Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Sure, he gave up a home run to Joey Votto on Sunday, but that's about all the Cincinnati Reds got facing the Cubs' Rich Harden.
For Harden this was his third consecutive start where he showed the potential of being a front-line ace. He struck out eight in only six innings and that home run was the only hit and only run he allowed the Reds in route to earning his seventh win.
Over his last three starts Harden has struck out 21 while walking only two batters in 19 innings. His ERA over this time is 0.47 and he has two wins to show for great pitching.
This is the first time in 2009 Harden has put together this kind of run. He's been able, on a number of occasions, to put two good starts together, but never three as he seems to get shelled every time he's about to take that next step towards becoming the solid number one guy the Cubs desperately need him to be.
Not only does Sunday's win put the Cubs on top in the National League Central division for the first time since April 21st, but Harden's daytime win at Wrigley Field is his first since August 24, 2008.
With Harden's new-found awesomeness the Cubs could be ready to sit on top of the division for the duration of the season.
Bits From the Box Scores
• As I mentioned above Joey Votto clobbered his 15th home run of the season against Rich Harden on Sunday. This was his second game in a row with a dinger and he's hit three in the past five games.
• Batting .333 in the month of July, Jimmy Rollins continued his torrid pace on Sunday belting his 10th home run of the season, his fourth in July. Those that bought low should be very, very happy with the move.
• With Sunday's 1-for-2 performance, Matt Holliday has at least one hit and one RBI in every game he's played since joining the Cardinals.
• The Padres seem very serious about keeping Kyle Blanks in the outfield. With Adrian Gonzalez getting a day off Sunday, Blanks still played right field. He also hit his third home run of the season. As the Padres inch closer and closer to dealing Gonzalez, the days of Blanks being an outfielder seem numbered.
• His last start, prior to Sunday, was a complete game shutout. Today John Lannan only lasted eight innings and gave up an earned run. Mike MacDougal blew his first save of the season, so Lannan doesn't have a win to show for his hard work today. But you should take note of how well he's pitching. Just temper your excitement down one notch, his last two starts have been against the Mets and Padres.
• Take away his June 2nd start where he gave up five earned runs and David Hernandez would have a 2.76 ERA instead of his already good 3.20 mark. He should complain too much. he did earn his third win of the season as the Orioles scored him some runs and the bullpen didn't destroy his efforts. If Hernandez didn't pitch in the murderous American League East, he'd be worth looking at in most formats. As it stands right now, he's only worth a flier in deep AL-Only leagues.
• Completing his third consecutive quality start n a row on Sunday, Brett Cecil gave up four hits and an earned run in seven innings to beat the Tampa Bay Rays and earn his fourth win. In his last three starts Cecil is 2-0 with an 0.45 ERA. He also has 21 strikeouts in 20 innings of work.
• Troy Tulowitzki has never reached double digit stolen bases in a single season. In fact he's only combined for
11 swipes in the three years he's been in the big leagues prior to 2009. But on Sunday, Tulowitzki stole his 13th bag. Take that with his 18 home runs and the Rockies shortstop could reach the 20/20 mark this season. • Justin Morneau hit two bombs on Sunday. He's good. He's really, really good!
• Max Scherzer struck out eight in seven innings Sunday earning his first win since June 23rd.
The Afflicted: Kevin Millwood left Sunday's game after two innings and won't be sure whether he'll make his next start until Monday. He felt his left gluteus muscle tighten up. Yes, I said gluteus. It looks like Joel Zumaya will pitch again this season. Pedro Martinez only lasted 1 1/3 innings on Sunday in his minor league rehab start. Before you Phillie phanatics scream you should know that Martinez looked sharp. It was rain that cancelled his day. Erik Bedard will miss at least two starts and has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his left shoulder. LaTroy Hawkins has been filling in for injured teammates all season. Now it's his turn. He's been dealing with back pain all month and will have an MRI on Monday.
Don't Forget About: The David Letterman Show on Monday night. Mark Buehrle, DeWayne Wise and Josh Fields will read the Top 10 List tomorrow before their series opener in Minnesota. Monday night's Letterman will feature the three key players involved in orchestrating Major League Baseball's 18th perfect game this past week.
