(1) Find or Fraud? – Sam Fuld.
(2) Travis Hafner already hurt.
(3) Chris Coghlan hurt – what’s his worth?
(4) Carl Crawford – what the hell is going on?
(5) Erik Bedard and Mike McCarthy.
By Ray Flowers
(1) John Buck to DL. J.P. Arencibia activated.
(2) Geovany Soto on fire of late.
(3) Alex Rodriguez hits 600th homer.
(4) Mike Sweeney was traded to Phillies.
(5) Kevin Youkilis may be done for year.
(6) Chris Coghlan might be done for the year.
(7) Carlos Pena and his foot issues.
(8) Carlos Zambrano back in starting rotation for Cubs. Should you care? Give Weekly MLB Mailbag a read.
By Ray Flowers
(1) The Reds will not demote Drew Stubbs. You can also read My Tooth Hurts.
(2) Who is gonna lead off for the Marlins – Cameron Maybin, Chris Coghlan or Emilio Bonifacio?
(3) Jair Jurrjens to DL – replaced by Kris Medlen.
(4) Juan Uribe or Freddy Sanchez for Giants?
(5) Is Matt Garza a top-10 SP? You can also read Impact Report – Matt Garza.
(6) Lance Berkman will waive no-trade clause.
(7) Carlos Lee finally goes deep.
(8) What are the Orioles going to do in the 9th inning?
By Ray Flowers
There’s no theme to my madness today. I’m just going with a stream of consciousness vibe here as I get ready to run around the block, lift some weights, and watch the Sharks hopefully move to a 3-0 lead over the Red Wings.
* Rick Ankiel was placed on the DL today, retroactive to May 3rd, with a strained right quadriceps muscle. He will be replaced on the active roster by Kila Ka’aihue. Of course, the Royals blew this one by giving Ankiel two pinch hitting at-bats on Saturday and Sunday after holding him out of the starting lineup since April 24th. This is yet another reason why the Royals fail to ever win (poor roster management). If you don’t know who KK is, he is a slugging first basemen who has an OPS over 1.000 this year in Triple-A. What position did the Royals just say they wanted Alex Gordon to learn? They also said they wanted Gordon to pick up an outfielder’s glove, so I won’t lambast them for that decision.
Since I’m on a role I might as well keep going with Royals talk. Mike Aviles has been called up from the minors and will start in place of Yuniesky Betancourt on Tuesday. Aviles hit .284 in some limited work at Triple-A this year, and the dude can flat out hit (he owns a .293 career mark in 540 at-bats with the Royals). Betancourt started out hot but he’s hit only .240 over his last 50 at-bats, and his defense has slipped in recent years as well. Aviles certainly could lock down the starting job at short if he starts out hot, so make sure he isn’t floating on waivers in your AL-only league.
* Kyle Blanks update: he still can’t hit. He has 18 strikeouts in his last 29 at-bats leading to an inconcionable K-rate of 44.4 percent on the year. He is so lost that it’s to the point that the team must send him to Triple-A since he is a walking disaster right now.
* Watching Tim Lincecum vs. the Marlins right now. He just struck out Cameron Maybin on a poor swing before getting Chris Coghlan to swing over a pitch by about 18 inches. He then gave up a hit to Hanley Ramirez before punching out Jorge Cantu for three Ks in the first inning. Dude is just amazing.
* Vin Mazzaro will replace Justin Duchscherer for one start. That is if you believe that Duke’s hip will respond quickly to the cortisone shot he just got. Don’t consider me to be one of those that believes that will happen. That means Mazzaro is a must add in AL-only leagues. He didn’t look great after a hot start last year, but a spot it the rotation is a spot in the rotation.
* Two pitchers going in opposite directions with health. Jair Jurrjens probably won’t make his start on Saturday because of a strained hamstring. He injured the hammy last Thursday and still isn’t ready to thrown in the pen (Kris Medlen could pick up the start). Carlos Silva, dealing with a wrist issue, didn’t need a cortisone shot in his wrist so he will make a start for the Cubs on Friday instead of needing another day of rest. I still want Jurrjens every time over Silva despite these health revelations – and I don’t even love Jurrjens which tells you all you need to know about my thoughts on Silva.
