Roy Oswalt- TEX- Cold- It wasn't just the number of hits that Oswalt gave up last night, it was how he gave them up that was disconcerting. He wasn't having problems finding the strike zone. Oswalt threw 74 of his 107 pitches for strikes. He only threw 4 balls in the 23 pitches he made in the first 2 innings. If anything, Oswalt got too much of the strike zone on a consistent basis. Of his 13 hits, 7 came when he was ahead in the count, including 3 with an 0-2 count and 2 with a 1-2 count. Oswalt struck out 6, but 5 of them were swinging Ks where the batter missed an off speed pitch. The only time he finished a batter with a fastball, it was watched. This may just have been a matter of Oswalt not being completely back in major league form. However, he is going to have to spot his pitches better to keep up his winning ways.
Casper Wells- SEA- Idea- Manager Eric Wedge credits Wells' .414 average since returning to the Mariners to some batting stance changes and mental adjustments Wells made in the 16 games he was at AAA Tacoma. A more likely factor is Lady Luck. Wells has a .550 BABIP since being recalled.
Tyler Robertson- MIN- Rookie- Robertson showed both his positives and negatives in his major league debut. He struck out 4 hitters in 1.2 IP but he also allowed 4 hits. Robertson closed at AA for the Twins last year, but doesn't project into that role at the major league level because, while he can pile up some strikeouts, he can get hit hard and often.
Jason Bourgeois- KC- Rise Value- Last year Bourgeois hit .396 against lefthanded pitching. He also stole 31 bases. Bourgeois was only hitting .205 at AAA before being called up yesterday but he had a .214 BABIP with Omaha. Yesterday Bourgeois was 1-for-2 with a walk before being pulled. As a platoon player, he can provide value if you have daily transactions and keep an eye on the Royals' opposing pitcher.
Adam Warren- NYY- Rookie- Warren will make his major league debut tomorrow. He has long ball issues. Last year he gave up 13 homers in 152.1 AAA IP and has given up 9 in 86.1 IP at AAA this season. This is an indication that his secondary pitches haven't advanced as far as they need to for success at the major league level.
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