Kuzul

Is Prince Fielder finally heating up?  Will A.J. Burnett ever turn things around?  Just how good is David Price?  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Hitters:

• Colby Rasmus (2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) – St. Louis Cardinals –  He can be a frustrating player to own, with some tremendous highs, but also some really bad stretches.  It appears that he’s one of those players that you want to stick with, however, so not to miss when he erupts once again.  He’s now hitting .282 with 15 HR, 39 RBI, 45 R and 8 SB on the season.

• Prince Fielder (2-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) – Milwaukee Brewers –  He’s homered in back-to-back games, but the power hasn’t been the real problem (now with 15 HR).  Where he’s disappointed is in the RBI department, with just 31.  Don’t give up hope yet, once he really catches fire they could come in bunches.  While he’s not going to reach 2009’s 141, he certainly could still reach triple digits by years end.

• Ian Kinsler (2-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB) – Texas Rangers –  To call Kinsler hot would be an understatement.  He has now posted five straight two-hit games, going 10-24 with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R and 3 SB.  He hasn’t yet hit for the power owners had hoped for, but don’t let that fool you.  He remains one of the elite second basemen in the game.

• Matt Wieters (3-4, 2 RBI) – Baltimore Orioles –  He’s on a four-game hitting streak, going 6-13 with 1 HR, 8 RBI and 2 R.  Could he finally be out of his season long slump?  It’s quite possible and with his potential, hopefully you did not give up on him.

• Brandon Phillips (2-3, 1 RBI) – Cincinnati Reds –  He continues to be shifted around the lineup (he was leading off yesterday), but he just continues to hit.  He now has his average up to .312 thanks to his current four-game hitting streak.  Over the streak he’s gone 8-18 with 1 RBI and 4 R.  With 9 HR and 10 SB thus far, he is right there for a potential 20/20 season.

• Paul Konerko (1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R) – Chicago White Sox –  The HR slowdown appears to be over, as he homered for the second straight game.  He’s also now on an eight-game hitting streak, going 13-31 with 2 HR, 9 RBI and 8 R.  He certainly has delivered everything owners could’ve hoped for and more, now hitting .302 with 19 HR, 55 RBI and 44 R on the season.

Pitchers:

• Carl Pavano (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K, W) – Minnesota Twins –  His second consecutive complete game, as he won his fourth consecutive start.  Over his past four he’s allowed 6 ER over 33 IP (1.64 ERA).  He doesn’t offer much potential in the strikeout department, only twice striking out more then five, and has also benefited from a bit of luck, with a .257 BABIP entering the day.  Yes, he has always been a good control pitcher, but he hasn’t had a sub 4.00 ERA since 2004 with the Florida Marlins.  It’s been a great start to the year, but I would expect a regression to come sooner or later.

• Cole Hamels (4.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K) – Philadelphia Phillies – Two steps forward, one step back.  Hamels got bombed for three home runs in this one.  He had pitched well over his last three starts (after allowing 3 ER in 0.2 IP against the Braves on 6/1), allowing 6 ER over 22 IP.  However, the long ball has plagued him all year long.  He’s now allowed a home run in seven of his last eight starts.  Certainly not what you want to hear, is it?

• David Price (8.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 11 K, W) – Tampa Bay Rays –  It was a battle of two young pitchers, but Price clearly outshone Ian Kennedy (5.1 IP, 4 ER, 2 H, 9 BB, 7 K).  Price has finally begun to live up to the hype, now at 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA.  There’s nothing in his number to suggest a huge regression is coming, so continue using him with confidence.

• Max Scherzer (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 8 K) – Detroit Tigers –  Since returning from the minor leagues, Scherzer has allowed 12 ER over 36.2 IP (2.98 ERA).  In the process he’s managed 49 Ks.  While he may have his struggles from time-to-time, with the ability to strike out this many, he’s a solid option in all formats once again.

• Madison Bumgarner (7.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K) – San Francisco Giants –  It wasn’t a stellar 2010 debut, but it wasn’t bad either.  He was 7-1 with a 3.16 ERA in the PCL, including going 6-0 with a 2.23 ERA over his final 10 starts.  He has a ton of potential and is worth owning in all deeper formats.

• Clay Buchholz (1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K) – Boston Red Sox –  He hurt his knee while running the bases, but the early word is that it was just a minor injury.  We’ve heard that before, but for now it appears that he may just miss a handful of starts.  Shift him to your bench and wait for him to return to action.

• Josh Johnson (8.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 K) – Florida Marlins –  You pretty much have to blank the Marlins to beat Johnson in 2010.  On this night it was Jon Garland (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K).  Outside of a bad Opening Day start against the Mets, his only other loss was to Roy Halladay, who just happened to be perfect on that day.  Johnson has established himself as one of the elite in the National League.

• A.J. Burnett (3.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 6 BB, 5 K) – New York Yankees –  Well, he didn’t allow a home run and was able to strike people out…  Those were two of the things I discussed when I recently discussed his June struggles (click here  to view) but his control completely betrayed him.  In his last five starts, he’s allowed 6 ER or more four times (and the other start he allowed 4 ER).  He hasn’t gone more than four innings in his last three.  With Toronto next on the schedule, keep him on your bench for now.

• Joe Saunders (7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K, W) – Los Angeles Angels – Nice start, but do you trust him?  He had allowed 5 ER in three of his previous five starts, so I’m not sure that I can.  Yes, his next start comes against the Royals, so if you need a pitcher he is probably worth a spot start, but he’s a huge gamble.

• Trevor Cahill (7.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 10 K, W) – Oakland Athletics – Very quietly, Cahill has posted a tremendous year out west.  He’s now 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.  He has benefited from a .235 BABIP and a BB/9 of 2.9 (3.7 for his minor league career).  However, the potential for more Ks is there (6.2 in ‘10 vs. 10.0 in the minors), so that will help to offset a regression.  While I wouldn’t expect him to continue pitching this well, he certainly is ownable in all formats.

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

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