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Home Run Trot's June All-Star Team: Pitchers

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 3, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Choosing the pitchers for June's team was just as tough as making some of the decisions for the position players. Some of the players below, like Zack Greinke and Jason Frasor, are making their third straight appearance on the team. Others, like Josh Johnson, are making the team for the first time. Take a look and leave your comments. I think it's a great pitching staff. *Stats as of 7 PM EST July 2STARTERS:SP: Zack Greinke, Kansas CityYes, Greinke had a tough June going 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA and .290 batting average against. Yet he still leads all starters...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Andrew Bailey, Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Francisco Rodriguez, Heath Bell, Home Run Trot All-Stars, Jason Frasor, Jonathan Broxton, Josh Johnson, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Cain, MLB, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Ramon Ramirez, Ramon Troncoso, Roy Halladay, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum, Toronto Blue Jays, Zack Greinke

Home Run Trot's June All-Star Team: Position Players

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 2, 2009 | MLB Notebook

The monthly All-Star team is another feature I'm bringing over from my old blog. For those unfamiliar with my previous work, here are the April and May posts. I'm bringing the All-Star team over to MLB Notebook with a twist. It's going to be divided into two posts. One for the position players and a second for the pitching staff. Now that I'm working with some other great writers, these monthly posts can properly be used to start a discussion.*All stats are compiled as of 7 PM EST on July 1. Catcher: Bengie Molina, San Francisco GiantsMaking this selection was...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Albert Pujols, Andrew McCutchen, Bengie Molina, Boston Red Sox, Brad Hawpe, Carl Crawford, Chase Utley, Colorado Rockies, Evan Longoria, Florida Marlins, Hanley Ramirez, Home Run Trot, Home Run Trot All-Stars, Jason Bay, Los Angeles Angels, Pablo Sandoval, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Torii Hunter, Toronto Blue Jays

FB365's Morning Drive 7/2/09

By Charlie Saponara | July 2, 2009 | Fantasy Baseball 365

Jordan Zimmermann is getting a lot of fantasy love lately. I was on this guy in late April. He out-pitched Josh Johnson yesterday. Cody Ross hit his 14th bomb of the season of newly acquired Sean Burnett. Ross is slugging .633 vs. left handed pitching this season. Josh Johnson left the game after only 3.1 innings. No injury, just a rain delay and 4 walks to go with a rising pitch count. Ricky Romero continues to impress. He's stranding over 85% of runners and his FIP is a run higher than his ERA before his start yesterday. Walks and the AL East are my concerns, but he's definitely a guy worth rostering right now. He's only owned in 33% of Yahoo! leagues. Brad Bergesen impressed against the Red Sox. He's not going to strikeout a ton of guys, but he's keeping the ball on the ground and keeping the walks to a minimum. His next start comes against the Mariners. If you need a spot start, he's worth another go. Yovani Gallardo struck out a career high 12 in 7 IP against the Mets. If Gallardo can reduce his walk rate, he's basically Lincecum light. Gil Meche, coming off a "dead arm" period, threw 121 pitches in only 6 innings. His arm looked fine with a fastball sitting in the mid 90's, but minor injuries have been an issue this season. If I'm A Meche owner (or a Royals fan) I'm not happy about the pitch count at all. Billy Butler, 4-4, continues to outperform James Loney, but it seems no one is paying attention. Jason Hammel has been pitching well for the Rockies lately. He's not quite the ground ball pitcher Aaron Cooks is, but he is getting enough groundballs and limiting walks to be an NL-only add. Troy Tulowitzki got cold just as fast as he got hot two weeks ago. I think he'll finish with an AVG around .270. Jimmy Rollins took another o'fer, but so did most of the Phillies against Jair Jurjjens who only allowed 1 hit. Justin Verlander was touched up last night. That makes two less than spectacular starts in a row. I'm not reading much into it. Jose Contreras has struck out 8 batters in 3 of his last 4 starts. Randy Wells pitched well again and got his third straight win. I'd start him again at home vs the Braves in his next start. Johnny Cueto brought back the strikeout last night against the D-Backs. Of course the D-Backs are second only to the Marlins in team strikeouts. Kevin Millwood and Jered Weaver squared off in a battle of the "sell highs". Neither faired particularly well and neither are likely to repeat their first half numbers in the second half. Nelson Cruz left with a back injury. It didn't sound serious, but I never like to hear about back problems. Keep an eye on the situation. Albert Pujols did not hit a homerun, but he did go 2-2 with a stolen...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Adam Wainwright, Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Baltimore Orioles, Billy Butler, Brad Bergesen, Cincinnati Reds, Cody Ross, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Fantasy, Fantasy Baseball, Florida Marlins, Gil Meche, Jason Hammel, Jered Weaver, Jimmy Rollins, Johnny Cueto, Jordan Zimmermann, Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander, Kansas City Royals, Kevin Millwood, Los Angeles Angels, Matt Cain, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, Nelson Cruz, Philadelphia Phillies, Ricky Romero, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Troy Tulowitzki, Washington Nationals, Yovani Gallardo

