FantasyMLBTips

Daily TIPS: Wednesday's Recap

A couple weeks ago I looked at some struggling and volatile relievers. Now it’s time to give the good ones their due. While closing is often a crapshoot there are some who are automatic, and this year there are ten closers putting up amazing numbers.

This is how I would rank the top-10 closers as of right now. Rivera — a guy whose demise has been predicted for a couple of years now — has been unbelievable this year. He just gave up his first walk on Tuesday and has been his usual self with that wicked cutter that breaks bats and gets outs. Soria and Wagner get a slight edge over Papelbon because they’ve managed to keep the extra-base hits down, but you have to love Paps’ K/BB rate. But you really can’t go wrong with any of these guys. If you’re in need of saves and want to target someone to trade for, see if any of these guys are available for a reasonable price. With the exceptions of maybe Percival (injury) and Lyon (skill set), these closers will continue to succeed this season, and they don’t possess nearly as much risk as the usual closer does. 

You might notice the list doesn’t include Francisco Rodriguez, George Sherrill, Jose Valverde, or Brian Wilson — the top four in the majors in saves. Each of them has at least one glaring weakness. For K-Rod, Sherrill, and Wilson it’s too many walks and low K/BB rates. Valverde has a 4.15 ERA and opponents have a .781 OPS against him. These are bad indications for closers, and I can easily see these guys racking up some blown saves in the near future. 

Elsewhere...

* It was a pitcher’s duel in Milwaukee as Jo-Jo Reyes battled Jeff Suppan. Reyes threw seven and struck out nine, allowing just one run on two hits. He’s now allowed just the one run in his last 12 innings, but was tagged for 14 runs in his previous 16.2 innings. Meanwhile, Suppan picked up the win by tossing eight scoreless innings and striking out seven. He also walked five, and that’s been his problem all season — too many walks. Despite the recent efforts both have to be considered risky options.

* In a duel that featured a couple of bigger names, Erik Bedard out-did Tim Wakefield. Bedard picked up the win by throwing seven shutout innings while striking out eight and walking three. He’s been a bit up and down this season and needs to show more consistency to back up his ace billing. Wakefield pitched nearly as well — 8 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K — but picked up the loss. One of the hits was a home run, something he’s been allowing far too often — ten on the year. The zero walks was nice to see, but as a knuckleballer the walks and strikeouts are sure to fluctuate.

* Yesterday I wrote about Ian Snell and how it’s time to cut ties. Today it’s Tom Gorzelanny’s turn — for the small percentage of owners who are still clinging to 2007. Last night he pitched just two-thirds of an inning and allowed seven earned runs pushing his ERA over seven and his WHIP to 1.90. He wasn’t expected to be an ace, but he did have an ERA of 3.89 and a WHIP of 1.40 last year. Another big Pirates disappointment.

* Cody Ross went 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBI. He struggles to get on base — .269 OBP — but has a .527 SLG thanks to his nine HR. He’s really turned it on in May, when he’s hit all of his homers. He’s not playing everyday, but continue to track his progress if the need for an OF on your roster arises.

* Marcus Thames also went 2-for-4 with two home runs. He’s now got five in 69 AB on the season and is slugging .507. With Curtis Granderson and Magglio Ordonez entrenched in their spots and rookie Matt Joyce hitting just as well as Thames, it’s going to be difficult for him to see regular playing time.

* For the third time in his last four starts Matt Garza went at least seven innings and got the win — 8 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K. This is by far his most impressive outing, but he’s allowed two runs or less in five of his last six starts. The problem is that he has just 29 K’s — a third of them yesterday — and 22 walks. With that K/BB rate he’s sure to allow more runs soon.

* Joey Votto went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI, 3 runs, and 1 SB. He’s having a great rookie campaign — .297/.362/.551 and has even thrown in three steals.

* In his first start since coming off the DL, Jake Westbrook had a fair outing — 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K. He had pitched great in his four starts before the injury but give him a couple more starts to feel out what we can expect for the rest of the season.

* Troy Percival left yesterday’s game with an injured ankle. He’d gotten the first two outs of the inning but couldn’t continue. Dan Wheeler came in to finish off the save. If Percival is out for an extended period look for Wheeler or Al Reyes to pick up the saves.

* Rafael Soriano has been activated from the DL. It’s hard to say right now what his value is, but it’s probably not good. He may get a few save chances, but once John Smoltz returns within a couple of weeks, he’ll be the closer.

* Daisuke Matsuzaka has flown back to Boston to have an MRI on his shoulder. It’s still uncertain if he’ll miss any time.

 

QuickTIPS 

Spot-start candidate:
Kyle Lohse vs. Houston. Lohse has just one walk and 14 strikeouts in his last three starts. Since 2005 he has a 3.51 ERA against Houston allowing just one HR. 

Avoid:

Jeff Francis at Chicago. Francis has been striking people out lately but goes against a Cubs team that crushes lefties - .842 OPS. He also has a 9.38 ERA at Wrigley. 

QuickTIP Results 

I said start:
Livan Hernandez- ND, 6 IP, 6 ER, 13 H, 0 BB, 2 K 

I said avoid:
Jonathon Sanchez - W, 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 K

2008 FantasyMLBTips Fantasy League Update

League parameters: 12 team mixed roto. C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, UTIL, 2 SP, 2 RP, 3 P and 5 BN (1 DL spot also available). Categories are standard 5x5. 

