Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Before we get our heaping of box score browsing, let's look at a related subject: The fantasy baseball stretch run. With the annual ushering in of September baseball, we see roster changes galore. Not only are there call-ups with the legal expansion of rosters, but players with seemingly minor injuries are shut down on teams who have fallen out of the race. You also have younger players being given an audition for 2010, or being shut down so the team doesn't overwork them in their first season of increased workload. If you are in the thick of things in your fantasy baseball race, now is not the time to use a laissez-faire approach.
A good example of this is the report from Baltimore that the Orioles are planning on shutting down touted rookies Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman after just a few more starts. Brad Bergesen is also done for the season -- with a leg bruise? They are obviously protecting his arm as well. We already know the Yankees are being careful (still) with Joba Chamberlain. Expect the Padres to protect their young arms, notably Mat Latos, who has already exceeded what the team wanted him to take on in workload.
In the place of those shut down, we'll see spot-starters. Remember to watch Stream Team for some good ideas on who could be used.
As far as bats go, we're seeing Drew Stubbs get his audition early, and there will be plenty more of that around the league. Look at the Pirates and what they did after all those trades -- they merely started early what we'll see others do this month. There are a good amount of teams now out of contention, but that doesn't mean they don't have a job to do. Many young guys are going to get the chance, and many times you can accrue valuable fantasy stats from them (just ask Chris Davis owners from last year).
The moral? Don't just sit on your team, even if it is one of the better ones. September is a whole different animal. Pay attention and go for that championship.
Some names to watch in the upcoming weeks: Brandon Wood, Junichi Tazawa, Dana Eveland, Josh Fields, Tony Abreu, Joey Gathright (steals help only), Matt Albers, Michael Brantley, Justin Maxwell, Brandon McCarthy, Tyler Flowers.
There are more, but we'll have to wait and see how things develop. Injuries and shut-downs will provide opportunities.
Bits From the Box Scores:
- Tim Hudson, welcome back. He wasn't as sharp as he could be, but it's been a while. He picked up the win after 5 1/3 innings where he allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and 2 earned runs. He struck out 5. He'll be a help down the stretch in fantasy.
- Frank Francisco, welcome back -- in a different way. After a scorching start to the season, he went away due to injuries and a bit of lost effectiveness. Now, in his last four outings, he's 3-3 in saves while allowing 3 baserunners and zero runs in 4 innings. He's struck out 5 in that same span. He can be dominant, so see if he's still available in your league.
- Melvin Mora is currently hot. He's 10-23 (.435) with 2 home runs and 4 RBI in his last 7 games.
- Edwin Jackson got the win, but he's still struggling. In his last five starts, he's been given a nice 3-1 record by outside circumstances, but his ERA in that stretch is 5.60. He's getting hit hard, allowing 41 hits and 5 bombs in those 27 1/3 innings.
- Jon Lester since August began? 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He's thrown 39 2/3 innings in those 6 starts and struck out 48. Get ready for him to pitch like an ace down the stretch.
- Carlos Pena just won't slow down. He now has 13 home runs and 29 RBI in his past 79 at-bats. That's ridiculous.
- Michael Cuddyer tied his career high in home runs (24) by hitting a pair Tuesday night. He now has a 7-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .320.
- Dont look now, but Cole Hamels has rediscovered the magic. He's now thrown 17 shutout innings in his last two starts, in which he struck out 16 and walked only 3. If you stuck with him all season -- and you should have -- it's time to reap the rewards.
- Casey McGehee has 12 home runs and 44 RBI this season. J.J. Hardy has 11 homers and 46 RBI. This is the type of thing you wish you could hop in the DeLorean and place a few bets upon.
- Carlos Gonzalez is proving he belongs. Since July 22, he's hitting .372 with 8 home runs and a 1.207 OPS. That's not an incredibly small sample. He's even stolen 3 bases. Looks like good late-round potential for next season.
- Good outing for Clayton Richard, one of the pieces the Padres got back for Jake Peavy. He's had a few outings like this (6 2/3, 6 strikeouts, 6 baserunners and the win), but he's really inconsistent. The one thing we have seen -- which isn't shocking at all -- is that he throws well at home. He's a good spot start there, but do not use him on the road.
- Doug Fister is a 6-foot-8, 25-year-old rookie pitcher for the Mariners. He's now 2-1 with a 2.94 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in five starts (four of which were quality starts, statistically speaking). He did have a tendency to get knocked around from time to time in the minors, though, and has allowed a minute .216 average on balls in play thus far. Look for the numbers to take a bit of a hit, but he's not a bad spot start against bad offensive teams. Just don't expect him to lock down the Angels again.
- Matt Kemp's categories in traditional 5X5 fantasy leagues? .316, 23 homers, 87 RBI, 29 steals and 81 runs. Talk about filling them up ... and he's only 24. Can you say "superstar?"
- I just looked at the Mets' box score (this is not fantasy related, by the way). If you had shown Omar Minaya on March 1 what their lineup would be on September 1, what do you think he would have done? Resigned? Had you committed? Taken the next six months to find someone else to blame? They've been bitten by injuries, but, good God, that's a flimsy shell of a lineup.
The Afflicted: Michael Young needs and MRI on a tweaked hamstring. Hanley Ramirez left his game with cramps, so that won't be anything serious. Lester complained of groin tightness (insert childish joke here) after his start, but the team doesn't believe it is serious.
The Chris Davis Section: He's killed owners this season after being ridiculously hyped in the preseason. Can you blame us? He had 17 home runs and 55 RBI in 295 at-bats as a rookie in 2008, and figured to be a key cog of Texas' powerful offense. Instead, he hit just .202 with 15 home runs and 33 RBI before being sent down in early July. Since being recalled, he's now hitting .354 with 2 homers and 10 RBI in 31 at-bats. You know his early season fantasy owners despise him. Anyway, did you notice this? Next year's Chris Davis? Garrett Jones has hit 17 home runs in just 210 at-bats. You know what that rate averages to in a full season? 45 bombs. Buyer beware.
Lineup Lock Time: Early day today, as the puck drops at 12:35 PM ET in Cincy.
