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| Zack Greinke will start the opener of the second half for the Royals, this according to the team website.
"We set it up that way because we believe our most effective starting pitcher up to this point, pitching twice in the division in the first six games against Chicago and Detroit, is Greinke," manager Trey Hillman said. "So we want him pitching in our own division and starting it off." The Royals ace will be followed, in order, by Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, Luke Hochevar and Kyle Davies. |
Our View: Greinke's start against the White Sox on Friday night will allow him to start against the Tigers on the following Wednesday afternoon at Kansas City.
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| James Shields will be the first to take the mound after the All Star break, this according to the team website.
"I think it's an important game," Shields said. "You want to start the second half off strong.
Shield has started 10 games at the Trop where he is 5-1 with a 2.13 ERA. After Scott Kazmir threw 104 pitches Sunday he is not expected be used in Tuesday's All-Star Game.
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Our View: Kazmir is the likely Saturday or Sunday starter with Matt Garza filling out the rotation for the teams' three game series against Toronto.
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| Kip Wells, who had surgery to remove a blood clot in his hand, will make one more rehab start Wednesday at Double-A Tulsa, according to the AP. The team will evaluate him after his Wednesday work and make a decision on when he will join the rotation. |
Our View: Wells, who started one game this year in 10 appearances, has registered a 2.29 ERA with 16 strike outs in 19.2 innings.
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| John Lackey will take the mound for the first game following the All Star break. The team didn't make any official announcement about who would follow Lackey. However, it's believed that Joe Saunders, who missed Sunday's start to a new addition to the family, will start Saturday or Sunday. |
Our View: In 11 career starts against the Red Sox, Lackey has a 1-6 record with 6.27 ERA. It is his worst mark against any American League team.
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| According to the Twins team website, Kevin Slowey is suffering from an infected fingernail on his right middle finger.
Minnesota's coaching staff became aware of the injury on Sunday morning after his poor performance against the Tigers that saw him last only 3.2 innings.
"It wasn't an issue until last night, when it started getting really sore," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It wasn't supposed to be an issue, now it's turned into an issue."
Slowey said he noticed a change in his finger when he woke up on Friday morning following his start against Detroit on Thursday. |
Our View: The training staff told him the injury wouldn't prevent him from pitching and that he's available if needed.
The right-hander, who had been scheduled to start the first game of the second half, was moved to the end of the rotation.
Left-hander Glen Perkins will now start the first game back on Friday and Livan Hernandez on Saturday versus the Rangers. Slowey will take the mound on Sunday.
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| Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after Sunday's 2-1 win over the Orioles that Clay Buchholz will get the Friday start after the All Star game against the Los Angles Angels. The scheduling will allow Jon Lester and Josh Beckett extra rest. |
Our View: Beckett will pitch on Saturday and Time Wakefield on Sunday. Lester will take the mound on Monday when the Red Sox travel to Seattle followed by Dice-K on Tuesday.
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| Kenny Rogers is scheduled to start for the Tigers in their Thursday game following the All Star break. He finished the first half with a no-decision against the Twins after allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings of work. |
Our View: Rogers has been one of Detroit's most consistent starters after a slow April and May. Since June 2, the left-handed veteran has allowed 2.30 earned runs per game in 10 starts.
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| Matt Harrison earned a second start after winning his major league debut. In his second start the rookie left-hander allowed five runs on seven hits, walked two and didn't record a strikeout over 2.2 innings of work against the White Sox lineup. |
Our View: Harrison is expected to head back to Triple-A once Vicente Padilla and the other injured Texas arms return from the disabled list.
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| Jose Contreras was hit hard for the second straight start. The veteran right-hander allowed seven runs, on 10 hits, walked two and struck out two over four innings in a 12-11 loss to the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Contreras didn't figure in the decision and his early season success had all but disappeared. He heads into the All Star break with a record of 7-7 and a 4.60 ERA.
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| Jermaine Dye homered in Chicago's 12-11 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon Dye went 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs. Dye lead the way in a 22-hit attack by the Sox. |
Our View: Dye enters the All Star break hitting .306 with 21 home runs and 56 RBI.
