FantasyMLBTips

Tips n' Trends: Friday's games

HITTERS:

A beneficial tool when scouting the free agent pool is sorting their stats by the last seven days. If I’m going to pick up a hitter, I like to see what they’ve done lately. Of course there is more that goes into adding and dropping players, but the “last seven days” stats are a good place to start. A few hitters to get in your lineup are Dustin Pedroia, Brian Giles, and Raul Ibanez — they’ve all been doing well recently. The defending Rookie of the Year is hitting .310 over his last seven games and faces Boof Bonser, whom he’s had success against in limited action. Meanwhile, the leadoff hitter for the Padres is hitting .317 in his last seven games, and is 14-for-33 (.424 BA) against Colorado’s scheduled starter, Aaron Cook. Seattle’s Raul Ibanez is also hitting over .300 over the last week, and he has nice matchup in a night game at home. Ibanez is 7-for-12 with a homerun off Jose Contreras, so make sure that he’s in your lineup. A hitter this year that has been anything but hot is Delmon Young. I think the expectations have been a bit much for the kid too handle, and Young just doesn’t seem comfortable at the plate, as he’s hitting only .256 without a home run this year. Young faces Jon Lester, and is only 1-for 10 lifetime versus the Boston lefty. When Jeff Francouer faces Ian Snell and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta slugger never seems to go home happy. In his career versus Snell, Francoeur is 3-for-14 with seven punch outs. If you have another option I would think about benching Francouer. Heck, maybe you could replace him with Brian Giles.

PITCHERS:

A 6.27 ERA is not something we are accustomed to seeing next to Kenny Rogers’ name, but that’s the case this year. The veteran just doesn’t seem to have his control. Rogers’ job doesn’t get any easier when the Yanks roll into town, as the Yankee hitter have had their way in the past against him. If you have Rogers on your team, you probably shouldn’t just bench him; it’s time to part ways and dip into free agency for someone who’s a bit more consistent and effective. Speaking of not being consistent and effective, I bring to your attention Gil Meche. The $55 million dollar man has pitched pretty poorly this year and faces a Baltimore team that has hit him hard in the past. If you’re the Royals right now you have to be hitting your head. Or they should keep telling themselves: at least we didn’t sign Barry Zito. Another pitcher to sit on Friday would be Carlos Silva. Silva has been somewhat decent this year, but his last time out against the Yankees was brutal, and he’s up against a Chicago team that has a .374 batting average against him. Let me say it in an alliteration: sit Silva and smile when he struggles. Two starters you should hand the ball over to are James Shields and Todd Wellemeyer. Shields faces an Angels team that has struggled with Shields in the past. I think Shields should probably be in your lineup every turn out, but definitely make sure of it today. How about former reliever turned starter, Todd Wellemeyer? Dave Duncan and Tony LaRussa are making this look easy. Wellemeyer is 3-1 and faces a Milwaukee squad that has lost five in a row. Plus he goes against Manny Parra, who has been struggling and hasn’t lived up to pre-season expectations. As the Brew Crew continues to sulk about the loss of Yovani Gallardo, the Cards will continue to beat up on them and stay atop the NL Central.

Friday’s Positive Trends:
Rod Barajas  [career against C.C. Sabathia]: 6/14, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .429/.429/1.071
Johnny Damon  [career against Kenny Rogers]: 16/53, 1 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .302/.373/.434
Jason Giambi  [career against Kenny Rogers]: 10/25, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 8 BB, 2 K, .400/.545/.920
Eric Hinkse  [career against Jon Garland]: 12/32, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .375/.364/.656
Michael Young  [career against Chad Gaudin]: 11/21, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .524/.600/.810
Brian Roberts  [career against Gil Meche]: 13/30, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, .433/.500/.667
Mark Grudzielanek [career against Steve Traschel]: 16/41, 6 2B, 3 RBI, .390/.432/.537
David Ortiz  [career against Boof Bonser]: 5/6, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .833/.833/2.000
Dustin Pedroia [career against Boof Bonser]: 4/6, 1 RBI, .667/.667/.667
Raul Ibanez  [career against Jose Contreras]: 7/12, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .583/.615/.833
Juan Uribe  [career against Carlos Silva]: 19/37, 1 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, .514/.514/.946
Orlando Cabrera  [career against Carlos Silva]: 12/24, 4 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .500/.500/.792 

Alfonso Soriano [career against Dan Haren]: 5/13, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB, .385/.385/1.000
Jason Bay  [career against Tom Glavine]: 7/19, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .368/.429/.737
Adam LaRoche  [career against Tom Glavine]: 6/10, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 4 RBI, .600/.714/1.100
Brian McCann  [career against Ian Snell]: 7/12, 1 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .583/.583/1.417
Yunel Escobar  [career against Ian Snell]: 3/3, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1.000/1.000/1.667
Todd Helton  [career against Jake Peavy]: 13/41, 6 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .317/.356/.683
Brian Giles  [career against Aaron Cook]: 14/33, 3 2B, .424/.441/.515
Jim Edmonds [career against Aaron Cook]: 7/13, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .538/.600/1.077
Carlos Lee  [against Derek Lowe]: 10/28, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .357/.357/.643 

Friday’s Negative Trends:
Travis Hafner  [career against Roy Halladay]: 2/12, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, .167/.286/.250
Carl Crawford  [career against Jon Garland]: 1/14, 0 BB, 2 K, .071/.133/.071
Vernon Wells  [career against James Shields]: 2/12, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .167/.167/.500
Delmon Young  [career against Jon Lester]: 1/10, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, .100/.167/.100 

Jeff Francouer [career against Ian Snell]: 3/14, 1 2B, 2BB, 7 K, .214/.313/.286
Jose Reyes  [career against Matt Belisle]: 1/8, 0 BB, 1 K, .125/.125/.125
Ryan Zimmerman [career against Ricky Nolasco]: 2/11, 1 RBI, 4 K, .182/.167/.273
Randy Winn  [career against Cole Hamels]: 1/11, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K, .091/.091/.182
Bengie Molina  [career against Cole Hamels]: 0/6, 1 RBI, 1 K, .000/.000/.000
Lance Berkman  [career against Derek Lowe]: 4/18, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 K, .222/.300/.278

Daily TIPS: Wednesday's Recap

What is Joba Chamberlain’s fantasy value in a trade? At this point, it’s a difficult question that involves many factors. First, is it a keeper league or not? Obviously, his value is a lot higher in keeper leagues. Second, what types of stats are used in the league? In any league that uses blown saves, his value will be slightly less because setup men will have more blown saves than closers. Third, and most importantly, what role will he fill the rest of the season? 

