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 one for the ages. Stephen Strasburg allowed three hits and zero earned runs in 7.0 innings, striking out eight. David Price, in his return from the DL, upped the ante having a similar game, stricking out 10. Clayton Kershaw went the distance in a four-hit, complete-game shutout, while striking out eight. However, Homer Bailey took the honor as top dog by throwing a no-hitter and striking out nine. This no-hitter comes just 17 starts from his last no-hitter.
Mr. Clutch (hitter) – Desmond Jennings filled the stat sheet last night, going 3-for-5 with a home run and a steal. Jennings is on his way to a career year in home runs, but is not on pace for the 31 steals he had a season ago. Going forward, I look for Jennings to flirt with 20 home runs and 25 steals, making him a fringe top-30 outfielder.
Surprise, surprise! – Kendrys Morales was the reason behind the Mariners smashing the Rangers. Here is what Rotowire.com had to say:
Morales homered twice and tied a career high with six RBI, finishing 3-for-5 Tuesday against the Rangers. Spin: After a rough June (.235 average, one home run in 25 games), it was good to see Morales square up a couple offerings. He has the ability at the plate to build on Tuesday’s outburst and go on a bit of a tear, and after his recent hitting drought, he’s available in a lot of shallow and standard leagues.
Left out in the breeze – Fantasy owners looking to stream Scott Feldman were left out in the breeze as the Orioles traded for him yesterday afternoon. With Feldman gone, some owners were left scraping the bottom of the barrel, looking for pitching options. If you turned to Chien-Ming Wang as an alternative, it just got that much worse. He didn’t even make it two innings before surrendering six runs on eight hits.
Who’s trending? – If you need middle infield help, Brian Roberts is back from the DL. In only his second game back, he went 1-for-4 with a home run. When healthy, he can be a fantasy stud. He is available in 85% of leagues and that number is going to go down by the day.
Bench me, please? – Has the Coco Crisp experience ran its course this season? In the past 15 days, he is batting a robust .135, pushing his average down to .274. Though he stole a base last night, the speed and power have slowed down, as well. Crisp is not 100 percent, so he may get it back going. For now, He needs to be riding the pine until he shows some signs of life.
The Streamer – It does not get much better than Tony Cingrani at home against the Giants. He is a rich source of strikeouts and is facing Barry Zito, who is sporting a robust 10.41 ERA on the road. At minimum, Cingrani should net a win tonight.
Links of the day – It’s link time!
- Do you play in a holds league? Chasing holds? This little article may help out.
- Looking for a young prospect to build around? Check out the Cubs prospect Arismendy Alcantara and the writeup by bullpen banter.
- Here is some injury news for ya. And a creepy Alex Rodriguez picture.
- Why is no one talking about prospect Nick Castellanos? Well this guy is.
- Some players rise, some players fall. This guy tells you who.
