Scott Olsen:
It seems every time it looks like Scott Olsen is taking a step forward, he takes another step backwards. This seemed to take place within the same game on Thursday as Olsen mowed through the weak Pirates lineup through the first 6 innings allowing 2 ER's on 5 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 10 batters. Then he came out for the 7th inning and allowed the first 3 baserunners to reach before being removed. Quickly thereafter the Marlins bullpen allowed those 3 to score and suddenly Olsen's line didn't look so good. This game was played in 90+ degree heat in South Florida so it's likely that Olsen just ran out of gas on Thursday and hopefully this is the beginning of a big 2nd half. Last season in the 2nd half Olsen improved his K Rate to .98 and lowered his ERA to 3.72, so he certainly has the potential to put a heck of a run together, but right now his inconsistency is keeping many owners away.
Kevin Gregg:
Gregg pitched a smooth 9th inning on Thursday picking up his 15th save of the season. Gregg's numbers have slipped a bit in June with the K and BB Rates being some of the most revealing indicators, but he's still 9-9 in save opportunities in June and doesn't appear in danger of losing the closer's role anytime soon. Those owners who feel comfortable with their save situations, I think now's the time to look to shop Gregg a bit. I think ultimately his job security will come under question later in the season as I can't imagine why the Marlins would've acquired Armando Benitez without the intent of putting him in that role at some point and I'm a bit concerned with Gregg's increasing BB and HR Rates.
Randy Wolf:
Wolf picked up his 9th win of the season on Thursday but it wasn't pretty. Wolf only lasted 6 innings allowing 3 ER's on 4 hits and a whopping 6 walks. He did strike out 4 which offers some encouragement, but this continues to be an alarming trend for Wolf. His BB Rate has increased significantly while his K Rate continues to fall. I suggested selling high about a week and a half ago if you still could on Wolf and I feel like he keeps diminishing his value with each start. My main concern with Wolf is he's been incredibly fragile throughout his career and this kind of precipitous drop-off in control is a big warning sign.
Russell Martin:
What more can you really say about Russell Martin at this point? On Thursday he went 3-6 drove in 2 runs on a 2B and a HR and scored 2 more against the rival Diamondbacks. On top of all the great numbers Martin gives his owners, including the much ballyhooed SB potential, he also does something most catchers can't do and that's play almost every day. Martin appeared in his 75th game of the season on Thursday making it 75 of the Dodgers 79 games he's now appeared in, as a Catcher that's remarkable and just another reason he adds so much value to his fantasy owners.
Roy Oswalt:
Oswalt posted his 3rd quality start in his last 4 outings as he tossed 7 solid innings against the Rockies on Thursday night. He held them down to only 1 ER despite allowing 11 base-runners in his 7 innings of work. Once again for Oswalt the K numbers were muted as he only notched 4 K's, but the end result was a start owners would be happy with. As I mentioned a few weeks back Oswalt is a solid low risk option at SP, but he's not the same guy he was a few years back that can be considered a true #1 SP for most fantasy staffs because he's lost the ability to strike out a lot of hitters. For that reason I continue to believe Oswalt's name value is higher than his actual value and is someone I think owners should consider dangling for a lesser name with more elite numbers (think Erik Bedard types).
