A small sampling of Monday's player notes:
Francisco Rodriguez (RP-MIL) - The Brewers are looking to be sellers this month, and they have a number of quality reliever that would fit right in with contenders such as the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Tigers. Rodriguez looks all but certain to be dealt, as he's on a one-year deal and his trade value is at its peak right now given his 1.14 ERA. John Axford and Jim Henderson are other candidates, but expect K-Rod to go first, with Henderson likely to slot in as closer over Axford. The big key this year has been a drop in his walk rate from a career 3.9 BB/9 to 3.0 so far in 2013. Rodriguez's velocity has been in line with the last three years and his K/9 sits at a solid 10.0. If you're an owner in an NL-only league, you have to be a bit nervous right now, as there are plenty of AL teams in on K-Rod. Edit: K-Rod lowered his ERA to 1.09 with one scoreless inning Sunday.
Matt Kemp (OF-LAD) - Kemp came off his latest stint on the DL on Sunday and immediately made his presence felt in the six-hole, homering and doubling in the second inning against Washington. Kemp's game on Sunday was just #62 of the season after the former MVP candidate played in 106 last year. Given the offseason shoulder surgery, seeing Kemp with a 56 AB/HR rate (pre-Sunday) shouldn't be a huge surprise, but we're used to seeing Kemp in the 15-17 range with that number, so this is a severe power outage. We'll blame a big part of that on the injuries, but Kemp's fantasy owners have to be crossing their fingers for two primary things: health and that Sunday was a sign of things to come. Edit: after the game, Kemp was limping in the clubhouse after appearing to tweak his ankle in a slide. More to come on this.
Yasiel Puig (OF-LAD) - Puig was not in Sunday's lineup against the Nationals, likely getting a day off to simply clear his head. Puig is just 1-for-14 in his last four games, and his last home run came on July 2. A .369/.400/.581 slash line is obviously still good, but might pitchers be figuring him out some? Puig has a 21:3 K:BB in July and a 41:7 mark overall but given age an inexperience, that's not a huge long-term concern. Short-term, the Dodgers now have all of their outfielders healthy, so we'll have to see how Don Mattingly uses Puig and the other three guys. Matt Kemp had a big day on Sunday, so any time Puig is in the lineup, it will likely be at the expense of either Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford. For now, the Dodgers don't appear inclined to trade any of their outfielders.
Jordan Zimmermann (SP-WAS) - I didn't do the research, but Sunday had to be the ugliest start of Zimmermann's career. Facing the red-hot Dodgers, Zimmermann allowed home runs to Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez in a seven-run second inning and departed after the end of that inning. The game took his ERA from 2.58 to 3.01. Zimmermann also had a 4.58 ERA in his previous three starts, so he's been scuffling a bit lately after a hot start. Zimmermann has seen his K/9 dip from 7.0 to 6.4 compared to 2012, but the velocity and location are both still there, so no worries. Zimmermann elected to skip this month's All-Star game due to a sore neck, so that could be a primary cause of his recent struggles. Sunday though he was facing a tough customer in the Dodgers, and seeing all those hits fly past him couldn't have helped the neck issues. He should be fine going forward.
Brandon Beachy (SP-ATL) - Beachy is nearing a return from Tommy Joihn surgery, and reportedly could make his first start of the season as early as Thursday. Paul Maholm is nursing a wrist injury, and after tossing 85 pitches in his last rehab outing, Beachy is pretty much ready to go. Regardless of Maholm's status, it seems likely that Beachy will have a spot in the rotation this year. It could come at the expense of either Kris Medlen, or more likely, Alex Wood. Beachy has a 23:14 K:BB in 23 rehab innings, but in his start on Friday, he walked just one over five innings of one-run ball, so the lack of control shouldn't be a concern.
