It wasn't tendinitis complications in his left knee that knocked Carlos Gonzalez from Thursday's game in the fourth-inning; it was a left index finger contusion. The severity of the injury is unknown, but it is assumed to be a day-to-day situation.
The good news is Gonzalez blasted his sixth round tripper of the season in the first inning of the game. The Rockies outfielder is among the league's best hitters but Gonzalez has also missed significant time in each of the past three seasons. With lingering knee issues and now a potential finger ailment the assumed injury risk associated with Gonzalez is coming to fruition.
Fantasy owners will want to monitor the situation closely and not rush Gonzalez into fantasy lineups. A DL stint to get fully healthy might potentially be the best-case scenario opposed to playing through multiple injuries.
Entering last night's game Homer Bailey's ERA notched above six and his HR/9 was a lofty 2.39. The plus $100 million man's two most important statistics for fake baseball fans through five starts though were his 9.91 K/9 and unsustainably high .416 BABIP.
Bailey went eight innings Thursday, allowing three earned runs via eight hits and a single free pass. It was the deepest Bailey has pitched into a game this season and he registered the win.
Bailey missed considerable time in spring training with a groin strain, which is more than likely the reason for his early season struggles. Bailey has posted back-to-back strong seasons and owners should be patient, if he is available in a buy low situation target the Reds' hurler.
Ervin Santana's transition to the National League has been impressive. To start the season Santana's K/9 and BB/9 are at a career best pace, which lead to two fantasy baseball adages: beware of small sample sizes and NL pitchers have it a little easier.
Last night, Santana had his first hiccup of the season, if you can even call it such. The Marlins scored three earned runs on five hits and three walks, while Santana fanned five and lasted just six innings without factoring in the game's decision.
Ervin Santana is an excellent sell-high candidate. He is a solid pitcher, but his stock might never be this high again. He was a late-round pick in most leagues, so there is huge profit potential here.
Dan Haren won his fourth game of the season yesterday afternoon in Minnesota. Haren gave up three earned runs on six hits, while fanning seven. So is it time for fantasy owners to embrace Dan Haren as a reliable fantasy arm again?
2012 was disappointing and 2013 didn't start well, but since midseason 2013 the numbers have been solid. Through his first six starts in 2014, Haren looks like the fantasy hurler we remember from 2006-2011 and best of all the strikeouts are back. The two strongest indicators concerning Haren are his improved GB% and BB/9 and while both are due to regress, Haren's struggles look to be a thing of the past.
Start Haren without question and expect his lineup to give him plenty of opportunities to win.
Juan Uribe kept his solid start to the season going in Thursday's first game with four hits, two runs and two RBIs and added another RBI in the Dodgers' second game. The 35-year-old veteran has been a solid fantasy contributor in the past, albeit awhile ago, but he is getting full-time at bats this season and producing.
Uribe shouldn't be mistaken for a must-start fake option, but in deeper leagues you could do a lot worse while he is hitting well. To date, Uribe has four homeruns, 11 runs and 14 RBIs and hitting .327.
Don't expect Uribe to hit .300 this season and his uninspiring 0.09 BB:K rate is a major concern in OBP formats. However, Uribe has some pop and doesn't have any outlandish outliers statistically, beyond his BABIP, which has inflated his batting average as mentioned. While Uribe's wOBA and ISO are slightly above average, they align with his solid start to the season. Uribe is worth a roster spot until he proves otherwise.
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