BY ADAM RONIS
The Braves sent struggling outfielder Jeff Francoeur to Double-A Mississippi to work on his hitting. He is batting .234 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. He hit .206 in June and is 1-for-12 in July. His stay will likely be brief. He should be held on to.
BY ADAM RONIS
Aaron Harang will miss his start tomorrow because of forearm tightness. Harang has struggled recently and this might be the cause. He was good in his last start allowing three runs in seven innings with eight strikeouts in a no-decision. He is 3-10 with a 4.47 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, but if he's healthy, he could have a good second half. Stick with him until we learn more about his health.
BY ADAM RONIS
The Indians designated closer Joe Borowski for assignment. Borowski was awful this season with a 7.56 ERA. Masa Kobayashi should be the favorite for saves, while Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez will get some consideration, too.
BY ADAM RONIS
So far, no Sports Illustrated jinx for Tim Lincecum who is on the cover of the new issue. He improved to 10-1 with a win over the Cubs. He went six innings and allowed seven hits, three runs, one walk and struck out eight. He has a 2.49 ERA. The main concern for Lincecum is a huge innings jump. He was called up May 6 last season and threw 146 1/3 innings in the majors. He is already at 115 2/3 innings.
Andre Ethier went 1-for-3 with a homer and two walks. He has nine homers and 34 RBIs with a .276 average. He should play every day with the injury to Juan Pierre and even with Andruw Jones set to return tomorrow. He should be owned in all leagues while playing every day.
James Loney went 2-for-3 with two runs and a homer, two RBIs and a walk. He is hitting .307 with seven homers and 44 RBIs.
J.R. Towles was called up from Triple-A and should start most of the time for the Astros. He went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. He's worth a shot in leagues that start two catchers. He's hitting .153 and struggled before getting sent down to the minors.
After a slow start, Chad Billingsley has pitched real well. He went eight innings against the Astros and allowed six hits, two runs -- no earned -- walked one and struck out five. He is 8-7 with a 3.12 ERA and with a 107/46 K/BB ratio. He had a 6.53 ERA on April 24.
Takashi Saito picked up his 14th save.
Billy Butler went 2-for-5 with his second homer. He should be owned in all leagues.
Aubrey Huff continues to put up power numbers. He went 3-for-4 with two runs, two homers and three RBIs. He is hitting .283 with 17 homers and 52 RBIs.
Adam Jones is someone who could have a big second half. He went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. He is hitting .276. He has 15 hits in his last 40 at-bats.
Joakim Soria has been one of the best closers this season. He struck out two in a scoreless inning for his 23rd save. He has a 41/9 K/BB ratio and a 1.22 ERA.
J.J. Hardy is getting hot. He went 4-for-5 with his ninth homer.
Mike Cameron hit his 13th homer.
Manny Parra had another good start and was in line to win, but the bullpen blew a 5-0 lead. Parra threw six scoreless innings and and allowed four hits, three walks and struck out four. He has a 3.69 ERA.
Eric Gagne threw a scoreless inning, while Salomon Torres blew his third save without recording an out. He allowed three hits and two runs.
Brandon Webb failed to win his 13th game. He went six innings, allowing nine hits, five runs, two walks and six strikeouts. He has a 3.43 ERA. This might be the last chance to buy low.
Coco Crisp returned from suspension and went 2-for-3 with two runs, a walk and his 13th stolen base. If you need steals, he's an option.
Jon Lester was great against the Yankees. He threw a five-hit shutout, walked two and struck out eight. He is 7-3 with a 3.21 ERA.
Jack Cust hit his 14th homer.
Justin Duchscherer improved to 9-5 with a 1.96 ERA with a win over the White Sox. He went seven innings, allowing five hits, two runs, two walks and struck out four. He has a 59/21 K/BB ratio and has allowed just five homers.
Huston Street went 1 2/3 innings for his 16th save.
Javier Vasquez went the distance, but fell to 7-7. He allowed four hits, three runs, one walk and struck out 10. He has a 4.37 ERA.
Elijah Dukes has been hitting real well since getting consistent playing time. He went 2-for-3 with two runs, a homer, two RBIs and a walk. He has six homers and 20 RBIs. He should be owned in deep mixed leagues and can help if you need stolen bases.
