I guess his 36 RBI from a middle infielder isn't bad, he should approach 60, but he doesn't hit for enough power or steal enough bases. Sure, he stole three today, bringing his season total to 13. But he also had five in the first month of the season. So that means in May, June, and most of July, he recorded five steals. That isn't enough for me. Unless you are in a deep league or have injuries in your middle, I wouldn't keep Theriot on the roster.

Jaime Moyer was pretty poor again today, and continued his good start/bad start kind of pattern. When they are bad, they are pretty bad. On Wednesday, Moyer allowed four earned runs over five innings, walked three and struck out three. His ERA now sits at 5.65 for the year, and somehow he has nine wins. He had won five straight starts before today, but in two of those he had allowed six and four runs. I wouldn't trust Moyer to start for me unless he was facing maybe the Mets (right now), Nats, or Pads. Even then I would have my reservations.

Armando Galarraga might not have gotten the win tonight, but he at least seems like he has turned a corner and might go back to being the guy we thought he would be when the season started. Galarraga allowed just one run over 7. 1 innings and struck out eight. Three of the last four times he has taken the mound he has allowed just one run, and he has 23 Ks over 26 innings. If he is still out there, I would certainly give Galarraga a look. He is pitching better and the Tigers are actually competing this season.

Trevor Cahill had one of the best starts of his young career, but it is pretty easy to pitch (so they say, not that I have) when your team scores 12 runs in the first two innings. Cahill allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out four. In his previous four starts he had only pitched through the fifth inning once and walked 12 guys. Someday this guy will be an absolute stud, but it isn't going to be 2009. He is going to give you his fair share of good starts, but there will be plenty of inconsistency sprinkled in along the way.

Ricky Nolasco pitched beautifully again and is now 5-1 since returning from a demotion to the minor leagues. Nolasco allowed only two hits over 6.1 innings and struck out ten. He is on a major hot streak, and should be a reliable pitcher for the remainder of the season. He has also struck out at least five in eight straight starts. If you were lucky enough to pick him up when he was sent down, congratulations. If not, I'm sure his value is too high to try to trade for him now.

Orioles rookie Jason Berken stunk out loud again today versus the Yankees, and dominoes are starting to fall into place for a possible call up for prospect Chris Tillman. Berken is now 1-8 with an ERA north of 6.50 and hasn't won since his first start. Tillman, on the other hand, is rocking in AAA and was apparently scratched from his start in the minors tonight. Right now he is on tap to pitch tomorrow, but there doesn't seem to be any reason why he didn't make that start. Is a promotion to Baltimore coming soon? Perhaps. If you are out of it in a keeper league, grab Tillman on speculation. If you are in it still, you have to wait. In 17 starts this season he is 8-5 with a 2.42 ERA with 95 Ks in 93 innings.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: armando galarraga, chris tillman, garrett jones, jaime moyer, jason berken, ricky nolasco, ryan doumit, ryan theriot, trevor cahill

Ervin Santana didn't pitch well, but he was able to collect a win and put up some pretty good strikeout numbers. Santana allowed five runs over six innings, walked just one and struck out seven. This is his second consecutive start that he allowed only one run, so perhaps this is finally the time that Santana pitches like everyone expected him to during draft time back in March. I do not own Santana in any of my ten leagues, but I can't say I feel 100% confidence in him. It is growing by the day, and I'm not saying to not start him, but I still have a little reservation that he might still have some rough days in front of him.

According to reports, the Marlins are set to call Gaby Sanchez to the major leagues. Sanchez is a 1B, which could have some implications on the rest of the Marlins infield. It would make sense for them to move Jorge Cantu over to third, and sit Emilio Bonifacio, but we will see if that how it shakes out. Bonifacio had been showing some signs of life, but hasn't been anything near what he was that first week of the season. Sanchez is a pretty good prospect, but not one of the elite. He was ranked by Baseball America as #8 in the Florida organization. He kind of reminds me of a James Loney type with a bit more power, and not as much average. In 58 games he has 9 HRs and 37 RBI while hitting .277. That average is the lowest of his minor league career, but he got off to a real bad start. Last year at AA he hit.314 with 17 HRs and 92 RBI. He also stole 17 bases, but I wouldn't expect him to bring you consistent speed. He isn't someone that I would run out and grab unless you had someone go on the DL or if you had a player that you were looking to dump. And I suppose at this time of year if you are in a keeper league and look like you don't have a chance to compete, you can stick him on your roster and hope that maybe he does more than is expected.

The Red Sox have placed Tim Wakefield who has a lower back strain. They have recalled Clay Buchholz and he will start Wednesday against Texas. This is likely another short term promotion, but Buchholz could be worth even a short term addition.

Rich Harden is also on the road to redemption as he had his second straight good start. After hurling six shutout innings his last time up, Harden gave up just one run over seven innings and struck out six. For months we have been wondering what the heck has been wrong with Harden because he is always very good when he is healthy except for the last eight or ten weeks. Hopefully for Harden owners and Cubs fans, this is Rich turning the corner, because they will need him at his best to challenge for the playoffs, both MLB and fantasy baseball.

John Lannan continues to pitch under the radar and is quietly having a pretty good team. I think he is available in probably half of the leagues that I am in. However, he threw a complete game shutout against the Mets on Tuesday, although he only struck out one. If Lannan pitched for a team that ever scored runs, he would be owned in most leagues. However, he is on the Nats and that will limit his wins. He only strikes out a guy about every other inning which also keeps him in free agency. If you are in a league with more than 12 teams, an NL only league, or have a pitcher go on the shelf, I would certainly consider Lannan. I know the Mets' offense is anemic right now, but his ERA for the season is just 3.38, that is pretty impressive.

Magglio Ordonez hit a grand slam tonight, and it was his second home run this month. However, don't get excited thinking this is the turnaround for him. Ordonez isn't even close to playing every day, and he is still hitting only .260. If you own Magglio, I would definitely drop him, and I wouldn't pick him up unless you are in a 30 or 40 team league.

Brett Cecil allowed no earned runs for the second consecutive outing, but he wasn't around for the decision. Cecil is looking more like the guy who started the season, more than the guy who pitched just before and just after he was placed on the Disabled List. If he is available in your league, I would give him a chance if you have any need for starting pitching at all. I know I've said this before, but Cecil came into the year ranked as the #3 prospect for the Blue Jays, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.

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Mark DeRosa had a two home run game tonight for the Cardinals, his first two since being traded, and hopefully this is a sign of him breaking out of the funk he has been in. DeRosa had 21 home runs last season, and 13 for the Indians before the trade, so you have to figure that he is going to start to hit. He got off to a rough start with a few games with no hits and then the injury. Get DeRosa into your lineup, it appears he will be ok now.

Jeff Niemann has allowed three runs or less in now six straight starts after Tuesday, and he is now 9-4. Unfortunately, he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts, but his ERA is only 3.61. I still am liking Niemann for any of you looking for an extra arm. He won't win a league for you, but he will stabilize your pitching staff if you have a hole.

Miguel Montero homered again as he tries to keep a hold on the catching job in Arizona even when Chris Snyder comes back. Montero homered fourth time in the last seven games, and has driven in eight runs over that time. Snyder is supposed to be back around the end of July, so it will remain to be seen what the playing time situation will be once Snyder is back. For now, if you need a hot catcher, they don't get hotter than Montero.

Homer Bailey was absolutely awful again tonight. He gave up nine runs (six earned) over just 2.2 innings, walked two, and didn't strike anyone out. This was his second consecutive horrendous start, and he now has more walks than strikeouts. He has had a couple of decent starts too, but I would not touch him at this point. Jeff Mans will likely get on my case for flip flopping if he reads this, but you all know from the get go that I am not a Bailey fan.

John Danks is expected to miss his next start due to a blister on his finger. The White Sox don't expect him to miss more than one start because of this, but if you own him keep your eye out for more news. Until then, don't look for Danks to start tomorrow.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: brett cecil, clay buchholz, ervin santana, gaby sanchez, homer bailey, jeff niemann, John Danks, john lannan, magglio ordonez, mark derosa, miguel montero, rich harden

Jeff Francoeur has injected some offense into the pathetic Mets' lineup. Tonight against the Nats Frenchy had three hits including a homer and drove in three runs. Since being traded by the Braves on July 10th, he now has eight RBI in seven games. You would think as the Mets start to get healthier and there are some better players around him, Francoeur's numbers should increase. However, I am not saying go run out and get him, but if you have an injury or someone who REALLY is making you mad, he could be a decent option. I picked him up in one league that I am in with 16 teams in it and he is one of my starters.

For those of you in deep leagues where you might own Rodrigo Lopez, he pitched well again, but I think his time in the Phillies rotation might be short lived. He allowed just one run over six innings and struck out five against the Cubs, which is pretty impressive. With Hamels, Happ, Moyer, and Blanton set in stone, Lopez time might be short after the signing of Pedro Martinez. The Phillies are also usually in the lead when rumors of trades of Roy Halladay are being discussed, so it seems this moment in the sun will be short lived. If you have been counting on him, I suppose you should do so until he implodes or he is removed from the rotation. He did have a couple of good years for Baltimore a while back, but I am not expecting this pitching to continue.

David Hernandez has pitched pretty well under the radar for the Orioles. He allowed just a home run to the Yankees on Monday, and that was to Eric Hinske. In six starts, Hernandez has allowed more than three runs only once, although his strikeout numbers are a little lower than you would like with 21 in 38 innings pitched. There is a certain amount of risk with Hernandez because he is young, and the fact that he pitches for the Orioles means he won't get a ton of wins in that division. But he has now pitched reasonably well against the Yankees, Angels, and Tigers this season, so he might be worth a look in deeper leagues.

Tommy Hanson had his first double digit strikeout game tonight, a nice bounce back after allowing four runs in five innings his last time out. He also went seven innings for the second time in three starts, which is also nice to see a young guy start to be able to pitch deeper into games. I don't think I need to tell you to start Hanson every time he takes the mound, but if you are having any doubts, here goes..........Be sure you start Tommy Hanson every time out! There you go.

Johnathan Sanchez made his first start since throwing his no hitter, and had another pretty decent start. It was a long way from another no hitter, but considering how he was throwing before that, anyone who picked him up should be happy with it. Sanchez allowed three runs over six innings, walked three and struck out eight. He's not going to carry your team by any means, but if he can keep the ERA under control, Sanchez has always been good for the Ks.

Frank Francisco's latest trip to the DL is due to pneumonia. The move was made retroactive to July 11th, which means he is eligible to come back this Sunday, July 26th. C.J. Wilson will close in his absence

After hearing that Carlos Quentin would need a week to get back into shape to play actual games, he showed up tonight activated from the Disabled List and in the lineup for the Sox. He was able to get one hit in his return.

Nelson Cruz has a slightly fractured finger, but he is going to attempt to play through it. He should be back in the lineup tomorrow. Brandon Phillips had a similar injury, and he was able to play through the pain.

Mets' prospect Jonathon Niese looks to be in line for the start that Fernando Nieve would be taking except that he was the latest Met to hit the DL. Niese has been great in the minors lately (5-0, 0.72 ERA in his last seven starts), but he has struggled in the majors when the Mets have given him a chance.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: carlos quentin, david hernandez, frank francisco, jeff francoeur, johnathan sanchez, rodrigo lopez, tommy hanson

We have arrived at that point in the season where you have to evaluate your team and decide who stays and who goes. With league trade deadlines arriving, it's the right time to shake up your bullpen and get the value you need out of it not only with stats, but with trades.

The first thing you have to do is know where you stand in your league in the saves category. The other categories matter as well, but you can remain steady with strikeouts, WHIP, and ERA by adding free agents like LaTroy Hawkins, Ramon Troncoso, Ryan Madson, Ramon Ramirez, and others.

If you are in the top three in saves for your league and you have a strong lead, trade one closer. For example, in the Battle of The Fantasy Gods league I currently have a great bullpen with Broxton, Rivera, and KROD. I'm in second place in saves and I have no chance for first place, and I have an eight save lead on third place and a 22 save lead on 4th. I feel I should unload one of the closers and help my sagging offense. Likely, KROD would be the perfect closer to sell. Now if you are in the bottom four of your league in saves you should look to acquire a closer and grab some easy roto points. Here is our list of closers you should look to acquire, trade for, and the closers you must hold onto no matter the cost.

Closers to HOLD

Jonathan Broxton - Broxton does have the bad toe, but he is on a team that wins regularly and leads all closers in strikeouts.

Joe Nathan - Nathan has been the best closer in the league since May. He hasn't given up a run since May 15. He is the anchor of any bullpen and a must hold.

Mariano Rivera - I've been telling you BUY Rivera nearly all season, but now you have to hold him. He has been on fire and like Nathan, he is an anchor of any bullpen.

Huston Street - Street lost his job in the first week of the season, but since he has regained the job he has been outstanding. He hasn't blown a save since June 2, and that was the only one of the season.

Jonathan Papelbon - You have to worry about his inning limit, but you have to love his situation. The All-Star closer is on a team that wins constantly and he isn't afraid to face anyone.

George Sherrill - Sherrill doesn't get allot of save opportunities, but when he does he gets the job done. All year he has given two runs in all 20 saves he has recorded. His ERA would be NIL if you remove the blown saves and non-save opportunities.

Trevor Hoffman - He is quietly having a great season, but you probably wouldn't get much trade value for him so you have to hold. Hoffman's biggest problem is the lack of strikeouts. He has only recorded 21 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. Second biggest problem, lack of innings.

Brian Wilson - The San Francisco Giants are in the playoff hunt and you can thank Wilson for that. He has been outstanding this season and is one of the more underrated closers in fantasy baseball. You have to hold him.

Matt Capps - I haven't liked Capps all year, but you have to hold the guy. His ERA and WHIP are in orbit, but he is getting saves. The Pirates look like a team that can play spoiler, so Capps should end with at least 35 saves.