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| Carlos Quentin hit his 22nd home run of the season in Sunday's 12-11 loss to the Texas Rangers. |
Our View: Quentin has been one of the 2008 surprises. His 22 home runs come along with 70 RBI, 62 runs, five stolen bases and a .276 batting average.
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| Ian Kinsler extended his hitting streak to 25 games in Sunday's 12-11 win over the AL Central first place Chicago White Sox. |
Our View: Kinsler remains one of the top fantasy options at a shallow second base. Heading into the All Star break Kinsler is hitting .337 with 58 RBI, 84 runs scored, 14 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
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| Huston Street blew his fourth save in 21 chances and the Los Angeles Angels won their 57th game in a 4-3 victory over the A's on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: A combination of seeing-eye ground balls saw Street allow two runs on three hits earning the right-hander his third loss of the season.
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| Justin Duchscherer had his 18-inning scoreless streak end when Howie Kendrick beat the throw to first on a two-out grounder in the fourth, allowing Vladimir Guerrero to score. |
Our View: The right-hander extended his streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer to 19 games, and ending the belief that his stellar first half is an aberration. The reliever turned starter has become one of the fantasy elite with a 1.78 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. While his 5.6 K rate doesn't qualify him as a true ace, in combination with his 1.8 BB rate, it makes him very efficient and a threat to win with each start.
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| Jack Cust went 2-for-2 on Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as the Angels scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 4-3 win over the A's. |
Our View: One of Cust's hits was his 18th home run in 292 at bats. Cust offers owners streaky production and power, but his .229 batting average is difficult to swallow.
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| Jonathan Papelbon allowed one run on three hits, walked none and struck out one earning his 28th save of the season. |
Our View: Papelbon made the Red Sox ninth inning two-run lead interesting, but in the end recorded his 28th save in his 41 appearance.
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| Daniel Cabrera allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walked six and struck out two and the Orioles lost their 48 game of the season to Boston 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Cabrera, like opposing pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, struggled with his command. None of the blame can go to the home plate umpire in the game Ted Barrett. The veteran umpire is known for his large strike zone.
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| Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox found their way back into first place in AL East. The Japanese import once again struggled with his command walking five in his 10th win of the season. , but worked around four hits and five walks. Jonathan Papelbon escaped in the ninth for his 28th save of the season and 100th of his career. lead going into the All-Star break, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Sunday. |
Our View:
The Red Sox are now a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay, and took the division lead for the first time since June 28. How quickly can a team make up a ground? Boston was five games out of first place just last weekend.
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| Brandon Morrow picked up his ninth save finishing off John Buck and David DeJesus of the Royals for a 4-3 Seattle win on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Morrow recorded the final two outs for his ninth save in 11 chances.
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| Rookie catcher Jeff Clement hit a two-run home run helping the Mariners to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon. The home run broke an 0-for-15 slump that had dropped his average to .159 in 107 at-bats. |
Our View: Clement will see plenty of at-bats in the second half of the season as the M's begin a rebuilding process after a disappointing '08 campaign.
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| Carlos Silva allowed two runs on six hits, walked one and struck out five in a no-decision against the Royals on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Only the Royals could make Silva look like a compelling fantasy option. The Seattle right-hander entered the game allowing 146 hits in 112 innings, 47 strike outs against 18 walks and a 5.59 ERA.
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| Joakim Soria suffered his second loss of the season on Sunday allowing the Mariners the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning. Soria heads into the All Star Game with a 1-2 record and 25 saves. |
Our View: The right-hander doesn't overpower hitters with his 90 mph fastball, but his command and stuff has allowed him to complete the first half of the season with a 1.50 ERA and 0.71 WHIP.
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| Kyle Davies gave up a two-run home run to rookie catcher Jeff Clement ending his chance to pick up his first victory in his last six starts. Davies allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out four in the 4-3 loss to Seattle on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Pitching against a struggling Seattle offense was Davies chance to get back on track.
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| The Yankees wore black armbands on their left sleeve Sunday at Toronto in honor of former player Bobby Murcer, who passed on Saturday. The players will continue to wear the bands for the remainder of the season. The team also announced during the broadcast of their 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays that Mike Mussina will start against Oakland on Friday, the first game following the All-Star break. |
Our View: Mussina will be followed in the rotation by Joba Chamberlain, Andy Pettitte, Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner.
