Blog Entries for jonlee

Addition of Furcal Sparks Dodgers

jonlee

Shortstop Rafael Furcal has unexpectedly returned to the L.A. lineup, which makes the team much more formidable in the postseason. While his presence might not equal the arrival of Manny Ramirez it probably comes just about as close as it can get.

Furcal batted leadoff and playedthe field in the Dodgers’ Game 1 win over the Cubs Wednesday night. While he didn’t get a hit, he still made his presence felt by [...]

Price Is Right In Debut

jonlee

For four innings on Monday, Tampa Bay’s David Price looked like he was going to make history. Showing off the stuff that made him the No.1 overall pick in 2007, Price shut down the Orioles allowing no hits in the first four frames. He ended up witha no-decision, but the end result did nothing to diminish just how impressive the big lefty looked in his first career start.

Price’s final line: 5.1 innings, 1 earned run, 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 [...]

Price Gets the Call

jonlee

David Price, the No.1 overall pick in 2007, will make his long-awaited first career start in the major leagues Monday against Baltimore. The 6-foot-6 lefty has made two relief appearances so far for the Rays throwing six innings striking out six while walking none. One of those appearances was a 5.1 inning relief outing against the Yankees in which he allowed two runsincluding one home run. Monday however is his first real shot in the major leagues, and [...]

Two-Start Pitchers

jonlee

It's all about results now in fantasy baseball. Fantasy leagues and playoff match-ups are won based on daily management. Here is a ranking for two-start pitchers that can help you win your league. An extra win here or there and a few strikeouts could give you the edge you need. Stay active. Ground can still be made up this late in the year.

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Brandon Phillips and Other Injuries to Note

jonlee

Brandon Phillips made his last swing of the year count for the Reds Tuesday night. The All-Star second baseman hit the go-ahead single with two outs in the 11th to help Cincinnati beat the Brewers 5-4. That at-bat came at a huge price however as on the pitch before, Phillips broke a finger on an attempted bunt and will miss the rest of the season.

The injury doesn’t matter in the long-run for the Reds; they are 13 games under [...]

Playing With Fire in Texas

jonlee

Eddie Guardado is back with the Twins. With Joe Nathan entrenched as the closer there Guardado loses all value in all leagues (unless Nathan goes down with injury). That leaves the closer job in Texas to Frank Francisco. He’s pitched reasonably well this season: 3.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 65 K in 52.1 IP. Looking deeper though, Francisco already has blown six games and has racked up five losses as well. The K-rate is very strong at over 11 f [...]

Another Closer Bites the Dust

jonlee

I have been down on George Sherrill recently mostly because of his lack of control that led to poor performances. He was still on pace for 40 saves, and was a great sleeper I picked up late in a few leagues. There was really no indication that he was suffering from injury. He then wasn’t able to warm up properly on Monday, complained of shoulder soreness, and then was promptly put on the DL. Sherrill has gone the way of <strong>Billy W [...]

Looking for Late Season Help?

jonlee

Most trading deadlines have past in fantasy leagues so the main source of help is going to come from the waiver wire. Here are a few players that are hot over recent days and can help you bring home a fantasy championship.

Marlon Byrd, TEX OF: He has 16 hits in his last five games including five hits, four runs, and three RBI in that basketball game that broke out at Fenway on Tuesday. He’s hitting .491 over the past tw [...]

Pity Jim Leyland

jonlee

What do the Tigers do now? First they started the season with Todd Jones as the closer hoping they could squeeze out another season of him using Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya in higher leverage 7th and 8th inning situations. Instead, Detroit finally got fed up with his poor performances and replaced him with Rodney. Almost immediately after being demoted, Jones went on the disabled list. In his short stint as closer, Rodney blew two saves and wa [...]

So Long Mets?

jonlee

Billy Wagner is having arm troubles again. The closer is heading for an MRI on his throwing arm on Tuesday, and even the most optimistic projections would have him missing some time. Wagner has told the Mets team site that he won’t risk further injury by pitching through pain after having a scare a few weeks ago. All bad news for the Mets.

Liriano Set to Return

jonlee

The Twins didn’t make a move on Thursday allowing the trade deadline to pass without changing the roster. The team still has a chance to improve its team in a big way by finally recalling Francisco Liriano. The southpaw really should have been back up in the majors weeks ago, and the Twins finally appear ready to rectify this situation soon.

According to the Minneapolis Start-Tribune, Minnesota appears ready to release Livan [...]

Angels Acquire Mark Teixeira

jonlee

The Angels acquired the big prize hitter on the trade market sending Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to the Braves for slugger Mark Teixeira. The move should better position the team from Orange County for a serious run through the playoffs. The Angels are virtually assured of winning the AL West, but their offense would probably be an issue against the other contenders like Boston, Chicago, and New York.

Teixeira should fit nicely hitting either in fro [...]

Adam Lind Deserves Your Love

jonlee

If you need a hitter, in any format, Toronto outfielder Adam Lind is your man. Most of the chatter and attention around this time of year is centered around who will be traded and how those moves affect player values in fantasy. Lind’s terrific recent performance has gotten lost in the shuffle.

I have promoted Lind since he was called up once again back on June 22, and he has more than delivered. The Blue Jays finally l [...]

Arizona Shores Up Bullpen

jonlee

The Diamondbacks have acquired pitcher Jon Rauch in an attempt to shore up their shaky bullpen. Arizona had seen their relief corps as a strength earlier in the season, but the performances of Brandon Lyon, Chad Qualls, and Toney Pena have dropped off in recent weeks and Juan Cruz and Doug Slaten remain on the disabled list.

Rauch has been solid this season as the closer for the Nationals for most of the season. At 6-foot-11 he is the [...]

Adam Loewen Tries to Channel Rick Ankiel

jonlee

Baltimore’s Adam Loewen has decided to give up pitching after suffering through several injuries to his arm and will try to become an outfielder. Loewen was drafted No. 4 overall in 2002, and was named Baltimore’s top prospect by Baseball American in 2004. He was rated second best in 2006. This move is surprising given how rare a move like this is at the major league level, but the successful conversion of Rick Ankiel shows that it can be do [...]

All Star-Game Lives Up to Hype

jonlee

Usually, an All-Star game of any kind is little more than an exhibition. This year, baseball’s version lived up to its billing as the “Midsummer Classic.” The American League continued its dominance winning the game 4-3 in 15 innings in front of a sellout crowd in the last year of Yankee Stadium.

Justin Morneau scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Michael Young by just beatin [...]

All-Star Starters Tabbed

jonlee

Ben Sheets and Cliff Lee have been picked to start Wednesday’s All-Star game at Yankees Stadium. Their selections mean that the final starting rosters have been set. The All-Star festivities began on Sunday with the Futures Game that was won by the World team 3-0. The events will continue on Monday with the Home Run Derby followed by the actual game on Tuesday.