Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.For the most of past two seasons, Aaron Rowand has been a thorn in the collective sides of his fantasy owners. In the middle of May, his batting average even dipped down to .214 (he also only had 2 homers at the time). Starting May 10, though, Rowand has been mashing. In that 21-game span, he's hitting .378 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI. He's also accrued 10 doubles and scored 18 runs in that time.
He's actually more intensely heating up more recently -- like from red hot to white hot, perhaps? After a nice game Tuesday night, Rowand now carries a 12-game hitting streak. He's hitting .404 during the streak with 3 home runs.
His season totals are now respectable enough that he should be active in most fantasy leagues. It's true his home ballpark isn't as conducive to power as the places where he hit more than 13 home runs -- he's only done it twice, once for the White Sox (24) and once for the Phillies (27) -- but his peripheral stats don't show that he's having exceptional luck or anything. Expect him to hit around .300 with 18 home runs and 85 RBI.
Bits From the Box Scores
- Nelson Cruz is on pace for 48 home runs and 126 RBI. Anyone still wanna doubt him? He won't keep that pace up, but he's hitting .295 and has stolen 9 bases to boot. He's a fantasy beast (ahem, breakout, ahem) and there's no reason to trade a beast. Hold him and enjoy.
- Daisuke Matsuzaka got a win! Woo hoo! I'm guessing when fantasy owners drafted him in the middle rounds they were expecting a bit more bang for their buck than a 1-3 record with a 7.17 ERA in the first week of June. The good part is that Dice actually looked to have good stuff for the first time in a while. He still needs to throw more strikes, but that doesn't seem like it will ever change. He is what he is. Enjoy the Ks and Ws at the expense of his WHIP.
- Brandon Inge is 4 for his last 22. If you've ever paid attention to him in the past over a full season, you can expect this to be the beginning of the end of his helpfulness.
- Since it's June, we can't just pass everything we've seen off as a fluky start. Nearly a third of the season is complete. Considering that Zach Duke is 26-years-old and now has 109 career starts under his belt, we have to start believing in the realness of his season. He's now 6-4 (on the Pirates) with a 2.62 ERA and 1.13 WHIP after handling the Mets Tuesday night. You better be able to make up strikeouts somewhere else, otherwise he should be active across the board.
- Thanks for those 14 Ks, Doc.
- You can't ignore Randy Wells anymore. He missed out on a win due to a quick hook from his manager and a bullpen meltdown, but he sports a 1.69 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in five starts. The Cubs have already stated he's staying in the rotation instead of Sean Marshall once Rich Harden comes back, so Wells is definitely worth an add now.
- Time to bench Manny Parra until further notice. Your ERA and WHIP categories just can't handle much more abuse.
- I don't know what fountain of youth Miguel Tejada discovered, but there is absolutely no humanly way he can keep hitting .362. He also has 6 home runs and 32 RBI. Last season, he had 3 home runs and 23 RBI in his last 86 games. I'm expecting a similar swoon here in the near future.
- Joe Mauer, on the other hand, is still only 26-years-old. It's entirely possible he's just learning his power stroke. Granted, he's not going .432 with 37 jacks and 109 RBI -- his current pace in the triple crown categories -- but players with his innate skill sets often develop power they didn't have at a younger age once they get into more of a comfort level.
- Quite a big league debut for Vin Mazzaro. He tossed 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball against the White Sox. The 4 walks to only 1 strikeout is a bit disconcerting, though. The 22-year-old was near unhittable in double-A last season before having good success against triple-A this year, but his strikeout rate is terrible and he hasn't had a ton of seasoning. Leave him alone for now.
- Jake Peavy got knocked around by the Phillies and left with the flu. No reason to worry yet, it would be pretty tough for a Greg Maddux in his prime to deal with that lineup -- especially with Raul Ibanez still doing his best Babe Ruth impersonation -- when he had the flu.
Lineup Lock Time: 7:05 PM ET again.
The Afflicted: Carlos Beltran returns to action after missing time with a stomach virus. Evan Longoria is day-to-day and will miss Wednesday night's game due to a sore hamstring. Surgery is now a possibility for Grady Sizemore (elbow) and Josh Hamilton (sports hernia) if treatment doesn't suffice. Milton Bradley suffered a right calf strain and will undergo an MRI. Asdrubal Cabrera dislocated his shoulder and could hit the DL. Troy Tulowitzki is out a couple of games with a bruised left hand. [this section penned by Tom Herrera]
Thursday's Ace in the Hole: Aside from looking ridiculous with a mustache-mullet combo, Blue Jays starter Brian Tallet (3-3, 4.26 ERA) has been surprisingly effective, coming off a month where he posted a 3.00 ERA and held opposing batters to a .173 average. He'll play the Angels at home. Dave Bush (3-1, 4.38 ERA) pitched a great game against the Marlins on May 14 and will get the opportunity to rack up some strikeouts again Thursday. [this section penned by Tom Herrera]
