Fantasy Baseball Advice

Hey, Fantasy Baseball King here.  In “Fire and Ice,” I’ll analyze the past 2 weeks’ performances, and using my best combination of statistical analysis, baseball knowledge, charm, and pure crystal ball wizadry provide you with a plan of action for the coming week.

Fire – But will they stay hot?

Jonny Gomes -  Jonny’s set the baseball world aflame over the past week, raising his batting average from .227 on April 10 all the way to .268 on April 16. During that time span, he also smacked 4 homers, drove in 8 RBI’s, and helped Reds’ fans cope with the thus-far poor performance of Jay Bruce.

Analysis: Jonny Gomes has only had more than 500 at-bats in his career once (2010). In that season, he hit a useful but not studly .266/.328/.431 with 18 HR, 86 RBI, 77 R, and 5 SB. That was good for a 104 OPS+, which is actually less than his career mark of 110. Perhaps he is better suited as a part-time platoon player and occasional pinch hitter, getting 300-400 at-bats per season. Statistically, his best year was 2009, in which he hit .267/.338/.541 with an astounding 20 homers in only 314 at-bats. Notice an outlier there? His slugging percentage was 80 points higher than his career average. Now in 2011, his dash line is .268/.456/.683 (notice that nice outlier again). Of course, it’s early, so not much can be said about ratios. The important thing to do is see why they are what they are. In this case, Jonny Gomes is walking at an incredible 26.3% in 2011. His career mark is 9.6%. What do YOU think the chances are of him keeping this up? If he were 25 years old and coming into his own, I may buy a sudden increase in maturity. But he’s not; he’s 30, and simply put – he is what he is. Look for Gomes to finish  somewhere around what he does every year, and what ZiPs predicted he would – .256/.335/.464.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: .263, 22 HR, 70 RBI, 60 R, 8 SB

Jeff Francoeur – Ahh, good ole’ Frenchy. Once dubbed “The Natural,” great things used to be expected of Mr. Francoeur. But after 5 seasons in Atlanta, 1.5 in Queens, and a post-season run in Texas, The Natural was finally banished to baseball’s not-so-green pasture, Kansas City. There, he was expected to graze on the tasty grass until he eventually grew old, fell over, and ended up being served for dinner. But as he has done many a time before, Jeff Francoeur doesn’t like being told what he cannot do. Instead, he put together a 6 game hit streak from April 9 – April 15, raising his season batting average to .327 in the process and, once again, forcing baseball’s analysts to take a look and wonder.

Analysis: Oh Jeff, you’re so coy! You’ve done this before, haven’t you? No? Don’t try to deny it…in April, 2010, you maintained a beautiful .886 OPS and smashed 4 homers, and back in 2007 you got that April OPS all the way up to .908 while hitting 5 round-trippers. But in the end, you always end up being nothing more than Fool’s Gold. Why, some may ask, won’t 2011 be any different? Well, his BB rate, for starters, is an abysmal (even by his terrible standards) 3.4%, and his BABIP is .340 (41 points above his career rate of .299). This all but proves that Jeff Francoeur, despite having a broad smile and a rifle of an arm, is encountering a wonderful streak of good fortune. But lady luck won’t have his back all season, and there’s no reason at all to believe his numbers are anywhere near sustainable. They simply aren’t.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: .273, 15 HR, 75 RBI, 70 R, 7 SB (while still refusing to take a walk)

Alexi Ogando -  “Who?” the common fantasy baseball fan may have asked when first putting together his or her preseason draft lists. A converted reliever, Ogando threw all of 111.2 innings in the minors, but started only 3 games. His minor league numbers were incredible; he posted a 1.37 ERA while K’ing 12.6 batters per 9 innings pitched. Perhaps even more amazing, he did this while walking a measly 1.9 batters per 9 innings pitched. And yet, as relief pitchers often are, he was left off any and all top prospect lists. Still, his talent was obvious, and when the decision was made that Neftali Feliz would remain the Texas Rangers’ closer in 2011, a decision was reached that, if a SP could be transformed into a closer, then surely a RP could become a starter. Preseason predictions are difficult to analyze, as most analysts were betting on Feliz joining the rotation, and Ogando being a member of the Rangers’ bullpen. But the ratio predictions were still good, with ZiPs projecting a 9.15 K/9, 3.05 ERA, and 62.0 IP in relief work. As a starter, Ogando has astounded even his most ardent backers, posting back-to-back stunning performances against the Mariners and Tigers. Through his first 2 starts, he allowed only 4 hits in 13 IP and has yet to give up a run (neither earned nor unearned). Surprisingly, his K-rate has been low at 5.5, but cold weather could be to blame.

Analysis: Alexi Ogando is obviously a very, very talented pitcher. According to the stat-analyst gurus over at FanGraphs, “the 14.4 MPH separation between Ogando’s fastball and slide was the third largest gap in baseball [in 2010].” That brings to mind watching Stephen Strasburg mix in a 101 MPH fastball with a 95 MPH slider and 87 MPH changeup, or R.A. Dickey throwing knuckleballs anywhere from 55 MPH – 80 MPH. But the fact remains so blatantly obvious- this is a relief pitcher who has 3…yes, THREE career professional starts. I foresee the Rangers being very careful with Ogando (although I was surprised they allowed him to go 7 innings in his 2nd start), possibly pulling him after 5 innings in some games “just because,” or even occasionally skipping a start to keep his arm fresh. Whatever they choose to do, they’ll need to do something, as this is a fairly unprecedented decision. Although relievers have been transformed into starters in the past, they have always been eased into the role, not thrust head-first into the fire. Finally, despite it only being 2 starts, there are already signs of danger. His opponents’ BABIP is a miniscule .118, meaning that, although Ogando is indeed pitching well, he’s also enjoying a little bit of good luck. Expect some bumps in the road, but overall a decent season with a fair number of K’s seems to be looming.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: 10 W, 3.45 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 140 IP, 125 K (Note:  Since this was written, Ogando pitched against the Yankees Sunday night. He went 6.1 innings, giving up 6 hits, 5 ER (including 3 HR), while striking out only 1 batter. The disastrous evening raises Ogando’s 2011 season ERA from 0.00 to 2.33. The Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction remains the same.)

