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| Mike Pelfrey allowed a run and six hits in seven innings in his first career appearance against St. Louis, winning his fourth in a row on the road in the blowout 11-1 victory over St Louis on Thursday night. |
Our View: The Mets have won six of his last seven starts and given him sick run support in the process. Pelfrey even contributed at the plate. The starter had been 2-for-57 (.035) for his career before his RBI single in the third.
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| Carlos Delgado hit a two-run home run and recorded three RBI as the Mets offense seems to have found itself. New York pounded rookie right-hander Mitchell Boggs, rebounding from a disappointing one-run loss on Wednesday night, to earn a split in the four-game series. |
Our View: Delgado's home run was his 15th of the season and the three RBI raises his total to 49 in 83 games played.
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| Huston Street allowed one hit, but struck out three, recording his 16th save of the season as the A's defeated the White Sox 3-2 on Thursday night. |
Our View: Street dropped his ERA below four runs (3.89) for the first time since April and now has 41 strike outs in 36 innings of work.
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| Javier Vazquez suffered his seventh loss of the season despite pitching his first complete game. The White Sox right-hander allowed three runs on four hits, walked one and struck out 10 in the loss. |
Our View: The complete game was his first in nearly a year and it was arguably one of Vazquez's best efforts of the season. Not only did he strike out 10, he retired the first 11 batters he faced.
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| Alfonso Soriano, sidelined with a broken hand, was re-examined in Chicago on Thursday and is set to rejoin the team Friday in St. Louis, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
Our View: The Cubs outfielder could return after the All Star break, June 18th, at Houston.
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| Omar Vizquel ended his 0-for-18 hitless streak with a seventh inning infield single. Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the team website on Thursday that he has noticed positive signs in Vizquel's swing in the last three games. The veteran shortstop raised his .148 average to .159 with his 2-for-4 performance. |
Our View: Vizquel's two hits gave him his first multihit game since May 21 and first RBI since a squeeze bunt on June 24.
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| Aramis Ramirez rejoined the Cubs starting lineup on Thursday night after attending to a family matter for the last three games. The Cubs third baseman went 0-for-4 in his return. |
Our View: The veteran is hitting .285 with 55 RBI, 54 runs and 14 home runs on the season.
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| Cristian Guzman went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games in the 5-3 Thursday loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Guzman is hitting .317 in 366 at-bats this season. |
Our View: This is the second double-digit hitting streak that Guzman has recorded this year. He had a 12 game streak from June 7-19.
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| Johnny Cueto, who retired the first 13 batters he faced before allowing an infield single to the Nationals' Christian Guzman, exited the 5-3 win after seven strong innings. The Cincinnati right-hander earned his seventh win of the season. |
Our View: The Reds' rookie allowed three runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out eight in the quality start.
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| John Lannan allowed three runs on five hits, walked three and struck out three over six innings in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Reds. Lannan wasn't involved in the decision after exiting with the game tied 3-3. |
Our View: The rookie left-hander has had an up and down season. His 4-9 record isn't an indicator of how well he has pitched at times. His 3.54 ERA and 1.31 WHIP are.
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| Francisco Cordero pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 16th save in 19 opportunities helping the Reds to a 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. |
Our View: The save was the closers first since June 25.
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| Austin Kearns returned from the disabled list on Thursday, started in right field, and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 5-3 loss to the Reds. |
Our View: With Kearns being activated from the DL, Wily Mo Pena returned to the bench with Roger Bernadina starting in center and Elijah Dukes in left.
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| Jeff Keppinger has struggled since returning from the disabled list due to a broken knee cap. The Reds third baseman went 0-for-3 in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Nationals. |
Our View: Keppinger extended his season-high streak of consecutive hitless at-bats to 13 in the 0-for-3 performance.
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| Brandon Phillips went 3-for-4 with three RBI and the Cincinnati Reds rallied for a 5-3 win over the Nationals on Thursday night. |
Our View: Phillips now has 54 RBI, 50 runs scored, 16 stolen bases and 14 home runs on the season.
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| Rich Aurilia hit a pinch hit three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Giants salvaged a four-game split with an 8-3 win over the Cubs on Thursday night. |
Our View: It was the veteran infielders seventh home run of the season, and his third career pinch-hit homer.
