Line of the Day: Cole Hamels: August 6th, 2011

Cole Hamels allowed seven hits, one run and struck out five to earn his second complete game of the season in leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He had pitched 8 2/3 shutout innings before allowing a home run to Pablo Sandoval. (video recap)

Line: 9 IP | 7 H | 1 ER | 0 BB | 5 K; W | QS | CG

(box score)

My fantasy perspective: Hamels raised his record to 13-6 and lowered his ERA to 2.53 (with a 2.62 FIP and a 2.85 xFIP). His 0.96 WHIP is now fourth-best in the majors and leads the National League, too.

A deeper look into his numbers on FanGraphs show his K% of 23% is right in line with his career percentage of 23.1% but his BB% of 4.8% is well below his career percentage of 6.2%, leading to a career-best K/BB ratio of 4.84.

Statement of fact: Cole Hamels is having a better year, statistically speaking, than Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

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Warming In The 'Pen: NL Edition: August 5th, 2011

Welcome back! Apologies for the lateness of the article... Things outside of COSFBA have been a little hectic lately and I've been somewhat under the weather myself (damn heat wave). I'll endeavor to keep things as close to normal as possible here, though likely shorter.

There's been very little movement Waiver Wire-wise with the back end of the 'pens since the first of the month. The Mike Adams trade was the biggest one and it did shake up the Padres' bullpen.  However, who knows what the next few weeks will hold.

Let's have a review of last week's names:

• Brian Wilson only appeared in two games over the last week, due to blow-outs both by and against the Giants. He picked up a save and a loss in 1.1 innings, giving up a run on three hits while walking one and striking out two. Friday's game was the first game he allowed a run since before the All-Star Break, so we shouldn't read anything more into it than a closer having an off night.
• Adams was shuttled off from the San Diego Padres to the Texas Rangers. While it's hard to judge a trade this early, especially across leagues, here's the splits: in his last appearance with the Padres, he pitched an inning allowing a hit and a strikeout. He got the hold in that game. In his first appearance with the Rangers, he pitched an inning allowing a run and two hits, getting a punchout and allowing a walk. Like with the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, it's going to be hard to see immediate impact when coming from the opposite league. Once he has time to adjust (3-to-4 weeks, in my opinion), he should be back to near-dominance.
• Antonio Bastardo wound up in four games in the last week, winning two and picking up two holds. He only gave up a run on three hits in 3.1 innings, fanning four. He did allow a longball in last night's 8-6 win over Colorado, but such a thing is a rarity this season (he's only allowed three on the season). His and Ryan Madson's work are pivotal to keep Philly atop the NL East.
• Henry Rodriguez worked in a little longer relief last week, logging 4.1 innings in two games. He gave up a run on a hit, walking one and striking out five. There haven't been any clear or consistent signs of his performances improving; flashes here and there. There might be continued hope for him, but right now all signs point to not much improvement.

 Now, let's get some names out there for this week:

• "Doing Work" - J.J. Putz (ARI): J.J. has been having a solid season as the D-Backs closer, helping keep them within a game of the Division-leading (and World Champion) Giants. His last week reads dominantly: 2.2 innings pitched in three appearances, zero runs on three hits with a walk. He grabbed three saves, running his season total to 25. He is coming off the DL after to a right elbow injury, and isn't showing any ill-effects aside from a slight drop in fastball velocity (1 MPH) which right now could be contributed to 'rust'. The D-Backs had no problems throwing him in three straight games, but will likely rest him for a bit and let Arizona's solid set-up man David Hernandez close as needed. Expect that trend to continue for likely the next month as Putz works his arm (and elbow) back to shape and normal routine. J.J. will still be good for late innings, and will be relied upon for the high-leverage situations as the hunt for the Playoffs builds to a climax.
• "Unsung Hero" - Heath Bell (SD): While the Padres are pretty well out of the hunt for the Playoffs this year, you wouldn't know it looking at Heath. 30+ saves with a sub-2.50 ERA, hitters batting .210 against him. Last week's line reads brilliantly as well: three games, three innings, no runs, one hit, three punchouts. Most of this with the trade winds swirling around him and Mike Adams (who was the eventual 'odd man out'), and in the midst of a relatively dreadful San Diego season. The Padres have been playing a little better lately than their record indicates, and Buddy Black is not a manager to "mail-in" a season, so expect Heath to get plenty of work in for the rest of the year. He'll make it all count, even though it may be way too late to bail out the leaky boat of the '11 San Diego Padres season.
• "Heart-Attack Award" - Jason Isringhausen (NYM): Izzy got roughed up over his last week. He appeared in four games, four innings pitched. He allowed six runs on six hits, one walk, five strikeouts, and saved two games. He's up to 298 saves on his career, and I will stand behind him getting #300 on a Mets uniform (there were some trade winds swirling for him, and some still say he might still move over the Waiver Wire). However, he isn't a spring chicken anymore. New York is still on the outside edge of a Wild-Card spot, and will be playing like it. Izzy's in line to log more innings in a season than he has since his '07 Cardinals campaign, and it's going to wear on his arm pretty good at this point. The Mets seem to be riding Izzy for all he's worth, and I'm looking to see a fade within the next month and a half. Whether they stick it out with Izzy, or use a fresher (and younger) Bobby Parnell for the stretch run, will be decided by the standings.
• "ZOMBIE!" - Rex Brothers (COL):The Colorado Rockies setup man has been having a first year in the Big Leagues to... well... remember, but probably not for the reasons he'd want to. Up until the last week, he was running along pretty well. But then this happened: four appearances, three innings, six runs, five hits, two walks, six Ks. That equals out to two losses and a blown save. While there's pretty much nothing to go on (3 years of Minors work), Rex is next-in-line for the closer role, apparently by his merits. He's on-pace to pitch more innings than he has in pretty much any level of the Minors. Brothers could either be reduced in workload, or shut down completely because of it. It's extremely difficult to predict future performance on a rookie, so I would have to say that Rex is a "wait til next year" candidate and find your holds elsewhere.

Here's hoping for a return to normal next week!