Aaron Harang -  Blah. Could a more boring name have come up on this list? Well, like it or not, Harang is deserving. Perhaps, though, I’m being unfair. After all, Harang has an above average 102 career ERA+, has won 10+ games 4 times in his career, and was quite durable from 2004 through 2008. But Harang epitomizes the phrase “mid-rotation starter,” and in these days at age 33, that may be pushing the envelope. And yet, there’s simply no denying Harang’s great start to the 2011 season. He’s been simply dominant in a way that he only merely approached in his heyday of 2006-2007. Will it continue?

Analysis:  The much cited ZiPs projected Harang to have a pretty decent season, but nothing particularly fantasy-starter worthy. 8 wins combined with a 4.23 ERA and 7.05 K/9 (original ZiPs pre-season projection) can only get a fantasy owner so far. But with Harang already almost halfway to his projected win-total, I’m seeing 2011 as a mini (and probably last renaissance) for the 33-year-old veteran. Benefiting largely from a .250 opposing BABIP (compared to his career rate of .308), and probably benefiting from getting 2 of his 3 starts against the basically punchless Giants and Astros, Harang is due for a return to Planet Earth. Still, if his health stays strong throughout the season, I foresee him sneaking by those ZiPs projections by just a tad. And after all, pitching in Petco (2 of 3 starts thus far have been at home) for half his starts certainly can’t hurt.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: 12 W, 3.85 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 175 IP, 153 K

Josh Beckett -  He is no secret to the fantasy baseball community. Having amassed 114 victories since his inaugural season in 2001, he’s been to 2 All-Star Games, finished 2nd in the 2007 Cy Young race, and led the league in wins the very same year. In short, he’s had a great career and several fantasy owners owe trophies due to his exploits. But injuries have often been a problem, and since Beckett became a full-time starter in 2002, he’s hit the magical 200-inning mark only 3 times. 2010 was no different, as Beckett started only 21 games, posting an awful 5.78 ERA along the way. Still, his SO/9 (8.2) and BB/9 (3.2) were extremely close to his career averages, so the fact that his opponents BABIP soared to .338 (career, .294) probably had something to do with the negative results…mixed in, of course, with the injuries. So fantasy owners have every right to keep expectations at bay when Beckett gets off to a fast start. The question will always loom– “When will a blister keep him out for a month?” Nevertheless, it’s impossible to ignore what he’s done thus far. He’s dominating hitters like vintage-Beckett, K’ing them at an incredible 10.35 per 9 IP while keeping the walks under control. His 2nd start of the season was particularly enchanting, as Beckett stepped into the limelight and mowed down 10 Yankee batters over 8 innings pitched, allowing only 2 hits and 0 runs in the process.

Analysis: Beckett is 31 years old, which is smack in the middle of the “end of prime, beginning of decline” period for players, particularly pitchers with injury histories. While it’s difficult to find much fault at all in his 2011 performance, it is necessary to point out that opposing batters are only managing a .217 BABIP against him. When taken in context with his career rate of .294, it’s obvious that Beckett is benefiting from some extra charm. Moreover, his K-rate is at an all-time high and, considering his velocity is NOT, and his control is NOT (3.15/9 walk rate compared to career average of 2.78), something seems amiss. Beckett is due for a regression but, much like Ogando and Harang, should have a good year. Pitching for the Red Sox only helps, of course, and if he can stay healthy, he could even remain dominant…just not Cy Young-quality dominant.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: 14 W, 3.67 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 165 IP, 156 K

Ice – But will the ice thaw?

Carlos Santana – This was not how Carlos Santana’s season was supposed to start. Entering 2011 as a Top 5 catcher off the board, most analysts had Santana pegged for a huge season. In a 15-10 football-style game opener, the young catcher went 3-for-5 with a homer and 3 RBI’s, making those analysts look very smart. But the heat emanating from Santana’s flame has cooled, and his bat is as ice cold as they can possibly come. After an 0 for 4 performance against the Angels on April 13, Santana officially dipped below the  dreaded “Mendoza Line,” and is mired in a 1 for 7 slump ever since.

Analysis: Young catchers are probably the hardest players to project. Yes, in my opinion, harder even than young pitchers. Not only do they have to learn how to guard the plate, but they must manage each pitcher’s different emotions, approaches, and temperaments, and on top of all that, do something with the bat at the plate. Perhaps that’s why so many top catching prospects (Ben Davis, Jeff Mathis, Jeff Clement to name just a few off the top of my head) fail. But let’s be fair here; Santana’s career is nowhere near its end. It has barely started! The man has all of 246 career at-bats in the Majors now, and in that sample size he’s managed a .244/.374/.416 dash line with 7 homers and 28 RBI’s. Not too bad, especially for a young catcher. Expectations were extraordinarily high, perhaps too high, entering the season. ZiPs had him at .248/.366/.425 with 16 HR, 70 RBI, and 70 R, which would easily put him in the top tier of offensive catchers. On the plus side, his BABIP is a paltry .211, which simply MUST improve, and he’s actually striking out less than ever (MLB and minors included). Remember, he’s also coming back from a horrible season-ending injury from 2010.  His time will come, but it may not be now. I’d expect a definite improvement going forward, but let’s give him at least one full season before dubbing him the 2nd coming of Victor Martinez.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: .265, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 71 R, 5 SB

Ben Francisco -  From 2007 through 2011, Ben Francisco has played in 373 Major League games, but never accumulated as much as 500 plate appearances in a single season, so he certainly hasn’t been called upon to be an every day player…until this season. With injuries to the Phillies’ starting lineup, Francisco has been a permanent member of the everyday team, and up until recently, had performed wonderfully. In fact, if you had asked me last week, I may have put him in the “Fire” section of this column. But reality has sunk in and Ben has plummeted back to Earth. Since April 8, he’s gone 4 for his last 23 at-bats, all the while watching his batting average sink from .357 all the way to .275.