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| Tim Lincecum increased his National League-leading strikeout total to 122 with eight strikeout over six innings in an 8-3 win over the Cubs on Thursday night.
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Our View: Lincecum allowed three runs on seven hits and walked one in his 10th victory of the season.
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| Tom Gordon earned a one out save in the Phillies 4-1 win over Atlanta on Thursday night. The save is the veteran right-handers second of the season. |
Our View: Gordon came in for the final out of Cole Hamels' near complete game, and did so because closer Brad Lidge had pitched the last three games. Lidge's Thursday night appearance saw him throw 28 pitches making him unavailable for tonight's game.
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| Jeff Francoeur, who is rumored to be on his way to Triple-A to work on his swing, went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Phillies furthering his chances of a demotion. |
Our View: The Braves outfielder is hitting .234 with 41 RBI, 40 runs scored with eight home runs on the season. Fancoeur's June numbers were ugly (.200/.263/.300).
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| Jair Jurrjens didn't throw a quality start but allowing four runs on eight hits in seven innings of work against the hard-hitting Phillies lineup is nothing to be ashamed of. |
Our View: The rookie walked one and struck out six in his fourth loss of the season.
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| Ryan Howard hit a solo home run helping the Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Atlanta Braves by the score of 4-1 on Thursday night. |
Our View: The home run was the big first baseman's 22nd of the season. Howard went 1-for-4 in the game, a percentage that unfortunately raises his average. Howard came into Thursday's game hitting .219 and exited with a .220 average, this in 324 at-bats.
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| Chase Utley hit his league leading 24th home run and the Phillies scored a 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night. |
Our View: Utley, who has recently shown signs of breaking out of a 40 at-bat funk, is hitting an even .300 on the season.
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| Cole Hamels was one out short of a complete game victory as the Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Thursday night. Hamels allowed one run on five hits, walked two and struck out seven. |
Our View: Hamels earned his ninth win of the season and lowered his 3.38 ERA to 3.22 in the wining effort.
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| After announcing that Emmanuel Burriss would receive more playing time at shortstop, Giants manager Bruce Bochey started Omar Vizquel for the third straight game on Thursday night, this according to the official Omar Vizquel. "You can see it's close," Bochy said. "We need him. We need his presence, his defense and his offense."
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Our View: The report notes that Bochy wasn't trying to mislead with his conviction, but rather he has noticed positive signs in Vizquel's swing in the last three games. The veteran shortstop is hitting .148 in 128 at-bats.
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| Giants manager Bruce Bochy said that right-hander Merkin Valdez will begin throwing off the mound on Friday, this according to the team website. Valdez, who strained his throwing elbow, will report to the Giants' training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. |
Our View: Valdez was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 17 appearances before being disabled.
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| Dan Ortmeier, who is recovering from a fractured finger, is expected to begin his rehab on Sunday with either Triple-A Fresno or Single-A San Jose, this according to MLB.com.
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Our View: Ortmeier batted .219 in 38 games before being placed on the disable list on May 29.
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| Dave Roberts is expected to begin a Minor League injury rehabilitation assignment Monday, this according to the team website. Roberts will begin his work with the Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Fresno. Roberts was batting .118 (2-for-17) before being sidelined.
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Our View: Roberts is slowly working his way back from left knee surgery he underwent on April 12. Upon Roberts return he is not expected to unseat his replacement, Fred Lewis.
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| Clint Barmes (knee), who didn't play the past three games, is back in the starting lineup on Thursday night as Colorado hosts the Florida Marlins. |
Our View: Barmes is hitting second, the first time since coming off the disabled list on June 23.
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| Jeff Baker is starting at first base on Thursday night for the injured Todd Helton (back). The start marks the fifth this season at first for Baker. |
Our View: The fifth start is significant. Many fantasy formats only require five starts in a season to qualify a player at a position.
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| Todd Helton, who left Wednesday's game in the eighth inning with a sore back, is out of Thursday's lineup for the Rockies, this according to the Rocky Mountain News.
Manager Clint Hurdle said, "As we move forward, I just think there's going to be days we take more liberally, and he's good with it. But this is something we need to calm down."
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Our View: Helton has slumped recently (14-for-77)dropping his average from .295 on June 6 to .266.
