Archive for August, 2010

On Thursday, I co-hosted the Sports Buzz with Tom Riesgo as Julie Buehler is in Canton, OH attending the NFL Hall of Fame Ceremonies. Enjoy the show!

Part I

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Part 5

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Golf Interview

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Part 6

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Part 7

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Part 8

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Peter Bourjos

Angels manager, Mike Scioscia has said that the team is not going to a youth movement and they are still within striking distance of the Texas Rangers. However, that did not keep the Angels from calling up their speedy outfielder from Triple-A Salt Lake – Peter Bourjos. Bourjos has breezed through the Angels’ depth chart. Bourjos went on a tear in July, setting a Pacific Coast League record for hits in a month with 52. He was batting .314 with 13 homers, 13 doubles, 12 triples and 27 stolen bases in 32 attempts.

On Wednesday night, Bourjos got his first major league hit, stolen base, and he got his first major league assist by gunning out a runner at third base. He’s rung up 82 steals over the past two seasons. Speed guys are always a hot commodity in fantasy, so Bourjos should be on your fantasy radar.

In other fantasy news from Wednesday…..

• Alex Rodriguez finally hit #600. He became the youngest player to reach this mark.
• Troy Tulowitzki hit his first home run since returning from the disabled list 8 games ago.
• Carlos Gonzalez hit two more.  He is a fantasy stud and if Gonzalez is on your roster, lock him up for as long as possible.
• Kris Medlen left his start in the fifth inning with a strained ulnar collateral ligament. He will have an MRI today. This could turn into Tommy John surgery. Medlen owners should be prepared to look for other options.
• Blake DeWitt connected on his second home run and went 2-for-5 with four RBIs. DeWitt was acquired in a trade deadline deal from the Dodgers, DeWitt came through with a monster perform. Since the trade, DeWitt is is batting .375 with a home run and five RBI. Those numbers  make him a worthy contributor in NL-only formats.
• Edwin Jackson returned to the AL on Wednesday with a solid seven inning performance against the Tigers. He allowed one earned run on nine hits, a walk, and six Ks. He’ll face the Orioles in his next start.
• Vicente Padilla threw a complete game two-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres.  Padilla had a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings before giving up a single to Ryan Ludwick. Padilla struck out nine. Following Ted Lilly’s brilliant performance on Tuesday night, Padilla was also able to give the Dodgers bullpen a much needed break.
• J.A. Happ was absolutely rocked Wednesday night. Happ gave up seven earned runs in just one inning of work against the Cardinals by allowing six hits, walking three and striking out one as he suffered his first loss. He’ll probably be found on the waiver wire today in your league.
• Carlos Zambrano is scheduled to start Monday for the Cubs in San Francisco. When Carlos Silva was placed on the 15-day disabled list, it opened up a spot for Zambrano to return to the rotation.

On Wednesday, I appeared on the Sports Buzz with Julie Buehler and we discussed Ted Lilly’s Dodgers debut and the Angels continued struggles.

Part 1

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Part 2

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Part 3

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Ted Lilly

Since Ted Lilly joined the Dodgers at the trade deadline from the Cubs, the conversation surrounding the Dodgers has been less than positive. The focus has been on the Dodgers dwindling chances to make the playoffs. Dodger fans have questioned trading Blake DeWitt and not about the positive effect Lilly could have in stabilizing the Dodger rotation. Trading DeWitt may come back to haunt the Dodgers for years to come, but for one night, Lilly looked like much more than a fifth starter. Lilly was brilliant in his Dodgers debut as the Dodgers edged the Padres, 2-1, Tuesday and snap their six-game losing streak.

After giving up a first inning run on a Miguel Tejada home run and a single to Adrien Gonzalez, Lilly never allowed another baserunner. Lilly retired the next 20 batters he faced before giving way to Hong-Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton who promptly shut down the Padres. Lilly went seven innings while allowing one run on two hits and five strikeouts in the Dodger victory. Despite a 4-8 record this season, Lilly is a top starter in NL Only and mixed-leagues and should be started by all owners when he makes his next start against the Nationals.

In other fantasy news from Tuesday…..

• Kevin Youkilis’ injury appears to be more serious than first expected. The Red Sox are saying that if the injury is not treated that Youkilis could tear the muscle in his thumb.
• Ryan Howard was placed on the disabled list after the injury to his ankle. Howard is eligible to come off the DL on August 17th.
• The Nationals have placed Adam Dunn on waivers, but he will most likely not be traded. The Nationals want alot for Dunn and they did not get it before the July 31st deadline and don’t expect to get what they want now.
• Jose Bautista hit another one. It was his major league leading 33rd home run. Bautista’s name was involved in trade rumors, but since the deadline has passed those rumors have dwindled.
• Ricky Romero went the distance against the Yankees. He gave up just two hits and two earned runs, a walk and struck out four to improve to 9-7. He’ll face the Red Sox in his next start.
• Jonathan Broxton looked good in earning his 21st save of the season. Broxton has struggled of late giving up runs in four of his last seven outings.

Carlos Santana

Catcher Carlos Santana, the jewel of the Cleveland Indians farm system was carted off the field after being involved in a violent collision at home plate with Red Sox left fielder Ryan Kalish.. The Indians are reporting that Santana tested well with their trainers and is headed back to Cleveland for more tests. SportsCenter reported that that appears that Santana did not tear his ACL. which is great news for him and the Indians. It will be a miracle if Santana is able to avoid the DL.

Despite the collision, Santana made a great play and was able to hold onto the ball and get the out at home. As soon as the play ended, it was obvious that Santana was in alot of pain. After Indians trainers, coaches and players stood around him for more than 10 minutes, Santana was carted off the field.

