Archive for May, 2011

The Diamondbacks got a five-hit game from Justin Upton matching his career high. Upton went 5-for-5 with a homer, three RBI, scored three runs, and he had a stolen base. Fantasy owners of Upton are smiling today.So much was expected from Upton as soon as he got to the majors. He has struggled at times, but don’t forget that he is just 23 years old. He is on pace to post 30 homers and 30 steals this season and he is only going to get better. Too much was expected from him the past couple seasons and those that have stuck with Upton are beginning to be rewarded. I wish I had him.

• In addition to Justin Upton’s big day, Kelly Johnson has finally heated up. Johnson went 4-for-6 with two home runs with three RBI. In his last four games, Johnson is hitting .444 with four homers and nine RBI.
• Jake Peavy improved to 2-0 since his return from the DL. He held the Red Sox to just three runs on six hits over seven innings.
• Albert Pujols is beginning to heat up. His numbers are not where they were expected to be at this point in the season (.262, 9 HR, 32 RBI), but those numbers don’t reflect how well he has been swinging the bat.
• Adam Dunn is trying to remain positive as his season long slump continues.
• Chipper Jones was not in the lineup on Monday due to a sore right knee. Jones is having a good season and has fantasy value, but you can expect these aches and pains to continue all season.
• Matt Holliday (strained left quad) returned to the Cardinals lineup and went 1-for-4. It was his first start in eight days.
• Joakim Soria is out as Royals closer after another ninth inning melt down on Monday against the Angels. Rookie Aaron Crow will take over as the Royals closer.
• The Rockies have asked Aaron Cook to make another rehab start for Triple-A Colorado Springs on Thursday at Fresno. In a previous article about Cook here at BEONDECK, I told my readers that I was in Colorado Springs and watched Cook throw on Saturday night and he does not look ready for big league hitters. This also has alot to do with Juan Nicasio and his strong performance against the Cardinals.
• Jordan Lyles will make his pro debut tonight against the Cubs. Brad Mills says he could stay for two starts or twenty years.

Aaron Cook completed his rehab assignment Saturday night as he threw for  Triple-A Colorado Springs. Cook said he is right where he needs to be after throwing 99 pitches in 7 2/3 innings. He allowed eight hits and six runs and in my opinion, Cook looked anything but ready to return to the Rockies rotation. I just happen to be in Colorado Springs this Memorial Day weekend so I decided to go watch Cook last night and I left unimpressed. Cook’s fastball topped out at 88-89 mph and his off-speed stuff was inconsistent.

He gave up two solo home runs to Brett Pill of the Fresno Grizzles (San Francisco Giants Triple-A Affiliate) and then in the sixth inning, Cook surrendered three more runs. From the start, the Grizzles were making consistent contact and several balls were hit hard. Even some of the balls that resulted in outs, the Grizzles made solid contact and Cook had to rely on his defense to bail him out. He was fooling nobody and despite the fact that Cook and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox manager Stu Cole felt good about his outing, I recommend that fantasy owners stay away from Cook until we have a bigger sample size. The Rockies have indicated that Cook may make his 2011 debut on Friday at San Francisco.

Juan Nicasio shut down the best hitting team in the majors as he pitched seven solid innings in his major league debut. Nicasio (1-0) surrendered just six hits and one unearned run after being recalled from Double-A Tulsa to make a spot start. The 24-year-old made a strong case to stick around a while longer as the Rockies figure out what their rotation will be in the wake of the season-ending elbow injury to Jorge De La Rosa. The Rockies starting rotation is in a transition right now with the loss of De La Rosa. The Rockies pitching staff ranks 10th in the National League with a 3.90 ERA, but nobody is throwing with any consistency.

David Price was dominant, striking out a career-high 12, one off the team record, and he allowed only four hits in seven innings as the Rays rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Price rebounded nicely after back-to-back games in which he gave up five runs.He is now 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA in five career starts against the Indians.

Price is one of the elite pitchers and fantasy owners should not be concerned about his struggles early in the season. His ability to dominant opposing lineups is scary and regardless of the format you play in, he is a must start unless he is injured.

In other fantasy news from Friday…..