With his finger hovering over the mouse, he’s ready to click send. The email consists of just four words, “Stop pimping me out!” His name is Jorge Posada, and the email is directed at the FantasyMLBTips.com Fantasy Baseball League. All joking aside, last week I said that I would not waste a waiver claim on Posada because I had Russell Martin — and I stuck to that statement… well sort of. When Posada actually cleared waivers — possibly thanks to Ron Vackar’s prostitution statement — I snatched him up and placed him in my DL spot that was previously occupied by Chone Figgins. At this point (still in 9th place) I need all the help I can get and have no problems taking on extra risks. It can’t really get much worse. I may have to make my team logo a red cross seeing as I’ve  pretty much witnessed my whole team get injured this year. 

Roster turnover continues to be high, and I was also able to pick up the hotly debated Kelly Johnson after he cleared waivers. He’ll serve as added depth for me at 2B, and now that Figgins is struggling to come back from his hamstring injury, KJ may play an even bigger role for me… With the spot-starting strategy being employed by many teams, it places an increasing emphasis on finding the right guy to run out there each time. In Yahoo! Leagues, you have to pick up players a day in advance to get their stats, but spot-starters are now being picked up two to three days in advance so that owners can ensure that they get the guy they want. Jonathan Sanchez and Randy Wolf were recently picked up this way… Other players picked up this week include Andre Ethier, Ian Stewart, Edwin Encarnacion, Chris Perez and Milton Bradley. Players that were sent packing include Jim Thome, Clint Barmes, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Eric Gagne, Lastings Milledge and Johnny Damon. 

The second TIPS league trade went down this week and saw Chase Utley and Carlos Pena get shipped from Fence Riders to Standard Errors in exchange for Brian Roberts, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner. Fence Riders then dropped Willy Taveras from his roster to complete the trade. I’m never one to like giving up the best player in the deal, especially one that is a top-five fantasy player, but this is a fair trade and addresses the needs of both teams. Fence Riders needed speed and got it in the form of Ichiro and Roberts, while Standard Errors needed power. It’s a fair trade and meets the needs of both teams, so have at it boys. 

On the message board there was a comment by Standard Errors singing the praises of this weekly article, so I thank you for that sir. One word of advice though, knock on wood after your comment about your Magic 8-Ball that you use to choose your pitchers. 

With no veto system in place, our league commissioner, Ron Vackar, had put out a post about the recent trade. If anyone had a problem with it, they could voice an opinion on the board. Nobody had a problem with the trade so it went through without a problem. And then there was Placido Polanco. Hopefully now we can put the KJ vs. Polanco debate to rest. Mr. Met dropped Polanco this week and the debate has ended. Both owners have given up on their chosen second baseman and moved on to hopefully greener pastures. Following the drop though, Polanco had a great night in the game when the Tigers scored 19 runs. Polanco went 4-for-5 with an RBI and four runs — prompting some foul language from Mr. Met. 

Here are the standings as of the end of play Tuesday, May 27, 2008. The writers in this league own the following teams: Rosin Bag Grenadiers (Ron Vackar), UMustveMisremembered (myself) and All Eyez (Jeff Lowe). Check out the other blogs about the FantasyMLBTips league to view draft results and draft commentary by both the writers and the other owners. 

WEEKLY ANALYSIS:

UMustveMisremembered says:
Best Pick Up — [5/24] Ian Stweart; UMustveMisremembered — A rare non-waiver call up who had been killing it in AAA. 12HR, 43 RBI and 6 steals. If he can do 3/4 of that I’ll be ecstatic.

Worst Drop — No bad drops this week in my opinion. Just spot starters and off day fill ins.

Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/19] Jon Lester; Standard Errors — 9 IP, 9 K, 2 BB, 0 H, W. I wrote my part of the article before the Lester start so I had to give it due press here at this point. Good pickup SE.

Best Move/Non-Move — [5/21] Chris Perez; All Eyez — If you think that Ryan Franklin, Russ Springer or Jason Isringhausen will end this season as the Cardinals closer you are probably in the minority. He hasn’t given up a run and has a win in five appearances. 

Rosin Bag Grenadiers says:
Best Pick Up — [5/26] Kevin Kouzmanoff; Standard Errors — It pained me to drop “Kooz” earlier in the week. It almost made me consider putting David Wright on the block in an attempt to strengthen my 1b position which has plagued me through the season’s first two months. This was about the time “Kooz” started picking it up last year and if the past week’s production is any sign of things to come, you’re going to want him on your roster for the duration of the season.

Worst Drop — [5/25] Willy Taveras; Fence Riders — This was supposed to be the spot where I continued my feud with Mr. Met regarding the Placido Polanco/Kelly Johnson dispute. That’s old news now, so it’s time to start another controversial dispute. I get the trade that Fence Riders made for Ichiro Suzuki and Brian Roberts; he needs sb’s. But, why then would he drop Taveras? At the very least, Taveras could have been used as trade bait to another speed hungry team.

Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/23] Oliver Perez; UMustveMisremembered — 5 IP, 4 ER, 14 BB+H. Perez represents the MLB’s version of Jekyll and Hyde. UMustve got the bad end of Jekyll and Hyde-like Perez this time around.

Best Move/Non-Move — [5/26] Cutting Ian Snell; All Eyez — Cutting your losses is tough to do. Over-committing to a player you trade for can backfire at times. All Eyez’ decision to cut this piece of his early season trade will go a long way to preserving his ERA and Whip standing which has slipped in recent weeks thanks in part to Snell’s impersonation of Jose Lima. 

All Eyez says:
Best Pick Up — [5/27] Scott Podsednik; Standard Errors — I like what SE is doing here. He may not have Pods on his roster for long, but while Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe on are the DL, Podsednik will get increased playing time and could easily yield SE a handful of steals. Temporarily grabbing a former 70-SB guy is a good gamble for those teams looking for a boost in steals.

