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| Luis Mendoza hopes to fair better tomorrow than his last start when he gave up six runs, but only one of which was earned. He'll face the Los Angeles Angels and Ervin Santana at home. |
Our View: Mendoza has a 1.50 ERA in six innings at home this season.
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| Bobby Jenks may be headed to the 15-day disabled list with a sore back. He threw long toss on Sunday but has yet to throw a side session since reporting the pain a week ago. |
Our View: The White Sox will be very careful with Jenks' return. Their bullpen is solid and they may try to play until the All-Star break without their closer.
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| Miguel Batista is expected to start in place of Erik Bedard on Wednesday. |
Our View: Bedard is day-to-day with a sore shoulder. Batista has started 14 games this season but has been mostly unsuccessful. He will be looking for redemption in this start that summons him from the bullpen.
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| Ryan Sweeney was held out of the lineup on Sunday with a swollen ankle. |
Our View: This is truly unfortunate timing for Sweeney. He had multi-hit games in four of his last five games. He is day-to-day.
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| Carlos Gonzalez missed his second straight game with a tight hamstring on Sunday. |
Our View: He is day-to-day at this point but we have seen a lot of players hit the disabled lists with strained hamstrings lately.
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| Mariano Rivera pitched two innings of one-hit ball to earn his third win of the season. He threw just 16 pitches, 13 for strikes, to get six Boston batters out. |
Our View: The Sandman still has it a night after nearly blowing a save against his rivals.
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| The AP reports that top-prospect Matt LaPorta was sent to the Cleveland Indians, along with other prospects, for Cleveland ace, C.C. Sabathia. |
Our View: LaPorta was hitting .288 with 20 home runs and 66 RBI in 84 games at Double-A Huntsville.
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| Robinson Cano scored the game-winning run against the Red Sox on Sunday. He was 2-for-4 with a two run triple. |
Our View: Cano has raised his average 25 points since June 24th. He is 19-for-48 (.396) since that date. Expect a big second half from Cano. He hit .306 and .342 in the previous two seasons.
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| Brett Gardner hit a 10th-inning RBI single off Jonathan Papelbon, to help the Yankees beat the Red Sox on Sunday. He finished the night 2-for-5 with a run, RBI, and stolen base. |
Our View: Gardner looks like he'll be an exceptional source of stolen bases but his batting average and on-base percentages are a concern at this point. He may be worth a flier if you got a roster spot to waste. In keeper leagues, he is far more valuable.
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| Joba Chamberlain allowed three runs in six innings against the Red Sox on Sunday against the Red Sox. He gave up four hits, walked four, hit a batter and struck out five. |
Our View: It wasn't his best start, but it is becoming more apparent that he can certainly handle his new role. It did take him 101 pitches to get 18 outs.
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| Mark Teixeira drove in the game winning run in the top of the 17th off of Astros reliever Tim Byrdak. He was 3-for-7 on the night and collected three RBI to give him a total of 66 on the season. |
Our View: The Braves have struggled at the plate lately, but Teixeira has been pretty consistant. If the rest of the team can get healthy and hot, his value will increase. He remains a possible trade piece, due to his pending free agency.
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| Ryan Rowland-Smith allowed just one run in five innings of work against the Tigers on Sunday. He had runners on most of the night, though, giving up five hits and walking three. |
Our View: The five innings and 87 pitches thrown were both career highs. The Mariners want to turn him into a rotation guy but seem determined not to risk his arm deep into games.
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| Marcus Thames hit a game winning sacrafice fly in the 15th inning of Sunday's 2-1 victory. |
Our View: What should have been a memorable night for Thames was very forgettable. He went 0-for-6 with three whiffs.
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| Ivan Rodriguez continues to up his batting average. On Sunday, he went 4-for-7 bringing it to a season high .290. |
Our View: Pudge is hitting .304 at home and continues to hit his best the day after not starting. His three HRs, 28 RBI, and 28 runs are a bit disappointing, but he is still a decent fantasy commodity.
