Scott Kazmir- TB- Caution- So maybe I'm a day late and maybe I'm a voice cryinhg in the wilderness, but once again it looks like mismanagement of Scott Kazmir is leading him closer to the day when he will blow out his arm. On Tuesday night, for the fifth consecutive start, he threw more than 110 pitches. This is not something to do with a 23-year-old arm. Kazmir managed to get credit for a quality start, as he lasted exactly 6 IP and one of the 4 runs he gave up (on 6 hits and 3 walks) was unearned. His strikeout numbers have been OK, but it seems like they are a result of lots of foul balls and a certain percentage of the batters he faces finally missing a third strike. This workload is not healthy and it's not like he's shown himself to be the exception (like Livan Harnandez) who can handle it without showing effects. I am more convinced than ever that it's a matter of when, not if, Kazmir is going down.
Manny Delcarmen- BOS- Idea- If your league counts holds, Delcarmen could be a nice addition for you. His role in the Red Sox bullpen seems to be increasing and, while he is not going to challenge Jonathan Papelbon for closer, he could become a key setup man. Last night Delcarmen came on in relief in the 7th inning with 2 outs and the tying run at the plate. He struck out Johnny Gomes to kill the Tampa Bay rally, then pitched a scoreless 8th to bridge the gap to Papelbon. This kind of a role on a first place team could yield a decent amount of holds. Delcarmen already has 4 in 8 appearances this season.
Josh Fields- CHA- Hot- Fields has had ups and downs since replacing the injured Joe Crede and currently he is in one of the ups. In the four games played in July, Fields in 6-for-15 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 5 runs scored. He has boosted his season batting average from .218 to .247. A horrendous Batting EYE of .19 impacted Fields' average last month after his promotion, but he seems to be getting it turned around, walking twice and striking out 3 times so far in July. Holding down the K rate will be a key to how much Fields will produce for the rest of 2007.
Derek Jeter- NYA- Hot- Jeter has gone 8-for-18 in his last 4 games and has doubles in each of his last 2. He had failed to record an extra base hit in his 8 previous games. Jeter's power has gone AWOL, as he hasn't hit a homer since June 16th and only has 5 for the season. His batting average has been fine, but he keeps smacking the ball on the ground, as he owns the second worst GB% among AL shortstops. Last year Jeter maintained his batting average but added a healthy 35 points of slugging and also hit 9 homers in the second half after having 5 homers before the All Star break. He and his fantasy owners are hoping for a carbon copy (remember those?) of 2006.
Marlon Byrd- TEX- Hot- Byrd added another 14 points to his batting average, going 3-for-3 to get up to .383. With a .36 Batting EYE and a whopping .398 BHIP midnight is going to arrive for this Cinderella, it's just a matter of when. The difference with the fairy tale is that Byrd's numbers are probably going to start looking like the ugly stepsister at some point.
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