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| After seemingly recovering from a rough patch of starts by defeating the Florida Marlins last Saturday, Brandon Webb struggled through six innings on Thursday afternoon. The right-hander allowed five runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out six. |
Our View: Because of the miracle at Chase Field, that saw the D'backs score six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Webb didn't factor into the decision. He pitched poorly enough to deserve the loss, and at one point looked completely disinterested in pitching.
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| J.J. Hardy extended his hitting streak to a team-high 15 consecutive games, but it failed to help a Brewers' team that gave up a five-run ninth inning lead to the Diamondbacks eventually losing 6-5 on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Hardy was brilliant in the four-game set. The shortstop went 11-for-18 with three home runs and six RBI.
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| Three Brewers pitchers failed to record an out as seven consecutive Diamondbacks reached base in the ninth, the most responsible for the Milwaukee collapse was Guillermo Mota. Salomon Torres (4-2) suffered the loss allowing Conner Jackson to hit a ground ball up the middle, through a drawn-in infield, and the Diamondbacks kept their small lead in the NL West and returned to the .500 mark (43-43). |
Our View: Mota didn't have anything. He allowed two hits and a walk before departing the game shaking his head. The right-hander hasn't been very good the entire season. His 4.22 ERA coming into Thursday's game included 16 walks in only 32 innings of work.
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| Conor Jackson recorded the game-winning two-run single as the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied from a five-run, ninth-inning deficit to shock the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 on Thursday afternoon.
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Our View: Jackson and the Diamondbacks left runners on base all afternoon, but in the end the Arizona left fielder went 2-for-5 with two huge RBI.
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| Manny Parra was robbed of his ninth victory on Thursday afternoon. The rookie left-hander allowed three hits, walked three and struck out four in six scoreless innings. Unfortunately the Brewers bullpen turned a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth into a 6-5 loss, and did it without recording an out. |
Our View: Parra is now a fixture in mixed formats, and officially the Brewers No. 2 starter behind Ben Sheets. All of the pre-season hype on the Milwaukee southpaw has come to fruition.
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| The Philadelphia Phillies will recall J.A Happ on Friday, this according to The News Tribune. Happ will start Friday against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park in place of the demoted Brett Myers. |
Our View: Myers was sent down to triple-A Lehigh Valley after recent struggles. Happ was ultimately the choice over bullpen fodder Chad Durbin.
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| Takashi Saito gave up two ninth inning hits but recorded the third out without surrendering a run and recorded his 14th save of the season. |
Our View: The Dodgers haven't given Saito nearly as many opportunities to this point as they did a year ago. The LA closer remains a top-tiered fantasy option.
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| Andre Ethier hit his second home run in as many games helping the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Ethier now has nine home runs in 269 at-bats this season, a pace that is close to what was expected of the young outfielder.
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| Chad Billingsley pitched eight strong innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored a 5-2 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday.
Billingsley allowed six hits, walked one and struck out five in his fourth straight win. |
Our View: Billingsley didn't allow a baserunner through the first three innings and lowered his 3.38 ERA to 3.12 in the effort.
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| KyPost.com reports that the Reds claimed Andy Phillips off waivers from the Mets on Thursday. The report notes that the infielder is expected to arrive in time for tonight’s 7:10 p.m. game vs the Nationals…
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Our View: This is the second time Phillips has spent time with the Reds this season.
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| Austin Kearns was activated from the disabled list on Thursday, this according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The injury to Lastings Milledge will place Kearns in right field and Elijah Dukes in left with Roger Bernadina and Willie Harris platooning in center. |
Our View: It also means that Wily Mo Pena's chance to receive more at-bats is squashed.
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| The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the team has optioned Daryl Thompson back to Triple-A Louisville to make room on the 25-man roster for Andy Phillips. |
Our View: The report noted that even though Thompson's next start falls on Monday's off day, and the team could give him a start on the farm, Thompson isn't expected to return anytime soon. Josh Fogg could fill the No. 5 slot in the rotation, but nothing official has been announced.
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| Jeff Kent left today's game against the Astros with back stiffness, according to Dodgers.com. The site reported that Kent did not appear to be in great discomfort as he was leaving the game. |
Our View: Angel Berroa came in at shortstop and Luis Maza moved to second base. There is no word on how long Kent may be out.
