TEXAS RANGERS

Kameron Loe was placed on the DL with a sore right elbow.  Robinson Tejada is expected to take his place in the starting rotation.  This will be Tejada’s second tour with the big league club this season.  In his first go around, he started 4 games and had an ugly 7.71 ERA and 0.86 K/BB ratio.  As an extreme flyball pitcher, he is miscast as a starter in Texas and should be avoided.

Hank Blalock has sacrificed power for better contact and plate patience. This has led to a higher batting average with less home runs.  Two factors working in favor of this change in approach are that he plays half his games in a high scoring stadium and he bats in a powerful line-up.  The upshot of being on base more often is that he is scoring more runs and it does not seem to be hurting his RBI production.  The only category negatively affected is home runs.

Gary Matthews Jr. is on a tear, raising his batting average to .341.  Considering that he is 31 years of age and the highest batting average he has had in a season is .276, fantasy owners may want to try and sell high.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Well the Angels did the unexplainable by demoting Jered Weaver, after he went 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA.  Since Weaver has nothing to prove in Triple-A, the only logical thing to deduce is that the Angels are showcasing his brother Jeff Weaver for a trade.  So if Jered Weaver was dropped in your league, it is a good idea to pick him up and reserve him.

Another player with nothing left to prove in Triple-A is Howie Kendrick.  He is tearing it up down there with a .398 avg., 10 HR and 49 RBI.  In his first crack at major league pitching earlier this year, he struggled as he saw sporadic AB.  The only real kink in his armor is a lack of plate patience, which he makes up for with great contact skills.  If the Angels continue to fall out of the race, they will probably try to trade current 2B Adam Kennedy and give Kendrick regular playing time.  Even if they get back in the race, Kendrick could give their struggling offense a much-needed spark.

Kendry Morales is struggling in his first hundred or so AB in the majors.  With a G/F ratio of 1.30, he is not generating enough power.  He just turned 23, so that part of his game could still be in the development stage.  Darin Erstad might go back on the DL with an injured right ankle and with no other real options, Morales will get a chance to play, just don’t expect big numbers.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Milton Bradley went back on the DL with a shoulder injury and Mark Kotsay is missing games due to a sore back.  That should give Jay Payton and Bobby Kielty playing opportunities.  With his mediocre skill set, Payton does not offer any help for fantasy players.  The switch-hitting Kielty is a much better hitter from the right side, which also limits his fantasy effectiveness.

2B Mark Ellis is ahead of schedule and could return from his injured thumb by the end of the month.  Marco Scuturo will head back to the bench.

Justin Duchscherer is supposed to come off the DL on Friday.  For AL-only leagues, he can offer help in K’s and WHIP.  If something happens to closer Huston Street, Duchscherer would figure to be next in line for saves.

SEATTLE MARINERS

It is getting hard to find anything positve about Joel Pineiro’s performance this season.  His K/9 of 3.93 is well below acceptable levels and is in a three-year tailspin.  With his G/F ratio of 1.76 being around .5 higher than his career norms, it is hard to believe he has suddenly become a groundball pitcher.  As that regresses to the mean, his 5.34 ERA could go even higher.  His home/away ERA split is 5.44/5.23, which means he has not even been able to take advantage of spacious Safeco Field.  It is best to avoid him.

On the other hand, Gil Meche has been pitching well.  He had poor 2004 and 2005 seasons as he battled injuries.  His K/9 of 7.25 is at career highs, though his BB/9 of 4.0 is still a little too high.  As an extreme flyball pitcher, it is not surprising that his home/away ERA split is 2.39/6.38.  For those in daily transaction leagues or with deep reserve lists, it makes sense to have him active for home starts, while reserving him for road games.

After hitting a home run in each of his first two major league games, Kenji Johjima hit just 4 in his next 65 games.  Although he is not a power hitter, he will not hurt your average as he makes good contact and has a decent batting eye.  This puts him in the middle of the pack of fantasy catchers.