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| The Los Angeles Times reports that closer Takashi Saito said Sunday he continued to feel the discomfort in his right elbow. Manager Joe Torre acknowledged that the Japanese import would spend time on the disabled list.
"It hasn't really changed since yesterday," said Saito, who is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam today. Jonathan Broxton will be the Dodgers' closer in Saito's absence.
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Our View: Matchups would dictate who pitches in the eighth innings of games the Dodgers are leading.
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| Zack Greinke will start the opener of the second half for the Royals, this according to the team website.
"We set it up that way because we believe our most effective starting pitcher up to this point, pitching twice in the division in the first six games against Chicago and Detroit, is Greinke," manager Trey Hillman said. "So we want him pitching in our own division and starting it off." The Royals ace will be followed, in order, by Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, Luke Hochevar and Kyle Davies. |
Our View: Greinke's start against the White Sox on Friday night will allow him to start against the Tigers on the following Wednesday afternoon at Kansas City.
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| James Shields will be the first to take the mound after the All Star break, this according to the team website.
"I think it's an important game," Shields said. "You want to start the second half off strong.
Shield has started 10 games at the Trop where he is 5-1 with a 2.13 ERA. After Scott Kazmir threw 104 pitches Sunday he is not expected be used in Tuesday's All-Star Game.
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Our View: Kazmir is the likely Saturday or Sunday starter with Matt Garza filling out the rotation for the teams' three game series against Toronto.
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| According to the Phillies team website, Jamie Moyer will open the second half on the mound Friday night in Florida. Kyle Kendrick will follow on Saturday and Cole Hamels will round out the three games series against the Marlins. |
Our View: The Phillies aren't sure who will pitch Tuesday and Wednesday against the Mets at Shea Stadium, though it's possible Adam Eaton will start the first game and Brett Myers will return on Wednesday.
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| Brewers' Ned Yost has been trying to set his rotation for the second half, but he has yet to make any definitive decisions, this according to the team website. Yost has said the when the team acquired C.C. Sabathia that Seth McClung and Dave Bush would be the odd men out, which one will fill the final slot has yet to be determined. "I'm still thinking about it," Yost said. "I'm thinking seriously about matching up. You look at the numbers, and you want to put each of them [Bush and McClung] in a position where they can be successful." Ben Sheets , who will start Tuesday's All Star game will pitch either Saturday or Sunday. |
Our View: Jeff Suppan, who is on the 15-day disabled list, threw a successful side session on Sunday. According to the report he felt great and will be activated to make his next outing.
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| The Astros team website reports that right-hander Brian Moehler will receive the first start after the All Star break.
"Obviously, we all want Roy starting that game, because he's the ace of the staff," Moehler said. "It's just unfortunate that he's injured right now."
Moehler will be followed in the rotation by Wandy Rodriguez and Brandon Backe in a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs.
After the series with the Cubs the rotation is a question mark. The fourth spot will likely go to Runelvys Hernandez, who would be called up from Triple-A Round Rock.
Oswalt could be ready to start Tuesday, the fifth spot in the rotation after the break, but that won't be known until next weekend.
"He won't do any throwing until after the break," manager Cecil Cooper said. "There's no need."
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Our View: Cooper said that Moehler's season has been a success by every measurement. That's true to a degree, but after the fifth inning Moehler's peripherals are horrible making him a better option out of the bullpen.
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| Ryan Church (concussions) played catch before the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the Colorado Rockies and could be back soon after the All-Star break, manager Jerry Manuel told the AP. |
Our View: At one point the team thought the season could be over for their right fielder. The way the Mets are clicking, adding Church to the 25-man roster will make the team that much better.
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| Mark Redman stay in the Rockies rotation is uncertain. The veteran left-hander was never in control of Sunday's 7-0 loss to the Mets. The big blow to Redman's start was a Carlos Beltran home run in the first inning that traveled an estimated 415 feet giving New York a 3-0 lead. |
Our View: With Kip Wells and possibly Jason Hirsh expected to join the Roks rotation in the second half, Redman will be released or sent back to Triple-A.
