Welcome to this week’s Triple Play. This week, we examine an ace lefty, a couple of Giant pitchers who are anything but, a pitcher rebounding nicely from a horrific injury, and more. Here we go:

Who’s Hot?

Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

Sale has been breezing through opposing lineups. Since getting rocked for eight earned runs against Cleveland on April 13, Sale has allowed a total on seven earned runs in his next six starts. In fact, he hasn’t allowed a run in 23 innings. The Angels are certainly tired of facing him. In Sale’s past two starts (both against the punchless Halos), Sale shut them down for 16 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and four walks, while punching out 19. For the season, the lanky lefty is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA and a glowing 0.92 WHIP. That puts him on pace to win 20 games with 240-plus strikeouts, and a 4-to-a strikeout-to-walk ratio – all numbers are pure gold for fantasy owners. His Fielder Independent Pitching (FIP) ratio is 3.19, which indicates that a small regression may be on the way, but it would be unreasonable to expect Sale to continue his current pace. Make no mistake, though. Sale is a stud, and you should be ready to pay accordingly if you’re looking to deal for him in your fantasy league.

Who’s Not?

Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants

It’s safe to say that whatever magic spell that turned Vogelsong into such an effective pitcher in 2011-12 has expired and he has turned back into a pumpkin. Simply put, Vogelsong has been terrible. How terrible, you ask? In eight starts, he has allowed an NL-worst 37 earned runs – that’s more than half the earned runs he allowed the entire 2012 season in 190 innings. He currently sports an ERA over 8 and a 2.67 WHIP. Stats like that will kill an entire fantasy pitching staff. But manager Bruce Bochy is going to stick with Vogelsong for the time being. You should not. The rest of the NL West is a muddled mess, so the first-place Giants don’t seem to believe finding a replacement is a priority. You should, however, if you’re stuck with Vogelsong on your fantasy team. You’d be better off with a middle reliever who isn’t single-handedly destroying your ERA and WHIP categories. A middle reliever might also vulture the occasional win or save.

Playing the Name Game

Player A: .121 avg, .319 OPS
Player B: .123 avg, .319 OPS

Player A is actually the collective batting average and OPS for the Seattle Mariners’ shortstops so far this season. Player B represents the same stats for National League pitchers. NBC Sports HardballTalk reported this hilariously eye-popping stat a few days ago. Upon closer review, Seattle’s Brendan Ryan and Robert Andino have combined for 1 homer (plus 11 RBI, two steals, and 12 runs scored). Meanwhile, the following NL pitchers have homered: Clayton Kershaw, Wade Miley, Tim Hudson, Gio Gonzalez, Jeff Samardzjia, and Eric Stults. All of this leads me to ask: how much longer are the Mariners going to wait to call up Nick Franklin? He’s hitting .328/.451/.509 with 4 homers, 17 RBI, 5 steals and 26 runs scored at Triple-A Tacoma. Talk about an instant upgrade. This should be a no-brainer. Come on, Jack Zduriencik. Fantasy owners are waiting, rather impatiently.

Player A: .210/.258/.347, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 17 runs, 1 SB
Player B: .293/.416/.455, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 18 runs, 0 SB

Player A is Josh Hamilton. Player B is Lance Berkman, the man the Texas Rangers signed to replace Hamilton after his defection to Los Angeles. Thanks to the DH, the Big Puma has been able to avoid playing the field – thus keeping his legs healthier than during his injury-plagued 2012 – and focus on hitting. At 37, Berkman remains a terrific hitter. His OPS+ of 130 ranks second on the team (to Mitch Moreland), and he is on pace to hit close to .300 and drive in 80 runs. Hamilton, meanwhile, is on pace for 46 RBI and an average below the Mendoza Line. Advantage: Texas. Fantasy-wise, Berkman was most likely had in your league at a bargain-basement price or a late round due to his injuries last season. He is on pace for around 15 homers and 75 runs scored in addition to those 80 RBI. Hamilton is on pace to hit just 19 home runs this season, plus 65 runs scored and a handful of stolen bases. After clubbing a career-high 43 long balls in 2012, fantasy owners no doubt paid big bucks to land Hamilton on their team. Barring a huge turnaround, he’s going to leave owners and Angel fans wishing they had picked up the Berkman instead.

