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Gerrit Cole Pitches Well in Rehab
Cole has been working his way back from the disabled list, and made a rehab start with AAA Indianapolis last night. He threw five shutout innings, striking out seven, and allowing eight base runners. Hopefully Cole will be back after another rehab start or two, but overall it's been mostly a lost season for the former top pick.
For more on Cole and the Pirates, check out SBNation's Pirates' Blog, Bucs Dugout.
Melky Homers Twice, Helps Route Red Sox
The Blue Jays went out and put up a 14-spot on the Red Sox last night, led by two home runs from Melky Cabrera. Cabrera is having a very nice year, hitting .313/.362/.487 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI, and five stolen bases. He could reach 20 home runs for the first time in his career, although he seems unlikely at this point to add too much more in the stolen base side.
For more on Cabrera and the Blue Jays, check out SBNations' Blue Jays' blog, Bluebird Banter.
Jason Lane Excellent in First Career Start, but Outshined by Ervin Santana
The Padres called on outfielder-turned-pitcher Jason Lane to make the spot start on Monday afternoon against the Braves, and he did not disappoint. The 37-year old Lane allowed just a home run to Evan Gattis in the 7th inning, but was enough to take the loss. Lane is only really a play in the deepest of formats, but he's worth watching for good matchups down the line.
His counterpart on Monday, Ervin Santana, had one of those outings that remind you he can be a top fantasy starter on some days. He threw eight shutout innings versus the Padres, striking out 11 and allowing just five hits en route to the victory. That's two starts in a row with double-digit strikeouts for Santana, who has 4 wins to go with a 2.52 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in the month of July.
Round 'em up
Devin Mesoraco has emerged as a top five catching option, and continued his assault on NL pitchers yesterday with his 17th home run of the year. He's now up to .295 with the two hits yesterday, and I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to finish with 27 or more home runs before the season is done.
Tsuyoshi Wada recorded his first win of the year against the Rockies last night, throwing seven innings of one-run ball against the Rockies, and striking out six. I probably wouldn't recommend starting Wada in most leagues for his next start (@ the Dodgers), but he's an interesting name to watch for streaming purposes if he has a good matchup going forward.
Vance Worley has been an excellent reclamation project for the Pirates, as he threw a shutout against the Giants last night while allowing just 5 baserunners. On the year, his ERA is now down to 2.54, although he's not as much help with strikeouts as you would want. He's ownable in nearly all formats, although he's likely a streaming option in shallow leagues.
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