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| Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-5 on Sunday to drop his average to .263, a far cry from the .296 mark he posted last season during his MVP performance. |
Our View: Rollins didn't put up a hit in three games against the Cardinals this weekend going 0-for-11. Rollins simply has to get hot at some point, doesn't he?
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| Ryan Ludwick had two hits on Sunday night including his 27th home run, his fourth blast in the last three games. |
Our View: Ludwick has a hit in 7-straight games after this one as he continues to provide tremendous production behind Albert Pujols in the Cards batting order.
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| It wasn't pretty on Sunday night but Brad Lidge picked up his 28th save in 28 chances against the Cardinals. |
Our View: Tory Glaus hit a mammoth blast off of Lidge but it was the only run he allowed, though he did permit three hits in the frame.
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| Todd Wellemeyer continued to rebound from some recent poor work on the hill giving up just one run over six innings against the Phillies. |
Our View: Wellemeyer wasn't involved in the decision on this night and has posted a 2.65 ERA over his last three starts as he continues to be a mildly successful depth play in mixed leagues.
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| Brett Myers didn't pick up a decision on Sunday but he still pitched fairly well permitting just two runs in six innings against the Cardinals. |
Our View: Myers was taken deep by Ryan Ludwick, but otherwise only allowed three hits without walking a single batter. Myers has allowed two runs over 13 innings in his last two starts (1.38 ERA) while giving up just nine base runners (0.69 WHIP). If he is on waivers in your league, take a chance and pick Myers up.
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| Adam Lind had a hit and an RBI on Sunday and is now batting .333 over his last 16 games. |
Our View: Lind has finally found his grove at the major league level after struggling for consistency at this level. Lind should continue to function as a solid fourth outfielder in mixed leagues.
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| David Purcey fell to 1-2 on the season by permitting five runs over five innings against the Rangers. |
Our View: Purcey owns a 8.35 ERA over four starts which makes you wonder if the club made the right decision in demoting John Parrish to the bullpen given that his ERA is roughly half at 4.43.
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| Luis Mendoza allowed seven base runners over seven innings on Sunday as he was victorious for the third time this season. Mendoza permitted four runs to the Jays in the outing with one walk and two strikeouts. |
Our View: Mendoza needed this outing terribly after giving up 12 runs over his last 9.1 innings as he has struggled to transition his minor league success to the major league level.
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| Adam Jones had x-rays on his left foot that were ruled as inconclusive after fouling a ball off his foot on Saturday, according to TSN. As a result, Jones will have a CT scan on Monday to determine what the best course of action will be. |
Our View: Jones was unable to walk on his foot on Sunday, and this sounds like it could be a DL type injury, too bad to since Jones is batting .326 over his last 31 games.
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| Aubrey Huff extended his hitting streak to 12-games on Sunday though he went just 1-for-4 with a run scored against the Mariners. |
Our View: Dating back 17 games, Huff is hitting a scintillating .409 as he is in one hell of a groove at the plate.
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| Raul Ibanez had two hits which led to three RBI on Sunday in the Mariners 8-4 victory over the Orioles. |
Our View: Ibanez is hitting .328 with 12 RBI in 16 games since the All-Star break as he continues to quietly go about his business as one of the best third outfielders in the fantasy game.
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| Daniel Cabrera walked only two batters on Sunday but he still permitted seven runs, six earned, over six innings against the Mariners. As a result, Cabrera fell to 7-7 on the season. |
Our View: Cabrera has squandered all the love that he built with a strong start to the season by allowing six or more runs in three of his last four appearances. Even those in deep AL-only leagues are taking their chances starting the tall righty.
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| J.J. Putz looked like his old self on Sunday as he allowed just one hit over 1.1 innings on the way to picking up his third win of the season. |
Our View: This outing might be the impetus the club needs to send Brandon Morrow back to the starting rotation. Sooner or later Putz will start picking up saves, and it might be nearing that point for the former All-Star.
