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

Saves: 7






Other Appearances:
J.P. Howell (6) - Got his sixth save of the season after resting yesterday.
Mariano Rivera (19) - Rivera is pitching like the old Rivera and his 0.98 WHIP proves it.
Chad Qualls - Pitched a quiet inning.
Fernando Rodney - When will the Tigers stop bringing Rodney into a non-save situation. He gave up two runs on a two-run blast off the bat of Mark Ellis.

John Smoltz had his second start of the season interrupted by rain, but it was much better than his first. Smoltz only pitched four innings, but allowed just three hits, one run, and struck out two. I am still on the fence on what to expect from him this season, but this was definitely a step in the right direction. At this point in his career he is more of a fifth starter in your rotation or even an end of the roster kind of guy. As of right now, I would continue to start him, but keep expectations under control.

What can we expect from Johan Santana while the entire Mets' offense is on the DL? He must have so much pressure on himself to perform, that perhaps he will go into a funk as well. He has now lost three of his last four starts, and was less than stellar on Tuesday. Santana allowed four earned runs over six innings, walked four and struck out four. The walks are so not like Santana that you have to figure that the trend won't continue. If you have worries about Santana, take a look at his career second half numbers, that should make you feel better.

Joe Saunders has had a pattern of one good start, one bad start. Unfortunately for his owners, this was his turn to be a bad start. Saunders allowed eight runs over just 3.2 innings, walked five and struck out only two. He still is on pace to win 15 games, but given his second half last year, I'm not sure if he will reach that number. If you can get a good return for him in a trade, I would certainly consider moving Saunders. I still think he is good enough that I wouldn't just flat out drop him.

Bronson Arroyo got off to a pretty good start, but has been struggling badly of late. He gave up five earned runs on Tuesday, and has now allowed five runs or more in three of his last four starts. Arroyo is not a guy that I would hold on my roster unless your league has 16 teams or more. If Arroyo gets a matchup against a weak hitting NL teams I would give him a start, but other than that I would leave him in free agency.

Martin Prado had a great 4/5 game including the winning hit, but don't fall into the trap of picking up the hot hand. Prado has never really been a full-time player, and while he might be earning some playing time with his recent success, there is no way that it will continue. He is a fine part time player, but if he were to play everyday I guarantee his numbers will suffer. Leave him in free agency, that is where he belongs.

Ross Ohlendorff has now given up three runs or less in four of his last five starts after his Tuesday outing. He shut the Cubs out for seven innings and struck out eight batters. Ohlendorff is not anywhere near that kind of strikeout pitcher, as he only had 44 in his previous 89 innings. It was impressive that he was so good against the Cubbies, but this isn't a guy that I would pick up unless I was in an NL only league.

Gordon Beckham had his second consecutive three hit game, and his second consecutive two RBI game. The kid has a ton of potential that I have talked about in these articles before, and now he is starting to put it together some. I still don't believe that he is ready to be a consistent fantasy force, but all those Ofers that he took when he came up are likely behind him. He is worth having on your team (and in keeper leagues is a must have), but I just don't know that he will help you on a daily basis.

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: bronson arroyo, gordon beckham, joe saunders, johan santana, john smoltz, martin prado, ross ohlendorff

I think the Phillies are going to come up with a new promotion. It will be Brad Lidge Night sponsored by Tums. Lidge did collect his 14th save, but as usual there was drama. Lidge gave up a bunt single, followed by a walk. The good news is he wiggled out of it, but boy he likes to make them interesting. Obviously, Ryan Madson can't get the job done, so it will take something monumental for them to take the job away from him. However, he will make you sweat and won't do any favors for your ERA or WHIP.

Tommy Hanson is really looking like the real deal. After his six shutout innings on Sunday, he now hasn't allowed an earned run in his last three starts against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Reds. His strikeout numbers have been a little lower than I had expected, but how can you complain about 4-0 with an ERA under 2.50? If Hanson can beat the Yanks and the Red Sox then you can feel free to start him against any opponent. He will likely come back to Earth a little bit, but he is showing that you were wise to hold him on your bench all that time.

