BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Nick Markakis has been on a tear, going 20 for his last 46, raising his average from .227 to .270.  While it will guarantee him playing time, don’t rush to pick him up.  Only 3 of those 20 hits have been for extra-bases, 2 doubles and a triple.  He is just 22 years old and though a nice prospect, his power is not major-league caliber yet.  For now this makes him a singles hitter without much speed.

Is Corey Patterson for real?  We have seen several periods where he looks like he is going to be a superstar, only to see him completely collapse.  No one has ever questioned his speed.  He is very fast and knows how to steal a base.  He is generating less power than a few years ago.  When he hit 24 home runs in 2004, he also had 33 doubles and 6 triples.  This season his 9 home runs have been accompanied by just 9 doubles and 1 triple.  In the past his downfall has been plate patience and making contact.  For the month of May his batting eye was .50, way above his previous numbers.  But since June 11, he has just 1 walk while striking out 12 times.  In his previous four major league seasons his contact rate was between 73% and 77 %.  For 2006, his contact rate is 82%. These gains might be real, as he is still making good contact, 84% rate, in that same June 11th to present period where his plate patience has eroded.  If you are an owner of Patterson and need speed, stay with him.  However if you are comfortable with your SB totals and don’t want to gamble that he is falling back into bad habits, now is the time to deal him.

In his Orioles debut of 4.1 innings, Russ Ortiz allowed 3 ER, 9 hits and 4 walks, while striking out just one hitter.  Although Ortiz enjoyed his best seasons in Atlanta with Leo Mazzone as his pitching coach, the Mazzone magic will not work this time around.  His command is beyond repair.

BOSTON RED SOX

Matt Clement is scheduled to make a rehab start in the minors early this week.  If he is healthy after a couple of rehab starts, he will replace Jason Johnson in the rotation.

In five starts, Jon Lester is 3-0 with an impressive K/9 of 9.23.  There are some reasons to temper your enthusiasm.  He has a much too high BB/9 rate of 5.81.  Also at just 22 years of age, the Red Sox have him on a strict pitch count.  With his control problems, he is throwing many pitches early in the game, which has led to hooks between the 4th and 6th innings in all five starts.  The earlier he has to leave games, the less chance he has of getting wins.

The toughest category to chase in Fantasy Baseball is wins due to many factors outside of a pitcher’s control.  But if you need wins, Tim Wakefield might be a good choice.  Although he is just 6-8 pitching for a first-place team, he has a 3.90 ERA and has pitched into at least the sixth inning in 16 of his 17 starts.  As long as he continues to pitch deep into games, the Red Sox offense is too good not to supply him with enough runs to improve his win total.

NEW YORK YANKEES

Robinson Cano should be able to return when he is eligible to come off the DL on July 10th.  In the interim, Miguel Cairo will get the bulk of the starts.  Cairo only offers help in one fantasy category, stolen bases.  In limited action this year he is 7 for 8 in that department.  Those desperate for steals can pick him up for the week.

With 11 home runs so far this season, Johnny Damon has already eclipsed last season’s total of 10.  7 of his 11 home runs have been hit in Yankee Stadium, a park much better suited for his swing than Fenway, where hit only three home runs last year.  He is on pace for a 20 home run, 80 RBI, 30 steals season, making him one of the more valuable players in fantasy baseball.

Hideki Matsui has been talking about a mid-August return, though the Yankees are saying September.  Gary Sheffield has been saying that his surgically repaired wrist is healing better than expected and is planning on an early September return.

Surprisingly the Yankees released Erubiel Durazo from their Triple-A team.  It would have been interesting to see what his lefty bat could do in Yankee Stadium. 

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

It looks like Aubrey Huff has shaken off the rust from his slow start after a return from the DL.  After spending way too much time on the interstate, his batting average is now up to .266.  With 6 doubles and 3 home runs in his last 13 games, his power is also coming back.

The Devil Rays sent overrated Pitcher Mark Hendrickson and mediocre Catcher Toby Hall to the Dodgers for Pitcher, Jae Seo and Catcher, Dionar Navarro.

Seo had a fine second-half last season for the Mets going 6-1 with a 2.74 ERA.  In 2006 he struggled with the Dodgers due to control problems and gopheritis.  After allowing just 9 home runs last year, he has 15 this year, with 9 coming in very pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium.  Moving to neutral Tropicana Field will not cure the home run problem.  Avoid him until he shows that he harness his control and the longball.

Navarro, at just 22 years of age, has not shown power in any level where he has played.  What he had shown prior to this season is very good plate patience and an ability to make contact.  In 176 AB last season with the Dodgers, he demonstrated that those skills could transfer to the majors.  This season he has battled injuries and regressed offensively.  Manager Joe Madden has said that Navarro will catch three of the five starters regularly, which will give him at least 60% of the action behind the plate.  If he can recapture the plate patience and contact skills, he has the ability have a good batting average, but don’t expect any power.

For the time being Josh Paul will serve as the personal catcher for Scott Kazmir and Jamie Shields.  That should give him 2 to 3 starts a week.  Offensively, Paul does not bring anything to the table and should be avoided.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

For those keeping count, Troy Glaus has now appeared in 7 games as a shortstop.

Mercifully, the Jays sent Josh Towers back to the minors and replaced him in the rotation with Ty Taubenheim.  In 10 games, Taubenheim has looked decent with a 3.98 ERA.  Some warning signs of danger ahead are his K/9 of 6.54 is above any mark shown in the minors and his BB/9 of 4.0 is subpar.  Once his K/9 regresses, his BB/9 will lead to trouble.

Alex Rios was placed on the 15 day DL with an infection in his leg.  In his absence, Eric Hinske will see some time in right-field.  In just 105 AB, Hinske has flashed some nice power skills with 6 home runs, 7 doubles and 2 triples.  For those in need of power, he makes a nice pickup for a few weeks.

Those who have stuck with Reed Johnson have been rewarded with a .379 batting average and 7 stolen bases.  His batting eye of .76 and contact rate of 86% are way above last year’s marks of .27 and 79%.  Whether these numbers represent a skills growth or are a fluke will determine how much his batting average comes in when he comes back to reality.  One area where he has stagnated in is power.  Despite his G/F ratio improving from 1.71 to 1.49, he has just 4 home runs, putting him on pace to equal last year’s total of 8.