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Archive for June, 2009

The Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 30th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals made an interesting trade, swapping outfielders Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge with Joel Hanrahan also going to the Pirates and Sean Burnett going to the Nationals. The trade does nothing to alleviate the crowding in the Nationals outfield since Milledge was in Triple-A. Milledge is hitting .253 in the minor leagues with one home run, seven RBI and seven steals in 25 games. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Tuesday…

Hitters:

Albert Pujols blasted two more home runs bringing his season total up to 30. Pujols currently leads the National League every key offensive category (discounting stolen bases), except for placing sixth in batting average with a .332 mark.

Martin Prado went 4-for-5 with his fourth home run of the year and four RBI. Prado is hitting .299 on the season and is getting more at bats with Kelly Johnson struggling this year.

B.J. Upton homered for the second time in three games and drove in a run for the fifth straight contest. Upton has seven RBI in his last five games and has raised his batting average to .247 on the season. Upton is hitting .327 in June with four home runs and 21 RBI.

Kevin Youkilis went 3-for-5 with three RBI including his 13th home run of the season. Hopefully this will jump start Youkilis at the plate as he is hitting .224 in the month of June.

Marlon Byrd went deep twice and drove in five runs, giving him three home runs in his last two games. Byrd is now hitting .286 on the season with seven home runs and 39 RBI.

It took him a little time, but Gordon Beckham is starting to come around at the plate. Beckham went 3-for4 with his second home run of the season and is now hitting .267 on the year. Beckham has a five game hitting streak with five RBI during that stretch.

Ryan Braun went 3-for-4 with four RBI, raising his batting average to .327 in the process. Braun has two home runs runs and nine RBI in his last 10 games.

Lance Berkman went 2-for-3 and hit his 17th home run of the season. Berkman has homered four times in his last 10 games with 10 RBI and has raised his batting average 20 points during that period.

Pitchers:

As much as Johan Santana wanted to dispel rumors awhile ago that he was not injured, the stats seem to point to the contrary. Santana allowed five runs in six innings on Tuesday, dropping his record to 9-6 on the season. In his last five starts, has has allowed five runs twice and nine runs in another outing. In his last six outings he has struck out a combine 18 hitters. Compare to that to his two starts back on May 22 and May 27 when he combined for 19 punch-outs in those two starts.

Dan Haren allowed one run in seven innings with nine strikeouts to notch his seventh win of the season. Haren has allowed two runs or less in seven consecutive starts dating back to May 28th.

Ross Ohlendorf tossed seven shutout innings and struck out eight to pick up his seventh win of the season. If you subtract his rough start at Coors Field on 6/19, Ohlendorf has allowed three runs or less in his last four starts.

Matt Garza allowed one run in seven innings with three strikeouts to up his mark to 6-5 on the season. It is impressive that his whip ratio is only at 1.18 despite being third in the American League in walks allowed.

Jason Marquis pitched a complete game shutout, limiting the Los Angeles Dodgers to two hits while striking out three. Marquis improved to 10-5 on the season and lowered his ERA to 3.87.

Closers:

J.P. Howell continues to roll as closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, picking up his sixth save of the season. Howell has collected two wins and two saves in his last four appearances. He has been unscored upon in June through 12 innings.

Minor League Report – week 12

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 28th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

After reviewing the top pitchers in the week 11 minor league report, here is a look at some of the top hitters in the top two minor league levels that will be participating in the Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12. In case you might be wondering why one of your favorite minor league players is not in the game, each major league team has to have at least one player on the roster and no team can have more than two.

Catcher – Jason Castro (Astros) – Castro was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. He was promoted to Double-A a little more than two weeks ago, and is hitting .288 in 59 at bats. His overall numbers are .305, with eight home runs, 48 RBI and one stolen base. Fantasy baseball owners might be gun shy of Castro because the failures of the Astros previous rookie catcher J.R. Towles. Baseball America had Castro as the Astros number one prospect coming into this season and he has held his own so far in 2009. It will be interesting to see five years from now how he stacks up against the catcher that went earlier in the draft, Buster Posey, who is in the San Francisco Giants farm system.

Catcher – Tyler Flowers (White Sox) – Flowers has been in Double-A the entire season so far, and is hitting .278 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI. He threw out 28% of runners trying to steal in 2008, made 12 errors and allowed 11 passed balls. With A.J. Pierzynski signed through 2010, if Flowers continues to progress, he should be ready to take over as starting catcher in 2011.

