Kuzul

Enough is enough.

There is simply no reason that Jerry Manuel should remain as the manager of the New York Mets. The team has played uninspired baseball throughout his tenure. Even the recent return of Carlos Beltran has not been enough to spark the team.

The Mets have lost three straight coming out of the All-Star break and appear to be falling out of contention in the National League East.

They are in third place—five games behind the Braves.

The Mets do however sit just two games back in the Wild Card race. So, there is still an opportunity for the Mets to make the playoffs.

However, Jerry Manuel makes too many poor decisions for this to happen under his watch.

After watching Hisanori Takahashi implode yesterday, it is has only been reaffirmed that he belongs in the bullpen. However, Jerry has said that he will start yet again next week.

Just by looking at his splits, it becomes painfully obvious that Takahashi is in the wrong role.

He has gone 4-3 with a 5.75 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 10 starts this season.

Takahashi has allowed 10 home runs and has a strikeout rate of 6.8 strikeouts per nine inning in 51 2/3 innings as a starter. Compare this to his numbers out of the bullpen.

Takahashi was 3-1 from the bullpen with a 2.79 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 16 appearances. He allowed one home run and had a strikeout rate of 10.9 per nine innings in 29 innings of work.

It is clear where Takahashi belongs.

On the topic of…(to read the rest click on the link below)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With Cliff Lee out of the picture, it is looking like the Mets are going to stick with their squad for the rest of the season (fingers crossed for the return of Ty Wiggington).

From what I’ve seen out of the Mets starting rotation so far, Hisanori Takahashi is not a guy who should be in the rotation for a contending team such as the Mets. Takahashi is the kind of guy who has great off speed stuff, rarely blows anyone away with his fastball, and has questionable stamina after pitching on a seven man rotation in Japan.

The problem with Takahashi is that he does not mix up his pitches very well. Gary Cohen and the guys at SNY made the point that by the second time through the order, guys have him pinned. Nevertheless, teams facing him consistently throughout the whole season hit him hard.

In my opinion, this makes Takahashi the ideal long relief guy that will pitch no more then two or three innings. Guys won’t be able read his stuff as well, plus his numbers as a reliever were stellar, so he has proven himself already in that role.

The fifth spot in the rotation shouldn’t be a problem, as the the Mets have so many possible candidates. Guys like Raul Valdes, Bobby Parnell, Fernando Nieve, Pat Misch, Jenry Meija, Oliver Perez, John Maine, Tobi Stoner, and Ryota Igarashi are all capable of filling Takahashi’s shoes. Excluding Meija, who the Mets obviously see immense potential in and want him to develop down in Binghamton, why not give all these guys a shot for the fifth spot?

Scenarios

First, I’ll talk about Valdes. I feel as if this guy hasn’t gotten a fair shake all season and should definitely be one of the guys in consideration for a spot in the rotation.

Parnell has been downhill ever since he hit 100 on the gun in Florida last season, but why not give him a shot, he showed flashed of being a quality starter at the end of last season.

Nieve was a starter for a good portion of 2009 (then again who wasn’t) and put up productive numbers ( 3-3, 2.95 ERA). His downside is very valuable in the pen; he has some control issues, and is “Mr. Everyday” along with Pedro Feliciano.

Misch was 3-4 with a 4.48 ERA in seven games started. He is 28 and in his prime, not to mention this guy has the potential to be the next Mike Pelfrey. This year, Misch is 9-3 with a 3.12 ERA in Buffalo this season and he definitely deserves a shot when hes pitching this well while in his prime. Of all scenarios, this is my favorite.

Meija needs time, plain and simple. I don’t think we should rush him into anything.

Perez and Maine have both burned their bridges in New York. Can John Maine throw an 85 mph fastball anymore?

Probably.

I am optimistic that since hes such a competitor he can rebound, but if not, the Mets should get rid of him fast or this bad situation could get even worse.