Analysis: What did anybody really expect? This is Ben Francisco, and there’s a reason he’s always been a platoon player. Now, that’s not saying he’s a bad player. In fact. Ben’s had an above average batting career, cobbling together a lifetime 105 OPS+. But he’s also a flawed player. He doesn’t walk enough to off-set his inability to hit close to .300, and doesn’t have enough power to justify his strikeout rate (2011, 20.8%; career, 20.4%). With Domonic Brown now on the DL, he’ll get continued playing time, and while he’ll have his moments, I wouldn’t expect much. In deep leagues, you could make a case to stash him on the bench for when he gets hot. But he shouldn’t be owned in the typical 10 or 12 Roto leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Kings Bold Prediction: .265, 15 HR, 64 RBI, 58 R, 12 SB

Daisuke Matsuzaka – (2 Starts) 0 W, 12.86 ERA, 2.71 WHIP, 7.0 IP, 14 H, 4 K    Season Stats: Same

I used to live in Tokyo, so the term “Sekai-no aiisu” (Ace of the World) is one I’ve been aware of for quite some time. For now, let’s redistribute that title to Yu Darvish, and instead analyze just what’s happening to the former media darling and big-name starting pitcher, Mr. Matsuzaka. Battling back from an injury in 2010, Matsuzaka’s start to 2011 has been less than inspiring. In fact, it’s been visibly putrid. While going 5 innings and allowing 6 hits and 3 runs in his first start back could have been deemed “passable” considering his injuries, Matsuzaka’s recent performance against Tampa erased all hope that he was back to being Sekai-no aiisu. Allowing 7 earned runs on 8 hits, the former star didn’t even make it out of the 2nd inning. He is now owned in only 7% of all Yahoo public leagues, and perhaps, rightfully so.

Analysis: As a former resident of Tokyo, Japanese language speaker, and having worked for a Japanese corporation, I always take a special interest in the MLB players representing Nihon (Japanese for Japan). But truth be told, Matsuzaka simply has been a bad pitcher since 2009. In Japan, pitchers are overworked, often asked to throw 150+ pitches per game, and undergo full throwing sessions on off days. It’s no wonder then that the aces that do make it here (Hideo Nomo comes to mind) don’t last very long before succumbing to injury or simply failing to be effective. In Matsuzaka’s case, it’s been both. His K-rate has fallen off the map, to the point it’s threatening to go below 5 with another bad start (now sitting at 5.14), and he’s walking over 6 batters per 9 innings. ZiPs had projected a decent, but not great season for Matsuzka, but certainly that he’d at least be able to strike people out (they pegged him at 8.14./9IP) and win some games. There IS a silver lining here. Trust me, it took me a while but I finally found it! Opposing batters are hitting an otherworldly .407 against him with balls in play, something which, I hope, is not sustainable. Still, his career mark is .324, so even if/when it comes down, I’m not sure how much it will change the outcome of his performances if he can’t strike anybody out or stop walking the entire lineup. He had a tremendous amount of talent when he arrived Stateside in 2007. Unfortunately, I’m not seeing much of it left in the tank. Expect a good start here or there, but unless something changes drastically, don’t touch him.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: 6 W, 4.75 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 135 IP, 98 K (Note:  This was written before his Monday start, but nothing I said changes.)

Francisco Liriano -  Well, it certainly hasn’t been pretty. And yet it we all thought it WOULD be so, so, so pretty. Liriano got some pretty hefty Cy Young support last season, and rightfully so. As such, analysts throughout the land pretty much unanimously pegged him for another big season. The signs of concern should have been obvious to us earlier, though. His September 2010 ERA was 4.59, which ballooned to 4.82 during 2011 Spring Training. But still, we remained optimistic. This was Francisco Liriano! He was supposed to be the next Johan Santana, but got derailed by injuries after his amazing 2006 season (12-3, 2.16 ERA). Still, he battled like a warrior and came back to become a legit frontline starter in 2010. So what’s going on that’s made it so bad that, in his last start, Liriano decided to change things up entirely by throwing underhanded the entire game? Yes, it was admittedly an experiment via the urging of his manager and pitching coach to get his control back, but still…is there any hope?

Analysis: I’m a believer. I’ll go out and just state it. You don’t even need to read the rest of my analysis. . . . Okay, yeah, you should. Liriano is having problems right now, mainly with control. While he’s never been capable of a great Greg Maddux impression, he got his BB/9 down to a very decent 2.72 last year. But now it’s ballooned to 5.65. While his K-rate is still respectable at 7.53, his stuff hasn’t been electrifying enough to overcome his wildness. Now, we’re still not in Oliver Perez territory, so all is well on that front. And now, the flash of light, the hope for you’ve been waiting for—- Francisco Liriano, much like his predecessor Johan Santana, is a notoriously slow starter. His career ERA’s in April and May are 5.23 and 4.75, respectively. After that, June, July and August are 3.27, 2.92, and 3.54. My advice is to sit him until he gets going. Maybe he just can’t pitch in the cold. I don’t know. But what I DO know is that he is still a bona fide stud, and will prove that come the warmer months of the season. Keep with him; you’ll be happy you did.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: 15 W, 3.38 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 195 IP, 191 K

James McDonald -  A big sleeper entering 2011, James McDonald has made 19 spot starts and appeared in many more relief appearance for the Dodgers and Pirates since he was 23 in 2008. Over that period, he put together a career ERA around 4.00, and struck out about 8.5 batters per 9 innings. He appeared ready for a full time gig after taking over in August 2010. From that point through the end of the season (11 starts), he won 4 games, had 3 starts lasting into the 7th inning, and struck out more than 6 batters 3 times (he struck out exactly 6 batters 4 times). He seemed primed to be a good, middle-of-the-rotation starter. Perhaps nothing special, but the kind of guy who could pull a rabbit out of a hat once in a while and be effective enough to help both the Pirates and fantasy owners. The Pirates have been gentle with him, pulling him after only 4.2 innings pitched in his first start (after 4 hits and 2 earned runs) and trying to ease him into the full-time role. But his next two starts proved to be disasters, and he now enters his 4th start sporting a filthy (not in a good way) 7.47 ERA.