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| Miguel Olivo went 1-for-3 with two RBI before things really got interesting on Sunday. Olivo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, charged the mound, and started a bench clearing brawl before being ejected from the game. |
Our View: After the game Olivo said the HBP was on purpose. What Miguel, with the bases loaded? Are you really gonna stick with that story? Olivo was suspended the first four games of this season for starting a bench clearing fight at the end of '07, so expect the league to suspend him here for a minimum of five games for this infraction.
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| A.J. Pierzynski had two hits, including his ninth home run of the year, in the White Sox 14-3 thrashing at the hands of the Royals. |
Our View: Pierzynski was at the center of yet another brawl on this day as he took a punch to the head from Miguel Olivo who ignited a bench clearing brawl after being hit by a pitch.
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| Billy Butler had three hits on Sunday to boost his average to .271. He also scored two runs while knocking in two against the White Sox. |
Our View: Butler is finally swinging it like the former batting champ he is hitting .356 with five home runs and 19 RBI over his last 16 games. If he is available in your mixed league, grab him immediately.
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| Mike Aviles continued to mash on Sunday as he went 4-for-4 including his seventh home run of the season for the Royals. |
Our View: Aviles was a name that likely wasn't called in a single mixed league draft this season, but he has hit like the second coming of Nomar Garciaparra since being called up to the Royals with a .340-7-31 line over 206 AB.
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| Clayton Richard was simply torched on Sunday as he allowed nine runs, six earned, over 4.1 innings on Sunday. Richard fell to 0-2 as his ERA rose to 10.38. |
Our View: Richard may find himself sent down after this effort, though he did walk only one batter on the afternoon, albeit a small consolation prize in an effort as poor as this one.
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| Zack Greinke won his second start this week by holding the White Sox to two runs over 6.1 innings before he was ejected for throwing at a batter. |
Our View: Greinke finished the game without a walk and six strikeouts as he piled up 17 K and just one free pass in two starts on the week. He could face a suspension as his HBP was deemed retaliatory. We will have to wait and see how the league rules.
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| Ben Francisco had one hit, his 11th home run of the season for the Indians. |
Our View: Francisco is on a pace that would net him roughly 20 home runs and 80 RBI over a full season, solid numbers but nothing special. The club should continue to give him at-bats however marking him as a useful play in AL-only scenarios.
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| Denard Span had two hits, two runs scored and and RBI for the Twins from the leadoff spot on Sunday. One of the two hits was his second home run of the season. |
Our View: Reports are that Michael Cuddyer is about a week away from returning, at which point AB will become scarce. The team will continue to roll with Span, Carlos Gomez and Jason Kubel, though it would appear that only two of those might be in the lineup on any given night.
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| Matt Ginter's fourth start ended like the last two, in defeat. Ginter allowed five runs in six innings against the Twins on Sunday, and is now 1-3 on the season. |
Our View: Ginter has allowed 25 hits in just 21 innings, with the only thing keeping him from complete implosion being solid control (three BB). He merits little attention in anything but deep AL-only leagues.
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| Francisco Liriano shut down the Indians on Sunday to earn his first major league victory since July 23rd, 2006. Liriano threw six scoreless innings during which time he walked three, gave up three hits and struck out five. |
Our View: A fantastic return for Liriano who was 10-0 with a 2.67 ERA in his last 11 starts at Triple-A. Perhaps Soriano can just get back to doing what he does best (throwing the ball) now that he is back where he belongs in the Twins starting rotation.
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| Michael Cuddyer (finger), out since June 30th, will head out on a minor league rehab assignment on Monday, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Manager Ron Gardenhire estimated that Cuddyer would need four or five games before he would be activated, at which time the club will have a decision to make on playing time with Denard Span.
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| Stephen Drew, batting in the leadoff role, went 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI for the D'backs on Sunday. |
Our View: One of the hits was the 13th home run of the year for the shortstop, a new career best, and he is also just six runs away from tying his runs scored mark of 60 from last season. He hasn't broken out this season like some had hoped, but he has shown substantial improvement across the board other than a regression in walks (60 last year, down to 24 this season).
