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| Pat Burrell is having a rough August which continued Thursday in the Phillies 3-1 loss to the Dodgers. Burrell went 0-for-3 in the game with a strikeout. |
Our View: Burrell is hitting just .125 (5-for-40) with one home run and four RBI in August. His batting average has dropped 16 points since August 1, from .280 to it's current .264. Fantasy owners may want to think about sitting him for a while until he can straighten out a bit.
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| Matt Kemp went 1-for-4 with a home run to help lead his Dodgers squad to a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. |
Our View: Kemp has turned it on lately, and in his last five games is 10-for-22, an average of .455. He is clearly a great fantasy asset.
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| Brett Myers picked up his tenth loss of the season, but he made an effective start, throwing seven innings and giving up just three earned runs with eight strikeouts in the Phillies 3-1 loss to Los Angeles. |
Our View: Myers has been effective lately, and has not allowed more than three earned runs since his last start in June, before he went on the disabled list. Myers has seen his ERA drop from 5.84 to 5.02 in that time.
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| Hiroki Kuroda had everything working as he earned his seventh victory of the season in the Dodgers 3-1 win over Philadelphia. Kuroda went seven innings, giving up just one run on two hits while striking out seven. |
Our View: Kuroda has been great lately, and this is his third consecutive game allowing just a single earned run. This follows three bad performances, so it is tough to trust him for fantasy purposes.
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| Andruw Jones will begin his rehab assignment on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. |
Our View: Jones has been out with a sore knee and, presumably, a bruised ego. He will try to rehab both while spending some time in the minor leagues.
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| Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba has a small meniscus tear, located in his left knee, according to the Rocky Mountain News. |
Our View: Torrealba was scratched from the lineup and received a cortisone shot. It is unknown how long he will be out.
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| Greg Dobbs was taken out of Thursday's lineup with a quad injury, according to Phillies.com. "I came to the honest realization that I was, at best, 60 or 70 percent," he said. |
Our View: The injury does not appear to be serious, as Dobbs said he was available to pinch-hit. His fantasy value is minimal because of his lack of regular playing time.
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| Jimmy Rollins is getting a little tired of the constant booing by Philadelphia fans, and he would like the crowd to give his squad some support, according to Phillies.com. Rollins cited a number of examples, including one about when he got hurt earlier this year. "I went down and Eric Bruntlett came in and played. He got booed his first time out there, because he made two errors in New York. Then they're on his side after he comes through with some big hits. You should be there from Day 1, because he's going to be the guy out there for 25 games." |
Our View: Here's betting Rollins gets roundly booed the next time he steps to the plate in Philly.
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| Kosuke Fukudome must be heeding Lou Piniella's warning to swing the bat or else, because he contributed to the Cubs 11-7 win over Atlanta with a 2-for-5 night, scoring two runs and getting on base another time with a walk. |
Our View: This is Fukudome's second consecutive 2-for-5 night, so just days after Piniella's challenge, the Japanese import has responded.
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| Tom Glavine was hit hard by the Chicago Cubs in Glavine's first game back after being activated from the DL. Glavine went four uneven innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and four walks in the Braves 11-7 loss. He also allowed two home runs. |
Our View: Glavine's time as a fantasy stalwart is over, and unless he improves drastically in a short amount of time, it's best to keep him on the waiver wire.
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| He's alive! Just when many fantasy owners had given up all hope, Jeff Francoeur puts in a great night with a 3-for-5 performance, featuring a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in the Braves 11-7 loss to Chicago. |
Our View: Francoeur's season has been beyond awful, and his August was even worse, as he was hitting just .108 for the month before tonight.
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| One night after being deemed a platoon player who will only play right-handed hitters, Reds outfielder Chris Dickerson faced one in Pirates hurler Ian Snell and went 3-for-5 with a run scored and RBI in his team's 3-2 win. |
Our View: Dickerson probably won't get consistent enough at-bats to be an impact bat in fantasy play, but the kid is off to a good start in just his second big league game.
