Notables:
-C.C. Sabathia threw a gem giving up only one hit over eight innings against Oakland. I know that both are lefties but Daric Barton was left out of the lineup despite getting on base every game except one during the month of August (.446 OBP). Curtis Granderson went yard twice in the game after he replaced Nick Swisher, who left the game hurt.
-Johan Santana won his 11th game of the season, allowing only a Brian McCann home run over five innings. He's been solid over the last two months after a rocky June but left the game on Thursday with a strained pectoral muscle.
-Jhoulys Chacin allowed one earned run over 5.1 innings. Guess what? He's better than Aaron Cook and hopefully the Rockies realize that and keep him in the rotation.
-Chase Utley went 2-for-4 with a grand slam on his was to a six RBI day. The Phillies put up a nine-spot in the seventh inning to come back and win.
Save Chances:
-Jonathan Papelbon, converted. Made it interesting with two hits but K'd two to get number 35.
-Hisanori Takahashi, converted. This was save number three in the post-KRod era. Reports came out today that he may not return to the Mets, so don't invest too heavily in keeper leagues.
-Brad Lidge, converted. Allowed an earned run but shut the door on the Rockies.
-Jose Valverde, blown then got the win. Oddly, he pitched three innings and got the win when Gerald Laird hit a walk-off homer.
-Jesse Crain, blown. Matt Capps and Brian Fuentes were unavailable, so Crain right on cue blew a one-run lead.
-Chris Perez, converted. He continues to be filthy and his ERA is now 1.99.
Non-Closer Outings:
-Jon Rauch tossed a scoreless inning allowing a walk.
Tough Days:
-Joe Beimel and Manny Delcarmen combined to give up seven earned runs while retiring only one batter.
Injuries/Lineup-ology:
-John Baker will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday. Cross him off any lists for next season.
-Adam Jones sat out Thursday's game after re-injuring his shoulder on Wednesday.
-Orlando Hudson sat out Thursday's game dealing with foot inflammation/soreness.
-Troy Glaus was activated off the DL and will be used as a utility player.
-Dallas Braden buckled under the New York heat and was pulled after five effective innings, giving up only one run.
-Dustin Pedroia is heading towards the operating room on Friday so it's safe to drop him in re-draft leagues. I can't think of another team in baseball that was more decimated by injuries that the Red Sox this season.
-It's not set in stone that Alex Rodriguez will come off the DL as scheduled on Sunday, making him a risky start for the next weekly scoring period (think about Ryan Howard's slump initially off the DL). Monitor his progress over the weekend.
-Carlos Delgado has a tear in his left hip and there's a good chance he'll have surgery and retire.
Stolen Bases:
-Eduardo Perez (3), Shane Victorino 2 (26), Johnny Damon (9), Trevor Crowe (15)
Caught Stealing:
-Derek Jeter (5), Carlos Gonzalez (8), Ichiro Suzuki (8)
Home Runs:
-Curtis Granderson 2 (17), Jorge Posada (17), Brian McCann (20), Dexter Fowler (4), Chris Iannetta (8), Adrian Beltre (25), Carlos Gonzalez (31-fantasy MVP based on ADP, right?), Jayson Werth (19), David Wright (22), Ryan Howard (25), Chase Utley (12), Russell Branyan (21), Donald Kelly (5), Jhonny Peralta (14-nice pickup by the Tigers), Ryan Raburn (11), Casper Wells (1), Gerald Laird (5), Russell Branyan (21), Shin-Soo Choo (16)
Pickups:
-Andy Martinez posted some good pickups last night and I thought I'd throw a few out a couple. I may also recycle these for this week's Barometer on Sunday.
-Mitch Moreland has homered in two straight games and the last time I checked Jorge Cantu has only one extra base hit (a double) over 57 at-bats for the Rangers.
-Dexter Fowler homered Thursday and hit well during August. His batting average was only .276 during the month but he had an OBP of .347 (six doubles and five triples as well). If nothing else he'll be a nice sleeper next year.