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

Rich Harden had one of those dominating starts that we have been waiting for on Monday. He did allow nine hits, but only one run and struck out nine over seven innings. The Cubs, and many fantasy players I know, are hoping that this is the start of a big run by Harden and he will start to pitch like he has for most of his career. You have to keep pitching him because he likely still has little trade value, but if he can keep this up you won't want to move him.

I have a very exciting announcement. Tomorrow I will be involved in a very exciting project with Steve Gardner with the USA Today. Instead of the usual chat where you send in a question and hope that it gets answered, we will be having a free flowing chat with anyone who joins us. You can see the announcement for the event here. It will be starting at noon EST on Tuesday.

Jacoby Ellsbury is quietly catching up to Carl Crawford in the major league stolen base standings. Crawford stole his 40th base of the year, which is an astounding number, but Ellsbury swiped two to get up to 33 on the year. He will bring you very little in home runs (three to this point) or RBI (24 through today), but he is hitting nearly .300 and he is among the elite in steals.

Jon Lester is now scorching hot. He now has six straight starts in which he has given up three runs or less, and in four of those he has struck out at least eight batters. He is striking out guys at a higher rate than he normally does, so don't be surprised if that rate falls back a bit. But Lester is a top 20 pitcher, and should be treated that way. He should strike out 175 guys and win at least 16 games.

Scott Rolen was a guy that I wrote about ten days ago that I had little confidence in, but I need to edit that a bit. If you are counting on him to be this good and stay healthy all year long, you might be disappointed. However, if you are in need of an option at third base for a while, I would definitely give him a try while he is hot. Rolen has had a solid major league career, he has just had a hard time staying healthy over the past couple years and his power isn't what it used to be.

Many people were excited about Chris Perez being traded to the Indians, thinking that perhaps he would take over for Kerry Wood as closer. Two problems with that theory. One, the Indians paid Kerry Wood a lot of money, and while he hasn't been good, he will need to be Brad Lidge bad to be replaced in my opinion. Second, Chris Perez showed nothing while in St. Louis that makes you think he is ready to be a closer. He is a good strikeout pitcher, but his ERA was over 4.00. He came in tonight for the first time as an Indian and hit two batters and gave up four earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. If you are desperate for saves and all the closers are taken, perhaps he might be worth a look, but don't be too confident in him.

J.J. Hardy is still hitting. He had four hits, including his eighth homer of the year (which was a bomb by the way), three of which have come in the last ten days. He also had two doubles, and has had two hits or more in three of his last four games. I believe that he will be a reliable hitter going forward, and should finish the season with at least 20 home runs. If you need any help at shortstop, Hardy should no longer be available.

Looks like the clock struck midnight on Fernando Nieve and his Cinderella season. Nieve, who hadn't started a game in years, was 3-0 for the Mets, including the game that I went to last week (thanks Cards for showing up!) but he might have woken up tonight against the Brewers. Nieve allowed just three runs, but also lasted only 3.1 innings, walked one and struck out one. Like I said, he hadn't started a game since 2006, you would think if he was any good, SOMEONE would have picked him up in the last two years.

Casey McGehee continued his scorching hot June, and perhaps he will be worth having on your team after all. With his grand slam on Monday, he now has five homers this month, along with 18 RBI. Last season in AAA he had 12 homers and 92 RBI, so he isn't a stiff, but keep your expectations under control. He could be a nice contributor, but don't expect him to do this well again in July.

David Murphy homered for the third time in five games for the Texas Rangers, and it looks as though perhaps he is healthy again, and could be a viable player again. Murphy was once a semi-hyped prospect for the Red Sox and was shipped to Texas for Eric Gagne. Murphy hit 17 homers, drove in 74 runs, and stole seven bases in only 108 games last year before a hernia ended his season. Keep an eye on Murphy. If he gets hot, he could be worth having at the end of your roster.

Roy Halladay might have taken the loss on Monday, but he had a successful return to the mound for the Blue Jays. Halladay allowed just two runs over six innings and struck out seven. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball, I don't think I need to tell you to start him every time out.

Carlos Beltran is getting a second opinion on his knee and it is being reported that he might need microfracture surgery which would knock him out for the season. Hopefully there will be some good news over the next couple of days.

When you figure out Luke Hochevar, please let me know. Two starts ago he gives up six runs in four innings. Today he throws seven shutout innings against the Twins. He did walk four and strikeout only two, but he collected his third win of the season. He is still far too uncertain for me to have on my team, unless you are in a league with more than 12 teams or an AL-only league. Hochevar is supposed to be an elite talent, so if he went on an incredible run I wouldn't be shocked, but I am not expecting it.

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: carl crawford, carlos beltran, casey mcgehee, chris perez, david murphy, fernando nieve, j.j. hardy, jacoby ellsbury, jon lester, kerry wood, luke hochevar, rich harden, roy halladay, scott rolen

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

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.

Labels: geovany soto, j.j. hardy, jake fox, jeremy sowers, pablo sandoval, ricky romero, roy halladay, xavier nady

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.

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

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 everyone that he is the Mets' best option as a catcher, but for some reason they still give Brian Schneider his share of starts. Schneider hit a three run homer yesterday, but he is a joke offensively. I have a situation in one league that I was in need of a catcher, and although I like Santos, I was forced to choose Kurt Suzuki because of the uncertainty of who will be behind the plate in New York.

Ryan Ludwick homered for the second time in four games, and perhaps is getting back to the pace he was on before his injury. I think it is safe to assume he won't reach 37 homers again this season, but barring injury he should make a run at 30 again if he can stay healthy and hitting. I don't think he will get his average near the .299 he hit last season, but it will be better than the .240 he is currently at. Look for Ludwick to finish the season in the .270 range.

Travis Ishikawa homered for the third time in four games, and looks like he may begin to live up to some of his preseason expectations. Ishikawa always showed good power in the minor leagues, even thought it didn't quite translate in the majors to this point. In a 48 game stint at AAA last season, Ishikawa hit 16 balls in the seats. He is certainly worth a look, and in deeper formats, I would pick him up right now. I don't know if this will last, but I think it is worth taking a chance on at this point.

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.

A special Happy Father's Day goes out to all of the readers who have children, hopefully your wife/girlfriend/kids spoiled you today. I had a very nice day today with a nice new shirt/tie combo for work along with a book that I have been wanting. My wife was also generous enough to take me and the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner for a nice meal of spicy fried foods and beer. What else can a Dad ask for? We also had a nice meal with my parents last night, as they were going to be out of town today. My father has been an incredible influence in my life, as well as a fantastic father. He is truly the reason that I am doing this today, as he instilled both a love of sports and competitiveness in me from an early age. But even more than that, the support that he has given me throughout my life can never be paid back (or the $$$$, sorry Dad), and I am forever grateful to have such a man in my life. If I am able to be half the father that he has been, I will be very proud of myself. I love you Dad, and I could never thank you enough!

C.C. Sabathia left his start with tightness in his biceps in the second inning on Sunday. He was examined during warmups, got one guy out, but after allowing a hit he was removed from the game. The team has termed him day to day, and they say there are no tests planned. When you give a guy $20+ million and he comes out of the game, I'd be willing to bet that there are some tests in Sabathia's future.

Ryan Howard was released from the hospital after spending consecutive nights there with flu symptoms. Howard was able to provide a pinch hit homer in last night's game, but did not play today. The Phils have an off day on Monday, and you would think that he should be back in the lineup by Tuesday.

Casey McGehee is still playing in place of Rickie Weeks, and the kid is hitting. He hit his second homer of the year, and has 17 hits in his last nine games. I suppose as long as he keeps producing, he will keep playing. McGehee was not a top ranking prospect, so I'm sure there is a stat correction coming in his future, but if you need some middle infield help in the short term, McGehee appears to be worth a look.

Mark Buehrle is having another one of those ho-hum Mark Buehrle kind of years. He threw seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Reds, and raised his record to 7-2. Now there are two reasons, in my opinion, that Buehrle never gets fantasy love. One is he will never win 20 games. His career high is 19, but that was a long time ago. He usually wins between 12-15 games. The second is that he doesn't get a lot of strikeouts. Last season he had just 140 in 218 innings, and he is on a similar pace this year. However, while a lot of us love the lure of the rookies and the potential of the next big thing, a guy like Buehrle at the end of your rotation is likely more help. But hey when is Neftali Feliz coming up? I'll pick him up!

Brandon Phillips left the game early yesterday with pain in his fractured thumb, but was able to play today. Phillips has a hairline fracture in his tuhumb, but never hit the Disabled List. He did not get a hit today, but did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly. I was worried that he might be out a few games again, but it appears that he is tough as nails and is safe to put back into your lineups.

Ricky Romero had his fourth straight good start after coming back from the DL, and he is looking like someone that you can count on each time out. Romero's minor league statistics were nothing to get excited about, so if he starts to go south, don't be surprised and have a backup plan ready. However, the more and more he pitches, the more confidence that I gain in him.

Jeremy Guthrie was great on Sunday, allowing just one run over seven innings against the Phillies. It seems that Guthrie generally pitches well, even against good competition. Somehow though, his statistics just aren't very good. Even with the win on Sunday, his record is 5-7. His ERA is 5.09, while his WHIP is 1.37. He isn't even getting many strikeouts, as he has just 55 Ks in 86 innings. He isn't a bad option at the end of your rotation, but I just have never been a big fan of Guthrie.

Khalil Greene homered for the third straight game, and then was hit with a pitch and had to leave. He was 4/7 since coming back from the Disabled List due to social anxiety, but was hit on the ankle with a pitch the at bat after hitting the homer. Greene has long been a guy with plenty of power potential, but couldn't hit for any kind of average whatsoever. Even if he is able to play tomorrow against the Mets, I still wouldn't be picking Greene up unless you are desperate for help at either shortstop or third base.

With his two home runs on Sunday, Albert Pujols now has 26 homers to go with 27 strikeouts! Who is the best hitter in the game right now? Is there even a question?

Just when you started to feel good about Gil Meche, he goes out and does this. Meche got tattooed by Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. There is no shame in getting crushed by Pujols, as you can see above, most pitchers have been for years. But nine runs over 3.1 innings? After six straight starts of two runs or less, you had to figure that something like this was possible. The next start is the important one for Meche. Hopefully, he can get right back on track and pitch effectively again. But Gil Meche isn't Johan Santana, my guess is the next one or two outings aren't that great. I'm not saying nine runs again, but he won't see the seventh inning.

Who in the world does Michael Cuddyer think he is? After 64 games of the season, he is nearly halfway to his career high of 24 homers when he connected on number eleven on Sunday. He has driven in three runs in his last four games, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him get up to 90 RBI. As long as he can stay healthy, Cuddyer is looking like a solid fourth outfielder, and he could move up farther from that.

Cubs' power hitting prospect Jake Fox is back in the majors and they actually trusted him with a starting spot today. Fox played third base, and the good news is he drove in three runs with a double. The even better news is that he didn't commit and error. If Fox can prove that his glove is up to the task, perhaps he will see more starts.

Even though he lost, Dallas Braden has now allowed three runs or less in seven straight starts. He might not have a great record (5-6), but he generally has been good all year, with a 3.26 ERA. The low strikeout numbers are probably what is holding him back from full fantasy ownership, but if you catch an injury or have someone you want to drop, give Braden a look to see if he fits what you need.

Kevin Kouzmanoff continues to drive in runs, even if he can't really get his batting average to a respectable place. Kouzmanoff hit his ninth homer of the season on Sunday, and has driven in 14 runs in his last ten games. I am still not quite believing that he is going to keep this up, but it is possible. He was a pretty highly touted prospect, showed great power in the minors, and his batting average was always in the .300 range. He is a guy that I had a lot of hope for three years ago, perhaps it is going to come to fruition now. I wouldn't bet on it just yet, but keep an eye on him.

Alex Rios got my hit streak back on track on the USA Today's 56 Game Hit Streak. I am very close to paydirt as that extended my streak to two. Please join our group with the link above. The private group is called Fantasy BBall 2nite and the password is fantasy.

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: albert pujols, alex rios, brandon phillips, c.c. sabathia, dallas braden, gil meche, jake fox, jeremy guthrie, kevin kouzmanoff, khalil greene, mark buehrle, michael cuddyer, ricky romero

Josh Beckett has officially caught fire. He has now won six of his last seven decisions, and with the complete game shutout tonight, has not allowed even a run in four of his last six starts. He now also has 88 strikeouts in 91 innings, so he is really helping you in that category as well. Beckett is really prone to wild streaks, so this could turn around and he could get cold again. However, he is one of the more talented pitchers in baseball, so continue to start him with confidence.

I was going to write about Luis Valbuena yesterday, but decided against it at the last minute. Apparently, he didn't like that so he went out and got my attention today. He had three hits on Saturday, including two home runs, his third in the last two games. In the last four games he has eight hits and has driven in seven runs. Yahoo lists Valbuena at 5'10" and 190 pounds, but I have also seen him listed at 165 pounds. Those are not the kind of dimensions that scream power hitter to me, so you shouldn't be expecting this to continue. In a short term injury situation, or if you have a spot where you just pick up the hot guy, I think Valbuena qualifies. He is not the second coming of Hanley Ramirez however.

Jhonny Peralta had his third consecutive two hit game, and his first homer in over two weeks. All of you know I came into the season with big hopes for Peralta, and they have now switched to high hopes for Peralta after the All-Star Break. He has only had small spurts of production this season, so if he is out there, I couldn't say that I would send you running to the waiver wire. I do think that he will outperform Mr. Valbuena above, so if they are both out there I would consider him first, unless you just want to play the hot guy.

James Shields had one of the better starts of his season on Saturday against the Mets, but it was interrupted by rain. He had only thrown 87 pitches through seven innings when the game was delayed, and likely would have kept going. But he did allow only one run, didn't walk a batter, and struck out four. I have been down on Shields this year, as he hasn't seemed like the same pitcher he had been the past couple of years. You can say that about the entire Rays rotation. But he is definitely capable of having an outing like this most times he goes to the mound. He should be better than he has been this year, perhaps this is the start of a nice roll.

Mat Gamel has started to get regular playing time, and he is showing what his bat is capable of. He hasn't been knocking the ball out of the park, but he is definitely hitting. He was 2/3 today with a triple and two walks, and has seven hits in the last five days. I would definitely like to see him start to drive the ball over the fence, and drive in some runs, but it is good to see him making contact. The power will be arriving shortly if they keep him out there.

Delmon Young is starting to grab my interest just a little. The former elite prospect who has yet to get anywhere near his expectations. But he does have three hits in the last two games, and hit his second homer of the season on Saturday. Now don't take this as advice to run out and grab him. However, sometimes rookies struggle to find their way when they initially come up to the majors. Perhaps this is the start of Delmon settling in and he will start to be productive.

