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Field of Streams :: 9/16/08
by Tenacious D-Store
Published: September 16, 2008, 2:43 pm
Welcome back for another edition of Tenacious D-Store's Field Of Streams. We're heading down the final stretch now as H2H leagues are beginning their playoffs, and second and third place roto teams are making desperation moves in an attempt to pull in to the lead. By now even the owners who have been bitching and moaning about you streaming pitchers all season, are using the same strategy themselves in an attempt to boast their stats and win their playoff bracket.
As I do every week, I will focus on some of the better pickups who should be available in the majority of leagues for each day of the week as well as some that should be avoided. Since some people also choose to stream an outfield or utility spot with a hot bat each week, I will also include a weekly highlight on a hitter who may fly under your radar. Let's get started.
NOTE: All starts are probable. I can not be held responsible for last minute managerial decisions, injuries, rain-outs, alien abductions, arrests etc.
Monday September 15, 2008
Mark Buehrle CHW @ Alfredo Aceves NYY
Mark Buehrle's consistency has been a little suspect recently, but aside from a Red Sox Blowout on August 30th, Buehrle hasn't lost a start since July 2nd. I would like to excuse Mark Buehrle's recent struggles since he may have been distracted by his concern for his sick wife and what was an undiagnosed ailment until recently. With a diagnosis an old weight is lifted, and a new weight takes it's place. Mrs. Jamie Buehrle is pregnant, and perhaps now Mark Buehrle's distractions are caused by attempting to discover how that could happen during a lengthy string of away games. OK perhaps there's no need to go there, bottom line is Buehrle may be winning and his strike out numbers are tolerable, but overall he's looking pretty ugly out there and has a very disturbing 1-5 record and 6.58 ERA in seven previous starts against the Yankees. Although Buehrle appears to have settled down in his last two outings I think it's best that you avoid him in this start. The Yankees once again have a pitching prospect to look forward to. Rookie Alfredo Aceves, has pitched very well against two intimidating line ups to face. Five innings, one earned run and four punch outs against the Rays, followed by seven innings, one earned run, and only two strike outs but Aceves didn't walk anyone. Given the fact that Alfredo Aceves has already proven he can last seven innings and hold his own against even better teams than the White Sox, added to Buehrle's career long washouts against the Yankees I think Aceves is worth a gamble.
Hiroki Kuroda LA @ Ross Ohlendorf PIT
I certainly hope you heeded my warnings about Ross Ohlendorf in his second start. It isn't hard to look impressive against the Reds, the Astros can actually hit the ball as Ohlendorf discovered in his short four inning session. This is the Ohlendorf you should expect to see, and he has no value in fantasy leagues especially while pitching for the Pirates. In Hiroki Kuroda's last eight starts he has allowed more than two runs only twice (allowing four in the other two). Kuroda doesn't provide the numbers that will ever make him anything but a low end fantasy starter at best, but he'll provide six solid innings and four or five strikeouts. Pitching against the Pirates makes him an advisable spot start, but that won't be the case against stronger teams.
Wade LeBlanc SD @ Livan Hernandez COL
Wade LeBlanc's first two major leagues starts, both of which were against the Dodgers, were like night and day. He followed up a four innings train wreck with six lights out innings for his first career big league win. However, his AAA numbers seems to reflect that the first performance we saw from LeBlanc, is closer to what we can expect on a regular basis. He has some great strike out potential, as he managed to K a batter per inning in 25 starts with the AAA Portland Beavers, but his 11-9 record is soured by a 5.34 ERA. Everyone should be aware that at this point in Livan Hernandez's career we can't expect much more from him either. At 11-11in 29 MLB starts this season Hernandez carries a 6.21 ERA and a heavy 1.67 WHIP, in addition you can no longer expect more that four or five innings from the man who was once known as a work horse. Avoid both of these options at all costs even in NL only leagues.