Austin Kearns returned from the DL and went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Johnny Cueto went thought a rough stretch after a phenomenal start. He pitched well for the fourth straight start and beat the Nationals. He went seven innings and allowed seven hits, three runs, one walk and struck out eight. He 7-8 with a 4.63 ERA.
Francisco Cordero pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 16th save.
Jimmy Rollins has been slumping. He went 1-for-3 with his 19th steal. This may be the final chance to buy low.
Chase Utley hit his 24th homer and Ryan Howard hit No. 22.
Cole Hamels took a shutout into the ninth inning against the Braves, but couldn't finish it. He went 8 2/3 innings and allowed five hits, one run, two walks and struck out seven. He is 9-5 with a 3.22 ERA.
With Brad Lidge unavailable, Tom Gordon got the final out for his second save.
Carlos Delgado hit his 15th homer and has 49 RBIs.
Mike Pelfrey improved to 6-6 with a win over the Cardinals. He went seven innings and allowed six hits, one run, two walks and struck out six. He has a 4.23 ERA. He has a 54/43 K/BB ratio, but has pitched better lately. He should be owned in deep mixed leagues.
Jorge Cantu his his 15th homer and has 49 RBIs.
Jeff Baker started at first base in place of the injured Todd Helton and went 1-for-4 with his sixth homer and had four RBIs.
Kevin Gregg blew his fifth save by allowing one hit, two walks and two unearned runs to take the loss.
BY ADAM RONIS
Dodgers shorstop Rafael Furcal will have surgery on his back today and will miss two months. This is a crippling blow to his owners, who have dealt with his return many times to keep having it pushed back. (Yes, I own him).
BY ADAM RONIS
Ricky Nolasco improved to 9-4 with a 3.94 ERA after beating the Nationals. He went seven innings and allowed three hits, two runs, no walks and struck out eight. Over his last five starts, he has pitched 36 2/3 innings 26 hits, eight earned runs, walked four and struck out 35. He seems to have improved his control and should be owned in most leagues.
Kevin Gregg picked up his 15th save.
Nick Blackburn is very hittable, but he has success because he issues very few walks. He threw seven scoreless innings against the Tigers and allowed three hits, one walk and struck out four. He is 7-4 with a 3.78 ERA. He should be owned in very deep mixed leagues.
Xavier Nady went 3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs. He is batting .323 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs.
Jay Bruce is back. After a slump,he went 2-for-3 with two homers and four RBIs.
Adam Dunn hit his 21st homer, but has just 49 RBIs and a .223 average. If you own him, you knew what you were getting.
Jon Saunders beat the A's to improve to 12-4 with a 3.04 ERA. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed six hits, four runs -- two earned -- two walks and struck out five.
K-Rod picked up his 34th save.
Jimmy Rollins has been slumping, but went 3-for-4, with a triple, two runs, an RBI, a walk and his 18th stolen base. He will be fine.
Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell each hit their 21st homer. Howard has 71 RBIs and Burrell 52.
Chipper Jones hit his 17th homer.
David DeJesus returned to the lineup and went 3-for-4 with his ninth homer and 42nd RBI. He is hitting .323 and tends to be streaky. He is in the middle of a hot streak, so he should be owned in all leagues.
Aubrey Huff hit his 15th homer and has 49 RBIs.
The AL version of Oliver Perez, Daniel Cabrera threw a complete game allowing seven hits, two runs, no walks and struck out two. He is 6-4 with a 4.34 ERA.
Carlos Lee hit his 19th homer and has 65 RBIs. Does anyone realize it besides his owners?
Hiroki Kuroda returned from the DL and beat the Astros. He went seven scorless inningsand allowed five hits, one walk and struck out one. He is 4-6 with a 3.73 ERA.
Milton Bradley hit his 17th homer. I'd still sell high.
Chris Davis hit his third homer in 19 major league at-bats. He has legit power, so if you need some grab him.
Jason Giambi went 2-for-4 with his 18th homer and six RBIs.
A-Rod hit his 17th homer.
Michael Young left the game with a groin strain.
After a slow start, Troy Glaus is heating up. He went 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs. He is hitting .272 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs. He should be owned in all leagues.
Rick Ankiel hit his 17th homer.
Dustin Pedroia went 4-for-5 with his ninth homer and has 39 RBIs with a .311 average.
