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| Billingsley claims 13th win | Saturday 8/30, 11:58 PM CT |
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Chad Billingsley only allowed two earned runs on nine hits over seven innings in Saturday's 6-2 win over Arizona, with two walks and six strikeouts.
Our View: Billingsley claimed his 13th win of the season, and only lost one start in August. |
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| Manny leads Dodgers to win | Saturday 8/30, 11:52 PM CT |
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Manny Ramirez went 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks. He hit a single, double, and two homers.
Our View: Ramirez has recorded four hits in back-to-back games, and has 14 hits over his last five outings. He has three homers over his last three games as well. |
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| Haren shot down by Dodgers | Saturday 8/30, 11:46 PM CT |
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Dan Haren was rocked for five earned runs on 10 hits over six innings in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Dodgers, with no walks and five strikeouts. He gave up two home runs, one to Manny Ramirez and the other to Jeff Kemp.
Our View: Haren has allowed at least five earned runs in three of his last five starts, but closed out August with a winning record at 3-2. |
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| Velez hits first homer | Saturday 8/30, 11:40 PM CT |
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Eugenio Velez went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 7-6 loss to Cincinnati.
Our View: The homer marks the first of his MLB career. He now has five RBI over his last two outings. |
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| Winn hits two homers in loss | Saturday 8/30, 11:36 PM CT |
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Randy Winn went 2-for-5 with two solo homers in Saturday's close 7-6 loss to the Reds.
Our View: Winn has been hot through the month of August, and enjoyed another strong outing tonight. He should remain active in lineups heading into September. |
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| Encarnacion blasts 24th homer in win | Saturday 8/30, 11:31 PM CT |
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Edwin Encarnacion went 1-for-3 with two RBI in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Giants at the Great American Ballpark. His hit went for a home run, his 24th of the season.
Our View: He has homered in back-to-back games, but is too inconsistent to pencil into fantasy lineups as a solid weekly starter. |
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| Reyes swipes 45th base | Saturday 8/30, 10:57 PM CT |
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Jose Reyes went 1-for-4 with a triple in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Florida. He also registered a walk and swiped his 45th base of the season.
Our View: Reyes continues to lead the majors with 17 triples, and he ranks second in steals only to Willy Taveras of Colorado. |
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| Wright hits two-run homer in loss | Saturday 8/30, 10:49 PM CT |
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David Wright went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Marlins.
Our View: Wright's homer was his 26th, and he is on pace to set a new season-high (30). |
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| Jones goes 2-for-5 | Saturday 8/30, 10:16 PM CT |
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Chipper Jones went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 9-8 loss to the Nationals. He hit a double and a solo homer.
Our View: Jones raised his average one point to .359, and still trails Albert Pujols, who went 4-for-4 against Houston tonight. |
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| McCann adds another homer | Saturday 8/30, 10:13 PM CT |
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Brian McCann went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 9-8 loss to Washington. he recorded a double and a solo homer.
Our View: McCann has homered in back-to-back games, and has 23 for the season. He also raised his batting average a few points to .296. |
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| Hernandez chips in three RBI in win | Saturday 8/30, 10:09 PM CT |
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Anderson Hernandez went 3-for-5 with three RBI in Saturday's 9-8 win over the Braves. All of his knocks were singles.
Our View: Hernandez has recorded multiple hits in five of his last six games, and should continue to be active in the Nationals' lineup over the final month of the season, meaning the hot-hitting infielder is worth consideration in NL-only leagues. |
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| Ankiel collects 25th homer | Saturday 8/30, 10:00 PM CT |
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Rick Ankiel went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Astros.
Our View: His homer was his 25th of the season. He should remain a favorable source of power during the stretch run in September. |
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| Pujols goes 4-for-4 in loss | Saturday 8/30, 9:56 PM CT |
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Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Astros. He hit two singles, a double, and a two-run homer.
Our View: He raised his average six points to .362 following tonight's performance. |
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| Pence has strong outing in win | Saturday 8/30, 9:53 PM CT |
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Hunter Pence went 2-for-4 with three RBI in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Cardinals. He hit a single and a three-run homer.