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| Chris Duffy was taken off the 60-day DL and optioned to Double-A Altoona, according to TSN.com. |
Our View: Duffy hasn't played since August of last year, and the team likely wants to give him time to get his swing back before thinking about calling him up to the big leagues.
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| The Pirates will activate Phil Dumatrait from the DL on Monday in order to start against the Houston Astros, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. |
Our View: Dumatrait has started 10 games this season, and has a 3-4 record with a 4.66 ERA. He should only be considered in the deepest of NL-only leagues.
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| Ian Snell will be removed from the DL on Tuesday and make the start against the Houston Astros, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. |
Our View: Snell is not having a good year after showing so much promise last season. He should not be on fantasy rosters at this point, and until he can lower that 5.99 ERA and 1.93 WHIP, he shouldn't even be considered.
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| Lance Berkman will be a participant in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game in New York, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: Home run derbies mean little to those who have Berkman on their fantasy team. They are just praying he doesn't injure himself trying to knock the ball out of the park.
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| Chris Aguila has been called up by the New York Mets, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: Aguila will be a backup and will likely not offer fantasy owners much.
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| Luis Castillo will head to the disabled list with a strained left hip flexor, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: Castillo isn't offering the Mets or fantasy owners much value at the moment. Damion Easley has been playing second base the last two days while Castillo was out.
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| Jeff Samardzija has been throwing well at Triple-A Iowa, and could be in line for a spot in the Cubs bullpen later in the season, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Samardzija is a power arm who would make fantasy owners take notice because of his potential to strike batters out. He has struck out nine batters in 12 innings in Triple-A, but he has also walked eight batters. Should he ever be able to harness his control, he could make an impact.
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| Brad Penny will not take the mound on Sturday for the Dodgers, reports the L.A. Daily News. He experienced "command issues" and won't likely be activated until Wednesday or Thursday of next week. |
Our View: Penny continues to frustrate fantasy owners who have stuck by him through a mostly disastrous season. It's difficult to envision Penny finishing the year strong.
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| In wake of Rafael Furcal's announcement of back surgery, Nomar Garciaparra is rushing back from rehab and will join the team on Friday, according to the L.A. Daily News. |
Our View: Pretty gutsy. I mean, his left calf was strained just two moths ago. Could he possibly have recovered this fast? Still, Nomar might see some regular playing time. Rookie Blake DeWitt saw his average drop nearly 40 points in June. The combo of Angel Berroa and Luis Maza isn't exactly sparking fear in many opponents either.
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| According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Andruw Jones will return two weeks early from a bum right knee and join the Dodgers on Friday. |
Our View: This seems rather peculiar, but the Dodgers have had trouble scoring runs. Will Jones help? Our guess is no. Jones' production has been almost irrelevant over the past two seasons.
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| Mitchell Boggs will start at home on Thursday night. His only other start at home was his worst. He surrendered four earned runs in 4.1 innings to the Phillies. On the road, he is 3-0 with a 3.44 ERA. |
Our View: Obviously, one start is a small sample size, but the numbers home and away are quite different.
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| Aaron Miles has stretched his hit streak to 14 games. He entered Wednesday's game hitting .421 over his previous 13 games and is hitting .396 out of the two-hole this season. |
Our View: Miles is making a strong case to become an everyday player. It will be interesting to see what Tony La Russa will do once Cesar Izturis returns from the DL. Brendan Ryan and Adam Kennedy make four middle infielders on the roster.
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| Cole Hamels will try to continue in July what he accomplished in June. He went at least seven innings in all five starts for the month, going 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA and striking out 34 while walking just eight. |
Our View: Hamels goes against the Braves in Atlanta tonight. On the road this season he is 3-1 with a 4.21 ERA, but has held opponents to a .224 batting average. Hamels is one of the best in the National League, and should be in fantasy lineups tonight.
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| Could Thursday be the night John Lannan earns a W? Lannan is 0-5 in his seven starts despite posting a 3.73 ERA in the span. He faces a Cincinnati team to which he has never lost. |
Our View: Lannan is 4-9 with a 3.54 ERA on the year. He could be a very good fantasy pitcher on a team that could score runs for him.
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| Prince Fielder is just 2-for-31 in his last nine games. |
Our View: He may not bust out very soon. July was his worst month in 2007 when he hit just three home runs and produced only 10 RBI.
