1. Ian Kennedy (SP - Diamondbacks) - Kennedy didn't have his best stuff on Wednesday night, but it was good enough to earn him his 8th win of the year and 11 QS in 16 appearances. You knew Kennedy was going to struggle through the night when he started giving up walks and scattering hits (a total of 10 combined in his 6.0 innings of work). He recorded 4 K's to drop his K/9 slightly to 7.37. When he's off, his K's don't come easily. When he's on, he can mow them down recording 8+ K's or more in 5 separate outings this season. Kennedy is having a solid year, especially for a guy who was on the "maybe this is the big year" fantasy heap at the start of the season. Overall, his 2.90 ERA and 1.09 WHIP earn him D-Backs ace status and I think its here to stay for quiet some time.
2. Sergio Romo (RP - Giants) - Romo limped off the mound on Wednesday night grabbing at his knee with a grimace on his face. It certainly didn't look good, but he claims to be fine and should be ready to be called out of the 'pen today. Romo has a huge name given the beard, the World Series, etc., but his Holds stats have just been mediocre this year. The league leader in Holds, Typer Clippard, is at 20 while Romo has about half that many with 11 so far this season with the same number of appearances of 33. Romo should have some upside in the Hold category as his peripheral numbers are still solid with high K-rates, a respectable ERA, and a consistent Holds-type role in the Giants bullpen. The injury shouldn't be a long term concern and he's considered day-to-day.
3. Ryan Vogelsong (SP - Giants) - Again? Yes, Ryan Vogelsong just refuses to give the naysayers any reason to be negative. With another QS last night, he has now allowed 2 ER or less in each of his 11 starts, bringing his ERA to 1.86 with a WHIP of 1.09. How long can this last? The 33-year-old Vogelsong has a career 5.18 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 51 games before emerging as (when he qualifies with enough innings) the league-leader in ERA. Keep riding the hot hand or sell high when you can. I can't imagine this lasting until fantasy playoffs at this stage in his career. He'll be a 2-start pitcher next week against the Cubs and Tigers.
4. David Freese (3B - Cardinals) - Remember Mr. Freese? He went on the disabled list back on May 1st with a hand injury. Well, he's been in minor league rehab and could be back with the team as early as next week. Freese, who was stashed away or dropped when the injury happened, was raking before he hit the DL. He was hitting .356 with an .865 OPS and a.394 OBP. No power and no speed as he only had an ISO of .115, a career AB/HR of 51.1 in 358 ABs, and 2 attempted steals in 112 career games. But 3B is a weak position this year and he's hitting for average. If the hand injury doesn't set him back, he's serviceable in all leagues.
5. Carlos Pena (1B - Cubs) - Pena has only been recording 1 hit a game for the past few days, but they have all been homeruns. 3 HR in 3 days brings his total to 14 on the season as his AB/HR has now evenly matched his overall career rate at 15.6. Consider that measure with the fact that he didn't hit a single HR for the entire month of April (so he has an 0-for-63 averaged in there). Since May 1st, that rate has been 11.1 and he has shown no signs of slowing down. Of course, the power comes with a price. Manager Mike Quade will sit Pena against lefties from time to time (this past Sunday) and Pena is still only hitting .220 for the year. Even so, he has drawn 43 walks to post a respectable .350 for those of you in OBP leagues.
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