The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don

Tim Lincecum won the Cy Young last year, but he’s been an even better pitcher this season, despite a 7.56 ERA after his first two starts. His K rate is ever so slightly down compared to last year, but 10.42/9 is still an acceptable number, and his walk rate is down significantly (2.21 BB/9). His xFIP (2.80) is the second best in baseball, so despite a decrease in velocity (92.5 mph), Lincecum remains one of the three best pitchers in the game. And he’s becoming more efficient too, averaging a staggering 8.75 innings pitched over his last four starts, never throwing more than 110 pitches in the process. The choice between Lincecum or Dan Haren starting the All-Star game is a tough one.

During June, Brett Gardner has posted a .918 OPS with a 4:9 K:BB ratio while swiping eight bags without being caught. He’s also recorded a fantastic 19.3 UZR/150, and for a speedster (he has a remarkable 91% SB success rate throughout his career), Gardner’s three homers have been a nice surprise. Considering he also posted a .955 OPS in May, a slow start in April has really clouded just how good of a player Gardner has been over the past two months.

After a 132-pitch outing on June 16, Gil Meche has been pounded, allowing 13 runs over his last two starts spanning 8.1 innings. There may or may not be causation, but since he’s now dealing with a shoulder injury and decreased velocity, it’s safe to question the decision to leave him in so long (it did result in a complete game shutout), especially since Meche has a history of arm problems when in Seattle.

Do you realize Iran is 11.5 hours ahead of the west coast? I had no idea there were areas in the world that were different on the minute hand. Shows what I know.

Before flying out in the third inning of Tuesday’s game, Jayson Werth had reached base safely in 11 consecutive at-bats.

What has gotten into San Diego starters Kevin Correia and Chad Gaudin? Over his last five starts, Correia has recorded a shocking 29:3 K:BB ratio, including a 9:1 mark against the Rangers in Texas during his latest outing. If you date back to his previous eight starts, he’s posted a 42:7 K:BB ratio, so this sample size is starting to grow. Watching him pitch for the Giants over the past couple of years, the recent success is pretty hard to consider real, but it’s becoming difficult to ignore the numbers – his .281 BABIP has been fortunate, but he’s got an unlucky strand rate (.680), and he’s increased his G/F ratio (1.23) quite a bit. Pitching in the NL West and in Petco Park, Correia is worth adding in deep leagues. As for Gaudin, how about a 28:5 K:BB ratio over his last three starts? With a 9.42 K/9 mark on the season, only terrible command (4.58 BB/9) keeps him from being highly intriguing. Still, what are they putting in the water in San Diego?

In honor of Billy Mays dying, here are my two favorite recent infomercials: The Comfort Wipe. And The Smart Mop. Truly outstanding.

Maybe it was his name and my unfamiliarity with Shin-Soo Choo, but I really missed the boat here, as he’s becoming one of the most underrated fantasy commodities in 2009. Choo posted a .946 OPS last year, and he’s on pace to finish this season with 21 homers, 25 steals, 93 runs scored and 93 RBI. He hasn’t been caught on any of his 12 SB attempts, and while his .365 BABIP appears high, that number sits at .369 over his 509 career at-bats. Choo is just 26 years old, so he looks like a keeper.

Joel Zumaya brings the heat.

Lastings Milledge has a bunch of potential, and no 24-year-old should ever be written off, but there’s no way the Nationals should automatically be considered losers in the Nyjer Morgan trade. (On a side note, the Mets look really good right now with the superior Ryan Church). Milledge, who by all accounts is a punk, had a .247/.297/.345 line in the minors before getting injured this year and has a reprehensible -15.8 UZR/150 over 242 games during his major league career. Morgan is five years older and isn’t some piece to a championship puzzle, but he has a .351 OBP during his career (terrible baserunner though, especially for someone with his speed), which is more than acceptable for someone playing the best outfield defense (23.5 UZR/150) in all of baseball, something he’s consistently done throughout his brief career. When you consider that has come while manning center field, an extremely important position that Elijah Dukes has been butchering (-23.8 UZR/150) all season, the Nationals just got better.

Before singling in the first inning Tuesday, Mike Jacobs had one RBI over his past 101 plate appearances (h/t Joe Poz).

I’m starting to believe in Joel Pineiro. Under almost all circumstances, I’d call a pitcher with such a good ERA yet a 3.81 K/9 rate a fraud, but his control has been impeccable (1.09 BB/9), and most importantly, no one has induced more groundballs (61.9%) this season, and it’s not even all that close. Pineiro has been lucky with a 4.6% HR/F rate, but it’s not like a ton of balls will start flying over the fence when that normalizes considering how few actually get there, and a 3.81 xFIP reinforces his legitimacy. His .300 BABIP is right in line with his career mark, and a .693 strand rate should only improve. Normally you wouldn’t have to recommend picking up a pitcher with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP, but I was able to do so in three of my leagues this past week, including one that is 15 teams deep. Dave Duncan has done it again.

I’ve been participating in a fantasy basketball mock draft over at Yahoo’s Roto Arcade. Here’s round 1. And here’s round 2. If you’re interested.