Dontrelle Willis DET @ Kevin Millwood TEX
The Tigers bring back two names that we haven't heard in awhile, and for those of us whose pitching stats suffered while they struggled on the mound probably hoped we would never hear them again. We'll discuss Fast Freddy Garcia a little bit later, first up is The D-Train, Dontrelle Willis. 2005 was an amazing season for Dontrelle 22 wins and a minuscule 2.63 ERA, but how long can we dwell on that or continue to add him to fantasy teams praying for a repeat. Some of us expected a resurgence with a move to the Detroit Tigers, I admit I took him in the later rounds of a few drafts, but he got worse. However, fantasy owners appear to have lived and learned and they are not fooled this time around. Willis's ownership has not risen even one percent since his call up, and there hasn't been much to look forward too based on his AAA starts this season. Therefore I doubt I have to tell anyone, that Dontrelle Willis is not the solution. As for Kevin Millwood, I told you the streak would end at three. I would not recommend him even if he was pitching against... well pitching against Dontrelle Willis.
Tuesday September 16, 2008
Derek Lowe LA @ Tom Gorzelanny PIT
Why is Derek Lowe still available in anything other than AL only leagues? Lowe has pitched like a man possessed this season. He has now won his last three starts with a 0.47 ERA having only allowed one run. He's bound to have quite a tattoo from a line drive that got him right in the back of the knee, but that's a lot better that being caught in the knee cap. Lowe has said it looks worse than it feels and claims to have very little discomfort resulting from it. If you are in one of the leagues filled with comatose owners and failed to see a reason to add him previously, a match against Tom Gorzelanny and the Pirates is about as good as it gets. I wouldn't even be surprised to see a complete game shutout with double digit strikeouts.
Braden Looper STL @ Ramon A. Ramirez CIN
Braden Looper is Braden Looper, not much changes from week to week and he has been profiled enough in Field of Streams that very little remains to be said. Aside from a late August start against the Astros, Looper hasn't allowed many earned runs lately. Looper is usually good for about seven innings, and the only definitive trend you can count on from him is low strike out numbers. Looper hasn't been horrendous this season but I am still always reluctant to recommend him because we know he can have a melt down at any time as we saw in that start against Houston. I'm not going to do it this week even against the down-and-out Reds. The Cincinnati Great American Ball Park is just too unforgiving to below average, low velocity pitchers like Looper. Ramon Ramirez is an interesting option as he has pitched very well in his trio of major league appearances thus far. He is a hard throwing strike out specialist in the making and is able to keep the ball low in the strike zone which is imperative in a hitter friendly park. At this point he is nothing more than a spot starter even for the Reds and it is unclear what their plans for Ramirez are for the remainder of the season. Ramirez is young, and is likely to struggle with his command as he attempts to do too much on the mound and show off his fastball, something we see from a lot of rookies who see early big league sucess. I want to see more before I invest in Ramirez. I personally think he is ready for the Show and the Reds have nothing to lose by allowing him to showcase himself as a candidate for next seasons rotation. Continue to monitor him, but don't pounce too soon.
Armando Galarraga DET @ Dustin Nippert TEX
Armando Galarraga is getting his first taste of how unforgiving fantasy owners can be. Galarraga is mired in his first slump of the season is he is now winless in his last four, with back to back losses. He has reached a new career high in innings and it is normal for pitchers to struggle at this point. I'm a bit more optimistic in this case, I believe this is nothing more than a minor slump and owners should show some patience after the dominant season he has had. I'm not even going to recommend you bench him until he rights his ship, keep him in your active lineup, and have more faith in a free agent pitcher that provided you with a free ace all season long. It is far too early to drop him as many have already done. Who would have thought Rangers fans would be anticipating the return of Vicente Padilla to the rotation. Dustin Nippert can't realistically be labeled a bust, because there was nothing that supported his being labeled a top prospect. Even his 2006 AAA season where he had a 13-8 record in 25 appearances came with a 4.88 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. That's a sign that he received desperately needed run support, not the sign of a good pitcher.
Dustin Moseley ANA @ Sean Gallagher OAK
With John Lackey being sidelined for undisclosed reasons, Dustin Moseley has been granted a shot at redemption. Moseley struggled early in the season and lost the rotation spot he was battling for, but he is still a top pitching prospect. Moseley pitched well in his return to the rotation holding the Yankees to three hits and two earned runs with six strikeouts through five innings. This may be his last opportunity to prove his worth as a future staple for a major league rotation. Given the fact that the Oakland A's have failed to make much of anything happen this season, and Sean Gallagher has done very little of anything noteworthy, Moseley deserve a chance as a spot starter. However, you would be best advised to keep him to AL only or deeper leagues at this point.
