Fantasy Baseball Advice

Chase Utley will make his first start of the year on Monday in the Phillies’ 47th game of the season.  If only the Yanks would lend out Suzyn Waldman for the occasion…Oh my goodness gracious!…Of all the dramatic things I’ve ever seen!  For those of you who carried Utley on your DL since Opening Day, congratulations.  The word is that Utley’s knee feels okay.  I’ll put the over/under at 90 games for the rest of the regular season.  I wouldn’t expect classic Utley this year (as in .300/30/110/15).  I think he’s going to look a lot more like last year’s Utley (511/75/16/65/13) for the rest of his career – minus a couple of SBs.  Second basemen don’t age gracefully and he’s 33 with a bad knee.  If someone will trade a top 50 player for him, take it.

Other fantasy baseball news…..

Asdrubal Cabrera – 5 for 5 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs.  He’s now at .302/32/9/32/6.  He managed only 9 HRs over 900 ABs in 2009-2010.  Where’d all this power come from?  Is he that mad the Indians picked up another Cabrera and he had to add an “A.” to his jersey?  If that’s the case, the Indians will win the World Series if they could just find an Orlando-Soo Choo and Orlando Santana to add to the roster.

Felix Hernandez – F-Her has been just so-so this year – paling in comparison to other AL starters who have the luxury of facing the Mariners.  Luckily, the schedule rewarded him with a start at Petco against a Padres offense that fell back to reality (5 runs in last 5 games).  Given all that, it’s not so surprising that F-Her went 8 IP, 1 ER, and 13 Ks.   The surprising part is that the Mariners supported him enough to give the win.

James Shields – A 3-hit shutout over the Marlins with 13 Ks.  He’s now K’d 7 or more in 6 of his last 7 starts and is second to F-Her for the K lead in the AL.  He’s got a bright future ahead of him.  And when it doesn’t look bright anymore, I’m sure the Rays will just trade him to the Angels.

Rick Porcello – One hit the Pirates over 8 scoreless innings.  He’s rocking a 3.08 ERA now over almost 50 IP.  I have a feeling that ERA is going to mushroom over the next 50 IP unless he starts K-ing more people (5.5 K/9).

Marlon Byrd – On the 15-day DL after an Alfredo Aceves  pitch broke his face.  Lucky this game wasn’t in Toronto or Aceves would’ve been arrested for hitting a Byrd.  In all seriousness, hope Marlon is doing okay.  Some players don’t come back the same or have subsequent sight issues from an injury like this (see Dickie Thon and Tony Conigliaro).  Two uplifting cases are Ron Santo who came back from a broken cheekbone in 1966 to resume his HOF-quality career and Willie McGee whom I presume took multiple pitches to the face yet persevered and had over 2,000 hits in his career.

Fernando Salas – He’s gotten the last 4 saves for the Cardinals.  When asked by the press if he’d named Salas the closer, LaRussa replied, “Why does he need another name?  Fernando is a great name.  It’s my favorite ABBA song.”  The beat writers laughed because they thought it was Kyle Lohse performing another LaRussa impression.  Little did they know that LaRussa has already swapped in 4 relief pitchers as his stand-in over the last week.

Jason Heyward – Off to the DL with a sore shoulder.  He’ll be replaced by Eric Hinske and Joe Mather.  That’s like replacing Hank Aaron with Hank Azaria.

Nate McLouth – Left Sunday’s game early with an oblique injury.  No word yet if he’s going on the DL but….really, when does someone injure their oblique and not go on the DL?  Really, Nate McLouth, do you have some sort of oxygen chamber that can heal obliques?  In any case, McLouth has cooled off (4 for last 32) after showing some signs of life in early May.  I’d McLose him from just about any team outside of super deep leagues.

