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| Jim Edmonds was married to his long time girlfriend on Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. Always the classy guy, Edmonds got married wearing a t-shirt and jeans. |
Our View: Edmonds is hitting only .206 in July, but he has still managed to work the count enough to post a .357 OBP. In 44 games since joining the Cubs, Edmonds is batting .269 with nine home runs and 29 RBI as well as a .922 OPS.
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| Joey Votto has a .279-13-40 line over the first half, though his numbers have fallen over the past 39 games leading to just three home runs, 11 RBI and a .262 average. |
Our View: Votto has had a solid start to his major league career giving the Reds about the level of offense they had been hoping for. Votto should remain a viable corner infield option in mixed leagues.
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| Freddy Sanchez was held out of the lineup for the final two games before the All-Star break due to a slump that has seen his average dip all the way to .226, .084 points below the .310 mark he entered the season with, according to Yahoo Sports. |
Our View: A simplistic way of looking at things would be to say that Sanchez has hit in terrible luck this season given a BABIP mark of .248, .074 points below his career .322 mark, a number that he has actually bettered in each of the last two seasons. His line drive rate remains unchanged, and he is hitting fewer balls in the air, so it would seem that a rebound could be in the cards.
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| Wandy Rodriguez has struggled of late with a 6.89 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP over his last three starts for the Astros. |
Our View: Wandy still has 14 K in 15.2 innings in those three outings, though he has been uncharacteristically wild with seven walks in that time. Through it all he continues to have a ton of success at home with a 2.72 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in Houston while his struggles on the road have carried over from last season (4.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP).
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| Orlando Hernandez (strained right foot tendon) will make a rehab start at Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, according to The Star Ledger. |
Our View: El Duque could be ready to go by the end of the month, though given that we have waited this far into the season to see him pitch for the Mets, we wouldn't be at all shocked to see his return date pushed back yet again.
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| Jair Jurrjens may not be receiving as much publicity as some other young arms like Edinson Volquez of the Reds, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't had a great start to his major league career with the Braves, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. |
Our View: Jurrjens leads NL rookies in wins (nine) and is second in ERA (3.00). Jurrjens, Jo-Jo Reyes, Jorge Campillo and Charlie Morton have teamed to replace John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton to give the Braves the arms they have needed in a depleted rotation.
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| Adrian Gonzalez is tied for fifth in the NL in home runs with 22 and he is fourth in RBI with 71, though that masks the fact that he has been terribly unproductive at the plate of late hitting just .175 with a single home runs over his last 63 AB. |
Our View: It's really a surprise that it has taken teams this long to work around Gonzalez since he is just about the only valid power option in their lineup right now. Even with his recent struggles, his .276/.345/.503 line is nearly identical to his production from last season (.282/.347/.502).
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| Speedster Willy Taveras could wind up on the disabled list due to a sore quadriceps muscle, according to the Associated Press. “Hopefully, he will be 100 percent (when the season resumes on Thursday) or we will have to think things through,” manager Clint Hurdle said. |
Our View: Taveras missed the teams final two games before the break, and since his game is built on speed, he certainly represents little of value if he cannot run. Scott Podsednik could pick up some AB if Taveras is placed on the DL, especially with Ryan Spilborghs already on the DL due to a left oblique strain.
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| Hong-Chih Kuo has done a phenomenal job this season, and as a result he could be called upon to fill the setup role with the Dodgers now that former setup man Jonathan Broxton is in the closers role due to the injury to Takashi Saito, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Chan Ho Park was also mentioned by manager Joe Torre, but we would certainly suggest that the club goes with Kuo who has dominated hitters to the tune of a 1.69 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 10.63 K/9 mark in 53.1 innings.
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| Nomar Garciaparra is hitting only .276 over his last 10 games, but he has knocked in seven runs while playing a solid shortstop with no errors in eight games. |
Our View: Nomar has suited up for eight games at third base as well, and is clearly going to be a valuable NL only option the rest of the way if he can manage to stay healthy long enough to find the groove with his stroke.
