The Lineup

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 August 8-24. All stats up to and including August 14.

Who’s Hot

BATTERS

MARLON BYRD

Texas Rangers, OF
Stats: .519 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 0 SB
Comment: Byrd’s season batting average has soared upward with his hot play of late.

IAN KINSLER

Texas Rangers, 2B

Stats: .435 AVG, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 1 SB

Comment: Broke out of his slump in style this week and is bound to enter 2009 as arguably the no. 1 ranked fantasy second baseman.

DAVID WRIGHT

New York Mets, 3B

Stats: .367 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 0 SB
Comment: Wright is currently on pace to reach a career-high in RBI totals this season.

PITCHERS

PAUL MAHOLM

Pittsburgh Pirates, SP
Stats: 1-0, 1.20 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 15 SO
Comment: Continues to impress on the mound and has notched quality starts in 9 of his last 11 outings.

DAVID PURCEY

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Stats: 1-1, 2.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12 SO

Comment: Start to his big-league career started off on the wrong foot, but last two starts have him going in the right direction.

KEVIN SLOWEY

Minnesota Twins, SP

Stats: 2-0, 1.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 3 SO

Comment: Has surrendered a run in the first inning just once in his 18 starts in 2008.

Who’s Not

BATTERS

PAT BURRELL

Philadelphia Phillies, OF
Stats: .095 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB
Comment: Burrell, who’s enjoying a good season, has been struggling at the plate in August.

ADAM DUNN

Arizona Diamondbacks, OF
Stats: .167 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB

Comment: Trade should help the D-backs plenty, but it remains to be seen what it means to Dunn’s fantasy value.

KEN GRIFFEY Jr.

Chicago White Sox, OF
Stats: .188 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB

Comment: Griffey has not worked out the way GM Kenny Williams had hoped.

PITCHERS

CLAY BUCHHOLZ

Boston Red Sox, SP
Stats: 0-1, 15.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 4 SO

Comment: Disappointing 2008 may come to an end as Paul Byrd takes his spot in the rotation.

CESAR JIMENEZ

Seattle Mariners, RP
Stats: 0-0, 54.00 ERA, 7.50 WHIP, 0 SO

Comment: Rough week for 23-year old reliever included a blown save on Saturday versus the Rays.

BARRY ZITO

San Francisco Giants, SP

Stats: 0-2, 9.28 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 7 SO

Comment: Reached a career-high when he took his 15^th loss of 2008 this week against Houston.

Start ‘Em

IVAN RODRIGUEZ

New York Yankees, C

Comment: Pudge is hitting .448 this season against the Orioles and Blue Jays in 8 contests.

CHRIS SNYDER

Arizona Diamondbacks, C

Comment: You could do a lot worse than Synder this week, who is batting .291 against the Marlins and Padres this year with 3 homers and 8 RBI in 11 games.

CARLOS DELGADO

New York Mets, 1B

Comment: Delgado makes a fine start this week based on his 2008 stats versus Atlanta and Houston: .333 AVG, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R in 39 at-bats.

ADAM LaROCHE

Pittsburgh Pirates, 1B

Comment: His return to the Pirates should be music to fantasy owners’ ears as LaRoche is a career .304 hitter in August and September with 34 homers in 668 at-bats.

ASDRUBAL CABRERA

Cleveland Indians, 2B

Comment: Don’t look now, but Cabrera is batting .310 in August and is hitting .296 overall in the second-half.

JEFF KENT

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2B

Comment: Manager Joe Torre has moved Kent to third in the lineup and appears to be sticking with him there. The 40 year old two-bagger’s numbers in the three-hole this season are worth noting: .313 AVG, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 12 R in 25 games.

NOMAR GARCIAPARRA

Los Angeles Dodgers, SS
Comment: Activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, hits a walk-off homer on Wednesday. Garciaparra has shown that he can produce when healthy so take a flier on him while he’s on the field.

CESAR IZTURIS

St. Louis Cardinals, SS
Comment: Izturis makes for a pretty good stop-gap option this week if you need help with your team’s batting average as he is hitting .455 since August 5^th.

KEVIN KOUZMANOFF

San Diego Padres, 3B

Comment: Since the start of July, Kouzmanoff has been one of the more productive third basemen in fantasy: .297 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 18 R in 37 games.

IAN STEWART

Colorado Rockies, 3B

Comment: The power is very real and with the way he has been driving runners in, Colorado may feel tempted to dangle Garrett Atkins to potential suitors in the off-season.

DARIN ERSTAD

Houston Astros, OF
Comment: Taking advantage of everyday at-bats with Carlos Lee out so those of you in need of outfield help should consider Erstad.

CHASE HEADLEY

San Diego Padres, OF
Comment: Since August 5^th, Headley’s bat has started to come around: .433 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 1 SB in 9 games.

RAUL IBANEZ

Seattle Mariners, OF

Comment: Ibanez has been white-hot in August: .392 AVG, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 9 R in 12 games.

VERNON WELLS

Toronto Blue Jays, OF
Comment: Quietly returned from the disabled list on Sunday and Wells may very well be a nice sleeper heading into the final weeks. Add him now before others take notice.

MARK BUEHRLE

Chicago White Sox, SP
Comment: Draws two home starts this week, where he is 7-3 this year with a 2.72 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.

A.J. BURNETT

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Comment: Burnett absolutely owns the Red Sox, whom he is 4-0 against lifetime with a 1.98 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.

JAIR JURRJENS

Atlanta Braves, SP
Comment: Jurrjens faces the Mets this week, whom he’s already beaten twice this season in 2 games, during which he posted a 2.77 ERA.

JUSTIN VERLANDER

Detroit Tigers, SP
Comment: As awful as Verlander has been, he should atone for some of his actions this week as he has owned Kansas City in his career: 6-1, 2.69 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 51 SO in 63.2 innings.

Sit ‘Em

RUSSELL MARTIN

Los Angeles Dodgers, C
Comment: Martin is enduring an August to forget: .222 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 9 R, 1 SB.

BENGIE MOLINA

San Francisco Giants, C

Comment: It’s okay to sit Molina this week as he is batting just .259 at home in 2008.

LYLE OVERBAY

Toronto Blue Jays, 1B

Comment: Overbay is batting just .196 in August and the last two months of the season are historically his worst.

CARLOS PENA

Tampa Bay Rays, 1B

Comment: Pena has launched 0 homers and scored no runs against the White Sox and Angels in 9 games this season.

CHRIS BURKE

Arizona Diamondbacks, 2B

Comment: Former Astros sleeper is now getting full-time at-bats with O-Dawg on the DL, but he’s never put it together with everyday duties before. No reason to think this time will be any different.

KAZUO MATSUI

Houston Astros, 2B

Comment: Just as he was surging at the plate, Matsui suffers a stiff back. Keep the fragile second baseman reserved this week as history has shown that injuries tend to linger with the Japanese import.

ERICK AYBAR

Los Angeles Angels, SS
Comment: Aybar faces some good pitching this week as the Angels face the rotations of Tampa Bay and Minnesota, whom he is hitting .143 against in 2008.

JEFF KEPPINGER

Cincinnati Reds, SS
Comment: As hot as his April was, his August has been a nightmare for Keppinger: .167 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB.

JORGE CANTU

Florida Marlins, 3B

Comment: August has not been kind to the potential NL Comeback Player of the Year: .212 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R.

ANDY LaROCHE

Pittsburgh Pirates, 3B

Comment: While many in the fantasy community were initially intrigued by the idea of LaRoche finally getting regular playing time in Pittsburgh, interest has waned as he has stunk at the plate for the Bucs and is dealing with a thumb injury.

RYAN BRAUN

Milwaukee Brewers, OF
Comment: This back ailment should have forced fantasy owners to find replacements for Braun by now as it is still hard to determine when he can get back in the Brewers’ lineup. Hold onto him, but prepare for the worst just in case.