Edinson Volquez – 2.2 IP, 6 ER, 11 baserunners against the Indians.  Guess he knows how Custer felt.  A real letdown for all those (including me) who got excited by his previous start (6 IP, 3 ER, 9 Ks).  In 10 starts this year, he’s failed to pitch more than 6 innings and has only two games where he’s given up either less than 3 walks or less than 3 ER.  We don’t even start him in our NL-only league – if you’ve got him in a 12-team mixed league, Ay Dios Mio, drop him already.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia – HR’d both Friday and Sunday.  He’s hitting over .300 in his past 10 games.  Who’s ready to jump on the Salty bandwagon?  Yeah, me neither.  I’m as confident in him as I’m confident in David Ortiz being able to spell his last name.

Albert Pujols – He’s now gone 100 ABs since his last HR.  I may be off by a couple but I think Jose Bautista has hit 700 HRs during that time.

Juan Miranda – 1 HR and 4 RBIs over the weekend and Russell Branyan got DFA’d.  Those are two Miranda rights.  But he got hit on the wrist with a pitch in the 8th.  That’s the type of wrong that can ans will be used against him in the court of fantasy baseball.  If the injury is minor, Miranda suffices as CI or UTIL filler as he should start most of the time (with Nady getting a couple starts a week).  If he’s hurt, maybe we see Brandon Allen!

Gio Gonzalez – What’s the difference between Gia and Gio?  Both are sexy but Gio is a lot more predictable.  In his last 4 starts, he’s pitched between 6 2/3 to 7 innings, 0-2 ERs, and 6-8 Ks.  Now if he could only control pitches (over 4 BB/9) as well as he could control the weather.

Brian Fuentes – Lost his 6th (!) game of the year on Sunday when he gave up a run in extra innings.  Yet he only has 2 blown saves.  He might have a shot at 20 losses if they let him focus on Kazaams when Bailey comes back.

Javier Vazquez – Grey and I drafted this schmohawk on 3 teams this year – including our 13-team NL LABR team.  In that league, you cannot bench a player that you drafted unless they are sent to the minors or the DL.  So we had to suffer through 8 horrible starts, one more awful than the next.  If our ERA/WHIP was in a Lifetime movie, it would be huddled in the back corner of a shower.  We’re praying that the Marlins just put him on the Disgraceful List just like the Red Sox did with Dice-K and Lackey.  Nope.  The Marlins believe in him and he’s supposedly healthy.  Next start against Tampa.  Jeez, we think, if the NL is crushing him – imagine an AL East team?  Since we can’t bench him, we have no recourse but to drop him.  So what does the bastard do?  Goes 7 shutout innings and strikes out 7.  The bastard hadn’t topped 6 IP, 5 Ks, or less than 3 ERs all year!  Our only solace will be if someone else in the league picks him up this week because of this start and he starts turding all over their ERA/WHIP.

June 1st is just around the corner. There are many prospects that are just waiting for that deadline for their major league call-up. From Ackley to Moustakas to Rizzo to Belt and Jennings, the fantasy world will clamor at their availability and set grandiose expectations for performance. Remember, ma’ always said rookie-nookie should be ingested in small doses to prevent statistical indigestion. If excitement last more than four hours, offer your fellow league mate a turn, just don’t let your eyes meet.

Eric Thames | TOR | OF: Was called up as of 5/16/11. See Friday’s Buy/Sell post, or read past the link for where I quote Grey, “If I were in an AL-Only league, I’d grab Thames for a little HBI (Hot Bat Injection), but he’ll probably strike out a ton and I’d hold for now in mixed leagues.” I’d concur, especially since his M.O. is power and strikeouts.

Jay Buente | FLA | RHP (AAA): Will start today, Sunday, filling in for the injured Josh Johnson. Has a career 9.4 K/9 with a 3.6 BB/9. At 27 years old, his prospect status isn’t very high, if at all. Throws a low to mid 90s fastball and split-finger that induces a fair amount of groundballs. With a 44:10 K:BB ratio at Triple-A this year, he could be quiet source of strikeouts.

