Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.With a starting rotation containing Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman and Brandon McCarthy, it's pretty safe to say many mixed leagues went through draft or auction day without mentioning a single starting Rangers pitcher -- unless it was in jest.
The joke is on us, because the Rangers starting rotation is pretty damn legit right now. After Sunday, the Rangers now sport the fifth-best starter's ERA (4.25) in the American League.
Many fantasy analysts would cringe at my saying this, but the main reason for the Rangers drastic improvement on the hill has absolutely nothing to do with numbers. First of all, Nolan Ryan and Mike Maddux have instilled a new mentality throughout the Rangers' system. Secondly, the Rangers offense and defense are both stellar. It's much easier to pitch when you know there's a solid defense to back you up, or when you know allowing a few runs doesn't necessarily mean you're headed for a loss. The Rangers starters likely feel a combination of the two, and that's a great recipe.
We're here to analyze fantasy baseball, though, so here's a quick rundown of the five in the starting rotation:
Millwood has had two straight bad seasons, but, at 34, he's not too old to regain his form. With the defense behind him and his confidence re-growing, he's an ownable pitcher in many leagues.
Padilla is a guy I actually don't buy into. He's still sporting a modest-at-best K/BB (26/20). He's allowed more hits than innings pitched, and his 4.71 ERA isn't exactly mind-boggling.
The 23-year-old Harrison is someone to watch. He's not going to blow people away with strikeouts, but his ERA and WHIP were always solid in the minors. He got off to a rocky start this season, but has gone 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA and 15 strikeouts to only 1 walk in his last three starts -- the latter two of which were complete games. He'll greatly benefit from the tutelage of Maddux and Ryan, in addition to the added confidence given by the offense and defense. He's worth a look in all leagues.
Feldman is also growing into a major league starter quite well. It's only his second season as a starter, but he's 2-0 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.18 WHIP right now. Respectable numbers. His K/BB (19/12) leaves a lot to be desired. You'd also expect his BABIP (a low .241) to normalize a bit. He's worth a look in mono-leagues and incredibly deep mixed formats, but don't go nuts just yet.
McCarthy is 3-1 due to 6.54 runs in support per start. He can't be counted on until he can get the ERA under control by keeping the ball in the park (10 home runs in 38 innings pitched). You can continue to ignore him for the time being.
Together, the five are much better real pitchers than fantasy, which I'm guessing is just fine for Rangers fans.
Bits From the Box Scores
• Geovany Soto exited April with no multi-hit games, zero home runs, 2 RBI and a disgusting .109 batting average. In May, though, he's hitting .298 and has reached base in all 13 of his starts. He finally collected his first home run last Wednesday and is hitting the ball hard. In fact, Sunday he hit a scorching line drive which would have won the game for the Cubs had it not been directly at Jeff Keppinger. He's back, so hopefully you were patient with him.
• We've said it before and I'm sure we'll say it again. When you have someone with the talent level of Clayton Kershaw, you are going to see gems. When he's 21-years-old and hasn't made a full season's worth of major league starts, you'll get inconsistency. Sunday, we saw good Clayton. He had a no-hit bid for much of the outing, and left after working 7 innings and allowing only 1 hit and 1 run to go with 9 strikeouts and the win. Still, expect the fickle nature of his first full season to continue with the roller coaster-like hills and valleys.
• Dan Uggla is a very interesting case right now. Throughout his career, he has been a much better first half hitter -- especially power-wise. He's hit 57 home runs in April, May and June, for example, compared to only 37 in July, August and September. His career OPS is almost 100 points higher in the first half. After Sunday, though, Uggla was hitting only .190 -- though he does have 4 home runs and 21 RBI. It's entirely possible Uggla's splits thus far in his career point more to his streakiness than actually being a bad second-half player. We do know he has the track record to start hitting sometime soon. I'll advise buying low on him if you need second base help.
• Very encouraging week for Jimmy Rollins. He hit .333 and stole 2 bases. He had 10 hits, 5 walks, a double, a triple, a home run, scored 8 times and drove home 4 runs. Much of the work was done against the abysmal pitching staff of the Nationals, true, but this isn't some rookie. We know the talent level Rollins possesses. Having a week like this is something that could catapult him into a major surge.
