Ian Kinsler has gone from a power hitter to a base stealer in a single season. He has 3 SB in August, but no homeruns. He sat out for most of the month of July, but his last HR came on June 24th, over 63 AB ago. He began the season averaging a HR/AB of 9.3. That Ruthian rate was obviously not going to withstand the test of a 162 game season, so that rate dropped to 17.6 by the end of May. The end of June, his rate continued to slow to a cumulative 18.6 and its currently sitting on 22.4. He has equaled his HR total of 14 with the same number of stolen bases. For him to reach 20/20 at this point would be a stretch (mostly from the power side of that equation).
From a fantasy perspective, it was tough to be patient with rookie Alex Gordon this season. He hit just .232 in the first half of the season, including back-to-back months of sub-Mendoza line performances in April and May. His 2nd half is more of the Alex Gordon we were expecting from the beginning. He's hitting .281 in the 2nd half with a .852 OPS, 4 HR, and 12 RBI. The Royals rookie 3B will need to maintain better plate patience over the last month and a half of the season. Despite doing better in the 2nd half, his batting eye has actually dropped from .37 to .20. He's averaging a strikeout for every 5 plate appearances since the all-star break. Gordon's value in keeper and AL-only leagues is unquestioned, but I also believe he could produce a September of surprising power and speed to end the season with a bang.
Troy Glaus ended his 0-for-23 skid on Saturday and followed it up on Sunday with another multi-hit game., going 2-for-4 with a walk. But Glaus' slump goes further back than just the beginning of August. Glaus' average reached .291 by July 18th, but since then it has steadily dropped to its current level of .253. His power has gone missing too, hitting just 1 HR over his last 86 AB dating back to July 16th. With a plummeting OPS, falling from .952 to .801 over the last month, Glaus is slumping at the wrong time for fantasy owners. If you've been sticking with him this long, keep marching him out there. This weekend's two multi-hit games are a good sign that he's breaking out, so I would expect some power to soon follow.
Andy Pettitte looked great on Sunday against a struggling Indians team. He pitched 7.1 IP and gave up 2 ER and 7 hits on 4 Ks and 2 BBs. It was Pettitte's 7th straight start of giving up 3 ER or less and it was his 4th win in his last 5 outings. Despite a steadily increasing WHIP that has now reached 1.44, Pettitte is still posting a solid 3.93 ERA. And, with the Yankee offense clicking and averaging 7.8 runs over the last 30 days, Pettitte's should be in line to keep earning those coveted W's for fantasy owners.
It wasn't Nate Robertson's best outing of the season, but despite walking 5 and giving up 4 ER he still earned his 7th win of the season. He struck out 6 in the effort and has now 5+ strikeouts in 6 of his last 8 outings, bringing his K/9 to over 6.0 for the season. He's more effective at his pitcher-friendly home in of Comerica Park, posting a 4.79 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .291 BAA in Detroit compared to 5.40 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, .320 BAA on the road. Both splits aren't that impressive, but Robertson is a decent spot-start against weaker teams, especially if the Tigers begin to get hot again.
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