JAY BRUCE

Cincinnati Reds, OF
Comment: Going through another slump and it may be best to just cut ties with Bruce as he does not look like he will have a huge impact the rest of the way in 2008.

MELKY CABRERA

New York Yankees, OF
Comment: With the Yankees desperate for offense, expect to see the Melk-man riding the pine in the coming weeks as the weak-armed Johnny Damon resumes center-field duties.

JOSE GUILLEN

Kansas City Royals, OF
Comment: Offensive output has completely hit the skids as the streaky Guillen struggles at the dish.

FAUSTO CARMONA

Cleveland Indians, SP
Comment: Gave up 6 earned runs in 2 innings during his start against Texas this season and he is 1-3 against them lifetime.

JOHN MAINE

New York Mets, SP
Comment: Though Maine has a couple of easy starts this week on paper (Houston and Pittsburgh), his shoulder is still sore and he’s just too risky a play.

ANDY PETTITTE

New York Yankees, SP
Comment: Pass on Pettitte this week as he is 16-10 for his career against the Blue Jays with a ho-hum 4.16 ERA.

ANDY SONNANSTINE

Tampa Bay Rays, SP

Comment: Sonnanstine is going to face two tough offenses this week when he matches-up against Chicago and Los Angeles.

Go Figure

147- With two whiffs in Sunday’s game, Arizona Diamondbacks 3B Mark Reynolds surpassed the franchise record for strikeouts (145) set by Troy Glaus in 2005.

24- Earned runs surrendered by Detroit Tigers SP Justin Verlander over his past 4 starts. So much for getting better as the season goes on.

7- Consecutive starts made by Philadelphia Phillies SP Cole Hamels without a win, despite a 3.60 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 45 innings.

5- Consecutive games Chicago White Sox OF Carlos Quentin has been hit by a pitch between August 7^th and 11^th.

Prospect Watch

TRAVIS SNIDER, Toronto Blue Jays, OF
Comment: One of the best outfield prospects in baseball, Snider could make an impact in fantasy leagues in September if Toronto packs it in. Recently promoted to Triple-A Syracuse (possibly a sign that the Blue Jays are considering calling him up next month), Snider has displayed an ability to drive the ball as evident in his 22 home runs and 28 doubles this year in the minors. The Blue Jays organization loves him for his maturity, but understand that he will need to work on recognizing breaking pitches and cutting down on the strikeouts before he will fully blossom into a star. The 20-year old projects as a perennial 30-home run in his prime, but if he can make the right adjustments to the majors, he could become a household name sooner than later.

Key Match-up

Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays

Two of the best teams in the American League square off this week in match-up that could very well be a playoff preview. The Rays come into this series limping as Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford were both placed on the disabled list this week. The Angels, on the other hand, have been firing on all cylinders lately, getting big hits, superb defense and top-notch pitching. These teams share a lot of similarities. Both squads rely on superior defense, a well balanced offensive lineup and sound pitching (in the rotation and bullpen). Tampa Bay currently leads the season series 4-2. The scheduled starting pitchers for the Angels are Jon Garland, Ervin Santana and Jered Weaver while the Rays are sending Andy Sonnanstine, James Shields and Matt Garza to the hill.

The Lineup

 

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 Aug. 4-10. All stats up to and including July 31.

 

Who’s Hot

 

BATTERS

TORII HUNTER

Los Angeles Angels, OF
Stats: .393 AVG, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R, 0 SB

Comment: With his play in the field and at the plate, Hunter has been worth every penny since the Angels signed him in the off-season.

 

ALBERT PUJOLS

St. Louis Cardinals, 1B

Stats: .400 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, 1 SB

Comment: Torrid week includes a 5-hit game against the Mets on Saturday.

 

SHANE VICTORINO

Philadelphia Phillies, OF
Stats: .440 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 4 SB

Comment: The Flying Hawaiian, quietly but effectively, has been putting up numbers that are on pace to best his breakout 2007 season.

 

PITCHERS

CHAD BILLINGSLEY

Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Stats: 2-0, 1.08 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 12 SO

Comment: Earned his first career complete game with a shutout of the Giants on Wednesday.

 

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN

New York Yankees, SP
Stats: 2-0, 0.69 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 15 SO

Comment: Somebody tell Goose Gossage to shut up already, Joba clearly belongs in the rotation.

 

GIL MECHE

Kansas City Royals, SP
Stats: 1-0, 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 8 SO

Comment: Has now won three straight starts, allowing just 2 runs over that stretch.

 

Who’s Not

 

BATTERS

JEFF KENT

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2B

Stats: .261 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB

Comment: The former doubles-machine is having trouble driving the ball in what could be his last hurrah.

 

PAUL KONERKO

Chicago White Sox, 1B

Stats: .150 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB

Comment: 32-year old slugger may be seeing more of the bench as the season wears on.

 

MIKE LOWELL

Boston Red Sox, 3B

Stats: .174 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB

Comment: Has been tanking in the second-half thus far in 2008.

 

PITCHERS

TODD JONES

Detroit Tigers, RP

Stats: 0-1, 11.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 1 SO

Comment: Before landing on the DL, Jones decided to reward his fantasy owners by imploding and losing the closer’s gig this week.

 

KYLE LOHSE

St. Louis Cardinals, SP
Stats: 0-1, 12.60 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 2 SO

Comment: Could his poor start against the Mets (which included three homers allowed) be the beginning of Lohse coming down to Earth in 2008?

 

MICAH OWINGS

Arizona Diamondbacks, SP
Stats: 0-1, 24.00 ERA, 2.67 WHIP, 2 SO

Comment: He should have been demoted a start or two ago, but Monday’s start against the Giants was the final straw for Owings.

 

 

Start ‘Em

 

JESUS FLORES

Washington Nationals, C

Comment: Flores is worth a play this week based on his road numbers in 2008: .295 AVG, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 13 R in 105 at-bats.

 

RAMON HERNANDEZ

Baltimore Orioles, C

Comment: Hernandez has been on a tear since July 19^th: .393 AVG, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R.

 

CHRIS DAVIS

Texas Rangers, 1B

Comment: Davis has collected 4 doubles and 3 homers while batting .425 over his last 9 games.

 

AUBREY HUFF

Baltimore Orioles, 1B

Comment: Over his past 9 games, Huff is hitting .486 with 3 homers, 11 RBI and 8 runs.

 

PLACIDO POLANCO

Detroit Tigers, 2B

Comment: Over his last 10 games, Polanco has picked up his production: .354 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 14 R, 2 SB.

 

ALEXEI RAMIREZ

Chicago White Sox, 2B

Comment: Since July 12^th, Ramirez is batting .345 with 2 homers, 9 RBI and 10 runs.

 

CRISTIAN GUZMAN

Washington Nationals, SS
Comment: On the road in 2008, Guzman has been worth starting in fantasy leagues: .322 AVG, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 31 R, 2 SB in 50 games.

 

RYAN THERIOT

Chicago Cubs, SS
Comment: Closed out July with strong numbers for the month: .342 AVG, 9 RBI, 13 R, 3 SB in 108 at-bats.

 

OMAR INFANTE

Atlanta Braves, 3B

Comment: Since Chipper Jones went down with a hamstring injury, Infante has really stepped up his play: .394 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R in 7 games.

 

RAMON VAZQUEZ

Texas Rangers, 3B

Comment: With Blalock going back on the disabled list, Vazquez will return to a being an everyday starter. He’s batting .329 with 6 bombs, 37 RBI and 39 runs in 59 games starting for Texas this season.

 

GARRET ANDERSON

Los Angeles Angels, OF
Comment: Few have been as hot as Anderson since the All-Star break: .429 AVG, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 10 R in 13 games.