Wednesday September 17, 2008
Josh Geer SD @ Jeff Francis COL
Last week I encouraged you to gamble and use Jeff Francis as a spot starter over Billingsley, especially since Billingsley has been dominated by the Rockies in every previous match up. As I write this segment I am currently watching that game as it unfolds. Francis hasn't pitched poorly but he has allowed three runs and trails by one. His strike out numbers are encouraging and helpful to your fantasy stats but he is simply throwing too many pitches and I highly doubt he takes the mound in the seventh. So at best we may get a no decision from him. Last week I made another ballsy recommendation with Jeff Geer who gave us another seven innings in a win over the Giants. He allowed nine hits, but only two runs. Those strikeouts that I love so much from my fantasy pitchers, really weren't there, but the potential to post high strike out numbers is possessed by Geer. So who gets the nod this week? It has to be Francis again. Geer was successful in his first major league start which came against Colorado, but the boys know what they are up against this time and the Padres are no match for the Rockies.
Tim Wakefield BOS @ Matt Garza TB
Tim Wakefield and Matt Garza are both 1-2 in their last three starts, however the differance in their earned run average in that span is 6.95 to Garza's favor. Garza was a little shaky against the Yankees, but also had to face a red hot Blue Jays line up twice. He pitched brilliantly in both starts shutting them out for a win in 7.2 innings the first time, and losing the last start despite only allowing one run. Garza pitches deep in to games, posts great strike out numbers most of the time and is always well composed on the mound. Wakefield is likely in his final MLB season and although he saw moderate success in the first half of the season, he has been falling apart at the seams down the final stretch. Boston may even attempt to replace him in the rotation with the Jays gaining speed down the final stretch. They will not allow Wakefield to be a liability and neither should you. Avoid him even in AL only leagues. Not even the mighty Red Sox are enough to make him worth it. Don't put to much thought in to what Wakefield did against the Jays on Friday. The Jays are tired and they have always struggled with Wakefield's knuckleball.
Todd Wellemeyer STL @ Bronson Arroyo CIN
Todd Wellemeyer has lost three of his last four starts, but really hasn't done anything wrong. He pitched well and provided plenty of strikeouts keeping his ERA under 2.00 during that stretch. Amazingly Bronson Arroyo has accomplished a similar feat, the strikeouts, the low ERA, the only difference is Arroyo is winning. Either of these options could be favorable as a spot start right now. I'm probably going to jinx Arroyo here, as we all know he is prone to a melt down at anytime, but he has actually been rather consistent all season. Posting 14 wins on a team as bad as the Reds is no easy task. I'm giving them both the green light this week, but going with the pitcher who is actually winning games for my teams.
Freddy An. Garcia DET @ Vicente Padilla TEX
For years and years I used to refer to Freddy Garcia as the most under-rated pitcher in the MLB. By 2006 people began to agree with me, as Garcia improved his strikeout numbers and showed himself to be a road warrior dominating in away games while still pitching moderately well at home. By 2007, he was drafted in more leagues than ever before following a trade to Philadelphia, and completely imploded. Garcia only pitched 58 innings over 11 starts. He went 1-5 with a 5.90 ERA and 1.60 WHIP before admitting that he was having shoulder issues, which lead to a rather serious surgical procedure. Now Garcia is ready to start on the road back with the Detroit Tigers. It's going to be a long road and it is doubtful we'll see more than five innings tops. I don't think Garcia will ever fully recover and he should be ignored for at least the rest of the season. Vicente Padilla is back from a far less serious DL stint which I really don't think was anything more than a rest for him. Padilla doesn't really do anything special, he is not over powering but he's been getting his job done this year. He's still nothing more than a low end AL only starter, but at 13-7 on the season, if he can pull out a victory here he may be useful for points leagues. I can't bring myself to suggest him for anything else, he's brutal to the rest of your roto stats.
Thursday September 18, 2008
Ryan Feierabend SEA @ Zack Greinke KC
Ryan Feierabend beats the Yankees with a rather good seven inning performance, and his ownership in fantasy leagues is cut in half from 4% to 2%. I congratulate those who were not fooled. In five starts for the Mariners this season, only two of Feierabend's starts have been classified as quality. Feierabend gives up too many hits, and if the M's defense isn't on their toes it only leads to trouble as they certainly aren't able to bail their pitchers out with their offense. I really haven't formed much of an opinion on Feierabend, his minor league numbers are nothing special and I don't see him suddenly becoming a stud pitcher even two or three years down the road. At best Feierabend may develop in to a pitcher very similar to Ted Lilly as far as the stats compare. I'm going to go with Zack Greinke here breaking my own cardinal rule about bad not being better than worse. Two prior relief appearances against KC have left Feierabend with a 16.88 ERA in only 5 innings pitched. I'm not looking forward to seeing what the Royals do to him in a full start. Besides, Greinke is pitching quite well recently and has even struck out eight batters in back to back starts.
