Anibal Sanchez (SP - DET) - Sanchez was lit up for the third time in four starts as a Tiger, as the Twins pounded him for five runs on 12 hits (one home run) in five innings. He has had to face the Blue Jays in the Rogers Centre, the Indians, the Yankees and an underrated Twins lineup, but that's life in the AL and he hasn't just been mediocre - he's been awful. Although Detroit's hideous defense certainly hasn't done him any favors, he hasn't helped himself either with eight walks and five home runs in 20 innings. He should be stapled to the bench until he proves otherwise and may be skipped next turn as the Tigers have off days Thursday and Monday.
Nick Swisher (OF - NYY) - Swisher went 2-4 with his 15th home run and is now hitting .264/.346/.463. His strikeout the zone and made less contact, but he has made up for it by hitting line drives on 23.2% of his balls in play coming into the night, a career high. Unfortunately for his owners, his power production has remained down from 2009-10, as his fly ball rate is down around six percent from that time. He's been much better this year against right-handed pitching and, oddly, outside Yankee Stadium.
Andrew Bailey (RP - BOS) - Bailey will be activated from the DL tomorrow, although Alfredo Aceves will remain Boston's closer. The big right-hander is prone to missing time as he's missed all of this year and chunks of the past two, but he's an excellent option when he's healthy. He does give up a lot of fly balls, but Fenway Park is less damaging to righties who do that because of the big right field. He's worth a flier for strikeouts and the potential for save opportunities down the road as Aceves has not been great.
Jake Peavy (SP - CHW) - Peavy was excellent in Toronto, going eight innings and allowing just two runs on five hits (one home run) while striking out six against two walks. The outing should be taken into context as the Blue Jays were missing Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus and Brett Lawrie, but it shouldn't take away from how good Peavy has been. He was a strong candidate for positive regression after a 4.92 ERA and 3.25 FIP, and that's exactly what has happened as his FIP has remained stable while his ERA has dropped almost two runs. His workload needs to be monitored as he's on pace to throw his most innings since 2007, but he's a strong option in most matchups including his next one in Kansas City Saturday.
Ben Zobrist (2B, SS, OF - TB) - Zobrist had three hits and a double to raise his line to .261/.376/.449. Owners who waited out his BABIP-related poor start are being rewarded, as he's hit .313/.416/.513 coming into the night since June 8. He also started at shortstop last night which will happen more often going forward, giving him eligibility there. The combination of his outstanding plate discipline (15.3 BB%) and line drive rate (22.3%) make him one of fantasy's best shortstops.
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