Archive for June, 2012

One of baseball’s best redemption stories continued on Thursday afternoon, as A.J. Burnett threw 6 2/3 sharp innings to win his eighth straight start in a 5-4 victory over the Phillies. Burnett improved to 9-2 with the win and now has a 3.31 ERA over his first 13 starts this season. And, he’s just the third pitcher this year to go 5-0 in a month, joining Washington’s Gio Gonzalez and the Phillies’ Cole Hamels.

Some thought Burnett would be successful with a change of scenery, but very few saw this level of success coming for him. Burnett got off to a slow start after after suffering a fractured right orbital bone during spring training. Then he had that 12-run disaster against the Cardinals on May 2. If  that one start was removed from his body of work, Burnett would have a  2.05 ERA in his other 12 starts. That’s pretty incredible considering how bad he was in the Bronx the last two years. Burnett will most likely not keep up this pace and his ERA will settle around 4.00, but he should remain a useful starter in all formats the rest of the way.

In other fantasy news….

• Andre Ethier (oblique) is currently considered day-to-day and will avoid the disabled list for now.
• Mike Trout had two hits, including his eighth home run of the season, Trout ran his hitting streak to a career-best 10 games, during which he’s hit .422 with 13 runs scored.
• Madison Bumgarner allowed just one hit in his first career shutout Thursday against the Reds. This was the fourth straight game that the Giants have shutout their opponent.
• Robinson Cano went 3-for-4 with a home run in the 5-4 win. He launched a two-run shot off in the sixth inning for his 18th long ball of the season.
• Miguel Cabrera finished 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI during the Tigers’ 5-2 victory at Tampa Bay on Thursday night. Cabrera blasted his 16th homer of the season in the ninth inning and he continued his hot stretch in which he’s hit .342 over his past 46 games.
• Jose Altuve (hamstring) isn’t expected to return this weekend at the earliest. Let’s hope the few extra days off will help Altuve avoid the disabled list.
• Jose Bautista hit his 26th home run of the season in Thursday’s loss to the Angels. This homer was Bautista’s 14th of June.
• Trevor Bauer made his major league debut Thursday night against the Braves. He was a little shaky, allowing two runs over four innings with three strike outs, three walks, and he did hit a batter, but he kept them in the game.

In the most anticipated Wrigley Field debut in years, Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a game-winning RBI double in the Cubs’ 5-3 win over the Mets. Rizzo was batting .342 with 23 home runs and 62 RBI in just 284 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa at the time of his Monday call-up. Rizzo arrived with the burden of being pegged as a franchise-changing player before his first Cubs at-bat, which was not unfamiliar ground for him. He was given the same type of franchise tag in San Diego last year and we all know how that worked out. But, this situation is different because expectations are already so low in Wrigleyville. Rizzo should be able to settle into his new surroundings and go through the growing pains that all rookies experience without much turbulence from the Cubs faithful. He certainly seems ready to be a legitimate offensive threat and deserves to be owned in all NL-only fantasy leagues and most mixed formats given his power potential and homer-friendly home park.

In other fantasy news…..

• Stephen Drew is finally scheduled to return to Arizona’s starting lineup on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves. He hasn’t appeared in a major league game since July 20, 2011 because of a fractured right ankle. He was supposed to be ready for Opening Day this April, but a few minor setbacks leading up to the start of spring training delayed his return. Drew should be added in all NL-Only formats and mixed fantasy leagues.
• Aroldis Chapman bounced back to collect his ninth save Tuesday night against the Brewers and then did two somersaults. Dusty Baker was not pleased with Chapman’s somersaults. But, as a Chapman owner, I’m not sure what I enjoyed more – the save or those somersaults!
• Jason Kubel remain hot in June with a solo shot in Atlanta last night. Kubel is batting .298 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI for the year.
• Adam LaRoche filled up the stat sheet Tuesday night. He crushed two home runs, scored three runs and picked up three RBIs in a 2-for-4 night.
• Albert Pujols went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tuesday’s win over the Orioles. The home run was his 12th of the year.
• Daniel Hudson left Tuesday’s start against the Braves with elbow discomfort and pulled himself out of the game. Hudson will return to Phoenix for an MRI on Wednesday, but anytime we hear the words “discomfort in the elbow”, the outcome is not good. Expect him to miss at least a couple starts with the possibility of the worst news coming soon -Tommy John surgery.
• Nick Markakis (hand) has been ruled out through the All-Star break. The Orioles are still hopeful he is back in the lineup by mid-July.
• Ryan Zimmerman received a cortisone shot and then collected three extra-base hits. Zimmerman has be awful this year and the last thing the Nats or fantasy owners want to hear is that a trip back to the disabled list is a possibility.