Now for Ollie, chances are he gets the job if Jerry Manuel decides to throw Takahashi back in the bullpen, but I say Jerry should a very close eye on him. A few bad starts, and Ollie should be out.

Stoner, who is struggling in Buffalo this season (4-7, 5.54 ERA), probably won’t be getting a call up anytime soon, but maybe in a year or two we’ll hear the 25-year-old Stoner get a call up.

Finally, Igarashi. I feel would be the same situation as Takahashi, probably a downgrade. He throws 95, but has location problems too often.

Keep in mind, if any of these guys struggle, I say the Mets should move them back to the pen or back to the minors, depending on the situation. What I am hoping is out of these guys the Mets find a surprise like R.A. Dickey or Jon Niese .

So why not have a five man rotation for the fifth spot?

Related Stories

• April 14, 2010 — If Not John Maine Than Who? (0)
• June 9, 2010 — Mets Notes: Perez, Maine & Takahashi, and Castillo and Tejada (0)
• May 26, 2010 — Mets Notes: The Bullpen, Injuries, and Saturday’s Starter (0)
• May 17, 2010 — Takahashi To Make First Start of the Season (0)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets have been superb in June. They have become a bona fide contender in the National League East, and have solidified their position as a buyer rather than a seller before this season’s trade deadline.

There have been a tremendous amount of positives which have come hand-in-hand with their overall success.

Yet, in the middle of all of those positives, there has been one surprising—and alarming—dark spot for the Mets: Johan Santana.

Since Francisco Rodriguez blew a save for Santana against the Padres in the beginning of June, the Mets have played much better, while Santana has played much worse.

In that start, Santana gave up no runs and five hits in seven innings of work.

However, since then, Santana is just 1-3, while giving up at least four runs and eight hits in each of his starts, raising his ERA from 2.76 to 3.55.

While Santana doesn’t get much run support from the Mets’ offense, he can usually keep the team in the game. Recently, however, that has not been the case.

Although Santana hasn’t pitched tremendously poorly (at least not in comparison to Oliver Perez), his struggles are a cause for concern. He has given up 17 runs in his last four starts, his velocity is down, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio in June is 12-to-14. Not the type of numbers you want from your ace.

His struggles make me wonder, is something wrong with Johan Santana?

This tremendous drop off from the status quo is not common for a pitcher of Santana’s caliber, and something must be up. Does he have a nagging injury? Is he still not fully recovered from offseason surgery? What could it be?

This concern for Santana makes it even more imperative for the Mets to try and acquire a pitcher at the trade deadline. While R.A. Dickey has been pitching out of his mind, and Hisanori Takahashi has been a great replacement as well, if Santana cannot pitch for the Mets they will be in serious trouble.

While I can’t speculate any further about Santana since I’m not in the Mets’ training room, I really hope everything is alright with him, and he is just going through a rough patch. Santana is invaluable to the Mets, and if they are going to make any sort of postseason run they need him to return to form.

On a brighter note, it is a testament to the Mets, that they can play so well even while their star pitcher is faltering.

But when a pitcher like R.A. Dickey has more wins than your ace and former Cy Young Award winner, it’s a cause for concern.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Since John Maine left the rotation for the DL, the Mets have led the league in wins, going 19-5. Why? The rotation leads the league during the same stretch of time with the lowest earned run average.

With John Maine coming back from the DL soon, everyone is wondering whether Jerry Manuel will leave Takahashi in the rotation and ask Maine to go into the bullpen, or the reverse.

Maine has given the team only one win in nine starts while Takahashi has given us three wins in six starts, including holding the Yankees to zero runs in two of these starts. More than that, he is now part of a rotation dominating the league.

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.  Or in other terms, play the hot hand. What bothers me is I know Manuel doesn’t play the hot hand. In fact, he often plays the cold one.

Put Maine in the bullpen. If Takahashi tires, or ceases to perform as expected, then switch them. Otherwise, it’s like putting a flat tire on a car that’s been winning all its races.

