Line of the Day: June 24th, 2011

James Shields threw his third consecutive complete game in leading the Rays to a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros. He allowed just one run on three hits, walking one and striking out nine. The Rays are now 12-4 in Shields' 16 starts this season

Line: 9 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K; W, QS, CG

My fantasy perspective: Shields ran his record to 8-4 with a 2.29 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP and six complete games and jumped into the 3rd spot for most valuable fantasy starting pitcher in ESPN leagues. This is unprecedented territory for the Rays' ace, so the sky's the limit.

His numbers are based in reality, too. A 2.89 xFIP and .250 BABIP are sustainable along with his 8.65 K/92.07 BB/9. The only red flag I see is his 83.5 LOB%. Eventually, some of those runners are going to have to start scoring, right?

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