Ubaldo Jimenez (SP—Rockies) Hmmm...There are some definite chinks showing in Ubaldo Jimenez's armor as he was knocked around pretty handily by the Phillies on Saturday as he was only able log two innings. It was Jimenez's second poor start in a row where he has an cumulative ERA of 12.27 over those two outings. Jimenez's assessment of Saturday;s drubbing was that he was bending his back leg too much and too soon and therefore it gave him the feeling of pitching uphill. He tried to correct the mechanics but was unable to do so. But how does that explain all of his recent shortcomings over the past several outings? Jimenez has only one quality start over his last six outings and his ERA has increased from 1.15 to 2.75. It probably should have been expected that over the long marathon of a season Jimenez would not be able to keep up his incredible pace. These struggles should have come as no surprise. As crazy as it sounds to suggest sitting a 15-2 pitcher with a sub 3.00 ERA, it may be the more prudent move until Jimenez straightens himself out. Over the long haul, he's a good bet for a 20 game winner. But for now, it looks like he needs a little R & R.
Madison Bumgarner (SP—Giants) Madison Bumgarner notched his 4th victory of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.43 pitching seven innings of 2-run baseball against Arizona. Bumgarner has been very solid since coming up for the Giants showing solid strikeout potential (K/9 of 6.9) and good control (BB/9 of 1.5). He's also managed to keep the ball primarily on the ground with a GB rate of 50%. But these are small sample sizes so we will see how he progresses over more starts. However, one area that is somewhat concerning is Bumgarner's susceptibility to the home run ball. He's allowed 5 home runs in 6 starts and his elevated FIP of 4.12 reflects this. He's been fortunate the long ball hasn't done more damage but if he is to have continued success, he will need to figure out a way to keep the ball in the park
Johnny Cueto (SP—Reds) Johnny Cueto notched his 10th win of the year against 2 losses, pitching 8 scoreless innings on Saturday despite suffering from tonsillitis. Cueto has found his groove as he has an 0.88 ERA over his past 6 starts. Interesting enough Cueto has struggled some with his command as he has allowed 16 walks during this stint and has struck out only 19. The biggest difference this year is that Cueto's fly ball percentage is down about 2% over his career norm and this difference has allowed him to stay away from the log ball that he is usually pretty generous with. He has a HR/9 of 0.69 this year compared to a much higher 1.21 for his career. This may not hold as Great America Ballpark is a home run haven, but Cueto is putting together a solid season and with a potent offense behind him, he should continue to thrive.
Jason Heyward (OF—Braves) Since coming off the DL on July 15th, Jason Heyward has been on a roll, hitting .441 in his last nine games. He hasn't hit a home run since June 17th but he is currently riding an 8-game hitting streak and has five multi-hit games in a row. Heyward will probably not bat much higher than the .273 that he is at right now since his line drive rate is poor at 16% and he strikes out 26% of the time. But he his overall .845 OPS is solid and will obviously be in the mix for ROY honors. Keep him active in all formats as he is hitting very well as of late despite the lack of power.
Miguel Montero (C—Diamondbacks) It seems that Miguel Montero is getting a couple of days off. He sat out Saturday and is expected to miss Sunday's game. Montero has been struggling in July that has seen his batting average drop from .388 to .307. For July he is batting a thin .220 with no home runs and just two extra bases. After a breakout season in '09 where he hit 16 home runs, Montero has only two this season. But the good news for Montero owners is that despite the terrible average for July, Montero is sporting a 32.4% line drive rate and a .324 BHIP for the month. Problem is that his strikeout percent is way up at 36% in July. He's hitting the ball well and hopefully these days off will do him some good. He may not have the pop he did last season, but he should be able to keep that average high in the second half.
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