July 14^th 2013

Pitching Injuries News and Notes:

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum threw a no-hitter, the first of his career, Saturday against the San Diego Padres. He struck out 13 batters. It’s a darn good thing though that he gets a ton of rest after Saturday’s start because he threw an absurd 148 pitches. Clearly, Bruce Bochy is a players’ manager. Lincecum has struck out 24 batters in his last two starts, and 32 in his last three. Owners who were patient have finally been rewarded and this could be the start of his big time comeback.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke was absolutely amazing against the Rockies on Saturday. He tossed a complete game two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and one walk. He has allowed four hits in his past 16 innings pitched (two starts) along with zero earned runs and a 16:3 K:BB ratio.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Hector Santiago dazzled on Saturday, going 7.1 innings while allowing just three hits including a solo home run. He struck out nine and walked one. He has given up two runs or less in his past three starts.

Hitting Injuries News and Notes:

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Ben Revere has a broken foot and will head to the disabled list. It should be very interested to see what the Phillies do with their centerfield position. Laynce Nix and John Mayberry Jr. would make an excellent platoon, but both would be absolutely horrible defensively. We will keep you posted in the coming days.

We apologize for missing this yesterday, but Atlanta Braves outfielder Justin Upton left Friday’s game with a strained calf. Upton was out of Saturday’s lineup, and as of now it’s unclear whether Upton will need to head to the disabled list. With all the Braves outfielders dinged up, and Jordan Schafer and Evan Gattis still coming off injuries in the coming days, the Braves outfield is in an absolute shambles.

Toronto Blue Jays middle infielder Munenori Kawasaki was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo with Brett Lawrie back from the disabled list and Melky Cabrera expected back shortly from the disabled list. This could also mean good news for Emilio Bonifacio.

For owners in NL-Only leagues, it’s worth mentioning that Jeff Francouer had his contract purchased by the San Francisco Giants. He will platoon with Kensuke Tanaka.

Three –Up:

Chris Davis has homered in three straight games now, after homering Saturday, his 36^th of the season. The three straight home run games comes after an 0-14 stretch for Davis.

Colby Rasmus seems to be in the middle of a hot streak; despite just two home runs during the stretch, Rasmus is hitting .365/.421/.596 in the last 15 days. Rasmus has struck out only twice since July 4^th.

Gordon Beckham went 2-9 Saturday with a stolen base. Beckham is hitting .370/.379/.537 in the last 15 days and overall is hitting .335 on the season. This could eventually come crashing down on Beckham, as he’s produced that lofty batting average despite not cutting his strikeout rate from last year (though its only 15 percent). He also has walked less than last season (6.9 percent in 2012, and 3.8 percent in 2013). For Beckham, the difference seems to be his recognition of off-speed pitches. He is a career .227 hitter against off-speed pitches; this season he is hitting .360 with a .520 slugging percentage against off-speed pitches.

Three Down

Ike Davis since going 3-5 in his first game back from Triple-A, is 2-20 in his last five starts. The jury remains out on him, and he, according to manager Terry Collins, is in a platoon with Josh Satin at first base until further notice.

Todd Frazier continues to slump and his 0-4 day on Saturday now gives him a .212/.287/.341 slash line in the past 30 days. The problem for Frazier is apparently that he can’t hit anything but fastballs. Ten of Frazier’s 15 doubles have come against the fastball, and all of his 10 HR have come against the fastball. He is hitting just .157 with a .191 slugging percentage against breaking balls.

Mark Trumbo is just 3-25 in his last seven games. His batting average is down to .244, which is exactly where it should be, given his strikeout rate. Trumbo is hitting .282 with a .526 slugging percentage against fastballs, .214 with a .381 slugging against breaking balls, and .146 with a .317 slugging percentage against off-speed pitches. It’s been even worse for Trumbo since the beginning of June, with a .091 batting average against the changeup and an .095 batting average against the slider.

Stream-Em:

The only pitcher I feel comfortable starting that is owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN.com leagues is White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana who is facing the Philadelphia Phillies. Quintana has 18 strikeouts in his last 15 innings (two starts). He has allowed eight hits and only three earned runs in that span. He has a 3.19 ERA and 1.03 WHIP as well in his last 30 days.

Leave-Em:

Dillon Gee is extremely inconsistent and cannot be trusted. Rangers starter Martin Perez is facing the Tigers, and Kyle Gibson is unproven and facing the Yankees. The Yankees may be a paper tiger offense at this point, but Gibson has shown nothing to warrant any optimism from me. He has ten strikeouts against five walks in 17.1 innings this year.