Lots of injury news from last night's games...
Not surprisingly, Carlos Santana was placed on the disabled list yesterday by the Indians. It sounds like they are very optimistic about the injury, so if you can stash him in single-year leagues, I would do that right now.
Both Ryan Howard and Kevin Youkilis were also placed on the disabled list, with Youkilis suffering what sounds like a rather freak injury. From Sportscenter last night, they mentioned that the injury Youkilis suffered was "one an athlete had never suffered before". Not entirely sure what to make of that. Tough losses for any team that owns them, as both were providing top-5 value at their position.
Andrew McCutchen and Mark Reynolds were both hit in the head by pitches last night, and both left their games immediately afterward. Keep an eye out today for more news, but both of them were really scary HBPs and I wouldn't be surprised if they missed tomorrow's game.
A player returning from the disabled list is Jacoby Ellsbury, who is expected to be in the starting lineup on Wednesday for the Red Sox. Start him immediately at this point if you've held him this long.
Joey Votto did not play again yesterday, and I'm wondering if at this point he could see some DL time. The Reds put Orlando Cabrera on the DL on Tuesday, but losing Votto would be a huge blow to the team, and to his fantasy owners.
Josh Beckett picked on the weakened Indians yesterday, striking out 8 and only allowing 1 earned run and 3 hits over 8 innings. I think at this point, he's probably safe to start in all his starts, and should do well the rest of the season.
Thomas Diamond was the tough luck loser in his Major League debut, but there's potentially a lot to like after seeing his first performance: 10 strikeouts over 6 innings, but 3 walks and 4 earned runs along with 122 pitches. Someone to keep in mind in much deeper leagues, as he was called on to start in Ted Lilly's spot.
Ricky Romero had a very good start against the Yankees, throwing a complete game and only allowing a 1st inning 2 run homerun to Mark Teixeira before setting down 26 of the last 27 batters he faced. He struck out 4, and almost seems like sometimes he does better when he strikes out fewer batters. He now has a 3.37 ERA on the season.
Chris Johnson had another great game yesterday for the Astros, going 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 3 runs batted in. In July, he hit .359 with 4 homers and 13 runs batted in, and now has the everyday 3B job. I'd definitely look at him if you need help at CI or 3B.
Jonathan Sanchez showed up as Mr. Hyde yesterday, striking out 9 batters, walking 3 and not allowing a run in the victory over the Rockies. If he can do this consistently, I'd be pretty happy about it. But it's those brutal starts that are the ones that make you want to pull your hair out.
Ted Lilly went 7 strong innings yesterday in his debut with the Dodgers, striking out 5 and allowing only 1 earned run in the victory. Going to Chavez Ravine every 5th day is definitely going to help Lilly's numbers overall, and I think he's going to be a very valuable pitcher over the last 2 months.
Neil Walker is one hot hitter. He went 3 for 4 yesterday with 4 runs batted in. While he only has 30 RBI on the season, he is hitting a very good .308, and has that wonderful multi-position eligibility in a lot of leagues (2B, 3B). If he's still available in your league, he should be looked at.