Fantasy Baseball Tonight.com

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 9/5

2009-09-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Alfonso Soriano is going to be out indefinitely with his chronically sore knee. The Cubs said that they will keep Soriano out of the lineup going forward with no timetable for his return. He has been a colossal disappointment this season, and this is just another dagger in the hearts of his owners. Lou Pinella would not say that he will miss the rest of the season, so I suppose that if you have him you should put him on the bench and not let him go, but I can't blame you if you have finally lost your patience.

Speaking of colossal disappointments, Josh Hamilton is still out of the lineup with his sore back on Saturday, and it doesn't appear he will be playing on Sunday either. Apparently he had a bad reaction to the shot he took to ease his pain, so this absence might go on longer than expected. He was a first round pick in most drafts, but has played like a guy you might have picked in the last round.

Carlos Beltran hasn't played since June 21st, but he is expected back for the Mets on Tuesday. I wouldn't expect him to play everyday for the first week or so, and he might not be a good play next week if you have to set your lineups. If he was dropped he might be able to help you down the stretch, and if you have stashed him in daily lineups, I would anticipate him playing on Tuesday.

Eric Byrnes was activated from the DL on Saturday, but I don't see him getting enough playing time to warrant picking him up on your fantasy team. Unless you see him get very, very hot, I would leave him in free agency.

Gordon Beckham left the game on Saturday with a sore back, but it came out later he hurt his right side in batting practice. He didn't think it would be more than a day or two, but if it is oblique injury that could keep him out much longer. Keep it here for the official word when the news arrives.

Edwin Encarnacion was activated from the Disabled List on Saturday and returned to the Blue Jays lineup. He is another guy who has not lived up to his expectations this season, and I am not expecting much from him in the last month of the year. He should play most every day for the Jays though, so there is at least a chance that he could have a small impact at least in the power department. He is hitting under .200 for the year, so don't expect much from him there.

Mariano Rivera threw 20 pitches on Saturday and there is a chance that he could be back closing games for the Yankees on Sunday. Phil Hughes has filled in admirably, so if there is any chance you would think the Yankees would give him another day or two, but it seems that if it isn't tomorrow, Rivera will be back at the beginning of the week at some point.

After a short comeback, Jose Guillen's season is over. He had a ligament tear in his knee, and after trying to come back for a couple of days, the Royals have decided to shut him down. This shouldn't really kill anyone's team as Guillen hasn't brought much of anything to the table this year. He will be back next year, and could bring in 20 homers and might be a decent flier at the end of the drafts.

Roy Oswalt left his start with some lower back tightness even though he was pitching a great game. As long as he is able to make his next start you have to keep throwing him out there, but I am starting to getting concerned. This is not the first time that Oswalt left a start recently.

I am still taking fantasy baseball questions at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. Keepers, playoff rosters, etc. I still guarantee a response in 18 hours.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 9/3

2009-09-03T20:24:00.001-07:00

Pedro Martinez outdueled Tim Lincecum. No, you didn't read that wrong, Pedro Martinez outdueled Tim Lincecum. Martinez went seven innings and struck out nine while allowing just one run. He has been wildly inconsistent. Three of his starts Martinez has lasted five or more innings, and two of them he pitched only two or three innings. I still wouldn't trust him unless you are completely desperate for pitching or just trying to pick up a win or two. He is now 3-0 in five starts.

John Smoltz took his first loss as a Cardinal, but it wasn't that bad. He allowed four runs over six innings, walked none and struck out six. I would continue to start Smoltz if you have him, and wouldn't be too worried about this semi-poor outing.

Manny Parra continues to be the most unpredictable pitcher. After allowing five or more runs in three of his last four starts, Parra allowed just two runs over 6.2 innings and struck out five. Unless you are in a 16 team league, I don't think that you should be starting Parra.

Pat Misch made another quality start for the Mets, is it possible he could finish the season strong? He's 28 and had a career 0-8 record before his first career win today. The Mets have gotten David Wright back, and Carlos Beltran might not be far behind. Even with that, I wouldn't touch Pat Misch.

Clay Buchholz won his third straight decision on Thursday, and is now looking more comfortable in the major leagues. This is now five of his last six starts that he has allowed three runs or less. Of course, the other one in there he allowed seven runs. His strikeouts are lower than I expected them to be, but I believe they will come over time.

Michael Brantley was called up by the Indians and could be a guy who might help you down the stretch in steals. He had 28 steals at AA in 2008, but had racked up 46 steals this season before the callup. He stole his first major league base on Thursday, and there could be more where that comes from. I worry about his ability to get on base in the majors, but if he is able to get to first, he's probably not staying there.

B.J. Upton left the game today after a collision with Carl Crawford. He was on the ground for a few minutes, but was able to get up and walk off on his own power. X-rays were negative on his injured ankle, and he will likely miss a day or two. He has been a huge disappointment again with the batting average and power in 2009, but at least he has been stealing some bases.

Mariano Rivera doesn't have a return date from his sore groin, but given the Yankees solid hold on a playoff spot, don't be surprised if they take their sweet time bringing him back. He said he was fine after a workout on Thursday, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was out for the weekend. Phil Hughes would get the save chances while Rivera is out. This is probably not a big deal, but with a 6 game lead the Yankees would be crazy to bring him back before he is completely 100%.

Josh Hamilton has a pinched nerve in his back, the latest in his long list of injuries this season. He was given an injection to try to help with the inflammation. He is considered day to day, but will be joining the team on their road trip this weekend to see if he's able to play.

Brett Myers made his final rehab appearance on Wednesday, and could be back with the Phillies over the weekend. He will be used out of the bullpen, not as a starter. However, given the struggles of Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson trying to close games, can Myers get a chance down the stretch? He did save 21 games in 2007, so he has the experience. It might not happen, but it is a possibility.

Huston Street has been shut down with biceps tendonitis, a possible crushing blow to both the Rockies and fantasy owners. He has been shut down indefinitely. Street says he expects to be out for a few days, but no longer than a week. He apparently is going to try to play catch over the weekend. Franklin Morales saved the game for the Rockies and he could get some more over the next couple days. It doesn't seem like this will last long enough for it to be worth your while to make the move unless you are absolutely desperate for saves.

