Aaron Harang (SP--Padres) Coming off the DL, not having much in almost a month, Aaron Harang couldn't have asked for better start other than maybe to have walked away with a win instead of a n-decision. Harang left Saturday's game against the Dodgers with a no-hitter intact after throwing 94 pitches through six innings. Being the first game coming off the DL, manager Bud Black wasn't going to push Harang too far but it was a fine performance where he walked three batters and struck out six. Harang's ERA on the year is now 3.45 and fantasy owners have to be encouraged that he showed no issues with his foot injury. Harang had won his first four starts of the year and was playing way above his head. Since then he has settled down to earth but still has a very good 7-2 record. He's a serviceable option, certainly if he pitches like he did on Saturday. Look to use him when the matchups are right in N.L. leagues or deeper mixed leagues.
Ubaldo Jimenez (SP--Rockies) It was only his fourth win of the season, but Ubaldo Jimenez was dominant against the Nationals on Saturday going eight innings and allowing just one run. His control was evident from the start of the game as he walked just one batter and struck out eight. It was one of Jimenez's best games of the season as he lowered his ERA closer to 4.00 and now stands 4.14. He has been on a good streak of late and seems to have corrected his course. He hasn't given up more than three earned runs in a game since May 27th, spanning eight games in which he has only walked 11 batters in 53 innings and has an ERA of 2.56. In Saturday's victory is any indication of the direction that Jimenez is going in the second half, fantasy owners may won't to jump on a possible trade with a frustrated owner who had been expected different results overall from Jimenez for the season.
Brian McCann (C--Braves) Brian McCann hit his fifteenth home run of the year and went 1-for-5 on Saturday and is batting .312 on the season. The last couple of weeks McCann is batting .381 with a couple of home runs. He hasn't been driving in a lot of runs (5) during that span but there's no denying he has been consistently providing solid offensive output. This season McCann has reduced his strikeout rate (15.7%) compared to last year when it was over 20% and it's more in line with his career average. But with a poor line drive rate (17.4%) compared to his norm (20.3%) and a rather high BHIP at .330, I would suspect that McCann's high average is going to drop the second half. Expect continued solid power with a chance to hit thirty home runs on the year, but anticipate his hot hitting to cool down some after the break and see his average drop below .300. He's still one of the best catching options in the game and he has proven to be a solid fantasy play this season. Keep him active as he is putting together a very good offensive season.
Mat Latos (SP--Padres) Mat Latos got the short end of the stick in his last outing as he was outpitched by Chad Billingsley and took his tenth loss of the season. It was Latos' best and longest out since the end of the way as he pitched 7.1 innings and allowed one earned run on five hits, struck six and walked two. Latos is creeping his ERA back towards below 4.00 finally. So far this season, Latos fastball has been a tick down from previous years even though he is still averaging better than eight strikeouts per nine innings. His walks are a little higher than but his 69.1% LOB rate is particularly low and we should see less runs being scored in the future. Combine that with a FIP of 3.43 means that Latos has actually pitched better than it would appear. Expect him to finish strong the second half but as always, San Diego will be watching his innings pitched ensuring that they tap him out.
Carlos Beltran (OF--Mets) Quiz time: If you had to make a guess at the start of the season, which of these Mets players will have played the most games by the All-Star break? A) Jose Reyes B) David Wright C) Ike Davis D)Carlos Beltran. Chances are you would have probably ranked Carlos Beltran the last of the four players mentioned above as the guy with the most games played for the Mets, but it's true. He has played in 87 games going into Saturday out of the 89 games the Mets have played. This was a guy who barely had any playing time in the field the entire spring training. This was a guy who was supposed to be rested a day game after a night game. This was a guy who was supposed to take time off just preserve the pressure on his knees. Well, probably the smartest move the Mets did all season was to move Beltran to right field where there is significantly less ground to cover than in his natural position of center. He has responded with a comeback-of-the-year worthy season. He's batting a solid .288 on the season with 13 homers and 58 RBI. He's even managed to collect three stolen bases even though no one should be expected him to run the way he once did. He has a solid .509 SLG and an ISO at .219 and an overall weight on-base average of .383. Not too shabby. Oh, and by the way, he made the All-Star team. Chances are he will be changing times before the end of this month (Boston?),but he has been a strong fantasy pickup and those who had written him off are probably kicking themselves.
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