Worst Drop — [5/25] Jim Thome; Fear the nut — I know Thome has at times looked awful this year, striking out at Ryan Howard-like rate. But he’s still a career .280 hitter, and when healthy, he’s almost a guarantee to get 35+ HR and 100+ RBI. Knock on wood, but I haven’t heard of any back problems so far this year.

Best Move/Non-Move — [5/26] Dropping Ian Snell; All Eyez — As Ron points out, it just doesn’t look like Snell is going to take another step forward this year. Yes, he’s very talented… but owners (including myself) can sometimes get blinded by talent. Snell has been pitching poorly since the All-Star break of last season. In the first half of 2007, he had a line of: 7-5, 116.2 IP, 93 K’s, 2.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .239 BAA. After the break, he had a line of: 2-7, 91.1 IP, 84 K’s, 4.83 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, .294 BAA. In 2008, Snell has picked up right where he left off and now has a line of: 2-4, 62.2 IP, 44 K’s, 5.46 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, .310 BAA.      

 

Tips 'n Trends: Thursday's games

HITTERS:

The situations in baseball are what make the game great. The mental aspect of the sport plays such a crucial role that it’s one of the few sports where you can truly help win with the proper managerial decisions. The “matchups within the matchup” is the way I think about. It’s ironic that one pitcher can be so good against lefty hitters and struggle so much against righties, but that’s the way the game works, and that’s why it’s great. For instance in the Arizona/San Francisco game, I recommend starting Justin Upton. Upton should be able to pounce on the soft tossing southpaw, Barry Zito; on the flip side, Eric Byrnes would have made a great “bench” candidate as he’s 3-for-21 against his former Oakland pal… but as you probably already know, he’s on the 15-day DL, so he can’t play… In the Dodgers/Mets games I suggest sitting James Loney as he continues to struggle at the plate. In the last seven days, Loney is 3-for-19 with eight punch-outs. That being said, don’t hesitate to put Juan Pierre in your lineup. Pierre is playing well as of late and is a lifetime .529 hitter against scheduled starter, Claudio Vargas.

PITCHERS:

Thursday brings a lot of interesting matchups consisting of both inexperience and comparable talent. Two upstart pitchers take the mound in Oakland as Dana Eveland and Jesse Litsch square off. I think I’d be foolish to take a side in that one. I recommend starting them both if you own them — the way they’ve been pitching and the way their teams have struggled offensively tells you to do no other… I would sit Kyle Lohse against Houston, as the ‘Stros have found their stroke and have handle Lohse in the past quite well. Plus with their ace, Roy Oswalt, on the hill I look for Houston to put this one in the win column… Similar to Houston, the Chicago Cubs continue to swing their way to victories. The Cubbies will send out another innings eater in Jason Marquis, but Marquis should pitch well enough to earn himself a win against the struggling Colorado Rockies… Out west you have to feel good for Barry Zito. Having lost eight in a row to start the season, the former Cy Young winner finally got a win. Applause and congratulate him on the nice effort, but don’t think about throwing him back in your lineup. Zito is still 1-8 on a bad Giants team and the D’Backs are second in the majors in OPS against lefties. See Jeff Francis’ 2008 stat line at AZ if you need more convincing.

Thursday’s Positive Trends:
Jim Thome  [career against Edwin Jackson]: 3/5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, .600/.667/1.200
Mark Teixeira [career against Seth McClung]: 4/9, 3 RBI, 5 BB, .444/.643/.444
Juan Pierre  [career against Claudio Vargas]: 9/17, 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 SB, .529/.529/.882
David Wright  [career against Brad Penny]: 9/17, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, .529/.591/.882
Derrek Lee  [career against Jeff Francis]: 6/6, 3 BB, 1.000/1.000/1.000
Carlos Lee  [career against Kyle Lohse]: 17/46, 6 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, .370/.420/.696
Albert Pujols  [career against Roy Oswalt]: 20/67, 5 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, .299/.356/.507
Rich Aurilla  [career against Randy Johnson]: 16/49, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .327/.377/.531 

Thursday’s Negative Trends:
Jack Cust  [career against Jesse Litsch]: 1/6, 2 RBI, 4 K, .167/.167/.167
Orlando Cabrera  [career against Edwin Jackson]: 2/10, 2 RBI, 1 K, .200/.200/.200
Akinora Iwamura  [career against John Danks]: 0/5, 1 BB, 3 K, .000/.167/.000
Jim Edmonds  [career against Jeff Francis]: 1/12, 1 RBI, 5 K, .083/.083/.083
Yadier Molina  [career against Roy Oswalt]: 1/10, 2 K, .100/.100/.100

Daily TIPS: Tuesday's Recap

Nick Markakis has had quite a curious season to date. He has a disappointing .258 average, but a solid .374 OBP. He has nine homers — good for sixth in the league — but only six other extra base hits, thus resulting in a disappointing .444 SLG. He also has 32 walks and 48 strikeouts, both of which are well off of his career numbers. 

What’s causing all of these skewed numbers? Let’s take a look at his new plate-discipline and how that’s affecting his other numbers:

With the exception of batting average, each of these categories has seen an increase over the three-year time frame. Markakis is seeing more pitches per plate appearance this season (#P/PA), causing a significant increase in his number of walks, which leads to a higher OBP. However, it also has increased his strikeout total, which is bringing down his batting average. 

What’s going to happen the rest of the way? It seems that Markakis will do one of two things: Hone his eye a little more to cut down on the number of strikeouts, and experience a boost in both his batting average and slugging percentage; or keep doing what he’s doing and continue to strike out quite a bit while achieving a career high in home runs. It’s hard to bet on Markakis to dramatically cut back on his strikeouts for the rest of the season, but look for a slight improvement. My final numbers for Markakis: .280 AVG, 30 HR, .370 OBP, .460 SLG

 

Elsewhere...

