Brandon Phillips, 2B, Cincinnati Reds: RBI Machine
Phillips only recorded one hit in four at-bats Friday night, but his only hit proved to be huge as he cleared the bases with a double to deep center, narrowly missing a grand slam. The hit gave the Reds a 5-0 lead at the time, but seeing as the Pirates went on to hit three solo home runs later in the game, Phillips can be credited with the game winner. He has been clutch all season long, and his 77 RBI already match his total in 147 games last season. With the season being only 90 games old, it puts him on pace for 130 RBI. Now I don't believe he'll reach that number, but considering he's driven in 12 more than any other second baseman in baseball, it eases the pain of his stolen base numbers (1 SB, 2 CS) and the fact that his OPS (.733) is the lowest it's been since he became an everyday player. Regardless, with second base normally being a weak fantasy position, anything above 15 home runs and 75 RBI is a fantasy blessing and Phillips is around that home run total with 12, and already above the RBI total, and we aren't even two-thirds through the season yet.
Hanley Ramirez, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers: Hot Batter
Ramirez's lone hit was a two-run blast off of Stephen Strasburg in the third inning to give the Dodgers the lead. It was Hanley's ninth home run of the year and his 26th and 27th RBIs. He has 50 hits in 40 games played, with 22 of those hits going for extra bases (9 HR, 11 doubles, 2 triples). With his OBP at .438 and his SLG at .702, it puts his OPS at a god-like 1.140. If Ramirez had enough at-bats, he would be leading the league in that category, and second to only Chris Davis in slugging. Knowing his injury history, it's tough not to put him in the "sell-high" category, but this could be a nice season for Ramirez. He went from no fans in Florida to Dodger games being sold out almost every day, and he seems to like playing in the limelight. It's showing as he could be back in full form after batting just .257 in 2012.
Chad Gaudin, SP, San Francisco Giants: Strong Outing
Chad Gaudin has been known as a guy who can get righties out, but historically struggles quite a bit against those southpaws. The Diamondbacks threw five lefties in their lineup last night, but it didn't mean much as Gaudin struck out eight over seven scoreless innings. The veteran right-hander was straight dealing, walking no one and surrendering just three measly singles. Since being promoted to the rotation, Gaudin has definitely made the case to stay in that fifth slot, recording four wins and three no decisions in seven starts. With his ERA at 2.15 and his strikeout total being close to one per inning, he could be a hot waiver pick up this week and next, especially considering he's owned in just 11 percent of Yahoo! leagues. If you need a quick fix at pitcher while a guy is cold or injured, give Gaudin a look. He's been doing the job.
Jeremy Hefner, SP, New York Mets: Stick with Him
Hefner had his worst start as a pro yesterday, giving up eight earned over just 2+ innings of work. The Phillies lineup feasted, getting four runs in the first inning and breaking it wide open with seven in the third, with three of the runs being credited to reliever Greg Burke. The start bumped Hefner's ERA up more than a half of a point, from 3.33 to 3.93, and it marked the first outing in almost two months that he allowed more than three earned runs. Chalk this one up as a bad day, because before this debacle, the young righty posted a 1.71 ERA this month, and a 1.80 in June. With 88 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.15 over 112 innings, he is still a great fantasy option, even though the Mets don't score many runs. Before this start, Hefner had been ranked the 30th best fantasy player over the past month, so he's as hot as they get, don't let this start put anything drastic in your head.
Kyle Lohse, SP, Milwaukee Brewers: Throwin' Up Zeroes
On the other side of things, Kyle Lohse was great... again. After being knocked around in his last start before the All-Star break, Lohse threw six scoreless, allowing just five hits and walking no one. The Miami Marlins aren't exactly Murderer's Row, but nonetheless, Lohse continues to impress and has proven to be a fantasy steal thus far. He gives up almost a hit per inning, but when you walk just 19 batters over 121 innings, it keeps that WHIP low enough to hold value in even deeper mixed leagues. He isn't going to win a ton of games, but when he's pitching this consistently, he should be owned in all 12-man leagues.
