Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Oh what a difference a month makes. Josh Beckett's ERA in April stood at 7.22, including a two-game span where he was shellacked for 15 runs. Since then he's hurled five straight quality starts and posted a 2.38 ERA in May. His ERA is now 4.60 and his WHIP is 1.47, both of which fail to indicate his true current value. Often, like in Beckett's case, you can only get an accurate gauge by looking at what a player's done lately instead of viewing overall stats.
Beckett isn't the only pitcher who's clearly improved after a rocky start. Kevin Slowey, Mike Pelfrey, and of course, CC Sabathia, are some others whose recent starts have been markedly better.
Most fantasy baseball league platforms allow you to sort player stats "over the last month," and it's something I've frequently made part of my routine whenever I log in to check a team. You'll be surprised by who comes up among the league leaders.
Bits From the Box Scores
• He got a little time off in between, but Joe Crede has homered in three straight games and four out of his last five. He's racked up 16 RBI in May and is worth owning in most mixed leagues at this point.
• How about Jason Varitek? His two-homer game against the Twins was actually his second multi-homer game of the month. With 10 home runs and 22 RBI on the season, Varitek has proven everyone wrong who said his power was dwindling.
• Ben Zobrist just keeps on hitting. The underrated fantasy shortstop is even more valuable in head-to-head points leagues because of his 22 extra-base hits for the Rays.
• With another two hits Thursday, Juan Pierre's batting average is sky high at .407, and he stole his 10th base as well. We didn't scream "Sell! Sell!" like Jim Cramer on Mad Money, but the case for trading Pierre is pretty clear on our recent podcast.
• Curious about this Randy Wells fellow? You know, the Cubbie who's pitched four straight impressive games in place of Rich Harden. Well, here's the scoop from who else but Matt Snyder:
His stuff isn't overly impressive, but he works around the plate and never gives in to hitters. He's actually one of the most savvy pitchers I've seen in a while. Not sure it can continue when more people scout his stuff, but for now he might be worth riding for the strikeout, ERA, and WHIP help. There's a good chance he gets lots of starts this year with Harden's injury woes and the possibility they'll need Sean Marshall (left-hander) in the bullpen to balance things out.• Another Randy ripping it up is Mr. Wolf for Los Angeles. He picked up his third win of the year in seven strong innings of work against the Cubs. His ERA is currently 2.84, but you know it's going to wind up hovering around the 4.00 range soon enough.
• Luke Scott isn't wasting any time in his return from a shoulder injury. He's hit three out of the park and drove in seven over his last two games. Keep in mind he did hit 23 jacks in 475 at-bats last year, so the surge is legit. He's available in about 70 percent of Yahoo! mixed leagues.• We've already told you a few times how much we like O's rookie Nolan Reimold, but until he's owned in more than 25 percent of leagues, we're going to have to drop some friendly reminders. Not that Reimold needs any; he's hit homers in three straight games and five total in 53 at-bats.
Lineup Lock Time: Early game alert. The Dodgers and Cubs play at 2:20 PM ET before we dig in for a full evening slate.
The Afflicted: Make sure to activate Ryan Ludwick and Jorge Posada, as they're both expected to come off the disabled list. Travis Hafner is hoping to return from the DL on Monday. Brett Myers will get a second opinion on his injured hip before deciding whether to get surgery. It looks like Pirates closer Matt Capps will avoid a trip to the DL despite elbow trouble. Felipe Lopez continues to sit out due to hamstring soreness.
Saturday's Ace in the Hole: Doug Davis (2-6, 3.77 ERA) has a 3.20 ERA at home and faces the Braves. Dave Bush (3-1, 3.92 ERA) did very well in three starts against the Reds last year and will take them on again.
