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Hache Man · 07-19-07, 02:42 PM

Dontrelle Scuffling in Florida
Dontrelle Willis was knocked around at home again Wednesday, allowing six runs on 11 hits in three innings. Willis has gone nine straight starts without a win dating back to May 29 and is now 7-9 with a 5.13 ERA on the season. While he's been reasonably effective on the road, going 5-2 with a 4.47 ERA in nine starts, Willis' ugly outing Wednesday dropped him to 2-7 with a 5.64 ERA in a dozen home starts.

The home-road split is likely a fluke, but Willis' declining control is worth being concerned about. After walking just 2.1 batters per nine innings when he went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA in 2005, Willis' walk rate has jumped to 3.3/9 in 2006 and 4.1/9 this season. Never a big-time strikeout pitcher despite a reputation that says otherwise, Willis' strikeout-to-walk ratio is down to 84-to-55 in 121 innings. Throwing over 800 innings through the age of 24 might be catching up to him.

While the Marlins hope that Willis isn't washed up at 25 years old, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* With the Cardinals in Florida, Scott Rolen has traveled back to St. Louis in order to have his ailing left shoulder examined by a team doctor. Rolen has started 16 straight games, but hit just .246 with zero homers and a .634 OPS over that stretch, giving him a measly .709 OPS in 79 games this season. It's possible that Rolen will get a cortisone shot and jump right back into the lineup, but the odds are against him turning in a productive second half.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are expected to hear an official word on Chris Carpenter's elbow injury Thursday. Carpenter has gotten second and third opinions on his status after experiencing continued soreness following surgery to remove bone spurs in May, and manager Tony La Russa indicated Wednesday that further surgery remains an option. Carpenter hasn't pitched since giving up five runs in six innings against the Mets on Opening Day.

* NBCSPORTS.COM VIDEO: Fantasy Fix – Second-Half Studs and Duds

* As expected (and discussed in this space yesterday), the Angels have optioned Ervin Santana to Triple-A. His rotation replacement hasn't been named officially yet, but the fact that Dustin Moseley worked in relief Wednesday night suggests strongly that it'll be Joe Saunders. Saunders went 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA in five starts filling in for Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver earlier this season, but has gone just 4-7 with a 5.11 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A.

His 84-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 86.1 innings at hitter-friendly Salt Lake suggests that Saunders' high ERA is somewhat misleading, but at best he projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Following Santana's demotion, manager Mike Scioscia made it clear that the Angels aren't giving up on the 24-year-old and expect him to reclaim a rotation spot by season's end. In the meantime, Saunders should get at least a month's worth of starts to impress.

* According to the Kansas City Star, the Royals are "sifting trade offers" for Octavio Dotel, with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Indians, Tigers, and Braves "among those teams known to have some interest." Dotel would likely act as a setup man in all those destinations, so his fantasy value figures to plummet the moment he's traded. Meanwhile, Joakim Soria will likely take over as the Royals' closer once Dotel is dealt, which will give his fantasy value a huge boost.

* Assuming his minor-league rehab appearance Thursday at Triple-A goes well, Ryan Dempster is expected to come off the disabled list Friday. Dempster hasn't pitched since June 22, but manager Lou Piniella said Wednesday that he'll immediately resume ninth-inning duties once he returns. That'll push Bob Howry back into a setup role after Howry went 6-for-7 in save chances with Dempster out.

* Erik Bedard was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday against the Mariners because of a stiff neck. Daniel Cabrera took his place and struggled on three days' rest, allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings to drop to 6-10 with a 5.30 ERA on the year. While being scratched from a start is obviously never good news, the current plan is for Bedard's next outing to simply be pushed back to Friday against the A's, which is a better matchup for him anyway.

* Roger Clemens' first four outings came against NL teams and he posted a 5.09 ERA while racking up 22 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. Since then he's started five times against AL teams, compiling a 3.24 ERA, but has managed just 12 strikeouts in 33.1 frames. The inability to overpower AL lineups likely isn't a coincidence. After back-to-back eight-inning, one-run starts to begin July, Clemens has allowed 14 hits with a 5-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11.1 innings.

