Beckett, Myers and Looper throwing gems, Ethier hitting on all cylinders, and Igawa still MIA. All that and more in this week's Week That Was.
Billy Wagner: According to reports, Mets closer Billy Wagner looked good in a bullpen session Friday. The Mets hope to have Billy back on Tuesday. What does this mean for fantasy purposes? Well, it devalues Luis Ayala, makes Aaron Heilman's value almost nil, and insures Wagner will be overrated. It would be quite unwise to rely on Wagner down the stretch unless you have no choice. Not only is he rushing back from injury, but he was just dreadful in last year's pennant race with the Phillies. Prepare accordingly.
Yunel Escobar: Yunel Escobar will play through the sore left shoulder. In his start yesterday, Yunel went 1-for-3 with two walks. This is big news for fantasy purposes, not only is Yunel hitting .285 with 67 runs and 55 rbi from the SS spot, he retains his 2b/ss/3b eligibility from last year. With most people's FAAB budgets depleted or gone, a player with such flexibility is very valuable. If you own Yunel, breathe a big sign of relief.
Andre Ethier: Andre Ethier was perfect yesterday, going 5-5 with a dinger, two doubles and five RBI. Simply stated, a day like that in September is stuff that fantasy pennants are made of. Ethier could well be a guy who stays hot and propels many a fantasy team to a title.
Brandon Morrow: Brandon Morrow was just plain nasty yesterday in pulling the plug on the Yankees ever so faint playoff hopes. Morrow lost his no hitter with two outs in the eighth. Fantasy owners looking to win this year or build for next should go after Morrow. He could pile up the strikeouts in his next few starts while becoming a fixture in real and fantasy rotations for years to come. A definite Buy!
Braden Looper: Braden Looper pitched in more hard luck, getting a no decision despite shutting out the Fish for 7+ innings yesterday. If you have a chance to grab Looper for your stretch run, do it. Yes, go after Looper. In his last 8 starts, Looper has gone seven innings with three of fewer runs in seven of those starts. Make some kind of joke about how Looper sounds like Loupus of Bad News Bears fame and grab a very underrated fantasy starter.
Victor Martinez: Victor Martinez went 2-3 with a RBI in his first start behind the dish in a very long time. What does this mean for fantasy purposes? Well, honestly, not much. Kelly Shoppach will still catch the lion's share of September, Martinez is still eligible at Catcher irrespective of whether he catches in September, and given the high price most paid for Victor, he will not be a keeper for 2009.
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Josh Beckett: Josh Beckett pitched five scoreless innings and blew down seven in his return to the rubber last night. Some pitchers are just money in pennant races and post-season. Beckett may well be the most clutch of that group. If you can grab Beckett, do it. His stuff is filthy, he thrives under pressure and often is seen getting stronger as games go on. Buy!
Brett Myers: Brett Myers pitched eight shutout innings with double digit K's last night as the Phillies beat the Mets 3-0. Myers overall numbers are not impressive, but ever since he returned from his exile to the minors, he has been awesome. Myers, who is starting for the first time in a couple of years will be money down the stretch and a bargain next year. Buy no matter whether you are planning for 08 or 09.
Ian Kinsler: In a blow to many fantasy pennant hopes, Ian Kinsler will undergo season-ending surgery for his sports hernia rather than return as planned next week. Simply put, if you own Kinsler, you better hope you have a good lead because there is no way to replace that type of MI production at this point in the season.
Kei Igawa: Does anyone think the $46 Million the Yankees invested in Kei could have helped in their attempt to fill the holes in the staff created by the injuries to Wang, Hughes, etc.? I do.
And finally, this from the baron of the bottom of the page, Schultz says: "Oops, I brainlocked and forgot. Had I decided to write, I would have carped about how my native Browns will surprise the Cowboys in the season opener."
Response: Dream on! Take the Boys and give the 5.5 points. Romo, Barber, TO and the Boys will run roughshod over the Brownies.
