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Hache Man · 07-16-07, 02:36 PM

Sheets Hurting Again
After back-to-back injury wrecked seasons in 2005 and 2006, Ben Sheets had been pitching well (10-4 record, 3.41 ERA) and staying healthy (18 starts, 116 innings) coming into Saturday's start against the Rockies. Unfortunately, he left the game after just 3.1 innings because of a sprained middle finger on his pitching hand. Sheets was in noticeable pain after throwing a pitch to Todd Helton and quickly exited the field, with Yovani Gallardo relieving him.

Sheets said Sunday that he couldn't "put any pressure on it," which makes it likely that he'll undergo an MRI to determine the exact problem. The worst-case scenario is that Sheets has an injury similar to the one suffered by Joel Zumaya earlier this season, which would most likely knock him out for the rest of the year. Whether short or long term, Gallardo figures to replace Sheets in the rotation, restoring his fantasy value after a move to the bullpen.

While Brewers fans are careful what they wish for when it comes to finding a way to get Gallardo into the starting rotation, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* After hitting .304 with a 1.044 OPS in 16 games as the Blue Jays' leadoff man while Reed Johnson was on the disabled list, Vernon Wells has been moved back to his rightful place in the middle of the lineup. Leading off successfully got him back on track, but Wells drove in just 16 runs from that spot despite batting .304 with seven homers, four doubles, and a .667 slugging percentage in 77 plate appearances.

Wells was one my favorite "buy-low" picks for the second half in this space last week and shifting back into an RBI spot makes him an even better target. Johnson's .347 career on-base percentage is far from great for a leadoff man, but he got on base at a .390 clip last season and No. 2 hitter Alex Rios figures to be in scoring position for Wells to drive in quite a bit. Despite the disappointing first half, Wells has a good chance to crack 25 homers and 100 RBIs.

* Albert Pujols was able to bring his batting average up well over .300 despite an awful start to the season, but entered the All-Star break with a 22-game homerless streak during which he slugged just .384 and drove in only eight runs. After being left on the bench by manager Tony La Russa during the All-Star game, Pujols has gone deep in each of the first three games of the second half.

He launched a pair of long balls Sunday against the Phillies, making him 6-for-14 (.429) with four homers and a 1.786 OPS since the All-Star break. Pujols has put together a couple of power surges before without being able to keep them going, but this is definitely a very encouraging sign. He's now hitting .368 with 14 homers, 38 RBIs, 40 runs scored, and a 1.116 OPS in 52 games dating back to mid-May.

* Chris Carpenter's injured right elbow started acting up again during his minor-league rehab assignment last week, with stiffness and swelling causing him to shut things down. Reports out of St. Louis are that multiple doctors are putting their heads together to determine what steps to take next, but it certainly sounds unlikely that Carpenter will be able to meet the original timetable that had him potentially coming back by early August.

* Tom Gordon returned from the 60-day disabled list Sunday, but figures to work off the rust in a middle-relief role before eventually being given a chance to reclaim ninth-inning duties. Antonio Alfonseca doesn't present much of a road block for Gordon when it comes to grabbing saves, but he may have to move relatively quickly. Brett Myers is scheduled to throw a simulated game Tuesday and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment shortly after that.

AL Quick Hits: Jermaine Dye homered twice Sunday, but his attempts to open up long-term contract negotiations with the White Sox have reportedly been shot down … Huston Street (shoulder) hopes to begin a minor-league rehab assignment this week and could come off the disabled list as soon as Friday … Barring a setback, Al Reyes (shoulder) is expected to return Wednesday … Torii Hunter plans to play through a sore hamstring, but it figures to cut into his stolen-base totals at the very least … Jason Giambi (foot) has begun working out at the Yankees' minor-league complex, but no timetable has been laid out for his return … After getting seven at-bats in an extra-inning game Sunday at Triple-A, the A's may bump up the timetable for Mike Piazza's (shoulder) return … X-rays on Jason Varitek's thumb came back negative, meaning he could play Monday … Plunked on the thigh by a Justin Verlander pitch Sunday, Ichiro Suzuki is questionable to play Monday … Showing no rust, Mark Teixeira is 4-for-12 with four extra-base hits in three games since returning from the DL … Glen Perkins (shoulder) has suffered a setback in his recovery and likely won't be a factor in the second half.

NL Quick Hits: Scheduled to come off the disabled list Thursday, Brian Fuentes (rib) will first make a minor-league rehab appearance Tuesday at Single-A … Bill Hall (ankle) hasn't begun running yet, but it sounds like he'll avoid missing anything close to the initial 6-8 week recovery timetable … If things go well during a bullpen session Tuesday, Pedro Martinez (shoulder) could pitch a simulated game later this week … Barring a setback, Ryan Dempster (oblique) will make two rehab appearances at Triple-A and then return this weekend … Derrek Lee's homer Sunday was his first in 126 at-bats … With seven shutout innings Sunday against the Phillies, Adam Wainwright now has a 3.03 ERA over his past 10 starts … Barry Bonds went 0-for-5 in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers and is now 1-for-22 over his past seven games … Because of ongoing knee problems, Brad Lidge figures to wear a brace for the remainder of the season … After sitting out two weeks with a sore back, Oliver Perez returned to the mound with six solid innings Sunday against the Reds … Carlos Quentin is hitting .455 in seven games since a demotion to Triple-A.

