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Don't You Want Some Donkey to Love?
Adam Dunn was the offensive standout across fantasy baseball on Monday, going 4-for-4 with 2 HR, 5 RBI and a walk. This is what you get with Adam Dunn: He is going to discourage you with his horrid batting average but will reward with ridiculous power numbers and run production. It has honestly become something to admire. How can someone hit so little yet do so much damage? Dunn’s average has crept closer to the Mendoza line over the past two days climbing from .163 to an equally gross .181, but with 16 HR and 37 RBI, you have to give the Donkey some love. After all, don’t you want some donkey to love?
Also going back for seconds at the long-ball buffet were Jose Bautista and Jason Heyward. Bautista had been in a serious drought going 3 for his last 37 without a homer. Hopefully for Joey Bats, Monday’s two-homer effort will bust him out of the funk and get him producing again. Even still, he has 14 homers placing him eighth in the American League. Heyward, also slumping since returning from the DL, was batting a mere .142 with a .283 OBP coming into June. He has begun to heat up big time since June 1; after swatting two long flies Monday night he now has three in June to go along with six multi-hit games.
…Calmer than you are, Dude
Jim Johnson tallied save number 22; Joe Nathan closed out his 20th game; Tom Wilhelmsen put the finishing touches on a gem by Hisashi Iwakuma for his 16th save; Greg Holland sealed number 13 with 2 K; Heath Bell finished off numero 12; and Dale Thayer of course got his first save the week after I dropped him.
AL Hot Shots:
- Austin Jackson was 0-for-5 with 3 strikeouts in his first rehab game with Triple-A Toledo on Monday. Detroit hopes to have him back for Friday’s series opener with the Twins. Twins, Basil.
- Miguel Cabrera is still amazing, duh. He hit home run number 18 on Monday. Ho-hum.
- Josh Hamilton was 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI in the Halo’s loss to the O’s.
- Hisashi Iwakuma allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk through seven innings in Monday's win over the Astros. Iwakuma struck out eight in improving to 7-1.
- Andrew Bailey got himself into trouble with walks blowing his second save of the year. His job is safe.
- Ben Zobrist was 5-for-7 with two doubles and now has a .274 average on the year.
- Adam Jones smacked a two-run homer and added a sacrifice fly for 3 RBI Monday.
- Jeremy Guthrie limited the Tigers to 2 runs over 6.1 innings on Monday, “outdueling” a complete-game effort by Doug Fister for the W.
- Lance Berkman was 2-for-4 with a two-run jack, as the Rangers took a 6-3 win over the Indians on Monday.
NL Hot Shots:
- Giancarlo Stanton was 1-for-4 in his first game back from the DL. Hopefully the hamstring holds up.
- Brandon Phillips hit career grand slam number five and drove in all six of the Reds runs Monday. Homer Bailey was dominant as he struck out eight allowing only an unearned run moving to 4-4 on the year.
- Brandon League blew his fourth save in grand fashion surrendering four runs and demolishing a good start for Clayton Kershaw. Things I still don't know: How Kenley Jansen isn’t the closer and how Don Mattingly is a manager in the MLB. Things I do know: Yasiel Puig is a beast. The rookie was 3-for-4 out of the cleanup spot.
- Rickie Weeks is heating up fast. He was 3-for-5 with another homer and could be getting ready to explode offensively. He’s batting .471 over his last 5 games with 2 HR and 3 RBI.
- Will Venable was 2-for-3 with a double and a dinger. He’s got a .232 AVG with 8 HR and 9 SB.
Injury Notes:
- Jedd Gyorko was placed on the DL with a strained right groin. Logan Forsythe and Alexi Amarista will man the keystone.
- Mitch Moreland (hamstring) went through some running drills at 60 percent on Monday without any issues.
- Hanley Ramirez is likely going to be sidelined until this weekend with tightness in the hamstring.
- Huston Street will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday for the Padres at High-A Lake Elsinore. Yawn.
- Justin Smoak (oblique) is nearing a rehab assignment.
- Brandon Morrow is expected to be out another two-to-three weeks with forearm tightness.
- Matt Kemp could begin a rehab assignment on Friday and return next week from his hamstring strain.
- Brian Roberts says he’s “closer” to going out on a rehab assignment. He also was overheard asking Jack Wilson and Franklin Gutierrez to make him another Mojito by the pool. Don’t quote me on that last part.
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Follow Shawn Caswell on Twitter, or don’t: @CasKnowsRoto