I am still taking fantasy baseball questions at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. Keepers, playoff rosters, etc. I still guarantee a response in 18 hours.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/29

2009-08-29T20:40:00.001-07:00

David Price had a pretty good month of August. With his win on Saturday, he was 4-2 since July 31st and only allowed more than three earned runs once in those six starts. So after it looked like he was going to be a total waste for the entire year, Price is at least showing some signs for next year. Price would still be a great keeper depending on your situation (how many keepers, etc.). The kid has a ton of talent and has shown enough in 2009 that I have high hopes for him again next year.

Andrew McCutchen only had one hit on Saturday, but his rookie season has been very impressive. He hit his 20th double of the year to go with his 10 home runs and 15 SBs. He is still hitting in the .290s and has driven in over 40 runs. Not bad considering he came to the majors on June 4th. McCutchen is one of the best keepers of the season, and looks like he is going to be a productive major league player for years to come.

Jake Fox also came to the majors at the beginning of June for the first time, but in half of the at bats that McCutchen has had, he has impressive numbers as well. Fox connected on his 10th homer of the season, unfortunately he doesn't have a set place in the field that the Cubs can play him. However, the way their season is going they might as well start playing him as their playoff hopes are fading. Given the uncertainty of Fox's position, I'm not sure he makes a great keeper, but if he has a regular place to play he could easily hit 30 home runs in a season.

Julio Borbon has only been with the team for about 20 days, but he has already stolen 10 bases for the Rangers. Unfortunately he hasn't been playing every day, but if you are some one in desperate need for some steals, Borbon looks like the kind of guy that can help you even if he plays four days a week.

Clay Buchholz has been better of late, and pitched his best game of the season on Saturday. He pitched into the ninth inning allowed one run and struck out nine. That is now four of the last five starts he has allowed two runs or less, but this is the first time that he has shown this strikeout potential in the major leagues. It is the deepest he has pitched since his no hitter, and the two walks were also very good. Buchholz will definitely be in the rotation for the rest of the season, and I'm 99% sure he will be there next year. The kid is the goods and should be even better next year.

Colby Rasmus has lost playing time since the Cardinals acquired Matt Holliday, but he is still having a great rookie year, and is making the most of the time he is getting. Rasmus has hit his third homer in the last ten games that he played, and had a chance at being rookie of the year before the trade. He likely won't be much help for the rest of this year, but his true coming out party should come in 2010.

Justin Upton hasn't been off the DL for long, but he has picked up right where he left off. He had his third multi-hit game since coming back, and hit his first homer in the four games he has been back for. That is now 21 dingers in his 107 games, and should be counted on for 30+ next season. Justin Upton is another one of the best keepers in the major leagues, regardless of the situation.

Cincinnati's rookie Drew Stubbs has stolen a base in two straight games, which is good considering that is pretty much the only reason that he has any value in fantasy. He has seven hits in the last five games, but he is striking out too much, which signals that perhaps he isn't ready to hit major league pitching. Next year could be a different story, but he isn't the kind of guy you should keep.

David Wright is ready to come off the DL and should be activated Tuesday, September 1st when he is eligible. He says he wants to play as much as possible, but the Mets will monitor him plenty over the first couple of weeks. He is likely to get some days off at first, but I would be surprised if Wright was rested too much.

The MRI on Alfonso Soriano's knee came back negative, but Soriano said that the pain in his knee had worsened. The test did show tenonitis in the knee, and at the least he is going to miss the next three games. Soriano will be evaluated on Sunday to see what the next course of action will be. Sit Soriano until at least Wednesday, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was longer.

You can email me any questions or comments at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com, especially questions on lineups or keepers. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/21

2009-08-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Billy Butler continues to hit, and I can tell you now that I will be pushing him big time in next year's rankings. Butler's average is still around .300, but he has driven in eight more runs in the past ten games, and now has 65 on the season. He has a serious shot at 80 this year, and should be over 90 in 2010.
"The King of the Solo HR" Garrett Jones struck again, but this time it was of the three run variety and he now 14 homers in 43 games, and now APPEARS to be someone that you will be able to count on for fairly consistent production for the rest of the season. However, as a prospect who is 28 years old and just getting his first real taste of the majors, Jones won't be someone that I will be counting on for repeating his performance from 2009.
Matt LaPorta has been back with the Tribe for a few days now, and so far it has been a little better than his first stint with the big club. He only has two hits in the two days, but he has also driven in three runs, and is hitting seventh in the lineup. I wouldn't expect to get consistent performance from him for the rest of this season, but if he can find a comfort zone, perhaps he will be able to have a strong 2010.
Mike Pelfrey is just impossible to figure out. Raise your hand if you thought he had a chance of being effective against the Phillies tonight. No one? Me either. Well, he allowed just two runs over six innnings and struck out five against the division winner, while he just got tattooed against the lowly Diamondbacks just a two starts earlier.
Adam LaRoche is kind of known as a second half player, but he is absolutely scorching since his return to the Braves. LaRoche homered for the fourth time in five games and now has a nice even 20 on the year. For his career he actually has three more home runs after the All-Star Break in 130 less games, and he actually hits 50 points higher. If you need a guy to give you a little power boost down the stretch, maybe LaRoche is your guy. Just be sure you pick up Adam and not Andy.
Anibal Sanchez returned from his latest major arm/shoulder/elbow injury and pitched quite well again for the Marlins. In his first start since the beginning of June, Sanchez lasted six innings, allowed just one run and struck out seven. Sanchez has a ton of talent, and could be the kind of pitcher that could make an impact down the stretch if he is able to stay healthy. Unfortunately, the kid has been unable to do that yet in his short career. If he is available and you are in any need of pitching, I would give Sanchez a try, but don't be surprised if he is back on the DL before too long.
Johnathan Sanchez threw five shutout innings of two hit ball, and struck out eight. He loses some points for walking four guys over that stretch, but that is still a WHIP of just 1.20, so it is another quality outing for Sanchez. Since his no hitter, he has allowed three runs or less in five of his seven starts, and has struck out at least five in every outing. If he is out there in your league, make sure he isn't after you read this article, and I would choose him over Anibel if you are considering both.
Clayton Richard is now 3-0 in his short stint with the Padres. In his five starts since coming over from the White Sox in the Jake Peavy trade, Richard has only allowed more than three runs once, but hasn't been getting many strikeouts. He shutout the Cardinals over six innings and struck out six on Friday, but it was the first time he struck out more than five. I would also consider him for late in the season pitching, but he would be farther down the line.
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/17

2009-08-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Tommy Hanson continues to be everything that we hoped many young pitchers would be, but so few actually turn out to be. Hanson ran his record to 8-2 with a win over the Diamonbacks, and he allowed just two runs over six innings and struck out seven. Even more impressive is he didn't walk a batter. Through 13 starts his ERA now sits at 3.05 and his WHIP at a respectable 1.28. I don't think I need to tell you that he is one of the better young pitchers in baseball, and has to have become one of the more sought after keepers for those of you who are in that kind of league. He's beaten the Yankees and the Red Sox in his first season so feel good starting him against anyone. Since his first rocky start, Hanson has only allowed more than three runs twice since he was called up to the majors.