Dan Wheeler picked up his third save.
Grady Sizemore has already reached 20-20. He went 3-for-4 with four runs and two homers. He is hitting .267 with 21 homers, 47 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.
Jermaine Dye hit his 19th homer.
Salomon Torres picked up his 15th save.
Brandon Morrow picked up save No. 5.
Kerry Wood picked up save No. 21.
Catcher J.R. Towles was recalled from Triple-A.
The Dodgers sent Clayton Kershaw to Double-A.
BY ADAM RONIS
Pirates closer Matt Capps will miss two months with a shoulder injury. He had an MRI on his right shoulder and has bursitis and tightness. Capps opened the season with 15 straight saves before blowing a save on June 20. He blew five of his last seven chances, including the last two games. Damaso Marte is the favorite for saves and should be picked up in all leagues. The Pirates recalled outfielder Steven Pearce, who hit .259 in Triple-A. He could be useful if he gets consistent playing time, but that likely won't happen unless a trade is made.
BY ADAM RONIS
It was weird writing about an anal fissure injury earlier this season when Kaz Matsui had the injury. Now, Chris Snyder was placed on the DL with a left testicular fracture. I thought that was a joke when I first saw it. (Sorry I was cringing as I typed "testicular fracture".) He was hit by a foul tip on Monday. Even when I lose my speed and can't play the outfield no more, I will not catch. Even in softball.
Moises Alou, who is on the DL with a calf injury, went 2-for-3 with a homer in his first rehab game. He could return this weekend. The over/under on games he will play in before returning to the DL is 7. I have the under.
Micah Owings will miss his scheduled start today against the Brewers because of a back injury.
Dan Uggla said he will miss 2-4 more days with a sprained ankle.
Brad Penny threw a 50-pitch simulated game yesterday and will start Saturday against the Giants.
Miguel Cabrera, who pinch hit last night, didn't start today, but is expected back in the lineup tomorrow.
The A's placed Eric Chavez on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He could need more surgery.
If you're hoping for Rich Hill to help your fantasy team this season, you are in trouble. He pitched one-third of an inning and walked three and hit a batter yesterday. Each of his last two apperances have come on nine days rest. It doesn't look good.
Kelvim Escobar suffered a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury and is probably not going to pitch this season. He pitched Monday in a rehab game, but had a lot of pain in his shoulder when he woke up yesterday.
Nomar Garciaparra could be activated this weekend. He'll likely play shortstop since Rafael Furcal suffered another setback in his recovery from a back injury.
The Rays David Price is now 2-0 in Double-A after throwing six scoreless innings yesterday. He's 6-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 46 2/3 innings this season.
Francisco Liriano threw seven scoreless innings and struck out nine on Monday.
BY ADAM RONIS
Many of you have expressed concern about Matt Cain. I've told you to be patient and stick with him because of games he can pitch like he did against the Cubs. He went eight innings and allowed two hits, three walks, no runs and struck out 10. He is 5-6 with a 4.13 ERA.
Brian Wilson allowed a run, but got save No. 23.
I'll say it again: Buy low on Adrian Beltre now. He went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and has 16 homers with 43 RBIs. He has a low BABIP, so his .254 average should rise.
Pat Burrell hit his 20th homer and has 51 RBIs with a .275 average.
Chipper Jones returned to the starting lineup and went 1-for-3 with two walks and is batting .393.
Brian Roberts hit his sixth homer and stole his 22nd base. He is hitting .295.
George Sherrill picked up his 27th save.
Nate McLouth returned after missing one game and went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a walk.
Brandon Phillips went 3-for-5 with a run, homer and four RBIs. He is batting .284 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs.
Matt Capps blew his fifth save of the season and second in two games, but picked up the win. He is 2-3 with a 3.12 ERA.
Edinson Volquez failed to go six innings for the second straight start. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, three walks and struck out three. He took a no-decision and has a 2.24 ERA.
Ian Kinsler went 2-for-3 with a run and two walks. He doubled off Mariano Rivera to lead off the ninth in a tie game and scored the winning run. He stole three bases and is batting .324 with 23 stolen bases and is on a 14-game hitting streak.
C.J. Wilson picked up his 19th save.
