CORY'S PICKS

Baker @ Robertson

Millwood @ Lackey

Waters @ Garza (could Garza BE any more inconsistent?)

Carrasco @ Lester

Anderson @ Fister

Carpenter @ Kip Wells

Parra @ Cook

Haren @ Lincecum

Mock @ Hanson

Paulino @ Lee

Maholm @ Samardzija

***Also check out a new blog post by Siano on the Tout Wars page

http://www.toutwars.com/?p=440

C        Kurt Suzuki
1B      Kendry Morales
3B      Mark Reynolds
2B      Aaron Hill
SS      Jason Bartlett
UT      Ben Zobrist
OF1    Carl Crawford
OF2    Torii Hunter
OF3    Michael Bourn
SP1    Ubaldo Jimenez
SP2    Scott Feldman
CL      David Aardsma


And here's the updated calendar of events:

Monday 9/28: A look at the 2009 Rookie Class

Tuesday 9/29: A look at the 2010 Rookie Class

Wednesday 9/30: 2009 All-Surprise Team

Thursday 10/1: 2009 All Disappointment Team

Friday 10/2: 2009 All Fantasy Team

Monday 10/5: Me and Schwartz's Report Card from pre-season picks.

   

CORY'S PICKS

Peavy @ Carmona

Tejeda @ Chamberlain (Tejeda pitching great lately before melting down last time out)

Pavano @ Bonine (Pavano has eaten the Tigers for lunch this year)

D. Hernandez @ Shields (Shields a major disappointment this year)

Halladay @ Wakefield

Holland @ Jered Weaver (Weaver battling a sore back, this one is dangerous)

Mortensen @ Morrow

Morton @ Lilly

Redding @ Lannan

Nolasco @ Vazquez (danger alert: Nolasco 4.67 ERA in 3 starts vs. ATL this year)

Moehler @ Lee

Smoltz @ Arroyo

Karstens @ Zambrano

Suppan @ Hammel (ditching Hammel vs. Brewers)

Garland @ Richard

Mulvey @ Penny

***Siano says he may take a gamble on Redding, but Cory says no way.

 

Hey all,

 
We are wrapping the season up and wanted to make sure you have all the info. Each date has a short site clip and the more detailed podcast on itunes. Also check out a running blog on www.toutwars.com between myself, Lawr Michaels and Ron Shandler.

 
Don't forget last Sirius / XM show is this friday at 6pm ET on MLB Home Plate Channel. Twitter follows go to @fantasy411 @schwartzstops @fantasymlb

 
Monday 9/28: A look at the 2009 Rookie Class

Tuesday 9/29: A look at the 2010 Rookie Class

Wednesday 9/30: 2009 All Surprise Team

Thursday 10/1: 2009 All Disappointment Team

Friday 10/2: 2009 All Fantasy Team

Monday 10/5: Me and Schwartz's Report Card from pre-season picks.

Then we'll take October off and be back with you the week after the conclusion of the World Series.

-Siano

CORY'S PICKS

SATURDAY

 
Snell @ Purcey

Matsuzaka @ Sabathia (Dice-K still scares me and Yankees score at home)

Berken @ Sowers

Robertson @ Garcia (Still a gamble but pitching well of late)

Baker @ DiNardo

Garza @ Millwood (Garza seems to pitch better in tough matchups...vs BOS, NY, TEX  etc)

Eveland @ Lackey

Hanson @ Mock

Gorzelanny @ Zito

Lehr @ Paulino

Wolf @ Maholm

Pedro @ Looper

Maine @ West  (Mets suck).