 

MATT KEMP

Los Angeles Dodgers, OF
Comment: Kemp should continue to get pretty regular at-bats with LA since he has been their best offensive player this season. He’s been on fire lately and with Manny’s bat now in the lineup, Kemp could see an uptick in his production.

 

HUNTER PENCE

Houston Astros, OF
Comment: Pence is hitting at a sick .458 since July 25^th, homering twice in the process.

 

WILLY TAVERAS

Colorado Rockies, OF
Comment: Streaky Taveras is on a roll, batting .387 and swiping 7 bases in his last 7 games.

 

AARON COOK

Colorado Rockies, SP
Comment: Cook owns outstanding career numbers versus San Diego and Washington: 11-3, 2.44 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 54 SO in 143.2 innings.

 

GAVIN FLOYD

Chicago White Sox, SP
Comment: Floyd’s terrific home numbers this season make him a must-start anytime he plays in US Cellular Field: 7-2, 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 60 SO in 76 innings.

 

UBALDO JIMENEZ

Colorado Rockies, SP
Comment: Cruising on the mound lately and draws a favorable match-up against Washington, who he held to 3 earned runs across 2 starts last year.

 

MANNY PARRA

Milwaukee Brewers, SP
Comment: Despite going through a bit of a rough patch, Parra’s two contests this week against the Nationals and Reds (two light-hitting teams) make him a strong option to start.

 

 

Sit ‘Em

BRANDON INGE

Detroit Tigers, C

Comment: With the trade of Ivan Rodriguez to New York, Inge takes over as the starting catcher for Detroit. Fantasy owners should not feel the need, however, to add Inge just because he plays for the Tigers as he has been a fairly inadequate fantasy option in his career.

 

DIONER NAVARRO

Tampa Bay Rays, C

Comment: Navarro’s lifetime numbers against the Mariners and Indians do not bode well for this week: .213 AVG, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, 0 SB in 24 games.

 

DAVID ORTIZ

Boston Red Sox, 1B

Comment: Ortiz’s value could take a hit with Manny out of town as Ramirez’s protection led to better pitches to hit for Big Papi. Couple that with Ortiz’s .221 batting average on the road and you have reason enough to bench the burly-batsman.

 

JOEY VOTTO

Cincinnati Reds, 1B
Comment: Has yet to homer since the All-Star break and is batting .250 over his past 13 games.

 

BRIAN ROBERTS

Baltimore Orioles, 2B

Comment: Since the All-Star break, Roberts has put up bum-like numbers: .208 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 7 R, 0 SB in 13 games.

 

MARK DeROSA

Chicago Cubs, 2B

Comment: DeRosa is hitting at a lame .160 clip over his past 7 games.

 

BRENDAN HARRIS

Minnesota Twins, SS

Comment: Stumbling out of the gate in the second-half, batting at a .229 clip in 10 games.

 

J.J. HARDY

Milwaukee Brewers, SS
Comment: Hardy is stuck in a 2-for-21 slump and it appears his hot streak has come to an unceremonious end.

 

ADRIAN BELTRE

Seattle Mariners, 3B

Comment: Sitting on a .224 batting average at home this season.

 

BILL HALL

Milwaukee Brewers, 3B

Comment: Owns a .148 batting average over his last 7 contests and Hall has registered just 1 double since July 13^th.

 

ANDRE ETHIER

Los Angeles Dodgers, OF

Comment: With the arrival of Manny Ramirez, there is only so much playing time to go around and Ethier is at risk to lose a lot of at-bats.

 

COREY HART

Milwaukee Brewers, OF
Comment: If you have options in your outfield, bench Hart who has struggled big-time since the All-Star break: .240 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R in 12 games.

 

LASTINGS MILLEDGE

Washington Nationals, OF
Comment: Since coming off the DL, Milledge has done nothing worthy of making him an advisable start: .087 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB in 6 games.

MARCUS THAMES

Detroit Tigers, OF
Comment: Thames has cooled off lately and fantasy owners can feel free to relegate him to the waiver wire.

JOHN DANKS

Chicago White Sox, SP
Comment: Has given up 4 homers in 23.1 career innings against the Tigers, whom he owns a 5.79 ERA against.

 

MATT GARZA

Tampa Bay Rays, SP
Comment: Career stats versus Cleveland and Seattle make for a unfavorable forecast for Garza this week: 1-3, 7.31 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, 33 SO in 32 innings.

 

DEREK LOWE

Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Comment: Lowe has little career success against the St. Louis Cardinals: 1-5, 5.24 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 26 SO in 34.1 innings.

VICENTE PADILLA

Texas Rangers, SP

Comment: Padilla’s lifetime stats versus the Yankees and Orioles indicate a tough week for him ahead: 3-5, 7.12 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 22 SO in 36.2 innings.

 

Go Figure

848- Career walks by Houston Astros 1B Lance Berkman following Monday’s win against Cincinnati. With the free pass, Berkman is now ranked third all-time in franchise history.

9- Consecutive games played by Texas Rangers 3B Hank Blalock upon returning from the disabled list on July 18^th. Before he was put on the DL again on Tuesday with a bum shoulder, Blalock was scratched from Monday’s lineup with an upset stomach, something his fantasy owners are all too familiar with.

8.54- ERA of Los Angeles Dodgers SP Hiroki Kuroda versus NL West teams. Not the type of stat you want to see as the Dodgers prepare for the stretch run.

8- Cleveland Indians C Kelly Shoppach became the eighth player in major-league history to record five extra-base hits in a game with his 2-home run, three double performance on Wednesday.

Prospect Watch

TREVOR CAHILL

Oakland Athletics, SP
Comment: The 20-year old Cahill was chosen as a member of the United States’ Olympic baseball team for good reason. Since being promoted to Double-A, Cahill has gone 6-1 with a 2.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched. He’s struck out 136 batters in 124.1 minor-league innings this year. Cahill gets some knocks on his game due to a fastball that tops out at 93 mph (but is mostly in the high-80s low-90s range) and a good, but not highlight-worthy, curveball and change-up that he can throw. Yet despite not featuring a big-time pitch, Cahill has great sinking action on his fastball and can generate a ton of grounders. He’s also heralded for his smarts and pitch selection on the mound, squeezing everything he can out of his stuff. The Cahill bash-wagon lost steam in 2008 thanks to his high strikeout totals and his smooth transition to Double-A and at his tender age, the crafty right-hander can only get better. Though his bags are packed for a trip to Beijing for August, Cahill could return home afterwards as a potential call-up for Oakland’s thin starting rotation.

 

Key Match-up

Detroit Tigers @ Chicago White Sox

The White Sox had all season to bury the Tigers and Detroit has put themselves in a position to make this a crucial three-game series at US Cellular Field. Chicago comes into this series licking their wounds a bit as their starting rotation is starting to get hammered by opposing lineups, though they were able to take two-out-of-three against Detroit in a three-game series at Comerica Park last weekend. Detroit’s offense has been picking up steam, particularly with the hot play of Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera. This series is very important as a sweep by Detroit would open up the race for the AL Central while a sweep by Chicago could be the difference between the Tigers making the playoffs or spending the post-season on the golf course. Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Javier Vazquez are the scheduled starters for Chicago and they will square off against Nate Robertson, Justin Verlander and Zach Miner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lineup

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 7/28/08-8/3/08. All stats up to and including 7/24/08.

Who’s Hot

BATTERS

JEFF BAKER

Colorado Rockies, 2B

Stats: .500 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 8 R, 1 SB

Comment: With multiple-position eligibility, Baker deserves a lot more attention in fantasy circles.

HOWIE KENDRICK

Los Angeles Angels, 2B

Stats: .524 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 2 SB

Comment: Tagged three doubles on Wednesday, tying a franchise record for doubles in a game.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ

New York Yankees, 3B
Stats: .391 AVG, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 2 SB

Comment: 14 of his 21 bombs this season have come at home, where he also owns a .360 batting average.