* Jay Bruce had his big coming out party last night and didn’t disappoint. He showed a little bit of everything — 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, two walks, and steal. Could we be seeing the beginning of a Ryan Braun-type of rookie breakout season?

* After a couple of promising starts, Ian Snell was back to his pathetic 2008 ways last night — 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 7 BB, 6 K. Many thought Snell would build on a decent 2006 and an even better 2007 — K/9 rate over 7.6; better than 2:1 K/BB rate both seasons. However, his K/9 is down to 6.08 and he’s walking way too many, as evidenced by his 1.70 WHIP. At this point you have to consider him expendable.

* Johnny Damon went 4-for-5 with a home run and is quietly putting together a fine season. He struggled out of the gate but is now hitting .280/.354/.473 with seven steals.

* Another player who struggled early was Hunter Pence, leaving some to wonder if he was going to fall victim to a sophomore slump. However, after last night’s 5-for-5 performance, he’s now hitting .311 with a .852 OPS.

* Aaron Laffey has now gone at least six innings in each of his last five starts, and after last night’s one earned run performance, he’s allowed a total of three earned runs in those starts. He now has a 1.59 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He’s not striking many out, but he’s making up for that by not allowing many walks — just eight so far. He’s definitely a spot-start candidate.

* After tantalizing owners with three quality starts in a row — one with 11 K’s — Ubaldo Jimenez was awful once again. He lasted only four innings and gave up seven runs last night, pushing his ERA to 5.37 and his WHIP to 1.70. He simply can’t be trusted on a consistent basis.

* Edwin Encarnacion had an excellent April — .293/.369/.576, 7 HR — but now has just four hits in his last 33 at-bats and has hit only one homer this month. His young career has been plagued by inconsistency and this year appears no different. Keep an eye on him to see if he rebounds because he’s shown some good skills in the past.

* Jason Giambi appears to be heating up. He went 2-for-6 and hit his fifth home run of the month last night. Over the last three weeks, he’s hitting .370/.509/.739 and has brought his OBP up to .385 and SLG up to .530 for the year. This comes on the heels of an abysmal April showing — .164/.315/.411. He’s available in many shallow leagues and while he’ll possibly hurt your average, he’ll offer decent power numbers the rest of the way.

* Ryan Spilborghs hit his second home run in as many games and is hitting quite well this season — .298/.393/.489 in 94 AB. He’ll continue to see time with Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe on the DL. He makes a nice stop-gap OF if you’re in need of a pickup, but he won’t get consistent playing time once those two are back.

* After struggling for much of the early season Kevin Kouzmanoff is 11-for-29 with 5 HR and 8 RBI in his last seven games. This is around the same time he started hitting last year as well — last May 13 he was hitting .178/.209/.387. If he’s on your bench get him back in your lineup.

* After allowing four or five runs in each of his last three starts, Ervin Santana got things back on track last night — W, 9 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 7 K. He’s now 7-2 with a 3.09 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

* It’s now being reported by NY Newsday that Joba Chamberlain could make his first start next week. He’s scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches on Wednesday and then 65-70 pitches in his next appearance. The Yankees are apparently thinking they’d be better off having him start to get to that number of pitches… and have a different guy come in as a reliever. Again, keep an eye on the situation when planning your lineup.

* Daisuke Matsuzaka left his start after four innings last night. According to the Red Sox, it was due to “shoulder fatigue” even though he was seen grabbing his lower back. Right now it’s not certain how much time he’ll miss or if he’ll even miss a start.

* Chone Figgins continues to have trouble with is hamstring. Figgins came off the DL and started last Wednesday but he hasn’t played since. If he doesn’t improve he will end up back on the DL.

* In other injury news, Gary Sheffield and Eric Byrnes have landed on the DL and Travis Hafner could be heading there with a sore shoulder. All three have struggled this year — each is hitting under .220 and have been big disappointments to fantasy owners.

 

* Pedro Martinez is expected to return on June 3 after one rehab start. Obviously the Mets don’t want to push their injury luck too much with Pedro, hence the one rehab start.

 

QuickTIPS

Spot-start candidate:
Livan Hernandez at Kansas City. Hernandez has a 2.57 ERA in 14 IP against the Royals. KC also has an anemic .657 OPS versus righties, 50 points lower than their OPS against lefties. 

Avoid:
Jonathon Sanchez at Arizona. Sanchez has been decent his last couple of starts but has a 6.35 ERA against the D’backs. Combine that with the fact that Arizona crushes lefties — .288/.366/.481 — and you have a recipe for disaster. 

QuickTIP Results 

I said start:
Joel Pineiro - Skipped start 

I said avoid:
Jeremy Bonderman - ND, 7.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 K

Tips 'n Trends: Tuesday's games

HITTERS:

The three players I advise benching today are a combined 5-for-40 against their scheduled pitchers. These guys haven’t just had bad luck; they have flat out been brutal. Bobby Abreu is still hitless against Baltimore’s Brian Burres after 10 at-bats. Adam Dunn and Omar Vizquel each have two hits in twenty at-bats against their respective starters. When Dunn faces Ian Snell and Vizquel faces Dan Haren, things haven’t looked good. While Dunn has a chance to turn things around given his recent hot streak and Snell’s cold streak, don’t expect much from Vizquel… Meanwhile, make sure Torii Hunter is in your lineup. Hunter is 14-for-30 against Jeremy Bonderman and should continue to excel… I was going to give plug for Gary Sheffield, who’s a .500 hitter in a limited number of at-bats against Ervin Santana, but Sheffield is doubtful for today’s game with oblique spasms, so plan to keep him on your bench… After Memorial Day is the perfect time to separate yourself from the pack — so kick it in to high gear, be smart, and make the correct moves.