First Base – Chris Carter (Athletics) – With the lack of offense at the major league level, it is a little surprising to see Carter still in Double-A. Carter is currently hitting .299 with 13 home runs, 59 RBI and eight stolen bases on the season. He has upped his power numbers each month, hitting one home run in April, five in May and seven in June. Carter, 22, was part of the big bounty the Oakland Athletics received from the Arizona Diamondbacks when they traded Dan Haren.

Second Base – Scott Sizemore (Tigers) – Sizemore was promoted to Triple-A two weeks ago. He is currently hitting .250 in 52 at bats. For the season, he is batting .296 with 10 home runs, 36 RBI and eight stolen bases. He was a fifth round pick back in 2006 out of Virginia Commonwealth University and was ranked seventh by Baseball America coming into the 2009 season. He started off his minor league career as a shortstop before moving to second base in 2007.

Second Base – Eric O. Young (Rockies) – Young has been at Triple-A the entire season with an eye on a starting job in 2010. Much like his father and former Rockies player Eric Young, his one plus attribute is his speed. Young is hitting .286 through 70 games with three home runs, 21 RBI and 44 stolen bases against eight times caught stealing.

Third Base – Pedro Alvarez (Pirates) – Alvarez was promoted to Double-A one week ago and has started off slowly, hitting .125 with 10 strikeouts in 25 at bats. In High Class A, he showed an ability to drive in runs despite a high strikeout rate. In 243 at bats, he hit .247 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI and 70 strikeouts. The talk of him being the first person from the 2008 draft class to make it to the major leagues seems like a stretch with his current plate discipline.

Third Base – Brett Wallace (Cardinals) – Wallace was the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft and has split this season between Double-A and Triple-A. He started off Triple-A slow, but has picked up his performance recently, hitting .395 in his last 10 games with two home runs. On the season, he is hitting .280 with nine home runs and 27 RBI. The recent addition of Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals means Wallace will likely stay in Triple-A until rosters expand September 1 and then compete for the starting job in 2010.

Outfield – Chris Heisey (Reds) – He finally got promoted to Triple-A on Friday after destroying Double-A. Although he was old for the level at 24, he hit .347 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI and 13 steals. Heisey has gone from a 17th round unknown back in 2006 to an underrated prospect in the Reds organization coming into 2009 to now a potential starter in 2010.

Outfield – Desmond Jennings (Rays) – He looked to be on the fast track to Triple-A until he slowed down considerably in June. He still has solid numbers for the season, with a .325 average, six home runs, 35 RBI and 28 stolen bases. After hitting .349 in April and .368 in May, Jennings is hitting .255 in June with zero home runs and six RBI. Jennings was ranked #5 by Baseball America for 2009 in the Rays minor league system. He missed the first two months of the 2008 season with a back injury, then played 24 games before injuring his left shoulder and undergoing season-ending surgery.

Outfield – Mike Stanton (Marlins) – Stanton has gotten off to a slow start at Double-A after being promoted three weeks ago. His plate discipline has deteriorated slightly as expected with the move up a level. Stanton is hitting .234 with three home runs and nine RBI, with 24 strikeouts in 77 at bats at Double-A. Overall he is batting .276 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI between two levels.

The Daily Dirt for Saturday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 27th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Mark DeRosa was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the St. Louis Cardinals for Chris Perez and a player to be named later. DeRosa should retain his same value as Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will have him play multiple positions. Perez should not see any save chances with Kerry Wood signed through 2010 plus a vesting option for 2011.

Jonathan Sanchez has been sent to the bullpen by the San Francisco Giants in a move that was long overdue. Ryan Sadowski will get the start on Sunday but it not really a good bet for long term success. There is a very good chance the Giants will turn to one of their top minor league prospects once the second half of the season starts.

Hitters:

Jason Werth went 4-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI to power the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Werth has hit five home runs with 10 RBI in his last 10 games.

Albert Pujols hit two two-run home runs off Kevin Slowey to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. Pujols now has 28 home runs with 74 RBI on the season.

Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs, raising his batting average to .340 on the season. Sandoval has been on fire in June, batting close to .400 with eight home runs and 18 RBI.

Scott Podsednik went 4-for-5 with three RBI including his third home run of the season. Podsednik is now hitting .319 on the season with to home runs, seven RBI and three steals in his last 10 games.

