The relief phenom’s first start was a train wreck. His command was all over, and he was only dialing up his fastball to around 94 mph on average, as opposed to the 96 or 97 he usually hits out of the pen. Last week against Kansas City was a slight improvement. Chamberlain went 4.1 IP allowing two earned runs, walked only one batter – as opposed to four in his first start – but struck out five, and was hitting his targets much better.
So what’s the deal with Joba for freaky Friday? Naturally Chamberlain’s velocity will wear as the Yankees attempt to continue in building up pitch counts. Joe Girardi has come out and said that they will increase his limit to around 90 pitches. Chamberlain’s slider has been just as nasty as ever in his last two extended outings. In fact, all of his pitches are getting good bite, like they were when he was blowing away hitters in the late innings. He’ll continue to rely on them more than his curve, as he did before – three of his strikeouts came on his fastball against the Royals, the other pair on the slider – and although he can’t be counted on for the same dominance as before, this should be his first real shot at picking up a victory. 90 pitches assure that if Chamberlain is hitting his spots he can go five or six innings. He’ll be opposed by the Astros’ Shawn Chacon, who is sporting a 16.50 ERA over his last two starts, and will face a surging New York lineup with A-Rod healthy once again.
Friday the thirteenth may not end up being so unlucky for Joba owners after all. I personally hope not being one of them.
The Chicago Cubs didn’t put a hoard of runs up on the board edging the Braves 3-2 in extra innings, but did just enough to get it done and continue to be one of the best offenses in baseball. The fantasy relevance in it? Take a look at the Cubs walk totals from last year compared to this year. Aramis Ramirez drew a walk 43 times last year. Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa had 49 and 58 walks, respectively. This year, Ramirez has already walked 40 times. “The riot” has 31 free passes, and DeRosa is at 30. Even the sensational rookie catcher Geovany Soto has walked 32 times. The apparent cause for plate discipline is newcomer Kosuke Fukodome, who has apparently passed along his good eye to his teammates. Fukodome isn’t going to be breaking anyone’s bank at auctions next year, but he does lead the team in BB with 43, and is on pace to score over 100 runs.
Speaking of DeRosa, it’s doubtful that he’s still available in 12-team mixed leagues, but in his second year playing for Chicago he’s made himself relevant in fantasy again. His first year with full-time at bats was just in 2006 for Texas when he approached .300 while knocking in 13 HRs with 74 RBIs, and then put up similar numbers in the Windy City last year. But DeRosa is already on pace to receive roughly the same amount of ABs this year, and is also on pace for 19 HRs, 84 RBIs and seven steals, all of which would be career highs. As a corner infielder DeRosa isn’t nearly as valuable, but the flexibility of being eligible at middle infield and also the outfield is what makes him such a nice asset to have on your fantasy team.
On the same track of players that may have just been picked up, even 10-team leagues should be hopping on the Alexei Ramirez train by now. Anyone who’s watched a game on WGN the past several weeks knows that this kid is no secret, making an impression both at the plate, in the field, and even on the bases. The Cuban defector was expected to make a push for the second base job for the White Sox this spring, but was inexplicably beat out. He’s continuing to seize the opportunity now, including a 3 for 4 line last Sunday, belting another homer with three RBIs in Chicago’s 12-2 victory over the Twinkies. He finally started receiving regular playing time in early May and is certainly making the most of it. His numbers won’t be eye-popping at the end of this season, but given full time PT this guy could be a .280 hitter with 20/20 potential. In other news, Nick Swisher and Paul Konerko owners have got to be still choking themselves.
Alex Gordon made noise again yesterday afternoon, belting his second home run of the Royals’ three-game series against Texas. Here’s another guy who fantasy owners drafted, and counted on being a 20/20 threat, and up until this series was looking like a bust with the numbers he’s on pace for. The former No. 2 overall pick out of Nebraska is hitting a pedestrian .267, and has only knocked seven dingers out of the park so far. No one would be surprised if Gordon approached .300 and still bashed 20 to 25 HRs, but the stolen bases his owners were counting on getting are the real killer. Gordon swiped 14 bags last year in 18 attempts, and has only a measly two steals on four attempts this year. If you’re an owner, you probably invested too much on him to sell right now. Hold onto Gordon as he’s just got too much talent, and hope that a 20/10 season is still in sight.
For any owners looking for spot starts on Friday night, here’s some advice on some pitchers that might be available in your league. I’m going to say yes on Joba Chamberlain (@ HOU), R.A. Dickey (vs. WAS), and Sean Gallagher (@ TOR). I’ll say no on Jon Garland (vs. ATL), Oliver Perez (vs. TEX) and the unlucky Aaron Harang (vs. BOS). Desperate owners may roll the dice on Andy Sonnanstine going up against Florida, but I’m still not buying despite several solid starts; Florida’s offense has been a powerhouse lately, and Sonnanstine is prone to the long ball.
That’s all, so have a safe weekend boys and girls.