David Price on the other hand continues to struggle some. Today he only allowed one run over 6.1 innings, but he still is having trouble with control, as he walked five batters. In five of his first seven starts in the majors, he has allowed two runs or less, so the walks aren't killing him as far as ERA is concerned. However, he usually doesn't go deep into the game, and his WHIP is over 1.50. You have to just hope that he is figuring it out and he will start to be the guy we figured he would be. The good news is they didn't take him out of the rotation when they brought back Scott Kazmir, so the Rays still believe that he can get hot and pitch well.

Ryan Sadowski had a pretty good start to his major league career, but his minor league numbers suggest that you shouldn't put too much stock into this. He did have a pretty good record in the minors, as he was 13-6 over the past year and a half, but his ERA was over 4.50. He was a pretty decent strikeout pitcher down on the farm, but he wasn't a guy who was highly thought of. If he has another couple good starts, perhaps you can think about him, but right now he isn't worth a look.

Alexei Ramirez homered today for the fifth time in the last eleven games, and you can't deny any more that the guy is back on track and is someone that you can count on. I was very tempted a couple of times to let him go or trade him cheap during the first two months of the season, but boy am I happy that I didn't and you should be too if you were patient. He hit his tenth homer of the season, and I believe that he is a lock to go 20/20 again.

Francisco Liriano won his second consecutive start, so maybe he just needs to pitch against National League teams. Liriano allowed just two runs over seven innings and struck out six. The best news may be that he only walked one guy. Until I start seeing him do this against American League teams that he will face more often, I'm not ready to put too much stock in this win. I am hopeful still because I like the guy, but I am not ready to say that he is back.

Matt Palmer may have improved his record to 7-1, but he hasn't been impressive his past couple times out. Palmer was the beneficiary of great run support to get the win, as he allowed six earned runs over just five innings and didn't strike out a batter. He's been decent most of the time and could be used against weaker teams, but I don't believe that he is a guy that you start every time out.

Chad Gaudin is a guy you can target if you really need strikeouts, but just be careful how much stock you put in him. Gaudin won his second straight start to raise his record to 4-6 with a dominating performance against the Rangers. He allowed just one hit over eight innings and struck out nine. Gaudin now has 75 Ks in just 70 innings. He isn't a rookie, and has bounced around the majors, last making an impact in Oakland. He is an OK pitcher, but his ERA of just under 5.00 should tell you exactly what to expect from him if you play him on a regular basis.

Where has the power gone for Nick Markakis? With just two days left in the month, Markakis has a grand total of ONE homer for the all of June. He did only hit twenty in 2008, so it isn't like he is way off his usual pace, but when he had five in May we thought he could top 25 for the year. It now appears that he will fall into the 20-22 range. He is still a .300 hitter and is a quality outfielder. He will get hot again, don't trade him off cheap.

Emilio Bonifacio stole another base on Sunday, giving him three on the weekend. He has gotten a hit in six straight games, and if you are DESPERATE for steals I would give him a try, but I think he will go into a tailspin again before too long.

Mariano Rivera owners should be petitioning their leagues to allow hitting stats for pitchers to count. Rivera was forced to bat tonight against the Mets and earned a walk with the bases loaded for his first career RBI. Francisco Rodriguez inexplicably walked the Yankee closer to force in a run, as you can just add one more blooper to the Mets' season. The fact that they are even close in the standings is a minor miracle between their injuries and many blunders in the field, on the basepaths, and with the pitching.