LeBlanc @ Haren

Wainwright @ Ubaldo

 
SUNDAY

 
Tillman @ Huff (Tillman might get shut down after this)

Byrd @ Pettitte

Rowland-Smith @ Tallet

Jackson @ D. Hudson (hopefully E-Jax righted the ship last time)

Liriano @ Greinke

Price @ McCarthy

Gonzalez @ Saunders

Misch @ J. Johnson

Lowe @ Livan

Kershaw @ McCutchen

Cueto @ Wandy (Cueto much better since coming off the DL)

Blanton @ Bush

Lohse @ De La Rosa

Wells @ Cain

Mujica @ Buckner

 
MONDAY

 
Danks @ Laffey

Hochevar @ Gaudin

Blackburn @ Porcello

Hendrickson @ Niemann

Richmond @ Beckett

Hunter @ Big Erv

Kuroda @ Duke

Anibal Sanchez @ Jurrjens

Bazardo @ Hamels

Figueroa @ Detwiler

 

Zach here,   

10 days to go.  For those of you who have a legitimate shot at winning your league, good luck!  For those 90 percent of you (maybe a little less considering that you are 411 followers) who are out of it, 2010 could not come soon enough.  That's why we're starting to look at next season, and on today's show Micucci and Gottlieb will compare certain players at certain positions and give their take on who is the better option for 2010.  Rollins or Tulowitzki?  Verlander or King Felix?  Let the debate begin.

CORY'S PICKS

D. Hernandez @ Carmona

Lester @ Chamberlain

Fister @ Halladay

Shields @ Holland

Pavano @ Tejeda (both are hot, go for it!)

Robertson @ Garcia (The Chief is pitching well but Detroit is a tough opponent... tough call)

Gonzalez @ Jered Weaver

Vazquez @ Lannan

Garland @ Karstens

Redding @ Nolasco

Maloney @ Moehler

Lee @ Parra

Carpenter @ Cook

Correia @ Scherzer (this may be it for Scherzer)

Zambrano @ Lincecum

New blog post is up on www.toutwars.com I took back first place last night and have a commanding 0.5 point lead, oh the humanity!

Lawr Michaels and Ron Shandler are guests tomorow on the Sirius / XM show, gonna be a hot one.

Next week we look at rookies in '09 and '10 and unveil the all surprise, disappointment and fantasy teams and of course our final grades from our preseason picks......Siano

SIANO'S PICKS

Feldman @ Anderson

Verlander @ Carrasco

Felix @ Romero

Buchholz @ D. Hughes

Arroyo @ Morton

Padilla @ Martin   *Padilla might be worth a gamble in NL/deep leagues

Happ @ Suppan

Richard @ Hammel

Dempster @ Penny

Hey guys,

As the season winds down, just wanted to let you know about some of the special shows coming your way next week.  Here's the breakdown:

Mon 9/28:  411 looks back at the top rookies of '09

Tue 9/29:  411 looks ahead to some of the hyped up rookies  for 2010

Wed 9/30:  2009 All-Surprise  team

Thu 10/1:  2009 All-Disappointment team

Fri 10/2:  2009 All-fantasy team

Mon 10/5:  Siano and Schwartz grade their '09 preseason picks


Now go win your leagues!

-Zach

CORY'S PICKS

Burnett @ Kazmir

Porcello @ Masterson (Masterson a gamble for AL/deep leagues)

Guthrie @ Richmond

Morrow @ Sonnanstine

Beckett @ Hochevar

Duensing @ Buehrle (Duensing is on a roll, go for it!)

Hunter @ Mortensen

Bailey @ Hart

Billingsley @ Detwiler (Billingsley has been awful in the second half and Nats can score... this smells bad)

Hamels @ VandenHurk

Hudson @ Pelfrey

Samardzija @ Narveson

Smoltz @ Norris (Norris a gamble for NL/deep leagues)

Stauffer @ Marquis (Stauffer a gamble for NL/deep leagues)

J. Sanchez @ Mulvey

Hey everyone,   

Matt Wieters' transition to the Majors has not gone quite as smoothly as many had expected, but he appears to have finally found his groove at the plate (.339 AVG  2 HR  10 RBI in September).  His place on the catcher rankings heading into next year is tough to predict.  We all know about the upside, but will owners reach for him in drafts like they did this season?  Probably not.  While I stayed away from Wieters in non-keeper leagues in '09, deciding that he was simply too overpriced, I actually see him as an intriguing value pick for 2010.   The landscape of the catcher position fluctuates so much from year to year.  I'd much rather have Wieters in the 12th round than Jorge Posada in the ninth.

