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Baltimore Orioles @ Cleveland Indians
K. Benson (9-6, 4.35) vs. C.C. Sabathia (6-4, 3.90)
The Indians have been disappointing and so has Sabathia who started off hotter than Elisha Cuthbert kissing Scarlett Johansson (don’t you wish you pervs!), but slowed down like we probably should have known considering that a person with a gut like his has no endurance to run a marathon like the baseball season is. On the other hand, Benson has been steady, unlike his wife’s mental state.
New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Devil Rays
J. Wright (4-5, 4.61) vs. J. Seo (0-1, 3.86)
The D-Rays just gave it to the Boston Red Sox, taking three out of four in their recent series. Next up? The Bankees. How will this small market team do against the “Evil Empire”? Probably the same as they always do, surprising the shiznit out of them and taking te series. Now, if only management was smart enough to trade some of their youngsters (although Carl Crawford should ALWAYS be untouchable to trade) to make the team better and competitive for the next few seasons. However, it seems I’ll be part of the geriatric crew and living down there before that happens.
Toronto Blue Jays @ Kansas City Royals
A.J. Burnett (1-2, 4.30) vs. L. Hudson (1-3, 7.24)
I’m a big Burnett fan, but with his injury history, sometimes you have to be a Burnett hater. Right now Burnett is healthy (cross fingers that he stays that way) and trying to get into a groove. If he and Roy “Doc” Halladay stay healthy, Ted Lilly continues to pitch well, and the offense continues to mash (where are you Alex Rios, we miss you), the Jays can take the A.L. East as crazy as that sounds. The Royals? The only division they would take is the A.L. Sucktral division. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there’s no such thing.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: American League 7.7.06
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OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Huston Street has blown 3 of his last six save opportunities. But fantasy owners need not worry. His K/9 of 8.68 and BB/9 of 2.1 are still above average for closers. Remember he is only 22 years old and is on his way to being among the elite of baseball’s closers.
After a horrendous start, which saw his batting average at .169 on May 11th, Dan Johnson has rebounded to get his average up to .241. What has really been disappointing is the drop in power. After hitting 15 home runs and 21 doubles in 375 AB last year, Johnson was expected to take a step up this year. But with just 6 home runs in 231 AB his power is regressing. He has gone homerless since June 13th, so it is not like he is showing any signs of turning it around. With his batting eye and contact rate remaining consistent, the main culprit for the power outage has been his G/F ratio, which has risen from .93 last year to 1.58 this year. He is simply not hitting the ball in the air enough or with authority to produce extra-base power. Avoid him until there is some sustained improvement in his G/F ratio.
At one point in his career, Jason Kendall was one of the better fantasy catchers. Now he has become a one-dimensional player who only helps in batting average. Whatever power he once possessed is completely gone as he has just 1 home run in his last 1,072 AB. While he was not hitting home runs, he was still able to hit 28 doubles last year, but even that is showing a steep decline, as he only has 9 this season. The days of the double digit steals from a catcher are also behind him, as not only does he play for a team that eschews the stolen base, he has also been caught 4 times in 8 attempts. What Kendall still does well is make excellent contact, 91% rate this season, and work counts, .96 batting eye in 2006. With those skills intact, he could see a bump up from his current .268 batting average.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Florida Marlins @ Washington Nationals
A. Sanchez (1-0, 6.30) vs. L. Hernández (6-8, 5.46)
Last night the Marlins and Nats decided to play another game as both teams put on the pads and played football. Oh wait, it just seemed like it after looking at the 18-9 score of last night’s game, which the Marlins took. The Marlins look to even up the four-game series before starting a four-game set (including a doubleheader on Saturday) with the N.L. East leading New York Mets.