And as for Ollie Perez.  I think his being Designated For Assignment (let go) should be seriously considered.  There really shouldn’t be any worry that he will become productive on another club.  He won’t.

Takahashi will give more to this team providing starting pitching like tonight than he will in the bullpen. We have a rotation that gives the team a chance to win every night. Let Maine contribute to the team from the bullpen for now.

What do you think?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Currently, the Mets sport a rotation of Johan Santana , Mike Pelfrey, Jonathon Niese, RA Dickey, and Hisanori Takahashi. Dickey and Takahashi did not start the season in the rotation, but after John Maine and Oliver Perez hit the DL, Dickey and Takahashi took over.

As of right now Dickey and Takahashi are pitching very effectively, and are a big reason the Mets find themselves seven games over .500. With the likely return of Maine, the Mets should avoid tinkering with the success of the rotation and put Maine in the bullpen.

To start the season the Mets held out hope that John Maine and Oliver Perez would finally be able to put it together, and prove to be reliable pitchers in the rotation; however, neither impressed during their time with the team.

Oliver Perez, probably the player the Mets had the most staked on after awarding him a 3 year, 36 million dollar contract a season ago, played so poorly that the Mets tried hiding him in the bullpen. Unfortunately, he was just as ineffective there, and, after he refused a minor league assignment, the Mets banished him to the DL.

Maine’s story is a little more promising. He did not pitch very effectively to start, but after returning to being primarily a fastball pitcher Maine was able to pitch well enough to keep the Mets in games. The problem was he still had trouble pitching late into games and sustained an injury that forced him out of a game after throwing just five pitches.  This came just before he landed on the DL.

Maine has recently thrown in a rehab game and is working his way back to the majors. The question is: Should the Mets put him back in the rotation? Right now, the Mets are clicking, and a big part of that is the current starting rotation.

In addition the bullpen has been more effective as pitchers are pitching six, seven, or more innings. In fact Pelfrey and Niese started back to back games where they pitched for nine innings. While Dickey and Takahashi will never be top-line starters, they are getting the job done right now and that should not be tinkered with.  Especially in favor of a player that struggles to pitch five innings.

John Maine’s best career move looks like a transition to the bullpen. He has a lively fastball, but not a ton else, and like I keep mentioning, he has trouble going deep in to games. In the bullpen only one or two strong pitches are needed to be effective. It would be great to convert Maine into a set-up guy, or if we’re lucky, an eventual cheaper option to K-Rod at closer when Frankie’s contract is up after next season.

While Dickey and Takahashi’s effectiveness might wane as the season continues, John Maine is not a good replacement. He has had numerous times to prove his worth, and outside of 2007 has failed to do so.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This season has been full of surprises for the New York Mets . They have shown dominance at home and futile efforts on the road. They have had several injuries to key players, but these injuries have also been considered a blessing to some.

They have taken advantage of injured players and their vacated roster spots. Most notably, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Carlos Beltran. They have done this by inserting hungry players to take their place—players like Angel Pagan, R. A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi .

Take Dickey and Takahashi , for example. They have combined for a 7-2 record in nine combined starts and their ERAs are 3.20 and 3.80 respectively, compared to Oliver Perez and John Maine, who are a combined 1-6. Both are also sporting an ERA over 6.00.

Granted, Dickey and Takahashi have amassed this combined record in half of the combined starts, but are still impressive nonetheless. It is an estimated eight starts for the Dickey/Takahashi duo and 16 for the Perez/Maine combination.

Still, this has been a breath of fresh air for not only the ball club, but for their fan-base as well. Another case in point would be Angel Pagan. In his time with the Mets , he has shown flashes of greatness, only to have that fire extinguished by injuries.

Now he seems as healthy as ever and also as productive as ever. In his time so far this season, he has made the most of his opportunity. Going into today’s double header, he has a .294 batting average with four home runs, four triples, 25 RBI’s and 11 stolen bases in 56 games. In other words, he is not just taking advantage of his chances, but also of the ballpark in which he is playing.