Casey McGehee homered for the third time in his last six games and is now batting .340 on the season. If your fantasy baseball league has 10 game eligibility for position qualification, McGehee is now eligible at second base and third base.

Prince Fielder went 2-for-5 with four RBI and connected for his 19th home run for the season. Fielder is now second in the National League with 73 RBI, one behind Pujols. Fielder has hit three home runs and plated 11 runners in his last 10 games.

Aubrey Huff went 2-for-3 with his 10th home run for the season. Huff now has 51 RBI on the season and has driven in 11 runs in his last 10 games.

Pitchers:

J.A. Happ tossed a complete game shutout while striking out four to up his record to a perfect 5-0 on the season. It was only the second start this season where Happ did not walk a batter.

Tim Wakefield worked six scoreless innings with a lone strikeout to notch his 10th win of the season. Wakefield is 4-0 in his last five starts with one no decision.

Javier Vazquez allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts in a tough-luck loss against Wakefield. It is nothing new for Vazquez to receive no run support, as he has allowed two rouns or less in five of his last six starts and only has one win to show for it.

Felipe Paulino, back from the disabled list and making his first start in three weeks, twirled a gem of a game, allowing one run in seven innings with nine strikeouts. Paulino allowed only three hits and did not walk a batter, making it through seven innings on 96 pitches.

Scott Kazmir returned from the disabled list exhibiting much better control than the majority of his pre-inury starts. Kazmir making his first starts in more than five weeks, allowed one run in five innings with five strikeouts. More importantly for fantasy baseball owners, he walked only one batter in the outing.

A.J. Burnett allowed one hit in seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to earn his six win of the season. Burnett has allowed one run in his last three starts covering a total of 20 1/3 innings.

Kevin Correia has been a new man since June 1st, and he was back on the mound again on Saturday with the same reuslt. Correia allowed three runs in seven innings with nine strikeouts to win his fourth game in his last five starts. Correia has a 2.41 ERA in those five starts with 29 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings.

Strikeouts: Enjoy the breeze

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 27th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

In fantasy baseball leagues, the later into the season it goes, the harder it becomes to make up ground in one offensive category. Runs, home runs, RBI and stolen bases aren’t as hard to make up ground in, because as the season goes on, other owners lose interest, focus on other leagues, leave injured players in their lineup, etc., so even if your players don’t improve over the course of the season if they are struggling, there are still several points you will be able to make up in each category.

Batting average becomes a little bit trickier as you get further along into the season. If you have a team of .260 hitters that are playing every day and accumulating a large number of at bats, it becomes harder to make up ground in that category unless you are able to pull off several trades or you have multiple players that turn in monster second halves of the fantasy baseball season.

Discount BABIP (batting average on balls in play) for a moment, a higher strikeout rate for a hitter means the hitter has a reduced chance of ever having a batting average above .280 because of the fewer number of balls in play.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the some of the league leaders in strikeouts per plate appearances. If you own any of these hitters, now is the time to start looking to get them off your roster if you are looking to gain points in batting average.

1) Chris Davis - batting average .210 – his strikeout rate was high last year at 28% in a half season of at bats, but in 2009 it has soared ridiculously high to 42%.

2) Jarrod Saltalamacchia – .258 – his current strike out rate of 34% is in line with his 32% in 2008 which ranked him fifth in baseball

3) Miguel Olivo – .257 – he has been on a tear lately in the power department, but the hacking is not good for the average. His 33% is 7 percentage points higher than last season.

4) Mark Reynolds – .266 – 33% last year, 33% this year, when he does make contact, he hits it a long way, much like Jim Thome, Ryan Howard, etc.

5) Bill Hall - .197 – Why was he ever platooning with Mat Gamel? Luckily the Milwaukee Brewers have wised up, giving Hall only one start in the last week. His current strikeout ratio per plate appearance of 30% is close to his 28% mark of last season.

6) Carlos Pena – .238 – 30% this year vs. 28% last year. Good for power but a real drag to the bating average.

7) Delmon Young – .251 – Wow! What happened to him? Has never lived up to the hype since coming to the major leagues and seems to have gotten worse this year. His 30% strikeout ratio is way above last years mark of 18%. It might be okay if the transition to more strikeouts meant more power but that has not been the case with only two home runs in 171 at bats.