Jordan Lyles | HOU | RHP (AAA): Doesn’t have the ceiling of Julio Teheran, or the sexy appeal of Micheal Pineda. However, Lyles’ ability to control his 88-93 mph fastball, low 80s slider and a strong cutter project him as a number three starter. His strikeout rate has dropped progressively at each level of the minors. Will be more valuable in real baseball than in fantasy-world.

Dustin Ackley | SEA | 2B (AAA): Report on May 17 is that Seattle’s brass want him to improve his defense before considering calling him up. GM Jack Zduriencik followed that comment up with an equally vague statement that he wants Ackley up “sooner rather than later.” So June? Has 12/12 potential over the remainder of the year; at second base, you can do much worse.

Brett Lawrie | TOR | 3B (AAA): Continuing on the quoting trend, Yahoo’s Blue Jay report stated, “Asked about possibilities [of] the regular third baseman, manager John Farrell said, ‘We’ve got three options there. (INF Jayson Nix, INF John McDonald and 3B/1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion.) And when Brett Lawrie comes up, there’s another one.’” Here’s hoping that everyone knows Lawrie-salt makes everything better, including fantasy line-ups.

Brandon Belt | SF | 1B/OF (AAA): Since returning to Triple-A, Belt has .373/.509/.602 in 83 at-bats with a 24:26 K:BB ratio and 11 XBH (4 Hr). His scouting report states he makes consistent contact and has good strike zone judgment with ability to make quick adjustments. Appears he just needs some more time to adjust to major league pitching and could provide a .300 average and 20 to 25 home runs.

Anthony Rizzo | SD | 1B (AAA): Continues to hit well (.325/.391/.650 in last 10 days), and looks poised for a June first call up.

Desmond Jennings | TB | CF (AAA): Starting to show power and the strikeout rates that come with it (31 in 152 at-bats). Nothing to be too worried about for the time being. With Sam Fuld continuing to regress and disappoint, look for Jennings to finally get an opportunity soon. Think .275 with 12 to 15 home runs and 15 to 20 steals for the whole year.

Zach McAllister | CLE | RHP (AAA): Josh Todd got the call-up to replace the injured Alex White, but Tood is a reliever. McAllister has been brilliant this year at Triple-A with a 7.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 52 innings and a 1.02 WHIP.  That said, his stuff is mediocre and is an end-of-the-rotation starter.

Mike Moustakas | KC | 3B (AAA): Starting to heat up at just the right time. In the last 10 games, he has slashed .333/.413/.718 (39 AB). During this time he has 9 XBH (3 Hr) and is making better contact (5:5 K:B). Be forewarned, his tendency to swing often and frequently making contact should be noted. His swing is solid and is learning to lay-off the breaking pitches. Should be owned when called up.

Mike Montgomery | KC | LHP (AAA): Slowly improving upon a disappointment start of the year. It seems that every step forward is met with another step backwards. Last Saturday, he was rocked 8 ER in 4.1 IP and a 4:3 K:BB. On the 19th, he dazzled with 7 strikeouts and 9 baserunners in 7 innings. Pitches better at home than road, which makes sense as Omaha is a slight-pitchers park. I don’t expect to see him up until mid-to-late summer.

James Darnell | SD | 3B (AA): Continues to lace the ball at Double-A in San Antonio, which is historically a strong-pitchers park. Bolstered by a solid 19:29 K:BB ratio and a .299 ISO, Darnell is pushing hard for the case to be promoted to at least Triple-A. With a career .206 ISO, strong plate discipline and good contact skills, Darnell could be a solid play in deeper mixed leagues by the end of the year, and in the near future.

Paul Goldschmidt | ARI | 1B (AA): Paul Bunyan’s nephew go yard yet again. 15 home runs on the year. Please Arizona, dump Miranda and Branyan so Brandon Allen and Goldschmidt finally get an opportunity.  (Rudy:  Your Branyan wish came true but Miranda and Xavier Nady are still around….)