Jered Weaver ANA @ Greg Smith OAK
Jered Weaver missed a couple weeks after cutting is right index and ring fingers on a protruding staple as he attempted to stick his gum under the dugout bench. Serves him right for having such poor manners. That combined with Weaver recent inability to pitch deep in to games has a few owners cutting him loose and he is currently available in about 10% of 12 team leagues. Weavers injury did not require stitches and enough time should have passed for the wound to heal. Since he has been averaging more than a strikeout per inning lately and has a great offense behind him, Weaver and the Angels should have no difficulty making quick work of Greg Smith and heavily outscoring the A's.
Joe Saunders ANA @ Josh Outman OAK
As the first team to clinch their division title and with it a playoff berth, the Angels are going to be resting a lot of their big bats for the remainder of the regular season, especially the big man Vladimir Guerrero. This is going to hurt the value of pitchers like Jon Garland and Joe Saunders whose limited fantasy value is inflated by a potent offense. Saunders is probably owned in your league anyway, but with little strike out potential, limited ability to effectively hold base runners and no Big Daddy Vladdy he's barely an antiquate #5 starter for most fantasy teams from this point out. Josh Outman did exactly what I said he would last week, so for those of you that took the gamble with me, you're welcome. This wasn't a fluke start. The Rangers can hit, but they couldn't hit Outman. The A's kept him on a short leash, and Outman received the managerial pat on the back after only five innings. He allowed only one run and struck out three. He has the ability to strike out far more, and that may come with longer outings. Oakland isn't usually capable of scoring a lot of runs, but they managed to score seven against the Rangers with Outman on the mound last time. Have faith in the youngster to improve in his second start.
Alberto Arias HOU @ Scott Olsen FLA
If Alberto Arias proved anything in his first major league starts, it was that the Astro's don't use him nearly as much as they should. Arias is a middle reliever and is best suited for that role, after five innings and 69 pitches Arias was evidently exhausted, but he allowed only two hits, no runs and struck out six batters for the win. His endurance is bound to be too problematic to risk him as a spot starter and he will likely be back to the bullpen after this start. Don't risk him burning out in the third or fourth inning when an option like Josh Outman is virtually unknown and available in most leagues. Scott Olsen has finally ended a nine game losing streak with a win over the Nationals. Olsen had looked promising back in April and heading in to May, but overall has been a complete flop this season. He has only two precious starts against the Astros and was victorious in both of them and posted excellent strikeout numbers in both games. As a top prospect Olsen is a bust, but he's not so horrible that he could kill you with one spot start. Give him a shot based on his previous success against the Astro's.
Friday September 19, 2008
Dave Bush MIL @ Ramon A. Ramirez CIN
Dave Bush has had a very good second half. His only bad start after the All-Star break has been a recent one against the Mets, which he followed up with seven solid innings against the Reds for a no decision. Bush will face the Reds again on Friday. I don't see any reason not to start someone who is pitching so well against a pathetic team like the Reds and rookie Ramon Ramirez. Ramirez is a darned good pitcher himself even with his inexperience. In two starts and one relief appearance this season he has logged 16 innings, 12 K's and only four runs. However, I believe you are better off using the six year veteran Bush and the better offensive team.
Oliver Perez NYM @ Jo-Jo Reyes ATL
I am always reluctant to recommend the inconsistent Oliver Perez. I would do so even against the Washington Nationals last week despite the fact that he had been pitching well in a series of starts preceding that. As proof of what I have been saying all along Oli was crushed for eight hits and seven runs in only three innings. There is no reason why Oli shouldn't be able to effectively win against Jo-Jo Reyes and the struggling Braves either, but I won't start him. His periodic arbitrary meltdowns just aren't worth it. I would be even more hesitant to recommend Jo-Jo Reyes though so take that what for what it's worth. Oli should win, but I want no part of him.
