Matt Lindstrom (RP—Marlins) -- I know closers are hard to come by, at least reliable closers. You just can’t turn the corner and find a Rivera or a Papelbon standing on every street corner. But at the rate that Matt Lindstrom is going, I’m not sure that Marlin’s manager Freddi Gonzalez wouldn’t be better off with the guy on the street corner. Lindstrom has been awful his last couple of outings and was unable to nail down the save in his last outing even though he did not get dinged for a blown save. The last two games, Lindstrom has yielded 5 ER in 1.2 innings of work where 8 out of 13 batters he faced reached base. As you would suspect his WHIP now rests at a nice, plump 1.897 and a fat ERA of 6.52. Yes, hitters are feasting on Lindstrom pitching. And lo and behold, Wednesday, Lindstrom winds up on the DL with a strained elbow. I’m not even going to get into my whole conspiracy theory about players that are doing poorly, then mysteriously developing some ailment that lands them on the DL (yes, I am referring to a certain Japanese pitcher who plays for a city that loves it’s beans and chowda). So, you may be asking, “Is there any good news with Lindstrom?” Well, there are a couple of interesting indicators that might suggest that Lindstrom is going through a pitching slump/injury and may find his way out. His FIP is at 4.34, almost 2 points better than his ERA. So this would indicate that he has pitched better then his ERA would suggest. Lindstrom also has a LOB% of 63.9% which is 12% lower than it was last year. When looking at his LOB% combined with his FIP, I’d be inclined to think that improvement is on the way. What’s also interesting is that with the way he has been getting hit, you’d think his LD% would be up, but it’s not. Crazy, huh? It’s actually at 5% less than last season and he has induced more ground balls this year, up 8% over last year. Those ground balls must be getting through the defense which would explain why is BHIP is resting at .367. Bottom line is that since we are talking about the Marlins, you can fish or cut bait. You can stash Lindstrom on your bench until he is back and presumable resuming his role as closer and hopefully he has figured out his woes. Maybe some of those positive indicators will become reality. Or you can cut him and play your better options. If Lindstrom continues to struggle when he gets off the DL, the writing may be on the wall for him and that guy on the street corner may get his shot at closer if no one else emerges to take over the role in the meantime.
Fernando Nieve (SP—Mets) -- I’m usually of the opinion that if it talks like a duck, walks like a duck, looks like a duck…it’s probably a duck. So when did Fernando Nieve turn into a swan? OK, that’s a little too overstated but for a guy who I definitely have also thought of as a duck, he is looking, well…a little less duck-ish, shall we say? Wednesday night, Nieve got his 3rd victory and pitched scoreless baseball over 6 innings lowering his ERA to 1.31. While it was a very good performance, it wasn’t without its ups and downs. Nieve did walk 4 and give 3 hits over the 6 innings so it wasn’t exactly dominating but in the boxscore it sure looks pretty good. Currently, Nieve has a strand rate of 87.3%, so he has shown the ability to get out of tough jams. But I’m concerned with a BHIP of .167 and a FIP of 4.09, he is really getting lucky rather then being that good. Thrown in a CT% of 89% and I’m seeing some rough road up a head for Nieve. If the match ups are good and the circumstances are right, Nieve may be worth picking up for a spot start here and there as long as he stays hot. I’m stressing the “as long as he stays hot”. Once the shine starts to wear off, proceed with caution, as I have a feeling that Nieve is going to go back to looking like a duck and he may turn into pate.
Brandon Webb (SP—Diamondbacks) --Fantasy owners are holding their breath this week as Brandon Webb may face season ending surgery. Webb is slated to get a second opinion, but the outlook is not promising. For many, Webb was a pitcher that is at the top of most people’s list on draft day and sadly, at this point it seems like a wasted pick. Webb has been only able to compete in one game this year and was knocked around for 6 ER in 4 innings. Not good by anyone’s standards but really not good for Webb. WARNING!! The next sentence I am about to write may be the biggest most obvious statement for fantasy owners that I will ever write but here goes: At this juncture, it would be a prudent move for fantasy owners to figure out a backup plan to replace Webb and get ready to dump him unless you are in a keeper league. Yeah, I know, that was a priceless tidbit of information that you would have never figured out for yourself (please note sarcasm). But before you toss him figuratively out the window (although for some frustrated fantasy owners their season may be ruined and want to take more literal action), wait for the second opinion later this week and hopefully the news will be more optimistic. Good luck, hold tight…it may be a bumpy ride.
Fernando Martinez (OF—Mets)-- I’m not usually in the habit of quoting African proverbs but the saying “It takes a village to raise a child” seems particularly apropos where the Mets are concerned. Only I’d like to put my own spin on it for the Mets and say that “It takes a village for the Mets to get through the season.” OK, maybe it’s not as catchy or pithy as the original proverb, but I think it gets the point across. On Sunday, we saw young village member Fernando Martinez shuffled off to Buffalo and with the injury to Carlos Beltran we saw the young ousted villager shuffled right back to New York. (The Mets probably could have saved money on a round trip bus ticket instead of two one-ways). Martinez is still the Mets top prospect and when healthy in the minors, he has shown to be a competent hitter. He has shown a good and consistent bat, hitting for a nice average while showing some occasionally power and speed. All of which should develop nicely over time. However, he has yet to translate those minor league numbers into major league hits. In his first game back on Tuesday he went 0-3 and Wednesday was 0 for 4. He is now batting .174 and is probably not the answer to Beltran at this point in his career. Martinez has shown that he does have some of that power that he displayed in the minors where 5 of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases and he has shown some speed with 2 swipes in 2 attempts. And one of the more promising indicators is that he has an 82% contact percentage, so he is proving to be a battler that should improve with time. With Beltran on the DL and Gary Sheffield looking like he is on his way, Martinez should get lots of at bats. However, at this stage Martinez has been overwhelmed by power pitcher and finesse pitchers and has yet to figure them out. Unless, you are in a keeper league, Martinez is not ready to be added to your roster, but keep a watch on him down the road as he has promise.
Ricky Nolasco (SP—Marlins)—In case you haven’t been paying attention because Ricky Nolasco fell off your radar due to his terrible start of the season, you need to start paying attention to him once again and get him back on your radar. Nolasco pitched 7 strong innings Wednesday against the Orioles, striking out 7, 7 hits, 1BB and 2 runs that were both unearned. Since his return, Nolasco has made 4 starts, all of which have been quality starts. But, wait, it gets better. Over this current stretch, he has an ERA of 1.80 and has struck out 25 batters in 25 innings while walking only 5. He has lowered his ERA from a horrendous Wang-like 9.07 to a still elevated but more palatable 6.42. Last year, Nolasco’s season could have been split into two halves. The first part of 2008, he had a very good win/loss record but it was really in the second half of last year where his ERA improved and his walk ratio went down and strikeout ratios went up. This season, the first two months have been completely forgettable for Nolasco owners, but similar to last year we are seeing a vast improvement and fortunately it looks like its coming sooner rather than later. With an ERC of 5.41, we can see that Nolasco has pitched better than his ERA indicates plus with a BHIP of .367, there’s a lot of room for improvement. If for some reason Nolasco has been overlooked in your league and is still on waivers, you need to pick him up. If you can trade for him while his true value may not be realized by his current owner, you may find a good deal that should serve you well for the rest of the season.
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