8.) Josh Fields – .233 – 29% this season vs. 31% in 2007 since he did not have many at bats in 2008. His inability to make contact is part of the reason the Chicago White Sox turned to Gordon Beckham earlier than expected.

9) Ryan Howard – .250 – 29% this year and last year. He will always been in the top 10, it is a matter of whether his home runs and RBI make him worth carrying on your fantasy baseball team.

10) Mike Jacobs – .226 – 28% in 2009 vs. 23% in 2008. He is hitting only .172 in June with one home run and one RBI in 64 at bats.

The Daily Dirt for Friday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 26th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Andre Ethier was locked in at the plat on Friday night, going 3-for-4 with three home runs and six RBI. It was the first three home run game of Ethier’s career as he powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. In other news around fantasy baseball on Friday…

Hitters:

Hanley Ramirez is working hard this week to reward fantasy baseball owners that drafted him high in the first round. Ramirez homered for the second straight day on Friday, giving him four home runs in his last five games. He has now driven in 15 runs in his last five games with two stolen bases.

The Baltimore Orioles banged out 16 hits and scored 11 runs without hitting any home runs Friday. Melvin Mora drove in four runs and Aubrey Huff knocked in three runs while Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Nolan Reimold all had three hits apiece.

Jake Fox homered for the second straight game, giving him in nine RBI in his last five games. With Aramis Ramirez expected back sometime after the all-star break, Fox should have two to three more weeks ov value in National League only fantasy baseball leagues.

Victor Martinez homered for the second consecutive game, giving him four home runs and 11 RBI in his last 10 games. Martinez now has 14 home runs and 56 RBI on the season.

Garrett Atkins is showing signs of life, getting additional at bats as the designated hitter in interleague play. Atkins has collected three hits in each of the last two games with a total of four RBI. He has lifted his batting average 37 points in the last 10 games. Unfortunately for fantasy baseball owners, he most likely heads back to the bench once the Colorado Rockies return to National League play. The best case scenario is the extra bats have given Atkins a little bit of trade value to the Rockies are able to move him at the deadline to a team that will give him more playing time.

B.J. Upton went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Upton stole his 27th base of the season, and is now up to .245 on the year. In his last 10 games, he has two home runs, 12 RBI and three stolen bases.

Brett Gardner went 5-for-6 with three runs score and stole his 17th base of the season. Gardner has stolen six bases in his last 10 games and is now hitting .303 on the season.

Pitchers:

Brad Bergeson allowed one run in six innings and struck out five to improve to 5-2 on the season. Bergeson has not lost since April 19th and has lowered his ERA over 1.5 runs during that stretch.

Randy Wells allowed two runs in seven innings with six strikeouts to win his second consecutive start. Wells has a 2.57 ERA and 1.09 whip ratio through nine starts.

Virgil Vazquez won his first start, replacing demoted Ian Snell, allowing two runs in six innings with seven strikeouts. Vazquez was 5-2 with a 4.18 ERA in Triple-A with 53 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings before being recalled from the minor leagues.

Ricky Romero hurled seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts to win his second straight start. Romero has a 2.36 ERA in his last five starts with 33 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.

CC Sabathia allowed one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts to notch his seventh win of the season. Sabathia currently ranks fourth in the American League in whip ratio at 1.09.

Josh Beckett worked seven shutout innings with six strikeouts to up his record to 9-3 on the season. Beckett has allowed zero earned runs in four of his past five starts

Yovani Gallardo allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts to improve his record to 8-4. Gallardo has allowed two runs or less in six of his last seven starts (he allowed three runs in the other start) and currently sits fifth in the National League in ERA at 2.86 and fourth in strikeouts with 102.

Jason Hammel allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings with five strikeouts to up his mark to 5-3 on the season. Hammel has quietly become an effective starter for the Rockies, allowing two runs or less in four of his last five starts. He is 5-0 in his last seven starts, with his last loss coming on May 19th.

Clayton Kershaw allowed two runs in six innings with eight strikeouts to even his record at 5-5 for the year. Kershaw has a 0.97 ERA in his last three starts with 21 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.

Closers:

Huston Street worked a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 17th save of the season. It has been quite a comeback for Street this year, as he is only three saves back of the lead in the National League, despite losing his job to Manny Corpas earlier in the season.

LaTroy Hawkins picked up his 10th save of the season in place of Jose Valverde who was given the night off. It was the fourth day in a row that Hawkins pitched.

The Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 24th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Nick Swisher homered for the 13th time this season and drove in two runs, giving him 38 RBI on the season. The home run was the first for Swisher in the last two weeks, after hitting home runs on June 7th and 8th. June has been a much better month for Swisher who became home run happy in May, striking out 29 times in 80 at bats and hitting a measly .150. Swisher is currently hitting .267 in June with three home runs and nine RBI. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Wednesday…

Hitters:

Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4 with two RBI and delivered his 15th home run of the season. Cabrera has homered four times in his last eight games with eight RBI.

David Ortiz went 2-for-3 with three RBI and blasted his seventh home run of the season. Ortiz homered for the second straight game and for the sixth time in the month of June.

Adam LaRoche went 3-for-4 with three RBI and connected for his 11th home run of the season. The home run was his second in as many days and gives LaRoche four home runs in his last nine games with eight RBI.

After missing two games with an illness, Jason Kubel returned to the lineup and hit his 13th home run of the season. It was the fourth home in the last 10 games for Kubel who is hitting .311 on the season with 40 RBI.

Paul Konerko homered for the second consecutive game and the third time in his last five games. Konerko is currently hitting .293 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI on the season.

Pitchers:

Joba Chamberlain allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings with five strikeouts to pick up his fourth win of the season. It was the first start for Chamberlain in which he did not walk a batter outside of his start on May 21 that he left after 2/3 of an injury due to an injury.

Zach Duke allowed one run in six innings with four strikeouts to improve his record to 8-5 on the season. After surrendering six home runs in his previous three starts, Duke was able to get the ball in the park on Wednesday.

Matt Garza allowed one run in eight innings with seven strikeouts to even his record at 5-5. The win for Garza was his first since May 16th who has been the victim of a lack of offensive support in his previous starts.

Fernando Nieve tossed six shutout innings with five strikeouts to notch his third win of the season. Nieve has a 1.31 ERA and a 0.97 whip ratio through 20 2/3 innings for the year. Nieve should get another start with Oliver Perez and John Maine both slated to get at least one more start in the minor leagues before they are activated from the disabled list.

Ricky Nolasco worked seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts to earn his fourth victory of the season. Nolasco has a 1.80 ERA in his four starts since returning from the minor leagues.

Roy Oswalt allowed one run in six innings with eight strikeouts in a no decision. It has been an uneven season for Oswalt who had alternated wins and losses in his previous four outings. In addition to a career high batting average against of .282 this season, Oswalt is also on pace to give up a career high 30 home runs this year.

Gavin Floyd allowed one run in six innings with three strikeouts to earn his fifth win of the year. It marked the fourth straight start that Floyd allowed one earned run, lowering his ERA to 4.45 on the year.

Vincente Padilla allowed one run in seven innings and struck out three to gain his sixth win of the year. Padilla has a 2.16 ERA in his last four starts while going 3-0 during that stretch.

Closers:

Dan Meyer picked up his first save of the season in place of injured closer Matt Lindstrom who was placed on the disabled list and will miss a minimum of four weeks.

The Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 24th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Brandon Inge homered for the second consecutive day and drove in two runs, giving him four home runs and nine RBI in his last 10 games. Inge has already surpassed his second highest total for home runs in his career and is now taking aim at his season best mark of 27. He should have no problem breaking that level if he continues at his current home run rate of one every 14 at bats compared to his 2006 rate of one home run every 20 at bats. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Tuesday…

Hitters:

Chase Utley went 3-for-5 with four RBI and homered for the 16th time in 2009. The home run was the fourth in June for Utley who remains on pace to possibly set career best marks in home runs (39) and RBI (119).

Jason Bay went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBI. Bay blasted his 19th home run of the year and now has 69 RBI in 69 games played.

Brian McCann went 3-for-4 with two RBI and connected for his seventh home run on the season. The home run for McCann was his first in the last two weeks, leaving him on pace for 19 home runs and 83 RBI.

Jacob Ellsbury went 4-for-4 with three RBI and stole his 30th base of the season. Ellsbury has hit two of his three home runs on the year in his last 10 games, driving in eight runs and stealing seven bases during that period.

Matt Wieters went 2-for-4 with his second home in five games. Wieters has driven in six runs in his last 10 games while raising his batting average almost 70 points.