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| Nate Robertson threw nine innings but did not figure in the decision against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. He allowed just one run while scattering four hits and walking two batters. |
Our View: This was good news for Robertson who had given up a total of 22 hits in his previous two appearances. Assuming the Tigers' bats heat up in the second half, this performance shows that Robertson could be a quality source of wins.
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| Carl Crawford went 2-for-3 on Sunday against the Royals and is now hitting 10-for-17 in July. He added an RBI and scored two runs, giving him 61 on the year. |
Our View: Crawford is heating up and may have a big second half ahead. If you don't already have him, you still may be able to snag him for below value.
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| The Miami Herald reports that Alex Rodriguez's wife, Cynthia, will file for divorce on Monday. |
Our View: This almost certainly has to do with his recent linking to Madonna. It will be interesting to see if the off-the-field drama will affect his numbers in the second half. His immediate response was taking Tim Wakefield deep in the second inning for his 18th home run and 50th RBI of the season.
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| Adam Jones went 3-for-5 with an RBI on Sunday. |
Our View: He is hitting .450 in his last 10 games. He is getting more comfortable at the plate and could be valuable in the second half, especially if he can increase his stolen base production which stands at seven.
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| Kevin Millar went 4-for-4, including a solo home run, in Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Rangers. |
Our View: The home run was his 12th this season. Millar can be very streaky and this could be the start of something larger.
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| Ian Kinsler got three singles to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. He also picked up a walk and scored two runs. |
Our View: Kinsler has certainly earned his All-Star nomination with averages of .332/.391/.545.
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| MLB.com reports that the Angels expect to place Mike Napoli on the 15-day disabled list after an MRI on Monday. |
Our View: Napoli reports that "something doesn't feel right". Catcher Ryan Bubddle will be called up Triple-A but Jeff Mathis figures to pick up the bulk of the available starts.
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| Justin Christian was called back up from Triple-A in wake of Johnny Damon landing on the DL with a bum shoulder. |
Our View: Christian played six days with the Yanks last week and hit just 3-for-15. He probably will provide little more than depth during his second stint in the pros.
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| Carlos Pena stayed hot by going 3-for-5 on Sunday against the Royals. He picked up two runs and two RBI in the process. |
Our View: Pena has 10 RBI in the nine games since his return from the DL. Pena had gotten off to a relatively disappoing start but seems to be picking it up. If he continues to make contact, he will pile up RBI in the middle of Tampa Bay's speedy lineup.
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| Brett Gardner, hitting just 1-for-16 since his call-up last week, figures to start over the next two weeks after Johnny Damon was placed on the DL Sunday. |
Our View: Gardner has not hit well thus far, but if he can get on base, he offers value to fantasy teams. Despite just one hit, he has scored three times, stole two bases and managed a pait of RBI.
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| Johnny Damon could not avoid the 15-day DL after injuring his left shoulder in a collision with the wall. It is his first trip to the DL of his entire career. |
Our View: Damon had been enjoying an incredible season and hopefully he will return after 15 days. GM Brian Cashman gave that a 50-50 chance. Recent call-up Brett Gardner will start in his place.
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| Cliff Lee picked up his first loss since May 18 when he swuared off against the red-hot Twins on Sunday. He lasted seven innings and struck out six while giving up four earned runs on six hits and a pair of walks. |
Our View: This is a bump in the road for Lee, who only gave up seven earned runs in his previous 30 innings. It will be interesting to see if he can possibly keep the momentum from a dominant first half after the All-Star break.
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| Jeff Mathis went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Sunday's victory over the Blue Jays. |
Our View: Mathis entered the game in a 1-for-20 slump. With Mike Napoli lurking on the roster, he does not figure to be a relevant contributor in fantasy. If one of the two were to go down, the healthy catcher may be worth considering.
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| Jon Garland threw a complete game against the Blue Jays on Sunday. He gave up just one run, a solo shot by Rod Barajas, and six hits on the day. |
Our View: This was one of few quality starts for Garland at home where he had a 4.70 ERA prior to Sunday's start. He is 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA on the road. Over his last four appearances, he has a 2.57 ERA.
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| Glen Perkins earned his fifth win of the season over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. He scattered seven hits and one walk while giving up three earned runs on the day. |
Our View: He has three wins in his last four starts. He's not a force in fantasy leagues and is probably a free agent in most, however, he is worth keeping an eye on as the Twins have played excellently over the past month.