• Buster Posey is done for the year and Scott Cousins feels terrible about running him over. I owned Posey in a weekly mixed league and picked up Jonathan Lucroy. Jarrod Saltamacchia is another possibility. In NL-Only League formats, there is probably next to nothing avaliable, but Ryan Doumit or Chis Iannetta are decent options if either is on the free agent wire. Doumit will provide a higher average.
• Danny Espinosa hit his 5th home run in May. It was a solo shot and his 7th for the year. If he can any consistency with a .204 average, he would be worth owning in mixed leagues. For now, he remains an NL-Only option.
• Eric Hosmer went 4-for-7 including a homer. He is now hitting .284 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 81 at-bats.
• It appears that Andrew Bailey (right forearm) is almost set for his return to the A’s bullpen.
• J.J. Putz is now a perfect 15-for-15 in save chances this season.
• Justin Turner has quickly gained value in all fantasy formats while David Wright is sidelined. Turner went 4-for-5 with a RBI on Friday and is hitting .388  since May 7th.
• Juan Miranda hit a pair of two-run homers against the Astros. Now that Russell Branyan is out of the way, Miranda has value in NL-Only leagues and deep mixed formats.
• Carl Crawford continues to tear it up this week by going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a stolen base.
• Aramis Ramirez admits his hamstring is a problem. After Friday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ramirez is in a 1-for-22 slump with runners in scoring position.
• Its a miracle! Dan Uggla actually had a hit and an RBI on Friday.
• Jayson Heyward’s 2nd MRI showed no structural damage. If everything goes as the Braves hope, he could be back soon.

I always set goals for draft day and this year I had two – Dan Uggla and speed. I have always liked Uggla, but unfortunately I was outbid for Uggla in my 8-team NL-Only Keeper League. He went for $36 and I had too many other needs at the time to justify spending $37. But, when a trade offer was proposed to me in late April that included Uggla, I jumped at it. Since, Uggla is batting well under.120 with 4 HR and 4 RBI. The free agent/waiver wire is so thin in this particular league and I feel stuck. Anybody else out there feeling the same way these days?

After going 0-5 with three strikeouts on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, I know my frustration with him has hit an all time high. Uggla says  he  is feeling the pressure that comes along with signing the big extension with the Atlanta Braves. Fantasy owners in mixed leagues have simpler solutions to replace Uggla, but if your participating in an NL-Only league with few options, the best advice I can offer you is to remain patient and don’t sell Uggla low. Uggla is going to produce and owners have to hope he gets it going soon – like Friday against Cincinnati.

In other fantasy news from Wednesday…..

• Prince Fielder went 2-4 with 4 RBI. Fielder now has 41 RBI for the season and is on pace to break his 2009 total of 141 RBI.
• Mike Morse homered for the third straight game. With Adam LaRoche, Morse is a viable option in deep mixed leagues and NL-Only formats. Morse is only owned in 2.3% of ESPN leagues.
• Erik Bedard threw six scoreless innings and earned another victory on Thursday. Bedard has given up four earned runs in his last five starts. He’ll face the Orioles in his next start.
• Gavin Floyd deserved a better against the Rangers. He pitched seven solid innings (one earned run), but got no support from the White Sox offense.
• Brian Roberts (c0ncussion) is going to miss at least three weeks.
• Mat Latos threw eight solid innings to earn his second win of the year. He punched out seven Cardinals.
• Joakim Soria is a mess right now. He blew his three save of the season on Wednesday night and should be on your bench if you own him.
• Mike Minor gave up just one earned run over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Pirates. Minor is good option in deep mixed and NL-Only leagues while he remains in the Braves rotation. He’ll face the Padres in his next start.
• Carl Crawford is finally coming around and starting to hit. He went 4-4 with a home run and two RBI against Cleveland. Crawford was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
• The Rockies placed Jorge De La Rosa (torn elbow ligament ) on the 15-day DL. He will require Tommy John surgery and be out for the remainder of the season.
• Grant Balfour is the new A’s closer until Andrew Bailey returns. Bailey has made two scoreless appearances for Triple-A Sacramento and could only need a few more outings before being able to return.
• Juan Nicasio, rated the No. 8 prospect by Baseball America, is going to start for the Colorado Rockies on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. This is going to be a spot start for Nicasio, but he is worth a flyer.

