Blanton is available and startable
Sure, a much-ballyhooed -- when isn't it? -- matchup between the Red Sox and Yankees is on tap, featuring Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett. There are other potential pitchers' duels as well; Jair Jurrjens against Chad Billingsley or Carlos Zambrano against Ubaldo Jimenez. But a matchup out West could sneak under the radar, with the improving Jeff Niemann facing King Felix in Seattle. Felix Hernandez is finally having the type of season that can live up to his nickname, while Niemann has become the object of many an owner's desires, his ownership increasing 4.7 percent in the past week, making him the seventh-most added pitcher. Let's not forget about Joe Blanton, either, the sixth-most added pitcher. Take a look at the day's rankings, and you'll see we think they'll be added in even more leagues soon enough.
For starters
Starting pitcher rankings for
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tim Lincecum | R | 12-3 | 2.18 | 1.05 | 10.97 | .562 | CIN | .695 | 79.8% |
| 2 |  | Chris Carpenter | R | 10-3 | 2.10 | 0.95 | 6.46 | .577 | @PIT | .714 | 79.4% |
| 3 |  | Felix Hernandez | R | 12-4 | 2.78 | 1.16 | 8.33 | .624 | TB | .799 | 77.0% |
| 4 |  | Joe Blanton | R | 7-5 | 4.02 | 1.29 | 7.68 | .757 | FLA | .734 | 76.9% |
| 5 |  | Josh Beckett | R | 13-4 | 3.27 | 1.15 | 8.31 | .634 | @NYY | .831 | 82.4% |
| 6 |  | Chad Billingsley | R | 11-6 | 3.82 | 1.28 | 8.77 | .675 | ATL | .745 | 81.8% |
| 7 |  | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | 8-9 | 3.76 | 1.25 | 8.02 | .647 | CHC | .740 | 78.1% |
| 8 |  | Mark Buehrle | L | 11-5 | 3.79 | 1.15 | 4.90 | .713 | CLE | .774 | 78.0% |
| 9 |  | A.J. Burnett | R | 10-5 | 3.89 | 1.39 | 7.98 | .721 | BOS | .794 | 79.7% |
| 10 |  | Ricky Nolasco | R | 7-7 | 5.00 | 1.31 | 9.08 | .766 | @PHI | .786 | 79.3% |
| 11 |  | Jeff Niemann | R | 10-5 | 3.62 | 1.31 | 5.67 | .710 | @SEA | .717 | 81.4% |
| 12 |  | Brett Cecil | L | 5-1 | 4.36 | 1.53 | 7.09 | .838 | BAL | .749 | 82.3% |
| 13 |  | Carlos Zambrano | R | 7-4 | 3.35 | 1.35 | 7.35 | .683 | @COL | .776 | 77.4% |
| 14 |  | Jair Jurrjens | R | 9-8 | 2.85 | 1.24 | 6.35 | .678 | @LAD | .770 | 81.3% |
| 15 |  | Kevin Correia | R | 7-9 | 4.73 | 1.33 | 6.73 | .725 | NYM | .739 | 84.0% |
| 16 |  | Jon Garland | R | 6-10 | 4.26 | 1.41 | 3.87 | .766 | @WAS | .758 | 77.8% |
| 17 |  | Paul Maholm | L | 6-6 | 4.75 | 1.43 | 5.61 | .748 | STL | .740 | 81.1% |
| 18 |  | Brian Bannister | R | 7-7 | 3.59 | 1.28 | 5.78 | .672 | OAK | .704 | 81.6% |
| 19 |  | Vin Mazzaro | R | 2-8 | 5.73 | 1.68 | 6.41 | .848 | @KC | .705 | 80.2% |
| 20 |  | Scott Feldman | R | 10-4 | 3.91 | 1.21 | 4.36 | .690 | @LAA | .799 | 81.9% |
| 21 |  | Bud Norris | R | 1-0 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 8.10 | .426 | MIL | .758 | 77.1% |
| 22 |  | Collin Balester | R | 1-1 | 3.68 | 1.09 | 4.91 | .757 | ARI | .747 | 77.5% |
| 23 |  | Anthony Swarzak | R | 3-4 | 4.25 | 1.42 | 4.99 | .726 | @DET | .741 | 79.7% |
| 24 |  | Oliver Perez | L | 2-3 | 7.03 | 2.03 | 8.14 | .892 | @SD | .689 | 78.5% |
| 25 |  | Jason Berken | R | 1-9 | 6.93 | 1.71 | 4.66 | .857 | @TOR | .767 | 83.2% |
| 26 |  | Armando Galarraga | R | 5-10 | 5.22 | 1.50 | 5.75 | .843 | MIN | .762 | 80.6% |
| 27 |  | Carlos Villanueva | R | 2-8 | 5.98 | 1.48 | 7.52 | .801 | @HOU | .734 | 82.8% |
| 28 |  | Jeremy Sowers | L | 3-7 | 4.97 | 1.47 | 4.46 | .750 | @CHW | .757 | 81.3% |
| 29 |  | Homer Bailey | R | 2-3 | 7.06 | 1.55 | 5.61 | .808 | @SF | .696 | 78.6% |
| 30 |  | Joe Saunders | L | 9-6 | 5.07 | 1.47 | 4.80 | .807 | TEX | .766 | 76.6% |
Selected notes: Blanton logged his fifth consecutive start of at least seven innings while allowing two runs or less against the Giants his most recent time out, and the only reason he didn't end up with the win is because he went up against Tim Lincecum. Blanton has a 1.49 ERA during that stretch, and has walked only two batters his past 29 1/3 innings. Is there a better pitcher available in 80 percent of leagues? We think not. … Chad Billingsley has allowed five, six, two, six and zero earned runs his past five starts, leaving owners in a bind as to which Billingsley they'll get in any given start. He had his good stuff his most recent start, limiting the Braves to two hits in five innings, striking out nine before leaving with a cramp in his hamstring. Fortunately, the Braves' bats have cooled off recently, with a .706 OPS the past week, so it's not as tough a matchup as it would've looked in July, when the Braves hit .284. … It seems the Rays knew what they were doing in handing Jeff Niemann a spot in the rotation over David Price, as Niemann has been getting better and better. He's begun to take another step forward recently, with 20 strikeouts and just one walk in his past three starts, so it looks like it's time to take a calculated gamble on him. He's limited batters to a .709 OPS this season, and should be in store for great things against the Mariners, who have the second-lowest OPS against right-handers in the AL. … Carlos Zambrano left his last start with a stiff back and is questionable to take his turn Friday. He wasn't pitching so well before he left, however, with three walks against two strikeouts and two runs (one earned) allowed in his three innings. It will be interesting to see how he does in Coors Field where the Rockies turn into the best offense in the league. All the free passes Zambrano tends to allow could come back to bite him, and he no longer strikes out enough batters to make up for it. All things considered -- coming off an injury, facing a tough offense on the road against a pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez, that would make it tough to pick up a win even if he does pitch well -- you're likely better off exercising caution. … Brett Cecil came into Oakland allowing one run in his preceding three starts, so it was particularly shocking that the A's were the offense to touch Cecil up. No matter; everyone's entitled to a mulligan, and Cecil still went seven innings with just one walk. He just shut out the Orioles for six innings less than a month ago, too, and it's not as if the Orioles have improved offensively in that time, making Cecil a great spot start. … Speaking of spot starts, how about Kevin Correia, at home, against the banged up Mets, who just added to their infirmary list with Luis Castillo and Gary Sheffield day-to-day with injuries? Did we mention Oliver Perez will be pitching for the Mets? It might not be pretty, but Correia should definitely get the job done.
Now batting
Hitters' count
• Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees: Cano has hit everything in sight when facing Josh Beckett, with a lifetime .342 average in 38 at-bats. He's hit him hard, too, with four doubles and two home runs leaving him with a slugging percentage north of .600.
• Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies: The former MVP has really found his power stroke recently, and he's a threat to take the ball out of the park against Ricky Nolasco as well, with a career .682 slugging percentage against the Marlins right-hander. He's 6-for-22 (.273), but five of his hits have been of the extra-base variety, with three doubles and two dingers.
• Jim Thome, DH, White Sox: Thome is 4-for-9 with two home runs against Jeremy Sowers this season, bringing his career numbers up to 6-for-13 (.462) with three homers and a double. Thome is the only left-handed hitter to take Sowers out of the park this year, so obviously he sees something he likes.
• Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Indians: Coming into the season, one of the worries was how well Choo would do playing against left-handed pitching full time. While he has lost about 35 points of batting average against lefties, he still has power, with five home runs in 130 at-bats. Mark Buehrle can testify to that, as Choo is 3-for-6 with a double and a homer against Buehrle this season.
• Kelly Shoppach, C, Indians: While Shoppach has really struggled against right-handed pitching (.189 average), he's put up his standard excellent numbers versus lefties, hitting .282 with three home runs. Sure, it's only 39 at-bats, but in 203 career at-bats, he's hit 15 home runs while slugging .601, so at this point it's safe to call it a skill. He has gone deep against Buehrle in the past, as well.
• David Wright, 3B, Mets: Eight home runs out of a top-5 pick doesn't cut it. As far as batter versus pitcher matchups go, though, this is Wright's opportunity to rectify that. He's 6-for-8 against Kevin Correia lifetime, blasting two home runs and adding two more doubles for good measure.
• Adam LaRoche, 1B, Braves: Although LaRoche has twice as many strikeouts (four) as hits (two) against Chad Billingsley, he's made the hits count, going yard twice. Toss in his recent hot hitting -- he's 9-for-18 to begin August -- and he should be kept active.
Pitchers' count
• Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees: Teixeira's at-bats versus Josh Beckett haven't been particularly successful, at least as far as hits are concerned. He has only two hits in 13 at-bats, although he's worked five walks. Neither of those two hits went for extra bases and, in another sign of dominance, Beckett has sent Teixeira down on strikes six times.
• Mark DeRosa, 2B/3B/OF, Cardinals: Is Paul Maholm the rare left-hander DeRosa doesn't wallop? So far that seems to be the case, as DeRosa has been limited to three hits in 13 at-bats, fanning five times.
• Rick Ankiel, OF, Cardinals: Ankiel has found his swing in recent weeks, hitting .360 since the All-Star break, but chances are he'll cool down a bit versus Maholm, who has left-handers hitting below the Mendoza Line against him. He's yet to allow a home run to a left-handed batter in 102 at-bats.
• Brad Hawpe, OF, Rockies: Hawpe's come down to Earth, batting worse than .250 since July, and gets a tough matchup against Carlos Zambrano on Friday. He has just one hit in 11 career at-bats versus Big Z, striking out three times, so expect his slump to continue.
• Juan Rivera, OF, Angels: Rivera is still looking for his first extra-base hit versus Scott Feldman. Heck, he's had enough trouble accumulating hits in general, with only three in 13 at-bats. With no secondary skills to speak of against Feldman -- he has yet to draw a walk, either -- he's stuck with a .445 OPS against.
• Hank Blalock, 1B/3B, Rangers: If the Rangers are wise, they'll sit Blalock against Joe Saunders, against whom he's 1-for-10 with three strikeouts. It's weakness versus strength -- Blalock hits .223 versus lefties, while Saunders limits them to a .239 average -- so you wouldn't expect anything less.
• B.J. Upton, OF and Jason Bartlett, SS, Rays: The two are a combined 1-for-27 against King Felix, striking out nine times, five by Upton, four by Bartlett. You could even throw Carlos Pena (0-for-9, two K's) and Evan Longoria (1-for-6, four K's) in here, too; Hernandez really dominates the Rays.
If you're hardcore
• Cristian Guzman, SS, Nationals: His hitting streak at 12 games and counting -- with multiple hits in 10 of the 12 games -- Guzman has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball recently, hitting .358 since the All-Star break. He has 14 runs in his past 17 games, and with the trio of hitters behind him (Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham) swinging hot bats, he should continue to contribute in the category. Guzman is still available in more than 60 percent of ESPN leagues.
• Lyle Overbay, 1B, Blue Jays: After a rough July, Overbay is headed in the right direction again; he's 7-for-21 (.333) with two home runs and a double in his past six games. He's hitting .284 with 10 home runs against right-handers, which is decent, if unspectacular, production, and should add to those numbers when he faces the hittable Jason Berken, against whom the league is hitting .315.
• Nolan Reimold, OF, Orioles: One of the biggest tests for minor league players attempting to make it in the majors is if they overcome their first slump. The league will eventually figure you out, and it's the one that can make adjustments and bounce back that have a future. So far so good for Reimold, who looks like he can at least hit lefties; he's hitting only .257 versus righties but .301 against southpaws. Right-handers are slugging .497 against the left-handed Brett Cecil, so Reimold's a nice play.
• Chris Coghlan, OF, Marlins: With seven multihit performances in his past nine games, Coghlan has been one of the better leadoff hitters the past few weeks. Overall, he's hitting .338 with three home runs since the break, so you'll want to ride this streak out.
• Kyle Blanks, OF, Padres: Blanks is hitting only .167 versus southpaws this season, but it's only 30 at-bats, and given his minor league numbers -- a .651 slugging percentage this season, and a .305 average and .869 OPS in his career -- against left-handers, he'll probably improve. Oliver Perez makes a perfect guinea pig, as the league is batting .305 and slugging .523 off him.
• Marlon Byrd, OF, Rangers: Joe Saunders has been crushed by Byrd this season, with three hits allowed -- two of which have left the park -- in six at-bats, so one can only imagine Byrd is licking his chops at another chance to do some damage. He'll come in swinging a hot bat, too, as he's sporting a seven-game hitting streak.
Triage
Injury list: Out
• Jason Bay, OF, Red Sox (hamstring): Bay returned to the lineup on Wednesday and swatted a home run, but at a cost: he re-injured his sore hamstring and is now out until the weekend at the earliest.
• Corey Hart, OF, Brewers (15-day DL, appendectomy)
• Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers (15-day DL, hamstring)
Injury list: Day-to-day
• Luis Castillo, 2B, Mets (ankle): The injury isn't serious enough to land Castillo on the disabled list, but he is expected to miss a couple of games.
• Nelson Cruz, OF, Rangers (ankle): The Rangers are hoping Cruz can avoid the disabled list, but he is reportedly experiencing significant pain when he throws or swings. He might be available off the bench this weekend, but it also wouldn't be surprising if he landed on the disabled list in the next day or two.
• Jason Giambi, 1B, Athletics (15-day DL, quadriceps): Giambi is healthy enough to play, but the A's have not decided who will be sent down to make room for his return. He should be activated any day now.
• Bobby Jenks, RP, White Sox (kidney stones): Jenks hopes to be available by Friday, but manager Ozzie Guillen suggested he would be eased back as closer. "I don't think we're going to put him in right away," he said. "I don't think we should. That's not good for us or good for him."
• Alexei Ramirez, 2B/SS, White Sox (ankle): Still day-to-day with the ankle injury that has already caused him to miss six consecutive games, there's hope Ramirez could return Friday.
• Gary Sheffield, OF, Mets (hamstring): Sheffield left Wednesday's game in the sixth inning after aggravating his hamstring rounding first base and was removed from the game as a precaution. The injury looks to be minor, but that doesn't mean he won't miss a game or two to make sure it stays that way.
• Justin Upton, OF, Diamondbacks (oblique): Upton strained his oblique while attempting to steal a base Wednesday. It's unknown whether a stint on the disabled list will be the result, but at the least he will miss Thursday, and probably a few more days after that.
• Carlos Zambrano, SP, Cubs (back): So far Zambrano is scheduled to take his turn on Friday, but manager Lou Piniella has indicated he might use him out of the bullpen before that, which would presumably push his start back a couple of days. Keep an eye on the situation.
Weather concerns
• The only two contests that are weatherproof are the Orioles-Blue Jays and Rays-Mariners.
• There's a 50-50 chance of thunderstorms in Chicago, but it at least helps that Mark Buehrle is known for working quick games. Detroit could also see a few showers, with a 30 percent chance of rain.
Adam Madison is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com.