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| Rototimes sources report that the Blue Jays front office, pitching A.J. Burnett on three-days rest to showcase him for a All Star break trade, are in heavy discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies. With a solid performance against the Yankees on Sunday the Jays are now in a position to leverage his assets. |
Our View: While nothing is signed, sealed or delivered, Burnett looks like he will end up back in the National League with a pennant contender.
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| Matt Joyce hit a solo home run to center off Brian Bass in the eighth inning helping the Tiger defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: It was Joyce's ninth homer of the season and his third this week.
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| Xavier Nady had three more hits today, as he continues to draw interest from contending teams. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, and is now hitting .321 with 56 RBI on the year. |
Our View: Nady is a leading candidate to get traded near the deadline, and if he continues to perform like this, his price will only go up.
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| The good news for Jeremy Sowers is that he struck out eight Tampa Bay Rays. The bad news is that he only worked four innings because he walked seven hitters, and did not qualify for the win. |
Our View: Sowers' ERA is 7.51, and though this bout of wildness was uncharacteristic of him, he still holds no fantasy value.
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| Akinori Iwamura collected two walks but went 0-for-3 today, and is just 5-for-25 in his last seven games. He struck out in all three of those at-bats. |
Our View: Iwamura gets on base enough to justify him batting leadoff, but he'll need to raise that average for him to have legitimate fantasy value in anything other than AL-only leagues.
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| Andy Marte went 2-for-4 in the Indians game this afternoon, hitting his first home run of the year and doubling his RBI total to two on the season. |
Our View: Marte was once a big-time prospect, but that seems long ago. He is still just 24 years old, and has time to turn it around, but it needs to happen soon. He has no fantasy value at this point.
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| Scott Kazmir had the worst outing of his season, giving up five runs in six innings on eight hits, two of which were home runs in the the Rays 5-2 loss to the Indians. |
Our View: Kazmir's great start just got a little less impressive, as this outing pushed his ERA to 3.04, the first time he has been above three since his second start of the season. The All-Star break seems to be coming at the right time for him, as word came he will not throw in the game.
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| Andy Pettitte wasn't terrible, but he still got the loss in today's game against Toronto. He threw six innings, and though he struck out six batters, he gave up four runs and eight hits. |
Our View: Pettitte's ERA is now above 4.00 again after getting under that mark in his last start. He is still a quality option to pitch for your fantasy team and will provide wins and a decent WHIP because of his excellent control.
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| Jason Giambi is having a poor July, and was hitting just .138 on the month coming into today's game, but he went 2-for-4 today with a home run and the Yankees lone RBI. |
Our View: If you can deal with what is a declining average, Giambi can help your fantasy team in the power and on-base departments, so bear with him through this and he'll likely end up hitting better than the .253 he is currently at.
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| A.J. Burnett once again proved what he can do when he's on, as he threw 8.1 innings in the Blue Jays victory over New York, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out eight. |
Our View: More up and down from Burnett, the single most frustrating performer in fantasy baseball. In his last last six starts, he has given up six or more runs in half of them, and one or fewer runs in the other half.
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| Nick Blackburn made a solid start but got the loss as he threw seven innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out four against Detroit. |
Our View: Blackburn is having a nice season, and this start is a confirmation of that, despite the fact he picked up the loss. Continue to have confidence that he can get the job done for your fantasy team.
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| Justin Verlander continues to improve, as he threw seven innings, allowing four hits and giving up just two earned runs while striking out eight in the Tigers 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. |
Our View: Verlander has now gone seven straight starts without giving up more than two earned runs, and has got the win in five of those starts. Now may be a good time to try and acquire him from a fantasy owner who isn't paying close attention and instead sees his sub-.500 record and ERA over 4.00.
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| Carlos Gomez went 0-for-4 in today's game, dropping his batting average to .253, and he is now in a 3-for-39 slump. |
Our View: Gomez would be well served with some time off. He needs to come back in the second half and forget about the way he ended the first. His fantasy value is going down by the day.