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| Adam LaRoche returned from the disabled list for the Pirates on Thursday, and responded by going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his team's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati. |
Our View: LaRoche had not played since July 27, so some rust may have been expected. Don't hesitate to use him in your fantasy lineup.
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| Johnny Cueto threw five innings, striking out seven and allowing one run on four hits in the Reds 3-1 win over Pittsburgh. |
Our View: Cueto has given up three earned runs or less in each of his three August starts. His ERA is too high and win total too low to be recommended for mixed leagues, but he does have something to offer those in NL-only leagues, particularly because of his strikeout total.
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| Carlos Beltran had an RBI in every game of the Mets sweep of the Nationals, including a sacrifice fly in Thursday's 9-3 win. |
Our View: Beltran is hitting .340 for the month, nearly 100 points higher than his .248 mark of July. He has been solid overall this year, but has not put up extraordinary numbers in any category.
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| Lastings Milledge saw his 14-game hitting streak come to an end on Thursday with an 0-for-3 performance in Washington's loss to the Mets. |
Our View: Milledge saw his average rise over 20 points, from .237 to .258, during the streak. He clearly has a lot of talent and should be used in NL-only leagues, and deeper mixed leagues because he can offer power along with stolen bases.
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| Oliver Perez struck out eight batters in 6.2 innings while allowing just three runs to pick up his ninth win of the season in the Mets 9-3 win over the Nationals. |
Our View: Perez June 24, Perez has given up more than three earned runs just one time. He has been throwing extremely well and has a place in all fantasy formats.
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| Dan Uggla went 1-for-3 in the Marlins loss to St. Louis, but was thrown out at second base when he did not hustle around the bases. He also struck out in his two other at-bats and committed his ninth error of the season. |
Our View: Not a good night for Uggla, and August has not been a good month for him. The second sacker is now hitting .213 on the month, and his on-base percentage in the same time period is .302.
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| Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, driving in all the runs for St. Louis as they topped the Marlins 3-0. |
Our View: Ludwick's home run was his 30th, and his RBI total is now 90. His continued surge has put his name into any conversation concerning the National League MVP.
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| Scott Olsen threw a solid game for the Marlins, going seven innings and allowing just three runs on 10 hits while striking out six, but he took the loss as his offense failed to get him any runs. The Marlins were downed by St. Louis 3-0. |
Our View: Olsen should not be someone fantasy owners can count on in mixed leagues, as he does not have enough wins or strike out enough people, but he remains a decent enough option for NL-only league players to run out there.
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| Todd Wellemeyer earned his tenth victory of the season with a solid outing as the Cardinals downed the Marlins 3-0. Wellemeyer went 7.2 innings and did not allow a run while allowing three hits and striking out three. |
Our View: Wellemeyer's ERA drops to 3.79, and he has won his last two decisions. Consider him someone that can be useful in mixed leagues.
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| Third baseman Aramis Ramirez had to leave Thursday's game against the Braves with a contusion to his left hip, according to The Sports Network. He apparently suffered the injury while sliding into home plate. |
Our View: The full extent of the injury is unknown, and it came after Ramirez had gone 2-for-2 with a home run.
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| Braves hurler Francisley Bueno was suspended three games for throwing at Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, according to MLB.com. Problem is, Bueno is currently in Triple-A, so the suspension cannot be enforced until he comes back up. |
Our View: Bueno has pitched 2.1 innings during the season and is of no value to fantasy players.
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| Brad Penny made his way to the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, two starts after coming off the DL with right shoulder tendinitis, according to Dodgers.com. |
Our View: Penny has not been anything like the pitcher fantasy owners had come to know. He was just 6-9 with a 6.05 ERA on the season.
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| Jorge De La Rosa will get back to being a starting pitcher after having been demoted to the bullpen when the Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez, according to ColoradoRockies.com. |
Our View: De La Rosa gets back into the rotation because Aaron Cook has to miss a start due to a stiff back. He is of no consequence in fantasy baseball.
