Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Mr. Clutch (pitcher) – Last night was a night for the unwanted. Bronson Arroyo, Kyle Kendrick, Erik Bedard, Tommy Milone and Joe Saunders, to name a few, all had big games against their respective opponents. But the king for the night was Joe Blanton, going 8.0 innings, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out 11. Too bad the Angels could only muster up one run giving Blanton the loss. Blanton is 1-9 on the season with a 5.53 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. If you started him last night, that will more than likely be his season best. It’s all down hill from here.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Coco Crisp is just not going away this season. After he went down with an injury earlier this year, I thought he would turn back into a pumpkin, but last night he went 4-for-5 with a home run, two runs, an RBI and a walk. The big difference for Coco Crisp this season has been the improved plate discipline. He is swinging less and drawing more walks, which has helped him make better contact. I think Coco Crisp keeps up this pace going forward.
Surprise, surprise! – As someone who stayed far away Mark Teixeira this season, I forgot he was off the DL. However, going 1-for-4 with a grand slam will get you some notoriety. I have not been a Tex fan in awhile, and if you own Tex, you should be pimping him out right now. Even though you like to see the grand slam, Tex is a guy who is notoriously slow out of the gates. Trading him now could save you the headache of dealing with another slow start.
Here comes the heat – Jay Bruce had another big night last night, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs. After a slow start to the season, Bruce has been delivering the power. In the past month, he has hit eight of his nine home runs and catapulted himself back into a top-15 outfielder.
Left out in the breeze – A.J. Burnett got roughed up by the Braves last night, lasting 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits, six earned runs and three walks while striking out five. Not the best game for Burnett, but that should only be a small blemish on what has been an amazing year. He has a 3.22 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP on the season. His 3.20 FIP and 3.03 xFIP are positive signs that Burnett is legit this season.
Who’s trending? – Don’t look now, but Wil Myers has really turned it on in the minors and is begging for a call-up. On the season, he has a .283/.361/.507 slash line with 10 home runs and three stolen bases. Myers is exactly what the anemic Rays offense needs right now. With him hot at the plate, he should be a speculative add right now. I think he gets called up this month.
Bench me, please? – Dan Uggla has been ugly this season. He is at or near the top of the NL for most strikeouts and is sporting a .175/.303/.379 slash line. The only thing keeping his ownership so high are his 10 home runs. Myself, I am not a fan of ugly power, and that is exactly what this is. I don’t think you should drop him, because Uggla has the ability to have big stretches of amazing offense as he has done this in the past. For now, he should be riding the bench.
The Streamer – I am going to take another player coming off the DL, Josh Johnson. He gets the Giants tonight and is going against Tim Lincecum. Even if Johnson is mediocre this time out, he should at least pickup a win because Lincecum will be worse. Seriously though, I think the DL stint is exactly what Johnson needed. Hopefully, he cleared his head and can come back strong. Deploy with confidence!