Max Scherzer, on the other hand, has been everything that most young pitchers turn out to be. He doesn't go deep into games, he walks too many guys, yet he strikes a bunch of hitters out. His defense abandoned him more tonight, as only three of the nine runs he allowed were earned. Scherzer pulled his usual outing, five runs with seven strikeouts. The good news was he only walked one, but the Braves were too much for him. Scherzer has been a tough guy to own this season, he has been very hit or miss. The good ones are very good, but the bad ones have been close to scary sometimes. Scherzer is still a guy that I have a great deal of confidence in for 2010 and going forward.

Nate McLouth and his injured hamstring have landed on the 15 day DL. McLouth came out of the game on Saturday after reaggravating the injury and will be out for two weeks. I don't foresee this lasting longer than the 15 days, so just stash him until he is able to return.

Nelson Cruz is to begin a rehab assignment today and is on track to return to the Rangers on Wednesday. There should be further news confirming this before putting him back in your lineup, I will try to pass that along if I can.

What in the world has gotten into Vladimir Guerrero lately? After having just four home runs all season long, Vlad has tacked on SIX through the first 17 days of August, 13 really if you count he didn't play the first few days. He was always one of the best outfielders in all of fantasy, so is this a Vlad resurgence? Well, I wouldn't count on it. If he was dropped in your league during his injury/inconsistency/can't hit a lick phase, I would scoop him up and play the hot hand, but the days of Vlad the Impaler are over. I think he is a 15-17 homer guy at best, and that is 2009, and going forward.

Garrett Jones, or as I like to call him, The Master of the Solo Home Run, hit his 13th roundtripper of the year on Monday in just his 40th major league game. Even more suprising is this one was a two run shot. I gave Jones this nickname because the guy has 13 home runs and just 22 RBI. This is an incredible pace, and I don't think I mean that in a good way. Thirteen jacks in 40 games is great, but I would like to see more ribbies. The career minor leaguer still has his batting average near .300, and the power while not unexpected, is a nice addition which I thought would have tailed off a while ago.

Aubrey Huff was traded from Baltimore to Detroit for a minor leaguer. I don't see this as having a major effect on his fantasy value. Whether it is some games at first, some at third, a few in the outfield, and probably some DH, I think Huff should play if not everyday, most everyday. His value might take a slight bump because of the better lineup that he will now be in.

Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a record $15 million deal over four years. Now it is the waiting game to see if the contract includes the fact that he MUST be brought into the majors this season. We will see exactly what this kid is made of and if he is the NEXT BIG THING or not. This would have been a PR nightmare for the Nats so it was good to see them get this done.

David Wright spoke to the media (why I'm not sure, do we need post-concussion press conferences?) and said that he was basically not feeling any real after effects from the concussion he suffered when he was hit in the head by a pitch by Matt Cain and he wants to play again this season. I don't see any point in the Mets throwing their franchise player back in there, but Wright is a competitor and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see him back sooner rather than later. As long as he is cleared by doctors, expect Wright to play again this year so if you own him in seasonal leagues I would most certainly not drop him.

Ervin Santana won his second consecutive start and he is now looking like he should be worth picking up if he is available in your league. He has been awful for most of the year, but he has won three straight decisions, and COULD be on track to being close to what he was last year. He allowed three earned runs over six innings and struck out five. There is no doubt that Santana has been a bitter disappointment all season long, but when a guy was 16-7 with over 200 strikeouts the year before, you pounce on him when he hits a hot streak.

I suggested to more than one person to give Francisco Liriano one more start before cutting him loose since he was so good the last time he took the mound. Well, that was the one more start, feel free to give him the boot. Hey Francisco! Don't let the door hit you where the Lord split you! He was monumentally awful on Monday allowing seven runs over just two innings, walking two and striking out just one. You can hold him if you want, but I think it is finally time to show him the door.

Don’t forget to send me an email about the football email list. Much like in baseball if I find breaking news I will shoot out a quick email to you so you can hopefully make a move before your competition. Put football mailing list in the subject line to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

Also for those of you getting ready for your football draft don’t miss the best deal on the internet. The Fantasy Football Search War Room and Draft Kit. This will not only have all the information that you need to make all the best choices during your draft, but will also help you all year long with maintaining your team to win the championship. For just $10 you get all the best info from myself, Jeff Mans, Todd Farino, RC Rizza and others. Go to www.fantasyfootballsearch.com to get your draft kit today!

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.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/15

2009-08-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Scott Kazmir can't figure out if he wants to be good, or if he is just going to drag your team down. It was back to pretty good again on Saturday as he allowed three runs over 6.1 innings and struck out seven. OK, it isn't great, but considering he gave up seven runs over just 4.1 innings against the Mariners his last time out, that was a Cy Young performance. He has become nearly impossible to predict, and all you can do is put him in your lineup every time out. You are going to get burned every second or third start, but you don't want to miss one of his good ones. If he is one of your keepers, chances are your league keeps too many guys.

Johnny Cueto has officially entered the "suck zone". After leaving his previous start after two innings with a hip flexor, Cueto gutted it out to make his next start. Well, he probably should have gone on the DL. Cueto got absolutely rocked. Cueto didn't get out of the third inning, but he gave up seven runs and lost his tenth game of the year. It has gotten to the point where you really can't start him anymore. Hell you can barely even keep him on your team. In seasonal leagues I think it is time to let him go. Keeper leagues, it is still probably time to let him go. What in the world happened to this guy?