Randy Wolf HOU @ Ian Snell PIT
I was really on a roll with last weeks column and the recommendations within it. Randy Wolf was fantastic once again in his first start last week. However, despite a complete game shut out against the Cubs the last time they met, the Cubbies evened the score on Sunday scoring five runs in 2.2 innings before Wolf walked off the mound in disgust. I recommended Ian Snell against the Astros in a match up against Brandon Backe. Snell did not win the game, but he did strike out nine batters and allowed only three runs which was still far better that what Backe would have contributed to your pitching stats. I warned against starting Snell in his second start last week correctly predicting the damage the Cardinals line up would do to him. Bottom line is the Cubbies are a great team, and what happened to Wolf could have happened to the best of pitchers. Even Peavy and Santana get roughed up from time to time. Wolf has been far too effective lately to sit against one of the worst teams in the league based on what one of the best teams in the league did to him.
Glen Perkins MIN @ Edwin Jackson TB
After a lengthy winning streak and a very impressive rookie season to date from Glen Perkins, he has now provided three absolutely atrocious starts in a row. I have to wonder if Perkins has simply worn himself out. He has never pitched anywhere near as many innings as he has logged for the Twins this season at any level of his career. It's probably best to use a wait and see approach and avoid activating him in any league for now. The Rays don't just simply want to make the playoffs, they want to win the AL East division. With the Red Sox neck and neck with them now, the Rays won't be resting players or taking it easy. This works in Edwin Jackson's favor as at least he will have a loaded line up and some run support. Jackson has struggled in his last two starts. Jackson is a lot like Oliver Perez, you never really know what to expect. I am concerned partly because Jackson has never beaten the Twins in five previous starts against them. Even worse is his whopping 18.90 ERA in those five starts. Do yourself a favor and avoid both of these guys on Friday. There is no way to even fathom what the result will be, and you can't afford a train wreck now as we enter the second round of the play offs for most H2H fantasy leagues.
Max Scherzer ARI @ Jorge De La Rosa COL
I usually try and limited this column to four pitching match ups per day. However, I couldn't just ignore the fact that Max Scherzer is once again getting a start for the D-Backs. Scherzer is an animal who can post obscene strike out numbers. Forget his earlier starts this season. So what if he didn't win, he still kept his ERA around 3.00, his WHIP moderately low and has struck out 45 batters in only 39 innings. Truthfully, I don't think that is anywhere close to being his ceiling. You start a guy like Scherzer anytime he takes the mound. Period.
Saturday September 20, 2008
Jeff Suppan MIL @ Johnny Cueto CIN
Jeff Suppan is 5-2 in his last eight starts, but in two of his last three starts he has allowed four runs in 5.1 innings, then got hit hard by the Phillies in his last start. The Brewers are still in contention for the NL wild card spot, but they have now lost six straight and their playoff hopes appear to be slipping away. Johnny Cueto had a great start to the season, but has struggled and battled injuries in the second half. The Reds seem hesitant to leave him on the mound longer than five innings at this point even when he is pitching well. Cueto was very effective in his last start holding the Diamondbacks to one earned run in five innings. However, he threw 115 pitches and waked six batters which is reason for concern. Due to the fact that Suppan is struggling and the Brewers appear to be choking I am going to go out on a limb and predict a Reds victory here. Cueto will probably not factor in to that decision but might be the better option for deeper leagues.
Carlos Silva SEA @ Dana Eveland OAK
Carlos Silva is one of the most hittable pitchers in baseball, and now that he has been experiencing stiffness in his back it probably isn't going to change that fact. Silva has only managed to win four of 26 starts this season, that is absolutely pathetic even for a Mariners pitcher. Dana Eveland now has four consecutive no decisions in his last four starts. He has provided six or more innings of work in all but the last, and allowed more than three runs only once. If Eveland had just pitched one more inning on Sunday against the Rangers the win would have been his, but at least he provided six K's. This is a no brainer, Silva doesn't have anything on Eveland.
John Danks CHW @ Kyle Davies KC
John Danks was on his way to having a great sophomore season. Lately he has struggled a bit, and the White Sox have limited his innings most likely as precaution not to over work him before the post season. Kyle Davies doesn't go past the fifth very often either but has pitched a little better than Danks as of late. Davies won't be a horrible option in AL only leagues, but Danks posts more strikeouts and pitches for the division leaders rather than the basement dwelling Royals. Take the safer bet here.
