Grady Sizemore swiped 3 bags last night, bringing his season total to 34 and topping his 2007 finish. Sizemore will also reach the 30-30 mark for the first time in his career with one more homerun. As it stands, his season numbers read .272/29/80/80/34 and those numbers would be that much more incredible if he could just eek out another 15 or more points in BA. I know I have brought it up countless times, but if Sizemore could cut down on the K's and have a little more luck this season, he'd be an absolute beast in every single category. However, I think we've definitely seen an improvement in his plate discipline this year and he'll surely improve upon the .210 BHIP he's posted thus far.
Jon Lester was surprisingly shaky against the Vernon Wells/Alex Rios show last night as he allowed 7 ER on 8 H in 2.1 IP while surrendering 2 BB and striking out 2. Lester was pretty inefficient as he tossed 78 pitches in just the 2.1 innings and left a lot of those pitches over the fat part of the plate. I wouldn't worry too much about the young Boston up-and-coming ace considering how great he's been in the second half.
Zach Miner rebounded nicely from a horrendous start against Baltimore on the 17th as he tossed 7 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 H and 1 BB while striking out 3. It's only his 7th start of the year but he has done well thus far with exception to that outing against the Orioles. I don't think Miner is a great option overall considering the amount of hits and walks he surrenders but he's a decent guy for the back end in favorable matchups.
Jermaine Dye provided almost all of the Chicago offense last night as he teed off for his 30th and 31st homers of the season, both solo shots. Dye's season numbers are incredible as his line now reads .297/31/82/81 and he's shown no signs of slowing down. He'll be 35 years old next year but he's shown that when he's healthy, he mashes and hits for excellent batting average, so I don't see much of a downside in drafting him if you get the chance, especially with Carlos Quentin's bat supporting him.
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