| Capps Down and Out |
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Pittsburgh closer Matt Capps has been a solid sometimes underappreciated fantasy player since he claimed the end-game role in the middle of last season. This year the pitcher, who is built more like a Steeler than a Pirate at 6’1’’ 255 lbs., he was terrific until the June 10. Before that date he converted all 15 of his save chances with a 2.12 ERA. Since then he has blown four of six save opportunities going 2-3 and giving up 7 runs in just 10.2 innings. Now there is a reason to explain the poor performance. Capps will miss two months with right shoulder bursitis. Surgery is not expected to be required. Here’s the relevant fantasy news straight from the Pirates website: “(Manager John) Russell said he won't hesitate to use any of his bullpen options on a night-by-night basis. The most likely candidates would seem to be Tyler Yates and Damaso Marte, both of whom have been used as the late-inning setup men.” Marte is probably the better option to pick up as he has 31 career saves and a 9.74 K/9 this season. Yates’ numbers are ugly with a 1.56 WHIP and 0.83 BB/K. Those don’t scream effective so Marte should be the guy although nothing is assured in this situation. The Pirates aren’t very good and none of the options will hold much value unless they are getting the vast majority of the save opportunities. • The last time Dodger wunderkind Clayton Kershaw won a game was last August at Double-A Jacksonville. He went winless in seven starts at the big league level and so he will return to Florida to pursue some victories after being demoted Wednesday. Kershaw flashed tantalizing talent, but was undone by his lack of control as he walked 5.59 batters per nine. Still, the kid is not even legally allowed to drink and still has a mid-90s heater, hammer curve, and developing change in his arsenal. The move back to the minors is probably the correct one for his development and future with the organization. Expect him to be right back in the bigs next season. If you hadn’t already read into this, it is now safe to drop Kershaw in any yearly leagues. The move was necessitated because of the return of Hiroki Kuroda from the disabled list. Kuroda was terrific in his return as he tossed seven shutout innings against the Astros allowing just five hits and a walk. Either Eric Stults or Chan Ho Park will take control of the fifth rotation spot until further notice. Stults probably continues to start with Park in relief until Joe Torre gets fed up with Stults’ general ineffectiveness and general lack of talent. While he threw well in his first two starts, he was shelled in the third and his 46% FB-rate probably had a lot to do with it. • Something to file away in the pick-up immediately category: Ricky Nolasco is 8-1 with a 3.55 ERA since May 1 including another terrific 7 inning 8 strikeout performance Wednesday afternoon. The strikeouts are coming as well as he has 32 over his last 4 starts. Put a Red Sox uniform on him and fantasy owners would be falling over themselves to pick him up. Instead he’s wallowing in anonymity down in Florida. • Superman is making a comeback. Rookie Jay Bruce has been dropped recently en masse, but with all young players patience is the key. He went through an expected slump after his absolutely torrid start, but he is now starting to bounce back. Bruce had his first career multi-home run game Tuesday against the Pirates. He now has six hits in his last four games and .273 for the past week. He is still striking out far too often at 26.8%, not quite Ryan Howard territory but close. The plate discipline will come, but Bruce can and will do damage when he connects. If you can carry him on your roster and bench him during his cold spells see if you can pick him up on waivers or on the cheap. • Angel pitchers continue to put up gaudy numbers that border on the unbelievable. Joe Saunders picked up his 12th win of the season after not even expecting to be in the rotation in Spring Training. He and the “Orange County but dreaming of Los Angeles” Angels beat rival Oakland 7-4 pushing their division lead to 5.5 games. Francisco Rodriguez saved his 34th game which set a record for saves before the All-Star break. He is ahead of pace to break Bobby Thigpen’s single season save record of 57. By contrast, Seattle and San Diego have just 33 wins, and Colorado and Washington have 34. • Forgotten prospect Adam Lind might have finally figured out how to translate his skills to the majors. He is now playing everyday, and is batting .333 since returning on June 22. Lind also has three homers and 10 RBI in his last 8 games including a round tripper Tuesday in Seattle. He is definitely a player to monitor going forward and would be a nice sleeper pick if he continues to progress. The managerial move to Cito Gaston might already be paying off. Trackback(0)
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Jonathan Lee AccuScore Analyst
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