PITCHERS

MIKE MUSSINA

New York Yankees, SP
Stats: 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13 SO

Comment: Improved to 13-6 on the season and lowered his ERA to an impressive 3.26 mark.

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ

Los Angeles Angels, RP
Stats: 0-0, 4 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 6 SO

Comment: He’s pretty much ensured that he’s going to Mariano Rivera-type money after this season.

CC SABATHIA

Cleveland Indians, SP

Stats: 2-0, 0.50 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 17 SO

Comment: Sabathia took matters into his own hands this week with back-to-back complete games. He now has three straight complete games.

Who’s Not

BATTERS

LANCE BERKMAN

Houston Astros, 1B

Stats: .190 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB

Comment: Welcome back to Earth Mr. Berkman. Come on, you didn’t think he would keep up the pace all

season did you?

JACOBY ELLSBURY

Boston Red Sox, OF
Stats: .143 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB

Comment: Ellsbury has just one stolen base in July as his production has slipped dramatically.

CHONE FIGGINS

Los Angeles Angels, 3B

Stats: .222 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Comment: Batting average has begun to nose-dive in July.

PITCHERS

ZACK GREINKE

Kansas City Royals, SP
Stats: 0-2, 12.00 ERA, 2.56 WHIP, 10 SO

Comment: Season ERA climbed over 4.00 with a couple of poor outings from Greinke this week.

SHAUN MARCUM

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Stats: 0-0, 11.57 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, 3 SO

Comment: First start off the disabled list ended up being his worst outing of the season.

JOSE VALVERDE

Houston Astros, RP

Stats: 0-1, 1 SV, 40.50 ERA, 4.50 WHIP, 2 SO
Comment: Gave up 6 earned runs while registering just one out in a horrific blown save against Pittsburgh on

Monday.

Start ‘Em

CHRIS IANNETTA

Colorado Rockies, C

Comment: Strong start this week based on his 2008 numbers versus Pittsburgh and Florida: .318 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 3 R in 22 at-bats.

PAUL LO DUCA

Washington Nationals, C

Comment: With a shortage of first-baseman in the Nats lineup, LoDuca is now getting everyday at-bats at first and has batted .314 with 6 RBI since July 12^th.

JAMES LONEY

Los Angeles Dodgers, 1B

Comment: Has come out of the gate scorching after the All-Star break: .458 AVG, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R in 6 games.

CHAD TRACY

Arizona Diamondbacks, 1B

Comment: After a disappointing 2007, Tracy has quietly emerged as a solid fantasy option in 2008. His production in July has been particularly impressive: .379 AVG, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 8 R in 17 games.

AARON MILES

St. Louis Cardinals, 2B

Comment: Over his past 10 games Miles has been a worthy fantasy asset: .394 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R.

FREDDY SANCHEZ

Pittsburgh Pirates, 2B
Comment: Numbers since July 19^th warrant mentioning: .500 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R.

JHONNY PERALTA

Cleveland Indians, SS
Comment: Is batting .364 with 8 runs scored since the All-Star break and with the Indians playing better, expect him to have a strong week against Cleveland’s division rivals (Minnesota and Detroit).

TROY TULOWITZKI

Colorado Rockies, SS
Comment: After a 5-hit performance on Monday, Tulo’ looks ready to really start his season.

CASEY BLAKE

Cleveland Indians, 3B

Comment: Cleveland is heating up and Blake has serviceable numbers this year versus Detroit and Minnesota: .316 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R in 57 at-bats.

MELVIN MORA

Baltimore Orioles, 3B

Comment: Mora has been a hitting machine of late, posting outstanding numbers in his last since July 17^th: .500 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 6 R

JAY BRUCE

Cincinnati Reds, OF

Comment: Kid is streaking right now, making the adjustments to major-league pitching after a lengthy slump.

BRAD HAWPE

Colorado Rockies, OF
Comment: Kicking off the second-half in style: .433 AVG, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R in 7 games.

WILLIE HARRIS

Washington Nationals, OF
Comment: Harris earned the right to start for fantasy rosters this week based on his stats over his last 62 at-bats: .339 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, 1 SB.

ADAM JONES

Baltimore Orioles, OF

Comment: Now entrenched in the no. 2 hole, Jones has hit .297 when batting second and should build on numbers hitting behind Brian Roberts and ahead of Nick Markakis.

ARMANDO GALARRAGA

Detroit Tigers, SP
Comment: Galarraga draws two road games this week, where he is 6-2 this year with a 2.69 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 67 innings.

PAUL MAHOLM

Pittsburgh Pirates, SP
Comment: Over his past 10 starts, Maholm has gone 5-1 with 8 quality starts, a 2.90 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

JOE SAUNDERS

Los Angeles Angels, SP
Comment: Saunders has been a thorn in the side of the Red Sox in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA in 5 starts.

JAMES SHIELDS

Tampa Bay Rays, SP
Comment: Shields has never lost against the Tigers or Blue Jays in 7 career starts, garnering 6 wins, a 2.36 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 49.2 innings.

Sit ‘Em

RUSSELL MARTIN

Los Angeles Dodgers, C
Comment: Hitting at a .204 clip this year against the Diamondbacks and Giants. Also, his road batting average is 54 points lower than his home mark.

JOSE MOLINA

New York Yankees, C

Comment: While the prospect of hitting in the Yankees offense may widen the eyes of fantasy owners, keep in mind that Molina is a below-average hitter, even for a back-stop.

CARLOS PENA

Tampa Bay Rays, 1B

Comment: As his struggles continue this season, we have to wonder if his 2008 campaign is a lost cause for fantasy owners.

KEVIN YOUKILIS

Boston Red Sox, 1B
Comment: Youkilis is batting just .233 this year versus the Angels and Athletics.

JEFF KENT

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2B
Comment: The 40-year old second baseman is batting .226 at home this season in what looks like his farewell campaign.

EUGENIO VELEZ

San Francisco Giants, 2B

Comment: While he is now starting at second for the Giants and has tantalizing base-stealing ability, Velez still needs to develop more as a major-leaguer before being worthy of a fantasy roster spot.

JED LOWRIE

Boston Red Sox, SS
Comment: While fantasy owners may be excited about Lowrie getting a shot to start with that Red Sox lineup, keep in mind that he is batting .250 at home and faces a couple of tough pitching staffs this week when the Athletics and Angels invade Fenway Park.

JACK WILSON

Pittsburgh Pirates, SS
Comment: Numbers have been dreadful since the All Star break: .080 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 7 games.

JOE CREDE

Chicago White Sox, 3B

Comment: White Sox are on the road this week and Crede has been very below-average away from US Cellular Field in 2008: .247 AVG, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 12 R in 43 games.

MIKE LOWELL

Boston Red Sox, 3B

Comment: Lowell is batting .229 in July and .185 since the All-Star break.

MILTON BRADLEY

Texas Rangers, OF

Comment: After a superb first-half, Bradley has stumbled out of the gates after the All-Star festivities: .227 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB in 6 games.

DAVID MURPHY

Texas Rangers, OF
Comment: Since the second-half of the season kicked off, Murphy has been in a slump, batting .214 AVG with just 1 RBI.

MATT STAIRS

Toronto Blue Jays, OF

Comment: Stairs has been just brutal in July with a .116 in 43 at-bats.

NICK SWISHER

Chicago White Sox, OF
Comment: When the White Sox are on the road, Swisher is the last guy you want in your fantasy outfield: .211 AVG, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 23 R, 1 SB in 47 games.

CHAD BILLINGSLEY

Los Angeles Dodgers, SP

Comment: In 22 career innings pitched (including 4 starts), Billingsley sports a 5.32 ERA and 1.82 WHIP.

DAVE BUSH

Milwaukee Brewers, SP
Comment: Bush’s lifetimes stats against the Cubs warrant a benching: 1-6, 4.88 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 48 SO in 59 IP.