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: alexei ramirez, brad lidge, chad gaudin, david price, emilio bonifacio, francisco liriano, francisco rodriguez, mariano rivera, matt palmer, nick markakis, ryan sadkowski, scott kazmir, tommy hanson

There were so many players that were candidates for this weeks Hot 8, many of which have already been included in previous weeks. Among these players that I still recommend you take a chance on or at least keep an eye on are Homer Bailey, Kevin Frandsen, Drew Stubbs, Kyle Blanks, Marcus Thames and of course Neftali Feliz. Feliz in fact has been moved to the bullpen in Oklahoma City this week in order to get him ready to pitch in the Rangers pen down the stretch this season. He can make a big impact in a late inning role for sure so be ready to make that move pretty soon.For this week however I decided to cleanse our palate so to speak and give you guys some new faces to The Hot 8. Though you will see one familiar face in this weeks version, his last appearance was way back in April so many of you had probably forgot about him by now. Get your pencils and scorecards ready, here is this weeks Hot 8:

THROWIN' SMOKE
1) Ricky Romero (LHP - Starter) -- Blue Jays -- Romero is once again on fire for the Jays after a stint on the disabled list and a couple poor outings. On the season he is 5-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 54 K's in 64 2/3 innings. Romero is a classic late bloomer who had been treading water in the minors the past four season before finally starting to get it late last year. He has found success in throwing both his curve and changeup for strikes early in counts which makes his mid-90's fastball much more effective and "heavy" to hitters. Although he has struck out 33 in his previous 5 starts, Romero is not to be considered a high strikeout guy. He has found a nice rhythm with his pitches and the consistency he had lacked in previous minor league seasons. Right now he is one of the hottest left handers in the league and needs to be a pickup and hold until he proves otherwise.

2) Kevin Correia (RHP- Starter) -- Padres -- I wonder how many of you out there have ever even heard of Kevin Correia before? I have been high on him for years now and he has not failed yet in letting me down. So, when putting together my sleeper list for this season I finally decided to cut the cord with Correia as he had proved himself to be nothing more than a 28 year old spot starter or long reliever. Not even half way into the 2009 season now and Correia is now the ace of the Padres pitching staff! At least until Jake Peavy returns that is. But nonetheless, Correia has made tremendous strides in recent starts as evidenced by his 4-1 record, 2.40 ERA, 29 K's and only 3 walks in his past five starts. He credits this turn around to improved use of his curveball, a pitch he hardly used before this season. He is also throwing much more changeups than he used to and is using his legs more which has really helped with his control. Credit Bud Black with fine tuning some of Correia's mechanics and allowing him to find his way this season. He is a must pickup right now and should be rode for as long as this run lasts.

MORE PLAYING TIME = FANTASY HEAT
3) Jake Fox (OF/3B) -- Cubs -- Fox will be eligible at 3B in the very near future as he's earned his time there by putting in a ton of extra work with Cubs infield coaches. Lou Pinella gushes when talking about Fox nowadays probably because he is the only Cub player who is hitting no matter who the opposing pitcher is, the weather conditions, the spot in the order or the situation at hand. The kid is just raking and has been pretty much all season long. He got a call up to the show after hitting a whopping .409/.495/.841 in AAA Iowa. Since the call he's hitting .349/.354/.605 with 2 HR's and 11 RBI. I believe Fox is the reason Pinella finally stood up to disgruntled OF Milton Bradley because if Bradley wants to cry and pout and be a problem, Fox could slide very nicely into the RF and lineup position that Bradley has been under performing in all season long. Whatever happens with Bradley, Jake Fox has been too productive to ignore and is going to get plenty of chances going forward for a team with big upside potential.

4) Brett Gardner (Outfield) -- Yankees -- Melky Cabrera's hot streak is over and thus Gardner has found himself back into prime action for the Yankees. On the season Gardner is hitting .293/.364/.427 and most impressively has 17 stolen bases in 19 opportunities. The more he gets in the lineup and produces at these current paces the more dramatic his value increases. Gardner very well could steal 40+ bases this year. He is currently available in 93% of Yahoo leagues but that number will tumble quickly with the realization that Gardner is seeing regular playing time once again in the Bronx. Any fantasy team that could use some speed or wants to keep it away from their opponent must find a spot for Gardner ASAP.

