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| Jeremy Hermida hit his second homer in four games, this one a two run shot in LA. |
Our View: Hermida hasn't been able to put together any consistency, but it looks like he's heating up. When he's hot, he can help out any fantasy team.
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| In his first career start with the Marlins, Chris Volstad nearly went the distance on Friday in Los Angeles. The lone run scored came in the bottom of the ninth when Russell Martin singled to center with two outs, scoring Delwyn Young. He struck out six, walked one and allowed four hits. Kevin Gregg came on for the save as the Marlins won 3-1. |
Our View: Not bad for a 21-year-old. This kind of start might signal that he's the real deal. The Marlins feel he is one of the best pitchers to come thru the organization in a long time, and that should not be taken lightly.
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| Trevor Hoffman struck out the only batter he faced on Friday, Brad Lillibridge, to record his 17th save of the season. |
Our View: Interestingly, Mike Adams was called upon to do the dirty work. With Mark Teixeira, Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur due up in the ninth, Adams came in. With two outs he gave up an infield single to Kotsay and then Hoffman came in for the final out.
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| Scott Hairston finished 2-for-4 tonight with two runs scored. He hit his third triple of the season to go with his 15th double. Hairston is 13-for-24 over his last seven games. |
Our View: Admit it. You weren't even sure Scott Hairston still had a regular gig in the majors. Playing in San Diego can make you pretty forgettable, I guess. He's likely on your waiver wire. Pick him up at your own risk.
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| George Sherrill faced two batters to get his 28th save on Friday. First, he walked Dustin Pedroia to laod the bases. Then he promptly struck out Kevin Youkilis for the final out of the game. |
Our View: Sherrill's made it a bit too interesting lately (he blew his sixth save on Thursday), but it does not look like the Orioles have anyone to spell him of save opportunities.
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| Jake Peavy threw seven shutout innings on Friday against the run-thirsty Atlanta Braves. He allowed four hits and struck out seven. |
Our View: Peavy's ERA is down to a ridiculous 2.47 after not allowing a run in the past 14 innings.
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| Jon Garland, 4-10 in his career against Oakland, was pulled out of the game in the bottom of the third after allowing seven runs on 10 hits and two walks. |
Our View: After allowing just one run in nine innings five days ago, this is a disappointment. This has to be viewed as an anommally. He was 8-5 with a 3.76 entering Friday's game.
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| David Murphy hit his third home run in five games on Friday off Chicago LHP Gavin Floyd. |
Our View: Murphy has not hit lefties well this year but made solid contact tonight. He now has an impressive 60 RBI this season.
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| Yoslan Herrera has been called up from Double-A Altoona to replace Phil Dumatrait in Saturday's start against the St. Louis Cardinals, according to the AP. |
Our View: At Double-A this year, Yoslan 5-8 with a 3.11 ERA.
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| The AP reports that the Pirates put scheduled Saturday starter Phil Dumatrait on the 15-day disabled list and recalled RHP Yoslan Herrera from Double-A Altoona to start against the Cardinals. |
Our View: Dumatrait came off the disabled list Monday but gave up seven runs in 3 1/3 innings against Houston.
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| Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth against Colorado for his 21st save in 27 chances. |
Our View: He whiffed two of three while working past the unimposing trio of Scott Podsednik, Wily Taveras, and Clint Barmes.
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| Shane Victorino missed the cycle by a mere home run. He finished Firday's game 3-for-6, but his biggest hit was a two-run triple off of Tony Pena in the ninth. |
Our View: The game marked the Flyin Hawaiian's fifth multi-hit effort of the month.
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| Jayson Werth's 12th inning single beat the Diamondbacks on Friday night. |
Our View: If all Werth did was hit in the clutch, he would be a phenomenal fantasy commodity. Regardless, he is still a factor in deep leagues, but does not see enough regular duty to be a must own.
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| MLB.com reports that Chris Young threw around 50 pitches in three innings and said he felt good, both physically and when it came to his stuff. |
Our View: Next for Young will be two to four rehab starts with the Padres' Class A affiliate in Lake Elsinore, Calif., starting Wednesday.
