Cleveland Indians/Ubaldo Jimenez - In the big trade news of the evening, the Indians sent 4 minor leaguers to the Rockies in exchange for Ubaldo Jimenez. The trade is pending Jimenez's physical and should be finalized Sunday. The Rockies did pitch Jimenez for 1 inning Saturday and he definitely couldn't focus thanks to the trade rumors and ended up allowing 4 ER. After posting a 2.88 ERA in 2010, Jimenez's 4.20 mark entering Saturday's start is pretty disappointing. However, as I noted in a recent post, Jimenez's strikeout, walk and HR rates are all similar to last season's and his FIP is a solid 3.48. His BABIP has moved from .271 in 2010 to .309 while his strand rate has fallen from 76% to just 68%. These changes have caused the difference in ERA but, really, Jimenez has been pretty effective, especially in June and July where he's recorded ERAs of 2.45 and 3.77 prior to Saturday's start. If there's a reason to be concerned about Jimenez, it's due to the 3 mph drop in his fastball this season as he's throwing just 93 compared to 96 during the past 2 years. His fantasy value should remain about the same, even with leaving Coors, considering his career home/road ERA splits are 3.67/3.58. Jimenez should make his first start for the Tribe next week at Fenway.
Felipe Paulino - I won't boast about driving the Felipe Paulino bandwagon after he shut down the Indians bats on Saturday because I could probably shut down the Tribe at this point. Still, after pitching 6 shutout innings and allowing just 4 hits, 2 walks and 0 ER on Saturday, Paulino now owns a 3.51 ERA and 1.26 WHIP for the season. He's also posting an incredibly impressive 8.72 strikeout rate against just a 2.63 walk rate and entered yesterday's start with a 3.41 FIP. As I've mentioned, Paulino was unlucky last season, posting a 5.11 ERA in 2010 despite strong strikeout and HR rates and a 3.44 FIP. He's going to post a decent ERA and WHIP while also tallying a bunch of strikeouts which makes Paulino worth a roster spot in pretty much all league formats.
Doug Fister - With the lowest run support of any MLB starting pitcher, Doug Fister's 3-12 record doesn't reflect that he's actually been a decent pitcher this season. On Saturday, the Tigers traded for Fister who will move from pitcher-friendly Safeco to more neutral Comerica. For the season, Fister owns a 3.23 FIP and 3.33 ERA to go along with an excellent 2.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's been successful thanks to limiting the HRs and walks. Now that he's pitching in front of an improved lineup his value rises in leagues using wins as a category. I have 2 concerns around Fister - his innings and moving to a more run-friendly environment. Last season Fister threw a career-high 171 innings. This season, he's already at 146 meaning he should easily exceed a career-high in innings. It's hard to tell if he'll wear down, but definitely something to keep an eye on. I'm also a bit apprehensive about a pitcher who relies on contact moving away from a home park like Safeco. For his career, Fister owns a 3.42 home ERA and 4.40 away ERA so there's validity to my concern. I'd bench Fister in his Detroit debut this Wednesday versus the Rangers.
Philip Humber - Philip Humber owned a 2.69 ERA through his first 15 starts. In his past 3 starts -including Saturday's 4 ER in 4 2/3 innings performance versus the Red Sox - he's allowed 14 ER in just 13 2/3 innings to raise his season ERA and WHIP to 3.44 and 1.10, respectively. I don't think anyone thought Humber could maintain a sub-3.00 ERA for the whole season so this bump in the road shouldn't be surprising. However, don't expect Humber to suddenly turn into a pumpkin as much of his success is sustainable. He entered Saturday's outing with a 46% GB%, 0.64 HR/9 and 2.61 K/BB. Yes, he was enjoying a .250 BABIP but his FIP remained a solid 3.49. My biggest concern with Humber moving forward is his innings. He threw just 139 innings between the minors and majors in 2010 and he's already at 117 this season. The lack of strikeouts means Humber doesn't have a ton of value in 10-team leagues but he's worth a roster spot in deeper formats.
Brandon League - The Mariners' closer finally got another save opportunity on Saturday against the Rays and made it count by tossing a shutout inning. It marked his first save since Independence Day - which shows just how terrible the Mariners have been the past few weeks. Since allowing 10 ER in 4 outings during a 7-day stretch in May, League has allowed just 4 ER in his past 24 appearances. League has also yielded just 2 HRs in 40 innings while posting a 3.38 K/BB for the season. The problem with League isn't his skills, which are proving to be good enough to close, but rather the Mariners' ineptitude. As long as Seattle struggles, League's saves chances will be few and far between.
For daily fantasy baseball advice and information, follow me on Twitter.
