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) – Adam Wainwright, once again, shut down the Astros to pick up his 12th win of the season. He went seven innings, allowing just one run off of five hits while striking out nine. This was a nice bounce-back win after getting touched up by the Angels during his last outing. His 2.30 ERA and 0.99 WHIP is a thing a beauty and is top-10 in both categories. He takes on the Cubs this Sunday. It’s a good bet that he has a quality start, if not better. With Wainwright on the mound against the Cubs you could earn bragging rights (and a few bucks!) by MLB betting at TopBet.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – It does not get much better than what Adrian Beltre did last night against the Orioles. Adrian Beltre went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. He is having another impressive season with a .319/.362/.551 slash line and 20 home runs. Another 30 home-run season is not out of the question, as well as hitting the century mark in RBI. Beltre was left off of the AL MLB All-Star rosters.
Surprise, surprise! – Wily Peralta pitched his first ever-complete game shutout last night against a potent Reds lineup. Even though Peralta has shown some flashes this season of a competent pitcher, he has been very inconsistent. His 4.82 ERA and 1.50 WHIP leaves something else to be desired by fantasy owners. A great story, but little help going forward for fantasy owners. His next start, at Arizona, you are leaving him where he belongs: on the waiver wire.
Here comes the heat – Is the Justin Upton slump coming to an end? Let’s see what rotowire.com had to say.
Upton went 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, three runs and two RBI Tuesday against Miami. Spin: Upton’s big fly was his first since June 12, and just his second since May 18, which represents a mammoth power drought for someone with his skill set. Still, he now has five extra-base hits in his last two games, which equals his total from the previous 23 games. He was bound to eventually break out of that slump, and this could be the start of something.
Left out in the breeze – Justin Verlander? Gets rocked by the White Sox? Yup, he gave up a season high 12 hits, allowing five runs. It seemed as though Verlander was turning the corner on this season, now we must reevaluate. He clearly is not the same pitcher he has been the past few seasons, and while I think there is still some buy-low potential here, you are not buying a top-tier pitcher anymore. Hopefully Verlander bounces back against the Rangers on Sunday.
Who’s trending? – Juan Francisco has been as hot as they come these past two weeks, and fantasy owners are starting to pay attention. Over that span, Francisco is batting .348 with five home runs, 11 runs and nine RBIs. If you are in need of help at the corner infield position, ride the hot hand of Francisco.
Bench me, please? – Is it time to cut bait with Yoenis Cespedes? His batting average is down to .224, and while he does have 15 home runs, he has only hit two in the past month, and none of those have come in the past couple weeks. I would definitely be shopping him around your league, because he is not doing enough right now to justify his ownership.
The Streamer – The hot-handed Jeremy Hellickson is the obvious streaming option today, with a 33.7 bump in ownership. If he is available I would start him tonight; however, if he is not, fantasy owners are still overlooking Jacob Turner. He is owned in less than 20 percent of leagues, and while he is taking on the Braves, I think he will be effective enough to stream tonight.
Links of the day – You want it, you need it and now I’m going to give it to you. It’s link time.
- Guess you has been called up? Guess! Guess! Give up? Click here to find out.
- Wondering if Eric Hosmer is for real? Click here to find out.
- To sell or not to sell? That is the question here.
- Is it time to give up on Aramis Ramirez? Here is where you will find that answer.
- Catching, cutting or keeping? Find out more here.