Brian Matusz had his second consecutive rough start after a solid debut start, but he did show some signs of life. Matusz allowed four runs over 5.2 innings, but he did strikeout seven. The kid still has a world of talent, so if you are in a keeper league, you likely just have to live with the rough patches. In seasonal leagues you might want to give him one more start because of the strikeouts, but he's giving up too many hits, runs, and walking too many guys. See what happens next time out.

Some question marks arose again after Gavin Floyd got roughed up his last time out. But he silenced any murmurs of an upcoming slump with another solid outing. Floyd allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out eight. I'm not saying that he is going to be unstoppable for the rest of the year, but I believe that he is worth a start any time he takes the mound.

Brad Lidge blew his eighth save of the year, and his second in the last five days. To add to the disgrace, Lidge also committed two errors during his stint. Not much more to say on this one. He has been a complete trainwreck and there's no reason to think that every second or third save chance he is going to implode.

Joey Votto looks like he may have broken out of his slump with a three RBI game on Saturday. He had just one RBI in the last ten games, so hopefully this is the start of a strong finish for Votto. He has been striking out more than usual, and he hasn't been getting as many hits. His average is still over .310 so it isn't like he's having a bad season. Everyone knows how much I like Votto, so he better finish strong so I don't look like a moron.

Johnathan Broxton blew another save on Saturday, and that was his third since July 29th. I'm not sure if it is his toe injury that is lingering or he is just out of gas. I would guess that it is his toe is still not right and he is just trying to tough through it. Broxton is still getting a ton of strikeouts, and is among the best closers out there. Just keep him in your lineups and hope that he gets it right.

There were a rash of people getting hit in the head on Saturday, but the least of it was Ian Kinsler. He was beaned in the fourth inning, but was able to finish the game. Don't be surprised if he doesn't play tomorrow, but it appears he avoided serious injury.

As if the Mets' season couldn't get any worse, David Wright was hit in the head by a Matt Cain fastball and had to be takent to the hospital. He does have a concussion but the tests came back clean. He is expected to stay in the hospital over night, meaning it is almost a certainty that he won't be playing tomorrow. In fact if you are in a weekly league, there is a very good chance that you should sit him for the upcoming week. I have him in one league that scores from Sunday to Saturday and I have decided to sit him for next week.

Hideki Kuroda was hit in the head with a line drive for the second time in his career. He crumpled to the ground and had to be carted off the field. He did give a sign that he could move his extremities, but I think there is a very strong chance that he is going to miss at least one start. I will report on more news as I find it out, but I wouldn't start him next week if you have weekly transactions.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was placed on the 15 day DL due to recurring numbness in his hand. There is no timetable for his return yet, but talented youngster Taylor Teagarden will be the everyday catcher now for the Rangers. He has struggled so far, but is supposed to have an incredibly high ceiling. If you need to take a chance on a catcher, perhaps Teagarden is worth a shot.

Don’t forget to send me an email about the football email list. Much like in baseball if I find breaking news I will shoot out a quick email to you so you can hopefully make a move before your competition. Put football mailing list in the subject line to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

Also for those of you getting ready for your football draft don’t miss the best deal on the internet. The Fantasy Football Search War Room and Draft Kit. This will not only have all the information that you need to make all the best choices during your draft, but will also help you all year long with maintaining your team to win the championship. For just $10 you get all the best info from myself, Jeff Mans, Todd Farino, RC Rizza and others. Go to www.fantasyfootballsearch.com to get your draft kit today!

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.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/13

2009-08-13T20:29:00.001-07:00

Billy Butler continues to rake and has certainly become a guy that you can feel comfortable starting on a daily basis. He would be more valuable as a corner infielder or utility guy instead of a starting 1B, but if he is out there, you should try to pick him up. Butler had two hits including his 37th double of the year. In the last ten games, Butler has 17 hits, two home runs and 11 RBI. I think next year will be Butler's breakout party, but he is certainly fantasy relevant for the rest of 2009. He has 13 homers so far, and next year many of these doubles will start going over the fence.

Scott Feldman ran his record to 12-4 today with another impressive win over the Cleveland Indians. He had not been as consistent since the All-Star break as he was in the first half, but good none the less. He allowed just one run over six innings and struck out six. This is more strikeouts than he generally gets, as he has gotten about one per every two innings so far this year. Feldman is a guy that I would pitch and ditch with, and not someone that I would keep on my roster full time, even with the impressive win-loss record.

Clay Buchholz had a better start for Boston after struggling since being called up from the minors. Buchholz only allowed one earned run over seven innings and struck out three. This is his second straight start where he was pretty good, but the walks have really done him in. He was more effective today as he only walked three. He is still a little raw to count on every time he takes the mound, but Buchholz has a ton of talent and should be a major fantasy contributor some time in the future. When that is going to be I'm not sure, but it could be literally any time.

Kevin Kouzmanoff is on a ridiculous hot streak lately. Kouz had five hits on Thursday, and now has 11 hits over the last three games. He also has five RBI over that span. For the season he is batting just .264, but that is up 15 points since the beginning of August. It would be a stretch to think that he can get up to the 23 home runs he hit last season, but he should make a good run at 20. If you are in need of a hitter to try to spark some life into your lineup, Kouzmanoff might be your guy, but just know that he is an inconsistent player and could go cold again soon enough.

Mike Rivera had two home runs tonight as a catcher for Milwaukee, but don't get fooled into thinking that this might be the start of something. He's 32 years old, he's never been given any kind of real chance to play and has never shown any reason to think he will ever start hitting. It was just a good night for a below average player.

Ryan Dempster is not a guy that I trust for the rest of the season. He took his sixth loss of the season as he gave up six runs over seven innings. He is still getting good strike outs, as he had eight more tonight. I would trust him over some of the usual suspects on the waiver wire (Zito, Oliver Perez, Doug Davis) but I would rather take my chances with a young player than throw Dempster out there.

Johnny Gomes is another guy that had a great game that I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. He is not an everyday player, and is one of the more streaky players around. He had a two homer game near the end of July, but hasn't done anything much in between these two games. Even if you are desperate, I still wouldn't pick up Gomes.