5) Casey McGehee (2B/3B) -- Brewers -- Let me be the first to say how stunned I am at the production the Brewers have gotten out of their 2B platoon of Craig Counsell and Casey McGehee. Shortly after Rickie Weeks was lost for the season I was asked about McGehee on an episode of Fantasy Baseball Tonight to which I said not to bother with him. I was and still kind of believe that Alcides Escobar will eventually get the call up and J.J. Hardy will see time at 2B but for now there is no more ignoring of what McGehee is doing. In his last 10 games he is 12-38 (.342) with 3 HR's 7 RBI and 8 runs scored. He is seeing time at both 2B and 3B for the struggling Bill Hall. Just about everybody I know including myself, are looking for middle infield help on their fantasy teams. For the short term, I believe McGehee is a guy that can help those of us who didn't get Ben Zobrist bridge the gap until better solutions evolve.

JUST A SPARK, BUT...
6) Wladimir Balentien (Outfield) -- Mariners -- One of the best "under the radar" young power hitters in the game. Balentien is set for a big increase in playing time due to Endy Chavez being lost for the season now. The Mariners went for an all defensive outfield this season. A very intriguing approach unless of course you play fantasy baseball. Balentien has hit 20+ HR's the past four seasons mostly in the minor leagues and also possesses the speed to swipe 10+ bases annually. He has got Sheffield-like bat speed and the ball just flies off his bat to all fields. He will never hit for a good average however and will strike out a whole bunch. With steady playing time the rest of the season there is no reason to think Balentien can't continue his streak of 20+ HR's and give you an occasional stolen base. He'll hit somewhere in the middle of Seattle's order also which will provide him good RBI opportunities as well.

7) Tyler Clippard (RHP - Relief) -- Nationals -- This is for those of you who email me all of the time looking for the closers in waiting. Clippard is a career minor leaguer who has found success this season in making a conversion from starter to reliever. He's spent most of his time in the Yankees organization and actually made a decent couple of starts for them back in 2007. For AAA Syracuse this year he was 4-1 with a 0.92 ERA and 42 K's in 39 IP while posting a 0.89 WHIP as well. The Nats are obviously desperate for some bullpen help and anytime Mike MacDougal is your closer the job is ultimately available. Clippard was once a top prospect but never really filled out his frame the way scouts would have liked. Still, his fastball/curveball/changeup has shown to be able to get people out at least in the short term.

THE NEXT HOT CATCHER PROSPECT
8) Angel Salome (Catcher) -- Brewers -- Salome is my favorite minor league hitter to watch. Anybody who has the MiLB.TV subscription like I do, please check out the Nashville Sounds and their tiny little free swinging catcher. Salome will drive hitting coaches crazy with his unorthodox style and pitch selection but he has amazing hand/eye coordination. I call him the right handed Ichiro and while nobody can quite do what Ichiro does, Salome is without question the poor man's version. He hit .360/.415/.559 last season in AA Huntsville and won a batting title. For a small guy (5'7"), he does have surprising power but is more of a slap type hitter who will spray the ball to all fields when he is right. Salome started out this season horribly but has caught fire lately hitting .400 with 2 HR's, 7 RBI and 10 runs scored in his last 10 games. Salome also has a plus arm behind the plate although he gets messy with his footwork at times which leads to a lower than expected caught stealing percentage for the youngster. Still, this is a prospect to be very excited about. He is not only productive but fun to watch and can fill a big need for a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race and has a great established offense. You will not find catchers who can hit .300 on the free agent market for long. This is why you'll need to make a play for Salome quickly if you want to upgrade yourself at this always thin fantasy position.

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

Scott Kazmir returned to the Rays' rotation, and I have to say he pitched much better than I anticipated. Kazmir was struggling badly before he was placed on the DL, but his pitching line was pretty sharp on Saturday. Kazmir was his usual self, only lasting five innings, but allowed just two runs, walked only one and struck out five. While I expect Kazmir to be better than he was to open the year, I figured he would struggle in his first couple times to the mound. Regardless of whether he was good or not today, Kazmir is the kind of pitcher that you start every time out, regardless of the matchup. To make room for Kazmir the Rays sent Andy Sonnanstine to the minors, which is great news for David Price owners. It certainly seems like he was another candidate to be sent down.