Fantasy Links of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 1, 2009 | MLB Notebook

Plenty of good links can be found in the Links tonight. I think for the first time, I've found conflicting reports on a pitcher. That pitcher would be Gio Gonzalez. For those of you whose teams are injury-riddled, Stephania Bell's Injury Blog discusses the big injuries of the week and KFFL talks about injuries by position. Closer Links:Relief Efforts discusses Chris Perez's chances to be Cleveland's closer. Eric Karabell has some bad news for those of you who rushed to your league's waiver wire to get Perez after the Indians traded for him. Some very good prospect links can be...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Adrian Gonzalez, Andrew Bailey, Carlos Beltran, Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians, Daily Notes, Detroit Tigers, Emilio Bonifacio, Fantasy, Fantasy 411, Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Links of the Day, Florida Marlins, Gio Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Homer Bailey, Madison Bumgarner, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Placido Polanco, San Diego Padres, Trevor Cahill, Virgil Vasquez

Wednesday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | July 1, 2009 | MLB Notebook

July begins with several teams either looking to extend winning streaks or stop losing streaks. San Francisco and St. Louis continue a series that impacts the early Wild Card race. Colorado looks to turn their luck around against the Dodgers. Plenty of pitchers are looking for win number eight, nine, or ten on July 1. Nyjer Morgan joins the Nationals. Adam Jones and Marco Scutaro begin July looking to end recent slumps. Those, and plenty of other good storylines, can be found in Wednesday's Games of the Day. Washington at Florida: The Nyjer Morgan era begins in Washington. He and...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Adam Jones, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Brad Bergesen, Brad Hawpe, Chicago Cubs, Clayton Kershaw, Cole Hamels, Colorado Rockies, Dallas Braden, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Games of the Day, Ian Snell, James Loney, James Shields, Jarrod Washburn, Jason Hammel, Jered Weaver, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander, Kevin Millwood, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Luke Scott, Marco Scutaro, Mike Pelfrey, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nick Johnson, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Torii Hunter, Toronto Blue Jays, Virgil Vasquez, Washington Nationals, Yovani Gallardo

Dealing

By Zach Sanders | June 30, 2009 | MLB Notebook

There were some great pitchers going last night, and some great performances from them. Let's take a look.PitchersIP H RERBBSOHRPC-STERAT Lincecum(W, 8-2)9.020008095-602.37Pitchers IP H RERBB SO HRPC-STERAR Harden(W, 5-4)7.0911190102-654.57PitchersIP H RERBBSOHRPC-STERAJ Lester(W, 7-6)7.0500080108-704.35PitchersIP H RERBBSOHRPC-STERAR Oswalt(W, 4-4)9.0211280110-744.02PitchersIP H RERBBSOHRPC-STERAR Nolasco(W, 5-6)8.0422081106-745.99PitchersIP H RERBBSOHRPC-STERAG Floyd(W, 6-5)7.250025095-594.12Two seperate two-hitters, and some great work by the others. It's a good day if you owned one of these guys on your fantasy team....