Line of the Day: Cliff Lee: August 4th, 2011

Cliff Lee threw a seven-hit shutout, striking out eight and not allowing a walk, in a 3-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants. It was his fifth complete game of the season and his major league-leading fifth shutout. (video recap)

Line: 9 IP | 7 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 8 K; W | QS | CG | SHO

(box score)

My fantasy perspective: According to FanGraphs' leaderboards, Lee is tied for the sixth-highest K% (Strikeouts/Total Batters Faced) in the majors at 25.3%. Of those six players, he has the lowest BB% at 4.8%. That rate ties him for the sixth-lowest BB% in the majors, too. So it should be no surprised that he has the third-best K/BB ratio in the majors at 5.22 behind Roy Halladay (7.95) and Dan Haren (5.67).

Speaking of Lee's strikeouts, he's on pace for 34 starts, 239 innings and 244 strikeouts. Those numbers would tie a career-high for regular season starts, set a new career-high for innings pitched (231.2 in 2009) and SHATTER his career-high for strikeouts (185 in 2010).

Question: Is the one-two-three punch of Halladay, Lee and Cole Hamels the best in baseball?

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Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

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Warming In The 'Pen: NL Edition

Well, well, well...Wednesday was a big day in the land of baseball. A bombshell of a deal sending Carlos Beltran to the World Champion San Francisco Giants, a massive three-way exchange involving 11 players in all. Yesterday had Kosuke Fukudome heading to Cleveland to shore up the outfield (a move on which I might have more to say). With just two days left til the Trading Deadline, there's bound to be plenty more 'shock and awe' to come. I'm sure there will be updates as we go along.

As it is, let's go over last week's names:

• John Axford continues to impress, knocking out three saves in three games. Three innings of work saw him give up two hits, striking out three and walking no one. A very solid week for the youngster as the Brew-Crew fight off three other teams for the top spot in the NL Central.
• Jason Isringhausen appeared in two games and saved both. He now has 296 saves on his career. He gave up a hit, a walk, and two knockouts in two innings of work. Bobby Parnell has been rocky over the past few games, so I believe that Izzy is going to be the go-to closer. That is, unless a move gets made. Beltran's already been let go by the Not-So-Mighty Mets. We won't know if they're in full fire-sale mode until Sunday.
• Fernando Salas worked two innings this past week, allowing one hit and one walk, fanning four and notching two saves. The Cards are only a half-game out from the above-mentioned Brewers, and so long as Fernando continues his solid performances, St. Louis will be in the race for the rest of the season.
• Carlos Marmol was seen in three games (2.2 IP), giving up three hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Sean Marshall seems to have the lead as the "closer for the moment" on the Cubs staff, and it looks like Carlos will be in a set-up role until his mechanics are right. He could be good for a few cheap and easy holds in the interim.

With all that said and done, here's this week's award "winners":

• "Doing Work" - Brian Wilson (SF): Since his little dugout meltdown on the 1st of the month, "The Beard" has been on a tear. In his last ten appearances (ten innings pitched) since he threw down with that Gatorade cooler, he's saved eight games, giving up two runs on seven hits in the process. He's walked four, but stuck out nine in the span. With the Giants' acquisition of Carlos Beltran, the front office is showing its seriousness and intent on thinking "repeat" this year. Contention, especially late-season, will depend on Wilson being his freaky self (all apologies to the REAL Freak, Tim Lincecum) at the back-end of the San Fran 'pen. Career-wise, Brian's heading into his best month of the season: He carries a 1.26 ERA in the month of August on his career, .555 OPS, .286 BAbip, and a strong 1.158 WHIP. This is very promising for a team that's picked up a huge bat for an offense looking desperately for help. While a boost in offense might trim down The Beard's save chances, Beltran will not solve all the Giants' O woes. Wilson will still be in the top five in saves, and likely be a catalyst to another push to the Playoffs for the City By The Bay.
• "Unsung Hero" - Mike Adams (SD): Though the Padres are well-removed from playoff contention, but you wouldn't know it by looking at Adams. He has been having a sensational year, along the lines of Joakim Soria for the Royals on the AL side of the fence. In the last week of work, Mike didn't allow a single run, gave up two hits, and no walks. He's also notched four knockouts and two holds. Sporting a 1.15 ERA on the season, Adams deeper numbers are equally impressive: 0.723 WHIP, 5.33 K/BB ratio, a .451 OPS, and a BAbip of a microscopic .200. His FIP of 2.07, while less solid than his ERA, is still extremely sweet and indicative of a pitcher that's solid enough to not need the backing of his defense (mid-ranked in the MLB). With the trade winds swirling around San Diego closer Heath Bell (and even Adams himself), the situation in the Padres' camp is fluid. If Bell is traded, I would expect Adams to move into the closer role and be a pick-up of value in most leagues. If Adams were to get traded however, it would be to a team with an immediate need for a solid set-up man. That'd help his value in deep or 5x5/6x6 leagues. Either way, Adams is worth looking into for shoring up your fantasy staff.
• "Heart Attack Award" - Antonio Bastardo (PHI): Yet another story about another closer in another pennant chase not exactly getting things done lately. Bastardo has slipped a bit off a solid season over the last seven days. He's only notched one save in three appearances (2.2 IP), giving up two runs on two hits and two walks. On a good note, he did fan three. Antonio has been having a career year, with an ERA of 1.38, FIP of 2.52, OPS of .422, and BAbip of .159. However, there's the case of another young arm possibly starting to fold under the pressure of a tight race. Bastardo's numbers over the last 14 days (ERA of 4.50, OPS of .568, BAbip of .286) are a little troubling. While there's not really a whole lot to go off of (he's only worked one game in August in his career), a sudden falloff during a pennant race is never a good thing. My recommendation is to hang onto Bastardo until we get an idea of how at least the first half of August goes for him.
• "ZOMBIE!" - Henry Rodriguez (WSH): The Nats, while realistically in the Wild Card hunt, are going to have some issues while Rodriguez is in their 'pen. His last seven days read like a pitching coach's nightmare: two games, 1.1 IP, six runs on four hits (including a blast), six walks, no strikeouts. A 4.25 ERA on the year, combined with a paltry 1.32 K/BB ratio, 1.639 WHIP, and .313 BAbip are the epitome of "stay away". There are a few pluses to his game: Only one homer allowed in 36 innings, a GO/AO ratio of 1.48 is solid, he has five holds on the season, and he's only allowed 27% of his inherited runners to score (3-for-11). While those kinds of things may hold promise for future considerations (say, the next year or two), he is of no help now, and should be avoided at any and all opportunities.