Topics today include Wieters, Ted Lilly's injury status, and a look at how the Cecil Cooper firing could affect the immediate playing time of some of the Astros' younger players.

-Zach

SIANO'S PICKS

Jackson @ Laffey *Not sure how much more of this I can take with Edwin

Hendrickson @ Tallet

Rowland-Smith @ Niemann

Byrd @ Greinke

Manship @ Danks

Gaudin @ Big Erv *Gaudin good source of Ks but not much else

McCarthy @ Cahill

Blanton @ J. Johnson  (Gm 1 of doubleheader)

Moyer @ A. Sanchez  (Gm 2 of doubleheader)

Cueto @ Duke

Kuroda @ Livan

Jurrjens @ Figueroa

Wells @ Bush

Pineiro @ Bazardo

Mujica @ De La Rosa

Cain @ Buckner

Welcome back,   

Another Milton Bradley suspension.  What else is new?  We all said it at the time and it has proven to be true.  Handing out a three-year 30 million dollar contract to this guy was a colossal mistake on the part of the Cubs.  There's a reason why he has yet to spend more than two seasons on any one team.  It's called a major attitude problem.  Not to even mention the constant injuries.  I have never owned Bradley on a single fantasy team and it will stay that way.  He's played more than 126 games in a season just once in his career and is just not worth the headache.

On today's podcast, Micucci and Gottlieb will discuss Bradley, Brett Myers' strained shoulder and the dominant Robinson Tejeda.

-Zach



Get breaking news as it happens by following the 411 on Twitter @fantasy411

Catch the 411 on Sirius 210/XM 175 and MLB.com every Friday from 6-8 pm ET

Watch the latest Fantasy 411 video clips by going to our new landing page
 

SIANO'S PICKS

SATURDAY

 
Sowers @ Gonzalez

Verlander @ Pavano

Jered Weaver @ Feldman

Lester @ D. Hernandez

Davies @ Peavy *I don't see it with Peavy but then again I didn't with Dice-K first start back.

Romero @ Garza *Romero cannot be trusted even in AL-only.

Sabathia @ Fister

Richard @ Ohlendorf

Lannan @ Redding

Dempster @ Carpenter

Penny @ Garland

Pedro @ Vazquez

Moehler @ Suppan

Nolasco @ Arroyo

Hammel @ Scherzer

 
SUNDAY

 
Lackey @ Holland

Dice-K @ Berken

Halladay @ Price

Tejeda @ Garcia

Robertson @ Baker

Carmona @ Eveland

Chamberlain @ Snell *Who knows, maybe Joba goes 5.

West @ Kip Wells

Mock @ Maine

Lee @ Hanson

Correia @ Maholm

Paulino @ Gallardo *Gallardo probably getting shut down

Jimenez @ Haren

Lincecum @ Wolf

Zambrano @ Wainwright

 
MONDAY

 
Tillman @ Purcey

Wakefield @ DiNardo

Blackburn @ Carrasco

Pettitte @ Saunders

Millwood @ TBD

LeBlanc @ McCutchen

Lowe @ Misch

Gorzelanny @ Looper

Pineiro @ Wandy

Zito @ Davis

here are the newest entries

 

http://www.toutwars.com/

 

-Siano

Happy Friday,

What a way to pick up your first Major League victory.  Just one start after getting rocked by the Red Sox at Fenway, Wade Davis dominated the Orioles last night, tossing a four-hit shutout while fanning 10.  Yeah, it was the Orioles, but a shutout is a shutout.  It'll be interesting to see whether or not Davis makes the Rays rotation out of Spring Training as they currently have six starters, but one thing is for certain.  Tampa Bay's young pitching depth does not end with David Price.  This team will remain legitimate contenders for a long time.

