By Dalton Del Don
Posting a 1.239 OPS in Triple-A, Nolan Reimold was making a case to be called up even before Felix Pie left Tuesday’s game with a stomach issue. Pie has done nothing but continue to disappoint this season, batting .180 while looking overmatched at the plate. In fact, he has just two extra-base hits over 61 at-bats. No 24-year-old should be written off, but his major league sample size is growing. While Pie is fantastic defensively, that type of futility with the bat won’t cut it. Meanwhile, Reimold has nine homers and five steals over 106 at-bats. He needs to be added in deeper formats.
I feel bad for Casey Blake’s ribs the next time he faces the Giants. I’ll feel even worse for him if he tries to retaliate.
After a no-hitter with a 17:2 K:BB ratio Friday, Stephen Strasburg now sports an 11-0 record with a 1.24 ERA. He hit 101 mph on the gun while consistently working at 99 mph. Over 87.1 innings this season, he has an acceptable 164:17 K:BB ratio. I’m seriously considering stashing him right now even in redraft leagues. My only hesitance is the fact Washington isn’t a contending team, or then it would be a no-brainer.
Hopefully Frank Francisco’s recent bout with biceps tendinitis isn’t serious, because he was quietly becoming one of baseball’s best relievers, having yet to allow a run this season. He posted a crazy 11.8 K/9 IP mark last year and had fanned 13 batters over 14.2 innings so far in 2009, leading the AL with nine saves…Speaking of closers, Joakim Soria’s bum shoulder reveals once again how few can repeat yearly in such dominant fashion. Really, there’s Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Rodriguez. It’s a crapshoot after that. Relievers are fickle.
I’m pretty pumped for “The Hangover.” Mainly because Zach Galifianakis is the best comedian alive.
I liked Aaron Hill as a sleeper entering the year, but in no way did I foresee this type of performance. How about a .357 BA with nine homers and 30 RBI over just 35 games? It’s safe to say he’s not quite this good, but there’s also no compelling reason to go selling hard…The Blue Jays as a team have really surprised, but they are clearly playing over their heads. It’s a nice story – they lead major league baseball with 204 runs scored, and I’d love to see the Yankees and Red Sox get competition along with the Rays, but it should be noted Toronto has played just four of its 35 games against division foes. For comparison’s sake, the Rays have already faced the AL East 21 times. Roy Halladay might be one of the 10 most valuable players in baseball, but expect the Blue Jays to come crashing back down to earth soon enough.
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