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| Kip Wells, who had surgery to remove a blood clot in his hand, will make one more rehab start Wednesday at Double-A Tulsa, according to the AP. The team will evaluate him after his Wednesday work and make a decision on when he will join the rotation. |
Our View: Wells, who started one game this year in 10 appearances, has registered a 2.29 ERA with 16 strike outs in 19.2 innings.
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| Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer helping Mike Pelfrey and the New York Mets defeat the Colorado Rockies 7-0 Sunday night. |
Our View: Beltran has been fabulous in July, and if he can continue his hot hitting and raise his .262 batting average he will again become one of the top-tiered fantasy options in the outfield.
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| Mike Pelfrey was over-the-top good again leading the Mets to a 7-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday night. It was the Mets ninth win in a row leaving them just a half a game behind NL East leader Philadelphia. |
Our View: Pelfrey tossed eight scoreless innings allowing six hits, walking none and striking out five.
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| John Lackey will take the mound for the first game following the All Star break. The team didn't make any official announcement about who would follow Lackey. However, it's believed that Joe Saunders, who missed Sunday's start to a new addition to the family, will start Saturday or Sunday. |
Our View: In 11 career starts against the Red Sox, Lackey has a 1-6 record with 6.27 ERA. It is his worst mark against any American League team.
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| According to the Twins team website, Kevin Slowey is suffering from an infected fingernail on his right middle finger.
Minnesota's coaching staff became aware of the injury on Sunday morning after his poor performance against the Tigers that saw him last only 3.2 innings.
"It wasn't an issue until last night, when it started getting really sore," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It wasn't supposed to be an issue, now it's turned into an issue."
Slowey said he noticed a change in his finger when he woke up on Friday morning following his start against Detroit on Thursday. |
Our View: The training staff told him the injury wouldn't prevent him from pitching and that he's available if needed.
The right-hander, who had been scheduled to start the first game of the second half, was moved to the end of the rotation.
Left-hander Glen Perkins will now start the first game back on Friday and Livan Hernandez on Saturday versus the Rangers. Slowey will take the mound on Sunday.
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| Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after Sunday's 2-1 win over the Orioles that Clay Buchholz will get the Friday start after the All Star game against the Los Angles Angels. The scheduling will allow Jon Lester and Josh Beckett extra rest. |
Our View: Beckett will pitch on Saturday and Time Wakefield on Sunday. Lester will take the mound on Monday when the Red Sox travel to Seattle followed by Dice-K on Tuesday.
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| When Jonathan Sanchez and Tim Lincecum start for the Giants the team is 25 - 12. The rest of the rotation is 14 - 40. |
Our View: Skipper Bruce Bochy plans to shuffle the rotation after the All-Star break with Matt Cain pitching Friday, Sanchez on Saturday and then Lincecum, the All Star, on Sunday. Barry Zito will pitch Monday and Kevin Correia on Tuesday.
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| Kenny Rogers is scheduled to start for the Tigers in their Thursday game following the All Star break. He finished the first half with a no-decision against the Twins after allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings of work. |
Our View: Rogers has been one of Detroit's most consistent starters after a slow April and May. Since June 2, the left-handed veteran has allowed 2.30 earned runs per game in 10 starts.
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| Matt Harrison earned a second start after winning his major league debut. In his second start the rookie left-hander allowed five runs on seven hits, walked two and didn't record a strikeout over 2.2 innings of work against the White Sox lineup. |
Our View: Harrison is expected to head back to Triple-A once Vicente Padilla and the other injured Texas arms return from the disabled list.
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| Jose Contreras was hit hard for the second straight start. The veteran right-hander allowed seven runs, on 10 hits, walked two and struck out two over four innings in a 12-11 loss to the Rangers on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Contreras didn't figure in the decision and his early season success had all but disappeared. He heads into the All Star break with a record of 7-7 and a 4.60 ERA.