Through June 24th, here is Who’s Hot and Who’s Not over the last seven days…..

WHO’S HOT

Paul Goldschmidt -  .320BA, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB

Jason Heyward – .500, 3 HR, 5 RBI

Matt Holliday – .500, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB

Jason Kubel – .370, 3 HR, 7 RBI

Nelson Cruz – .320, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB

WHO’S NOT

James Loney – .111, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Jose Tabata – .154, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

J.J. Hardy – .107, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Orlando Hudson – .095, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB  (Orlando – Please say “hello” to Mr. Youkilis)

Brian Dozier – .115, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

It became clear over the last few weeks that Kevin Youkilis days in Boston was coming to an end. On Sunday, that speculation became a reality as Youkilis was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-hander Zach Stewart and utilityman Brad Lillibridge. There’s no doubt that Youkilis’ abilities have started to slip and he’s also injury-prone.  Youkilis hasn’t played in more than 120 games since 2009 and missed three weeks earlier this year with a back ailment. However, the White Sox have been dealing with Orlando Hudson’s and Brent Morel’s dreadful production (.167 combined batting average), and Youkilis is a potential difference maker for the White Sox. And, this could be a situation that a change of scenery makes a big difference. Youkilis, who is hitting .233 with four homers in 42 games is leaving Boston with a chip on his shoulder. He wants to prove people wrong and I think he will do just that in Chicago.

In other fantasy news from the weekend…..

• On Friday night, A.J. Burnett won his seventh straight game in another excellent outing and improved his record to 8-2. During this seven game stretch, Burnett has an tremendous 1.89 ERA. He’ll face the Phillies at Philadelphia is his next start.
• The Nationals announced that Tyler Clippard will remain in the closers role even after Drew Storen returns (elbow) from the disabled list. Clippard has converted 12 straight save chances and has allowed just one hit since taking over as the Nats closer.
• Mike Moustakas hit two homers in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals. He now has 12 bombs on the year.
• Aroldis Chapman blew his second straight save when Josh Willingham took him deep. Chapman says that his back is not the problem. Chapman is struggling with his control and batters know the fastball is coming. When it does, guys like Willingham don’t miss.
• David Hernandez has agreed to a two-year extension with the Diamondbacks. He’ll likely take over the ninth inning when J.J. Putz contract ends at the end of this year.
• The wait is over. Trevor Bauer is reportedly on his way up to the majors to pitch Thursday night for the Diamondbacks.
• Jose Altuve left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, but the Astros say it’s mild and are considering him day-to-day.

What an awful week for the Colorado Rockies and their fans. First, the team announces that their four starters will throw just 75 pitches every fourth day. Then the Rockies announced that their superstar shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will have groin surgery and will miss a minimum of six weeks. The operation took place yesterday and Tulo back to the DL for the fourth time in five years. He has played in just 47 games this season.

Tulo is ranked among top 20 players in baseball, but I did not draft him in any league that I participate in because the guy is always hurt. Since he became a regular starter five years ago, he has averaged 134 games in those five seasons. Unfortunately with this injury, Tulo will miss a couple more months.

In other fantasy news….

• We have all the clarification we need with Mark Trumbo. The guy can hit and he is currently in the top 10 in the American League in home runs (17), batting average (.324), and RBI (48). I won’t be surprised to see some regression with Trumbo in the second half of the season, but the guy can hit.
• James McDonald got it done again last night as he threw his first career complete game on against the Twins. McDonald struck out five. Through his first 14 starts this season, McDonald has a fantastic 2.19 ERA. He’s currently fourth in the majors in ERA.
• Drew Stubbs (oblique) is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday with Class A Dayton.
• Yoenis Cespedes belted a walk-off three-run homer in a win over the Dodgers on Thursday.
• Drew Storen is scheduled to face hitters Friday for the first time since elbow surgery. Storen appears to remain on track to return to the Nationals after the All Star break.
• Stephen Drew is finally close to rejoining the Diamondbacks. Drew expects to be activated from the disabled list next Wednesday.
• Carl Crawford (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox on Saturday.
• Chase Utley (knee) could be activated from the disabled list next week if his rehab continues to go well.

Who is the best pitcher in baseball? Is it Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, or Clayton Kershaw? I know its crazy to think, but take a look at the numbers and you will find that R.A. Dickey is the best pitcher in baseball right now. So much so that Dickey is the triple crown leader for pitchers. His ERA is down to 2.00, tied for the major league lead with Brandon Beachy. His 11 victories are the best in baseball, and his 103 strikeouts were tied with Verlander until Verlander threw on last night. Dickey has allowed one run in his last five starts and that run was unearned. He has gone 42 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run with 63 strikeouts . All Dickey does is throw a knuckleball and to do what he is doing right now is absolutely amazing.