A.J. Burnett has had a very up and down season for the Yankees, but today was what they expected when they handed out that contract. Granted the Mets have a ton of injuries, but Burnett was masterful none the less. He threw seven shutout innings, allowed just one hit and struck out ten. I don't believe that this is Burnett turning the corner, I still think that he will be very inconsistent and will have his share of difficult outings. On a positive note, he has been perfectly healthy so far in 2009.

For those of you who listen to the Tuesday podcast of Fantasy Baseball Tonight, you know I have been waiting for the start by Homer Bailey. I said he would stink, Jeff said pick him up. Now, he only allowed three runs in five innings, but Bailey walked seven. I stand by my position. DO NOT pick this guy up. Not every high ranking prospect always pans out, and I stand firm by my belief that Bailey will not be a successful Major Leaguer.

John Lackey finally pitched like the John Lackey that we know, and he is a guy that I think will round into shape and will begin to pitch better more often than not in the future. Lackey didn't allow an earned run over seven innings and struck out nine. Lackey has had some injury troubles in the past couple seasons, but when he is in there, Lackey is one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball. If you can get him kinda cheap I would think about making a move to trade for him, but if you have him, feel good that you should be getting more production from him in the future.

J.A. Happ had the performance of day though, making his fantasy owners Happ-y as he threw a complete game shutout against the Blue Jays. Happ allowed just five hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out four to raise his record to 5-0. He had a couple of rocky outings recently, so it was good to see him get back on track. To me Happ is the kind of guy that you can expect to give up three runs over six innings and strikeout four. That should be the average outing for him. Some will be better, some far worse, but overall he should be a useful pitcher to have.

Scott Podsednik continues to play for the White Sox, and he continues to produce. His four hit game on Saturday was his third straight contest with two hits or more, and all he needed was a triple for the cycle. I still don't have supreme confidence that he will be a reliable player all year long, but right now he is hot, and if you need batting average and stolen bases, Podsednik could be just the shot in the arm your team needs.

Nolan Reimold is perhaps my favorite rookie of the first half of the season. He hit his ninth homer of the year today, and continues to hover around the .300 mark. Reimold has been starting on every team that I own him on, and unless your outfield is unusually stacked, he should be starting for you as well.

I guess Pablo Sandoval wasn't happy about me saying that I didn't expect a ton of power out of him yesterday, because he went out on Saturday and hit two more homers. Sandoval is now up to 11 on the season to go with his .340 average. I was happy that I picked him for my guy in the 56 Game Hit Streak game on USA Today.com. He got my streak going again after it was broken by Curtis Granderson. Please join our group to see if you can do any better. Just follow the link above, and the private group is called Fantasy BBall 2nite and the password is fantasy.

Kyle Blanks drove in the first three runs of his major league career with a two double game against the Rangers. Blanks is one of the better power hitting prospects in the majors, but he has struggled to start his time with the Padres. Keeper league players will want to stash him on your bench, while seasonal players probably don't need to own him at this point.

Kazuo Matsui has hit in every game but two since returning from the Disabled List last week, and hit his first home run since the third game of the year. Matsui isn't the best option in the world, but if you have a need at second base or middle infield he could offer you a little help. He is traditionally a .280 hitter and has stolen 20+ bases in each of the last two seasons. He has a tough time staying healthy, but tends to be fairly productive when he plays.

Chris Davis hit his second homer in three days, and third in the last eight. He has also gotten his average above the Mendoza line, up to .212. Is this the start of the hot streak we all have been waiting for over the last three months? I am not ready to say that yet, heck I'm not even ready to take him off my bench yet. But he has my attention because of the power that he is capable of.

Labels: a.j. burnett, Chris Davis, homer bailey, j.a. happ, john lackey, kazuo matsui, kyle blanks, nolan reimold, pablo sandoval, scott kazmir, scott podsednik

J.J. Hardy has been picking it up a little bit as of late, and hit his seventh homer of the season on Friday. Hardy has averaged hitting .280 with 25 homers over the past two seasons, but hasn't looked like the same guy this year. However, this was his fourth multi-hit game in the last ten days, so while he is hitting just .221, that is an improvement from the .207 he was hitting on June 14th. I believe that he will continue to improve and could definitely approach 20 home runs this season.