Last year, the only type of starts and luck that Charlie Morton had was bad.  Despite good stuff and pedestrian ratios (6.7 K/9, 2.9 BB/9), he put up some of the worst stats in recent history.  A 7.57 ERA in 79 innings during the year of the pitcher!  It was a 54 ERA+ (adjusted for park and era) which stands as the 5th worst ERA+ since 1945 for pitchers with 79+ IP.  It’s hard to say how much of his .353 BABIP was because he threw down the middle or back luck but let’s just say the latter.  It seemed like luck was balancing out in his first three starts this year as he went 2-0 despite throwing 6 Ks and 12 BBs in 22 innings.  But excluding an ugly win in Colorado (where just about every non-ace should be benched), his last three starts – including last nights 5-hit shutout – have shown significant progress.  In those 18 2/3 IP, he’s K’d 17 and walked 7.  So let your league mates focus on his ghastly K:BB for the season while you get him on the cheap.  I’d still bench him during bad match-ups but he looks primed to be a solid 5th/6th SP in shallow leagues.

Onto other fantasy baseball news….

Jake Peavy - A 3 hit shutout with 8 Ks against the Indians who’ve recently been scalping opposing pitchers.  To quote the great Larry King, “Sorry Mr. Westbrook but the best Jake pitching today is Jake Peavy”.

Bartolo Colon- How fitting.  Jake has his first great comeback start and the Fatman nearly matches him (8 innings, 0 ER, 3 hits).  Now they just need to thank their doctor who I think first starred in the Six Million Dollar Man.

Pedro Alvarez – 3-run HR for Alvy.  Maybe he’s finally figuring out how to get the lobster in the pot.  Reminds of this old joke about two elderly Pirate fans sitting on the Roberto Clemente Bridge.  One of them says, “Boy, the Pirates’ <fill in 3rd baseman> has been really terrible.”  The other says, “Yeah, I know, and too few at-bats.”

Jon Niese – 7 shutout innings with 7 Ks.  You made your Aunt and Uncle proud!

Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman - Yes, the Cardinals were victorious against the Astros and Bud Norris (with that last name, shouldn’t he be a Texas Ranger?) but both Holliday (quad) and Berkman (wrist) were out of the game by the 5th inning.  Much like the rest of our existences, they are ‘day-to-day’.  Bud Norris must’ve roundhouse kicked them with his mind.

Mark DeRosa – Left the game in the middle of an at-bat when he re-strained his wrist.  That hurts more than having your wrist restrained – depending on who’s doing it.  If it’s Mrs. DeRosa, I would not be check-swinging.  The official announcement is ‘day-to-day’ but I’d move the versatile DeRosa to ‘Left Out’ in all but NL-only leagues (where we unfortunately have him).

Kyle Lohse – Another strong (8 innings, 1 ER, 7 baserunners) yet not dominant (3 Ks) start.  He should change his last name to Wihn.  He’s now 5-2 with a crazy low BABIP (somewhere in the .215 range).  His ERA/WHIP might be due for regression but he’s still worth starting while he’s on this streak.

Craig Kimbrel – Okay, maybe it’s officially time to start worrying.  Tonight was blown save #4 and it was an ugly one – 2 ER & 4 hits  in 1/3 of an inning to spoil the Braves second straight extra inning victory.  This is after Jonny Venters threw two shutout innings in the 9th and 10th.  If it weren’t for the anti-lefty sentiment that fuels closer decisions and McCarthyism, Venters would be closer by now.  But my guess is Kimbrel won’t be a fugitive from the closer role as he’d been dominant his previous 4 outings (4 IP, 1 hit, 9 Ks).

Mark Reynolds – 0 for 5 with 2 Ks and a BB in the Orioles 15 inning loss to the Yanks.  He did manage his 2nd sB of the year but his average now stands at .184.  To those of you who said he couldn’t repeat last year’s .198 AVG, well, I guess you’re still technically correct.

Julio Teheran – 4 innings, 2 ER, 8 baserunners, and 1 strikeout.  This is after his first start where he threw 4 2/3 innings and managed 1 strikeout.  I know it sounds pervy but I’d trade in this 20 year-old phenom for a Minor.

