Archive for the ‘Houston Astros’ Category

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StockWatch: Sunday, June 5

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Sunday, June 5.

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David Ortiz (89%) is turning back the clock to 2007, when last he was an MVP-caliber force in Boston’s lineup. He was 3-for-4 on Sunday and is 12-for-22 with two homers and six RBIs in his past six games to raise his average to .325. It’s a good sign to see Ortiz not off to the horrid starts that have plagued him in recent seasons, so it’s not unreasonable to expect him to keep this up.

Adam Lind (88%) came off the DL and picked up right where he left off, going 4-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs. Despite missing four weeks with a bad back, Lind has nine homers and 30 RBIs to give the Blue Jays a terrific 1-2 punch in the middle of their lineup with Jose Bautista. (more…)

StockWatch: Wednesday, June 1

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From the games of Wednesday, June 1.

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Colby Lewis (70%) threw eight shutout innings for his fifth win and has really bounced back since April, when he had a 5.70 ERA in five starts. His ERA (3.48) and WHIP (1.15) are already back in line with his breakout season a year ago and the strikeout is improving with each start since his inexplicable start on May 10 when he struck out none in 7.1 innings.

Nelson Cruz (98%) had his second 3-hit game since returning to the lineup on May 23 and has gone 9-for-21 in his current five-game hit streak. Imagine how much better he would be going if he hadn’t gone 0-for-7 in last week’s 14-inning victory over the Royals. (more…)

Spotlight: Jordan Lyles

Jordan Lyles dazzled in his major-league debut, taking a four-hit shutout into the eighth inning before his own throwing error on a sacrifice bunt led to a three-run inning. The 20-year-old had four strikeouts and no walks, demonstrating the impeccable command that is his strength. (more…)

Fantasy Baseball Prospects to own

May is over and the service time clock is no longer much of an issue, so it’s time for clubs to start replacing some of the dead weight on their clubs with actual players with upside. In fact, some clubs have already started the process. Here’s a look, alphabetically, at some fantasy baseball prospects who should be owned as they are already in the majors or may be called up soon: (more…)

StockWatch: Saturday, May 21

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Saturday, May 21.

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Josh Tomlin (67%) out-dueled Homer Bailey by holding the Reds to three hits and one run in seven innings on Saturday to run his record to 6-1 with a 2.41 ERA. Tomlin has now made a quality start in all nine of his appearances this year. He took a .178 BABIP into the game and surely lowered it to even more fortunate levels. With a strikeout rate of 4.5 K/9 and that low BABIP, it would be easy to see his ERA rise up closer to his 3.92 xFIP. Tomlin’s walk rate of 1.5 BB/9 gives him more of a margin for error, so he should remain a decent option, but the fantasy landscape is littered with the carcasses of guys like this – Brian Bannister, Nick Blackburn, John Lannan – you get the idea.

Javier Vazquez (25%) outpitched David Price with seven scoreless innings against the Rays, allowing only three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. It was just Vazquez’s second quality start in nine appearances, lowering his ERA to 6.41. In his first start since returning from the bereavements list because of a death in his wife’s family, he looked like the Vazquez of old, at least for one day. In NL-only leagues or very deep mixed leagues, he’s worth picking up in case this is the start of something, otherwise we’d like to see him repeat the performance before recommending him for any more. (more…)

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 17

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

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Ubaldo Jimenez (97%) took our finger off the panic button by going seven solid innings against the Giants, allowing three runs and eight hits. The best part was the 7-1 K-BB ratio, as he had posted a 23-19 K-BB ratio in his past four starts. Jimenez obviously has the stuff to be an elite ace, but keep an eye on those walk totals.

Edinson Volquez (56%) had his first-inning struggles return, but quickly settled down for his lowest walk total of the season with one. Volquez gave up a three-run homer to Carlos Pena in the first frame (started the season by giving up 13 combined first-inning runs in his first four starts), but allowed just one hit in the next five innings and finished with nine strikeouts. Volquez is in the same boat as Jimenez, with electric stuff but control problems that if curbed could make him among the game’s elite. (more…)

Spotlight: Wandy Rodriguez

Wandy Rodriguez alternated good and bad starts in his first five games, but has strung together four straight quality starts to lower his ERA to 3.45. He held the Braves to five hits in eight scoreless innings and has a 1.50 ERA over his past four starts. He was robbed of a win when closer Mark Melancon blew the save. (more…)

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 10

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

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J.J. Hardy (10%) came off the DL with a bang, going 4-for-5 with a homer. We were high on Hardy going into the season before a strained oblique shelved him a week in, so now we’re getting back on his side. With a little health and the cozy confines of Camden Yards, Hardy should be worth owning in mixed leagues as a power option at shortstop.

Matt Joyce (30%) recorded his third straight multi-hit game by going 2-for-4 with a homer, raising his average to .356. Since starting the season 1-for-20, Joyce has hit a scalding .432 (35-for-81). Before you get too excited, remember that Joyce is basically a platoon player because he can’t hit lefties (2-for-15), so his counting totals will suffer a bit. If you own him, just be sure to bench him if he’s facing lefties. (more…)

StockWatch: Wednesday, May 4

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

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Travis Wood (18%) pitched a solid six innings (2 ER, 7 Ks) with his spot in the Reds’ rotation possibly on the line. Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto are both coming off the DL this week, with Bailey starting today and Cueto taking the mound on Sunday. Bailey replaces Sam LeCure and Cueto will take the spot of Mike Leake, who was pounded for seven runs on Tuesday. Wood has alternated good and bad starts – he has a 14.67 ERA in his three losses and a 2.42 mark in his other four games. Wood has a 3.64 xFIP, so the good outings should start to far outweigh the bad ones.

Nate McLouth (9%) went a combined 5-for-5 with three walks and a homer in the Braves’ doubleheader sweep of the Brewers. McLouth is now 11-for-22 with seven walks in his past seven games, raising his average to .287 and his OBP to .384. Unfortunately, McLouth isn’t doing much running even though he’s on the basepaths so often – he’s just 1-for-3 in SB attempts. With the Pirates, McLouth was the game’s most efficient base-stealer, going 64-for-69 (92.8%) in 381 games. If the Braves smartly move McLouth up into the two-hole, his value would go up, especially if it inspired him to start running more. (more…)

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 3

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

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ADD OF THE DAY: FRANK FRANCISCO (46%) is ready to reclaim the Blue Jays closer’s job he was supposed to have this year before starting the season on the DL – his home away from home. Jon Rauch blew his first save of the season while filling in for Francisco, opening the door for the former Rangers’ closer by surrendering a game-winning homer to B.J. Upton. Francisco hasn’t been scored on in five appearances, giving up just two hits in 5.1 IP. If someone had given up waiting for Francisco to take back the closer’s job, snatch him up now.

Mike Fontenot (1%) had a steal and two RBIs from the three-hole in the Giants’ lineup as he started at shortstop with Miguel Tejada moving over to third base to fill in for the injured Pablo Sandoval. Fontenot is 7-for-20 over the past week, but he’s more of an NL-only pickup for his multi-position eligibility (2B and 3B, with SS coming soon) and the ABs he’ll likely get while Sandoval’s out. (more…)

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