Do you have some trade offers you are consider, but need to bounce them off of someone? Are you pondering a roster move and want a second opinion? Feel free to post your questions in the Fantasy Baseball Questions thread.
Fake Teams Podcast, Episode 14: Super Duper American
Andrew and Zack hosted their twice weekly Fake Teams podcast on Sunday night, and discussed Matt Adams, Brad Miller, Bartolo Colon and much more. You can listen to the podcast via MP3 or ITunes:
Francisco Liriano: Pirates ace?
The Pirates signed Francisco Liriano this past offseason, and I figured he was a risky pick on draft day based on his performance over the last few seasons. The Pirates signed him to a one year $1 million contract, with a $8 million club option for 2014. The way he is pitching right now, they will probably pick up that option.
Last night, Liriano threw a complete game four hitter, giving up two runs, walking four and striking out seven to win his eight game of the season. Liriano is now 8-3 with a 2.20 ERA, 2.66 FIP, 1.23 WHIP and a 74-27 strikeout to walk rate in 69.2 innings on the mound. He has given up two runs or less in eight of his eleven starts this season.
For more on Liriano and the streaking Pirates, make sure you check out Buc's Dugout, SB Nation's Pirates fan site.
Juan Uribe goes wild vs former team
Dodgers third baseman Juan Uribe must have been hearing whispers that the Dodgers might be looking to upgrade at third base via the trade market, because I am not sure if he had a bigger game at the plate than last night. Last night, Uribe went 3-4 with a HR, double, triple, 2 runs and 7 RBI in the Dodgers romp over the Giants. Yes, 7 RBI.
Uribe is now hitting .282-.357-.448 with 5 HRs, 23 runs, 27 RBI and a solid 33-20 strikeout to walk rate in 163 at bats. Uribe is unowned in many leagues, but is serviceable in NL only leagues and leagues where OBP is used as a category.
For more on Uribe and the Dodgers, make sure you check out True Blue LA, SB Nation's Dodgers fan site.
Round'em Up
Yankees starter Ivan Nova had probably his best start of his big league career last night vs a solid Orioles lineup. Nova threw a complete game three hitter, giving up just two runs, a walk and striking out 11 in the Yankees 3-2 win. Nova is now 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 48-14 strikeout to walk rate in 44 innings thus far. He is owned in under 3% of ESPN leagues, and is probably a decent streaming option going forward.
Tigers young starter Rick Porcello turned in another nice outing last night, shutting out the Indians for 7 innings. He gave up just 5 hits, walked 2 and struck out 6 to win his fifth game of the season. He is now 5-6 with a 4.82 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 1.26 WHIP and a solid 74-19 strikeout to walk rate in 93.1 innings. Porcello has given up 3 runs or less in 11 of his 16 starts this season, but when he is bad, he is BAD, thus the 4.82 ERA.
Diamondbacks pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs dominated the Rockies on Friday night, shutting them out on 3 hits, a walk, and strikeouts in 8 innings. Skaggs, making his fourth start of the season, moved his record to 2-1 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 22-7 K-BB rate in 24.2 innings. So much for him being available in the trade market. Skaggs will be a very popular waiver wire pick up this week, and I think he will remain in the Diamondbacks rotation after this excellent outing. He is owned in just 1.2% of ESPN leagues, but that will surely increase come Monday.
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp appeared to aggravate his left shoulder injury on a swing last night, and left the game before his next at bat. Kemp grabbed his shoulder and grimaced after taking a big swing. He eventually worked out a walk, but left the game before his next at bat. Carl Crawford took his place in the outfield, with Andre Ethier moving to center field. Kemp was seen in the dugout afterward, so maybe he will be fine. We should learn more later today. It's certainly been a lost year for the Dodger outfielder.
Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista had a big night at the plate, going 3-4 with a HR and 2 RBI, and is now hitting .267-.364-.518 with 20 HRs, 59 runs, 52 RBI and 6 stolen bases. He is currently on pace to hit 38 home runs this season, but lost in that number is that his overall power as calculated by IS0, is down for the third straight season.
Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis had his best game as a major leaguer last night, going 4-4 with 2 walks, a double, a triple, 4 runs scored, 5 RBI and a stolen base in the Mets 12-5 win over the Brewers. Nieuwenhuis is more of a part time player in the Mets outfield right now but could see regular time if he can show he can hit and get on base on a regular basis. He is unowned in ESPN leagues at the moment, but I wouldn't rush out to grab him unless in a deep NL only or mixed league.
The Mets called up first baseman Ike Davis from AAA prior to last night's game and he responded with a three hit game. Davis went 3-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI in the Mets win over the Brewers. Davis struggled to start the season, similar to his 2012 season, and it remains to be seen whether he can put together a few big power months like he did last night. I could see him hitting 15-20 bombs in the second half if he has finally figured things out.
More from Fake Teams
The 2013 Futures Game: Team USA
Five impact prospects still in the minors
Three (Possibly) True Outcomes: Carlos Correa
Streamer Report: Weekend Pitching Streamers
Low Level Prospect Review: Roberto Osuna, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Waiting in the Wings: Gregory Polanco
Waiting in the Wings: Gregory Polanco
Minor League Level Review (Low-A and Below): Appel to Debut Friday, Kepler Makes Full-Season Debut