Clayton Kershaw:
The youngster couldn’t be the stopper for the Dodgers on Thursday night as things unraveled quickly for Kershaw in the first inning. After opening the game with a strike-out on 3 pitches, Kershaw gave up a HR to Christian Guzman and appeared a bit rattled. He walked the next batter then gave up a single, another HR, which was followed by another walk and then a deep fly out, before ending the inning with a K. This makes for back-to-back poor outings on the road for the youngster in what will be sure to raise some flags for the cautious owner, but I’m not wavering. Kershaw’s a stud and while like most young pitchers he’ll come with quite a bit of volatility in his outings, I think the end result will be more good than bad the rest of the way. Kershaw’s lined up for 4 more starts and 3 of those come against SF and SD (with the 4th being one to avoid in Coors) in what should be quite favorable matchups. As an addendum, the Dodgers are said to be optioning Kershaw down after this start to make room for Scott Elbert. Don’t get too worked up about this as this is a procedural move around the Sept 1st date to expand rosters. Since Kershaw’s next scheduled start comes on Sept 2nd the Dodgers are looking for some bullpen reinforcement before that time. Kershaw is still scheduled to start on the 2nd against SD he’ll just make the start after being called up on the 1st when rosters expand. Kershaw won’t even be going anywhere with this demotion as he’ll still travel with the team, it’s simply paperwork. If an impatient owner drops him upon hearing the news, feel free to grab him without hesitation.
Elijah Dukes:
Welcome back Elijah Dukes! Dukes returned from the DL on Wednesday night quietly with a 1-4 effort, but really announced his return last night with 2 HR’s, 3 Runs, 4 RBI’s, and a SB in a 2-3 effort that included a BB. Dukes had a big night after returning from the DL the first time earlier in August but then was promptly placed back on the DL the very next day, hopefully that’s not the case this time. Dukes has such an intriguing combination of plate patience, power, and speed that he deserves attention in all formats as a back-end OF, especially for those battling the injury bug. The only question with Dukes throughout his major league career has been his health (both mental and physical). The previous injury Dukes was recovering from was a calf injury, so to see the SB attempt (a successful one at that) is an encouraging sign for his health.
Aaron Harang:
I’ve been known to occasionally go down with the sinking ship and Harang appears to be one of those guys this year (see Buchholz, Clay as well. It’s been a difficult year for my relationship with pitchers Gallardo, McGowan, Smoltz, etc). Once again really solid peripherals for Harang as he struck out 9 in 7 innings and only allowed 7 base-runners (all hits), but he allowed 3 more HR’s and took his 14th loss of the season to move his record to 4-14. Harang’s K and BB Rates basically look the same as past year’s but the big difference in Harang’s performance this year has been a significantly increased FB Rate that has led to a bunch more HR’s and extra base hits in general. Much of these struggles with extra base hits came after Harang’s 4 inning relief appearance in SD on May 25th after just starting on May 22nd. After that outing Harang’s ERA sat at 3.32 and he looked on his way to replicating the same great seasons we’ve come to expect from Harang, but since then it’s been a catastrophe. I still believe that relief outing is the single cause of all these troubles this year and believe when Harang is finally fully healthy again (next season) he’ll offer TREMENDOUS draft day value. Until next season though the elevated extra base hit rates make him a risky option.
Ryan Zimmerman:
Joe touched on Zimmerman yesterday after he knocked out his first HR since returning from the DL. Well Zimmerman followed up that evening with a 3-5 effort on Thursday night that included two 2B’s. In the middle of August, I talked about Zimmerman’s significant power outage and the difficulty he might face with the power after coming back from both shoulder and wrist injuries in the same year, but could I have spoken too soon? It’s possible, and that’s why we should keep an eye on Zimmerman over the next week to see if the improvements in the extra base hit department keep coming. If the power keeps improving, Zimmerman will demand an immediate pickup in all but the shallowest format as he’ll go from empty batting average contributor to the mid-round pick he was coming into 2008. I still remain skeptical of his value for the rest of ’08, but the quick power surge this week is worth paying attention to.
Matt Stairs:
Stairs was acquired by the Phillies last night and will slide into the role the injured Geoff Jenkins had, playing the LH hitting platoon side of RF for the Phils while serving as the primary pinch hitter off the bench in off days. At this point it’s unclear exactly how much time Stairs will get in the OF, but the shift into a more hitter-friendly park and an easier league should help Stairs a bit. He was already losing time in Toronto, so the playing time shouldn’t be any more of a downgrade. At 40, Stairs has seen the power resume its decline after a 1 year hiatus. He’s striking out more as well and generally doesn’t look like a player that will offer too much fantasy value the rest of the way. In deep NL Only leagues owners looking for a power boost may take a chance, but other than that Stairs can be ignored.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
