Josh Hamilton- LAA- Hot- Hamilton seems to be getting back into form after a slow start coming off the DL. He had his 3rd multi-hit game in a row yesterday, going 2-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI. Hamilton is 7-for-12 in those games. He hasn't hit a homer since his first game back but the power should be following.
Justin Masterson- CLE- FYI- Masterson didn't follow up with a second consecutive quality start but he was close. He threw 5.2 IP, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. It was the third consecutive start with at least as many Ks as IP, which is a positive and puts Masterson as a possible buy low candidate if his current owner is paying more attention to his lone quality start in his last 6 outings. After watching his ERA rise in the second half in both 2011 and 2012, it dropped in the second half last year. That's what had happened in each of his first 3 major league seasons so perhaps Masterson is back to being a strong finisher.
Ichiro Suzuki- NYA- Hot- Possible regression to the mean was put on hold yesterday as Ichiro went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He had been 4-for-15 in June with a BABIP of .333 which, while still high for mortals, had dropped Ichiro's season mark to .383. He also had a monthly Batting EYE of .25, well below the 1.17 he posted in May. It's still unrealistic to think that the BABIP that got boosted to .393 yesterday won't fall and that his .320 average won't follow.
George Springer- HOU- Rookie- Springer's June might not be matching his May yet, but it's still early. He does have 2 homers already and is 6-for-26 with 4 walks and 2 HBP. He has a BABIP of .324, but with his speed (45 steals in the minors last year) it would be expected to be above the norm so he may not experience as much negative regression as you'd otherwise expect.
Jason Kubel- MIN- Drop Value- Kubel was designated for assignment to make roster room for Kendrys Morales. Even if Kubel does catch on with another team, he batted only .224 for the Twins despite a .354 BABIP. There isn't a favorable scenario that would make Kubel have fantasy value at this point.
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