Fantasy Baseball Tonight, June 21: Happy Father’s Day!

A special Happy Father’s Day goes out to all of the readers who have children, hopefully your wife/girlfriend/kids spoiled you today. 

I had a very nice day today with a nice new shirt and tie combo for work, along with a book that I have been wanting. My wife was also generous enough to take me and the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner for a nice meal of spicy fried foods and beer. 

What else can a Dad ask for?  We also had a nice meal with my parents last night, as they were going to be out of town today. 

My father has been an incredible influence in my life, as well as a fantastic father.  He is truly the reason that I am doing this today, as he instilled both a love of sports and competitiveness in me from an early age. But even more than that, the support that he has given me throughout my life can never be paid back (or the money, sorry Dad), and I am forever grateful to have such a man in my life.

If I am able to be half the father that he has been, I will be very proud of myself. I love you Dad, and I could never thank you enough!

 

C.C. Sabathia left his start with tightness in his biceps in the second inning on Sunday.  He was examined during warmups, got one guy out, but after allowing a hit he was removed from the game. The team has termed him day-to-day, and they say there are no tests planned. 

When you give a guy $20-lpus million and he comes out of the game, I’d be willing to bet that there are some tests in Sabathia’s future.

Ryan Howard was released from the hospital after spending consecutive nights there with flu symptoms. Howard was able to provide a pinch-hit homer in last night’s game, but did not play today.

The Phils have an off day on Monday, and you would think that he should be back in the lineup by Tuesday.

Casey McGehee is still playing in place of Rickie Weeks, and the kid is hitting. He hit his second homer of the year, and has 17 hits in his last nine games. I suppose as long as he keeps producing, he will keep playing.

McGehee was not a top ranking prospect, so I’m sure there is a stat correction coming in his future, but if you need some middle infield help in the short term, McGehee appears to be worth a look.

Mark Buehrle is having another one of those ho-hum Mark Buehrle kind of years. He threw seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Reds, and raised his record to 7-2.

There are two reasons, in my opinion, that Buehrle never gets fantasy love. One is he will never win 20 games. His career high is 19, but that was a long time ago. He usually wins between 12-15 games.

The second reason is that he doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts. Last season he had just 140 in 218 innings, and he is on a similar pace this year. However, while a lot of us love the lure of the rookies and the potential of the next big thing, a guy like Buehrle at the end of your rotation is likely more help. 

But hey when is Neftali Feliz coming up? I’ll pick him up!

Brandon Phillips left the game early yesterday with pain in his fractured thumb, but was able to play today. Phillips has a hairline fracture in his thumb, but never hit the disabled list. He did not get a hit today, but did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly.

I was worried that he might be out a few games again, but it appears that he is tough as nails and is safe to put back into your lineups.

Ricky Romero had his fourth straight good start after coming back from the DL, and he is looking like someone that you can count on each time out.

Romero’s minor league statistics were nothing to get excited about, so if he starts to go south, don’t be surprised and have a backup plan ready. However, the more and more he pitches, the more confidence that I gain in him.

Jeremy Guthrie was great on Sunday, allowing just one run over seven innings against the Phillies. It seems that Guthrie generally pitches well, even against good competition. Somehow though, his statistics just aren’t very good. 

Even with the win on Sunday, his record is 5-7. His ERA is 5.09, while his WHIP is 1.37.  He isn’t even getting many strikeouts, as he has just 55 in 86 innings.

He isn’t a bad option at the end of your rotation, but I just have never been a big fan of Guthrie.

Khalil Greene homered for the third straight game, and then was hit with a pitch and had to leave. He was 4-for-7 since coming back from the DL due to social anxiety, but was hit on the ankle with a pitch the at-bat after hitting the homer. 

Greene has long been a guy with plenty of power potential, but couldn’t hit for any kind of average whatsoever.  Even if he is able to play tomorrow against the Mets, I still wouldn’t be picking Greene up unless you are desperate for help at either shortstop or third base.

With his two home runs on Sunday, Albert Pujols now has 26 homers to go with 27 strikeouts! Who is the best hitter in the game right now?  Is there even a question?

Just when you started to feel good about Gil Meche, he goes out and does this. Meche got tattooed by Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals. There is no shame in getting crushed by Pujols, as you can see above, most pitchers have been for years, but nine runs over 3.1 innings? 

