RADIO
In our Daily Fantasy Baseball Update, RotoBaller brings you the latest news and analysis on a daily basis.
Zack is Back! Olé!
Zack Greinke made his return to the Dodgers' wounded rotation on Wednesday against the Nationals. Greinke had been on the DL since suffering a fractured collarbone during an altercation with Carlos Quentin . Greinke was on a pitch count, but he lasted long enough to get the win. He went 5.1 innings and threw 83 pitches while allowing one earned run on five hits, striking out four and walking none.
Greinke will be a welcome addition to those who had to wait him out. The Dodgers rotation is like a family doctor roll call lately with the latest patient being Josh Beckett. Matt Magill is scheduled to get another start this week, but I wouldn't be surprised to see prospect Zach Lee in Dodger blue soon.
A Bronx Bummer
Yankee starter Phil Hughes was absolutely pummeled by the Mariners on Wednesday allowing 7 ER in 2/3 of an inning (that’s equates to a less-than fabulous 315.00 ERA for those who are wondering). Hughes walked two and gave up six hits including a grand slam to former Yankee Raul Ibanez. Hughes has now permitted 13 runs over his last two outings and his ERA has ballooned to 5.88 on the year. The Yankees are in dire need of solid pitching to continue their winning ways. Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova are not far off and could be a nice boost in the near future.
NL Hot Shots:
- Shin-Soo Choo had a nice night at the dish for the Reds going 4-for-5 with two solo home runs.
- Shelby Miller extended his scoreless inning streak to 14.2 innings with 5.2 shutout innings in a no-decision. He struck out six and issued only one walk without the help of Yadier Molina who took the night off.
- Mike Leake shut out the Marlins for 6.2 innings to earn the win. He gave up 9 hits, K’d 6 and walked one.
- Ross Detwiler left after three innings after tweaking his back covering first base
- Kenley Jansen was used in the 7th inning as Brandon League got the save for the Dodgers
- Edward Mujica was solid for his 11th save on the season.
- Wandy Rodriguez defeated the Brewers with 7 innings allowing only a solo shot by Rickie Weeks, Jason Grilli nailed down his 16th save of the season.
- Ian Kennedy defeated the Braves but only lasted 5 innings throwing 100 pitches. He did strike out 7.
- Adam LaRoche pushed his streak to 12 games with a homer off of Zack Greinke Wednesday. Wilson Ramos will be “down for a while” with another hamstring pull said Davey Johnson; Kurt Suzuki will resume everyday duties. It’s time to drop the injury- and kidnapping-prone catcher.
- Clayton Kershaw loses his two-start status as his Sunday start has been pushed back after throwing 132 pitches on Tuesday.
AL Hot Shots:
- David Price was removed with elbow discomfort and will miss his next start. Keep an eye on this situation as either Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi are capable of getting a start or two if called up. Odorizzi was pounded in his last AAA start and allowed 3 HR, but he is on the same schedule as Price. Archer is scheduled to start Thursday, so if he is scratched we will have our answer. Archer has the higher ceiling and pitched well at the end of last season for the Rays. One has to wonder if this is something that has been nagging Price all season with his less-than-stellar numbers.
- Adam Dunn hit two home runs and went 3-for-5 driving in 5 runs for the White Sox. He is warming up with 3 HR in his past 2 games going 4-for-11 in the Minnesota series.
- Jason Kipnis may be one of the hottest hitters in the AL right now. He homered, doubled twice, drove in 3 runs and scored 3 runs as the Tribe toppled Cole Hamels and the Phillies 10-4.
- Mike Trout homered in a losing effort; he drove in 2 and scored 2 runs. He now has 8 bombs.
- Stephen Drew jacked a grand slam in a 2-for-3 night in a Boston win over Tampa Bay.
- J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind homered for the Blue Jays in a rout of the Giants.
- Will Middlebrooks hit a homer and doubled in four at-bats. Owners are praying this is a heat-up starting for the scuffling third baseman.
- Hisashi Iwakuma took advantage of stellar run support in defeat of the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. He allowed 8 hits, struck out four and gave up 2 ER. Raul Ibanez hit a grand slam and Kyle Seager added a 3-run jack.
- Jose Veras escaped Detroit with his 5th save by the skin of his teeth. Miguel Cabrera hit a long fly ball to the warning track in CF with bases loaded to end the game.
==========
If you want this article and other high-end fantasy baseball analysis delivered to you on a daily basis, sign up for our daily newsletter. And be sure to check out the Rotoballer.com Ultimate Waiver Wire Watch List for in-depth analysis on gems that you may be able to find sitting on your waiver wire. It’s one of the best fantasy baseball features currently on web!
Follow Shawn Caswell on Twitter: @CasKnowsRoto
