Fantasy Baseball Around the Majors, June 27: Tim Lincecum, David Wright and More

Is it time to be concerned about Tim Lincecum or Tommy Hanson?  David Wright is proving that any concerns about him should no longer be an issue.

Jonathan Broxton had a terrible night.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Hitters:

• David Wright (3-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB) - New York Mets—He did a little bit of everything, as he has completely turned things around.  At .300 with 14 HR and 61 RBI on the season, it’s safe to call him one of the elite players in the game once again.
• Rickie Weeks (4-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - Milwaukee Brewers—He has a seven-game hitting streak, going 14-30 with 3 HR, 10 RBI, and 7 R.  Forget the hitting streak, he has at least one RBI and one run in six straight games.  How long have we heard how good he could be if he stayed healthy?  Maybe we’re finally going to see it. He’s now hitting .268 with 13 HR, 44 RBI, and 50 R on the season.  Granted, he’s not stealing enough (4 SB), but let’s not be picky.  He’s a must-start in all formats.
• Adam Jones (1-3, 1 RBI, 1 R) - Baltimore Orioles—His hitting streak is up to six games, going 12-24 with 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 8 R.  He certainly is finally rewarding those who stayed patient with him during his early season struggles.  He may not live up to some of the preseason hype, but he’s usable in all formats.
• Will Venable (1-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) - San Diego Padres—He is smoking hot, going 6-14 with 3 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R, and 2 SB over his last five games.  He has struggled with strikeouts this season (74 Ks in 209 AB), which has helped to cost him a chance to hit for a good average.  If he could ever get that in line, he’d be a must-use option in all formats.  As it is, he has some speed and some power, making him worth considering in five-outfielder formats.
• Tyler Colvin (3-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) - Chicago Cubs—He’s earned regular playing time and certainly has delivered.  He’s now hitting .296 with 10 HR and 27 RBI on the year.  He’s not known for his power, but has three home runs in his last seven games.  In five-outfielder formats, he’s worth using while he’s hot.
• Paul Konerko (1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - Chicago White Sox—He’s homered in back-to-back games and now has an eight-game hitting streak.  Over the stretch he’s gone 13-32 with 2 HR, 9 RBI and 7 R.
• Shin-Soo Choo (2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) - Cleveland Indians—It’s his second two-home run game in his last three, so it appears he’s heating up.  In his last eight games, he’s gone 12-32 with 4 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R, and 1 SB.  Considering he had only 8 HR of late, you can say that this was worth the wait.  He’s proven to be one of the better outfielders in the game, so through thick and thin, you need to stick with him.
• Ian Stewart (1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - Colorado Rockies—He had been awful, but has suddenly awoken in his last three, going 4-12 with 2 HR, 4 RBI, and 2 R.  With eligibility at both 2B and 3B, he clearly is worth waiting out in deeper formats.
• Kurt Suzuki (1-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - Oakland Athletics—It amazes me that people give up on catchers with upside, even in one-catcher formats, because they miss time with an injury.  Suzuki has been solid when he takes the field, now hitting .264 with 10 HR and 32 RBI on the season.  He’s had some slow times, but he’s worth using in all formats.

Pitchers:

• Jonathan Niese (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K, W) - New York Mets—It’s now easy to call his meltdown during his rain delay-interrupted previous start an aberration.  Not counting that start (he ultimately allowed 6 ER over 4.2 IP), he’s 4-0, allowing 4 ER over 29 IP since returning from the DL (even if you include it, his ERA since coming off the DL is 2.71).  His next start comes in Washington and at this point, you have to consider him a must-use for that one.
• Aaron Heilman (1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, SV) - Arizona Diamondbacks—He had struggled of late, giving up runs in three straight outings and four of his past six, but in the ridiculously bad Diamondbacks bullpen, that means his job appears to be safe.  Sam Demel could ultimately get an opportunity later in the season, but if you are desperate for saves, Heilman appears to be a safe play for now.
• Brett Cecil (4.2 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 5 K) - Toronto Blue Jays—Does anyone remember his hot streak anymore?  He’s been hit hard in his last three starts, allowing 16 ER over 15.2 innings making him a tough play in all formats now.  It’s possible that he turns things back around, so I would keep him stashed, but with a rematch with the Yankees coming next (he allowed 1 ER over 8 IP his last time out), he should be on your bench in all formats.
• Tommy Hanson (3.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 K) - Atlanta Braves—This is now back-to-back bad outings for Hanson.  Remember, his last time out he had allowed 9 ER over 3.2 IP.  It’s startling, to say the least, but we all know the type of talent that he has.  Clearly, you need to stick with him and wait for him to work himself out of the bad and reap the benefits of the good.  His next start comes against the Marlins, who he beat earlier in the year, allowing 2 ER over 6 IP.
• Jaime Garcia (2.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 K) - St. Louis Cardinals—Well, you can’t win them all.  This was only the second time he’s allowed more then 2 ER in a start this season and the first time he’s allowed more then 3 ER.  Of course, his two worst starts have been his last two (8 ER over 8 IP), so owners are going to get nervous.  There was little chance he could maintain his 83.5% strand rate, so a bit of a regression should not be a surprise.  It’s not likely to be a huge regression, however, with a .279 BABIP.
• Jhoulys Chacin (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 12 K) - Colorado Rockies—Well, that was impressive.  He didn’t get a W, as he allowed 3 unearned runs, but the strikeouts have got to make you take notice.  He’s never showed the ability to strike out this many, however, with a minor league career K/9 of 7.8, so don’t expect this to continue.
• Tim Lincecum (3.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K) - San Francisco Giants—Here we go again.  It looked like he had steadied things, but he was clearly outpitched by Jon Lester (9.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 K, W).  Lincecum had been solid his last three times out, going 3-0 and allowing just 4 ER, while striking out 24, over 22 IP.  Now, we once again have to be wondering what is going on.  I wouldn’t sell him, because you are not going to get equal value back.  Just wait it out and hope for the best.
• Jonathan Broxton (1.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K) - Los Angeles Dodgers —When Clayton Kershaw (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K) left the game with a 5-2 lead, owners had to comfortable.  When the Dodgers actually added on, making it 6-2, you had to thought it was in the bag.  Enter Jonathan Broxton, who doesn’t get a blown save, since it wasn’t a save opportunity, but he was clearly terrible.  It happens.  He hadn’t allowed an earned run since May 22, so I can’t get too worried.  He remains one of the elite closers in the game.
• Tommy Hunter (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 K, W) - Texas Rangers—He was solid, while Roy Oswalt (4.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 3 K) was not.  He hasn’t allowed more than 2 ER in any of his five starts (though one was 2.1 innings), and is sporting a 2.15 ERA and 1.09 WHIP.  The problem is he doesn’t strike out many (5.2 K/9) and has benefited from some luck (.259 BABIP).  A regression is likely coming, so proceed cautiously.  I’m not sure that I trust him quite yet to use him in his next start against the White Sox.

What are your thoughts from yesterday’s games?  Which ones caught your eye? And which ones did I miss?

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