PITCHERS:

I think everyone still remembers Johnny Cueto’s first start of the year where he flirted with a no-hitter against the Diamondbacks. Since that start however, he has not been very efficient; in fact, fellow rookie teammate, Edinson Volquez, has by far been the better pitcher despite being treated like a second born child during Cueto’s hot start. The way Cueto is pitching now warrants a possible drop from your team… or at least a “bench” versus Pittsburgh until he proves to be closer to what we all realistically hoped for coming out of Spring Training... Miguel Batista is another starter who has not been on their “A” game. With an ERA over six and a WHIP close to two, Batista should not even cross your mind as a good spot start, especially when facing a lineup like Boston’s and being opposed by 8-0, Daisuke Matsuzaka… Especially with Sheffield’s likely absence, you’ve got to play Santana against a Tigers’ offense that hasn’t fully awoken. Santana has pitched well all year, and at home he’s a lock… A.J. Burnett seems to be finding his groove and looks to be on his way to a solid year if he can stay healthy. Make sure Burnett is in your lineup as he faces the Oakland A’s… If you’re itching to play the spot-starting game tonight, think about starting Brian Bannister. Call me crazy, but I like the matchup against Nick Blackburn and the Twinkies. Bannister has not pitched well recently, but I feel he’s capable of turning it around —and a good time to do so would be against the offensively-challenged Twins.

Tuesday’s Positive Trends:
Hideki Matsui  [career against Brian Burres]: 4/11, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .364/.462/.909
Torii Hunter  [career against Jeremy Bonderman]: 14/30, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 RBI, .467/.469/.700
Gary Sheffield [career against Ervin Santana]: 6/12, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .500/.600/.750
Manny Ramirez  [career against Miguel Batista]: 9/22, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .409/.440/.773
Mike Cameron  [career against Tim Hudson]: 15/54, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 11 BB, .278/.400/.407 

Tuesday’s Negative Trends:
Bobby Abreu  [career against Brian Burres]: 0/10, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, .000/.091/.000
Grady Sizemore [career against Mark Buerhle]: 10/46, 2 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 7 K, .217/.265/.457
Jhonny Peralta [career against Mark Buerhle]: 9/41, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, .220/.273/.341
Brandon Inge  [career against Ervin Santana]: 2/13, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 8 K, .154//.154/.231
Alex Rios  [career against Greg Smith]: 0/3, 3 K, .000/.000/.000
Ichiro Suzuki  [career against Daisuke Matsuzaka]: 1/12, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, .083/.214/.083
Adam Dunn  [career against Ian Snell]: 2/20, 1 2B,1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, .100/.250/.300
Chris B. Young [career against Tim Lincecum]: 0/6, 3 K, .000/.000/.000
Omar Vizquel  [career against Dan Haren]: 2/20, 5 K, .100/.100/.100
Ronnie Belliard  [career against Randy Wolf]: 1/20, 2 BB, 4 K, .050/.136/.050

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.

Daily TIPS: Wednesday's Recap

Everybody knows that Mark Teixeira is a perennial slow starter, and this year has been no different — .264/.358/.423, 5 HR, 23 RBI. If you look over his career, you’ll notice that each year (except 2004) he has two sub-par months and for the other months, he’s simply on fire. One of the two bad months is always April or May, the other is always June or July — and he’s never had a poor August or September. Take a look at the percentage stats of his bad months in his career: 

2007:
April - .231/.346/.341
July - .281/.370/.422 (This was after coming back from an injury and just 64 AB) 

2006:
May - .275/.360/.413
June - .250/.317/.411 

2005:
April - .262/.321/.485
July - .229/.325/.413 

2004:
May - .212/.323/.412 (This year was an aberration and he only had one sub-par month) 

2003:
April - .188/.288/.344
July - .265/.336/.449
 

So what can you do with this information? If you own Teixeira, you do what you’ve always done — ride it out. He’ll put up his numbers in the end, just like he always has. When you look at his totals for each season — excluding his rookie season — he’s never hit lower than .281, had an OBP lower than .370, or slugged lower than .514. It’s amazing how consistent he is year to year — despite continuing to have such tremendous swings during each season. 

If you don’t own him, now is a good time to buy low on Teix if you can find a willing owner. You’ll probably get one more sub-par month, but you’ll then enjoy the ride during August and September. Here’s a glimpse of how he’s finished the season over the last few yers: 

2005-’07 August: .308/.408/.609, 25 HR
2005-’07 September: .317/.397/.634, 25 HR 

Elsewhere...

* It’s official: Joba Chamberlain is taking his show to the starting rotation. After pitching two innings last night, manager Joe Girardi said they were beginning the process of stretching him out. A definitive timetable wasn’t given, but expect it to take at least a couple of weeks. He also mixed in a changeup to go with his fastball and slider. Like all rookie starters, expect some ups and downs, but he’s worth having on your roster.

* Apparently yesterday was “Slumping Sluggers Break-Out Day.” Looking to break out of their early season funks, Vlad Guerrero and Ryan Howard both hit two home runs. Vlad’s OPS is a meager .773, while Howard’s .743 OPS is even worse. Fantasy owners have to have been getting impatient with these guys — but this may be the sign of a long-awaited break out.

* Dana Eveland threw a complete game and allowed just one run on three hits. He has a 2.90 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He’s slightly under the 2:1 K/BB ratio, but has only allowed more than three runs once. He’s made himself spot-start worthy.

