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) – Madison Bumgarner shut down the Braves last night tossing 7.0 scoreless innings allowing just two hits, a walk while striking out 10. Though he has not taken another step towards becoming possibly an elite pitcher, Madison Bumgarner has been the model of consistency over the past three seasons. Expect top-15 numbers going forward this season.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Back from his freak injury scare, Carlos Gonzalez continues his MVP-like season. Last night, against the Phillies, CarGo went 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. CarGo has been the best player in fantasy this season and has shown no signs of slowing down. By the end of the season, I think he finishes right behind Miguel Cabrera on the player rater. This could be a magical season for CarGo.
Surprise, surprise! – Eric Stults went the distance last night against the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits, an earned run and a walk while striking out three. In the same amount of starts from last season, he has produced roughly the same numbers, so I am buying Stults. I think he should be owned in 12-team mixed leagues. Right now he is only owned in 15 percent of leagues, so he should be available.
Here comes the heat – Jeff Locke continues to roll. Against the Dodgers, Locke went 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out five. He is a must-start and should be owned in all leagues. I do worry about the 3.94 BB/9, but it has not stopped Locke. His ownership has shot up to 95 percent of leagues. If he is still available, I would pick him up immediately.
Left out in the breeze – After starting the season off so hot, Justin Upton just continues to disappoint. Against the Giants, Upton went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, dropping his average down to .250. Upton is still young and may develop into a top fantasy option, but it doesn’t look like it’s happening this season. The Braves outfield came in with so much promise this season, but it has been one of the major disappointments of this season.
Who’s trending? – Adam Lind has been shooting up the charts this week as one of the most added, but I don’t expect it to last. Lind’s power has been non-existent this season ,and the Blue Jays continue to keep him away from left-handed pitching; he only has had 22 at bats against lefthanders. His average is going to come back down closer to his career average, and with no power, don’t expect much going forward.
Bench me, please? – Brian McCann is giving the Braves a lot of reasons to play Evan Gattis over him. Needless to say, he is not doing enough to be owned in standard leagues. In the last two weeks, McCann is 6-for-34 with one home run, three RBIs and one run. It’s time to look at other options if you need a catcher.
The Streamer – There are some good streamer options today. John Danks got into form in his last game against the Athletics, now he gets the Astros tonight. My boyfriend, David Phelps, is also still widely available and takes on the lackluster Angels tonight. Both are solid options, so deploy with confidence!