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| Jermaine Dye homered in Chicago's 12-11 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon Dye went 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs. Dye lead the way in a 22-hit attack by the Sox. |
Our View: Dye enters the All Star break hitting .306 with 21 home runs and 56 RBI.
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| Carlos Quentin hit his 22nd home run of the season in Sunday's 12-11 loss to the Texas Rangers. |
Our View: Quentin has been one of the 2008 surprises. His 22 home runs come along with 70 RBI, 62 runs, five stolen bases and a .276 batting average.
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| Ian Kinsler extended his hitting streak to 25 games in Sunday's 12-11 win over the AL Central first place Chicago White Sox. |
Our View: Kinsler remains one of the top fantasy options at a shallow second base. Heading into the All Star break Kinsler is hitting .337 with 58 RBI, 84 runs scored, 14 home runs and 23 stolen bases.
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| Randy Wolf allowed six runs on six hits, walked three and struck out only one over five innings in Sunday's loss to the Braves. |
Our View: Wolf, who is typically a terrific spot start at home in PETCO Park, didn't fool any of the Braves hitters on Sunday afternoon evident by his lack of strike outs.
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| Jorge Campillo went six strong helping the Braves head into the All Star break on a positive note. Campillo, who allowed two runs on five hits, exited the game after throwing only 84 pitches after fouling a pitch off his foot in his third at-bat. |
Our View: The Mexican League refuge evened his record at 4-4, kept his ERA at 3.06 and continued what should be considered a stellar rookie season.
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| Tim Hudson made a relief appearance in the eighth inning of Sunday's 12-3 win over the Padres. The one inning of relief was the first of his nine-year career. |
Our View: Hudson pitched a perfect eighth inning after making 301 straight career starts.
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| Brian McCann hit his 18th home run of the season and drove in three runs to help the Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 12-3 on Sunday afternoon. McCann leads all catchers with 18 home runs and 27 doubles. He has 53 RBI and is hitting .302. |
Our View: McCann extended his on-base streak to eight straight. His 3-for-3 performance on Sunday included a plate appearance resulting in a walk and another where he was was hit by a pitch.
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| Nomar Garciaparra went 2-for-3 with two RBI helping the Dodgers return to the win column with a 9-1 victory over the Florida Marlins on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Garciappara, who hit leadoff for the first time in six years on Saturday, batted out of the cleanup spot on Sunday.
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| Andrew Miller recorded only five outs and lost his fourth straight decision on Sunday afternoon. The young left-hander allowed seven runs on five hits and issued a season-high five walks. It was the second-shortest outing in his 33 career starts. |
Our View: Miller continues to be extremely inconsistent, but according to skipper Freddie Garcia the big southpaw will remain in the rotation.
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| Matt Kemp went 3-for-4 with a walk in his return to the leadoff after hitting seventh in the lineup on Saturday. |
Our View: Nomar Garciaparra hit at the top of the order on Saturday. Kemp has the speed and the OBP to leadoff, and his lack of power numbers this season (nine home runs coming into Sunday's game) has led the coaches to put him in the leadoff spot in place of the injured Juan Pierre.
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| Chad Billingsley struck out a career-high 13 over seven innings helping the Dodgers to a 9-1 win over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers right-hander allowed one run on five hits and didn't walk a batter. |
Our View: Billingsley retired 15 of 16 batters at one point, 10 via strike (six consecutive) in his ninth win of the season.
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| Huston Street blew his fourth save in 21 chances and the Los Angeles Angels won their 57th game in a 4-3 victory over the A's on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: A combination of seeing-eye ground balls saw Street allow two runs on three hits earning the right-hander his third loss of the season.
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| Justin Duchscherer had his 18-inning scoreless streak end when Howie Kendrick beat the throw to first on a two-out grounder in the fourth, allowing Vladimir Guerrero to score. |
Our View: The right-hander extended his streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer to 19 games, and ending the belief that his stellar first half is an aberration. The reliever turned starter has become one of the fantasy elite with a 1.78 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. While his 5.6 K rate doesn't qualify him as a true ace, in combination with his 1.8 BB rate, it makes him very efficient and a threat to win with each start.
