Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C - BOS) - Saltalamacchia hit his 14th home run, most among catchers in all of baseball. He is now hitting .255/.303/.542. His plate discipline remains suspect as he's struck out over four times as many as he's walked, but massive power like this is rare for a catcher. A large majority of his damage has been done against right-handers, as he's been pretty bad against lefties both this year and in his career. He's become a strong option against righties.
Drew Smyly (SP - DET) - Smyly struggled in Texas in his return to the rotation, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits (one home run) in 4 2/3 innings, walking two while striking out three. The outing was not unpredictable, as the Rangers are a tough team to face especially in Arlington and Smyly has had big problems with the gopher ball. While his strikeout and walk rates have been very good, he's mostly just a matchup option at this stage. He's worth using Sunday against a Rays lineup that has struggled against left-handed pitching and at home in the pitcher's environment of Tropicana Field.
Ian Kinsler (2B - TEX) - Kinsler hit his eighth home run and also singled to raise his line to .270/.333/.438. His walk rate is down significantly as he's chasing more pitches out of the zone, but he's been unlucky as he sports just a .287 BABIP entering the night despite a very high 25.8 LD% which makes him a strong buy-low candidate. He's always been a much stronger option at home and against left-handed pitching which has continued into this year.
C.J. Wilson (SP - LAA) - Wilson got good results in Baltimore, allowing just a run on six hits in seven innings. However, his peripherals did not match the performance, as he walked and struck out two each and allowed a home run. That being said, the Orioles have an excellent lineup against left-handed pitching and Camden Yards is a tough place to keep the ball in the yard. His peripherals so far have more resembled his 2010 campaign than last season, but his ability to miss bats at a decent rate and get a lot of groundballs makes him a valuable option in most matchups. He's a very good option on Monday in Cleveland against an Indians offense that has struggled badly against left-handed pitching.
Alex Rodriguez (3B - NYY) - Rodriguez hit his 13th home run of the year and also walked to raise his line to .265/.355/.436. His strikeout rate has continued to rise as he's chased more pitches outside the zone, but he's also hit line drives at a 21.1% rate entering the night after very low marks the last two years. He's rebounded to hit lefties hard again after two years of mediocre production against them, but he has not been able to hit righties for any power. He should look to be sold somewhat high as he's become prone to breaking down.
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