The Lineup

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BY CHRIS STARBONELL
UPDATE! Writer

Every week, The Lineup will help you figure out who to start, sit and watch. Facts don’t lie and The Lineup is full of ‘em. Here is your weekly digest of everything fantasy baseball. Projections for the week of 7/21/08-7/27/08. All stats up to and including 7/17/08.

*Note: Due to the minimal number of games over the past 7 days, this week’s edition of The Lineup will not feature a Who’s Hot/Who’s Not section.

Start ‘Em

GERALD LAIRD

Texas Rangers, C

Comment: Saltalamacchia failed to seize the no. 1 job while Laird was out. Expect Laird to perform well this week based on his 2008 road numbers: .330 AVG, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 17 R in 25 games.

YADIER MOLINA

St. Louis Cardinals, C

Comment: Molina has been heating up in July, batting .405 this month.

PAUL KONERKO

Chicago White Sox, 1B

Comment: Konerko should be of use this week as he has put up good numbers against the Tigers and Rangers this year: .282 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 8 R over 11 games.

ADAM LaROCHE

Pittsburgh Pirates, 1B

Comment: Over his past 13 games, LaRoche has put up gaudy stats: .455 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R.

RAY DURHAM

San Francisco Giants, 2B

Comment: His 2008 performance thus far versus Arizona and Washington make him start-worthy this week: 325 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, and 8 R in 40 at-bats.

AKINORI IWAMURA

Tampa Bay Rays, 2B

Comment: Worth a look this week based on his career numbers against Kansas City and Oakland: .339 AVG, 6 RBI, and 9 R in 14 games.

MIKE AVILES

Kansas City Royals, SS
Comment: Has been tremendous at home this season: .342 AVG, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 11 R, and 3 SB in 19 games.

DAVID ECKSTEIN

Toronto Blue Jays, SS
Comment: Productive numbers this season when facing Baltimore and Seattle: .381 AVG, 6 RBI, 6 R, and 1 SB in 12 contests.

PEDRO FELIZ

Philadelphia, Phillies, 3B
Comment: If nothing else, Feliz should be able to provide a power boost as he has hit 4 homers with 9 RBI this season in 19 games against the Mets and Braves.

TROY GLAUS

St. Louis Cardinals, 3B

Comment: Glaus has had his way with the pitching of the Mets and Brewers in 2008: .368 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R in 13 games.

BEN FRANCISCO

Cleveland Indians, OF
Comment: Bat finally starting to come around as evident by his past 12 games: .319 AVG, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 11 R.

ADAM LIND

Toronto Blue Jays, OF
Comment: Lind is raking in July: .385 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, and 7 R in 11 games.

SHANE VICTORINO

Philadelphia Phillies, OF
Comment: He’ll be a handy player to have this week based on his numbers this season against the Mets and Braves: .271 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 14 R, 3 SB in 16 games.

RANDY WINN

San Francisco Giants, OF
Comment: Good week to trot him out there based on his 2008 numbers against Arizona and Washington: .298 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R, 4 SB in 12 games.

ZACK GREINKE

Kansas City Royals, SP
Comment: Has dominated Detroit this season, allowing just 3 earned runs in 2 starts this season while owning a 7-4 record and 3.14 ERA lifetime against the Tigers.

JEREMY GUTHRIE

Baltimore Orioles, SP

Comment: In 5 career starts against Toronto, Guthrie is just 1-0, but he has also twirled a 2.65 ERA and 0.88 WHIP against the Blue Jays.

ANDY PETTITTE

New York Yankees, SP
Comment: Expect Pettitte to deliver against the Red Sox this week as he is 15-7 lifetime against Boston with a 3.61 ERA.

JERED WEAVER

Los Angeles Angels, SP
Comment: Weaver can be maddeningly inconsistent at times, but when he faces the Orioles, it’s all gravy: 2-1, 1.71 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 16 SO in 21 IP.

Sit ‘Em

JASON VARITEK

Boston Red Sox, C
Comment: In 44 at-bats against the Yankees and Mariners this season, Varitek is hitting a paltry .182 with 0 homers and 11 strikeouts.

KURT SUZUKI

Oakland Athletics, C
Comment: 2008 numbers versus Tampa Bay and Texas do not bode well for Suzuki this week: .205 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, and 0 SB in 12 games.

RYAN GARKO

Cleveland Indians, 1B

Comment: Batting .222 with 0 homers, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored this year in 11 games against the Angels and Twins.

KEVIN MILLAR

Baltimore Orioles, 1B

Comment: Hitting just .209 against the Blue Jays and Angels this season and is batting at just a .244 clip in July.