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| Bill Hall filled in as a pinch-hitter on Friday and finished the game 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored. |
Our View: Hall and Russell Branyan seem to be in an unofficial platoon at this point. Hall's terrible June won't be repeated if he only sees lefties.
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| Jay Bruce scored three times including the go ahead run when he crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the eigth. |
Our View: Bruce was only 1-for-4 but any signs of life from him at this point are a good thing.
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| Ryan Howard took Diamondbacks' starter Doug Davis yard in the second inning on Friday. |
Our View: Howard now has eight home runs in his past 10 games. He has 16 RBI in that stretch bringing his total to 84 on the season.
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| Ryan Braun hit his 23rd HR of the season on Friday. |
Our View: With 23 HRs and 66 RBI, Braun continues to be a force in the middle of a stacked lineup.
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| After a horrendous start last time out, Luis Mendoza recorded eight strikeouts in six innings on Friday, He gave up just three hits and one run to the White Sox to earn his second victory of the season. |
Our View: Mendoza has looked good at times this season, but he is too inconsistent at this point to warrant a pickup.
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| Josh Hamilton just won't slow down. On Friday he went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run. |
Our View: The Natural keeps at itas he is nearinf 100 RBI at the break.
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| Gavin Floyd gave up six runs, seven walks and five hits in just 2.2 innings to the Rangers on Friday. |
Our View: This was Floyd's worst start of the season and he continues to struggle away from Chicago.
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| MLB.com tells us that Yunel Escobar was scratched from Fiday night's lineup after reaggravating his left shoulder. |
Our View: Yunel is hitting a meager .212 since returning from the injury and it is now clear that he never fully recovered. The Braves won't make the same mistake twice so another DL stint is quite possible.
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| Austin Kearns is heating up. On Friday he went 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. He also drew two walks. |
Our View: That makes six RBI over his last two games. If he could bring that average up, he could merit fantasy consideration in the second half.
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| Tim Redding threw six shutout innings at home against the Astros on Friday. He gave up seven hits, no walks and struck out six. |
Our View: For teams looking for cheaper options to pickup for the stretch run, Redding has been impressive as of late. The Nationals are likely listening to offers.
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| Felix Hernandez retired the first 10 batters he faced and struck out six of the first 13, but the Royals finally got to Hernandez with three two-out runs in the fifth. |
Our View: The King threw 83 pitches in five innings before coming out of the game. He probably could have gone longer but the Mariners don't want to push their luck.
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| Five days ago Luke Hochevar was rocked for his worst start of the season. On Friday, he gave up just one run in seven innings at home. |
Our View: Hochevar lowered his home ERA to 3.48 but it stands at an abyssmal 6.49 on the road.
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| Clay Buchholz suffered another loss during his return to the majors on Friday. The Orioles, who fielded a lineup that was 0-for-19 in their careers against Buchholz, drew five walks on their way to scoring four runs in five innings against the young Red Sock. |
Our View: Buchholz needed 107 pitches to get through five innings. The walks were just another sign that no matter how much hope The Nation puts in him, he is destined to be inconsistent.
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| Brian Roberts fell a homer short of the cycle on Friday. He finished the game 3-for-5 with a RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. |
Our View: The stolen bases bring him to 27 on the season.
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| Damion Easley came thru in a big way on Friday when he cranked a solo shot in the eighth that would be enough for the Mets win. He was 2-for-3 on the night |
Our View: The ageless one is hitting .407 with nine RBI in July, following up a June that saw him hit .340. Dare we say that the 38 year-old is a quality pickup? Maybe he was four weeks ago, but we can't bring ourselves to believe that the 16-year vet with a career .253 average will keep this up.
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| Armando Galarraga just can't beat the Twins! Friday marks the third time this season the Tigers' rookie fell to the Twins, the only team to beat him in 2008. He only gave up two runs in the loss. |
Our View: Armando carries a 67/32 K/BB ratio in 93 2/3 innings so it's a wonder he hasn't avoided more losses. If the Tigers continue to amp up the offense, he should keep winning. If they slack off like they did Friday, he is due for a down second half.
