Kuzul

Carlos Santana continues to rake.  Max Scherzer got his chance against his former team and delivered.  Is Clay Buchholz the Red Sox ace? 

Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games (for information on yesterday’s Mets-Yankees game, make sure to check out our Spotlight Game of the Night by clicking here ):

Hitters:

• Michael Cuddyer (0-4) –  It isn’t about his struggles in this game, or the fact that he’s now 2-18 with 1 RBI and 1 R over his last five games.  What’s important to note is that he got his second start at 3B in the past week. With the team spending the next week in National League parks, it’s quite possible that he sees significant time there, allowing Denard Span, Jason Kubel & Delmon Young to fill the outfield spots.  If he can gain eligibility there, his value goes up significantly.
• Paul Konerko (2-5, 3 RBI, 1 R) –  He may not be hitting home runs (he hasn’t homered since June 6), but he continues to produce.  Since then he’s gone 17-43 with 10 RBI and 6 R.  The power is going to come back, so there isn’t a concern there either.  His renaissance season continues.
• Kevin Kouzmanoff (4-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) –  Those who took the gamble preseason are getting some results.  He’s currently hitting .292 with 7 HR, 36 RBI and 30 R on the season.  Are those blow away numbers?  Of course not, but at 3B, which is exceptionally shallow this season, they are more then usable, especially in deeper formats.  While he was 1-15 in his last four games, overall he’s gone 31-74 with 4 HR, 11 RBI and 9 R in June.  If he played in a better offenses, you would think the RBI and R would be significantly better, given the way he’s hitting.
• Troy Glaus (0-1, 2 R) –  It appears the rest of the league is starting to believe in his resurgence, as he was walked four times in this game.  Of course, he had only walked twice in his previous eight games, so maybe not.  He’s now hitting .280 with 14 HR, 55 RBI and 38 R on the season.
• Carlos Santana (3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) –  He just continues to hit and hit and hit.  He’s hitting .393 with 2 HR, 8 RBI and 5 R since being recalled.  He has instantly become a must-use option in all formats.
• Pedro Alvarez (0-3, 1 RBI) –  Yea, he drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, but that’s not really enough, is it?  He struck out once, bringing his total to seven in five games (vs. just one hit).  Just how long will the struggles continue?  Who knows, but right now he should be stashed on your bench.
• Julio Borbon (4-5, 1 RBI, 1 R) –  With Elvis Andrus getting the day off (though he entered eventually), Borbon found himself atop the Rangers lineup and really performed.  He’s been hitting well lately, having scored a run in six of his last seven games.  With Andrus struggling of late, it’ll be interesting to see if the Rangers ultimately swap them again in the lineup.
• Corey Hart (2-5, 3 RBI, 1 R) –  He just continues to hit, now with 53 RBI.  He’s now on a six-game hitting streak, going 10-28 with 1 HR, 11 RBI and 4 R.  There just doesn’t appear to be any way to slow him down at this point, does there?
• Nick Hundley (2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) –  He was slotted in the cleanup spot for the first time this season and he delivered in a big way.  Still, I wouldn’t get too excited, as he his hitting just .288 with 5 HR and 24 RBI on the season.  Is he usable in two-catcher formats?  Yeah, I’d say so, but that’s about it.  He’s still sharing time with Yorvit Torrealba, so it’s tough to depend on him.

Pitchers:

• Max Scherzer (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K, W) –  He had his chance to square off with the team that traded him away and he came through with flying colors.  Since returning from the minor leagues he’s allowed 3 ER or less in four out of five starts, striking out at least 7 in four out of five as well.  It is beginning to look like that blowup in Kansas City (5 ER over 5 IP with 3 K) was the aberration.  There are very few pitchers with his type of strikeout potential, so if he is still available on the waiver wire, I wouldn’t hesitate.
• Josh Johnson (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 9 K, W) –  He outpitched David Price (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 9 K) to improve to 8-2 with a 1.80 ERA.  Is there any doubting that he’s among the elite in the league?
• David Price (6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 9 K) –  He had a strong showing, allowing 3 ER or less for the fifth consecutive start (and 13th time in 14 starts), as well as tying his season high in Ks.  He’s certainly living up to the hype, after he certainly had his doubters after 2009.
• Shaun Marcum (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 8 K) –  This was a weird start for Marcum, as it was the second time he has really struggled with his control all season (he walked four earlier in the season).  Having missed the 2009 season you would have thought that would have been more of a concern, but he’s pitching like the control pitcher he’s always been.  He’s a solid option in all formats, though when he draws one of the tough in division opponents, you may want to consider benching him.
• Carlos Zambrano (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 7 K, W) –  He hadn’t been pitching poorly (8 ER over 15.1 innings) since being returned to the rotation, but this was by far his best outing.  He hasn’t returned to must use status yet, but he’s certainly usable depending on your other options.
• Joe Saunders (2.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 2 K) –  His second straight awful outing (6 ER over 5.2 against Milwaukee), it is just impossible to trust him this season.  These types of outings have become way too routine.
• Manny Corpas (0.0 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 K) –  Brought into a tie game, it was an absolute implosion.  While Huston Street is on his way back, he didn’t look good in his last rehab appearance at Triple-A (3 ER over 1.1 IP).  It’s likely Corpas holds the job for a little while longer, despite this debacle, but Street should eventually retake the role.
• Aaron Harang (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K) –  He pitches tremendously, but his team just couldn’t scratch out a few runs against Ryan Rowland-Smith, as he lost this game 1-0.  It has been a mixed bag with Harang, though he has allowed 2 ER or less in four of his last five starts (though, one of those was just 4 innings).  He’s usable, but with a 5.17 ERA, it’ll only be when the matchup is a favorable one.
• Clay Buchholz (6.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K, W) –  Who truly is the ace of the Red Sox staff?  Entering the season, some may have said Josh Beckett.  Some may have said Jon Lester.  Would anyone have said Buchholz?  He is now 7-1 over his last eight stats, never allowing more then 3 ER in a start.  Overall he is 10-4 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.  He has quickly developed into one of the top pitchers in the league.

What are your thoughts from yesterday’s games?  Which ones caught your eye? And which ones did I miss?

To view the previous article, click here .

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