Today, Micucci and Siano will talk Davis, Cole Hamels, Edwin Jackson, Vladdy and more.

-Zach

SIANO'S PICKS

Hey all, so I am in this crazy battle to win AL Tout Wars vs. Lawr Michaels of creativesports.com so we decided to give the play by play of our blow by blow on our blogs and Toutwars.com. We are currently separated by 0.5 points with Lawr holding the lead for the moment. It is absolutely the most intense battle I've ever been in and to be honest I have no clue how this will turn out the variables are endless due to the amount time left in the categories Lawr and I are battling in and then the categories we are battling with others.

 

here is the post...................Siano

 

http://www.toutwars.com/?p=380

 

Zach back with you,   

Like Mr. Schwartz, I was very high on Brian Fuentes heading into this season.  Nasty stuff combined with a deceptive delivery that would throw American League hitters, many of whom had not faced him in the NL, off balance was surely a recipe for success.  Fuentes was a guy who would be drafted as a No. 2 closer but could perform like a No. 1.  Was I wrong about that!  In his first year with the Halos, Fuentes has blown seven saves while posting an ERA (4.41) and WHIP (1.45) well above his career averages of 3.52 and 1.26 respectively.  If the Angels signed him with the confidence that he could handle the big game, last night's blowup in Beantown should be major cause for concern.  I think it's safe to say they could use K-Rod right now.

As for fantasy owners, look on the bright side.  You got 41 saves from him.  Unfortunately, those saves came at a very steep price.  Closers are supposed to help your ratio stats, not hurt them.  I'm not going quite as far as to compare the 2009 Brian Fuentes to the 2007 Joe Borowski (45 saves, 5.07 ERA), but it's not as crazy of a thought as it would have seemed just six months ago.

Today, Siano and Gottlieb will discuss Fuentes, Youk, Oswalt, Billingsley and more.



Get breaking news as it happens by following the 411 on Twitter @fantasy411

Catch the 411 on Sirius 210/XM 175 and MLB.com every Friday from 6-8 pm ET

Watch the latest Fantasy 411 video clips by going to our new landing page

CORY'S PICKS

Greinke @ Jackson

Danks @ Morrow

Wade Davis @ Hendrickson

Big Erv @ Beckett

Masterson @ Mortensen

Bush @ R. Wells

Figueroa @ Jurrjens

Detwiler @ Hamels

A. Sanchez @ Cueto

 

Hey guys,   

The Daisuke Matsuzaka we saw earlier this year has vanished.  Last night, he was replaced by a different Dice-K, a one more reminiscent of the 2008 version.  Tossing six shutout innings vs. a strong Angels lineup is tough enough, but doing it after a three month absence?  Pretty good.  Matsuzaka's resurgence is likely coming too late to salvage the fantasy season for those who burnt an early-round pick on him (that is those who actually still have him on their roster) but this is obviously welcome news for the Red Sox, who may have just found themselves another ace as the playoffs draw near.

Topics today include Dice-K, Jake Peavy's scheduled return, and Francisco Cordero's unheralded yet dominant season.

-Zach

CORY'S PICKS

Laffey @ Blackburn

DiNardo @ Bonine

Sonnanstine @ Tillman

Tallet @ Pettitte

Saunders @ Byrd (Saundo is on a roll, even vs. Red Sox)

Cahill @ Nippert

Floyd @ Rowland-Smith (Belgian ambassador to the UN is 6 for his last 7 in quality starts!)