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| Jack Cust went 2-for-2 on Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't enough as the Angels scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn a 4-3 win over the A's. |
Our View: One of Cust's hits was his 18th home run in 292 at bats. Cust offers owners streaky production and power, but his .229 batting average is difficult to swallow.
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| Casey Kotchman hit a home run helping the Los Angeles Angels in their ninth inning comeback 4-3 win over the Oakland A's on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Kotchman's home run was his ninth of the season.
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| Jonathan Papelbon allowed one run on three hits, walked none and struck out one earning his 28th save of the season. |
Our View: Papelbon made the Red Sox ninth inning two-run lead interesting, but in the end recorded his 28th save in his 41 appearance.
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| Daniel Cabrera allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walked six and struck out two and the Orioles lost their 48 game of the season to Boston 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Cabrera, like opposing pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, struggled with his command. None of the blame can go to the home plate umpire in the game Ted Barrett. The veteran umpire is known for his large strike zone.
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| Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox found their way back into first place in AL East. The Japanese import once again struggled with his command walking five in his 10th win of the season. , but worked around four hits and five walks. Jonathan Papelbon escaped in the ninth for his 28th save of the season and 100th of his career. lead going into the All-Star break, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Sunday. |
Our View:
The Red Sox are now a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay, and took the division lead for the first time since June 28. How quickly can a team make up a ground? Boston was five games out of first place just last weekend.
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| Brandon Morrow picked up his ninth save finishing off John Buck and David DeJesus of the Royals for a 4-3 Seattle win on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Morrow recorded the final two outs for his ninth save in 11 chances.
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| Rookie catcher Jeff Clement hit a two-run home run helping the Mariners to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon. The home run broke an 0-for-15 slump that had dropped his average to .159 in 107 at-bats. |
Our View: Clement will see plenty of at-bats in the second half of the season as the M's begin a rebuilding process after a disappointing '08 campaign.
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| Carlos Silva allowed two runs on six hits, walked one and struck out five in a no-decision against the Royals on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Only the Royals could make Silva look like a compelling fantasy option. The Seattle right-hander entered the game allowing 146 hits in 112 innings, 47 strike outs against 18 walks and a 5.59 ERA.
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| Joakim Soria suffered his second loss of the season on Sunday allowing the Mariners the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning. Soria heads into the All Star Game with a 1-2 record and 25 saves. |
Our View: The right-hander doesn't overpower hitters with his 90 mph fastball, but his command and stuff has allowed him to complete the first half of the season with a 1.50 ERA and 0.71 WHIP.
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| Kyle Davies gave up a two-run home run to rookie catcher Jeff Clement ending his chance to pick up his first victory in his last six starts. Davies allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out four in the 4-3 loss to Seattle on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Pitching against a struggling Seattle offense was Davies chance to get back on track.
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| Homer Bailey, called up to replace the injured Aaron Harang, allowed two runs on five hits, walked none and struck out four over 5.2 innings of work on Sunday afternoon |
Our View: The mistake Bailey made was to opposing pitcher C.C. Sabathia, an 0-2 pitch in the third that cleared the wall. Bailey left with a runner at first and 2-1 lead in the sixth, but the bullpen let him down.
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| CC Sabathia will soon earn the nickname Super C.C. in Milwaukee, especially if he can help the team make the playoffs for the first time in decades. The lefty hit a home run and pitched a complete game helping the Brewers avoid being swept by the Reds on Sunday afternoon.
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Our View: Sabathia homered off Reds' starter Homer Bailey in the third, his third career home run and scattered eight hits and giving up two earned runs for his second straight NL victory.