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| Jason Johnson, making his last start as he will be replaced in the rotation by Brad Penny on Friday, wasn't able to last five innings before being removed on Sunday. On the afternoon, Johnson allowed three runners in 4.1 innings to pick up a no decision. |
Our View: Johnson's numbers (2.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) look much, much better than what you see when you actually eyeball him on the hill. Unless he is starting, his value is limited to extremely deep NL-only leagues.
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| Doug Davis was brutal on Sunday retiring only five of the 13 batters he faced as he permitted six hits and five runs in his sixth loss of the year. This was his shortest outing since August 31, 2004 when he went only one inning. |
Our View: Davis sports a 4.28 ERA and 1.46 WHIP which are nearly identical ratios to the numbers he posted last season (4.25/1.59). Simply put, Davis just isn't a very good pitcher, though he has made a great story this year with his comeback from cancer.
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| Manny Ramirez had four hits, including his 22nd home run of the season on Sunday, and he also knocked in three runs for his new club against the D'backs. |
Our View: Ramirez has been stellar so far going 8-for-13 with five RBI in his first three games. When motivated the guy can still be a force, and with his impending free agency at the end of the year, we just might finally see what this future HOFamer has left in his bat on a daily basis.
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| Randy Winn, back in the third hole with Fred Lewis getting a day off, had two hits, knocked in a run and stole his 21st base of the season on Sunday. |
Our View: Has there been a quieter 20-SB season this year? Winn was expected to be moved at the deadline, and while that didn't happen he could still switch teams through the waiver-wire process, a move that could potentially reinvigorate the right fielder.
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| Brian Giles was the Padres hitting star on Sunday even though he didn't do anything to special with two hits, a run scored and an RBI. |
Our View: Giles had five hits in the three game series with little else going on around him in the Padres lineup. Giles is a fraction of the hitter he once way with almost no power (only five long balls), though his batting average (.297) and OBP (.393) remain as strong as ever.
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| Kevin Correia was a hard luck loser on Sunday as the Padres managed to scored only two runs against him in 6.1 innings on Sunday. Correia walked four batters while allowing just three hits on the day. |
Our View: Likely on waivers in almost all mixed leagues, Correia came on down the stretch last year and is looking to do so this year as well as he is finally healthy after dealing with injuries for part of the first half. He is worth keeping an eye on.
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| Greg Maddux won his second straight start as he picked career victory number 352 against the Giants. Maddux allowed only two hits, he didn't walk a batter, as he held the G-men to one run over six innings. |
Our View: In his last 13 starts against the Giants Maddux hasn't lost once, and he is 30-14 against them in his career, so you had better have him in the lineup every time he faces the men from San Francisco.
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| Alfonso Soriano went deep for the 19th time on Sunday amidst a day of three hits and a stolen base for the Cubs. Geovany Soto also had two hits, RBI and runs scored for the club. |
Our View: Soriano is hitting a robust .346 with four home runs and four stolen bases in 12 games since the All-Star break as he is once again proving that, even with injuries, he is still a top fantasy draw.
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| Two newcomers to the Pirates went deep on Sunday as Brandon Moss and B Andy LaRoche each took Cubs pitcher's deep. |
Our View: LaRoche was in the five hole, Moss batted sixth, as the team is in need of some pop with Andy LaRoche on the sidelines. LaRoche could end up being a fine play down the stretch and is worth monitoring even in mixed leagues.
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| Carlos Zambrano held the Pirates to just three hits and one walk over five innings, but inexplicably he was removed from the game after throwing just 82 pitches as he ended up with a no decision on the afternoon. |
Our View: Zambrano had thrown 125 and 118 pitches in his last two starts, but this is just crazy. Zambrano had retired 12-straight batters when he was removed, and at 82 pitches on the day no less. If the Cubs were that worried about his health, why not just skip his turn in the rotation?