San Diego Padres @ Philadelphia Phillies
C. Park (5-4, 4.32) vs. R. Madson (8-5, 5.71)
Here we go again, the Phillies are falling and it may not end anytime soon. With rumors of Pat Burrell and Philly favorite Bobby Abreu being available, it just indicates that the Phils are throwing in the towel at the mid-point of the season, which doesn’t make sense to me because a lot can happen still. I’m sure a lot of Phillies fans are frustrated with the team and with Brett Myers gone for all intents and purposes, where’s the pitching? Tom Gordon has been great in the closer role, but the starting pitching rotation is shakier than Kelis’ booty.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: National League 7.6.06
We’re baaaack! And so is IN-league play. No more interleague play til next week’s All-Star game. And, by the way, did you vote for the last roster spots for each league? No? Get to it!!! Here’s your American League matchups for today.
New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians
R. Johnson (9-7, 5.25) vs. C. Lee (8-5, 4.69)
On July 4th, the Boss’ birthday (and I’m not talking about yours, I’m talking about George Steinbrenner), the Yankees got drilled by the Indians 19-1, which couldn’t have made Steinbrenner very happy. So, the Yanks came out last night and drilled back, beating the Tribe 11-3. So, which team takes it tonight in the rubber match of the series? Well, if Randy Johnson pitches like the last time out, giving up eight earned runs in six innings, the Yankees will get scalped. Cliff Lee is a little more level in his outings, so the game will hinge on which Big Unit shows up - the one that can dominate or the one that gets dominated.
Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Devil Rays
T. Wakefield (6-8, 3.90) vs. J. Shields (4-1, 4.39)
Could it happen? Could it really happen? When the Red Sox and D-Rays get on the field tonight, the bottom-dwellers of the A.L. East, the D-Rays go for the four-game sweep of the A.L. East leading Red Sox. However, the D-Rays will have a tough task as Tim Wakefield takes the hill for the Red Sox and is 14-2 lifetime against Tampa Bay with a 2.77 ERA. However, the Rays are going so good lately and Carl Crawford is mashing and dashing so strong, I think Wakefield will be taking the L tonight.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: American League 7.6.06
The All-Star rosters for the American League and the National League have been set by fan voting and by the managers. BUT, there’s just one more set of voting that must be done… THE FINAL VOTE! This is where you, the fan, get to vote in one more deserving player that may have been overlooked in the first rounds of getting into the game.
For the American League, the nominees are:
DH Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
C Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore Orioles
SP Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
C A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox
SP Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
For the National League, the nominees are:
OF Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia Phillies
SP Chris Capuano, Milwaukee Brewers
1B Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers
RP Billy Wagner, New York Mets
SP Chris Young, San Diego Padres
Balloting ends on Thursday at 6PM EST, so get to voting!!! Oh, if you look at the graphics for this post, you’ll know who I voted for. GO PRONK! And let me tell you, I told anyone and everyone that Chris Young was going to be good, but no one in my fantasy leagues, especially, believed me. So, I snagged him in just about every draft I had. Whether or not Young makes the All-Star team - as Nelson Muntz would say - HA HA!
Read More 
| MLB.com Final Vote
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Tadahito Iguchi is having a fine season, batting .291 with 9 home runs, 38 RBIs and 5 SB. Beware that a batting average correction could be coming. His weak contact rate of 78% and low batting eye of 0.34 are the warning signs. He is also running with less success than last season, when he was 15 for 20 in SB. This season he has been caught 3 times in 8 attempts.
Over the last three seasons, Paul Konerko has developed into one of the more reliable sluggers in baseball. It looks like he is on his way to a career year. The 21 home runs puts him on pace to equal the 41 and 40 he hit in the previous two seasons. But he could top those numbers as he generating more power. His G/F ratio has gone down steadily since 2004 from 1.00 to 0.71 and his 16 doubles are 5 more than he had in the first half of last year.