* Lincecum started the second inning punching out Dan Uggla on a 94 mph at the knees. He didn’t even get a swing off. Same thing just happened to John Baker.
For more of my thoughts on some things that shook out on Tuesday give Around the Horn a read where I discuss Jeff Clement, Austin Jackson, Chris Davis, Juan Pierre and the Phillies’ bullpen (Ryan Madson will miss at least eight weeks after having surgery to repair the toe he broke kicking a chair last week).
By Ray Flowers
(1) Who do you want on your fantasy staff – Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang?
(2) There are a ton of players who look like they could return this weekend: Carlos Gonzalez (hamstring), Mike Cameron (kidney stones), Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) and Chris Coghlan (ribs).
(3) Fred Lewis traded to Blue Jays.
(4) Felipe Paulino and Bud Norris performing pretty well for Astros.
(5) Carlos Beltran (knee) still not running.
(6) Ted Lilly (shoulder) nearing a return.
(7) Brandon Webb throwing, though off flat ground.
(8) Lance Berkman sent to minors to play this weekend, could be activated next week.
By Ray Flowers
With Game 163 on the docket tonight, playoff fever is in the air. But before we totally succumb to that level of trepidation and elation, I thought I would hit on a few of the storylines from the regular season that popped into my noggin’ today.
Andrew Bailey isn’t getting a lot of pub when it comes to the AL Rookie of the Year award, and you can thank the fact that he played half his games in front of about 11,000 people a night out in Oakland. If he pitched for the Yankees or the Red Sox he would be a household name. Bailey saved 26 games for an A’s team that won only 75 contests, and along the way he posted a 1.84 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and a strong 9.83 K/9 mark. How many hurlers posted an ERA below 1.90 with a WHIP below 0.90 and racked up at least 25 saves this past season? The answer is one – one. Mariano Rivera had a 0.90 WHIP and Trevor Hoffman had a 0.91 WHIP. They were close, but no cigar.
Homer Bailey may have finally established himself at the major league level. Over his last seven starts he went 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 42 Ks over 43.3 innings pitched. He still hasn’t really solved those control issues (3.95 BB/9 in that time), but he may just have picked up enough about the art of pitching to get by with his above average stuff.
Chris Coghlan finished sixth in the NL batting race hitting .321 as a rookie for the Marlins. Not only was he a tremendous option for his overall work – he was actually flat out amazing over the second half of the season as he hit a Joe Mauer-like .372 over his final 72 games covering 304 ABs. Moreover, if we remove May when he was finding his legs in the bigs, Coghlan hit .338 over his 438 ABs. Not a bad rookie season Mr. CC.
Pablo Sandoval has got to be 30 pounds overweight, and I swear to my maker that he is off balance on literally about 50 percent of his swings, not to mention that he obviously went to the Vladimir Guerrero school of ‘if it’s in the air I’m going to swing at it.’ Despite all that, and the fact that he entered 2009 with only 145 big league at-bats, the Kung Fu Panda was second in the NL in the batting race (.330) while socking 25 homers, knocking in 90 runs and finishing seventh with a .943 OPS. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m telling you this kid has a lot to learn about hitting. I don’t know if that means he will improve upon his current level of production, but he can certainly improve his technique and approach, and that has to be one scary thought for hurlers.
Vincente Padilla came over to the Dodgers after going 8-6 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with the Rangers. I, for one, though this was a desperate move. I still think it was, but the fact of the matter is that it has certainly paid dividends for the Dodgers who got some terrific work from the righty in his eight appearances (4-0, 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). In his last start he lasted seven innings against the Rockies striking out a season best 10 batters, and as a result he will apparently start Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs for the Dodgers. It certainly would help the Dodgers outlook immensely if they were able to get the “real” Chad Billingsley in the playoffs after he struggled pretty heavily down the stretch with a 5.20 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP over his last 14 appearances (he did last 12 innings in his last two starts, but he went 0-1 with a 3.75 while walking nine batters). Don’t know about you, but I simply cannot count the Dodgers as a legitimate World Series contender if they are counting on Padilla to be their third starter in the playoffs.
Lastly, if you want some info about Game 163 pitting the Twins against the Tigers, give Around the Horn a read.