While Carlos Beltran has been ridiculed and criticized for his poor decision to have surgery nearly a month and a half before spring training, Pagan has flourished. With all this good, warm sunshine on the roster, news of rain must come. Not the rain that forced a double header today, but rather an interesting tidbit of news on the rehab front for the club.

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post , Maine and Beltran are making progress. Maine is preparing to make a few starts in the minors with the AA Binghamton club.

He begins his stint with the AA team on June 13. Also, Beltran has been starting split squad games down in Port St. Lucie under the careful watch of Mets’ brass and trainers.

This is all good news for them, but not necessarily for the team. If the Mets are to continue their rise in the standings and preserve team unity, they need to keep these hungry players around as long as they can. Keep in mind, the players that are being discussed in rehab assignments are part of the old regime.

Beltran has been under the continual microscope over the past few seasons due to his repeated comments about division rivals and rivalries. His stats when healthy have been wonderful, but he is not the best clubhouse presence. Some may even call him stale air as opposed to the fresh air of the youth that has been pumped into the locker room as of late.

Maine has been scrutinized for his heart and passion, after comments in spring training and poor outings so far this season. He is considering a move to the bullpen upon his return, which shows he is thinking of the team’s needs. Still, how effective will he be if he continues to show a lack of intensity, especially in that role?

Oliver Perez has been a constant distraction in the locker room and in the media. His open refusal to be demoted to the minors to work out his problems and unproductive outings have left him ostracized by both the media and the fans. Perhaps even the players may have alienated him for his selfishness as well.

This was followed by a controversial decision by the Mets to place him on the disabled list. That move has been investigated by the MLB and has since been approved, though the transaction had odd timing. A supposed injury to a disgruntled, struggling and cancerous-to-the-clubhouse type of player is a curious move indeed.

All of these players may be nice people, as written and reported countless times by the Mets and their media affiliates, but they are not helping the team with their controversy or selfishness.

The replacements, however, are helping the team in several ways. If these players are in fact riding a hot streak in their careers and the Mets are catching lightning in a bottle, then they must be given every opportunity to succeed.

By succeeding individually, the team will succeed collectively. That is the common goal—teamwork, dedication, and energy. These present players are exhibiting those qualities. The old regime has proven one thing: They can’t stay healthy long enough to be successful enough to make a run to the World Series.

The nucleus of this team is not getting younger, and their time and prime are dwindling down, game by wasted game, season by wasted season. The Mets roster has been turned over more times than a hamburger in a frying pan these past few seasons.

While the same few players that the franchise has been built around are stuck in mediocrity, the team as a whole has either come up short or come up lame.

If they are to contend, they need passion, heart and confidence . I have previously written about this in an article entitled “Five Things the Mets Need to Seriously Contend.”

In it I wrote the following:

“The swagger I speak of is that of confidence, not so much arrogance, but a realization that you’re good and can match up with anyone. They had that once, and they need to reacquire it, or else they will be doomed to mediocrity.”

These players bring that energy and confidence to every start and every at bat. If the Mets and their fans want all of the players to bring that energy and that air of confidence, then the Mets need to hang on to players that invigorate others.

These players not only do so, but they make the team stronger, deeper, and more exciting. That is something that has been missing for a few years now.

For more of my work, check out my blog- http://nyfaninsjersey.blogspot.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Mets suffered a pretty brutal 18-6 loss last night to the San Diego Padres that drops their record to 26-26 and into a three way tie for last place behind the Phillies and the Braves.

Here are some other notes

Hisanori Takahashi had his first bad start: 4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.

Oliver Perez ’s agent apparently told the Mets to put the pitcher on the DL so he could go to Florida and see a sports psychologist and the Mets declined.

Carlos Beltran supposedly expects to play in an extended spring training game within a week.

Daniel Murphy is playing second base tonight for Triple-A Buffalo—for the first time this year. With Ike Davis at first base Murphy should only be playing second base. I don’t understand why they waited so long to move him over there.

So the Mets could have found a way to at least temporarily rid themselves of Perez and they passed?

