Tom Gorzelanny (SP-CHC) – Gorzelanny continues to make the Cubs look foolish (I know, not the newest of concepts) for sending him to the bullpen earlier this year. Sunday, Gorzelanny allowed three runs (two earned) over 6.2 innings to beat a tough Phillies team on national television. Gorzelanny has won all three of his starts so far this month with a 2.38 ERA. Overall, the left-hander has a 3.12 ERA in 80.2 innings. The 81 strikeouts are a positive, with the big negative being the 41 walks. Gorzelanny’s ERAs the last two years – 6.66 and 5.55, so what’s different this year? Compared to last year, not a whole lot. A few more groundballs and strikeouts, but at the same time, an increase in his BB/9 from 3.3 to 4.4 doesn’t exactly explain the ERA. Pat Gorzelanny on the back for a job well done to date, but slot him in your mind as a No. 4 starter and you won’t be too let down.
Manny Parra (SP-MIL) – Oops. Parra got the start Sunday, and promptly allowed a whopping 10 runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings. Kudos to Parra for lasting that long after being down 7-1 after three innings, but this obviously puts Parra’s rotation spot in jeopardy. With Yovani Gallardo due back from the DL on Thursday, Parra or Chris Narveson will find himself in the bullpen or Triple-A in the next few days. Parra has a 9.86 ERA in his last four starts while Narveson is coming off an impressive win Sunday in Atlanta. You do the math here, but Parra’s 9.0 K/9 in 75 innings isn’t expected to carry much weight when it comes to manager Bob Geren deciding who to bump to the ‘pen this week.
Trevor Hoffman (RP-MIL) – If you haven’t been reading my weekly “A Closer Look” articles, you may not have heard me talk up Hoffman’s chances at returning to the closer role in the near future. Sunday, Hoffman tossed a scoreless eighth in a non-situation, and since June 1, Hoffman has a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings. Since an ugly April and May (7.71 ERA, seven HR), Hoffman has a 4.15 ERA while allowing just one long ball. John Axford has yet to blow a save in his 11 chances, but with the Brewers going nowhere this year and Hoffman six saves away from an historic 600, look for Trevor back closing games in the very near future – strictly for marketing purposes.
Starlin Castro (SS-CHC) – Castro was bumped to the No. 2 spot in the order Sunday, a move that, according to Lou Piniella, was a direct result of the way Castro has been swinging the bat. Castro is batting .285/.343/.411 overall, and a sparkling .333/.400/.556 in July with seven of his 15 July hits going for extra bases. Castro is going to enter 2011 having just turned 21 with 400+ big league at-bats under his belt, so the sky is the limit. We’re not sure he’s more than a 10 home run guy long-term, but a 20 year-old with bat speed and a decent 83% CT% is a guy I want on my team.
Angel Pagan (OF-NYM) – With the return of Carlos Beltran from the DL, Pagan has been displaced as the Mets’ center fielder. However, that doesn’t mean he’s been displaced as a starter, as news surfaced Sunday that Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel may be on the verge of naming Pagan his starting right fielder ahead of Jeff Francoeur. Beltran was given the day off on Sunday, so both Pagan and Francoeur started, but this is pretty much a no-brainer for Manuel considering this: Pagan: .306/.364/.461 and Francoeur: .247/.296/.383. Pagan has been a revelation for the Mets this year after having pockets of success in previous years (.837 OPS last year) but never really getting that big opportunity to be an everyday player. His time is now apparently.
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Max
Jul 18, 10 at 11:33 PM
should i add gorzo padilla or cj wilson
check out www.thefantasybaseballgruru.com
Dave
Jul 18, 10 at 11:33 PM
Gorz