Jose Contreras keeps rolling along with a 9-0 record and a 3.33 ERA. Besides leaving New York, it looks like his success began when he stopped trying to blow away every hitter. His K/9 is down from a high in 2003 of 9.13 to its current 6.33. It’s the improvement in his BB/9 from a high in 2004 of 4.4 to this year’s 2.5 mark, along with his G/F ratio rising from a low of 1.07 to this year’s 1.31 mark, that is fueling his success.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Here is the National League All-Star team that will try to stop the blood from dripping anymore with a ninth straight American League win. Hopefully, the hometown Pittsburgh crowd will help get the N.L. over the hump.
KEY:*=Starter; I=Injured; IR=Injury Replacement; BA=Batting Average; HR=Homerun; RBI=Runs Batted In; ERA=Earned Run Average; SV=Saves; ASGA=All Star Game Appearance
NOTE: Stats are through July 1st
Catcher
*Paul Lo Duca, New York Mets .288 BA; 3 HR; 25 RBI; 4th ASGA
Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves .354 BA; 5 HR; 23 RBI; 1st ASGA
First Baseman
*Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals .320 BA; 27 HR; 72 RBI; 5th ASGA
Lance Berkman, Houston Astros .319 BA; 22 HR; 71 RBI; 4th ASGA
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies .284 BA; 28 HR; 69 RBI; 1st ASGA
Second Baseman
*Chase Utley, Philadephia Phillies .300 BA; 16 HR; 49 RBI; 1st ASGA
Dan Uggla, Florida Marlins .307 BA; 13 HR; 44 RBI; 1st ASGA
Click to continue reading 2006 National League All-Star Team
Does time fly or what? The All-Star game results have been announced and the baseball season rolls by quickly as we are now approaching the unofficial half-way point of the season. Doesn’t Spring Training seem like it was just a month ago? In any case, this season’s All-Star game in Pittsburgh, PA, will once again determine home-field advantage for the World Series. The American League will be going for its 9th straight win.
KEY:*=Starter; I=Injured; IR=Injury Replacement; BA=Batting Average; HR=Homerun; RBI=Runs Batted In; ERA=Earned Run Average; SV=Saves; ASGA=All Star Game Appearance
NOTE: Stats are through July 1st
Catcher:
*Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers .298 BA; 7 HR; 38 RBI; 13th ASGA
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins .392 BA; 5 HR; 40 RBI; 1st ASGA
First Baseman
*David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox .276 BA; 26 HR; 75 RBI; 3rd ASGA
Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox .314 BA; 20 HR; 63 RBI; 3rd ASGA
Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox .292 BA; 27 HR; 68 RBI; 5th ASGA
Second Baseman
*Mark Loretta, Boston Red Sox .317 BA; 3 HR; 34 RBI; 2nd ASGA
I-Robinson Cano, New York Yankees .325 BA; 4 HR; 27 RBI; 1st ASGA
IR-Jose Lopez, Seattle Mariners .282 BA; 9 HR; 57 RBI; 1st ASGA
Click to continue reading 2006 American League All-Star Team
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.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
SEATTLE MARINERS
After writing in this column last week that Kenji Johjima’s power was limited, he goes off and hits four homers during the week, with two of them being in baseball’s toughest park on hitters, Petco Field. If anything, he has shown to be a streaky power hitter.
After a slow start, Chris Snelling is now hitting .271 in Triple-A. If Jeremy Reed continues to struggle, Snelling could see some time in center field in the second half of this season. He has been extremely injury prone, but could be a productive major-league hitter if given the opportunity.
A hot streak has seen Adrien Beltre’s average rise from the low .200’s to .258. Use that as an opportunity to trade him. His power is still below average for a cornerman and batting second in the order has limited his RBI chances.
Jarrod Washburn has the shaky skill set of a fly ball pitcher with low a K/9 rate. The only places where those skills can be effective long-term are in spacious stadiums such as his home field of Safeco Field. His home/road ERA split of 3.97/5.70 plays this out. If you are desperate, you can use him in home starts or pitcher-friendly road stadiums, but avoid him in hitter’s parks.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
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