White Sox Rookie Wise Hits Another

Chicago White Sox outfielder Dewayne Wise is batting .288 with 6 home runs and 7 stolen bases since his call up. He is likely to start in the out field for the remainder of the season.

Rangers' Harrison Dominating Again

Texas Ranger rookie starting pitcher, Matt Harrison, tossed a complete game shutout over the A's and has now won 6 of 7 and as seen his ERA drop from 7.40 to 5.05. He makes a solid pick-up to help for the stretch and playoffs.

Pro Fantasy Games Makes Playoffs!

Pro Fantasy Games/Pro Fantasy Baseball has made into the playoffs in the Fantasy Baseball Search Expert League.

In the First Round we are playing Fantasy Baseball Geeks.

It has been a tough season filled with injuries for all. We just lost our 2B Brandon Phillips for season. Ouch! We had to dig deep and pick up Felipe Lopez, veteran who can also play SS and OF. In addition he starts tomorrow. It is worth Micro-managing in the playoffs. We also picked up Clint Barmes. When he is hot, he is actually as good as it gets. He is playing well now, so maybe we'll get lucky. Lopez will likely be cut so we can stream a pitcher if I can find a solid home start. For the first day of the series we picked up Yankee rookie Alfredo Aceves. It worked well and we decided to keep him. We don't mind starting a Yankee-Streamer on the road. I was looking for K's and a win and he gave me the win, ERA and WHIP instead. We'll take it! The pick up of Jason Weryth has been gold. 1 HR and 3 or 4 SB's in the first few days of the series. Now we just need some of are studs to play hot: Arod, Ludwick and Morneau and if they do we could win this series.
You find the results here:
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Rays' Baldelli Goes Yard

Tampa Bay outfielder, Rocco Baldelli, continues to make strides in his comeback with his pinch-hit home run on Saturday. Overall he is batting .350 and has 3 home runs with 40 at bats. He hasn't stolen a base and his previous 20 stolen base potential is likely gone due to his injury. He isn't a guarantee everyday starter, but is seeing a lot of action at DH. If he keeps hitting, he will start and is worth picking up.

Sin City Scout

Pirate's Rookie OF Moss Hot

Pittsburgh Pirate rookie outfielder, Brandon Moss, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox, is hitting .324 with four doubles, three homers and five RBIs in his last 10 games. He is a good prospect with 25-30 home run potential and may be a nice pick for the stretch.

Sin City Scout

Fukudome funk?

After sitting down with manager Lou Piniella, Kosuke Fukudome hit a pinch hit 2-run homerun. I'm sure his owners are hoping he turns it around in the last 40 or so games of the season. He started off hot but his average has gotten worse with each passing month. It should be interesting to see if he can use the HR as some sort of momentum to carry him towards some success before the playoffs begin

Injury Updates

Here are some quick injury updates from around the league:

• Kerry Wood has return from the disabled list but will not close. He will be in middle relief for the immeadiate time and will close in about a week.
• Todd Helton has been diagnosed with a degenerative back and has coming along real slow and will likely sit out the rest of the year with hopes on coming back healthy for 2009.
• Khalil Greene is done for the year after breaking his hand punching a storage hand. If you had him on your team, you must in either an all NL West league or are throwing the season away for next year's number one pick.
• Joba Chamberlain's MRI results were not made public but he is seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. If you have him, I would hold tight and await Andrew's opinion before making any moves but he is gonna miss one start for sure
• Tom Glavine is set to make another rehab start on Saturday at Double-A and is aiming to throw around 65-70 pitches. Glavine has not started a game for ther Braves in 2 months but his return could happen next week for the fledgling team.
  

Ian Kennedy Should Get the Call Soon

Ian Kennedy was on a lot of owner’s radar screens before the season, and deservingly so. Kennedy had exceptional minor league numbers, and had a spot in the starting rotation for the high octane New York Yankees. Kennedy started the year poorly, and was briefly sent to the minors in early May. He was recalled quickly, but was then placed on the DL in late May; he is now healthy and pitching very well in the minor’s. With the way Darrell Rasner has been pitching lately it has been expected that Kennedy could get called up at any moment, and that was before Joba Chamberlain had to leave last night’s start early with shoulder issues. Yankee pitchers are always a hot commodity so you’ll have to act fast to pickup Kennedy, but he could certainly be worth it!