That's all that's fit to print for the moment. As always, comments below, or hit me up on Twitter: @JCPronkFan48

Line of the Day: Vance Worley: July 26th, 2011

Vance Worley pitched a three-hitter, allowing two runs, a walk and striking out five to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. It was his fifth straight win and first career complete game. (video recap)

Line: 9 IP | 3 H | 2 ER | 1 BB | 5 K; W | QS | CG

(box score)

My fantasy perspective: Worley is 5-0 in his last five starts with a 1.24 ERA. Batters are hitting just .148 with a .179 BABIP over that span. He's allowed just 18 hits over those 36.1 innings pitched with a 27/11 K/BB ratio (6.73 K/9). It helps that he's throwing 67% of his pitches for strikes, too.

There are some numbers to be concerned with, like a very low overall ERA of 2.02 but a nearly-double xFIP of 3.99 with an 80.5 LOB%. Also, his 18.2 K% and 9.3 BB% translate to a 1.96 K/BB ratio.

Worley's ownership numbers are all over the place (93% ESPN; 58% Yahoo!; 86% CBS), so check your league's waiver wire to see if he's somehow available. There's no reason to believe he can't be an effective starter for the Phillies the rest of the way, it's just hard to believe he will continue to be THIS good.

Question: Who's the odd man out of the starting rotation when Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton return: Kyle Kendrick, Worley or Blanton?

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Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

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Waiver Saviors: Digging Deep Edition

As the season grinds along, managing your rosters in competitive leagues becomes increasingly more difficult as everyone is targeting ways to make a run at the league title or finish in the money spots.

Let's look at a group of players with extremely low ownership rates who can help you in very deep mixed leagues or league-only ones. Shallow mixed leagues aren't worth playing in nor worth talking about. Stick to fantasy football. I hear there could be a season or something. Whatever.

• OF Hideki Matsui, OAK (10.8% ESPN; 8% Yahoo!) is hitting .469 (15/32) since the All-Star break with two home runs and 11 RBI. He's the kind of player to own while he's on a hot streak and dump the moment he goes cold.
• OF Dexter Fowler, COL (21.3% ESPN; 18% Yahoo!) is making the most of his recent call-up from AAA. In 10 games, he's hitting .324 with a .439 OBP, three doubles, three triples, three stolen bases and 10 runs scored. With Carlos Gonzalez on the DL, Fowler should get every opportunity to start in center field and prove he's the player the Rockies and fantasy GM's wish he'd become.
• OF Marlon Byrd, CHC (14.0% ESPN; 17% Yahoo!) is back as the Cubs everyday center fielder and proving he can still hit after suffering multiple facial fractures. In 19 games since his return, he's hitting .329 (23/70) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 runs scored.
• 1B/OF Mike Carp, SEA (0.5% ESPN; 1% Yahoo!) has a five-game hitting streak since being recalled from AAA, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two home runs. Expect the Mariners to continue running out their youngsters to see what they're capable of and whether or not they fit in to the team's long-term plans.
• 2B Mark Ellis, COL (6.7% ESPN; 8% Yahoo!) has produced a .325/16/2/11/2 line in 20 games since being traded to the Rockies and should be considered a viable option at second base or middle infielder position.
• RP Edward Mujica, FLA (3.3% ESPN; 7% Yahoo!) has been named closer-in-waiting should the Marlins deal current closer Leo Nunez. If you are desperate for saves, now might be the time to pick up Mujica. You can drop him in all non-holds leagues come early next week if Nunez is still with the team.
• RP Glen Perkins, MIN (2.9% ESPN; 7% Yahoo!) is now the primary setup man for the Twins after Matt Capps recent implosion and Joe Nathan's return to closer. He is a must-own in holds leagues with his 10.01 K/9 ratio.
• 2B/3B/SS/OF Michael Martinez, PHI (18.1% ESPN; 10% Yahoo!) has filled in quite nicely as the Phillies have dealt with injuries to Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco. In July, he's hitting .296 with two home runs, 15 RBI and three stolen bases. Polanco is due back from the DL this weekend, so keep an eye on his playing time.
• 3B/SS/OF Willie Bloomquist, ARI (7.3% ESPN; 11% Yahoo!) should be the primary beneficiary as the result of Stephen Drew's horrific injury. Bloomquist is hitting .327 with two stolen bases in July. As long as he is hitting and stealing bases, he should keep Cody Ransom on the bench.
• 2B Brett Lawrie, TOR (1.7% ESPN; 5% Yahoo!) has returned to the lineup in AAA and hitting .367 with a home run and seven RBI in seven July games. Expect him to be called up soon and inserted into third base as the Blue Jays fade from the playoff picture in the AL East. Lawrie should now be owned in all keeper leagues and dynasty formats.

If your league is still very active heading into August, then the action on the waiver wire should remain fiercely competitive. Dig a little deeper into the statistics (last 7 days, last 15 days, etc.) and keep an eye on injuries, playing time, trades and rookie call-ups to find the players who'll benefit the most from these moves and don't be afraid to anticipate the transactions with a bold move of your own.

Line of the Day: July 23rd, 2011

Chase Utley went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI in the Phillies 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres. It was the 19th multi-homer game of his career. (video recap)

Line: 3 AB | 2 R | 3 H | 4 RBI; BB | 2 HR

(box score)

My fantasy perspective: In Utley's first 11 games of the season, he hit just .195 with a .189 BABIP. In 38 games since, he's hitting .313 with a .323 BABIP with a .405 OBP and a .535 SLG. I think it's safe to say he's healthy again even though his power numbers are down (2.8 HR%; 6.6 HR/FB%; 30.8 AB/HR).