When you figure out when to start and when to sit Bronson Arroyo, please let me know. Somehow Arroyo threw his second shutout of the season against the Nationals, but his ERA is still near 5.00. Arroyo is not someone that I would keep on my roster, but for those of you streaming pitchers, he is a pretty decent option against bad teams. He does have 11 wins, but he is just so hard to predict. If he got more strikeouts, he would be someone that I would use more often.

Adrian Beltre is back on the DL after being hit by a ground ball. Where you ask? Let's just say that he wasn't wearing a cup. There are three things to say about this. One: OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Two: He is so tough he finished the game. Three: He likely will need surgery. How much must that have hurt? I've been hit/kicked in the junk plenty of times in my life, and many times I felt like I might pass out. But never has it ever needed surgery. Man, that must have been painful. It is all but certain that he is done for the season with the bleeding testicle. I am also fairly sure that this is the first time that I have written testicle in any of these articles.

Also for those of you getting ready for your football draft don’t miss the best deal on the internet. The Fantasy Football Search War Room and Draft Kit. This will not only have all the information that you need to make all the best choices during your draft, but will also help you all year long with maintaining your team to win the championship. For just $10 you get all the best info from myself, Jeff Mans, Todd Farino, RC Rizza and others. Go to www.fantasyfootballsearch.com to get your draft kit today!

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.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/10

2009-08-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

Alex Rios has been claimed by the Chicago White Sox, and the Blue Jays basically said, "hey, he's yours!" So, how does Rios' value change? I would say it definitely takes a hit unless there is an injury on the Sox. Carlos Quentin, Scott Podsednik and Jermaine Dye man the White Sox outfield, and Jim Thome is entrenched as the DH. So, who is the odd man out? Rios? Podsednik? I think right now the Sox are kind of surprised they got him for absolutely nothing and now must find a way to get playing time for all those guys. I'm not sure I would drop him, but I would certainly sit him on the bench until you find out how the playing time shakes out.

Pedro Martinez will be back in the majors on Wednesday against the Cubs. Jaime Moyer has been moved to the bullpen, which should have been done a while ago. Pedro's last two solid starts were against the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and the minor league rehab starts. Not exactly anything that instills confidence in me. I wouldn't touch Pedro with a ten foot pole. The last time he was in the majors he got tattooed like a bunch of rebellious teenagers. Chicago is slumping right now, but I still wouldn't touch Martinez.

Chad Billingsley is going to be skipped from his Wednesday start and will hope to avoid the DL with his hamstring injury. Not too much else to say on this one, watch for further updates to see if he will be back next Monday.

Leo Nunez picked up another save tonight for the Marlins, but it was Matt Lindstrom who started the ninth inning. Manager Fredi Gonzalez has said that Lindstrom would get the job back "eventually, but he didn't know when". Well, Lindstrom crapped the bed in his first attempt back in the 9th, although it wasn't a save situation. He made it one for Nunez, and he had to clean up after him. Is this going to make it a longer time for Lindstrom to get his job back? WILL he get his job back? Nunez has been great in the closers role, so he deserves to keep getting the chances. I wish they would just tell us who is the closer, I have both Marlins relievers in FOUR leagues and they are taking up roster spots that I could use on others! C'mon Fish, make up your mind!!!

Johnny Cueto injured his hip running the bases tonight, and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. If he is going to miss any significant time, I would let him go, but if he is going to make his next start, I would continue to hold him on your roster. He was once 8-4, but is now 8-9. Cueto has talent, he has just been in an incredible slump.

Geovany Soto had his first hit since returning from his latest stint on the Disabled List and he made the most of it with his ninth home run of the year. Soto has been one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy this year, and his owners are praying that he will be back on track now and will finish the season strong. I'll believe it when I see it.

Outside of that one start where he allowed eleven runs (tough to forget, I know), Gio Gonzalez has pitched pretty well. He ran his record to 4-2 as he shut down the Orioles over six innings with just one walk and striking out five. That is now two straight starts that he hasn't allowed a run, and he has struck out 26 batters in his last four outings. I still don't quite trust him yet, but Gonzalez was a high ranking prospect, so this could be for real.

Troy Tulowitzki had his best career game today as he hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs. Tulowitzki is putting those couple years of disappointment behind him, and is now ranking among the top few shortstops in baseball. I know this isn't breaking news, but just wanted to give credit where credit is due.

Jorge De La Rosa bounced back nicely from his last outing in which he gave up seven runs. De La Rosa pitched into the eighth inning, allowed just one run and struck out eleven. That is now six of his last seven starts in which he has allowed two runs or less, and he now has more strikeouts than innings pitched. If he is available in your league, please make sure he isn't much longer.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/8

2009-08-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

T-Minus 3 days until my birthday!

As a change of pace, let's start with some injury news

Jake Peavy will make his first rehab start for the White Sox on Thursday, and will likely need three such starts before taking the mound for his new team. If he suffers no setbacks, that would put Peavy in the Windy City before the calendar changes to September. There is still many days between now and then, but for those of you who have been stashing him, this is incredible news.

Carlos Zambrano has had a rough last 24 hours. He was all set to make his start on Friday night, but was scratched late with what was called some muscle spasms. Well, today Big Z lands on the 15 day DL with a lower back "problem". Not sure exactly what that means, but it does mean he will miss another two starts. Even though I don't like this guy as a player, he is a bulldog and I would be absolutely shocked if he missed anymore than the mandatory time.

Bad news for those of you stashing Jordan Zimmerman.....the worst kind of news. The Nationals used the "A-word" when talking about his MRI, but it likely isn't the "a" word you are thinking of. The team is sending his MRI to be looked at by Dr. James Andrews. That's right, Dr. Kevorkian of fantasy pitchers. For those of you who are unfamiliar, he is the Tommy John doctor. Pitchers go in.....but they don't come out usually for 12-18 months. The team says that there were "concerning facts" on the MRI. If you are stashing him on your DL slot I would continue to do so for now. But don't be surprised if you receive some pretty bad news in the upcoming days.

Erik "DL" Bedard is going back to Dr. Yocum who performed his shoulder surgery last year to look at the latest fraying found in that shoulder. He is supposed to see this doctor on Wednesday, but I am here to tell you now that he is done for the season. I wouldn't drop him on my speculation, but I would be willing to put a nice (imaginary) wager on this one. I made a prediction last season around the All-Star Break that he wouldn't pitch five more times......He never came back. He is a free agent at the end of the year so he may want to return to earn another contract, but I wouldn't count on it.