Analysis: McDonald was always known as a strikeout pitcher. Sporting a fastball in the mid-90′s, he boasts 4 minor league seasons in which he K’d over 9 batters per 9 innings. He hasn’t been doing that this year though. With starts so far in St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati, it’s definitely possible that the cold weather is making him either hesitant or unable to throw his best stuff. His career ERA in April (8 games) is 7.80, but in May (5 games), 2.08, and June (3 games), 1.59, so there’s reason here for hope. Of course, it then blows up to 5.40 in July, so I’m not sure that time-based consistency has yet been established in McDonald’s game. Although he’s 26 years old, he’s only thrown 156.1 innings at the big league level, so he’s basically a 2nd year player. I wouldn’t expect amazing things out of him this year, but if you can start him in the right conditions (warm weather, struggling lineups or teams with free-swingers), you may be happily surprised by some nice outings and strikeout performances. Sit him for now until he gets things under control, but don’t jump ship just yet. If he continues to stink through March, put his breakout off another year.

Fantasy Baseball King’s Bold Prediction: 9 W, 4.35 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 135 IP, 98 K

Joe Nathan reclaimed his closer job this year but was missing something, consistently putting his team behind the 8-ball, so the Twins shifted to CAPPS.  On March 25th, I said this about the Matt Capps and Taipei Slinko shituation, “Here’s what I see happening.  Nathan gets torched and Capps saves a few games while Nathan works things out.  Then Nathan returns, gets torched again and, finally, the Twins send him to the Disgraceful List.”  And that’s me quoting me!  Right now, we’re at the point where Nathan’s off to work things out.  I don’t think this ends well for Nathan.  Someone in the Twins organization should’ve stepped forward and said, “Hey, Taipei, you’re a gamer in the non-nerd way, we appreciate that.  No one likes nerds — the candy or otherwise.  But, listen to me, you’re rushing yourself back.  Chillax!  Go get a Jamba Juice, enjoy some me time and let’s take it slow with your recovery.”  But, well, that didn’t happen.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Brian Duensing – 7 IP, 2 ER, 9 baserunners, 5 Ks.  He’s a Duensing machine!  Would I pick him up in certain deep leagues?  Yes, but I don’t trust him.

Chris Young – To the DL.  He’d be a Bennis Carpensheeter if he had better game or less gams.

Grady Sizemore – Member in 2009 when his injuries started?  Of course you don’t, that’s why I’m here.  He hit a home run the day before he went to the DL.  Then returned and hit a homer in his 2nd game back.  Then variations of bupkis for two years, so don’t overrate his homer in his first game back.  It’s nice and all but if you think he’s back for good, you’re only fooling yourself.  And when you’re fooling yourself, you make a fool out of ING, or whatever that cliche is.

Carlos Santana – 1-for-4 with his 2nd homer as he bats .196.  Might be a day late and a dollar short for this, but, even though I wasn’t a huge fan of Supernatural in the preseason, he’s only going to get better.  I.e., Buy low.  (BTW, Santana’s been crizzap, Choo is batting .214 and Sizemore just returned to the lineup, yet the Indians are 11-4.  Quick, someone wake up the Comatose Indians Fan.)

Travis Hafner – 2-for-3 and his 4th homer.  I don’t buy a resurgence here.  If you pick him up, you’re getting Pronk’d.

Fausto Carmona – 7 IP, 1 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks.  Control-Alt-Ignore.

Jhoulys Chacin – Complete game shutout on Friday.  I kinda love Chacin and his 150-point-in-Scrabble first name.  To misquote the most overrated group of all-time, don’t hide your love of Chacin away.

Roy Oswalt – Good news from the Oswalt camp, which is group of twelve guys who look like Ralph from Survivor living in the Ozarks without running water, he should make his next start.

Charlie Morton – Sonavabench!  Complete game on Friday with the only blemish being Jay Bruce’s homer.  Double sonavabench!  It’s raining sonavabenches!  Someone make the sonavabenches stop.  Please!

Andrew McCutchen – 3-for-3 with his 3rd homer.  I said in the preseason that The Dread Pirate was Crawford two rounds later.  Luckily, he’s been nothing like Crawford.

Jose Tabata – I’ll take a coffee with three creamers, tomahto juice, but I don’t want just any tomahto juice, I want Mr and Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary mix and, finally, a slam and legs.  Thank you.

Edinson Volquez – 5 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 11 baserunners, 6 Ks with four first inning runs.  Seriously, have Cordero start Edinson’s games.

Jay Bruce – 4-for-5 yesterday and his 2nd homer since I told you on Friday to buy him.

Jonny Gomes – Yesterday, hit his 6th homer, third this weekend and a lot more homers than that other guy you have on your team.  Yeah, him.  And him too.

Phil Hughes – In what I believe is our first case of the Disgraceful List this year.  You gotta be pretty terrible to get put on the Disgraceful List this quickly.  Let’s see what I said in January about Hughes, “Know when I’m going to draft Phil Hughes?  After he’s traded away from the Yankees.  Nothing personal.  He just had the 2nd worst fly ball rate in the majors and he plays in The House They Built Next To The House That Ruth Built.  Just can’t draft that headache.”  And that’s me copying and pasting me!  So who you blaming for drafting Hughes?  You ain’t blaming me.  Blame that Best Buy salesman that knew nothing about the TV you wanted to purchase.  Blame the barista that left no room for milk.  Blame your 7th grade teacher for making you stay after and saying that you and him had chemistry.  Just don’t blame me.  Know who else you can’t blame?  Rudy.  He put him on his risky pitcher list.  If you drafted Hughes, to quote the airplane version of one of the best movies of all time, Menace II Society, “You done messed up. You know that, right?”  To quote the TV-edited version of yourself, “I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS MONKEY FIGHTIN’ HUGHES!”

Chad Billingsley – 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 baserunners, 11 Ks.  I really needed this start from Bills on so many teams.  I love you, Bills.  Write back soon!

Ryan Franklin – 4th blown save and has an ERA of 11.57.  Can’t spell Franklin without FAIL.  La Russa should replace Franklin with Motte or Mitchell Boggs, CPA.  Probably in reverse order.  Now whether La Russa does this is anyone’s guess.  On Saturday, La Russa said, Franklin is our closer and now excuse me while I go feed my scarf.

