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| Chris Dickerson went 1-for-5 with a solo home run as the Reds lost to Pittsburgh 6-5 on Wednesday. |
Our View: During Dickerson's current six-game hitting streak he has three home runs and eight runs scored. Dickerson should be a starting candidate in NL-only leagues as he shows no signs of slowing down.
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| Hunter Pence continues to heat up as he went 2-for-4 Wednesday with a run scored in the Astros' victory. |
Our View: Although the season as a whole has been a disappointment, if Pence continues his hot-hitting, he could be a fantasy playoff surprise.
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| Ty Wigginton went 1-for-5 hitting his 22nd home run of the season in Wednesday's victory over the Cubs. |
Our View: Wigginton has caught fire and now has six homers in his last eight games. Until he cools off, Wigginton is a must-start.
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| Randy Wolf pitched a six-hitter for his eighth career shutout Wednesday night. Wolf led the Astros to victory as they defeated the first place Cubs 4-0. |
Our View: Wolf is capable of pitching very well, like tonight, but has been too inconsistent to consider for fantasy lineups in anything but NL-only leagues.
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| Ryan Zimmerman was 2-for-4 with a home run Wednesday night against Philadelphia. |
Our View: Zimmerman now has a nine-game hitting streak. During his streak he has shown plenty of power with three home runs and four doubles.
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| Cristian Guzman was 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday night's victory over the Phillies. |
Our View: Guzman now has eight consecutive multi-hit games making him one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball.
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| Ryan Howard hit his 38th and 39th home runs of the season Wednesday night against the Nationals. Howard finished the night 2-for-4 with four RBI as the Phillies fell to the Nationals 9-7. |
Our View: Howard is streaky and could make a late run at 50 home runs.
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| Ryan Doumit went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI helping the Pirates top the Reds 6-5. |
Our View: Doumit continues to be one of the Pirates only bright spots in yet another long season.
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| Joey Votto was 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run in Wednesday's loss to Pittsburgh. |
Our View: Votto seems to be making the most of his opportunity to hit clean-up for the Reds. Votto should be a solid contributor to all categories except stolen bases.
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| Edinson Volquez had 13 strikeouts in Wednesday no-decision against the Pirates. Despite the strong performance the Reds fell to the Pirates 6-5. |
Our View: Volquez's monster season continues as he shows no signs of slowing down. Look for this youngster to be a force for years to come.
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| Matt Capps collected his 19th save of the season Wednesday as the Pirates beat the Reds 6-5. |
Our View: This is Capps second save in as many nights. Look for him to remain the closer for the remainder of the season.
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| The Phillies confirmed that Cole Hamels will start on four days' rest against the Mets on Sunday, according to Phillies.mlb.com. |
Our View: With the division possibly on the line, this will be a great duel between each club's best pitcher, Johan Santana vs. Cole Hamels.
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| Clint Barmes collected his seventh homer of the season Wednesday against the Giants. |
Our View: Don't expect Barmes to be a great source of power, but he should continue hitting for average and have plenty of opportunities to score runs.
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| Nate Schierholtz was 4-for-5 with three runs scored in the Giants 9-2 win over the Rockies on Wednesday. |
Our View: Back-to-back multi-hit games just might earn Nate more playing time in the outfield down the stretch.
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| Scott McClain went 3-for-5 and hit his first major league home run Wednesday against the Rockies. |
Our View: The 36-year-old infielder displayed solid power in the minors, and is worth a look in the deepest of NL-only leagues.
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| Barry Zito pitched eight strong innings of two-run ball Wednesday to help the Giants beat the Rockies 9-2. |
Our View: Zito rebounded nicely from his last start as he only gave up two earned runs on four hits Wednesday against the Rockies.
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| Chris Perez surrendered the Cardinals lead in the bottom of the ninth, as the Diamond Backs rallied and scored twice winning 4-3 Wednesday. |
Our View: Perez should remain the closer as the Cardinals lack bullpen depth.
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| Troy Glaus hit his 300th career home run Wednesday off of Arizona's Doug Davis. |
Our View: Glaus' promotion to the 2 spot in front of Albert Pujols has woken this giant. He now has home runs in back-to-back games.
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| Adam Dunn doubled in Conor Jackson in the bottom of the ninth giving the Diamondbacks a dramatic 4-3 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday. |
Our View: Dunn has always been a great source of home runs and RBIs, the knock against him will continue to be his lack-luster average.
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| CC Sabathia will not be credited with a no-hitter after MLB upheld the official scorer's ruling from Sunday's game, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Although he wont be granted a no-hitter, Sabathia is 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA with six complete games since joining Milwaukee and just collected his second NL-pitcher of the month award.