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| George Sherrill had another unremarkable appearance on Sunday. He lasted 1.1 innings, walked two, gave up two hits and one run. |
Our View: The All-Star closer has just one save in his last four appearances. He has totalled 3.2 innings, five hits, three walks, two home runs and four earned runs in that span. Otherwise, it has been a spectacular 2008 for Sherrill. This could be a sign that teams are figuring out the lefty.
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| Brian Roberts chipped in a home run and two stolen bases in Sunday's 11-10 loss to the Rangers. He also scored three runs. |
Our View: Roberts was left off of the All-Star team but is one of the AL players eligible to be voted in by the fans. Aggressive play from Roberts, like this performance, may become a familiar site between now and the All-Star break.
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| Nick Markakis extended his hit streak to 14 games on Sunday. He went 3-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored. |
Our View: Markakis continues to show us why many experts had him pegged as one of the best outfielders in the game. He seems very comfortable hitting second in the order (.326 at that spot) but there's no doubt fantasy owners hope to see him move to the third or fourth spot in the second half.
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| Kevin Millwood earned the win behind a strong offense on Sunday. His pitching was spotty. He gave up nine hits and five runs (three earned) in five innings. |
Our View: Millwood has been a better second-half pitcher his entire career. With Texas' imposing offense, he could see a number of victories similar to Sunday throughout the rest of 2008. If you're looking for wins in deep leagues, consider Millwood for the second half.
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| David Murphy may have officially broken out of his slide on Sunday. He went 3-for-6 with three RBI, a home run and a run scored. |
Our View: Murphy's average had fallen 30 points over the past month and he was held out of the lineup with some regularity lately to study film and get extra work in the cage. It paid off on Sunday.
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| Dewayne Wise continues to start against righties with Paul Konerko out of the lineup. He played another big part in a 4-3 victory over Rich Harden and the A's on Sunday. He was 2-for-2 with an RBI. |
Our View: Wise is 13-for-32 when starting against righties. He has earned praise from manager Ozzie Guillen and may likely stay in the bigs even after Paul Konerko returns.
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| John Danks improved to 6-4 after earning the victory over the Oakland A's and Rich Harden on Sunday. He struck out nine in 6.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs. |
Our View: Danks is already being considered and All-Star snub. He carries a 2.52 ERA in 107 innings of work this season. The young southpaw's record should be better with more run support. He remains a good play in all leagues and holds considerable value in keeper leagues.
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| Brandon Inge will begin his rehab assignment on Monday at Triple-A Toledo, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Inge is recovering from a strained oblique. He probably will not return prior to the All-Star break. Currently, he is not a factor in fantasy leagues as he has struggled all year. He won't see regular starts without injuries to Tigers starters.
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| Esteban German went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI, hence making him the lone source of scoring for the Royals in Sunday's 9-2 loss to the Rays. |
Our View: German has been a decent reserve in larger AL-only leagues as of late, as he notched four RBI over his last seven games.
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| Evan Longoria went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's convincing 9-2 win over the Royals at Tropicana Field. |
Our View: He collected his 16th homer of the season, and his first since June 27, snapping a seven-game drought.
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| Luke Hochevar was lit up for a season-worst seven earned runs on nine hits over a mere four innings in Sunday's disheartening 9-2 loss to the Rays, with one walk and one strikeout. |
Our View: Hochevar falls to 5-7, and his erratic play continues. He has allowed 13 earned runs over his last two starts, both losses.
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| James Shields enjoyed a strong outing from the hill in Sunday's 9-2 win over the Royals, as he only issued two earned runs on four hits over seven innings, with one walk and eight strikeouts. |
Our View: He moves to 7-5, and trimmed his ERA to 3.64. He has won three-straight decisions, and has only allowed five earned runs and two walks over the span. He should remain active as a starter in mixed-leagues.
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| Milton Bradley left Sunday's game in the sixth inning due to left knee tendinitis, according to the AP. |
Our View: Frank Catalanotto replaced Bradley as the DH. We will keep you posted on Bradley's status.
