Archive for the ‘Los Angeles Dodgers’ Category

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StockWatch: Wednesday, June 15

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Wednesday, June 15.

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Michael Morse (72%) continued his torrid stretch, going 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs. On May 21, Morse was hitting .258 with two homers while being relegated to platoon duties because of a slow April. Then Adam LaRoche succumbed to a sore shoulder that would eventually need season-ending surgery and Morse took off when inserted full time at first base. Morse is 34-for-92 (.370) with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 23 games since, raising his average to .312. The spring training hype is proving to be warranted and Morse’s breakout is beginning to resemble Jose Bautista’s of last season. Morse is finally holding down his first everyday job at age 29 and the 6-foot-5 slugger has the power to put up 40 homers.

Livan Hernandez (4%) hurled a three-hit shutout with no walks and six strikeouts against the Cardinals, lowering his ERA to 3.77. Hernandez has quality starts in five of his past seven appearances as the 36-year-old continues to baffle with his slow stuff. His strikeout rate is up and his walk rate is down from last year, so his xFIP is down to 4.17 from 4.57 last season. Hernandez is mostly an NL-only option, but could be serviceable in deeper mixed leagues if he can keep up his right-handed Jamie Moyer impression. (more…)

StockWatch: Monday, June 6

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Monday, June 6.

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Adam Rosales (0%) was a key benefactor in a major roster shakeup for the A’s on Monday, as the 28-year-old former Red will get a chance to stake his claim on third base. Rosales had been on the DL all season recovering from a fractured foot, but he didn’t waste any time by hitting a two-run homer in his second at-bat of the year. Rosales’ foot still isn’t 100 percent, so he’ll be on a two-days-on, one-off schedule for now. Recently-acquired Scott Sizemore was called up and could also see some starts at third now that previous starter Kevin Kouzmanoff has been sent down. And top prospect Jemile Weeks was called up with second baseman Mark Ellis headed to the DL. Weeks should get most of the starts at second with Sizemore also getting a look there. We’ll talk more about Weeks after his major-league debut on Tuesday, so it’s Rosales we’re looking at the closest today. Rosales hit .271 with seven homers and two steals in 255 ABs for the A’s after coming over from the Reds in a deal for Aaron Miles last year. Rosales has a little pop, as he hit a combined .299 with 16 homers and 11 steals in Triple-A in 2008-09. You might be able to catch lightning in a bottle, but the ceiling’s not very high here so think of Rosales as more of a stop-gap until he proves more.

Brennan Boesch (32%) put up the line of the night on Monday – 5-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs. Boesch is 10-for-18 with three homers and seven RBIs in his past four games to raise his average to .278. He can run extremely hot and cold, as evidenced by his rookie season last year when he hit .342 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs before the All-Star break and just .163 with two homers after. With this in mind, it’s time to pounce on him if he’s available and hope he can get on a long roll again. (more…)

StockWatch: Friday, June 3

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Friday, June 3.

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Jason Vargas (9%) continues his Jekyll and Hyde ways, hurling a four-hit shutout against the Rays on the heels of a two-game stretch where he gave up a combined 11 runs and eight walks in 7.2 innings. Before that, Vargas had a 16-inning scoreless streak. Vargas has his ERA back down to 3.96, but the inconsistency and the 4.25 xFIP make him someone to shop rather than buy.

Jeff Karstens (2%) continues to fly under the radar while putting up solid numbers, limiting the Phillies to four hits and one run with no walks and two strikeouts in seven innings on Friday. Karstens matched the Phillies’ Cole Hamels in a game the Pirates would eventually win in 12 innings. Karstens hasn’t walked a guy in his past 20 innings while lowering his ERA to 3.30 and WHIP to 1.20. He was a solid prospect with the Yankees before coming over in the Xavier Nady trade in 2008, but had struggled with the Pirates before this season. Karstens’ strikeout rate has gone up each season with Pittsburgh, reaching a solid 6.6 K/9 this year to go with a shrinking walk rate of 1.7 BB/9. His 3.34 xFIP matches up with his ERA, so if he can keep up his 42-11 K/BB ratio then he could be a decent mixed-league option this season. (more…)

StockWatch: Wednesday, May 25

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Wednesday, May 25.

