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| Aubrey Huff went 1-for-3 for the Orioles on Friday night before he was forced to leave the game due to a head injury. |
Our View: Huff has been dominating of late hitting .407 over his last 15 games, so his loss would be a huge one. Stay tuned for further details as they become available.
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| Kelly Shoppach may not have set any records on this night, but he still went 2-for-4 giving him seven hits over his last two games. |
Our View: Six of those seven hits have gone for extra bases as Shoppach has produced the pop that the team was longing to see from Victor Martinez all season long (he has 11 home runs and 18 doubles in 203 AB).
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| Joe Mauer went deep for the seventh time this season, his lone hit in four trips to the plate on Friday night. |
Our View: Mauer is hitting a tremendous .319, and his 52 RBI are top shelf for a catcher, but the lack of power continues to hold him back from the elite. He owns a tremendously smooth stroke, but it's still surprising that a man as big as he is (6'5", 230 lbs) just can't seem to generate the leverage needed to drive the ball deep.
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| Jeremy Sowers lasted 6.2 innings on Friday night as he surrendered only six base runners to the Twins. Too bad for Sowers four of those runners scored in his sixth loss of the year. |
Our View: Sowers just can't seem to get over the hump this season as he has alternated good and bad performances over his last six outings. He is a hurler to watch, but not one that should be in your lineup right now.
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| Nick Blackburn improved to 8-6 on the season thanks to holding the Indians to just one run over seven innings on Friday night. Blackburn had only two strikeouts on the night, but he also walked only one batter. |
Our View: Blackburn continues to pitch like Greg Maddux by limiting the walks and thereby the damage to his ERA. If more pitchers took that approach, this would be an easy game.
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| Josh Banks twirled seven effective innings against the Giants on Friday night allowing two runs, one earned, over seven innings on the hill in a no-decision. |
Our View: One of the runs scored on a passed ball, or he would have been in line for a win. He walked only one batter on the night with two strike outs as he lowered his ERA to 3.65.
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| Tim Lincecum completley dominated the Padres for seven innings piling up 11 K while allowing only three hits and just one earned run on Friday night. He ended up with a no-decision when Jack Taschner blew the game by allowing a home run to Adrian Gonzalez. |
Our View: Lincecum was blowing cheese by the Padres all night and now has at least eight K in 4-straight starts highlighted by 24 over his last two outings covering 14 innings. Its truly amazing that he has 11 wins for such an inept squad.
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| Mark Grudzielanek had a collision with Ross Gload on Friday night that forced him to the bench, according to MLB.com. Grudzielanek left the game sporting a limp in his left leg. David DeJesus also left the game in the seventh inning though no reason was announced. |
Our View: With Jose Guillen already ailing, Esteban German would figure to see additional time in the outfield if DeJesus needs to miss a couple of days. Of course, German could also end up at second base if Grudzielanek were to miss any time, or the team could turn to Tony Pena Jr. as well.
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| Billy Butler had two hits and an RBI on Friday night after going hitless in his last seven at-bats. |
Our View: Butler continues to struggle with major league pitching this year after looking so strong as a rookie (.292-8-52 in 329 AB). Butler is a minor league batting champ and will eventually figure things out, though it may not happen until '09.
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| Luke Hochevar didn't walk a batter in six innings, but he allowed 10 hits leading to four runs in his ninth loss for the Royals. |
Our View: Hochevar's ERA was 4.66 eight starts ago, but that number has shot up to 5.42. With a terrible 1.48 K/BB ratio, Hochevar has struggled on most night the past month and will continue to do so without better location.
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| Javier Vazquez finally showed something on Friday night as he held the Royals to two runs over six innings in his eighth win of the season. |
Our View: Vazquez only struck out three Royals, but he also walked only two batters as he let his defenders do the work. Vazquez continues to be terribly inconsistent, but the potential is still lurking for a huge finish.
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| Ken Griffey Jr. had two hits and two RBI in his first game wearing a White Sox uniform while wearing number 17 for the Sox. |
Our View: Griffey hit seventh on this night, though he could still produce a fair amount of RBI from that spot if the rest of the lineup produces like it should in front of him.
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| Jimmy Rollins may have no power this season, but he continues to steal bases at a high rate as he swiped his 27th base of the season on Friday night. |
Our View: Rollins is only batting .270 with just eight home runs in 346 AB, but his OBP is actually only .002 points behind the mark he posted in his MVP season last year (.334).
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| Cole Hamels permitted five runners to cross home plate, four were earned, as he fell to 9-7 for the Phillies. |
Our View: Hamels was bit twice by the long ball tonight, and has given up 23 long balls on the season, which just so happens to be the reason that his ERA is as high as it is at 3.37 given his overall level of dominance.