Overall, he's only ranked as the 20th-best fantasy second baseman but fifth over the last 30 days. With most leagues quickly approaching their respective trade deadlines, now would be a great time to approach Utley owners with a fair trade offer to pry him away for the stretch run.

Question: Will Utley ever return to the MVP-caliber fantasy player he continues to be drafted as or are his best days behind him at only 32 years of age?

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Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Be sure to check out the past winners of COSFBA's Line of the Day awards and subscribe to its feed, too.

The Knurve To Say: July 5th, 2011

This week, I have The Knurve To Say...
...not only is Brian McCann the best catcher in baseball now, but he has been the best for the past five years.

When my love of fantasy baseball was developing, I had one player who I wanted to get on my team every year; Placido Polanco. He was a great defender for the Tigers, he hit for average, he scored runs, it was awesome. But after a while, I realized how purely marginal a phenomenal batting average is when a player doesn’t contribute anywhere else. It’s the same reason you could argue Tony Gwynn was such an overrated fantasy player outside of his prime because he hit for a good average and did nothing else.

But just as Gwynn received so much hype during his career, I think Joe Mauer is the same, if not worse. The top three catchers in the past five or six years have been Mauer, Victor Martinez, and McCann. In looking back at the numbers, Martinez and McCann are a cut above, fantasy-wise.

Many fantasy baseball owners are like I was when I was younger (not to belittle fantasy baseball owners by comparing them with my childhood stupidity). We are fascinated with batting average. We can see a .320+ AVG and totally neglect the other holes in a player’s game, and this is the year where we notice the entirety of Mauer’s flaws, especially since McCann is having such a phenomenal year.

The McCann-Mauer comparison isn’t even close in my eyes, and that’s even taking into account 2009, when Mauer had his MVP year. When we evaluate players year-to-year in fantasy, we want to see consistency and consistent contributions. Mauer’s 2009 has set the table for a profoundly disappointing 2010 and, so far, 2011. The reason I think this is worthy of noting and worthy of writing this is because of the position they play. Unless you over-invest, fantasy owners don’t expect phenomenal production from their catchers. But the reason McCann has been better, is better now, and will be better than Mauer is because he contributes more consistently in more categories from a position you don’t expect much out of.

My opinion: From now on, stay the heck away from Mauer and players like him. There will always be someone in your league who thinks his batting average potential is worth way more than it actually is.

Thoughts from the past week that was:

• Hanley Ramirez is back! He had a few great games last week and he’s still a complete defensive liability, but a trip to the launch-pad known as Rangers Ballpark may have cured his woes. The Marlins may not have their lives together, but I am a believer that Hanley will right the ship and this team will play better baseball from here on out.
• Somebody get Aramis Ramirez a juice box. He hit six homers last week! SIX! That’s unbelievable. If you read my NL All-Star predictions, you’ll know that I thought third base in the NL was a vast wasteland. As much as people love to rip on Aramis, he is on pace for around 20/80 with around a .300 average to end the season. It’s amazing, but that may be the best stat line a third baseman in the NL posts this year, and it’s not even close. I’m buying this hot streak.
• If somebody’s going to get A-Ram a juice box, somebody get Dee Gordon a Triple Thick Milkshake. I admire the fight in this kid, but I just don’t know if he is big enough to be successful in the big leagues. I want him to succeed, I really do, but I question if he is capable of generating the bat speed necessary to get past first base even though his speed is uber-vuluptuous.
• After homering off both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, I’m fully ready to say Jose Bautista is back. I said a few weeks ago to sell on him. A large part of me would still sell unless you’re playing him at third base. This is not to say he can’t hit 20 homers in the second half, but I feel like he’s becoming one of those guys whose name recognition is growing among fantasy owners. I think there’s a correlation to the fact that he received the most all-star votes of all-time. People may just overpay a bunch for him. If you can fill holes in your team by getting rid of Bautista, I would do it.
• I’m going to say this now and I know it’s going to sound crazy. If there’s any feedback on this comment, I will write a separate article on it next week or a special article later this week. If the Pittsburgh Pirates make the playoffs (HUGE IF), then I think there is a case to be made for Joel Hanrahan to be the NL MVP. The Pirates run differential this season is +2. If they don’t have Hanrahan, the best closer in the game this season, then there is absolutely ZERO reason for optimism on this team going forward. I never thought I’d be one to advocate for a closer to be an MVP, but a 1.37 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 25-for-25 in save chances is hard to refute on a team with a AAA offense.

Last week, the Mike Stanton Man-Crush Meter sat at a 5. This week, I’m sad to say, it’s dropped to a 3. I mean, what the hell Mike. I shamelessly and embarrassingly dedicate a whole section of my new articles to you and you do this to me? No home runs since June 11?!?! Really?!?!? What the hell, bro?! You’re not doing anything well right now and it’s so frustrating. I don’t even know how to react. Trying to throw in a few steals at the end of the month isn’t going to make me feel better. If you don’t hit a dinker in the next week, we’re going to have some problems. But if you do make Prince Fielder’s NL Home Run Derby team, you’ll have great potential to captivate me again.

Joke of the week: What did the snail say when he was riding the turtle? WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! (Thanks Matt Lauer)

David Kaplan
@TheKnurve
DHKaplan17@yahoo.com

Line of the Day: July 4th, 2011

Vance Worley allowed just two hits and struck out six over seven innings to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 1-0 combined shutout victory over the Florida Marlins. He retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

Line: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K; W, QS

My fantasy perspective: Worley has been impressive over his last four starts, going 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA spanning 25 innings with 18 strikeouts but 10 walks. Overall, he's 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Causes for concern: a 37/20 K/BB ratio in just 49 innings; a 4.03 xFIP vs 2.20 ERA; a 3.67 BB/9.

He was demoted to AAA after this start to keep him on his regular schedule and is expected to be recalled mid-July for a start against the Mets. Worley has definite streaming abilities and should continue to get opportunities to pitch while Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton are on the disabled list. He's only owned in 15.9% of ESPN and 13% of Yahoo! leagues, so there's no need to rush to make a decision on whether or not to pick him up.

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Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Be sure to check out the past winners of COSFBA's Line of the Day awards and subscribe to its feed, too.