CLIFF LEE

Cleveland Indians, SP
Comment: Lee may hit a road-bump in his career year when he faces Detroit this week: 4-6, 5.13 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 70 SO in 80.2 career innings.

KEVIN SLOWEY

Minnesota Twins, SP
Comment: Since carving up National League teams, Slowey is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP following the end of inter-league play this season.

Go Figure

450- Distance, in feet, of a home run hit by St. Louis Cardinals OF Ryan Ludwick on Tuesday. It is the longest recorded home run at the new Busch Stadium.

41- Runs scored by the New York Yankees during Sidney Ponson’s four starts with the team this season. Talk about run support.

9- Days between outings for Milwaukee Brewers RP Eric Gagne who, before throwing on July 21^st, had not pitched in a game since July 12^th.

6- RBI driven in by Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera on Monday. A strong sign that his fantasy owners are in store for a big second-half.

Prospect Watch

GIO GONZALEZ, Oakland Athletics, SP
Comment: While Dallas Braden got the first shot at a rotation spot in Oakland with the departure of Joe Blanton, Gio Gonzalez has to be next in line. The 22-year old southpaw has immense strikeout potential as evident by his 701 whiffs in 612 career minor-league innings. His fastball tops out at 95 mph and because he can change speeds, he can use it very effectively. Gonzalez also has an improving change-up, but the top pitch in his repertoire is his devastating curveball that should be able to baffle hitters even at the major-league level. His command can be spotty at times, but he’s got the stuff to get past it and projects to be a very successful major-league pitcher. Gonzalez has been particularly impressive over his past 5 starts (4-0, 1.53 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 34 SO in 29.1 IP). If Braden or Sean Gallagher hit a rough patch, Oakland may not hesitate to call-up their prized prospect, who has the make-up to succeed immediately in the big-leagues. Should he join the A’s roster, he should be snatched up immediately by fantasy owners looking to gain an edge in starting pitching.

Key Match-up

Chicago White Sox @ Minnesota Twins

Before the start of the season, everyone expected a slug-fest for the AL Central division to go down between the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. But after the All-Star break, it is the White Sox (sitting pretty atop the division) and Twins that are leading the pack. It was just a year ago that Chicago finished 72-90, good for fourth in the AL Central. But after making a couple of free agent signings that have saved their bullpen (Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink) and improved pitching from their starting rotation, the White Sox are the ones being chased. Even more impressive, however, is the way the Twins are playing. After losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, many figured this team was left for dead. Yet their continued adherence to small-ball and the development of quality starting arms from their minor-league system (Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn) has kept Minnesota in the thick of the hunt. The White Sox lead the season series 7-4 and this promises to be a great match-up. Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Livan Hernandez and Scott Baker are the scheduled starters for the Twins and they will be opposed by Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Gavin Floyd and John Danks.

The Lineup

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 7/7/08-7/13/08. All stats up to and including 7/3/08.

Who’s Hot

BATTERS

IAN KINSLER

Texas Rangers, 2B

Stats: .520 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 8 R, 4 SB

Comment: Even though Chase Utley has had a huge season, I’d take Kinsler’s production in 2008 over Philadelphia’s two-bagger in a heart-beat.

EVAN LONGORIA

Tampa Bay Rays, 3B

Stats: .417 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, 2 SB

Comment: As June wore on, Longoria put on quite a display at the plate and in the field.

DUSTIN PEDROIA

Boston Red Sox, 2B

Stats: .516 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 10 R, 1 SB
Comment: Has been streaking at the plate all month and the pesky second-baseman may even earn an All-Star nod with Terry Francona filling out the American League lineup.

PITCHERS

MATT GARZA

Tampa Bay Rays, SP
Stats: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 3 SO
Comment: Followed-up his one-hit complete game performance against Florida with a gem against Boston on Tuesday.

CLIFF LEE

Cleveland Indians, SP
Stats: 0-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 3 SO

Comment: Keeps his skeptics silent by giving up just 3 earned runs in his last 3 starts.

RICKY NOLASCO

Florida Marlins, SP
Stats: 2-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 17 SO
Comment: Has given up more than 3 runs just once in his last 11 starts.

Who’s Not

BATTERS

CHONE FIGGINS

Los Angeles Angels, 3B

Stats: .063 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB

Comment: Is stuck in a 1-for-21 slump and he has not scored a run since June 24^th.

VLADIMIR GUERRERO

Los Angeles Angels, OF
Stats: .182 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB

Comment: Had a 16 game hit-steak snapped this week and fantasy owners hope he does not fall into another offensive malaise.

TORII HUNTER

Los Angeles Angels, OF
Stats: .105 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB

Comment: Hey, let’s make it a trifecta of struggling Angels hitters! What’s up with LA?

PITCHERS

BRIAN FUENTES

Colorado Rockies, RP

Stats: 0-2, 0 SV, 37.80 ERA, 6.67 WHIP, 1 SO

Comment: Fuentes is going through one of his patented implosion periods at the moment. Nothing to boost a player’s trade value like a couple of catastrophic relief outings.

RANDY JOHNSON

Arizona Diamondbacks, SP
Stats: 0-1, 17.18 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 6 SO

Comment: Has surrendered 7 earned runs in 3 of his last four starts.

CARLOS MARMOL

Chicago Cubs, RP
Stats: 1-1, 0 SV, 22.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 2 SO

Comment: At the start of the season Marmol was unhittable, recently though, he’s become a mound piñata.

Start ‘Em

RAMON CASTRO

New York Mets, C

Comment: Has been seeing a rise in at-bats as manager Jerry Manuel is trying to get more offense out of his team. If Manuel sticks to that mantra this week, expect Castro to see the bulk of playing time as the team heads into the All-Star break.

IVAN RODRIGUEZ

Detroit Tigers, C

Comment: With Brandon Inge on the DL, Pudge assumes starting duties and since the time-share between the two catchers was instituted on June 9^th, Rodriguez has put up great numbers: .420 AVG, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 3 SB.

AUBREY HUFF

Baltimore Orioles, 1B
Comment: Has been scorching the ball since early June and has quietly been one of the more productive corner infielders in fantasy this season.

CASEY KOTCHMAN

Los Angeles Angels, 1B

Comment: Is on the road this week, where he is batting .309 with 6 homers, and he gets to face the awful Rangers rotation.

ALEXI CASILLA

Minnesota Twins, 2B

Comment: Bat has not slowed down a bit and when he faced the Tigers earlier in the season he batted .381 with a homer and 5 RBI in 5 games.

JOE INGLETT

Toronto Blue Jays, 2B

Comment: Killing it with Aaron Hill still out with a concussion, batting .417 with a homer, 5 RBI and 5 runs scored in his last 6 games

JASON BARTLETT

Tampa Bay Rays, SS

Comment: Batting .400 over his past 5 games with 2 steals and with the Rays are playing, his production could be on the uptick.

JULIO LUGO

Boston Red Sox, SS
Comment: Has been markedly better at home this season than on the road: .298 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 15 R, 7 SB in 37 games.

ADRIAN BELTRE

Seattle Mariners, 3B

Comment: Streaking big-time at the plate since June 17^th: .389 AVG, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 8 R, 2 SB.

CASEY BLAKE

Cleveland Indians, 3B

Comment: Since June 18^th, Blake has been one of the hotter hitters in baseball: .423 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 1 SB.

RYAN CHURCH

New York Mets, OF

Comment: Church is batting .381 since returning from the disabled list and since he was a solid fantasy performer on an underachieving Mets team before the concussion, fantasy owners should have no fear investing in him again.

JERRY HAIRSTON

Cincinnati Reds, OF
Comment: Since coming off the DL, Hairston has picked up where he left off, swinging a hot bat: .323 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 1 SB in 8 games.