In other fantasy news from Monday…..

• Adrian Beltre hit two. He had just an explosive night at the plate hitting a pair of home runs and knocking in five. Beltre has been hot since the All-Star break batting .362, 6 HR, and 16 RBI.
• Martin Prado was placed on the 15 day DL with an injured pinky finger
• Stephen Strasburg played catch yesterday and will throw a simulated game on Thursday.
• Trevor Cahill threw a complete game shutout, allowing three hits, three walks and striking out three in a win over the Royals. This was his first career shutout and will face the potent Rangers offense in his next start.
• Nick Swisher hit two. He has 22 home runs for the year and continues to produce power numbers that were unexpected.
• Travis Wood was the latest pitcher to shut down the Pirates dismal offense. He allowed just two hits, a walk, while striking out four in seven innings.
• Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun each had five hits as the Brewers pounded a lifeless Cubs team at Wrigley Field. The Brewers had 26 hits in the game.
• Matt Kemp had five hits, including a home run and three RBI in the Dodgers loss to the Padres. Kemp has had a disappointing season and needs to heat up if the Dodgers have any hopes of getting back in the NL West race.
• The Rays’ top pitching prospect, Jeremy Hellickson, held the Twins to two runs on three hits while striking out six in seven innings to pick up his first Major League win. About 10 minutes after the Rays game was over, Hellickson received the news he would be returning to Triple-A Durham.

Matt Cain

Matt Cain threw 7 2/3 dominant scoreless innings and earned his first career victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers as the Giants won 2-0 Sunday Night. This was the first time since 2004 that the Giants have swept the Dodgers at home. Cain struck out seven and only gave up four hits while walking one. Cain has 17 quality starts this season and is 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his last four starts. Cain came into today’s game a with an 0-8 mark with a 4.32 ERA in 15 career starts against the Dodgers.

Cain’s impressive 2.98 ERA tells the story for his season. Normally, he is a victim of very little run support this season and has taken several no-decisions. He is 9-8 this year and if the Giants offense can start providing him consistent run support in the second half, fantasy owners of Cain can expect to earn more victories. He has been outstanding this year and will face the Braves in his next start.

In other fantasy news from Sunday…..

• Ryan Howard is listed as day-to-day with a sprained ankle that he suffered in Sunday’s game against the Nationals. The Phillies are hopeful that Howard will miss just a couple days and avoid the disabled list. Don’t be surprised if Howard misses more than just a couple days.
• Andrew Bailey was placed on the disabled list with a rib cage injury, but it does not appear that this is going to be a long-term problem for him.
• Troy Glaus says that he will snap out of 32-game slump. He is hitting .159 during this slump with no home runs. Glaus does not know whats wrong with the swing which makes this more concerning to fantasy owners.
• David O’Brien with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that a decision about Martin Prado is expected Monday. The Braves may have to place Prado on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured pinky. Stay tuned…..
• Daniel Hudson won his Diamondbacks debut. He threw eight solid innings while giving up just three hits and one run. Hudson is worth a flier in NL-Only leagues, but keep in my that the Diamondbacks bullpen is less than reliable so wins will be tough to come by for Hudson.
• Francisco Liriano dominated the Mariners over seven shutout innings. He struck out 11 batters and gave up just two hits and two walks as he improved to 10-7. Over his last four starts, Liriano has an incredible 0.63 ERA. Look for Liriano to continue his great pitching in his next start against the Indians.
• Yunel Escobar hit one. Its his third home run since being traded to Toronto and is now batting .367 since changing uniforms.
• Alex Gonzalez hit one. It was his 18th home run this year, but it was his first home run since being traded to Atlanta. Gonzalez had missed the last two previous games with the flu.

Miguel Tejada

The Padres acquired third baseman and six-time All-Star Miguel Tejada from the Orioles in exchange for a minor league pitcher before the trade deadline. Tejada will provide infield help to the Padres, who have been looking to upgrade their offense from the middle infield positions. The problem is Tejada wasn’t doing much offensively in Baltimore this year, hitting .269 with seven home runs. In 2009, Tejada had a surprisingly good year when he hit .313 with 86 RBIs. And, he got off to a great start this season by compiling a .293 AVG. with four homers and 13 RBIs in 19 games in April. But, since May 1st, Tejada has just 3 home runs and 26 RBI.

The Padres are hoping Tejada can get back to his level of production he displayed early this season. However, PETCO PARK won’t help Tejada and even thought he wasn’t brought in to sit, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect much.

In other fantasy news from Saturday…..

• Carlos Gonzalez is a star. Not a star in the making – a star. He hit for the cycle yesterday and now has the second best batting average in the National League. He has homered in four straight games and is on pace to finish with more than 100 runs and 100 RBI. He’s also going to steal more than 20 bases. There isn’t a more well-rounded player in baseball this season.
• Troy Glaus has not homered in his last 31 games and is hitting just .158 in that time. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Constitution acknowledges that Glaus has been hobbling in recent weeks.
• The Pirates sent Octavio Dotel to the Dodgers in a move that likely surprised some Pirates followers since he still had a year left on his contract. Despite the fact that Evan Meek was the Pirates representative at the All Star game and had the numbers to support him being there it appears that Joel Hanrahan will be the closer.
• Jonathan Broxton blew his fourth save of the season when he surrendered just his second home run of the year to Pat Burrell. Broxton has now allowed a run in four of his last six outings. Its been a tough ride, but hang with him.
• Despite all the recent injuries to the Tigers line-up, Miguel Cabrera continues to stay hot. He hit his 26th home run and now has 91 RBI.
• Rich Harden made his first start in more than a month. He pitched seven solid innings as the Rangers beat the Angels. Harden says he wasn’t over-thinking it.