Taking a look around the league, here’s a recap of last night’s action and suggestions for your fantasy baseball team.
Clutch Performers – Tim Lincecum was dominant against the Brewers last night, going eight innings and allowing just one hit while striking out eight. Lincecum has really found his groove of late and has reinvigorated his career. At one point, he looked to be all but done as a fantasy starter, but with five quality starts in his last six games, he is a must-start for me now. Let’s check out other clutch performances:
- Hyun-Jin Ryu — 7 IP, 5 H, ER, 7 K, W
- Christian Yelich — 3-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
- Chase Utley — 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB
Surprise, surprise! – Recent call-up Cody Asche had his best game of the season last night, going 3-for-5 with his first major-league homer. Asche has some upside, but for me, he should only be owned in deep NL-only leagues or keeper leagues at this time. He should be on your radar going forward. Who else was a shocker from last night?:
- A.J. Ellis — 2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB
- Bruce Chen — 7.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, BB, 2 K, W
- Dillon Gee — 7.2 IP, 8 H, ER, 3 K, W
- Darin Ruf — 2-for-4 HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
Left out in the breeze – Who got rocked? Let’s find out:
- Jeff Samardzija — 3.1 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 3 K, L
- Carlos Gomez — 0-for-3, 3 K
- Zach McAllister — 2.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, L
Trending developments – Who’s trending? Let’s take a look:
- Eric Sogard has the longest hitting streak in the majors (13 games). During the streak, he has a .383/.396/.596 slash line with one HR.
- Max Scherzer is the first pitcher to win 17 out of 18 games since Roger Clemens back in 2001.
- Stephen Drew is one of the hottest pickups right now. In his last seven games, he is 12-for-23 with two homers, six runs and seven RBI.
- Bruce Chen has five quality starts in a row. He has a 1.79 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP on the season and his ownership in under 25 percent.
Prospect Watch – With Alex Rios being claimed off of waivers by the Texas Rangers, the White Sox could call up Avisail Garcia anytime. With regular playing time, Garcia could be a huge boost to teams coming down the home stretch as the fantasy season winds down. Based on the upside alone, Garcia is a must-add in all formats.
Head-2-Head– Brandon Beachy has gotten progressively better in every start thus far. I think he takes a big step forward tonight against the Marlins and has a monster performance.
Links of the day – It’s the one and only links time:
- Two Danny’s, one waiver wire article.
- Checking out Cardinal’s prospect Carlos Martinez.
- It’s that time of the year; it’s all about the prospects. Here are a few to watch out for.
- If it isn’t prospects, it is dynasty-league rankings. Here is an article checking in on some players whose value has changed based on their 2013 performance.
- It’s sleeper time. Checking in on Jarred Cosart and what to expect.