AL Quick Hits: After throwing a bullpen session Wednesday, Curt Schilling (shoulder) has been cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Saturday at Triple-A … With Schilling due back soon and Jon Lester still waiting in the wings, the Boston Herald speculates that Julian Tavarez's loss Wednesday may have been his final start … Johan Santana held the league's best offense to three runs over eight innings Wednesday, but dropped to 11-7 when the Twins failed to score more than three runs for the 11th time in his 20 starts … An MRI on Eric Chavez's injured back came up negative, so he's expected to return this weekend … According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are "actively seeking to deal Wily Mo Pena" and are also trying to find a right-handed hitting outfielder to replace him … Phil Hughes (hamstring) is nearing a return after tossing four innings of one-run ball in a rehab start Wednesday at Double-A … Marcus Thames made a sprawling, game-saving catch Wednesday, but suffered a strained hamstring on the play … Demoted to Triple-A after losing his rotation spot to Matt Garza, Kevin Slowey tossed a complete-game shutout Wednesday.

NL Quick Hits: After sitting out two weeks with a shoulder injury, John Smoltz racked up 11 strikeouts in seven shutout innings Wednesday … Likely hobbled for a few days by a sore ankle anyway, Derrek Lee has decided to begin serving his five-game suspension … Handed an early 9-0 lead against a Giants lineup that didn't include Barry Bonds, Carlos Zambrano exited after five scoreless innings to pick up his NL-leading 12th win … Starting Wednesday despite manager Ned Yost saying that Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino would take his job, Rickie Weeks went 0-for-4 to make him 9-for-65 (.138) since coming off the disabled list … After sitting out Tuesday's game thanks to a headache, Todd Helton returned to the lineup Wednesday with his ninth homer … Greg Maddux left Wednesday's game with a hamstring injury, but said afterward that "it's more of a cramp than a sprain" … Hitting just .189 since June 1, Marcus Giles is expected to sit out three straight games while working on his swing … Willie Harris has officially come back to earth, going 1-for-7 Wednesday to make him 6-for-40 (.150) this month.

