Two of the games brightest starts appear to be heading in opposite directions as Felix Hernandez posted his second consecutive poor start while Albert Pujols finally appears to be settling in.  What else is worth mentioning from yesterday’s games?  Let’s take a look:

1. Todd Frazier – Cincinnati Reds – Third Baseman – We spoke about him just the other day, and this performance is the perfect reason as to why he is worth grabbing in all deeper formats.  He went 2-4 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R, putting him at .293 with 3 HR and 6 RBI in just 41 AB.  No one knows when (or if) Scott Rolen is going to be returning to the Reds, meaning Frazier is going to get ample opportunities to produce.  The only other option for the team is Miguel Cairo, so look for Frazier to get an extremely long look.  Considering all of the injuries to 3B this season, he needs to be owned in all formats.
2. Jerry Sands – Los Angeles Dodgers – Outfielder – With Juan Rivera and Matt Kemp on the DL, the Dodgers are clearly looking to increase their offensive potential.  That’s why Jerry Sands has been recalled, and he made his second straight start yesterday hitting fifth and going 1-3.  He has a ton of potential, with 68 HR between 2010 and 2011 (30+ each year), and appears to be getting a chance to hit in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.  If he hits, he’s going to stick in the Majors (either in the outfield or at first base).  That makes him well worth rolling the dice on in all five outfielder formats. 
3. Patrick Corbin – Arizona Diamondbacks – Starting Pitcher – He struggled, allowing 6 ER on 9 H and 2 BB, striking out 3, over 6.0 innings.  He’s really had one start in his four that you’d consider good.  With Daniel Hudson working on a return, this spot in the rotation isn’t going to be open for too long.  That said, with a 5.73 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, how long will the Diamondbacks continue to run him out there?  Could Trevor Bauer or Tyler Skaggs get an opportunity?  Either would be instant adds, so keep a close eye on the situation.

More Quick Thoughts:

• Starting pitchers just aren’t going to have it every day, and last night was simply just not Felix Hernandez’ night.  Taking on the Indians he lasted just 3.2 innings allowing 8 R (6 ER) on 10 H and 3 BB, striking out 3.  It’s actually his second consecutive subpar outing, having allowed 4 ER on 11 H and 2 BB over 6.2 innings last time out.  That said, is anyone really concerned?  He draws a tough matchup with the Texas Rangers next time out, but it’s impossible to put him on your bench.
• It was important for Henry Rodriguez to come back strong, having struggled mightily in his last two outings (4 ER on 2 H and 5 BB over 1.0 IP).  Davey Johnson stuck with him, however, and he delivered last night allowing 0 ER on 0 H and 0 BB, striking out 1, to notch the save.  At this point he’s worth using in all formats.
• Adam LaRoche continued his hot stretch, going 3-4 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 1 R.  Over his last 9 games he’s gone 13-31 with 3 HR, 12 RBI and 5 R.
• A lot of the focus goes to the struggles of Jose Bautista or Adam Lind, but Colby Rasmus has been just as bad.  He went 0-4 yesterday and is now hitting .208 with 3 HR on the season.  We all know the potential he has, but his struggles have gone on for way to long.  At this point he needs to be on your bench in all formats.
• Giancarlo Stanton may have started off slowly, but he has quickly made us forget about that.  He went 1-3 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 2 R, putting him at .282 with 8 HR and 24 RBI on the season.  All of the HR have come in the last 17 games and, while he won’t maintain this pace, he definitely has 40+ HR potential.
• It’s nice to see Justin Morneau back in the Twins’ lineup, but with an 11 run day you would’ve expected some production, wouldn’t you have?  It’s his first game back, so give him a little slack.  He did at least collect a hit, going 1-5.  Hopefully he can heat up, as he’s hitting just .228 on the year.
• While he only went 5.0 innings, the performance from Clay Buchholz has got to be considered a positive.  He allowed 2 ER on 6 H and 1 BB, striking out 5.  It’s only the second time this season he’s allowed fewer than 5 ER (each of his last two outings) and the hits and strikeouts match his season best.  While he has a long ways to go, there is a bounce back candidate here (he entered the day with a .333 BABIP and 63.6% strand rate).  If you can stash him, I would.
• Yu Darvish was extremely impressive once again, allowing 1 ER on 4 H and 2 BB, striking out 7, over 7.2 IP.  It’s the fifth straight outing where he has struck out at least 7 batters and he’s now allowed 1 ER or less in five of seven starts.  While the control has been an issue, at times, he’s been everything that was advertised.  Yes, you could argue that his 87.1% strand rate entering the day is on the lucky side, but it’s hardly enough.
• Nice to see J.D. Martinez back in the #3 spot of the lineup, as he went 0-2 with 1 RBI and 1 R.  It may not be the production we wanted to see, but we’ll have to see if they keep him in the middle of the lineup moving forward or not.  I still view him as a great buy low candidate.
• Impressive outing for Bud Norris, who allowed 1 ER on 4 H and 2 BB, striking out 9, over 7.0 innings against the Brewers.  He’s now allowed 1 ER over his last 19 innings, striking out 21 in the process.  Are there many starting pitchers throwing better than him right now?
• Jonathan Broxton suffered his second blown save of the season, allowing 2 R on 4 H and 0 BB, striking out 1, in his inning of work.  Overall Broxton has been extremely good, with a 2.45 ERA and 8 saves over 14.2 innings of work.  He has definitely earned himself some rope, so don’t read anything into this than just a poor outing.
• Finally, Albert Pujols is starting to come around.  He went 1-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 R, giving him 5 RBI over his last two games.  He still has a long ways to go, but does anyone really doubt that he’s going to get there?  Reaching .300 may be difficult (he’s at .213), but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him reach 30/100 once again.