Chien-Ming Wang- TOR- Stats- Wang has a 2.18 ERA since signing with the Blue Jays earlier this month but it is built on good luck. His FIP is 4.07 and his K/9 is 4.35. During Wang's minor league time with AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre his K/9 was only 3.88. That doesn't give much reason to want to pick him up.
Joe Nathan- TEX- Hot- Nathan came back after two days' rest following a string of 4 straight days of saving games. He pitched a perfect 9th to record his 26th game of the year. Since blowing his only save of the year on May 26th, Nathan has picked up 10 saves and faced the minimum number of batters 8 times in 13 appearances. He has recorded strikeouts in all but 2 of those 13 outings. There is still a differential between his ERA and FIP, but he has lowered his FIP to 2.84. Nathan seems to be more consistent and while he has been lucky, regression to the mean won't be that painful.
Engel Beltre- TEX- Rookie- Beltre got his first major league appearance last night as a pinch runner. It wasn't an auspicious start as he was caught trying to steal second base. He will get his first major league at bats today as he is expected to get a start in place of either David Murphy or Nelson Cruz. Beltre finally got to AAA this year, his 7th in the minors. However he is still only 23 years old. Last year, Beltre's third at the AA level, he broke out, hitting 13 homers and stealing 36 bases. At AAA Round Rock this year he was batting .300 with 4 homers and 13 steals in 72 games. The average was helped by a .359 BABIP but Beltre also made strides in discipline, increasing his Batting EYE from .22 last year to .45. Beltre will get some opportunities to play when the starting Rangers' outfielders need some rest and his speed should also provide him with some steal opportunities as a pinch runner. Beltre has some potential and could be auditioning for a future role with the Rangers. He is a good prospect in keeper leagues and could even provide a little value this year.
Kelvin Herrera- KC- Drop Value- Herrera was sent down to AAA again on Tuesday. After posting scoreless appearances in his first 6 games since being recalled he was scored on in 3 of his next 4 and was shipped out. Herrera has to develop consistent control. In his last 7 appearances for the Royals he walked 7 batters in 5 IP. Herrera also struck out 7 batters, which is why he remains tantalizing. If he can harness his control Herrera could become a prominent part of the bullpen. That's what he will work on in Omaha.
Scott Kazmir- CLE- Hot- Kazmir threw his second consecutive quality start, the first time he's done that since early May. He has 3 quality starts in his last 8 outings, not exactly a stellar ratio. Kazmir only needed 78 pitches to get through 7 IP last night, which is a good sign. However, he still has a 3.13 BB/9 for the year. If he walks that many it won't go well for him. It's a good story that he has come back to the majors but the evidence is not clear that he is pitching at a level that is worth owning on a fantasy team.
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