We’re back with more weekly news round ups for all of you trying to keep abreast of the myriad of headlines that you need to know about. This week’s news will cover up to-but NOT including- May 6th.
There’s more than just knowing the news; it’s knowing what to do with the news you read.
Let’s take a look, and when you are finished be sure to check out Five Fab Players you'll want to keep an eye on.
NL News and Injuries:
1B James Loney – Dodgers Dodgers’ first baseman James Loney went 2-for-3 with an RBI, run scored and two walks against the Brewers on Wednesday.
Loney is on fire and it is pretty legit, so if you’re hurting for a Utility man or a fill-in at first you may want to grab him now before the fire dwindles. Loney has always been a mildly productive players with a career .808 OPS, so he’s worth the look.
SP Aaron Cook – Rockies Rockies’ starter Aaron Cook took a no decision against the Padres on Wednesday after allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two in five innings.
Cook is cooked, and there is no reason to think anything is going to get better. He is currently the embarrassed owner of a 6.03 ERA as he heads for a visit with the red hot Phillies next. it is safe to drop your luggage now and shop around. One big time option for you to consider is the 15% owned commodity Mike Leake who has been red hot as I predicted a month ago.
RP Houston Street– Rockies Street is a positive news feed coming out of the Rocky Mountians as he is slated to begin a rehab assignment as soon as this week.
For those of you who were smart enough to grab Franklin Morales, kudos! But you want to keep him active for at least another week or two until we all get definitive word out of the Colorado camp. If Street comes back to form, Morales could make for interesting trade bait.
AL News and Injuries:
SP Matt Garza – Rays Rays’ starter Matt Garza earned his American League-leading fifth win against the Mariners on Wednesday after allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five in eight innings.
I originally had Garza ranked 41 back in January and that’s about right if you followed suit in your draft, because now you have a red hot pitcher who is finally coming into his own and could be in line to be a Cy Young Award candidate.
SS Mike Aviles – Royals Starting at shortstop for the second consecutive day, Mike Aviles went 2-for-4 with a run scored against the White Sox on Wednesday, but you shouldn’t be surprised.
Betancourt is slumping and that’s great news because Aviles is the better player anyway, and you can be sure this trend will continue with Aviles getting the majority of the AB. Grab him now before his stock skyrockets like it did last year.
OF Juan Pierre – White Sox UPDATED FROM LAST WEEK
Well, he took a demotion, and looked to be toast last week, but I supposed after seeing the risk of his starting gig go up in flames, the speedster has turned things around going 7 for 15 in the last four games with five runs scored and six stolen bases. He leads the league with 15 total SB, and he should get the nod, or the waiver grab if still available.
But wait, there’s more! Take a look at some tasty SP matchups you might not be aware of this week.
Carlos Villanueva – Brewers: We all can use a spotty pitcher every now in an attempt to inject some fantasy points, and Villanueva is just your guy. In the last 10 AB opponents are hitting just .100 against his nasty trick pitches (off-speed) and he is also a dual qualifier at SP and RP. He has a current 13% ownership in most leagues.
Sean Marshall – Cubs: Yes, that’s right Sean Marshall and here’s why: In his last three outings opponents are 0 for 8 against his off-speed stuff, and in case you didn’t know he is sporting a whopping 10.8 K/9 rate. The Reds—his next opponent—are hitting just .229 lifetime against him.
Brian Moehler – Houston: Forget about the fact that he plays for the Astros and focus on the fact that the current Padres are hitting just .167 in 30 AB since last year. He isn’t known to be a huge SO machine, but he is facing a pretty sweet situation ahead that you could take advantage of.