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Jon Lester, MLB, Rich Harden, Ricky Nolasco, Roy Oswalt, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum

Tim Lincecum Channels Greg Maddux--The Rest of Baseball Watches Nervously

By Nuschler | June 30, 2009 | SF Giants Pride

"Oh, the places you'll go...there are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all."--Dr. SeussUh oh.Don't look now, but a bad situation for Major League Baseball just got, potentially, a lot worse. Particularly if you earn your paycheck hitting in the National League. And if you suffer the ultimate indignity, if you have the misfortune of operating in the NL West?My sincerest condolences. Truly.Because Tim Lincecum seems to have found a new toy.I'm not really taking about the sinister slider he's featuring more heavily in his growing repertoire. Although the Freak's newest out pitch was in full effect during Monday night's masterpiece against the St. Louis Cardinals, it must play second fiddle on this night.The real star of the show was a different culprit--Lincecum's stumbled across the Greg Maddux Pitch and he seems to like it. ...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Greg Maddux, MLB, National League, NL West, San Francisco Giants, Tim Lincecum

Tuesday's Games of the Day

By Jonathan Etkowicz | June 30, 2009 | MLB Notebook

All 30 teams are on the field Tuesday with three new series' beginning. Derek Lowe attempts to match his April 5 performance against the Phillies. John Smoltz looks for his first win as member of the Red Sox. Cliff Lee attempts to keep the Indians from skidding any further. Randy Johnson and Chris Carpenter face off in the pitching matchup of the day. Andre Ethier and Garrett Atkins look to solve their respective pitching riddles. Philadelphia at Atlanta: The Phillies take their two-game winning streak to Atlanta to face Derek Lowe and the Braves. Lowe is 7-6, but he opened...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Andre Ethier, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chad Billingsley, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Cliff Lee, Colorado Rockies, Derek Lowe, Florida Marlins, Games of the Day, Garrett Atkins, Jason Marquis, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Joe Blanton, John Smoltz, Jordan Zimmermann, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Paul Konerko, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, Sean West, Washington Nationals

MLB Great Debates: Which Playoff Contender Needs a Trade to Stay in the Race?

By Staff Report | June 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Which contending team most needs to make a deal before the July 31 trade deadline in order to stay in the race? Jaymes Langrehr argues that the Brewers desperately need starting pitching:As we get closer to the trade deadline, a good number of teams are developing clear needs that need to be addressed if they're going to stay in playoff contention. Some teams will be able to cope with their weaknesses and still make the playoffs due to their other strengths. Other clubs will need to make a move if they have any chance at contending in the second half.The Milwaukee Brewers are a prime example. Heading into this season, they knew that their pitching wouldn't be as good as it was down the stretch last season. Given the strength of their offense, however, they figured to be in okay...Read more

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Fantasy Baseball: Florida Marlins Closer Situation

By Brad Berreman | June 25, 2009 | MVN Outsider

On Wednesday, the Florida Marlins placed closer Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day DL due to a sprained right elbow. He reportedly has been given an order to not throw for four weeks, meaning he may not return until August. Lindstrom had also missed time during Spring Training with a strained rotator cuff. Lindstrom has 14 saves in 16 opportunities along with a 2-1 record and 6.52 ERA in 32 appearances so far this season. He has struck out 26 batters in his 29 innings (8.1 K/9), but has struggled with his control (6.2 BB/9). The Marlins seem likely to use a few different pitchers to close games in Lindstrom's place. Here are the most likely candidates, with season statistics through Wednesday. 1. RHP Leo Nunez (2-3, 4.13 ERA, 2 saves)2. LHP Dan Meyer (1-0, 2.03 ERA, 1 save, 35 appearances)3. RHP Brian Sanches (1-1, 0.59 ERA)4. RHP Kiko Calero (1-0, 2.01 ERA, 36 appearances)5. LHP Renyel Pinto (2-0,...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Fantasy, Florida Marlins, Matt Lindstrom, MLB

MLB Outsider - Who?

By Kurt Evans | June 22, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Everybody's heard of Alex Rodriguez. We all know who Johan Santana is. Lord knows we've all seen the towering homeruns of Albert Pujols. But as fascinating as those players are -- and it's usually a lot of fun to see somebody turn into a star and have a long, successful career -- there are a number of players in the '09 season who have put up heroic numbers... and yet most of us wouldn't be able to spot them in a crowd or even recognize their name in a discussion. Here's a short list of this year's surprises...The HittersPablo Sandoval - 22-years-old, the Giants rookie is batting .338 and is presently on pace to hit 50 doubles, 5 triples, 20 homeruns, and drive in 82 RBI. I'm sure that Giant fans everywhere know his name and are buying his poster, but outside of San Fran he's probably about as recognizable as...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins, Minnesota Twins, MLB, MLB Outsider, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB Top 10: Will the Rockies Ever Lose?