Andres Torres – To the DL.  In a day when I feel the need to bathe myself in my prescience, here’s what I said about Torres in January, “On one hand, you want to believe Torres’ 2010 was fluke.  On the other hand, you think he can repeat.  On a third hand that is actually just a foot wearing a mitten, you don’t know what to make of Torres’ last year.  I hear you, loyal Razzball reader.  It’s a pickle, I tell ya.  Here’s my take, Torres has 10+ homer power and 25+ steal speed but he’s also injury prone.  It’s one of the reasons why he’s so old and just now bursting on the scene.  I’d pay for Torres as a fourth outfielder, then pray he stays healthy.”  And that’s me stroking me!  Yeah, Torres didn’t stay healthy and there’s no guarantee he will when he returns.  That’s his problem…And yours if you drafted him.

Barry Zito – Headed to the DL.  That’s a baked Zito.

Brandon Belt – Andrew Baggarly, the San Jose Mercury reporter that sounds like a Charles Dickens character, thinks Belt has until April 26th to do something.  With Belt’s talent, I’m willing to hold him for another week plus to see if he can get comfortable in the majors.  Loosen up, Belt!

Alex Rodriguez – Scratched on Sunday due to back tightness.  See, I usually do that for back itchiness.

Jake Peavy – Will return in about a week and a half.  If he’s unowned in your league, pick him up and then pray to your deity of choice he stays healthy.

Michael Pineda – 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 baserunners, 5 Ks.  Now has a 2.33 ERA.  Guess I should’ve went with him instead of F-Her.  Sweet.

Dallas Braden – Has a shoulder issue and thinks he’ll miss his next start.  I look forward to not seeing that.

Frank Francisco – Will return on Tuesday, but it sounds like Frank² won’t get the job back immediately.  We saw Frank² not get the closer job back immediately last year and he never got it back.  I’d hold Rauch and Francisco for now.

Johnny Damon – His bruised finger is very sore.  Sounds like he might be throwing a *pinkie to mouth* splint finger.

Starlin Castro – 7 for his last 9.  I lurve him.

Jair Jurrjens – 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 4 Ks on Saturday.  Meesa tinks Jar-Jar pitched well.  Meesa does not anticipate that’s foreshadowing for future performance.

Tommy Hanson – 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 baserunners, 9 Ks.  I’m such a K whore I’d take one of these Hanson starts over two of his 7 IP, 2 ER, 3 K ones.

Jason Heyward – 2-for-4, his 4th homer and he batted 2nd while McLouth phoned 2008 to find out where his talent went.

Yovani Gallardo – 5 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 10 baserunners, 5 Ks.  I’m not gonna freak out unless his next start is poor, as well.  Now let me go cry into a pint of Clusterfluff ice cream.

Carl Crawford – 0-for-4, batting .127 with 3 runs and 1 RBI on the year.  After the game, he burned over your wedding video with a sex tape of your sister, just to make his season stats seem better by comparison.

The national budget isn’t the only thing that’s strained in DC, Ryan Zimmerman is headed to the DL with an ab strain.  This was an injury that originally happened in Spring Training and now it looks like the ab has taken out a *pinkie to mouth* restraining order.   Zimmerman always seemed like such a good boy, who knew he had a bad side?  For those baby boomers in the audience, Robert Zimmerman is Dylan and Ryan Zimmerman is illin’.  For those housewives reading on, Ryan’s owners whine of choice is Zimm-for-DL.  Yeah, that pun is a worse strain than his.  So now that this strain has resurfaced, it makes me think the Nats are going to let it heal for a lot longer than 15 days to make sure there’s no more relapses.  Worse, if they don’t play it safe and rush him back in two weeks, he could reinjure himself and be out for another few weeks.  (Something that could, unfortunately, happen anyway.)  All in all, it’s a good day to not own Zimmerman.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Alexi Ogando – 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 4 Ks.  A…O…A’ight!  BTW, do you know Tony Danza’s blood type?  It’s AO.  Watch out, Catskills, here comes Grey!  Another great start for the converted outfielder.  It’s been a while since the Rangers let an outfielder take the mound (see Jose Canseco) but it’s paid off big.  Looks like Tommy Hunter has been Pipp’d!  Ogando did leave in the 8th with a recurring blister.  It’s something to watch.  Not literally, unless you’re in the same room as him.

Justin Verlander – 9 IP, 2 ER, 7 baserunners, 4 Ks.  Rudy’s Cy Young pick held down the dangerous Texas offense.  If the Tigers could’ve scored a few runs and Verlander had more than 4 Ks, it would’ve warranted more exclamatory punctuation.

Andrew Bailey – A’s said he should be back in a few weeks.  So his ETA for getting hurt again is approximately a few weeks and a day.

Rajai Davis – To the 15-day DL with an ankle injury.  You never hear about cankle injuries.  You goofed, God, cankles are more durable.

Sam Fuld – 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and a homer to complete The Hungry Man cycle.  The 30-year-old AAAA Cub OF has become a Bear since he moved to Tampa.  He’s now stolen 5 SBs on the year and hit his first bomb today.  Don’t drop anyone too valuable for him, but you’ve got to ride his hot streak.

Jeremy Hellickson – 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 10 baserunners (5 walks), 1 K.  Hellickson didn’t have his ‘A’ stuff.  Wasn’t quite his Triple-A stuff either.  Didn’t matter since the Rays bats finally made it through customs.

Matt Joyce – 1-for-6, batting third.  Would’ve been nice if he had a big game to justify him staying in the lineup, but that’s A Portrait of the Unqualified Hitter in the Three Hole from Joyce.

Adrian Gonzalez – 1-for-2 with a triple and Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a triple as the grounds crew at Fenway moved third base on top of second.

Edinson Volquez – 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 baserunners, 5 Ks with more first inning shenanigans.  The Reds might consider letting Volquez pitch batting practice to the Reds before his starts.

Chris Heisey – 1-for-4 with his 1st homer as he hit leadoff.  Dusty thinks Oh-Bee-Pee is that movie theater candy that stick in your teeth, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if Stubbs sits a lot more if he doesn’t start hitting.

Jonny Gomes – Now has a homer in back-to-back games.  Not quite as hot as Jennifer Connelly going back-to-back in Requiem for a Dream, but not bad.

