Now, Texas boasts an impressive stable of arms to complement the ridiculous offense. The depth in the rotation and the bullpen makes these Rangers even scarier than the team that made the World Series the last two years.

Phenomenal Pitching

The trend for the majority of the night was amazing pitching performances. Aside from the aforementioned Roy Oswalt return, there was also a little known SP in Baltimore named Jason Hammel. Opposite of him was another amazing arm in Washington’s Jordan Zimmerman. While Zimmerman pitched well, the story of the game was Hammel; who could very well be a starter in the All-Star Game. Hammel’s final line of the night against a light-hitting Nationals team: 8 IPs, 0 runs (1 unearned), 10 Ks, lowering his ERA to 2.61.

Speaking of another unheralded pitcher, it must be noted that A.J. Burnett continued his run of quality starts. Burnett completed six innings of scoreless ball to lower his ERA to 3.24. With another win, his eighth, the comeback in Pittsburgh is more than official. Too bad it’s too late to buy on him without giving up a pretty penny.

The duel of the night was the duo of Zack Greinke and Chris Sale. A CG from Greinke and 8 scoreless frames from Sale made this the pitching matchup of Friday. Greinke is having his best season since his CY year and Sale is proving that he belongs on the AL All-Star roster. Sale’s easily the steal in any draft for pitching – regardless of draft position or ADP.

And, in the “Cliff Lee Win Watch,” weather delayed another shot for the unfortunate ace to get his first win of the year.

Notable Returns

Continuing the trend of pitching, there were a couple big-name SPs making an encouraging return to form. “The Freak” was in vintage form and handled his business in the “battle of the bay.” While, it should be customary to expect an ace to handle the anemic offense of the Athletics, this start was do-or-die for Tim Lincecum and he showed some encouraging signs. The time to buy-low may be ending if he strings together another QS. His opponent, SP Jarrod Parker wasn’t too shabby himself (6 IP, 1 ER).

One other SP brought back flashbacks: Braves SP Jair Jurrjens. He turned in his best start of the year, minors or majors, with 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 4 Ks. His opponent for the night, Boston SP Jon Lester, is in the midst of the best stretch of his season. Trick an owner that his overall ERA is too high for an “ace” and steal one of the best arms in the AL.

The Yankees get “Chicken Danced”

Frank Francisco backed his words… for now. The “Bombers” made it interesting in the ninth, with two men on base and the dangerous Curtis Granderson up against RP Frank Francisco, but the chickens of New York couldn’t pull through. As for fantasy look-outs, Mets 1B Ike Davis is showing signs of life. Although last night’s HR was an assist from OF Nick Swisher, Davis is sporting an .829 OPS in June. The Subway series will be interesting.

Freeway Series Part Two

The other same city series started Friday. Angels’ SP Dan Haren looked awful in his start against the “B-team” of the Dodgers. Once again, SP Chad Billingsley proved to owners that he is too volatile to own in anything other than a 12+ person league with another version of his famous Jekyll and Hyde act. Angels’ closer Ernesto Frieri continues to establish himself as a top tier stopper. 20.2 innings of no-run ball is incredible.

Cleveland Rocks

The division leading Cleveland Indians continue to win in consistent fashion. Last night’s win was orchestrated by none other than SP Ubaldo Jimenez. Is it time to get him? It’s tempting to say “yes,” but I can’t consciously recommend a buy for one of the most frustrating pitchers in the fantasy, and real-life, game. SS Asdrubal Cabrera continues to hit, bringing his average to .301. He’s one of the lone bright spots for SS this year. No one in Houston is good. Maybe RP Brett Myers, but who knows how long he’ll be an Astro. I don’t believe 2B Jose Altuve can continue his season, at all. Sell-high unless you have no other option at second.

Is the Heat on Miami?

First, the good: Toronto 3B/OF Jose Bautista hit another “Bautista Bomb” as Harold Reynolds would say. That’s now 11 HRs in the month. 3B Brett Lawrie continues to hit and get on base – the power is coming.
Now, the bad: Another loss by Miami puts them at 2-14 in their last 16 games. During this stretch, the Marlins overall team average: .203. And did RP Heath Bell infect staff ace, Anibal Sanchez? He’s been terrible in the month of June, pitching to an 8.06 ERA. Sanchez isn’t this bad; things will turn-around for him.

Matchup of the day:

Baltimore vs. Washington

This is an intriguing matchup between two young playoff contending teams. The Orioles will start their Taiwanese import, SP Wei-Yin Chen against the Nationals SP Edwin Jackson in a battle of surprising bargain arms. The real storyline is whether or not either offense can snap out of their respective anemic streaks. A spotlight on Baltimore 3B Chris Davis and OF Adam Jones, the former is 0 for his last 25 ABs and Jones is without an RBI in the last nine games.

Written by Tim Lee exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Tim on Twitter at @SHBL_Tim.