Bryce Harper (OF-WAS): After leaving the game in the late innings on Wednesday, Bryce Harper returned on Thursday after X-Rays on his left side came back negative. He went 0 for 4 with a walk against the Braves and still doesn't look 100%. The injury is clearly bothering him, as he's now gone 1 for his last 16 at the plate, which has lowered his season line to a still outstanding .323/.417/.677 with 9 homers, 18 RBI, and 19 runs. Besides the lack of stolen base attempts, Harper has given owners who paid a high price for him everything they have wanted, and with his increasing BB rate to 13.9% and decreasing K rate to 14.4%, he looks like a #1 outfielder. However, keep an eye on this injury, as it could linger into the weekend.
Dan Haren (SP-WAS): Dan Haren was brilliant against the Braves, picking up his 3rd win of the season. He allowed only 1 earned run on 4 hits and 1 walk in 8 innings while striking out 4. His ERA of 5.01 has been a bit unfortunate as his xFIP sits at 4.43, his strand rate sits nearly 4% below his career norm at 69.7%, and his BABIP looks to be inflated by roughly 40 points above his career mark of .291. However, caution may be in order. Hitters are still making more contact (84.3%), chasing fewer pitches out of the zone (26.9%), and swinging and missing at fewer strikes (7.5%) than they have even when compared to his down 2012. His overall numbers should improve, but I wouldn't expect them to return to Haren-like levels and I'd expect some nasty bumps along the way.
Kris Medlen (SP-ATL): Kris Medlen pitched 7 quality innings against the Nationals, allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks with 8 strikeouts in being tagged with his 4th loss of the year. In between starts Medlen worked with pitching coach Roger McDowell on his landing in order to help with hitting the corners, something he did masterfully last season. The results from last night look encouraging, as he had allowed 17 hits in his previous 11 2/3 innings heading into last night's game. Overall, his K-rate is down from 23.1% to 15.7%, his BB-rate is up from 4.4% to 7.2% from last season, and his line-drive rate is up from 18.5% to 24.6%. Continue to monitor his command, as it will be crucial in determining his success as the season progresses. While he'll be better, I'd temper expectations.
Ryan Howard (1B-PHI): Ryan Howard continued to pick it up at the plate, belting his 4th homer of the year and scoring 2 runs in the Phillies' win over the Marlins. Over his last 7 games, Howard is 8 for 28 with 3 homers, 11 RBI, and 7 runs scored to push his season line to .277/.303/.475. Howard has witnessed a decline with a 13.3% HR/FB rate, which stood at 27.5% last season. However, his ISO looks to be settling in at the .200 range, which should enable him to pop 25-28 homers in 2013. On the other hand, his BB rate is at a career low 4.6%, and his chase rate (37.3%) and swinging strike rate (17.5%) are at career highs. Combine the worsening plate discipline with his continued struggles against lefties (.154/.185/.346 line so far) and I'd temper my expectations in moving forward. A .245/.290/.450 line looks reasonable to expect, with plenty of frustrating weeks along the way.
Justin Ruggiano (OF-MIA): Justin Ruggiano, hitting 5th and seeing more consistent playing time with Giancarlo Stanton out, smacked his 4th homer of the year. Ruggiano is a difficult player to evaluate, as Mike Redmond has been inexplicably semi-platooning him with Chris Coghlan this season. In looking at his chase rate and swinging-strike rate, they nearly mirror his 2012 numbers (27.7% and 14.5%, respectively). While he continues to struggle with wrinkles and with covering the outside part of the plate, his spray charts show Ruggiano is more willing to go the other way. Despite the early-season struggles and lack of consistent playing time, he's on pace for 22 homers and 17 steals. I'm buying.
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