And as far as Beltran goes, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Like this post? Want the latest Mets news and rumors? Subscribe to Flushing Baseball Daily via RSS Reader, Email, Twitter, or Facebook. You can also follow this post’s author, Rob Abruzzese, on Twitter.

Related Stories:

May 26, 2010—Mets Notes: The Bullpen, Injuries, and Saturday’s Starter 

May 17, 2010—Takahashi To Make First Start of the Season

May 17, 2010—Jon Niese Left Game with Injury Scare

May 12, 2010—Mets Injury Updates: Beltran, Murphy, Igarashi

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Last Wednesday, Hisanori Takahashi became the only Met pitcher to go at least six shutout innings in each of his first two big league starts. Only 18 pitchers have ever accomplished this before.

It was only a matter of time, critics argued, before the proverbial wheels fell off. On Memorial Day in San Diego, those wheels flew off in emphatic fashion. Why are you laughing, Taka? I don’t think that performance deserves a smile and a smirk.

After blanking the Yankees over six innings and 101 pitches on May 21 and doing the same to the Phillies on 94 pitches five days later, Takahashi ran into his first real difficulty against the Padres.

He gave up six runs over four innings of work, including a grand slam to Jerry Hairston Jr. into the suite deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. warehouse in the bottom of the second and a two-run double to Nick Hundley after back-to-back hits to lead off the home half of the third. He never appeared for the fifth.

In total, his line read eight hits, two walks, and one strikeout. So much for a pitchers’ park.

Takahashi was 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA out of the bullpen before joining the rotation, and he knocked a full run off of that number with 12 scoreless innings in his first two starts.

His hens came to roost during his third start though.

Monday’s game marked just the third time this season that Takahashi has allowed more than one run, and it’s the first time that he’s really been hit hard. Sure, he gave up three runs out of the ‘pen against the Cubs and yes, he allowed eight baserunners in three innings against the Marlins, but this was his first real test.

He worked into a jam in the second inning with three straight singles to the No. 5, 6, and 7 hitters, but he retired Durango and pitcher Correia to get one out away from avoiding major trouble. Unfortunately for the Mets, Takahashi left a fastball up and in to Hairston, who rocketed it to the second deck down the left field line.

Worryingly, it was the fifth grand slam the Mets have given up this season. Met killer Josh Willingham was awarded a grand slam on replay for the Nationals on April 11 and Felipe Lopez hit a bases-loaded homer for the Cardinals on April 17. Shane Victorino cleared the bases with a blast for the Phillies on May 3 and Corey Hart went yard for Milwaukee just two days ago.

Of course, the Mets had more problems than just the homerun ball. Raul Valdes allowed two hits and three straight walks to force home two runs without ever recording an out—and for all of the offense’s work in scratching across three runs to get within a pair, the bullpen couldn’t really keep the game close. Four runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth put the game to bed.

When it was all said and done, it was the most amount of runs the Mets had given up since 2004.

With the loss, the Mets dropped to 26-26, four games behind of the first-place Braves. With all five teams over .500 and no team more than four games back, it is the closest the NL East has been entering Memorial Day since 2005.

In recent years, the Nationals were 11 games back on Memorial Day in 2009—as many as any team from any division in baseball—and in 2008 the Nats were eight games out of first and seven games below .500.

2007 saw the bottom team in the NL East (still the Nationals) a dozen games behind the Mets, while 2006 was a brutal year for those in any division who fell behind the pack in the run-up to the holiday. The Pirates were already 16 games out of first in the NL Central after just 50 games, the Marlins were 14.5 back in the NL East, and the lowly Royals were an incredible 23 games behind the 35-15 Tigers in the AL Central.

The last time the NL East was this close was five years ago to the day when the Phillies (24-27) were five games adrift from the first-place Marlins.

The last time any division was this close entering the final Monday in May was in 2004. At that time, the Pirates were four back of the leaders in the NL Central.

