Gio Gonzalez continues to pitch excellently, allowing 2 earned runs and striking out 4 over 6 innings. Gonzalez now has 12 wins, and a 3.23 ERA in 167 innings pitched. I think that he's honestly going to be a top-30 pitcher for next season by the time it starts.
Ramon Hernandez went 3 for 4 against the Cubs yesterday, and has been hitting pretty well in August. He's now hitting .340 with 2 homeruns and 12 runs batted in. If you're in need of production from your catcher (and who isn't, really?) he's a solid play for right now.
Jered Weaver continues to show that he's going to start 2011 as a top-10 pitcher, as he struck out 11 and allowed just 1 earned run over 8 innings, but took the loss again. He's now at 3.12 in ERA, and is the first pitcher to 200 strikeouts this season (in 182 innings).
Brandon Morrow it was announced would be shut down for the remainder of the season after his next start, which comes on September 3rd. No word on who will replace him in the rotation yet, but I know that in my league with K/9 as an extra category I didn't want to see this, but figured it was possible.
Josh Johnson had a nice start against the Braves yesterday, striking out 8 and allowing just 1 unearned run. Unfortunately, he got another no-decision, and it's this lack of decisions that is probably going to cost him a lot of votes in the Cy Young race. His ERA is now down to 2.28 for the season, but has just 11 wins to show for it.
Adam Wainwright wasn't able to push forward from Johnson and the rest of the pack yesterday, taking the loss after giving up 4 earned runs in 5 innings for the Cards yesterday. He did strike out 7, but walked 3 as well. His ERA is now up to 2.30, but still has 6 more wins than Johnson, and just as many as Ubaldo Jimenez. Really going to come down to which pitcher finishes hottest in my opinion.
Ivan Nova made his second start of the season for the Yankees, and gave the team exactly what they needed: a good start. He went 5 2/3 innings, struck out 7 and walked just 1 while allowing 1 earned run. He could be a nice pickup if you need starting pitching (like if you're going to lose Brandon Morrow next week), but be aware he could be moved right back out of that role if someone goes back into the rotation (like Andy Pettitte or Javy Vazquez for example).
Ryan Braun went 4 for 4 yesterday with a homerun and 3 runs scored, and has now raised his batting average to an even .300. He now has 19 homers on the season, and I'm wondering if he is going to be in my top 10 for 2011.
Carlos Gonzalez, however, most likely will end up in my top 10. He hit 2 more homeruns yesterday, bringing his total to 29 on the season. He's now hitting .326, has 90 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. The Athletics fan in me just continues to shake my head.
Cole Hamels had a very nice start against the Padres, throwing 8 shutout innings and striking out 6. He lowered his ERA to 3.31 on the season, and has 176 strikeouts in 174 innings. Despite only having 8 wins this year, I think he's going to be back into the top 30 for next year.
Stephen Drew has been extremely hot in the last week, and continued that yesterday with a 4 for 5 day with a homerun. In the last 7 days, he's hitting .370 with 3 homeruns and 6 runs batted in.