Congratulations to Gordon Beckham on his first major league home run. The kid is hitting more and more, and has started to sneak into my thoughts of actually starting him in the two leagues I own him in. In daily transactions I would likely try to find a spot for him, but I don't think I trust him enough yet for those of you who only set your rosters once a week. That could possibly change in recent times.

Scott Podsednik is back with the White Sox, back to the top of the lineup, and back to hitting and stealing again. He has spent the past few seasons mostly in the trainer's room, but right now he is healthy and back to his old ways. This is a guy who stole 212 bases over a four year span from 2003-2006. However, it wasn't just injury that limited his playing time in recent years, he wasn't effective much when he was in there. If you need speed or have a rotating spot he might be worth a shot, but I am not drinking the Kool-Aid on Podsednik just yet.

FINALLY!!!!! Russell Martin got that goose egg out of his home run category, now if he can only get his batting average out of the .240s perhaps he could be worth the draft pick you spent on him. I'd say hopefully he will improve when Manny comes back into the lineup, but it wasn't like he was doing good then either. Keep him in your lineups though, Martin is better than this, there should be a hot streak in his future.

Frank Francisco will be activated from the Disabled List, and hopefully this time it is for good. However, Manager Ron Washington did say that he wouldn't use Francisco as a closer right out of the chute. So, if you see him in the seventh or eighth inning in his first couple of outings, don't freak out or think he's lost his job.

Diasuke Matsuzaka will be skipped his next time through the rotation I guess to give him a little more rest to see if he can get straight again. Matsuzaka will also be examined by team doctors to be sure that nothing is wrong with him. Hold your breath Dice-K owners. I'm not saying something is wrong, but he's been unusually bad. He could just need a rest, or could be something worse.

Coco Crisp could be facing season ending surgery if he has a torn labrum in his shoulder. It could be a rotator cuff injury, but he will be examined in the next couple of days to pinpoint exactly what the injury is. While Crisp is no great fantasy player, he was useful from time to time this season.

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: coco crisp, delmon young, diasuke matsuzaka, frank francisco, gordon beckham, james shields, jhonny peralta, josh beckett, luis valbuena, mat gamel, russell martin, scott podsednik

Derrek Lee hit two homers on the day today, bringing his season total to ten. Anyone who has read this blog at all knows that I am very anti-D-Lee. He had that one great year, and has basically been a good average guy with little power that ends up on the DL a lot. Matches his initials, isn't that cute? He is having a pretty good season, but he hasn't really been injured yet, and I still would not touch him. If you have him, I would try to cash in on this time and see if you can trade him for someone a little more safe.

Is there something wrong with Rich Harden? The guy just doesn't look like himself. He hasn't really been that dominant guy we saw last year much at all. Without a spirited comeback by the Cubs today, Harden would have been hung with the loss. He had his worst start of the year as he allowed seven earned runs over five innings, walked three, and struck out two. Harden also allowed two more home runs, which is not like him. I guess that you have to keep starting him if you own him, but I would certainly see if anyone remembers the lights out season he had last year. I'm not sure that something is wrong, but this just isn't Harden.

I keep saying that the future is bright for the Orioles, and their young players keep making it look like it is so. Nolan Reimold had two more hits, including his eighth homer in just 32 games. Rookie sensation Matt Wieters also had two more RBI, giving him four in 16 games. Wieters got off to a slower start, but he has had some pretty good at bats. I don't know if he will quite live up to the hype this season (is that possible?), but you can tell he's a hitter, and the numbers will be coming eventually.

Kyle Blanks was called up by the San Diego Padres on Friday, as the top prospects continue to get the call. Blanks was rated the #1 prospect in the Padres organization by Baseball America, and was ranked #50 in all of baseball. At worst, Blanks should be up to be the DH while the Pads are in American League ballparks, but they moved him into the outfield in the minors recently so they could keep his bat in the lineup. I expect him to at least get a decent look even after interleague is over. If he hits at all, I would think that San Diego will keep him in the majors. Let's be honest, what do they have to lose?

Antonio Bastardo did allow four runs over seven innings to get tagged with his second loss, but he did strikeout five and he didn't walk a batter. OK, so it wasn't a Koufaxian kind of outing, but it was a nice bounce back from his last start where he only pitched one inning. I wouldn't say he is a guy that I would start no matter what, but I would consider going with Bastardo against some of the weaker hitting teams in the National League.

Jordan Zimmerman has been looking like he is making improvements in his rookie year, and although he won't win a ton of games, is definitely a viable guy to have on your team. He has allowed two runs or less in four of his last five starts, and has struck out at least six of his last seven starts (only three tonight). He doesn't go deep into games and the Nationals are awful, but he is certainly worth having. I had soured on him early in the year, but I am becoming on of the converted. He obviously has more value in keeper leagues, but even in seasonal leagues, he should be at the bottom of your rotation.

Diasuke Matsuzaka had another disasterous outing on Friday, and his record fell to 1-5. With John Smoltz returning next week, there is news that the Sox might go to a six man rotation, or possibly trade Brad Penny. But the way Matsuzaka is pitching, is he in for another "rest" on the DL or maybe a trip to the bullpen? Considering the money they have invested, I doubt it, but they can't keep throwing him out there if he's going to pitch to a 8.23 ERA.

A couple of struggling Cardinal power hitters finally produced some fireworks as Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel both homered, and Ludwick's was a grand slam. I'm not ready to say that they have "broken out of their slumps", but I do have more confidence in Ludwick going forward than I do in Ankiel. Ludwick was off to a great start before his injury, while Ankiel has been struggling all season long. They are both legitimate power hitters and are both worth roster spots in traditional leagues.

Alex Rodriguez will be resting in tonight's game and tomorrow as well. A-Rod missed the first 28 games after hip surgery, and has played every game since. Not sure why the Yankees did that and didn't give him a day off here and a day off there. Now they will sit him for two straight games. I wouldn't be completely shocked if he didn't play on Sunday, as the Bombers are off on Monday and that would give him a four day rest. Keep an eye out for his status on Sunday.

Manny Ramirez will begin his minor league "rehab" assignment on Tuesday, as he is now only 13 days away from the end of his suspension. He will play a handful of games at a couple of different levels as he prepares to get back in the lineup for the Dodgers on July 3rd. I believe that Manny will begin to hit right away as soon as he is back in LA, and that Juan Pierre will be sent back to the bench unless they are able to trade him.

Brandon Webb was sent home after having pain in his shoulder after a throwing session the other day, and the news has taken a sudden turn for the worse. Webb will be evaluated next week by team doctors to see if they can find the source of the discomfort. Us Webb owners were hoping to have him back around the All-Star Break, but right now that seems completely up in the air. Continuing stashing him and hope for better news, but this doesn't sound good all of a sudden.

Arizona's Chris Young could be DHing as early as Saturday, or could get the whole weekend off. I know, that is a sucky update, but that is the news that is out there. He might get the whole weekend off, which would give him four days with the off day on Monday, but apparently Young is feeling better after leaving the game on Friday with a strained groin. If he plays tomorrow, I would say it is safe to play him Sunday, but I wouldn't have him in my lineup tomorrow.

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.

Magglio Ordonez has been benAched indefinitely by manager Jim Leyland because of this ridiculous slump that he has been in basically all season long. You can expect him to do a lot more of what you see in the picture.....watching. Leyland was quoted talking about Ordonez swing saying: "I don't think he can figure it out, I don't know if anyone can figure it out." OUCH! You don't think anyone can figure out what is wrong with his swing? Don't you pay a hitting coach to do just that? Bench Maggs until you see he's going to play again, and in 12 team leagues I would consider cutting him if there is something good on free agency.

Tommy Hanson had the best of his three outings on Thursday, although he still struggled with control. Hanson didn't allow a run in six innings and struck out two. Unfortunately, he did walk four guys. I really expected his strikeout numbers to be better, but I am encouraged that he has been allowing fewer runs each time out. Hanson is one of the three best pitching prospects in baseball this year, and you need to continue to pitch him. He should get a little better each time out.

Joba Chamberlain was slightly above average again this time out against the Washington Nationals, and I am just not sure of what to expect him going forward. He obviously is not going to be the kind of guy he was when he was coming out of the bullpen a couple years ago. It seems that he doesn't go all out with his pitches in order to try to last longer into games. His velocity is not near what he showed out of the bullpen, and his effectiveness is the same. He is still doing good, but a long way from great.

Luke Hochevar fooled us all. He had a good couple starts, and got many of us thinking that perhaps he could have turned a corner and was going to be good. Oh no, slow down. He allowed six runs over just four innings. I am glad that I didn't jump back on the Hochevar bandwagon, although I probably told some of you emailers that it was worth a shot with him. I figured against a weak hitting D'Backs lineup that he could succeed. If you picked up Hochevar, I would hold him for one more start, unless you see something on the wire that could bring you stability. He was a top prospect, maybe he can figure it out. Can you feel my confidence in him?

Chris Davis finally hit a home run tonight, much to the delight of my co host Jeff Mans. Of course it was his only hit of the game and he did strikeout two more times. That now brings him to 43 hits, and 97 strikeouts. I have officially jumped off the Davis bandwagon completely. There is still hope that when it heats up in Texas that he might too, but I can't keep this dead weight on my roster any longer.

Dontrelle Willis is headed back to the 15 day DL with an anxiety disorder, although I'm not sure how that qualifies him for the Disabled List. He had a few effective starts, but most of the time he was wild and erratic (which are pretty much the same thing). Don't bother stashing him, if you have him, send him packing.

Ricky Nolasco pitched great again through five innings before the game was delayed by rain. Nolasco allowed just one run over five innings. The best part of the outing is that he didn't walk anyone. I liked Nolasco upon his return from the minors, and that grows with each start he makes. I can't believe he would still be out there, but definitely pick him up if he's still available.

Livan Hernandez continues to be one of the more dependable pitchers for the Mets, and he could even be used as the last pitcher on your staff. The win was blown for him by the bullpen, but Hernandez was great again. Livan allowed just two runs over seven innings, and struck out four. Now, he's never going to throw you a shutout, and he isn't going to whiff ten, but most of the time you can count on him to at least give you a quality outing and should be a reasonable pitcher to have as your fifth or sixth starter.

Mike MacDougal unexplainably got his second save in as many days against the New York Yankees. After having to pitch out of trouble on Wednesday, MacDougal recorded a pretty quiet save tonight against the Bronx bombers. He did allow one hit, but it was again erased by a double play. The Nationals now have 17 wins on the season, which means don't pick up MacDougal and expect a ton of trade opps.

Michael Cuddyer is back to his hitting ways. After missing a few games due to injury, Cuddyer had his third straight two hit game, and connected on his tenth homer of the season. He has only played 140 games or more twice in his career, so you can pretty much count on the fact that he will get hurt again at some point during the season. If he's out there and you need a little pop, I would give him a look. However, I would keep him on a fairly short leash and be ready to let him go when he either gets hurt or goes cold.

Geovany Soto hit a game tying home run against the White Sox on Thursday, but he is still struggling badly. Soto is either getting three hits or no hits, and of course most of the time it is no hits. Considering the state of the catcher position, I would keep throwing Soto out there. He is in a good lineup in a small home ballpark. I still have faith that Soto will turn it around before the All-Star Break.

Gordon Beckham has been starting to hit more, and is looking like he belongs in your starting lineup perhaps. He has now hit in five straight games, and has driven in five runs in the last four games. He now should be eligible at short and third, and has only struck out five times since coming to the majors. Of course, he only has seven hits in 40 at bats, but he has been showing signs of improvement. He is a guy that you definitely should have in a keeper league, unless you are stacked, and in a seasonal league I would definitely monitor him, even if I didn't pick him up right away.

Jose Lopez was placed on the bereavement list and will miss somewhere between the next three to seven days. No specific reason was given, but I believe that the minimum is being out of the lineup for three days. Hopefully all is well with Lopez and his family, and hopefully they will give us a day notice when he is going to return.

I have run my consecutive games up to five in the 56 Game Hit Streak on USA Today. Join our group that is called Fantasy Bball 2nite. Password is fantasy. I am going to choose Evan Longoria versus Fernando Nieve for Friday. The group is currently led by Planet 10 who ran his/her streak to seven with Michael Young.

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.

J.J. Hardy was slumping worse than Hart, but he also had a good night on Wednesday. Hardy was a shortstop that I was high on if you couldn't get one of the elites in the early part of the draft. He was a SS that averaged over 20 homers in the past two seasons. But he is hitting below .220 and has just six homers including his one tonight. I still have held him on any team that I drafted him on, even if he isn't starting for me. I think he is due for a good second half. Can't say I would grab him if available right now, but I would certainly be monitoring him over the next week to ten days.

Scott Richmond is impossible for me to figure out. Every time that I am ready to tell everyone to send him packing to free agency, he has an outing like he did tonight. Richmond pretty much either gives up one run or five runs. On Wednesday he allowed just one earned run over eight innings and struck out a season high eleven. I am still not a Richmond fan, although he has had some pretty good outings. If you own him, obviously continue to pitch him, but I would always be looking to see if someone in your league would want to trade for him.

Was that enough for Chien-Ming Wang to remain in the Yankee rotation? It doesn't really matter for his ownership, but if he was jettisoned to the bullpen that would open up a rotation spot for Phil Hughes. It was laid out to Wang that if he wasn't better in his outing on Wednesday that he would be out of the rotation. Not sure exactly what they Yankees were looking for, but he was certainly better. Wang did take a loss, but he allowed just three runs over five innings, walked just two and struck out four. Everything about the start was better than where he has been, although I would think you might have expected more against the horrible Nats. Wang fell to 0-5, but he did lower his ERA to 12.65. My guess is that he gets another start.

Yunel Escobar is going to crush his statistics from last season, as long as he can stay healthy. Escobar has had trouble doing that over the past few seasons, but he has already met his stolen base number from 2008, is only two home runs shy, and is more than halfway to his RBI number. At worst, Escobar should be on your bench, but I believe he has been good enough to be a utility player or maybe a starting shortstop. I wouldn't love to count on that without having a reliable backup, but Escobar is doing quite well.

Hunter Pence seems to not be getting much love from fantasy players this season, but I'm not quite sure why. He hit his ninth home run of the season on Wednesday, and he is also hitting a scorching .328. He's a little behind pace to match his 25 home runs from 2008, but he is hitting for a tremendous average, and nearly has matched his stolen base total from last season. Be sure you have Pence in your lineup going forward.