J. Johnson @ Pineiro

Hart @ Kuroda

Davis @ Mujica (I doubt Mujica can go 5 but he's been very solid this year)

Parnell @ Lowe (Lowe is a risk but Mets are bad)

Livan @ Blanton

Bazardo @ Lehr

Looper @ Harden

De La Rosa @ Cain

Hey everyone,   

Well, the stars just keep falling.  Now it's Justin Morneau who has been shut down for the season due to a stress fracture in his lower back.  Losing key players at this time of year when fantasy titles are decided is always tough, but .274-30-100-85 is still a fine final line...just not what owners expected when they spent a third round pick on the Twins first baseman.  The good news for those of you in keeper leagues is that the injury is expected to heal fully on its own.  Morneau should be 100 percent ready for Spring Training 2010.

On today's podcast, Siano and Schwartz will talk Morneau, Jay Bruce's return to action, the surging Bronson Arroyo and the struggling Ricky Nolasco.

-Zach



Get breaking news as it happens by following the 411 on Twitter @fantasy411

Catch the 411 on Sirius 210/XM 175 and MLB.com every Friday from 6-8 pm ET

Watch the latest Fantasy 411 video clips by going to our new landing page

CORY'S PICKS

Tejeda @ Washburn (Tejeda for gamblers)

Niemann @ Berken

Halladay @ Gaudin

Lackey @ Matsuzaka

Gonzalez @ McCarthy (McCarthy is hot)

Carmona @ Baker

Garcia @ Snell (I picked up Garcia for the 2-start week in NFBC: Mariners and Royals!)

Misch @ Hanson

Mock @ Lee

Oswalt @ Kip Wells (Oswalt is what, 22-2 vs. Reds in his career?)

Gallardo @ Zambrano

West @ Wainwright

Haren @ LeBlanc

Duke @ Wolf

Jimenez @ Zito

We're back,   
 
Congrats to Ichiro on his ninth consecutive 200-hit season.  What this guy has done since entering the Majors back in 2001 at the age of 27 is pretty unbelievable.  200-plus hits every year and a .300-plus average every year.  The only negative is that Ichiro's streak of scoring 100-plus runs every year will likely come to an end thanks to a weak supporting cast (he needs 21 more runs in three weeks).  Consistency often goes underappreciated in fantasy as we tend to pay more attention to players who are enjoying career years or those who carry "high upside."   This isn't to say we don't value Ichiro, but perhaps we don't value him enough.

Micucci and Schwartz will talk Ichiro, Alex Gordon, Lincecum and Billingsley on today's podcast.

-Zach


Get breaking news as it happens by following the 411 on Twitter @fantasy411

Catch the 411 on Sirius 210/XM 175 and MLB.com every Friday from 6-8 pm ET

Watch the latest Fantasy 411 video clips by going to our new landing page

SATURDAY

 
Cueto @ R. Wells

Pelfrey @ Moyer

Hudson @ Lohse

Estrada @ Anibal Sanchez

Ohlendorf @ Moehler

Bush @ Mulvey

Padilla @ J. Sanchez

Esmil Rogers @ Stauffer

Matusz @ Burnett

Anderson @ Manship

Danks @ Big Erv

Hochevar @ Huff

Richmond @ Jackson

Wade Davis @ Beckett

Fister @ Holland

 
SUNDAY

 
Maine @ Kendrick  (Gm 1 of doubleheader)

Lannan @ VandenHurk   *Ditch Lannan. Marlins kill lefties

Maholm @ Paulino

Vazquez @ Carpenter

Bailey @ Lilly   *Bailey hot and Cubs stink

Billingsley @ Penny

Marquis @ Correia

Parra @ Scherzer

Redding @ Pedro  (Gm 2 of doubleheader)

Guthrie @ Sabathia

Davies @ Carrasco

Romero @ Porcello *Wall game

Garza @ Buchholz

Gonzalez @ Duensing *Gio is a sleeper for 2010, but way to inconsistent to pitch

King Felix @ Hunter

Buehrle @ Kazmir

 
MONDAY

 
Wandy @ Arroyo

Suppan @ Dempster

Nolasco @ Smoltz

Buckner @ LeBlanc

McCutchen @ Garland

Hammel @ Lincecum

Jered Weaver @ Gaudin *Gaudin if you are desperate for K's

Price @ D. Hernandez

Purcey @ Verlander

Tomko @ McCarthy

Laffey @ Pavano

Zach back with you,   

A very light schedule yesterday, so on today's podcast Siano and Schwartz will revisit the 2010 mock first round that we conducted about a month ago.  Here's a link to that blog post.

