The
Dodgers are off to a slow start thanks in large part to their under-performing
outfielders. Of the four man rotation they’ve been employing — Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp — only Ethier is living up
to expectations. Dodger fans aren’t the only ones disappointed — fantasy owners
can’t be too pleased with how things have panned out either.
Jones
signed a two year, $36.2 million deal with the Dodgers before this season to
provide a centerfield anchor and middle of the lineup production. So far that
production has been a .157 batting average with zero home runs and two RBI.
Combine that with his zero steals and what you’ve got is Juan Pierre without
the steals. If you own Jones, you seriously have to consider letting him go.
His power numbers have been on a steady decline since 2005 and he was brutal
all of last year. He’s only 30 years old, but this is his 12th full year in the
majors, so it’s possible he’s just worn down and done.
Pierre,
in his second year of his five year, $44 million deal, has been relegated to
part-time duty. His AVG, OBP, and SLG are all in the same neighborhood — not
good considering what section of town his neighborhood is in (.281/.303/.344).
However, everyone already knew he wasn’t a great fantasy hitter and drafted him
just for steals. He only has two steals so far and with his playing time so up
and down it’s hard to know when to play him and when to sit him.
Kemp
was a popular sleeper pick by many pundits and he’s off to a decent start (.310/.310/.486). It was thought
that Ethier would be the one to split time with Pierre, but his hot start has resulted
in Kemp seeing bench time. He only has one HR and one steal. He’s also drawn
just one walk in 42 AB so he needs to improve his plate patience. Don’t give up
on him yet — he’ll get plenty of time and start hitting soon.
If
Joe Torre is smart — and I believe he is — he’ll stick Kemp and Ethier in the
starting lineup every day. They need the consistent PT to continue to grow and
improve, and they’ve have already shown they can produce more than the
veterans. That leaves Jones and Pierre fighting it out for the third spot and
fighting for their fantasy lives.
Elsewhere...
* It’s time
to worry about C.C. Sabathia. Check
out these numbers:
Sabathia’s last 33 IP (including playoffs):
27 walks, 13.35 ERA
Sabathia’s 2007 regular season stats: 37
walks in 241 IP
Last night’s showing (L, 4 IP, 9 ER, 8 H, 5
BB, 1 K) was the second time Sabathia has allowed nine runs in a game and it puts
his ERA at 13.50. He has as many walks (14) as K’s and has allowed five home
runs. He has yet to get out of the 6th inning this season and two of his losses
were from the lowly A’s. What can you do with him if you own him?
Unfortunately, not much. Given his history and talent level you don’t want to
drop him. If you try to trade him you’ll be getting third rate offers. You
really only have one choice — bench him and hope that he turns in around
relatively soon.
* Miguel Cabrera seems to
be breaking out of his early season slumber. He went 4-for-6 with a homer and
five RBI last night. He’s now homered in two straight and raised his average
nearly 100 points in the last four games.
* Derrek Lee went
3-for-4 with a HR giving him six on the year — he didn’t get his sixth home run
last year until June 6. If you followed Wednesday’s “Tips n’ Trends” you would
have noted Lee’s exceptional hitting against Josh Fogg.
* Another
player blasted his sixth HR last night: Mike
Jacobs. He now has his average up to .315 and is slugging is .704. He’s got
legit power and will be hitting in the four or five hole all year long.
* There were
a couple of ugly outings in the Yankees/Red Sox game last night. Chien-Ming Wang could not hold a lead
and gave up eight earned runs over four innings. Clay Buchholz couldn’t get out of the fourth inning and gave up
seven earned runs. Wang should rebound and give you his typical high win, low
strikeout season. Buchholz is young and will continue to be erratic at times.
* Doug Brocail picked up
the save for the Astros last night. The Astros had already planned to give Jose Valverde the night off, presumably
to allow his neck to recover from whiplash after giving up two homers on
Tuesday. Valverde’s still the closer, so don’t get too excited about Brocail.
* After an awful
start last year, Rafael Furcal is
raking this year (.407/.500/.695). He went 4-for-4 with a homer and now has 15 runs and seven
RBI on the season. The ankle injury that caused the rough start in ’07 seems to
be a thing of the past, but look for him to come down to earth a bit.
* Joey Votto went
2-for-3 and is quietly putting up decent numbers in limited playing time. He
now has 11 hits in 33 at bats and he hit his first HR on Tuesday. He’s worth owning
if he can get consistent playing time.
* Alfonso Soriano has been
placed on the 15-day DL by the Cubs with a strained right calf. Felix Pie should get added playing time
and could provide some steals if he can get on base. The Cubs expect Soriano to
be ready to in play in roughly two
weeks.
* It’s still
uncertain when J.J. Putz will make
his return from the DL. He pitched off the mound for the second time in a week
and is scheduled to pitch a simulated game on Saturday. No return date is set however.
* Jimmy Rollins has been
out because of a sprained ankle and is now heading to Oakland for a funeral.
He’s done some pinch-hitting but can’t run at full speed. The earliest he will
return is Saturday.
QuickTIPS
Spot-start
candidate:
Carlos Silva at
Oakland. Silve has a 3.12 ERA and a 3:1 K/BB rate against the A’s in 57.2 IP.
Avoid:
Justin Verlander at
Cleveland. Verlander is 3-5 with a 6.84 ERA in 51.1 IP against the Indians over
his career.
Brett Myers vs.
Houston. Myers is off to a rough start this year and has a 5.59 ERA in 37 IP
against the Astros over his career.
QuickTIP Results
I said start...
Carlos Villanueva: 4.2 IP, 5
ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 0 K
Adam Wainwright: 7.2 IP, 1
ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K
I
said avoid...
Livan Hernandez: ND, 6 IP,
3 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 2 K
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