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| Kyle Lohse wasn't at his best on Friday night as he lasted just 5.1 innings, but he was good enough to pick up his 13th win of the season for the Cardinals. |
Our View: Lohse allowed eight base runners while striking out six as he rebounded from his worst outing in almost two months. Given his track record we are skeptical that he can keep this up moving forward, but he has been pretty darn good this season.
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| Ryan Ludwick had a big night with two homes, both solo shots, as he went 4-for-4 for the Cardinals. |
Our View: Ludwick's night pushed his average back over .300 to .303 as he also reached the 25 home run plateau for the first time. He continues to be one of the better finds of the fantasy season.
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| Brandon Backe allowed 10 hits and two walks, but he limited the damage to three runs in six innings for the Astros. He also hit a home run. |
Our View: Backe upped his K total to 100 on the night, though his ratios still mark him as nothing that you want to run out there on a regular basis so look elsewhere for rotation help.
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| Pedro Martinez, making his first start since July 12th, allowed three runs over five innings against the Astros. All three runs scored on solo home runs. |
Our View: Pedro struck out five while walking two as he threw 87 pitches and generally looked solid. The Mets desperately need a healthy Martinez to be successful, and anything remotely resembling his former glory days would be a benefit to his fantasy owners.
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| Mark Loretta hit a pinch hit grand slam off of Aaron Heilman in the eighth inning of the Astros 7-3 win over the Mets. Carlos Lee, Kaz Matsui and Brandon Backe also went deep. |
Our View: Loretta continues to be a servicable spare part who will likely have a long career, though his value in the fantasy game is limited to deep NL-only leagues only.
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| B.J. Ryan was at his worst on Friday night as he picked up his third blown save and fourth loss of the season for the Jays. Ryan allowed three hits and two walks which led to three runs while he recorded just one out. |
Our View: Ryan's ERA goes from 2.70 to 3.41 on this night. He is in no danger of losing his closers job, though Scott Downs has been extremely solid in a setup role (1.43 ERA, 1.14 WHIP).
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| C.J. Wilson had another in a series of unsuccessful outings as he allowed two runs, though the Rangers offense bailed him out in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn Wilson his second victory of the season. |
Our View: Wilson owns a 5.28 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP, numbers that dwarf those of Eddie Guardado (3.24 ERA, 0.96 WHIP). Kind of makes you wonder why Wilson continues to close doesn't it?
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| Shaun Marcum made his third highly unsuccessful start since returning to the rotation as he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings against the Rangers. |
Our View: Over three starts, Marcum's ERA has gone from 2.65 to 3.57 as he has allowed 16 runs in 14.2 innings. Clearly he was brought back too quickly, as many surmised based on his work in the minors.
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| David Murphy won the game with a two run single in the bottom of the ninth inning as he had three hits and four RBI for the Rangers. |
Our View: Almost no one predicted this type of success out of Murphy this year, and though he is hitting only .268, he does have 14 home runs and 71 RBI as a nice complementary bat for the Rangers.
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| Casey Kotchman picked up his first hit since joining the Braves as he went 1-for-3 from the cleanup spot for the club. |
Our View: Kotchman is just 1-for-12 in three games, but he will eventually hit. However, he is certainly completely miscast as a cleanup hitter.
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| Prince Fielder struck out three times and left four men on base on Friday night, but he also hit his 23rd home run of the season for the Brewers. |
Our View: This was the third straight game in which Fielder has belted a solo bomb, this after a stretch of 10 games without a home run. He continues to be a bit too streaky for our liking, but he is still on pace for well over 30 home runs.
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| Chuck James faced the Brewers on Friday night and the results where predictably awful as he fell to 2-4 on the season. James allowed six hits and four walks leading to six earned runs in just 2.2 innings. |
Our View: James allowed two more home runs on the night for a total of nine in just 25.2 innings this season, an alarming rate a year after he allowed 32 in just 161.1 innings last season. Toss him back on waivers if you took an ill advised chance on him tonight.
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| Jeff Suppan hurled seven shutout innings against the Braves on Friday night to improve his record to 6-7 on the season. |
Our View: Suppan walked three and struck out only one on the night, though he baffled the Braves with a series of off-speed pitches. He remains nothing more than a bottom tier fantasy option.
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| Miguel Cabrera continued his hitting on Friday night as he had a hit and an RBI for the Tigers. He also walked twice. |
Our View: Cabrera has 19 RBI in his last 11 games as he continues his push to finish with his fifth straight season of .290-25-100 (he is currently at .293-19-80).