Yovani Gallardo – A six inning win with 2 ER and 9 Ks.  That’s three straight wins for Yovani.  Have we finally seen the end of his evil telenovela twin – Oyvani Goneyardo?

Elliot Johnson - 2-3 with 3 RBIs as he started for the 3rd straight night.  Sam Fuld might be Mr. April but looks like someone is auditioning hard for Mr. May (TM to Dave Winfield).

Trevor Plouffe – 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs.  He’s shown some power in the minors (15 HRs in 445 AAA ABs last year) and a K-rate (22%) that screams .250-.260.  So, best case, he’s a J.J. Hardy in hi prime type.  Worst case, he’s 2011 J.J. Hardy.  Either way, I don’t think anyone minds seeing Gardenhire say “See ya” to Casilla when Nishioka comes back.

Neftali Feliz – A blown save after Hosmer took him deep to star the 9th.  Ron Washington was tempted to bring in Arthur Rhodes to face the lefty rookie but, when he approached him, Rhodes responded in a world-weary voice, “I’m getting too old for this s**t” and shared how he plans to spend his retirement.

Michael Dunn - Quick shoutout to the Mr. B‘s.  Dunn now has 25 Ks in 19 innings this year.  He can come in handy in daily leagues where you need K’s.

Clay Buchholz – Unlike Steve Howe and Dwight Gooden, Buchholz was able to go face-to-face against Coke and come out unharmed (7 shutout innings, no decision).  Buchholz is pitching well of late (he’d won four of his last 5).  More importantly, he’s been putting up some K’s (he’s now averaged 6 in his last 3 games).  His K/9 and BB/9 ratios were very average last year (6.2 and 3.5 respectively) and they’ve been about the same this year.  If he can keep K’ing guys like he has in the past 3 games, his value goes up significantly.

Danny Duffy - Making his first major league start, you can imagine the pressure Double-D must’ve felt to fit in with his Royal teammates.  4 innings and 10 baserunners (including 6 walks) later….son,  you’re going to fit in just fine.  Ignore for 10/12-team mixed leagues but I’d keep an eye on him for deeper leagues.

Scott Hairston – Is it me or does this guy have the face of an anthropomorphic frog?  No wonder why he’s an outfield while his father and brother are infielders – he’s a natural at shagging flies.

In an alternate universe, one in which the Cuban Missile Crisis was more than a crisis, the local family big-box appliance store would be Montgomery Castro. Launching the next holiday sale, Montgomery Castro introduces the exceeding expectations oven, the humidor microwave and the “Honey, I can’t find my [ground] balls,” fake grass-carpeting for the “dry” seasons down south. Mike Montgomery (KC) and Simon Castro (SD) should reinvest in their store. They have both struggled with control and Castro with the long balls. Seems about right, their missiles were always oh!-so close. These two pitchers have combined for a 29:22 K:BB ratio in 36 innings and 21 Earned runs on 35 hits. Equally as upsetting is our neighborhood family law firm Parker and Archer who have represented Montgomery Castro, but have lost several early suits this year. Everything from no command on the stand, to serving up easily dismissed arguments and even rolling over after finishing their points early. Jarrod Parker (ARI) and Chris Archer (TB) have struggles much like the local Montgomery Castro. Parker and Archer have combined for a 22:16 K:BB ratio in 24 2/3 innings (six starts) and 24 earned runs on 37 hits. I would submit to you that Archer feels cheated by Parker and the firm may be splitting-up leaving their fancy Madison Avenue office for a cheap hotel.

Charlie Furbush | DET | LHP (SP): Charlie’s 89 to 91 mph fastball is striking people out again in the early 2011 season after fading hard in 2010. He has a 21:4 K:BB ratio in 16 2/3 innings. Maybe, in spirit of the holiday season, he ran up the mountain, saw the commandments and spoke to [His] flaming bushes along the way giving him a greater understanding. Or maybe he’s not at the end of a season in which he had reached his career high in innings. I’d like to believe the former. He’s a marginal play when, or if, called upon.