* In his big (pun intended) return to the majors, Bartolo Colon pitched pretty well — W, 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K. He’s probably earned himself a spot in the rotation for now. He could be a valuable source of wins pitching for the Red Sox.

* In other big news, Sidney Ponson pitched a complete game and allowed just one run. He struck out five and walked one. He has allowed just one run in four of his six starts and has an ERA of 2.95. At this point you can take a flier on him for a spot start, but don’t expect this hot start to continue long.

* Jack Cust went 2-for-4 with two home runs, giving him seven on the year. He has a .426 OBP and a .462 SLG on the year, but is still available in many leagues. If your league counts OBP or OPS, consider grabbing him for a utility slot.

* Brandon Webb failed to go 10-0 as he took the loss after allowing three runs in seven innings. He gave up only six hits and no walks to go along with his seven strikeouts.

* The last of the two homer men was Jermaine Dye, who went 2-for-2 with 4 RBI. He’s quietly having a very good year — .307/.361/.536 with eight HR.

* Alex Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a home run (yes, having instant replay would have given him two home runs on the day). He has now hit homers in each of his first two games back.

* After spending time on the DL and in the minors, Dontrelle Willis is back with the big club. Unfortunately, it’s in the bullpen. Jim Leyland said he’d like to give Willis more time to get back to being his old self, which he apparently didn’t do in the minors — 4.41 ERA in three starts. He’ll probably find himself back in the rotation, but I wouldn’t want any part of him.

* Ubaldo Jimenez threw seven scoreless innings and, like Eveland, has only allowed more than three runs once this year. However, this is the first start he’s given up less than two and he’s yet to go beyond seven innings. He’s continued to struggle with walks, but if he can get that under control, you’ll see his other numbers improve. Keep an eye on him over the next couple of weeks.

* Pitcher Chris Young was hit in the face by an Albert Pujols line drive last night. He broke his nose and it’s not known yet if he’ll miss time. This comes right after Jake Peavy was placed on the DL for the Padres.

 

QuickTIPS

Spot-start candidate:
Vincente Padilla at Minnesota. Padilla has a 2.81 career ERA against the Twins and a 2.37 ERA in his last three starts. 

Avoid:
Livan Hernandez vs. Texas. Hernandez has been solid this season, but in 23.2 IP against the Rangers he has an 8.75 ERA. 

QuickTIP Results 

I said start:
Jon Garland - W, 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K 

I said avoid:
Jonathon Sanchez - ND, 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 K

2008 FantasyMLBTips Fantasy League Update

* League parameters: 12 team mixed roto. C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, UTIL, 2 SP, 2 RP, 3 P and 5 BN (1 DL spot also available). Categories are standard 5x5. 

Another week in the very active FantasyMLBTips Fantasy League bites the dust. My team has managed to move up from 10th to 9th in the last week, but more importantly, I’ve gained six points. I also got Harden and Lackey back in my lineup, so I’m ready to make a push. Maybe not for the title just yet, but at least into the top half of the league. 

“I'd like to dub Jorge Posada the league prostitute.” These are the words of Ron Vackar, TIPS writer and current league leader (Rosin Bag Grenadiers). Basically, teams in this league have gone through Jorge like Hugh Hefner goes through women. I couldn’t agree more. I am one guy who would like to own Posada, but I won’t waste a waiver claim on him. I have Russell Martin and Posada would be good depth, but I don’t really need him. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Met was looking for advice on the message board and wondering what player he should drop to pick up Johnny Damon in his other league. He was thinking Ken Griffey Jr., but the consensus was that wasn’t the right play. Don’t get me wrong — Damon should be owned. He’s not the player he used to be, but he is on pace to score 100 runs, hit 18 homers and steal 18 bases — and that has value. My opinion was that Mr. Met should drop Joe Saunders. The guy has a putrid 3.66 K/9 and a 1.56 K/BB ratio. Both have been decreasing over his last few starts, and over his last 13.1 innings, Saunders has walked six and only struck out only four. That’s not a recipe for success. You can’t trade him because nobody believes in him, and you’ve already gotten the best part of his season out of him. To me it’s easy: Pick up Damon, drop Saunders. 

The Kelly Johnson debate also continued. After RBG dropped Johnson this week following his glowing support of KJ as a stat stuffing second baseman, he was called out by Mr. Met for bashing Mr. Met’s drop of Johnson last week. RBG’s reasoning for dropping the Braves’ second baseman was that he had Brandon Phillips, and didn’t need the talented Johnson. According to RBG, it was a worse drop by Mr. Met because Johnson was Mr. Met’s primary 2B, a point that Mr. Met refutes by pointing out his ownership of Ian Kinsler, a stat filler in his own right. Nobody can really say anything to RBG at this point because he’s killing this league — but it’s still early right now and anything can happen in the world of Fantasy. Let the bickering continue. 

There have been a ton of moves once again this week, with a few owners using their last starting pitcher spot like a revolving door, spot-starting pitchers time and again. Among the surprising drops, besides Johnson and Posada (twice), were Andy Pettitte and Justin Duchscherer. Over the last month, All Eyez was just spot starting Duchscherer on his deep pitching staff, but Duch is no longer simply spot-starting material. He should be owned in most leagues, and Fear the Nut now has the former setup man in ours. While Pettitte could have helped Vaporizers, he simply didn’t have room for the Yankee because he’s carrying five closers. Can someone say trade? I know RBG is looking for a closer.   

Here are the standings as of the end of play Tuesday, May 20, 2008. The writers in this league own the following teams: Rosin Bag Grenadiers (Ron Vackar), UMustveMisremembered (myself) and All Eyez (Jeff Lowe). Check out the other blogs about the FantasyMLBTips league to view draft results and draft commentary by both the writers and the other owners.   