The Knurve's National League All-Star Ballot

Here are my picks for the National League All-Stars. Be sure to check out my American League All-Star picks, too.

Catcher
It will be: Brian McCann
When I reflect on McCann, I love thinking about how he was the afterthought to Jeff Francoeur when they were called up in 2005. To think Franceour would flame out and McCann would turn into, in my opinion, the best catcher in baseball was not expected. That opinion is an article for another time, but with an average over .300 and 14 dingers, he's the anchor for the Braves underperforming offense. This spot is his again, and nobody's going to take it from him.

It could be: Miguel Montero
Filling this spot is like what I imagine parents feel when they're going to have twins: you're really excited about having one, but you realize you have to pay for two of these. Terrible jokes aside, Montero has been pretty solid on a pretty solid Diamondbacks offense this season. Catching has always been a weaker position, but there's a large contingent of average catchers after McCann, and I think Montero is the best of the average. Jon Lucroy, Ramon Hernandez, and Yadier Molina deserve mentions. The other notable in this group gets his own sentence: Chris Ianetta. If this guy could hit even .250 then he'd be almost as valuable as McCann, but Mr. Mendoza's line is hard to stomach.

First Base
It will be: Joey Votto
...and this disappoints me. I think I can make a pretty good case that Votto is not an All-Star, but I am pretty confident he'll get the votes to be a starter. Everybody wants to tout the season he's had, but at the end of the day he's got very little to show for it. His value is in his batting eye and he's fantastic at drawing walks and scoring runs, but he's only on pace for a 20/100 season, and the guy that SHOULD be starting at first base is almost at 20/100 in the first half.

It should be: Prince Fielder
This is a large man making a large case for a large contract. Goodness, this man deserves to start. Who would have thought Fielder could make a better case for a bigger contract than Albert Pujols, but I am starting to believe it was going to happen even before Pujols went down. Fielder is having a spectacular year, on pace for a 40/140 year, which is absurd. I am glad the Brew Crew is having a great year both because Fielder is keepin' it so real and because I think the Brewers will take the NL Pennant.

Second Base
It will be: Rickie Weeks
You really have to give this guy credit. When he's healthy, he's nasty, and he's been a great leadoff hitter at the top of this pungent lineup. His speed numbers are a little down, but he's been a solid contributor overall. And when you have Fielder and that Ryan Braun guy swinging like they're hitting with a tennis racket, it really helps bring Weeks home.

It should be: Danny Espinosa
Yeah, I said should. It's bold, but it's deserved. He's hit more homers, driven in more runs and stolen more bases than Weeks. I'm convinced if Espinosa had Braun and Fielder (hmmm) behind him, he could score more runs. This guy seems to have it all, and if the Nats pony up and spend some bills this winter, he could become a fantasy stud. The batting average might not get much better, but I can see him evolving into a better version of Weeks or Ian Kinsler.

Shortstop
It will be: Jose Reyes
Is there even a question? This guy has done absolutely everything he can to help the Mets. Get this guy on a winning team, please. It's been great to see what he can do when he's healthy, and it's been truly astounding. The Mets basically build Citi Field for Reyes' swing and he seems to have figured it out. He has 15 triples for goodness sakes. His career high in the category is 19. Watching Reyes play baseball is a lot of fun. Whichever team gets him will be making a worthy investment.

It could be: Troy Tulowitzki
Begrudgingly, I need to give Tulo some credit. After a smokin' hot April, he's had a pretty average May and June. But what does Tulo do best? He does work in the second half. If you'd like proof of this, I'd like to direct you towards his 15 HR/40 RBI performance in the second half of last year....IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. On one hand, he's been good, but not great. I think it's well understood he deserves the respect to start because he will turn it in the second half.

Third Base
It will be: Placido Polanco
I look at Polanco like I look at a good dog: he's nice, he does the same thing everyday, he doesn't go wild and he never pees on the carpet. In all seriousness, the Philly Phaithful will propel Polanco to the start in an otherwise weak position. He's reliable, he hits for average, he can score runs and he's great defensively. I'm pretty tired of talking about him, because the only reason he'll be an All-Star is because everybody else at the position is bad or hurt. Speaking of which, I really wonder what it's like to be THAT guy at an All-Star game. Will all the other All-Stars look at Polanco and think, "The only reason he's here is because David Wright is hurt."

It should be: Ryan Roberts
I think I've pretty well hammered home the point that this position is weak, but Roberts has actually been pretty impressive. He's been one of several pleasant surprises for the Diamondbacks. His 10 dingers and 12 steals are both pretty solid. As strange as this may be to say, I think if Wright was healthy Roberts would get more recognition because the media loooooooves to compare players, it gives better drama.

Outfield
It will be: Matt Kemp, Braun and Justin Upton
Just like Granderson and Ellsbury don't need much discussion, Kemp and Braun don't either. I can't tell you how much I want Kemp to go 40/40. I think the Dodgers organization really needs it. And Braun is just mashing. The 'Hebrew Hammer' has been workin' it hard this season. Upton is the only contentious pick here, but when reflecting upon where the game is this season, I think it's pretty clear he will get the nod. Upton has been an RBI machine of late and has great speed and power. To think how young he is makes me extremely excited to see what he is capable of doing.

It could be: Kemp, Braun and about 10 other people
In all seriousness, I think there about 10 names who would not surprise me at all to make it with Kemp and Braun. Make no mistake. These two are a cut above the rest, but not by too much. Would any of you cry foul if (in no particular order) Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence, Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce, Jayson Werth, Carlos Beltran, Chris Young, Drew Stubbs, Carlos Gonzalez or Lance Berkman made it? It's pretty clear-cut that there are going to be some bigtime snubs at this All-Star game, and the majority of them will be NL outfielders.

Starting Pitcher
It will be: Roy Halladay
He's the best pitcher in baseball. Hearing other hitters talk about how good Halladay really is makes you appreciate him that much more. When they say the guy can throw 5 pitches for strikes almost every which way, it's hard to hate on him. I think even Mets fans respect Halladay, and that's saying something. He's doing the same thing every year. He's a Cy Young calibur pitcher. Makes you wonder what an entire career in the NL would have been like for him.