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| As has become customary, Ian Snell struggled once again for the Pirates permitting four runs and 10 base runners while recording only 12 outs. |
Our View: Snell has allowed four or more earned runs in eight of his last 12 games as his ERA continues to climb (6.14). Only a sadist has him active at the moment.
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| Carlos Delgado had three more hits on Sunday and is now batting .268, the highest mark it has reached since April 13th. |
Our View: Since the All-Star break Delgado has turned back the clock about five years as he is batting .383-6-18 in 16 games to power the middle of the Mets lineup. With this recent hot streak, Delgado has a chance to hit .270 with 30 home runs for the first time since 2005.
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| Oliver Perez didn't walk a single batter on Sunday in six innings against the Astros, but he still lost for the seventh time this season as he permitted four runners to cross the plate. |
Our View: Perez had allowed only four earned runs in his last three starts, so a bit of a step back today wasn't unexpected. The good news is that he didn't walk anybody, so you can overlook the runs he allowed on this afternoon.
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| Randy Wolf held the Mets scoreless over five innings in his second start as an Astro to help the club to their first series sweep of the Mets since September 1993. |
Our View: Wolf walked three batters on the day with seven strikeouts, but it remains to be seen how effective he will be pitching in Houston as compared to pitcher friendly San Diego given his tendancy to allow fly balls.
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| B.J. Upton hit his seventh home run of the year on Sunday as he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. |
Our View: The homer was Upton's first in 27 games, a shocking fall for a player who hit 24 big flies last season. The speed that has led to 33 steals is great, but the rest of his numbers have failed to measure up to his work from last season.
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| James Shields wasn't at his best on Sunday, but he still gave the Rays a chance to win as he held the Tigers to just two runs over 6.1 innings before Troy Percival entered and blew the game. |
Our View: Shields allowed nine hits on the day, and he has walked only one batter over his last three starts as he simply doesn't beat himself - he makes the hitter do it.
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| Armando Galarraga had another terrific outing on Sunday, one wasted by the clubs bullpen. Galarraga lasted seven innings and permitted just four hits, no walks and one run to cross the plate. |
Our View: Galarraga has been a life saver for the Tigers rendering Dontrelle Willis completely irrelevant. Over his last 10 starts, Galarraga has allowed zero or one earned run five times.
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| Miguel Cabrera hit his 20th home run of the year on Sunday, his lone hit in five trips to the plate. |
Our View: Cabrera has four home runs and 25 RBI in 17 appearances since the All-Star game as he has quickly erased the ill feelings that accompanied his performance in the early going. As they say, the cream always rises to the top.
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| Jeff Francoeur had a hit and an RBI on Sunday in the Braves 5-0 victory over the Brewers. |
Our View: Francoeur has one home run in 40 games. How is that possible for a guy who has averaged 24 home runs the past two years? Francoeur is simply lost at the plate right now and is hitting only .217 over his last 16 games.
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| Ryan Braun went 0-for-4 on Sunday to drop his average to .296 for the Brewers thanks to just two hits in his last 12 AB. |
Our View: Braun continues to be a rather streaky hitter as he hasn't gone deep in six games during which time he has only one run scored and one RBI.
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| Ben Sheets lost his fifth game of the year though he pitched well allowing just two earned runs over six innings against the Braves. |
Our View: With this outing today, Sheets has tossed 146.1 innings, his highest total since 2005 when he threw 156.2 innings. If Sheets can stay healthy the Brewers could have the most dominating righty-lefty combo in baseball with CC Sabathia.
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| Jorge Campillo struck out six Brewers over seven innings to help lead the Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Brewers. Campillo walked none while striking out six to lower his 2.58. |
Our View: Campillo continues to rely on a devastating changeup and is now 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA in 13 appearances in day games as he continues an extremely effective campaign.
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| Jeff Keppinger will bat leadoff for the Reds on Monday as Jerry Hairston Jr. is again sidelined with a sore right hamstring, according to MLB.com. "I'd rather have Jerry," manager Dusty Baker said. "You start through the process of elimination in that situation with what you have available." |
Our View: Hairston is currently listed as day to day, though there is some belief that he could end up being placed back on the DL after his latest setback.
