Summary:
Ryan Franklin has blown 80% of his save chances, so expect a change to Mitch Boggs or (less likely) Jason Motte. … Speaking of closers, Jonathan Broxton has five saves, but his 1.58 WHIP indicates it’s been a struggle. … Dramatic walk-off HR from Matt Kemp Sunday, who is an early MVP candidate and fantasy baseball’s most valuable commodity (right now). … In Pittsburgh, Jose Tabata homered for the third time and is looking like a breakout player, while in Washington, Danny Espinosa already has 14 RBI in 15 games. … Drew Storen could be inching towards the Washington closer job after two solid innings and his first save on Sunday while in Houston, Mark Melancon is an intriguing sleeper after the Wilton Lopez elbow injury. … Jerry Sands is a prospect to watch in LA considering the trouble the big club is having plating runners. … Tommy Hanson and Madison Bumgarner have disappointed, but there are reasons for optimism with both guy – nine K’s from Hanson Sunday and 92-94 mph heat from Bumgarner. … In Colorado, Seth Smith is mashing, but is now day-to-day with a groin injury – Ryan Spilborghs would benefit from his absence. Mike Morse is NOT mashing for Washington, but patience is advised.
Ryan Franklin (RP-STL) – Franklin blew his fourth save of the season on Sunday, giving up a two-run walk-off homer to LA’s Matt Kemp. To be fair, Kemp is going this against all comers these days, but this should be the last straw for Franklin and his 11.57 ERA. Lefty Trevor Miller opened the ninth and promptly gave up a double to Andre Ethier before Franklin got the call. Look for Mitch Boggs (2.00 ERA, 12:3 K:BB in nine innings) to get the call over Jason Motte (2.57 ERA, but 3:4 K:BB in seven innings). Eduardo Sanchez is another possibility once he gets a bit more experience under his belt. Franklin has always lived on the edge with a mediocre strikeout rate, so this isn’t a huge surprise to see him struggle and (likely) lose his closer job.
Dillon Gee (SP-NYM) – Gee had a nice outing Sunday, holding the Braves to one run over 5.2 innings to earn the win. Gee is subbing for Chris Young (biceps) and he should be in line for at least one more start. If he can impress again, the Mets will look to him again later this year. Gee doesn’t have a ton of upside, but for Triple-A Buffalo last year, he did post a 9.2 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. Keep him in mind in NL-only leagues if you need spot starts.
Matt Kemp (OF-LAD) – Kemp did it again Sunday, blasting a two-run walk-off homer against Ryan Franklin. Kemp had two hits and yet another stolen base and is now batting .474 with 12 RBI, three homers, and eight stolen bases. Kemp is bound to cool off at some point, but he’s looking like a legitimate threat for 25-30 homers and 50 stolen bases with a .300 average. That looks like fantasy’s best player. Kemp is under team control through 2012 and the Dodgers are going to face a ton of pressure this winter to lock him up long term.
Jose Tabata (OF-PIT) – Tabata blasted his third homer of the season Sunday, continuing his surprising start. He’s batting an impressive .310/.420/.517 with eight stolen bases. Almost Kemp-like here. Tabata has always had talent, but conventional wisdom had Tabata maturing in a year or two, not in 2011. Sure, there will be struggles along the way, but 15 homers and 30 stolen bases with a .280 average looks to be his floor right now. Depending on where you drafted him, Tabata has likely been one of the early-season fantasy bargains.
Anibal Sanchez (SP-FLA) – A struggling Sanchez held things together pretty well Sunday against the Phillies, allowing two runs on six hits over six solid innings. He struck out eight while walking four. Sanchez’s ERA now sits at 5.51 and his WHIP at 2.02. Sanchez sports a solid 9.4 K/9 on the year, but he’s also allowed a whopping 26 hits in 16.1 innings. Expect improvement, but expecting the Sanchez who once threw a no-hitter to return is unadvised. It’s not often that guys who tear their labrums (as Sanchez did) return anywhere near their previous self, so we have to consider his return the last couple years to be at least a minor success story.
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