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| Clete Thomas hit a double and his first career home run while driving in two in the Tigers 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. |
Our View: Thomas is now hitting .287 on the season, and has seen increased playing time in right field due to the injury to Magglio Ordonez. Seeing as how Ordonez will be back soon, Thomas holds little fantasy value at this point.
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| Huston Street has been a name coming up recently in talks that he will head to the Tampa Rays, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com. |
Our View: Street could take over for Troy Percival as closer if this move happens, diminishing Percival's standing in fantasy leagues. Street would remain valuable and may even gain value because he could get more save opportunities on one of the best teams in baseball.
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| The Arizona Diamondbacks are talking with the Seattle Mariners about acquiring Raul Ibanez, according to the East Valley Tribune. |
Our View: So far it's been a no-go because Seattle wants top pitching, which Arizona isn't willing to give up. It would be a nice get for Arizona, and Ibanez would retain his fantasy value, but the team would not have had to do this had they not traded away Carlos Quentin.
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| Justin Morneau will participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Morneau has 14 home runs on the year and as a left-handed hitter, should be one of the favorites with the short right field porch in Yankee Stadium.
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| Scott Kazmir, who is starting for Tampa Bay today, will not pitch in the All-Star game, according to the Tampa Tribune. Rays manager Joe Maddon asked Red Sox and AL manager Terry Francona not to pitch him in the game. |
Our View: Fantasy owners won't mind this a bit, because it virtually eliminates the chances of him getting hurt, and he can continue mowing batters down.
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| Magglio Ordonez will play a game in Single-A on Monday, and if all goes well, he will be activated on Thursday, according to MLive.com. |
Our View: Ordonez provides very good offensive numbers for fantasy owners, who should be thrilled to get him back.
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| Justin Morneau faces off today against Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, which bodes well for Morneau. For his career, he is hitting .368 off of him with two home runs in 19 at-bats. He also has an on-base percentage of .478 against Verlander. |
Our View: Morneau has been on fire in July, hitting a ridiculous .439. He also carries a five-game hitting streak into today's game, so double check to make sure he's in your starting lineup.
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| Bobby Jenks will go on a minor league rehabilitation over the All-Star break and should be back with the team on Friday, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Jenks hasn't struck out as many people as fantasy owners would prefer, but nonetheless he has provided 18 saves on the year.
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| A.J. Pierzynski has a lower left bone bruise, and though the injury is not thought to be serious, he will not be in today's lineup, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: This isn't a big deal, so if you have him on your fantasy team, don't worry. He should be good to go after the All-Star break.
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| Dustin Moseley got called up from Triple-A and will make the start today in place of Joe Saunders, who is with his wife after the birth of their child, according to the Los Angeles Times. |
Our View: Moseley was not having a successful year in Triple-A, with an ERA of 5.88. Don't consider him for your fantasy team.
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| Chone Figgins has been put on the bereavement list and will not rejoin the team until Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. His father suffered a stroke, and he went to Florida to attend to him. |
Our View: Figgins will only miss a couple of games, but be sure to make the appropriate lineup changes to fill in for him while he is gone.
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| Joe Saunders will miss today's start as rumored, confirms the Los Angeles Times. His wife gave birth to a baby girl during Saturday night's game. |
Our View: This is just for today, but make sure to make the appropriate lineup changes on your fantasy team if necessary.
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| Bobby Kielty asked for his release from the Red Sox Triple-A team and it was granted, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: There was just no room for Kielty in the big leagues, and he apparently thought he would get a better shot elsewhere. Obviously, he holds no fantasy value.
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| Josh Barfield has regained the range of motion on his injured left middle finger and will begin his rehab soon, with hopes to play before the year is over, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. |
Our View: Barfield has only six at-bats on the year and failed to get a hit. He had a very promising rookie season in San Diego before struggling last season, so wait and see how he does when he comes back before thinking of him as an option for your fantasy team.
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| Dontrelle Willis will alter his famous delivery in an attempt to better his mechanics, according to the Detroit Free-Press. "When you're trying to change your mechanics, you have to take it one day at a time," Willis said. |
Our View: This was probably a change he needed to make sooner, as his career has been going south for a few years now. This year he has been downright hideous, throwing strikes with such irregularity, Activia yogurt wouldn't have helped him. Fantasy owners should continue to stay away until he once again proves he is a major league quality pitcher.