Brad Hennessey SF @ Hiroki Kuroda LA
Brad Hennessey managed to hold his own in his only major league start this season, but despite only allowing one run against the D-Backs. He wasn't suburb by any means. There is enough risk in using a Giants starter alone, never mind one that stunk it up in his minor league starts this season, and hasn't been effective in relief either recently allowing five runs in two innings against the Pirates. Hennessey's 9.64 ERA this season speaks for itself. Don't be fooled by one half decent outing. Hiroki Kuroda has allowed far too many hits in his last two starts, but has still managed not to do too much damage to anyone's fantasy stats. Kuroda is almost never lights out as a pitcher, but he doesn't have many disastrous outings either. Consider him a reasonably safe option against the Giants.
Sunday, September 21, 2008Kenny Rogers DET @ Scott Lewis CLE
With Kenny Rogers still owned in about 22% of 10 team leagues, we can easily come to the conclusion that at least 22% of owners in 10 team leagues have dead teams. Kenny Rogers was already passed over from his last start because of a sore hip. Rogers has never been more than average at any point of his career, but now at 44 years old he's just the crazy old guy who hobbles around the Tigers clubhouse complaining about how the weather affects his bad hip. The Gambler is probably done after this season and there is no point in hanging on to him in any league. Sometimes, you've got to know when to fold 'em. Scott Lewis would have been a stud pitcher long ago if he could keep himself out of the doctor's office. Lewis must be made of glass as his list of minor league injuries is quite extensive. In his first major league start Lewis showed that the injuries haven't slowed him down at all, pitching eight shut out innings against the Orioles. Lewis is an unknown to most fantasy players but has loads of potential. This is a great spot start option for any fantasy team, but remember glass can't support it's own weight, if he shatters I can't be held responsible.
Dan Haren ARI @ Ubaldo Jimenez COL
When you are considered to be a top five NL pitcher, and fail to get the job done against the Padres, lose back to back starts against the Dodgers, and can't even make it out of the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants, something is clearly wrong. Haren is normally a stud and you almost have to start him if you own him, but he has been horrible lately. He can't pitch like that and get away with it against the Rockies. I'm willing to bet he continues to struggle and the Rockies and Ubaldo Jimenez benifit.
Brandon Morrow SEA @ Sean Gallagher OAK
Brandon Morrow has done it all for the Mariners pitching staff this season. He picked up ten saves as an interim closer while J.J. Putz was on the DL, he spent some time as the set-up man, and now he's found himself in the rotation. Morrow was in control when he faced the Yankees in his first start. He pitched 7.2 innings with 8 strikeouts, and only gave up one hit, which was unfortunately hit in to orbit. Morrow had a bit more trouble with the Angels but still held his own. Sean Gallagher is making the Cubs look like geniuses, as he continues to get worse with every start. Clearly the Cubs realized that there was no moldable talent here and did the right thing by using him as a toss in to finalize the trade that netted them Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin. Gallagher has no business on any team; MLB or fantasy.
Chris Waters BAL @ Alfredo Aceves NYY
Chris Waters pitched an eight inning shutout allowing only one hit against the best team in the MLB, the Anaheim Angels. That was back on August 5th and since then Waters has provided 7 consecutive atrocious outings. Waters was never much of a prospect and is only still a part of the O's rotation due to desperation, and the fact that they are not even close to contending this season. With so many injuries, they obviously prefer to rest their current pitches than actually win some ball games. So that makes the job of Alfredo Aceves rather easy. Aceves looked great against the Angels, holding them to one earned run through seven innings for the win. If he can do that against the MLB's best team, it seems reason enough to start him against one of the worst.
Highlight Of the WeekFelipe Lopez (2B,3B,SS,OF) St. Louis Cardinals
Felipe Lopez is currently riding a 14 game hitting streak, and would be very valuable to any league that uses a middle infielder or deeper leagues with more than three outfield spots. Lopez's 44 stolen bases in 2006 were clearly a fluke as he has yet to even hit double digits there this season, but he is playing everyday for the Cardinals and playing very productively at that. The Nationals are looking pretty foolish at the moment for releasing him, but clearly Lopez enjoys playing in St. Louis and continues to thrive. He could provide a nice push for your team down the stretch especially with his multiple position eligibility.
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