Andrew Bailey - Bailey has great stuff, but won't likely attract much attention in trade talks. Still, he should record plenty of saves and his strikeout totals should be alright.


Closers to BUY

Brian Fuentes - Fuentes doesn't have the greatest numbers, but he leads the league in saves with 28. The Angels are in it to stay and have the staff to win. Fuentes could get 50 saves by season's end.

Rafael Soriano - Even though it's not official, Soriano is clearly the closer in Atlanta. If you can sneak up on a Soriano owner who isn't sure either, and trade for him you would be lucky. His numbers are outstanding with 60 strikeouts and an incredibly low WHIP. Most owners only pay attention to saves, and Soriano offers much more.

David Aardsma - Aardsma is an anomaly. He doesn't have that great of stuff and his fastball is straight. However, he is a strikeout machine and he is closing for the Mariners and they are in it to win it. Quietly he has accrued over 50 strikeouts and has the fourth most strikeouts of all closers. Buy Big-D.

Kevin Gregg - Gregg has been hot over the past two months. In April and May he only had eight saves. Through June and and so far July, he has 10 saves and has lowered his ERA 1.39 in that span.

Fernando Rodney - The Tigers are playing well and even better, they are pitching well. Rodney pitches fire when he is in a save opportunity and gets hit hard when he comes into a regular game. Grab Rodney if the owner is offering. He could get 40 saves by season's end.

JP Howell - Howell is the closer in Tampa Bay and he As long as the Rays can get hot, so should Howell.

Leo Nunez - This is a bit of a risky call, but there is a chance that Nunez can hold the closer job even when Lindstrom comes back. The Marlins haven't been winning lately, but they will get hot and Nunez should start piling up saves. You shouldn't have to pay too much for him.

Jose Valverde - Valverde has been good since coming off the DL and novice managers may be willing to sell him very cheap because of his lack of saves and recent chances. The Astros should give Valverde 17 to 22 more opportunities and he could still end up with 30 saves.

Closers to SELL

Francisco Rodriguez - He is still a top notch closer, but the Mets are far too inconsistent at winning to keep him for his value. You can get allot in trade for him, much more than he will be worth the rest of the season.

Heath Bell - Bell has been the class of the 2009 closers, but his value is severely dropping closing for the Padres. As they do every year the Padres are selling players, couple that with a injury depleted pitching staff and that equals fewer save chances. He has two saves in July. Sell him while his value is high.

Ryan Franklin - Again, a pitcher on a team that is losing. Even if the Cardinals start winning more, Franklin cannot keep his numbers where they are. His ERA and WHIP are far below 1.00 and the saves are slowing down a bit. Eventually something has to give.

Francisco Cordero - Cordero has been outstanding all season, but he is on a team that is young and one that will likely sell some players. That does not equal more saves and he hasn't been lighting up the strikeout category either with only 31 Ks in 38 innings. His split stats suggest that his strikeouts and other numbers will get even worse.

Bobbie Jenks - Jenks isn't having his best season, but he is still a reliable closer. However, I feel he should be moved with the White Sox and Jenks struggling. His ERA is nearly one point above his career ERA and he hasn't been pitching well lately.

Joakim Soria - This just isn't the season to own Soria. So far he has only 14 saves primarily do to injury, but with the Royals performing the annual fold till next year routine, Soria won't likely get 14 more saves. It is about time you get what you can for the closer.

Frank Francisco - Ever since the Rangers rested Francisco after his DL stint I have been SELL on the guy. You just don't want to worry about a reoccurring injury and a pitcher that rarely gets chances. The Rangers do win, but they tend to win big or lose big. Sell Francisco, he'd be lucky as a four-leaf clover to get 28 total saves.

Brad Lidge - I don't know who would buy him, but he is far more trouble then he is worth. Unload the dead weight.

Kerry Wood - The Indians are done, throw the leftovers in the doggie bag. Wood was awful before the Indians gave up and he will be worse after. Sell him, but don't expect much.

Matt Lindstrom - This is a hard sell, but do it if you can. He is currently on the DL and he has had a tough season. He likely could lose the job to Nunez even when he comes back. Even if he keeps the job, still sell him.

Chad Qualls - He isn't a closer and never should have been. He did have a great start, but the Diamondbacks are terrible this year and even know they have been better lately, Qualls hasn't seen much benefit from it. Qualls had 12 saves through May and only five since June 1.

Scott Downs - Get value for him while you can. He has only nine saves and the way the Blue Jays play he may not get 16! Halladay pitches complete games and if they trade him that still hurts Downs. The rest of their staff are rookies and also consider the fact he is an injury risk.

Time is running out to make the necessary moves your team needs to make the playoffs or sustain come playoff time. The next few weeks are the best time to select a key free agent who can make a great impact on your team. Players will be traded to new teams, prospects will be called upon and certain players will finally be given a shot to see what they can do. There will be a lot of fluctuation in the next few weeks and this is your chance to capitalize.

SECOND HALF SOX

1) Jed Lowrie (3B/SS) -- Red Sox -- Lowrie was activated from the 60 day disabled list on Saturday and proceeded to jack a HR in his third at bat. The Red Sox designated Julio Lugo for assignment clearing the way for a Lowrie/Nick Green platoon situation at SS for now. Lowrie is the more talented hitter and after he is eased back into things it is my belief he will get the majority of playing time over the popular Green.

2) Clay Bucholz (RHP - Starter) -- Red Sox -- To make room for Lowrie the Red Sox sent back down Bucholz who had just won his first major league game in nearly a year by holding the Blue Jays to 1 run in 5.2 innings. Bucholz is caught up in a numbers game in Boston this year as they have just accumulated too many starting pitchers. I think it is a tragedy holding this kid back any longer because every inning he pitches in AAA is probably one less than he will in his major league career and that is a shame. There is a possibility that the Red Sox could deal for Roy Halladay before the deadline and if so I guarantee that Bucholz will be a part of that deal. One way or another, Bucholz will pitch in the majors again this season and when he does he has already proven that he has the ability to dominate.

OUTFIELDERS, OUTFIELDERS EVERYWHERE

3) Garrett Jones (Outfield) -- Pirates -- This is a great story and one which I have told a couple of times on Fantasy Baseball Tonight. Jones was on his way to visit his ailing Father in an Illinois hospital when the Pirates dealt Eric Hinske to the Yankees in return for some low minor leaguers. Jones himself has been a career minor leaguer scratching away for nearly a decade in the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins organizations before catching on with Pittsburgh earlier this year. With an open roster spot the Pirates gave a call to AAA Indianapolis to promote Jones only to find out he had just taken a leave of absence to be with his Father. The folks in Indianapolis called Jones on his cell phone and gave him the news and a decision had to be made. Go to Pittsburgh and realize a dream long overdue or go to Illinois and be with his severely ill Father? Jones called his family to which his Dad got on the line and told him he wouldn't speak to him if he didn't get his butt to Pittsburgh immediately. He did exactly that and has been raking ever since. Jones has 7 HR in his first 57 AB's already and is playing with the fire and passion of a guy who's dream has just come true.

4) Carlos Gomez (Outfield) -- Twins -- I loved Gomez coming into the season but he fell flat for most of the first half. Fantasy owners everywhere have given up on him this season but he has been coming on since the beginning of July. Gomez has some power to go with his good speed and when he is right he can be a very good fantasy performer. The Twins have recognized that Gomez is on a hot streak and are playing him everyday now until he cools off which may not be for quite awhile. This is a great pickup right now if you can still get him.

5) Franklin Gutierrez (Outfield) -- Mariners -- Gutierrez is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. His range factor is through the roof and he's got a very strong arm to boot. The problem offensively with Gutierrez is that while he destroys left handed pitching he is below average across the board against righties. This year he's improved his strategy against RHP and instead of trying to drive the ball as he does against LHP, he's now just trying to make simple contact and go up the middle and to right field most times. This has been paying off in recent weeks as Gutierrez has raised his average to .294 overall and already has 12 HR, 44 runs and 41 RBI. He is an everyday player and is starting to come on strong offensively.

6) Chris Dickerson (Outfield) -- Reds -- With Jay Bruce out for 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist, Dickerson is the one who will get first crack at Bruce's spot in the everyday lineup. Though Dickerson has missed a few games recently with back spasms, it doesn't appear that it will be anything that will keep him out of the lineup long term. Dickerson has a nice blend of power and speed and is especially useful in OBP leagues because while he doesn't usually hit for a high average, he is an on-base machine. If Dickerson were to go down, Drew Stubbs would be next in line to get a shot and that would also be a very good roster addition too. For now though give Dickerson a shot. The upside could be very good if he can just stay on field.

ANGEL IN THE INFIELD

7) Erick Aybar (Shortstop) -- Angels -- I am so frustrated with the way the Angels have been handling their prized middle infield prospects lately. They seems to never want to give them a long term tryout and rather drag them in and out of the lineup on a day in and day out basis. Finally, Aybar has appeared to scratch his way into a full time role and is doing an exceptional job of late. He's hitting .304/.342/.413 on the season and has 3 HR's and 7 SB too. Aybar is fast and has the ability to steal 30+ bases in a full season. As long as he's getting on base and in the lineup most days, he will steal bases and score runs at a real good pace. With just about every fantasy owner crying over the lack of middle infield help, Aybar is owned in just 5% of leagues right now. So stop you're sobbing and help yourself already!

A VOTE FOR PEDRO

8) Pedro Martinez (RHP - Starter) -- Phillies -- He didn't get the $5 million he had wanted at the beginning of the season, but Martinez is back in the big leagues and with a contender once again. He doesn't have the velocity the he once did but his ball still moves with the crisp bite that it always has and that is troublesome for hitters. I am one of the few guys who believes Martinez warrants some fantasy consideration now. He won't post an ERA in the 2's or strikeout a hitter an inning anymore but the guy knows how to pitch and right now that is all Philadelphia really needs. Martinez will be able to last long enough in games for the Phillies offense to score the runs necessary to get him wins. Don't expect anything close to the Cy Young form, but he'll give the Phillies and your fantasy team a nice little lift right when you need it the most.


That is the Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think?
Post your comments below or email me at jeff@fantasybaseballsearch.com

Jed Lowrie was in the Red Sox lineup for the first time since April 11th, and he made the most of his return. He might have only had one hit, but it was for his first home run of the year. He is an interesting fantasy player because he doesn't hit for a lot of power and he doesn't steal a whole lot of bases. However, Lowrie will hit around .300 and he drives in a good number of runs. Last year when he came to the majors he had 46 RBI in just 81 games. If he is available, I would try to make a place for him on your roster. He has eligibility at a couple different positions and depending on the size of your league should be a nice help to your squad, even if it is just in an insurance role.

Scott Kazmir didn't get the win, but he did allow just one run over six innings, and now has three good starts of his four since coming back from the Disabled List. Even though he walked four guys in six innings, this outing will likely calm down the fear of Kazmir's owners who were sweating after he allowed seven runs in his last start. He isn't an elite pitcher, but he is definitely worthy of being your third pitcher. Kaz should be good more often than not, and you should start him in confidence against any opponent.

For all of you Johan Santana owners who are worried about your pitcher because of either his recent performances or the injury situation in New York, hopefully today rested your mind. Please remember two things. Some of his teams in Minnesota that he pitched on weren't that great. Second, Johan's career second half numbers are disgusting. After the All-Star Break for his career, Santana is 58-17 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He also has 734 strikeouts in only 714 innings. Does that make you feel better?

Same thing with the Nolan Reimold owners. I know that a lot of you were very happy with the rookie when he was called up, but he went in a decent sized slump just before the All-Star Break. Good news is he now has two straight multi-hit games since the break has ended. He will likely be somewhat inconsistent for the rest of the season, but I still think he will have a solid season and hit 17-18 home runs.

Alex Rodriguez continues to mash the baseball and is again an elite fantasy player even without the great batting average or his usual 20 stolen bases. A-Rod bombed out his 18th dinger of the year, and now has 51 RBI, despite missing the first month of the season. I don't care that he is hitting in the .250s and he only has three homers, look for Alex to hit at least 25 taters this season, and if he gets hot, perhaps challenge 40.

Can someone please teach Mike Hampton the correct way to transition the baseball from his bare hand to his glove? Hampton looked like he was going to pound the ball into his glove in frustration after allowing a base hit, but there was just one problem. He missed his glove and the ball nearly rolled to the dugout allowing Matt Kemp to score. UGH! Not a good night to be a Houston fan.

Jered Weaver had his sixth straight start that he allowed three earned runs or more, and his amazing start is starting to become more of a distant memory than a part of the norm. He is still getting a good number of strikeouts, and is a basic lock to exceed his career high in wins, but Weaver has been disappointing his owners lately. Given the season he had last year, I can't say that I am supremely confident that this is a small bump in the road and won't continue. I still think Weaver has a good chance to win at least 15 games, but seeing that he had 10 wins at the break, is that really a very good thing?

Charlie Morton had his best start since coming to Pittsburgh from Atlanta in the Nate McLouth trade. Morton threw seven shutout innings, allowed just three hits and struck out six. Now, before you get too excited, his minor league ERA was over 4.00 for his career, and in 15 starts for the Braves last season his ERA was over 6.00. He is not a guy that I would trust unless you are in a 20 team league and you have been dealt a hand that includes a lot of injuries. Stay away from Morton at this point.

Franklin Gutierrez has been a popular pickup lately because he has been so hot, but please don't expect this hitting to continue. He showed some promise in the lower levels of the minor leagues in the earlier in the decade, but since then the projections for his future have dropped. He is already very close to his career highs for homers and RBI and he will likely surpass them, but he will not continue to produce at this clip. Sell high if you can, if not, ride him while he is hot but don't expect it to continue.

Randy Wells actually collected a win on Saturday, but it was the second consecutive start that he allowed four earned runs. He improved to 5-4, but only struck out one batter and raised his ERA to an even 3.00. For those of you who have been reading this column for a while, you know I don't have a ton of confidence in Wells going forward. I think that he will have his share of decent starts, but I think these last few where he has allowed four runs are the start of a trend. Look for that ERA to continue to climb for the rest of July and August.

