Dontrelle Willis (SP--Reds) Well, look who's coming back into town: The D-Train. Yes, the Reds confirmed on Friday that Dontrelle Willis will be making his 2011 debut on Sunday against Milwaukee. The Reds have a void to fill with Edison Volquez being demoted to Triple-A and Willis is the man to get the ball. Willis has been doing a solid job down in Louisville where he has made thirteen starts with a 5-2 record and a 2.63 ERA. He's been tagged for a fair amount of hits (71 hits in 75.1 innings) but has shown a nice K/BB ratio of 3.35. Of course, we have been down this road before with Willis as he seems to try to make comeback after comeback and they haven't really panned out. He's an interesting low-risk option to be sure and might be worth take a chance on. Watch to see how he does against Milwaukee this weekend and act accordingly from there.
Jordan Zimmermann (SP--Nationals) Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote a blurb praising Jordan Zimmermann and how he has really been a model of consistency. Yeah, he had a spotty last outing in which he allowed four earned runs which was the most he had allowed in a game since back in April. Not too shabby. But here's the kicker. The Nationals have Zimmermann on a very, very strict diet of strikes and balls. In other words, they have capped him at 160 inning limit this season indicating that his long-term health and TJ recovery is not about to be jeopardized for any reason. So this presents an interesting dilemma for fantasy owners as Zimmermann is already at 108.2 innings. He's got about 50 innings to spare which may be about 7-8 more starts. For those who are in keeper leagues, I certainly think that Zimmermann is worth holding onto. You probably got him for cheap and he has paid off nice dividends for you and probably will next year as well. But for those who are just playing for this year, may want to start fielding offers for Zimmermann as his time will be cut short and if you are making a playoff run, his removal could affect your playoff plans. Use in for now until about the end of the month. Once August hits, assuming he is still pitching quality baseball, you might want to shop him around. If he should falter before that, try to sell him before some of the shine wears off of him.
Jordan Lyles (SP--Astros) Still looking for his first major-league at 20, Jordan Lyles faced off against the Florida Marlins Friday and did little to change his luck. He managed to get through six innings but worked with runners on base every inning expect for his last where he finally had a 1-2-3 inning facing the bottom of the order. He wound up allowing five earned runs on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts. His ERA on the season bumped up to 4.60. He's got decent stuff that could ultimately get him labeled as a strikeout pitcher, but with a lack of experience, he has a lot of growing to do. He might be a more attractive option in long-term keeper leagues but even then there are better prospects that one might chose over Lyles. He's just not yet a viable option to consider for your staff as of now.
Jose Veras (RP--Pirates) Looking for relief options. Well, Jose Veras has done a commendable job in being the glue and getting the ball to Joel Hanrahan. Going in Friday, he had a 2.50 ERA through 39.2 innings and a 1.03 WHIP. He has allowed just 24 hits and has collected 18 holds and a save. He did stumble a little on Friday giving up an earned run in two-thirds of an innings but still has a nice 2.68 ERA. Smaller leagues will have little use for Veras but those who are in deeper leagues that honor holds could find Veras to be a useful addition.
Carlos Marmol (RP--Cubs) Carlos Marmol had been on a good roll since his disastrous appearance back on May 31st when he allowed six earned runs in a third of an inning. Since then he had powered through June and the first part of July with a minuscule 0.52 ERA through 17.1 innings and keeping batters bats in check with a .210 batting average. But Friday came and he had an outing that was reminiscent of the May 31st one. Marmol took his sixth blown save of the season allowing three runs in a third of an inning. It was a slip but it was bound to happen as he had been on a tear. Marmol continues to make his save chances a bit of a roller coaster ride but despite the misstep on Friday he has a credible ERA 2.63 and is on pace for 33 saves. Yes, he will make you sweat for the saves, but he does have nasty stuff and is still a must-start fantasy closer.
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