Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of yesterday’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Clutch Performers – Derek Holland is tough to beat when he is on, and the Athletics found out the hard way Sunday. Holland picked up his ninth win of the season and now boasts a 3.02 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Though he is not helping your WHIP at all, his 8.42 K/9 is impressive. Derek Holland does get lost in the shuffle of so many pitchers, but it’s good to see his name pop up at the top of the list every now and then. He has taken a big step forward this season in becoming a mainstay fantasy pitcher.
- Derek Holland — 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, W
- Lance Lynn — 8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K, W
- A.J. Burnett — 9 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 9 K, W
- David Freese — 3-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
- Mike Trout — 2-for-2, HR, RBI, BB
- Rajai Davis — 3-for-5, 3 R, RBI, 3 SB
- Adam Dunn — 4-for-5, HR, R, RBI
Surprise, surprise! – Scott Kazmir had a very nice quality start against the Marlins and improved to 7-4 on the year. Kazmir is nothing more than a spot starter in most leagues. He has had four quality starts in his last five outings.
- Scott Kazmir — 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, W
- Felix Doubront — 7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 5 K, W
- Tony Cruz — 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
- Danny Valencia — 3-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI
Left out in the breeze – Giancarlo Stanton has yet to flash the “big-time” potential this season, and yesterday was no different. I cannot believe he is still 100 percent owned. This guy is a sell for me. I do not believe he will turn it around at all. Even in keeper leagues, I am worried that the constant knee injuries have taken their toll.
- Mike Leake — 5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, L
- Giancarlo Stanton — 0-for-4, 2 K
- Mike Napoli — 0-for-5, 3 K
Trending developments – Wei-Yin Chen is one of the hottest pickups right now. Though he suffered a loss yesterday, it was his sixth quality start in his past seven outings. Chen has a 2.95 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP on the season. He is widely available in many leagues and has shown throughout the season he has the skill set to be useful in every league.
- Chris Johnson is batting .346/.387/.479 with seven homeruns, 42 runs and 42 RBI in 362 plate appearances.
- Elvis Andrus’ 16-game hit streak ended yesterday.
- Phil Hughes now has 8 starts were he has not made it more than three innings.
- Since coming back from the DL, Michael Morse is batting .227 with one home run, five runs and three RBI
Prospect Watch – Avisail Garcia was the main piece the White Sox received in the Jake Peavy deal. He immediately became their best prospect and is only an Alex Rios waiver claim away from being called up in September. Check out this video of Garcia hitting for the cycle.
Head-2-Head– Jeremy Guthrie was impressive in his last start against the Twins, so why not stream him again when he takes on the Twins today. The Royals have been hot as of late, and if the bats are live, Guthrie should be able to pick up a win for your team.
Links of the day – It’s link time …
- Here are some minor leaguers, who had a hot week, to keep your eye on.
- Two-start pitcher rankings for week 18.
- Need some waiver wire help? Here are some underrated guys to check out.