Brian Roberts (who I just traded for) fouled a ball off his shin and left the game early on Saturday. He stayed in the game for two innings, but then left to take some precautionary x-rays which (thankfully) came back negative. I wouldn't be shocked to see him out of the lineup tomorrow, but if he stayed in for two innings and there were no breaks, I wouldn't expect him to miss much time. If I see an update I will pass it along.

Brett Cecil left the game early with a sore left knee that he suffered trying to field a bunt single. From what I have read, it didn't seem like it was it was a bad injury, but apparently the knee has been bothering him for a while. It doesn't seem like a DL scenario, but the next couple of days should clear up the extent of the injury.

Jed Lowrie landed on the 15 day-DL with an irritated forearm, and while Terry Francona didn't think it was anything serious, Lowrie will get it checked out further while he is not in the lineup. It sounds like this will be a two week thing, and he should be back.

The Rest of the Action

Chris Tillman made his best start since being called to the majors on Saturday. One of the Orioles top prospects lasted 6.2 innings, gave up two runs, walked three and struck out four. He has gone deeper into the game with each passing start, and hopefully he will continue to improve for the rest of the season. He is supposed to have an incredibly bright future and should be someone that you are targeting in keeper leagues.

Outside of the walks, Clay Buchholz had a fairly effective start against the Yankees. He lasted two runs over six innings, unfortunately he walked five and struck out only three. Buchholz is an incredibly talented pitching prospect on one of the better teams in baseball. However, so far he has struggled since being inserted into the rotation.

Frank Francisco has been declared the closer again for the Texas Rangers, as he will take his job back from C.J. Wilson. It has been a tough season of injuries and sickness for Francisco, but hopefully this will be the last time that I need to write about him for any reason except for closing games.

In more closer news, even though Matt Lindstrom has been activated from the DL, Leo Nunez continues to get the saves. On Saturday, Lindstrom pitched the eighth, while Nunez collected the save. Is Lindstrom going to get his job back? I still feel like he will eventually, but I am having some doubts.

Billy Butler is really starting to make some noise for the Royals. He had three more hits on Saturday, giving him five straight multi-hit games and he has driven in ten runs in the last five games. He still isn't quite hitting for the power that he was projected to, but he has been making strides each season. He hit 11 bombs last year, but is already at 13 this season. Butler will likely get to 80 RBIs or more, as he drove in his 57th run of the year today. He should be very good for the rest of the year, and I think next season will be Butler's coming out party.

Justin Masterson made his first start for the Indians, and while it didn't last long it was very productive. I warned you that it likely wouldn't be a deep outing because he had been used out of the bullpen for the Red Sox for the past couple months. He allowed just one run over four innings and struck out four. As he makes more starts, he should be able to go longer into games. He is a guy worth keeping an eye on for the rest of the season.

Brian Fuentes actually had a fairly boring save today. He came in with one out in the ninth and finished the game allowing just one hit. Fuentes had allowed one or more runs in three straight appearances, so it was good for his owners to see him get through one without giving up any scores.

Carl Pavano made his first start for the Minnesota Twins, and boy was it a gem. Pavano threw seven shutout innings, didn't walk anyone and struck out five. Now, while I think his performances might improve with the move, I urge you not to get sucked in by this latest start. Pavano has fooled us before with some great outings, only to be punched in the gut his next time out. This gives you another sense of hope. Is it the real deal, or another one that is soon to be followed by a kick in the pants......which side is up to you.

Wladimir Balentien is making the most of his second chance in the majors when he was traded to the Reds at the deadline. He has six hits in the last four days, and he has driven in four runs. Balentien was once supposed to be one of the better outfield prospects for the Mariners, but just never got it going in Seattle. He didn't show much power and struck out constantly. He showed great power in all levels of the minors, so there is some chance that he could turn into a pretty productive hitter in the National League, especially in the Reds park. I need to see more than a few good days before I am ready to make a move on him though.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/6

2009-08-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm back. I'm sure you were all going through withdrawal as the posts are starting to slow down for the 2009 season. Plenty went on in the last few days, so let's get right to it!

Elijah Dukes is back in the majors, and his manager has said that he is going to see plenty of playing time in the outfield. You all know that I am not the biggest Dukes fan, but if you have an injury or a player who is really disappointing he might be able to help you in the short term. Dukes had three hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs. He could give you a little speed and a little pop in a Washington lineup that could badly use a shot in the arm.

Rick Porcello threw his second straight good start and won his tenth game of the year. Even though he picked up the win, his numbers weren't incredibly impressive. Porcello allowed two runs over 5.2 innings, but he walked three and only struck out one. I know a lot of you have considered letting him go, but I just don't think you should do that. In keeper leagues you should have your head checked for letting him go, but seasonal leagues I still think he has plenty of value. Just don't expect a thousand strikeouts.

Fausto Carmona had his second consecutive positive start, but I am not buying into him being a reasonable starting pitcher in the majors again. Three reasons. First he walks way too many and doesn't strike nearly enough out. Second, the Indians got rid of a lot of their talent at the deadline. Third, their closer, Kerry Wood is terrible, meaning sometimes even if he pitches well the lead might be blown for him. I would stay away from Carmona.

Cliff Lee was awesome again for the Phillies and is further proving how much the American League and the Cleveland Indians were holding him back. Lee allowed only one run for the second consecutive start and struck out nine over seven innings. If any of you had any concerns over Lee's transition (and I'm not sure who would) they have been answered resoundingly in his first two outings.

Brad Lidge had a fairly uneventful save for once tonight against Colorado as he allowed only one hit and struck out two in his appearance on Thursday. Perhaps this is the start of a solid finish to the season for Lidge. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

Tommy Hunter bounced back from his worst start since coming to the majors by beating the A's and improved his record to 4-2. His ERA is well under 3.00, but Hunter isn't a big strikeout guy at all. He only allowed more than three earned runs in one of his eight starts, and his WHIP is just 1.19. Hunter had been impressive in previous years in the minors, but had struggled this season at both AA and AAA. The Rangers know how to hit though, so he should always get run support. I wouldn't put a ton of stock in Hunter, but picking him up while he is hot isn't the worst idea.