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| Erik Bedard is experiencing tightness in his left shoulder and skipper Jim Riggleman has decided to push his next start back, according to the Tacoma Tribune. |
Our View: No exact timetable has been set for his return to the rotation.
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| Adam Loewen left Sunday’s game in the top of the fifth inning due to elbow discomfort, according to the AP. He threw one inning of scoreless relief before being forced out of action with a 2-2 count on Ian Kinsler.
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Our View: We will keep you posted on his status. He was recently activated from the DL following a bout with elbow soreness.
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| The AL pitching staff for the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium has been announced, according to the Boston Globe. The hurlers representing the AL will be Scott Kazmir (Rays), George Sherrill (Orioles), Roy Halladay (Blue Jays), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox), Justin Duchscherer (Athletics), Joe Nathan (Twins), Joakim Soria (Royals), Cliff Lee (Indians), Francisco Rodriguez (Angels), Ervin Santana (Angels), and Joe Saunders (Angels).
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Our View: The squad will be led by Boston skipper Terry Francona.
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| The AL reserves for the All-Star game have been announced, according to MLB.com. They are J.D. Drew (Boston), Jason Varitek (Boston), Joe Crede (Chicago), Carlos Quentin (Chicago), Grady Sizemore (Cleveland), Carlos Guillen (Detroit), Justin Morneau (Minnesota), Milton Bradley (Texas), Ian Kinsler (Texas), Michael Young (Texas), and Dioner Navarro (Tampa Bay).
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Our View: The final vote candidates are first baseman Jason Giambi (Yankees), third baseman Evan Longoria (Rays), second baseman Brian Roberts (Orioles) and outfielders Jose Guillen (Royals) and Jermaine Dye (White Sox).
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| Felix Hernandez, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, has thrown a bullpen session at Safeco Field today, according to the Seattle Times. |
Our View: Manager Jim Riggleman noted that Hernandez could come off the DL as soon as Tuesday, and will throw another lighter bullpen session on that day. After that, the plan is to have him return to the starting rotation on Thursday or Friday when the Mariners are on the road.
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| The starting squad for the AL in the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium has been announced, according to the Boston Globe. The starters will be Joe Mauer (catcher), Kevin Youkilis (first base), Dustin Pedroia (second base), Derek Jeter (shortstop), Alex Rodriguez (third base), with outfielders Josh Hamilton, Manny Ramirez, Ichiro Suzuki, and closed out by DH David Ortiz. |
Our View: Ortiz was voted a starter despite only playing in 54 games, and already announced he won't be able to participate due to his ailing wrist. The Red Sox lead with four members respresented as starters.
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| Michael Young was scratched from Sunday's starting lineup due to a nagging groin problem, according to the AP. |
Our View: The groin has been bothering Young in recent days but did not keep him out of the lineup until today. The ailment did not compromise his production either, as he recorded three hits Saturday against Baltimore, and was riding an eight-game hitting streak, with 16 hits over the span.
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| Jamie Walker, who is recovering from left elbow inflammation, has set a target date of July 17 to return to the Orioles, according to the Baltimore Sun. |
Our View: Walker wanted to return before the All-Star break, but he is more likely to report to Single-A Frederick and begin a throwing program while the Orioles are in Boston next weekend. The reliever is not worth waiting for as a fantasy prospect, as he allowed 12 earned runs, 28 hits (six homers), and seven walks over 21.2 innings.
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| Vicente Padilla, who is nursing a sore shoulder and bruised thumb, won't throw until tomorrow back in Arlington, according to the Dallas Morning News. The team was previously hopeful he would be able to throw a bullpen session today. |
Our View: His status for his next scheduled start on Wednesday remains in question.
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| Melvin Mora is not in Sunday's starting lineup, according to the Baltimore Sun. Aubrey Huff gets the call at third base, with Luke Scott serving as the DH. |
Our View: Mora has been in a slump, but did register two hits and an RBI on Saturday against the Rangers.
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| Joey Devine experienced inflammation in his right elbow on Saturday, and his rehab will be stalled for about a week, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: The team was hoping he could throw a simulated game Sunday prior to suffering the setback.
