Justin Duchscherer is without question the hottest pitcher in the major leagues right now. He pitched 9 dominant shutout innings last night, allowing just 2 hits while walking none and striking out 4. That is one of the best lines I have seen all season by any pitcher. Do I believe he’ll keep this up? It’s hard to tell considering that he’s been a relief pitcher almost his entire career. However, his peripherals aren’t really that far out of line. Obviously, I don’t expect his ERA to hold under 2.00, and probably not under 3.00. His BHIP is very low at .219 and when that rises, so will his ERA. I think right now is prime time for selling extremely high on him. Put him on the market and pick up an ace.
Justin Verlander posted his 5th quality start in his last 7 opportunities against the Indians last night, and he has yet to allow more than 2 ER in an outing since June 11th. Verlander certainly looks much more like the pitcher we saw in 2006 and 2007 as his ERA since the beginning of June is an outstanding 2.77 with a K/9 of 8.53 and a 4-1 record. The time to acquire Verlander at low value has most likely passed but if you haven’t tried yet, you try now after the line he put up last night: 7.0/2H/2R/2ER/1BB/7K.
Things are definitely looking up for Robinson Cano as he collected his 6th multi-hit game in the last 9 contests with a 2-4 performance. Cano is batting .348 (15-43) in his last 11 games and has raised his batting average from .227 on June 22nd to .255. His BHIP is finally starting to climb north (at .211 right now) and it’s obviously had a positive effect on his BA. I expect a much stronger second half out of Cano, especially considering his main problem in the first half was simply bad luck. He’s an excellent hitter with a great swing and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he ended the year over .310. If you’re weak at 2B right now and want to get a solid breakout option after the all star break, I think Cano is the guy and you can get him for cheap.
Miguel Cabrera had himself a ballgame last night against the Indians as the slugger was a perfect 4-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI. Cabrera’s bat has certainly shown signs of finally waking up since late June as he’s hitting .372 since June 24th with 5 HR and 10 RBI. Cabrera’s peripherals are all down compared to last season and his career average, especially his ISO, which is a solid 56 points lower than in 2007. The simple facts of the matter are that he’s not hitting as many line drives and his HR/FB% is down, meaning more of his fly balls are going for outs. His numbers are down across the board but maybe what Cabrera needs is a recharge during the All Star break. Last night was certainly a good sign that his power is returning.
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