Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/27/08
Reds’ rookie Jay Bruce had quite the major league debut for himself. Bruce went 3-3 with two walks and a stolen base. The same thing applies to Bruce that I said about Kershaw the other day. There’s not much more to say about Bruce. If he is available, go get him right away, he should have a major fantasy impact in 2008.
I have been avoiding writing about Eric Hinske because I don’t believe this production is for real. Hinske has been bouncing around the league for about ten years now, and as I have said before, guys just don’t all of a sudden figure it out at age 30. Hinske’s career high in homers in a season is 24, and that was in his rookie season. Hinske hasn’t topped 15 since. It is a safe assumption he will do that this season (he already has 10), but I don’t believe he will set a new career high.
Reds’ pitcher Johnny Cueto had a pretty decent start on Tuesday, as he went five innings, allowed two earned runs and struck out four. Not bad, and this is three straight starts where he hasn’t allowed more than three runs. Cueto certainly has taken a big step back from all the hype that surrounded him in the beginning of the year, but he still can be an effective starter.
Aaron Laffey continues to be a very effective pitcher for the Indians, but you would never know it by his 3-3 record. Laffey allowed just one earned run on Tuesday, and although he didn’t record a strikeout, he still pitched well enough to earn his third run of the year. Continue to add Laffey in leagues where he is still available.
With the injuries to Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday, Seth Smith has been given the chance to play the last few days, and although he has generally played well over the time that he has been on the field, I can’t recommend picking him up except for the most rare cases. I would only pick him up if he was an injury replacement for one of his teammates, and the league had at least 12 teams in it.
Twins starter Nick Blackburn pitched well right into the ninth inning, but Joe Nathan could hold the lead for him. Blackburn allowed just one run in 8.1 innings and struck out four, but was denied the win. Even though he has been pretty good the last few times out, I would still try to find better options than Blackburn.
Since his call up in place of Rich Hill, Cubs’ starter Sean Gallagher has been rotating good starts with bad starts. Tuesday was a time for a good start. Gallagher allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out three. Except in the most desperate of situations, I would look for better options if I were looking to add a player.
Given the injury to Travis Hafner, it is looking like former top prospect Andy Marte will get another chance to prove his value for the next week or so. Once a white-hot prospect, Marte is now just a marginal player at best and isn’t worth a spot on your fantasy roster. However, this guy had a ton of hype, and if he gets a chance to play, keep an eye on him for the future.
Injury News
Gary Sheffield has been placed on the 15 day DL with a left oblique strain. Sheff was barely batting over .210 before this injury and really shouldn’t have been on many fantasy teams. Give him a couple of weeks to see if he heals, although oblique injuries typically last closer to four weeks than two.
Pedro Martinez has been slated to start the June 3rd game against the San Francisco Giants. Pedro has been on the DL all season long with a hamstring injury, but barring any setbacks it looks like he is close to returning. Martinez will have a favorable matchup against the light hitting Giants, so he could have a successful return but I wouldn’t trust him in the long term.
Yankees rookie pitcher Ian Kennedy left his start on Monday after four innings with a strained muscle in his rib cage. Kennedy was having his usual ineffective start as he had allowed three runs in three innings before he left. I don’t see any reason to have him on your roster at this point, but wanted to report this injury.
Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes was placed on the disabled list with sore hamstrings that have been bothering him since Spring Training. His fantasy owners are hoping and praying that this was the cause for his ineffective play all season, as Byrnes was batting under .220 with just six homers and four steals. Hopefully when he is able to return, he will be able to pick up where he left off last season.
Indians DH Travis Hafner missed his second consecutive start on Tuesday with a sore shoulder, and he could be heading to the DL. Hafner won’t be playing on Wednesday and the Indians are off Thursday, so it is looking like Pronk will miss most of the week. If he doesn’t show some improvement soon, they will place him on the disabled list.
As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.
