Roto Roundup: Justin Verlander Wins 17th, Johnny Cueto Silences the Rockies

Robert wrote about Padres first baseman Jesus Guzman last week, and I have been waiting for him to slow down at the plate now that he is playing everyday, but he just keeps on hitting. He went 1-3 with a walk and a SB yesterday and is now hitting .349-.393-.59 with 5 HRs 30 RBIs and 7 SBs in 126 at bats thus far. Should Anthony Rizzo start to worry about his role with the team in 2012?

Rays outfielder Ben Zobrist went 2-3 with a walk, a run, 2 RBIs yesterday and has his triple slash line up to .279-.371-/498 with 15 HRs, 67 RBIs, 78 runs and 12 SBs this season. The Rays need a legitimate power bat as Zobrist has been batting cleanup this season, and he should be hitting 2nd, or 5th-6th in their lineup.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto shut out the Rockies for 7 innings yesterday afternoon, giving up just 3 hits, walking 2 and punching out 9. He is now 8-5 with a 1.94 ERA 1.02 WHIP and a 78-37 K/BB rate in 120.1 innings pitched. Sabremetric stats like FIP and xFIP say Cueto is not this good, but he keeps running out there and pitching like an ace this season.

More Roundup after the jump:

Athletics DH Hideki Matsui went 4-6 with 2 run and 2 RBIs yesterday, and is now hitting .268-.341-.418 with 11 HRs and 58 RBIs on the season. Looking up and down the A's starting lineup yesterday, I am not sure there is one regular who would be drafted until the later rounds in an AL-only league, and most would not be drafted in mixed leagues.

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano went 3-4 with a grand slam and 4 RBIs yesterday. He is hitting .303-.350-.528 with 20 HRs, 81 RBIs, 74 runs and 8 SBs thus far this season. He and Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will be the first two second baseman off the draft board next spring, and i would lean toward Pedroia due to the SB totals. Cano is on pace for a 28-113-103-11 season at the plate.

Nationals first baseman Michael Morse was hit on the elbow with a pitch yesterday afternoon and after an MRI, was diagnosed with a bruised elbow. Morse has been a huge surprise this season, but fantasy owners will have to decide whether this season is for real or a fluke come draft day 2012. Morse may miss a few games and should avoid the DL.

Cubs starter Ryan Dempster held the Nationals to one run in 7 innings yesterday afternoon, giving up 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6. He is now 10-8 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. After a horrific April where he had a 9.58 ERA, he has settled down and has had monthly ERAs of 3.08 in May, 3.13 in June, 4.82 in July and 3.00 thus far in August.

Orioles catcher Matt Wieters went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts last night and is hitting .255-.313-.390 with 10 HRs and 39 RBIs in 364  at bats this season. He now has over 1,100 major league at bats with 30 HRs and 137 RBIs. Didn't PECOTA project him to hit 30 HRs two years ago. The clock is ticking for the Wieters breakout season.

Albert Pujols went 4-4 with a HR, 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. I left Pujols off of my Top 12 HItters on Monday and several readers questioned why he was not included in the list. I just see a guy who used to hit 40 HRs, drive in 120 and hit .330 every year on pace for a 38-99-.284 season. A bit disappointing.

Tigers starter Justin Verlander held the Indians to 3 runs in 7 innings, giving up just 6 base runners and striking out 10 to win his 17th game of the season. Verlander is my choice for the AL Cy Young award this season, as he is 17-5 with a 2.35 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. After Roy Halladay, it will be tough to not pick Verlander as the 2nd best starter in fantasy drafts next season.