HUNTER PENCE

Houston Astros, OF
Comment: Inconsistencies in his game have been frustrating, but Pence should have an easier time of it this week when he faces the weak pitching of Pittsburgh and Washington.

MARCUS THAMES

Detroit Tigers, OF

Comment: Thames has been a fantasy force since June 11^th: .328 AVG, 10 HR, 17 RBI, 13 R.

JORGE CAMPILLO

Atlanta Braves, SP
Comment: On the road this season, Campillo’s numbers have been tremendous: 1-1, 1.00 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 26 SO in 27 IP.

HIROKI KURODA

Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Comment: Has yet to take a loss at home this season, where he sports a 3.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 39 innings.

DANA EVELAND

Oakland Athletics, SP
Comment: More of a home-body with his 4-2 record and 2.84 ERA in games played at Oakland.

MIKE MUSSINA

New York Yankees, SP

Comment: Mussina has an impressive career track record against the Blue Jays: 24-12, 3.31 ERA, 1.13 ERA, 237 SO in 299 IP.

Sit ‘Em

BENGIE MOLINA

San Francisco Giants, C
Comment: Numbers suffered in June as he went without a home run and had fewer runs scored, RBI and doubles last month than in April or May.

MIGUEL MONTERO

Arizona Diamondbacks, C

Comment: Montero was once believed to be a potentially productive catcher when he was coming up with Arizona, but he batted .247 last year and has yet to prove himself as a major-leaguer. Ignore him despite the spike in at-bats with Chris Snyder out.

CHRIS DAVIS

Texas Rangers, 1B

Comment: Davis has had an impressive start to his major-league career, but he faces two of the best pitching staffs in the American League this week when Texas plays against the Angels and White Sox.

MIKE JACOBS

Florida Marlins, 1B
Comment: Jacobs’ production has really fallen off lately as he has batted .174 with 0 HR or RBI and 8 whiffs in 7 contests.

CLINT BARMES

Colorado Rockies, 2B

Comment: Though he’s back from the disabled list, Barmes has been ice-cold at the plate: .176 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI in 6 games.

JEFF KENT

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2B
Comment: Batting average (.250) and OBP (.292) have been worse at home for Kent this season than on the road.

BOBBY CROSBY

Oakland Athletics, SS
Comment: Owns an unsightly .190 batting average against the Mariners and Angels this season in 15 games.

JEFF KEPPINGER

Cincinnati Reds, SS
Comment: Since returning on June 22^nd, Keppinger has batted .216 and has not looked like the spark-plug player he was early in the season.

MELVIN MORA

Baltimore Orioles, 3B

Comment: Has really looked lost at the plate since June 22^nd: .111 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R.

TY WIGGINTON

Houston Astros, 3B
Comment: Not a road warrior in 2008: .224 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R in 26 games.

MELKY CABRERA

New York Yankees, OF
Comment: Rookie Brett Gardner is going to push Cabrera for playing time and manager Joe Girardi plans on giving Gardner plenty of at-bats in the near future, which could soon spell the end of Cabrera as the everyday center-fielder.

MATT JOYCE

Detroit Tigers, OF

Comment: While it may be tempting to add Joyce and start him this week due to the surging Tigers offense, Joyce himself may get baffled by some savvy pitching this week as he faces some strong starters from Cleveland and Minnesota.

NATE McLOUTH

Pittsburgh Pirates, OF

Comment: Recent struggles make him a strong sell-high candidate. See if you can deal him while his overall numbers still look appealing.

LUKE SCOTT

Baltimore Orioles, OF
Comment: Batting average is almost 100 points lower on the road than it is at home, where he also has 33 whiffs in 133 at-bats.

SCOTT BAKER

Minnesota Twins, SP
Comment: I’m a huge fan of Baker and his low walk totals, but he faces two premiere offenses this week in Boston and Detroit. Bench him if you can.

JOSE CONTRERAS

Chicago White Sox, SP
Comment: Contreras draws two road starts this week, where he is 3-3 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 2008.

PEDRO MARTINEZ

New York Mets, SP
Comment: His pitching coach stated this week that Pedro will be “fantastic” going forward thanks to their discovery that he was tipping his pitches. However, with match-ups against the offensively loaded Phillies and Rockies (who rocked Martinez a couple of starts ago), it would be wise to reserve him this week.

GIL MECHE

Kansas City Royals, SP

Comment: Meche’s career numbers against his former Seattle team and Tampa Bay are not good at all: 2-5, 5.43 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 40 SO in 59.2 IP.

Go Figure

22- Hits collected by the San Diego Padres in Monday’s game against Colorado.

7- Outings, in a total of 12 starts this season, in which Minnesota Twins SP Kevin Slowey has failed to issue a walk.

2- Batters in Washington Nationals history to total 40 hits in a single month of play. Dmitri Young did it in June of 2007 and Guzman accomplished the feat this past month.

1- Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria became the first rookie in franchise history to win American League Player of the Week honors.

Prospect Watch

CLAYTON RICHARD, Chicago White Sox, SP
Comment: Richard was named to the USA team playing in the Futures Game at Yankee Stadium and for good reason. Since reaching Triple-A mid-season, Richard has gone 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 39 innings (he’s also allowed just three walks). The former football standout at the University of Michigan has always been plagued by allowing too many baserunners as evident by his 1.39 WHIP in the minors prior to this season, but has really hone his command this year. The 25-year old left-hander has been in Chicago’s minor-league system since 2005 and while he is not going to over-power people with blow-you-away stuff, he could be effective enough to be a fantasy asset with the win-friendly White Sox. Right now there is not any room for him in Chicago’s rotation, but if an injury were to befall any of their starters (or a trade opens up a spot), Richard could hear his name called in 2008.

Key Match-up

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Philadelphia Phillies

Two post-season NL teams from 2007 tango this week as the D-backs face the Phillies in a three-game set. Both teams have been struggling mightily recently, though they still hold slim leads over the rest of the competition in their respective divisions. Each team brings a different approach when it comes to how they win games. For Philadelphia, they can overwhelm opposing pitchers with an offense stacked with All-Star talent. Arizona, on the other hand, relies heavily on starting pitching to get them by. Both teams will be looking to head into the All-Star break with high spirits so expect this to be an exciting series. So far in 2008, the two clubs have split the season series at two wins apiece. The scheduled starting pitchers for Arizona are Doug Davis, Yusmeiro Petit and Randy Johnson and they will be opposed by Kyle Kendrick, Adam Eaton and Cole Hamels.

Stock Watch

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

BRIAN FUENTES, Colorado Rockies, RP
Comment: Fuentes has been lights-out in June, earning a win and 7 saves while giving up 0 earned runs and striking out 8 in 9 innings of work. He has not allowed an earned run since May 21st and has looked like the guy who made three straight All-Star teams. Rumors will probably continue to swirl about Fuentes getting traded and possibly being moved to a set-up role on another team, but if the Rockies continue to surge and resist the temptation to be sellers as the trade-deadline looms, Fuentes should be a good no. 2 closer for the remainder of 2008.

JOSH JOHNSON, Florida Marlins, SP
Comment: Johnson’s elbow has kept him from being a major-league mainstay since his outstanding rookie season in 2006, when he went 12-7 with a 3.01 ERA, but there is reason for hope in 2008. Johnson made a start for the Class-A Jupiter Hammerheads, allowing 3 earned runs in 5.1 innings and will now make a start on Wednesday for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats. Johnson reportedly felt terrific after last week’s start and stated he is ready to go whenever Florida needs him. Marlins brass believes Johnson can return around the All-Star break and that is great news for fantasy owners. NL-only leaguers may want to add him now if they can stash him on their DL while mixed leaguers will want to have their eyes and ears open and track his progress through the minors.

