James Loney (1B - Dodgers) - Loney had gone from July 10th to August 26th without a HR. Now, he has 2 in the last 3 games for a total of 9 on the season. It hasn't just been a lack of power for Loney, who has never really been much of a power hitter anyway (his best AB/HR rate was 22.9 two years ago followed by a 45.8 last year). He is hitting just .231 for August, which has dropped his overall season FPI to 0.58 (down from 0.60 last season). In fact, all of his comparables are down from OPS (.772 to .740) to AVG (.283 to .276). The good news is he is walking a ton more than he had last year, improving his batting eye BB/K from 0.53 to 0.98. So, on average he's walking at least once for every 10 trips to the plate compared to 14.5 trips last year. His slight decline is a bit disappointing, given he his 25 and has 3 years under his belt. You would expect to see some significant overall improvement, but perhaps the improved BB/K is a leading indicator of a real 2010 breakout.
Chris Volstad (SP - Marlins) - Volstad's ownership is starting to drop and rightfully so. He has 6 non-quality starts in his last 7 outings including a doozy 1.2 IP / 6 ER performance against the Padres last night. Ouch. The 22-year-old Volstad has shown signs of brilliance with such lines as 6 K CG shutout against the Giants in July. But he has mostly been horrible since the All-Star break posting a 5.44 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and just a 5.44 K/9. Compare that to his first half performance of 4.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 6.5 K/9. Young pitcher arms can sometimes wear down when the inning mark starts to creep higher. Another couple of these starts and I'd be extra careful about starting him.
Alfonso Soriano (OF - Cubs) - Soriano finally broke out of his LONG home run drought. He hadn't hit one since July 29th and with a bum-knee and a booing bleacher crowd, Soriano went long on Friday, bringing his 2009 HR total to 20. Soriano's numbers have been declining for a few years now, but this year's drop is really significant. He has definitely battled his fair-share of injuries, but he's barely breaking the .700 OPS mark at this point. At "33" years-old, Soriano still has the potential to put together a decent year reminiscent of a few years ago, but his days of stealing 20 bags are long over. He'll continue to drop down draft boards until he can prove to stay healthy and post 575+ AB seasons again (453 last year, currently at 467).
Carlos Marmol (Closer - Cubs) - Marmol came into the game in the 9th with a solid 3-run lead, ready to close the door on the Mets. He then walked the lead-off hitter (throwing a 3-1 slider that frustrated the Cubs' coaches) and looked to be pitching himself into trouble once again. He then settled down and retired the next three hitters to record his 6th save of the season. If Marmol could keep the walks in-check, he could be a dominant closer. He's averaging 1.2 K's per inning pitched, but is also averaging 0.9 BB/I as well, which equates to a BB/9 of 8.35. That has kept his WHIP high all season (currently at 1.48). One thing is for sure - the Cubs are going with Marmol and have completely lost confidence in Gregg.
Homer Bailey (SP - Reds) - Could this be the REAL start to the Homer Bailey era? We all know the hype that surrounded the kid for years. Last night, he hurled an impressive quality start, going 8.0 shutout innings while giving up 7 hits, 1 BB, and recording 7 K's. Its his second impressive start in a row and he faces a weak opponent in the Pirates on either Tuesday or Wednesday. If he gets the start Tuesday, he may also be a 2-start pitcher (stay tuned to the expected pitching rotations on the site). This guy was highly touted by scouts and baseball professionals for a reason. He has really good stuff and the potential to be a fantasy impact pitcher. We may be seeing that happen in the last 6 weeks of the season.
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