Andrew McCutchen hit his first major league home run and has kept up the torrid start to his major league career. McCutchen continues to get at least one hit in every game, and if you own him, he should likely be in your starting lineup. If you are in a keeper league and he is still available, what the hell are you waiting for? Grab the kid!

Francisco Liriano fell to 2-8 on the season, but there were some positive signs from him. Liriano pitched seven innings, and he hasn't gone that deep into a game since May 4th. He only walked one, which he hasn't allowed less than two over his last four starts. Things are improving for Liriano, even if it is in small steps. Keep throwing him out there if you own him, and if he is available in your league, I would likely try to find a roster spot for him. Like I've said many times, that rookie season impact isn't coming back, but he should be a better than average pitcher.

Colby Rasmus is giving the Cardinals what they were hoping for when they gave him a starting job out of Spring. Sure, he is striking out a little more than you would like, but it isn't like he is on Mark Reynolds level with the Ks. With his two RBI on Wednesday, Rasmus is up to 26 on the season, and he has driven in six runs in the last five games. In a keeper league he is a must have, but even in a seasonal league he at least is worth a bech roster spot.

Josh Whitesell has been much better since being recalled again from the minors, and while he isn't hitting for power, he is driving in runs at a nice clip. In the last week, Whitesell has driven in nine runs, and his average has gone up nearly 100 points. Of course it was right around .100 so it isn't like he had anywhere to go but up. He was hitting for great power in the minors, but has yet to hit his first major league tater. I wouldn't grab Whitesell yet, but I would definitely keep an eye on his progress. If he starts hitting for power, that is exactly what the doctor ordered in Arizona.

Jose Lopez continues to stay hot and has now gotten to be someone you can trust in my opinion. After tonight's home run, he now has five in the last week, along with 13 RBI. He obviously can't keep that pace up, but outside of his average, he is looking like he could meet, or perhaps surpass last season's great numbers. If he is still available in your league, I would certainly pick him up.

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 fantasybaseballtonight@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.

Travis Hafner has been hitting up a storm since he returned from the DL with his latest shoulder ailment. Hafner hit his seventh homer of the year, which was his third since coming back on June 5th. Hafner is a guy with big power potential, but his shoulder injuries the past couple of seasons definitely has fantasy players nervous. While I think he is a guy that you can put on your roster and he can help out your squad in the power department, I wouldn't put too much stock in a guy who has missed so much time lately. If you are going to pick him up, be very careful who you drop for him. He could have a big payoff, or he could be back on the DL in two weeks.

Somehow Mike Pelfrey has a 5-2 record. He has an ERA of 4.56, a WHIP of 1.46, and has 27 walks and 30 strikeouts. Those factors normally don't add up to a winning record. If you look at his game log, his season really hasn't been too bad. Including tonight, he has allowed three runs or less in nine of his last ten starts. So, the strikeout to walk ratio isn't good, but most of his starts have been pretty good as far as runs allowed are concerned. Pelfrey at best is a guy that you have at the very end of your pitchign rotation, and in most leagues I am in he is a free agent. I think unless you are in a 14 or 16 team league he should probably stay there. But if the Mets are playing the Nats or Padres he is worth picking up.

Ricky Romero continues to pitch better after a rough couple starts after coming back from injury. Romero allowed ten earned runs combined in his first two off the DL, but has allowed just seven earned in the three starts after that. He struck out nine batters in his start on Tuesday, which is his best number of the year. I keep looking at his career numbers and there is no way he can pitch this well all year. If you have him, ride the wave while he is hot, but be prepared for a bad stretch.

Chris Volstad lost his fourth straight start, but I don't believe the situation is as bad as it seems. OK, so he gave up eight earned runs in 3.2 innings on Tuesday. However, many a pitcher have gotten blown up by the Sox. Also, granted he has been bad his last two times out. But in his other five losses he has given up a combined fourteen runs. This to me says taht you shouldn't be sending him packing just yet. Volstad is not a big strikeout guy, but is still a great pitching prospect and I would still hold on to him at this point. Give him another two or three starts before deciding on what to do with him.

I can't figure Gil Meche out. I am high on him to start the season and he goes through a pretty horrible stretch in late April and early May. Then, I advise folks to lose the faith in him, and now he has had back to back great outings. After striking out eleven over seven shutout innings, Meche does one better and throws a complete game shutout with six Ks. Obviously, he is very inconsistent. But on the season he has a 3.31 ERA and although he doesn't strikeout guys at an elite level, he gets his fair share. He is a fourth or fifth starter on decent fantasy teams.

Justin Verlander finally got roughed up for the first time since late April when he allowed seven runs against the Angels. There's no much to say here. Verlander is a stud. Don't read too much into one bad start. Pitchers generally make 35 starts. If they have an amazing season they win 20 games. That means that nearly half the time they won't collect a win. There are going to be rough outings. Don't freak out please.

John Smoltz will make his debut for the Boston Red Sox on June 25 against the Washington Nationals. I know a lot of you have been holding on to him and waiting for this return. Smoltz has been a great pitcher for a long time. He has not only been a great starter, but was a great closer as well. He is also a very good strikeout pitcher. However, Smoltz is 42 years old and coming off major surgery. There is no guarantee that he will be good upon his return. Chances are that he will be good, and if you have been holding him all this time, be ready to start him next week, but don't be shocked if all doesn't go well. Start one against Washington should be a positive experience though.

David Ortiz homered again, and that is now four home runs in the last week. I'm not quite ready to say that the season long slump has been turned around, but it is getting very close to that. I've been saying for a few days now, if he was dropped, find a way to pick him up. He is worth the risk that he is going to start producing.

Marlins' rookie Chris Coughlan continues to hit over the past week or so. He isn't a power guy, and isn't driving in runs, but he is at least starting to get some hits. In the last ten games, Coughlan has sixteen hits, five RBI, and three stolen bases. He wasn't the highest ranking prospect, but he has been producing of late. He should be 2B and 3B eligible and can help you out in the short term. Long term I don't think that he will be a viable fantasy player.

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.

First I want to say that barring any major news, there will be no blog tomorrow. There are only two games on the schedule and I haven't taken a night off since April 7th.

Matt Cain had one of his finest starts as a pro as he raised his record to 9-1. He has always had a ton of talent, but this is by far his best season. I have always liked Cain, but this year I give up on him and now he is 9-1. What the hell? He still walks too many guys (until today), but overall he is a good pitcher. He isn't a strikeout an inning guy, but Cain is someone that can shut anyone down at any time. He also has a tendency to be prone to the big inning.A.J. Burnett finally gave the Yankees the kind of start against a quality opponent that they were hoping for when they gave him that big contract. Burnett shut the Mets out over seven innings, allowed just four hits, and struck out eight. Burnett did battle control problems again, he walked four guys, but this time it didn't come back to bite him. This was a nice rebound considering he couldn't get out of the fourth inning against the Red Sox his last time out. Burnett is now 5-3 which is good, but the near 4.50 ERA, and WHIP near 1.50 need to be improved. But so far he has been healthy, which is always a concern with him.

Alex Rios has finally started to heat up. He homered for the second straight day, and in the last three days he has seven hits. He continues to be a pest on the basepaths too as he has stolen five bases in the last six days. You figured he had to get hot eventually, and it took him longer than anyone would have predicted or been happy with. He should certainly end the season with 20 homers and 30 steals, but if he can stay hot 25/35 isn't out of the question.

Brad Bergeson continues to pitch well this season for the Orioles, and surprisingly pitched a complete game against the Braves. He allowed only two runs, walked only two, and struck out three. He is now 4-2 on the season with an ERA of 3.79. I am still not firmly atop the Bergeson bandwagon, but I am starting to look to see if there are any seats available. It looks like you can still sit wherever you want, but there are a few more taking the ride. One more good start and I might advise giving him a look.

Freddy Sanchez is starting to look like he might have another season like 2007. That year he hit .304 with 11 homers and 81 RBI. He is hitting in the third position in the Pirates lineup right now, and that should help his run production potential. He hit a grand slam yesterday, and drove in another run on Sunday with two more hits. I'm not sure that this is going to last long term, but he is definitely someone that I would pick up while he is hot, especially in leagues that require a middle infield position.

Jimmy Rollins hit another homer today, and although his average is still near the Mendoza Line, he is at least giving you something at this point. He's still only hitting .217 but in that was his second homer in the last six days, and he's driven in seven runs over that span. Still a long way from what we were expecting, but hopefully these are signs of life.

J.A. Happ finally took the lumps that young pitchers always seem to take, but he did manage to not lose his first game. Happ battled over 5.2 innings and allowed five runs. The one trend I have noticed with him that I am not liking is that his walks keep increasing. He issued six free passes today, but hopefully it was just one of those days that a pitcher just didn't have it. I am still a fan of Happ and if you have him I would use him again the next time he pitches.

Gordon Beckham hit another double and drove in two more runs on Sunday. He now has three doubles and four RBI over the past two days. He still has a long way to go to prove that he will be a consistent hitter at this level, but at least the guy is starting to hit and drive in a few runs. I would be playing him if you have him in deeper leagues or with leagues that have a big roster.

Corey Hart has caught fire the past few days after being benched earlier in the week. In the last five days he has seven hits, two homers and six RBI. Hart has been a 20/20 the past couple of years and I believe he will be again. If, by some chance he was dropped in your league I would certainly pick him up. I am going to show my confidence and choose him for my 56 Game Hit Streak player for Monday.

Andrew McCutchen continues to impress and with his two hits on Sunday he has gotten a base hit in every game he has played in except two. He also stole his second base of the year and has seven RBI in eleven games. He has surpassed my expectations and seems that he will be a quality player. It is still a matter of time whether he will stay consistent, but so far so good. Keep him in your lineup if he is already there.

Brian Bannister had his second consecutive great start for the Royals, and his record is now 5-3. However, he has an ERA over 4.00 and his WHIP is 1.40. Bannister has had small segments of good starts, but he has never been able to put together a good season or really even a good half. Don't pick him up. He doesn't play on a great team, he doesn't strikeout too many, and he gives up too many hits.

Scott Baker pitched good enough to win on Sunday, but didn't factor in the decision. That is now four times in the last five starts that Baker has allowed three runs or less,and he has 33 strikeouts in his last 36 innings. If Baker is available I would certainly consider picking him up. He was 11-4 last year, and while he won't reach that record, he should be much better going forward.

Rangers' rookie Derek Holland has had absolutely no success as a starter, and at this point shouldn't be on your roster. In his fourth start, Holland allowed four runs over five innings, walked four and struck out two. The kid has a world of talent, but it just doesn't seem like it is going to happen for him right now. Set him free until he shows any sort of consistency. There has to be a better option on your waiver wire.

I spoke about Juan Rivera the other day and how he was starting to hit. Well, on Sunday he really hit. Rivera had two homers on Sunday and now has eight on the season. If I liked Rivera before, I like him even more now. Rivera was always supposed to be good, but he has always had injury problems. As long as he is in the lineup he is worth being your fourth outfielder or maybe a utility player. Keep tabs on him going forward.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

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.

Rich Harden had a mixed outing on Saturday. His numbers look good, but there are a couple of trends that I don't like. For the day Harden pitched five innings, allowed two runs, and struck out nine. His team unfortunately didn't score so he took the loss, but overall it was a pretty good outing. Harden hasn't been going deep into games, although it could have been expected today as it was his first start off the DL, but it has been a problem this season. Second, he has been allowing a lot of home runs. Jason Kubel took him yard for the ninth homer allowed by Harden, after he gave up only eleven all last season. That just says to me that Harden's pitches aren't as sharp as they were last season.

Speaking of Jason Kubel, he probably should be owned by someone in your league if you play with 12 teams or more. His jack off of Harden was his eleventh of the year, and he is hitting .313 with 37 ribs. The problem with Kubel was he couldn't stay healthy, his bat never was questioned. If he is able to stay on the field he should be able to hit you 25 homers. If you have someone that is grossly underperforming (not Jimmy Rollins, Martha) I would think about adding Kubel.

Jeremy Hermida is another injury prone guy who was supposed to be a star. Hermida hit a grand slam in his first major league at bat, and unfortunately for him, he might have peaked in his first major league at bat. He has been healthier his last couple of seasons, but he has still not performed where we thought he would. Hermida is in the middle of a nice hot streak now though and could be worth taking a chance on in the right situation. He homered for the third time in five days, and has eleven hits over the last five games. I am still skeptical of him and his health, but if you are looking for a hot hand, look no farther than Hermida.

After the game Friday the Angels demoted Howie Kendrick to the minor leagues, likely due to his .234 average. The good news is they called up Sean Rodriguez. He is absolutely ripping up AAA right now to the tune of a .277 average with 21 homers and 60 RBI in just 56 games. He's not a big steal guy, but he has swiped 6 bags on the year. Rodriguez has shown this power stroke over the last few years in the minors, so I don't think this is coming out of nowhere. This is a rare chance to pick up a young player with some power at a middle infield position. He didn't start the game Saturday, but got a pinch hit single in one at bat.

My hitting streak in the USA Today 56 Game Hit streak was broken at four thanks to Nick Markakis. He did walk twice, but was unable to get a hit. I am bitterly disappointed that my streak is now broken, but I guess you get back on the horse and pick again for tomorrow. My guy for Sunday is Ichiro. If you want to join our ever growing group go to the main page for the game and follow the link for the game. Our private group is called Fantasy Bball 2night and the password is fantasy. See if you can do any better. Right now the group is led by someone called Baseballdy who has a five game streak thanks to Raul Ibanez. I can figure out who some of you are by your team names, but let me know which of you are playing with us.

Sean West of the Marlins has started to garner some fantasy attention. But I guess throwing eight shutout innings with six Ks in your rookie year will do that. West wasn't nearly as good this time out, he pitched 5.2 innings but allowed four runs. He was also disappointing in the punchout numbers as he didn't strike anyone out and walked four batters. Lucky for him, Toronto is in a free fall, so it was good enough for his second win of the season. I still like West as a guy at the end of your rotation, and in keeper leagues he has great potential. Just remember the rookie pitcher road tends to have its share of bumps in it.

Omir Santos deserves to be catching everyday for the Mets and Brian Schneider should never come off the bench. He might not be the next Brian McCann, but Santos hits for a good enough average, he has a little pop, and can actually move OK for a catcher. He had two more hits on Saturday, including his fourth homer and drove in three more runs. I'm not sure how much fantasy value he holds because he doesn't play every night, but hopefully the Mets wise up pretty quick and only sit him in day games after night games like normal catchers.