By Jaymes Langrehr | June 15, 2009 | MVN Outsider

For most teams, the MLB season includes multiple peaks and valleys. Ultimately, you're never as good as you are when you're playing at a peak, and you're never as bad as when you're playing in a valley. Right now, the Colorado Rockies are riding a peak that's a mile high (har har), winning eleven games in a row. Whenever the "L10" column in the standings reads "10-0", you know you're playing really good baseball. It's no surprise that the Rockies take the top spot in this week's top ten list, but who else has been putting together hot streaks while the Rockies steal the headlines?1. Colorado Rockies (31-32)At this point, there's really no one else you can put at the top of this list. I always thought that their run in September two years ago was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and would never be repeated, but it looks like the 2009...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, MLB Outsider, MLB Top 10, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB Great Debates: The Ballpark Experience

By Staff Report | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Which experience is better, going to a Major League Baseball game or going to a minor-league one?Jaymes Langrehr says MLB's quality is top-notch:Where I grew up, I was about a three-hour drive east away from Milwaukee County Stadium, and a three-hour drive west away from the Metrodome. I was literally stuck in the middle of nowhere when it came to the MLB map, and looking back, I was definitely jealous of the kids who were able to spend their summers buying cheap Brewers tickets and move their way up to field level (because it's not like anyone was sitting in those seats, anyway). Still, the few major-league games that I was able to attend were incredible -- even though the home team almost always got crushed. Even when your team stinks, there's something special about a Major League game that...Read more

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MLB Outsider Mock Draft: Florida Marlins Select Chad James

By Staff Report | May 25, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider is hosting a 2009 MLB mock draft, where bloggers from all over come together in an attempt to project the draft results that will take place June 9. FishStripes' Craig picks for the Florida Marlins at No. 18. The Marlins start restocking their pitching depth with the tabbing of LHP Chad James. Follow the mock draft here. After two years of using their first round pick on position players, the Marlins are probably going to use this year's pick to help restock the farm system's pitching. The Marlins pick players in waves. In the 2004 and 2005 drafts, combining their first five draft picks, the Marlins selected a total of seven pitchers. In the 2006 and 2007 drafts, combining their first five draft picks, they chose only two pitchers.The Marlins aren't a normal team in the sense that they hold onto the players they develop into major league...Read more

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MLB Great Debates: Steroids and the Hall of Fame

By Staff Report | May 13, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Should the BBWAA look past the use of performance-enhancing drugs and vote known "steroids guys" into the National Baseball Hall of Fame?Jaymes Langrehr says the writers will eventually have no choice but to vote in tainted players:Once again, the game of baseball has been rocked by a star testing positive for a banned substance. Every time this happens, everyone ends up trying to decide if that player is going to be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame. And every time this happens, all the old time-tested baseball writers voting for the Hall say that the player will get in over their dead bodies.It's getting to the point now, though, that eventually they're going to have to lighten up, or risk enshrining some undeserving players. If they stick to their word, we won't be getting Alex Rodriguez and Manny...Read more

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MLB Great Debates: Which Unlikely Leader Can Keep Pace All Season Long?

By Staff Report | May 8, 2009 | MVN Outsider

MLB Outsider's Jaymes Langrehr and Kurt Evans debate the issue: Of the teams who raced out to hot starts in 2009, which is most likely to stay relevant and maintain a lead in the division deep into the season? Jaymes Langrehr picks the Florida Marlins:Sure, the St. Louis Carinals may be the easy choice. They've jumped out to a lead in a division that seems to be filled with fairly average teams. They have the best player in the game. They've got one of the better managers in the game. They seem like the best bet, right?I'm not taking the Cards -- put me down for the Marlins being the best bet to keep up with their hot start.Like the Cards, the Marlins are playing in a division that's pretty wide open. Like the Cards, they were able to jump out to a huge lead early in the season.They've been...Read more

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