Howie Kendrick (OF-LAD) - Lots of guys had good games Tuesday in Philadelphia as the Dodgers tallied 15 runs, but Kendrick's 4-for-5 effort is worth noting. Kendrick fell a double short of the cycle while driving in three and scoring twice on the day to raise his slash to a respectable .283/.341/.421. In his last six games, Kendrick has raise his BA 21 points and he has a respectable eight homers and eight stolen bases. He hit in the eight spot Tuesday, so perhaps his recent efforts will get him moved up. With Andre Ethier and Trayce Thompson hurt and Yasiel Puig on the DL, Kendrick should play most days in left field going forward.
Vincent Velasquez (SP-PHI) - Velasquez is going to be a very good pitcher one day assuming he continues to learn how to pitch and develop his secondary stuff. The good news about his start Tuesday against the Dodgers is the 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings. The bad news: five runs and three home runs to push his ERA to 4.14. This means that in his last two starts, Velasquez has surrendered six home runs in 10.1 innings while striking out 16. I'm all over guys that miss bats and allow a lot of runs, as that represents a buying opportunity. Maybe Velasquez is headed down the Ubaldo Jimenez (gulp) career path, but then again, maybe he's going to be a top-10 starter. The range varies widely.
Dee Gordon (2B-MIA) - If you held on to Dee Gordon through his suspension or took advantage of someone else who did not, you are reaping the rewards. Derek Dietrich has faded, and Gordon is being Gordon. The World's most unlikely PED user had two more hits and a stolen base Tuesday and is now batting .296/.343/.365 with 14 steals in 38 games. To do the math, he's stealing at a rate of 60 bases per 162 games. His fantasy owners will take that. Gordon has homered once per 250 at-bats in his career and he's yet to go yard this year, but you're not using him for his muscle. He's hitting .353 so far this month and remains a must-start in all formats.
Jose Urena (SP-MIA) - Urena is getting first crack at replacing the injured Adam Conley in the Marlins' rotation, but it may be time for next man up. Urena allowed five runs in six innings Tuesday to a Reds team consisting of Joey Votto and a bunch of junk surrounding him. Ivan De Jesus Jr. hit sixth, a guy named Renda led off and is hitting .167, and "protecting" Votto in the cleanup spot was Eugenio Suarez. Urena has had a bright spot or two, but in his last two starts he's given up 13 runs in 10.1 innings as his ERA soars from 5.34 to 6.80. I'd give Joe Gunkel a look, as he has a 3.58 ERA and 73:16 K:BB in 118 innings for Triple-A New Orleans.
Edwin Jackson (SD-SP) - What a tease. I almost recommended Jackson to some folks recently, but stopped short saying that I wanted to see another start or two before buying in. Good for me for a change. Jackson was touched for eight runs on nine hits over four innings by the Rays on Tuesday while the man who relieved him, Carlos Villanueva, allowed seven more in his four innings. If you didn't have at least two hits for the Rays in this one, you are being evaluated for a Triple-A stint. Jackson had allowed three runs in 15 innings over his previous two starts, but this one took his ERA from 4.19 to 5.36. Gulp. Given his 30:22 K:BB in 47 innings is far from ideal, this was likely Jackson's final start as a Padre. Who knows where the Padres go from here - maybe Jeremy Guthrie and his 7.17 Triple-A ERA gets a look.
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