Pablo Sandoval is far surpassing my expectations with his offensive game this season. I expected him to be a guy who hit for an OK average, without much power. Now, while nine home runs isn't exactly Ruthian, when you pair that with an average over .330, he is putting together a nice year. I still believe his value lies in leagues where he is catcher eligible, but even as a corner infielder or utility player, you could do much worse. I wouldn't sell high on him. His average will obviously fall, but I don't predict a huge dropoff.

I know I talk about him every night, but when he stops hitting, I'll stop talking. Jake Fox was a triple short of the cycle for the second consecutive day. Even with the chance to DH him, Manager Lou Pinella started him at third base again, and again he didn't make an error. The way he is hitting I am hopeful that he will continue to play after interleague is over. We will find out after this weekend.

Geovany Soto homered for the fourth time in a week, giving his fantasy owners hope that he will be able to repeat last year. He has also raised his average nearly 25 points in the last ten games, and he is now a viable fantasy player again. If he is for some incredible reason available in your league, definitely pick him up immediately. If you have owned him all season, it appears your patience is paying off.

Jeremy Sowers was once one of the Indians higher ranking pitching prospects. Several years later, he has never come close to living up to the hype. Over the last six weeks Sowers has been better, but unless you are in a 20 team or A.L. only league, you still can't pick him up. Sowers allowed just two runs over seven innings, and has now allowed three runs or less in six of his last seven starts. However, outside of tonight when he struck out six and walked only one, his control has been atrocious. In his previous eight outings he walked 21, against only 18 strikeouts in 39 innings.

Ricky Romero had another dominant start, and he hasn't allowed more than three runs in an outing since returning from the Disabled List. On Friday he threw seven shutout innings, allowed just two hits, walked only one, and struck out seven. I think that he has some value as a end of the rotation kind of guy, but his less than stellar minor league numbers at the higher levels continue to weigh on my mind. I actually did pick him up in one league for a two start week, but I'm not holding on to him. I am gaining more confidence, but not total confidence yet.

Xavier Nady will undergo Tommy John Surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2009 season. Nady was on a rehab game but felt pain in that elbow during a throw in the third inning of a game the other day. Two innings later he was out of the game, and now his season is over. If you were stashing him on your DL slots, it is time to let him go.

Roy Halladay declared himself ready for his start on Monday. Be sure to have him activated in time for that start if he is on your team.

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.

Joey Votto was just a triple short of the cycle, as he looks like he is back from his injury issues and should absolutely be back in your lineups. Votto has the ability to hit for some power, and will also give you a great batting average. He should hit .310-.320 and will give you 20-23 homers even with the games that he missed.

John Smoltz completed his comeback from offseason surgery, but the Washingotn Nationals hit him up pretty good. Smoltz pitched five innings and allowed five runs. On a positive note, he only walked one and struck out five. He is coming back from a bad injury, and he is over 40 years old. He will likely improve the more he pitches, but at his age and coming back from an injury is troublesome. Hold him for another start or two. Don't give a knee jerk reaction on one start.

Jordan Zimmerman continues to impress me more each time he takes the mound, and had his way with the Boston Red Sox over seven innings. It was only the second time he has pitched that deep into a game, and he struck out six while only walking one. Zimmerman has now allowed just one earned run in three straight starts, and should be on a roster in every league right now. In keeper leagues, he is becoming more valuable by the day.

Alex Rodriguez has been frustrating both Yankee fans and fantasy players. Perhaps Thursday was the first step of him breaking out of that funk. A-Rod had two singles and a homer, and he drove in four runs. He is so much better than the .223 average he has, so really try to stay patient. He might not be 100% still, as he rushed back from the hip surgery. I believe he will improve as the season goes on, and will likely hit .280 or better.