It could be: either of his two teammates
It's amazing to look at the amount of quality starting pitching in the NL, but Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels are just a cut above everybody else. Lee had an obnoxious June and Hamels has been absolutely amazing. Pardon this tangent, but Hamels amazes the hell out of me. He has two pitches that he can throw for strikes, his fastball and his changeup, and he has some trouble locating his curveball. But Hamels is a good reminder that if you locate those two pitches, then you don't need that secondary pitch with alternative movement. This is another spot where 10 other guys could make a case, but these two are more dominant and just better.

Tweet me @TheKnurve with any comments, questions or general feedback on my articles.
-David Kaplan

Line of the Day: June 28th, 2011

Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-0. It was Lee's third consecutive shutout and ran his consecutive scoreless innings streak to a career-best 32 innings.

Line: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; W, QS, CG, SHO

My fantasy perspective: Be afraid. Be very afraid. Lee has been everything the Phillies hoped they were getting and more. Just check out his June 2011 numbers: 5 GS, 5-0, 42 IP, 21 H, 1 ER, 0.21 ERA. Pure insanity!

Overall, Lee is 9-5 with a 2.66 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and 119 strikeouts. That's four-category gold in a standard 5x5 league. A deeper look into his numbers show an xFIP of 2.75, a BABIP against of .290 and a LOB% of 78.6. These numbers all prove what Lee is doing is based in reality and not luck and are sustainable.

Just an FYI: Three of the top six fantasy starting pitchers are Phillies: Roy Halladay (3rd), Cole Hamels (5th) and Cliff Lee (6th).

Can they all really win 20 games this season? Use the comments section to predict each of their end-of-the-year numbers.

---

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Be sure to check out the past winners of COSFBA's Line of the Day awards and subscribe to its feed, too.

Official All-Star Ballot for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, one of the requirements is to post an official All-Star ballot each year. As a member of the Fantasy Chapter, my ballot will have a fantasy skew to its nominees.

Let's get to the balloting, by league. Up first, COSFBA's 2011 American League All-Stars:

• C Alex Avila, DET (.303/28/10/45/3)
• 1B Adrian Gonzalez, BOS (.358/56/16/71/1)
• 2B Robinson Cano, NYY (.291/45/14/48/6)
• 3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY (.300/48/13/50/4)
• SS Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE (.290/50/12/43/12)
• OF Curtis Granderson, NYY (.279/68/21/55/12)
• OF Jose Bautista, TOR (.328/60/23/48/5)
• OF Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS (.304/55/9/39/24)
• DH David Ortiz, BOS (.311/47/17/48/1)
• SP Justin Verlander, DET (10-3, 2.38 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 124 K)
• RP Mariano Rivera, NYY (19 Saves, 1.84 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 23 K)

Now on to COSFBA's 2011 National League All-Stars:

• C Brian McCann, ATL (.300/27/13/43/2)
• 1B Prince Fielder, MIL (.306/48/21/67/0)
• 2B Rickie Weeks, MIL (.294/56/14/33/7)
• 3B Placido Polanco, PHI (.286/30/4/39/3)
• SS Jose Reyes, NYM (.334/58/3/31/27)
• OF Matt Kemp, LAD (.329/50/21/60/21)
• OF Ryan Braun, MIL (.309/55/15/57/16)
• OF Justin Upton, ARI (.304/45/12/39/14)
• SP Cole Hamels, PHI (9-4, 2.49 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 108 K)
• RP Joel Hanrahan, PIT (22 Saves, 1.24 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 31 K)

So there you have them, COSFBA's 2011 Fantasy Baseball All-Star rosters. Agree? Disagree? Use the comments section to award your fantasy baseball all-stars. Feel free to comment on who you'd have as a reserve player, too.

NOTE: All stats referenced are as of games played through June 25th, 2011 and are for standard 5x5 scoring categories.

Line of the Day: June 16th, 2011

Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a two-hit shutout against the Florida Marlins, striking out four and walking two. It was his 22nd complete game and seventh shutout of his career. He also had two hits and drove in a run in his own support.

Line: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K; W, QS, CG, SHO

My fantasy perspective: Lee is 5-1 over his last six starts with a 2.18 ERA and 43 strikeouts over a span of 45.1 innings. Batters are hitting just .215 against him with a .271 BABIP. He looks to be in the zone. Over the last 30 days, Lee ranks as the 3rd-best starting pitcher in fantasy baseball behind Cole Hamels and Justin Verlander.

Overall, he's striking out batters at a career-best rate of 9.6 per nine innings. A deeper look into his numbers shows batters have a .313 BABIP, meaning there's room for him to be even better if some of those balls don't fall in. His ERA of 3.12 compared to his xFIP of 2.63, again, shows he's been even better than his traditional numbers are showing.

If you don't own Lee on any of your fantasy baseball teams, better luck next year. No owner in their right mind is selling a potential Cy Young candidate at this point in the season.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Be sure to check out the past winners of COSFBA's Line of the Day awards and subscribe to its feed, too.

Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from June 12th, 2011

Here are some fantasy baseball-relevant tidbits and notes I picked up from box scores and recaps from games played on Sunday, June 12th, 2011:

• Miguel Olivo homered twice, giving him 10 on the season. It was the fourth multihomer game of his career. Over the last 30 days, he's put up a 5x5 line of .289/16/8/21/2, making him the #1-ranked fantasy catcher over that span. He's only owned in 40.5% of ESPN and 39% of Yahoo! leagues.
• Ichiro Suzuki had his second consecutive two-hit game. I think someone translated all of those "Is Ichiro done?" articles. I think the answer is no. Sure he's only hitting .258 but still on pace for 172 hits and 34 stolen bases. I'll take the over on batting average and hits at this point and under on stolen bases.
• Derek Jeter had two hits and is now at 2,993 for his career. You could do a lot worse at shortstop in fantasy baseball than the Yankee Captain. I'll be watching and cheering when 3,000 comes.
• Curtis Granderson went 4-for-4 and now has a season's 5x5 line of .279/54/20/47/10 making him the 5th-best fantasy baseball player this season. Not bad for a guy with an ADP of 91.6 in ESPN leagues.
• Jon Lester became the AL's first nine-game winner.
• Jose Bautista ended a 13-game homerless streak with his 21st of the season. He's still on pace for 52 home runs. Fluke? Nope.
• Dustin Pedroia (5), Adrian Gonzalez (13), Kevin Youkilis (9) and David Ortiz (17) all homered. The Red Sox offense has scored 30 runs in their last two games. I think it's safe to say they're firing on all cylinders.
• Kyle Drabek gave up eight earned runs in four innings and saw his ERA jump from 4.98 to 5.70 with a 1.79 WHIP. If he wasn't already unownable prior to this start, he definitely is now.
• Daniel Hudson won for the seventh time in eight decisions since starting the season 0-4. Congrats to all the owners who stuck with him or those who were able to grab him off waivers.
• Ryan Roberts hit his 10th home run of the season and second in two days. He also has nine stolen bases on the season and now on pace for a 25/22 season. He qualifies at 2B, 3B and even OF in some formats. This all screams MUST OWN to me.
• Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 15th save in 16 chances. Brad Lidge who?
• Johnny Damon hit his 27th career leadoff home run and has reached base in a career-best 37 consecutive games. He's only owned in 54% of all Yahoo! leagues. Look past the name. His numbers (.279/30/8/33/7) are very ownable.
• Evan Longoria hit his first career inside-the-park home run. Discuss.
• J.P. Howell picked up his first save of the season. Kyle Farnsworth was not available because of the flu. Keep an eye on who gets the next handful of saves for the Rays.
• Jose Reyes had three hits, including a home run, and increased his batting average to a major league-leading .346. He's the sixth-ranked player in fantasy baseball and doing all he can to get a one-way ticket out of New York.
• Andrew McCutchen has an 11-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .488 (20/41) with 10 RBI.
• Tommy Hanson struck out a career-high 14 against the Astros to earn COSFBA's "Line of the Day" award (shameless plug). He improved to 3-0 with a 0.97 ERA in five career starts against the Houston.
• Dan Uggla broke out of a 7-for-76 slump by going 5-for-11 with a home run in last three games against Houston.
• Wandy Rodriguez was activated from the DL and scheduled to start today. Adjust your rosters accordingly.
• Prince Fielder hit 19th home run of the season, a 440 foot blast, and continues to lead the NL in RBI with 58. Enjoy it while you can, Brewers fans.
• John Axford converted his 15th straight save opportunity and 18th out of 20 overall.
• Philip Humber is 5-1 with a 2.53 ERA over his last nine starts and is now owned in 59.6% of ESPN and 45% of Yahoo! leagues. Grab him off waivers if you're struggling in your pitching categories.
• Adam Dunn hit his second home run in four games. He's 3/12 (.250) with six RBI and three walks over that span. Sad to celebrate those numbers as a "good thing" but it is. And more of the bad: he's hitting .031 (1-for-47) against left-handed pitching this season.
• Francisco Liriano was six outs from his second no-hitter of the season. In his last 38 innings, he has a 1.89 ERA and allowed 17 hits and 17 walks. That's what fantasy owners wanted to see.
• Matt Kemp hit his NL-leading 20th home run and is the #1-ranked fantasy baseball player this season with his .331/45/20/56/14 line and on pace for a 48/34 season. There's the future MVP we've all been waiting to see.
• Pablo Sandoval was activated from the DL. Adjust your rosters accordingly.
• Brian Wilson converted his 18th save in 20 opportunities. His beard approves.

PHEW! That was a mouthful of information. I'll be sure to get started on those recaps earlier in the day to have them posted at a more favorable time. Regardless, please enjoy and feel free to comment or let me know how helpful this information would be if delivered earlier in the day after.

Waiver Saviors: Who's Hot and Available

This edition of Waiver Saviors is not a celebrity gossip edition. There will be no Kardashians mentioned unless one of them is dating Matt Kemp. Today's post will be focusing on those players owned in approximately 50% or less of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues AND having a significant statistical impact over the last 15 days (through May 24th).

Here's the latest batch of waiver wire targets you need to be aware of at this point in the season:

• OF Jon Jay, STL (13/8% ESPN; 5% Yahoo! owned) is hitting .392 (20/51) with nine RBI and three stolen bases while filling in across an outfield dealing with injuries. If your team needs offense, Jay is worth the look while he's hot and making the most of his opportunities.
• OF Laynce Nix, WAS (21.9% E; 8% Y!) is hitting .362 (17/47) with three home runs, nine RBI and a stolen base as the Nationals' regular left fielder. He's projecting to hit 20 HR this season, which isn't much of a stretch for a player averaging 17 HR per 162 games over his career.
• 1B/2B/3B Adam Kennedy, SEA (2.5% E; 4% Y!) is hitting .297 (11/37) with two home runs and two stolen bases and can be a short term fix to a fantasy roster dealing with injuries. As second basemen go, Kennedy is ranked higher than Chone Figgins, Brian Roberts, Aaron Hill and Gordon Beckham.
• OF Raul Ibanez, PHI (47.6% E; 33% Y!) is hitting .326 (15/46) with two home runs, six RBI and 10 runs scored and has raised his average from a season-low .154 on May 1st to a season-high .252 today.
• 1B/OF Brad Hawpe, SD (5.8% E; 5% Y!) is hitting .318 (14/44) with two home runs, six RBI and 10 runs scored and could be a nice addition to your team in deep leagues utilizing extra roster positions such as CI, IF, UTL and DH or NL-only leagues.
• C Jonathan Lucroy, MIL (29.4% E; 26% Y!) is hitting .390 (16/41) with four home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.188 OPS and deserves to be owned in all formats. He's climbed the charts to become the 5th-ranked catcher on ESPN in just 32 games played.
• OF Seth Smith, COL (46.7% E; 29% Y!) is hitting .372 (16/43) with three home runs, nine RBI and two stolen bases while settling in as the Rockies' everyday right fielder. He may sit against some of the tougher lefties (.327 vs RHP; .214 vs LHP), but I think the concerns over him being a platoon should be put to rest.
• 1B Juan Miranda, ARI (0.5% E; 1% Y!) is hitting .375 (9/24) with one home run and five RBI and the reason the Diamondbacks recently released Russell Branyan. He's currently dealing with a hand/wrist injury but seems to be in Arizona's long term plans at first base.
• 1B/OF Michael Morse, WAS (2.3% E; 10% Y!) is hitting .407 (11/27) with two home runs and five RBI and will get an extended look at first base while Adam LaRoche in on the disabled list. He's now showing signs of being the player who hit nine homers  this past Spring and highly touted as a sleeper.
• 2B/3B Justin Turner, NYM (46% E; 17% Y!) is hitting .326 (15/46) with one home run and 12 RBI while seeing time at second base and third base for the injured David Wright. Check your league settings to see which position(s) he qualifies at because his value increases with dual eligibility.

