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.While the majority of the American workforce got a day off on Labor Day, some major league hitters were getting their power stroke on in a big way. With only 11 games on the docket, four players left the yard twice in one game: Derrek Lee, Billy Butler, Mark Teixeira and Juan Uribe. The fantasy fallout isn't huge, save for one; Lee's having a resurgence, Butler a breakout campaign and Teixeira an MVP-caliber season. Uribe, though ... that's news.
If you need short-term help, especially for power categories, Uribe is a decent option. He's presently on fire. In his past six games, he's hitting .409 with 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 6 runs, a double, a triple and a whopping 1.571 OPS. A bonus? He's eligible at second, short, third, corner or middle.
Bits From the Box Scores
- CC Sabathia is in a zone. He's won six straight decisions, upping his record to 16-7. He's made seven consecutive quality starts, a span in which he's compiled a 1.75 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 63 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings. The Yanks are getting what they paid for, but are you? Remember the sub-par start next season and don't take him until late in the second or early in the third round in most leagues.
- Edwin Encarnacion just can't find himself at the plate. His batting average has now dipped back below the Mendoza line. He's mired in yet another slump (1 for his last 15). We know he has talent, but it's probably best, at this point, to wait until next season.
- Raul Ibanez hit a bomb. In the first half, that wouldn't have been news. It is now, though. In between homers, Ibanez had been killing his fantasy owners -- who, we might point out, enjoyed a ridiculous first four months of the season -- going 20 games with a .162 average and 1 RBI. It was pretty obvious his numbers would correct themselves, but this was an over-correction. Expect him to start hitting well in the next few weeks.
- That's stolen base number 60 for Jacoby Ellsbury. He's only going to get better as he improves at the plate, too.
- Wins, as an entire category, are relatively tough to predict due to the many variables surrounding them. Mark Buehrle doesn't strike many batters out. Combine the two, and you see why he's underrated. For him, wins are actually pretty predictable. He's won 130 games in 294 starts since 2001. That's an average of 14.4 per season, and he's got a few more chances in 2009.
- Don't look now, but Kyle Davies has won three straight starts. His ERA in those outings is a sparkling 2.12. He has walked 11 in just 17 innings, though, which isn't a good omen for the good run continuing.
- Jose Arredondo's nightmare season continues. He burst onto the scene last year with a 10-2 record and 1.62 ERA. We entered the season thinking he'd be a big help in larger fantasy leagues due to his ERA, WHIP and strikeouts, in addition to his vulture potential with wins and saves. This year? Ugh. The ERA sits at 6.13 and he can't help you in any fantasy league.
- Hunter Pence is rebounding from his August slump. He's hitting .394 with 4 jacks and 10 RBI in his last 10 games. He'll be a beast down the stretch.
- Chris Carpenter has to win the NL Cy Young. It's a muddled mess right now, but can't we consider some external sources in addition to his staggering numbers? He basically hadn't pitched since 2006 and most thought he'd never pitch back to form. There was even a little talk of moving him to the bullpen, because his arm couldn't handle starting. Instead, the 34-year-old is now 16-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. Seems like his arm is handling it just fine. He deserves to win it. And I'm a Cubs fan -- meaning I hate the Cardinals. What does that tell you? Give him the hardware now.
- Memo to the Brewers: Corey Patterson should never bat leadoff. Ever. Not even in a little league game. Honestly, I don't think he should ever start in a game at any level, but if you must start him, do not lead him off. I know he's fast. So is Usain Bolt -- and he's a tad bit faster than nine-lives-Corey -- but you don't see smart franchises like the Cardinals or Rays slotting him in the one-hole. There's a reason for that: He sucks at baseball -- just ask his career .290 on-base percentage and 775 strikeouts compared to 169 walks.
- Homer Bailey still can't throw strikes with any sort of consistency, but he's somehow finding ways to pitch around that. In his last four starts, Bailey is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 27 innings. We're finally seeing some of the potential all the minor league scouts saw. Again, though, the 13 walks in those four starts are troublesome. If he can get that fixed, he can help you in fantasy baseball.
- I've been touting Ubaldo Jimenez as an ace in recent weeks and he just had a bad outing against the Reds. Of course, it was still a quality start. He worked 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. It was his worst effort since a nearly identical stat-line on July 22. If that's a bad outing, he's an ace. Wow, I knew all along I was right.
The Afflicted: As Tom Fornelli passed along Monday afternoon, Carlos Pena is out for the season. This is a devastating blow for fantasy owners who were enjoying the power numbers he provided, as he was clubbing homers at a pace which would have gotten him close to (if not at or exceeding) 50 jacks. Josh Hamilton is out until the weekend, at the absolute earliest.
Suspended: Fernando Rodney is out for the next three games, so Brandon Lyon will be the Tigers' closer in the meantime.
Lineup Lock Time: Loads of games at 7:05 PM ET, but none before.
