Ryan Howard - The Phillies' Ryan Howard sat out Monday's game with a sore knee and is considered day-to-day. Howard is actually having a very good month of June, despite the lingering knee issue. He owns a 1.085 OPS this month, which has raised his season line to .282/.335/.494. Howard's ISO is also up to .212 (it was .204 in 2012). The first baseman has enjoyed a .369 BABIP so far this season, which is 82 points higher than his 2012 mark, so there is likely some regression in his future. And, despite the hot month, Howard's HR/FB% for the season sits at 14%, which is well below his career 28% rate. After a couple tough months to start the season, Howard has re-emerged as a relevant option in deeper leagues and he should be played until this hot streak cools down. Long term, Howard is a risky option as there are still plenty of signs of decline for the 33-year old.
Cliff Lee - Cliff Lee took on the Padres in San Diego on Monday and allowed 2 ER on eight hits over eight innings. He struck out seven and walked one. Lee entered last night's outing with an impressive 2.53 ERA and 3.14 xFIP (compared to a 3.16 ERA and 3.06 xFIP in 2012) to go along with a slightly declining whiff rate (26% in 2011, 24% in 2012, 23% in 2013). He's also giving up 4% more liners this season versus last season, but his BABIP has fallen by about 40 points, which indicates he's probably due for a bit of regression on his balls in play average moving forward. The ERA won't stay in the mid-2.00s for the rest of the season, but even with some regression, Lee should post an ERA in the low-3.00s while still missing enough bats to be a top-20 fantasy starting pitcher.
Andre Ethier - The Dodgers' Andre Ethier went 0-for-3 on Monday against the Giants and is now batting .252/.335/.374 for the season. No doubt Ethier has been a huge disappointment in 2013, but he has shown signs of life of late, collecting 22 total bases to go along with a .381 batting average in his past 15 games prior to last night's game. Overall, Ethier isn't squaring up on the baseball nearly as well in 2013 as he has in past seasons. He's got just a 20% LD% compared to 24% and 25% marks in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He's also seen his ISO fall to .122, which is well below his career .182 rate. Even worse, Ethier's got a career-worst 6% HR/FB rate. All told, the outfielder is likely to lose playing time once Matt Kemp returns from the DL and isn't hitting the ball with any authority. He's a bench outfielder in NL-only leagues and can be dropped in 10- or 12-team mixed leagues.
Madison Bumgarner - Madison Bumgarner faced the Dodgers on Monday and yielded 2 ER on five hits with five strikeouts over seven innings. Bumgarner owns nearly identical numbers in 2013 as he posted in 2012. He has a 3.44 xFIP and 3.20 ERA to go along with slightly higher strikeout and walk rates (25% and 7%, respectively). He's holding opposing hitters to just a .194 batting average, although I should note his .238 BABIP indicates he's enjoyed some good fortune. Bumgarner's also experienced a change in his balls in play distribution as he's tallying a career-low GB rate (42%) while seeing his FB rate increase by 5% compared to last season. All told, the lefty continues to be one of the better fantasy pitchers and his improved whiff rate only adds to his already excellent value.
Eric Stults - Eric Stults looked to continue his first half dominance on Monday against the Phillies. He ended up throwing seven innings and giving up 2 ER on seven hits with four strikeouts and zero walks. Stults entered Monday's start with a so-so 4.14 xFIP, but much better 3.25 ERA. Despite striking out fewer than six batters per game and posting a mediocre 42% GB%, Stults has managed to suppress his ERA thanks to a 5.8% HR/FB% and .267 BABIP. Batters aren't making good contact off the left hander as evidenced by his 17% LD%. Still, it's hard to imagine Stults can continue pitching so well, especially considering his poor strikeout ability. I'm a bit perplexed that he's been able to maintain his current success for so long, but believe he'll experience regression soon.
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