The last question is the biggest factor in his value, but a simple answer of setup man or starter doesn’t really clear it up. If he’s a setup man for the remainder of the season he has value, but only as much as the best middle reliever can give you. He’ll get very few saves, if any, and will mainly be an ERA and WHIP guy similar to Jonathan Broxton. If he’s converted to a starter, he’ll have to miss some time building up arm strength in the minors. When he returns, he’ll be a rookie starting pitcher. We all know that rookies starters tend to be up and down — even the best ones (see Clay Buchholz). 

If you’re not in a keeper league, I wouldn’t attempt to trade for him. If another owner drafted him, that owner obviously thinks highly of him and would want high value in return. Chamerlain’s 2008 value is up in the air and not worth taking a chance on. I just traded for him in a keeper league, giving up Corey Hart. Best case for me, Joba gets converted to a starter soon and is a stud. Worst case, he stays a setup man for 2008 and give me good WHIP and ERA numbers. Nonetheless, I should have a legit starter in 2009 either way. 

Elsewhere...

* Vincente Padilla has put together a string of three consecutive wins allowing only one earned run over that time. Last night he threw seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball while striking out eight. His ERA is now down to 3.02. He’s a good spot-start option right now.

* Trying to break out of his season long slump, Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-4 with two long balls last night. He’s now at .239/.270/.399 with 5 HR and 18 RBI on the year — not great numbers for a supposed second level third baseman. However, if you own him, you need to ride it out and hope this signals a breakout.

* Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle last night going 4-for-6 with three RBI. He has 13 steals on the year and has shown some flashes of hitting. He’s a good 5th OF option.

* The strong Toronto starting pitching continued last night with Shaun Marcum — W, 8.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 9 K. He had a one hit shutout through eight, but with a six run cushion manager John Gibbons decided to let him go for the complete game.

* Joey Votto went 3-for-4 with three home runs yesterday, giving him seven homers on the year. He also added his first steal. He continues to put up impressive numbers — .302/.362/.583 — and is available in a handful of leagues. If one of those is your league, snatch him up.

* Edison Volquez had another impressive outing — W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 6 BB, 10 K. The six free passes is a bit of a concern and brings his season total up to 24. He’s able to compensate for it by striking out so many though — his K/9 rate is over 11. If you see his strikeout numbers dip as the year continues, be wary of his high walk totals.

* The hot stretch continues for Ryan Church, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs last night. Over the last week Church is slugging over .700 and has brought his season numbers up to .328/.394/.541.

* Cliff Lee continued his domination last night by shutting down the Yankees for seven innings. He didn’t give out a walk and had seven strikeouts, pushing his ERA down to 0.81. I keep waiting for the wheels to fall off, but they seem quite secure right now.

* Barry Zito made his return to the rotation in lukewarm fashion — 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5K. The good news is he had more K’s than walks, bucking a season long trend. Bad news is he’s still winless.

 
QuickTIPS 

Spot-start candidates:
Jesse Litsch at Tampa Bay. Litsch has had two straight solid outings and has a 3.86 ERA in 21 IP against the Rays. 

Avoid:
Mike Mussina vs. Cleveland. Mussina has a 4.75 ERA in 174.1 career IP against the Tribe. 

QuickTIP Results

I said start:
Jeff Francis - ND, 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 5 K 

I said avoid:
Joe Blanton - ND, 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 3 K
Brad Penny - L, 4.2 IP, 10 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 2 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. 

This week we had some more Yahoo bashing, making it easily the most hated and worst fantasy site that we as a collective group have experienced. Most of the discussion centered around the DL status of Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer and the callups of players such as Max Scherzer and Jeff Clement. Yahoo is painfully slow at reacting to changing fantasy news and notorious for having players unavailable for pickup. All fantasy league hosting sites should have at least every player on the 40-man roster available for pickup at all times. Everything from position eligibility, player availability, DL status, draft room and paying for live stats was criticized. I never have had such bad fantasy experiences than on Yahoo. 

The most popular fantasy pickup this week was Max Scherzer. He was called up on April 27th and was finally available for pickup by Papelbong Hitters on May 2nd. Another host site miracle. Other key acquisitions included Chad Billingsley (who trails only John Smoltz among qualifying starting pitchers with his 11.76 K/9), Jeff Keppinger, and Ryan Garko. Big name drops included first and foremost minor leaguers, Francisco Liriano and Rich Hill, whom I was chastised for dropping. Maybe we can edit that blog. Also dropped were Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Yovani Gallardo, Jorge Posada and Kevin Kouzmanoff. The league size and the number of starting roster spots have made for a good deal of roster movement. 

Here are the standings as of the end of play Tuesday, May 6, 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 — [5/2] Jeff Keppinger; Vaporizers — Keppinger has multi-position eligibility and has always been able to hit. He’ll be a valuable asset to fill in empty spots for injuries and off days for your studs.

Worst Drop — [5/4] Jorge Posada; Vaporizers — The guy is still a top- 5 fantasy catcher when healthy. Weather the storm until he comes back.

Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/2] John Lannan; Fence Riders — L, 3 IP, 5 ER, 0 K’s. Only a matter of time if you look at the peripherals — 22 K’s and 15 BB coming into the game.

Best Move/Non-Move — [5/2] Max Scherzer;  Papelbong Hitters — A must move to make, but let’s see what he does from here. Will PH take the opportunity to sell high if presented with an opportunity like All Eyez was with Johnny Cueto? 