Scout
John Benson

Bucs Name Steve Pearce Starter in RF

With Xavier Nady now playing in New York for the Yankees the Pirates will give Steve Pearce a shot at the everyday job in RF. Pearce is coming off an incredible 2007 season, he rose from Class A all the way up to the big league club. Pearce hit 31 homeruns in the minors last season. When he did get the call late last season he hit a solid .294 in 68 at-bats. Pearce in 2008 has been a different story; he’s only hitting .257 with 11 homeruns in 353 at-bats with AAA-Indianapolis. The good news is he’s going to get everyday at-bats, and he does have great power potential. You won’t have to pick him up immediately, but he is definitely someone to keep an eye on. This news also means that Jason Michaels is now nothing more than a backup for the Pirates, meaning he's not worth owning in all but very deep NL only leagues.

Scout
John Benson

Bountiful Booty

Several trades went down today that will impact your fantasy team. The bigger trades involved the likes of Manny Ramirez, Jason Bay, and Pudge Rodriguez. Oh, Ken Griffey finally got out of Cincinnati after years of rumors. After all the trades have been done, it seems that not much will change for the players involved. Usually trades at the deadline involve star players for prospects that wont be MLB ready for years but mostly the trades were involving MLB ready players instead of pure prospects. This creates more playing opportunites for these young players and since they hardly had consistent playing time before, they should be readily available in your league. The players in this article are all the Pittsburgh Pirates and this is because they need young players to produce and will play them. Why? Young players are cheap and the Pirates have no payroll. These players include:
Andy LaRoche 3B Pirates- He should get some consistent ABs with the Pirates since theyre in the midst of another rebuilding year. Should benefit from playing with his older brother whom he will throw to across the diamond
Brandon Moss- OF Pirates- Same as LaRoche except he has had a solid season in his limited ABs. Was stuck behind several players when he was with the BoSox but with Bay gone, he should get plenty of time.

Adam Lind Can Lend Major Hand

When Vernon Wells was placed on the DL in early July, it opened the door for Adam Lind to start getting regular playing time. Lind has been awesome over the last month, during that time he has put up as many fantasy points as guys like Carlos Beltran, Curtis Granderson and Bobby Abreu, yet Lind still remains un-owned in over 50% of fantasy leagues. He had a career minor league average of .317, and that is carrying over at the big league level, as Lind is hitting an exceptional .311 on the season. He has solid power potential as well, and could hit 10 more homeruns by season’s end. Lind can help you in just about every category, and he will not go unnoticed much longer. Let Lind lend you a hand!

Scout
John Benson

Braves Lose both Chipper and Hudson to DL

The Braves have lost two of their best players to the injury bug this week. Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson both were placed on the DL. Hudson is expected to meet with legendary orthopedic surgeon James Andrews sometime this week. When pitchers go to see Dr. Andrews it’s never a good sign. If he does need to have season ending Tommy John surgery, Hudson will miss a good portion of the 2009 season as well. Let’s hope we don’t have to worry about that. It seems like Chipper Jones has been battling injuries all season long, all career long for that matter, but this is in fact Chipper’s first DL stint for 2008. The move was retroactive to July 24th, which means Chipper could return in roughly the second week in August. Keep him reserved for now, when he’s on the field he’s still the cream of the crop. Ian Stewart makes for a great replacement.

Scout
John Benson

Crede Lands on DL, Open Fields Ahead for Josh

With Joe Crede on the DL, Josh Fields will once again get his chance as the White Sox starting 3B. There was speculation in the off season involving trading Crede and giving the starting job to Fields, but with the condition of Crede’s back in question teams were reluctant to trade for him. The Sox decided to keep Crede and he rewarded them with an All-Star first half in 2008. Now Fields will get his chance to play, and you can’t deny his power potential. In 100 big league games last season Fields knocked out 23 bombs as a rookie. If you can afford to take a hit in average (expect no batter than .260) he will provide you with some short term pop.

Scout
John Benson

Stewart Stays Hot for the Rockies

Jason Nix being selected to play for the Olympic team gives Ian Stewart a gold medal opportunity in Colorado. The uber-prospect has a ton of power potential, and after registering 6 multiple hit games in his last 8 starts, he has his average on the verge of 300. If the Rockies continue to find ways to keep his red hot bat in the starting line-up, Stewart will be in line for a huge second half. By season’s end Stewart could emerge as a top 8 option at 2B. In most leagues Stewart also has multiple position benefits as he qualifies at both 2nd and 3rd base. Stewart’s ownership is going to rise quickly so don’t hesitate to pick him up, or put in a bid.

Scout
John Benson

Return of the Prodigal Young

Chris Young pitched outstanding in his first start back after being nearly decapitated by an Albert Pujols line drive on May 21st. It was very encouraging to see that Young wasn’t gun shy on the mound. He pitched 5 scoreless innings, and struck out 8 batters in a no decision against the Diamondbacks. It’s been over 2 months since Young has last pitched, so in many leagues he’s still available, and he’s definitely worth a pick-up for the stretch run.