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| Catcher Buster Posey was named the recipient of the Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday, the trophy awarded to the outstanding college baseball players, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Posey, a converted shortstop who was selected in the first round by the Giants, led the NCAA in batting average (.472), OBP (.572) and SLG (.908). His bat his advanced, though his defense is lagging a bit behind at this point, but oh can he swing that stick.
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| Cristian Guzman may not be anywhere near the ideal hitter, but given the extensive injuries the Nationals are dealing with, he has found himself in that spot more frequently of late, according to MLB.com. "He's not your ideal third hitter, but he's our best hitter," manager Manny Acta said. "It's the fact of trying to find guys on the top in front of Guzman and guys behind Guzman. We are trying to find a combination that will help us score some runs. It's tough." |
Our View: Guzman is hitting .313 on the year though with a mere 30 RBI and a .764 OPS. Obviously he isn't remotely suited for the role, bu the club is just trying to make due until Ryan Zimmerman and Dimitri Young return.
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| Carlos Delgado has been a streaky hitter this season with 54% of his 52 RBI coming in just 10% of his games played, according to MLB.com. This means that Delgado has all of 23 RBI in the other 82 games he has played this season. |
Our View: Other Mets who has suffered from this high concentration of RBI in just a few games would include David Wright who has 60% of his RBI in just 18% of his games, while Carlos Beltran has 70% of his RBI in just 17% of his games.
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| Adam Wainwright continues to progress well in his comeback from and injured middle finger and hopes to return to the hill for the Cardinals the first week of August, according to MLB.com. "I think it's healed exactly like it's supposed to," Wainwright said. "...I have every confidence that as soon as I get into my brain that my finger is healthy, I'll be fine." |
Our View: Wainwright will throw long toss every other day the rest of this week in hopes of being to cleared to throw off the mound next week. If all goes well he will make a couple of appearances in the minors before returning to a rotation that desperately needs him.
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| Cody Ross, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Mike Jacobs and Jorge Cantu are all on pace to hit at least 25 home runs this season for the Marlins, according to MLB.com. "Because we have a lot of power guys, we are going to drive the ball," Jacobs said. "That's going to account for a lot of doubles and a lot of home runs. I just think by the way we are, we're going to have big power numbers, up and down our lineup |
Our View: Ramirez, Uggla and Jacobs figured to reach that mark this season, but Ross and Cantu have been huge for the Marlins and represent two of the better waiver wire pickups this season. Ross, in particular, might still be available in some mixed leagues, and if he is you might want to look his way since he is hitting .373 with 19 RBI in his last 19 games.
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| Chad Tracy appears to have settled into the D'backs every day lineup at first base, with former first baseman Conor Jackson spending even more time in the outfield, according to the East Valley Tribune. |
Our View: Tracy is hitting .410 over his last 39 AB and .377 over his final 16 games. With production like that, the team certainly will find a spot for that smooth swing in the lineup. Jackson should continue to play on a daily basis as well and has now played 17 games in the outfield.
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| Tim Kurkjian of ESPN is reporting that the Phillies are very concerned that Brad Lidge threw nearly 100 pitches will warming up, multiple times, during the just completed All-Star Game last night. |
Our View: The Phillies have been extremely careful with their use of Lidge this season and he has rewarded them with a huge first half including a 1.13 ERA and 20 saves. Keep an eye on how Lidge pitches once the season begins again, and you can bet this won't be the last time we hear about it if Lidge goes on to struggle.
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| The Giants signed 16-year-old Dominican prospect Rafael Rodriguez to a $2.55 million bonus Tuesday, according to Baseball America. It is the largest bonus ever given to a Latin American hitter, excluding Cuban defectors. |
Our View: Rodriguez is a 6-5, 198-pound toolsy outfielder that signed on his 16th birthday. It is the second big splash the Giants have made in recent seasons, as they signed Angel Villalona for $2.1 million in 2006.
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| Outfielders Colby Rasmus, Dexter Fowler and Matt LaPorta were the headliners of Team USA that was announced on Wednesday. |
Our View: Former major league manager Davey Johnson will manage the team, which will begin their quest for the gold medal on August 13 against Korea.
