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BY CHRIS STARBONELL
UPDATE! Writer

Every week UPDATE! will be putting together a list of note-worthy performances or events that have transpired in baseball. We’ll let you know what to get excited or nervous about while also providing fantasy insight.

BULLISH

EDDIE GUARDADO, Texas Rangers, RP
Comment: Everyday Eddie is back closing games and fantasy owners looking for saves without the bloated ERA and WHIP ratios should look no further than Guardado. With C.J. Wilson on the disabled list with bone spurs in his elbow, Guardado will assume ninth-inning duties for Texas. Over his last 9 appearances, the 37-year old reliever has a 1.04 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 6 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. He’s probably going to get overlooked in some leagues as his age and the perception that the Rangers’ style of play (lots of offense, little pitching help) will generate limited save opportunities. Yet as of today, the Rangers bullpen has notched 29 saves (a number that would obviously be higher if not for their bullpen bungling in critical spots). If you’re in need of saves, Guardado is a cheap source.

CLAYTON KERSHAW, Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Comment: While his first call-up to the big-leagues this season bordered between disappointing and disastrous, Kershaw’s second shot in the majors has been far more successful. Sure his first start upon his return was disastrous, when he allowed 5 earned runs in 3 innings at Coors Field, but since then, Kershaw has been a different pitcher. Over his last three starts, Kershaw owns a 0.47 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, signs that he may be coming around. Now it should be kept in mind that two of these starts came against light-hitting clubs (Arizona and Washington) and his control might still be an issue as evident by his four walks issued to the Cardinals on Thursday, but Kershaw looks like he might be starting to live up to his hype. Start him in all formats for the time being.

LASTINGS MILLEDGE, Washington Nationals, OF
Comment: Before hitting the disabled list, it looked like Lastings Milledge was just another top-flight hitting prospect who never lived up to his billing. But lately, Milledge has been doing just about everything in his power to help the Nats win some ball games. Over his past 10 games, Milledge is batting .415, with 5 homers, 9 RBI, 8 runs and 2 stolen bases over that span. While he’s this hot, Milledge deserves to start in most fantasy leagues so feel free to keep him active or add him if he’s available. He may prove to be an invaluable asset down the stretch.

BRANDON MORROW, Seattle Mariners, RP
Comment: Are the Mariners actually starting to get a clue? Seattle finally did the right thing with prized arm Brandon Morrow and optioned him to Triple-A this past week to stretch him out and begin the process of converting him to a starter. While his numbers in relief have been outstanding (1-2, 10 saves, 1.47 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 47 strikeouts in 36.2 innings this year), the guy’s got top-of-the-rotation stuff and will be of much greater use to Seattle as a starter so that they don’t have to trot out the likes of Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista. He may only get 5-7 starts this year when he does return, but fantasy owners with the roster flexibility will want to keep him stashed away as he could be a big boost to your pitching staff in September.

BEARISH

RYAN BRAUN, Milwaukee Brewers, OF
Comment: Easily a cornerstone player on any fantasy team that owns him, Ryan Braun has been a beast this season. Unfortunately, those of you that roster him may be feeling the pain for the rest of 2008. Braun left Saturday’s game with what appeared to be back issues, but now we know that he’s dealing with spasms on both sides of his ribcage. The most troubling aspect of this injury is Braun’s reaction to it, “Whenever you experience or feel something that you haven’t felt before, it’s obviously a little bit scary.” When he first felt the discomfort, Braun stated he could not even breathe and yesterday he could not swing a bat. Fantasy owners have no choice but to hold onto him and hope for the best, but this sounds like trouble.

CHRIS CARPENTER, St. Louis Cardinals, SP
Comment: Poor Chris Carpenter. He spends over a year rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery and just when it looks like he is poised to pick up his innings, he leaves Sunday’s game against the Cubs in the sixth inning strained right triceps. Before leaving the contest, he had a 1.88 ERA in his three starts. While this injury has nothing to do with his surgically repaired elbow, fantasy owners should still be worried. Any additional arm ailment afflicting a pitcher coming back from Tommy John Surgery cannot be good and the Cardinals will no doubt play it safe with the 2005 NL Cy Young. Keep him benched this week, but if he has to miss any significant time, mixed leaguers may be forced to drop Carpenter.