It has become clear that Asdrubal Cabrera has the reigns of the Cleveland Indians right now. Cabrera is 8-for-9 with three homers and seven RBIs in the last two games. After going 5-for-5 on Sunday, Cabrera found the magic again Monday night when he doubled off the wall in left center with two outs in the eighth inning to score Michael Brantley with the winning run in the Indians’ 3-2 victory over Boston. He has already surpassed his previous career high with 10 homers. Cabrera has brought his average up to .312. He should be owned and active in every format. If is available in your league, you need to find a more challenging league.

In other fantasy news from Monday…..

• Albert Pujols FINALLY hit a homer run after 105 at-bats without one. Pujols owners can stop panicking now. It was surprising that the home run drought ended at PETCO PARK.
• Tori Hunter was 2-for-3 with an RBI. He has six RBI in his last four games.
• Carl Crawford went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and he scored two runs against the Indians. Crawford appears to be crawling out of his season slump.
• Matt Holliday (strained left thigh) could miss the entire series against the Padres.
• Cory Hart had a great night by going 3-for-4 with three home runs, seven RBIs and a stolen base.
• Prince Fielder hit his 11th home run of the season and now has 37 RBI.
• Jose Batista hit another home run. This was Batista’s 10th homer of the month and 19th for the season.
• Kenley Jansen blew in his second save chance of the season as he was hit hard in the ninth inning by the Astros. The Dodgers bullpen is a disaster right now with no legitimate closer.
• Drew Storen entered the game in a non-save situation and got lit up. Storen had not pitched since May 16th and Jim Riggleman was trying to get him a little work.
• John Danks is now 0-7 after his loss to the Rangers Monday night. Even though he threw a complete game and can not be blamed for the lack of offense by the White Sox, Danks can not be started in his next start against the Blue Jays.
• The Cardinals demoted Mitchell Boggs to Memphis and kept Ryan Franklin. Am I the only one scratching my head with that move?
• The Reds demoted Edinson Volquez to Triple-A because they don’t know what to do with him.

Mariners ace Felix Hernandez struck out 13 Padres and didn’t walk a batter on Sunday. King Felix tied a career-high with those 13 strikeouts, his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season. The ace right-hander improved his ERA to 3.01.

King Felix capped a great weekend for the Mariners pitching staff who combined to strike out 35 batters over 27 innings in the series. Erik Bedard threw eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts on Friday night, Michael Pineda was brilliant on Saturday night with seven scoreless frames and nine strikeouts, and the bullpen was solid throughout the series in San Diego.

In other fantasy news from Sunday…..

• Adrian Gonzalez is fun to watch hit at Fenway Park. He went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and two runs and continues to prove that the Red Sox were smart for bringing him to Boston.
• Juan Miranda homered on Sunday. With Russell Branyan being released, Miranda could be in line for more playing time. He is worth a flier in NL-Only leagues.
• Daniel Hudson was strong in eight innings of two-run ball on Sunday. Hudson has turned his season around after starting 0-4. He’ll face the Astros in his next start.
• Wilson Betemit went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Betemit is now hitting .315 with two homers and 17 RBI. He should be owned in all formats.
• Tyler Chatwood threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Braves to improve to 3-2.  He allowed just five hits with six punch outs.
• Freddie Freeman went 2-4 and he has now four multi hit games in the Braves last eight games. Freeman only has value in NL-Only leagues and even that is shaky. He needs to start showing some power to be considered a better fantasy option.
• Chase Utley is back with the Phillies and will start Monday night.
• Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz will return to the Rangers lineup on Monday.
• Brian Roberts will not be ready to come off the DL when he is eligible.
• The Braves placed Jason Heyward (shoulder soreness) on the 15-day DL.
• Marlon Byrd (multiple facial fractures) was placed on 15-day DL after he was hit in the head by an Alfredo Aceves pitch on Saturday.

The Phillies needed someone to replace Shane Victorino who was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hamstring. As one of the top prospects, Domonic Brown was the logical choice so he got the call on Friday. Brown will be in the starting lineup on Saturday. Initially, Brown won’t start against lefties so fantasy owners need to keep an eye on opposing pitchers. Unlike last year, Brown is ready to make an impact in the Phillies lineup. Fantasy owners in all formats should at least take a flyer on him. With Ben Francisco, Raul Ibanez struggling at the plate and John Mayberry playing centerfield while Shane Victorino is out, Brown will play alot.