Manny Parra had his second consecutive solid start since returning from the minor leagues, and now looks like he belongs on fantasy rosters again. Parra allowed only one run over six innings and struck out six against the Reds who aren't an anemic offense. I can't say that I have supreme confidence in Parra going forward, but he has at least proven that he made some sort of adjustment in his time in AAA, and hopefully will stay on the right track. He is a bit of a risk, but it is a good risk at this point.

The demise of Zack Greinke has been horribly over publicized and is just not factual, and tonight he put another chapter in his fantastic season. He might not have gotten the win, but Greinke was rock solid against the Rays. He allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out seven. For all of you who have been worried about Greinke, he has allowed more than three earned runs in a start just twice all year long, and still has more strikeouts than innings pitched. Wins are a bit more of a problem since the Royals have gone in the tank, but he is still an elite pitcher and one of the better keepers as far as pitchers are concerned.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: alex rodriguez, Charlie Morton, franklin gutierrez, jed lowrie, johan santana, manny parra, nolan reimold, randy wells, scott kazmir, zack greinke

Josh Hamilton finally hit his first home run and stole his first base since returning from the Disabled List, and he did them both in the same game. Hamilton was 3/4 and drove in three runs, calming some of his fantasy owners' fears that he would not return to the form we are accustomed to after his many injuries this year. It is just one game, but this is a step in the right direction. The guy was a monster last year, if he is healthy, and we have to believe he is, he should mash in the second half.

Chris Carpenter continues his magical season with another dominating performance against the Diamondbacks on Friday. Carpenter scattered seven hits over eight innings and struck out seven batters. He is now 8-3 with an ERA of only 2.26 and a WHIP of 0.88. He was a large injury risk coming into the season, but for those of you with some stones, he is paying off big time. I certainly hope I don't need to say that Carpenter is a must start every single game he is in.

Clay Buchholz pitched very well for himself, and now the question is whether he will be able to stay in the big leagues or whether he will be headed right back down to Pawtucket. Buchholz allowed only one run over 5.2 innings, walked three and struck out three. It wasn't dominant, but it was obviously more than the Sox needed. He certainly deserves to stay with the big club, but barring a trade of Brad Penny or an injury somewhere, I have to think that he is going back down. Man, I hope I'm wrong!

Aramis Ramirez hit his first homer since May 6th, and it was his first since coming back from injury. He is a perpetual 30 home run guy, and although he won't get there this year, he should have a good second half of the year. Look for Aramis to threaten to hit 20 homers, but I believe he will fall a little short.

Ricky Romero was able to strike out eight batters on Friday, but he couldn't even get through the fifth inning, and he also walked five guys. Romero allowed four runs, and his WHIP went up over 1.30. I have been skeptical of him all season long, and to this point he has proven me wrong. Is this the start of a bad streak? I don't wish that on anyone, but I would not be surprised if he had a bad stretch at the end of July.

Edwin Encarnacion homered for the second straight game, and is now 7/7 in the two games after the All-Star Break. If all goes well, Edwin could hit ten or twelve more homers before the end of the year, and he is worth at least a bench spot on your team, I just wouldn't put much stock in him. He is helped by the fact that there are about four good 3Bs this year.

Martin Prado continues to hit, and I continue not to buy in to it. Prado doubled and homered on Friday, raising his season average to .330. He has certainly gotten a stranglehold on the second base job for Atlanta and he has five multi-hit games in the last eight. This is the first chance in his career to get regular at bats and he is certainly making the most of it, but I really don't see this trend continuing. You might be able to sell high on him while he is hot.

Chad Billingsley had his worst outing of the season by far, as he didn't even get out of the second inning. Billingsley was pounded for six runs and didn't strikeout a batter. This is his second straight HORRIBLE start. However, there is no indication that anything is wrong with Billingsley physically, so you have to continue to pitch him every fifth day. He has to turn this around sometime soon, he is too good to pitch this poorly.

Alex Gordon was back in the lineup for the first time since April 15th, and he was able to contribute a single. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from him in the second half of this season. Chances are he will continue to disappoint, not only has he not played in three months, but I have also read that he is coming back at less than 100%. If you have a roster spot that is just rotting he is worth a flier, but other than that I would leave him be.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: alex gordon, aramis ramirez, chad billingsley, chris carpenter, clay buchholz, edwin encarnacion, josh hamilton, martin prado, ricky romero

When the New York Mets signed Gary Sheffield back in April, I was a bit skeptical. Perhaps it was my personal dislike for Sheffield that contributed to my opinion on the signing. After numerous injuries and defensive shortcomings, the once crowded outfield became alarmingly thin. Gary Sheffield proved to be the right man to step up and fill the void. With a .286 batting average and 10 home runs, Sheffield has showed the world that he can still get the job done.

Last night, in a divisional match up against the Atlanta Braves, Sheffield pulled up lame while fielding a ball. At first, it appeared that another Met would be making a trip to the disabled list, but to the relief of Mets' fans, the injury was diagnosed as a cramp. This is good news to all the Sheffield owners, who may have feared a hamstring injury. Sheffield's teammates, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and John Maine are slowly working their way back to a return.

Jose Reyes (hamstring) has been showing signs of improvement, and should be back in the lineup soon. The big question is whether or not Reyes will be the same player when he returns. Known as a speed demon on the base paths, Reyes could see a drop in stolen bases for the remainder of the season. He's swiped just 11 bags to date, but has only played in 36 games. Expect Reyes to be a bit tentative when he returns, but look for him to start picking up the pace as his comfort zone expands. If he can stay healthy, he will swipe enough bags to keep most owners happy.

Carlos Beltran isn't even close to coming back from his knee bruise. Beltran's MRI over the All-Star Break revealed that his bone bruise is still present. He has yet to start running or riding a bike, and could miss a substantial part of the remainder of the season. If you're a Beltran owner, you really have no choice but to put him on your disabled list and move on. He could be productive when he returns, but as of now his trade value has taken a drastic hit. It's one of those situations where you're handcuffed as a fantasy owner.

Carlos Delgado (hip) is taking some swings and participating in infield practice, but is not expected to return for another month or so. In the meantime, if you're still looking for more production at first base, Martin Prado or Garrett Jones may be available in your league. Prado has been on fire lately, and not even the All-Star Break could cool him off as he had two hits including a home run last night. With 1B, 2B and 3B eligibility, Prado could prove to be a valuable asset down the stretch. Jones on the other hand has been just as hot, but may not be eligible at first base in all leagues. Jones is batting .310 with five home runs in just 42 at bats.

John Maine pitched a simulated session last night, and should be back in 7-10 days if all goes well. Maine isn't much of a fantasy pitcher, as he's handed out 34 walks in just 61.2 innings pitched. Unless your league is extremely deep, there is no reason to have Maine on your roster. There are better options out there. If you're looking for a boost in pitching, consider a player like Joel Pineiro or Nick Blackburn, who are both having solid seasons.

In other injury news, Javier Vazquez says he is ready to make his scheduled start this Sunday. Vazquez has been battling a lower abdomen strain for the past month. Keep a close eye on him over his next few starts. Sunday's match up is against the Mets, so I would give the green light on starting him. If he is not bothered by injury, we could see double digit strikeouts.

Carlos Quentin (plantar fasciitis) is expected to be back in about a week or so. After missing extended time, the wait is almost over for Quentin owners. Quentin should add some power to your lineup once he returns.

Edinson Volquez is still limited to long toss, and isn't expected to return until mid-August. Volquez who dominated last season has been a disappointment in 2009. Overall I like Volquez, just not for this season. He's on my high risk list, and that type of uncertainty doesn't fly on my team.

Matt Lindstrom will begin a minor league rehab assignment sometime next week and should return in two to three weeks. Even after he returns, his role as closer could be in jeopardy. If you're looking for saves, hold on to him or pick him up. Personally, I think there's a good chance that he regains his closer role.

Ryan Braun left the game on Friday after being hit in the hand by a pitch. It doesn't appear to be serious, but we will find out more over the weekend. The move to take him out was said to be precautionary.

Kevin Slowey (wrist) will throw a bullpen session today, but there is still no definite timetable for his return. Slowey hasn't been great, but he's been consistent. With 10 wins, it appears that the Twins have no trouble providing run support with him. Be cautious with him for his first couple of starts once he makes his return.

Mark DeRosa (torn tendon sheath) should be back with the Cardinals within a week. DeRosa's versatility makes him valuable to almost any fantasy roster, but with an injury like that combined with the pressure of a new club, DeRosa could have a disappointing second half. I'm not too high on DeRosa right now, so if there's buyers out there, I'd advise you to sell.

Ervin Santana had his best outing since June 5th. On Thursday, Santana threw eight great innings, allowed just one run and struck out four. His ERA for the season is still at 6.70, but I know many of you still have hope given the stats that he put up in 2008. He should improve on his first half, but I don't expect him to pitch in the second half like he did last year. With two wins on July 16th, he could get up to eight wins.

Cliff Lee teased his owners again tonight. Lee went the distance, allowed just one run, didn't walk a batter and struck out six. He really has been pitching better than his 5-9 record would indicate. His ERA is a more than respectable 3.31, even if his WHIP is a little higher than you would like at 1.36. His strikeouts are right about where they usually are (99 in 136 innings), so it is the fact that his team stinks that explains his record. If he gets hot, he could win 12 or 13 games, so if you have Lee, keep throwing him out there every five days.

Rich Harden had the kind of outing that we had become accustomed to him having in his career on Thursday. Harden threw six shutout innings, allowed just three hits and struck out seven. His record is now back to .500, but his other stats are just pedestrian. I don't think that I would seek out a trade for Harden because I just don't know what to expect going forward. My head tells me he has to improve, but my eyes tell me he has been little more than average this season.

Derrek Lee is really starting to make me nuts now. I always like to write about how over rated he is, but lately he has been on an incredible hot streak that apparently took no break during the All-Star festivities. Lee came out of the break with three hits and his 18th homer of the year. Barring injury he has a shot at 30 home runs, a total he hasn't hit since 2005. I would still look to sell high on Lee for a guy like Joey Votto, but if you want to hold on to him he looks fairly strong.

Homer Bailey was more like the Bailey that I expected. I felt like a prostitute having to say that he might be worth a roster spot a couple weeks ago, but now he is back to normal. Bailey gave up seven runs over 5.1 innings, walked four and struck out three. He isn't going to be consistent, I had a quick brain fart there. Stay away from Bailey, he just won't pan out. I know he was a top prospect, but they just all don't pan out.

Edwin Encarnacion has done better than I anticipated coming back from the DL, but I am still not a big fan. He has had one hit or more in every game but two since July 3rd, and tonight he had three hits including his second home run this month. He has driven in seven runs this month, but they all came in two games. As a bench guy to have in case of injury I like Edwin, but I would not want him in my everyday lineup.

Chad Gaudin continues to get great strikeout numbers, but being on the Padres, that limits his fantasy value. Against the Rockies on Thursday, Gaudin allowed just one earned run, and struck out eight over five innings. He is strictly a one category pitcher. His ERA is nearly 5.00, his WHIP is over 1.40 and he only has four wins, but he has 93 strikeouts in 87 innings. If you need Ks, grab Gaudin, but beware he will hurt your other pitching categories.

Jaime Moyer was awesome tonight, but don't fall into that trap. Sure, his record looks good at 9-6, but his ERA is over 5.50 and his WHIP is over 1.40. Add that together with very few strikeouts and the fact that he plays in a hitters' park, and I would not own Jaime Moyer. Unless you are in a 16-20 team league or an NL-only league, there MUST be better options.

The neverending rain here in New York threatened another softball game on Thursday, but we were able to get an official game in between the rain, thunder, and lightning. We led off the game with five runs in the first inning, which I had an RBI double right down the third base line. A nice liner that got past the third baseman. I walked the second time up, before popping out to fairly deep right as I continue to experiment with hitting to the opposite field. All in all, 1-2 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. I also tagged up on a pop fly to the first baseman. It was a lazy fly that kind of had him spun around and I was pretty sure he wouldn't expect me to run. It would have been a very close play if the throw was good and the 3B was able to field the ball. Luckily he tried to catch me more than the ball and I was able to get my foot on the bag before he could corral the ball. We had a rain out game on Sunday which I will recap on Friday.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: chad gaudin, cliff lee, derrek lee, edwin encarnacion, ervin santana, homer bailey, jaime moyer, rich harden

Red Sox super phenom pitcher Clay Buchholz will be called up and start for the Red Sox at Toronto. Although he has struggled some in his past major league outings (5-10, 5.56 ERA in 18 career starts), he has dominated at AAA this year with a 7-2 record with a 2.36 ERA and 86 Ks in 93 innings. I'm not sure if this is one start or he will be in the rotation following the ASG, but I am trying to find that out as we speak. If you are looking for a strong spot start, Buchholz is an amazing choice. In keeper leagues I think you have to grab him whether he only starts once or not. Unless you really can't afford a dead spot on your roster. If you want you can email me your situation and I will try to analyze if for you.

By the way, Jake Fox didn't start behind the plate, but he has come in to catch in the nightcap for the Cubs. See if that trend continues.

Another typical outing for Jordan Zimmerman. He allows just one run through six innings and then gives up a two run homer to put a damper on his appearance. And do the Nats do anything to help out his cause? Ah, no. No runs on 11 hits total for Washington and Zimmerman falls to 3-4. He did strikeout six in those six innings, so he is helping you there even if he can't buy a win. I still like this kid and think he is a great guy to have in keeper leagues. This was the first time he had given up more than two runs since June 4th. He is a good pitcher, and hopefully Washington will start to give him some support at some point.