Troy Tulowitzki homered twice and drove in three runs to account for all of the offense for the Colorado Rockies. Tulowitzki has seven home runs in June with 14 RBI, five steals and a .350+ batting average.

Rod Barrajas homered for the third time in his last five games, giving him seven home runs on the season. Barrajas has knocked in a run in five of his last six games.

Grady Sizemore returned from a three week stint on the disabled list, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a triple.

Pitchers:

Tommy Hanson worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out four to remain perfect on the season at 3-0. His ERA has been good (3.13) but his whip ratio has been not so great (1.61). He had some control problems back in 2008 after being promoted to Double-A walking 3.8 hitters in nine innings. His current walk ratio sits at 5.9 per nine innings after his start on Tuesday.

Joel Piniero tossed a complete game shutout, allowing two hits while striking out one to earn his sixth victory of the season. Despite allowing three runs or less in his last four starts, Piniero only has a 1-3 record to show for it during that span. His current 3.40 ERA is being aided by his minuscule home run rate, allowing only two home runs so far on the season through 92 2/3 innings, after surrendering 20+ long balls in each of the past five years.

It took him a few starts to get acclimated to the major league, but David Huff seems to have turned it around after hurling eight scoreless innings with two strikeouts on Tuesday. Huff has allowed three runs or less in his last four starts while going 3-0 during that stretch. He should be an option in American League only fantasy baseball leagues.

Zack Greinke allowed one run in eight innings and struck out five to notch his ninth win of the season. Despite winning for the first time in his last five starts, Greinke continues to lead the American League in ERA (1.90), whip ratio (1.02) innings pitched (109) and complete games (5).

Tim Lincecum tossed a complete game, allowing one run while striking out 12 to pick up win number seven on the season. It marked the fourth time that Lincecum has had double digit strikeouts in 2009.

Hiroki Kuroda picked up his first win in five starts since returning from the disabled list on June 1st, allowing two runs in 8 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

Max Scherzer allowed two runs in six innings with seven strikeouts to improve his record to 5-4 on the year. Scherzer has allowed two runs or less in four straight starts while going 3-0 during that span.

Brian Tallet tossed six scoreless innings up his mark to 5-4 on the year. He matched his season high with seven strikeouts while allowing only three hits and one walk.

Chad Gaudin allowed two runs in seven innings and struck out 11 for his third win of the season. Gaudin has struck out 19 in his last 13 innings while allowing five runs.

Adam Miller allowed one hit and one run in seven innings in a no decision. Miller struck out four and lowered his ERA to 4.17 on the season.

Closers:

Matt Lindstrom allowed four hits and three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Despite his 14 saves, his other numbers have been a killer to fantasy baseball staffs , with a 6.52 ERA and 1.90 whip ratio on the season.

Joakim Soria worked a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 8th save of the season, and his first since May 7th.

The Art of Trading

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 23rd, 2009

by Todd Lammi

With almost three months into the baseball season, you should have a clear idea whether your fantasy baseball team is a contender or a pretender in the standings. If you are a contender, you should be looking to make trades to improve your team in the standings. If your team is at the bottom of the pack, now is the time to be focusing on rebuilding your team if you have not done so already.

For some fantasy baseball owners that are unfamiliar with being at the top of the standings and not used to trading, here are some basic guidelines to help get you through the process.

1) Communication skills count – the trade landscape has changed in fantasy baseball over the last 10 years from phone based trading when fantasy baseball was not as prevalent on the web to now where the majority of trades are made online or through email. When communicating through email, be sure to spell out all of the particulars of the trade, including the player’s full name, position and team. For example, there are multiple players with the last name Davis in baseball. You want to make sure the other fantasy baseball owner knows you are trading Doug Davis and not Chris Davis to him. If you are using a trading tool to offer a trade through a website, if there is a place for a comment, it helps to put a note of why you are offering a trade or rejecting a trade so the other owner has some idea of what you are looking to do.

2) Determine the needs of the other owners – the easiest way to get trades made are by making trades that help both teams. If you see an owner is low in saves and you have an extra closer, offering a closer may make sense. Offering a first basemen to a team that has two already plus one sitting on his bench, unless you are offering Albert Pujols, is going get you a quick rejection or worst of all no response.