By Ray Flowers
It’s Friday, so forgive me. I’m all over the map as we wrap down the week. I’ve got a cold and I’m tired, but I also have plenty of fun scheduled for the weekend starting tonight with Game 7 of the NHL Finals (you can read more about that below). So proceed with caution moving forward – hopefully you won’t nauseous as I’ll be jumping around from sport to sport in today’s entry.
Emilio Bonifacio will hit ninth in the batting order in interleague play with the Marlins using a designated hitter for their pitcher. Since his red hot start that included 16 hits in his first 33 ABs (.485) Emilio hasn’t hit like he belongs in the big leagues with a 50-for-219 stretch that has produced a .228 batting average. Emilio may stay in the ninth hole once the club returns to the NL brand of ball, that is if the Marlins decide to use their pitcher in the eighth hole like Tony La Russa. Chris Coghlan figures to continue to hold down the leadoff role for the club with his .350 OBP this season, a number that is .365 in his 12 games in his current role at the top of the order.
Ryan Madson since Brad Lidge was placed on the DL: two appearances, no runs, two saves. Like a cool drink on a hot day.
It came out a few days ago, but did you see the report in the USA Today that said it’s not wind conditions that is leading to all the home runs at Yankee stadium, the real reason is that the dimensions of the part are so small? “The wall structure is slightly different than the old park,” AccuWeather said. “The main difference involves curvature. The gentle curve from right field to center field seen in original Yankee Stadium has largely been eliminated at the new stadium… Not only is the famed short porch even shorter in the new stadium, but the walls themselves are not as tall.” AccuWeather reported that 20 of the first 105 home runs hit at the new ball yard would not have gone out of old Yankee Stadium. This is significant in that the new yard is on pace to surrender 293 home runs this season, a total that is just 10 homers off the major league record which is held by Coors Field in Colorado in 1999.
I’m pretty sure that when Joe Mauer was out of the spotlight his body became inhabited by the spirit of Ted Williams. Mauer hit his 13th home run of the season Friday, and with three more RBI he now has 39 ribbies in 39 games. Despite missing the entire month of April, Mauer is not only the top catcher in baseball in standard 12 team mixed leagues according to the Player Rater, he is also one of the to-10 offensive weapons in the game at the time of this writing. That’s utterly amazing.
I touched on the moron that is Chad Ochocinco the other day in Woe is Me, but this guy just cannot stay out of harms way – he simply cannot help himself. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer Johnson has gotten three tattoos on his face (look for a link to a picture on the right side). Yes, I said face. He has two crosses on his right cheekbone, on the left side of his face he has a map of Florida, and on the bridge of his nose he has the letters “OC” for his name. Good to know that if he ever passes out drunk people will know that he is a Christian who lives in Florida and likes to drink Orange Juice.
Kevin Slowey had a huge game on Friday as he struck out 10 Cubs on his way to his ninth victory of the year against only two loses. That gives him a run of six quality starts in seven outings, and in that time he has lowered his ERA from 5.50 to 4.23.
Game 7 of the NHL Finals is about an hour away. Are you as excited about the tilt as I am? Probably not, but if you want a little extra NHL knowledge in regards to the series and Game 7 in particular click on the link to may latest NHL article titled Western Conference Review. There is nothing like the majesty and tension of an NHL Game 7, and with this one being in the Finals, do yourself a favor and watch the game on NBC or CBC even if you aren’t a hockey fan. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed, and perhaps you can approximate the thrill that the players will be experiencing tonight if you merely think back to your childhood when you used to screw around with your friends setting up that Game 7 scenario so that you could win the Cup for your club. Someone will get to turn that dream into reality tonight.
By Ray Flowers
The weekend is nearly upon us, and before you jump in the shower to make yourself beautiful or handsome for your significant other, here are some of my thoughts revolving around the diamond as we head into a wonderful weekend of baseball. Oh, one other thing. Don’t be a bum and remember it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday. You don’t have to go and buy something fancy for your mama, but at least get her a card and write something heartfelt in it – they love that more than a new coffee machine anyway.