So will a regression strike Dickey? It’s definitely possible, just as it would be for any pitcher off to an equally unexpected hot start to the season, but I would not being selling high like some fantasy experts are preaching. Dickey should remain among the upper tier of fantasy starters this year and unless you have some other glaring need, don’t create a new one by trading Dickey.

In other fantasy news…..

• John Axford blew his third save since June 13 in Tuesday night’s lose to the Blue Jays and now carries a brutal 5.60 ERA. On the flip side, Francisco Rodriguez has allowed no runs in his last five relief appearances. We all know he has experience in the ninth-inning role and is capable of being the closer again if the Brewers allow him to do it. If K-Rod happens to be avaliable, go get him.
• Jeremy Hellickson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. The Rays are hoping that Hellickson will miss only two starts before returning to the rotation. Hellickson said he feels no pain or discomfort in the shoulder, so owners should be optimistic – at least for now.
• Logan Morrison had a career game Tuesday against Boston, going 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and five RBI.
• Colby Rasmus hit two solo home runs Tuesday night and has a .470 BA in his last four games. His 12 home runs and 35 RBI to date is respectable production for someone that had a .208 batting average May 8th. His batting average now sits at .259.
• A notoriously slow starter,  Aramis Ramirez is heating up in June – again. Last night, Ramirez hit a grand slam and has homered in back-to-back games against the Blue Jays. Last year, he hit two home runs in April & May. He finished with 26 HR and 93 RBI – enough said.
• Carlos Gonzalez is planning to be back today against the Phillies. The Rockies are reeling right now and desperate for Cargo to return, however is he 100% healthy?
• Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base in Tuesday’s victory over the Twins.
• Michael Morse hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday evening against the Rays. Morse is beginning to heat up after missing most of the first half of the season on the disabled list. He is getting his timing back and like Aramis Ramirez, Morse has a track record of being a slow starter and then going on a tear.

The Toronto Blue Jays have been hit extremely hard in the last week with their starting rotation. Brandon Morrow went down with an oblique ailment a week ago. Then it was Kyle Drabek with an elbow injury, and then came Drew Hutchinson with a similar elbow injury. The Blue Jays are scrambling for arms to fill out their rotation. The lone bright spot in this mess is that Morrow’s injury won’t be long-term. He will miss slightly more than the minimum time on the disabled list, but he should be ready to go before the All-Star break. Drabek’s and Hutchinson’s injuries are more severe and it’s possible both right-handers could be facing Tommy John surgery. Drabek has been diagnosed with a tear of his ulnar collateral ligament and we will know more about Hutchison’s status this week. However,  he’s likely to miss a considerable amount of time.

It’s no secret the Chicago Cubs are going to trade Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. I originally thought one of them would land in Toronto, but now wonder if the Blue Jays go after both pitchers. Dempster threw a gem on Friday against the Boston Red Sox and proved he could be successful in the AL East.

In other fantasy news from Sunday…..

• Pedro Alvarez hit a pair of homers for the second straight game Sunday. Only a couple days ago, Alvarez appeared to be on his way out of an everyday role and is still hitting just .207. But, we can’t ignore his 12 home runs and 34 RBI.
• Jose Quintana was brilliant in a no-decision Sunday. He threw just 77 pitches to get through eight shutout innings, but then watched Addison Reed blow the save opportunity in the 9th inning. Quintana has great control, but does not strike out many batters. He remains just an AL-Only option.
• Tim Lincecum continued his struggles with another disappointing start on Saturday against the Mariners. For now, it appears the Giants will let the two-time NL Cy Young winner remain in the rotation. His record fell to 2-8 this year and what is most concerning is the fact that he has had such favorable match-ups that includes weak offenses like the Padres and Mariners and he still can’t get a win.
• Carlos Gonzalez was scratched from Sunday’s game with a strained knee. He’s considered day-to-day.
• Jair Jurrjens will be given another chance on Friday with Brandon Beachy being placed on the disabled list. Jurrjens has little to no value right now in fantasy so don’t run to the free agent list to grab him.
• Ivan Nova gave up just one run and seven hits in 7 2/3 solid innings during New York’s 4-1  victory at Washington. Nova won his fifth straight start and is now 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA in June and should be owned in all formats.
• Matt Holliday was removed from Sunday’s game with a hip flexor issue. With the Cardinals off Monday and Holliday needing a few days to the let the injury calm down, those of you in weekly lineup leagues should consider sitting him this week.
• Freddie Freeman continues to frustrate fantasy owners (including myself) as he continues to deal with a left index finger injury. Freeman missed his fourth straight game on Sunday and has already ruled himself out for today. Let’s hope he is back Tuesday.