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| MLB.com reports that the Braves are contemplating whether or not to send Jeff Francoeur to the minors to work on his offense. |
Our View: Francoeur has struggled all season but hit a new low in June posting averages of .200/.263/.300. Matt Diaz could return from the DL soon, which would make this move easier on the Braves.
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| The Washington Times reports that Matt Chico will undergo reconstructive "Tommy John" surgery. |
Our View: He will miss the rest of the season, which may be good news for the Nats. Chico was 0-6 with a 6.19 ERA this year.
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| Mark Mulder was not nearly as sharp in his second appearance of the season. Brought into a tight game with runners on, Mulder's only out came on a sacrafice fly. He accounted for two hits and two earned runs. |
Our View: Coming out of the bullpen will take some getting used to for Mulder. He wants to start. His breaking ball had an impressive break, but the control was not there. Hopefully, the Cardinals gritty clubhouse and desire to win will rub off on him.
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| The Blue Jays are not satisfied with the play of shortstop David Eckstein, and are actively searching for a shortstop in the trade market, according to the Toronto Sun. |
Our View: Eckstein just does not bring much to the table in terms of fantasy value. In deep AL-only leagues, he may be someone to think about, but in mixed leagues, there are better options to have on your team.
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| Troy Glaus went yard twice on Wednesday, including once to win the game in the ninth. The Cardinals slugger has 11 home runs in his last 107 at-bats. |
Our View: Glaus had just two home runs before May 31 and had many skeptics referencing his name in the Mitchell Report as the reason for his lack of power. Glaus had another explanation right before he went on this tear: when the weather heats up he heats up. What's nearly as impressive is that he has 47 walks compared to just 50 strikeouts. This ratio is by far the best of his career.
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| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Matt Diaz could return before the All-Star break from a partially torn MCL. days, including sprints, quick cuts, and hitting. "I feel like I'm 100 percent [recovered]. I'm ready to get back out there. It's been tough not being able to help out."
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Our View: Diaz was a platoon player before the injury and things won't change much once he returns. However, Jeff Francouer, another right-handed hitting outfielder, has been terrible for most of the season and Diaz may get the chance to take his everyday job.
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| Taylor Tankersley was called back up on Wednesday after compiling a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings in the minors. |
Our View: Tankersley was awful at the start of the season but had a combined 3.46 ERA in 116 appearances over 2006 and 2007. The Marlins need another lefty in their bullpen and are no doubt hoping that Tankersley has returned to form.
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| The Houston Chronicle reports that J.R. Towles appears to be in line to receive a lot of action. "He'll probably just take Q's load, which is four out of five (starters)," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said of Towles.
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Our View: This is a great opportunity for Towles to show the team he has made progress with his offense. With quality at-bats, he could keep Quintero Humberto off of the major league roster once he recovers.
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| The Houston Chronicle reports that Roy Oswalt will push his Saturday start back a day or two while recovering from a hip abductor strain. |
Our View: Oswalt doesn't "think it's a DL thing," and we don't either. The Astros ace had a 2.97 ERA in June after carrying an ERA over 5.00 for most of the year.
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| Felix Pie has returned to Triple-A Iowa after rehabbing his injured hand, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 2-for-4 with a home run, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored in his first game back. |
Our View: With Soriano still recovering from a broken hand, it is not unfathomable for Pie to get called up soon, especially if he stays hot.
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| Kosuke Fukudome is just 4-for-20 since injuring his left calf last week. His OBP is just .304 in that stretch. |
Our View: With Reed Johnson's return from the DL, Piniella figures to rest Fukudome for a day or two.
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| The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Carlos Zambrano is scheduled to fly to St. Louis today ahead of the team to prepare to pitch the opener of a key three-game series against the Cardinals this weekend. A sore right shoulder landed him on the DL back on June 21 but he is now ready to come off of it just in time to face his rivals.
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Our View: This seems all too pre-meditated by the Cubs who have rested their ace for two weeks prior to a pivotal series in St. Louis. Zambrano is 5-1 with a 0.70 ERA for his career in St. Louis.
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| The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Reed Johnson appears to have recovered from back spasms and is due to come off the DL on Wednesday. |
Our View: Johnson will likely see playing time immediately while spelling Jim Edmonds in center field. Edmonds remains relatively hot, but is no doubt feeling the aches of playing in 11 straight games.
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