Eric O'Flaherty- SEA- Hot- Although he sounds like the subject of a Clancy Brothers ballad, O'Flaherty is a left handed reliever who has had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Last night he threw two pitches and ended up earning the victory to run his record to 7-0 on the season. It wasn't a record for him, though, as he got a win against San Diego in June after throwing just one pitch. O'Flaherty has a nice 3.25 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, but his usage pattern leaves him with little fantasy value. He is primarily a LOOGY (lefty one out guy) who is often either the first man out of the bullpen, one of the last called in for an extra inning appearance, or called on to toss a couple of innings in a blowout (no matter who is blowing out who). This means few changes at saves or holds (he has none and 2 respectively) but the stars have aligned to put him in the position to pick up a relatively high number of wins. With his small number of innings (36 since being called up in late April) it's not worth the roster spot to hope he keeps increasing his win total.
Adam Jones- SEA- Rookie- Jones will be joining the Mariners tomorrow, when Jason Ellison will be sent down. Jones has a .309 average for AAA Tacoma, with 24 homers and 82 RBI. His Batting EYE of .33 is very close to the .35 he posted last year at AAA, before being tabbed by Baseball America as the #1 prospect in the Seattle organization. It will be interesting to see just how much Jones has progressed this season, as his swing is still large (106 Ks in 417 at bats) and he is actually striking out at a higher rate than last season (78 Ks in 380 ABs). Jones had a brief callup to the majors in 2006 and his lack of control of the strike zone was exposed in his 74 ABs (2 BBs and 22 Ks). Jones just turned 22 yesterday, so he may still be raw. Let's hope that the Mariners have not rushed him too quickly. His raw talent deserves some attention, especially in keeper leagues. Whether Jones has developed it into a useful skill set yet is the big question. He will be getting some playing time, likely at the expense of Raul Ibanez in LF, so we should soon see.
Minnesota Twins- MIN- FYI- When the I-35W bridge near the Metrodome collapsed yesterday about an hour before game time, the Twins were prepared to call off the game. The Minnesota Deaprtment of Transportation told them to go ahead. The DOT didn't want 25,000 fans turned loose into the area, clogging up rescue efforts. So the game went on. This afternoon's game against the Royals has been postponed, though, and games this weekend against the Indians may or may not be played. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the tragedy.
Reggie Sanders- KC- Old Player- The 39-year-old Sanders may be done. Although his latest hamstring tear has an official prognosis of 4-6 weeks of time off, Sanders is reported to be seriously considering retirement. Even if he does return to the Royals, his fantasy value will be practically nil at that point, so it is time to remember him for the years when he was productive and move on.
Curt Schilling- BOS- Inj Update- Schilling's start on Sunday is one to ignore the usual cautions about a pitcher making his first appearance off the DL. He looks ready after allowing no runs in his 15 innings of AAA rehab. In addition, Schilling recorded 18 Ks, allowed no walks and his fastball was clocked in the low- to mid-90s range. It may be overly optimistic and he may still struggle, but this looks like a case where the potential reward is worth the risk.
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