Huey Lewis and the News

Red Sox on the Radar – Tampa Bay needs to start worrying. With a quickly diminishing lead the Rays will need to play well above their usual second half selves to stay in contention in the AL. A trade may be necessary to fill the void that is right field or possibly even a promotion from within. At this point, options could be AAA speedster Fernando Perez, AA hitter JT Hall or even the Woonsocket Rocket himself, Rocco Baldelli. At this point, the Rays may be best suited to make a deal for a decent source of power to stick in the middle of their lineup. Pittsburgh, Seattle and Colorado should be hearing phone calls from the Tampa office soon enough.

As for the other side of the ball, don't be too surprised to see a few names come up at the end of the season as late inning rotation solutions or bullpen help. The main watch will be on Troy Percival's return to full health and the possibility of David Price. But don't overlook the long shot that some like Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson could make the big jump for some late season innings.

As for the Red Sox, the moves just keep coming. After recalling starter Clay Buchholz, the Sox sent Justin Masterson down to work on his ability to get ready in a hurry. The reason: the Red Sox will recall Masterson this week with the intention of using him from the pen. Also, the team is expected to call David Ortiz up sometime later this coming week to resume his DH duties.

Nicks, Nerds and Notes – Ray Durham got himself a plane ticket after the Giants finished their series with the Brewers. He'll be traveling with his opponents from now on and you can expect to see him Monday at St. Louis... There's a possibility that Fausto Carmona will be back this week... Adam Loewen will give up pitching for the time being and begin his work as an outfielder or a first baseman a la Rick Ankiel... Oakland 1B Daric Barton gashed his head pretty nicely after hitting it on the bottom of a pool... News from Arizona is that Micah Owings may actually get a chance to play some 1B this season. Not because his coaches have changed their minds, but because once Max Scherzer is healthy, the team may opt to move Owings out of the rotation... Joe Blanton should be starting Tuesday for Philadelphia... Unconfirmed reports have Hideki Matsui missing the remainder of the season... Ryan Zimmerman is expected back late this week or early next.

Selling the Farm

The minors are in full throttle now with short-season leagues even starting to get into the mix. We'll follow the prospects you should know about and all the major news that can be gathered.

Guys to Eye

Jeremy Hellickson, SP, TB
Hellickson started the season on fire in Vero Beach of the Florida State League. He has hit a bit of a bump in the road after his promotion to Montgomery, but his last start showed some promise. In all, Hellickson has gone 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 minor league starts (7-0 with a 2.00 in Vero Beach). He's racked up 103 K in 104.1 IP and has walked only 8 batters on the season. The 21-year-old has been nothing short of amazing with his only knock coming on the fact that he may be in the strike zone a little too often.

Weekly Wrap-Up

Mike Loree continued his dominance by retiring 63 of 64 batters he faced over his last four starts... Dallas McPherson better watch out as Nelson Cruz is coming after his minor league HR total. 3 long balls on Saturday put Cruz at 30, just 2 behind McPherson...Mets prospect Mike Antonini has been on lately for Port St. Lucie with a 1.84 ERA in 7 starts... Preseason favorite Matt Antonelli has done all but kill his chances of making it to the show this year. After a solid year at San Antonio, Antonelli has floundered at Portland... Gio Gonzalez is expected to be moved up to the big league squad meaning that one of the A's other top prospects, such as Vincent Mazzaro, may be moved up to AAA.

Prospect of the Week

Brian Dopirak - Dopirak may be a little old for High A ball, but nonetheless he is killing the league. In his past 10 games, he's bombed 6 balls and tallied 24 RBI to go with his .357 batting average. For the offense starved Jays, Dopirak could see a promotion to AA New Hampshire soon with the possibility of a AAA start next year and the majors by the end of the season.

WAIT A MINUTE MR. POSTMAN

What do you think the most likely outcome is this season for the following players: Joe Blanton, Raul Ibanez, Ken Griffey and Huston Street? - Tom, NJ

I'll make each one short and sweet.

Blanton has already been dealt to Philly and he'll throw his average stuff in a much less hitter friendly park. His ERA will climb and Philly will lose the NL East.

Raul Ibanez will be dealt to Tampa Bay for a few pitching prospects and an OF prospect. He'll help the Rays stay in contention and lock up an AL playoff spot.

Ken Griffey Jr. will be shopped but no one will bite. He'll be dealt in the off-season to an AL team where he will DH occasionally and get in a few OF games.

Huston Street will be dangled as well, but to no avail. Billy Beane will attempt to get the world for his oft-injured closer but will make out like a bandit when Street goes home to Texas in a monster deal. 

Keep the emails and PM's coming so you can avoid the likelihood that you'll be starting Paul LoDuca this year. To get your questions answered, PM TheSnake at FPM or email pick_six@hotmail.com.


Jake Gott is a writer for FantasyPlaymakers.com. An all around fan of sports, Jake follows the Cardinals of both St. Louis and Arizona as well as the Boston Celtics and the whole NHL. A proclaimed "fantasy nerd", he has hoisted many a belt above his head in league championship glory. To reach Jake, email him at pick_six@hotmail.com or by sending him a message on the FPM site under the name of TheSnake.