JUSTIN DUCHSCHERER, Oakland Athletics, SP
Comment: While he still has a real shot at winning the AL Cy Young award and still leads all of baseball in ERA, the wheels may be starting to fall off on the Justin Duchscherer ride. Over his last three starts, he’s gone 0-2 with a 6.88 ERA and 2.06 WHIP. He’s never pitched this many innings in his major-league career and the workload could be setting him up for bumpy roads ahead. If the trade deadline in your league has yet to pass, it may be wise to aggressively shop Duchscherer in a package deal to try to get what you can for him before his value starts to really drop.

KOSUKE FUKUDOME, Chicago Cubs, OF
Comment: He started off his inaugural MLB season as a cult hero in Chicago, stepping up as a vital piece of the Cubs’ early success in 2008. Yet as the season has wore on, Fukudome’s offensive contributions have slipped considerably and now his playing time may be in jeopardy. Manager Lou Piniella has stated that if the Japanese import continues to struggle at the plate, he will have to look at other options to steal at-bats, spelling certain doom for Fukudome’s fantasy prospects if he can’t get his act together. Should he start entering platoon territory, you should have no reservations cutting ties with him altogether as, this late in the season, dead weight on a fantasy roster could be the difference between being a champion or an also-ran.

BUST

CLAY BUCHHOLZ, Boston Red Sox, SP
Comment: Once considered an outstanding sleeper pick for fantasy leagues, Buchholz has endured a nightmarish 2008. While his curve-ball is still impressive, he’s had plenty of trouble getting major-league hitters out this season. His 6.32 ERA and 1.73 WHIP would not be numbers accepted by fantasy owners for virtually every other pitcher, so why should Buchholz get any special treatment? At this time of the year, you should not feel obligated to hold onto him unless you are in a keeper league. Feel free to toss him on the waiver wire heap.

CHUCK JAMES, Atlanta Braves, SP
Comment: Once upon a time (2006 to be exact) Chuck James looked on the verge of becoming a legitimate no. 3 starter for fantasy teams, capable of providing solid all-around numbers as a great source of pitching depth. But shoulder problems have derailed a once-promising career for the Braves pitcher. Since the start of 2007, James has sported a 13-15 record with a 4.99 ERA and a staggering 42 homers allowed in 191 innings pitched. Until he has surgery to get this shoulder straightened out, there is no reason to have faith. Those of you who took a flier on him upon hearing he was returning to the big leagues should have no qualms releasing James.

JASON VARITEK, Boston Red Sox, C

Comment: Varitek batted ninth over the weekend for the first time this year and while he was once a fantasy stalwart at the backstop position in years past, it is time to ignore him in all leagues. He’s hitting just .219 in 2008 with a measley .308 OBP and while his defense and pitch handling skills have remained impressive, his numbers at the plate are hard to stomach. Varitek has suffered through arguably the worst offensive campaign of his career, but while manager Terry Francona and Red Sox Nation stand firmly behind their beloved captain, fantasy owners have hopefully seen that this guy just does not cut it anymore. He’s probably not on anyone’s roster, but do not even feel the need to spot-start him, he’s going to do more harm than good.

C.J. WILSON, Texas Rangers, RP

Comment: As if suffering a fair share of mound implosions in 2008 was not enough, Wilson had the nerve to undermine his manager, Ron Washington, by casually flipping the ball in the air to him when he was pulled from yet another rough outing Tuesday against New York. He then hit the disabled list immediately after the game and is likely not going to be seen again this year. He owns a 6.02 ERA this season, his teammates are peeved at him, his manager looked like he wanted to sock him and fantasy owners that bought into Wilson are hurling expletives at their computer screen. If this guy isn’t a bust, nobody is.