Fernando Nieve filled in admirably for John Maine who went on the DL, but please don't go picking him up. In his first start since 2006 (OMG!), Nieve had his way with the New York Yankees over 6.2 innings. Nieve allowed just two runs, walked two, and struck out two. I'm pretty sure he earned himself another start, but unless you are in a huge league (20+ teams), I wouldn't go near this guy. Anyone with any talent doesn't go nearly three years between starts. It was a nice day for him, just don't expect it to continue.

Can Gary Sheffield possibly swing any harder? This guy pretty much decides that he is either going to put the ball in the seats or strike out. He did put another ball out of Yankee Stadium (not saying much, I think I could get it to the warning track in right field) and drove in two runs. Sheffield has been a great surprise for the Mets, and for fantasy owners. Not sure how long this production will continue, but you might as well take advantage of it why he is staying hot.

After being so bad that they threatened to ship him back to Cuba (ok, the minors) Jose Contreras has made two great starts in a row. He threw eight shutout innings for the second straight outing, but this time he struck out eight. The guy is 38 years old (yeah right, more like 48), and isn't getting better. His best fantasy days are behind him. Leave Contreras in free agency, let him be someone else's mistake.

Jordan Zimmerman was pretty effective over his five innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out six. It was the second straight solid start for Zimmerman, as he allowed just one run over five innings and struck out six. After getting off to a pretty rough start, Zimmerman has only allowed three runs in his last two start, while striking out thirteen guys in the last eleven innings. I'm still not quite ready to trust him on an start to start basis, but at worst Zimmerman is starting to strikeout more guys and is going deeper into games. It might be next year before a reliable starter, but he is showing some improvement each time out. He could be a good guy to own in August and September, but I am not ready to advise that just yet. Continue to monitor his progress.

Antonio Bastardo had a humongous bump in the road tonight against the Red Sox. The Phillies' rookie only pitched one inning, allowed four earned runs, walked three, and only struck out one. I worry about this guy's long term life in the rotation. From the time that Brett Myers got injured they said they would look internally for a short term solution, but explore the trade market for a long term answer. That means to me that they would pitch Bastardo until he didn't get the job done. I still think he will make his next start, but if he falters again, look for the Phillies to go in a different direction.

Chris Young (the Arizona guy) is starting to show up at the ballpark again. There has been some guy who looks like him and wearing his uniform, but he wasn't playing like Young. Not only did he play for the eighth straight day, but Young connected on his on his sixth homer of the year, and his second in consecutive days. I am starting to gain some confidence that the D'Backs are going to play Young and keep Eric Byrnes on the bench, but I wouldn't be letting go of anyone solid to pick him up. Unless you have someone who absolutely stinks or an injured player, I wouldn't be adding Young at this point.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

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.

Kevin Slowey improved to 9-2 with another solid outing, and perhaps his best as far as fantasy baseball is concerned. Slowey did allow three runs over six innings, but he struck out a season high ten batters. He also walked on guy, bringing his season total to ten in 13 starts. Sure his ERA is over 4.00, but Slowey is getting the job done, and is still a pitcher that I feel comfortable starting every time out. If he could only keep up the strikeout rate he had on Friday, he would be someone that every player wanted.

Randy Wells finally had the kind of outing that I have been waiting for from him. He was unable to complete the fourth inning before allowing four runs, walking two, and striking out only one. Outside of a short stint before being called to the majors this season, Wells had never pitched this well in the minors. He has to have a few more rough starts, he isn't going to keep his ERA at the 2.55 level that it is at even after this game.

Jon Lester was amazing for the third straight outing as he allowed just one run again and struck out double digits for the third straight start. Here's hoping that you were patient with Lester while he struggled. I won't go so far as calling him an elite pitcher, but he is certainly climbing the rankings. It is too late to try to trade for him, and if you own him don't think about trading him unless you get a crazy deal you can't turn down.

My hitting streak in the USA Today 56 Game Hit streak now sits at four thanks to Kevin Youkilis. I am on a bit of a roll right now and I am feeling pretty good about myself. My choice for Saturday is Nick Markakis. If you want to join our ever growing group go to the main page for the game and follow the link for the game. Our private group is called Fantasy Bball 2night and the password is fantasy. See if you can do any better. Right now the group continues to be led Jennifer who has a six game streak thanks to David Wright. I can figure out who some of you are by your team names, but let me know which of you are playing with us.

Joba Chamberlain threw 100 pitches in just four innings as he continues to flounder between great starts and not lasting long enough to even qualify for a win. He only allowed two earned runs, but didn't last long enough to help his team or yours. I really struggle to decide what to expect from him for the rest of the year. He shows flashes of greatness, but most of the time he can't seem to get through more than five or six innings. If you are in a keeper league, you have to hold him. In seasonal leagues I would try to trade him to see if you can get a good deal anywhere in your league.

Luke Hochevar might be atoning for his last stint in the majors, and perhaps has turned the corner to be what he was supposed to be all along. After allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings in his last start, Hochevar went the distance on Friday, allowing just one run to the Reds and struck out three. I'm still not quite drinking the Kool-Aid yet, but if you are in need of pitching, he could be worth a flier after two good starts.

Cleveland rookie David Huff had by far the best outing of his young career. He had struggled to even last five innings through his first five starts, but pitched into the eighth inning against St. Louis on Friday. He allowed just three runs, walked two, and struck out five. He came into the year ranked as the #8 prospect in the Indians system by Baseball America. He had a pretty solid minor league career, and projects as a good strikeout pitcher. If you are in a keeper league he MIGHT be worth a look, but I don't think so at this point. Seasonal leagues I wouldn't consider him yet. Unless you are in a real bad way as far as pitching is concerned I would leave him be right now.

Rick Porcello had another great start and earned his seventh win of the season already. The Tigers' star rookie allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out two. The strikeouts are the only thing that is keeping Porcello away from being a fantasy household name. This was a nice bounce back from a couple of rough outings, which you have to worry about when you are dealing with a 20 year old. I have been saying this all year long, I think Porcello is for real......right now. If he's still out there, please pick him up. I've gotten a few emails saying he was available. He shouldn't be.

Brandon Inge is still hitting no matter how much I say he will stop. Inge did have one season in his career that was close to this pace, but he is certainly on his way to a career year. He only had one hit tonight, but it was his 14th jack of the season. I still think that this is going to slow down.

Since May 1st, Yunel Escobar has had a pretty good run. His average has remained in the high .280s, but his run production has been good. In less than six weeks he has four homers and 24 RBI. He has gone from a guy that I barely thought was worth a roster spot, do someone that I have started multiple times in a 14 team league. If he's still out there, he is at least worth a look for a utility spot even if you already have a good shortstop.

Congratulations to Tommy Hanson for collecting his first major league win. Hanson was much better than his first time out, but still had control problems. He allowed just two runs over 5.2 innings, but he did walk five to go with his five strikeouts. He is an elite pitching prospect and this was an improvement over his first time out, keep pitching him every five days.

Ricky Nolasco had his best start of the season, and second good one since returning from the minors. Nolasco didn't factor in the decision, but he allowed just two runs over six innings, while striking out nine. Unfortunately, his team couldn't manage to score runs off of the Blue Jays to help him, but he has only allowed two runs in each of his first two starts back in the majors. Continue playing him with confidence, and if for some reason he was dropped, make aure you pick him back up.

Finally, in perhaps the most unbelievable finish I have ever seen the Mets/Yankees game ended in crazy fashion. The Mets were up by one going into the ninth with two outs. Alex Rodriguez steps to the plate with guys on second and third. In typical A-Rod fashion he comes up small and hits a high fly ball to second base, and slams his bat down in frustration. Mets' second sacker Luis Castillo has the ball in his sights, circles around and DROPS THE BALL!!!!! Both runners score and the Yankees win. This is a defensive play that is made 999,999 times out of 1,000,000, but not this night. The worst part is Francisco Rodriguez not only gets hung with a blown save, but also takes a loss. That is unfair. Castillo should get the loss even though I know it isn't possible. I have to say watching it two things happened. First, I was so stunned by the fact that Castillo dropped the ball that I couldn't turn the channel for about 20 minutes. It was well into the post game show before I found the next game. Second, I felt better about myself and my softball career. I've had my share of easy drops over the years, so seeing a pro do it made me fell a litle better. So, my question is to Yankee fans. For the millionth time Alex Rodriguez really failed in the clutch. Barring a horrendous error the game is over and the Yankees lose. So, how do you feel about that game? Does A-Rod get a pass for coming up small again? Or do you celebrate but crush A-Rod yet again? Leave a comment below, I'm just curious.

Injury News

Jake Peavy will miss at least a month with a torn tendon in his ankle. This hurts his owners badly, and assures that the Padres will be the worst team in the National League. What can you do? All you can do is put him in your DL slot until he is able to return.

Scott Kazmir is set to go on a rehab assignment early next week as he recovers from his quad strain. Expect him to make three or four rehab starts, so you are still looking at a few weeks before Kazmir is able to return to the Rays. Continue to stash him until then.

Roy Halladay left his start tonight with a strained groin. Halladay made it to the third inning but grimaced in pain early in the inning. He attempted to throw one more warmup pitch, but quickly left the mound. Too soon for any more news about this, but if it is bad it would be devastating to fantasy teams everywhere.

John Smoltz pitched what is supposed to be his final rehab start. He allowed four runs and six hits over four innings. If this was supposed to be his last start, that means that a spot will open in the Sox rotation. Speculation is rampant that Brad Penny will be traded any day. I'm not sure what to expect from Smoltz this season. When he is right he could give you a 3.00 ERA with nearly a strikeout an inning. However, he is 42 and is recovering from surgery. he is definitely a risk, but could have a nice payoff.

Denard Span will at least be out the entire weekend with the dizziness that has been plaguing him. Between dizziness and hip injuries, guys are dropping like flies. Like we have seen from Joey Votto, this could turn into a longer term thing than just a couple of days. Continue to monitor his progress.

Jeremy Bonderman is already back on the 15-day DL after only making one start. Bonderman is still trying to recover from a condition that restricts the blood flow through his shoulder. This doesn't sound like it is a short term problem, and if you have him, I would feel safe letting him go.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

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: brandon inge, david huff, denard span, jake peavy, jeremy bonderman, john smoltz, luke hochevar, rick porcello, ricky nolasco, roy halladay, scott kazmir, tommy hanson, yunel escobar

Max Scherzer continues to pitch very strong, and picked up his third win. This is a kid that I like to continue to progress and, of course, continue to strikeout everyone and their mother. One of Scherzer's problems is that the Diamondbacks aren't very good so his win potential is not great. His ERA is only 3.63 and he has more strikeouts than innings pitched. If Scherzer was available in your league, I would try to find a way to pick him up. In a keeper league, stop reading now and pick him up......then come back.

Ryan Franklin returned to the save column today for the first time since June 2nd, but it wasn't because of ineffectiveness. The Cardinals went on a six game losing streak, and then tattooed the Marlins yesterday 13-4. So, for those of you who were getting frustrated with the lack of chances with Franklin, don't worry about it. The season is 162 games long and EVERY team hits the skids. This was the Cardinals time, and Franklin just wasn't able to get a save. He pitched 1.2 innings today and didn't allow a run. His ERA sits at 1.14 for the season, and his WHIP is a ridiculous 0.85. I don't see that being his end of season stats, but I do have confidence in Franklin going forward, something I would never have said two months ago.

Ryan Madson collected his second save since taking over for Brad Lidge. Not only did he get the save, but it was with no real drama. Madson only allowed one hit in the two appearances, unlike Lidge who has his fantasy owners reaching for the Tums. Madson should be good at this closer's role as long as he is needed. I expect his strikeout numbers to rise, and I believe that he will convert most save opportunities that come his way. If you are at all in need of saves and Madson is still out there, don't hesitate to pick him up with one warning. I wouldn't let go of someone you feel will hold a closer's job all season because Madson is not the long term answer in Philly.

Andrew Miller had another strong start on Thursday, and now hasn't allowed more than three runs since April 20th. Although he really isn't going deep into games, the kid is starting to come into his own. He had one of his longer starts of the year when he lasted 6.1 innings, and he struck out eight. His ERA is still over 4.00, but that can partly be attributed to a slow start. His main problem is still his control, although today he finally didn't walk a batter. Miller's WHIP is 1.50 on the season, and he has to improve on that before he takes the next step to a reliable starter.

Paul Maholm didn't factor in the decison, but he did have a nice bounceback from his last subpar outing. I have been waiting all year long for the Pirates' starters to come back to earth, and while they have to a degree, it still hasn't been as much as I had anticipated. Maholm didn't allow an earned run over seven innings, and he also struck out eight guys. Don't anticipate those kind of K numbers to continue, that isn't the kind of pitcher he is. I still would only add him if he was pitching at home against the Nationals, but I can't argue with the fact that he is doing better than I thought he would.

Ian Stewart took the place of Garrett Atkins in the Rockies' lineup again today, and the young Stewart has now played every day since May 31st. His average might not be anything to write home to Mom about, but he did hit his team-leading 12th homer of the year. Not bad for a guy who wasn't even playing everyday. At this point it appears that Colorado is going to try to get him in their lineup as much as they can, and he becomes a very intriguing fantasy player. In keeper leagues he is a no-brainer. In seasonal leagues I would still strongly consider picking him up. Not only should he be second base eligible, but he would give you great power at a position that isn't exactly known for the long ball. Stewart and Reimold are becoming two of my favorite young players.

Johnathan Sanchez has frustrated his fantasy owners all season long. He either doesn't last long enough to even qualify for a win, gives up tons of runs, or on a rare occasion has a solid outing. On Thursday he did pitch 5.1 innings, and only allowed one run, but Sanchez walked seven guys, more than offsetting the five strikeouts he got. At this point Sanchez is teetering between a guy on your roster that you shouldn't be starting and banishing him to free agency.

Koji Uehara returned to the Orioles rotation tonight and he again was average and that is me just being nice. Uehara only lasted five innings, allowed four runs, and struck out only three. He's not bad. He went through a five start stretch where he allowed three runs or less. He gets a decent number of strikeouts and doesn't walk many. He is OK, and that's about the best you are going to get from me. I would consider letting him go, but I would want it to be someone that is fairly solid to do so. He isn't horrible, he just isn't going to do anything to excite you.

Ervin Santana was horrible again, and in six starts since coming back from the Disabled List he has been good three time, and absolutely awful in the other three. He allowed six runs over 4.2 innings, walked two and struck out three. I don't think I would make the move to let him go unless there is a really good pitcher that doesn't belong on the waiver wire is available. I am not the biggest Santana fan in the world by any stretch, but a guy who had a season like he did last season deserves more than six starts before you send him to the scrap heap. Give him two more starts to see what he does. His good starts were pretty good.

