Ask COSFBA: May 30th, 2011

post from Colorado Springs Fantasy Baseball Addict on 30 May 2011 11:45:00 PM. © Colorado Springs Fantasy Baseball Addict

I get asked fantasy baseball questions on Twitter all the time but this one deserves more than a 140 character response:

The first question has me a little perplexed because Colby Rasmus put up a .276/85/23/66/12 5x5 line in 2010 in 144 games at just 23 years of age. So I think my gut-reaction answer to the first question is a "yes". But wait a moment. Rasmus only has four home runs and four stolen bases in 51 games this season and projecting a .284/106/12/59/12 2011 5x5 line. So his average and runs are up but his home runs, RBI and stolen bases are down.

A deeper look into his numbers (via FanGraphs) show his BB% is up (14.1% 2011 vs 10.2% career), K% is down (23.4% 2011 vs 25.5% career) with a high BABIP (.355 2011 vs .321 career). Hmmm, deeper. His LD% isn't bad (18.2% 2011 vs 19.3% career), neither is his GB% (37.8% 2011 vs 34.2% career) or FB% (44.1% 2011 vs 46.5% career).

Where can the problem be to help explain why his home run numbers are so far down? An elevated IFFB% of 11.1% in 2011 is what his career HR/FB% normally is (11.1%) but is down to 6.3% in 2011 explains it all. He's still hitting the ball in the air but it's not leaving the infield.

If you can find an owner who's fed up with Rasmus and his low HR/RBI totals so far, make a fair offer knowing he'll eventually turn things around once he gets more fly balls out of the infield. BUY NOW!

Max Scherzer was humming right along through nine starts (57.2 IP; 6-0; 2.81 ERA; 8.34 K/9) and looking every bit the sleeper most fantasy baseball writers expected him to be in 2011. His last two starts (7.2 IP total; 10 ER; 8 K) have owners wondering if they held on too long to a good thing or if this is simply a couple of rough starts most pitchers have along the way during a 30+ start season.

A deeper looking into his numbers (via Baseball-Reference) show the 39 batters he faced over his last two starts hit .400 against him with a .464 BABIP. Ouch! An even deeper look shows through his first nine starts, he threw 62% Strikes with a 19% rate of Strikes Looking and a 9% rate on Strikes Swinging. In his last two starts, those same numbers are 68% Strikes, an 18% rate of Strikes Looking and a 6% rate on Strikes Swinging.

I'm going to say Scherzer will be fine and dandy this season and could approach 15+ wins with 200 K's if he stays on pace for 200 innings pitched. Again, if owners are panicking and in a selling mode, send them a fair offer and see if they'll bite. BUY NOW!

If you have a fantasy baseball question you'd like to see answered in an Ask COSFBA column in the future, be sure to follow me on Twitter or visit the Ask COSFBA page on this site.

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Arizonas streak at 7 after 15-4 romp (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 30 May 2011 11:33:24 PM. © MLB News Blog

Kelly Johnson homered twice and fell a single shy of the cycle and the steamrolling, first-place Arizona Diamondbacks won their seventh straight, a 15-4 rout of the Florida Marlins on Monday night. Johnson, with a double and triple, tied a franchise record with four extra-base hits. Justin Upton tied his career best by going 5 [...]

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Mets 7 Pirates 3 May 30, 2011

post from The Mets Report on 30 May 2011 10:55:00 PM. © The Mets Report

The Mets got another good effort from Dillon Gee going 7 innings and giving up only 3 runs. He had 8 strikeouts and no walks lifting his record to 5-0 this season. He’s been terrific since last September every time he’s been given an opportunity. At this point, I don’t know how he could lose ... Continue Reading

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White Sox end Lesters 7-game win streak (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 30 May 2011 10:53:25 PM. © MLB News Blog

Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin each had a pair of RBIs in a four-run sixth inning as the Chicago White Sox snapped Jon Lester’s seven-game winning streak and beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Monday night. Paul Konerko added a solo homer for the White Sox, who halted a three-game losing skid and won [...]

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Jays Reyes snaps 28-start winless skid (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 30 May 2011 10:41:21 PM. © MLB News Blog

Jo-Jo Reyes ended a three-year wait between wins in impressive fashion. Reyes won for the first time in 29 starts by throwing his first career complete game and Jayson Nix hit a two-run home run to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to an 11-1 rout of the Cleveland Indians on Monday night. “It was just [...]

