Ryan Dempster, not dead yet.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

Hot: Wasn’t Ryan Dempster supposed to have lost his job by now? Here is what he has done since August 16 – ten appearances, eight saves, and a 1.93 ERA. Hmm… I guess he is getting the job done.

Not: Mark DeRosa is having a decent season, but clearly not worth the money that the Cubs paid him in the offseason, and he has struggled of late, hitting just .216 with no homers, three RBI, and four runs in his last ten games.

Cincinnati Reds

When I started writing out Cincinnati, I put Benagls there, not Reds. Yep, the Cincy fans feel the same way this time of year.

Hot: He has no power whatsoever, with no homers and just two RBI over his last ten games, but Norris Hopper continues to rake. Over his last ten games in 21 at-bats, Hopper is hitting .381 with two runs scored. If only he had some stolen bases, he would be a fantasy stud; instead, all he does is help your average. If you need that, though, he does that in massive doses.

Not: Generally speaking, fantasy owners suck up David Ross’ putrid batting average because he is one of the few sources of power behind the plate out there. His last home run came back on July 23, though, so, really, what good has he been?

Houston Astros

Hot: Matt Albers is finally settling down into a comfortable grove in the rotation. In his last two starts, Albers has seven innings in both, with only one earned run in each, and nine strikeouts and four walks.

Not: Brad Lidge might have a tight hold over the closer’s role now, but that does not mean that he is doing a great job with it. Lidge finished August 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA and only eight of his 11 save opportunities successfully converted.

Milwaukee Brewers

Hot: Playing a little bit of everywhere, Joe Dillon has been hitting when placed in the lineup. In his last ten appearances, Dillon is hitting .304 with three RBI and four runs in 23 at-bats.

Not: The player that should be most pushing for a playoff spot is the one letting the club down the most. Geoff Jenkins has been through the most hard times in Milwaukee of anyone on the club, but he is hitting just .100 with no homers, two RBI, and two runs over his last ten games. That is not what you do to end a career-long run without a playoff appearance.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Hot: There are few hitters hotter right now than Freddy Sanchez, who, over his last ten games, is hitting .385 with two home runs, nine RBI, and six runs scored. Do not get too pumped up though about the power – before this stretch, Sanchez had just nine home runs over almost five months, so he is not going to hit many more – if any – down the stretch.

Not: For Pirates fans – both of you – hoping that Matt Morris would not be as lousy as he was in San Francisco can take comfort, as he is not. He is even worse. In six starts, Morris is 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA and an absurdly bad 18:16 K/BB ratio.

St. Louis Cardinals

Hot: I still insist that he will be in for a world of hurt next year as pitchers catch up to him, but I must begrudgingly admit that Rick Ankiel is hot. Over his last ten games, Ankiel is hitting .389 with 2 homers, 12 RBI, and 7 runs scored. If the Cardinals make the playoffs, once again Rick Ankiel will have been the reason, and this time one very different from the last time he did it.

Not: The Kip Wells fairy tale is over. Over his last two starts, Wells has allowed 17 hits, 7 walks, and 10 earned runs in just ten innings. Wells never was good, and had just been very lucky so far this year. That luck has run out.