Rosin Bag Grenadiers says:
Best Pick Up — [5/4] Juan Pierre; Vaporizers — While all of us were enthralled with the likes of Willy Taveras, who is in a semi-time split, and Michael Bourn, who is just barely gasping for air above the Mendoza line, Pierre is doing what he’s always done. The more boos that get poured down on Andruw Jones, the better this pickup looks by the day.

Worst Drop — [5/3] Kelly Johnson; Mr. Met — The reason I don’t like this drop is largely due to the player picked up to replace Johnson. Placido Polanco will never be the stat filler that Johnson can be and for that reason he’s fairly two dimensional as a run scorer/batting average balancer type. Johnson could realistically go 20/20 or better in the HR/SB categories and hits at the top of a lineup that may be just as good as the Tiger lineup that Polanco finds himself in.

Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/2] John Lannan; Fence-Riders — 3 IP, 5 ER, 0 K’s, 8 BB+H.  John Lannan finally looked like, well, John Lannan. Bad pitcher, bad team, bad spot start.

Best Move/Non-Move — [5/4] Greg Smith and [5/5] Dana Eveland; Standard Errors — Standard Errors keeps going back to the well with these two parts of the Dan Haren off-season trade from Oakland to Arizona. This is a great use of the free agent pool which Standard Errors has essentially used as an extension of his roster with these two pick ups. 

All Eyez says:
Best Pick Up — [5/1] Chad Billingsley; Rosin Bag Grenadiers — With both Billingsley and Max Scherzer sitting on the waiver wire, I was hoping that the six teams that had higher waiver priorities than mine would all hold out for a chance to nab Scherzer and bypass Billingsley, who was eligible to come off of waivers a day before Scherzer. Of course, RBG probably had the same strategy as he used his 5th waiver position to grab the up-and-coming Dodger ace.

Worst Drop — [5/2] Jair Jurrjens; Vaporizers — It’s not like Jurrjens is the next Brandon Webb, but he’s had five terrific quality starts in a row, and he has the third most K’s among rookie pitchers. I don’t know if Vaporizers tried to trade Jurrjens, but I would have either tried trading him or simply held on to him rather than dropping him and that 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.

Best/Worst Spot Start — [5/4] Greg Smith, [5/5] Dana Eveland; Standard Errors — I hate to be a copycat, but I can’t argue with this one. Standard Errors has simply mastered the art of spot-starting. He didn’t get a “W” out of the two Oakland hurlers, but he did get: 13 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 6 BB, 14 K’s.

Best Move/Non-Move — [5/3] Aaron Cook; Fence-Riders — Cook has now won five games in a row. The lack of strikeouts leave more to be desired, but Cook has been consistently strong all season — more so than supposed ace Jeff Francis. Fence-Riders has done a nice job of strengtening his rotation through free agent picks up such as Cliff Lee and now Cook.

Daily TIPS: Tuesday's Recap

The Toronto Blue Jays have three legitimate #2 fantasy starters in their rotation, plus a fourth who could be. They have put together some excellent numbers individually to make this a great rotation. Take a look at the numbers: 

Is it any wonder they’ve been throwing shutouts at such a rapid fire pace? All have strikeout rates above the coveted 6.0; three of them have rates above seven. All except Burnett — who has had a rough stretch to start the year — have K/BB rates above the 2:1 rate. McGowan’s WHIP was inflated by a seven walk performance against Boston, but since then he’s walked just one and allowed just one earned run. Over Litsch’s last two starts he hasn’t allowed a walk and has allowed just three earned runs. 

The scariest part about this rotation can be found in the second column. None of these pitchers are older than 31, and the three of them are under 27 years old. Compare that to teams in their division who are relying on guys like Mussina, Wakefield, Pettitte, and possibly Schilling and you have to love their future.
 

Elsewhere...

* Once written off for the bench — at least by me — Juan Pierre has had a nice rebound. He’s hitting .316 and has an OBP of .388 to go with 11 steals. If this production continues, the still pathetic Andruw Jones (.162/.273/.248) should sit. However, Joe Torre has been reluctant to sit Jones so it may be Andre Ethier who sees more pine.

* Lance Berkman’s monster season continued last night as he went 5-for-5 with two doubles and four runs. His numbers for the season are even more impressive — .353/.428/.731, 10 HR, 32 RBI, 6 SB.

* After a couple less than stellar performances, Gavin Floyd picked up another win. He went 8.1 innings and allowed zero earned runs. Despite his 2.50 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, his K/BB rate of almost one is concerning. If you have him you might want to try to sell high on him.

* Mark Kotsay went 2-for-4 and homered for the second consecutive game. He now has hit in seven straight and his average is over .300. That said, he’s still not ownable in fantasy unless he keeps this up for a while since he generally doesn’t hit for power or steal bases.

* This spring many said Fausto Carmona wouldn’t be able to repeat last year’s sensational season because of his low strikeout rate (5.73). This year that rate is even lower (3.38) but his ERA is still a very good 2.95. At this point, it has to be smoke and mirrors. He’s walked over twice as many as he’s struck out and his WHIP is 1.79. He’s due for a big ERA spike.

* Barry Zito is heading back to the rotation. After having a couple weeks in the bullpen — a bullpen he never left to enter a game — the Giants have decided it’s no place for a $126 million man. Not really that surprising. They have to be hoping the time off cleared his head and will allow him to be more effective. I doubt it added any more heat to his fastball though.

* In his second rehab start yesterday, Rich Harden struck out nine over six scoreless innings. He could start as early as Sunday for the A’s. If you own him and he throws a couple good games try to trade him before he gets injured again.

* Kei Igawa will get his first start of the season on Friday against Detroit. He was awful last year and facing the vaunted Tiger offense won’t help him get off to a good start this year.

* Curt Schilling threw on flat ground yesterday but does not have a mound session scheduled yet. He will probably be back sometime after the All-Star break, but no certain timetable has been set.

 
QuickTIPS 

Spot-start candidates:
Jeff Francis vs. St. Louis. Francis has a 4-1 record and a 2.28 ERA in 43.1 IP against the Cards. 

Avoid:
Joe Blanton vs. Baltimore. Blanton has a 5.46 ERA in 29.2 career IP against the O’s.
Brad Penny vs. NY. Penny is 5-11 with a 5.66 ERA in 111.1 IP against the Mets. 