David Price is having trouble staying in the game long enough to be an effective starter. Price still has all the talent and the tools to be successful, but is being horribly inefficient with his pitches. Price threw 105 pitches to get threw 4.1 innings tonight, and he has yet to through the sixth inning. I am figuring that he will improve a little bit each time out, but it doesn't appear he will be the lights out guy we were expecting. Continue to pitch him if you own him, and if you don't perhaps you can see if his owner is a little frustrated with him and might trade him on the cheap.

Kelvim Escobar was removed from the Angels' rotation because of a lack of strength in surgically repaired shoulder. Matt Palmer will take the next turn that was supposed to be Escobar's. Obviously it is the right time to drop Escobar, but what will Palmer's value be? He was 5-0, but his ERA was over 4.00 and he struck out just 27 in 44 innings. He also had some control problems as he walked 17 batters against those 27 whiffs. I could see picking him up at the end of your rotation, but just keep your expectations in line.

Chien-Ming Wang somehow will remain in the Yankees rotation for his next turn, even after his last huge embarrassing failure on the mound. Now, I am not rooting against Wang by any stretch, but he is just not getting it done right now. He only lasted 2.2 innings against the Red Sox yesterday, and I don't know how much longer the Yankees can keep sending him out there knowing that he is going to burn up their bullpen every fifth day. Phil Hughes continues to pitch pretty well, and it seems like it is only a matter of time before he is back in the rotation.

Evan Longoria got his first hit since returning from injury earlier in the week, and in true Longoria fashion, the kid made it count with his 14th long ball of the season off of Ervin Santana. This isn't really breaking news, I just really, really, really, really really like Longoria and I was happy he was back hitting again. He's a stud, the ultimate player you want in a keeper league, and should be in your lineup every day.

While David Wright's owners are certainly upset with the fact that he has just four home runs on the season, they should feel good about the fact that he is not only hitting .363, but he also stole his 17th base of the season tonight. Now I know that we all drafted him for speed as well as power, but he is exceeding your expectations in both batting average and stolen bases this season. Could he steal 35-40 bases? He's well on pace to do that right now.

David Ortiz homered again for the Red Sox and now has three in the last five days after having just one in the first 49 games. Now the question is, did he just get all amped up for the Yankee series and he just got a little hot? Or is Big Papi coming back? Fantasy players drafted Big Papi, but all they have gotten is David Ortiz. If he keeps this up for another few days I would feel confident that he will be better for the rest of the season. Like I said the other day, if he is sitting in your free agent pool, I would definitely try to pick him up.

Blue Jays' pitcher Ricky Romero had his best start since coming off the DL, but he just isn't someone that excites me. His first three starts were very good before his injury, but I believe he is more of the pitcher that we have seen the last few times out. But to be fair, Romero allowed just one earned run over 6.1 innings and struck out six. He isn't a great strikeout pitcher, but is decent. My opinion on him is that he isn't the worst guy to own, but I would keep him on a fairly short leash. The Blue Jays have come back to earth, and his win possibilities will decrease as well. He's not a guy that I own, but he does have a little fantasy value.

My hitting streak in the USA Today 56 Game Hit streak now sits at three thanks to Raul Ibanez. You might laugh and say that three is a long way from 56, but this game is tough. If you want to join our ever growing group go to www.usatoday.com/sports and follow the link for the game. Our private group is called Fantasy Bball 2night and the password is fantasy. See if you can do any better. Right now the group is led by Jennifer who has a four game streak thanks to Adam Lind.

Ok, it is Thursday which means it is softball time. Didn't think we were going to get the game in due to the weather but we played through some rain. I got off to a hot start with three hits in my first three at bats with a liner to center, and RBI double down the left field line and a nice single between third and short. I got mad at myself when I popped up a bunt attempt in my fourth at bat, and then grounded to short in my last. It was a good old fashioned pitching duel that we won 17-15. I played short field again, and made one fairly routine catch and one sliding catch. I also just came up short on another sliding catch which I tried to sell to the ump, but he was too smart for that. This was the team that beat us for the championship last year, so it was nice to get the win. Our record is now 3-3.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

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.

Troy Tulowitzki is also starting to get hot, or is it just a tease? He homered for the second time in three games, drove in a run for the third time in four games, and six hits over the last four contests. There is an outside chance he might be available in your league. If so, I still don't think I pick him up, unless you are playing someone outright awful at SS or MI. However, if he gets to the weekend and he is still hitting, that is when I would make a move on him. That rookie season might seem like a long time ago, but the potential to repeat it is there.

Jose Lopez is catching fire in the last few days. With two homers on Wednesday, that is three homers in the last three days, and he now has four three hit games since May 31st. He did have 17 homers and 89 RBI last year, and while he might not match those numbers, he is definitely on the uptick. Depending on your second baseman he might be worth a look, but I wouldn't drop anyone too great to pick him up at this point. Definitely keep a watch on him the next couple of days.

Matt Wieters had his second consecutive two hit game on Wednesday, and fantasy owners across the country are hoping that this is the start of something big. Obviously I don't need to talk about Wieters potential or what you can expect. But I know a lot of you spent through the nose to get him, and are panicking about his .143 average. Of course, not every prospect pans out, but this kid has got to start hitting soon, right?

Carl Pavano was starting to gain more and more trust from fantasy players, and then, BAM! he gives up nine runs to the Royals. If there is one good thing to say about this outing for Pavano, he did only walk one guy. I know that is not enough to keep any Pavano owner happy, but I like to look at the bright side of things. I think Pavano can win twelve games, but don't go crazy and think you are going to get this huge resurgent season from him where he will win 17 games.

Gil Meche had his best outing of the season as he shutout the Cleveland Indians over seven innings and struck out 11. After a real rocky start, Meche has allowed two runs or less in five straight starts. His strikeout numbers have been all over the map, but for the season they haven't been bad. I came into the season liking Meche for a fourth or fifth starter, but I have soured on him some after his rocky start. I don't own him in any league, and even after tonight I'm not running out and grabbing him. He has definitely caught my attention and is on the radar screen though.

Jeremy Hermida homered for the second straight day against the Cardinals, and he now has three in the last ten days. With three hits on Wednesday, he now has 13 hits over the last ten days. Now, let me just say two things about him. One, he was always supposed to be a fairly successful prospect. Two, injuries have consistently derailed any kind of season he was going to have. As most of you know, I try to stay away from the guys who are consistently injured. I especially don't like big time prospects who tend to be injury prone. I am not buying in to this hot streak with Hermida. Let him be someone else's headache. You don't need the stress.

Cards' rookie Colby Rasmus now has a nine game hitting streak going, and he connected on his seventh homer of the year for St. Louis. Even more impressive was the fact that he was batting cleanup for the Cards, a clear indication of the confidence that Tony LaRussa is growing with him. At this point, he is definitely woth being on a roster even in a 12 team league, and in keeper leagues, you definitely want to get your hands on him.

Geovany Soto had lost some playing time recently, and it looks like it might have woken him up. He did only have one hit, but Soto did homer for the second time in four games, and has finally started to hit. He is a guy that I would be picking up if he were available in my league. I know he got off to an incredibly bad start, but I still have confidence in him, but there has to be a hot streak in his future. Stay patient with Soto in 2009, I think that as the season progresses, you will see a rise in his numbers.

Jake Fox was sent back to the minors when the Cubs recalled Aaron Miles. They really never did give him a chance to make an impact, and that is mostly due to the fact that he is absolutely terrible on defense. He is someone to consider stashing if you are in a keeper league, but I have no idea when he might be back. I am sure they will have him work at some specific position until he gets good enough to return to the majors. He did hit .417 in limited at bats while in the majors.

If I am going to pound on a guy, I have to give him credit when he does something good. I have called Shairon Martis the worst 5-0 pitcher ever. On Wednesday he only allowed two earned runs over seven innings,and that is a great improvement over where he has been. However, his strikeout to walk ratio is still a concern, as he walked two and struck out one. Please, continue to let him sit in free agency, he is not worth owning.

Aaron Harang continues to have his impossible to predict season. Harang has hit the whole spectrum of appearances. He has been lights out, he has been average, he has been horrible. And he goes from one end of the spectrum to the other without any notice and in a hurry. Tonight, Harang threw 7.2 shutout innings, two starts after allowing eight runs. All in all, I think Harang is definitely worth having on your team, and I wouldn't want to trade him. But he certainly will make you crazy at least once a month.

John Lackey certainly took his lumps today, allowing eight earned runs over five innings, walked two and struck out two. I still have plenty of confidence that Lackey will get hot and have a fine season. Remember he missed a ton of time to start the season, and is likely just getting rounded into shape. I have long thought that Lackey is one of the more underrated pitchers in fantasy baseball. If you have him, stick with him, I believe he will be fine. If you were thinking of targeting him in a trade, now is a great time.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

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.

Nolan Reimold continues to hit very well for the Orioles, and is far surpassing expectations for most rookies. He raised his average to .295 with two more hits tonight, including his seventh homer of the year. In 23 games he has now driven in 16 runs, and is in the Orioles plans for 2008 to stay. If for some reason Reimold is still available in your league, keeper or seasonal, he is worth having on your team. Find a way without dropping a proven star.

Josh Beckett won his fifth straight decision in impressive fashion over the Yankees on Tuesday night. He threw six shutout innings, walked just two and struck out eight. This was four straight starts that Beckett allowed one run or less, and he is now 7-2. I know that some of you had some reservations starting him tonight considering some of his struggles this year, but right now he is white hot, and is a must start no matter the opponent.

David Ortiz hit his second homer in the last three days, and now has a seven game hitting streak. Of course, his batting average is still just under .200, but perhaps this is the slight sign of life that Papi owners have been waiting for. I stick by my opinion that you have to keep him on your team and not trade him away for something cheap. There is still a chance that he will break out of this and go on some sort of tear. If he was dropped in your league, I would seriously consider picking him up.

Mat Gamel has now gotten four straight starts for the Brewers, and the best part is, he is taking advantage of the time that he is being given. Gamel homered for the second time this season, and now has ten RBI in 20 games. Of course, I think only about 13 of them are games that he started in. The guy has a ton of offensive potential, but needs to improve his defense in order to stay in the lineup. It appears he is giving the Brew Crew some much needed pop. If he continues to get starts, he is worth having on your roster. If he's still primarily a pinch hitter, he is a keeper league guy only.

This one is for you Sinkoff! Brad Bergesen had his best start as a pro, and through ten starts he is still yet to allow more than four runs. Bergesen had a pretty good minor league career, but I'm still not driving the bandwagon just yet. Last year at AA he was 15-6 with a 3.22 ERA. He is not known as a strikeout pitcher, and had just 72 whiffs in 148 innings in 2008. Given the state of Orioles baseball, their division rivals, and the low number of strikeouts, I would not drop anyone good for Bergesen, but I would continue to monitor his progress in the majors.

Elijah Dukes homered for the second time in three games, and perhaps is on track to perform the way many expected. I am not the biggest Dukes fan,but it is mostly because of his shady, checked past off the field. Heck, it isn't even his past, it's his present as well. He could do something stupid on any given day that could lead to a suspension, and I don't like counting on someone who is unstable. He is a very talented player, or else he'd be out of baseball by now for the number of dumb things he has done. If you own him, get him in your lineup while he is hot, but be prepared for another injury or cold streak which could come around the corner.

Scott Baker had his second straight strong start, and could be worth having on your roster. He was a very respectable 11-4 with a 3.45 ERA. He is not an elite strikeout pitcher, but more than adequate, as he had 141 Ks in 172 innings in 2008. Baker has had his fair share of horrible starts this season, but he is better than this. I believe that he will have a nice correction over the next number of weeks. He might only match his win total from last season, but Baker is a nice pitcher to pick up when he has the right matchup. I'm not sure that he is anything more than that.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

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.

Hopefully all of you were patient with Alexei Ramirez. He is now hitting second for the Sox, has homered in back to back games, and the guy who was benched less than a month ago is far in the rear view mirror. I'm still not sure that he will reach his stats from last year, particularly the homers, but he is again someone that you can feel very good about starting on your team. He is a nice speed and power combination, and appears to be back in manager Ozzie Guillen's good graces, which is an important place to be.

Jeremy Bonderman made his first start for the Tigers since June 1st of 2007, and although it wasn't great, it was at least encouraging to see him back out there. I really don't see Bonderman being a fantasy option in 2009 if you are looking for any great results. He had a couple of seasons with decent strikeout numbers, but his ERAs were always in the 4.00s and 5.00s. I would stay away from Bonderman until he puts together four or five great starts in a row. He's been out a long time, and you just don't get back on the horse.

Jason Marquis won again this year, and continues to make me look bad. I have been telling you for his last few starts that it is just a matter of time before he goes in the toilet. And while he is now 8-4 after controlling the Cardinals for most of the night, I stand by my assessment. He is a career .500 pitcher with low strikeouts and a poor ERA. His fall will be on the horizon, so please don't put too much stock in this nice run that Marquis is putting together.

Troy Tulowitzki hit his first homer in nearly a month, and now has three hits in the past two days. Is this his way of finally breaking out of his season beginning funk? Tough to say. I still have a hard time believing that he is as bad as he has been over the last year and two months. Obviously injuries have played a large part in his downfall from his exciting rookie year, but you can't argue with numbers. I know a lot of you have given up on him, and I can't exactly blame you, but keep an eye on him. The talent is there, if he can stay healthy we could see a return to form.

Andy Pettitte is now 6-2 after beating the Rays, but if you look at his other numbers, I don't know how much of a help he really is for your team. His ERA is well over 4.00, and his walks aren't that far below his strikeouts. His WHIP is still over 1.50 also, and all of this adds up to a guy that I would leave in free agency. I know he has a well known name and a good win/loss record, but his peripheral numbers are far from impressive, so unless you are in a league that rewards wins heavily, I would stay away.

Sean West had his best start as a pro, and the Marlins' prospect is looking pretty decent. He came into this year ranked as the fourth best prospect in the Marlins' organization, and has yet to give up more than three earned runs in any of his four starts. He hasn't been impressive with the strikeout/walk ratio however, with nine Ks and eight walks in sixteen innings before tonight. He made up for that though, with six whiffs and just one walk in eight innings of work. He had some success in the minors, but honestly, I think the Marlins might have rushed him up. Keep an eye on him, but I wouldn't go making the move to pick him up right at this point.

Andrew McCutchen continues to surpass my expectations at the beginning of his career, and is hitting .400 in the first five games of his season at the big league level. McCutchen was 4/7 in the fifteen inning affair with a double and two triples. I am gaining more and more confidence in him by the day, and it is obvious that he is the future in Pittsburgh. The trade of Nate McLouth was still dumb, but this kid is easing the blow. If he is still available in a keeper league, I would find a way to pick him up.

