The Fantasy Baseball Wolf Hunt: A Cruel July.

“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.”  -Ted Williams

Ah July; A time when baseball really kicks into high gear and the races start heating up in the divisions and in the realm of Fantasy.

By now, most of you should have a clear cut picture of where your team is headed. In addition, for those of you still in the hunt (pun intended), you should also have a definite idea as to what your immediate needs are for the remainder of the season.

Whether you play in an H2H, Rotisserie, Draft and Trade, or Salary Cap league, you may have noticed a little annoying trend: July has turned into the Jekyll and Hyde month from hell.

Unless you own Garrett Jones, Edwin Encarnacion, Miguel Montero, or Brett Anderson your normal roster has probably seen more ebb and flow than the Jersey Shoreline.

Power hitters have been infected with the inconsistency bug.

Pitching has gotten better which means everyday hitters have seen a slide in their otherwise impressive stat lines, and the DL has been exponentially growing faster than you can get to the waiver wire for a temporary replacement.

Today we will take a look at some players, whose tide has receded. We will also introduce a new section for those nagging and pesky injuries that many of us can’t seem to make heads or tails of.

Let us begin.

Colby Rasmus, OF, STL

Rasmus got real hot real quick in the first week of July but has since been cold as ice. After July 7th, Rasmus has had 4 hits in 32 AB and considering he will have to deal with the Phillies, Dodgers, and Astros, chances are he will probably continue to slump.

One has to wonder if the trade rumors for Halladay had anything to do with all of this; rumors that will not happen, but still, his bid for Rookie of the Year has taken a shot as of late. I would sit him in favor of a stronger OF option on your roster.

If you have no other quality players, try making a move for Pat Burrell off of waivers who has been heating up as of late, and should continue to do so.

Elvis Andrus, SS, TEX

Boy it seems like every time you turn around the Rangers have a new issue to deal with don’t they?

Well Andrus is the latest to come limping to the barn.

Andrus was stellar through most of June, but just like Rasmus has gone 4 for 32 and just 1 ribbie, 1 SB, and 4 runs in the same span of time.

There are no concerns with Andrus in regard to injuries he just hasn’t been playing that well. If you are looking to drop him, be careful who you pick up since SS is one of the hardest spots to fill when it comes down to quality players.

Yunel Escobar of the Braves could be an option off of waivers. He has enjoyed his new roster spot in the 6 hole, and leads the Braves in RBIs this year. Outside of Escobar, you may have to just simply ride this one out for a while and hope Andrus picks things back up.

Casey McGehee, 2B, MIL

In the Fantasy world, McGehee is an all around plug-in player. In most formats, you can play him at 3B, CI, and MI but July has wreaked havoc on the young man, and due to this, and an ever growing problem with tendonitis in his knee, McGehee may see less playing time which doesn’t bode well in Fantasy.

In June, McGehee posted acceptable numbers:

77AB, 28H, 15R, 5HR, 18RBI, with a .364 avg.

Before the knee, he was on pace to better those number just a bit but hasn’t played in 3 days and things are looking grim.

Mike Fontenot has been scorching as of late and will continue to see more time against RHP. The best part is his mere 5% ownership, which means the likelihood of his name being on the wire is very good.

Fontenot is also a plug-in style player like McGehee. Grab him if you need a competent second baseman.

Brad Penny, SP, BOS

Penny had a good thing going from May 25^th to June 23^rd. His pitches were down, his SO count was very high, and it looked as if the gamble taken by Boston, and any Fantasy manger trying to be Francona, was paying off.

Then along came July.

Since then, Penny has lost 4 straight not ever making it out of the 5th inning in two of those contests. His last two games have only yielded 4 SO—ouch!

At this point in the season, a quality and reliable pitcher is a big deal, and Penny isn’t the answer.

Remember that little deal the Phillies made for Pedro Martinez? Well Pedro has been medically cleared and his ownership has soared to 11% already, so you might want to consider dropping Penny for Martinez post haste!

Jose Contreras, SP, CWS

In Contreras’ last six starts, he has given up 10 ER and his last outing against Baltimore may be a sign of things to come— he lasted just 4.3 innings giving up 5 runs, four of them earned.

We came to take a more-than-casual eye towards Contreras and his sudden command of his fastball and sinker, but his fastball has had poor location as of late and that sinker is…well you can finish that one yourself.

In July, Contreras has found himself another victim of the cruel month posting some sub-par numbers we aren’t used to: 18 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 18 SO, 1 HR, and a 3.38 ERA.

His next three starts come against the Tigers, Twins, and Angels. But since he has been so unpredictable this year, you never really know what you are going to get out of him.

I say he can’t be trusted against any of these teams.

Injuries and DL Updates.

Kevin Slowey was scheduled to return on the 21st, but that isn’t going to happen. He is now scheduled for a rehab start on Saturday in Triple-A Rochester.

Torrii Hunter is scheduled to come off the DL on the 22nd and should be able to go while teammate Juan Rivera is still battling hamstring issues and is listed day to day. Keep an eye on Rivera as this develops.

Other notables are Jonathan Papelbon who is listed day to day with the flu, Nelson Cruz who is listed day to day with a fractured finger, and Gil Meche who is slated to return on the 27th from the DL. Meche was dealing with a back issue.

Stay diligent managers, July has been a very difficult month, but August and September are just around the corner, and that next great move on your part could carry you to the top.