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| Lance Berkman and his teammates went into the All Star break on a high note Sunday. The first baseman went 1-for-3, but in a battle of two last place teams, the Astros ended up the victors with a 5-0 win in Washington. |
Our View: The offensive prowess of Berkman has been highlighted in the first half of the season, but maybe his most impressive number is the 15th base he stole on Sunday.
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| Ty Wigginton went 2-for-3 with one RBI helping the Houston Astros defeat the Washington Nationals 5-0 on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: One of Wigginton's hits was a solo shot to left field in the second inning, his eighth home run of the season.
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| Odalis Perez once again pitched well enough to win, but received no run support as the Nationals fell 5-0 to Brandon Backe and the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Perez allowed three runs on nine hits, walked one and struck out six in his seventh loss of the season. The lefty has a 3.71 ERA with three wins.
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| Brandon Backe pitched seven scoreless innings on Sunday afternoon and helped himself with a pair of hits as the Houston Astros scored a 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals.
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Our View: Backe raised his season batting average to .345 and lowered his ERA to 4.76.
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| The Yankees wore black armbands on their left sleeve Sunday at Toronto in honor of former player Bobby Murcer, who passed on Saturday. The players will continue to wear the bands for the remainder of the season. The team also announced during the broadcast of their 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays that Mike Mussina will start against Oakland on Friday, the first game following the All-Star break. |
Our View: Mussina will be followed in the rotation by Joba Chamberlain, Andy Pettitte, Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner.
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| Rototimes sources report that the Blue Jays front office, pitching A.J. Burnett on three-days rest to showcase him for a All Star break trade, are in heavy discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies. With a solid performance against the Yankees on Sunday the Jays are now in a position to leverage his assets. |
Our View: While nothing is signed, sealed or delivered, Burnett looks like he will end up back in the National League with a pennant contender.
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| Matt Joyce hit a solo home run to center off Brian Bass in the eighth inning helping the Tiger defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: It was Joyce's ninth homer of the season and his third this week.
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| Xavier Nady had three more hits today, as he continues to draw interest from contending teams. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI single, and is now hitting .321 with 56 RBI on the year. |
Our View: Nady is a leading candidate to get traded near the deadline, and if he continues to perform like this, his price will only go up.
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| Aaron Miles continues to hit, and he went 3-for-5 with five RBI against the Pirates today. Miles collected a triple and home run on the day. |
Our View: If Miles can do anything, it's slap the ball around. His average is now .317, and though he will not provide power or many RBI (despite today's efforts), NL-only owners could do worse if they need a boost in average.
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| Franquelis Osoria was hit hard, surrendering four runs in one-third of an inning, raising his ERA to 6.58 on the year. |
Our View: This was only his second game after coming back from the disabled list, so it's possible he had some rust on him. He holds no fantasy value due to the fact that he does not accumulate many holds.
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| The Pittsburgh Pirates will have nightmares about Troy Glaus, as he continues to crush them. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run today, and is now hitting an absurd .510 against Pittsburgh for the season. |
Our View: Glaus started to head up as the All-Star break came around, and he is a good source of power and RBI for your fantasy squad. His average will fluctuate, but it is worth it if you need home runs and RBI.
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| Cole Hamels struck out eight Diamondbacks, and threw seven innings but did not factor into the decision in the Phillies 6-3 win over Arizona. He allowed 11 hits and walked only one. |
Our View: Hamels is one of the best in the game, and though he is just three games over .500 on the season, he has pitched better than that record would indicate.
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| Mark Reynolds 0-for-4 with three strikeouts for the Diamondbacks today, and his average for the month of July is now under .200. |
Our View: Reynolds is a very streaky hitter, and though he has good power numbers, his average being under .250 hurts those who have him on their fantasy squad.
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| Pat Burrell hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning which led to the Phillies beating the Diamondbacks 6-3. It was home run number 23 on the year for him. |
Our View: Burrell also has 57 RBI and is hitting .275 with an OBP over .400, so he continues to please fantasy players.