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| Jason Bartlett was hit by a pitch on Sunday, and though it looked bad at the time, x-rays came back negative, according to MLB.com. Will the injury sideline Bartlett? "Just have to wait and see what it feels like tomorrow," Bartlett said. |
Our View: If Bartlett can't go, the club would likely turn to Ben Zobrist who they would have to call up from the minors. Either that or they could mix things up and start Evan Longoria at short with Willy Aybar inserted into the lineup to play third.
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| Carl Pavano and Phil Hughes both had effective outings on Saturday in Single-A, according to the Associated Press. Pavano allowed one run in three innings while Hughes permitted just one hit in 3.2 scoreless innings. |
Our View: That duo would provide a welcomed boost to a club that could use some healthy arms. Hughes would appear to be the better bet of the two, but neither one should be counted on due to the variety of injuries both have faced of late.
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| Hideki Matsui will head to Florida this week to continue his rehab on his swollen left knee, according to the Associated Press. “So far the brace has worked,” Girardi said. “Obviously, the activity he’s had isn’t really baseball activity.” |
Our View: Matsui has been riding a stationary bike and hitting off a tee, so he still has a long way to go before the team will know if he will be able to avoid surgery and be a productive bat in their lineup.
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| Mariano Rivera was unavailable on Sunday because of back spasms, according to the Associated Press. Rivera doesn't believe the injury is serious and hopes to be available on Monday. |
Our View: Rivera hasn't been slowed by hitters at all this season so the only thing that might be able to do so appears to be injury. Given that the issues seems minor, it doesn't look like even injuries will keep him down.
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| Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 31st home run of the year for the Red Sox on Sunday and is just four saves from his third straight 35 save effort. |
Our View: Papelbon is as consistently dominating as almost any reliever in baseball, and there is no reason not to expect him to challenge the 40-save mark for the first time this season.
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| Daric Barton went deep for only the fourth time this season on Sunday in the A's 5-2 loss to the Red Sox. |
Our View: Barton is only hitting .218 on the year, but the team still seems to be committed to him. With Frank Thomas back at DH and Jack Cust in left field, the team can afford to bat Barton at the bottom of the order and hope that he continues to improve.
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| Jason Bay had two hits and scored two runs on Sunday for the Red Sox and is now 4-for-11 with six runs scored in three games with the Sox. |
Our View: Who needs Manny with production like that? Bay is working on a modest five game hitting streak and has knocked in six runs during that time.
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| Dallas Braden made the start on Sunday for the A's and the results were poor as he allowed four runs in 3.1 innings in his second loss of the year. |
Our View: Braden's stay with Oakland might be short if the team chooses to call up phenom Gio Gonzalez in the near future.
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| Daisuke Matsuzaka picked up his 12th win of the season on Sunday as he held the A's to two runs over six innings. Daisuke struck out eight on the day while walking only two batters. |
Our View: When Dice-K throws strikes, he is pretty much unbeatable. He still threw too many pitches to go deep needing 105 pitches to make it through six innings.
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| Brandon Morrow will indeed be removed from the closers role and returned to the starting rotation at some point in the near future, according to the Associated Press. “It’s going to happen at some point,” manager Jim Riggleman said. “(We’re) not exactly sure when, but it’s going to happen at some point.” |
Our View: The team will basically wait a bit until they feel J.J Putz is ready to return to closing, then they will likely send Morrow down to the minors to stretch his arm out before recalling him to make a few late season starts for the club.
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| Joe Crede (back) was scratched from a second straight start at Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday putting his return to the White Sox this week on Wednesday in serious doubt, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: The Sox will continue to give Juan Uribe some looks at third base as Josh Fields has failed to take advantage of the chance to shine hitting just .200 in his first 20 AB.
