David Ortiz actually got a hit. Justin Upton continued to roll. Nolan Reimold hit another blast. Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games.
Cleveland 2, Tampa Bay 1
- Jeff Niemann took the loss giving up 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4, over 3 innings. His start was cut short due to a lengthy rain delay, but you can’t like the WHIP. Then again, he entered the game with a 1.53 so this really is nothing new. He really is not a pitcher that has much value to me, especially pitching in the AL East.
- It was nice to see David Huff pitch better, throwing 4 shutout innings giving up 4 hits and 1 walk, striking out 2, but with the rain delay it really is tough to get a read. Could he have kept things together for another inning or two? His next start is against the Twins, so I certainly wouldn’t be taking any gambles off these few innings.
- Luis Valbuena 0-3, dropping his average to .182. After a brief four-game hitting streak, he’s now gone 0-6 over his past two games. He’s picked up just 1 RBI and 6 R over 44 AB, so it may not be long before he joins Matt LaPorta back at Triple-A. Time will tell, but unless he starts hitting he’s never going to have fantasy value.
Boston 3, Minnesota 1
- David Ortiz had a hit! It’s really sad that a little single is something that we have to celebrate about, isn’t it?
- Jason Varitek is not going to hit for a good average. We all know that, but after going 2-3 with 2 HR, 2 RBI and 2 R he’s up to 10 HR and 22 RBI on the season. He’s certainly got value in 2-catcher formats with those numbers.
- Anthony Swarzak gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, striking out 3, over 6 innings. Granted, the numbers are not overly impressive, but the fact that he was able to limit the damage against a team of the Red Sox caliber is something worth noting. No, he’s not a must grab in shallower formats, but he at least should now be on your radar. He’s at the least a pitch-and-ditch option and could be worth so much more. In deeper formats, if you need a pitcher you certainly could do worse.
Baltimore 5, Detroit 1
- David Hernandez made his major league debut, getting the victory by allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and 4 walks, striking out 3, over 5.2 innings. That’s a solid start to his career, and in AL-only leagues he could be of immediate interest with the Mariners next on the schedule. I wouldn’t get too nervous about the walks, as he had just 13 over 43.1 innings at Triple-A this season, much more appealing then what he did in his debut.
- It was a third straight game with a home run for Nolan Reimold, going 1-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R. That’s great and all, but my biggest concern is that those are is only hits over the three games. In fact, in his last seven games he’s gone 6-26, but four of the hits are home runs. You’d like to see a better average, but I guess we can’t be picky. If you need power in deeper formats he is worth considering.
- Armando Galarraga gave up 3 runs on 10 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4, over 7 innings to fall to 3-5 with a 5.50 ERA. How concerning is it that this is his most promising start since April 26, the last time he actually won a game. With Jeremy Bonderman closing in on a return, how much longer he stays in the rotation remains to be seen. There certainly should be better options available for you to be using, but if you want to hold out hope he should at least be on your bench.
Los Angeles (NL) 2, Chicago (NL) 1
- Matt Kemp batting eighth? I know I say I’m not going to keep mentioning it, but this just seems to be getting silly, don’t you think? He did go 1-4 with 2 SB yesterday.
- Randy Wolf continued to pitch well, giving up 1 run on 6 hits and 1 walk, striking out 7, over 7 innings of work to improve to 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA. He’s given up more than 2 earned runs just once in the month of May and clearly is worth using in all formats while he’s pitching this well. A regression should come, as he hasn’t posted an ERA below 4.23 since 2002, so don’t get too attached. If things start to turn, be ready to move on.
- Jake Fox went 1-2 after entering as a pinch hitter then taking over at 3B. He’s going to get a start sooner or later. As I said yesterday, given his Triple-A performance earlier this year, he’s at the least worth monitoring. Aramis Ramirez is still a month away, so Fox brings a potential power bat for those in need of a little boost.
Arizona 5, Atlanta 2
- It has been a rough stretch for Jeff Francoeur, going 0-4 yesterday to put him at 1-16 over his past four games. He hasn’t homered since May 1 and has just 2 RBI since May 11. Everyone keeps waiting for the 2006 power display to return, but will it really? I can see stashing him away, but even in deeper leagues there should be more appealing options available to you for your starting line-up.
- Justin Upton’s hitting streak is up to seven games after going 3-4 with 1 R and 1 SB. Over that span he’s had five multi-hit games, going 15-28 overall. He also has stolen bases in two straight games, just adding to his appeal. In May he’s hitting .402 with 7 HR, 21 RBI, 25 R and 5 SB. Patience clearly won out in this case, huh?
Anyone have any thoughts? Anything to add?
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Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media, Inc.
