AJ Burnett- NYA- Caution- On July 29th, we talked about how when Burnett throws a lot of pitches his next starts (he had thrown 114 on July 28th) aren’t so good. In his start after that he allowed 8 runs in 4.2 IP. Tuesday night he had recovered enough to post a quality start, allowing 3 runs to the Rangers on 6 hits and 2 walks in 7 IP. However, he needed 112 pitches to do that. Burnett has a big red flag up the next time he takes the mound.
Alexi Ogando- TEX- Rookie- Ogando’s second appearance in as many days against the Yankees wasn’t as successful as the first, but it still showed off one of his prime assets. He faced two batters. The first slapped a base hit that scored the go ahead run but the second struck out. Ogando shows some similarities with closer Neftali Feliz in that he is a very hard thrower with solid off speed stuff. In his 22 appearances covering 24 IP this season he is posting a 1.13 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. If Feliz falters or is injured, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Ogando would get a shot at closer. More likely is Ogando moving up to the 8th inning role.
Kevin Millwood- BAL- FYI- Millwood takes the mound tonight coming off his first quality start since June 19th. Perhaps we are seeing the start of regression to the mean. Like 2008, when he posted an ERA of 5.07, Millwood’s main problems can be seen in his BABIP, which is currently at .343. His strikeout ratio (6.60) and walk ratio (3.02) are better than in 2009, when he ended up with a 3.67 ERA. With Buck Showalter injecting some life into the Orioles, even wins aren’t out of the question. Millwood could be a good grab if he is out there on your waiver wire and can use a starter.
Jeanmar Gomez- CLE- Rookie- After an impressive major league debut, Gomez has tailed off, failing to get out of the 6th inning in either of his next 2 starts. He has an ERA of 1.56 but that is a product of 2 of his 5 runs allowed bring unearned. Gomez isn’t a prime prospect despite that gaudy number.
Mark Ellis- OAK- Hot- Ellis went 3-for-4 yesterday and added 30% to his season total of doubles, as all of his hits were 2-baggers. Many times, doubles are an indication of power, but in Ellis’ case, there isn’t much hope of that. If he maintains his GB% of 44.3% and FB% of 36.2% they will be the second highest and lowest, respectively, of Ellis’ career.