Justin Upton landed on the DL with a strained oblique and is likely out for around a month. Oblique injuries take time to heal, so you are probably looking at early September before he is eligible to return. Hopefully you have some sort of reasonable option on your bench to plug in his place. If you need to pick up a free agent and need some advice, don't hesitate to email me.

Trent Oeltjen was called up to the majors when Justin Upton went on the Disabled List. He is not one of the Diamondbacks best prospects, but he could bring you some speed if you are in need, and perhaps even a little bit of power. This year was his best in the minors as he was hitting .300 in 106 games at AAA with 10 homers, 61 RBI with 19 steals. With Upton out he could earn good playing time in the outfield for the D'Backs. They have nothing going for them this year, so it makes sense for them to give a young guy a shot. Oeltjen got off to a good start with two hits (including a homer) and two steals. If he keeps this up you can bet he will see plenty of at-bats.

Geovany Soto is due to return from the Disabled List from his own oblique injury. He hasn't played since July 7th, so that gives you some indication on how long to expect Upton to be out. Soto was doing horrible even when he was healthy, so it is hard to know what to expect. However, if you have been stashing him, chances are you haven't found a better option while he ws hurt.

Jason Bay could miss the entire Yankee series this weekend according to his manager Terry Francona. He almost definitely will miss Friday's game and they will re-evaluate him from there. Bay reaggravated a hamstring injury on Wednesday against the Rays. Francona also said that Bay would avoid the DL, so hopefully he will be back before the weekend is over. Kevin Youkilis takes over in left field, so if you are in a league that only requires a game or two to gain eligibility Youk could gain even more value.

Chad Gaudin was traded from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later. This is the equivalent of one of those third world children you see on the commercials that can be helped for just 25 cents a day being adopted by Angelina Jolie. He hadn't been pitching well, but he is pretty good at getting strikeouts. He will get a ton more run support in New York, but the change in ballparks won't be good for him though. His value obviously goes up in New York, but don't all of a sudden think that he is going to be some incredible pitcher.

Don't forget to send me an email about the football email list. Much like in baseball if I find breaking news I will shoot out a quick email to you so you can hopefully make a move before your competition. Put football mailing list in the subject line to fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/3

2009-08-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Scott Kazmir pitched well for the second consecutive start, and his owners are hoping like crazy that this is the start of him getting back on track. He still didn't go really deep into the game, but Kazmir allowed just three runs over six innings and struck out five. Even better is that he only walked one guy, which has always been his problem. This was the first time that he's been able to put two good starts together in a row, so this is a good sign. He will likely have some relapses, but I am getting some confidence that Kazmir will be able to continue to pitch well.

Super Rangers prospect Neftali Feliz was called up when Ian Kinsler was placed on the 15-day DL. For right now, Feliz will be pitching out of the bullpen, but if an opening comes up, you can bet that the Rangers will give him a shot in the rotation. In his first shot out of the 'pen tonight, Feliz was as good as advertised. He threw two shutout, hitless innings, with four strikeouts. If he is out there, I would give him a try, even if he is out of the bullpen. Keeper leagues, stop reading and pick him up now and come back to me.

Chris Tillman pitched for the second time in the big leagues, and it didn't go much better than the first. Tonight he allowed five runs over six innings, walked three, and struck out five. It was promising to see him last longer in a game, and also to see him keep his strikeouts up. He likely won't be a very consistent pitcher at all here in 2009. He will have his share of good starts, but most of the time he will pitch like he did tonight. If you are competing for a title, Tillman might end up doing you more harm than good outside of strikeouts. It is a tough call, especially if you are in a keeper league, but that is what makes this game fun. The tough decisions.His 8-4 record is good, and his ERA is under 3.00.

After a few rocky starts, Randy Wells has put two good starts together. However, if you have followed me, you know that I am not a Wells fan. He allowed just one run over 7.1 and he struck out five. He has been pitching well and he's on a good team, but I am still not on the Wells bandwagon. He didn't have a minor league career that shouted future star, and I just can't believe that he is a better major league pitcher than minor league pitcher. If your trading deadline has passed, I would be trying like crazy to sell high on Wells. If you can't deal him, I would continue to pitch him until he cools down.

Brandon Webb had season ending shoulder surgery and is finally done for the year. For those of you who are in keeper leagues, Webb should be fine at the start of next year, so he is certainly someone that I would keep for 2010.

Roy Oswalt will miss his next start on Tuesday but hopefully will be able to make his next start on the weekend. Oswalt is still dealing with some lower back issues, so keep an eye on him for the weekend to see if he will be able to go.

Corey Hart will miss most, if not all of the month of August after undergoing an appendectomy. Hopefully he will be ready to start the month of September when you are ready to start the playoffs.

Plenty of injury news on the New York Mets front. Billy Wagner threw another shutout inning in a rehab assignment, and likely isn't far from returning. Unfortunately, he won't be in any kind of role that will help you in fantasy, so stay away from Wagner. Carlos Beltran shagged some fly balls, but still felt some pain. Beltran said it was much less than before though, and he is somewhat encouraged. There is still no timetable for a rehab assignment, much less a return to baseball. Carlos Delgado took some batting practice and is scheduled to run over the next couple of days, but there is still no timetable for his return either. All in all not much news on the Mets front, but perhaps by September there might be some stars back in Flushing.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 8/1

2009-08-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were with me last baseball season, you know that this is around the time when fantasy baseball starts to fade out some. Many of your trading deadlines are passing by the day, and some of you who were holding out hope that you were still in the race are starting to come to the realization that it might not be in the cards for you in 2009. Now, while I still welcome emailed questions about baseball right up to the last day of the season and beyond, it is time that there won't be a Fantasy Baseball Tonight article on a nightly basis. For starters there will not be an article tomorrow. I will not be doing articles on nights that I have podcasts (Tuesday and Wednesday). I can't tell you exactly what night there will be articles, because some nights I will do a shorter article. You will be able to pretty much guarantee an article from me on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, with others likely sprinkled in. If news breaks, I will also continue the email mailing group. In fact, I am starting one for football as well, if you would like to be a part of that too, please send me an email and put football mailing list in the subject line. It is time for my focus to begin to start switching over to football as that season is starting to amp up. However, don't think I will leave you hanging in baseball, I am here for you until the end.

