Fantasy Baseball Around the Majors: 4/26—Halladay, Johnson, and More

Josh Beckett’s woes continue.  Roy Halladay proved that he’s not a machine.  Colby Rasmus & Marlon Byrd are on absolute tears.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Pitchers

Josh Beckett (3.0 IP, 8 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 3 K) - Seriously, what is going on here?  He’s now given up 15 ER over his last two starts and has allowed less than 5 ER in just two of his five starts.  We all know he’s better than this and with the Orioles next on the schedule I would continue to keep him active.  If he struggles once again, however, that’s going to quickly change.

Josh Johnson (9.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 12 K, W) - This doesn’t factor in his 3-4, 3 RBI day (too bad the majority of fantasy leagues don’t recognize the hitting stats from pitchers).  It’s his second double-digit strikeout game in his last three starts and is sporting a 3.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 34 Ks over his first 31.0 innings.  We all knew he was going to be among the elite, he’s just cemented that spot right now.

Roy Halladay (7.0 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 5 K) - Well, he’s human after all.  We didn’t expect him to be nearly unhittable every time out, did we?  His next start comes against the Mets and I wouldn’t expect him to post back-to-back poor outings.

Jonathan Sanchez (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 6 K, W) - I know the results were there, but the walks are certainly a concern.  He’s been great all year, so I’m not going to get too worked up yet, but this certainly is a red flag and something to watch in his next outing.

Hitters

Lyle Overbay (3-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) - It was a crazy game in Toronto to say the least, with a 13-12 win for Boston.  Overbay picked a good time to erupt, as there had been whispers of the team recalling Brett Wallace to take over first base duties.  One game isn’t going to stop the rumors, though it certainly helps.  He’s homered in back-to-back games and has six of his ten RBI in his last three games.  Nice little streak, but he’s better left for AL-only leagues still.

Brandon Inge (3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) - He always has the potential to put up a game like this, unfortunately they are few and far between.  He’s scored just three runs all year.  That’s unbelievable, and certainly stops him from being usable in most formats.

Austin Kearns (3-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB) - He has a pair of three-hit games in his last three played and is hitting .368 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R and 2 SB in just 38 AB.  Considering how poorly Matt LaPorta (.192, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5 R) has been playing, Kearns will likely start to see more and more playing time.  While he’s hot, he’s a solid option in all five-outfielder formats, but at this point I wouldn’t expect him to be anything more than a short-term fill-in.

Marlon Byrd (3-5, 1 RBI, 1 R) - He has five straight multi-hit games, as well as in seven of his last eight.  During his current hitting streak he’s gone 13-23 with 0 HR, 5 RBI and 7 R).  Clearly, the guy is on fire and is worth using in five-outfielder formats, especially since he’s seeing time in the clean-up spot.

Greg Zaun (4-4, 5 RBI, 3 R) - It was another one of those days for the Brewers offense, racking up 17 runs against an inept Pirates pitching staff.  Zaun led the way, but I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Casey McGehee (1-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R) and Alcides Escobar (2-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R).  Zaun is a solid option for those in two-catcher formats, but that’s about it.

Colby Rasmus (2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) - He’s hitting .315 with 6 HR and 11 RBI on the year.  During his current seven-game hitting streak he’s gone 12-26 with 4 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R and 2 SB.  Needless to say, he’s a good play in all formats.  With Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday hitting behind him, he should get plenty of opportunities to produce all year long.

What are your thoughts from yesterday’s games?  Which of these stories interests you most?  Did anything else catch your eye?

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