CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Bobby Jenks has converted 18 of 19 save opportunities and is now among the elite of closers in baseball.  He has the perfect skill set of high strikeouts, low walks, an ability to induce groundballs and the guile to close games in extreme pressure situations, like last year’s World Series.

Javier Vazquez is putting together a quality season with a 7-3 record, 7.2 K/9 and a 2.1 BB/9.  His bullpen has let him down a few times or his 4.19 ERA could be lower.  Add in that he is capable of striking out more batters and he could be in for a nice rest of the season.

Freddy Garcia is going through a rough stretch.  In his last four starts, he is sporting an ugly 8.10 ERA, while giving up 10 home runs.  He should be able to tame the home runs.  Garcia bounced back from a poor start to put up a string of good outings before hitting this rough patch.  Given that and his track record, it might be a good idea to try and pry him loose from a disgruntled owner.

CLEVELAND INDIANS
In his first go as a full-time player, Jason Michaels looks pretty average, providing neither above average power or speed.  The three caught steals in seven tries indicates he will not be getting the green light too often.  Batting second in a powerful lineup, he will help you with runs scored and will not hurt your batting average, but he offers little else.

With Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson at the back end of the rotation, it should only be a matter of time before hot prospect Jeremy Sowers gets a shot at starting.  Currently pitching in Triple-A, he is lighting it up down there, going 7-1 with a 1.37 ERA.  Sowers is a finesse type pitcher who may encounter some trouble in his first try at major league hitters.

Jake Westbrook has looked good as of late, upping his record to 6-3 and lowering his ERA to 4.77.  He is an extreme groundball pitcher and he is inducing them at a high rate this season, a G/F of 3.09.  Such pitchers can be successful, but are at the mercy of their defense and have to hope that too many of those ground balls do not find holes.

DETROIT TIGERS
It looks like it will be awhile, if at all, before Dmitri Young returns.  Marcus Thames becomes a full-time player and should put up nice power numbers.

Placido Polanco is the epitome of empty stats.  Despite hitting .283, he has just 3 home runs, 23 RBIs and his 0-2 in SBs.  He makes the best contact in baseball but it is possible that a sore back has robbed him of the ability to hit with authority.

Rookie Justin Verlander continues his fine season at 7-4, with a 3.32.  At just 23 years of age, he has some nice upside, but there are some warning signs of some bumps in the road in the near future.  His low K/9 of 5.3 combined with a G/F of 1.08 shows that he has caught some breaks and his bullpen has helped him.  Such good fortune may not continue.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Denny Bautista hurled six shutout innings in his first start in Triple-A since being demoted.  Considering he is better than the current five starters in the major league rotation, it will not be long before he is back.

The Royals obtained Brandon Duckworth from the Angels for cash and are inserting him into the rotation.  Duckworth is now 30 years old and has failed in multiple chances to start in the big leagues.  He should be avoided.

One pitcher who should get a shot at starting is Jimmy Gobble. In relief, he has shown nice command with a K/9 of 8.27 and a BB/9 of 2.98. 

Bobby Keppel is now in the starting rotation.  For success he needs to avoid walks and keep the ball on the ground, which he did in his first two starts.  His third start of 4 ER in 5.1 innings shows what happens when he does not. 

MINNESOTA TWINS
Carlos Silva’s return to the rotation could be short-lived.  In his first two starts back he allowed 9 ER in 11 innings, which actually lowered his ERA.  Scott Baker, who wasn’t pitching that bad before being demoted, could return.

Michael Cuddyer’s value grows as the Twins move the productive slugger into the cleanup spot.