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| Ronnie Belliard went 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBI Friday. |
Our View: This makes nine HRs in 54 games for Belli. Not a bad pace at all for a second baseman. Don't get too excited though. He is hitting .226 on the season. His career numbers suggest that should come quite a bit in the second half, but don't bank on it.
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| Jhonny Peralta hit his third home run in five games on Friday of of Rays pitcher Scott Shields. His two out, opposite field blast came in the third inning with a runner on second. He was 2-for-4 with three RBI in the game. |
Our View: What can we say? Jhonny loves to bat cleanup. In 18 starts batting fourth in the order, he is hitting .315 with four HRs and 15 RBI.
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| Aaron Cook rebounded from his roughest outing of the season by giving up just one run in six innings on Friday in New York. He did not factor in the decision. |
Our View: Nothing spectacular from Cook, except that he knows how to pitch himself out of jams.
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| Carl Crawford was 0-for-4 with two strike outs on Friday. During the Rays five game losing streak he is just 1-for-21. |
Our View: This shouldn't last long. The break is coming around at just the right time.
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| The AP reports that Fausto Carmona is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Monday at Class A Lake County. |
Our View: It's about time! He will see multiple starts in the minors before his 3.10 ERA returns to the Cleveland rotation.
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| Al Reyes pitched one scoreless rehab inning for Class A Vero Beach on Thursday. |
Our View: Reyes should be ready to go following the All-Star break.
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| The AP reports that Rays manager Joe Maddon said RHP Troy Percival will test his strained left hamstring by throwing off the mound Saturday. |
Our View: The Rays closer has yet to pitch this month, but all indications are that he will be available following the All-Star break.
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| Cliff Lee added his 12th victory to go with six more shutout innings on Friday against the Rays. He struck out seven in the effort. |
Our View: Lee is 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA in seven home starts.
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| Oliver Perez worked his third straight impressive start on Friday against the Rockies. Although he didn't factor in the decision, he allowed just two hits and one run over six innings while striking out seven. However, Oliver gave up an alarming six walks. |
Our View: Walks have been an issue with Perez all season. The good news is that it appears he has found some new consistency under his new pitching coach. His runs are down and his strikeouts are up.
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| Glen Perkins brought his A game to Detroit on Friday. He allowed just two runs in 6.2 innings to move to 6-2 on the year. |
Our View: Perkins has not given up more than three runs since June 4. His WHIP is unimpressive but he manages to scatter the runners around enough to keep the Twins in games. He'a risky fantasy bet, but worth considering in very deep leagues.
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| Yadier Molina continues to dominate lefties. He entered Friday nights game batting .373 against southpaws and manager Tony La Russa batted him fifth. He went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBI. |
Our View: Molina is quietly becoming a viable starting option at the position. He is hitting .303 with just 13 whiffs this season. However, he is still suffering in the power categories. A batting spot fifth in the order against lefties should help his RBI totals.
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| Brett Gardner struggled at the plate once again on Friday. The rookie went 0-for-3 but somehow managed his fifth stolen base of the season. |
Our View: Gardner looks like a Michael Bourn clone. Despite an OBP hovering around .150 through eight games, he has managed five stolen bases.
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| With Alex Rios on vacation and Vernon Wells on the DL, Matt Stairs will be called upon to hit in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup. He crushed a three-run homer on Friday against the Yankees. |
Our View: Keep an eye on stairs. For owners in need of power, he should provide plenty of it until Wells comes back a month or so from now.
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| Joba Chamberlain lost for the first time in eight starts on Friday. He lasted 6.2 innings and struck out nine. However, he gave up seven hits and three runs to a Blue Jays lineup without Alex Rios or Vernon Wells. |
Our View: Although he lost, it was not a bad start for the converted reliever. The nine Ks have to make owners happy.
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| Roy Halladay continued another Cy Young-worthy season by holding a banged up Yankees lineup to just two hits. He struck out eight in the process. |
Our View: Halladay's ERA is down to 2.71. More impressively, he has 121 strikeouts in 136.1 innings. He had 139 Ks in 225.1 IP last season.
