Archive for the ‘St. Louis Cardinals’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 17

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

Stock Up

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…)

StockWatch: Monday, May 16

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

Stock Up

Fernando Salas (28%) took over as the head of the Cardinals’ closer by committee, pitching a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save. Salas has been superb this season, holding opponents to a .161 batting average with a 1.08 ERA a 0.84 WHIP, so there’s a chance he could emerge as the permanent solution. It’s worth noting that Eduardo Sanchez pitched a scoreless, walk-free eighth inning and could resume closing at some point.

Mark Reynolds (68%) is finally showing signs of life, hitting a homer and stealing a base. Reynolds has now hit in four straight games with two homers, raising his average to .191. There could be a big-time hot stretch coming, or this could just be another tease followed by a strikeout-plagued drought. (more…)

StockWatch: Sunday, May 15

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

Stock Up

Justin Turner (1%) is cashing in on an opportunity to get ABs while Ike Davis is on the DL, as the Mets have moved Daniel Murphy over to first base so that Turner can play second. Turner went 2-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs on Sunday and is now hitting .308. Turner is a career .309 hitter in the minors, so he can be a solid NL-only fill-in and possibly even take some ABs away from Murphy when Davis returns.

Jose Bautista (98%) continues to amaze, clubbing three more homers to give him 16 on the season. Even more impressive is the .368 average, up over 100 points from last year’s .260. Bautista has cut his strikeout rate from 20.4% last year to 16.7% and raised his walk rate from 14.6% last season to 23.3%. If you own Bautista, just sit back and enjoy the ride during one of his now-patented hot streaks. (more…)

StockWatch: Tuesday, May 10

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

Stock Up

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…)

Spotlight: Jaime Garcia

Jaime Garcia may be in the middle of a Cy Young-winning season at this rate. (more…)

Closer Report: Thursday, May 5

Jose Valverde gave up a run on two hits, but it was in a non-save situation with a four-run lead.

Kyle Farnsworth came on to get the final out for David Price and preserve a 3-1 victory for his sixth save.

Francisco Rodriguez got the final four outs, allowing a hit and two walks, in a scoreless outing for his seventh save. (more…)

StockWatch: Thursday, May 5

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

Stock Up

Homer Bailey (11%) returned from the DL with a bang, limiting the Astros to four hits and one run in six innings with seven strikeouts. We’ve all been waiting for the ultra-talented Bailey to finally have his breakout and this start is a good sign that it could happen now. He’s worth grabbing in mixed leagues to see if you can strike gold.

Eduardo Sanchez (18%) picked up his third save a day after giving up a tie-breaking homer to Mike Stanton, moving to the front of the pack in the crowded Cardinals’ closer committee. Sanchez even faced Stanton for a third straight night and got the young slugger to ground into a double play. Sanchez walked two in the inning, so he could use a clean save to begin to take control of the closer’s job. (more…)

StockWatch: Wednesday, May 4

Yahoo for our ownership percentages are in parentheses.

Stock Up

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.

Stock Up

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…)

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…)

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »