Around the AL: Igawa back, Burnett hurt
What's been going on around the American League in the past week? Tristan H. Cockcroft takes a quick-hitting look at the news and notes for each of the 14 AL teams:
Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles fired manager Sam Perlozzo on Monday, replacing him with bullpen coach Dave Trembley on an interim basis. The team will meet with Joe Girardi about its opening, and if Girardi is hired, it should help boost the stock of Orioles players. Remember, in any sport, a coaching change often means a short-term bump in performance for a team's players, who step up their games in an effort to impress their new skipper. In Girardi's case, keep in mind he's the defending National League Manager of the Year, so pairing him up with pitching guru Leo Mazzone could be quite a managerial staff. Girardi's Marlins were noted for their surprising pitching efforts -- Joe Borowski, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen and Anibal Sanchez, for instance -- and that could mean strong finishes for Orioles pitchers like Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Chris Ray. Perhaps it'd also lead to a respectable second half, something that hasn't been a trait of recent Orioles teams; the Orioles are 56-91 after the All-Star break the past two seasons combined.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox continue their lineup shake-up, this time dropping the slumping Julio Lugo to the No. 9 spot, and inserting the also-struggling J.D. Drew into the leadoff spot. The arrangement led to 20 runs and three wins in the team's three-game weekend series against the Giants, the first of which did come against a left-hander. It might seem odd for a team to use a leadoff hitter batting only .242 this season who averages single-digit stolen bases per year, but Drew actually isn't that bad a fit at all. Consider that he has averaged one walk per 7.09 plate appearances and managed a .350 on-base percentage this season, 7.13/.390 numbers for his career. He was 5-for-11 (.455) with two walks in the weekend series, scoring five runs, beginning to shake his recent funk. As long as Drew sticks in the leadoff spot, expect a big boost in runs scored, at the expense of his RBIs total. As for Lugo, his runs/RBIs/stolen bases totals will each suffer slightly in the No. 9 hole.
New York Yankees: Kei Igawa is once again getting a shot in the Yankees' rotation, partially thanks to his three consecutive quality-start efforts at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but also a result of Tyler Clippard's recent ineffectiveness. Igawa had a 1.80 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and .203 BAA in his last three starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, showing vastly improved command from his previous stint with the Yankees, when he allowed 14 walks in 30 2/3 innings. He'll step into Clippard's rotation spot beginning with Friday's game at the Giants, which isn't a bad matchup, and is well worth a pickup in AL-only and larger mixed formats. Remember, Igawa was considered a potential strikeout-per-inning arm with decent win potential in the preseason, and with his mechanics better today than a month ago, that forecast still applies. As for Clippard, back-to-back dreadful outings in which he posted a 14.14 ERA and .355 BAA earned him a trip back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He might be back later in the year as needed, but his appeal is more in keeper leagues.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: B.J. Upton landed on the DL Thursday with a strained left quadriceps muscle, earning Jonny Gomes another shot with the team. It wasn't a straight swap of roles -- Upton is now a second baseman, while Gomes is more a right fielder/designated hitter -- but the timing is more than merely coincidental. That's because Gomes has picked up starts in each of the team's past four games since his promotion, as the Devil Rays try out rookie Delmon Young in center field while continuing to bench troubled outfielder Elijah Dukes. All Gomes has done in those four games, meanwhile, is bat .571 (8-for-14) with three home runs, though to be fair, three of the contests were at Coors Field, a favorable hitters' environment. Still, it's enough to earn him a longer look as an everyday player in right field or at DH, once again making him an attractive AL-only or larger mixed-league pickup. He could be a cheap source of power, looking much more healed from his shoulder problems of a year ago.
Toronto Blue Jays: In a development that can't be at all shocking to his fantasy owners, A.J. Burnett left his most recent start June 12 with a strained right shoulder. Tests revealed the injury was only minor, though it's nevertheless serious enough to have cost him his most recent start Sunday, and with him reporting more pain in a throwing session that day, he's a strong bet for a DL stint. It's a frustrating development for Burnett owners, because he had turned his season around after a slow start, with a 3.16 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .205 BAA in his last eight turns, once again becoming a trustworthy every-start option. However, as always, owning Burnett means taking the risk he'll miss time due to health issues; only once in his career has he managed 30-plus starts (32 in 2005). Jesse Litsch, John Thomson or Victor Zambrano could be considered as short-term fill-ins, though whichever is picked shouldn't be used in fantasy. In June, after all, Litsch has a 4.67 ERA and .311 BAA in three starts for Double-A New Hampshire, while Thomson has 7.56/.318 numbers and Zambrano 8.59/.333 in three starts each at Triple-A Syracuse.
Chicago White Sox: Darin Erstad's recovery from an ankle injury couldn't be better timed, because rookie Jerry Owens hasn't been getting the job done in his place in center field. The speedster has batted only .174 (8-for-46) with no walks, seven strikeouts and three stolen bases in 12 games, making him a candidate for a demotion when Erstad returns, likely sometime later in the week. Expect Erstad to immediately reclaim the everyday center field and leadoff roles once activated, not that the move should mean much better results for the team taking into account his .311 on-base percentage this season. Still, he was effective enough in those roles before hurting his ankle to be a useful AL-only source of stolen bases and runs scored, so get him back into your lineup once he returns.
Cleveland Indians: Casey Blake is in the midst of a 26-game hitting streak, during which time he's batting .317 (33-for-104) with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. Though such a long streak is an impressive feat, it's actually not as great as it could be. Blake has only five multihit efforts during his streak, only 15 extra-base hits and 21 strikeouts total. Still, it has been good enough to elevate him to the No. 3 spot in the Indians' lineup, replacing Travis Hafner, who has batted fifth in three of the team's past five games and sat out the other two. Blake, who has a tendency to be streaky at times, is unlikely to stick for long in the No. 3 spot or as a reliable mixed-league option, but enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Two more important developments as a result of his hot streak: Andy Marte's return to Cleveland doesn't appear any closer than it did when he was returned to the minors, and Hafner qualifies as an attractive buy-low candidate at the clear low point of his season.
Detroit Tigers: Kenny Rogers could be back in the Tigers' rotation in the next week, as the tentative plan has him returning to action Friday against the Braves. The final decision should be made after a scheduled bullpen session on Monday, but it seems the left-hander isn't more than a matter of days away from being activated. He totaled 8 2/3 innings in two rehabilitation starts, one apiece at Triple-A Toledo and Class A West Michigan, allowing three runs (one earned) on 10
hits -- decent but not exceptional numbers. Rogers might be kept on a strict pitch count of 80-90 in his first start or two off the DL, and his fantasy owners should wait a few turns to see how strong he looks in his first few outings. Though he has been useful for fantasy in each of the past two seasons, Rogers isn't that much more than a matchups type at this stage of his career. Don't expect him to have too much mixed-league value, but in AL-only formats, he could be useful.
Kansas City Royals: Preseason Rookie of the Year favorite Alex Gordon is finally beginning to show signs of breaking out of his year-long funk, batting .421 (16-for-38) with two home runs and nine RBIs in his last 10 games. He's in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, four of those games multihit efforts, and what's most encouraging about the rookie's performance is that he's making more consistent contact and hitting left-handers. Gordon has only five strikeouts in this 10-game span, an average of one per 7.60 at-bats, a vast improvement from his first 53 contests (3.36). In addition, he's 4-for-12 (.333) with one homer against lefties in June. While it's possible that his recent hitting surge is only a short-term thing, and that further cold spells might pop up that require adjustments, Gordon nevertheless needs to be owned in most formats once again. It's not unthinkable that he's one of those annual first-year players who merely needs a month or two to warm up at the plate; think Nick Markakis last season in terms of Gordon's upside.
Minnesota Twins: Scott Baker has been one of the more hittable pitchers in baseball his past three starts, losing two with a 11.48 ERA, 2.25 WHIP and .410 BAA, though his rotation spot doesn't appear to be in jeopardy yet. His problem is that to date, he has yet to develop an effective pitch to use against left-handed hitters; they have hit him at .354/1.019 rates this season, .314/.882 for his career. Still, top prospect Matt Garza has done little to warrant overtaking Baker; he has a 4.88 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and .284 BAA in his last four starts for Triple-A Rochester. He'll reach Minnesota at some point this season, but with him continuing to tweak his pitching arsenal while at Rochester, Garza might not get the call until after the All-Star break. Expect Baker to get a few more turns in the rotation to try to turn his season around, though he's not fantasy-worthy right now.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Don't take it as an absolute just yet, but Ervin Santana might finally be shaking the label as a terrible road pitcher. He's coming off his best road effort of the season -- a seven-inning, five-hit, two-run performance, albeit in a losing effort -- on Friday against the Dodgers, and he now has allowed five runs on 11 hits in 13 innings combined in back-to-back quality starts on the road. Sure, one could make the case that with the Cardinals struggling all year and the Dodgers slumping of late, each of those games was a favorable matchup, but there's no shame in Santana capitalizing on good matchups. In fact, that's what makes a fair share of pitchers useful for fantasy, like a Chien-Ming Wang, Greg Maddux or Chad Gaudin. In Santana's case, his 23-6 record and 2.98 ERA in 37 career home starts make him a must-play in those games, but his road assignments are risky. In mixed leagues, it's a gamble to use Santana on the road, but he's getting a little closer to being AL-only useful once more based on the matchup.
Oakland Athletics: Rich Harden's fantasy owners can't be too happy to hear about the plans for his return from the DL, tentatively scheduled for Friday. He'll be used out of the bullpen initially upon his return, perhaps an attempt to ease the burden on his shoulder, which has kept him on the sidelines since mid-April. In that role, Harden shouldn't have any problem being a useful pitcher, though for fantasy, it won't mean much of an impact unless he pulls the Brett Myers route of shifting quickly to closing. Of course, that Myers got hurt after enduring such a shift should serve as a cautioning factor about getting your hopes up that Harden might be an elite stand-in for Huston Street. More likely, he'll pitch in setup relief, offer decent ERA/WHIP numbers to AL-only owners and probably make another trip to the DL before the season ends. Harden could always return to starting before too long, but that doesn't seem like it'll happen in the foreseeable future.
Seattle Mariners: So much for the notion of Brandon Morrow as a sleeper for saves this season. The rookie and 2006 first-round pick got off to a tremendous start to the season, managing a 1.59 ERA, .169 BAA, two wins and nine holds in his first 20 appearances, quickly becoming one of the better setup men in the league. Unfortunately, control has been a real problem for him, though, as he now has 27 walks in 25 2/3 innings for the season, including eight in his past four appearances (three innings). Morrow has only thrown 293 of 525 pitches (55.8 percent) for strikes all year, and with his command problems now resulting in poor performances on the scoreboard -- he has allowed six runs in his past four outings -- a demotion might not be too far off. The Mariners did say they wanted to develop the rookie as a starting pitcher when they initially drafted him, and with their bullpen strong enough right now, Morrow might be returned to the minors to switch roles. As is, his 1.91 WHIP doesn't bode well for him for fantasy.
Texas Rangers: Though his comeback and quest for 600 career home runs are each interesting story lines, Sammy Sosa is slowly but surely fading as a reliable fantasy player. He has started only 11 of 15 of the team's games in June, batting .229 (11-for-48) with one home run and 15 strikeouts, dropping his season batting average, once as high as .278 on May 11, to .246. As expected, Sosa's struggles have come primarily against right-handed pitching; he's a 218/.659 hitter on that side, averaging one strikeout per 3.20 at-bats. Against left-handers, he has .347/1.092/6.13 numbers in those categories. Still, the Rangers haven't dropped the veteran slugger into a platoon role yet. Sosa should reach 600 career homers any day now, but after that point, it'd be better for him, and his fantasy owners, if he played every game against a left-hander, starting only against weaker right-handers. Sure, it'd limit his appeal to AL-only leagues, but with his problems in batting average this season, he's becoming a shaky start even in those formats during his slumps.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