Clete Thomas had three hits, including his fifth homer of the season and he drove in five runs. Do I really think that Clete Thomas is an exciting fantasy player? Actually, no. However, this is the guy that is supposed to platoon in the outfield with Magglio Ordonez, so the better he does the less and less that Ordonez will see the field. I'm not sure there are too many situations where I would continue to hold Maggs on my team, and the better that Thomas plays the fewer situations make sense to have Ordonez on your team.

J.A. Happ was great again and has ran his record to 6-0. If he is still available in your league WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? The guy pitches for one of the best offensive teams in baseball, plays in a division without a great offense, and hasn't lost a game yet. His ERA is just 2.90 and his WHIP is only 1.17. Definitely pick up Happ if he is on your waiver wire.

Kyle Lohse returned from the DL for the Cardinals and he STUNK! Lohse allowed four runs over five innings, walked three and struck out two. Now I don't expect Lohse to be Johan Santana, but he should be better than that. He could be a guy at the end of your rotation, or even better a guy you pick up to start when he pitches against a bad team.

Kurt Suzuki remains one of the hottest catchers among those that weren't drafted among the elite. Suzuki has gotten at least one hit in ten straight game, and has driven in six runs over that span. I picked him up in one league where I had a rough time with my catcher and have been more than happy with the results. If you don't have one of the elite catchers and are at all dissatisfied with your guy, pick up Suzuki. He won't win you the league, but he will stabilize that spot for you.

Yovani Gallardo had his second straight subpar start and lost his third straight decision. Of course the Brewers hadn't scored in his two starts before today, but even with run support he was bad. Gallardo allowed five runs over five innings, walked four and struck out three. Even with this little skid, he still has an 8-5 record and his ERA is only 3.22. Gallardo will be one of the top 15 pitchers in baseball when all is said and done in 2009, and he will have a great second half of the year. Fifteen wins is well within his grasp.

Clayton Kershaw had some control issues again on Sunday, but the kid has found his groove. He allowed just one run over six innings, walked five and struck out four. Sure the walks don't make you feel good, but he allowed no earned runs in four of his last six starts leading to the break, and hadn't allowed more than three earned runs in an outing since May. He will be one of the more coveted pitchers to keep when 2009 is over.

Jim Thome owners are probablywishing the All-Star Break didn't arrive. Over the past two days Thome drove in seven runs to bring his half season total to 50. He will turn 39 in August and is batting around .250 so don't get too excited about this little streak, but if you own him I would consider starting him on Thursday when the schedule resumes.

Brandon Morrow was sent down to AAA, and like Tommy Hanson it is because they Mariners won't need a fifth starter until July 25th, but unlike Hanson I'm not 100% sure that he will be called back up when the time comes. I don't know what other options that Seattle might have, but Morrow certainly hasn't pitched well enough to hold that spot down. He has been wildly inconsistent all season long, and if I owned him I think I would feel comfortable enough to let him go.

Injury News

Matt Lindstrom is doing fine in his rehab from his elbow injury, but according to the Marlins it will likely be another month before he is able to return. When this injury initially happened I worried about Lindstrom's ability to reclaim his job when he returned. Leo Nunez had been pitching well and I thought if he continued that while Lindstrom was out he could be the Marlins' closer for the remainder of the season. But seeing that Florida has given some opportunites to Dan Meyer, I am now guessing that Lindstrom will go back to closing when he returns, even though he has certainly had his moments of wildness. Stash him if possible.

Jay Bruce fractured his wrist last night and will likely miss several weeks. He is going to be examined today and the Reds are awaiting that report before they give a timetable for his return. My guess is that you will hear six to eight weeks as an estimate for the time he will miss. Stash the future star on your DL slot. Doesn't look like he will be back any time soon.

The New York Post reported that Jose Reyes ran without a noticeable limp, but there is still no indication of when he might return. Reyes will need at least a couple of weeks to get back into shape and some rehab games once he begins baseball-related activities. It is looking like you won't have your starting shortstop back any sooner than August 1st.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: clay buchholz, clayton kershaw, clete thomas, j.a. happ, jake fox, jay bruce, jim thome, jordan zimmerman, jose reyes, kurt suzuki, Kyle Lohse, magglio ordonez, Matt Lindstrom, yovani gallardo

Brandon Wood actually played today for the Angels, and he made the most of it hitting his first home run of the season. This was the first at bat that Wood has been given since being called up the other day, and hopefully this production will earn him more time. It is still too risky to count on him to play for your team every day. If you have a deep roster he might be worth stashing because of his great power potential. Just know that chances are as of now that he won't play very often.

After getting off to a good first couple months, Andy Pettitte has now allowed six runs in consecutive starts, and is looking more risky by the day. After being a .500 pitcher with an ERA near 5.00 last season, many didn't expect him to get out to the 8-3 start. Well, we are now looking at another ERA at 4.85, and he has lost two straight starts. I would definitely consider letting him go at this point, but if you are a devout Pettitte fan give him one more start.

Adam Kennedy continues to stay red hot against American League pitching and connected on his seventh home run of the season. Not bad for a guy who had hit five in the past two seasons combined. What does that tell you? The guy is 33 years old and his career high is 13 home runs. Chances are that he is going to go into a decent slump at some point in the near future. You can continue to play Kennedy while he is hot, but don't expect him to keep up this production.

Luke Scott is hot again, and we all remember what happened the last time this guy got on a good streak. Scott now has an 11 game hit streak that includes four home runs and 13 RBI. Definitely continue to play him until you see him have three or four hitless games in a row. When Scott is on, he can carry a fantasy team all by himself.

Garrett Jones continues to hit since he was called up on July 1st for the Pirates. Jones showed a good deal of power while in the majors, but wasn't among the top rated prospects. Last season at AAA, Jones hit 23 homers and drove in 92 runs in 138 games. He hit .279 and won't bring speed. In ten games since coming to the majors, Jones has now hit four home runs, driven in seven runs and is hitting near .300. Obviously this pace has to slow down, but he is looking like a guy who could possibly help your team.

Jeff Francoeur hit a two run single in his first at bat with the Mets and although it is just one hit, perhaps a change of scenery is just what he needs. If you are in a deeper league or have an injury or a spot that you are looking to replace, give him a try. Citi Field might eat up some of the home runs, but he should produce SOMETHING there. Any offense for the Mets right now is much needed.

John Smoltz hasn't gone deep into games since coming over to the Sox, but he has been good half the time. Smoltz struck out seven over five innings and allowed just one run for his first win of the season. I think that you will get a lot of this kind of thing from Smoltz going forward. He probably won't pitch a ton of innings, but my guess is that the majority of the time they will be quality innings. He won't be an elite pitcher, but definitely worth a roster spot.

Sorry this is so short gang, I was watching the UFC 100 and had a bunch of company to watch Michael Bisping get LAID OUT by Dan Henderson. Definitely a good show! I'll make it up to you tonight.

Johnny Cueto is scheduled to start for the Reds tonight in a 7:10 PM match up against the Mets at Citi Field. Cueto, who was hit hard in his last start, only retired two batters and didn't even make it out of the first inning. When it was all said and done, Cueto allowed nine earned runs on five hits.

If you're a Cueto owner, I wouldn't get too alarmed. Cueto had been experiencing lower back pain, but that shouldn't affect him too much tonight. If you're on the fence about starting or sitting him, I would recommend starting him. Tonight's game is the perfect scenario for a bounce back performance. Cueto will have pitcher friendly Citi Field combined with a depleted Mets' lineup working together in his favor. Look for him to have a quality start, with the right conditions to have a huge game. I wouldn't be surprised if he went seven to eight innings with two or less earned runs and eight or more strikeouts. With the All-Star Break bringing extra days off, Cueto like many pitchers may be on an extended leash. Remember, the Mets have been held to two runs or less in six out of their last seven games, including three shutouts. The Mets are slumping badly, and David Wright has been at the center of it all. The only downside is that Cueto will be facing off with Met's ace Johan Santana. However, Santana has been a little inconsistent his last handful of starts. With Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto swinging the bat well of late, look for Cueto to have a solid shot at a win.

Labels: brandon phillips, david wright, joey votto, johan santana, johnny cueto

Jonathan Sanchez threw the first no-hitter of the season tonight against the San Diego Padres. He had everything going for him, and he struck out 11. It would have been a perfect game if not for an 8th inning error by Juan Uribe. This was his first start back in the rotation after being sent to the bullpen because of ineffectiveness. If it wasn't for the injury to Randy Johnson, he would still be in the 'pen. You would think that this would earn him a spot in the rotation for a while, especially since the Big Unit isn't due back any time soon. Even with this performance I wouldn't go running out and grabbing Sanchez unless you have a pitcher that is really underperforming. He gets a good number of strikeouts, but between the walks and the hits allowed he often gets himself into trouble.

Rich Harden left plenty to be desired in his latest start and is his record is now under .500. Harden had a rough day against the Cardinals, allowing four runs over five innings, walking four and striking out six. Sure, the strikeout numbers are still good, but the rest are not helping you. I keep saying that something has to be wrong with Harden, because he has never pitched this poorly. Sure he has had his troubles staying healthy, but he has always been a dominant pitcher when he's on the bump. Proceed with caution, but continue to start him every time out.

Brett Cecil hadn't been able to get our of the fourth inning in his last two starts, but turned it around on Friday against the Orioles. Cecil threw six shutout innings and struck out five. Unlike his teammate Ricky Romero, Cecil did have a good minor league career (and was the #3 ranked prospect in the Blue Jays system coming into the year), and I have more faith that he can keep this going. He did have a good start to the season before having an injury (four earned runs in three starts), so this didn't come out of nowhere. I'm not saying that you HAVE to have Cecil, but if you are looking for pitching he could be a decent option.

Ryan Garko has been getting playing time now, and he is making the most of it. He has a ten game hitting streak going that includes two home runs and four RBI. Garko won't give you a great average and has the capabilities to hit 20-25 homers, but until recently had found himself on the bench. The Indians want to put him in the outfield to give him at bats, so now it seems he will be in there most days. He is no more than a fourth outfielder on your team, maybe he can get on a hot streak.

Brian Bannister pitched a heck of a game against the Red Sox, and since June started he has been a pretty decent fantasy pitcher. That being said, I do not trust Bannister going forward and I would not trust him for any long stretch, and I certainly would not have started him tonight. He has allowed two runs or less in six of his last seven starts, but I am just not a fan. If he gets a good matchup, I would consider starting him, but I think this recent hot streak will be followed by a stretch of stuggles.

Ryan Church was traded today by the Mets to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur. This is surprising that two division rivals made a trade, but who is better off from a fantasy perspective? I would go with Church on this one. Both had been benched at different times this season and had fallen out of favor with their teams. Francoeur has always had trouble with plate discipline and strikes out plenty. Not only that but now he goes to a park that doesn't allow many home runs. Church, on the other hand, goes to a team that he will most likely play for, isn't in the doghouse. He also gets out of Citi Field and although Turner Field isn't the best hitters park, it is an upgrade.

Much love to Dustin Pedroia for his late game double that extended my Hit Streak at usatoday.com to eight, by far the most I have gotten to. Tomorrow's pick will be Lance Berkman. I am hesitant to pick an Astro hitter, but against the Nationals I will take my chances.

Jeff Niemann threw a complete game shutout tonight against the Athletics and struck out six. He is now 8-4 and has been good most of the season. He was one of the top ten prospects in the Rays organization coming into the year and won the fifth starter job over David Price. I don't expect him to win 15 games for Tampa, but he still should have a decent year. He could win 13 or 14 games before the year is out.

Chad Billingsley had another subpar outing today, and hasn't been his usual dominating self for any stretch of time since early May. He allowed five runs over five innings, walked four and struck out four. What is the deal with Billingsley? He is still doing OK, but I am looking for him to be one of the elite, and he hasn't pitched like that recently. I still start Billingsley with extreme confidence against any opponent, and fully believe that he will get on a hot streak after the All Star Break.

A laundry list of guys have hit the DL today, let's get to the carnage.

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto could miss a month with his oblique injury he suffered during batting practice. The only good news that might come out of this is that those of you on the Jake Fox bandwagon MIGHT be rewarded. Fox has done some catching before and could do that some for the Cubs. If he gains catcher eligibility, that would be huge.

Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero also went on the DL today. I don't have any details as of now if they will miss more than the required 15 days. Prospect Brandon Wood has been called back up, and maybe he will actually get at-bats this time. However, given the way they treated him last time, I can't say if he will get playing time.

Ryan Doumit of the Pirates and Raul Ibanez of the Phillies have both been activated. If Doumit is available I would grab him if you have any need at catcher, and of course get Ibanez back in your lineup.

Labels: brandon wood, brett cecil, chad billingsley, geovany soto, jake fox, jeff francoeur, jeff niemann, raul ibanez, rich harden, ryan church, ryan doumit, ryan garko, torii hunter, vlad guerrero

David Price owners must have a range of emotions today. First, if you decided to sit him, you have to be more than a little annoyed. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't pitch him today given some of his recent performances. However, even if you did sit him, you have to be very excited that not only did he pitch well and win the game, but he outdueled Cy Young favorite Roy Halladay. Price allowed just one run, walked just one, and struck out seven in six great innings. I wrote in the USA Today Sports Weekly this week that even though Price has struggled, that there would be a turnaround. This kid is way too talented to have pitched the way he has pitched. Trust me, keep pitching him he will start to reward you for it.

Manny Parra came back from the minors today and pitched FAR past anyone's expectations. Parra threw seven shutout innings, walked just one and struck out seven. I have already fielded multiple emails about Parra and what to expect going forward. Here's what I have been saying. If there is someone on your team who has been struggling, Parra is certainly worth adding on the chance that he has fixed his issues. Parra had a very inconsistent rookie season, but has shown flashes of his potential. Don't pick him up and expect this kind of outing every time he toes the rubber, but this is possible from time to time, so he is likely worth a risk if you aren't giving up an established guy.