Jonathan Herrera – 2-for-4, now 7 for his last 10 with steals in back-to-back games.  Shouldn’t last but in deep enough leagues, I’d definitely take a look.  (Note: As I wrote that, WordPress told me, “You do not have permission to do that.”  Take that as you want.)

Seth Smith – 3-for-4 with a steal.  Right now, The Lisper’s Nightmare is playing every day vs. righties and hitting .367.

Mike Pelfrey – 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 10 baserunners, 3 Ks.  Probably the last time I’m going to repeat myself on this topic so head’s up to those of youse who weren’t paying attention for the last three months.  Ixnay on the Elfreypay.

Mark Buehrle – 8 IP, 0 ER, 3 baserunners, 1 K.  Isn’t it funny — which naturally means this is completely unfunny — how Buehrle throws a perfect game or near-perfect game a few times a year then is totally mediocre the rest of the year?

Matt Thornton – 1/3 IP with the blown save, but the tying run was unearned, so there’s the junebug on the duck’s back or some other yokelism.  BTW, Juan Pierre has blown the last two Thornton blown saves.  He’s like the anti-DeWayne Wise.

Asdrubal Cabrera – Homer yesterday, now has 4 homers on the year.  A’la Cher from Clueless, “As….DRUBAL!”

Mitch Talbot – 8 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners, 4 Ks.  Talbot has a 1.46 ERA on the year, Indians are 8-2 and a pig just flew by my window.  And the pig was wearing a lovely Hawaiian muumuu from Talbot’s.

Tyler Chatwood – 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 baserunners, 3 Ks.  Did they promote him from an Indiana high school?  (Hey, Hoosiers fans!)  He’s super young/raw/adjective and his last name sounds like a website you don’t want your significant other finding in your browser history.  I wouldn’t touch Chatwood at all this year in non-keepers, until he strings together a few weeks of quality starts.

Starlin Castro – 3-for-5, a steal and hitting .364.  He’s no As…DRUBAL!  But he’s doing his thang.  Or is it thing?

Madison Bumgarner – 5 IP, 5 ER, 12 baserunners, 3 Ks.  It’s time to worry that the extra innings last year are emphasizing the first syllable of his last name.

Pat Burrell – 2-for-2 with his 4th homer.  It’s Pat the Bat and he’s swinging, ladies.

Chone Figgins – It’s one thing when someone like Ryan Howard doesn’t hit their weight, but when it’s someone like Figgins it’s another thing.  Figgins left Monday night’s game early with a thumb bruise – early word is that it’s day-to-day but he probably warrants a stint on the Disgraceful List.

Matt Kemp – 1-for-2, 1 RBI and his 7th steal while batting .441!  New coach Davey Lopes is like the SB whisperer.  BTW, a friend went to Kemp’s party after the Dodgers opening night win at a club here in LA.  Two hours after the win, Kemp was standing on the bar with two champagne bottles flipped over, pouring into his mouth like he was a fountain.  I like it!  He’s playing loose!

Rafael Furcal – Broken thumb and he’s contemplating retirement.  Sounds like his dream of being a movie reviewer isn’t going to happen either.

Jon Rauch – Yesterday, Shawn Camp got to blow the game for the Jays.  Okay, not sure where Rauch was.  A pickup game with Mets pitcher, Chris Young?  Saving a kitten from the top of a skyscraper?  Picking coconuts?

Mat Latos – 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 7 Ks.  Actually, he didn’t look that bad, but I still wouldn’t buy into him because of the excess innings from last year.  Also, I find it weird how I loved him last year and this year I watched him for about two innings and thought he was such a douche.  “Ooh, I’m Mat Latos and I’m yelling for Gomes to run faster on a home run.”  Perhaps if you stop giving them up, it won’t be a problem.  How’s dem apples?  Sour?

Orlando Hudson – 2-for-4, 2 steals.  He stole 4 bases in April of 2009 and only stole 4 more the rest of the year.  Yup.

Corey Patterson – 2-for-5 with a homer as he filled in for Rajai.  Looking for a guy that can give you an 0-for-35?  Look no further!  For a limited time only, Patterson might be a worthwhile fantasy add.

Milton Bradley – 2-for-4 with his first homer.  He’s still batting third and batty, in general.

Lance Berkman – 2-for-5, 3 RBIs and 2 homers.  Welcome to the Cardinals, Guy Who Looks Like He Could Be the Host of Man vs. Food’s Father.

Kyle McClellan – 6 IP, 1 ER, 11 baserunners, 4 Ks.  For my next trick, I will resurrect Steve Howe’s corpse and turn him into a Hall of Famer.  That’s what Dave Duncan said after yesterday’s game.

Manny Ramirez was involved in a trade.  The drug trade!  Many people move to Florida to retire.  Manny just decided to do them in a slightly different order.  Manny said of the sudden retirement, “I’m at ease.  I’m now an officially retired baseball player.  I’ll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man.”  First, he tests positive for estrogen, now he’s going to Spain with what sounds like a sugar daddy.  Manny’s a kept man!  The Rays suddenly have room for Desmond Jennings… Or Matt Joyce… Or Sam Fuld.  We grabbed Desmond Jennings in one league where we had room for a flyer.  Here’s some of what Grey said about Jennings in the preseason, “DJ is currently on the ones and twos for top ranked MLB prospects.  He’s never had an OBP lower than .360 at any stop in the minor leagues, so I don’t think the bottom is going to fall out on that in 2011.  If he’s getting on base, he’ll be stealing bases and scoring runs, whether he’s slotted leadoff or ninth.  Is he much more than SAGNOF?  Yes and no.  He can be more than SAGNOF for 2011, but, worst comes to worst (or wurst comes to wurst, if you’re German), he’s going to steal bases.  There’s the possibility of him getting 5-8 homers and he has the power for 12.  If he reaches the top end of his ceiling, you’re looking at Carl Crawford.  More likely, you’re going to open up this Crackerjack and get half a Carl Crawford.  Say a Carlford.  You ain’t got the Craw yet, kid!”  And that’s us quoting Grey!  In the short term, if the Rays go with Joyce, he has decent pop, but his average will be po’.  Or poor if you’re a completist.  Or poo, if you’re a middlist.  Sam Fuld, who sounds like a cartoon character, can steal 25 bases this year with little power.  Sounds okay, until you break that down to one steal a week and little else.  Anyway, here’s what else we saw this weekend in fantasy baseball:

Jered Weaver - 7 2/3 IP with 1 ER, 8 base runners, and 15 Ks.  That’s a Weaver family record!  Even more impressive is that he did this with Bobby Wilson as the catcher – if Jeff Mathis was the catcher, it would’ve been a no-hitter with 25 Ks.