Our View: He notched his 20th homer of the season, with three coming over his last seven outings. |
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| Moehler earns win vs. Cardinals | Saturday 8/30, 9:50 PM CT |
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Brian Moehler gave up three earned runs on seven hits over six innings in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Cardinals, with one walk and six strikeouts.
Our View: The 36-year-old hurler, who just signed an extension with the club, improves to 10-5 for the season, and is 5-1 since the All-Star break. |
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| Moss blasts two-run homer in loss | Saturday 8/30, 9:39 PM CT |
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Brandon Moss went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 11-3 loss to the Brewers. His other hit went for a double.
Our View: Moss has seven homers for the season, with two coming over his last five games. He is worth a look in deeper NL-only leagues for fantasy owners in need of power. |
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| Cameron leads Brewers with four RBI | Saturday 8/30, 9:35 PM CT |
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Mike Cameron went 2-for-4 with four RBI in Saturday's 11-3 win over the Pirates. He registered a double and a three-run homer.
Our View: Cameron collected his 24th homer of the season, with three coming over his last seven games. He should remain a solid source of power in NL-only leagues down the stretch. |
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| Suppan claims 10th win | Saturday 8/30, 9:32 PM CT |
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Jeff Suppan only allowed two earned runs on three hits over seven innings in Saturday's 11-3 win over the Pirates, with two walks and two strikeouts.
Our View: Suppan claimed his 10th win of the season, and finished August with a 5-0 mark. He is worthy of fantasy lineups in NL-only leagues heading into the final month of the regular season. |
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| Meyer optioned to Double-A | Saturday 8/30, 8:17 PM CT |
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Dan Meyer has been optioned to Double-A Midland, according to the AP. Andrew Brown has also been transferred from the 15 to the 60-day DL.
Our View: Meyer went 0-3 with a 6.33 ERA in eight games (three starts) over two stints with Oakland this season.
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| Benson released | Saturday 8/30, 7:15 PM CT |
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Kris Benson has been released by the Phillies, according to the AP. He was working at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Our View: Benson was attempting to come back from a torn rotator cuff that left him sidelined for the entire 2007 campaign.
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| Ramirez records 100th RBI in loss | Saturday 8/30, 6:23 PM CT |
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Aramis Ramirez went 1-for-4 and recorded his 100th RBI of the season in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Phillies at Wrigley Field.
Our View: Ramirez has reached at least 100 RBI in three straight seasons with the Cubs. |
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| Howard notches 37th homer in win | Saturday 8/30, 6:20 PM CT |
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Ryan Howard went 2-for-5 with a solo homer in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Cubs on the north side of Chicago. His other hit was a single.
Our View: Howard notched his 37th homer of the season, with three coming over his last five games. |
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| Myers in control vs. Cubs | Saturday 8/30, 6:17 PM CT |
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Brett Myers was in control in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field, as he only allowed two earned runs on 11 hits over seven innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Our View: Myers has now won three straight decisions, and has allowed two or less earned runs in each outing. He is worth targeting for the final month of the regular season if available. |
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| Gregg dealing with inflammation | Saturday 8/30, 5:20 PM CT |
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Kevin Gregg is dealing with left knee inflammation, according to the AP. He is taking a break to rest the ailing knee that has bothered him the past three or four weeks.
Our View: He is expected to be sidelined for a couple of days, and manager Fredi Gonzalez indicated that he will go with Matt Lindstrom or Joe Nelson as the closer while Gregg is out. |
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| Rosales optioned | Saturday 8/30, 4:40 PM CT |
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Adam Rosales has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville, according to the AP. Pitcher Ramon Ramirez was recalled from Louisville as the corresponding move, and will make a spot start in place of the injured Johnny Cueto tonight against the Giants.
Our View: Rosales failed to make an impact with one hit over eight brief at-bats, but could rejoin the Reds again during September call-ups. |
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| Ramirez recalled | Saturday 8/30, 4:36 PM CT |
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Ramon Ramirez has been recalled from the minors, according to the AP. Infielder Adam Rosales was optioned to Louisville to make room on the roster.