Being extremely proactive in your daily leagues is the easiest way to stay ahead of lazy owners. We are nearly 1/3 of the way into the season and soon, if not already, it will be time to cut ties with under-performing players and take a chances on others that can help your team make up points in the standings. Head-to-head leaguers should be ready to treat each week separately and play as aggressively as possible to win.

Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from May 24th, 2011

Here are some fantasy baseball tidbits I picked up from games played on May 24th, 2011:

• SP Jorge de la Rosa, COL has a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and will require Tommy John surgery. He'll be out for at least a full calendar year. This is a devastating blow to the Rockies and will be hard for fantasy owners to find a decent enough replacement for the numbers de la Rosa was able to put up.
• SP Josh Collmenter, ARI had extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings before allowing home runs to Carlos Gonzalez and Seth Smith in the fourth inning of the Diamondbacks game against the Rockies. He's now 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA and 0.66 WHIP and available in 85% of ESPN and 84% of Yahoo! leagues .
• CL J.J. Putz, ARI is now 13-for-13 in save opportunities with a 1.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 19/5 K/BB ratio in 20 innings pitched. His 13 Saves are tied for fourth best in the majors.
• OF Carlos Gonzalez, COL homered twice (8) and drove in four runs (31) in the opening game of the Rockies' double-header. It was the third multi-homer game of his career.
• 2B/3B/OF Ryan Roberts, ARI stole his seventh base. He now has seven home runs and seven stolen bases on the season and is on pace for a 24/24 season. Who saw THAT coming?
• RP Rafael Soriano, NYY was shut down indefinitely with right elbow inflammation and can safely be dropped in all leagues where he was being rostered for Holds. Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson will continue to pick up the bulk of Holds in the Yankees' pen. 
• 3B/OF Jose Bautista, TOR went 0-for-4 against CC Sabathia and is now 0-for-15 in his career versus the lefty. Watch for that matchup the next time these two are scheduled to meet up.
• RP Al Alburquerque, DET earned his first major league victory. There's nothing fantasy-relevant about him (yet) except in leagues that may use K/9 as a scoring category, where he's sporting a robust 15.3 K/9 ratio. Plus that's just a great baseball name to type.
• OF Matt Joyce, TB hit his eighth home run of the season and leads the majors with a .367 batting average. He's now the 10th-ranked player on ESPN's Player Rater and the 14th-ranked player in Yahoo! leagues. Players like him are why we play fantasy baseball.
• C Alex Avila, DET homered twice and now has a 5x5 line of .292/17/8/27/2 for the season, good enough for the 2nd-best fantasy baseball catcher in 2011.
• SP Josh Beckett, BOS allowed one run and five hits in 6 2-3 innings and lowered his ERA to an AL-low 1.69. He's now 4-1 and looking like the ace of the Red Sox staff again.
• 1B Adrian Gonzalez, BOS leads the majors with 42 RBI and is unbelievable 13-for-25 (.525) with two outs and a runner in scoring position. "Pay that man his money."
• DH David Ortiz, BOS is batting .341 with seven homers and nine RBI in his last 20 games. Keep an eye on the Red Sox schedule for upcoming interleague games in NL parks.
• C Carlos Santana, CLE is in an 0-for-19 slump and hitting just .203 this season. He's made up for the low average with six home runs, 21 RBI and 21 runs scored.
• 2B Brian Roberts, BAL is seeing a specialist to deal with concussion symptoms and is expected to be out for at least three more weeks.
• OF Raul Ibanez, PHI is hitting .375 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 20 games since May 3rd. He's only owned in 47.6% of ESPN and 32% of Yahoo! leagues.
• OF Carlos Quentin, CHW became the fifth player over the last 13 days to homer three times in a game. It was the first three-homer game of his career and gave him 12 home runs and 31 RBI for the season.
• 1B/DH Adam Dunn, CHW ended a 3-for-33 slump with his fifth home run of the year. He's still batting just .192. If only he could hit his reported weight (285).
• SP Nick Blackburn, MIN pitched a complete game and ended the month of May with a 3-0 record with a 1.72 ERA in five starts.
• OF David DeJesus, OAK hit two home runs in a game for the second time in his career. Both have come this month. Oddly, those are his only four home runs for the year.
• RP Eduardo Sanchez, STL worked a perfect inning for his 5th save in seven chances. The Cardinals' bullpen continues to be a mystery. Five separate relievers have recorded a save for them this season (Fernando Salas , Sanchez, Mitchell Boggs, Trever Miller, Ryan Franklin).
• OF Mike Stanton, FLA hit his 11th home run for the season. He now has 33 home runs in 143 career games and is on pace for 39 this year. By the way, he's just 21 years old.
• CL Leo Nunez, FLA recorded his major league-leading 18th save (in 18 chances) and has a 24/9 K/BB ratio and a 8.9 K/9 ratio over 24.1 innings pitched.
• C Buster Posey, SF extended his current hitting streak to 12 games and has raised his average from .241 to .287. We knew there'd be some growing pains in his sophomore season, so hopefully this is a sign of good things to continue to come.

How useful are these post-game notes and tidbits to fantasy owners? Would you like to see them appear more often on COSFBA as a daily game roundup feature? Please let me know. Feedback is always appreciated.