Scout
John Benson

Michael Young Breaks Finger

Michael Young the Rangers SS suffered a small fracture in his right ring finger while diving back to the base Monday night on a pickoff attempt. He is expected to miss 5-7 days with the injury. It’s a tough break for weekly line-up leagues, as Young was hitting close to .300, and was among the league leaders in runs scored. All owners who play in daily transaction leagues should remove Young immediately from their line-up. Ramon Vazquez should get more playing time as a result of the injury.

Michael Young returned to the line-up on Tuesday night, less than a day after his apparent injury, now that's a gamer. Continue to start Young in all formats!

Scout
John Benson

Tex an Angel?

It appears that the Atlanta Braves have traded slugging 1st baseman Mark Teixeira to the Angels. In return the Braves will get rising star Casey Kotchman and a pitching prospect. Wow. This move really helps the Angels and will be great for Teixeira owners. The move to Atlanta shouldn’t hurt Kotchman’s value to much. The only real downside to this trade is if you play in AL or NL only leagues.

Scout
John Benson

Kershaw Gets First MLB Win

Clayton Kershaw got his first win as a Dodger. It took him 10 starts but its behind him now. You might be thinking why you need to keep an eye on him. The reason is, he has great stuff and now he should be up with the Dodgers for good. He will be counted on down the stretch for big games and will come through. As long as the Dodgers let him pitch deep into games, he will help you out in several categories and with their offense improving, he might even pick up some wins a long the way.

Diamonds in The Rough

Injuries are taking a toll on many MLB teams and fantasy teams are sure to follow suit. This is were you need to get creative and pick up some players on the cheap that will hold you over until your big guns get back. I will show you a pitcher that should fit that bill.
Sean Gallagher OAK SP
He has pitched well for Oakland in his 2 starts since coming over in the Rich Harden trade. He will now get the ball every fifth day for the A's instead of waiting for a chance in Chicago. He can help you out in the strike out department and is a solid spot starter for an injured starter. Gallagher is improving with each start and could be a nice keeper pick for future years.
Gio Gonzalez OAK (AAA) SP
Gio is a strike out machine and will certainly get a September call up. The last 2 seasons he has accumulated 302Ks in 260 minor league innings. Beane traded for him and he very seldom trades for bad players, especially young pitchers. Gonzalez would be another excellent keeper pick to hold onto for future years.
Richie Sexson 1B NY Yankees
This guy has had a horrible run with Seattle and got released with the Mariners eating his salary. He sounds like another Jim Edmonds and like so, should benefit greatly from a change of scenery. He is now hitting in a great loaded lineup and has always had a better second half than first. Look to pick him off the waiver wires and act as a nice bench player and starter if he starts getting more ABs.

Mid-Season Advice

If you think you have a shot at the title in your league then its time to get crafty and start making some deals that can put you over the top. These deals can range from picking up a starter for an extra start or making that blockbuster trade. Today, I will discuss a deal that is highly possible due to the sheer number of players on the Disabled List. Most owners either don't think their players will return to pre-injury form or do not have the patience. This is where you come in and take them "off their hands." Just try to convince them that having a healthy player is better than an injured player. Heres my top 3 injured players you should try to acquire:

Todd Helton 1B Colorado Rockies- He should be back later this month and was only hitting 182 in his last 10 games before the injury. This should play into your favor. He hasn't had a sub-300BA since the Clinton Administration ('97) or a sub-400 OBP this millenium ('99). Helton should rebound and heat up along with Troy Tulowitzki and get back to his normal top 10 1B self. Also, his home games are at Coors, that wont hurt him.

Vernon Wells CF Toronto Blue Jays- He has been hurt before this season and healed before expected and he should do it again. He has put up a solid year and should follow suit when he returns, which is expected in 4-6 weeks. I bet around 3-4 weeks he will be patrolling the Rogers Centre. Though he wont steal anymore bases for you, he will provide a good bat to fuel your team in the playoffs.

Chris Young SP San Diego Padres- He suffered somewhat of a freak injury with the comebacker to his face, so the injury has nothing to do with his arm. Young might even be available in the waiver wire if owners gave up on his subpar year already. He performed well in his recent rehab start at High-A and should be back within 2 weeks. This DL stint should give him time to bounce back and return to form. Lets hope he plays mostly at PETCO (2.57ERA, 204 BA) instead of on the road (6.58ERA, 279BA) and if you get him, start him accordingly.