Random Thoughts

• After Baltimore closer Jim Johnson saw his team record of 35 consecutive saves snapped last week, he really imploded in spectacular fashion Saturday against the Rays: six batters faced, three hits, two walks, FIVE earned runs, one out. Yeesh.
• Raise your hand if you predicted that the Rockies would be supplying the Yankees with a consistent supply of infielders this season (first Chris Nelson, then Reid Brignac over the weekend). Notice I left the word “quality” out of the previous sentence.
• And yet, the Yankees keep winning. How long before the New York media starts touting Vernon Wells as an MVP candidate?
• Tony Cingrani made six starts, pitching 33 innings with a 41-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.02 WHIP. Mike Leake has made eight starts with a 34-to-13 K-to-BB ratio and a 1.49 WHIP. Naturally, it’s Cingrani being sent to the minors to make room for Johnny Cueto instead of Leake. Brilliant move, Cincinnati.
• Wainwright Walk Watch: The Cardinals’ ace pitched 37 innings this season before issuing his first walk. So far this season, he has walked six batters while striking out 71. Among NL starters who have tossed at least 50 innings, only Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann (9) has walked fewer than 10 batters.
• Conversely, Boston’s Ryan Dempster walked six Minnesota batters in less than five innings Saturday. Guess that little glove shake before he throws the ball doesn’t fool the umpires any more than it does the hitters.
• Did you see Tim Lincecum lose his balance and fall off the mound while winding up Saturday night against the Rockies? It resulted in the runner on first being balked to second, then the runner came around to score on a single by Tyler Chatwood (the opposing pitcher). A train wreck of an inning – and a perfect summation of Lincecum’s career the past few years.
• It’s not yet Memorial Day, but it might be time to stick a fork (phork?) in the Phillies. Getting a runner to third ONCE against a salad tosser like Bronson Arroyo? That’s ugly. I would suggest that Philly unload their veterans and rebuild, but outside of Cliff Lee, who would want them?
• It appears that Braves lefty specialist Eric O’Flaherty is going to join teammate Jonny Venters in elbow-surgery land soon. Last one in the Atlanta bullpen, please turn out the lights.
• What a great sight Saturday night, watching Brandon McCarthy spin a complete-game, three-hit shutout of the Marlins. Although it’s his first win of the season, McCarthy has been pitching pretty well this season. His 37-to-8 K-to-BB ratio is stellar, and his FIP rating of 3.74 indicates that he has been better than the results show. Focus on that if you’re thinking of picking him up in your fantasy league. In any case, Saturday night had to be extra satisfying for McCarthy, even if it was against the worst team in baseball. After that horrifying skull fracture last September, I’ll bet he doesn’t care who his opponent is, as long as he is out there able to play in good health. Here’s to continued success for him. Baseball is better with guys like McCarthy on the field.

Follow me on Twitter: @ccaylor10

Here at i70baseball, we do not host or sponsor any Fantasy Baseball Leagues.

That’s not to say we don’t participate and have some fun.

Friends of the site, Through The Fence Baseball, host a number of leagues and they need some help filling them up.  The guys over there sent the following information and asked us to pass it along.

Corpus Christie, TX native David Freese has become synonymous with freak injuries and the phrase “if he stays healthy”. A young man who some would say simply has bad luck when it comes to running bases, lifting weights, rehabbing injuries, or even attending hockey games, Freese is off to a very nice spring so far in 2011. A quick look at his (spring training) numbers versus last year tell quite the story:

In roughly ⅓ of the games & at bats of his 2010 spring training campaign, Freese has already amassed more than a third of his hit total from last year, and nearly half of his total bases total. He’s done so while raising both his batting average (by nearly 100 points), and a slightly higher OBP. His slugging percentage is way UP, while his strikeouts are way DOWN. It sure looks like the power is there this year…and that’s important.

Could 2011 be the breakout year for young David Freese?

I picked up David Freese off the waiver wire in my fantasy league early last season, before he got hurt. In my mind, it stood to reason that a guy hitting behind Matt Holliday, who was hitting behind Albert Pujols was going to see a lot of pitches to hit. Now add Berkman to that already dangerous lineup, and I have to believe that we’re going to see some real offensive production from 3B this season out of Freese. He should certainly have his chances to put up the numbers, given the Cards projected lineup day in-day out (a relative term in Cardinal nation).

