Roto Roundup: Carlos Beltran to DL, Justin Verlander Wins 18th

The Giants finally placed outfielder Carlos Beltran on the DL yesterday, retroactive to August 8th. He will be eligible to come off the DL on August 23rd. The Giants team is now a MASH unit with Beltran and Andres Torres on the DL, Jeff Keppinger and Nate Schierholtz injured and starter Jonathan Sanchez injured his ankle last night and had to leave his start early. Barry Zito owners rejoice!

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was placed on the 15 day DL with a slight tear in his shoulder and could be out for the year. This creates an opening for third base prospect Josh Bell to play third, with Mark Reynolds moving to first base.

Blue Jays outfielder Rajai Davis had an MRI and it showed he has a torn left hamstring but the Jays think he could return in September.

Blue Jays closer Jon Rauch will be out for the next 3-4 weeks with appendicitis and will be replaced by Frank Francisco. Francisco has struggled in the closer role this season, so he could be on a short leash.

More Roundup after the jump:

The Pirates activated outfielder Jose Tabata from the DL yesterday and sent down struggling third baseman Pedro Alvarez to AAA. Tabata, who batted leadoff, went 1-4 with a walk in his return to the lineup. Alvarez definitely needs more time in AAA as he has not produced at all this season. I was pretty high on Alvarez in spring training, but he has been a huge disappointment.

The Phillies placed third baseman Placido Polanco on the DL retroactive to August 7th, and he will be eligibile to come off the DL in August 22nd.

Phillies starter Roy Halladay dominated the Diamondbacks last night, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, a walk, struck out 14, and lost. He and Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw are the leading candidates for NL Cy Young this season, and Halladay is doing his best to put some space in between himself and Kershaw. For the season, Halladay is 15-5 with a 2.53 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 177-23 K/BB rate in 184+ innings.

Red Sox starter Jon Lester held the Rays to one run in 7 innings of work yesterday, giving up just 3 hits, a walk and 8 strikeouts to win his 12th game of the season. He is 12-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with a 143-53 K/BB rate in 148 innings. He has given up 2 runs or less in 7 of his last 10 starts, with 4 of his wins coming in those 10 starts.

Tigers starter Justin Verlander held the Twins to one run in 7.2 innings last night, giving up 7 hits, a walk and striking out 8 to win his 18th game of the season. Yesterday, I posted my Midseason Starting Pitcher rankings, and I ranked Verlander as my #1 starter at this point. I think he is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young award this season.

Reds outfielder Yonder Alonso went 2-4 last night, and is hitting .435-.500-.652 with a HR and 4 RBIs in his 23 at bats since his call up. Alonso has to be trade bait this offseason, as he has nothing to prove in AAA, and is currently blocked by 2010 MVP Joey Votto. 

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has been a disappointment this season, as he was injured for much of the season. He went 2-4 with a HR, 2 runs and an RBI last night, and is now hitting .296-.368-.453 with 7 HRs and 28 RBIs in 243 at bats this season. Third base, especially in the NL, has been horrible this season, but I think Zimmerman can bounce back in 2012 for fantasy owners.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen went 2-3 with 2 walks, a HR, 3 RBIs and a SB last night in the Buccos win of the Cardinals. He is hitting .271-.374-.472 with 17 HRs, 71 RBIs, 66 runs and 20 SBs this season. I ranked him in my Top 12 hitters at mid season recently, and maybe I am too high on him, but he is one of my favorite players in baseball. Looking back, not including Albert Pujols in the Top 12 looks silly.

Braves AAA starter Randall Delgado held the Giants to one run , on one hit, a HR, a walk and 4 strikeouts in 6 innings of work on Tuesday evening. As a thank you, the Braves sent him back to AAA so they can active Jair Jurrjens today.

Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 SB last night, and he is now hitting .281-.370-.494 with 15 HRs, 68 RBIs and 14 SBs thus far. He's a top 5-8 second baseman in 2012.

Speaking of top second baseman, Robinson Cano went 2-5 with a HR and 4 RBI last night, and is now hitting .306-.352-.533 with 21 HRs, 80 runs, 81 RBI, and 8 SBs this season. Cano is a 2nd-3rd round pick in 2012 drafts, as he is on pace for a 28-108-115-11 season at the plate.

The Mets announced yesterday that reliever Bobby Parnell will take over the closing duties for the team now that Jason Isringhausen has earned his 300th save. I am not high on Parnell right now as he has not pitched well of late, but one cannot overlook the K rate of 11.12. If you can overcome some early struggles, pick him up. He is rosterable in all leagues, especially keeper leagues.