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| Manny Ramirez wants to sit down with Red Sox ownership at the end of the season to find out what their intentions are for his future, according to the Boston Herald. The team has consecutive one-year, $20 million options on the slugger. "To be honest with you, I don't know, I want to stay in Boston, but I want to sit down after the season with ownership and see what my future is going to be in Boston," said Ramirez. "Let's see, but the ball is in my court. If they don't pick it up, I'm a free agent and I'll go play somewhere else. We'll see." |
Our View: Manny turned 36 in May, but he's on pace for terrific numbers again. Maybe more important is the fact he's already played in 90 games.
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| Pablo Ozuna was officially released Wednesday after he cleared waivers and rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte, according to the Chicago Tribune. Ozuna was designated for assignment last week. |
Our View: Ozuna can be a useful utility guy somewhere. He won't have trouble finding a home.
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| Russell Martin isn't interested in going the Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitski route in having the Dodgers buy out his arbitration years, according to the LA Daily News. The Dodgers have approached Martin about an extension, but the catcher has rejected the overtures on the advice of his agent, Bob Garber. "I don't really even worry about stuff like that," Martin said. "It's not my concern. That's (the agent's) job." |
Our View: Martin is making only $500K this year but figures to qualify as a "Super Two" player next year, at which point he would be due for a big raise.
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| A Red Sox official has shot down speculation that the team might be interested in Omar Vizquel with Julio Lugo out 4-6 weeks, according to the Boston Globe. The team in content with a combination of rookie Jed Lowrie and veteran Alex Cora while Lugo is out. |
Our View: There has been speculation that Vizquel was considering retiring over the break because of his offensive woes, but he's made no such announcement thus far. It would be hard to believe that the Sox would consider him an upgrade over Lowrie or Cora at this point.
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| Troy Tulowitzki will begin a five-game rehab assignment Wednesday with Double-A Tulsa, according to the Rocky Mountain News. The shortstop, who is recovering from a 16-stitch cut on his right palm, could rejoin the Rox next Monday against the Dodgers if all goes well. |
Our View: Tulo has played just 39 games so far because of this injury and his quad ailment. He's hit just .166 in 151 at-bats.
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| Alfonso Soriano has circled July 24 on his calendar as his desired return date, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He will go on a rehab assignment before returning from his broken hand. "I think I need it," Soriano said of the rehab assignment. "It's different than with my legs. It's my hands, so I have to test my hands and be confident with that. I have to go one or two games; three would be the most. I have to see some pitches and feel confident." |
Our View: Soriano will hit in the cage this weekend with the Cubs, and if all goes well will begin a rehab on Monday.
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| The Phillies have been taking a look at Oakland's Joe Blanton, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Blanton has had a down year, going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in the first half. |
Our View: Blanton is still likely one of the better starters available despite his down year, and the Phillies are desperate for starting pitching, so this makes sense.
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| With Takashi Saito sidelined for at least six weeks (and possibly the rest of the year), Jonathan Broxton will handle the ninth-inning duties for the Dodgers. |
Our View: Broxton has long been considered the team's closer of the future, and that future is now.
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| Chris Young will make his first rehab start tonight with Single-A Lake Elsinore, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. He underwent surgery on June 30 to repair a deviated septum and re-open his nasal passages. He's been out since May 21, when an Albert Pujols line drive nailed Young in the face. |
Our View: Young will make at least one more, and likely two more, rehab appearances before rejoining the Pads rotation.
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| Takashi Saito has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in his right elbow and will need to rehab for six weeks, according to the LA Daily News. The closer will be re-evaluated after that. "We'll get together with Joe and come up with a plan," GM Ned Colletti said. "Obviously, it is not easy replacing someone like him. As far as trading for a closer, its a lot like trying to acquire a shortstop - it's a premium position and most teams don't carry an excess. We also have candidates within the staff. Many times closers are discovered in times like this. We'll know more about what we'll do short-term in a couple of days. And we'll know more about Saito's status as the rehab develops." |
Our View: Jonathan Broxton will close while Saito is out, which could possibly be for the rest of the season.
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