Not much has changed since, the exception in my mind being David Wright.  Factoring in his DL stint and his cold start to September, I think he's got a shot to drop to the second round.  Yes, the overall high average and the steals are great, but the other numbers, most notably the eight homers and 60 RBIs, are clearly far below what we all expected.  The concerns about Citi Field robbing home runs are legitimate, so is a .300-20-110-30 line worthy of a first round pick?  Possibly, but it's no sure thing.  It'll be interesting to see where Wright falls as the mock draft season heats up this winter.  He could provide excellent value, even at the back end of Round 1.

CORY'S PICKS

Tillman @ Pettitte

Greinke @ Masterson

Tallet @ Robertson

Shields @ Lester

Morrow @ Millwood

Mortensen @ Blackburn

Floyd @ Saunders

Lehr @ Harden

Figueroa @ Hamels

Martin @ J. Johnson

Morton @ Norris

Jurrjens @ Pineiro

Looper @ Davis

De La Rosa @ Mujica

Kuroda @ Cain

Hey everyone,   
 
Can the top pick in 2010 drafts be any more obvious now?  Following his two-homer performance yesterday, Albert Pujols now leads the Majors in home runs by six (47 to Mark Reynolds' 41), ranks second in RBIs with 124, just one shy of Prince Fielder, and is first in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage.   Not to mention he's top five in batting average and ranks second in the NL.  No, he won't catch Hanley there, but he's about as close to a Triple Crown as we've seen in awhile.

Topics today will include Pujols, Adam Wainwright's 18th win and whether or not Brad Lidge is officially out as the Phillies closer.

-Zach

CORY'S PICKS

***Baker @ Cecil

Washburn @ DiNardo

Rowland-Smith @ ***Lackey

Kip Wells @ Contreras

***Blanton @ Livan

West @ Parnell    *West a nice NL-only gamble

***Lowe @ ***Oswalt

Hey guys,   
 
The good news is that I have Kevin Kouzmanoff in two leagues.  The bad news is that he's been sitting on my bench for the majority of his recent hot stretch.  The streaky third baseman is a very frustrating guy to own.  You sit him and he goes on a tear.  You start him and he goes 0-for-4.  He rarely puts together a string of two or three great games in a row, so when looking up his stats I was very surprised to see that he's knocked in 27 runs since the beginning of August.  Time to get him back in the lineup, I guess.

On today's podcast, Micucci and Schwartz will talk Kouz, the injury to Tim Lincecum, and whether or not Brad Lidge will finally lose his job as the Phillies closer.

-Zach


Get breaking news as it happens by following the 411 on Twitter @fantasy411

Catch the 411 on Sirius 210/XM 175 and MLB.com every Friday from 6-8 pm ET

Watch the latest Fantasy 411 video clips by going to our new landing page

CORY'S PICKS

Feldman @ Carmona

Niemann @ Chamberlain

Pavano @ Halladay

Berken @ Byrd

Verlander @ Tejeda

Cahill @ Garcia

Snell @ Jered Weaver

Zambrano @ Hart

Wainwright @ Suppan

LeBlanc @ Zito

Lee @ Mock

Nolasco @ Misch

Lowe @ Wandy

Arroyo @ Hammel (yes on Arroyo, even in Coors, he's that hot)

Garland @ Haren (Haren not a slam-dunk the way he has pitched in the 2^nd half)

Back from the long weekend,

Carlos Pena was coming off a monster month of August (12 homers, 29 RBIs) and was just starting to improve on that awful average, batting .370 over his last eight games, making his season-ending injury all the more frustrating for his fantasy owners.  Sure, it was tough to put up with his long slumps, but it was OK.  We all knew Pena was a lock for 40 homers.  We didn't know that his year would end one month too soon and that he would finish with 39.

