Dempster to the DL

by Scout Hoffman http://www.profantasybaseball.com/ Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster just hit the 15 day DL with a broken right big toe. There was some initial speculation that he hurt himself kicking a groundball in his last start, but the truth came out in his press conference this afternoon. Dempster tried to jump out of the dugout over the railing to celebrate the Cubs victory on Sunday. Apparently he slipped a bit, landed funny on his toe and fell on his face. Aside from the giggling from the mental image of a highly paid athlete falling on his face, what is the fantasy fallout from the injury. Well, Dempster was drafted on average in the 11th round as a top 30 pitcher. Most people had expectations of him building on his 2008 numbers of 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA and 187 Ks. He has disappointed thus far posting a 5-5 record an ERA of 4.09, but does have a respectable 89 Ks in 105 innings. With Dempster likely out for at least a month the Cubs are in need of a fifth starter. They recalled Kevin Hart for a spot start tomorrow, but he would not a make even the deepest of fantasy rosters. The more intriguing idea is moving Sean Marshall from the bullpen where he has been flourishing as a lefty specialist, to the starting rotation. Marshall has allowed only one run in his last twelve outings and aside from a few rough starts in May has looked good all season. He features a big swooping curveball and has shown in the past he is capable of putting up some good K numbers. With Aramis Ramirez back for the Cubs their offense should heat up as well and give a bit more run support which should equal a few wins for the lanky lefty. If you are a Dempster owner or in a deep league looking for a few decent starts, Sean Marshall is someone to keep an eye on.