WEEKLY ANALYSIS:

UmustveMisremembered says:
Best Pick Up — [5/16] Justin Duchscherer; Fear the Nut — FTN picks up a good pitcher off the scrap heap and adds a much needed fifth starter to his team.
Worst Drop — [5/18] Kelly Johnson; Rosin Bag Grenadiers — When you make such a big deal about Johnson being dropped, you shouldn't drop him yourself a week later after the guy goes 8-for-19 in a five game hitting streak.
Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/16] Shawn Chacon; Standard Errors — 3.1 IP, 0 K, 4 BB, 3 HR, 8 R (5 ER), L. Should have known better than to get water from that well.
Worst Move— [5/17 and 5/19] The quick pickup and drop of Jorge Posada, does anyone really want this guy? 

Rosin Bag Grenadiers says:
Best Pick Up — [5/14] Eric Gagne; Fence Riders — Don't count me as a Gagne fan, but for someone who truly appreciates the service of Todd Jones as my number three closer (I never thought I'd feel that way), Fence Riders may also come to truly appreciate this pick up, as Gagne becomes his badly needed third closer.
Worst Drop — [5/18] Kelly Johnson; Rosin Bag Grenadiers — After bashing Mr. Met for his drop of Kelly Johnson a couple weeks ago, it’s only fair that I punish myself a little for dropping that same Mr. Johnson.  I still stand by Johnson as a top-12 second baseman and feel that someone should make use of him on their roster.
Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/18] Jon Lester; Standard Errors — No stat line needs to be provided here, as we all know what Lester did in carving up the Royals. I sure wish I could have claimed this no hitter as a piece of my squad, having drafted him and all.  Some expert I am!
Best Move/Non-Move [5/16] Jered Weaver; Vaporizers — Little Weave is a solid compliment to an otherwise lackluster supporting cast that the Vaporizers has put together behind Johan Santana.

 

 

Daily TIPS: Tuesday's Recap

In the close-to-immortal words of Paul Simon, “Where have you gone Joe Mauer, a fantasy owner turns his lonely eyes to you.” It was not long ago that Mauer was considered a premier catcher, someone on the cusp of being a 20-homer, 20-steal candidate who hit for a high average — an ultimate fantasy catcher. He has since been passed by Victor Martinez, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, and Geovany Soto. You could even make a case for more powerful options like Ryan Doumit and A.J. Pierzynski.

So what happened to Mauer? The average and eye are still there, as he’s hitting .331 and has a .404 OBP, both right in line with his career numbers. His home run totals rose each year from 2004 to 2006 and many expected that growth to continue as he matured. His total this year: ZERO. And what do you get when you add his steals total to his home run total? ZERO. After averaging nine steals a year in his first three years his many leg injuries have caught up with him. He’s only attempted one steal on the year. 

Mauer is a catcher that will give you a very good average, but that’s about it. If your league uses OBP then he adds a little extra for you. However, don’t expect the power or speed anymore. He didn’t hit for power in the minors and simply hasn’t developed it in the majors. He also didn’t steal bases in the minors, and his many injuries seem to have taken that option away altogether.  

Elsewhere...

* Mark Teixeira went 3-for-3 to bring his average up to .261. He’s continued his trend of slow starts by hitting only five homers and collecting a .772 OPS for the year. He had a decent April, but has swooned in May — .188/.339/.292. He should bounce back soon and cruise with his typical sickening second-half numbers.

* In an attempt to break out of his season-long slumber, Edgar Renteria went 4-for-4 with a homer and five RBI. He’ll probably show flashes of power, but don’t expect it to continue. More concerning is his one steal in just one attempt from a guy who consistently swipes double digit steals.

* Daniel Cabrera has now allowed zero walks in his last two starts and only has three in his past four starts. After his seven inning, two run performance last night, he has a 3.48 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Is it possible he’s finally put it all together? I’m still leery.

* Hunter Pence went 3-for-4 with a home run and has now hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games. He’s hitting .358 in May with an OPS of 1.018. He struggled through April but those struggles appear to be a thing of the past.

* Mike Mussina’s string of good starts came to a screeching halt last night. He allowed seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning. Only one of the runs was earned, but he still gave up five hits and two walks in his short stint.

* With Doug Davis expected to return to the Diamondback rotation on Friday, Max Scherzer will be the odd man out. If you have the bench room, keep him on your roster. He’ll get another shot when there’s another injury.

* Mike Cameron went 3-for-4 with a home run, giving him five in his 18 games this season. Cameron is doing what he’s always done — combining a low average with good power numbers. He only has one steal, but expect that total to increase.

* Chad Billingsley threw seven scoreless innings and has now allowed just seven earned runs over his last five starts. His ERA is now down to 3.76, but his plethora of walks has given him a 1.41 WHIP. If he can continue to strike out guys at such a high rate (10.2 K/9), he should be able to maintain an ERA under four.

* Andruw Jones could miss at least four weeks with a knee injury. Joe Torre must be heaving a sigh of relief knowing he finally has an excuse to sit him.

* The Yankees got A-Rod back only to see Derek Jeter leave the game after getting hit on the hand. The X-rays were negative so he’s listed as day-to-day.

* Ryan Church suffered his second concussion of the year last night. He’s been a nice surprise this season and hopefully this will not be a lasting problem.

* Josh Willingham is expected to miss at least another four weeks with a herniated disc.

 
QuickTIPS 

Spot-start candidate:
Jon Garland at Toronto. Garland is 9-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 89 IP against the Jays. He’s only allowed four runs in his last three starts. 