After six straight starts of two runs or less, you had to figure that something like this was possible. The next start is the important one for Meche. Hopefully, he can get right back on track and pitch effectively again.

But Meche isn’t Johan Santana, my guess is the next one or two outings aren’t that great. I’m not saying nine runs again, but he won’t see the seventh inning.

Who in the world does Michael Cuddyer think he is? After 64 games this season, he is nearly halfway to his career high of 24 homers after connecting on number eleven Sunday. He has driven in three runs in his last four games, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him get up to 90 RBI. 

As long as he can stay healthy, Cuddyer is looking like a solid fourth outfielder, and he could move up farther from that.

Cubs’ power hitting prospect Jake Fox is back in the majors and they actually trusted him with a starting spot today. Fox played third base, and the good news is he drove in three runs with a double. The even better news is that he didn’t commit an error.

If Fox can prove that his glove is up to the task, perhaps he will see more starts.

Even though he lost, Dallas Braden has now allowed three runs or less in seven straight starts. He might not have a great record (5-6), but he generally has been good all year, with a 3.26 ERA.

The low strikeout numbers are probably what is holding him back from full fantasy ownership, but if you catch an injury or have someone you want to drop, give Braden a look to see if he fits what you need.

Kevin Kouzmanoff continues to drive in runs, even if he can’t really get his batting average to a respectable place. Kouzmanoff hit his ninth homer of the season on Sunday, and has driven in 14 runs in his last 10 games.

I am still not quite believing that he is going to keep this up, but it is possible. He was a pretty highly touted prospect, showed great power in the minors, and his batting average was always in the .300 range.

He is a guy that I had a lot of hope for three years ago, perhaps it is going to come to fruition now. I wouldn’t bet on it just yet, but keep an eye on him.

Alex Rios got my hit streak back on track in USA Today’s 56 Game Hit Streak. I am very close to paydirt as that extended my streak to two. Please join our group with the link above. The private group is called Fantasy BBall 2nite and the password is fantasy.

 

Mailing List

I’m not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don’t get a request to join it. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be.

If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the call-ups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others. The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition.

Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefited from the list. Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com.

To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Fantasy Baseball Tonight 6/7; Welcome Tommy Hanson!

Like I always say, young players, and especially pitchers, often struggle.  Tommy Hanson got a rude welcome to the majors today, as he allowed six runs over six innings.  If there is one good thing about the start is was that Hanson didn’t walk a slew of guys, in fact only one, and he did strike out five in those six innings.  Milwaukee is a decent offensive team, but they aren’t exactly Murderer’s Row either.  Continue to start Hanson, don’t let this one start make you lose any confidence.

Roy Halladay is just straight out NASTY!  The guy threw another complete game shutout today and is now the majors first ten game winner.  His ERA is right around 2.50, he is striking out nearly a batter an inning, and his WHIP is among the best in baseball among starters.  What can I say?  If Halladay isn’t the best, he’s definitely in the top five.

Ricky Nolasco was back for the Marlins today, and although he took the loss, the start was pretty encouraging.  He allowed just two runs over seven innings, walked three, and struck out four.  This obviously wasn’t a lights out start, but it is much better than some of the outings he had before being sent to the minors.  I like the prospects of a fine season for Nolasco after being recalled, and I think he can win eleven or twelve games.

I continue to read Steve Gardner’s blog over at usatoday.com, and I found a new way for us to compete against each other.  USA Today’s site has two fun games that I have begun to play, and I set up a private league for us to join.  The first is called 56 Game Hit Streak in which you try each day to pick a guy who will get a hit.  Sounds easy right?  I started it a few days ago and haven’t picked a guy who got a hit yet.  The second is called 3 Play and that is a weekly game in which you pick an infielder, an outfielder, and a pitching staff and you get points based on their performance.  Points are accumulated for the season.  The midseason game starts on Monday.  The information you need follows.  Both league names are Fantasy Bball 2night, and the passwords are both fantasy.  Please join us and see if you matchup against us.