Ever since I questioned Adam Lind on the Tuesday Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast, he is hitting like a house of fire. With his two homer game on Monday, Lind now has fourteen hits and three homers since last Tuesday, not to mention he has raised his average nearly 30 points. I still think that this might be a little hot streak, but if you own Lind, reap the rewards and keep him in your lineup. D'uh, right?

Now I'm not saying that he is the next big thing, but for those of you looking for an extra outfielder, take a look at Tony Gwynn Jr. of the San Diego Padres. Since coming over in a trade with Milwaukee on May 21st, Gwynn is hitting .320 with two RBI and two stolen bases. He had another two hits on Monday, and is really starting to open some eyes. he will need to show some more speed to be a viable fantasy player, but in deeper leagues, I think he is already worth a look.

Like I always say, young players, and especially pitchers, often struggle. Tommy Hanson got a rude welcome to the majors today, as he allowed six runs over six innings. If there is one good thing about the start is was that Hanson didn't walk a slew of guys, in fact only one, and he did strike out five in those six innings. Milwaukee is a decent offensive team, but they aren't exactly Murderer's Row either. Continue to start Hanson, don't let this one start make you lose any confidence.

Roy Halladay is just straight out NASTY! The guy threw another complete game shutout today and is now the majors first ten game winner. His ERA is right around 2.50, he is striking out nearly a batter an inning, and his WHIP is among the best in baseball among starters. What can I say? If Halladay isn't the best, he's definitely in the top five.

Ricky Nolasco was back for the Marlins today, and although he took the loss, the start was pretty encouraging. He allowed just two runs over seven innings, walked three, and struck out four. This obviously wasn't a lights out start, but it is much better than some of the outings he had before being sent to the minors. I like the prospects of a fine season for Nolasco after being recalled, and I think he can win eleven or twelve games.

I continue to read Steve Gardner's blog over at usatoday.com, and I found a new way for us to compete against each other. USA Today's site has two fun games that I have begun to play, and I set up a private league for us to join. The first is called 56 Game Hit Streak in which you try each day to pick a guy who will get a hit. Sounds easy right? I started it a few days ago and haven't picked a guy who got a hit yet. The second is called 3 Play and that is a weekly game in which you pick an infielder, an outfielder, and a pitching staff and you get points based on their performance. Points are accumulated for the season. The midseason game starts on Monday. The information you need follows. Both league names are Fantasy Bball 2night, and the passwords are both fantasy. Please join us and see if you matchup against us.

Antonio Bastardo was called up to the majors to fill in for Brett Myers when he was basically lost for the season. While the Phils have said they would look outside the organization for a long term fix, Bastardo could make them rethink those plans. Besides having a really cool name, he was having a great season in the minors and is a pretty good strikout pitcher. He hasn't been going deep into games, but he has had two quality starts, and has been getting pretty good K numbers. As long as he is in the rotation for the Phillies he is worth a look as a potential guy at the bottom of your rotation.

Randy Wells had his first major league win blown for him by the bullpen, but he has now made six starts, and he is still yet to allow more than three runs. Wells struck out four and allowed two runs in 6.2 innings, and now has a 1.86 ERA. I'm still not on the Wells bandwagon, but he is doing quite well in the majors. I just look at his minor league statistics and he never did this good for any stretch at any level.

It is just a few days away before Fighting Chance Fantasy officially becomes Fantasy Baseball Tonight. Many of you have already made the switch and I appreciate the feedback I have gotten. Anyone who checks out the new site, I wanna hear what you think.

Bronson Arroyo is either all or nothing. This time it was another great start for him. Arroyo allowed just one run over seven innings, but wasn't a factor in the decision. Arroyo isn't an elite strikeout pitcher, and only whiffed two on Sunday. This start comes on the heels of him allowing five runs against the Cardinals five days ago. I don't like to have a guy like Arroyo on my team. I don't want a guy who will likely allow either one run or eight. What's wrong with a line of three earned over six with four Ks? There's room for that on my team.

Livan Hernandez continues his unlikely season with another win for the Mets. Hernandez is now 5-1 after throwing seven shutout innings against the Nationals. He hasn't lost a decision since April 23rd, which could only mean one thing......there has to be a few outings coming in the near future. This isn't 2000 when he won 17 games, Livan is in his mid-30s now and is on the downside of his career. He has been great for the Mets and his fantasy teams, but there has to be a correction coming. Continue to pitch him, but don't be shocked if there are some bad outings in the future.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

Ubaldo Jimenez was great on Sunday against St. Louis, and finally got a win for his efforts. He has now given up eleven runs in his last five starts, but this is the first win he had to show for it. Jimenez allowed two runs over eight innings and struck out nine. Control continues to be his biggest problem, well that and the fact his team stinks. But he is steadily improving the more he pitches, and it is looking possible that he could live up to his hype. If Jimenez is still available, I would consider picking him up, especially in keeper leagues, despite the fact his team is in last place.

Vince Mazzaro has now had two major league starts and is still yet to give up a run. After throwing 6.1 shutout innings in his debut, Mazzaro threw up zeros for 7.1 innings on Sunday. The good news is this time he didn't walk anyone, after issuing four free passes his first time out. Mazzaro was ranked as the number eight prospect for Oakland coming into the year, so this isn't completely unexpected. However, he likely has some less than stellar outings in his future.

Jose Lopez is finally starting to show some signs of life after an atrocious start to the year. Lopez connected on his fifth homer of the year, and three of them have come in the last eight days. He has also raised his batting average nearly 20 points in the last week. It is unlikely he will get to the numbers that he put up in 2008, but he is looking less like he should be in your free agent pool. Another good couple of games and I would think about picking him up, the talent pool at second base isn't the deepest.

Juan Rivera is a decent option for those of you in deeper leagues, or leagues that require five outfielders. The Angels OF/DH has had a career full of injuries, but a world of potential. So far, so good on the injury front for Rivera. He had three more hits on Sunday to get his average back over .300, and he now has six homers on the season. He has also driven in a run in seven of his last eight games, including three today. He isn't going to shift the balance of power in your league, but if you have been rotating free agents waiting to find someone that sticks, Rivera could be that guy.

Paul Phillips had a great game for the Rockies, but his time behind the plate for Colorado is likely short lived. Chris Iannetta is due back from the Disabled List in the next couple of days, perhaps as early as Tuesday. So, even with his four hit game, I would leave Phillips right where he is, likely in your free agent pool.

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.

David Price didn't give up a ton of runs, but he was far from spectacular. Price threw 107 pitches in 5.2 innings, and it was his control that got him in trouble again. He allowed only one earned run, but walked five and struck out just three. This isn't quite the dominant performances that we were all counting on when he was called up, but he still hasn't been bad. Continue to start Price with the utmost confidence. On day it is all going to click and he will be the guy we saw in the playoffs last season.

I am officially on the Ben Zobrist bandwagon for 2009. Zobrist homered again and tripled again, and is now hitting .304 on the season. With Akinori Iwamura out for the year, and with the way he is hitting, it is nearly guaranteed that he will stick in the lineup even when Jason Bartlett comes back. He has already surpassed his RBI total from last season, and he is just one homer away from that mark. This is the first chance he has really gotten in his career for regular at bats, and he is looking good. I would imagine the power has to subside some, but he looks like a quality player for this season.

Luke Hochevar was called up by the Royals to make a start, and he actually did really well. He went 6.2 innings, allowed just two runs, and struck out three. I am a long way from having any confidence in this guy, and unless it is an AL-only league, I wouldn't think about picking him up.

I continue to read Steve Gardner's blog over at usatoday.com, and I found a new way for us to compete against each other. USA Today's site has two fun games that I have begun to play, and I set up a private league for us to join. The first is called 56 Game Hit Streak in which you try each day to pick a guy who will get a hit. Sounds easy right? I started it a few days ago and haven't picked a guy who got a hit yet. The second is called 3 Play and that is a weekly game in which you pick an infielder, an outfielder, and a pitching staff and you get points based on their performance. Points are accumulated for the season. The midseason game starts on Monday. The information you need follows. Both league names are Fantasy Bball 2night, and the passwords are both fantasy. Please join us and see if you matchup against us.

Gavin Floyd was great again, and he has been good for his last four starts now. Floyd lasted 6.2 innings, allowed just one run and struck out seven. He continues to keep his walks under control, with just one on the night, and he has definitely rebounded from his awful start. I am unsure of what to expect from Floyd for the rest of the season. I don't have any great confidence in him, but

Brad Lidge blew a save for the second consecutive day, and things are not looking good for him. He gave up a homer to Rafael Furcal (his second of the season) in the ninth inning, and his team eventually lost the game in the 12th. After that horrendous Yankee season, Lidge had saved five in a row without allowing a run and we all thought he had turned the corner. Unfortunately, it was another rough weekend for the Phillies' closer. I think due to financial reasons, Lidge is still on a decent length leash, but he can't keep doing this for his fantasy owners. You can't trade him, all you can do is ride this out.

Andre Ethier looks to be getting his stroke back, even before the return of Manny Ramirez. Many people questioned his talent when he struggled after Manny's suspension. But he now has three homers in the past five days, and his average is back over .271. I still really like Ethier, and think that he will get close to 25 homers on the year. He also should drive in somewhere between 80-90 runs.

Kelvim Escobar returned from the Disabled List, and although he took the loss, he wasn't that bad. He only lasted five innings, but allowed just two runs. He did strikeout five, but also walked four. But he was able to throw 92 pitches, and he is generally a good strikeout pitcher when he is healthy. If Escobar is still available, I would analyze your pitching staff to see if he could help you. He is hurt a lot, but when he's in there he is a pretty good pitcher.

I am starting to climb aboard the Edwin Jackson bandwagon. He threw a complete game today against the Angels, and is now6-3 on the season with a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.96. He isn't an elite strikeout pitcher, but he isn't bad either. So far in 2009, he has struck out 62 batters in 83 innings. The Tigers certainly appear that they have bounced back as a team from the disaster that was 2008, so he should still be able to win a good number of games. I'm not ready to call him an ace yet, but I am coming around to the idea.

John Lannan went the distance for the Nationals tonight against the Mets, but he still isn't a guy that I would consider owning unless you are in an NL only league, or one with 20 or more teams. His ERA is respectable at 3.68, but he is now just 3-5 part of which can be attributed to the team he plays on. But his strikeout and walk numbers are just not good, and he isn't worth having on your team.

Geovany Soto was back in the Cubs lineup after being out for the past three days to try to "clear his head". He only did get one hit, but Soto made the most of it, when he hit his second homer of the season. Hopefully the few days rest was exactly what the doctor ordered and he will be back in the lineup regularly. I have to believe he will be, their backup options are not good.

It is just a few days away before Fighting Chance Fantasy officially becomes Fantasy Baseball Tonight. Many of you have already made the switch and I appreciate the feedback I have gotten. Anyone who checks out the new site, I wanna hear what you think.

Jon Lester is starting to look like the guy we knew last year again. In three of his last four starts he has only allowed one run, and he struck out double digits for the second consecutive outing. Lester threw a complete game on Saturday and struck out eleven, evening his record at 5-5. The time has probably passed now to buy low on him, but I would probably kick the tires on his owner to see if you still might be able to get him a little cheap. I like Lester to continue his resurgence from the bad start.

David Ortiz finally hit his second homer of the season, and although it wasn't the most impressive shot I have ever seen, MAYBE this is the one that gets him off the slippery slope he's on. I wrote after the last homer that the next week would tell the tale on Papi's season. However, that was May 20th. It is now June 6th and he hit his next homer. He is still hitting below .200. I still don't think that I would let him go, but he definitely should be on your bench. The big man could have a hot streak in him, but I don't see him getting near 25 homers this season.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

Ian Stewart has been getting regular playing time the past few days, and he is definitely making the most of it. With his two homer game against the Cardinals, Stewart now has four in the last four days, and leads the team with eleven on the season. True, his batting average is only .231, but if this kid could get regular at-bats he would quickly be a very popular player in fantasy. In leagues with large rosters, or in keeper leagues where you can afford it, he is worth stashing now for those days when he will be a regular starter. In traditional seasonal leagues, you might have to leave him in free agency if he is there.

Rick Ankiel has finally started to hit a little on his return from the Disabled List. His average had dipped to .221, but he has now gotten one hit in five straight games, and connected on his first homer since April 26th. He isn't a guy who will really help you with your batting average, but Ankiel is a guy with a lot of power. Unless the injuries that he has suffered this year are zapping his power, there has to be some sort of hot streak coming in his near future.

Attention League Commissioners! If you are looking to spice up your league some, go and visit Fantasy Sports Trophies. Tom Harkins has put together a great site with all kinds of different trophies to give the winner of your league something besides just bragging rights. There are trophies for fantasy baseball, football (check out the Beer League Fantasy Football Trophy), basketball, hockey, and auto racing. I invite you to take a look at the site and try them out.

As we talked about on the Tuesday night version of the Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast, Carlos Gonzalez was called up by the Colorado Rockies and was supposed to be starting on Friday. He was in there tonight for them, and it appears he will be getting some playing time. Gonzalez struggled badly when he was up with the Rockies last season as he hit just .242 with four homers and 26 RBI in 85 games. He also stole four bases. He is lighting up the minors this season though hitting .339 with 10 homers and 59 RBI, and six steals in 48 games. He was a highly ranked prospect (#1 for OAK in 2008 before traded), so perhaps this could be his time. He was 0-4 tonight with two strikeouts, and the Ks is what really hurt him last time he was up. This could be his time, but he needs to improve his plate discipline.

Aaron Cook gave Colorado a great outing, but I urge you not to fall for him after this one start. Cook was a popular pick this year after winning sixteen games last year for the Rockies. His ERA was very close to 4.00 last season, and it is still at 4.50 this year even after his good start. Making his value even that much lower is his strikeout rate. Last season, Cook fanned only 96 in 211 innings, and in 2009 he has 32 Ks in 70 innings.

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.

Ervin Santana looked great in his start tonight, really the first time since coming back from the DL that you felt good about him. I have gotten more than one email about possibly letting him go, but after 2008, I thought he deserved more time. Santana had allowed fifteen earned runs in his last two starts, but nearly threw a complete game on Friday. He allowed just one earned run and struck out seven guys. I still question whether he will be as good as he was last year, but I definitely think he will be better than he was the past couple of times out.

Zack Greinke is apparently human after all. He had his worst outing of the season, in which he allowed five earned runs (eight total), walked just one, and struck out only three. For those of you who own him, please don't get overly excited about this, he will be just fine. For those of you who don't have him, this could be the window you have been waiting for to make a trade offer for him, his owner might be a little down on him.