Josh Beckett - 8 shutout innings with 3 base runners and 10Ks….against the Yankees.  Take that Weaver!  It seems like Beckett owns the Yankees but they crushed him last year to the tune of a 10.04 ERA in 26 IP.  So does this mean 2011 Beckett is back to the dominant SP that you would want to actually own on your team?  Not I.  Or is it not me?  Or not we?

Matt Thornton – After Thornton blew his second save, Ozzie tweeted, “Thornton is throws gas like me after a plate of frijoles.”  On Saturday, Chris Sale grabbed the save.  Here’s the thing, and there’s always a thing, Ozzie has no loyalty to Thornton, but Thornton also is better than he’s shown so far.  Don’t think Thornton gets every save and he may get even less than that if he keeps blowing saves, but right now I’d want him then Sale.

Ryan Franklin – Blew his third save on Saturday.  Motte hasn’t been good.  Mitchell Boggs hasn’t been bad but his best attribute is that he’s got the best law firm-sounding name this side of BenJarvus Green-Ellis.  La Russa will probably stick with Franklin for a few more blow ups, but I’d own Motte and Boggs, in that order.

Jaime Garcia – 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 9 Ks.  Another gem on Saturday in spite of everyone saying a regression was coming this year.  Baseball-Reference’s Database had to talk Fangraphs Database down from the roof of a twelve story building.  “It’s not just your FIP.  It’s everyone’s.”

Carlos Beltran – Hit 2 homers on Saturday.  One for each knee he has problems with.

Chris Narveson – 7 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners, 9 Ks.  Now has 13 straight scoreless innings.  Someone go grab Orel Hershiser off the beach in Jamaica!  Not because Narveson is going to break his scoreless inning streak, but Orel’s really pale, you don’t want him to burn.  Grab Narveson in every single league you have room, you never know where a crazy breakout is going to come from.

Justin Masterson – 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 5 baserunners, 9 Ks and now has only given up 2 earned in two starts.  Could I have been a year early when I told you to grab Masterson last year?  It’s possible.  Sometimes when I pop out of my DeLorean, I have no idea what year it is.  It’s worth a flyer to see if Masterson can continue his early success, but I have less faith in him, the Indians and AL pitcher flyers, in general.

Russell Martin – Hit two four-baggers on Saturday.  Speaking of a four-bagger, for those who read my e-book, my friend from college, Dirty, was visiting me this week.  So we’re headed to this bar on Friday and he starts telling me about this girl he hooked up with on Tuesday night.  He’s like, “I was hooking up with her and then she starts making out with this girl… Then me… Then this girl….It was so hot!”  Now, my one experience with the bar he was at was seeing a friend’s band perform and there were a lot of lesbians there, so his story sounded plausible.  So I tell him to invite his bisexual girl to the bar we’re going to.  He does, but she has no car or cash.  He’s like, “I’ll pay the forty dollar cab ride for you!”  He’s giddy with excitement.  I’m giddy just to meet her.  He’s built this girl up to the point where I’m expecting Vanessa Hudgens taking pictures of herself.  She texts him from the cab outside, “Come pay for the taxi, I’m here.”  So he walks out while I stay inside the bar.  Fifteen minutes later, he walks in with his tail between his legs and a girl that can be best described as Rosie O’Donnell from the days of Exit to Eden.  She was wearing a denim jacket, a silver chain hanging from her jeans’ pocket and had a shaved faux hawk.  She wasn’t bi-curious, she was a lesbian.  Yeah, he still went home with her.

J.J. Hardy – Sidelined for six weeks with an oblique injury.  I see your appendix and intercostal and raise you an oblique!

Zach Britton – 7 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 7 baserunners, 2 Ks.  Another solid start on Saturday.  Because he induces groundballs, his downside isn’t as bad as some other rookie pitchers.  He also doesn’t K a lot of people.  I’d prefer my SP flyer from the NL, but you do what you do, I do what I do and we’ll meet somewhere in the middle like Monie and Malcolm.

Hanley Ramirez – With a deep contusion on his leg, he’s out until Tuesday.  A deep contusion for Hanley is also known as a charley horse.

Ryan Zimmerman – Abdominal strain has knocked him out for a few days.  Zimm loves himself some day-to-day injuries, huh?

Brett Cecil – 5 IP, 5 ER on Saturday.  Hey, you took the flyer, gave him a chance, he touched your naughty bits and left you high and dry.  I’d start to look elsewhere.

Bud Norris – See 1/8th of an inch above…i.e., grab Narveson.

Andres Torres – Strained Achilles – consider him out until Friday.  Now if he has a doctor that stutters, no one will know when he says, “Heal heel!  Heal heel!”  The big problem with Torres coming into this year and his career is he had a hard time staying healthy.  Achilles injuries can linger, says the guy without the medical degree.

Ryan Doumit – Hurdle said he won’t play Doumit in right field or at first when Snyder returns.  I did enjoy Clint Hurdle’s quote about it, “It wouldn’t be fair to Ryan.”  He’s making it sound like he’s doing Doumit a favor by benching him.  This is like when you do the ol’ “It’s not you, it’s me” breakup.

Dan Haren – Got the relief win on Saturday.  In the dugout, the Sciosciapath was seen reading Dusty Baker’s book on managing pitchers, “They Weren’t a High Pressure One Hundred and Eighty Pitches.”

Jose Tabata – Knock Knock.  Who’s there?  Tabata.  Tabata who?  Tabata the Rockies are leaving town because Jose hit 2 HRs and stole 3 SBs in 4 games against them.  It’s been only 10 games but Tabata is showing signs of improvement vs. his rookie year.  He’s walking more than twice as much as last year, flashing more power (only had 4 HR in 400+ AB last  year), and is stealing more (5 for 6 vs last year’s 19 for 26).  While it’s highly doubful he’ll keep up this Bondsian/Eric Davisian pace (32 HR / 80 SBs), a 15/40 season isn’t out of the question.