I think for David to make his mark on the big leagues, he’s going to have to carpe de 2011 season, as the questions surrounding Berkman & the contract of our first baseman loom large, when considering what the 2012 lineup could look like. A lot can change in a very short time, from an offensive production standpoint when the lineup you’re in changes…ask Ryan Ludwick. Freese will have plenty of chances to prove that he is who we’ve thought he can be. I would strongly suggest that he make the most of this opportunity, because as you well know, if you’ve been paying attention, Matt Carpenter doesn’t seem to be too far behind. Freese can hold down the starting third base job and be a key part of this team in 2011…”if he stays healthy”.

All-Star week is over, and it is back to a full week of fantasy baseball. The Royals match up at home with Toronto for three games and then travel to take on the Yankees for a four game set. Let’s look at the Royals roster to see who should start, who should sit, and who to watch this week.

Start em:

Zach Greinke got lucky this week, pitching against the Blue Jays instead of pitching at Yankee Stadium. If he was pitching at New York I would suggest putting him inactive but since he will pitch at home, he should be active in all formats. In his last outing against Toronto, he got a no decision and gave up two earned runs. He has pitched much better of late and I expect that to continue. Joakim Soria has been very consistent this season. When the save opportunity has called, he has delivered 25 of 27 chances, up to last Saturday, which also includes 18 straight. Soria has only allowed 3 earned runs in the last 23 innings and needs to be active in all formats. When facing Toronto and New York, Billy Butler has a .267 career average (BA), 12 2B’s, 2 HR’s, 13 RBI’s in 40 games. His power still hasn’t taken off as owners would like but as long as his BA is .321, he should be active in all formats. Jose Guillen has had decent career numbers against Toronto and New York. He could be set for a productive week. Guillen has a career .247 BA, 24 2B’s, 19 HR’s, and 59 RBI’s in 122 games. I would not start him if your outfield is set but if you are looking for a bat to fill a spot this week, Jose could be your guy. If you are in a fantasy league which awards stolen bases, Scott Podsednik should be active only if your lineup has enough offense to give you the power numbers. Other than that, he should be inactive.

Sit em:

As I mentioned last week, David DeJesus has had zero production as of late. He has a career .228 BA vs Toronto and .242 BA vs New York. Until DeJesus shows signs of life, he needs to continue being inactive. Alberto Callaspo has a career .302 BA in the second half. Not sure if that means much going into All-Star break cold as he still has not produced lately. Callaspo does have a .304 career BA against Toronto, but it is not enough to get through the week. The only thing that benefits him now is that he qualifies at second and third base. He holds a similar situation as DeJesus so until he starts to produce, he needs to be inactive.

Watch list:

Put Yuniesky Betancourt (SS) on the watch list. I’m not recommending picking him up at the moment. He has little value in mixed leagues but there is a value in AL only leagues. Betancourt currently has 41 R, 7 HR, 40 RBI’s, 0 SB, and .263 BA. Watch how he performs this week, and he could be a pick-up if your team needs shortstop help.

Fantasy Minor League Profile of the week:

The Fantasy Profile of the Week is Eric Hosmer. He was selected in the 1^st round (No. 3 overall) of the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft. Hosmer was just promoted from Single-A Wilmington and is currently playing First Base (1B) for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals in The Texas League. He had a depressing first season after being drafted and did not live up to expectations but once he had lasik eye surgery, everything seems to be turning around. The Royals drafted him hoping he would turn into a power hitting first baseman. All the tools are there and the power will eventually come. He’s a big kid (6’4” – 215 lbs) with initial plans to stay at first base, but there is an outside chance he could be converted to play outfield. Hosmer is not expected to crack the big leagues until late 2012 at the earliest but if he’s available, he is one to pick up immediately. He’s a prospect worth holding onto. Side Note: In his first at bat in Double-A on Saturday he hit a home run. He hit three over the weekend.

It’s All-Star week so fantasy baseball will take a backseat until the weekend. St. Louis will host Los Angeles for a 4 game series. Heading into Week 15 this is make or break time for many fantasy league teams. Either you’re going to hold on to the top spot, make a run for the top, or free fall to the bottom. This week won’t give you much room for error so you need to make sure your roster is complete with players that can give you production. As always, the Cardinals have the fire power to give you that production you need.