Is it me or are perfect games and no-hitters becoming like 50 home run seasons? It seems to be a weekly occurrence, but with that said, Matt Cain was perfect on Wednesday night. Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and the first for the Giants, striking out a career-high 14 batters in a 10-0 win over Houston. It’s remarkable that 5 perfect games have been thrown over the last three seasons. Its great for baseball and it shows how the game has changed. Cain’s effort would not have happened had Gregor Blanco not laid out in center field in the seventh inning to make a spectacular diving grab.  Was that Willie Mays?

Cain has a great feel how to pitch and continues to throw a bunch of strikes. He is a fly ball pitcher and AT&T Park is the perfect park for him. Cain has become the ace of the Giants rotation especially with Tim Lincecum struggling a bunch this year. With this effort last night, my vote is for Cain to start the All-Star Game for the National League.

In other fantasy news from Wednesday….

• R.A Dickey earned his10th victory of the season by hurling a one-hitter against the Rays on Wednesday. The Mets are appealing the ruling that David Wright committed an error on the play and it was not a hit. It was an error, but I doubt the Mets win this appeal.  Dickey was fantastic as he extended his scoreless to 32 2/3 innings, which is a new Mets record. If it were not for an error by David Wright in the Dickey owns a  2.20 ERA this year.
• Lance Lynn threw 7 1/3 shutout innings against the White Sox. He had a career high 10 strikeouts and earned his 10th victory of the season.
• Adam Dunn was scratched from Wednesday’s game due to a sprained ankle. We should find out more today if this Dunn is going to miss more than a game or two.
• Kyle Drabek felt a pop in his right elbow in the fifth inning on Wednesday. He will be re-evaluated on Thursday, but this does not sound good for Drabek and the Blue Jays. The team already lost Brandon Morrow earlier in the week and now if they lose Drabek for any length of time, the Jays will be forced to make a trade. We all know Matt Garza is available.
• Brandon Marrow was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.
• Troy Tulowitzki (groin) left Wednesday’s rehab game after re-injuring himself running the bases for Triple-A Colorado Springs. Tulowitzki returned to Denver and he’ll be examined today.
• Drew Stubbs was out of the starting lineup again Wednesday. He hasn’t played since last Tuesday due to a strained left oblique, but appears to be close to returning the Reds lineup.
• Chris Carpenter (neck, shoulder) threw 26 pitches off a mound Wednesday, the first time he had done so since being shut down during spring training

The diminished production from Brian McCann can no longer be ignored. While he’s still putting up decent numbers for a catcher, his offensive production is not what we’ve come to expect from him. McCann has arguably been the best-hitting catcher in the National League since 2005, but is batting just .234 this season with 7 home runs and 28 RBI. McCann has a .286 career average.

Last year, McCann was on his way to the best season of his career with 18 home runs before going on the disabled list with an oblique injury at the end of July. Once he returned from the DL, he hit just .180 with six home runs the rest of the season as the oblique continued to bother him. He still has the potential to be the best catcher in the game, but I’m starting to wonder if the days of McCann being an elite catcher are behind us.

In other fantasy news from Monday…..

• Mike Trout had another standout game as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs and a walk. Trout is now batting .354 since joining the Angels.
• Brandon Morrow suffered a strained left oblique while pitching to Bryce Harper, the second batter of the game. It does not sound good for him.
• Ivan Nova was outstanding over seven innings on Monday night in Atlanta. He gave up just five hits while striking out six. Nova improved to 8-2 on the season.
• Bryce Harper went 3-for-4 with an RBI. He is now batting .295 and is living up to expectations.
• Drew Storen threw off a mound Monday for the second time since elbow surgery. He’s still hoping to rejoin the Nationals bullpen around the All-Star break.
• Brandon Beachy’s next start will be pushed back a few days due to minor elbow soreness.
• PROSPECT WATCH: The Chicago Cubs sign Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract for $30 million. Soler won’t have any fantasy impact for a few years, but he could move quickly through the Cubs system.

Through June 11th, here is Who’s Hot and Who’s Not over the past seven days.

WHO’S HOT

Paul Goldschmidt – .407 BA, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB

Torii Hunter – .433 BA, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB

Alfonso Soriano – .357 BA, 4 HR, 9 RBI

Jason Kipnis – .276, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB     (Kipnis reminds me so much of Chase Utley)

WHO’S NOT

Carlos Gomez – .143 BA, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

DJ LeMahieu – .158 BA, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Josh Thole – .227 BA, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Tony Campana – .182 BA, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 SB