Roy Halladay (SP--Phillies) In what amounted to baseball's version of Clash of the Titans, Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson locked horns in a battle that saw arguably the two best pitchers in the N.L. match up. With Johnson getting nicked for a run, he left the game with a no-decision. However, Halladay stuck around an inning too long, because after all the guy seems to throw a complete game every time he pitches, and got touched up for an unearned run off of a Chris Coghlan single that scored Omar Infante. It was Halladay's second loss of the season. But what can you say about this guy? Even in defeat he pitches masterfully allowing just one earned run over eight innings of work, with five hits, two walks and striking out nine. It's silly to say that he's a must-start because, honestly, even on a bad day like Tuesday, he still pitches better than most pitchers will ever pitch on their best day. So he exits the game with a still stellar 2.05 ERA on the year and better than a strikeout an inning. Yeah, he came up on the short end of the stick against Johnson, but chances are, even in defeat he probably helped your fantasy team.
David Wright (3B--Mets) David Wright is certainly one to never make excuses. He practically has to be handcuffed to the sink in the locker room to take a day off. This is what is expected to happen on Wednesday for Wright with a day off on Thursday. Why all the rest and relaxation? Well, it seems that there is a rumor going around (probably vehemently denied by Wright) that he has been battling a hurt back stemming from a play back around the middle of April when Houston was visiting Citi Field. Since that time Wright has been inconsistent with the bat hitting just .229 spanning 70 AB's. On the plus side, during that time, he has hit three home runs and his OBP is a very solid .372. Wright is simple too good of a hitter to have this much inconsistency in his play so perhaps the time off will do him good and get him back on the right course. If there was a way to figure out why his strikeout rates keep going up (28.6%) then we'd really be in good shape. He's still an elite player but watch the back issues with Wright, but he will more than likely continue to play through any discomfort.
Ted Lilly(SP--Dodgers)Ted Lilly had a very efficient and effective outing on Tuesday lasting six inning and coming away with his third win on the year. He allowed two earned runs on four hits, one walk and struck out two. He threw a very high 97 pitches during those six innings but he threw 71 of those pitches for strikes. Lilly now has an ERA of 4.67. Lilly has always been a very good control pitcher, but his strikeout production is hovering around 5.87 per nine innings which is almost two down from his norm. Somewhat concerning is that Lilly's velocity has been a tick lower this year and as a result his contract rate is much higher than it has been in years past. I like Lilly's control, but he's been more hittable this year than in recent past. Lilly owners may want to consider selling Lilly high as he still has good value before the bottom drops out.
Andrew McCutchen (OF--Pirates) OK. Now we're talking. Andrew McCutchen 3-for-4 on Tuesday, belting his sixth and seventh home runs of the year. With the three hits, McCutchen is now batting .242 on the year and seems that he is finally getting going. He's hit in nine of his last eleven games, good for .326 over that period. What's more encouraging is that McCutchen has slugged four homers over that span. After a somewhat sluggish and erratic beginning to the season, it looks as though McCutchen is now bringing his A-game. Keep him active in all formats as he is a great source of power and speed.
Jerry Sands(OF--Dodgers) Jerry Sands got called up when both Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames were nursing injuries and he has been getting a rude awakening as to how tough the major-leagues can be hitting just .203 going into Tuesday's matchup. Sands was able to show power, speed and a very capable bat in Triple-A, but he has not been able to get those solid numbers to translate on the big-league level. On plus note, half of his hits have gone for extra bases but all have been doubles. With just two stolen bases, no home runs and a 25% strikeout rate, the Dodgers may opt to give Sands more time in the minors if he doesn't start to show some adapting to major-league pitching. Right now, Sands has more appeal in long-term keeper leagues than any permanent roster spot on your fantasy team.
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