It is all but certain that Orioles prospect Brian Matusz will be called up to start for Baltimore on Tuesday. With Brad Bergesen heading to the DL, the Orioles need a pitcher. Matusz was scheduled to pitch tonight in the minors and he did. However, he was pulled after one shutout inning. All of these factors mean that we are just waiting for the official word. Matusz is only in AA (which you know concerns me) and he is ripping it up. This is his first year in the minors, but between the two levels he has been at he has dominated. In 18 starts, Matusz is 11-4 with a 1.93 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 112 innings. Bergesen's x-rays were negative after he took the ball off his leg which means he likely won't be out too long. Matusz is likely a short term replacement, but has HUGE value in keeper leagues.

Carlos Zambrano left his start with a stiff back. Zambrano has had his fair share of nagging injuries this season, but he has pitched better than I expected. I don't foresee this being a long term injury, but he is likely a question mark for his next start. When I find more information on the situation, I will be sure to pass it along.

Hanley Ramirez suffered a bruised knee after being hit by a pitch by Carlos Zambrano. He was able to stay in the game and actually scored from second, but he was replaced in the next inning. I would be very surprised if Hanley plays tomorrow, but the fact that he did stay in the game for a little while and scored from second on a single leaves me optimistic that this injury won't cost him a long time on the bench. This is speculation on my part I want to remind you, I have seen no confirmation of any time frame that Ramirez might be out.

Although it is not yet confirmed, it looks as though Edinson Volquez is going to have Tommy John Surgery on Monday. Volquez IS going to have elbow surgery, it just has not been reported whether it was Tommy John or another form of procedure. Either wya, if you have been holding him in a seasonal league, definitely let him go now. Even in keeper leagues, he is not worth holding anymore, especially if it is Tommy John.

Wandy Rodriguez left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning with a hamstring injury. He was pitching great again, and this will be a decent sized blow to fantasy teams that own Wandy. It is too soon right now to get solid information about how long he might be out. It is probably a bit optimistic to expect him to not miss any starts, but maybe it will just be one or two.

Alexei Ramirez missed another game on Saturday, and it appears that he will be out until Wednesday at the earliest. The White Sox have Monday off, so if you play in leagues with weekly roster changes it appears that Alexei will only miss one game. He is a risky play for people in that situation, but he has been good enough lately that I will likely play him in the two leagues that I have him in with weekly changes.

Joba Chamberlain was supposed to pitch on Monday, but now will be pushed back to Thursday. This could be the Yankees answer to Joba getting closer and closer to his team imposed innings limit. For those of you with Chamberlain on your team, you have to either expect more of this kind of thing or Joba back to the bullpen. Either way, his value takes somewhat of a hit for the rest of 2009.

Jeff Niemann won again after a subpar outing, cementing his status as one of the best pitching pickups of the second half. The Rays continue to win and crawl back into the race, and Niemann is a big reason why. He pitched eight innings, allowed just one run and struck out seven. He has now struck out at least six in four straight starts. If Niemann is available and you have any need for pitching, do yourself a favor and pick him up.

I have gotten more questions over the past two weeks of people wanting to drop Rick Porcello and I have just been unable in most cases to tell people to let the kid go. Even after last time out when he gave up five runs, he gave them all up early and then settled in and pitched four more shutout innings. That is not what most young pitchers do. Well, Porcello bounced back with eight innings against the Indians, allowing just one earned run and struck out three. That is the one thing that makes people worry about Porcello is that he isn't an elite strikeout pitcher. I will tell you that fact is not going to change, but the guy is only 20 and is already a meaningful part of a contending team's rotation. That is hard to give up on.

Andrew McCutchen homered three times tonight, and while he remains a great guy to have on your team, and a fantastic guy to have as a keeper, don't think that this is the start of some sort of trend. McCutchen is a guy who shows great speed, and does have a little power, but nothing that you can count on. He had three home runs on Saturday, which is also the same number he had after his first 50 games in the big leagues. McCutchen is a good young player, but he is not a big home run hitter.

Sean Rodriguez is back in the majors with the Angels, and he played in the outfield tonight, but I would not be targeting him this time around unless you are planning on using him as a keeper. He is still hitting for a great average in the minors, but not nearly the power he was contributing before his call up to the big leagues. Just like last time, I don't know where regular at bats would come from, so it seems that Rodriguez will spend most of his time on the bench.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/31; Trade Deadline Overview

2009-07-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Red Sox trade Adam LaRoche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman

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

Athletics trade Orlando Cabrera to the Twins for Tyler Ladendorf

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

Dodgers trade Claudio Vargas to the Brewers for Vinny Rottino

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

Nationals trade Nick Johnson to the Marlins for Aaron Thompson

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/30

2009-07-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight. 7/29

2009-07-29T22:32:00.001-07:00

Joba Chamberlain had perhaps the best outing of his young career, as he shutout the Rays over eight innings and struck out five. This is now the third straight time to the mound that Joba has pitched into the seventh inning as he looks to turn the corner to a reliable starter. As happy as his fantasy owners have to be about this outing, there is still talk here in New York that he is supposed to be on an inning limit of 150. Will he be shut down? Will he go to the 'pen? Will the Yankees take the kid gloves off and just let the guy pitch? Only time will tell, but if I had to guess right now I would think he is a few weeks away from going back to the bullpen, crushing his value.

The Cleveland Indians traded their ace Cliff Lee to the Philadelphia Phillies for four prospects. What should you expect from Lee in the National League? Well, for one that sub-.500 record should be a thing of the past. Lee was not getting nearly the run support that he deserved, and it showed in his 7-9 record. But Lee's ERA is just 3.14 and he has 107 strikeouts on the year. He won't have a C.C. Sabathia-type impact in the National League, but he should get more wins and the rest of his numbers should also improve in the lighter hitting National League.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/28

2009-07-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/27

2009-07-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/26

2009-07-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/25

2009-07-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/24

2009-07-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/23; Congrats Mark Buehrle!!

2009-07-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/22

2009-07-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/21

2009-07-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/20

2009-07-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/18

2009-07-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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