QuickTIP Results 

I said start:
Adam Eaton - L, 4 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 1 K 

I said avoid:
Andy Pettitte - ND, 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K

Tips n' Trends: Wednesday's games

HITTERS:

The Dodgers continue their series versus the New York Mets on Wednesday and it’s the marquis matchup of the three game set. But don’t fret for a second if you have Rafael Furcal. Furcal is 5-for-9 in his limited at bats versus scheduled starter, John Maine. With the way the LA shortstop has been swinging the bat this year, he should be in your lineup everyday, but Wednesday is a definite must. Mike Jacobs is also coming close to being a clear cut, everyday fantasy player. The Marlins’ first basemen has eight homers so far this year and he faces Dave Bush, who is making his first start since being promoted back to the bigs. Another bat that should supply enough offense for two people is Torii Hunter. The Halos’ center fielder is 6-for-19 with a couple of bombs against Kansas City slinger, Zack Grienke. Look for Hunter to lead the Angels in their offensive attack. A hitter that I said to start on Monday, Michael Young — who went 2-for-4, with a double and run scored — should probably be benched if you have a solid backup option. Young faces Erik Bedard on Wednesday and only has two hits in twenty at-bats against the hard throwing lefty. Also leave Austin Kearns on your bench Wednesday if you own him. Kearns and the Nats will be opposed by Roy Oswalt, and Oswalt has had Kearns’ number in the past. Kearns is 6-for-32 with 11 K’s versus the Stros’ ace. It could be a long night at the ballpark for Kearns and the Washington hitters.

PITCHERS:

I’m going to keep rolling with the Toronto Blue Jays staff and trot out Shaun Marcum. Not only have the starters for the Jays pitched well, but the bullpen has also been lights out. If Toronto can muster any kind of offense in the upcoming week, they could find themselves at the top of the East and fighting for a playoff spot. I would say start Marcum against Matt Garza and the Rays. Another pitcher to start is Jon Lieber. Call me crazy, but Leiber is 2-1 with a 1.86 ERA for the Cubs this year. Lieber will throw strikes and has the offense to back him up. He won’t overpower the Reds, but he should pitch well enough to be in line for the win. Opposing the veteran is the Cincy youngster, Edinson Volquez. Volquez, who just continues to rack up the strikeouts and wins, will face his biggest test of the year. It will be the second time the Cubs see the Dominican Dandy and I think Edinson will struggle. It might be a good day to sit Volquez if you have him on your team and you’re monitoring your team’s innings. Two veterans to sit are Mark Buehrle and Vincente Padilla. Buerhle takes on the division rival Twins and Padilla faces the Seattle Mariners. Both the Twinkies and the M’s have lifetime batting averages over .325 against their opposing pitchers. 

Wednesday’s Positive Trends:
Melvin Mora  [career against Joe Blanton]: 5/11, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .455/.455/1.091
Nick Markakis  [career against Joe Blanton: 4/9, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .444/.500/.778
Derek Jeter  [career against Cliff Lee]: 8/17, 3 2B, 4 RBI, .471/.526/.647
John McDonald  [career against Matt Garza]: 2/2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1.000/1.000/2.500
Jose Guillen  [career against Jered Weaver]: 6/16, 2 2B, 4 RBI, .375/.375/.500
Torii Hunter  [career against Zack Greinke]: 6/19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .316/.350/.737
Orlando Cabrera [career against Livan Hernandez]: 10/22, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 SB, .455/.500/.591
Jim Thome  [career against Livan Hernandez]: 6/19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 7 K, .316/.381/.526
Michael Cuddyer [career against Mark Buerhle]: 20/63, 6 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 14 K, .317/.348/.508
Ichiro Suzuki  [career against Vincente Padilla]: 15/26, 1 HR, .577/.607/.769
Adrian Beltre  [career against Vincente Padilla]: 6/27, 4 HR, 13 RBI, .222/.300/.667 

Adam Dunn  [career against Jon Lieber]: 9/27, 3 2B, 2 2B, 6 RBI, .333/.357/.667
Rafael Furcal [career against John Maine]: 5/9, 1 2B, 1 HR, .556/.600/1.000
David Wright [career against Brad Penny]: 9/14, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .643/.684/1.071
Moises Alou  [career against Brad Penny]: 10/24, 2 2B, .417/.440/.500
Chipper Jones [career against Randy Wolf]: 13/40, 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .325/.451/.650
Adrian Gonzalez [career against Tim Hudson]: 5/8, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .625/.625/1.375
Michael Jacobs [career against Dave Bush]: 3/6, 2 2B, 3 RBI, .500/.500/.833
Chase Utley  [career against Micah Owings]: 3/6, 1 HR, .500/.500/1.000 

Wednesday’s Negative Trends:
Johnny Damon  [career against Cliff Lee]: 0/11, 1 K, .000/.083/.000
Robinson Cano  [career against Cliff Lee]: 1/10, 1 K, .100/.100/.100
B.J. Upton  [career against Shaun Marcum]: 0/3, 3 K, .000/.000/.000
Chone Figgins [career against Zack Grienke]: 0/7, 1 K, .000/.000/.000
Juan Uribe  [career against Livan Hernandez]: 3/17, 4 K, .176/.176/.176
Michael Young  [career against Erik Bedard]: 2/20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 K, .100/.100/.300
Gerald Laird [career against Erik Bedard]: 1/13, 3 BB, 4 K, .077/.250/.077 

Carlos Beltran [career against Brad Penny]: 3/15, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 3 K, .200/.200/.333
Khalil Greene [career against Tim Hudson]: 1/7, 1 BB, .143/.250/.143
Austin Kearns  [career against Roy Oswalt]: 6/32, 3 RBI, 11 K, .188/.206/.188

Daily TIPS: Monday's Recap

The Rich Hill issue continues to weigh heavily on my mind. I’ve dropped Hill in my 10-team keeper league and am having serious second thoughts. He was the third pitcher I drafted and he was a guy I was banking on to have a high strikeout, low ERA season — I thought I’d gotten a steal in the 11th round. Deep down, I still think those are attainable goals for Hill this season, which is the root of my angst. To me, there is nothing worse than dropping a player after a slow start only to see him picked up by another team and turn it around. 