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| Brandon Webb threw well in the Diamondbacks 6-3 loss to the Phillies on Sunday. Webb pitched seven innings and struck out six while allowing two runs on seven hits. |
Our View: Despite some recent less-than-perfect outings, Webb had a very good first half and is a fantasy stalwart as a pitcher.
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| Geoff Jenkins left today's game against Arizona in the eighth inning due to a left elbow contusion, according to Yahoo! Sports. |
Our View: No word yet on how serious the injury is. We will keep you updated.
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| The good news for Jeremy Sowers is that he struck out eight Tampa Bay Rays. The bad news is that he only worked four innings because he walked seven hitters, and did not qualify for the win. |
Our View: Sowers' ERA is 7.51, and though this bout of wildness was uncharacteristic of him, he still holds no fantasy value.
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| Akinori Iwamura collected two walks but went 0-for-3 today, and is just 5-for-25 in his last seven games. He struck out in all three of those at-bats. |
Our View: Iwamura gets on base enough to justify him batting leadoff, but he'll need to raise that average for him to have legitimate fantasy value in anything other than AL-only leagues.
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| Andy Marte went 2-for-4 in the Indians game this afternoon, hitting his first home run of the year and doubling his RBI total to two on the season. |
Our View: Marte was once a big-time prospect, but that seems long ago. He is still just 24 years old, and has time to turn it around, but it needs to happen soon. He has no fantasy value at this point.
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| Scott Kazmir had the worst outing of his season, giving up five runs in six innings on eight hits, two of which were home runs in the the Rays 5-2 loss to the Indians. |
Our View: Kazmir's great start just got a little less impressive, as this outing pushed his ERA to 3.04, the first time he has been above three since his second start of the season. The All-Star break seems to be coming at the right time for him, as word came he will not throw in the game.
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| Andy Pettitte wasn't terrible, but he still got the loss in today's game against Toronto. He threw six innings, and though he struck out six batters, he gave up four runs and eight hits. |
Our View: Pettitte's ERA is now above 4.00 again after getting under that mark in his last start. He is still a quality option to pitch for your fantasy team and will provide wins and a decent WHIP because of his excellent control.
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| David Eckstein was the designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 4-1 victory over the Yankees. He went 1-for-4 with one strikeout in the game, and is hitting .269 on the year. |
Our View: The diminutive shortstop isn't the most likely candidate to play DH, and he has struggled lately, with a .207 average in his last nine games. He holds little fantasy value.
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| Jerry Hairston Jr. left today's game with an injured right hamstring and was carried off the field, according to The Sports Network. |
Our View: Being carried off the field does not sound good. There has been no word on his status, but this is a blow to fantasy owners who were enjoying his out-of-nowhere season.
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| Jason Giambi is having a poor July, and was hitting just .138 on the month coming into today's game, but he went 2-for-4 today with a home run and the Yankees lone RBI. |
Our View: If you can deal with what is a declining average, Giambi can help your fantasy team in the power and on-base departments, so bear with him through this and he'll likely end up hitting better than the .253 he is currently at.
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| A.J. Burnett once again proved what he can do when he's on, as he threw 8.1 innings in the Blue Jays victory over New York, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out eight. |
Our View: More up and down from Burnett, the single most frustrating performer in fantasy baseball. In his last last six starts, he has given up six or more runs in half of them, and one or fewer runs in the other half.
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| Nick Blackburn made a solid start but got the loss as he threw seven innings while allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out four against Detroit. |
Our View: Blackburn is having a nice season, and this start is a confirmation of that, despite the fact he picked up the loss. Continue to have confidence that he can get the job done for your fantasy team.
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| Justin Verlander continues to improve, as he threw seven innings, allowing four hits and giving up just two earned runs while striking out eight in the Tigers 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. |
Our View: Verlander has now gone seven straight starts without giving up more than two earned runs, and has got the win in five of those starts. Now may be a good time to try and acquire him from a fantasy owner who isn't paying close attention and instead sees his sub-.500 record and ERA over 4.00.
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