Rajai Davis – For the love of Rajai!  Davis re-irritated his right ankle on Sunday.  Don’t they have band aids in Toronto?  Damn socialized medicine.  He will likely miss a couple games, just in time for Corey Patterson to appear off the DL, look great for a week or two, and then morph back into Corey Patterson.  This has the potential for the best SAGNOF fight with only CarGo Lite and Nyjer standing in its way.  And if Podsednik ever gets his act together, he can team up with Mike McCoy and the Jays can have a SAGNOF tag team event.

Stephen Drew – 4-for-4 with 3 RBI.  Looks like he’s holding Bloomquist in contempt.

Matt Kemp – That was 5 SBs for Kemp in the 3 game series at San Diego.  Maybe he just visualizes Chris ‘Tall’ Young on the mound.

Fernando Rodney – Just when you think that Scioscia has no respect for Rodney as a closer, he gives him another chance.  Even crazier, he throws a 1-2-3 inning.  Maybe it’s because Walden pitched on Saturday but Rodney had pitched on Friday and Saturday.  Go figure.  I still think Walden will get more saves this year but you’ve got to hold onto Rodney for now.  Sorry in advance.

Yovani Gallardo - 4 ER and 11 base runners in 5 IP.  And only 2 Ks – which makes it 8 Ks in three starts (20 IP).  That’s Buehrlesque.  That’s not good at all for someone who’s averaged over a K an inning for his career.  Maybe he’s saving them up to impress Zack.

Metco – The Mets and Nationals hitters somehow made the quartet of Capuano (8 Ks), Gorzelanny (8 Ks), Marquis (9 Ks), and Chris ‘Tall’ Young (7 IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks) look like great pitchers.  If there’s anything to learn from this, it’s not to pick these guys up.  It’s to stream starters who face these two teams.

Jonny Gomes – Slam and legs!

Brandon Belt – Another 0-fer.  That’s 3 for 24 since the big HR in his 2nd game. We had a guy in one of our leagues spend his whole $100 waiver budget on Belt.  Ouch.  Obviously, Belt is better than this but it’s always a crapshoot with rookie hitters.  If you can bench him until he snaps out of this funk or gets demoted, do it.

Eric Bedard - That’s two bad starts in a row for Bedard.  The odds are low that he’ll pitch so poorly the rest of the year.  But that’s because there’s a 90% chance he gets injured and can’t pitch at all.

Jake Westbrook had everything going against him.  No schools in his area had an athletic program.  His mother was strung out on drugs.  His father was absent from his life.  Then he met Sandra Bullock.  Wait, those aren’t my notes, that’s the back cover of The Blind Side DVD.  Yesterday, Westbrook threw 8 IP, 0 ER, 9 baserunners, 3 Ks.  Okay, in the broader sense, Westbrook is the dog’s breakfast, but you mix that with one certain pitching coach and, well… For his next trick, Dave Duncan will turn a cucumber into a pickle…mobile!  I don’t think it lasts for Westbrook, but he gets the Pirates next.  It’s September, you shouldn’t need more.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Tim Stauffer – 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 baserunners, 2 Ks.  You don’t get them wet, you don’t expose them to light, you don’t feed them after midnight and you never start a hodgepadre away from Petco.

Aaron Cunningham – 1-for-4 as he continues to hit leadoff for the Padres.  He’s also batting .400 over the last week.  I’m not picking him up yet, but I’m watching Mr. C.

Edinson Volquez – 6 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 8 baserunners, 7 Ks.  After the game, when asked about his playoff rotation, Dusty said, “(Edinson’s) throwing it as well as anybody we have right now.  I’d like to throw him for another 250 innings, but time does not permit unless we can get ourselves into an extra inning game that goes 200 innings.  Are you finished so I can put my toothpick back in my mouth?  I’m wasting artificial mint flavor.”

Jonny Gomes – 2-for-4 and now 4 for his last 8… Okay, like I tell my girlfriend, beware the small sample size.  But it’s the final weeks of the season.  Play the hot hands!

Drew Stubbs – 1-for-4 with his 25th steal.  He’ll be in this afternoon’s Buy/Sell.  I have a feeling which way Late Afternoon Grey is leaning.

Delmon Young – 3-for-5 with his 2nd homer in three games.  I think this season is Delmon Young’s amuse bouche.  Next year, we’re going to get the meal.

Alexei Ramirez – 2-for-4 with a homer and two steals for the slam and double side of legs.  If he could only get his act together in April… If it’s the cold weather, maybe we have him sleep in an incubator for a month.

Angel Pagan – 3-for-5, 2 RBIs and his 34th steal.  I wanna get excited about him for next year, but you know there’s a 60% chance he’s going to get injured and miss three-quarters of the season just because he’s on the Mets.

Hideki Matsui – 2-for-5 and his 20th homer.  Okay, this is my third time this week talking about him.  He’s obviously hot.  Say Hideki, bye other 5th outfielder.

Rodrigo Lopez – 7 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 4 Ks.  If there were more games yesterday, I wouldn’t even bother mentioning Rodrigo.  In fact–

Fausto Carmona – 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 8 Ks.  He gets the Twins and Royals next and he hasn’t been terrific against either this year, but he has been incredible in September.  I can only walk you to the table, you have to decide if you want to roll the dice.

Michael Brantley – 1-for-4 with a steal.  Stop me if you’ve heard this before.  Too late, I already started.  Brantley’s hit in every game since the beginning of August, except for 4 (stutterer!).

Ted Lilly – 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER.  Frank McCourt said Jamie could have him.

Jonathan Sanchez – 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 baserunners, 12 Ks.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love Filthy Sanchez? 3.21 ERA on the year, 188 Ks in only 176 2/3 IP and a 1.23 WHIP.  He’s the poster boy for why you should just start your pitchers every single time out.

Nyjer Morgan – Will begin serving his 8-game suspension on Friday.  On his time off, he’s going to start filming the Ice Cube-directed comedy “I’m Smoking A J Up In The Middle Of My Name” with Elijah Dukes.