Our View: He will get the start against the Giants in his MLB debut. The 25-year-old was a combined 6-8 with a 3.59 ERA and one save over 30 games, including 24 starts, with Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga this season. He is covering for Johnny Cueto, who is forced to miss his start due to a strained right elbow.
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| Torrealba may opt for surgery | Saturday 8/30, 4:17 PM CT |
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Yorvit Torrealba has a torn meniscus in his left knee and is considering potentially season-ending surgery, according to the Denver Post. He said, "I don't mean to be negative, but I don't think it's going to get better. I hope it responds. But I have played with this for around six weeks. It got a little better, now it's back to the same spot that it was."
Our View: The team will be in good shape with Chris Iannetta at catcher if Torrealba ultimately has surgery, and fantasy owners won't miss much, as he only holds a .246 batting average with six homers over 70 games. |
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| Zambrano battling dead arm | Saturday 8/30, 3:02 PM CT |
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If you have watched the radar gun when Carlos Zambrano has pitched this month, you know something's not right. The problem, the Cubs right-hander said Saturday, is that he's going through a "dead arm" phase, according to MLB.com. "I've been doing all my things and my work and have been working out," Zambrano said. "I'm trying to throw as hard as I can, and you see the gun -- 91, 88 [mph]. Everybody goes through these, and I just have to wait for my arm strength and my arm power to come back, so I can do a good job for my team."
Our View: Zambrano is 1-1 with a 7.43 ERA in five August starts, and 13-5 with a 3.53 ERA overall. He'll have one more start this month, on Sunday in the series finale against the Phillies. In his last outing Tuesday against the Pirates, he lasted 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs on eight hits. He threw 98 pitches, which is his average this month, and did not get a decision. Since that game, Zambrano has lightened up his workload. Instead of throwing a bullpen session, Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild had the right-hander play catch. That way, Zambrano can stretch out his arm and strengthen it. |
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| Wagner may not return | Saturday 8/30, 2:36 PM CT |
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With only a month left to play it hardly seems likely that the Mets will fall from playoff contention -- like last year -- but if so, closer Billy Wagner's health appears so questionable that he likely won't make another appearance without a playoff berth at stake, according to MLBNewsOnline.com.
Our View: While the Mets watch as deadlines have lapsed for his anticipated return, Wagner is playing catch in addition to other rehabilitation exercises to reduce discomfort and swelling in the elbow of his throwing arm. The objective is to build up healthy tissue to, in effect, replace strength lost because of permanently ruptured or frayed strands of tendon. Wagner -- with another year remaining on his $43 million contract -- remains invaluable to the Mets' divisional race. He was among the league leaders with 27 saves when he went down, though he has blown seven. Expect him to make every effort to return by the end of September as long as there's a point to it. |
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| Carpenter improving | Saturday 8/30, 2:15 PM CT |
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St. Louis Cardinals hurler Chris Carpenter, battling an ongoing shoulder injury, threw about 60 pitches in a bullpen session Friday and felt encouraged, according to the MLB.
Our View: The team is considering bringing him back as a reliever, which Carpenter isn't opposed to. Nothing has been decided yet, but we'll let you know when it is. |
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| Rauch gets the weekend off | Saturday 8/30, 2:14 PM CT |
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Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Jon Rauch may not pitch this weekend due to forearm stiffness, according to the MLB.
Our View: The injury is not expected to be serious and the team is simply practicing caution as the playoff season moves closer. |
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| Smoltz to sign as analyst for TBS | Saturday 8/30, 11:15 AM CT |
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Reports indicate Turner Broadcasting is close to signing injured Braves hurler John Smoltz to come in and work as an on-air analyst during the playoffs this fall, according to the SportsBusiness Daily.
Our View: Terms of the potential deal have not been disclosed, but it sound like baseball fans could enjoy Smoltz's insights on TBS as the playoffs take form. |
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| Kent to have MRI | Saturday 8/30, 10:31 AM CT |
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Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent left the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday, August 29th, due to left knee pain, and said he will undergo an MRI exam, according to The Associated Press. "I've got a lot of clicking and popping going on in there right now, and it's pretty painful," Kent reported.
