Randy Johnson
Johnson was scratched from his start on Sunday against the Dodgers due to a sore shoulder. Let Andre Ethier and company rejoice. From all the reports, the injury isn’t serious, with Johnson saying that he just needs a breather before the home stretch. We’ll have to take him at his word, but considering the importance of the game, the timing couldn’t be worse. Johnson was coming off a start in which he surrendered four homers to the Cardinals in less than four innings, so this isn’t a huge surprise. Prior to that, the Big Unit had a 1.82 ERA and 53:7 K:BB in his previous eight starts. That he’s been able to stay healthy enough to make 26 starts, strike out 156 in 156 innings, and maintain a K:BB in excess of 4:1 is more than anyone could have hoped for. Max Scherzer should be fun to watch as his replacement.
Max Scherzer
Scherzer will replace the ailing Randy Johnson (shoulder) on Sunday, but it’s likely to be a one-shot deal with Scherzer returning to the bullpen the following week. Scherzer has tossed three scoreless innings since being recalled from Triple-A, with all three against Sunday’s opponent, the Dodgers. Scherzer missed a month earlier in the year with his own shoulder problems. He’s had occasional lapses in command, but in 53 minor league innings, Scherzer has a 2.72 ERA, a .182 BAA, and a 13.4 K/9. It’s that strikeout potential that should have fantasy owners salivating, but don’t expect more than five or six innings on Sunday.
Blake DeWitt
It’s gone unnoticed from what I’ve seen, but Blake DeWitt looks like a completely different guy at the plate since being recalled in late-August. With the injury to Jeff Kent, DeWitt has taken over the starting second base job, a position that he’s only somewhat familiar with, but he’s quickly partnered with Angel Berroa into a solid DP tandem. At the plate, DeWitt looks more confident, knocking homers in back-to-back games against the Padres last week while walking in 9% of his PAs. I’m not sure the power will ever be there to be an above average third baseman, but at second, there’s enough juice in his bat to be a top-15 if not top-10 guy in a year or two. Worth remembering in the midst of a drop in his prospect status the past couple years is the fact that when DeWitt came out of high school, he was universally regarded as the best pure High School bat in the draft that also included Billy Butler and No. 1 overall pick and huge bust Matt Bush.
Todd Wellemeyer
An elbow injury and lack of a pre-2008 track record continues to leave me rather wary of Wellemeyer. Saturday though, Wellemeyer held the Marlins to three runs on five hits over eight solid innings, striking out seven and walking just one. It was the second consecutive quality start for Wellemeyer who lowered his ERA to 3.74 ERA on the day. Wellemeyer has been a little lucky on balls in play (.276 BABIP) and the HR/9 rate is a bit high at 1.1, but he’s certainly been a big asset this year. Wellemeyer entered the year with a 4.98 career ERA and 5.6 BB/9, but he’s improved his command and been one of the league’s bigger surprises. I’m pessimistic he can keep this up, but he’ll probably continue to be a minor success the rest of the way this year.
Felipe Lopez
Lopez was 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI on Saturday as the Cardinals’ left-fielder. Though he’s not yet a full-time player, there has been talk that Rick Ankiel could be shut down with his abdominal injury, with Lopez being the likely beneficiary of Ankiel’s misfortune. Lopez though doesn’t seem like much of an option, though he did hit .333 in 57 at-bats in August for the Cardinals. Of course that came with no home runs and you have to wonder whether the Cardinals would entrust a corner outfield position to a converted infielder with a .681 OPS, but with Ankiel ailing, there may not be any better options as Brian Barton is also injured. It’s hard to believe how quickly the 28 year-old Lopez has fallen. After all, just three years ago, Lopez as a shortstop hit .291/.352/.486 with 23 homers, 85 RBI, and 15 steals. A mere three years later, he’s tossed aside by the Nationals of all teams.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