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| Mike Cameron went 2-for-4 including a home run off Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning, but it wasn't enough as the Brewers fell to San Diego 3-2. |
Our View: Cameron has had a great August, hitting .310 with five home runs, nine RBI and four stolen bases. That's the type of production fantasy owners love at this stage of the season. He was certainly on the rosters of NL-only league owners, and mixed league owners should start to take notice as well.
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| Adrian Gonzalez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, but the Padres still managed to beat Milwaukee by a score of 3-2. |
Our View: Gonzalez has struggled to a .239 August and went just 1-for-12 against the Brewers. He has hit three home runs on the month, which should ease the pain a little bit.
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| Ben Sheets was out-dueled by San Diego hurler Jake Peavy and wound up taking the loss in Milwaukee's 3-2 defeat to the Padres. Sheets pitched 6.2 innings and gave up thee earned runs. |
Our View: Sheets is coming off a complete game shutout but wasn't up to the challenge today. A bit troubling, however, is the fact that his strikeout numbers are declining a bit, as he doesn't have more than six in a game since July 11.
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| Jake Peavy did not pitch poorly over his last two starts, but with the San Diego offense as porous as it is, he wound up taking a loss each time. He reversed that trend today, throwing seven innings of one run ball while striking out eight in the Padres 3-2 win over Milwaukee. |
Our View: Peavy has had just one poor month back in May, but has been very good otherwise. With the offensively-challenged Padres backing him, wins will be tough to come by. Still, he does so much else for fantasy owners, that he can certainly be a valuable asset.
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| Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew went 2-for-5 with a run scored and extended his hitting streak to 16 games in his team's 6-2 win over Colorado. |
Our View: Drew is hitting .352 (25-for-71) during the streak, which started on July 29.
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| Rockies outfielder Willy Taveras continues to add to his career-high stolen base total as he picked up another, his 53rd, in his team's loss to Arizona. |
Our View: Taveras won't give your fantasy team much in the way of batting average. Or on-base percentage. Or home runs. Or RBI. But the stolen bases? That he's got down.
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| Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren threw a great game against the Rockies, going eight innings and surrendering just two runs while striking out nine and gaining his 13th victory in the team's 6-2 win. |
Our View: Haren's ERA shrunk below 3.00 for the season, and he remains one of the most unappreciated starters in fantasy.
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| Lance Berkman hit a double and a home run to help lead the Astros to a 7-4 win over San Francisco. He wound up going 2-for-4 on the day with three RBI. |
Our View: Berkman now has three home runs in his last six games, and though he is hitting below .250 in August, he still provides fantasy owners with numbers.
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| Randy Winn helped the Giants as much as he could with a 2-for-4 performance featuring a double and two RBI, but it wasn't enough as San Francisco lost 7-4 to Houston. |
Our View: Winn's August batting average is now at .404. He is one of the few effective Giants for offensive purposes in fantasy baseball.
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| Jose Valverde picked up his thirtieth save of the season as the Astros beat the Giants 7-4. |
Our View: Valverde has an ERA and WHIP that fantasy owners would like to see shrink a little, but he has otherwise been solid.
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| Alberto Gonzalez has been placed on the 15-day DL due to a left hamstring strain, according to the AP. Aaron Boone has been activated from the 15-day DL as the adjoining move. |
Our View: The reserve infielder only hit .231 over 65 at-bats this season (with no homers or stolen bases), and held little fantasy value.
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| Aaron Boone has been activated from the DL following his bout with a left calf strain, according to the AP. He missed 30 games since being placed on the DL July 6 with the injury. To make room for him on the roster, Washington placed shortstop Alberto Gonzalez on the 15-day DL. |
Our View: Boone could see regular at-bats the rest of the season with Dmitri Young dealing with diabetes, but will likely only perform well enough to make him usable in deeper NL-only leagues.
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| Yorvit Torrealba has been scratched from Thursday's lineup due to an undisclosed injury, according to the AP. |
Our View: Chris Ianetta replaced him in the lineup. The team recalled catcher Adam Melhuse from Colorado Springs. We will keep you posted when more details are known regarding Torrealba's status.