Ryan Ludwick hit his second home run in the past three days, and has raised his batting average 15 points in the last eight days. Is he finally rounding back into form? Is he finally healthy from his injury earlier in the year? I still like Ludwick and believe that he will at least challenge 30 home runs again, if he doesn't surpass it. I believe that he will have a very good second half and will get his average over .270 as well.

Edwin Encanacion hit his first home run since coming off the DL, but I just don't have much faith in him. He strikes out a lot, he didn't hit for a very good average either last season. He showed some power in the minors, but I don't believe that you will see him top 25 homers very many times in his career. I see Edwin as a guy who will hit .270, with 18-20 homers, and 70-75 RBI. Not a horrible player, but don't expect him to repeat last year's numbers any time soon.

Have Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal started to get it going? Furcal has 13 hits in the last six days, including three doubles and a triple. He has only driven in one run and stolen one base over that time, but this is a baby step, and perhaps he will start contributing in the other categories as well. Heck, at least he is showing a pulse. Martin hasn't been doing quite that well, but he is improving. He has multiple hits in four of his last six games. He still isn't hitting for power or running, but at least the hits are coming. Perhaps he too will get his butt in gear.

Tommy Hanson avoided taking his first loss, but it was not his finest performance. He allowed four runs over five innings, walked two and struck out two. The Rockies have a pretty potent lineup, and you can't expect Hanson to be completely lights out every time he goes out. If this was a bad start, I'll take it every now and then.

Dexter Fowler is starting to steal bases again and a pretty good rate. He did get caught once tonight, but he also did swipe one bag, giving him five in the last ten days. He now has 18 on the year, and appears to have a real shot at 30. If you need some speed and guys like Nyjer Morgan and Michael Bourn aren't available, grab Fowler, he should give you a chance to win the steals category, or at least stay competitive.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: david price, dexter fowler, edwin encarnacion, manny parra, rafael furcal, roy halladay, russell martin, ryan ludwick, tommy hanson

According to some crazy back woods Spanish web site the Philadelphia Phillies and Pedro Martinez have agreed to a one year $4 million contract. The credibility of this story is still in question and we are working hard to verify it with a better source. Here is the link in case you want to read it yourself (It is in SPANISH).

http://candeladeportiva.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1881:exclusiva-pedro-firma-con-los-filis-por-4-millones&catid=19:grandes-ligas&Itemid=68

For those of you desperate for pitching help and who like to take chances you can go ahead and be the first in your league to officially add Pedro to your mix.

We will keep you updated throughout the night about the Pedro Martinez signing and much more TONIGHT on Fantasy Baseball Tonight.

The Home Run Derby has become a staple in the All-Star festivities, a fan favorite to many. Over the years, we've seen some of the top power hitters put on a show, launching balls out of the park as a sea of flash-bulbs light up the stadium. I myself find the Home Run Derby exciting, and as we all know, "chicks dig the long ball". However, as a fantasy owner, I've always been skeptical about the effects of the derby on players in the second half of the season.

After taking a closer look, there seems to be a pattern or trend in players who have been finalists in the Home Run Derby. Some players like Ryan Howard in 2006, and Miguel Tejada in 2004 are an exception, but an overwhelming number of players showed decline in power and average post All-Star Break. Among these players are Josh Hamilton and Justin Morneau in 2008, Alex Rios in 2007, David Wright in 2006, and Bobby Abreu in 2005. After making the finals in the Home Run Derby, these five players have combined for 90 home runs pre All-Star Break (1,754 AB), and 29 home runs post All-Star Break (1,306 AB). Together, they averaged one home run for every 19.5 at bats before competing in the derby (1:19.5), compared to one home run in every 33.5 (1:33.5) at bats after competing as a finalist in the derby.

In addition to the apparent power outage, there appears to be a drop in batting average in some of the players, and we're not talking about a minor difference. In 2008, Hamilton batted .310 pre derby (377 AB), and .296 post derby (247 AB), while Morneau batted .323 pre (365 AB), and .267 post (247 AB). In 2007, David Wright saw a slight decline in batting average dropping from .316 to .305. In 2005, Bobby Abreu batted .307 pre (323 AB), and .260 post (265 AB), while Ivan Rodriguez batted .292 pre (298 AB), and .252 post (206 AB).

Like I stated earlier, not all the players involved in derby finals saw a decline in the second half, but plenty of them did, and the decline is quite drastic in many cases. In recent news, reigning champ Justin Morneau declined to participate in this year's derby, stating he wanted to rest and watch instead. In fact, since the 2001, only three finalist from the previous year participated in the derby the following season. These players are Ryan Howard, Sammy Sosa, and Jason Giambi, and we know that Sosa and Giambi were steroid users. Intersting numbers in my opinion. This season seems to follow suit, as Hamilton and Morneau will not be participating in the upcoming derby.

It's not time to panic, but if you end up owning one of this season's Home Run Derby finalists, perhaps you should take note, and keep an eye on that player for the remainder of the season. If you are looking to make trade but unsure on who you want to deal, maybe it's time to sell high on that derby finalist. After all, Josh Hamilton was the player everybody wanted after last year's derby, right? I believe a derby finalist makes for perfect trade bait. As we saw with Hamilton, the hype carried over into this season's draft, even after an awful second half from last season, no track record, and a history of drug abuse. It's amazing what hype can do. So don't just watch the Home Run Derby, use it as a tool to deal a player at his peak "hype", and you'll be one step closer to a championship.

Wandy Rodriguez continues to pitch quite impressively at home, as he threw a complete game shutout on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, striking out 11. Wandy is a guy that I have learned to have more faith in this season, especially at Minute Maid (which is surprising considering some of its dimensions). He is a guy that I have on a few of my teams, generally as my fifth starter. Even if your staff is good, he is worth picking up for a good, home matchup from time to time. When he's on, Rodriguez can deal.

Chris Volstad is impossible to figure out. Volstad had lost six of his last seven decisions, and then all of a sudden (when I benched him!) he goes out and throws a shutout. In his last outing, he only lasted three innings against the PIRATES! Why would I have started him, or anyone for that matter, against the Giants who have been hitting. I still really like Volstad, and he is one of the better young pitchers in Florida, but he is going to have his moments that will make you want to touch that drop button.

Jorge De La Rosa won his fourth straight start, allowing three runs over 6.1 innings and struck out five. He has been an incredibly streaky guy. He started the season by losing his first six decisions. Since then he has gone 6-1. Which guy is the real one? Your guess is as good as mine. If nothing else he will get you a pretty good number of strikeouts, so even when he is bad he will help you in one category. However, even with this win his ERA sits at 5.03 and his WHIP is 1.43, mostly because of too many walks.

Chad Gaudin is another pitcher that you can look at if you really need strikeouts. He is on a roll lately, but this one won't last. Tonight Gaudin allowed just one run over 6.2 innings and struck out seven. That now makes it four of his last five starts that he allowed three runs or less. He mostly pitched out of the bullpen (ineffectively) last season, and wasn't a good starter for the A's back in 2007. Put that together with the fact that he pitches for the Padres and that makes him a guy that you can't put too much stock in. You can expect strikeouts, but not much else.

David Hernandez is one of the good young arms that the Orioles have coming through their farm system. He might be the worst of the group, but that doesn't mean he won't be good. Hernandez had a good minor league career, with a record of 15-6 record, and ERA under 3.00 and 245 Ks in 198 innings. So far in his last three starts in the majors, Hernandez has looked pretty good. The strikeouts haven't been there, but he allowed just two runs over six innings against the Mariners. He has also been walking too many guys, but his control should improve as he gets more comfortable and could be a guy who has a solid second half.

Homer Bailey was good again, even though he wasn't in line for a win. Bailey allowed just two runs over six innings and struck out six. The best part of the start was that Bailey didn't walk anyone. His control has been by far the biggest problem, and if he can continue to pitch like this, perhaps he will finally start to live up to all of the hype that was given to him when he was in the minors.

Scott Kazmir had his first bad start since coming back from the Disabled List, and BOY was it bad. Kazmir allowed seven runs over 6.1 innings, but kept his control walking only two and striking out four. Feel free to start Kazmir like you would have before his injury. He was good most of the time, but was prone to this kind of outing once in a while.

I know I promised I would never talk about him again, but I feel it is worth mentioning that Oliver Perez was back for the Mets, and was his usual self. It was like Oliver never left. He only allowed two runs over five innings against a great Dodgers' team and actually collected the win. However, like I said, the same old Oliver showed up. Perez walked seven guys over his five innings and threw 108 pitches in that span. He is worth a look if you are desperate, but don't put too much stock in this one outing, he has always pitched good against good teams.

Martin Prado continues to hit for the Braves, accumulating another two knocks and drove in his 16th run of the year. He had 17 hits over the last eight games, and has been on fire since being named the starter at second. I would consider using him as a short-term replacement for a middle infield spot, but I still don't have faith that he will keep this up for the rest of the year. He never showed much power or speed in the minors, so I think this is just a hot streak, and in a month we won't be talking about Prado anymore.

Andruw Jones had three homers on Wednesday, giving him 14 on the season. I don't think that this is a guy that you want to focus on. He does have seven homers in his past ten games, but even with that production, Jones is still not playing every day. This is a good story that he was able to find his talent again in Texas, but I still don't believe Jones to be fantasy worthy unless you are in an AL-only league.

Ervin Santana was bad again, and now the question comes "what should you do with him?" I would say this; While I don't have him in any league, I have to admit that it would be difficult for me to keep him on my roster considering the way he has been pitching. However, what are your options in free agency? If there is a solid pitcher out there that probably shouldn't have been dropped, then go ahead and drop him. If you are thinking of picking up Oliver Perez or Chad Gaudin or someone like that, I would hold on to Santana. The leash he would be on couldn't get any shorter though.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: aramis ramirez, chad gaudin, chris volstad, david hernandez, homer bailey, jorge de la rosa, martin prado, oliver perez, scott kazmir, wandy rodriguez

Jayson Werth homered for the third time in the last five games, and after a rough start, looks like he is going to far surpass his breakout season of 2008. After hitting 24 homers last season, few thought that Werth could do it again. Last night was his 18th of the season and if he can hit six more homers for the rest of the season, I'll go play in traffic. His stolen base numbers will likely be around the same, as he is looking like he will get to 20 again this season. Keep Werth in your lineup daily, even if you only need three outfielders.

J.A. Happ pitched well again, and is now looking like a guy that you can trust to keep on your roster full time. You would like to see him strike out a few more guys, but he hasn't lost in nine starts, goes fairly deep into games, and his ERA is just 3.04. If he is still available and you have any need any pitching, Happ is a guy that I would pick up. He plays for a good team as well, and I think he has a real chance to win 12 games.

Placido Polanco had three hits including a home run and drove in four runs. He might look like great help at middle infield, but unless you are only planning on using him for a short term, I wouldn't put much stock in him. I wouldn't say, hey I can trade Ian Kinsler to strengthen my team somewhere else because I have Polanco to take his place. Placido will give you a decent average, but he likely won't hit double digit home runs and he certainly won't steal ten bases. He could help you for a few weeks, but don't let him become an integral part of your team.

James Shields continues his crazy season, and was great last night. His ERA is nice at 3.38,and his WHIP is fine at 1.26. So why is he 6-6? It seems that the Rays are turning a corner and starting to win more games, so I would think that Shields has a chance to win at least 14 games. You have to live with the bad times, but I would still stick Shields out there against any team. He has the talent to shut down any team on any day.

Scott Hairston hit his first homer since being traded to the A's, and although he didn't get traded to a hitter-friendly ballpark, his home park used to be Petco, so it isn't like he isn't used to playing in the Grand Canyon. Hairston is a nice outfielder who should make a run at 20 home runs, and is a nice fourth outfielder for any team.

Paul Konerko had a game for the ages with three home runs and seven RBI. After hitting in the .250s and .240s the past couple of seasons, you have to expect that he will regress some from the .290s he is hitting right now. I don't see him hitting 40 home runs either, so his recent production has to slow down. Considering he has 16 jacks already, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for him to hit 30, but I wouldn't be surprised if he fell just short. kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk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Juan Rivera homered two more times, and he now has 16 on the year. Rivera now has 13 RBI in the last ten games, and is still hitting over .310. I keep warning against a possible cool down, but there appears to be no such thing in sight. Rivera's problems have always been health-related, so as long as he is in one piece he should continue to produce.

Luke Scott is hot again, and we all know how well he can do when he is hot. He now has a hit in eight straight games and he connected on his 17th homer, which was his third in the last six games. If you own Scott, definitely start him. This streak could last a couple of weeks before he cools down again.

Barry Zito has been pitching so far beyond his expectations coming into the season that it isn't funny. Zito threw 8.1 shutout innings and struck out six. His ERA is still well over four, but he has had some pretty bad starts against good teams. If you can get Zito against San Diego, Pittsburgh, or Washington I would definitely add him to have those numbers, but he doesn't do anything well enough to rationalize holding him all season long.

Sergio Romo has good stuff and recorded the save tonight, but I wouldn't put too much stock into his statistics on Tuesday. Brian Wilson had pitched two straight days and last night he threw 37 pitches. He could someday be the closer in San Francisco (certainly with a Wilson injury), but it won't be this year. Romo is a long term closer, but dont' think about him in 2009.

Saves: 8


Bobby Cox is going with the hot hand and that hand is Rafeal Soriano. Since Mike Gonzalez's last blown save on June 30, Rafael Soriano has been called in for the saves. Soriano got his ninth save of the season beating the Cubs 2-1. Gonzalez got the hold, but it's easy to see why Cox is going with Soriano. He has a 1.59 ERA and a minuscule 0.93 WHIP. Compare that to Mike Gonzalez's 3.12 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

Huston Street is starting another streak (try saying that 3 times fast) for July. He beat Washington 5-4 for his 21st save and needed only 12 pitches for the perfect inning. After a sizzling month of June with 11 saves, he started slow for July, but now has two saves for the month. Street has been incredibly consistent this year with only one blown save back on June 2, and 13 saves in a row.