On today's podcast, Siano and Schwartz will discuss the injuries to Pena, Kershaw, and Tulowitzki and the expected returns of Josh Hamilton and Carlos Beltran.

-Zach

CORY'S PICKS

SATURDAY

 
Pettitte @ Cecil

Tazawa @ Floyd

Baker @ Masterson (Masterson is a gambler's choice only)

Millwood @ Matusz

Galarraga @ Shields

Lackey @ Greinke

French @ Anderson (Anderson's hot streak appears to be over, but hey, it's the Mariners)

Harden @ Figueroa

Cain @ Gallardo

Kip Wells @ Jurrjens

J. Johnson @ Livan

Blanton @ Oswalt

Boggs @ Ohlendorf

Davis @ Contreras

Latos @ Wolf (should be Latos' last start of the season)

 
SUNDAY

 
Blackburn @ Huff

Mitre @ Tallet

Holland @ Guthrie

Jackson @ Wade Davis (Jackson may be running on fumes but no disaster starts in months so let's keep rolling him out there)

Lester @ Danks

Saundo @ Hochevar

Fister @ Gonzalez

Stauffer @ Kuroda

Wells @ Pelfrey

Cueto @ Hudson

Pineiro @ McCutchen

Anibal Sanchez @ Martin

J. Sanchez @ Looper

Hamels @ Norris

Petit @ De La Rosa

 
MONDAY

 
Garza @ Sabathia (Gm 1 of doubleheader) - (Garza is a shaky pick though)

Manship @ Richmond

Beckett @ Buehrle

Big Erv @ Davies

Nippert @ Carrasco

Sonnanstine @ Burnett (Gm 2 of doubleheader)

Lilly @ Maholm

Happ @ Moehler

Carpenter @ Bush

Lehr @ Jimenez

Billingsley @ Scherzer

Richard @ Penny

 
TUESDAY

 
Hunter @ Laffey (this could be 3-2 or 13-12)

Price @ Gaudin (I don't trust Price vs. Yankees)

Duensing @ Romero (Romero is toast)

D. Hernandez @ Buchholz

Porcello @ Bannister

Tomko @ Torres

King Felix @ Kazmir

Dempster @ Morton

Pedro @ Lannan

VandenHurk @ Redding

Vazquez @ Paulino

Smoltz @ Parra

Bailey @ Marquis (Bailey's on a roll, but in Coors? I'm not sold yet)

Padilla @ Buckner

Correia @ Lincecum

Zach here again,

I've always thought of Jon Garland as mostly an innings eater, a guy who is undoubtedly more valuable in real life than in fantasy.   While my general opinion of him hasn't changed, there's no denying that he's enjoying a very solid season, especially of late (3.50 ERA since the beginning of June).  A move away from Chase Field and into cozy Dodger Stadium certainly helps his chances of continuing this hot stretch, and last night's gem of a debut was encouraging.  But is Garland mixed league worthy at this point?  I say yes, but only if you have extra innings to spare.  His overall hit rate (10.09 H/9) still scares me, and the combination of a high hit rate and low strikeout rate isn't a good one.  That said, you can't argue with the results, particularly at this time of the season when owners in need of pitching can't afford to be picky.

Coslov and Schwartz will talk Garland, Ricky Romero, Hanley and B.J. Upton on today's podcast.

