Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
No one said recovering from a torn pectoral muscle would be easy. And for Vladimir Guerrero's fantasy owners, many of his 130-plus at-bats were pretty painful to watch. But on Wednesday night, Vlad came back to life in a big way.
With a shot to deep left-center against the Rockies, Guerrero not only collected his first home run since April 12, he also ended the second-longest power outage of his career. And most importantly, he reminded us that he's still Vlad, a .322 career hitter who's hit 25 or more homers in 11 straight seasons. That kind of consistency can't be underrated.
Just like I've said with Magglio, I don't think this is an issue of old age. Skills typically do not drop off that dramatically. Sometimes, it's a slump that feels like quicksand. Other times, like in Vlad's case, it's building up strength after an injury. More often than not, you can mount a stout second-half comeback for your fantasy team if you feast on the scraps of other owners.
Por ejemplo, think about what you had to "give up" to get David Ortiz at the beginning of June. A couple of Heinekens and Zach Duke. What about now, after he's hit six homers with 15 RBI in his last 55 at-bats? Good luck. If you missed the buying window for Big Papi, don't sit back while Vlad rounds the bases, too.
Bits From the Box Scores:
• Guess who went deep in the same game as Vlad? Garrett Atkins! His first homer since June 4. Atkins' case is trickier because he still needs to find at-bats when it's not interleague play. As long as Ian Stewart stays productive, that's not happening. But I haven't given up all hope on Atkins' potential after the break.
• Jason Marquis reminded you that he's Jason Marquis. Seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Nine wins are garbage in fantasy baseball if he's going to hurt you in every other category. It's also not fun smacking yourself in the head in front of a computer screen ... which is what I do every time a see a stat line like that from a pitcher I own.
• Where is the love for Kevin Kouzmanoff? The dude is tearing the cover off the ball and should be owned in many more leagues. The Padres third baseman drove in his 20th RBI of the month against Seattle.
• The White Sox are really heating up at the plate. Paul Konerko with three homers in his last five games. Alexei Ramirez with four in his last seven (love that guy). Even Josh Fields got in on the action versus the Dodgers with two homers.
• Rich Harden is clearly not right. Since he's come off the DL, Harden has given up five homers with a 14:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A total of 13 homers surrendered in 60 innings this season. Geovany Soto, on the other hand, is quickly returning to form. Three homers over his last six games. Hope you bought low.
• Grady Sizemore's elbow is doing just fine, thank you very much. Five RBI already in two games back from the DL. Don't expect to see him in the leadoff spot any time soon. Manager Eric Wedge admitted that Asdrubal Cabrera will be No. 1 when he returns, with Sizemore batting second.• Adam LaRoche is approaching unconscious mode. He's batting .357 in June with homers in back-to-back games. Nice call by Snyder in Wednesday's edition of the Rush.
• If Jonny Gomes got everyday playing time, he'd be an NL-only steal, and even valuable in mixed leagues, too. Gomes has hit three bombs over his last six starts. He should be in the lineup through the weekend with Cincy playing at AL parks.
• Another opportunity to feast on scraps: Pat Burrell. He was jettisoned to the waiver wire by many, as evidenced by his 29 percent ownership rate. He drilled his first homer since April 13 against the Phillies on Wednesday, and I expect more to be on the way. Remember that Burrell can be very streaky; he hit .275 before the break last season and .215 after it. In 2007? Vice versa: .215 before the break and .295 after it.
• Fernando Nieve is a nice story, and I'm certainly not complaining being a Mets fan. But if you think a 1.31 ERA is going to hold up with his 13:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio, you must be drinking some good stuff. He threw 108 pitches (four walks) over six innings in a victory over the Cardinals. Only worthy of spot starts.
• Who said 35-year-olds (almost) don't steal bases? Get this: Derek Jeter has swiped a bag in three consecutive games. He's up to 16 for the season. I don't think 30 is out of the question, and if he does that, man, talk about a tremendous bargain.
• Another great game from Ricky Nolasco, further proving he's a fantasy darling again. He has a 1.80 ERA over his last four starts since returning from the minors.
• Did you know catcher Miguel Olivo has seven homers and 14 RBI in June? He's not the only one with a hot streak way under the radar. Minnesota's Nick Blackburn has a 2.25 in June. Both are owned in less than 50 percent of mixed leagues last time I checked.Down on the Farm: Cleveland outfielder Matt LaPorta drilled his ninth homer in Triple-A. He's batting .310 with 29 RBI. Another Indians prospect, catcher Carlos Santana, hit his 11th homer in Double-A. Keep a close eye on both, especially in AL-only.
The Afflicted: Closer shakeup, woo! Florida placed closer Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow sprain. Leo Nunez will likely take over the gig in his absence. The Phillies activated Brad Lidge from the 15-day DL. He's expected to get back to closing duties right away. (I'd hold on to Ryan Madson for a little while longer.) CC Sabathia said he's ready for Friday's start after throwing a bullpen session on Wednesday. An MRI on Edinson Volquez's achy right elbow revealed inflammation. We're not seeing him until after the break.
Friday's Ace in the Hole: Picking on the Nationals again? You know it. Orioles youngster Brad Bergesen (4-2, 3.94 ERA), who will face Washington, has a 2.37 ERA in June. Dallas Braden (5-6, 3.26 ERA) has also been hot this month, so a matchup vs. the Rockies at home seems solid.
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