RADIO
Teheran Turns off the Bats
Julio Teheran pitched masterfully. Teheran held a no-hitter two outs into the eighth inning when Brandon Inge hit a pinch-hit single. Teheran stayed ahead in the count all game and set a second consecutive career-high with 11 K (besting his previous start's 9 K) over 7.2 IP. He threw 79 of his 107 pitches for strikes, and he continues to develop into the dominant pitcher the Braves thought they had all along. He’s currently owned in only 85% of CBS leagues which is a bit too low, as he's viable in 10-team mixed right now, having allowed 3 ER or fewer in all but his first three starts of the season.
All Systems CarGo and Troy is Tulo-git to Sit
The Colorado Rockies' dynamic duo of Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki combined to go 8-for-10 with 5 home runs, 9 runs batted in and 6 runs scored on Wednesday night in Cincinnati as the Rockies overcame the Reds by a score of 12-4. CarGo’s first homer, an oppo-taco gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. His second shot was a 3-run, absolute BLAST which nearly left the confines of GABP in right-center and was estimated at 471 ft. The third came in the 8th inning, giving him 17 homers and 42 RBI on the year to go with his .313 BA and 12 SB. Cargo may be once again the most elite fantasy outfielder in standard 5x5 roto leagues.
Tulo’s night was no less spectacular as he would tie a career high with five hits, two of which ended up in the outfield seats. Tulowitzki’s 2-homer night brought his season total to 15 with 48 RBI, trailing only Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt in the NL. Tulo’s batting line is now sitting at .349/.412/.651 on the year. If he can stay healthy, he may finish as a top-5 fantasy contributor, as he is on pace for some lofty totals.
Goldschmidt is Grand, again
Somewhere, baseballs are cowering in a corner hoping not to be used against Arizona. The source of that fear? Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He has been smacking balls over the wall, beating them into the gaps and slugging them into submission. It seems every night Goldie is putting up multi-RBI performances and he has showed no sign of wearing down as he demonstrated Wednesday night with his second grand slam of the week. Over his last 10 games, he has compiled six multi-hit games, hitting a ridiculous .405 with two grand slams, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored. He is in the NL top five in each of the standard roto categories with a .336 BA, 14 HR, 53 RBI and 42 runs scored. Conclusion: The dude’s a stud.
AL Hot Shots:
- The Astros got the launch sequence from NASA and took orbit on Wednesday: Jose Altuve (3), J.D. Martinez (6), Jason Castro (8), Carlos Pena (6), Matt Dominguez (9) and Marwin Gonzalez (4) all went deep for the suddenly potent Astros offense. The Astros have won 8 of their last 10 games and now sit at 23-38 overall after beginning May with only 8 wins.
- Jake Peavy will miss 4-6 weeks with an oblique strain. Lefty Hector Santiago is moving into his spot in the rotation and is actually a great option who probably should have kept his job in the first place. Santiago is 25 years old with upside-- 45 K over 45 innings of work.
- Alexi Ogando pitched well in his return from the DL with biceps soreness. He threw 55 strikes on 92 pitches over 5.2 innings with one earned run and 6 K in a no-decision. Ogando has allowed two or fewer earned runs in four straight outings and should be a strong option going forward.
- Greg Holland made the Royals sweat with another interesting save for number 10. He allowed two base runners before striking out the side.
- CC Sabathia was dominant for five innings, then scuffled for two innings giving up 4 ER, but wound up finishing the game with a 116-pitch, 9-strikeout complete game. Brett Gardner, who has shown sneaky pop this year, hit homer number 6, a three-run shot. Travis Hafner added his 10th big fly in the Yankees win. Yan Gomes homered again for the Indians; he has 6 in limited at-bats.
NL Hot Shots:
- David Wright broke out of a seven-game homerless streak with his 8th homer of the year, a two-run deposit off Dan Haren. Marlon Byrd also added his 7th and 8th homers off Haren in the game. Dillon Gee pitched very well again for the Mets, striking out seven over seven innings of one-run ball. That’s back-to-back good starts for Gee, who may be worth a flier.
- Evan Gattis went all, well, Evan Gattis, with his 13th big-fly Wednesday against the Pirates.
- Domonic Brown laced his 18th bomb in support of Cole Hamels as he would finally earn his second win of the season, dominating the Marlins with 11 K over 7 IP. Hamels's only mistake was a solo home run off the bat of Derek Dietrich, which nearly led to yet another ND or loss for Hamels, but fortunately for him, the Phillies posted a 5-spot in the bottom of the 7th.
- Clayton Kershaw once again was a hard-luck loser as the Dodgers were stymied by Padres starter Jason Marquis, who didn't allow a hit through 5 IP. Kershaw is still dominating with a 1.93 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, but the offense has simply failed him. He will face the DBacks on Monday. Yasiel Puig. There I said it; he went 0-4.
- Roy Oswalt has an opt-out clause which can be triggered on June 18th-- should the Rockies fail to call him up, he could opt for free agency. He owns a 3.50 ERA for Tulsa and may be able to help the Rockies soon, so I do envision them giving him a start within the next ten days. It could be a sharky time to pick up the veteran in deeper leagues.
The Hospital Lobby: Injury Notes
- Daniel Hudson suffered a setback in his rehab and will be slowed by tightness in his surgically repaired elbow.
- Mitch Moreland came up gimpy legging out a double on Wednesday; he will be sent to Arlington for an MRI, however it didn't seem too severe and there has not been indication of a DL stint. Moreland said after the game that he hopes to be back with the team for the Toronto series. Stay tuned, as Moreland hit his 12th homer on Tuesday and has been a nice surprise for owners.
- Johnny Cueto hit the disabled list with a lat strain, again. Tony Cingrani will likely take over his rotation spot, and it could be a lengthy stay this time. Cingrani shouldn't have been dropped in the first place in fantasy leagues, but if he was, be the beneficiary of your league-mate’s mistake and scoop him up, ASAP!
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Follow Shawn Caswell on Twitter, or don’t: @CasKnowsRoto