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| Just when you thought it was safe to back into the water... Rafael Soriano was again placed on the DL with right elbow inflammation, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Francisley Bueno was recalled from Triple-A to take his roster spot. |
Our View: What a waste. This guy is extremely talented, but unfortunately he is about as brittle as Samuel Jackson's character in the movie Unbreakable.
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| Wade LeBlanc struck out 11 batters to pick up his 10th PCL win on Saturday and appears on track to be called up by the Padres at some point in the coming weeks, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: LeBlanc is 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA over his last three starts, and after impressing the team's management this preseason, he has likely earned the right to make his major league debut this season.
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| Brad Penny will indeed return to action for the Dodgers this Friday to face the Giants, and he will be allowed to throw as many as 90 pitches, according to MLB.com. The team will remove Jason Johnson from the starting rotation. |
Our View: Penny, who has been out since June 15th with right shoulder soreness, threw 44 strikes on 55 pitches in a Triple-A start on Sunday, and reported hit 98 mph on the radar gun. With the way that the Giants are hitting, Penny makes a decent starting option this coming week.
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| After allowing six hits and five runs on Friday night at Triple-A Oklahoma, Brandon McCarthy still isn't ready to rejoin the Rangers, according to the Dallas Morning News. "I'm not going to put a number on it," manager Ron Washington said. "But he's going to stay in Triple-A...I don't know the time frame." |
Our View: McCarthy has missed the entire season up until this point, and with little to play for the Rangers certainly won't push McCarthy back into action until they are completely sure that he is healthy.
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| Erik Bedard threw in the outfield for about 10 minutes on Sunday in his attempt to return from an injured shoulder, according to the Associated Press. This was the first time he has thrown in a month (July 4th). |
Our View: Bedard made 30 throws from 60 feet and no setbacks were reported. Given that he has missed a month, he would certainly need a couple of minor league starts before climbing back on the hill for the Orioles putting his return, most likely, near the end of August.
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| The Rockies came from behind to get the win, but the pitching provided by LHP Glendon Rusch kept Colorado in position to do so, winning 3-2 with one run in each of the final three innings. Rusch pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs (both earned) on six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. |
Our View: Rusch gets no decision and now touts an ERA of 5.47. He hasn't taken a loss since May 31st with a combined total of just 15 earned runs surrendered over seven starts since.
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| The lack of relief pitching might be a worry in Florida following today's collapse against the Colorado Rockies, wasting a strong effort by LHP Scott Olsen . Olsen pitched six innings, allowing just one hit with no runs, two walks, and six strikeouts. |
Our View: Olsen walks with no decision and a 3.87 ERA after his relief support surrendered one run in each of the final three innings to take the fall. It is not the first time the Marlins have seen a good pitching effort go to waste this season, reminding the fans in Florida that challenges lay in wait as we look towards the playoff stretch.
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| The Marlins thought they were cruising to a win only to allow three runs over the final three innings to fall, 3-2, to the Colorado Rockies. The Rocks posted just four hits on the day, but outfielder Matt Holliday kept them efficient with a solo homer in the seventh, his 21st of the year, representing his only hit on the day. Holliday went 1-for-4 with the one RBI and one run scored. |
Our View: Over his last five games, Holliday has posted nine hits, including three homers and four RBIs.
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| It wasn't a near no-hitter, but Angels RHP John Lackey was on the mark today in keeping this team in the mix while he was on the mound. Lackey pitched six innings, allowing four runs (all earned) on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Lackey leaves with no decision and now carries an ERA of 3.10. |
Our View: The relief pitching let him down with an atrocious inning immediately after Lackey's exit, allowing six in the seventh to fall 14-9.
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| For the Yankees, it was newly-acquired outfielder Xavier Nady's turn to shine, hitting a three-run homer as part of a six-run effort in the bottom of the seventh, coming from behind to beat the Angels 14-9. Nady went 4-for-5 on the day, including his 29th double of the season, totaling six RBIs and one run scored. |
Our View: New York fans, meet what may be your most prized acquisition among many made at the deadline. Nady is now hitting an impressive .334 on the season, having hit .364 through July with five homers and 12 RBIs.
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