Last year it was Brad Hawpe. I drafted him thinking I’d have a nice outfielder who could break out. He then slumped early so I panicked and dropped him. He was quickly picked up and just as quickly started producing. 

So will we really see the same type of turnaround for Hill? Some of his numbers were decent — 4.12 ERA, 6.86 K/9, 13 hits in 19.2 IP. Others, were awful — 18 walks, 1.58 WHIP. In his last three seasons (including minor league numbers) he’s kept his walks per nine innings under 3, which is right where you want it. This sudden change in control most likely means mechanical problem or injury. Since he was sent to the minors instead of the DL I’d lean towards mechanics. Once that gets fixed, you’ll see a return of the control and a return of Hill to the majors with a vast improvement. 

Do you think I can get Hill back on my roster?
 

Elsewhere...

* Max Scherzer’s first big league start didn’t go quite as well as expected — L, 4 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 K. At times he looked dominant, but in the third inning he looked average. He was only credited with two ER, but the error was on a scorched grounder that Stephen Drew couldn’t handle. He did show a consistently mid-90’s fastball and an easy delivery. However, he’s still a rookie pitcher who doesn’t have a rotation spot locked up, so act accordingly with him.

* Quite a pitchers’ duel broke out between the Angels and the Royals. We’ve come to expect good things from Ervin Santana, but the same can’t be said for Brett Tomko. Tomko was marvelous — 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K — but was matched all the way and then some by Santana — W, 9 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 9 K. Santana is now 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.

* Wladimir Balentien hit his second HR and had three RBI last night. He’s hitting in the nine hole but he’s playing every day and remains a decent option to stash on your bench if you have room.

* B.J. Ryan has been cleared to pitch on consecutive days and celebrated by getting his fifth save last night. It wasn’t pretty as he walked three, but he still got the job done. He won’t pitch longer than one inning all year, but he’s off to a good start and can now be considered a mid-level closer.

* According to Brewer GM Doug Melvin, Eric Gagne is going to remain the team’s closer despite five blown saves. Eight of his ten earned runs allowed have come in just three appearances. He also has five of his ten walks in those appearances. The good news is he still has nine saves and a K/9 rate over ten. If you own him in a league that doesn’t count blown saves you’re getting decent value and need to just ride this out.

* Just 26 days after surgery for thyroid cancer Doug Davis has started pitching. He’ll pitch in Triple-A this weekend and then make one more minor league start. If all goes well he’ll be back with the D’Backs before the end of May.

* For the fourth time in seven games the Blue Jays shut out an opponent. It was Dustin McGowan’s turn last night, throwing 7.1 scoreless innings. It’s hard to argue that McGowan, Roy Halladay, Shaun Marcum, and AJ Burnett don’t make up the best starting rotation in baseball.

 
QuickTIPS 

Spot-start candidates:
Adam Eaton at Arizona. Eaton has a 3.80 ERA and better than 2:1 K/BB rate against the D’backs in 85.1 IP. 

Avoid:
Andy Pettitte vs. Cleveland. Pettitte has eight losses and a 4.63 ERA in 105 IP against the Tribe.

Stock Report: Hitters

NOTE: I’ll be looking at some hot and cold hitters on a weekly basis this year, but it’ll be done with a little bit of a twist. I’ll be doing a stock watch on hitters each week — whose stock is up and whose is down. Who should you buy… who should you sell… and who should you hold on to. This ought to help you in your attempts to bolster your rap sheet of grand theft fantasy felonies. (Statistics are current as of games played May 5, 2008) 

This is a different look at the Stock Report this week. I am looking at some recently DLed players as well as some players coming off the DL or just recently called up.

STOCK UP 

Wladimir Balentien, OF – SEA : 2 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB, .238 AVG in 21 AB
Wladimir Balentien was Adam Jones’ running partner in the minors last year and with Jones’ trade to Baltimore they won’t have to fight for a spot in the Seattle OF. He has been a swing and miss guy in the past, not walking much and striking out a lot. The good news is that he’s lowered his Ks from 160 in 2005, to 140 in ’06, down to 105 last year. This year he had six homers and 20 RBI in 63 Triple-A at bats. He’s got five hits in 21 at bats to start this season with Seattle, but two of those hits have been three run shots — including one off of the untouchable Cliff Lee. He’s also increased his steals in the minors the last three years from 9, to 14, to 15. Take a shot at Balentien in all leagues, especially AL-only because he will play nearly everyday with Brad Wilkerson no longer on the team.

Verdict : BUY

Jeff Clement DH/C – SEA : 1 R, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, .176 AVG in 17 AB
Jeff Clement is the other of the Seattle call ups this week that should be looking to make a splash early in 2008. He is eligible at catcher in some leagues, but not all. He should gain catcher eligibility soon if he is not eligible in your league. He’s had a rough first week, but he’s a must have in AL-only leagues, and he should be mixed league viable as well. He will back up Kenji Johjima and get ABs at DH as well. This setup should make him more productive than that other young catcher recently called up (Jarrod Saltalamacchia) because he’ll be getting regular playing time. He hit 20 homers and drove in 80 runs last year in AAA, and he was hitting nearly .400 this year before getting called up.

Verdict : BUY

Curtis Granderson OF – DET : 13 R, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB, .311 AVG in 45 AB
Curtis Granderson sure didn’t waste any time getting going this year did he. After 45 AB he has scored 13 runs, hit five homers, driven in nine, and stolen a base. Don’t worry about the lack of stolen bases. He’ll get the speed going. The encouraging thing for Granderson owners this year is that Graderson has walked ten times and only struck out six. He has shown good discipline and bat control so far this season.

Verdict : HOLD 

Shane Victorino OF – PHI : 9 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB, .243 AVG in 70 AB
Shane Victorino came off the disabled list Tuesday amid rumors that he may have to fight for playing time. He pinch hit in the first two games back and has started the last five games. Don’t worry about his playing time. You really think that the Phillies will sit him down to play Geoff Jenkins? Victorino is 6-for-23 with five runs and a steal since coming back. It was a good sign that he stole a base so soon after coming back to the lineup.