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| Ichiro Suzuki declined an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby due to his sore hamstring, according to the Seattle Times. |
Our View: It would have been interesting to see what he could do in that event, as Ichiro has all of three home runs on the season. He is not quite the fantasy stalwart this year that he had been, but you can't go wrong with 34 stolen bases. Although fantasy owners wouldn't mind seeing some of this power he must have bottled up somewhere.
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| Carl Crawford is struggling at the plate and will likely get today off, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: After an 0-for-5 yesterday, Crawford has not gotten a base hit in the Rays last five games and is 1-for-26 in his last six games. Some rest may be just what he needs, as he gets ready for baseball's second half.
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| The 26-pitch bullpen session of Rays closer Troy Percival went well, and he may be activated from the disabled list by next weekend, according to the Tampa Tribune. "It's the first time I pitched without having my leg taped up in six weeks, and it felt great," Percival said. |
Our View: Percival has been a better than expected closer for the Rays, and it sounds like you won't have to wait much longer to get him back on your fantasy team.
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| B.J. Upton is hitting .219 since June 15, and was given yesterday off to rest and work on his swing, according to the Tampa Tribune. "I just wanted to give him a chance to think about it, digest it, see if it's what I think it is and then move on from there, Rays manager Joe Maddon said." |
Our View: Upton has been a bit of a disappointment, as he has only slugged six home runs to go with a declining batting average. He has stolen 27 bases, and has a decent RBI total of 44, but fantasy owners would like to see a little more production.
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| Reliever Leo Nunez will return to the Royals after the All-Star break, according to the Kansas City Star. He had been rehabbing a strained right lat. |
Our View: Nunez is a good middle reliever , but he only holds value in fantasy leagues that utilize holds. He has seven of them on the season.
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| Mark Grudzielanek got hit number 2,000 on Saturday in the Royals 5-4 victory over Seattle, according to the Kansas City Star. He was treated with champagne, a cake and other things after the game, the paper said. |
Our View: Grudzielanek has been around a long time, and this achievement helps to recognize just how solid a player he has been. He has decent fantasy value in deeper AL-only leagues with his .313 average, but his lack of home runs and RBI don't make him viable in mixed leagues.
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| Brandon McCarthy threw two innings, giving up a run on two hits along with two strikeouts in a rehab start in the Arizona Rookie League, according to the Dallas Morning News. His fastball was clocked at 86-90 MPH. |
Our View: McCarthy has not thrown an inning in the bigs this year, and he was not all that effective last year, going 5-10. His fantasy value is extremely limited at this point.
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| Vicente Padilla will throw a bullpen session in Nicaragua on Monday, and then another in Minnesota on Thursday, and if all goes well, he will start next Sunday against the Twins, according to the Dallas Morning News. |
Our View: Padilla has had a decent but not spectacular year, and his results for fantasy play have been mixed. His 10 wins are great, but that 4.70 ERA and 1.45 WHIP are not. Keep an eye on his injury status before putting him back in your lineup.
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| The New York Yankees are interested in Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tampa Bay and the New York Mets are also interested, according to the paper. |
Our View: Nady would be a help to any of the big leagues teams mentioned above, and is helping fantasy owners with his overall good numbers. Losing him would be a blow to fantasy owners in NL-only leagues, but a boon for their counterparts in AL-only leagues.
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| Nick Punto has a sprained knuckle on his left ring finger and he will likely not play today, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. |
Our View: Punto is having a solid year for the Twins, hitting .324 with a .383 on-base percentage. It doesn't sound like a serious injury, so he should be okay when play resumes after the All-Star break.
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| Carlos Gomez will continue to play and bat leadoff despite being in a 3-for-35 slump, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We know what we have with him. We have a free swinger and a guy who can ignite your team," said manager Ron Gardenhire. |
Our View: Gomez has a rotten .290 on-base percentage, which is particularly bad for a leadoff hitter. If you desperately need steals, keep him in your lineup, but otherwise it may be wise to find a replacement for him.
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