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| J.J. Hardy went 2-for-3 Wednesday, hitting his 21st home run of the season. However, the rest of the Milwaukee lineup didn't produce and the Brewers fell to the Mets 9-2. |
Our View: Hardy should continue to see plenty of pitches as he hits in front of sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
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| Ryan Braun was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Wednesday as the Brewers fell to the Mets 9-2. |
Our View: Look for Braun to rebound as he is one of the best sluggers in the league.
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| Oliver Perez collected his tenth win of the season as the Mets defeated the Brewers 9-2 Wednesday. Perez scattered two runs off five hits and five walks in 6.2 innings of work. |
Our View: Perez continues to be a solid option for the Mets. He now has posted a quality start in 11 of his last 13 starts.
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| Ryan Church was 1-for-4 with a grand slam in the Mets 9-2 win over the Brewers on Wednesday. |
Our View: Look for Church to continue to see plenty of RBI opportunities hitting in the middle of the potent Mets lineup.
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| CC Sabathia has been named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August, according to the AP. Sabathia posted a 5-0 record with a 1.12 ERA during the month. |
Our View: He has won the monthly pitching honor in the NL for July as well, and is impressively 9-0 with a 1.43 ERA with six complete games since joining Milwaukee this season.
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| Brian McCann had a tough day at the plate in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Marlins, as he went 0-for-4 while stranding three men on base. |
Our View: He was on the verge of cracking .300, but his average falls down to .295 following today's peformance. He has now gone hitless in two straight games.
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| Kelly Johnson went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Marlins. He hit a single and a triple, his fourth of the season. |
Our View: Johnson has been quiet for most of the season, but perhaps he is going to make some noise in the closing weeks of the regular season, as he racked up six hits over his last two games, and registered multiple hits in three of his last five outings.
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| Jeremy Hermida went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Atlanta. Both of his hits were singles. |
Our View: That was his first multi-hit performance since August 10 (against the Mets), snapping an 18-game drought.
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| Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Braves. He scored two runs, pushing his season total to 107. |
Our View: He has scored a run in five straight games, and has registered multiple hits in four of his last eight contests.
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| Javier Vazquez was strong in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Indians at Progressive Field, as he only allowed two earned runs on five hits over six innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. |
Our View: Vazquez snapped a personal two-game losing streak and is off to good start in September. He should remain active in lineups down the stretch.
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| Jeff Ridgway will join the Braves as he has been called up from Triple-A Richmond, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: Ridgway issued three earned runs (two homers) over 4.1 innings in his previous stint with the Braves this season and the middle reliever does not merit fantasy consideration for the final month of the season.
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| Al Reyes has been promoted to the Mets from Double-A, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: The 38-year-old reliever can be used as a closer, but will likely serve as a setup man with the Mets, limiting his fantasy value.
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| Ruddy Lugo has been designated for assignment by the Mets, according to the Tampa Tribune. They recalled Al Reyes from Double-A as the corresponding move. |
Our View: Lugo did not see any action in the Mets' bullpen this season and held no fantasy value prior to his designation.
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| Yunel Escobar was forced out of Wednesday's game in the fourth inning due to an apparent left shoulder injury, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. |
Our View: We will update his status when more details are disclosed.
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| An MRI has revealed that Jesus Flores has a sprained left ankle, according to the AP. He sustained the injury during a collision with Chase Utley of the Phillies. |
Our View: The Nationals expect Flores to return this season, but exactly when is uncertain.
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| The LA Times indicates that Jeff Kent might return this season. His surgery on Tuesday didn't reveal any unexpected damage in his left knee besides torn cartilage, hence leaving open the possibility that the 40-year-old infielder could play again this season.
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Our View: Kent is expected to start a rehab program today that could be completed in two weeks, but his recovery process could actually take up to eight weeks. If he does return, he may only be able to pinch hit.
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| Takashi Saito, who is recovering from a sprained right elbow, threw 25 pitches in a pen session Tuesday and the results were encouraging, putting him on track to return from the DL next week, according to the LA Times. Saito said he threw his fastball as hard as he could and that he felt no discomfort. He was especially pleased that he was able to throw his two-seamer without any issues, saying he thought the pitch was potentially more hazardous to his elbow than his slider. He added, "The two-seamer puts stress on the inside part of the elbow, which is the part of the elbow that I hurt, so today was a big day for me."
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Our View: Saito is scheduled to pitch on the side Thursday and in a simulated game Saturday. Manager Joe Torre planned to use Saito in a low-key situation in his first outing back, but could reclaim his closer's role if he is able to effectively throw all of his pitches.