Jake Fox was able to DH today so his glove wasn't an issue, and he connected on his first major league home run. He also singled and doubled, and is proving that he will have no problem hitting in this league. Now, if he could either get traded to the American League so he could DH, Fox would be a major player. He has been starting most days now, and the more starts he gets, the more value he holds. See what happens when they leave the American League parks. If Fox keeps playing, you will want to have him.

Sean West bounced back after a couple of tough outings to restore some confidence with his fantasy owners. He is one of the better pitching prospects in Florida, but I don't see him being dominant this year by any stretch. He will likely win close to ten games, but he is walking a few too many, and not striking enough out. I still like West as a guy at the end of your roster.

As we talked about it on the Tuesday edition of the Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast, but now it is official. The Reds will recall Homer Bailey to start on Saturday. He has only allowed two runs in his last five starts, and is on total fire. However, Bailey has been in the majors a handful of times, and I have ABSOLUTELY no faith that he will succeed in this start, or in any other that he makes. Unless you are in an NL-only league, or are desperate for a spark, I wouldn't touch the guy.

OK, it's Thursday and it didn't rain which means I had a softball game tonight. It was a bit of a laugher as we took over the lead in our division with a 4-3 record after an 11-4 victory. Before the game was over, I had my parents there, a co-worker, and my wife with both girls at the field (which is rare). I played third base tonight, and it was UGLY. Now, mind you it was just my fourth game ever there, and my first in over a month. A hot shot got past me that I might have been able to get to. The only other play I got was a slow roller with a fast guy running. I got to the ball and should never have thrown it, but of course I rushed it and threw it away. At the plate (which is the only part I really care about, I don't like defense) I was 3/4 with two RBI. I had a solid single past the shortstop that drove in a run in the first. Popped up to center in my second at bat after I almost got a cue shot to drop down the first base line, but it was JUST foul. That would have been another double. But all in all a great game, and we will play two games next week because of the neverending rain here in New York.

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.

Jhonny Peralta homered for the second time in three games, and now looks like he might be rounding into shape. He homered for the second time in three games, and now has eight hits in his last five games. He still has a ways to go to get anywhere near the stats he had last season, but ne no longer looks like someone you should drop. In fact, if you need shortstop or third base help, Peralta should be a solid option going forward.

David Huff had his best start as a pro on Wednesday, as he threw eight shutout innnings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had been showing some improvement, allowing just three runs in each of his last three previous starts. He was ranked as the eighth best prospect in the Indians organization coming into the year, but struggled at AAA in '09. He wasn't an elite strikeout pitcher in the minors, but his stats were fairly impressive. In pieces of four seasons he was 20-9 with a 2.95 ERA, with 229 strikeouts in 253 innings. Huff is worth a flier if you are in need of starting pitching, or could be a good spot starter against favorable matchups. At worst, at least keep your eye on him.

There are a handful of Toronto Blue Jays that I don't believe in, no matter what kind of season they are having. Marco Scutaro hit his sixth homer of the season, but it was his first since April 30th. His career high in homers is nine, and while I expect him to eclipse that, he won't do it by much. He has rarely been a full time player in his career, He is certainly not peaking at age33. Rod Barajas has had a few good seasons in his career, but he is another guy who has generally been a part of a platoon during his major league career. He hit his seventh home run of the season, but if he is able to get past 15 I will be very surprised. Scott Rolen has a longer track record of success, and his his fifth home run of the year. It isn't that I don't have faith in Rolen's abilities, but he hasn't played more than 115 games in the past two seasons. As he gets older I don't gain more confidence that he will be on the field all year long.

David Price did not pitch well again, and I'm not sure exactly what is his issue. Price allowed five earned runs (ten total) over 4.1 innings, walked two, and struck out two. He is now 1-2 on the year, with an ERA just under 4.50. He is not going deep into games, he is walking too many and not striking out enough. Seasonal leagues I might try to capitalize on his name and see if you can still get a great trade for him. You likely will have at least one person who is drooling over his potential. Not saying he won't live up to the hype, but if it isn't a keeper league, the risk is limited. I still wouldn't consider dealing him in a keeper league. The ceiling is just too high.