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| Carl Crawford had only one hit in four at-bats on Friday though he did manage to steal his 24th base of the season. |
Our View: It's remarkable that the Rays have played so well with their best player having his worst season since becoming a regular. We keep waiting for a huge run of success, but it's starting to look like it may not be coming.
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| Joel Zumaya hurled 1.1 innings on Friday night, and though he picked up two strikeouts he also allowed a solo home run to Evan Longoria. |
Our View: With Todd Jones on the DL, Zumaya could be in line to pick up some save chances, though outings like this one certainly won't help him in that endeavor as he needed 32 pitches to record four outs.
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| Scott Kazmir couldn't find the strike zone on this night as he needed 110 pitches to make it through just 4.2 innings against the Tigers. Kazmir allowed just three hits and two runs, but he walked six batters. |
Our View: Because of all the walks, Kazmir finished one out short of a victory. Kazmir has now walked 17 batters over his last 32.2 IP (4.68 BB/9) as he has thrown five or fewer innings in five of his last seven outings. Not exactly a heart warming trend.
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| Jack Cust hit his 20th home run of the season, an opposite field blast over the Green Monster on Friday night. |
Our View: Cust also made a nice diving catch on the night, flashing the leather in a display that many thought they would never see. Cust is only hitting .226, but his OBP is .372, giving him some extra value in non-traditional fantasy leagues.
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| Jed Lowrie had two his and two RBI on Friday night for the Sox as he continues to fill in for the injured Julio Lugo at short stop. |
Our View: Mike Lowell injured his leg in the 10th inning which caused Lowrie to move to third base while Alex Cora entered to play shortstop. As a result, there is little to no chance of Lowrie being out of the lineup this weekend, so keep that in mind when setting your lineup.
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| Tim Wakefield hurled 6.1 shutout innings against the Athletics on Friday night to lower his ERA to 3.77. He was left with a no-decision. in a game the Sox ended up winning in 12 innings. |
Our View: Wakefield continues to go out there and give his club a chance to win almost every night. Over his last 11 starts, Tim has allowed more than three earned runs only twice, both times occurring in his last two starts prior to tonight.
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| Justin Duchscherer rebounded from the worst start of his career to hold the mighty Red Sox to but one run over six innings on Friday night. |
Our View: Duchscherer returned to the solid starter he has been all season long on this night, though he only struck out two batters on the night. A regression is coming, but after tonight we believe it could be gradual and not profound.
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| Willy Taveras swiped two bags on Friday night to reach 50 for the first time in his four year career. |
Our View: Taveras may only be hitting .257 with but one home run and 21 RBI, but those steals give him huge value in fantasy leagues. His favorite movie might be Forrest Gump, remember "...run Forrest, run."
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| Josh Willingham had a hit and an RBI out of the cleanup spot for the Marlins on Friday night. |
Our View: Well, at least he can relax now as it appears that he will be a Marlin for the rest of the year. Willingham is hitting .276 though his total of 29 RBI in 199 AB isn't quite the pace that the club, or his owners, had hoped for.
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| Chris Volstad was all over the map on Friday as he allowed eight hits, walked three, struck out six and allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings against the Rockies. |
Our View: Volsted just didn't have it on this night, though he still sports a 3.25 ERA through 27.2 innings this season. Youngster often struggle with control, so don't go throwing in the towel quite yet with this young phenom.
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| Ubaldo Jimenez won his fourth straight start allowing just two hits while striking out 10 in seven shutout innings against the Marlins. |
Our View: This was the first game of nine or more strikeouts for Jimenez since May 10th, but over his last four starts he has been special with a 1.24 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. He is a risk given his lack of control (4.37 BB/9), but he is hot right now if you are looking to play with fire.
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| Jay Bruce hit his eighth home run of the year for the Reds though he only went 1-for-4 to drop his average to .267. |
Our View: After going 11-for-19 to start his career, Bruce is hitting just .238 over 206 AB, and that simply isn't going to get it done. He also has just 16 BB against 60 K, and that ratio isn't that of a polished hitter at the plate.
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| Elijah Dukes had a successful return to the lineup as he had two hits and two RBI hitting out of the third hole. |
Our View: With all the movement with the Nationals, Dukes figures to be in the lineup everyday for the rest of the season as he attempts to prove that his time has arrived. If you need help in the outfield, he certainly is worth a look.
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| Homer Bailey allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk as he was only able to record six outings on Friday night in his fifth loss of the season. |
Our View: Bailey simply cannot put it together at this level, and whispers of him being a potential AAAA player are growing (too good for minors, not good enough for the majors). Still, he is only 22 years old, so he has plenty of time to figure things out.