Francisco Cordero continues to defy us all. He recorded his 21st save tonight and has yet to have a break down or a slump all season. He has only one blown save so far and has kept his WHIP to a very respectable 1.14.

Rodney has continued to produce saves with his 18th tonight, but he is quickly developing into a Todd Jones type. Even know he got the save and struck out two, he opened the inning with a hit and one batter later walked Willie Bloomquist to bring up the tying run. He got the next guys out and finished strong for the save. Rodney has the ability to dominate, but he frequently loses focus and pays for it. So far with 18 saves, his owners have to be happy.

Jonathan Papelbon has been getting strong. After some scary and straight up rough appearances, Paps has calmed down and tonight was even better. He struck out the side and gave up one hit for his 21st save of the season. Papelbon has pitched 37 innings this season and the Red Sox likely have a 70-75 inning pitch limit on him. Now might be the time to trade Paps before the Red Sox start giving him periodical rests.

Other Appearances:
Matt Capps (19) - Pitched a perfect inning for the easy 6-3 win over Houston.
Chad Qualls (16) - Surprisingly Qualls pitched a perfect inning. Bravo!
Sergio Romo (1) - Got a cheap save with Brian Wilson getting the night off.
Brad Lidge - Came into a tie game and did what Brad does best, blew the lead. It is his fourth loss of the season.

As the book closes on the first half of the MLB season, we look back at a unforgettable first half. So far, we've seen numerous injuries, suspensions, slumps, breakouts, and an abundance of young talent. As major league teams gear up for a second half run, we as fantasy owners must follow suit.

It's time to address your team needs, as well as the needs of other owners in your league. Throwing out a blind trade is an absolute no no in the world of fantasy baseball. Figure out what categories your team is lacking in, and what categories you can afford to give up. This is especially important in roto leagues, where extra stats like stolen bases will be wasted. Whether you win the stolen bases category by five or 50, you still get the same end result. If you can find a team who has what you need and needs what you have, you're well on your way to getting a deal done. It's important to always keep in mind what the other fantasy owner needs. If you consistently offer bad trades, you're really just shooting yourself in the foot, and in the end nobody will want to trade with you. When it comes to trades, name recognition is what most people use to evaluate a trade, but it's the superior fantasy owners who look past this. What matters most is team needs, for both owners. Last I checked, the name on the back of the jersey doesn't have it's own category in fantasy baseball. It's also important to keep an eye on the actual trades going on around the majors, which can help or hurt a player's fantasy value.

Labels: Aaron Hill, Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show, fantasy baseball search, fantasy baseball tonight, jimmy rollins, Just Verlander, mlb, Victor Martinez

I always give Derrek Lee a hard time and tell you that he sucks, so I have to report when he is on a hot streak. Lee homered for the fifth time in the last seven games, and has 14 RBI over that span. If you have him I would take this time to try to sell high on him. Even with this recent surge, I still don't have confidence that it will continue.

It was not a good night to be Johnny Cueto. Hell, it wasn't a good night to be any Cincinnati pitcher. Cueto allowed NINE earned runs over just two-thirds of an inning, walked three and struck out only one. Even with this horrible outing, Cueto's ERA is still only 3.45, so I don't see any reason to panic over this one incredibly bad start. Cueto is a young, up and coming stud. I know this outing hurts your ERA for the week, but don't put too much stock into it.

John Smoltz struggled again for the Red Sox, making it two of his three starts that he has been below average. He is now 0-2 after allowing five runs over six innings and struck out just three. I don't know how much is reasonable to expect from Smoltz, but he should be better than this. He won't be a savior to your pitching staff, but should at least be worth holding on your roster.

Brett Anderson had the best start of his young career, as he hurled his first major league shutout against the Boston Red Sox. Anderson came into the season as the number one prospect for the Oakland A's, but has gone through many of the same struggles that most young pitchers do. He has done a good job of keeping his walks under control, but he hasn't gone very deep into games and he has been allowing too many runs. However, he does have a ton of talent and should get better as time goes on. He is certainly a guy to hold on to in keeper leagues, so try to be patient.

Armando Galarraga had his best start since April, and perhaps he is starting to turn things around some. Galarraga allowed just one run for the second consecutive outing, but this time he didn't walk the entire ballpark. He was a pretty good pitcher coming into the season, and we all expected better than this. Don't go picking up Galarraga just yet, but certainly watch his next start. One more good turn and he could be worth picking up again.

Ricky Romero shocks me more with each outing. I have been telling you for a while now that you should have him while he is hot, but to just wait for the collapse to come. Well, it hasn't shown up yet. Romero beat the Yankees on Monday by allowing three runs over six innings and striking out five. It wasn't a great outing as he also walked three, but it was enough for him to collect his seventh win of the year against just three defeats. I stand by my philosophy from months ago. Continue to pitch Romero, but a regression is coming......I'm pretty sure anyway.

Randy Wells is the NL carbon copy of Romero. He is pitching well and you should continue to ride him while he is hot, but I see a regression in his numbers. Wells is a good strikeout pitcher, but his minor league ERA was always in the 4.00s. The funny thing is in the majors he has gotten fewer strikeouts, but his ERA is much better (2.48 after today). Perhaps he made some adjustments when coming to the majors, but I still say that he can not keep this pace up.

Alfredo Aceves is the front runner to take the rotation spot for Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees. Aceves has been pitching well out of the bullpen this year with a 5-1 record and a 2.25 ERA. He was always a starter in the minors, so this isn't totally unexpected. He pitched well at AA, but struggled at AAA and gets just under a strikeout an inning. Aceves will likely be on a pitch count in his first couple starts, so they might not be that great. He is not someone that I would add before his first start, but I would monitor how he does. Aceves was supposed to be a good starter, so if he is successful he could be worth having in the near future.

Jason Marquis is now 11-5 after another eight shutout inning effort. This can not be happening. Marquis is not this good and should come back to Earth whenever the spaceship brings the real Jason Marquis back from wherever they brought him. His lifetime ERA is 4.50, and I'm sure it will be around there again this season. Definitely a sell high candidate.

Jarrod Washburn continues to pitch so much better than he should be as he threw a shutout tonight against the Orioles. His record might be 5-6, but his ERA is only 3.08. I assure you that it can not last, if you look at Washburn's career, his ERA has been well into the 4.00 range in the last three seasons, and there's no reason that 2009 won't be the fourth.

Last thing of the night, there will be another Fantasy Roundtable with Steve Gardner and myself at the usatoday.com. I have talked about his Fantasy Windup blog for a couple months now and hopefully you all have checked it out. The latest Fantasy Roundtable will be this Tuesday at 12pm EST just like last week and likely last between 60 to 90 minutes. For those of you unfamiliar, this is different from a regular chat. Instead of throwing your questions into a hopper and hope the host answers them, this is a chat room type discussion where questions are asked and answered in real time. Join me and Steve and get your questions answered. It will be on the final exam, so I hope to see you all there. I know Jennifer and Martha were both there last week, so if you can leave a comment if you found it valuable that would be appreciated. Here is a link to last week's chat.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: alfredo aceves, armando galarrago, brett anderson, derrek lee, jarrod washburn, Jason Marquis, john smoltz, johnny cueto, randy wells, ricky romero

Ricky Nolasco continued his dominance since returning from the minor leagues and had one of the best starts of his major league career. Nolasco pitched eight shutout innings of three hit ball, walked just two and struck out 12. He hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts since his recall, and has dropped his ERA nearly four full points. obviously he will have a few rough starts along the way, but I believe that you will see the pitcher from 2008 the vast majority of the time he takes the mound here on out.

OK, so his batting average might still be in the dumps, but David Ortiz is finally starting to show some signs of the power that turned him from an average hitter into BIG PAPI. Ortiz connected on his ninth of the season, and that was his third in the last ten days. At one point of the year everyone was wondering if he would hit 10 or 15 homers. Now it appears that 20 is well within his range. Still a bitter disappointment from our preseason expectations, but if he could get to a .250 average with 22 homers and perhaps 80 RBI maybe his owners would cancel their orders for the Ortiz voodoo dolls.

Jimmy Rollins is becomoing a regular on this column, as he continues to hit like it was 2007. Now, I am not saying this will last, but in the one league that I benched him in long ago, he finally got back in my starting lineup today. That's seven homers and 11 steals now. Like Ortiz, certainly not what we were hoping for, but much better than it looked like six weeks ago.

Gio Gonzalez has always had great strikeout potential, but he has always struggled in his chances at the major league level. Gonzalez was red hot in the minors this year and deserves this latest opportunity to stick with the big club. In 2007 he led the minor leagues in strikeouts with 185. On the flip side his major league ERA is 7.54. But perhaps today was the start of him turning the corner. Gonzalez pitched six innings, allowed just two runs and struck out eight. Sure it was against the Indians, but keep an eye on him. I wouldn't pick him up off this one good start, but keep an eye on him.

Josh Hamilton played both games of a doubleheader going 2/7 with a double, triple, and stolen base. There is still not a definite plan as of now when he will return to the Texas lineup, but he seems primed to join them within the next day or two. To show my confidence that he is on the brink of return, I am going to start him in the upcoming week in a league where my roster is set for the entire week.

Chad Qualls all of a sudden looks like he will be holding on to his job. After going nearly three weeks without a save (with a blown save and a loss in there), all of a sudden Qualls has recorded a save for the second consecutive day. Best of all is he didn't allow a base runner in either of these opportunities. What once looked like a lost cause has gained some life again. Qualls looks like he will be fine.......for now.

Scott Olsen had his second consecutive quality start since returning from the Disabled List, but I am still quite a ways a way from suggesting picking him up. He was just one out away from a complete game on Sunday, allowing three runs while walking five and striking out five. His ability to keep composure in pressure situations and his control have long been his biggest problems. Olsen was once a highly thought of pitching prospect for the Marlins, but inconsistency have him pretty much out of the minds of fantasy players. He has good strikeout numbers this year (41 in 56 IP), but they aren't good enough to make up for his horrible ERA and WHIP. Not to mention on the Nationals wins are hard to come by. Leave Olsen in free agency unless he is still on this kind of roll at the end of the month.

Justin Smoak was promoted to AAA, further fueling fantasy players hopes that he might be promoted later this year to replace strikeout machine Chris Young. Smoak did well at AA, but not dominating. In 49 games he hit .333 with six home runs and 29 RBI. Before the season started he was ranked as the 23rd best prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America. He should have some real power potential, and has been compared to Mark Teixeira. I still think he is a ways away from being promoted, but this is a positive sign.

This is how Bronson Arroyo messes with fantasy players. Between May 22nd and June 7th Arroyo allowed just one earned run in three of his four starts. Everyone was adding him to their team. Since then? Including today, Arroyo has allowed five or more earned runs in four of his last five starts and has lost three straight decisions. I often tell someone that a player "is who he is", any of you who have emailed me have probably heard that before. Well, same goes for Arroyo. He is an average pitcher who is capable of hitting some nice hot streaks. Problem is they are usually short lived, and followed by cold streaks of equal lengths. The proper way to use him is to pick him up against some of the weaker hitting National League teams, hope he does well, and then cast him aside until he gets another favorable matchup.

Tommy Hanson and Andrew McCutchen are getting all the press for the NL Rookie of the Year right now, but don't sleep on the Cardinals' Colby Rasmus. After a tough month of May where he hit for power but a .211 average, Rasmus hit .333 in June and is 8/17 so far in July. He has struggled against lefties, hitting just .173 against them, but he has shown some improvement in each month. The Cardinals think enough of him that he has been batting second in the lineup for quite a while now and he hit his tenth home run of the season today. I thought he would bring a little more speed to the table, but with the power he is showing and a .282 average he is worthy of being a fourth outfielder on any team.

Rick Porcello had his third straight less than stellar start, and his owners are likely starting to panic. Porcello allowed four earned in just four innings. His record is now 8-6, and his ERA has creeped over four. 20 year old pitchers are always going to go through rough spots, and I am still confident that is what is going on with Porcello right now. He will get back on track, although I would like to see him strikeout more hitters. He was the number one prospect for the Tigers coming into the season, and he will be back. You might not want to start him the next time out, but if he has a weak opponent I would keep him in.

Nick Blackburn continues to fly under the fantasy radar for the Twins, and the only explanation that I can come up with is because he doesn't get a ton of strikeouts. Blackburn went the distance on Sunday, allowed just one run and struck out six. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start since May 16th, and with today's outing his ERA is now under 3.00. His record is now 7-4 and his WHIP is an average 1.27 so he really isn't hurting you in those categories either. It is his 51 strikeouts in 116 innings that causes him to be left on fantasy waiver wires. If you have a flamethrowing staff to begin with, Blackburn is a nice guy to have at the end to counteract one of those days when your usuals don't come through.

Jake Fox crushed his fourth homer of the season and has been hitting and playing defense well enough to stay in the lineup for the Cubs, but the question remains where will he fit in when Aramis Ramirez comes back? Ramirez should be back at some point this week, and Fox has mostly been holding down his position at third base. With Milton Bradley, Fukudome, and Soriano in the outfield, where does Fox get his playing time? I still think he should be in the Cubs outfield but only time will tell if he will be in the lineup when they are fully healthy. Of course with guys like Ramirez, Bradley, and Soriano another injury could pop up at any second. Until you see the full lineup and Fox still getting at bats, you have to remain worried about how much time he will get.

Randy Johnson left his start with some sort of shoulder strain. He was fooled badly on a pitch by Roy Oswalt, and grabbed his shoulder on the way back to the dugout. The next inning he allowed a couple of home runs and then made a throwing error. The Giants training staff made its way to the mound, and Johnson's day was over. He is pitching well better than expectations, so hopefully this is nothing that will cause him to miss a start. When you a pitcher over 40, they tend to be more cautious with you.