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Rangers power past Rays in ALDS rematch (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 30 May 2011 10:37:25 PM. © MLB News Blog

Mike Napoli homered twice and drove in five runs, leading the Texas Rangers to an 11-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. Napoli homered for the third consecutive day, giving him four in three games. No. 9 hitter Endy Chavez went deep for his second straight game, helping the defending AL champions [...]

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Bruces 3-run HR helps Reds best Brewers (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 30 May 2011 10:13:24 PM. © MLB News Blog

Jay Bruce hit a three-run home run and Travis Wood turned in six mostly solid innings as the Cincinnati Reds rebounded from a disastrous road trip with a 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night. Bruce tripled for the first time this season and finished a double short of the cycle as the [...]

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Tigers Squeak By Twins

Memorial Day was a good one for Tigers fans at they took on their not quite so arch-nemisis, the Minnesota Twins, in some afternoon action. This was definitely a back and forth game. The Tigers jumped to an early 3-0 lead, went down 5-3, then came back and won it. Brad Penny got off to [...]

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Big Guy's 5/30 SWB Yankees Report

SWB AAA YANKEES GAME   5-30-11
Indianapolis Indians (Pirates) 8 - SWB Yankees 5
The SWB Yankees lost to Indianapolis 8-5 after blowing a 5-4 7th inning lead. The loss drops the 2nd place Yankees record to 26-22.

Pitching: Adam Warren (3-1, 3.57 ERA) got the start for the Yankees. He got off to a rough start in the 1st giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and a wild pitch to give Indy a 3-1 lead. In the 3rd, Indy picked up another run on a walk and 2 singles to up their lead to 4-1. The damage could have been worse, but Dan Brewer made a fabulous diving catch to rob an extra base hit. In the 6th, Indy picked up 2 singles, but Warren got out of the jam to maintain a 5-4 lead.   Warren left with a 5-4 lead but did not figure in the decision. Warren's line:   6 IP, 4 runs, 9 hits, 4 K's--2 walks, ERA 3.81.

Kanekoa Texiera came on to pitch in the 7th with SWB up 5-4. He gave up a leadoff double. Brandon Laird booted a ball at 3rd base for an error. The tying run scored on a rundown when Vasquez dropped the ball at home for an error. Texiera then gave up 2 rbi singles and a double to give Indianapolis an 8-5 lead. Texiera took the loss (0-1). George Kontos pitched a scoreless 8th inning giving up a single and stranding the runner at 3rd.

Offense:   Sean Gallagher (1-7, 7.17 ERA) got the start for Indianapolis. In the 1st inning, Ramiro Pena walked, Jesus Montero singled, Jorge Vasquez hit what should have been an inning ending DP, but a throwing error allowed Pena to score to give SWB a quick 1-0 lead. SWB tied the game in the 5th with 3 runs.   Kevin Russo doubled off the top of the fence. Dan Brewer followed with a single. A wild pitch scored a run. Austin Krum added his 1st AAA rbi. Jesus Montero drove in Krum to tie the game at 4.   In the 6th, Brandon Laird and Kevin Russo singled. Gustavo Molina added a rbi single to give SWB a 5-4 lead.   Down 8-5 in the 8th, the Yanks wasted a double by Brandon Laird.

Notes:   Jesus Montero went 2-4 with 2 singles, rbi, and strikeout. He has an odd 10 game hit streak going with this game the only multi-hit game in that span.   Justin Maxwell named IL Hitter of the Week. Carlos Silva gets the start Tuesday night. Laird and Vasquez' errors in the 7th snapped an errorless streak of over 41 innings. SWB has the best defense in all of minor league baseball, but didn't show it in the 7th inning.

Elsewhere in the minors:

Double-A Trenton beat Portland 6-4

High-A Tampa had an off-day.

Low-A Charleston lost to Savannah 3-1

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nkees-report.html

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Soria out as Royals closer after loss (AP)

After blowing three saves in a week, Joakim Soria has lost his job as Kansas City’s closer. Soria, who has been the Royals’ closer since halfway through his rookie season in 2007, allowed three runs and four hits, including a two-run homer by Torii Hunter, in a 10-8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on [...]

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