CORY'S PICKS

Pavano @ Sowers (Pavano is for gamblers)

Feldman @ Tillman

Chamberlain @ Halladay (who knows what's going on with Joba these days)

Verlander @ Niemann

Jered Weaver @ Meche

Byrd @ Garcia

Rowland-Smith @ Mazzaro

West @ Mock

Wainwright @ Hart

Zambrano @ Parnell

Arroyo @ Lowe

Lee @ Wandy (awesome matchup)

Zito @ Suppan

Haren @ Hammel

LeBlanc @ Kershaw

Hey guys,

Don't look now but Homer Bailey is finally starting to resemble a Major League pitcher!  After looking like a total bust ever since making his Reds debut in 2007, the former top prospect is on a nice roll, picking up his third straight victory in yesterday's outing vs. the Pirates.  He's allowed a combined four earned runs during this win streak, and while the walk rate (3.38 BB/9) isn't great, the 19 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings are impressive.

Bailey's still just 23 years of age, so there's plenty of time for him to approach those lofty expectations.  At this point, mixed league owners are probably better off relying on other options.  I don't fully trust him just yet.  That said, Homer is definitely a great low-risk high-reward pick for next season.  After all, there's a reason why he garnered so much hype.  Scouts, at least most of them, aren't that crazy.

Additional topics for today include Brad Penny's dominant Giants debut and a look at some notable injuries.

-Zach

CORY'S PICKS

Carmona @ Robertson

Gaudin @ Romero (risky though)

Buchholz @ Price (double high risk/reward!)

Snell @ Tomko

Parra @ Smoltz

Misch @ Marquis

Lincecum @ Pedro

Hanson @ Nolasco

Buckner @ Garland

Torres @ Dempster

 

Welcome back,   

While Edwin Jackson's recent pitching has been far from awful, he's clearly struggling to find consistency after a dominant first half.  Jackson was fortunate enough to pick up the win last night vs. the Indians despite allowing four earned runs on nine hits over just five innings.  However, his 4-1 record since the beginning of August should not hide the 4.84 ERA and 1.61 WHIP.  So what's going on with Edwin?  Well, an increased workload from last year could be one explanation.  He's already tossed 175 innings this season compared to 183 1/3 frames all of '08 and is on pace for a 30-plus inning spike. 

Jackson has already far exceeded his owners' expectations, so they really can't complain.  But this late-season fade demonstrates why it is never a bad idea to trade away pitching, especially young pitching, for bats at the deadline.  Many of you are approaching innings limits anyway, so excess arms are pretty much useless at this point.  I'm not saying to dump Jackson if you did not manage to deal him, but just be sure you're using your remaining innings wisely.

Topics on today's podcast will include Edwin's mediocre start, the return of Tim Hudson, and the 2010 draft values of Matt Kemp and Milton Bradley.

-Zach

ZACH'S PICKS

Buehrle @ Duensing
Bannister @ Cahill   *Four straight quality starts for Cahill
Kazmir @ King Felix
Laffey @ Porcello   *Tigers a little scary but Laffey on fire
Sabathia @ Berken
Beckett @ Garza  *If running out of innings, may want to play it safe and bench Garza
Richmond @ Hunter
Duke @ Bailey   *Bailey a decent gamble though
Paulino @ Lilly
Lannan @ Correia
Lincecum @ Happ
Vazquez @ VandenHurk
Bush @ Carpenter
Redding @ Jimenez
Scherzer @ Billingsley   *Scherzer very shaky lately but consistent with the Ks

Hey guys,

This might sound crazy but one can make the case that of all the trades this season, yesterday's deal sending Jim Thome to the Dodgers has the biggest fantasy impact.  We all know that Thome is far from the fantasy stud he was in the early part of this decade, but 23 homers and 74 RBIs are very solid numbers, even for a guy who clogs up your Utility slot.  What will his owners now be getting?  Well, pretty much nothing.  Thome has already stated that he can no longer physically play first base, so he figures to serve solely as a pinch-hitter, a lefty bat the Dodgers can bring off the bench in a key late-game situation.  Clearly, Thome should be dropped in all mixed leagues and is probably not even worth a FAAB bid in NL-only formats.  Thome was obviously not thinking about his fantasy owners when he agreed to move out West.

Additional topics on today's podcast include the Garland, Contreras and Penny trades and some notable September 1 callups.

-Zach


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