Beyond the Boxscore - Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/28/08
A congratulations to Ryan is in order, who by the time he reads this, should be a father to a second beautiful baby girl (Good luck when they are teenagers!). So in the time he is away, I will try to fill his shoes with tonight’s Beyond the Boxscore.
Daisuke Matsuzaka left yesterday’s Redsox game at the start of the fifth inning. It was first believed to be just a back or a hip injury, but it is now being reported as shoulder fatigue. He is heading back to Boston today to have an MRI done, this is terrible news for Dice-K owners who have enjoyed his 8-0 start to the season. It is believed now that he will miss his next start and may miss an extended period of time, we will keep you up to date. In the meantime the Redsox will turn their fifth spot in the rotation over to either Justin Masterson or Clay Bucholz, both of whom are top notch prospects and worth a look on your fantasy team. This injury also guarantees a spot in the rotation for Bartolo Colon.
Whitesox outfielder Carlos Quentin continued his assault on American League pitching adding 3 more RBI today. His numbers this year are eye-popping; through less than a half a season he is batting 296 with 14 HR and 47 RBI. Quentin is a perfect example of a post-hype prospect. That is, someone that is hyped like crazy by the experts as they come up through the minor leagues, then when they make “The Show”, they struggle with the inevitable ups and downs that happen to everyone not named Ryan Braun or Tim Lincecum. These 2nd or 3rd year players make for great sleeper picks. That means keep an eye on guys like Adam Jones, Alex Gordon and Delmon Young.
Speaking of post-hype prospects, Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay (Don’t Call Me Devil Rays) Rays struck out a career high 10 batters. With the exception of his start against the Cards earlier this month that makes five of six quality starts since the beginning of May. It should be noted that just the other day I wrote an article titled, “Need Some Saves”, in which I warned you to avoid closers like Kerry Wood, Brad Lidge and Troy Percival. As it turns out Percival left this game with two outs in the ninth with a bum hammy. The injury looks to be minor, however if Percival is to miss an extended period of time look for Dan Wheeler and Al Reyes to pick up the majority of the save opportunities.
Chase Utley hit his major league leading 17th homerun today. The gap between the top second basemen and the rest continues to be alarming. Although Dan Uggla, BJ Upton and Brandon Phillips make up a nice second tier, the Chase stands alone in the top tier for 2B.
In Cincinnati Jay Bruce collected a double and another steal in his second pro game. If he is still available in your league, count your blessings, and pick him up. The man he replaced in center field, Corey Patterson was optioned to Triple-A today as he was mired in 0-18 slump. Another super talented prospect, Joey Votto added three more hits tonight. There’s a lot to be excited about around the Reds right now, especially when you add pitchers Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto to the mix.
Injury News
We already touched on injuries to Dice-K and Percival. The Yankees placed SP Ian Kennedy on the DL tonight with a right shoulder injury. Kennedy joins fellow struggling rookie Phil Hughes. In terms of the effect to your fantasy team look for Darrell Rasner to get more opportunities and for Joba Chamberlain to be in the rotation as soon as next week. Howie Kendrick gave it another go tonight as he tries for a second time to get through a minor league rehabilitation assignment to overcome a hamstring problem that has plagued him since early April. Kendrick is a big injury risk, but an equally intriguing talent at a position of real scarcity. Snatch him up if someone has dropped him because of the injuries. Aaron Rowand who was 2-3 with 2 more RBI left tonight’s game with a foot injury, we’ll keep an eye on this one, as details become available.
Please send any questions or inquiries to andy@fightingchancefantasy.com or leave a comment.