3) Win the league, not the trade – far too often fantasy baseball owners get caught up in trying to win a trade or getting the most value for their players. Which is fine, but at the end of the season, the most important stat is now how many trades you win, but if you won your league. At some point during the year, you might be low in one category like steals, and you might have to give up a guy like Carlos Lee for Michael Bourn. Lee might be worth more than Bourn in terms of value, but if you have excess power and can win your league by gaining three points in steals which Bourn gives you, then it is a trade that has to be made.

4) Never burn your bridges - there will always be one or two owners in every league that will value players much much differently than you do. So much so that their trade offers to you will make it seem like they have either never played fantasy baseball before, or else they are trying to rob you. It is always best to respond in the the nicest way possible, as eventually down the road, one of their trade offers might eventually make sense. There was one five year league I played in, I never traded with the owner for four years because I could not see eye to eye with him on any offers. Then it my last year we ended up making a trade that helped me with the league, so you just never know.

5) Play for the win whenever possible - anytime you have a chance to win a league, I think a fantasy baseball owner needs to take that chance. It boggles my mind how many owners will not make a trade and their response is, I cannot trade him because he is one of my keepers. Don’t let a possible keeper stand in the way of you losing out on winning. There is some much turnover in the off season with trades, free agent signings, manager changes, injuries, etc. that there are always new keepers that pop up that you did not envision when in season.

Minor League Report – week 11

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 21st, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Here is a review of the top pitchers in Triple-A that could potentially have an impact in major league baseball the second half of the season, but more importantly impact your fantasy baseball league standings.

Franklin Morales (Rockies) has strung together two good starts after an eight-run shellacking on June 11th. Morales has allowed two runs in his last 12 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts as he continues to rehab from a strained shoulder that sidelined him back in April.

Bud Norris (Astros) has a 2.11 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 81 innings. He is holding hitters to a .222 average with only five home runs surrendered on the season. The Astros are only 5.5 games out of first place despite running Brian Moehler, Russ Ortiz and Brandon Backe out every fifth day. If the Astros don’t call him up after the All-Star break once they are able to reset their pitching rotation, he would most likely be in Triple-A until after September first when rosters expand.

The Baltimore Orioles have a plethora of starters to choose from in Triple-A if they need any help. Chris Tillman currently has a 2.55 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 60 innings, while holding hitters to a .229 batting average. In his last three starts, he has a 4.24 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Jake Arrieta was promoted to Triple-A and had an excellent first start with one run allowed in six innings and six strikeouts, but struggled in his second start. In start number two, Arrieta allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. On the season, Arrieta has a 2.97 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.

Troy Patton allowed one run in six innings with one strikeout in his second start since being promoted to Triple-A. On the season, Patton has a 2.39 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings.

David Hernandez is back in Triple-A after a cup of coffee in the big leagues. He has not fared as well in his two starts back in the minor leagues, with a 6.30 ERA, despite fanning 15 in 10 innings.

Carlos Torres (White Sox) is a bit older for Triple-A at 26, but he is putting up numbers worthy of a call up. Torres has a 2.38 ERA in 72 innings with 78 strikeouts.

Wade Davis (Rays) has a 3.00 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 78 innings. It does not look like the Rays will have an opening in their rotation unless one of their current starters goes down with an injury. The Rays also have Scott Kazmir on the disabled list, so at this point Davis is their seventh best starter.

Brad Lincoln has been promoted to Triple-A by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lincoln had a 2.28 ERA in Double-A with 65 strikeouts in 75 innings. With the Pirates not in the playoff race, he will most likely be called up September 1st when rosters expand.

Homer Baily (Reds) still has not been able to prove he is more than a Quadruple-A player; someone that is stuck between Triple-A and the major league level. He has turned it up a notch in his last four starts in Triple-A, allowing one run in 33 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts. There doesn’t seem to be a spot in the Reds rotation for him with the way the other starters are pitching and Edison Volquez on the disabled list.

There is really nothing left for Clay Buchholz to do in Triple-A. Unfortunately for him, the Boston Red Sox rotation is stacked with the return of John Smoltz. The only way he appears before September 1st is if the Red Sox trade Brad Penny or one of the current starters get injured. Buchholz has a 1.90 ERA and is holding hitters to a .165 batting average. In 71 innings, he has struck out 65 hitters, while walking only 17. The one difference in regard to Buchholz compared to some of the other prospect pitchers in Triple-A is that Buchholz will turn 25 in August.