Verdict : HOLD or BUY
 

STOCK DOWN

Alex Rodiriguez 3B - NYY : 14 R, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB, .286 AVG in 91 AB
Alex Rodriguez was the consensus number one pick in fantasy leagues this year. He was also placed on the disabled list earlier this week. ESPN’s Stephania Bell said on the "ESPNEWS Fantasy Insider" show that Rodriguez could be out until the All-Star break. Her bandwagoning colleague, Matthew Berry, also doesn’t expect A-Rod to play before the All-Star break. But I don’t buy it. Berry is notorious for saying crazy stuff so that he can claim to have “called” something correctly when it happens — but most of the time it doesn't. While A-Rod may be out a little longer than his 15-day DL stint, don’t panic to replace him and destroy your season in the process. Expect him to miss at most just one month, since Grade 2 strains can be a month-long thing. He should come back like a ball of fire looking to make up for lost time.

Verdict : HOLD

Jimmy Rollins SS – PHI : 8 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, .308 AVG in 39 AB
Jimmy Rollins sprained his ankle on April 8th against the Mets and was day to day. He missed a game, pinch hit on the 10th, and was supposed to be back after the weekend. Then he was out of the lineup and pinch hit a few more times, the last of which came on April 19th. This was a poorly handled injury. If the Phils had simply placed him on the DL right away, he might’ve been doing his five-category thing as early as last week. As it is now, he’s expected to come off the DL this Thursday. Get him back in the lineup as soon as you can.

Verdict : HOLD or BUY

Troy Tulowitzki SS - COL: 10 R, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB, .152 AVG in 105 AB
“Troy Tulowitzki might have been last year’s rookie of the year if the voters took defense into account. He is a great defender with a terrific arm. This season he’s only hitting .172 in 93 AB with one homer, Wednesday night. He’s got an 83% contact rate but a hit rate slightly below 20%. This should improve greatly this season, as it was 34% last season. He should end up somewhere around .280 with solid power and a decent number of steals. You just hope he doesn’t cross the line from slow start to bad season.” 

That was the paragraph that was supposed to be in last week’s article. Since then Tulo has been diagnosed with a torn quad and is out a lot longer than originally expected. According to his agent, “with the help of God [Tulo] will be back in two months” — but we know how credible agents are. If you’re in a keeper league you have to hold on to him. If it’s a yearly league you’ve got a tough decision. DL him if you can, but if you can’t, you have to be honest about a replacement and about being able to survive with him on your bench.

Verdict : HOLD or SELL 

Josh Willingham OF - FLA: 16 R, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB, .341 AVG in 91 AB
Josh Willingham was having a great start and looked like he was on his way to a breakout campaign with six early season homers and a .341 batting average. He was placed on the DL Friday with a back injury — yes, the same dreaded back injury that plagued him towards the end of last season. If you need the roster spot you can dump him, but DL him if you can. Backs can be iffy, so if you can sell him when he comes back,  do it. Let the risk be someone else’s problem.

Verdict : HOLD or SELL

Tips 'n Trends: Monday's games

HITTERS:

April showers may bring May flowers, but it works both ways in the big leagues. Some of those hitters that got off to excellent starts such as Nate McLouth, Emil Brown, and Mark Reynolds will most like slow down and proven sluggers like Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, and Prince Fielder will start to smash those bombs that we’re all accustomed to. As for Monday, an all-star who you might want to give the day off is David Ortiz. Papi is still battling his sore knee and today he faces Jeremy Bonderman, who has had success against the Boston DH in the past. Francona might even decide to give him the day off to rest. Vernon Wells comes in on Monday a career 4-for-29 hitter against Javier Vazquez, so it could be a tough day for Wells owners. Opposed by Vasquez on Monday is Dustin McGowan, and he has simply overpowered Nick Swisher in the past. Swisher is 1-for-10 with seven punch outs against the righty. With only nine games on Monday it might be tough to sit Wells, Swisher, or Big Papi if you own them, but if you have any other options, I say make the gamble and plug them in. Two hitters who should definitely be in your lineup on Monday are Adrian Beltre and Michael Young. Beltre licks his lips every time he sees Kevin Millwood 60 feet, 6 inches away. Beltre is 19-for-62 (.306 BA) with three dingers off Millwood. Michael Young has terrific numbers against Jarrod Washburn. A career .358 hitter versus Washburn, there is no reason Young will not continue to roll on Monday.

PITCHERS:

It’s not just Beltre that has success against Kevin Millwood, but the entire Seattle lineup has enjoyed days when Millwood is the starter. If you have Millwood on your staff, I suggest sitting him today. It could be a high scoring game in Seattle and I don’t see Millwood finding his way out of the fourth inning. Another pitcher to be aware of on Monday is Joel Pineiro. Pineiro, who was just recently brought off the DL, has struggled at Mile High in his limited action there. The Rockies are starting to show why they are defending National League Champs and I would avoid Pineiro at all cost tonight. Last week, I recommended to start Ervin Santana and enjoy the show, and he pitched well, but today I am saying to give him a rest. As good as Santana is in Anaheim, he’s on the road for this game and I’m not fully convinced his road issues are gone. Plus, Kansas City is a team that has hit Big Erv well; they are 30-for-76 (.395 BA) against the Anaheim hurler. Two pitchers to start on Monday are Oliver Perez and Dustin McGowan. Look for Perez to rack up the K’s against the free swinging Dodgers. Though a bit inconsistent this year, Perez is due for a big outing. McGowan is just one of five starters in Toronto that have been dealing over the past two weeks. Matched up against Javier Vasquez, I see a low scoring and well pitched game from both men — but I like McGowan to come out with the win.

