Big E's Take

July Week 4

A solid week ends with no wins. Jennings and Haren pitched very solidly, and May pitched outstanding. But May and Haren had their bullpens blow the games and Jennings got outpitched by Hideo Nomo. I did lower my ERA and WHIP for the first time in 3 weeks though.

Oliver Perez – San Diego Padres – The Padres are looking to be contenders in 2004 with their new ballpark and are close to a deal to bring Brian Giles to town. Perez could be in that deal or could be a foundation for them for years to come. He has pitched well both times I have recommended him in the past and he faces the Pirates this week. Look for a strong outing from the young left-hander and a showcase for him against what could be his future team.

Adam Eaton – San Diego Padres – How is a strikeout pitcher with an ERA under 4 owned in fewer than 10% of leagues? Well, he plays for San Diego. But I see brighter skies ahead for the Padres. The just got Phil Nevin back, they’re trying to trade for Brian Giles and have shown their players that they are committed to winning. This all adds up to a big second half for Eaton. Another Padres pitcher faces the Pirates who don’t hit many pitchers hard. I know it’s tough to go with back to back starters against 1 team, but I think both will fare well.

Darrell May – Kansas City Royals – May continues to pitch lights out, and only missed a win last start because of Brad Radke’s surprisingly good start and his bullpen (Jason Grimsley, 1 IP, 4 R). He faces the hot Chicago White Sox this week, but the way he’s pitching, bring on the All-Star team.

Danny Haren – St. Louis Cardinals – I continue my push to get Haren owned in as many leagues as possible. He has been solid in every start except one, in which his defense let him down, and he faces the Claudio Vargas and the Expos this week. Montreal is falling out of the Wild Card race and Vargas has been lit up to a tune of a 6.75 ERA in his last 4 starts.

Last week’s picks
Jason Jennings (vs. LA – 2-5 L, 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 K, 2 BB)
Darrell May (vs. Min – 2-6 ND, 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 K, 3 BB)
Dan Haren (vs. Pit – 5-10 ND, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 6 K, 4 BB)
For the week – 0-1, 18.1 IP, 13 H, 7 ER, 10 K, 9 BB, 3.44 ERA, 1.20 WHIP
For the year – 13-10, 178.2 IP, 164 H, 81 ER, 122 K, 75 BB, 4.08 ERA, 1.34 WHIP

Who's Hot?

Adam Kennedy/2B – Anaheim Angels – I don’t like the guy, and it’s hard to justify having a player on your team who only plays against righties, but Kennedy is on fire. He had an argument with Manager Mike Scioscia last week and has hit the cover off the ball ever since. The way he’s hitting now, he’s worth having on your team for the short run, but be ready to bench him when the Angels face a lefty and ready to cut bait once he slows down.

Jason Phillips/C, 1B – New York Mets – Phillips has been on fire for a while now. He leads all rookies in batting average at .327 and is in the midst of a 14-game hitting streak. He rarely plays behind the plate for the Mets, but if you have a question mark at catcher, he should be there for you. He’s had a track record of being more of an offensive catcher than a defensive one, and he might not hit enough to play 1B full time in the Major Leagues, but enjoy the Mets’ injury misfortunes while you can.

Carl Crawford/OF – Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Remember him? He started the season on a tear, hitting hot, getting on base and stealing bases. Then he was as cold as the other side of the pillow. And when you can’t get on base, how can you steal? Well, he’s hitting again, and running too. He’s hit .344 in the past month with 9 stolen bases, including 4 this past week. If you are in need of stolen bases, snatch him up and enjoy the hot streak.

Who's Not?

Raul Mondesi/OF – New York Yankees – Mondesi was having a good season. WAS. He’s been horrendous the past month hitting just .172 with just 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. I think it’s time to cut bait. Chances are, your outfield is not dependent upon Mondesi, and if it is, you’re probably not in a position to contend in your league. Drop Mondesi and pick up a hot player who can fill a need.

Melvin Mora/SS, OF – Baltimore Orioles – Mora isn’t a batting champion. He sure hit like it in the first half, but that’s not him. He’s a defensive guy who can play many positions and sometimes give you a big hit. He has quickly fallen back into his old self in the second half. His SS/OF eligibility is a tough thing to give up, but I would do just that. Find some sucker willing to overpay for Mora thinking he’s that player we saw in the first half and give a hearty evil laugh as you walk away with his goodies.

Who to Acquire
Looking to make some trades? Look here each week for slumping stars and how to lure them away from impatient owners.

Rafael Palmeiro/1B – Texas Rangers – The Viagra spokesman is having his worst year in a long time. This could be the first year since 1992 that he’ll finish under .250, 38 HR, 100 RBI. I don’t think he’s done quite yet. I think he’ll make a late season push to eclipse all of those marks and you should do what you can to make a trade for him if you could use some help at 1B. He should come at the cheapest price in 10 years and he’s well worth it.

Transactions
Look here for the fantasy impact of each week’s deals.

Chicago Cubs & Pittsburgh Pirates

To Chicago – Aramis Ramirez/3B, Kenny Lofton/OF – The Cubs finally get the third baseman they’ve been wanting all along and a center fielder to replace Corey Patterson. The fantasy value of both should increase slightly as they are inserted into a more talented offense.

To Pittsburgh – Jose Hernandes/SS, 3B, 2 minor leaguers – Hernandez went from being projected as one of the top shortstops in the league to worthless after 2 trades this season. If anybody still has him on their roster, can you drop him please?

Boston Red Sox & Pittsburgh Pirates

To Boston – Scott Sauerbeck/RP, minor leaguer – Sauerbeck doesn’t have any fantasy value, but gives the Red Sox some more stability in their bullpen.

To Pittsburgh – Brandon Lyon/RP, minor leaguer – Lyon appeared to be a candidate for Pittsburgh’s closer role when the deal was first announced, but Mike Lincoln’s emergence and an injury to Lyon which could send him back to Boston have nixed that idea.

Injuries
Look here to see what injuries will have a major fantasy impact.

Troy Glaus/3B – Anaheim Angels – (15 Day DL/Right shoulder contusion) – A positive for Glaus owners wondering why their slugger wasn’t hitting a lick of late, the injury gives some explanation. It isn’t a major injury and Glaus should be back in the Angels lineup shortly.

Mark Prior/SP – Chicago Cubs – (15 Day DL/Sore shoulder) – This injury from a pre-All-Star break collision with Marcus Giles has cause Prior to miss 3 starts. He could miss a 4th, but the injury isn’t serious and these are just precautions to make sure their ace is back to 100% before he pitches again.

Matt Morris/SP – St. Louis Cardinals – (15 Day DL/Fractured index finger) – Many fantasy owners were worried about Morris and his last 8 starts that saw his ERA balloon from 2.26 to 4.19. It appears that the broken finger was the cause of his loss of nearly 10 mph on his pitches and his complete ineffectiveness. It is a big loss and should have been discovered sooner, but no Morris is better than the Morris of the past month and a half.

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