Considering the Mets’ road record, it’s not going to get any easier on their travels. But the pitching will have to be much, much better from top to bottom if they even wish to compete.

The hitting is pretty good and the defense is solid, but without dependable outings from the starters and shut-down work from the bullpen, the Mets are going to struggle—even at home.

Let’s chalk Takahashi’s first real meltdown to a bad night on the mound. Everything else he has done so far in 2010 has been fantastic and I am confident he will bounce back strongly next time out.

Hopefully, with Pelfrey going on Tuesday and Santana pitching on Wednesday, the bullpen can get at least a little mild relief. If the Mets are going to win back-to-back games on the road any time soon, it will be these relievers that help lead the way.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Last week I told you it was time to add Buster Posey and Stephen Strasburg to your roster.

Less than a week later Posey collects three hits and three RBIs for the big league club in a 12-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

If you listened to The Hot 8 last week you already had Posey on your roster causing the rest of your league to search for him and witness that you indeed already had the coveted backstop.

That is what The Hot 8 is all about, being ahead of the curve and especially your league.

This week’s list is no different as I’ve got a few more players that will soon be household names and leave your fellow owners cursing your name.

Long Term Investments

Carlos Santana – Catcher – Indians 

As good of a hitter as Buster Posey is, Carlos Santana is probably a bit better.

His defense may not rival that of the Giants prospect but in fantasy baseball who cares about defense?

Santana can flat out hit and do so from both sides of the plate with plus power.

He has shown no ill effects from a broken bone in his hand that he suffered this winter and is hitting a robust .319/.448/.577 with 10 HR, 42 RBI, 32 runs, 10 doubles, and even 6 steals for AAA Columbus.

Perhaps even more impressive is that he has walked (37) more times than he’s struck out (32) this season.

Santana is ready and if you missed out on the Posey derby fear not.

This is your chance to make good on grabbing a very good hitting catcher right in time to make a run in your fantasy league.

Mike Stanton – OF – Marlins

Stanton has all of the skill and desire to be a superstar major league player.

He is tremendously athletic having been a three sport star in high school and highly recruited by former USC coach Pete Carrol as a wide receiver.

Stanton has been a man amongst boys while playing for AA Jacksonville this season.

He’s slugged 18 homers and drove in 47 runs already this season and is just biding time until the first week of June when the Marlins are likely to promote him south.

While Stanton’s power is well documented, his speed is usually underestimated.

Stanton will be a regular 20/20 player in a full major league season.

Corey Hart – OF – Brewers

Nobody is as hot right now as Milwaukee OF Corey Hart.

With 5 HR and 12 RBI in his last ten games, Hart is a welcome blessing for the suddenly hot Brewers.

Hart is another athletic outfielder who has good power but also can swipe a base here and there.

He’s a streaky player but also one that I believe will continue to have an impact in the Brewers lineup for the remainder of this season.

Quick Fixes

Seth Smith – OF – Rockies

The Rockies wealth of outfielders is nothing short of ridiculous.

This week the player with the highest upside, Dexter Fowler finds himself odd man out as Seth Smith has started earning more starts in left field.

Smith is one of those player who never stops hitting.

He produces while in the lineup, in platoon roles and off the bench as a pinch hitter.

He offers good power and run producing ability in a lineup full of on base percentage.

For as long as he’s seeing regular time in the Rockies lineup, Smith is worth occupying the fourth or fifth OF spot on your fantasy team.

John Axford – RHP – Brewers

Axford shot through the Brewers organizational ranks last season as he went from mediocre starter to a dominant relief pitcher in one season.

He is basically a two pitch pitcher with a fastball that clocks in around 95 MPH and a sharp breaking curve that he changes speed and plane on regularly.

Axford has assumed the role of closer for the Brewers and will hold this job until Trevor Hoffman is ready to give it another go.

While I would normally suggest staying away from any closer situation that may change again in the coming weeks, the Brewers are finally playing good ball and there is a real opportunity to collect saves here by picking up Axford.