07-16-07, 02:36 PM	#253
Hache Man "Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak" Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 64,496	Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2007 Sheets Hurting Again After back-to-back injury wrecked seasons in 2005 and 2006, Ben Sheets had been pitching well (10-4 record, 3.41 ERA) and staying healthy (18 starts, 116 innings) coming into Saturday's start against the Rockies. Unfortunately, he left the game after just 3.1 innings because of a sprained middle finger on his pitching hand. Sheets was in noticeable pain after throwing a pitch to Todd Helton and quickly exited the field, with Yovani Gallardo relieving him. Sheets said Sunday that he couldn't "put any pressure on it," which makes it likely that he'll undergo an MRI to determine the exact problem. The worst-case scenario is that Sheets has an injury similar to the one suffered by Joel Zumaya earlier this season, which would most likely knock him out for the rest of the year. Whether short or long term, Gallardo figures to replace Sheets in the rotation, restoring his fantasy value after a move to the bullpen. While Brewers fans are careful what they wish for when it comes to finding a way to get Gallardo into the starting rotation, here are some other notes from around baseball … * After hitting .304 with a 1.044 OPS in 16 games as the Blue Jays' leadoff man while Reed Johnson was on the disabled list, Vernon Wells has been moved back to his rightful place in the middle of the lineup. Leading off successfully got him back on track, but Wells drove in just 16 runs from that spot despite batting .304 with seven homers, four doubles, and a .667 slugging percentage in 77 plate appearances. Wells was one my favorite "buy-low" picks for the second half in this space last week and shifting back into an RBI spot makes him an even better target. Johnson's .347 career on-base percentage is far from great for a leadoff man, but he got on base at a .390 clip last season and No. 2 hitter Alex Rios figures to be in scoring position for Wells to drive in quite a bit. Despite the disappointing first half, Wells has a good chance to crack 25 homers and 100 RBIs. * Albert Pujols was able to bring his batting average up well over .300 despite an awful start to the season, but entered the All-Star break with a 22-game homerless streak during which he slugged just .384 and drove in only eight runs. After being left on the bench by manager Tony La Russa during the All-Star game, Pujols has gone deep in each of the first three games of the second half. He launched a pair of long balls Sunday against the Phillies, making him 6-for-14 (.429) with four homers and a 1.786 OPS since the All-Star break. Pujols has put together a couple of power surges before without being able to keep them going, but this is definitely a very encouraging sign. He's now hitting .368 with 14 homers, 38 RBIs, 40 runs scored, and a 1.116 OPS in 52 games dating back to mid-May. * Chris Carpenter's injured right elbow started acting up again during his minor-league rehab assignment last week, with stiffness and swelling causing him to shut things down. Reports out of St. Louis are that multiple doctors are putting their heads together to determine what steps to take next, but it certainly sounds unlikely that Carpenter will be able to meet the original timetable that had him potentially coming back by early August. * Tom Gordon returned from the 60-day disabled list Sunday, but figures to work off the rust in a middle-relief role before eventually being given a chance to reclaim ninth-inning duties. Antonio Alfonseca doesn't present much of a road block for Gordon when it comes to grabbing saves, but he may have to move relatively quickly. Brett Myers is scheduled to throw a simulated game Tuesday and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment shortly after that. AL Quick Hits: Jermaine Dye homered twice Sunday, but his attempts to open up long-term contract negotiations with the White Sox have reportedly been shot down … Huston Street (shoulder) hopes to begin a minor-league rehab assignment this week and could come off the disabled list as soon as Friday … Barring a setback, Al Reyes (shoulder) is expected to return Wednesday … Torii Hunter plans to play through a sore hamstring, but it figures to cut into his stolen-base totals at the very least … Jason Giambi (foot) has begun working out at the Yankees' minor-league complex, but no timetable has been laid out for his return … After getting seven at-bats in an extra-inning game Sunday at Triple-A, the A's may bump up the timetable for Mike Piazza's (shoulder) return … X-rays on Jason Varitek's thumb came back negative, meaning he could play Monday … Plunked on the thigh by a Justin Verlander pitch Sunday, Ichiro Suzuki is questionable to play Monday … Showing no rust, Mark Teixeira is 4-for-12 with four extra-base hits in three games since returning from the DL … Glen Perkins (shoulder) has suffered a setback in his recovery and likely won't be a factor in the second half. NL Quick Hits: Scheduled to come off the disabled list Thursday, Brian Fuentes (rib) will first make a minor-league rehab appearance Tuesday at Single-A … Bill Hall (ankle) hasn't begun running yet, but it sounds like he'll avoid missing anything close to the initial 6-8 week recovery timetable … If things go well during a bullpen session Tuesday, Pedro Martinez (shoulder) could pitch a simulated game later this week … Barring a setback, Ryan Dempster (oblique) will make two rehab appearances at Triple-A and then return this weekend … Derrek Lee's homer Sunday was his first in 126 at-bats … With seven shutout innings Sunday against the Phillies, Adam Wainwright now has a 3.03 ERA over his past 10 starts … Barry Bonds went 0-for-5 in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers and is now 1-for-22 over his past seven games … Because of ongoing knee problems, Brad Lidge figures to wear a brace for the remainder of the season … After sitting out two weeks with a sore back, Oliver Perez returned to the mound with six solid innings Sunday against the Reds … Carlos Quentin is hitting .455 in seven games since a demotion to Triple-A.