Antonio Bastardo was called up to the majors to fill in for Brett Myers when he was basically lost for the season.  While the Phils have said they would look outside the organization for a long term fix, Bastardo could make them rethink those plans.  Besides having a really cool name, he was having a great season in the minors and is a pretty good strikout pitcher.  He hasn’t been going deep into games, but he has had two quality starts, and has been getting pretty good K numbers.  As long as he is in the rotation for the Phillies he is worth a look as a potential guy at the bottom of your rotation.

Randy Wells had his first major league win blown for him by the bullpen, but he has now made six starts, and he is still yet to allow more than three runs.  Wells struck out four and allowed two runs in 6.2 innings, and now has a 1.86 ERA.  I’m still not on the Wells bandwagon, but he is doing quite well in the majors.  I just look at his minor league statistics and he never did this good for any stretch at any level.

It is just a few days away before Fighting Chance Fantasy officially becomes Fantasy Baseball Tonight. Many of you have already made the switch and I appreciate the feedback I have gotten.  Anyone who checks out the new site, I wanna hear what you think.

Bronson Arroyo is either all or nothing.  This time it was another great start for him.  Arroyo allowed just one run over seven innings, but wasn’t a factor in the decision.  Arroyo isn’t an elite strikeout pitcher, and only whiffed two on Sunday.  This start comes on the heels of him allowing five runs against the Cardinals five days ago.  I don’t like to have a guy like Arroyo on my team.  I don’t want a guy who will likely allow either one run or eight.  What’s wrong with a line of three earned over six with four Ks?  There’s room for that on my team.

Livan Hernandez continues his unlikely season with another win for the Mets.  Hernandez is now 5-1 after throwing seven shutout innings against the Nationals.  He hasn’t lost a decision since April 23rd, which could only mean one thing……there has to be a few outings coming in the near future. This isn’t 2000 when he won 17 games, Livan is in his mid-30s now and is on the downside of his career.  He has been great for the Mets and his fantasy teams, but there has to be a correction coming.  Continue to pitch him, but don’t be shocked if there are some bad outings in the future.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

Ubaldo Jimenez was great on Sunday against St. Louis, and finally got a win for his efforts.  He has now given up 11 runs in his last five starts, but this is the first win he had to show for it.  Jimenez allowed two runs over eight innings and struck out nine.  Control continues to be his biggest problem, well that and the fact his team stinks, but he is steadily improving the more he pitches, and it is looking possible that he could live up to his hype.  If Jimenez is still available, I would consider picking him up, especially in keeper leagues, despite the fact his team is in last place.

Vince Mazzaro has now had two major league starts and is still yet to give up a run.  After throwing 6.1 shutout innings in his debut, Mazzaro threw up zeros for 7.1 innings on Sunday.  The good news is this time he didn’t walk anyone, after issuing four free passes his first time out.  Mazzaro was ranked as the number eight prospect for Oakland coming into the year, so this isn’t completely unexpected.  However, he likely has some less than stellar outings in his future.

Jose Lopez is finally starting to show some signs of life after an atrocious start to the year.  Lopez connected on his fifth homer of the year, and three of them have come in the last eight days.  He has also raised his batting average nearly 20 points in the last week.  It is unlikely he will get to the numbers that he put up in 2008, but he is looking less like he should be in your free agent pool.  Another good couple of games and I would think about picking him up, the talent pool at second base isn’t the deepest.

Juan Rivera is a decent option for those of you in deeper leagues, or leagues that require five outfielders.  The Angels OF/DH has had a career full of injuries, but a world of potential.  So far, so good on the injury front for Rivera.  He had three more hits on Sunday to get his average back over .300, and he now has six homers on the season.  He has also driven in a run in seven of his last eight games, including three today.  He isn’t going to shift the balance of power in your league, but if you have been rotating free agents waiting to find someone that sticks, Rivera could be that guy.

Paul Phillips had a great game for the Rockies, but his time behind the plate for Colorado is likely short lived.  Chris Iannetta is due back from the Disabled List in the next couple of days, perhaps as early as Tuesday.  So, even with his four-hit game, I would leave Phillips right where he is, likely in your free agent pool.

Mailing List

I’m not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don’t get a request to join it.  For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be.  If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold and others.  The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc.  This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition.  Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefitted from the list.  Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday.   The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com. 

To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru.  You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show.  Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour.  A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.