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Just because our fearless leader is on vacation doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of useful information from the full slate of Sunday's games. With that, let's take a look at the news from the games yesterday.
Midseason Fantasy Position Rankings
In case you missed our Midseason Fantasy Position Rankings, here are links to each of our rankings published thus far.
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: Starting Pitchers
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: Outfielders
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: Shortstop
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: Third Base
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: Second Base
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: First Base
- 2013 Midseason Position Rankings: Catcher
Fake Teams Podcast Episode 21: What's Average Height?
Zack and Andrew posted a new episode of the Fake Teams podcast yesterday, discussing the latest news in the Biogensis suspensions, the trades of Matt Garza and Francisco Rodriguez, and our consensus third base rankings.
Jose Fernandez Outduels Gerrit Cole
We got a preview of what may be two of the most interesting young pitchers in the National League at this point, as Jose Fernandez and the Marlins faced off against Gerrit Cole's Pirates. Cole did his part, striking out 8 while allowing 3 runs over 7 innings, but the story was clearly Jose Fernandez. Fernandez went 8 innings, allowed 5 hits and 2 runs, and struck out 13 en route to the victory. We had Fernandez ranked as our #43 pitcher for the rest of the year, with me apparently going bonkers and ranking him 27th. It seems pretty likely that he gets shut down at some point in the season, but he definitely looks like he could be a top 20 starting pitcher for next year. On the season, Fernandez now has 124 strikeouts in 119 innings pitched, along with a 2.70 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.
For more info on the Marlins and Fernandez, head over to SBNation's Fish Stripes.
Tony Cingrani Pitches Great, But Doesn't Get Any Run Support
Chris Capuano kept up, but the pitching story in Los Angeles yesterday was Tony Cingrani, who went 7 shutout innings, striking out 11 and allowing just 2 base runners. Unfortunately, he left with a no-decision as the Reds could not score on Capuano or the bullpen in the loss. With Cingrani going back and forth between AAA and Cincinnati as the team needs a starter, he is one of the few pitchers I would hold even if he gets sent down again. Cingrani now has 90 strikeouts in 77 innings, along with a 2.82 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.
For more info on the Reds and Cingrani, head over to SBNation's Red Reporter.
Could Pujols Injury Lead to Sell Off In Anaheim?
Albert Pujols was placed on the disabled list on Sunday with a tear of his plantar fascia, and manager Mike Scioscia (via Mike DiGiovanna) noted that he could miss significant time, and possibly the rest of the season. With yesterday's loss, the Angels are now 13 games back in the division, and I have to wonder if the loss of Pujols could finally push the team into the sellers.
For more info on the Angels and Pujols, head over to SBNation's Halos Heaven.
Round Up
The Nationals' bats went nuts in support of Taylor Jordan yesterday, as they drubbed the Mets 14-1. Denard Span went 4 for 4 with a home run, 3 runs scored, and 3 runs driven in. Span didn't make it into our top 50 outfielders for the rest of the year, but I think he could still be a nice piece for an owner who needs batting average and runs scored.
Yasiel. Puig. No doubt walk off home run in the 11th yesterday, and while he looked pretty bad earlier in the game, he didn't miss when he got the chance late. Nothing really to add here, just enjoyed the bat flip and the slide to end the game.
Derek Jeter returned to the lineup for the Yankees yesterday, and promptly hit a home run in his first at bat. The Yankees desperately need production from their right handed hitters (as evidenced by acquiring Alfonso Soriano), and hopefully he will stay healthy going forward.
Wil Myers homered twice in the same game, and is now hitting .328 with 7 home runs on the year. He finished at #37 in our consensus rankings, and while I had him a bit higher (32), I'm wondering if we may have still been too low.
Jarred Cosart went 6 innings, but we saw a bit of what has had talent evaluators concerned about his long term role. He allowed just 1 run and 4 hits, but walked 5 and struck out just 1 in the no-decision. He's still an interesting pitcher down the stretch, but he's going to have outings that look decent and still concern you going forward.
Nick Franklin homered twice for the Mariners in their victory over the Twins, and now has 10 on the season. I really believe he could hit another 5-7 home runs before the end of the season, along with another 3-5 stolen bases.