ADAM LIND, Toronto Blue Jays, OF
Comment: The 24-year old Lind is getting a second shot of sticking in the majors this season after Shaun Marcum was placed on the disabled list and why not? Lind swatted 6 home runs and drove in an impressive 50 runners in 51 games in Triple-A this season while batting .328. He made a strong case to stick with Toronto by bashing a homer against Pittsburgh on Sunday during a 12-pitch at-bat. He’s got 20-home run power and excellent plate discipline (as evidenced by his .379 career OBP in the minors). With Shannon Stewart sidelined, Lind has some leash to play with. Fantasy owners in mixed leagues can afford to wait a few games to see how Lind settles in with the Blue Jays while AL-only leaguers may want to take quick action on adding him in case he flourishes.

DARRYL THOMPSON, Cincinnati Reds, SP
Comment: Coming from what appears to be a never-ending well of young pitching talent in Cincinnati, Thompson made his major-league debut Saturday at Yankee Stadium and allowed no runs in 5 innings, earning a no-decision. Thompson features a fastball that can touch 95-mph and possesses some cutting movement. He can also throw a solid change-up and has a developing curveball. To boot, Thompson has shown impressive command for a 22-year old in the minors (though he did walk 4 against New York). At the very least, Thompson is worth taking a flier on in mixed leagues and is certainly worth the add in NL-only formats.

 

BEARISH

EDWIN ENCARNACION, Cincinnati Reds, 3B
Comment: Encarnacion left Sunday’s game against the Yankees with back spasms after leaping to make a line drive catch at third. His status for the upcoming week is shaky but fantasy owners would be wise to make other arrangements. Back injuries can linger (just ask Rafael Furcal) and can be easily aggravated manning the hot corner. Jeff Keppinger will likely assume third-base duties if Encarnacion cannot make it to the field. Encarnacion was batting .241 on the season with 12 home runs, 29 RBI and 42 runs scored.

HIDEKI OKAJIMA, Boston Red Sox, RP
Comment: June has not been kind to Boston’s primary set-up man. Okajima has been getting rocked this month, posting an 0-2 record with a 10.12 ERA and 2.63 WHIP in 8 innings of work. You may remember that Okajima went through a similar lull in 2007, but that did not happen until August (when he posted a 5.06 ERA in that month and followed it up with an 8.10 mark in September). He’s slipped with his command and has not been as effective with his splitter this month, making him a much easier pitcher to hit. Need more reason for concern? Last season right-handers were batting just .182 off him, this year they’re hitting .274 against him. While it’s too early to dismiss Okajima as a relief pitching force, fantasy owners may want to temper their expectations if he continues to get brutalized by opposing batters.

IAN STEWART, Colorado Rockies, 2B/3B
Comment: Jeff Baker’s hot bat, coupled with Stewart’s cold play, has resulted in Stewart packing his bags for Triple-A. With Clint Barmes being activated from the disabled list, the Rockies had to send an infielder down and because they want Stewart to continue his progress and receive every-day at-bats, he was the logical choice. Stewart was not killing the ball for the Rockies, but he may get another shot in 2008. With the way Colorado players have been hitting the DL this year, a couple of injuries are likely the only thing keeping Stewart off the major-league roster. He’ll probably pick-up where he left off at Triple-A, mashing the ball and dominating opposing pitchers, so fantasy owners should keep tabs on him in case Colorado brings him up again.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO, Chicago Cubs, SP
Comment: The Cubs placed Zambrano on the 15-day disabled list over the weekend after discovering a minor strain in his right shoulder. Zambrano was very hittable over his last 4 starts, going 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. Early in the season he was looking like a Cy Young contender, but he has a history of bizarre injuries, strange behavior and inconsistent production. The fact that he is dealing with a shoulder ailment is disconcerting news to say the least and fantasy owners can only hope that he comes back from the DL with this issue firmly behind him.

 

BUST

 

BRAD PENNY, Los Angeles Dodgers, SP
Comment: Penny hit the disabled list last Tuesday with a sore shoulder and fantasy owners may want to pass on holding out hope for his return. Penny’s thoughts on the injury were as follows, “I feel it on every pitch, so that makes it tough. It affects everything…It is not going to get any better so I need to find out what is going on.” These encouraging words are not the only reason to consider cutting ties with Penny. He owns a 4.23-career ERA in the second-half as a notorious post-All-Star break slouch. The fact that he becomes so marginal after mid-July, coupled with his terrible numbers this season, makes him not worth holding onto. Try trading him in a package to someone willing to take a chance on Penny, but if that does not work, strongly consider dropping him altogether.

RICHIE SEXSON, Seattle Mariners, 1B
Comment: While it has not happened yet, the Mariners are rumored to be close to ending the Richie Sexson-era in Seattle with his release from the major-league club. Sure this move was long overdue, but at least those of you who were holding out hope for a Sexson-revival can move on. He has not homered since May 24th, is batting .213 on the season and has been a mess defensively at first. Even if Seattle does not go forward with his release, Sexson’s playing time will be very limited going forward and he does not deserve a spot on anyone’s fantasy roster.

CARLOS SILVA, Seattle Mariners, SP
Comment: Speaking of players in Seattle that stink, Carlos Silva has been a pitching piñata in 2008. He’s gone 0-9 since May 4th with an 8.53 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 10 starts. While he once looked like a viable major-leaguer in his early days with Minnesota, he now looks like he should not even be standing on a big-league mound. The Mariners have no plans to remove him from the rotation at the moment, so they are stuck with him. You, however, are not the Seattle Mariners so please make sure this guy sits on waivers in your league.

JEREMY SOWERS, Cleveland Indians, SP
Comment: I will admit it, I was once a Jeremy Sowers believer. When the south-paw put his crafty tools to use in the second-half of the 2006 season (6-2, 2.72 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), it seemed that the young pitcher was on the right track to being a solid ratio-resource in fantasy leagues. But after seeing him in 2008, it has become clear that the stuff-impaired Sowers is nothing special. He currently owns a 6.57 ERA and has surrendered 5 home runs in 5 starts this season. While he’s kept his walks down in 2008, he’s been incredibly hittable at the major-league level and no one, not even AL-only leaguers, should be investing in Sowers at this time.

The Lineup

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 6/23/08-6/29/08. All stats up to and including 6/19/08.

 

Who’s Hot

 

BATTERS

J.D. DREW

Boston Red Sox, OF
Stats: .348 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 0 SB

Comment: Boston has relied heavily on Drew while dealing with injury woes in their lineup.

 

RYAN HOWARD

Philadelphia Phillies, 1B

Stats: .385 AVG, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 7 R, 1 SB

Comment: The big stat for Ryan Howard this week? Only one strikeout.

 

ALEX RODRIGUEZ

New York Yankees, 3B

Stats: .478 AVG, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB

Comment: Since returning from the DL, A-Rod has lived up to his first-pick billing.

 

PITCHERS

ARMANDO GALARRAGA

Detroit Tigers, SP
Stats: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 10 SO

Comment: Who would’ve thought that in June we’d be talking about Galarraga being the ace of Detroit’s staff?

 

JON LESTER

Boston Red Sox, SP

Stats: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 5 SO

Comment: Silenced Philly’s bats on Tuesday and though he’s given up 21 hits in his last 20.1 innings, he’s allowed only 3 runs during that span.

 

KEVIN SLOWEY

Minnesota Twins, SP

Stats: 2-0, 1.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9 SO

Comment: Slowey has walked more than 2 batters just once this season.

 

 

 

Who’s Not

 

BATTERS

GARRET ANDERSON

Los Angeles Angels, OF
Stats: .167 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB

Comment: Anderson is batting .137 overall in June and has just 1 home run since May 7^th.

 

MARK DeROSA

Chicago Cubs, 2B

Stats: .091 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB

Comment: DeRosa, and the Cubs in general, appear as if they are starting to come back to Earth.

