Cardinals Fantasy Report – Short Week

This week the Cardinals have a short week. They host Milwaukee for two games and host San Francisco for a three game weekend series.

Albert Pujols continued his hot hitting last week. The last 10 games, he batted .452 with four home runs, 11 RBI’s and scored 14 runs. On the season he is now batting .315 with 30 home runs and 86 RBI’s. Pujols is showing why he was the number one pick in most fantasy drafts this year. Fantasy owners who picked him are reaping the rewards. Keep him active in all formats is always the obvious decision.

Matt Holliday ended a nine game hitting streak on Sunday. He continues to be one of the most productive outfielders in the second half. Holliday is batting .327 with five home runs, 22 RBI’s, scoring 17 runs since the All-star break. On the season he is batting .306 with 21 home runs, 73 RBI’s, 32 doubles, seven stolen bases, and scoring 69 runs. Those stats have Holliday in the top 10 amongst outfielders and should be active in all fantasy formats.

Colby Rasmus started to come around in the Reds series. He batted .285 with one home run, six RBI’s, and scored four runs. Then in the Cubs series, he had no hits but did walk five times. Rasmus looks to turn it around this week. This season he is batting .412 with three home runs, seven RBI’s, and scoring eight runs in 12 games against the Brewers and Giants. Rasmus is still frustrating owners since he has not found any long term consistency. Rasmus is worth starting in most 12 team leagues.

Jon Jay is not going to help your team in all fantasy categories. Before Sunday, in his last seven games, he batted .400 with four doubles and scoring eight runs. Jay’s batting average dropped to .365 after going 0-3 Sunday. As long as he is getting on base and hitting doubles, Jay should be active in most deep fantasy formats.

Adam Wainwright has taken the lead as the number one scoring fantasy pitcher in standard mixed leagues. He should hang on to that spot this week pitching at home against the Brewers. At home this season, he is 11-0 with three complete games, 1.22 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and striking out 76. In eight of his last 10 starts, Wainwright has allowed one or fewer runs. He is an elite must start fantasy in all formats.

Chris Carpenter was 4-0 with a 1.79 ERA over his last six starts before Saturday. He took the loss and allowed three earned runs while giving up six hits, striking out three and walking none. Carpenter’s next start is against the Giants. Even though he had a slight setback, he continues to be a top flight pitcher and should be a must start in all fantasy formats.

Jaime Garcia was not scheduled to start this week. The Cardinals thought about giving him time to rest until a fifth starter was needed on August 24. Garcia will pitch Tuesday against the Brewers. In his last start against the Brewers, he took the win while allowing no runs, striking out seven, and walking two. With this matchup, consider starting him this week. Ryan Franklin looks to have shaken off his recent meltdown. He picked up two saves while allowing no earned runs last week. Franklin looks safe to start in most leagues.