Justin Verlander is just flat out nasty! He deserved more than a no decision after throwing eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts, but unfortunately his team just didn't score for him. It was his eighth straight start in which he allowed three runs or less, and I don't think there is anyone left who can argue with the fact that Verlander is back among the elite.

Yovani Gallardo continues his strong season as he ran his record to 6-2 with another great performance. Gallardo threw eight shutout innings and struck out six batters. His ERA is still under 3.00, his WHIP is very close to 1.00, and he is right at about a strikeout an inning. Glad to see him bounceback from that nasty knee injury last year. His ascension to fantasy stardom continues.

Francisco Liriano finally had the kind of outing that his owners have been waiting for since the middle of May. He allowed just one run over six innings and struck out five. He still had control issues, as he walked four guys, but this is at least a little encouragement for a guy who has been struggling so badly. I am still a long way from declaring Liriano back though, and I think you still need to exercise extreme caution at when to start him. This should perhaps at least keep you from sending him to the scrap heap.

Ricky Romero got his first win since returning from the Disabled List, but he was far from spectacular. Romero allowed three runs over seven innings, and struck out five. I know that sounds like a pretty good outing, but thinking about it with his last couple outings, and it isn't great. Romero had allowed five runs in each of his last two outings, so that is where my lack of confidence comes from.

Carl Pavano apparently just had something wrong with pitching in New York. He was good in Florida, he is doing well for the Indians, but Yankee fans will forever remember him for one of the worst contracts in the history of baseball. Pavano actually threw a complete game shutout on Friday, striking out six. Now I'm not making him out to be a top ten pitcher, or even a top twenty guy, but he is worth being on your roster, as your fifth starter perhaps.

Chris Davis is starting to heat up now, and should be back in your lineups. He has six hits in the last three games, including three on Friday. He has doubled three times in the last two games, and has driven in five runs over that span. He is still striking out like crazy, but has finally gotten his average over .200. The power is there and the weather is starting to heat up. That usually means baseballs start leaving ballparks in Arlington, Texas. He will still struggle, but I think better days are in the future for Chris Davis.

Mat Gamel is getting regular starts, but when they do put him in there, he certainly makes the most of his chances. He had two hits tonight, and three RBI. He is holding his own in the majors since his callup, and if he could find an actual position to play, Gamel could be making more of an impact. He does have nine RBI in 18 games, but also does have ten hits and ten strikeouts. In keeper leagues, you gotta have him on your roster, in seasonal leagues, I think he still should be a free agent. He just isn't getting enough playing time at this point.

Travis Hafner returned to the Indians' lineup tonight and connected on a homer in the fifth inning. I am really torn on what to expect from Hafner this season, that is assuming he is able to stay healthy. He was hitting .270 with four homers in just 17 games before the injury, so there is reason to have some hope for 2009. That staying healthy part is what he has been having trouble with lately. I would grab Hafner if you have an empty roster spot or someone who is bringing you down. You can keep him on your team until the next injury comes through.

Major Announcement

I would like to let you all know that in the near future you won’t be getting your daily fantasy update from Fighting Chance Fantasy any longer. I have agreed to team up with my podcast mates over at Fantasy Baseball Search. Todd Farino, Jeff Mans, RC Rizza, myself, and the guys are forming a formidable team. I am not abandoning you, however, but making the coverage better. Over the next couple of weeks I will be transitioning the site over to its new home at www.fantasybaseballtonight.com. I have already started to post on that page, so feel free to start heading there whenever you want. We are still in the process of doing some work, but your nightly fix will be there. You will see improved features, more professional emails, and better coverage. You can find a plethora of information at Fantasy Baseball Search as well from me and the guys, but Fantasy Baseball Tonight will just be me and links to the podcast. The email address will also be changing slightly to fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com, but I will continue to check both for quite a while. I am very excited about this change, and I believe that it will be great for both of us….me and you.

Mailing List

For those of you who are regular readers, or even new to the site, I would like to offer a new service. I am starting a mailing list. Sometimes I see news during the day, but I wait until this nightly article to pass it along to you guys. Prospects coming up, injury news, closer movement, etc. Just send me an email to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com with “Mailing List” in the subject line and I will add you to the list. Then, whenever I find news that I feel is breaking and important, I will send it to you as soon as I find out about it. Hopefully this is something that you all will find valuable to make a possible move before your competition.

Also, you can now follow me on Twitter for more updates. Go to www.twitter.com/fightingchance.

Got another mention on Steve Gardner’s Fantasy Windup blog on the USA Today site. You can check out the post here. It is a great blog, and they also have some good contests for you to check out. I know some of you have already started to participate in some of them and are enjoying it.

Attention League Commissioners! If you are looking to spice up your league some, go and visit Fantasy Sports Trophies. Tom Harkins has put together a great site with all kinds of different trophies to give the winner of your league something besides just bragging rights. There are trophies for fantasy baseball, football (check out the Beer League Fantasy Football Trophy), basketball, hockey, and auto racing. I invite you to take a look at the site and try them 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.

Andrew McCutchen had a great major league debut, as he collected two hits, walked once, and even drove in a run. McCutchen got a lot of firsts out of the way in his major league debut, and even threw in his first stolen base for good measure. The Pirates showed a lot of confidence in the kid as they put him in the leadoff spot right out of the gate. I still wonder exactly how good McCutchen will be right away. He is ultra talented, so the tools are there. I just know that a lot of kids struggle when they come to the majors. I am very encouraged by this first game, but there is a long way to go. If you did pick up McCutchen, I would have him in my lineup right away if it makes sense.

In contrast, the other super prospect, Gordon Beckham was 0-3 with a striekout. Now, that's more like what you expect from a rookie his first time out. If you picked up him, keep him in there. I don't know if he will play everyday, but he should play most days. The point of these last two is to not get too high over McCutchen's first day, and not too low over Beckham's debut.

Adam Lind was 5-5 to break out of a slump that he has been in. Not sure how the guy had five hits and didn't manage to get an RBI, but that is the case with Lind. He still only has just three RBI in the last ten games, even though his batting average has remailed consistent. Continue to start him if you own Lind, but I think his numbers will continue to regress some in the near future. I see him continuing to be a very streaky player.

Chien-Ming Wang was predictably less than stellar on Thursday, allowing five runs over 4.1 innings. The good news is that Wang had his control under wraps better, as he walked just one and whiffed five. I am still not sold on Wang just yet, but I think it is more a matter of time, than of talent. He's shown talent before, i think he is just not right quite yet.

Has the D-Train derailed for good? At least for fantasy purposes? I am saying yes. Dontrelle Willis allowed five runs in just 2.1 innings. He also walked five and struck out only three. I have lost all faith in Willis, and would have to be in a pretty dire state in pitching to consider picking him up. Don't fall for the name recognition trap, Willis is not a good fantasy option at this point at all.

B.J. Upton finally hit his third homer of the season, and it is hopefully the start of a nice hot streak for him. Upton homered on back to back days in the middle of May, and his owners' thought he was finally ready to blast off. Is this the time he does? Or did we draft a guy who will have another nine homers with a ton of stolen bases? I still think he will break out and meet our expectations.

Chris Carpenter is so damn good it is crazy. I hate it when someone so good is also so injury prone. Complicating matters further, he is on my favorite team. So, needless to say I have Carpenter in various leagues. Carpenter went the distance on Thursday, allowing just one run and striking out three while not walking a batter. His ERA is a stupid 0.71 and his WHIP is even better at 0.63. Enjoy this run by Carpenter, unfortunately he has been very injury prone lately, and hopefully he will be ok for the rest of the year.

Garrett Atkins actually had a two homer game. Is this the start of something big? Atkins has made more people mad in fantasy than a crying baby on an airplane. Are you buying into Atkins now that he had a good game? You shouldn't be. Not at all. If Atkins hits twenty homers, I will be surprised. If he hits .275, I will be more surprised. If you own him, shop him everywhere ASAP and try to capitalize on this good game. Even with this two tater game, he still has just five on the season.

A.J. Burnett was suspended six games for throwing the ball over the head of Nelson Cruz. Yankee fans are, of course, really upset. But let's be honest. First, if you are going to retaliate, hit the guy in the back, not over his head. Second, he's going to appeal, it will likely get reduced to four games and he won't miss a start. This is nothing to get excited about.

Evan Longoria is due to rejoin the Rays lineup on Saturday. Thankfully he is not going on the Disabled List with the tightness in his hamstring. He is apparently available to pinch hit, but I wouldn't be starting him if you had any sort of better option.

Jose Reyes had an MRI that revealed a tear in his hamstring, and he will not be coming back this weekend like originally planned. In fact, it will likely be a while before the Mets have their shortstop back in the lineup. I have not seen a timetable for his return, but we aren't talking about a couple of days here people, we are talking weeks.

OK, so it is Thursday and it can only mean one thing.....softball game! I missed last week's game because it was little Morgan's first birthday, so I was itching to get back on the field. My tour around the entire diamond continued as I was playing short field. I think that it would be where I would like to play, but I never say anything, I'll play wherever. Nothing really came out to me the whole night on defense, except for one grounder through the middle which was easily handled. I attempted to lay down a bunt my first time up, but was thrown out at first base. But at least the guy on first base was able to advance all the way to third. Second time up I figured they weren't expecting it, so I laid down another bunt (the defense was begging for it) and this time it was successful. The next batter also laid down a bunt, and the pitcher instead of fielding it decided to just watch it roll to a stop (I don't think they were liking the bunt parade, but they weren't trying to stop it either), so since he wasn't picking the ball up, I just kept running and got to third. Third time up, hit a solid single up the middle to drive in a run, and took second when they continued to pay absolutely no attention to me on the bases. Fourth and final time with us up only one and two guys on I had a chance to put the game away. The pitcher was able to change speed well, and had a VERY slow pitch. I just couldn't wait on it enough and grounded out to the third baseman. We, of course, gave up the game tying run in the top of the seventh, but a beautiful diving catch by the centerfielder kept it tie. The same guy drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the seventh, and our catcher was able to drive him in a couple of batters later, giving us a 6-5 victory. Whew!

Major Announcement

I would like to let you all know that in the near future you won’t be getting your daily fantasy update from Fighting Chance Fantasy any longer. I have agreed to team up with my podcast mates over at Fantasy Baseball Search. Todd Farino, Jeff Mans, RC Rizza, myself, and the guys are forming a formidable team. I am not abandoning you, however, but making the coverage better. Over the next couple of weeks I will be transitioning the site over to its new home at www.fantasybaseballtonight.com. I have already started to post on that page, so feel free to start heading there whenever you want. We are still in the process of doing some work, but your nightly fix will be there. You will see improved features, more professional emails, and better coverage. You can find a plethora of information at Fantasy Baseball Search as well from me and the guys, but Fantasy Baseball Tonight will just be me and links to the podcast. The email address will also be changing slightly to fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com, but I will continue to check both for quite a while. I am very excited about this change, and I believe that it will be great for both of us….me and you.

Mailing List

For those of you who are regular readers, or even new to the site, I would like to offer a new service. I am starting a mailing list. Sometimes I see news during the day, but I wait until this nightly article to pass it along to you guys. Prospects coming up, injury news, closer movement, etc. Just send me an email to fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com with "Mailing List" in the subject line and I will add you to the list. Then, whenever I find news that I feel is breaking and important, I will send it to you as soon as I find out about it. Hopefully this is something that you all will find valuable to make a possible move before your competition.

Also, you can now follow me on Twitter for more updates. Go to www.twitter.com/fightingchance. And yes, I have now joined Facebook. It's only been a couple of days, so my profile isn't really in good shape yet, but it will be.

Got another mention on Steve Gardner's Fantasy Windup blog on the USA Today site. You can check out the post here. It is a great blog, and they also have some good contests for you to check out. I know some of you have already started to participate in some of them and are enjoying it.

Attention League Commissioners! If you are looking to spice up your league some, go and visit Fantasy Sports Trophies. Tom Harkins has put together a great site with all kinds of different trophies to give the winner of your league something besides just bragging rights. There are trophies for fantasy baseball, football (check out the Beer League Fantasy Football Trophy), basketball, hockey, and auto racing. I invite you to take a look at the site and try them out.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fantasybaseballtonight@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 fantasybaseballtonight.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.

Tommy Hanson has been called up to the major leagues after Tom Glavine was released by the Braves. Hanson will start Saturday against the Diamondbacks. Hanson is AWESOME and one of the top prospects in all of baseball. His stats are 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 90 Ks in 66 innings. You want him on your team regardless of how good your pitching is. This is a move I would make right away. Unless you are saving your waiver priority for the chance that Stephen Strasburg might come to the majors this year, I would use it on Hanson.

Nate McLouth has been traded to the Atlanta Braves for three prospects. Pitchers Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke as well as outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. This might give McLouth's value a little bit of a bump since he goes to a better team and a better lineup, but it shouldn't do a whole lot for him. It is interesting news, but as far as fantasy is concerned, it doesn't move the needle much in my opinion.

The news might not help McLouth much, but it does help Pirates prospect Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has some great speed potential, and even should show some power sometime in the future. He should give you 10-15 homers for the rest of the season, and could steal around 25 bases if he hits for the average that he projects for. I wouldn't go running to the free agent wire for McCutchen, but if he has a good day or two or three, I would then make the move. At AAA this year, he was hitting .303 with four homers, 20 RBI, and ten steals in just 49 games. He was ranked as the second best prospect in the Pirates' organization by Baseball America.

Gordon Beckham was called to the major leagues, and for those of you who own Josh Fields, I would be very nervous. Beckham was rated as the number one prospect for the White Sox, and has some good power potential down the road. He never really spent too much time at any level of the minors to get a good grasp on what he might do, but he had a great college career. His senior season he hit .411 with 28 homers and 77 RBI in just 71 games. He also stole 17 bases. He is another guy who I wouldn't go running out to grab unless it is a keeper league. I'm not sure exactly how much playing time he will get, or how effective he will be. Beckham has elite talent, it is just a matter of time before he realizes it.

Chien-Ming Wang will be back in the Yankees' rotation tomorrow. In a shocking turn of evenrs, Phil Hughes will be sent to the bullpen, while Wang gets his rotation spot back. Personally, I don't know how smart of a move this is, and I wouldn't go grabbing Wang back at this point. Wang hasn't pitched more than a couple innings in a while, and he isn't going to go out there and throw seven innings. It will be a few weeks before he goes back to being fantasy relevance, if he even gets back there. Don't forget his ERA was 34.50 before his "injury".