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| Odalis Perez earned his first home victory of the season as he allowed just one earned run over 7.1 innings in his longest outing since August 11th, 2005. |
Our View: Perez lowered his ERA to 4.16 with this effort as he struggles to return to relevance in the fantasy game, something that has eluded him since 2004.
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| Torii Hunter had a game winning single on Friday night off of Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning, the only run in the Angels 1-0 victory over the Yankees. |
Our View: Hunter is batting .281-18-59 in his first season in California in what has been a rather underwhelming performance to date after averaging 30 home runs and 103 RBI the past two years.
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| Sidney Ponson was masterful on Friday night shutting out the Angels for seven innings in the Yankees 1-0 loss to the Angels. |
Our View: Mariano Rivera blew the game in the ninth inning after Ponson allowed just two hits and four walks over seven innings. We wouldn't look for a repeat performance any time soon out of Ponson, but on this night he gave the Angels all they could handle.
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| Mariano Rivera gave up a game losing hit to Torii Hunter on Friday night to pick up his fourth loss of the season for the Yankees. |
Our View: Rivera still sports a 1.49 ERA in 44 appearances after allowing a single run tonight. Look for him to bounce back in his next outing.
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| Ervin Santana shutout the Yankees for eight innings before being replaced by Francisco Rodriguez who finished off the Yankees for his 45th save of the season in the Angels 1-0 victory over the Yanks. |
Our View: Santana improved to 12-5 with his masterful performance that included eight strikeouts and just two walks in his first win in three tries since the All-Star break.
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| Mike Lowell was removed from the Red Sox game with the A's in the 10th inning after legging out a ball with an apparent leg injury. |
Our View: No report is yet available from the team, but Lowell appeared to grab at his right groin after crossing first base. He left the field under his own power. More details to follow.
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| Scott Rolen returned to the lineup on Friday after spending two days on the bench to rest his injured shoulder, and in his first at-bat he homered, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Rolen apparently isn't in pain, but his range of motion continues to be limited which hinders his ability to generate bat speed which has led to his .163 batting average over his past 23 appearances.
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| Juan Pierre will take over in center field for the Dodgers for Andrew Jones, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Manny Ramirez will take over in left field with Matt Kemp moving to right. |
Our View: This means that Andre Ethier and Andrew Jones will serve as possibly the two most talented backup outfielders in the National League. Well, Maybe just Ethier.
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| Manny Ramirez will join the Dodgers wearing number 99 and sporting a haircut sans the dreadlocks, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. |
Our View: Apparently he said he just wants to fit in, and since manager Joe Torre has a rule about hair length, Manny will cut his to be just like everyone else. Like short hair will make that happen.
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| The Yankees worst fears were realized on Friday when manager Joe Girardi announced that former ace Chien-Ming Wang would indeed miss the rest of the regular season due to his injured foot, according to the New York Daily News. "The chances of us getting him back September 1 are zero," Girardi said. "October 1? It's possible." |
Our View: Wang could still help out the Yankees if they were to make the playoffs, but they will have to get there on the arms of pitchers like Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson and not their staff leader.
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| Rocco Baldelli will play seven innings on Friday night before being checked by the team's medical staff to determine what the next step in his recovery process will be, according to the Tampa Tribune. Could he actually be activated this weekend? “I can’t say it’s impossible, but I have not discussed that specifically with Andrew [Friedman] for tomorrow,” said manager Joe Maddon. |
Our View: Baldelli, whenever he is activated, figures to be a part-time player, so don't go counting on him to return to his former levels of production until he proves himself healthy and capable of playing on a regular basis.
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| Kelvim Escobar had shoulder surgery and is now looking forward to the next stage of his attempt to come back from a tear in his right labrum, according to MLB.com. "I feel good. Now I know I have to focus on one thing, and that's my rehab. I'll put everything into it and dedicate myself to getting back on the mound next season." |
Our View: Estimates for his return to action range from nine to 12 months, so it will be quite a while before we will know if Escobar will be able to regain his once filthy stuff.
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| Orlando Hernandez's foot is still bothering him which means he shouldn't be expected back anytime soon, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: El Duque is still waiting on a specially designed shoe that will hopefully allow him to return to the hill, but counting on anything at all at this point from a guy who has missed the entire season is a stretch.
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| Nomar Garciaparra was finally placed on the DL on Friday because of a mild sprain to his MCL in his left knee, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Nomar's move to the DL will open up a roster spot for Manny Ramirez. Angel Berroa will be the regular at short.
