Daily TIPS: Weekend Recap

Notes from the holiday weekend...

* If you’ve got Joba Chamberlain on your team, the next few weeks may be a bit tough to figure. He’s slated to make his next appearance on Wednesday, paired up with Andy Pettitte. He’ll throw around 55 pitches in the stint. Then things get a bit trickier. It seems that the Yankees want to keep him with the big club rather than send him to the minors. However, they need to build his count up to around 80 pitches before he starts. That could mean making a two to three inning appearance and then heading to the bullpen to get in extra throws. If you own him in weekly leagues, put him in the lineup. He should give good ratio stats and could pick up a win here or there. If it’s a daily lineup league, put him in on Wednesday and then pay attention to what the team is saying. Expect three to four days off before he goes again.

* Jay Bruce is expected to be called up on Tuesday for the Reds. In 49 Triple-A games, Bruce is hitting .364 with 10 HR, 37 RBI, and eight steals. He’s the type of prospect that can make an immediate impact — so if he happens to be available in your league, pick him up.

* Clayton Kershaw had an impressive big league debut on Sunday — ND, 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K. He’s expected to make at least three starts, but then the Dodgers will have to decide what to do with him when Jason Schmidt returns.

* After starting the season with nine straight wins Brandon Webb has now lost two in a row. Yesterday, he only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits. However, you could say this is his first bad start of the year since he only allowed three earned in seven innings in his last start.

* Bartolo Colon allowed just one run over seven innings to pick up his second win in two starts this season. He struck out four while walking one and gave up five hits. He’s definitely worth looking at as a spot-starter.

* Matt Holliday hit the DL with a strained hammy. He shouldn’t miss extended time, but hamstrings can be tricky sometimes. One guy you might want to replace him with is Ben Francisco who’s hitting .353/.384/.603 in 68 AB. He’s also stolen two bases. It seems that he’s taken over the everyday RF job now that Jason Michaels has been released. Another guy available in a lot of leagues is Randy Winn. Over the last two weeks, Winn is batting .314/.390/.569 with two steals.

* Jason Bergmann had another impressive outing — 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 K — and now has pitched 19.2 straight scoreless innings since being recalled from the minors. On the year he has a 4.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, but a better than 4:1 K/BB ratio. He’s a good spot-start candidate.

* Phillies’ backup catcher, Chris Coste, went 3-for-6 yesterday with a homer and four RBI, and continues to turn heads with his hot start — .341/.402/.568 in 88 AB. If he continues to hit, he’ll get the playing time over Carlos Ruiz. He makes a great second catcher option.

* Since coming off the DL in early May, Scott Kazmir has been great. Last night that continued — W, 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 10 K. He’s allowed a total of two runs in his last four starts and has a 1.50 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.

* Nick Markakis went 3-for-4 with a home run, giving him nine on the year. He’s got a solid .374 OBP, but his .444 SLG is a bit disappointing.

* For the fourth straight start since being called up, Darrell Rasner was very effective — L, 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K — but had no support. He’s now pitched at least six innings in each start, has yet to allow more than two runs, and has only walked a total of three. He has a 1.80 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. If he has a favorable matchup pick him up and start him.

* Daniel Cabrera regressed on Sunday, giving up six walks and nine hits in 5.2 innings. This followed a string of four starts where he’s allowed a total of four walks and no more than three runs in any start. This is always the big problem with Cabrera — he puts together a few nice outings and then he implodes, usually just after an owner decides he’s worthy of a pick-up. Avoid him at all costs.

* On Sunday Jose Contreras allowed just two runs on three hits over eight innings, his fourth straight start allowing two runs or fewer. He also struck out 10 and walked none, pushing his K/BB rate to 42:16. Despite all this and his 3.06 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, he’s available in many leagues. If he’s available, grab him and ride him out until he gets injured.

* Jorge Posada caught in an extended spring training game on Monday but didn’t make any throws. The Yankees hope to have him back in two weeks.

 

QuickTIPS:

Spot-start candidate:
Joel Pineiro vs. Houston. Pineiro has a 3.04 ERA in 26.2 IP against the Astros. 

Avoid:
Jeremy Bonderman at Los Angeles. Bonderman has a 4.97 ERA in 54.1 IP against the Angels.