May 19, 2009
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I won’t sit here and make promises, because if I break them, you all will be upset with me and stop reading. So to avoid that, I’ll say that for all you AL fans, I’ll have a weekend special out just for you folks later in the week. For now though, let’s look at some of these midweek series in the senior circuit and who could really produce this week. All stats and records are through the morning of May 18.
Philadelphia Phillies (20-16) at Cincinnati Reds (20-17)
Ryan Howard is hitting at a career .186 clip against the current Reds pitching staff but you wouldn’t be silly enough to take him out of your lineup this week. He went bonkers against the lowly Nationals, scoring five runs and knocking in an additional five during the four-game weekend series. Jimmy Rollins is showing some signs of life with a seven-game hit streak and has raised his average from .198 on May 12 to .222. Look for him to continue his surge this week as he is a career .286 against this Reds staff.
Johnny Cueto has quietly gone 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA and a WHIP of 1.01 this season. Hmmm, I haven’t seen him much on SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight this season. Typical. Anyway, the 23-year-old Dominican Republic native found a way to improve upon his impressive April numbers, (2.19 ERA, 20 Ks) with an even better May, (1.64 ERA, 16Ks in three May starts). Even so, not even 100 percent of fantasy owners in ESPN leagues have this guy. Maybe John Kruk will mention him tonight and he’ll finally reach that 100-percent ownership. Cueto goes Tuesday night against the World Champions.
Chicago Cubs (21-15) at St. Louis Cardinals (21-16)
This series never gets old and ESPN is in love with it. Hence why it is the showcase matchup on Wednesday Night Baseball this week. The matchup on Tuesday night though is between lefty Ted Lilly (5-2, 3.27 ERA) and Joel Pineiro (4-3, 4.17 ERA). The edge here would have to go to Lilly as Cubs hitters are a smoldering .349 against Pineiro and have an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.036. Ouch. Pineiro owners? You might want to think about sitting him for this start. His only defense is that he has a 2.46 ERA at Busch Stadium II.
Alfonso Soriano has been completely off the charts in the last week, hitting .346 with four runs scored and an OPS of 1.144. His totals against Cardinals pitching are pretty impressive with a .315 batting average and 35 RBIs in 203 career at-bats. He also has three home runs and .333 batting average against Pineiro in 45 career at-bats. Sit Joel. That is my key word of advice.
San Francisco Giants (19-18) at San Diego Padres (16-22)
I’m not so much interested in the Padres as I am in the Giants’ road woes to this season. On paper, they have a pretty good team with Aaron Rowand in center, Pablo Sandoval at third, and Edgar Renteria at short. To this point in the season they are 6-10 away from home and will have to improve upon that if they want to make any sort of stand in the NL West this season. The Giants are 14th in the NL in runs scored with 150 and are hitting just .256 as a team.
The Giants are holding their own in pitching this year with a staff ERA of 4.27 and part of the reason for the team on the bay holding steady is Barry Zito. Yes, I uttered his name. The 7-year, $126 million man is coming into form, finally. He’s been decent in May, going 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA in three starts. He does not perform well outside of AT&T Park though as he has a 6.60 ERA in three starts away from the bay. His start Tuesday against Chris Young (2-2 5.56 ERA) will be a critical one for Zito in reversing his road woes.
New York Mets (21-16) at Los Angeles Dodgers (26-13, 14-3 at home)
This has the makings of a big-time series matchup and would probably get more attention if not in the middle of the week and at the same time as the classic NL Central Cubs-Cards rivalry.
Fernando Tatis. Here’s a guy you should think about grabbing if you’re short on power in your infield. Carlos Delgado, hitting at .286 so far this season, could very well possibly head to the disabled list and if that does happen, say hello to Tatis playing a lot more often at first. Delgado has been plagued by hip issues all season and might have to undergo surgery to repair the issue. Tatis is currently eligible for just left field so you would take a blow in your outfield by acquiring him. That’s the risk you take if you pick him up. In 45 May at-bats, he’s hitting .308 with nine RBIs. It’s worth a thought.
So the moral of the story here is to track the progress of some guys flying under the radar like your Barry Zitos, (owned by 10 percent of ESPN fantasy managers), and Fernando Tatis, (owned by 1.4 percent of ESPN fantasy managers), and reap the benefits of their production while you still can.
2011 Fantasy Baseball Home
2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catchers - 3/14
2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: First Basemen - 3/15
2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Second Basemen - 3/16
2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Closers - 3/17
More 2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings to be posted soon.
2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