Tommy Hanson threw 5.1 shutout innings against the Yankees on Tuesday, but he continues to struggle with his control. He did strikeout four, which is good, but walked five.......not so good. However, Hanson is now 3-0 with an ERA just over 3.00 in his first four starts. Do I need to tell you to keep starting him no matter of the matchup? I didn't think so.

Chien-Ming Wang was likely good enough to remain in the rotation again, but he fell to 0-6 on the season after allowing three runs over five innings and struck out four. Wang was not horrible, but not great by any stretch, and it is hard to say what New York should do with him going forward. This is a guy who has won 19 games twice in his career, so you have to believe that there are better days ahead of him, but from a fantasy perspective you can't keep him on your team right now. The guy fantasy players all want in the rotation, Phil Hughes, threw two hitless innings in relief of Wang, and continues to pitch well no matter what his role is.

Matt Wieters connected on his second home run, and is now hitting .262 on the year. He has driven in six runs in his last five games, and is starting to look like he might be worth all the hype that he was given before the season started. In my opinion, he is someone that you can even count on now, even in seasonal leagues and I would feel good with him as my only catcher. I believe that he will soon be the star he was projected to be.

Hideki Kuroda has never been a guy that I have had much confidence in, but he nearly threw a complete game on Tuesday. He was one out away from finishing the game, but when he allowed a run he was removed from the game. Kuroda is now 2-3 on the year, with an ERA just under 4.00. He is getting far more strikeouts in 2009 than he did last year, but he isn't someone that I would keep on my roster. He could be an OK start against the Pirates, Nationals, or Padres, but not a guy I hold on my roster.

Troy Tulowitzki hit two homers tonight, one day after I endorsed him as a solid shortstop on an everyday basis. Hopefully you jumped on him if it was possible yesterday, but if not, today's action should give you enough confidence to make the move. He is now up to twelve homers on the season.

Again, there will be no post on Wednesday, as I am traveling to Citi Field to see my Cardinals take on David Wright and a bunch of guys I've never heard of. OK, maybe that's not true, but have you seen the lineup the Mets are forced to play with all of their injuries? I almost feel bad for them, but not really. We are all fighting for playoff spots, and if the Mets lose a few extra games, perhaps that's enough for the Cards to get the wild card if they can't win their division.

I also will be missing the Wednesday edition ("The Big Show") of the Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast, but this is certainly not one that you should miss as the great Cory Schwartz will be a guest on the show. For those of you new to the site, Cory is from mlb.com and always doles out great information. Definitely a must-listen, and I'm disappointed he will be on the week I am out. So, check it out, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru to listen at 10pm EST Wednesday.

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 huff, david price, hideki kuroda, johnny peralta, marco scutaro, matt wieters, rod barajas, Scott Rolen, tommy hanson, troy tulowitzki

Saves: 6








Other Appearances:
Kerry Wood (9) - Wood got hammered again in a 5-4 win. He gave up two hits and a run. His ERA now stands at 5.68 and he is one of the three worst closers in the majors.
Jason Frasor (2) - Got his second save of the season with a easy inning. Its looks like Gaston is going with Frasor, but Accardo was not available with a sore hamstring.
Matt Lindstrom - Lindstrom got lit up for three runs on four hits. It wasn't even a save opportunity.
Mike Gonzalez - Pitched a perfect inning against the cold Yankees.
Rafael Soriano - Pitched a near perfect inning against the very cold Yankees.

Troy Tulowitzki continues to look like the guy we knew his rookie year, and I am now endorsing him as someone that you can confidently put in your daily lineups. Tulo had two more hits today, giving him a hit in ten of his last eleven games and has 14 total hits over than span including three home runs. It took a long time for me to consider him again, but if he is somehow available certainly pick him up.

Jake Fox got another start tonight, this time in left field for the Cubs, and he collected another two hits, and again didn't commit an error. If Fox is able to get regular playing time, he is certainly worth a look. The kid can hit, there is no question there. He just needs the opportunity to start, and that is dependent on his glove.

Omir Santos was 4/4 for the Mets, and his fantasy value continues to be a question mark. It is obvious to e