Jeremy Bonderman, out while working on strengthening his shoulder, is apparently hitting 90-91 mph with regularity on his fastball as he nears a minor league rehab assignment. Still just 26 years old which is pretty amazing, Bonderman was once an up and coming star who struck out 202 batters while winning 14 games in 2006. Since then it has been one physical setback after another. I wouldn’t put too much stock in his rehab until he takes the hill and we can see how he responds in actual game situations. He could end up being a fine AL-only addition, but I say you need to make him prove he is worth it before you blindly throw out a big FAAB bid on a guy who is coming off a terrible season (5.55 K/9, 1.22 K/BB, 1.56 WHIP in just 71.1 innings) despite a somewhat decent ERA of 4.29.
Chris Coghlan seems to have the Marlins in a bit of an excited phase – kind of like a college kid at the thought of a drunken party on Saturday night where there will be about 25 single gals looking for a good time. Coghlan, a second baseman who could also see time at third base if Emilio “I was great for two weeks but now I’m awful” Bonifacio doesn’t start hitting soon. Coghlan was simply tearing up Triple-A this season hitting .348 with a .990 OPS and 22 RBI in 24 games, and he figures to get a real shot at some substantial playing time which should pique the ears of NL-only participants. In 483 ABs last season at Double-A Chris hit .298-7-75-83 with 34 steals, showing that he could be highly productive. Still, he only has 24 games played above Double-A, so it would be wise to avoid blowing your FAAB budget on him.
I think ESPN only spent 25% of Sportscenter today talking about Brett Favre. What an improvement in their coverage the world of sports. What is that tagline of their, the Leader in World Wide Sports Coverage or something like that?
Ryan Freel is the newest member of the Cubs after being brought over in a deal with the Orioles. Freel will take over the roster spot vacated by Joey Gathright and basically supply the same skill set with the added ability to play multiple positions. Freel has always been a personal favorite for his 100% at all times spirit, and after a big spring training there was some hope that he might provide some value in a league specific scenario this season. Unfortunately Freel started slowly this year hitting .133 in 15 ABs before incurring a head injury, and though his speed isn’t what it once was he is still capable of stealing a bag and he did hit .298 last season in 131 at-bats with the Reds.
Adam Kennedy was sent from the Rays to the A’s on Friday. I know the guy has fallen out of favor but dude still hit .280 last season, slightly above his career .276 mark, and it just seems odd to me that he can’t find a backup job on someone’s squad. He has no fantasy value at the moment, though with the A’s motley collection of aging/injury prone infielders perhaps he can work his way into AL-only relevance by the time the season is complete (he could even see a fair amount of playing time at second over the next month until Mark Ellis returns from injury).
Wait. Did you hear that Manny Ramirez was suspended? How did I miss that? Oh wait, I didn’t. I think ESPN spent 25% of Sportscenter talking about it so when you add that to their coverage of Favre, that leaves the world of sports and the 3,000 or so other professional athlete’s in the States the could be covering received 50% of the show. If you sense a bit of sarcasm give yourself a little happy face stamp like your kindergarten teacher used to give you when you spelled beautiful right. Speaking of that, I sent to a current flame asking her to spend the weekend with me. Do you think that the happy face she sent back to me signaled ‘all systems go big boy’ or ‘you’ve got to be kidding you moron.’ For some reason I think it’s option number two.
Alex Rodriguez has been activated from the DL hopefully putting an end to the Cody Ransom and Angel Berroa era at third base. Of course, now they have the steroid using, whining, wife cheating, celebrity dating phase of the plan back in order. I’m not sure that is any better.
The FSWA winner of the Best Baseball Series of 2011, BaseballGuys.com is the only source you will need for your fantasy baseball knowledge. OK, you might need other sources, but BaseballGuys.com should be on your daily list of must reads for the insights an analysis it provides on the world of baseball.
The co-host of The Drive on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87: M-F at 5-8 PM EDT), Ray has spent years squirreled away studying the inner workings of the fantasy game to the detriment of his personal life. Specializing in baseball, football and hockey, some consider him an expert in all three. Ray's work can also be found as feature writer for: Fantasy Alarm, Rotoinfo, Rotowire and Sports Illustrated.
You can contact Ray through e-mail at fantasyfandom@yahoo(dot)com or on Twitter.