Jose Reyes won't be returning to the Mets' lineup on Friday. He felt a twinge in his injured calf during a extended spring training game and had to be removed. Manager Jerry Manuel didn't seem to be too worried about it. He said that he expected Reyes to be back sometime over the weekend, or at worst when the Phillies came to Citi Field. So, you have to wait a few more days to get your shortstop back.

Scott Feldman is now 5-0 for the Rangers and hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this season. I don't have long term faith in Feldman, but he is off to a great start. He was a sub-.500 pitcher with an ERA over 5.00 last season, so I just don't see this hot streak continuing. He might be worth picking up against a bad team, but mostly, he isn't worth much.

Major Announcement

I would like to let you all know that in the near future you won’t be getting your daily fantasy update from Fighting Chance Fantasy any longer. I have agreed to team up with my podcast mates over at Fantasy Baseball Search. Todd Farino, Jeff Mans, RC Rizza, myself, and the guys are forming a formidable team. I am not abandoning you, however, but making the coverage better. Over the next couple of weeks I will be transitioning the site over to its new home at www.fantasybaseballtonight.com. I have already started to post on that page, so feel free to start heading there whenever you want. We are still in the process of doing some work, but your nightly fix will be there. You will see improved features, more professional emails, and better coverage. You can find a plethora of information at Fantasy Baseball Search as well from me and the guys, but Fantasy Baseball Tonight will just be me and links to the podcast. The email address will also be changing slightly to fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com, but I will continue to check both for quite a while. I am very excited about this change, and I believe that it will be great for both of us….me and you.

Mailing List

For those of you who are regular readers, or even new to the site, I would like to offer a new service. I am starting a mailing list. Sometimes I see news during the day, but I wait until this nightly article to pass it along to you guys. Prospects coming up, injury news, closer movement, etc. Just send me an email to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com with “Mailing List” in the subject line and I will add you to the list. Then, whenever I find news that I feel is breaking and important, I will send it to you as soon as I find out about it. Hopefully this is something that you all will find valuable to make a possible move before your competition.

Also, you can now follow me on Twitter for more updates. Go to www.twitter.com/fightingchance.

Got another mention on Steve Gardner’s Fantasy Windup blog on the USA Today site. You can check out the post here. It is a great blog, and they also have some good contests for you to check out. I know some of you have already started to participate in some of them and are enjoying it.

Attention League Commissioners! If you are looking to spice up your league some, go and visit Fantasy Sports Trophies. Tom Harkins has put together a great site with all kinds of different trophies to give the winner of your league something besides just bragging rights. There are trophies for fantasy baseball, football (check out the Beer League Fantasy Football Trophy), basketball, hockey, and auto racing. I invite you to take a look at the site and try them 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.

Jorge Posada is having a tremendous season, and is far exceeding my expectations. He was 3-5 today with his seventh home run, and he has driven in 25 runs already, despite missing time due to injury. If Posada can stay healthy for the rest of the season, he could have a 25-30 homer season. In a single season league, I would definitely keep him. In a keeper league I would think about trying to capitalize on his good season and try to trade him for a younger catcher.

Rick Porcello finally took a loss, but I think you can forgive him against the Red Sox. He was only able to last 4.1 innings and allowed three runs. Porcello is still just 20 years old, and already has a bright future ahead of him. Don't get upset if you own him from one subpar site, there are plenty more good ones in the coming days.

Manny Parra got shellacked again, and he is now 3-7 on the season. It is rare that a manager leaves his starter in to give up ten runs, but Parra did that tonight over just four innings. On a good note, he did strikeout five, it was still an awful start for Parra. His ERA on the season is now 6.75, but in the last six weeks or so he had only had one bad start and then tonight too. Hold on to Parra, he will have a fine season.

Anibal Sanchez returned to the Marlins' rotation tonight, and the results weren't that good. He threw 71 pitches over just three innings, allowed just one run, and struck out three. He is a guy I owned in the beginning of the season in a couple leagues, but he now isn't a guy that I am running out to pick back up. I need to see two or three good starts before I would think about putting him on my roster.

Despite not liking him after his last outing, Randy Wells was good again for the Cubs. But he allowed just one run over seven innings against the Braves and whiffed four. His ERA is now just 1.69, and his WHIP is under 1.00. I still don't like him long term, but he keeps putting up good numbers. If you own him, continue to start him while he is hot, but keep it in mind that it could go down hill at any time.

Kevin Gregg blew his second save of the season, but he has given up his fair share of runs. The Cubs bullpen is a mess, as Carlos Marmol also gave up a run tonight. Gregg should continue to be the closer as long as Marmol doesn't appear to be any better of an option lately. If they could ever figure this out, one of them could be a valuable fantasy option, but they are both inconsistent at this point.

Vince Mazzaro had an ok, but far from great major league debut. He did throw 6.1 shutout innings, but he also walked four and struck out only one. He was having a fine season this year at AAA, but he isn't a top notch prospect. I wouldn't go running out to grab Mazzaro. I would want to see another two or three starts like this one (but with less walks) before I put him on my roster. Monitor him, but unless you are desperate, I wouldn't pick him up.

Antonio Bastardo collected the win in his first major league start, and was pretty effective for that outing. Bastardo allowed just one run over six innings, walked just one, and struck out five. He should get himself another start as he fills in for Brett Myers, but the Phillies have announced that they will be looking for outside help to fill the void. There is a chance that Bastardo can pitch his way into that spot, but I wouldn't count on it.

Major Announcement

I would like to let you all know that in the near future you won’t be getting your daily fantasy update from Fighting Chance Fantasy any longer. I have agreed to team up with my podcast mates over at Fantasy Baseball Search. Todd Farino, Jeff Mans, RC Rizza, myself, and the guys are forming a formidable team. I am not abandoning you, however, but making the coverage better. Over the next couple of weeks I will be transitioning the site over to its new home at www.fantasybaseballtonight.com. I have already started to post on that page, so feel free to start heading there whenever you want. We are still in the process of doing some work, but your nightly fix will be there. You will see improved features, more professional emails, and better coverage. You can find a plethora of information at Fantasy Baseball Search as well from me and the guys, but Fantasy Baseball Tonight will just be me and links to the podcast. The email address will also be changing slightly to fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com, but I will continue to check both for quite a while. I am very excited about this change, and I believe that it will be great for both of us….me and you.

Mailing List

For those of you who are regular readers, or even new to the site, I would like to offer a new service. I am starting a mailing list. Sometimes I see news during the day, but I wait until this nightly article to pass it along to you guys. Prospects coming up, injury news, closer movement, etc. Just send me an email to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com with “Mailing List” in the subject line and I will add you to the list. Then, whenever I find news that I feel is breaking and important, I will send it to you as soon as I find out about it. Hopefully this is something that you all will find valuable to make a possible move before your competition.

Also, you can now follow me on Twitter for more updates. Go to www.twitter.com/fightingchance.

Got another mention on Steve Gardner’s Fantasy Windup blog on the USA Today site. You can check out the post here. It is a great blog, and they also have some good contests for you to check out. I know some of you have already started to participate in some of them and are enjoying it.

Attention League Commissioners! If you are looking to spice up your league some, go and visit Fantasy Sports Trophies. Tom Harkins has put together a great site with all kinds of different trophies to give the winner of your league something besides just bragging rights. There are trophies for fantasy baseball, football (check out the Beer League Fantasy Football Trophy), basketball, hockey, and auto racing. I invite you to take a look at the site and try them 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.

Younger Guys

Joba Chamberlain had the longest outing of his career, and eased some of the concerns about his ability to stay in the rotation. Not that he was being moved out of the rotation, but he just has been more of an average pitcher as a starter, while he was dominant out of the pen. The Yankees want to keep him to about 150 innings this year, so keep that in mind as the season progresses.

Fernando Martinez is improving day by day, and today he stole two bases. He doesn't have a pedigree that says he will steal a lot of bases, but he is also getting more base hits. Another factor that gives me some encouragement is that he walked twice, and didn't strike out meaning he is getting more comfortable in the batter's box. If I owned Martinez I still would have him on my bench, but the way he is playing lately, I wouldn't cut him unless it was necessary.

Andy LaRoche has finally started to get some hits, no he just needs to start to inject some power into that stroke. He did hit for power in the minors, as evidenced by his 17 homers in just 73 games in 2007 at AAA-Las Vegas. It is good to see him hitting around .300, but I would wait on him until I see some pop in the bat. Given his track record, that could be the next step soon in his progression. Some prospects just take longer to pan out, perhaps LaRoche is one of those guys.

After allowing just two earned runs in three straight starts, Andrew Miller had another tough outing on Monday. Control continues to be his biggest downfall, as he struck out four, but walked four as well. Long term I think Miller will have a good baseball career, but for 2009 purposes he will drive you crazy just as much, if not more, as he will make you cheer.

A couple weeks ago Gavin Floyd found himself as a topic in our Keep/Cut segment on the Tuesday edition of the Fantasy Baseball Tonight podcast with me and Jeff Mans, and now he looks like the guy we saw in 2008. Floyd pitched seven strong innings, allowed two runs and struck out eight. If he was dropped in your league, I would pick him up unless your staff is already great, but don't expect this kind of production every time out. He will have his ups and downs, but I think those UGLY outings will be fewer and farther between.

A's prospect Vince Mazzaro was held out of his start on Monday, and it has been confirmed that he will be called up for the start on Tuesday. Mazzaro is a pretty good prospect for the A's and is 2-2 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He has 44 Ks in 56 innnings. He was also spectacular at AA last year going 12-3 with a 1.90 ERA. Not a dominant strikeout pitcher, but gets his share. Ranked as the #8 prospect in the A's farm system by Baseball America. I'm not sure that this is a long term callup, but it could be if he pitches well.

Older Guys

Todd Helton continues his hot season, but I am telling you he is going to fade. Between bad health and just bad baseball, Helton has been a shell of what he once was over the past few years. I can't believe that all of a sudden he's figured it out. He has hit seven home runs so far this year, but I don't believe he will get to twenty. If you own Helton, shop him all around the league until you find some sucker....I mean another owner, who remembers the good old days.

Roy Oswalt has been a popular subject of many of my emailers lately, and whether they should try to get anything they can for him. Mostly I have been telling people to definitely shop him around, but also to remember that he was 10-2 with a 2.24 ERA in the second half last season. I don't really like that this is the second stragith bad start he has gotten off to, but perhaps he can turn it around again. The Astros stink pretty bad (sorry Lon and Martha), so that explains why he has just two wins. But he was great tonight with a one run, seven inning, eight strikeout effort. He has also been rumored to be a part of some trades, but Roy has a full no-trade, so don't expect him to get out of Houston.

Matt Holliday hit his seventh homer of the year, and is now batting .275. In one month, Holliday raised his batting average 25 points, hit six homers, and drove in eighteen runs. Holliday also has stolen three bases in the last week, but don't expect him to get close to the 28 he stole last season. For those of you who were patient, continue doing so, I think Holliday will be ok. Not great, but better than we thought.

Rich Hill bounced back nicely after his first poor outing of the season. Granted the Mariners aren't exactly Murderer's Row, but Hill threw seven shutout innings and struck out seven. I got a chance to watch a few innings of this game, and Hill looked good. He was trying to finish guys off, and looked very confident. I still have reservations about his future success, but I am slowly getting a little more confident in him. Given the right situation, I could see adding him to a roster.

Jarrod Washburn didn't factor in the decision, but there is still no way that I am buying into this good season. Washburn allowed just one run over his seven innings, but he only struck out three. Like I said under Hill, Seattle isn't a strong offensive team. If you are considering Washburn, please take a look at his career numbers before you do. He has been average at best for most of his career, and by the end of the year, I expect him to have a similar line.

Injury News

If the next two weeks of rest don't ease the pain in the elbow of Grady Sizemore, it is possible that he would require surgery and that could keep him out perhaps two months. Definitely keep an eye on this situation. There is no structural damage, but he still might need arthroscopic surgery.

Victor Martinez was able to return to the Indians' lineup today after fouling a ball of his leg somewhere a few days ago. I've seen reports of his knee and shin, and since I didn't see where it hit him, I will call it his leg. But anyway, Victor did hit his eighth homer of the season, and should be back in your lineups immediately.

Edinson Volquez left his first start off the Disabled List after just one inning after complaining of numbness in two of his fingers. Volquez was sent back to Cincinnati to be evaluated by team doctors. This doesn't sound good, so wait and see the results of this visit to see how much time he might miss.

Hideki Kuroda returned to the Dodgers' rotation tonight, and after a shaky second inning, he settled in nicely. Kuroda was able to pitch five innings, allowed two runs, and struck out six. That is pretty good for his first start in a while, just don't think those strikeout numbers will continue. Last season, Kuroda whiffed just 116 guys in 183 innings.

Major Announcement

I would like to let you all know that in the near future you won't be getting your daily fantasy update from Fighting Chance Fantasy any longer. I have agreed to team up with my podcast mates over at Fantasy Baseball Search. Todd Farino, Jeff Mans, RC Rizza, myself, and the guys are forming a formidable team. I am not abandoning you, however, but making the coverage better. Over the next couple of weeks I will be transitioning the site over to its new home at www.fantasybaseballtonight.com. I have already started to post on that page, so feel free to start heading there whenever you want. We are still in the process of doing some work, but your nightly fix will be there. You will see improved features, more professional emails, and better coverage. You can find a plethora of information at Fantasy Baseball Search as well from me and the guys, but Fantasy Baseball Tonight will just be me and links to the podcast. The email address will also be changing slightly to fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com, but I will continue to check both for quite a while. I am very excited about this change, and I believe that it will be great for both of us....me and you.

Mailing List

For those of you who are regular readers, or even new to the site, I would like to offer a new service. I am starting a mailing list. Sometimes I see news during the day, but I wait until this nightly article to pass it along to you guys. Prospects coming up, injury news, closer movement, etc. Just send me an email to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com with “Mailing List” in the subject line and I will add you to the list. Then, whenever I find news that I feel is breaking and important, I will send it to you as soon as I find out about it. Hopefully this is something that you all will find valuable to make a possible move before your competition.

Also, you can now follow me on Twitter for more updates. Go to www.twitter.com/fightingchance.

Got another mention on Steve Gardner’s Fantasy Windup blog on the USA Today site. You can check out the post here. It is a great blog, and they also have some good contests for you to check out. I know some of you have already started to participate in some of them and are enjoying it.

Attention League Commissioners! If you are looking to spice up your league some, go and visit Fantasy Sports Trophies. Tom Harkins has put together a great site with all kinds of different trophies to give the winner of your league something besides just bragging rights. There are trophies for fantasy baseball, football (check out the Beer League Fantasy Football Trophy), basketball, hockey, and auto racing. I invite you to take a look at the site and try them 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.