Elijah Dukes has played well since getting the chance to play everyday. He went 3-for-5 with three runs, his fifth homer and ninth stolen base. He should be owned in most mixed leagues.
Hanley Ramirez homered again, going 2-for-4 with his 20th homer and five RBIs.
Collin Balester picked up a win in his major league debut. He went five innings and allowed one hit, one run, three walks and struck out three. Consider in NL-only leagues.
Jon Rauch got save No. 17.
Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 35th base.
Matt Garza pitched a second straight gem. He went seven innings and allowed five hits, one run -- no earned -- walked none and struck out three. He is 7-4 with a 3.47 ERA.
Grant Balfour picked up the save for the Rays since Dan Wheeler worked three straight days. Troy Percival returned to the DL with a hamstring injury. Wheeler will be the closer.
Marcus Thames hit his 16th homer. He won't hit for average and strikes out often, but the power will be there. Pick up in all leagues now that Magglio Ordonez is on the DL.
Scott Baker is 5-2 with a 3.65 ERA. He went six innings and allowed seven hits, three runs, walked none and struck out five. He should be owned in all leagues.
Joe Nathan picked up save No. 23.
David Wright went 3-for-4 with his 16th homer and 65th RBI. He is hitting .288.
Rick Ankiel hit his 16th homer.
Billy Wagner picked up his 19th save.
Cliff Lee pitched another great game in a no-decision against the hot White Sox. He went eight innings and allowed six hits, one run, one walk and struck out three. He has a 2.26 ERA.
Joe Borowski blew his fourth save and has a 7.36 ERA.
John Danks took a no-decision, but was excellent. He went eight innings and allowed four hits, one run, one walk and struck out eight. He has a 2.50 ERA.
Willy Taveras stole two bases and has 38.
Aaron Cook threw a five-hitter, walked none and struck out four. He is 11-5 with a 3.38 ERA.
K-Rod picked up his 33rd save.
J.J. Hardy went 2-for-4 with two homers.
Corey Hart went 3-for-5 with one RBI and two steals. He has 12 stolen bases.
Conor Jackson went 3-for-4 with two runs, his eighth homer and had three RBIs giving him 44 with a .315 average.
Salomon Torres picked up his 14th save.
BY ADAM RONIS
1. Matt Holliday
2. Josh Hamilton
3. Grady Sizemore
4. Carlos Beltran
5. Ryan Braun
6. Carl Crawford
7. Carlos Lee
8. Alfonso Soriano
9. Ichiro Suzuki
10. Manny Ramirez
11. Vladimir Guerrero
12. B.J. Upton
13. Carlos Quentin
14. Jacoby Ellsbury
15. Nick Markakis
16. Corey Hart
17. Bobby Abreu
18. Jason Bay
19. Nate McLouth
20. Magglio Ordonez
21. Curtis Granderson
22. Adam Dunn
23. Alex Rios
24. Johnny Damon
25. Hunter Pence
26. Vernon Wells
27. Jermaine Dye
28. Nick Swisher
29. Milton Bradley
30. Torii Hunter
31. Chris B. Young
32. Kosuke Fukudome
33. Shane Victorino
34. Matt Kemp
35. Pat Burrell
36. Jeff Francoeur
37. J.D. Drew
38. Brad Hawpe
39. Jay Bruce
40. Jose Guillen
41. Willy Taveras
42. David Murphy
43. Delmon Young
44. Jeremy Hermida
45. Hideki Matsui
46. Juan Pierre
47. Raul Ibanez
48. Rick Ankiel
49. Josh Willingham
50. Michael Bourn
51. Ryan Church
52. Aaron Rowand
53. Randy Winn
54. Ken Griffey
55. Carlos Gomez
56. David DeJesus
57. Ryan Ludwick
58. Justin Upton
59. Eric Byrnes
60. Michael Cuddyer
61. Xavier Nady
62. Luke Scott
63. Jason Kubel
64. Andruw Jones
65. Mike Cameron
66. Jack Cust
67. Adam Jones
68. Fred Lewis
69. Gary Matthews Jr.
70. Ben Francisco
71. Marcus Thames
72. Lastings Milledge
73. Elijah Dukes
74. Mark Teahen
75. Coco Crisp
76. Mark DeRosa
77. Brian Giles
78. Melky Cabrera
79. Skip Schumaker
80. Andre Ethier
