Fantasy Baseball Around the Majors, June 24: Pedroia, Gallardo, and More

Yovani Gallardo starred on the mound, tying a career high with 12 Ks.  Dustin Pedroia starred at the plate, hitting three home runs.  What more do you need from a wild day in baseball?  Let’s take a look at all the stories from yesterday’s games:

Hitters

Chase Utley (3-3, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB)—Over his last nine games he’s gone 13-33 with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 8 R and 3 SB.  Is anyone really still concerned about him?  I know he still has just one home run in June (in fact, one since May 21), but sooner or later that is likely to come around as well.

Dustin Pedroia (5-5, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R)—He’s one of the best players in the game, and performances like this back that statement up.  He’s now hitting .293 with 12 HR, 41 RBI, 52 R, and 8 SB on the year.  How much more can you ask for from a 2B?

Rickie Weeks (2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R)—He’s now on a six-game hitting streak, going 10-25 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, and 6 R.  He hits atop the Brewers lineup, so it’s tough to imagine the RBI continuing for long, but it certainly is nice to see him produce.  He’s proving to be usable in all formats at a weaker position.

Vernon Wells (2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R)—It’s his third straight two-hit game.  It’s his first RBI in five games.  Entering the day, he had hit just one home run over 14 games.  Could he be heating up once again?

Adam Jones (3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R)—Not only does he have a six-game hitting streak, he has six consecutive multi-hit games.  Over the streak he’s gone 14-26 with 4 HR (he has a home run in three straight games), 8 RBI, and 9 R.  Now that’s quite a hot streak, and one that certainly has significantly helped all fantasy owners who stuck with him.

Austin Jackson (0-4, 1 R, 1 SB)—Since June 4, he’s gone 5-44, seeing his average fall to .302.  No one really thought he was a .370 hitter, did they?  The luck was bound to run out and he’s now mired in a huge slump.  He’s got speed and run potential, but I’d only consider using him in five-outfielder formats (and only then if I have no other options).  There’s a good likelihood that he continues to struggle.

Josh Hamilton (3-4, 1 R, 1 SB)—The hitting streak has reached 18 games, 36-72 with 8 HR, 24 RBI, 20 R, and 3 SB.  What else is there to say?

Manny Ramirez (2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R)—He is now on a six-game hitting streak, going 9-25 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, and 5 R.  Obviously, we’d all like to see more production when he’s going well, hitting in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.  Still, in 171 AB, he’s hitting .304 with 8 HR, 36 RBI and 29 R.

Jason Castro (2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R)—He’s hitting .300 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, and 4 R in three games since being recalled.  As I’ve said before, given his minor league track record, I still wouldn’t trust him.  If you want to grab him in two-catcher formats fine, but that’s about all (aside from NL-only leagues).

Pitchers

Matt Garza (8.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K, W)—This is the type of rebound Garza sorely needed after the debacle he had his last time out (7 ER over 1.1 IP), but he certainly didn’t make it look easy early on.  All three runs came in the second inning, including a home run to Oscar Salazar (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R), but threw six scoreless innings thereafter, allowing just two hits in the process. 

Garza is certainly better than he’s been pitching of late (four ER or more in four of his previous five starts), so after taking the bad, don’t give up hope before seeing the good once again.

Yovani Gallardo (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 12 K, W)—It was a masterful performance.  Since 5/28, he’s only allowed more than one earned run in a start once.  Over his last three starts, he’s struck out 31 over 21 innings.  This is the fifth time he’s reached double-digit Ks this season and tied his career high (struck out 12 Mets in seven innings on July 1, 2009).  He clearly has emerged as an elite starter, now leading the lead in Ks to go along with a 2.36 ERA.

Matt Cain (2.2 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 2 K)—He had been pitching so well, you almost knew that a blowup was coming, sooner or later.  You may be surprised to see it come against the Astros, but what does that really matter?  He entered the day with a .238 BABIP and 80.4 percent strand rate, so the luck simply had to run out for at least one night.

Wandy Rodriguez (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K, W)—It’s been a tough season, so it’s nice to see him go out there and excel.  He entered the day with a .354 BABIP and 60.1 percent strand rate, basically the exact opposite of Cain’s luck. 

Unfortunately, the strikeouts are still down (6.2 entering the day) and the walks are still up (4.1 entering the day).  Still, better day almost have to be ahead.  As I said yesterday (click here  to view the article, I wouldn’t give up much for him, but he certainly has the potential to be a buy low candidate.

Gavin Floyd (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 9 K)—He was locked in a great pitchers duel with Derek Lowe (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K), though neither factored in the decision.  Floyd is becoming a pitcher who struggles early, but really turns it on.  Over his last four starts he’s allowed three ER over 29 IP.  This is almost identical to last season, when he posted a 5.52 ERA in April and a 6.68 ERA in May before doing a complete 180, with a 1.28 ERA in June.

The moral of the story?  Don’t own him early and wait for someone to give up on him.  At this point, he’s usable in all formats once again.

Felix Hernandez (9.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K)—He’s got a 3.28 ERA, yet just five wins on the season.  That’s what happens when you pitch for one of the worst offensive teams in the league.  Hernandez is among the top pitchers, and should be treated as such, wins may just be tough to come by all year long.

Brandon Morrow (8.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K, W)—He has this type of dominant stuff, he just needs to harness it.  Over his last six starts, he hasn’t allowed more than three ER in any start, so perhaps he’s finally there?  Walks have been a problem, at times, so I certainly wouldn’t say he’s fully there yet, but depending on the matchup he certainly is a viable option in all formats.  With his next start coming against the Indians, this would be one of those matchups.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 6 K)—In his first start off the DL, Matsuzaka allowed two ER on two H and three BB in the first inning, before significantly settling down.  We all know the control is always questionable, which makes him a tough play in shallower formats.

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

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