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| Cory Sullivan has been optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs, according to the AP. Catcher Adam Melhuse was recalled from Colorado Springs as the corresponding move. |
Our View: Sullivan only went 5-for-23 (.217) with no homers as a backup outfielder with the Rockies this season. He held no fantasy value prior to his demotion.
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| Adam Melhuse has been recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs, according to the AP. Cory Sullivan was optioned to Colorado Springs to make room on the roster. |
Our View: The move came after starting catcher Yorvit Torrealba was scratched with an undisclosed injury Thursday.
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| Aaron Rowand left Thursday's game in the second inning against the Astros due to tightness in his lower back, according to the AP. |
Our View: Rowand suffered the injury in the top of the first, when he flied out to right field. Fred Lewis replaced him in the lineup. We will keep you posted when more details are disclosed regarding Rowand's status.
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| Cody Ross is out of Thursday's lineup due to an arm injury, according to the Miami Herald. Ross took a Russ Springer fastball on the left arm in the sixth inning of Tuesday's win over St. Louis and refused to come out of the game despite being in pain. He said, "It's a little swollen and a little bruised so they decided to give me a little rest. It flared up right away. I was trying to throw in the outfield and I had a little problem doing that. But I wanted to stay in for defensive reasons. That was a big game for us. I didn't want to come out. But it was getting worse. It really tightened up on me."
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Our View: Consider him day-to-day. Ross has been a favorable source of power for NL-only leagues as he blasted 17 homers so far this season.
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| Aaron Cook, who is recovering from a sore back, threw a side session Thursday and indicated that he hopes to start as soon as Sunday against Washington, according to the Denver Post. |
Our View: Team officials expect to make a decision today. Given that he threw all his pitches pain free, the latest Cook would likely pitch is Tuesday in Los Angeles. Cook could be solid down the stretch as a fantasy hurler if he is fully healthy.
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| Chris Young has been placed on the 15-day DL due to a forearm strain, according to the AP. To replace Young, Brian Falkenborg reported to San Diego and will be active for Thursday’s game against Milwaukee.
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Our View: This is Young’s second stint on the disabled list this season. The move is retroactive to Monday, August 11. The Padres have little to play for, and Young noted that he may shut it down for the remainder of the season.
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| Garrett Atkins missed his second straight game Wednesday due to strep throat and his status for Thursday is uncertain, according to the Denver Post. He can barely swallow due to the ailment, but said, "I am going to try to play, but I still have to see how I feel and what the trainers think. I don't want to go backward as far as getting better or hurt myself because my body is weak."
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Our View: His sickness comes at a terrible time. The Rockies are playing their most important series of the season against the division-leading Diamondbacks, and Atkins was hitting a team-best .444 on the homestand with seven RBI.
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| Tom Glavine will return to the mound for the Braves Thursday, and will be on a count of 85 pitches, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This will mark his first game since June 10, and he’ll be testing out that partially torn flexor tendon.
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Our View: He doesn't know what to expect in his first game back and will be cautious, meaning fantasy owners should wait until he proves to be effective before penciling him back into lineups.
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| Adam LaRoche has been activated from the DL following his bout with a strained rib cage, according to the Arizona Star. Jose Bautista was sent down to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the roster. |
Our View: - LaRoche is worth consideration in mixed leagues, as he registered multiple hits in three of his last five games prior to landing on the DL, with three homers over the span. He may be rusty in his first few games back, but should be fine to use for the next fantasy week.
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| Pablo Sandoval has been recalled from Double-A Connecticut, according to the Arizona Star. |
Our View: Sandoval shouldn't see much action, as Bengie Molina has played in 107 games for the Giants so far this season.
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| Ryan Rohlinger has been recalled from Double-A Connecticut, according to the Arizona Star. |
Our View: He could get some playing time, but it remains to be seen if he is worth acquiring.
