Fantasy Baseball Tonight 6/12; Starting Pitching, Injuries, Inge and Yunel

Kevin Slowey improved to 9-2 with another solid outing, and perhaps his best as far as fantasy baseball is concerned. Slowey did allow three runs over six innings, but he struck out a season-high 10 batters. He also walked a guy, bringing his season total to 10 in 13 starts. Sure his ERA is over 4.00, but Slowey is getting the job done and is still a pitcher that I feel comfortable starting every time out. If he could only keep up the strikeout rate he had on Friday, he would be someone that every player wanted.

Randy Wells finally had the kind of outing that I have been waiting for from him. He was unable to complete the fourth inning before allowing four runs, walking two and striking out only one. Outside of a short stint before being called to the majors this season, Wells had never pitched this well in the minors. He has to have a few more rough starts, he isn’t going to keep his ERA at the 2.55 level that it is at even after this game.

Jon Lester was amazing for the third straight outing as he allowed just one run again and struck out double digits for the third straight start. Here’s hoping that you were patient with Lester while he struggled. I won’t go so far as calling him an elite pitcher, but he is certainly climbing the rankings. It is too late to try to trade for him, and if you own him don’t think about trading him unless you get a crazy deal you can’t turn down.

My hitting streak in the USA Today 56-Game Hit streak now sits at four thanks to Kevin Youkilis. I am on a bit of a roll right now and I am feeling pretty good about myself. If you want to join our ever growing group go to the main page for the game and follow the link for the game.  Our private group is called Fantasy Bball 2night and the password is fantasy. See if you can do any better. Right now the group continues to be led by Jennifer who has a six-game streak thanks to David Wright. I can figure out who some of you are by your team names, but let me know which of you are playing with us.

Joba Chamberlain threw 100 pitches in just four innings as he continues to flounder between great starts and not lasting long enough to even qualify for a win. He only allowed two earned runs, but didn’t last long enough to help his team or yours. I really struggle to decide what to expect from him for the rest of the year. He shows flashes of greatness, but most of the time he can’t seem to get through more than five or six innings. If you are in a keeper league, you have to hold him. In seasonal leagues I would try to trade him to see if you can get a good deal anywhere in your league.

Luke Hochevar might be atoning for his last stint in the majors and perhaps has turned the corner to be what he was supposed to be all along. After allowing just two runs over 6.2 innings in his last start, Hochevar went the distance on Friday, allowing just one run to the Reds and struck out three. I’m still not quite drinking the Kool-Aid yet, but if you are in need of pitching, he could be worth a flier after two good starts.

Cleveland rookie David Huff had by far the best outing of his young career. He had struggled to even last five innings through his first five starts, but pitched into the eighth inning against St. Louis on Friday. He allowed just three runs, walked two and struck out five. He came into the year ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Indians system by Baseball America. He had a pretty solid minor league career and projects as a good strikeout pitcher. If you are in a keeper league he MIGHT be worth a look, but I don’t think so at this point. Seasonal leagues I wouldn’t consider him yet. Unless you are in a real bad way as far as pitching is concerned I would leave him be right now.

Rick Porcello had another great start and earned his seventh win of the season already. The Tigers’ star rookie allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out two. The strikeouts are the only thing that is keeping Porcello away from being a fantasy household name. This was a nice bounce back from a couple of rough outings, which you have to worry about when you are dealing with a 20 year old. I have been saying this all year long, I think Porcello is for real……right now. If he’s still out there, please pick him up. I’ve gotten a few emails saying he was available. He shouldn’t be.

Brandon Inge is still hitting no matter how much I say he will stop. Inge did have one season in his career that was close to this pace, but he is certainly on his way to a career year. He only had one hit tonight, but it was his 14th jack of the season. I still think that this is going to slow down.

Since May 1, Yunel Escobar has had a pretty good run. His average has remained in the high .280s, but his run production has been good. In less than six weeks he has four homers and 24 RBI. He has gone from a guy that I barely thought was worth a roster spot, do someone that I have started multiple times in a 14 team league.  If he’s still out there, he is at least worth a look for a utility spot even if you already have a good shortstop.

Congratulations to Tommy Hanson for collecting his first major league win. Hanson was much better than his first time out, but still had control problems. He allowed just two runs over 5.2 innings, but he did walk five to go with his five strikeouts. He is an elite pitching prospect and this was an improvement over his first time out, keep pitching him every five days.

Ricky Nolasco had his best start of the season, and second good one since returning from the minors. Nolasco didn’t factor in the decision, but he allowed just two runs over six innings, while striking out nine. Unfortunately, his team couldn’t manage to score runs off of the Blue Jays to help him, but he has only allowed two runs in each of his first two starts back in the majors. Continue playing him with confidence, and if for some reason he was dropped, make sure you pick him back up.

Injury News

Jake Peavy will miss at least a month with a torn tendon in his ankle. This hurts his owners badly, and assures that the Padres will be the worst team in the National League. What can you do? All you can do is put him in your DL slot until he is able to return.

Scott Kazmir is set to go on a rehab assignment early next week as he recovers from his quad strain. Expect him to make three or four rehab starts, so you are still looking at a few weeks before Kazmir is able to return to the Rays. Continue to stash him until then.

Roy Halladay left his start tonight with a strained groin. Halladay made it to the third inning but grimaced in pain early in the inning. He attempted to throw one more warmup pitch, but quickly left the mound. Too soon for any more news about this, but if it is bad it would be devastating to fantasy teams everywhere.

John Smoltz pitched what is supposed to be his final rehab start.  He allowed four runs and six hits over four innings. If this was supposed to be his last start, that means that a spot will open in the Sox rotation. Speculation is rampant that Brad Penny will be traded any day. I’m not sure what to expect from Smoltz this season. When he is right he could give you a 3.00 ERA with nearly a strikeout an inning. However, he is 42 and is recovering from surgery. he is definitely a risk, but could have a nice payoff.

Denard Span will at least be out the entire weekend with the dizziness that has been plaguing him. Between dizziness and hip injuries, guys are dropping like flies. Like we have seen from Joey Votto, this could turn into a longer term thing than just a couple of days. Continue to monitor his progress.

Jeremy Bonderman is already back on the 15-day DL after only making one start.  Bonderman is still trying to recover from a condition that restricts the blood flow through his shoulder. This doesn’t sound like it is a short term problem, and if you have him, I would feel safe letting him go.

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