Monday’s Positive Trends:
Gary Sheffield [career against Daisuke Matsuzaka]: 6/10. 2 2B, 1 HR, .600/.600/1.100
Scott Rolen  [career against Javier Vasquez]: 14/54, 3 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, .259/.259/.481
Jose Vidro  [career against Kevin Millwood]: 26/82, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 11 BB, 14 K, .317/.398/.451
Adrian Beltre [career against Kevin Millwood]: 19/62, 3 2B, 3 HR, .306/.328/.500
Richie Sexson  [career against Kevin Millwood]: 14/51, 3 HR 11 RBI, 12 K, .275/.345/.490
Ichiro  [career against Kevin Millwood]: 21/51, 1 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 4 SB, .412/.455/.471
Michael Young  [career against Jarrod Washburn]: 19/53, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .358/.397/.623
Eric Byrnes  [career against Jamie Moyer]: 9/35, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, .257/.297/.600 

Monday’s Negative Trends:
Magglio Ordonez [career against Daisuke Matsuzaka]: 1/7, 1 2B, 4 K, .143/.143/.286
David Ortiz  [career against Jeremy Bonderman]: 4/24, 1 2B, 1HR, 4RBI, 5 K, .167/.310/.333
Kevin Youkilis [career against Jeremy Bonderman]: 0/12, 5 K, .000/.200/.000
Vernon Wells  [career against Javier Vasquez]: 4/29, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 K, .138/.138/.345
Nick Swisher  [career against Dustin McGowan]: 1/10, 7 K, .100/.100/.200
Vladimir Guerrero [career against Brett Tomko]: 1/13, 1 K, .077/.077/.077

Andruw Jones  [career against Oliver Perez]: 6/26, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 K, .240/.345/.400
Rafael Furcal  [career against Oliver Perez]: 4/19, 5 BB, 3 K, .211/.375/.211

Daily TIPS: Weekend Recap

Notes from the weekend... 

* Injuries continue to be major factor this year. The latest to fall is Yovani Gallardo, who tore his ACL and will most likely miss the rest of the year. This means more of Manny Para and  the recently demoted Dave Bush, both of whom have been awful this year.

* What are we to do with Rich Hill? He has now been demoted to Triple-A to try to straighten out his control issues. The good news is he’s allowed less hits than walks. The bad news is he’s allowed 18 walks in 19.2 IP which makes Lou Piniella an unhappy camper. Sadly, I own Hill in two leagues. In the shallow league I’ve dropped him mostly because I’ve only got five other starting pitchers, so I need someone who’s going to pitch in order to reach my weekly minimums. In my deeper league I’m hanging onto him. I think the stint in the minors will do him good and I’m betting he’ll return within a couple of weeks and rebound.

* Aaron Cook moved to 5-1 on the year with another impressive performance — 7.2 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 2 K. He has now allowed less than four runs in every start except his first one. He only has 22 strikeouts, and he’s allowed 19 hits over his last two starts… so there is reason for concern. Consider him a solid spot-starter for now.

* Cristian Guzman had a monster game on Saturday — 4-for-6 with a homer and six RBI — and he continues to put together a great season. However, he’s still available in a lot of leagues because he’s not expected to continue his hot start. If you’re looking for a quick fill-in, he’s a good option to ride while he’s hot.

* In his first start of the season, Scott Kazmir didn’t pitch particularly well — L, 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 K. The five strikeouts are nice but, as always, he needs to control his walks to be effective.

* Ian Kennedy has pitched so poorly this year — 8.37 ERA, 2.03 WHIP — that he’s earned a ticket to Triple-A. Darrell Rasner, who was called up to replace the injured Phil Hughes, pitched a good game — W, 6 IP, 2ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4K. Kei Igawa figures to be called up to fill Kennedy’s spot in the rotation. He’s pitched reasonably well in the minors this year with a 3.86 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 39.2 IP.

* Eric Gagne blew his fifth save of the season on Sunday by allowing two runs in the ninth inning. His ERA is now over six and he has a 1.70 WHIP. Guillermo Mota or Salomon Torres figures to be next in line if Gagne continues to falter.

* B.J. Ryan picked up his fourth save on Saturday and Scott Downs got the save on Sunday for the Jays. If you’re a Ryan owner you can expect this for at least another couple of weeks as they don’t want to use him on back-to-back days or for more than one inning at a time. The good news is he’s pitched effectively — zero earned runs to go with ten strikeouts and three walks. If you own Ryan and have the roster space, handcuff Downs to him until Ryan’s restrictions are lifted.

* In an attempt to find any excuse they can for Andruw Jones’ poor hitting, the Dodgers had his eyes checked. Unfortunately, they checked out just fine. So it’s not his eyes, stance, or allergies. Maybe he’s just not a good hitter anymore.

* Mike Cameron hit two home runs on Sunday giving him three in his first six games. He’s still available in quite a few leagues and always has 20/20 potential.

Tips 'n Trends: Friday's games

HITTERS:

I feel everybody has that one pitcher that has their number. They start out slow, and before they know it, they’re out before they step to the plate. It becomes a mental battle. For instance, Torii Hunter is 0-for-25 lifetime against Roger Clemens with 14 strikeouts. It was never a good day for Torii when he saw Rocket on the hill. The same goes for a couple hitters on Friday. Adrian Beltre is hitless in ten at-bats versus C.C. Sabathia and has the challenge of facing the big lefty today. I would look to benching the Seattle third basemen. Another name to beware of today is the New York captain, Derek Jeter. Jeter is 6-for-26, with 10 K’s, when facing today’s starter, Erik Bedard. Of course, I would bench DJ only if you have a solid backup option. Perhaps Yunel Escobar may be that replacement for the day. Yes, I said it; bench #2 from New York for Yunel Escobar. Escobar faces Edinson Volquez, who is off to a great start, but Yunel has been swinging a hot bat this season — .302 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 18 R, 1 SB. Some other hitters that should get the start for your team today are Bill Hall and Michael Cuddyer. Hall and Cuddyer are two streaky hitters, but today they face pitchers that they are accustomed to handling. Hall faces Roy Oswalt, and he’s a career .351 hitter versus the perennial all-star ace. Cuddyer and the Twinkies are opposed by Mark Buerhle and the Chi-Sox today, and Cuddyer is 20-for-63 (.317 BA) versus Buerhle. I say play the trends and make sure Bill Hall, Michael Cuddyer, and Yunel Escobar are in your lineup today.