OK, back to the ESPN Arcade. Now today I have been sucked in by Extreme Trucks and Extreme Blast Billiards. The billiards game even slaps you in the face and calls you a wuss if you try to choose the "easy" difficulty setting. After playing it a couple dozen times, I wish there was an easy setting. I'm telling you, try the Concentration: Staches and you will be hooked. Haven't you ever wanted to play a memory game that has cards with Dave Winfield from the 70's and Johnny Damon in the midst of his Jesus look? There's games for everyone, I urge you to go there and see how fast it takes you to find a game that has you addicted.

Last thing of the night, there will be another Fantasy Roundtable with Steve Gardner and myself at the usatoday.com. I have talked about his Fantasy Windup blog for a couple months now and hopefully you all have checked it out. The latest Fantasy Roundtable will be this Tuesday at 12pm EST just like last week and likely last between 60 to 90 minutes. For those of you unfamiliar, this is different from a regular chat. Instead of throwing your questions into a hopper and hope the host answers them, this is a chat room type discussion where questions are asked and answered in real time. Join me and Steve and get your questions answered. I know Jennifer and Martha were both there last week, so if you can leave a comment if you found it valuable that would be appreciated. Here is a link to last week's chat.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: bronson arroyo, chad qualls, colby rasmus, david ortiz, gio gonzalez, jake fox, jimmy rollins, josh hamilton, justin smoak, nick blackburn, Randy Johnson, rick porcello, ricky nolasco, scott olsen

Just a few short weeks ago it seemed like there were no impact middle infielders to be had in fantasy leagues. This week there are five who candidates to make The Hot 8. I've settled on three who I feel are must owns in the majority of fantasy leagues despite each being owned in less than 10% of fantasy leagues so far. Here is the final Hot 8 of the first half of the 2009 season:

2 PLAYERS + 2 STARTS APIECE = FANTASY GOLD
1) Jason Hammel (RHP - Starter) -- Rockies -- Hammel is making the most his move to the National League this year by posting a 5-4 record with a 3.90 ERA so far. He's been even better since becoming a member of the Rockies starting rotation. In his last 6 starts Hammel is 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA with 20 K's and just 1 HR given up. This week he gets the Nationals and the Braves, two real good opportunities for continued success.

2) Kevin Correia (RHP - Starter) -- Padres -- Second week in a row for Correia on The Hot 8 both in the #2 slot for the week as well. Don't let one bad start deter you from grabbing Correia, especially when looking at the week ahead. Since he started relying on his curveball more, his K/9 ratio has skyrocketed as has his BB/9 has gone down. Correia will be on the road this week for both of his starts but throwing against the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants should be a chance any fantasy player is willing to take. He'll win at least one of these games and provide plenty of K's too while not hurting you at all in ERA and WHIP.

MIDDLE INFIELD HELP IS HERE!!
3) Gordon Beckham (SS/3B) -- Whitesox -- Beckham in entrenched as Chicago's starting 3B and will be for the rest of this season. He has gotten hot as of late bashing 3 HR's in his last 7 games. Through his first 100 major league plate appearances Beckham is hitting .275/.347/.429 with those 3 HR's to go with 14 runs scored and 16 RBI. He is playing his home games in a very hitter friendly park and is sandwiched within a high scoring offense making him that much more attractive for fantasy ballers. In addition to the power and run scoring potential, Beckham has the ability to steal some bases this season too. He is owned in just 16% of Yahoo leagues right now which is a downright shame. Anybody looking for help in the middle or corner infield positions would be wise to go out and grab Beckham before somebody else does. This kid can play.

4) Martin Prado (1B, 2B, 3B) -- Braves -- Manager Bobby Cox named Prado his new starting 2B just before Kelly Johnson was placed on the 15 day DL. It seems Johnson's struggles have become Prado's gain as the utility player has seized the opportunity and given the Braves a much needed spark at the top of their order. Prado is a fine hitter and a quick glance through his major and minor league history shows not a single instance in which he hitter under .281. He is also very good at working counts and taking walks which gets him on base for the Braves big run producers in Chipper Jones and Brian McCann. Being eligible at 1B, 2B & 3B makes Prado all that more lucrative for the fantasy owner wise enough to pick him up soon before the band wagon jumpers find out.

5) Everth Cabrera (Shortstop) -- Padres -- The final of my trio of middle infielders this week is Everth Cabrera who is coming back from a nasty wrist injury suffered in April. Cabrera was a rule V pick this offseason being selected third overall by the Padres out of the Colorado Rockies organization. The most intriguing thing about Cabrera is his speed. He stole 73 bases last year playing in single A Asheville while a member of the Rockies organization. Because he is a rule V pick, he must remain on the Padres roster all season long or be returned to the Rockies without compensation. Thus, he is getting regular playing time right now and performing quite well. He is a natural second baseman and may wind up there at some point this season. Cabrera is patient at the plate and will take a walk which greatly helps him make use of his speed. He has zero power and strikes out quite a bit too. He has gotten off to quite a hot start though and could be a big help to fantasy teams looking for some stolen bases and runs scored in the next few weeks.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
6) Colby Rasmus (Outfield) -- Cardinals -- I nearly fell out of my chair this week while pouring through the available players in Yahoo, CBS and ESPN fantasy leagues. When I came across the name Colby Rasmus, I expected to see between 33-50% ownership at this point in the season. Instead I see 8%, 10%, 8% respectively for the fine young Cardinals outfielder. I guess not even his recent hot streak could sway the unbelievable stubbornness of fantasy owners. Rasmus is a guy who will get more playing time in the second half than he did in the first and will find himself hitting in front of the great Albert Pujols quite a bit. Rasmus has power, speed and the ability to carry a fantasy teams for weeks at a time when he is going right. You'll hear much more about Rasmus in my Hot 8 of the second half next week but with a guy this talented time is of the essence.

YES, ANOTHER GIANTS STARTING PITCHER
7) Ryan Sadowski (RHP - Starter) -- Giants -- There might not have been a less likely person to make this list at the start of the season than Ryan Sadowski. He got the call to San Francisco after the Giants decided to send struggling LHP Jonathen Sanchez to the bullpen last week. Sadowski was called up despite his mediocre numbers at AAA Fresno this season and has been nothing short of spectacular. Sadowski is a fastball/slider/changeup type pitcher who makes the most of his location and changing speeds. In 13.0 IP so far this season he is yet to yield a run and has allowed just 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 6 and winning his first two starts. I do not expect this trend to continue, but I feel that Sadowski can be a steady force at the back end of the Giants rotation for at least the next few weeks. Perfect for a pitch and ditch type situation.

ON HIS WAY BACK
8) Alex Gordon (Third Base) -- Royals -- I want to make sure we are all clear about why I am including Gordon in this weeks Hot 8. This is basically to make everyone aware that he is currently on a rehab trip that will take him to AA Northwest Arkansas next week and hopefully back to Kansas City after the All-Star break. Gordon seems fully recovered from hip surgery in April as I've heard that he's been rehabbing like a madman prior to getting back on the field. With limited options at 3B in the free agent market, fantasy owners should watch Gordon closely for the next week or two before giving him a shot later this month.

That is the Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think?
Post your comments below or email me at jeff@fantasybaseballsearch.com

Happy Birthday America! While we all celebrated today with parades, barbeques, and fireworks, let's not forget what this day is about. This is the day that we declared our independence from England, and the greatest country in the world was formed. We live in a place where anything is possible if you have a dream and work hard. Be thankful for the freedoms and the opportunities that are afforded us here in America, there is truly no other place like it. And of course, be thankful for the men and women who protect our country and keep us safe. Our Armed Forces are a special group and perform an important job. I have the utmost respect for each and every one of them and a special thank you goes out to them on this day. So again, Happy Birthday to the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world! Now, what's more American than baseball? Let's find out what happened today.

Josh Hamilton will not return to the Rangers on Sunday. His rehab game on Saturday was rained out, delaying his return to the majors at least one more day. There is still a chance that Hamilton might return on Monday, but nothing definite has been announced. I will give the news on this again tomorrow, because I am a Hamilton owner as well and I am very curious to see if I will be able to play him in my one league with weekly transactions. Hopefully he will be back on Monday.

Despite pitching less than great in a rehab assignment, Oliver Perez will be back in the Mets' rotation on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Perez allowed three runs over five innings, walking four and striking out four. I understand that given the Mets' situation that they need to get their starters back from injury as soon as possible, but this start doesn't instill any confidence in me that Perez will be any better than he was before he went on the DL. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole before this start unless you are really desperate for help in pitching.

Kevin Slowey was placed on the 15 day DL, right after he had his worst outing of the season. Slowey allowed six earned runs over just three innings, but he got off the hook for the loss. Slowey has been diagnosed with a strained wrist. I have been unable to come up with a timetable for his return as of now, hopefully it will just be the required 15 days.

Howie Kendrick has been recalled by the Angels, and they optioned Sean Rodriguez. Kendrick hit .346 with two homers, 11 RBI, and four steals while he was in the minors. I would likely give Kendrick a try if he is available in your league. He has always supposed to be a great talent but has struggled in his time in the majors. He should hit for a good average with 10-12 homer power and a dozen steals. Not great, but if you need help at middle infield he could be worth a shot.

Erik Bedard is set to start on Tuesday against the Orioles. Bedard has been great when he has been able to stay on the mound, however he has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career. If you own him, definitely have him ready to start on Tuesday, Bedard is the kind of pitcher that you start against anyone.

Chien-Ming Wang allowed four runs over 5.1 innings, and after the game it was announced that he was diagnosed with a strained shoulder and bursitis. He will be re-evaluated on Sunday, but it seems likely he will miss his next start. I doubt he is owned in too many leagues, but if he is, it might be time to let him go.

Rich Harden had his worst start in who knows how long, and I am struggling to come up with an explanation for why he is pitching so poorly. I have speculated that he could have some sort of injury, but there is absolutely no sign of a report of anything wrong with him. Harden gave up seven earned runs in just two innings and struck out only one. All you can do is keep pitching him every time out. Harden is better than this, and it has to be just a matter of time before he starts to pitch like it.

Although the bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him, Tommy Hanson was great again. It might have only been against the Nationals, but Hanson allowed just one run over seven innings, striking out five. In five of his six starts, Hanson has allowed two runs or less, including three in which he allowed no earned runs. The walks are higher and the strike outs are lower than I expected, but Hanson has been everything else that he was supposed to be, and has to be the early front runner for the NL Rookie of the Year. Continue to start him every time out with extreme confidence.

Francisco Liriano might not have gotten the decision, but he had his third straight start that his owners had to be happy with. He allowed just three runs over seven innings and struck out eight. He has been much better over the last six weeks or so, and hopefully he will continue to improve and he can get back to the form that once made him one of fantasy baseball's most coveted pitchers. I have said before that I don't see his rookie year statistics coming back, and that hasn't changed, but it would be nice to see him pitch like this more often.

David Price was terrible again, and I don't know where the guy who pitched in the playoffs last year went. Price lasted just 1.1 innings, allowed six runs and walked five. Coming into the year I thought that Price was that rare young pitcher that wouldn't be susceptible to the growing pains that most rookies go through. Obviously that won't be the case. Keeper league players, I'm sorry to tell you that you just have to live through these tough times. Price has all the skills, and he will be awesome, who knows when that will be. Honestly, this might be a good opportunity for those who don't own him in keeper leagues to buy low on Price. Seasonal leagues I still wouldn't drop him, but I might see if there was someone in the league who might give you a good deal for him.

Jimmy Rollins is starting to show some signs of life, with five hits in the last three days. He also has three doubles and has driven in four runs over those games, and PERHAPS this is the start of something good. He's still hitting .213, so don't get too excited, but for those of us who have owned him all season long this is about as exciting as it has been all year long.

Is Emilio Bonifacio working his way back to fantasy relevance? He was 4/4 on Saturday and stole his 17th base of the year. He now has a hit in ten of his last eleven games, and six bases over that stretch. I would say if you need stolen bases that he is worth adding to your roster, but just be ready to cut ties with him if another cold streak starts to show.

ESPN.com has relaunched the ESPN Arcade with hundreds of games for you to play. Regardless of your interests there is sure to be something to get you addicted. Sports games, driving games, cards, puzzles, and even action sports. So far I have played Carniball (skeeball), a basketball shooting game, a baseball game in which you try to make a comeback in the bottom of the Ninth, and of course, some video poker. However, my favorite game so far is the Hair & Staches Concentration. This is a timed memory game in which you try to match up cards with some of the more interesting looks in baseball history. Not only fun but funny as well.

Mailing List

I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: chien-ming wang, david price, emilio bonifacio, erik bedard, francisco liriano, howie kendrick, jimmy rollins, josh hamilton, kevin slowey, oliver perez, rich harden, tommy hanson

Depending on how my celebration of the Fourth of July holiday goes, there may not be an article tomorrow. I wish you all a happy, safe holiday.

Manny Ramirez returned to the lineup for the Dodgers on Friday, and went 0/3 with a walk. Obviously if you didn't have him in tonight, get him back in your lineups tomorrow. Just a question. Why does everyone still love Manny while guys like Clemens, McGwire, and Bonds are ostracized from the society of baseball? I'm not defending those other guys, but why has Manny come back to such fanfare when we have a positive test on him, while the others are just a mountain of circumstanial evidence?

Jorge Posada was out of the lineup for the second straight game after sustaining a bruised thumb on Wednesday. It doesn't appear that this will be anything that will keep him out of the lineup for much longer. It is even possible that he will return on Saturday.

Carlos Quentin will begin his rehab assignment on Saturday as he hopes to return from the Disabled List before the All-Star Break. He will start out slowly and won't even play the entire game right away. But it appears that Quentin will be back soon, which is good for those of us who have been stashing him for quite a while now.