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| Kyle Lohse threw seven shutout innings against the Pirates on Friday to improve to 11-2 on the season. |
Our View: Incredibly, Lohse has not lost since May 8, a span of 12 starts. He has given up just two earned runs in his last 21 innings. Lohse is playing for a contract, and could be on his way to a gargantuan one.
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| Rick Ankiel went 3-for-3 with a walk on Friday. He hit his 20th home run of the year and picked up three RBI in the process. |
Our View: Ankiel has hit 10 home runs in his last 21 games and becomes a stronger fantasy player by the game.
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| Jaime Garcia made his Major League debut on Friday. He tossed two scoreless innings in relief against the Pirates. |
Our View: Garcia allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two. He will likely become a starter for the Cards in the future but he will spend some time working out of the bullpen first.
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| Bobby Jenks is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Jenks will not return prior to the All-Star break.
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| The AP reports that Dmitri Young left Friday night's game with soreness in his lower back. He walked off the field under his own power, with an 0-1 count. |
Our View: Da Meat Hook missed more than a month earlier in this season with lower back pain. He may rest through the break.
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| MLB.com tells us that Nationals outfielder Wily Mo Pena has been playing with a sore left shoulder for more than a month. |
Our View: This could explain the horrid numbers he has produced thus far. Entering Friday's action, Pena was hitting .209 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.
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| Zach Duke was hit all over the yard on Friday by the St. Louis Cardinals. He gave up 10 hits and five earned runs in six innings pitched. |
Our View: He also gave up two home runs, making it four in his 8.1 innings pitched.
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| The Orange County Register reports that Kelvim Escobar has opted to have surgery on the torn labrum in his right shoulder.
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Our View: The team, as well as Escobar, delayed this decision for a while and it may come back to haunt them. He will miss nine to 12 months.
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| Roy Oswalt, returning from a hip injury, left after one inning on Friday night with a with a left hip abductor strain, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: This is not a good sign for Houston or fantasy owners. Don't be surprised if an extended trip to the DL is in the talented righties' future.
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| MLB.com reports that LHP Jaime Garcia will initially be used out of the bullpen during his stint with the Cardinals. |
Our View: Garcia is a projected starter and was called up to replace Mark Mulder. However, he will start in the bullpen, where the Cards are in desperate need of a leftie. However, La Russa said on Friday, "I don't think we're going to make him a left-handed reliever. I think he's a starter, so if at some point we get Randy Flores back and Garcia benefits more from pitching every five days, we'll do it. But right now, we're keeping ourselves alive and in contention, and we've got to do everything we can to make it work for us."
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| Jose Guillen was scratched from Friday's lineup due to stiffness in his neck, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: This should not be long term and Guillen should still see another start before the All-Star break.
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| MLB.com reports that Jeff Francis , whose endured left shoulder inflammation before the Rockies placed him on the disabled list July 3, threw from 120 feet without pain on Friday. |
Our View: He is hoping to return after the All-Star break but will likely see a minor league rehab assignment of at least one game. Shoulders are iffy. Don't expect consistent big things from Francis when he returns.
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| MLB.com reports that Alex Rios has returned to Puerto Rico to be with his girlfriend who is expected to give birth on Friday. It appears he will not return to the team until after the All-Star break. |
Our View: Rios has been having a good July and should continue in the second half. However, with Vernon Wells due for an extended trip to the DL, the entire Blue Jays offense may slightly suffer.
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| Mark Reynolds was held out of the lineup on Friday. He made three (3) errors on Thursday. |
Our View: Reynolds has committed a Major League-leading 19 errors this season. He has also struggled at the plate lately, hitting .143 (3-for-21) in his last seven games.
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| MLB.com reports that Jim Leyland will be keeping an eye on his closer, Todd Jones. "I'm going to back him off a little bit," Leyland said. "I'm going to watch him a little closer." |
Our View: This was seemingly inevitable since the returns of Joel Aumaya and Fernando Rodney. Both those pitchers should see a slight increase in their values with this news.
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| Felix Hernandez was activated from the DL earlier today in time to make the start tonight in Kansas City, according to the Miami Herald. |
Our View: Hernandez is coming back from a sore ankle he suffered while covering home plate back on June 23. He has 93 strikeouts in 107 IP.