PITCHERS:

Two pitchers that I targeted this year in some of my fantasy drafts are John Maine and Jeff Francis. I considered both Maine and Francis as “soft aces” for my team, and for where I was able to grab them in drafts, I felt I was getting great value. But now we are a month into the season and both Francis and Maine have been extremely inconsistent. I think both Maine and Francis will find their groove at some point this season, but I just don’t see it happening today. John Maine faces Micah Owings and the first place D’ Backs and Jeff Francis is up against Brad Penny and the Dodgers, and I would say bench the young hurlers for today. Another pitcher I would leave on the pine is Livan Hernandez. Hernandez has been better than anyone has expected so far this year, but the American League is about to catch up. On Friday Livan faces a Detroit team that includes three hitters that have faced Livan in the past. Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, and Placido Polanco are a combine 42-for-129 (.330 BA) versus Hernandez. Livan is a risky start today at best. Some starters that should get the nod for your team today include Jered Weaver and Kyle Kendrick. Weaver impressed me last Sunday versus Detroit. He was hitting his spots and his velocity was in the low 90’s. I look for Weaver to improve from his previous outing and cruise tonight versus the Baltimore Orioles. Kyle Kendrick is 7-1 at home in his young career and faces a San Francisco team that will struggle to match the offensive output of the Phillies. Kendrick is also matched up with Barry Zito’s replacement, Pat Misch, who will be making his first start of the year on the road. I don’t expect Kendrick to pile up the strike outs, but do I expect a quality start and for him to put one in the win column.

Friday’s Positive Trends:
David Ortiz [career against Edwin Jackson]: 4/9, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, .444/.643/.889
J.D. Drew [career against Edwin Jackson]: 5/12, 3 2B, 3 BB, .417/.533/.667
Jacoby Ellsbury [career against Edwin Jackson]: 4/8, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, .500/.556/.625
Billy Butler  [career against C.C. Sabathia]: 6/15, 2 2B, .400/.471/.533
Vernon Wells  [career against Mark Buerhle]: 13/26, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .500/.533/.692
Magglio Ordonez  [career against Scott Baker]: 10/24, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .417/.440/.750
Curtis Granderson [career against Scott Baker]: 7/23, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .304/.304/.783
Casey Kotchman [career against Jeremy Guthrie]: 2/4, 1 2B, 1 HR, .500/.500/1.500
Michael Young  [career against Joe Blanton]: 8/25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .320/.400/.640

Ken Griffey Jr. [career against Tim Hudson]: 5/17, 1HR, .294/.333/.471
Adam Dunn  [career against Tim Hudson]: 4/9, 1 2B, .444/.500/.556
Freddy Sanchez [career against Matt Chico]: 2/6, 1 2B, 1 HR, .333/.333/1.000
Bill Hall  [career against Roy Oswalt]: 13/37, 4 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .351/.385/.541
Jason Kendall [career against Roy Oswalt]: 15/36, 1 3B, .417/.462/.472
Corey Hart [career against Roy Oswalt]: 4/9, 3 2B, 1 HR, .444/.444/1.111
Aramis Ramirez  [career against Adam Wainwright]: 7/18, 3 2B, 4 RBI, .389/.421/.722
Ryan Theriot  [career against Adam Wainwright]: 6/13, 2 2B, 2 RBI, .462/.462/.615
Matt Holliday  [career against Brad Penny]: 10/35, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, .286/.375/.686
Todd Helton  [career against Brad Penny]: 17/55, 5 2B, 7 RBI, 6 BB, .309/.381/.455
Garrett Atkins  [career against Brady Penny]: 13/34, 2 HR, .382/.475/.559
Juan Pierre  [career against Jeff Francis]: 9/21, 1 2B, 5 SB, .429/.455/.476
Carlos Beltran  [career against Micah Owings]: 1/1, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1.000/1.000/4.000
Connor Jackson  [career against John Maine]: 4/6, 1 2B, .667/.667/.883

Friday’s Negative Trends:
Julio Lugo [career against Edwin Jackson]: 2/14, 0 XBH, 0 RBI, .143/.143/.143
Jason Varitek [career against Edwin Jackson]: 0/9, 5 K, .000/.100/.000
Kevin Youkilis [career against Edwin Jackson]: 1/9, 1 2B, 4 K, .111/.273/.222
John Buck  [career against C.C. Sabathia]: 5/33, 1 2B, 1HR, 10 K’S .152/.263/.273
Derek Jeter [career against Erik Bedard]: 6/26, 10 K’S, .231/.310/.308
Johnny Damon [career against Erik Bedard]: 3/20, .150/.227/.200
Bobby Abreu  [career against Erik Bedard]: 3/17, 4 K’S, 4 BB, .176/.318/.176
Ichiro Suzuki  [career against Chien Ming-Wang]: 4/20, .200/.200/.300
Raul Ibanez  [career against Chien Ming-Wang]: 3/17, 3 RBI, 3 K’S, .176/.167/.235
Lyle Overbay [career against Mark Buerhle]: 0/9, 5 K’S, .000/.000/.000
Alex Rios  [career against Mark Buerhle]: 1/13, 1 HR, .077/.143/.308
Ivan Rodriguez [career against Scott Baker]: 1/16, 2 K’S, .063/.118/.063

Brian Giles [career against Mark Hendrickson]: 2/17, 1 HR, .118/.250/.294
Khalil Greene [career against Mark Hendrickson]: 1/11, 0 XBH, .091/.154/.091
Brandon Phillips [career against Tim Hudson]: 1/8, 1 2B, 1 K’S, .125/.200/.250
Carlos Lee  [career against Carlos Villanueva]: 1/7, 2 RBI, .143/.143/.143
Prince Fielder [career against Roy Oswalt]: 2/22, 5 K’S, .091/.130/.091
James Loney  [career against Jeff Francis]: 1/10, 3 K’S, .100/.182/.100
Andruw Jones  [career against Jeff Francis]: 2/12, 1 HR, 4 K’S, .167/.286/.500