Ryan Doumit played his first rehab game on Friday, and is likely that he will be back with the Pirates in a week or so. He will play three games in rookie ball before advancing to AAA for four or five games. Doumit caught five innings tonight and was 0-2 with a walk. He was dropped in many leagues, if he's out there and you have any issue at the catcher position I would pick him up to give him a chance. I know a broken wrist is a tough injury to come back from, but there are so few good catchers that he is worth the risk.

Edwin Encarnacion returned for the Reds tonight and hit a long impressive double nearly off the wall against Ryan Franklin. In his rookie year, Encarnacion did hit 26 homers, but that fell to 16 in 2008. He is not a guy that I have ever had a lot of confidence in, but like Doumit there aren't a ton of good options at third base and if you need any help that is the only way that I would consider him.

Raul Ibanez is feeling better but his groin is still not 100% so he hasn't started his rehab assignment just yet. It is looking now that he won't be back until after the All-Star Break, although he likely will begin his rehab assignment sometime in the next three to five days.

Alex Rodriguez homered for the third time in four games, and the fifth time in the last eight contests. He has raised his average nearly 30 points in the last seven games, and for all of you who were thinking of selling him cheap, this is the kind of streak that he is capable of. Despite all the drama and distraction, A-Rod is one of the best hitters in all of baseball, and will hit 40 home runs again in 2009.

Rodrigo Lopez had his first start in the major leagues since 2007, and he certainly made the most of it. Lopez allowed just two runs over 6.1 innings and struck out four. He did have a couple of good years early in his career, but he had elbow trouble that seriously derailed his progress. Lopez didn't have a start for nearly two years for a reason. Don't fall into the trap of grabbing a guy after one decent start. Let someone else make that mistake.

Shin-Soo Choo was a triple short of a cycle tonight, and that included two home runs. Choo is quickly becoming one of the more productive draft picks of the year. He is now hitting .301, has hit 12 homers, stolen 13 bases, and has driven in 53 runs with his seven RBI game on Friday. While I think that he will continue to produce at a similar rate, if you can trade him away for a proven power hitting run producer I would certainly do it. Choo is a good player, but I would try to shop him around to see if someone will bite on something they shouldn't.

Homer Bailey had a much better start his second time out, but I still urge you to stay away from him unless there is a sense of desperation with your pitching staff. Bailey allowed just two runs over 7.1 innings and struck out five. The best part was that he only walked two, after allowing seven free passes last time out. He has had a handful of decent starts in his career, so I am not putting too much stock in this one. Unfortunately for him, the bullpen imploded so he doesn't even get a win to show for his great effort.

Frank Francisco bounced back from his blown save on Thursday and converted an easy one tonight. Francisco collected save number 13 against Tampa Bay without giving up a hit and striking out one. I still believe that he will be an elite closer in the second half, much like he was up until his shoulder woes started. If for some crazy reason he was dropped, pick him up immediately.

Ervin Santana is really starting to frustrate his owners now. Including Friday, four of his last six starts have been awful. He gave up the booty again tonight, allowing four earned runs over only four innings, walked three and struck out five. His ERA on the season is now a whopping 7.43 and his WHIP is a terrible 1.90. Now the big question is what should you do with Santana. Unfortunately, I truly believe that this is a case by case kind of decision. If you have someone in your free agent pool that can be considered a quality pitcher, I would likely let Santana go. If you are just picking up another average retread, hold on to Santana and hope that he turns things around. He has more talent than Kenshin Kawakami, Ross Ohlendorff, and Carl Pavano.

Mailing List

I'm not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don't get a request to join it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don't miss the "Fantasy Baseball Tonight" podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can't miss if you plan on winning your league.

Labels: alex rodriguez, carlos quentin, edwin encarnacion, frank francisco, homer bailey, jorge posada, manny ramirez, raul ibanez, rodrigo lopez, ryan doumit

He's BAAAAAACK.....tomorrow. Manny Ramirez will return from his 50 game suspension on Friday and all of you who were patient over the past six weeks, get the man back in your lineup on Friday. I believe that Manny will come back into the lineup and hit right away. Unfortunately for you Juan Pierre owners, he is scheduled to go right back to the bench. He might play twice a week, but his fantasy value goes straight into the toilet.

Francisco Rodriguez allowed a run for the second time in three starts, and as the rest of the Mets are struggling, it appears that K-Rod is a bit himself. His save chances will likely be limited as long as the Mets are without Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Jose Reyes, but he is generally a shut down closer and should convert most of his opportunities. He obviously won't get near the 62 saves he had in 2008, but over 40 is definitely within his range. Unless you can get another elite closer and another advantage, I wouldn't think of dealing away Rodriguez.

Garrett Jones was called up by the Pirates and wasted no time making an impact as he was just the single short of the cycle. Jones has been toiling in the minor leagues for a decade, so it isn't like he is the hot new prospect. You won't find him in any of the Baseball America prospect rankings that you often hear me quote. However, the guy has some power. He topped 30 home runs one season, and was over 20 in three other years. He does have a bit of a problem with Ks and his batting average isn't exactly something to write home about, but if you are in need of some power, he has a chance of bringing it to you.

Mets' prospect Nick Evans has been making an impact for the offense starved Mets in the short period of time he has been with the team. He has a hit in every game he has started, including a home run (of course at the game I attended!) and four RBI in seven games. Evans had another two hits and RBI on Thursday and I would be willing to bet that he is in the lineup as long as he is hitting given the state of the Mets' lineup. He has had a few above average seasons in the minors, but nothing that screams "top prospect". He was ranked as the ninth best prospect in the Mets' organization by Baseball America, but given the recent trades for Johan Santana and J.J. Putz, the farm system in Flushing has been depleted. You can grab him while he is hot, but just don't expect this to be a full season kind of thing.

Chad Qualls blew his fourth save chance of the season, and I am starting to have big time questions about his ability to hold this job. He hasn't saved a game since June 11th, but that is more of a product of the D'Backs being a bad team more than Qualls failings as a closer. But 13 saves and four blown doesn't instill a lot of confidence. Put that together with an ERA of 4.22 and you have yourself a guy looking to be replaced. I don't know if it will be Jon Rauch or Tony Pena who will eventually take over for him. Rauch has closing experience in Washington, while Pena has some pretty good stuff. Hold Qualls until it is official that he has lost the job, but don't be surprised if you hear that news the next time he blows a save chance.

Doug Davis has allowed one run or less in his last three starts, and despite Arizona's inability to win games, he is becoming a pitcher that you can own at the end of your rotation. Davis is pitching to a 3.15 ERA on the season, which is great, but his 3-8 record will scare most people away. His WHIP isn't great at over 1.35, but he has 78 strikeouts in 105 innings which is pretty decent. I'm not adding him in any league, but if you are looking for a decent pitcher to help you during a tough stretch of injuries or ineffectiveness, give Davis a look.

Kevin Correia got tattooed on Thursday, and although he had a very hot June, he is not a guy that I would trust going forward. Correia spent much of his career as a reliever, and the time that he did start he was not even close to being effective. Last season he made 19 starts for the Giants and his ERA for the year was over six. Don't trust him do have a July anywhere near to the caliber of the June that he had.

Ryan Ludwick is starting to show some signs of life. He had five homers in the first three weeks of the season, and eight on May 12th when he went out with an injury. When he returned from injury, Ludwick was a shell of the player who started 2009 on that hot streak and his average dipped 50 points from his pre-injury form. Within the last week or so however, Ludwick has started to hit again. With his two hits on Thursday, he now has seven in the last five days, and has three RBI in the last two days. I'm not quite saying that he is back yet, but the signs are certainly pointing in the right direction for the first time in a while.

J.A. Happ had his third straight quality start, and is looking more and more like a pitcher that you can afford to have on your roster. Happ allowed just two runs over seven innings, struck out five, and his ERA for the season is now under three. Happ is just what the doctor ordered for the pitching starved Phillies, and he is nearly single handedly keeping them ahead in the NL East. If Happ is available and you are in any need of pitching I would certainly consider adding him.

John Lackey pitched a hell of a game and now has two straight good starts as he tries to get back on track from his season opening injury. I have long thought that Lackey is one of the more underrated pitchers in all of baseball, but undoubtedly has struggled with injury concerns over the past two seasons. Lackey hadn't been the pitcher we have become accustomed to over the years when he came back, but I believe this recent streak is a sign of things to come. It might be too late to buy low on Lackey, but it doesn't hurt to try to see if his owner is still a little skeptical on his future.

Labels: baseball, dan jay, david wright, fantasy baseball, Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show, fantasy baseball tonight, johan santana, mets, new york mets

The calendar says we are half way home, how are you doing in your leagues this year? We are now through April, May and June with July, August and September yet to go.

Adam Lind hit his 16th homer of the year, and the questions will arise again about his future. Is this a breakout season for Lind or just a one year wonder. I think it is somewhere in the middle. While I feel that Lind is going to be a quality player going forward, I don't think that he will be a consistent 30-35 homer kind of guy. Lind has a heck of a chance to get to 30 jacks this year, but he is on pace for 35+ and I can't see him reaching that.

Leo Nunez looks like he is now healthy enough to be the closer for the Marlins as long as Lindstrom will be out. After Dan Meyer got the first few chances, Nunez has gotten the last couple saves and he is looking pretty good. Nunez didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out two. If for some reason he hasn't been added in your league, absolutely pick him up.

Jordan Zimmerman was good again, but again the Nationals weren't good enough to get him a win to show for his effort. Zimmerman allowed two runs over six innings and struck out six. The kid has five straight starts that he has allowed two runs or less. Unfortunately he has only one win to show for it. He is a good pitcher to own....unless you need wins.

Ricky Romero continues to pitch well, but for some reason I'm still not jumping on the bandwagon. Romero has an ERA under 3.00, WHIP of 1.24, and he is 6-3. What is there not to like? I still go back to his minor league statistics. I know that you can't put total stock in those numbers, but I can't forget them. I have picked him up and pitched him, but I am just waiting for the implosion.

The Orioles might have blown his win, but Brad Bergeson pitched well yet again. Bergeson allowed just one run over eight innings and struck out six. After allowing four runs to the Nationals on May 24th, Bergeson's ERA was 5.49. Seven starts and four straight wins later, Bergeson's ERA is now sitting at 3.53. Now I feel the need to point out that he faced Philly (his bad start), the Mariners twice, Atlanta, and Washington during this streak, but today was versus the Red Sox. I am not drinking the Kool-Aid just yet, but I have poured it into the glass.

Mike Pelfrey gave the Mets just what they needed, a huge outing from a starting pitcher. He threw 7.2 shutout innings, walked just two and struck out six. It was his best and longest outing in quite a while, and although I would like to trust Pelfrey, I am not adding him to my teams. The Mets are just so riddled by injuries right now that I don't trust that they can put any kind of consistent offense together (like tonight's one run), and thus their starters have to be perfect in order to win. He's decent, not great, but certain times he is very good. I wish you luck figuring out when those times might be.

Jason Hammel has been a great addition to the Rockies pitching staff, but I still do not have enough faith in him to start him every time out. He pitched a full eight innings today, allowed just one run and struck out five. He didn't deserve the loss that dropped his record to 5-4, but that is where he stands. He has now allowed three runs or less in eight of his last ten starts, but his career numbers say that this is not for real. His ERA has been well into the 5.00s throughout his career, so there has to be a correction to this great run that he is on.

Dallas Braden now has nine straight starts that he has allowed three runs or less, the problem being that tonight was his first win in his last five starts. He also isn't a huge strikeout pitcher, so his value is limited. He is helping you in ERA and WHIP (1.26), but wins and Ks he isn't bringing much to the table. Braden is a decent guy to have as your sixth pitcher, but if he is higher than that, you may need to improve your pitching staff.

Randy Wells is another guy who has been pitching pretty well that I am just not sold on based on his minor league statistics. Explain to me how a guy who had three seasons of an ERA over 4.00 and didn't even start exclusively can come up and get major league hitters out. It just doesn't add up to me. However, you can not argue with the fact that he has won three straight starts and has an ERA under 2.50. I'm standing by my opinion that Wells will come back to earth sometime in the near future.

Jose Contreras had a great outing after it seemed he was going back to being the average pitcher that we all know him as. Contreras threw eight innings, allowed two runs and struck out eight. I do not put any stock into Contreras going forward. He might be 56 years old for all we know, and I don't trust him to pitch well consistently. Don't fall into the trap.

I mentioned on tonight's Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast that Erik Bedard might pitch on Saturday. That has now been edited that he will throw a simulated game on Friday, and could start on Tuesday now against the Orioles. He would be on a pitch limit of 80, and this start is not set in stone yet, so don't go activating Bedard just yet.

As of now Brandon Webb will avoid shoulder surgery and hopes to return in September. I am skeptical that a team going nowhere will bring back their ace pitcher with just a few weeks left. If you have DL spots left I would stash him, but if not, I am torn about what to do with him.

Aramis Ramirez will begin a rehab assignment on Friday and hopes to return ot the Cubs lineup on Monday. A guy like Aramis who has a history of injury could possibly have setbacks before he is activated, but as of now you might get your 3B back next week.

Nelson Cruz left tonight's game with a stiff back, and it is too soon to know if this injury will cost him any time. I never like to see an athlete have trouble with his back, so I am a bit concerned, but I am not ready to give any advice out until I hear more. Hopefully Cruz won't have to miss any games.

Alexei Ramirez also left the game tonight with an injured finger and his manager has already said that he will sit out Thursday's game. Ramirez has really turned it on this month, so his fantasy owners (me included) are really hoping that this is nothing. He is also supposed to undergo x-rays, so hold your breath that the news is good.

Newly acquired Cardinal Mark DeRosa will miss three to four games with a strained tendon in his wrist. Hopefully that is all that he will miss and the trade of Chris Perez wasn't for nothing. Keep DeRosa on your bench throughout the weekend.

Labels: Adam Lind, aramis ramirez, brad bergeson, brandon webb, dallas braden, erik bedard, jason hammel, jose contreras, leo nunez, Mike Pelfrey, randy wells, ricky romero