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
Off topic, but how much longer is Hoffman's leash in San Diego?
Posted by: Doc | May 27, 2008 at 02:33 PM
Trevor Hoffman is interesting. The future hall of famer is on a bad team and is not the same closer he was in the '90s. That being said, the last of their problems are in the bullpen. They are not going to send Hoffman to Cooperstown that way and he will be there barring injury. If you have the extra spot, feel free to pick up Heath Bell, but Hoffman should be the man in San Diego for the rest of this year. In fact, I just traded for him in one of my leagues.
Posted by: Andrew Marcus | May 27, 2008 at 03:37 PM
Great insight. Thanks, Andrew!
Posted by: Doc | May 28, 2008 at 07:34 AM
One other player I'm interested in your thoughts on is Justin Upton. Upton had been my bench player, but has seriously tanked this past month. Is he slumping, or just back to earth?
Posted by: Doc | May 28, 2008 at 07:36 AM
Upton has all the talent in the world, but is still too young to put it all together. All year you will see glimpses of what he is capable of, but by the end of the year the slumps will be visible in his final stats. I think he falls in tier with outfielders such as Delmon Young, Jeff Francouer, and Raul Ibanez.This year he is a good third outfielder in a 12 team league. But down the road, look for him to rake.
Andrew Marcus
Posted by: Andrew Marcus | May 28, 2008 at 11:00 AM