For those of you who were with me last baseball season, you know that this is around the time when fantasy baseball starts to fade out some. Many of your trading deadlines are passing by the day, and some of you who were holding out hope that you were still in the race are starting to come to the realization that it might not be in the cards for you in 2009. Now, while I still welcome emailed questions about baseball right up to the last day of the season and beyond, it is time that there won't be a Fantasy Baseball Tonight article on a nightly basis. For starters there will not be an article tomorrow. I will not be doing articles on nights that I have podcasts (Tuesday and Wednesday). I can't tell you exactly what night there will be articles, because some nights I will do a shorter article. You will be able to pretty much guarantee an article from me on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, with others likely sprinkled in. If news breaks, I will also continue the email mailing group. In fact, I am starting one for football as well, if you would like to be a part of that too, please send me an email and put football mailing list in the subject line. It is time for my focus to begin to start switching over to football as that season is starting to amp up. However, don't think I will leave you hanging in baseball, I am here for you until the end.
It is all but certain that Orioles prospect Brian Matusz will be called up to start for Baltimore on Tuesday. With Brad Bergesen heading to the DL, the Orioles need a pitcher. Matusz was scheduled to pitch tonight in the minors and he did. However, he was pulled after one shutout inning. All of these factors mean that we are just waiting for the official word. Matusz is only in AA (which you know concerns me) and he is ripping it up. This is his first year in the minors, but between the two levels he has been at he has dominated. In 18 starts, Matusz is 11-4 with a 1.93 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 112 innings. Bergesen's x-rays were negative after he took the ball off his leg which means he likely won't be out too long. Matusz is likely a short term replacement, but has HUGE value in keeper leagues.
Carlos Zambrano left his start with a stiff back. Zambrano has had his fair share of nagging injuries this season, but he has pitched better than I expected. I don't foresee this being a long term injury, but he is likely a question mark for his next start. When I find more information on the situation, I will be sure to pass it along.
Hanley Ramirez suffered a bruised knee after being hit by a pitch by Carlos Zambrano. He was able to stay in the game and actually scored from second, but he was replaced in the next inning. I would be very surprised if Hanley plays tomorrow, but the fact that he did stay in the game for a little while and scored from second on a single leaves me optimistic that this injury won't cost him a long time on the bench. This is speculation on my part I want to remind you, I have seen no confirmation of any time frame that Ramirez might be out.
Although it is not yet confirmed, it looks as though Edinson Volquez is going to have Tommy John Surgery on Monday. Volquez IS going to have elbow surgery, it just has not been reported whether it was Tommy John or another form of procedure. Either wya, if you have been holding him in a seasonal league, definitely let him go now. Even in keeper leagues, he is not worth holding anymore, especially if it is Tommy John.
Wandy Rodriguez left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning with a hamstring injury. He was pitching great again, and this will be a decent sized blow to fantasy teams that own Wandy. It is too soon right now to get solid information about how long he might be out. It is probably a bit optimistic to expect him to not miss any starts, but maybe it will just be one or two.
Alexei Ramirez missed another game on Saturday, and it appears that he will be out until Wednesday at the earliest. The White Sox have Monday off, so if you play in leagues with weekly roster changes it appears that Alexei will only miss one game. He is a risky play for people in that situation, but he has been good enough lately that I will likely play him in the two leagues that I have him in with weekly changes.
Joba Chamberlain was supposed to pitch on Monday, but now will be pushed back to Thursday. This could be the Yankees answer to Joba getting closer and closer to his team imposed innings limit. For those of you with Chamberlain on your team, you have to either expect more of this kind of thing or Joba back to the bullpen. Either way, his value takes somewhat of a hit for the rest of 2009.
Jeff Niemann won again after a subpar outing, cementing his status as one of the best pitching pickups of the second half. The Rays continue to win and crawl back into the race, and Niemann is a big reason why. He pitched eight innings, allowed just one run and struck out seven. He has now struck out at least six in four straight starts. If Niemann is available and you have any need for pitching, do yourself a favor and pick him up.
I have gotten more questions over the past two weeks of people wanting to drop Rick Porcello and I have just been unable in most cases to tell people to let the kid go. Even after last time out when he gave up five runs, he gave them all up early and then settled in and pitched four more shutout innings. That is not what most young pitchers do. Well, Porcello bounced back with eight innings against the Indians, allowing just one earned run and struck out three. That is the one thing that makes people worry about Porcello is that he isn't an elite strikeout pitcher. I will tell you that fact is not going to change, but the guy is only 20 and is already a meaningful part of a contending team's rotation. That is hard to give up on.
Andrew McCutchen homered three times tonight, and while he remains a great guy to have on your team, and a fantastic guy to have as a keeper, don't think that this is the start of some sort of trend. McCutchen is a guy who shows great speed, and does have a little power, but nothing that you can count on. He had three home runs on Saturday, which is also the same number he had after his first 50 games in the big leagues. McCutchen is a good young player, but he is not a big home run hitter.
Sean Rodriguez is back in the majors with the Angels, and he played in the outfield tonight, but I would not be targeting him this time around unless you are planning on using him as a keeper. He is still hitting for a great average in the minors, but not nearly the power he was contributing before his call up to the big leagues. Just like last time, I don't know where regular at bats would come from, so it seems that Rodriguez will spend most of his time on the bench.
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.
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.
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.