Rudy Owens | PIT | RHP (SP): He’s been a solid performing prospect on a terrible team, as opposed to a terrible performing prospect on a high profile team – cough, Fernando Martinez, cough. His 87 to 93 mph fastball and average off-speed pitches are controlled with pinpoint command. In the early going, he has had three solid outings to start the season, a 15:4 K:BB ratio in 18 1/3 innings. He’s not a dominate arm, but solid middle-rotation pitcher. A mini-Lily, definitely Owen-able when called upon in deeper leagues.

Anthony Rizzo | SD | 1B: Currently has 11 XBH (5 Hr) a 9:5 K:BB ratio in 59 at-bats at Triple-A. Rizzo is living up to the hype so far. With the Padres first base shituation, it’s only until June that everyone see him in the majors. Even with an unsustainable slash line of .458/.500/.814, he still has moderate power and good contact skills but more in the range of a .275/.350/.475 hitter. The leader of hits at Triple-A as of 4/22/11 will have large shoes to fill when the time comes.

Eric Thames | TOR | LF: This is exciting. I wrote about him in this off-season’s Blue Jays Minor League Review found here, and he continues to impress. He has 13 XBH (2 Hr) with a 13:10 K:BB ratio in 60 Triple-A at-bats. Too bad he doesn’t strikeout more, he’d might get a chance for the Blue Kays.

Brett Lawrie | TOR | 2B/3B: Mentioned last week too, Lawrie has three home runs in the last two days (as of 4/22/11). Continues to hit and strikeout (15 strikeouts in 61 at-bats). Still a favorite of mine.

Alex Torres | TB | LHP (SP): Hard to ignore a 27:6 K:BB in 15 1/3 innings. Although a small sample size, he hasn’t last more than 5 1/3 innings, he stills provide two minutes of heaven. See 1/8 inch below to see why he’d get looked over, most likely to save arbitration.

Alex Cobb | TB | RHP (SP): Success with a low 90s fastball that has good sinking action and average breaking pitches. They have helped him to a tune of 25:5 K:BB ratio in three early season starts (16 IP). He’s a back end rotation pitcher or a solid bullpen arm. Definitely has more value as a number three, four or five starter. With Niemann struggling in the early going, I believe Cobb would get a chance over Torres in the early going.

Jaff Decker | SD | LF: After upper-decking last year’s early season, this year he’s hot with 13 XBH (4 Hr, 2 3B and 7 2B), with a 12:11 K:BB ratio and slashing .408/.532/.878 at Double-A. Have to like offensive potential in a farm system that sees their majors as a second Triple-A squad, even if they play at Petco.

Eric Hosmer | KC | 1B: Hosmer is trouncing Triple-A right now with 5 XBH (1 Hr) .373/.464/.492 and a 9:10 K:BB ratio. Dayton Moore will still probably not call him up until September as he promised in the offseason. Too bad, his teammate Moustakas is struggling mightily (.241/.313/.362 in 58 AB) and need to bust out of his slump. He has improved slightly in the last week (.257/.350/.371 in 35 AB) but still isn’t exciting anyone. Maybe he’ll pull a Jesus and rise again in the second half. That’s Montero you fools. I wouldn’t desecrate a deity on His special day.

Julio Teheran | ATL | RHP (SP): Not blazing past hitters this year at Triple-A. He has a 11:6 K:BB in 16 innings (3 starts). I wouldn’t expect him in the majors until mid-summer at the earliest. No reason to rush this young pup with Mike Minor and Brandon Beachy.

Jacob Turner | DET | RHP (SP): Looks like a mini-Vernlander. Seriously. Same height, stellar strikeouts and control and only 3-to-4 mph less on his fastball. Might explain the 20:3 K:BB ratio in 19 2/3 innings at Double-A this year. While Andy Oliver will get the attention in the early going, if Turner continues to pitch this well, he’ll be in the majors in no time.

