Jeff Baker- TEX- FYI- For those of you in 1-game eligibility leagues, Baker added 2B to his list of positions that already included 1B, 3B and OF. He went 0-for-4 last night but is still batting .317 with 9 homers in 82 ABs. Although Baker's overall BABIP is not outrageous at .321 (7 points below his career mark) his home/road splits are extreme at .174/.433. The Rangers are on an extended homestand so there is a chance for positive regression to the mean while Baker is still in the lineup for some injured Rangers.
Luke Scott- TB- Cold- Scott has compounded some bad luck with a slip in his selectivity, His BABIP for June is .143, which has brought his overall mark to .250. However he has also drawn only one walk this month and struck out 9 times, including 5 times in his last 3 games. Before this stretch he has walked 15 times and struck out 20. Scott hasn't hit a homer since May 19th so is fantasy value has been low lately. He needs more than simple regression to the mean to pick it up.
Jeremy Bonderman- SEA- Hot- Bonderman didn't allow a run in 8 innings of work, giving up 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5. He got a no decision when Tom Wilhelmsen blew the save in the 9th. That makes two consecutive quality starts. It's still not enough to make Bonderman a recommended pickup. First, it still leaves him with a 4.94 FIP after 3 starts. Second, it was against the Astros, not exactly the most challenging lineup.
Phil Hughes- NYA- Cold- Hughes continued his Jekyll and Hyde season last night by lasting only 4.1 IP in Oakland. He needed 95 pitches to get that far and only 55 of them were strikes. Hughes gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks while striking out 3. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to try and figure out which Phil Hughes is going to show up in a given start. He could just as easily implode at home as on the road, against a weak team as against a strong one. Hughes is too inconsistent to hope that you get one of his good starts.
Albert Pujols- LAA- Hot- Pujols went 3-for-5with a homer and double yesterday. He is looking older than his 33 years, however. The Orioles announcers commented as he was circling the bases after his blast that he wasn't trying to show up the pitcher with his slow trot, he just can't move that fast. Then Pujols was lifted for a pinch runner in the 9th after his double. Pujols has dealt with some nagging injuries but as Fantistics' Eric Nehs pointed out yesterday there are a lot of bad indicators in Pujols' peripherals. Looking at the last couple of years a rapid decline seems to be happening.
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