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| Garret Anderson finished July on a massive hot streak hitting .519 to end the month of July over his last 27 AB, according to MLB.com. "The hand speed is there -- that's never a concern," Anderson said. "It's just a matter of getting everything else in tune, getting the timing and rhythm of my swing down." |
Our View: Anderson has pushed his average back up to .285 with this hot streak including an ultra impressive .349 with runners in scoring position. Anderson has proven that he can get locked in and stay that way for a long while, so if he happens to be available on waivers, don't be afraid to jump on the bandwagon.
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| Dan Murphy, one of the Mets best young players, was promoted to Triple-A New Orleans after hitting .308-13-67 at Double-A, according to the New York Post. |
Our View: Murphy should find himself called up to the big league club in September unless he fails to adjust to Triple-A pitching.
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| Corey Hart returned to the lineup on Friday after sitting out the Brewers last game to ponder why he was in such a slump at the plate, according to MLB.com. "A day is good. I feel fine. Sometimes a day helps." |
Our View: Hart was originally scheduled to sit out two games, but with the Braves starting left hander Chuck James, Hart found himself back in the lineup despite the fact that he is hitting just .240 with only three RBI in 12 games since the All-Star break.
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| Jose Guillen was held out of the Royals lineup on Friday night with tightness in his left hip flexor, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Guillen has been dealing with this injury for several days, and was replaced in the lineup by Esteban German with Mark Teahen moving to right field and David DeJesus in center. Guillen will look to return over the weekend.
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| Jerry Hairston Jr. has been activated from the DL on Friday after missing time due to an injured hamstring, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Hairston is hitting .351 with 15 stolen bases this season in just 188 AB, and he figures to find himself inserted back into the starting lineup, possibly at the expense of Jeff Keppinger at short, though the smart money is on him picking up playing time in the outfield now that Ken Griffey Jr. is in Chicago.
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| Francisco Liriano, recalled to join the major league roster on Friday, is scheduled to pitch for the Twins on Sunday against the Indians, according to the Star Tribune. |
Our View: Glen Perkins will have his start pushed back to Monday, though eventually the team will try to split up the two lefties. Look for Liriano to try an make a statement after being left in the minors for so long by Twins management.
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| Michael Bourn is still dealing with a sore ankle and as a result he was a late scratch from the Astros lineup on Friday, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Bourn is experiencing pain when he runs which is forcing him to run more on toes. The Astros will likely be careful with him this weekend as they certainly don't want to blow him out and lose him for an extended period of time. Darrin Erstad will likely continue to start in his place.
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| Todd Coffey was sent to Triple-A Louisville on Firday in order to make room for Jerry Hairston Jr., according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Coffey has struggled all year for the Reds producing an awful 6.05 ERA and equally poor 3.72 K/9 mark. He has no value of any kind at the moment.
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| Xavier Nady will be held out of the Yankees lineup on Friday because of an inflammed right quadriceps, according to the Associated Press. “You want to be smart and not lose him for an extended period,” manager Joe Girardi said. |
Our View: Nady will be available to pinch hit, and this certainly doesn't appear to be a DL type injury at the moment.
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| Todd Jones received good news on Friday when and MRI revealed no significant damage to his shoulder and merely tendinitis, according to ESPN. "I was kind of worried," Jones said. "I thought it was going to be a tear or something like that." |
Our View: There is no timetable for his return at the moment, and with Kyle Farnsworth now in the mix, the team may not be in a hurry to rush Jones back into action, though they could certainly use his arm in a struggling bullpen.
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| Brian McCann, who has been on the shelf after receiving a head injury on a play at the plate, has been given clearance to pinch hit on Friday night, according to the Associated Press. Backup catcher Corky Miller was designated for assignment. |
Our View: McCann will likely only pinch hit through the weekend, though he plans on returning to the starting lineup on Monday, so keep that in mind when setting your lineup next week with the power hitting catcher.
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| Right handed pitcher Chris Smith was recalled by the Red Sox on Friday, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Smith was 1-2 with a 2.24 ERA and 13 saves in 31 games with Pawtucket before being recalled, and he figures to add another arm to the Sox bullpen after the loss of Craig Hansen at the trade deadline.
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| Alex Cintron, out with a strained hamstring, has been activated from the DL on Friday, according to the Associated Press. Brian Burres was sent to Triple-A to make room on the roster. |
Our View: Cintron, who has been out since July 1st, went 6-for-14 in five minor league rehab games. Cintron could be in the mix at shortstop considering the woes of almost every player that the Orioles have tried there.
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