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| Jose Castillo has been designated for assignment by the Giants, according to the Arizona Star. Travis Ishikawa was recalled from Triple-A Fresno. |
Our View: Castillo only hit .244, but 38 of his 96 hits went for extra bases (28 doubles, four triples, and six homers). He also scored 42 runs prior to his designation.
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| Kerry Wood is ready to resume the closer's role with the Cubs, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He threw a perfect eighth inning on Wednesday against Atlanta, and manager Lou Piniella said, "Wood threw some nice breaking balls for strikes. That'll free us now to start moving Carlos Marmol into the setup role."
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Our View: Wood should be ready to pencil back into fantasy lineups as a closer for the next fantasy week.
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| Sean Marshall has been slated to start Sunday against the Marlins, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. It would be the first start since July 6 at Triple-A Iowa for Marshall. |
Our View: Jason Marquis was considered for Sunday (on short rest) and rookie Jeff Samardzija was also an option, but manager Lou Piniella opted for Marshall. The lefty has pitched well this season, and is worth penciling into fantasy lineups for Sunday's start.
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| Takashi Saito, who is dealing with a right elbow sprain, is optimistic about returning to the Dodgers this season, according to the LA Times. He said, "There's no pain so I'm feeling better about my chances. But the reality is that I hurt my elbow."
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Our View: Saito, who could still be forced to undergo season-ending surgery, will continue his current schedule of tossing for two days and resting for one over the next two weeks while gradually increasing the intensity. After two weeks, Saito will be examined by Dr. Neal El Attrache, who will decide whether or not he can pitch off a mound.
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| Gary Bennett, who has been on the DL since May 20, noted that he hasn't run in two weeks and will undergo an MRI exam today on his injured left foot, according to the LA Times. He has plantar fascitis, and team doctors told him he may be forced to have surgery. |
Our View: Bennett is only a deep backup at catcher for the Dodgers, and should not be on fantasy rosters in non-keeper leagues.
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| Jason Schmidt is not giving up hope to pitch in the majors again this season, according to the LA Times. He is recovering from right shoulder surgery. He threw off a mound Sunday and Tuesday, and is scheduled to do so again Friday. |
Our View: Schmidt may be hopeful, but the team does not expect him back, and noted that he is running out of time to make a rehab assignment in the minors.
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| Chris Young is likely to miss his next scheduled start Saturday due to a forearm strain, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Young said, "There's a strain, but there's no ligament or tendon damage. I felt a cramp about 10 pitches from the end of the inning. I stretched and it went away, then it came back just before the end of the inning." |
Our View: Physicians told Young the injury could heal in 10 days, and he could return to the DL.
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| Freddy Sanchez returned to the Pirates' lineup Wednesday after missing two games due to lingering inflammation in the right rotator cuff, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Our View: He went 0-for-4 in the game against the Reds Wednesday, and hopefully he will bounce back before the start of the next fantasy week.
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| Jack Wilson was told he could not throw yesterday after the medical staff checked him and determined he should rest his right shoulder, which has tendinitis. But the Pirates do not anticipate him going on the DL, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: This is good news for the Pirates' middle infield, and the team is not ruling him out from returning as soon as tonight. Wilson has not appeared in a game since last Friday, when he pinch-hit against the Phillies.
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| Kazuo Matsui was out of the starting lineup Wednesday due to a stiff back, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: Matsui likely won’t return to the Astros' lineup until Friday against the Diamondbacks, at the earliest.
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| Chris Carpenter said his muscle strain is the "best-case scenario," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He said, "I definitely felt good after leaving the doctor's office because I wasn't sure what it was going to be. You don't know how severe, you don't want it to have anything to do with the (rotator) cuff, because that's bad news. The doc said this was best-case. He said it was like having a mild hamstring strain in your shoulder." His strain is Grade 1, which is the mildest of all tears. |
Our View: He could be back playing catch as early as this weekend. The plan is to rest the shoulder completely for two days and when the team begins its weekend series in Cincinnati re-evaluate how the arm feels.
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