 

HUNTER PENCE

Houston Astros, OF

Stats: .174 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB

Comment: After batting .346 with 6 HR and 21 RBI in May, Pence has gone cold once again in June.

 

PITCHERS

JOE BLANTON

Oakland Athletics, SP
Stats: 0-1, 24.00 ERA, 3.33 WHIP, 1 SO

Comment: Blanton failed to go past three innings in by far his shortest outing of this season.

 

ERVIN SANTANA

Los Angeles Angels, SP

Stats: 0-1, 9.53 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, 6 SO

Comment: Santana suffered the worst start of his season, surprisingly, at home.

 

IAN SNELL

Pittsburgh Pirates, SP

Stats: 0-1, 15.75 ERA, 3.75 WHIP, 0 SO

Comment: Snell walked 6 in his Tuesday start, marking the third time this season Snell has walked 6 or more batters.

 

 

Start ‘Em

 

GERALD LAIRD

Texas Rangers, C

Comment: Over his past 6 games Laird has been swinging a hot stick: .521 AVG, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB.

 

A.J. PIERZYNSKI

Chicago White Sox, C
Comment: Pierzynski is batting .318 this season in interleague play. He’s also a .357 career hitter against the Dodgers and has great lifetime stats versus the Cubs (.347 AVG, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 11 R in 23 games).

 

TODD HELTON

Colorado Rockies, 1B

Comment: While Helton has been very up-and-down this season, he has excellent career stats versus Kansas City and Detroit: .387 AVG, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 18 R in 20 games.

 

RICH AURILIA

San Francisco Giants, 1B

Comment: Since June 7th, Aurilia has been playing very well batting to the tune of a .467 average.

 

MARK ELLIS

Oakland Athletics, 2B

Comment: Few have been as hot as Ellis recently, who has .390 batting average, 3 home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs in his last 10 games.

 

PLACIDO POLANCO

Detroit Tigers, 2B

Comment: Polanco has been scorching at the plate since June 8^th: .523 AVG, 8 RBI, 8 R.

 

ERICK AYBAR

Los Angeles Angels, SS

Comment: Aybar is expected to return this week and he was batting .343 on the road this season with 11 runs and 3 steals in 19 games before landing on the DL.

 

ORLANDO CABRERA

Chicago White Sox, SS

Comment: Cabrera has been red-hot in the month of June: .370 AVG, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 9 R, 1 SB.

 

JORGE CANTU

Florida Marlins, 3B

Comment: The Cantu rollercoaster ride should be a fun one this week as he has batted .329 at home this season, where 10 of his home runs have been hit.

 

ERIC CHAVEZ

Oakland Athletics, 3B

Comment: His return to the field came with little fanfare, but if you are in need of third base help, Chavez is a pretty good play as he has played well since coming off the DL.

 

COCO CRISP

Boston Red Sox, OF

Comment: Crisp has been, well, crisp at the plate in June: .292 AVG, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 7 R, 5 SB.

 

BRAD HAWPE

Colorado Rockies, OF
Comment: Quietly enjoying a strong June: .333 AVG, 5 HR, 11 RBI in 12 games.

 

BRANDON JONES

Atlanta Braves, OF

Comment: Rookie has hit the ground running since his recall and fantasy owners should have no fears playing the Jones this week.

 

MATT KEMP

Los Angeles Dodgers, OF

Comment: At home, Kemp has been quite the productive player this season: .292 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 17 R, 5 SB in 120 at-bats.

 

BRIAN BANNISTER

Kansas City Royals, SP

Comment: Bannister has had a major fall from grace since his white-hot start to the season, but his tidy home numbers make him still worth using when he’s pitching in Kauffman Stadium: 4-2, 2.80 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 32 SO in 54.2 IP.

 

BRADEN LOOPER

St. Louis Cardinals, SP

Comment: Looper has looked good on the road this season with a 3.60 ERA, but what’s really impressive is the 40 innings pitched with just 3 walks away from Busch Stadium.

 

DEREK LOWE

Los Angeles Dodgers, SP

Comment: Lowe’s been inconsistent for sure, but he gets two starts at home this week, where he’s been a pretty steady pitcher at home this season: 4-2, 3.11 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 29 SO in 46.1 innings.

 

OLIVER PEREZ

New York Mets, SP

Comment: Has looked better of late and owns a 4-1 record with a 2.88 lifetime-ERA against the Yankees. His other start comes against the hapless Mariners.

 

 

Sit ‘Em

 

JEFF CLEMENT

Seattle Mariners, C

Comment: Clement is a smart add, but not a good play this week as the Mariners are facing the likes of Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, John Maine and Greg Maddux.

 

RAMON HERNANDEZ

Baltimore Orioles, C

Comment: Interleague play has not been kind to Hernandez in his career (.235 AVG).

 

KEVIN YOUKILIS

Boston Red Sox, 1B

Comment: Dealing with back spasms at the moment, so fantasy owners may want to play it safe with the on-base titan.

 

JOEY VOTTO

Cincinnati Reds, 1B

Comment: Votto has been struggling of late and things are not going to get any easier as he will be facing pitchers like Roy Halladay, C.C. Sabathia, Shaun Marcum, Aaron Laffey and A.J. Burnett this week.

 

KELLY JOHNSON

Atlanta Braves, 2B

Comment: Johnson has not fared well in his career against American League pitching, hitting .212 in 118 at-bats.

 

IAN STEWART

Colorado Rockies, 2B

Comment: Baker has been hot while Stewart has been flaky at the plate lately. Expect a downtick in at-bats for Stewart.

 

BRENDAN HARRIS

Minnesota Twins, SS

Comment: Harris has been brutal in June, batting just .207 in 16 games.

 

JHONNY PERALTA

Cleveland Indians, SS

Comment: Peralta has been just awful at home this season, batting at a .191 clip in 35 games at Jacobs Field.

 

BLAKE DeWITT

Los Angeles Dodgers, 3B

Comment: The ride is over. He’s hitting just .203 and has no RBI in June.

 

SCOTT ROLEN

Toronto Blue Jays, 3B

Comment: Rolen has been rather bland at home this season, batting just. 254 with only 6 RBI in 21 games.

 

ERIC BYRNES

Arizona Diamondbacks, OF

Comment: Byrnes is expected to rejoin the D-backs on Monday, but don’t get too excited. The guy was hitting .219 with just 4 stolen bags (he had 50 last season) prior to hitting the disabled list.

 

CARLOS GOMEZ

Minnesota Twins, OF

Comment: Numbers have suffered in June as he has hit .247 with just 1 steal in 18 games.

 

KEN GRIFFEY Jr.

Cincinnati Reds, OF
Comment: Sure he’s made history, but Griffey has not really done much else in June with his .216 average and 3 RBI. He’s also battling illness and a sore left knee.

 

TROT NIXON

New York Mets, OF
Comment: Nixon followed up an impressive 2-for-3 Mets and season debut this week with an 0-for-4 dud. There’s a reason this guy was not on anyone’s major-league roster earlier in the year.

 

A.J. BURNETT

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Comment: Burnett has never had much success against Cincinnati in his career: 1-3, 6.89 ERA, 1.74 WHIP in 32.2 IP.

 

DAN HAREN

Arizona Diamondbacks, SP

Comment: Has yet to win on the road this season, where’s he’s pitching with a rather pedestrian 4.62 ERA.

 

RANDY JOHNSON

Arizona Diamondbacks, SP
Comment: The Big Unit has given up 11 earned runs in his last two outings (they came against poor offenses in Kansas City and Pittsburgh). Keep Johnson reserved as his velocity was reported as being down in his last start.

 

JONATHAN SANCHEZ

San Francisco Giants, SP

Comment: Yeah he’s got a great K-rate, but his 5.97 ERA and 1.65 WHIP on the road (where he gets two starts this week) makes him an unsavory fantasy option.