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| Casey Janssen, who is recovering from a torn right labrum, met with Dr. Lewis Yocum on Saturday and was advised to rest another week or two before beginning a throwing program, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The 26-year-old hurler has continued to increase the intensity of his strength workouts, and is looking forward to adding a throwing program to his routine. When that time comes, Janssen will begin playing light catch, throwing 15 times from a distance of 30 feet. From that point, Jays' pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said Janssen would be put on a gradual program with the goal of having the pitcher ready by spring training of 2009.
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| Mark Teahen needed a day off on Saturday, and he wasn't in the lineup for the first time since June 14, according to the Kansas City Star. Skipper Trey Hillman said, "There’s not anything glaring with Mark Teahen right now. I just felt like he needed a day mentally as well as physically right now."
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Our View: Teahen has only notched one hit in his last 11 at-bats, and is batting .196 over his last 14 games. Hopefully the day off will help his production.
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| Joey Gathright went 1-for-2 with a walk and a steal on Saturday, according to the Kansas City Star. |
Our View: He missed the previous two games due to a sore left shoulder, but is seemingly safe to consider for AL-only league lineups again.
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| Mark Grudzielanek is just five hits away from 2,000, according to the Kansas City Star. |
Our View: He would be the 251st player to reach the milestone. He is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak.
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| Leo Nunez, who is recovering from a strained right lat, is set to begin a rehab assignment on Monday with Triple-A Omaha, according to the Kansas City Star. Manager Trey Hillman said, "There’s a week-long program set for him in Omaha. That will all be determined on how he does in that first outing."
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Our View: Nunez remains unlikely to rejoin the club before the All-Star break.
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| Vicente Padilla's sore right shoulder was still bothering him on Saturday, according to the Star Telegram. |
Our View: The Rangers are hopeful Padilla can throw a bullpen session Sunday and make his next scheduled start against the Angels on Wednesday. He is also nursing a bruised right thumb, and if he cannot take the hill for his next start, Matt Harrison of Triple-A Oklahoma is said to be a candidate for the spot.
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| Eric Hurley stated that his sore left hamstring felt better Saturday, and he is optimistic he’ll be ready for his Tuesday start against Los Angeles, according to the Star Telegram. He said, "I should be fine. I played catch today and it felt good. I don’t see it being any problem."
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Our View: Hurley was scratched from Saturday’s game after the hamstring tightened up on him. We will keep you posted on his status.
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| A.J. Murray has yet to throw since landing on the DL June 4 with a strained left rotator cuff, according to the Star Telegram. |
Our View: Murray was 1-0 over two starts this season, with 12 hits, three walks, and three earned runs issued over 7.2 innings. He is only worth holding on to in deeper AL-only leagues.
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| Skipper Ron Washington commented that Jarrod Saltalamacchia's strained groin ailment isn't serious, and he should be available to play Sunday, according to the Star Telegram. Washington said, "He just tweaked his groin a little bit and we didn’t want to take a chance with him in the box, especially with the torque you’ve got to have to swing the bat. All we needed was for him to take a swing at something and make it worse than what it is."
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Our View: Max Ramirez replaced him on Saturday night, and would start Sunday if Saltalamacchia ultimately cannot go.
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| Johnny Damon is holding out hope his sprained left shoulder won't force him to the DL for the first time in his career, according to the Boston Globe. The 14-year vet said, "I think we'll know more Sunday. If I wake up and I'm feeling the same then I think they're going to DL me. But if I'm improving, they'll try to keep getting me ready."
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Our View: Damon received treatment and did some exercises Saturday, but noted that it could be 10 days or more before he throws again. Fantasy owners should hold him out of their lineups for the new week.
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| Jeff Clement had a big night on Saturday with two home runs including one in the bottom of the eighth inning to provide the difference in the Mariners 3-2 victory over the Tigers. |
Our View: Clement has been getting his chance to play over Kenji Johjima of late, but this was one of the few times that he has stepped with any type of performance. The team says they are behind him playing almost every day the rest of the way, and given his prodigious minor league production he certainly could be a nice addition at the catchers position in mixed leagues.
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