Albert Pujols should of course be in your lineup. There is no reason to sit Pujols unless he’s on the DL. He doesn’t have his best career numbers against LA but their better than average. Matt Holliday is heating up, which is a good thing. He has always hit LA pitching. Over his career against LA he has a .335 Batting Average (BA), 18 Homeruns, and 63 RBI’s through 87 games. Look for Holliday to have a huge weekend. Colby Rasmus is coming off having hamstring soreness and was not in the starting lineup last weekend at Houston. All signs are pointing to Rasmus being ready to go so make sure he is in your line up this week. He’s has a .355 BA for the month of July and has been productive all season. Pujols, Holliday, and Rasmus are must start in all formats.

Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia are all scheduled to pitch against LA but not sure who they’ll match up against until after the All-Star game. The rotation will be set by if and how much Carpenter and Wainwright pitches. Either way all three are must starts in all formats. Wainwright has only allowed one earned run over his last 23 1/3 innings pitched. You can’t get more lights out than that. He is 13-5 now with a 2.11 Earned Run Average (ERA). Carpenter may be 0-2 in his last three starts but that’s no reason to sit him just yet. He has a career 1.88 ERA against LA. This series will give him a very good opportunity to get back on track. Garcia has had a very impressive start to the season. He has struck out 80 hitters in 99 2/3 innings while issuing 40 walks. His ERA of 2.17 sits third in all of baseball and as long as that ERA continues to impress, he should be in your lineup. Ryan Franklin had a horrible game last Tuesday when he allowed more runs than in the last two months combined. Franklin came back strong on Sunday with an eleven pitch, one inning performance for the save. Leave that bad performance behind and make sure he’s in your lineup this week.

Fantasy Minor League Profile of the week:

If you’re in a fantasy league which allows you to keep minor league players on your roster, here is a name you need to pick up, Shelby Miller. He was selected in the 1^st round (No. 19 overall) of the June 2009 First-Year Player Draft. He’s currently pitching for the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits in the Midwest League. Miller has had an up and down season so far. Overall his first full season is going as expected. His current stats are below. He’s not expected to reach the Major Leagues until sometime 2013 but he is worth keeping long term. Pick up now if available. Don’t give another team a chance to pick up a pitcher who has the makings of being the ace of your staff.

It’s All-Star week so fantasy baseball will take a backseat until the weekend. Kansas City will host Oakland for a 3 game series. Heading into Week 15 this is make or break time for many fantasy league teams. Either you’re going to hold on to the top spot, make a run for the top, or free fall to the bottom. This week won’t give you much room for error so you need to make sure your roster is complete with players that can give you production. Hopefully the Royals have a couple that can do just that.

Start em:

Joakim Soria needs to be in the lineup this week. He has 3 very good opportunities for saves. Billy Butler hits Oakland very well with a career .321 Batting Average (BA) with 9 Doubles and 14 RBI’s in 22 games. In July he is sporting a .353 BA so there is a great chance to see terrific numbers this weekend. Alberto Callaspo has not given much production lately. Since June 1^st he has only produced 13 Runs, 3 Doubles, 2 Triples, 10 RBI’s, while batting .247. Callaspo has a career .340 BA against Oakland which could give him a boost to get back on track plus give you the production needed for this short week.

Put em on the Bench:

Zach Greinke isn’t scheduled to pitch, plus was scratched from Sunday’s start with shoulder discomfort. It is never a good thing when dealing with the shoulder so keep an eye on his status going into next week. Jose Guillen was listed as day-to-day after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 left quadricep strain but played this past weekend. I would still sit him until after the Oakland series to be safe. David DeJesus has had zero production as of late plus only a career .257 BA against Oakland. Until DeJesus shows signs of life, he needs to be benched. Scott Podsednik isn’t showing enough to give me confidence that he can contribute right now so he needs benched too.

Fantasy Minor League Profile of the week:

If you’re in a fantasy league which allows you to keep minor league players on your roster, here is a name you need to pick up immediately, Mike Moustakas. He was selected in the 1^stround (No. 2 overall) of the June 2007 First-Year Player Draft. He’s currently playing Third Base (3B) for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals in The Texas League. Moustakas is tearing apart opposing pitchers. His current stats are below. He’s a big kid (5’11” – 230 lbs) with plenty of power and capable of staying at 3B. He could be a September call up and lead the battle to make the team out of spring training next season. This kid is for real folks!