With another HR in yesterday's slaughter of the NY Yankees, Jack Cust now has 14 dingers this season and is averaging a HR/AB of 11.1. He hit 3 HR last fantasy week and is posting a 1.026 OPS since joining the A's in May. He's worth the roster spot as long as he keeps hitting the long-ball. He will go through long slumps throughout the season, but riding hot streaks could prove to be fruitful to any fantasy team. Let's not forget that he went from May 20th to June 16th without a HR. That's 24 straight games with no power. Makes his 14 HR even more impressive and further proves just how streaky Cust can be.
Do you play in the kind of league that has added and dropped Jeremy Guthrie about a thousand times this season? Or do you have that one owner who has held onto Guthrie from that one spot-start gamble back in April and has since enjoyed the tremendous effort by the Orioles' rookie? I have seen both situations and CBS Sportsline is currently showing Guthrie's ownership percentage at 75%. It wasn't an official quality start on Sunday, but Guthrie still lasted to the 8th inning and struck out 7 while not allowing a walk to the Angels. He was handed the loss in his 4 ER performance, bringing his record to 4-2, but it was his first non-QS since April. Its tough to argue with a 2.63 ERA and 0.89 WHIP - he's quietly putting together a great rookie season.
Jeremy Bonderman simply dominated the Twins last night, pitching 8.0 IP with 7 K's, 1 BB, and 6 hits. That great line helped him earn his 9th win of the season. Another solid season for Bonderman in 2007. He continues to improve from last season with a lower ERA, lower WHIP, and improved BAA. A closer look at his last 3 years shows a steady progression of improvement. From 2005, his ERA has dropped from 4.57 to 4.08 to 3.58. His WHIP trend? Same direction - 1.35, 1.30, and 1.18. BAA? You got it - .271, .259, .247. You get the idea. Strikeouts have held steady at K/9 over 8.0 for the last two years and throwing in pitcher-friendly Comerica Park is always an added bonus.
Make sure to keep Coco Crisp on your bench this week. He's expected to miss at least 3 days (maybe more) with a thumb injury. Wily Mo Pena will be the go-to guy in CF in Crisp's place. Crisp has had a solid June and has brought himself back to a decent fantasy value level. He hit .330 last month with 3 HR, 14 runs scored, and 5 SB in 8 attempts. He still hasn't performed to the level the Red Sox had hoped, posting a 0.58 FPI last year and 0.56 this year compared to his 0.67 with Cleveland in 2005.
Jeff Weaver has been a completely different pitcher since coming of the DL. In four outings, Weaver's ERA is 1.87, WHIP if 1.15, and he has three quality starts. He started the month with a 14.32 ERA and it has since dropped to 6.75. He didn't factor into the decision on Sunday, but he lasted 8.0 IP and only allowed 1 ER. I'm not touching the situation. Despite a recent hot-streak, I think we've all seen the real Jeff Weaver multiple times over the past few years. I'm letting someone else take this risk.
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