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Minnesota management finally came to its senses last Friday releasing veteran retread Livan Hernandez and replacing him with Francisco Liriano who had been dominating the minor leagues for weeks. Liriano responded to his promotion by winning his first start Sunday shutting out the Indians for six innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out five. It was the first start for the southpaw since April when he struggled after missing the 2007 season to Tommy John surgery. Moving Liriano into the rotation probably improves the Twins by 1-2 games, which is huge considering the team did not make a move at the trade deadline, and lead the White Sox by just 0.5 games. Now all five Minnesota starters are fantasy relevant in one format or another, with Liriano holding the most value for me the rest of the season. If you’re in a league with lazy owners he is a must-add if he is available. While he won’t be as terrific as he was in 2006, expect an above-average fantasy starter and enjoy the fruits of a very good late season addition. • Manny Ramirez apparently loves L.A. After proclaiming that he wants to retire as a Dodger, the future Hall of Famer showed his appreciation by dominating in his first series conveniently against the rival Diamondbacks. Ramirez hit .615 in his first 3 games (9-14) with 4 runs, 5 RBI, and 2 home runs. His presence in the lineup has clearly sparked the Dodgers, and the city of Los Angeles. Sure he has attitude problems and doesn’t always play hard, but those issues are likely gone at least for this season. Manny should be vintage Manny for the rest of the season. • The man Manny was traded for is quickly winning over the hearts of Boston by performing on the field without all the issues off the field and in the clubhouse. Jason Bay went 4-11 in his first 3 games in a Red Sox uniform with 6 runs, 3 RBI, and a home run. He is in the midst of a bounce back year, and his value ticks upward slightly being in a better hitter’s park and a much better lineup. • Andy LaRoche might be the lost name in the three-team megadeal involving Ramirez and Bay, but fantasy owners would be wise not to forget him. He has solid above-average potential as a major league third baseman. He has some pop in his bat (first home run in Pittsburgh Sunday) and has terrific on-base skills. LaRoche’s average will probably hover in the .260 range so his value is limited but for leagues with OBP as a category he is a solid option. He will be playing everyday in Pittsburgh as well so he makes for a solid fill-in or injury replacement. • Atlanta’s Jorge Campillo is still available in plenty of mixed leagues, but I fail to see a reason why. Sure he’s a 29 year-old rookie but he has been a revelation so far this season. Campillo blanked the Brewers for 7 innings Sunday striking out 7 and walking none for his sixth win of the year. In 108 innings so far, he sports a 2.58 ERA and a fantastic 1.05 WHIP with a K/BB ratio better than 3:1. He also possesses one of the best change-ups in the game. • Troy Percival had an ugly outing Sunday blowing his third save of the year. He walked two and gave up two home runs to Gary Sheffield and Curtis Granderson in 1.1 innings of work. Lucky for Percival, Detroit’s closer is Fernando Rodney. The right-hander continued to be wild walking three batters and allowing two runs to take a loss and his fourth blown save of the year. Rodney hit Tampa’s Shawn Riggans in the chest to load the bases in the 10th before walking Carlos Pena to force in the winning run. Rodney has yet to record a save since taking over the closer role from the injured Todd Jones. Recent acquisition Kyle Farnsworth may soon get an opportunity in the role, but was terrible Sunday as well blowing a save by giving up three runs (on two homers) in the eighth. Detroit’s bullpen will more than likely prevent them from reaching the postseason. • J.J. Putz got the win against Baltimore, but interestingly he entered the game against Baltimore in the seventh inning and also pitched the eighth. He gave up just 1 hit in 1.1 innings of work, but more importantly Brandon Morrow pitched the ninth. It was a non-save situation for both players but it still shows that Putz hasn’t quite taken back the closer role. That should change fairly soon, but only manager Jim Riggleman knows for sure. • Cincinnati activated Jerry Hairston Jr. on Friday and had him in centerfield the same day. He went 0-4 and didn’t play the rest of the weekend. He has 15 steals on the season and was batting .351 before he got hurt so his playing time or lack thereof should be very important to fantasy owners. Why Corey Patterson and his .226 OBP continue to play everyday is a mystery, but if Dusty Baker decides to make the correct baseball move and play Hairston Jr. he will be a solid speed option eligible at short and in the outfield. • Washington is no longer a fantasy wasteland. Joel Hanrahan got his first save since Jon Rauch was traded in a 4-2 win against the Reds. He did give up a home run (ironically to Patterson) but he did strike out two batters to close it out. Hanrahan also gave up a homer on Friday (to Jay Bruce) but his recent performance and strikeout numbers have been top-notch. He is a solid middle of the pack closer option, and will help you in strikeouts. He is safe for the rest of the year, and should be a good cheap option for saves in 2009. • As for the hitters in Washington, the recent release of Paul LoDuca, Johnny Estrada, and Felipe Lopez shows that the youngsters will play. Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge have returned recently from injury, and have some value even in mixed leagues. Milledge has hit home runs in his last two games, and also stole his 14th base of the year Sunday. Dukes has flashed some of his immense talent this season, and his average has crept up into the .260+ range. He had some troubles with cramps over the weekend, but the injury shouldn’t be too long term. • Billy Wagner faked out Mets fans and fantasy owners a couple weeks ago when it appeared he was seriously injured. He may need to pull the trick again as he has a forearm strain, and will undergo an MRI to assess the problem. The Mets have no real option to replace Wagner, and his loss could doom their postseason hopes. Duaner Sanchez is probably the guy to get some save opportunities, but I say that hesitantly because he just isn’t very good. Jerry Manuel probably will go with match-ups in a committee approach, and I would say you want no part of any of the potential closers. Trackback(0)
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Jonathan Lee AccuScore Analyst
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