Michael Bowden (see Buchholz). Bowden is behind Buchholz in the Red Sox pecking order. He has gotten hit hard in two of his last four starts, allowing six runs twice. On the season, he has a 3.26 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings.

J.D. Martin in 2002 was the #5 prospect in the Cleveland Indians farm system. Several years later, now at age 26, he is in Triple-A pitching for the Washington Nationals. Martin has a 2.35 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 65 innings while allowing only six walks! With Scott Olsen due to return from the disabled list, the Nationals will be sending one of their current starters to the bullpen or to Triple-A so Martin seems to be looking at a September call up in a best case scenario.

Trevor Bell (Angels) was recently promoted to Triple-A after going 4-3 with a 2.23 ERA in Double-A. Bell has not been scored upon in two starts in Triple-A while striking out eight. With the iffy health statuses of John Lackey and Ervin Santana, Bell might be an option the second half of the season.

Kevin Pucetas (Giants) has a 3.59 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He should be first in line if any of the current starters suffer an injury or Jonathan Sanchez gets traded.

The Daily Dirt for Sunday

Posted by Todd Lammi on June 21st, 2009

by Todd Lammi

After a slow start to the month of June, interleague play has lit a fire under Albert Pujols. Pujols went 4-for-5 on Sunday and smacked two home runs while driving in six runs. Pujols has hit eight home runs in his last 10 games with 17 RBI. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Sunday…

Hitters:

B.J. Upton went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and four RBI. Upton, who hit his fifth home run of the season, has really started to pick up his offense the last 10 days. In that span, Upton has raised his batting average 28 points, drove in nine runs and stole eight bases.

Brandon Inge went 2-for-3 with three RBI and slugged his 16th home run of the season. Inge has homered three times in his last nine games while driving in seven runs. Currently at 47 RBI, Inge is on pace for his first 100 RBI season.

Lyle Overbay went 3-for-5 with five RBI, including his ninth home run of the season. Like Inge, Overbay is also on pace for his first 100 RBI season plus a potential career high in home runs. Part of the reason for Overbay’s improvement this year has been an increase in his walk rate, going from a walk every 8.4 plate appearances in 2008 to a rate of 5.8 this season, as well as a reduction in his strikeout rate, going from a strikeout rate of 5.3 in 2008 to 6.9 this year.

Clint Barmes went 2-for-4 with two RBI and connected for his eighth home run of the season. Barmes has driven in eight runs in his last eight games and is currently on pace for a 19 home run, 88 RBI, 12 steal season.

Hanley Ramirez homered for the first time since May 22nd, going deep for a two-run home run off of Brett Tomko. Despite the lack of power, he has surpassed his RBI total of 11 for the month of May with several games left to play in June.

Pitchers:

CC Sabathia left his start against the Florida Marlins in the second inning with bicep tightness. Sabathia was removed after 1 1/3 innings and 28 pitches thrown. It would be best to bench him in fantasy baseball leagues until the severity of his injury is determined.

Justin Verlander allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts to pick up his 8th win of the season. The win at home for Verlander continued a season long trend. He entered Sunday’s game with a 0.82 ERA in five home starts, compared to a 4.87 ERA on in nine road starts.

Ricky Romero allowed two runs in seven innings with six strikeouts. Romero has a 2.59 ERA in his last 31 1/3 innings with 31 strikeouts.

Mark Buehrle tossed seven shutout innings with three strikeouts to notch his 7th win of the year. The win for Buehrle was his first since May 19th.

Cole Hamels allowed two runs in eight innings with 10 strikeouts in a hard-luck loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Hamels has allowed two runs in each of his last two starts with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings. Hamels is still getting hit at too high of a rate for a pitcher of his caliber. After limiting batters to a .227 average in 2008, Hamels batting average against is currently .297.

Wandy Rodriguez allowed one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts to even his mark at 6-6. The win stopped his losing streak at four, giving him his first win since May 20th.

Randy Wells allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings with three strikeouts to get his first win of the season. The win was well deserved for Wells who has allowed three runs or less in seven of his eight starts this season.

Kevin Correia allowed one run in 6 2/3 inning with seven strikeouts. Correia is 3-1 in his last four starts with a 2.03 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings.

Closers:

Brian Wilson picked up his 19th save of the season, giving him 12 consecutive scoreless appearances. Since May 21st, Wilson has lowered his ERA from 4.87 to 2.94, while picking up 10 saves.