07-19-07, 02:42 PM	#257
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 Dontrelle Scuffling in Florida Dontrelle Willis was knocked around at home again Wednesday, allowing six runs on 11 hits in three innings. Willis has gone nine straight starts without a win dating back to May 29 and is now 7-9 with a 5.13 ERA on the season. While he's been reasonably effective on the road, going 5-2 with a 4.47 ERA in nine starts, Willis' ugly outing Wednesday dropped him to 2-7 with a 5.64 ERA in a dozen home starts. The home-road split is likely a fluke, but Willis' declining control is worth being concerned about. After walking just 2.1 batters per nine innings when he went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA in 2005, Willis' walk rate has jumped to 3.3/9 in 2006 and 4.1/9 this season. Never a big-time strikeout pitcher despite a reputation that says otherwise, Willis' strikeout-to-walk ratio is down to 84-to-55 in 121 innings. Throwing over 800 innings through the age of 24 might be catching up to him. While the Marlins hope that Willis isn't washed up at 25 years old, here are some other notes from around baseball … * With the Cardinals in Florida, Scott Rolen has traveled back to St. Louis in order to have his ailing left shoulder examined by a team doctor. Rolen has started 16 straight games, but hit just .246 with zero homers and a .634 OPS over that stretch, giving him a measly .709 OPS in 79 games this season. It's possible that Rolen will get a cortisone shot and jump right back into the lineup, but the odds are against him turning in a productive second half. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are expected to hear an official word on Chris Carpenter's elbow injury Thursday. Carpenter has gotten second and third opinions on his status after experiencing continued soreness following surgery to remove bone spurs in May, and manager Tony La Russa indicated Wednesday that further surgery remains an option. Carpenter hasn't pitched since giving up five runs in six innings against the Mets on Opening Day. * NBCSPORTS.COM VIDEO: Fantasy Fix – Second-Half Studs and Duds * As expected (and discussed in this space yesterday), the Angels have optioned Ervin Santana to Triple-A. His rotation replacement hasn't been named officially yet, but the fact that Dustin Moseley worked in relief Wednesday night suggests strongly that it'll be Joe Saunders. Saunders went 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA in five starts filling in for Bartolo Colon and Jered Weaver earlier this season, but has gone just 4-7 with a 5.11 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A. His 84-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 86.1 innings at hitter-friendly Salt Lake suggests that Saunders' high ERA is somewhat misleading, but at best he projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Following Santana's demotion, manager Mike Scioscia made it clear that the Angels aren't giving up on the 24-year-old and expect him to reclaim a rotation spot by season's end. In the meantime, Saunders should get at least a month's worth of starts to impress. * According to the Kansas City Star, the Royals are "sifting trade offers" for Octavio Dotel, with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Indians, Tigers, and Braves "among those teams known to have some interest." Dotel would likely act as a setup man in all those destinations, so his fantasy value figures to plummet the moment he's traded. Meanwhile, Joakim Soria will likely take over as the Royals' closer once Dotel is dealt, which will give his fantasy value a huge boost. * Assuming his minor-league rehab appearance Thursday at Triple-A goes well, Ryan Dempster is expected to come off the disabled list Friday. Dempster hasn't pitched since June 22, but manager Lou Piniella said Wednesday that he'll immediately resume ninth-inning duties once he returns. That'll push Bob Howry back into a setup role after Howry went 6-for-7 in save chances with Dempster out. * Erik Bedard was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday against the Mariners because of a stiff neck. Daniel Cabrera took his place and struggled on three days' rest, allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings to drop to 6-10 with a 5.30 ERA on the year. While being scratched from a start is obviously never good news, the current plan is for Bedard's next outing to simply be pushed back to Friday against the A's, which is a better matchup for him anyway. * Roger Clemens' first four outings came against NL teams and he posted a 5.09 ERA while racking up 22 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. Since then he's started five times against AL teams, compiling a 3.24 ERA, but has managed just 12 strikeouts in 33.1 frames. The inability to overpower AL lineups likely isn't a coincidence. After back-to-back eight-inning, one-run starts to begin July, Clemens has allowed 14 hits with a 5-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11.1 innings. AL Quick Hits: After throwing a bullpen session Wednesday, Curt Schilling (shoulder) has been cleared to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Saturday at Triple-A … With Schilling due back soon and Jon Lester still waiting in the wings, the Boston Herald speculates that Julian Tavarez's loss Wednesday may have been his final start … Johan Santana held the league's best offense to three runs over eight innings Wednesday, but dropped to 11-7 when the Twins failed to score more than three runs for the 11th time in his 20 starts … An MRI on Eric Chavez's injured back came up negative, so he's expected to return this weekend … According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are "actively seeking to deal Wily Mo Pena" and are also trying to find a right-handed hitting outfielder to replace him … Phil Hughes (hamstring) is nearing a return after tossing four innings of one-run ball in a rehab start Wednesday at Double-A … Marcus Thames made a sprawling, game-saving catch Wednesday, but suffered a strained hamstring on the play … Demoted to Triple-A after losing his rotation spot to Matt Garza, Kevin Slowey tossed a complete-game shutout Wednesday. NL Quick Hits: After sitting out two weeks with a shoulder injury, John Smoltz racked up 11 strikeouts in seven shutout innings Wednesday … Likely hobbled for a few days by a sore ankle anyway, Derrek Lee has decided to begin serving his five-game suspension … Handed an early 9-0 lead against a Giants lineup that didn't include Barry Bonds, Carlos Zambrano exited after five scoreless innings to pick up his NL-leading 12th win … Starting Wednesday despite manager Ned Yost saying that Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino would take his job, Rickie Weeks went 0-for-4 to make him 9-for-65 (.138) since coming off the disabled list … After sitting out Tuesday's game thanks to a headache, Todd Helton returned to the lineup Wednesday with his ninth homer … Greg Maddux left Wednesday's game with a hamstring injury, but said afterward that "it's more of a cramp than a sprain" … Hitting just .189 since June 1, Marcus Giles is expected to sit out three straight games while working on his swing … Willie Harris has officially come back to earth, going 1-for-7 Wednesday to make him 6-for-40 (.150) this month.