Mike Stanton snapped out of a 5 for 58 slump with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs in a doubleheader against the Phillies. Was retired lefty reliever Mike Stanton hitting for him? I realize they look a little different (the hitter is 22 years younger, 15 pounds heavier, 4 inches taller, a tad darker) but even a young K-prone hitter should avoid that bad of slumps, right? Well, obviously not. Stanton’s 35% K rate translates to a .235 AVG with an average (.300) BABIP. He’s still a valuable asset because of the power – but you’ll have to either compensate with a high batting AVG guy or absorb the AVG hit.

Danny Espinosa - The rookie 2B looked like the 2.0 version of 2009 Desmond by going 4 for 5 with 2 HR and 6 RBI against the Mets. Where’d this come from? Espinosa was a 3rd round pick out of Long Beach State – the baseball factory that brought you Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria. Espinosa has shown 20/20 potential in AA and AAA over the past 2 years but his AVG has been in the .260 range. So it’s possible he maintains this streak for the rest of the month as an extended audition for a 2011 starting spot. Take a chance if you’ve got dead wood in your MI spot.

Jeff Niemann – The good news is he gave you less earned runs than his past two starts. The bad news is that he still got whomped – 6 ER in less than 2 innings after giving up 17 ER in 8.1 IP in his previous two starts. If he’s still on your team, I’d drop him like he bombed.

Jon Lester – Won with 10Ks over 6 IP – his 3rd straight game with a win and 10 Ks. Last Red Sox player to do that? How would I know – I don’t work for ELIAS. (I’d guess Pedro). I’d say it’s Sabathia’s Cy Young to lose but I think Lester will edge out Buchholz and F-Her if he stumbles. Unless Keith Law is the only voter – then I’d say Felix Hernandez.

Brian Matusz – Won his 4th straight game – this time at Yankee Stadium. This three starts were home against Boston and Texas and at the White Sox. All four were 6 IP and none more than 3 ER. So if you need a pitcher to stream, he’s your guy.

Don Kelly – The man two L’s away from donkey status had a HR/3 RBI game. He’s platooning with Ryan Raburn (Kelly gets righty pitchers) and he’s not that great. I’d stream him for a day if your OF isn’t playing – that’s about it.

Neil Walker – Another HR – making that 5 HRs in his past 9 games. Now hitting .312, this guy has been looking like the second coming of Freddy Sanchez. But Pirates are like people you meet at the Jersey Shore – don’t fall in love with them. His minor league stats and his .370+ BABIP suggest he’s hitting out of his mind right now. Enjoy the ride but drop him in shallower leagues should he struggle for the next hot-hitting MI.

Jim Thome - 2 HRs on Saturday. Took Sunday off. Hit another HR on Monday. The guy is hitting a HR now every 11AB or so. Trying to figure when this guy is going to play is infuriating – Kubel and Mauer DH as well – but he’s a must add now for daily leagues where you can swap him out if he’s sitting.

Jose Reyes – The Mets have been in complete minayal over Reyes’ oblique injury. They’ve been having hit batting practice and claim he might play but he’s been out for 7 days and will probably miss most of next week too. As someone who drafted Reyes hoping for a discount on his typical 60 SB with respectable AVG/R/HR/RBI, the only solace is that at least he hasn’t been completely useless like D’Ellsbury.

Ivan Rodriguez – Had 1 HR and 7 RBIs over the past two days. Congrats to the 3 people who own him in a league.

Carlos Marmol - It was clearly Piniella’s fault that the Cubs were underperforming because it feels like they’ve been streaking ever since. Marmol now has 4 saves in 6 days in September. Even better, he’s still K-ing guys and now has a ridiculous 118 Ks in 66.1 IP. Most relievers couldn’t get that many K’s if they faced a lineup of Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, and Mark Reynolds.

Kevin Kouzmanoff – Will miss a few games with back spasms. I think they’re sympathy spasms for Eric Chavez.