• Johnny Damon's power isn't slowing down. He's on pace for 43 home runs and 118 RBI. Sell-high candidate? You betcha. He's 35 years-old.
• Adam Kennedy, who the Cardinals couldn't use, is having a nice early-go in Oaktown. He's hitting .346 with 1 home run, 1 stolen base, 3 RBI and 4 runs in only 7 games. He's going to continue to play everyday, especially while he's hot. He's worth riding in AL-Only leagues at this point.
• Ramon Santiago went 4-4 Sunday and he's now 9 for his last 15 (.600 average) since May 9. He's packed power in the same stretch (1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 7 RBI). He'll have to find time over either Placido Polanco or Adam Everett, but Jim Leyland may want to keep this hot bat in the lineup. If you're looking for MI help in AL-Only leauges, here's an option.
• Ubaldo Jimenez put together a nice start, but the bullpen blew it pretty convincingly after his exit. He continues to be an intriguing option due to his immense potential, but he's a tricky one. At 25, it's possible he puts things together, but it's also possible he's Oliver Perez-lite (as Will Brinson said earlier this season).
• Zach Duke continues to impress, and he's got enough talent to keep it up. His strikeout to walk ratio is back to where it was his rookie season when he went 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA. The difference, though, is that he's never allowed a BABIP of less than .302 and it's currently .266. That will normalize, and he's not a strikeout pitcher (32 in 57 innings).
• J.J. Hardy is hitting .326 with 14 RBI in 13 May starts. In that same stretch he's walked more times than he's struck out as well. This means he's seeing the ball really well. Having 5 home runs at present is hardly anything David Eckstein-esque, but we know Hardy has a penchant for ridiculous power streaks. I feel one coming on. If you can still get ahold of him, do so sooner rather than later.
• Since his last home run (May 4), Mike Lowell is hitting .250 with 2 RBI (12 games). Considering he's still on pace for a career high in RBI and he's 35-years-old, expect the mediocrity to continue. Sell high if you can still do so, because his numbers will continue to normalize, and he's also got a decent chance to fall injured.
• On the flip side, what is going on with Adrian Beltre? His .558 OPS is abominable. He's struck out 28 times with only 6 walks. On the other hand, he's managed to steal 5 bases already (his career high is 18). Based upon that, the fact that his BABIP is only .246, and that we know his track record for hitting in the .270-range with 25 home runs, he's a buy low if you need third base help.
• I'd love to see more efficiency from Matt Cain, but there's no doubting his stuff. Plus, he's actually (read: Finally) having good luck in the wins/losses department! So now the geezers who only judge on records will think he's a stud. That's cool for him, I guess.
Lineup Lock Time: We've got one day game, and it starts at 1:07 PM ET. Make sure those weekly lineups are set by then.
Rehabbin' It: Carlos Zambrano has completed his rehab assignment and is ready to rejoin the Cubs' rotation. His owners get even better news, in that his first start back will be in spacious Petco Park against the weak-swinging Padres. Get him active in all formats before that game. Chien-Ming Wang worked seven scoreless innings in triple-A Sunday, and only needed 75 pitches to do so. That's the Wang we've come to know over the years, as opposed to the dreadful version we saw earlier this season in the majors. No firm word on when he returns to the Yankees rotation, but he's worth keeping an eye on at this point.
The Afflicted: Josh Hamilton hurt himself again by slamming into the wall, but it didn't appear serious. Rickie Weeks tweaked his wrist and had to leave the game, but there is cause for concern. He's injured that same wrist in the past, and it crippled a few seasons of development. It would be a shame if his strong power surge was derailed by this, but it's very possible. Keep an eye on the situation. Elijah Dukes has been having some hammy woes. He was removed from the game Friday after initially injuring his left hamstring, and Sunday the thing got reaggravated in the first inning. These things tend to linger, so prepare to be without Dukes for a week or so.
Tuesday's Ace in the Hole: Jason Hammel will look to build upon his solid start last week, when he toes the rubber against the Braves -- who are struggling to hit the ball right now (13th in NL in runs). The majority of the Atlanta team has never faced Hammel, which is an advantage for the youngster.
