I was all set to run off a 500-word diatribe about the situation in Florida to open this piece.
No, I wasn’t going to revisit the NBA Finals and take a parting shot at LeBron James’ fourth quarter effort. Rather, I wanted to address this lost season for what many believed to be a “sleeper” team. The Marlins have lost 17 of their past 18 games, prompting Edwin Rodriguez to step down.
Hanley Ramirez struggled before getting hurt. Josh Johnson received zero support and had pitched brilliantly before his injury. I wish that Logan Morrison (@LoMoMarlins) could take to Twitter and tell us how he truly feels about the situation.
That story was trumped this morning when Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported that Albert Pujols would be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks after sustaining a wrist injury in a collision with Wilson Betemit. Rosenthal reports that X-rays revealed a fracture in his wrist. The Cardinals confirmed the report early this afternoon.
Following a slow start to the season, Pujols had finally turned things around and had started to play up to his reported contract demands. Lance Berkman likely slides into the first base slot in his absence with Jon Jay taking up residence in left field (.313 with 12 extra-base hits, 14 RBI and five stolen bases).
The Pujols news also left fantasy owners woozy and scrambling to the waiver wire. Obviously, the four-category dominance from Pujols cannot be matched off of the wire, but perhaps some of the power can be replaced. Justin Smoak and Mark Trumbo (12 home runs each) lead the parade of possible replacements. Brett Wallace of the Astros provides decent gap power (18 doubles) and batting average support (.308).
How do you avoid watching the bullpen implode and waste your performance? You finish the job yourself. That’s precisely what Tampa Bay starter James Shields did for the fifth time this season in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Florida. Shields allowed one unearned run on four hits while striking out 10 batters against zero walks. He hurled his second consecutive complete game, allowed just that single unearned run on nine hits and three walks.
Look out. The Minnesota Twins are started to roll. Minnesota swept the weekend series against the Padres to extend their current winning streak to seven. All-Star catcher Joe Mauer returned to the squad over the weekend. He produced one hit in 11 at-bats with one RBI and a run scored in the weekend series.
Atlanta starter Jair Jurrjens earned his ninth win of the season with 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the Rangers on Sunday. Jurrjens scattered seven hits and two walks against four strikeouts in this shortened outing. His season ERA sits at a ridiculously low 2.11 and hearkens back to his fantastic 2009 season.
Can he stay healthy? That’s the question being asked about oft-injured Baltimore shortstop J.J. Hardy. Hardy has been limited to 42 games this season, but the former two-time 20-home run slugger has been productive when in the lineup. He’s driven in a run in five of his past six games, including two home runs. In the month of June, Hardy is batting a robust .369 (24-for-65) with five doubles, six home runs and 12 RBI. Hardy has ripped 19 extra-base hits in 157 at-bats overall.
Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana homered twice and drove in a total of four runs during the weekend series against the Pirates. Santana is still batting an anemic .228 for the season, but he has racked up a total of 22 extra-base hits in his 228 at-bats.
Detroit starter Justin Verlander is unstoppable right now. Verlander hurled his second consecutive complete game and won his fifth straight game on Sunday against Colorado. He allowed a single earned run on four hits and struck out five batters. During this five-game period, Verlander has pitched to an absurdly low 0.86 ERA to reduce his season ERA to 2.54.
Trevor Cahill of the A’s snapped his four-game funk with eight innings of one-run ball against the light-hitting Giants. Cahill scattered five hits and a walk while striking out seven batters to earn his seventh win.
Following a terrible start to the season (he was winless in his first 11 starts), John Danks has rattled off three consecutive victories. Danks allowed two runs, one earned, in seven innings against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. During his three-game winning streak, Danks has allowed three earned runs in 22 innings (1.22 ERA) with 17 strikeouts against three walks.
Teammate Philip Humber has been the steadying force in the Chicago White Sox rotation this season. Humber earned his fourth consecutive win by shutting down the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He allowed two earned runs in 7 2/3 innings on seven hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Humber has pitched to a nice, round 3.00 ERA in this four-game stretch. He owns a 2.90 ERA overall.
The Mariners called up second baseman Dustin Ackley for the weekend series against Philadelphia. The highly-touted prospect launched the first home run of his career on Saturday night. Ackley produced three hits (a single, home run and triple) in 11 at-bats during the series with one strikeout. He’ll help your team batting average while slapping doubles into the gap at Safeco.
CC Sabathia hasn’t been dominant, but the potent Yankees lineup frequently puts him in the win column. The New York workhorse won for the seventh time in his past nine starts with seven innings of four-run ball on Sunday against the Cubs. Sabathia has pitched to a 6.10 ERA in his past three starts to raise his season mark by over one-half of a run.
Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo was the latest pitcher to take his lumps against the Boston lineup on Sunday. Gallardo allowed eight runs, five earned, on nine hits, including two home runs. It was his second rough start in his past three turns. Gallardo dominated the Cubs on June 14, but struggled terribly against the Mets in his previous turn. During this three-game period, Gallardo’s ERA rose over one-third of a run to 4.11. That advantageous stretch against the Padres, Nationals, Giants and Marlins went quickly to the wayside.
Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder is looking to break the bank. Fielder slammed his 20th home run of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Red Sox. The 27-year-old slugger has already ripped 39 extra-base hits with 61 RBI while sporting a .301 batting average.
Fantasy Infirmary
Pujols’ injury is getting all of the attention, but he certainly wasn’t the only player to fall victim to injury this week.
The Red Sox were hit particularly hard, with starting pitcher Clay Buchholz (strained back), infielder Jed Lowrie (shoulder) and outfielder Carl Crawford (hamstring) all being placed on the disabled list this weekend. As with Pujols, fantasy owners had been anticipating a resurgence of Crawford’s bat and increased activity on the basepaths. Alas, this injury sidelines him.
Outfielder Nate McLouth returned to the Braves after missing time because of a strained left oblique. McLouth went 1-for-3 in his return against Texas. He’s batting .240 with three home runs, eight doubles and 11 RBI in 167 at-bats.
The Braves did lose a huge part of their rotation when Tommy Hanson was placed on the disabled list because of right shoulder tendinitis. An MRI conducted at the end of the week revealed no structural damage, but the 24-year-old right-hander was placed on the disabled list and scratched from last Friday’s start as a precaution.
As mentioned above, the Twins are starting to inch their way up the AL Central standings. They’re doing so without former MVP Justin Morneau, who is currently sidelined with a wrist injury. Morneau is sporting a cast and will have his wrist immobilized for the next week. The team is hoping that the immobilization will speed his recovery and get Morneau back after a short stint on the disabled list. He’s yet to make much of a mark offensively in 2011. Morneau was batting .225 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 55 games.
Finally, the Mets are hoping that David Wright’s extended stay on the disabled list will soon come to an end. Wright hasn’t played since mid-May because of a stress fracture in his lower back. He’s expected to see another specialist this weekend and may begin a rehabilitation program at the team’s spring training facility as early as next week. There’s still hope that he’ll be a contributor to this fantasy realm in the second half.
