Jered Weaver - Weaver made his first start last night since hitting the DL in early April with a fracture in his non-throwing elbow. He looked excellent, pitching six one-run innings while striking out seven and walking none. His numbers were unimpressive in his two starts before the DL stint (6.25 FIP), but you should pay no mind to that. Weaver is one of the AL's top starting pitchers and should be treated as such going forward.
Ivan Nova - After David Phelps allowed five runs in just a third of an inning last night, Ivan Nova picked up the brunt of the innings load in the aftermath, going five strong with just one run allowed, six strikeouts, and one walk. Phelps has generally been good as a starter this year, and a forearm injury may have played a part in last night disaster, but an implosion like this could definitely expedite the process of getting Nova back into the rotation (he got bumped when he landed on the DL with triceps inflammation in his throwing arm at the end of April). Nova was activated this past weekend, with the team taking a wait-and-see approach to his eventual role. His 6.11 ERA this year is ugly, but his 3.80 xFIP is actually quite good. After ramping up his strikeout rate last year (8.1 K/9) and posting a very good 3.91 xFIP, Nova has carried that peripheral improvement into 2013, making him a good buy candidate right now in deep-ish mixed leagues.
Ernesto Frieri - Frieri sealed up yet another game last night in exciting--and terrifying--fashion. He entered with a three run lead and proceeded to allow two solo home runs before finally shutting the door on the Dodgers for his 11th save of the year. His main issue this year has been his control (7.1 BB/9), and he'll always allow a few longballs given his extreme flyball tendencies (24% GB%). His stuff is fantastic, though, and he knows how to make batters swing and miss (12.5 K/9), so he really just needs to settle down, bring the walks down a bit, and he'll be fine. He's only actually blown one save despite all the runs allowed recently (six in his last five appearances), but if LA decides to make a change, Robert Coello may be the choice.
Jim Johnson - Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth inning yesterday, striking out two while picking up his 16th save of the year. He'd blown four of his previous five opportunities, so tonight was huge for him and his job security. He's not out of the woods yet, although his peripherals (3.91 xFIP) suggest that his 5.25 ERA is unlucky. Johnson remains a solid fantasy option, especially if he rattle off a few more clean saves, but it might not be a bad idea to stash Darren O'Day (first) or Brian Matusz (as a backup) just in case.
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