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| A.J. Burnett will throw on short rest on Sunday against the Yankees, according to SLAM!. |
Our View: The Blue Jays may be hoping for a last minute showcase of their starter heading into the All-Star break. A number of contenders, including possibly the Yankees, could be eyeing the hard-throwing righty.
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| To make room for recently acquired Matt Murton, the A’s optioned infielder Wes Bankston to Triple-A Sacramento. Bankston hit .294 with one home run and nine RBI in nine games with Oakland.
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Our View: Ironically, he hit his first major league home run the same night that the A's acquired his replacement.
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| Matt Murton will join the Athletics on Friday. He was traded to Oakland in the Rich Harden deal. To make room for Murton, the A’s optioned infielder Wes Bankston to Sacramento. Bankston hit .294 with one home run and nine RBI in nine games with Oakland. |
Our View: Murton should see plenty of at-bats while playing the corner outfield spots for the Athletics. He could see at-bats immediately.
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| Johnny Damon's shoulder is still too swollen to take part in hitting drills this weekend according to the Houston Chronicle. He hopes that he will start swinging on Monday. |
Our View: Don't count on Damon to be back before the All-Star break.
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| New York Post reports that the Yankees have interest in Richie Sexson. "I don't know yet, we will take a look,'' Cashman said Friday about Sexson. "We will study it and see if it's something we will pursue. I think we have to look at it. I can't tell you we will (sign him) or won't. I can tell you we are interested.'' |
Our View: Not too long ago, Sexson was a fantasy monster. A move to a team in contention and playing in front of sold out stadiums might be what Sexson needs to re-ignite his career. We will keep close tabs on his situation.
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| Milton Bradley is out of the Friday lineup for the Rangers. He left Sunday's game with tendinitis and is considered day-to-day. |
Our View: Bradley has been a fantasy force when healthy this season, but he has traditionally been a very inconsistent player. It might be wishful thinking to say his second half will be as good as his first half.
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| Jorge Posada got his wish for Friday night, as he will return to catching according to the pre-game lineup cards. He has not caught since July 3. |
Our View: A return to catching means Posada will probably see more off days than he would see as a DH or first baseman.
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| The New York Yankees signed former Red, Eric Milton to a minor league contract. He will start his comeback at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre |
Our View: Milton underwent Tommy John elbow surgery last June, so he'll be on the disabled list initially. Milton has been ineffective since 2004. At 33, he is little more than wishful thinking for Yankee fans.
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| Kerry Wood picked up his 24th save of the season, despite walking a batter and giving up two hits. The Giants scored their only run of the game in the inning. |
Our View: Wood has given up four earned runs in his last three innings pitched.
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| SI.com reports that the St. Louis Cardinals are among one of the leaders in the pursuit of Pirates OF Jason Bay. Bay has rebounded from a bad 2007 to post averages of .291/.393/.526. |
Our View: Tony La Russa's club is visiting Pittsburgh this weekend so it is possible we could see another big trade go down in the NL Central. The Cardinals have scored just 13 runs over the past seven games so Bay would be a giant boost to the team's success and to the fantasy success of the St. Louis hitters. The Cardinals are also said to be aggressively pursuing left-handed relievers. The Diamondbacks, Mets and Rays were also mentioned in the article as potential Pittsburgh trading partners.
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| Chris Aguila did not last long with the Mets. He managed just 12 at-bats during his brief stay in New York. |
Our View: Aguila has managed to find a way to become even less relevant to fantasy owners.
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| Robinson Cancel was called up prior to Friday night's game to be a third catcher. Chris Aguila was designated for assignment. |
Our View: He won't likely see much playing time and only has one at-bat in the majors this season.
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| Edgar Renteria is not in tonight's starting lineup. He is nursing a sore hammy. |
Our View: Renteria remains day-to-day and Jim Leyland remains confident he will play this weekend.
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| Sean Casey is getting a rare start at DH tonight. He is batting .371 in 116 at-bats this season. |
Our View: Casey has been an excellent spot-starter/pinch-hit | |