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Erik Bedard (36%) continued his hot tear, going six scoreless innings against the Twins with four strikeouts and one walk. Bedard began the season 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA, but he is 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA and a 28-7 K-BB ratio in 33 IP since then. Bedard should be owned and started in all leagues.

Franklin Gutierrez (6%) was 2-for-3 with a homer and has a modest four-game hitting streak after going 0-for-8 in his first two games off a long DL stint with stomach problems. It was good to see Gutierrez attempting a steal even though he was caught, as he can be a solid source of both SBs and HRs when he gets going. (more…)

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 24

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

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Kelly Johnson (63%) is finally hitting after an April that saw him hit just .180 with three HRs. He 6-for-17 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs in his past 5 games and is starting to look like a guy who has the potential to put up a 20/20 season at second base.

Matt Joyce (85%) has caught fire since the end of April, as he has hit all eight of his home runs since April 28 and has his average up to .367. He is doing all his damage against right-handed pitchers (.397, 7 HR, 24 RBIs) and his ridiculously high BABIP of .418 probably isn’t going to last long, so enjoy the ride while it lasts. (more…)

StockWatch: Monday, May 23

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses. From games of Monday, May 23.

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Jay Bruce (96%) was 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs on Monday. He is 15-for-30 with four homers and nine RBIs in his past eight games to raise his average to .282. This is the power stud fantasy owners were expecting before a slow start temporarily dampened enthusiasm.

Alexi Ogando (76%) continues to establish himself as the breakout ace this season by tossing a five-hit shutout at the White Sox with six strikeouts. Ogando is 5-0 with a 1.81 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. He continues to benefit from an impossibly-low BABIP of .199 (second only to the Indians’ Josh Tomlin), so his xFIP is 3.75. The bigger concern than his BABIP will be the workload of being in the rotation, as Ogando compiled just 72.1 IP last year between the minors and Texas. He’s already thrown 59.2 IP this season, so watch to see if his velocity starts to come down from the 94.4 mph he’s averaging on fastballs. (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: Kenley Jansen

Kenley Jansen was called upon to bail out a struggling Vicente Padilla with two on and two out in the ninth inning and the Dodgers leading by a run, delivering a three-pitch strikeout of Arizona’s Melvin Mora to slam the door.

Since being hammered for five runs in a third of an inning on April 19, Jansen has 13 Ks in 6.1 IP with a brief stint in Triple-A stuck in between. Jensen has an amazing 15.6 K/9 with the Dodgers this season, nearly identical to his 15.5 K/9 in his minor-league career. (more…)

Closer Report: Tuesday, May 3

A daily look at the fantasy baseball closers who threw in games. For a detailed look at the closing situation for all 30 teams, click here.

Kyle Farnsworth earned a win after throwing a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.

Jon Rauch blew his first save, allowing a single and then two-run homer by B.J. Upton without recording an out. (more…)

StockWatch: Monday, May 2

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

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ADD OF THE DAY: MADISON BUMGARNER (54%) fell to 0-5, but he lowered his ERA to 4.75 by going seven innings without allowing any earned runs (two unearned) against the Nationals. In his past two starts covering 13 innings, Bumgarner has a 14-2 K-BB ratio with a 0.69 ERA. It’s time to snatch up the young lefty if he was dropped in your league.

Jacoby Ellsbury (93%) went 2-for-4 with three runs and two steals, raising his average to .275 from .182 with an 11-game hitting streak. Just when Ellsbury is hitting his stride, he left Monday’s game with a bruised knee. Assuming his knee is fine, Ellsbury should be back in all lineups. (more…)

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