Cody Ross- ARI- Hot- Ross went 2-for-4 to give him a .333 average in 4 games since coming off the DL. In this micro sample size he has a .444 BABIP and hasn't walked yet, so don't get all excited that he will greatly exceed his projected .262 average.
B. J. Upton- ATL- Cold- After his 9th game without a hit in 13 played this season, Upton's average is down to .140. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him, though, that better luck won't fix. Upton's BABIP of .176 is dragging him down. After some initial selectivity issues he has walked 5 times and struck out 6 times in his last 9 games. If anyone is getting antsy waiting for B. J. to catch up with his brother this could be a buy low opportunity.
Andrew McCutchen- PIT- Stats- McCutchen has not been as dominant at the plate so far as he was last year, with a .275 average and 2 homers in 14 games but it's far from time to resign him to a mediocre season. His ISO of ,216 compares favorably to last year's .226, McCutchen's Batting EYE of .50 is just slightly off last year's .53. His HR/FB of 14.2% is down from 19.4% but he has 5 doubles already this season so his power hasn't evaporated. McCutchen has already stolen 5 bases so he could greatly exceed his projected 22. Some regression in average was expected after a .375 BABIP in 2012, but he looks on track to be around the .300 mark and give another valuable season before it's all over. The fundamentals are still there.
Ted Lilly- LAN- Rise Value- With Zack Greinke and Chris Capuano suffering injuries, all of a sudden the Dodgers don't have a glut of starters any more. So, Lilly's rehab assignment will end once Capuano's turn comes up in the rotation again next week. He hasn't performed well in rehab, allowing 24 hits and 2 walks in 17 IP, but he has struck out a total of 15 AA and AAA batters. His time in the LA rotation will probably be an audition for a new team that will trade for him once the Dodgers' rotation gets healthy.
Matt Cain- SF- Stats- Cain is looking for his first victory of the year and he has a good chance of getting it today against the Brewers. He has a 5.94 ERA but an FIP of 3.80. Cain's second start, in which he gave up 9 runs in 3.2 IP, is what is driving his poor numbers. Outside of that he has allowed 2 runs on 11 hits and 3 walks while striking out 14 in 13 IP. Cain had some control issues in his first two starts, throwing 65 balls in his 159 pitches. He was closer to his usual self in his last start against the Cubs, throwing 72 of 113 pitches for strikes. That second start is skewing his numbers and he should be back to normal.
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