ROBINSON CANO

New York Yankees, 2B

Comment: Cano is hitting just .222 against Boston and Minnesota in 2008 with 0 homers in 13 contests.

JOSE LOPEZ

Seattle Mariners, 2B

Comment: Has mustered a .156 batting average this year against the Blue Jays and Red Sox with 14 strikeouts in 11 games.

YUNEL ESCOBAR

Atlanta Braves, SS
Comment: On the road in 2008, Escobar has been somewhat of a dud: .253 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 18 R, 1 SB in 40 games.

MIGUEL TEJADA

Houston Astros, SS
Comment: Tejada’s early season dominance is an afterthought and he is batting just .179 in 15 games against the Pirates and Brewers this year.

EDWIN ENCARNACION

Cincinnati Reds, 3B

Comment: Batting .230 at home this season and is scheduled to see right-handed starting pitchers in all but one game this week (he sports a .237 batting average against righties).

ALEX GORDON

Kansas City Royals, 3B
Comment: Hitting just .129 this year against the Tigers and Rays with 8 strikeouts in 31 at-bats.

DAVID DeJESUS

Kansas City Royals, OF
Comment: He’s having a very good season, but avoid him this week as he has struggled with Detroit and Tampa Bay in 2008: .192 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, and 0 SB in 8 games.

KOSUKE FUKUDOME

Chicago Cubs, OF
Comment: He started the season off so well, but many are giving him a pass based on his recent struggles despite a .167 average and 20 strikeouts over his past 15 games.

MARK KOTSAY

Atlanta Braves, OF
Comment: Pathetic stat-line this season versus Florida and Philadelphia: .152 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB in 9 games.

GARY SHEFFIELD

Detroit Tigers, OF
Comment: We’ve all seen how streaky (for better or worse) Sheffield can be. Unless/until he gets it going, leave him off your active roster.

JON LESTER

Boston Red Sox, SP

Comment: In 4 career starts against the Yankees and Mariners, Lester has discouraging numbers: 1-0, 6.35 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 20 SO in 22.2 IP.

RICKY NOLASCO

Florida Marlins, SP
Comment: Nolasco was shelled in his two starts against Atlanta this season, taking losses in both with a 11.32 ERA and 7 homers allowed in 10.1 innings.

ERVIN SANTANA

Los Angeles Angels, SP
Comment: Santana has never won against the Indians in 6 starts while posting a 6.59 ERA and 1.83 WHIP.

JUSTIN VERLANDER

Detroit Tigers, SP
Comment: In 11 career starts against the White Sox, Verlander is just 2-6 with a 5.45 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 67.2 innings.

Go Figure

17- Total number of saves this season for Los Angeles Dodgers RP Takashi Saito. He is going to be shut down for at least 6 weeks and is yet another example of why you do not invest too much into closers during fantasy drafts.

10- Kyle Lohse became the third hurler in St. Louis Cardinals history to have 10 wins by the All-Star break.

3- Errors committed and strikeouts made by Florida Marlins 2B Dan Uggla in Tuesday night’s All-Star game.

1- Chicago Cubs SP Ryan Dempster took his first loss at home on Sunday after opening the season 10-0 at Wrigley Field.

Prospect Watch

CARLOS CARRASCO, Philadelphia Phillies, SP
Comment: Carrasco has the tools to be an ace in the majors for years to come. Pitching in the first inning of the Futures Game over All-Star weekend, Carrasco fanned two in an impressive showing. The 21-year old top prospect has impressed scouts with a fastball that can touch 94-95 (a velocity he has reached even in late innings) and he is even working on improving a slider, but his main weapon in his repertoire is his change-up. Carrasco can baffle hitters with his change and has shown the propensity to become a strikeout pitcher with it. The main knock on him, as with many young pitchers, is control. He’s walked 39 batters in 99 Double-A innings in 2008 and will need to improve his command in order to reach his full potential. He is still a year or two away from the majors, but has made strides this season in his eventual ascension to the big-leagues. This is a talent you are going to be hearing more about in 2009 and beyond.

Key Match-up

Philadelphia Phillies @ New York Mets

They are virtually neck-and-neck right now and this week, the Mets and Phillies will do battle as each team tries to gain an edge in the NL East division race. The Mets have been surging of late as the Phillies starting pitching woes are starting to catch up to them. Unlike last season, when Philadelphia owned New York during their regular season match-ups 12-6, the Mets are the ones dominating, leading the season series this year 7-3. This rivalry has reached a boiling point as anyone who has been to a game between these two clubs recently can attest to and these teams should be amped up for this series. Adam Eaton, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer toe the hill for the Phillies while the scheduled starters for the Mets are Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and John Maine.