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It was announced late last night that Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard will be activated from the DL today and start at first base vs the Braves, so activate him this morning. I am not sure what to expect from Howard, as from what I understand, he has only played a few games at first base, DH'ing in several others. He should be a welcome site to Phillies fans as Friday will be the first game this season where both Chase Utley and Howard are in the starting lineup.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez had one heckuva night at the plate last night. Perez went 4-5 with 2 runs scored and now has an 11 game hitting streak, as he has a hit in every game he has played this season. He is hitting .425-.425-.725 with 3 HRs, 8 runs and 7 RBI in his 40 at bats thus far. He is owned in just over 21% of ESPN leagues, so if he is available, go grab him.
White Sox started Jose Quintana has been some revelation this season, huh? He has made 8 starts this season, appearing in a total of 10 games, and is now 4-1 after holding the solid Rangers lineup to one run on 2 hits in 8 innings of work yesterday. He struck out 8, walked one and induced 11 ground ball outs to win his 4th game. He is 4-1 with a 2.04 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a 37-10 strikeout to walk ratio in 57.1 innings pitched. He is owned in less than 20% of ESPN leagues, and I have to think that will change next week.
Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon landed on the DL yesterday and will miss the next 6 weeks with a dislocated thumb that requires surgery. Gordon injured the thumb stealing third base on Wednesday night. He has been a disappointment at the plate this season, hitting just .229-.280-.282 with 36 runs scored and a league leading 30 stolen bases.
More Roto Roundup after the jump:
Is Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera going to hit .350 all season? I keep waiting for him to go into a prolonged slump, but it hasn't happened yet. He went 2-4 with 3 RBI in the Giants loss to the Nationals last night. For the season, he is hitting .356-.395-.518 with 7 HRs, 54 runs, 42 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He has hit in 9 of his last 10 games, and has failed to get a hit in only 14 of his 80 games played this season. Mr. Consistency.
The Rockies are having a dismal season thus far, with their starting rotation on course to set a record for futility. But, one of the bright spots on the team is outfielder Tyler Colvin. The Rockies got Colvin in the deal that sent Ian Stewart to the Cubs, and its easy to say that the Rockies have won that trade because Colvin has done nothing but hit this season. He went 1-4 with a HR and 2 RBI last night, in yet another Rockies loss, and is now hitting .301-.330-.608 with 11 HRs, 24 runs, 37 RBI and a 47-8 strikeout to walk ratio in 176 at bats. He will have to work on the plate discipline if he wants to be an everyday player, but he will be productive since they lost the humidor at Coors Field this season.
I don't get all the love for Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson, but some how he has a low 3's ERA again this season. What makes me think he will implode at some point are the following:
Strand Rate: 83%
K%: 5.79
BB%: 3.62
HR/FB%: 1.56
FIP: 5.42
xFIP: 4.94
All of those peripheral stats scream regression, but if you look at his strand rate the last two year, it is above 80% in each of the last two seasons. That is an extremely high strand rate, as most major league starters strand around 70-72%, so regression should happen at some point.
Brewers starter Michael Fiers is another guy who should be owned in more leagues than he is currently. Fiers held the Marlins to 2 runs on 7 hits, a walk and 9 strikeouts, but was the hard luck loser yesterday. Fiers is now 3-3 with a 2.31 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 50-9 strikeout to walk ratio in 46.2 innings in his 7 starts this season. He has given up 2 runs or less in 5 of his 7 starts this season, and has a 26-5 strikeout to walk ratio in his last 3 starts covering 20.2 innings.