Just know that whatever you get out of him in the next week or two it may not last if the aging Trevor Hoffman can regain prior form.

One Week Wonders

Gio Gonzalez – LHP – Athletics

Gonzalez is finally pitching like the guy we were promised a couple of years ago.

Much of the credit should go to the A’s coaching staff that have ironed out Gonzalez’s delivery and have gotten him to repeat it consistently.

This has allowed him to pound the strikezone more often and cut down dramatically on his free passes.

This week Gonzalez will take on John Lackey and the Red Sox in his first start and Nick Blackburn and the division leading Twins on his second.

Still, I expect good numbers to come out of these matchups and for Gonzalez to collect at least one win and plenty of strikeouts.

Hisanori Takahashi – LHP – Mets

Takahashi’s performance against two of the best hitting teams in baseball, the Yankees and the Phillies, has gotten the attention of the Mets coaching staff.

Jerry Manuel announced that Takahashi will remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future and that is good news for fantasy owners in need of a starting pitcher.

Takahashi is a two start pitcher this week drawing Kevin Correia and the Padres on Monday and Ricky Nolasco and the Marlins on Saturday.

Keep An Eye On

Michael Brantley – OF – Indians

With Grady Sizemore out for what could be the rest of the season, the Indians are in desperate need of some offense.

Brantley was demoted after just 32 AB’s this season but has caught fire for AAA Columbus of late.

He will definitely be recalled soon and should see plenty of AB’s this time around.

Brantley has very good discipline and patience at the plate and has always hit for a good batting average.

I fully expect this kid to develop some power somewhere along the line as he is a big athletic guy and should learn how to hammer pitches while in favorable counts.

Keep him on your watch lists for now but there should be some opportunity for Brantley in the near future.

At Fantazzle you can play fantasy baseball every day of the week. Test your knowledge on the offensive side of fantasy baseball in daily fantasy baseball games and weekly fantasy baseball games. For the Fantasy Baseball Challenge Game, pick a team and score the most fantasy baseball points to win. It’s as simple as that. There is no salary cap. Fantazzle awards cash prizes immediately at the end of each fantasy baseball game.

www.fantasyalarm.com

Fantasy Alarm is the breaking news email/text system that delivers all the latest news including starting lineups, probable starting pitchers, disable list moves and minor league call ups directly to your cell phone or email inbox.  Enter promo code: Fighting Chance for a 20% discount or a 30 day free trial of the Fantasy Alarm service.

That is The Hot 8 for this week.  What do you guys think?  Agree?  Disagree?  Post your comments below or email me at thefantasyscout@gmail.com . 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This late in the season, it is rare to see bona fide stars sucking, but that’s what you get from Nate McLouth , Aramis Ramirez , Chone Figgins ,or Jake Peavy . All of these guys were drafted with expectations of big fantasy numbers, but all have floundered this season. These are the types of guys who are too good to suck for an entire season, so stick with them or trade for them and expect things to get a lot better very quickly. They all have way too much talent to continue down their current paths.

Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues that require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

Rick’s Picks

Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week:

1. Tim Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball not named Roy Halladay . He gets the Rockies at home and the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Gotta get me a double scoop of this guy this week and hope he’s not hopped up on dope during the season.

2. Chad Billingsley gets two home games (vs ARZ, vs ATL) and has won four in a row, striking out at least five in each of those contests. Jump in and hang on for the week.

3. Justin Verlander will get two weak opponents (vs CLE, at KC) just as he’s turning around his slow start. Verlander will be big this week, so be a part of the action.

4. Roy Oswalt is trying to build his resume. By pitching his best for the next month, he is more likely to find a few suitors who are willing to meet Houston’s high price for his talents. Two home games against Washington and the Chicago Cubs will be great opportunities for you to enjoy those resume building stats.

5. Hisanori Takahashi isn’t likely to continue this torrid pace, but ride him while he’s hot. A road game in San Diego and a home game versus Florida will provide ample opportunities to keep it up.

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com . Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com