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| Manager Lou Piniella believes Chad Gaudin won't be available to use out of the bullpen before Friday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He is dealing with a lower back ailment. |
Our View: The injury isn't considered serious, even though Gaudin hasn't pitched since last Friday. The team will not rush him back with the risk of further aggravating the injury, as he is a key member of the bullpen.
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| Ty Taubenheim has been released by the Pirates, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Luis Cruz was added to the 40-man roster, and Taubenheim was let go to open a spot. |
Our View: He only provided roster depth for Pittsburgh, and won't be missed by the club.
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| Jack Wilson may miss the entire series against the Reds due to a sore right index finger, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He sustained the injury Sunday while fielding a grounder, and manager John Russell said, "I'm sure it would throb if he had to make a throw. Or he had to swing a bit, it would throb." |
Our View: Brian Bixler and Luis Rivas will be considered to cover Wilson's spot at shortstop while he recovers.
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| Ross Ohlendorf will make his first career start tonight against Cincinnati, and is auditioning for a spot in the rotation for 2009, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Manager John Russell said, "He's aggressive, throws strikes and he's strong. In the late innings, he's still throwing 95 mph and getting close to 98, 99 when he needs it. He's got some pitches and that can be exciting. I'm looking forward to seeing him."
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Our View: He was acquired back in July from the Yankees in the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte deal. Ohlendorf is expected to get five starts in September, and should be targeted in NL-only leagues.
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| Lance Berkman was chosen as the Astros' recipient of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: The award is given for displaying exceptional skills on the diamond, and devoted work in the community. A national winner among the 30 MLB clubs will be announced at the World Series.
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| Jason Isringhausen has been transferred from the 15 to the 60-day DL, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team needed to make room on the roster for their wave of promotions from the minors, including pitcher Jason Motte. |
Our View: Isringhausen was not coming back this season due to a torn tendon in his right elbow.
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| Rico Washington has been outrighted, and is now a free agent, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team needed to free up a roster spot for their group of minor league callups, including Brendan Ryan. |
Our View: The 30-year-old infielder only has 19 career at-bats in the majors (all this season), and was considered expendable.
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| Joe Mather is scheduled for surgery Thursday for removal of a bone in his left hand, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. |
Our View: An exam Tuesday morning revealed a crack in a wedge-shaped bone located near the base of Mather's left ring finger and pinkie. Removal of the bone is considered routine, and a six-week rehab is expected. He should be ready to compete for an outfield spot next spring.
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| Jaime Garcia is considering ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Garcia, who made one spot start and nine relief appearances for St. Louis this season, was expected to seek a second opinion on his elbow after receiving an initial recommendation of surgery. |
Our View: The Cardinals were considering the 22-year-old hurler a candidate for the rotation as a No. 5 starter in 2009 prior to his injury.
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| The Giants promoted Geno Espineli from Triple-A Fresno, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: Espineli notably gave up his roster spot in the Olympics to pitch for the Giants, but struggled over 10.2 innings, with seven earned runs (four homers) allowed. He isn't expected to make a strong impact in September, and is only worth a look in the deepest of NL-only leagues.
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| The Giants didn't recall Travis Denker from the minors, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: The team figured he wouldn't have gotten much of an opportunity to play within a crowded group of infielders.
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| Pat Misch has been recalled from Triple-A Fresno, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: Misch went 0-3 over 47 innings with the Giants this season (made seven starts), but held a passable 1.40 WHIP. He still shouldn't be considered for fantasy rosters.
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| John Bowker is back with the Giants as he was recalled from Triple-A Fresno Tuesday, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: Bowker received 301 at-bats with the Giants this season, and should be active through September, and is worth a look in deeper NL-only leagues. He only hit .246 but blasted nine homers and generated 40 RBI.
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| Nate Schierholtz has been recalled from Triple-A Fresno, according to the SF Chronicle. |
Our View: Schierholtz performed well in the Beijing Olympics and could see enough action with the Giants in the final month to merit him worth consideration for NL-only leagues.
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| Troy Glaus had a good night for the Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to help St. Louis beat Arizona 8-2. |
Our View: Glaus hit second in front of Albert Pujols in order to get some good pitches to hit, and it worked. He was also just feet away from hitting another home run on a deep fly ball that ended up foul. He has a good chance to get to 100 RBI by the end of the season.
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| Chris Young went to the plate four times and struck out three times in the Diamondbacks listless 8-2 loss to the Cardinals. |
Our View: One thing Young will certainly do is strike out. He is nearing 150 for the season.
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| Adam Wainwright was excellent for the Cardinals in their 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks, going 5.1 innings and giving up just one run on three hits while striking out seven. |
Our View: Another solid outing by Wainwright, whose ERA dropped to 2.97 on the year. Had he been healthy all season, he could have posted some great numbers. Fantasy owners will just have to wait until next year for that.
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