Ubaldo Jimenez – Despite 6 walks through the first 5 innings, Ubaldo Jimenez buckled down and threw the first no-hitter in Rockies history by shutting down the Braves in Atlanta on Saturday evening. Jimenez finished the game with 7 strikeouts to increase his season total to 20 Ks in 21 IP. Despite throwing 128 pitches, Jimenez still hit 98 mph on the radar gun in the 9th inning. Through three starts this season, Jimenez has allowed just 3 ER and 15 hits while recording 3 Wins. As tonight proved, Jimenez is prone to wildness but overall he has shown improvement with his K/9 and BB/9 marks and should be an excellent source of Wins while pitching for one of the better teams in the N.L.
Joey Votto – The Reds first baseman hasn’t done much this season as he posted a .263 BA with just 1 HR and 2 RBI entering Saturday’s contest against the Pirates. Votto took a step forward last night as he knocked 3 Hits, scored 2 Runs, drove in 1 Run and stole his 4th base of the season. Votto’s K% is up to 34% this season compared just 22% in 2009. He’s also hitting significantly more ground balls than last season (64% compared to 39% in '09) and his FB% has dropped by 27% (from 39% to just 12%). All this probably means nothing since we’re talking about a mere 42 ABs, but keep an eye on these indicators if Votto’s power numbers continue to be depressed.
Randy Wolf – Randy Wolf took the loss on Saturday against the Nationals, allowing 4 ER, walking 4, and striking out 4 in 5 innings of work. After posting an ERA of 4.30 in 2008, Wolf recorded a sparkling 3.23 ERA last season while striking out 160 batters in 214 IP. However, Wolf benefited from a BABIP of just .257 and his FIP (3.96) was 0.73 higher than his actual ERA. Add in the fact he has a career ERA of 4.13 and it seemed unreasonable to expect Wolf to repeat his ’09 numbers in ’10. So far, he’s posted a 4.91 ERA with just 1 quality start in 3 outings and has a 15/6 K/BB mark. Based off his career numbers, and assuming last season was an outlier, you should expect Wolf to provide decent strikeouts with an ERA around 4.20 in 2010.
Ricky Nolasco – After two so-so outings, Ricky Nolasco finally put it all together Saturday against the Phillies by tossing a complete game and picking up the Win. He yielded just 5 Hits and 1 ER while striking out 4 batters to lower his season ERA to 3.74 and WHIP to 1.11. After recording a 9.49 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 in 2009, Nolasco has not missed as many bats through three starts this season, posting a 13/7 K/BB mark in 21 innings. However, he has increased his GB% while lowering his LD% so the lack of strikeouts isn’t a big concern yet. Interestingly, Nolasco’s fastball has decreased by about 1 mph from last season while the velocity on his slider has increased by 1.5 mph. He’s a solid No. 2/3 starter moving forward with nice upside, assuming those strikeouts return to 2009 levels.
Bengie Molina – After going 2-for-4 with an RBI and 2 Runs Scored Saturday, Bengie Molina and his .448 BA is trying to make everybody in San Francisco forget all about Buster Posey. Molina has at least one hit in 10 of San Francisco’s first 11 games to go along with 8 RBI and a 3/2 BB/K ratio. While some fantasy owners may look at Molina and see RBI totals of 81, 95 and 80 the past three seasons, respectively, we see a player that hasn’t posted a BB% higher than 3.3% since 2006, struggles to score 50 Runs each year and can barely clear an OBP of .320. Bottom line: it’s never good to rely on a player whose greatest strength lies in something he can’t control (RBI opportunities). If you own Molina, now’s the time to trade him at peak value and still get something worthwhile in return.
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