FOXSports.com Fantasy Buzz » posts from August 2012

• Fantasy Baseball Morning Update: Werth returns for Nats

  August 03, 2012 by JohnHalpinFOX

  I don't know what the heck is going on with Josh Hamilton, but I know that I still don't trust him as a fantasy owner. His numbers are great, he's insanely talented ... and he's always seemed too risky for me. I'll pass again on draft day next year.

  ***

  Yeah, Ross Detwiler! The southpaw's excellent outing on Thursday raised our streaming starter record to 66-43 for the season. The weekend picks are San Diego's Clayton Richard (owned in 6.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) at PETCO against the Mets tonight, fellow Padre Edinson Volquez (20.4 percent owned) versus the Mets on Saturday, and Atlanta's Kris Medlen (1.5 percent owned) against the terrible Astros on Sunday.

  On to the news:

  • Nationals OF Jayson Werth had a hit and an RBI in his return to the lineup last night following a three-month absence. Start Werth if you have him.
  • Lost in Thursday's stellar outing from Minnesota's Samuel Deduno was a pretty good effort from opposing pitcher Jon Lester. Read this Boston Herald item about Lester, who might finally be turning things around.
  • As for Deduno, well, he's posted a 2.48 ERA in five starts for the Twins. He also has 19 strikeouts against 20 walks in 29 innings over that span. This is going to get ugly soon.
  • Braves SP Mike Minor had his start cut short last night because of a rain delay. If you own Minor, you were probably wondering when you saw his three-and-two-thirds scoreless innings.
  • The A's have called up minor-league strikeout leader Dan Straily to start tonight against the Blue Jays. Strally has a 2.60 ERA between Double A and Triple A this season. Athletics Nation has a brief but helpful writeup on Straily, who's worth a pickup in AL-only leagues. He takes Travis Blackley's place in the A's rotation, which has my AL keeper league clubhouse incensed.
  • It sounds like the terrible Jeff Francoeur will be back in the Royals' lineup this weekend after a four-game absence that's supposed to straighten him out. On a related note, prospect Wil Myers is batting .293 with 20 home runs and a .972 OPS in 68 games since being promoted to Triple A, but there hasn't been any news lately about a possible promotion. Am I missing something?
  • Uh-oh. Lance Berkman's right knee is bothering him again. Stay tuned.
  • Indians C Carlos Santana is batting .302 with six homers, 16 RBI and 11 runs in 20 games since the All-Star break. Raise your hand if you gave up on him.
  • Rookie Mike Olt played first base and batted eighth for the Rangers last night. Dave Cameron at FanGraphs wonders if Olt will cut into Michael Young's playing time.
  • Rays 3B Evan Longoria was 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts last night in his latest rehab appearance (he rested on Tuesday and Wednesday). Longoria will be DHing whenever he's ready to return to Tampa ... and I have no idea when that will be.
  • The Giants think that 3B Pablo Sandoval (hamstring) will be ready to come off the DL when eligible on August 9.
  • Hey, Cliff Lee is on waivers! You know why? Because everybody gets put on waivers in August. Well, almost everybody, anyway. This stuff doesn't mean much, other than making it possible that an expensive guy could get traded.
  • The Twins are hoping to get 3B Trevor Plouffe off the DL on Monday.
  • Don't look for Reds 1B Joey Votto to return this weekend. As Dusty Baker noted, Votto still has to start running.

   

  See you back here Monday morning.

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• Fantas Baseball Morning Update: Reds' Phillips in limbo

  August 02, 2012 by JohnHalpinFOX

  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sat with the Yankee Stadium Bleacher Creatures to cheer on her hometown Yanks yesterday. I wonder if she joined in on the fine bleacher tradition of spewing profanity toward the opposing right fielder for nine innings. What rhymes with "Markakis?"

  ***

  Mike Fiers mowed down the Astros to raise our streaming starter record to 65-43. Today's pick is Ross Detwiler (owned in 17.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Phillies, while Friday's selection is San Diego's Clayton Richard (5.6 percent owned) at PETCO versus the Mets.

  On to the news:

  • Reds 2B Brandon Phillips hasn't been placed on the DL with his strained calf, but the team doesn't know if he'll be ready to play this weekend. Injury limbo is really annoying, isn't it? Bench Phillips until you're sure he's playing.
  • The Blue Jays don't seem to have a timetable on when OF Jose Bautista will come off the DL. He's eligible now, but apparently not too close to a return.
  • The Marlins' website reports that OF Giancarlo Stanton is targeting a Tuesday return from the DL.
  • The Mets are again considering the idea of pitching R.A. Dickey every fourth day. I wish I knew if this was a good thing or a bad thing for his fantasy owners.
  • Don't get too excited about Ryan Lavarnway's promotion to the Red Sox. He won't be there for too long.
  • Brett Wallace batted cleanup and hit two homers for the Astros last night? Is someone trying to play a trick on me?
  • The Rangers have called up 3B prospect Mike Olt (27 HR, .974 OPS at Double A). Olt will be mainly a bench player for now, and while he's a good long-term keeper league target, there doesn't seem to be enough of a role for him in Texas this season - they're saying he'll play some, but not every day.
  • The Blue Jays are considering adding lefty J.A. Happ to their rotation. Happ's strikeout rate has improved this season, but you should still stay away.
  • Reminder: Look for closer Frank Francisco to come off the DL for the Mets this weekend. They'll probably activate him on Friday.
  • Reds C Devin Mesoraco is on the seven-day concussion DL, and is appealing his three-game suspension for bumping an umpire.
  • Greg Holland got his first save of the season last night for the Royals. He's still available in 96.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues. What are you waiting for?
  • The Rockies have called upAlex White to start today against the Cardinals. White has pitched well at Triple A lately, but you're not going to start him at Coors Field against the Cardinals.
  • Royals OF Jeff Francoeur sat for the third straight game last night. When you get benched for Jarrod Dyson, you know something is wrong. Can someone remind me why Wil Myers is still at Triple A?
  • The Indians have DFA'd SP Derek Lowe, and will start rookie Cory Kluber against the Royals today. Kluber isn't viewed as a top prospect, but he had a 3.59 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning at Triple A this season.
  • Brett Anderson appears to be one or two rehab starts away from rejoining the A's.
  • Last night's Phillies' outfield had Domonic Brown in left field, John Mayberry in center and Nate Schierholtz in right. Schierholtz could be interesting for NL-only leagues if he keeps playing, but it's only one game, so let's keep an eye on this situation.
  • Giants' manager Bruce Bochy still appears supportive of closer Santiago Casilla. I hear a lot of frustration from Casilla's owners, but he should still be OK.
  • John Baker is the Padres' starting catcher, at least for now. Zzz ...
  • Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal (back) is still day-to-day.
  • The Nationals expect to get 3B Ryan Zimmerman back in the lineup today.
  • Thanks to some rotation juggling, Chris Sale will start again for the White Sox on Tuesday after getting 10 days of rest. Don't be too annoyed if you own Sale, as this is probably the best way to keep him effective.

   

  See you back here tomorrow morning.

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• Fantasy Baseball Morning Update: Holland to close for Royals

  August 01, 2012 by JohnHalpinFOX

  Every real-life trade has fantasy impact. Check out our Trade Tracker for everything you need to know about the deadline deals.

  ***

  Homer Bailey's clunker dropped our streaming starter record to 64-43. Today's pick is Milwaukee's Mike Fiers (owned in 36.5 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the terrible Astros, while Thursday's selection is Washington's Ross Detwiler (13.4 percent owned) versus the Phillies.

  On to the news:

  • Greg Holland has been named as the Royals' new closer in the wake of the Jonathan Broxton trade. Holland is owned in 2.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and should be picked up in all formats.
  • Astros manager Brad Mills has kinda sorta named Wilton Lopez as his team's new closer. Here's Mills, per the Astros' website: "I think the way things have gone, he deserves to be given that opportunity ... I think we're really not going to name a particular closer as we go forward, but if there comes an opportunity to get some key outs in the seventh, eighth innings, we might use [Lopez] there." I'm good with that, even with the qualifier. Lopez is owned in just 0.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and you should grab him if you need saves. He's lower on the closer totem pole than Holland, but he's still on it.
  • Red Sox SP Josh Beckett is day-to-day after leaving Wednesday's game early due to back spasms.
  • Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira got a cortisone shot on his injured left wrist and will be re-evaluated on Friday, when he hopes to play.
  • Even with the acquisition of Ryan Dempster, the Rangers will keep Scott Feldman in their rotation, and move Roy Oswalt to the bullpen.
  • Speaking of the Rangers, Neftali Feliz will have Tommy John surgery. He'll miss the rest of this season and most - or all - of 2013.
  • Also done for the season is White Sox SP John Danks, who will have shoulder surgery on Monday.
  • Angels RP Scott Downs is on the DL due to a shoulder strain. Ernesto Frieri should have the save opportunities all to himself for awhile.
  • Reds 2B Brandon Phillips could miss at least a few games due to a strained calf. Keep an eye on this one.
  • Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman and 1B Adam LaRoche are both day-to-day with back issues. OF Jayson Werth is still hoping to come off the DL before the end of the week.
  • The Braves have placed SP Tommy Hanson on the DL with a lower back strain. Kris Medlen gets to stay in the rotation for a little while longer.
  • Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki appears to be targeting a return from the DL somewhere around August 20. There could be setbacks, but all the Josh Rutledge owners should keep a close eye on Tulowitzki's progress.
  • Rays 3B Evan Longoria is now targeting a return from the DL early next week.
  • Cardinals SS Rafael Furcal missed another game Tuesday with back issues, and could sit out today as well. The Cards are trying to play it safe with their oft-injured leadoff hitter, so his fantasy owners should probably be happy that they're not rushing him back.
  • Have you been waiting for the Mariners to promote pitching prospect Danny Hultzen? It's probably not going to happen, as the Mariners have decided to limit his innings.
  • Padres C Yasmani Grandal is on the DL with the dreaded oblique strain.
  • Giants OF Angel Pagan is day-to-day with bruised fingers on his hand. It sounds like he hurt them hitting a water cooler or a wall or something.
  • Hey - Tim Lincecum had a really good start last night! Twenty more of those and he'll be worth where you drafted him.
  • Brewers manager Ron Roenicke wants to make Corey Hart a full-time first baseman.
  • Orioles DH Jim Thome is on the DL with a herniated disc in his neck. The O's also activated 2B Robert Andino, who is expected to share time at the keystone with Omar Quintanilla.
  • Today's schedule features six afternoon games, beginning with Orioles-Yankees at 1:05 p.m. ET. Set your lineups accordingly.

   

  See you back here tomorrow morning.

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