Our View: The Dodgers will release more news on this later in the day. We have no indication on the severity of the injury at this point, but it doesn't sound especially optimistic. |
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| Erstad, Moehler get extensions | Saturday 8/30, 10:28 AM CT |
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Astros beat writer Krysten Oliphant reports that the team has signed veteran outfielder Darin Erstad and right-handed pitcher Brian Moehler to one-year extensions, according to MLB.com.
Our View: Erstad gets a $1.75MM deal plus bonuses and Moehler nets a $2.3 million extension and bonuses; he has an option for 2010. Erstad and Moehler have been a couple of bright spots among Ed Wade's offseason acquisitions. |
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| Angels, Jays find conflict in trade agreement for Eckstein | Saturday 8/30, 9:33 AM CT |
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The Angels and the Blue Jays were closing in on a deal Friday that would have returned popular shortstop David Eckstein to Anaheim. But talks stalled, apparently when another club also expressed serious interest in the 2006 World Series most valuable player, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Our View: Ken Rosenthal reported this morning the Arizona Diamondbacks had made a strong offer for Eckstein, but the Times reports the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Rays may also be in the mix. This is going to unfold throughout the day, so we will keep you posted as news comes forth. |
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| D'Backs jump into mix for Eckstein | Saturday 8/30, 8:54 AM CT |
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Yesterday we reported the Angels are showing significant interest in obtaining second baseman David Eckstein from Toronto. Today we learn the Arizona Diamondbacks have shown interest in the veteran fielder as well, according to Ken Rosenthal with Fox Sports.
Our View: According to Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks are using Augie Ojeda and Chris Burke at second base after losing Orlando Hudson to season-ending wrist surgery. The addition of Eckstein would give them another option. The Angels, meanwhile, envision Eckstein as a backup at shortstop and second base. The team lost shortstop Maicer Izturis to a season-ending thumb injury this month. Second baseman Howie Kendrick went on the disabled list Thursday with a strained left hamstring. And shortstop Erick Aybar is day-to-day with his own left-hamstring issue. |
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| Loney contributes RBI in loss | Saturday 8/30, 12:52 AM CT |
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James Loney went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 9-3 loss to Arizona. His hit was a single.
Our View: Loney maintains a .300 batting average, and has extended his hitting streak to nine games, with five RBI over the span. |
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| Young goes 2-for-5 | Saturday 8/30, 12:48 AM CT |
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Chris Young went 2-for-5 with two runs scored in Friday's 9-3 win over the Dodgers. Both of his hits were singles.
Our View: Young has generated two hits in two straight games, and has eight multi-hit games in August. |
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| Dunn chips in two RBI | Saturday 8/30, 12:41 AM CT |
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Adam Dunn went 2-for-4 and chipped in two RBI in Friday's 9-3 win over the Dodgers.
Our View: He has registered two hits in back-to-back games, and three times over his last six. Dunn looks to remain a solid source of production down the stretch for fantasy owners. |
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| Gonzalez goes 1-for-4 | Saturday 8/30, 12:35 AM CT |
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Adrian Gonzalez went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Rockies. His hit was a single.
Our View: He ended a seven-game drought without an RBI, and has 93 for the season. Now he needs to end his homer-less streak, which stands at 17 games. |
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| Atkins crushes two homers | Saturday 8/30, 12:31 AM CT |
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Garrett Atkins went 2-for-5 with five RBI in Friday's 9-4 win against the Padres at PETCO Park. Both of his hits were home runs.
Our View: He bounced back with a vengeance tonight, as he snapped a 16-game skid without a homer, and set a season-high with five RBI in a game. |
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| Cook nails down 16th win | Saturday 8/30, 12:25 AM CT |
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Aaron Cook gave up two earned runs on five hits over six innings in Friday's 9-4 win over the Padres, with two walks and three strikeouts.
Our View: His strikeouts are low (87 over 188 innings) and his ERA (3.88) could be better as a fantasy starter, but he should remain a solid source for wins (16) heading down the stretch in September. |
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