In other fantasy news from Friday….

• Jay Bruce went 2-4 and is now batting .450 in his last five games. He has 1o HR and should be owned in all formats.
• Ryan Vogelsong pitched another gem. He allowed an unearned run on just four hits in six innings. Its time to start believing in him as he faces the Marlins in his next start.
• Trevor Cahill delivered another strong performance in a no-decision. He allowed one run and one hit while striking out six. He’ll face the Angels in his next start.
• Tim Hudson had one of those nights to forget on Friday. He was hit hard and gave up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.
• Ervin Santana threw a complete game against the Braves. He gave up just four hits and really was on top of his game. He’ll face Trevor Cahill and the A’s in his next start.
• Danny Espinosa had three hits including a homer, 5 RBI, 3 runs, and a triple. Espinosa gotten off to an extremely slow start and his batting average his fantasy owners considering other options. But, nights like Friday, remind fantasy owners of the upside of Espinosa. Remain patient.
• Adrian Gonzalez is doing what we all thought he would do at Fenway Park. He is absolutely wearing out the Green Monster. On Friday, he went 4-6 with 4 RBI. Gonzalez leads the A.L. with 41 RBI and is hitting .326.
• Wilson Ramos went 3-4 with a solo HR, 2 RBI, and 5 runs scored. Look for Ramos to receive more playing time as the season goes on.
• Braves manager, Fredi Gonzalez shook up the lineup on Friday. Dan Uggla hit second, Brian McCann hit third, and Chipper Jones hit clean up for the Braves.

Jason Giambi, 3-for-26 going into the game, provided the Colorado Rockies all the offense they would need Thursday night as he homered in his first three at-bats and drove in seven run as the Rockies beat the Phillies 7-1. Giambi joins a very elite class of players to hit three home runs in a game at the age of 40. Stan Musial, Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and now Giambi are the only four players to accomplish it. With inter-league play beginning today, Giambi has some short-term value as he will be the DH in the Rockies lineup.

The night of the young pitcher proves just how hard it is to be a young pitcher in the major leagues. Danny Duffy made his big debut last night. Duffy has a lot of promise, but his six walks against four strikeouts in four innings also show how much he has left to learn. There was a lot to like in his debut and if he remains in the majors he makes for a good pickup in deeper leagues. Julio Teheran has a ton of upside. He gave up two runs in four innings to the Diamondbacks. Bud Norris got roughed up by the Cardinals – five runs in five innings with four strikeouts. Jeremy Hellickson – simply- is a future ace, but he did give up three earned and three walks in 5 2/3 innings in a win over the Jays. Yovani Gallardo may not be as young as these other guys, but he struck out nine Padres and held them to just two runs in six innings.  All these pitchers have bright futures and its in your best interest to grab one now.

In other fantasy news from Wednesday…..

• Kyle Loshe threw eight solid innings against the Astros and improved to 5-2. Loshe has an impressive 2.17 ERA and he should be active in all formats. He’ll face the Padres in his next start.
• Eric Hosmer hit his third home run since being recalled from Triple-A.
• Zach Britton was brilliant in a no-decision against the Yankees. He allowed one unearned run over seven innings. Britton should be owned in all formats and he’ll face the Royals in his next start.
• Mariano Rivera was unable to protect a one-run ninth inning lead on Wednesday when he gave up a run and blew his third save of the season. Lets see how long it takes for the debate to begin that Rivera should no longer be the closer. Then he and Jorge Posada can both be pissed off.
• Jayson Bay went 0-2 and is now batting .174 since returning from the DL. Its clear to say that its time for the Mets and Bay to part ways. This signing is not working for either and I think both parties would benefit if Bay were to be traded.
• Clay Buchholz struck out seven against one walk with no runs allowed in seven innings against the Tigers Wednesday night. If Buchholz happens to be available in your league – grab him!
• Matt Holliday (tightness in left quad) and Lance Berkman (wrist discomfort) left the game with injuries. We should get more details on the extent of each injury on Thursday.
• Andrew Bailey expects to start his rehab assignment Friday.
• Brian Roberts missed Wednesday’s game due to headaches.
• Josh Hamilton (fractured right humerus) began his rehab assignment and had a good night. Nelson Cruz went 0-4.