Avoid:
Jonathon Sanchez at Colorado. In his young career Sanchez has a 6.89 ERA against the Rocks. He also has more walks than K’s. 

QuickTIP Results 

I said start:
Joel Pineiro - L, 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 7 K 

I said avoid:
Aaron Cook - L, 7 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 3 K

Tips 'n Trends: Wednesday's games

HITTERS:

Imagine you’re a hitter in a massive slump. You’ve watched the tape over and over again, spending countless hours in the clubhouse rewinding the footage of your atrocious at-bats. It feels like every adjustment you make just doesn’t seem to matter. Then you look behind and you see Casey Blake, and you feel better — because he’s in for a tougher day than even you. You see, the Indians third baseman has had 22 career at-bats versus Javier Vazquez, and he’s whiffed in 11 of them. If you have Casey on your fantasy team, now is not the time for him… Neither is it the time for Orlando Cabrera, as the “O.C.” has struggled against Indians scheduled starter, Paul Byrd. Cabrera is 3-for-27 lifetime against Byrd, so you should weigh your other options at shortstop… But for Raul Ibanez, he doesn’t need any game footage to do well against Kenny Rogers. Even though he doesn’t have as much pop in his bat against southpaws, give Ibanez a piece of lumber against Rogers and he’ll do just fine. Ibanez is 10-for-33 when facing the Tigers’ southpaw and should be in your lineup as the 43-year-old Rogers has been struggling... Also make sure Gary Sheffield and Paul Konerko are penciled in as well. I know both have been a bit inconsistent this year, and are playing nowhere near the level of years past,  but today is a day you definitely need to find a spot for them. Sheffield is a lifetime .421 hitter versus Jarrod Washburn and Konerko has 11 hits in only 32 at-bats when facing Byrd. If you need some extra pop, don’t hesitate to go with Sheff and Paulie.

PITCHERS:

Making his first start of the year for the Boston Red Sox is former Angels’ ace, Bartolo Colon. But do not be fooled by the “ace” title. He’s not the pitcher that won the American League Cy Young Award in 2005. He’s older, fatter, and not nearly as dominant as he was. I’d say avoid Colon completely until he can prove he can stay healthy and pitch effectively — but I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon... Ian Snell is another pitcher who needs to be a bit more effective before I can recommend trotting him out there on regular basis. I had high hopes for the Pittsburgh ace, but he’s failed to live up to expectations thus far this year. While Snell can usually be accounted for at least piling up the punch outs, he hasn’t done that this year. Sit Snell until further notice...Meanwhile, it’s amazing that Shawn Chacon has made nine starts this year and is still decision-less. I say Chacon gets out of that funk on Wednesday — but unfortunately for him, and fantasy owners — it’s going to bein the form of a loss. The Cubbies aren’t the easiest lineup to deal with in the NL, and I don’t see Chacon having the stuff to match up… As surprising as the Cardinals have played so far, I’m even more surprised on how poorly the Padres have been. The Padres simply cannot muster any offense this season, and they are really struggling right now. If I own Braden Looper, I’m playing him against San Diego and hoping that the St. Louis offense can give him two-to-three runs, because that’s all it will take to beat the Friars… Another pitcher to play is Jonathan Sanchez versus Colorado. Sanchez, who can rack up the K’s, has had success against the defending National League champs. Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, and Garrett Atkins are a combined 4-for-25 with eight strikeouts against Sanchez. Plug in Sanchez and look for a win with at least five K’s.

Wednesday’s Positive Trends:
David DeJesus [career against Bartolo Colon]: 8/25, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, .320/.370/.640
Alex Cora  [career against Brett Tomko]: 11/32, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, .344/.417/.438
Raul Ibanez  [career against Kenny Rogers]: 10/33, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 4 BB, .303/.378/.424
Ivan Rodriguez [career against Jarrod Washburn]: 15/36, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .417/.447/.778
Gary Sheffield [career against Jarrod Washburn]: 8/19, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .421/.522/.789
Marco Scutaro  [career against Jon Garland]: 10/16, 2 2B, .625/.647/.750
Paul Konerko [career against Paul Byrd]: 11/32, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .344/.364/.500 

Brian McCann  [career against Mike Pelfrey]: 5/9, 3 2B, 1 RBI, .556/.600/.889
Xavier Nady [career against Ben Sheets]: 7/13, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, ..538/.500/1.154
Prince Fielder [career against Ian Snell]: 6/12, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, .500/.538/.917
Aramis Ramirez [career against Shawn Chacon]: 10/17, 4 2B, 5 HR, 13 RBI, .588/.600/1.706 

Wednesday’s Negative Trends:
Adrian Beltre  [career against Kenny Rogers]: 3/21, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 1 K, .143/.333/.143
Magglio Ordonez [career against Jarrod Washburn]: 5/34, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .147/.194/.353
Casey Blake  [career against Javier Vazquez]: 5/22, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 11 K, .227/.346/.273
Grady Sizemore [career against Javier Vazquez]: 7/27, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 BB, 10 K, .259/.394/.481
Orlando Cabrera [career against Paul Byrd]: 3/27, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, .111/.143/.111 

Todd Helton  [career against Jonathan Sanchez]: 2/11, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 4 K, .182/.250/.273
Matt Holliday  [career against Jonathan Sanchez]: 0/7, 1 BB, 3 K, .000/.125/.000
Rickie Weeks  [career against Ian Snell]: 0/4, 4 K, .000/.000/.000
Ryan Zimmerman [career against Jamie Moyer]: 1/11, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K, .091/.231.182
Brian Giles  [career against Braden Looper]: 1/11, 3 BB, 4 K, .091/.286/.091