Todd Wellemeyer (SP-STL) – Wellemeyer might very well find himself out of the St. Louis rotation after Sunday’s performance in Philadelphia. Lasting 5.2 innings, Wellemeyer allowed seven runs (five earned) on a whopping 11 hits, walking one, striking out three, and allowing three home runs. He has a 6.62 ERA since the end of May and is the clear weak link in the St. Louis rotation. The Cards may very well flip-flop Wellemeyer with recent call-up Blake Hawksworth, or perhaps Brad Thompson gets another shot. Look for the Cardinals to also scour the trade wire over the next couple days, as after adding Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo, and Matt Holliday, it’s safe to say the offense has been addressed.
Jason Schmidt (LAD-SP) – Schmidt managed to finish start #2 since 2007 on Sunday, allowing five runs (four earned) over three innings in a loss to the Marlins. He walked one and struck out one. Schmidt’s velocity was his typical mid 80s, stuff that wouldn’t get out Triple-A hitters on a consistent basis, much less a team fronted by Hanley Ramirez. Schmidt has now allowed seven runs in eight innings with a 3:4 K:BB since his return. He’s far from a recommended fantasy option, even in NL-only leagues, and Sunday should hasten the Dodgers’ search for another starting pitcher.
Micah Owings (SP-CIN) – Owings came out of Sunday’s game in the third inning due to tightness in his right shoulder. No word on the seriousness of the injury, but Owings allowed two runs and walked four before departing. He now has a 5.35 ERA and 61:54 K:BB through 102 2/3 innings on the season. Owings had allowed seven runs in each of his previous two starts, so I suppose Sunday qualifies as an improvement, though if Owings is done for the year, perhaps the Reds will give him the Tony Pena Jr. / Adam Loewen treatment and try Owings in the outfield. It certainly seems his future as a pitcher has to be in doubt. This should help secure Homer Bailey’s place in the rotation, though he’ll actually have to produce to stay there.
Joe Blanton (SP-PHI) – Blanton allowed two runs over eight innings Sunday in an impressive win over the Pujols/Holliday Cardinals. Pujols had just a single in four at-bats while Blanton walked just one and struck out six in lowering his ERA to 4.11. Blanton has had a great July, going 3-0 with a 1.10 ERA in four starts, with a 22:5 K:BB in 29 2/3 innings. I was a little worried after Blanton threw 121 pitches back on June 24, but the native Tennessean has proven to be a true workhorse for the Phillies. He’ll get the Giants in his next start, so be sure to keep him active in all formats.
Max Scherzer (SP-ARI) – This one was pretty easy to see coming, as Scherzer held the punchless Pirates to give hits over seven scoreless innings on Sunday. He didn’t walk a batter while striking out eight, and all five hits were singles. Scherzer finally got some run support in evening his record at 6-6, as he left with a 5-0 lead in a game in which Arizona eventually won 9-0. Scherzer has the type of talent to do this on a regular basis, though consistency tends to elude him at times. He does now have 111 strikeouts in 107 1/3 innings and he’ll likely have no problems next time out considering he’s facing the Mets. Scherzer has cut his LD% from 28.1% to 18.0% over last year, indicating hitters aren’t getting as good a read on his mid 90s heat and solid slider.
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