Welcome to Week 9. Another Rookie phenom got the call this week as the Dodgers inserted Clayton Kershaw into the starting rotation. He had a solid outing against
the Cardinals, tossing 6 Innings and allowing 2 Earned Runs in a no decision. He also struck out 7 and allowed only 1 BB. He is very much a solid prospect and is well worth grabbing in any league.
Sports Buff Contest
I would recommend these two start pitchers in the Sports Buff contest.
1.Brandon Webb($51) - ATL Away, WAS Home
2.Ben Sheets($43) - WAS Away, HOU Home
3.Jar Jurrjens($30) - ARZ Home, CIN Away
4.Shawn Marcum($36) - KC Home, LAA Away
5.Johann Santana($55) - FLA Home, LAD Home
6.Tim Hudson($44) - MIL Away, CIN Away
7.Dan Haren($44) - SF Home, WAS Home
8.Tim Lincecum($45) - ARZ Away, SD Home
9.Daisuke Matsuzaka($48) - SEA Away, BAL Away
10.Ian Snell($40) - CIN Away, STL Away
11.Scott Kazmir($45) - TEX Home, CHW Home
12.Chad Billingsley($39) - CHC Away, NYM Away
I personally like Webb, Sheets and Kazmir.
CDM Diamond Challenge
I would recommend these two start pitchers in the CDM Challenge.(Dollar amount in Millions)
1.Brandon Webb($1300) - ATL Away, WAS Home
2.Ben Sheets($930) - WAS Away, HOU Home
3.Jar Jurrjens($400) - ARZ Home, CIN Away
4.Johann Santana($1800) - FLA Home, LAD Home
5.Dan Haren($1190) - SF Home, WAS Home
6.Tim Lincecum($880) - ARZ Away, SD Home
7.Daisuke Matsuzaka($870) - SEA Away, BAL Away
8.Scott Kazmir($1020) - TEX Home, CHW Home
9.Chad Billingsley($840) - CHC Away, NYM Away
Team Schedules
Seven Games - Arizona, Atlanta, Chicago Cubs, Colorado, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee, New York Mets, Tampa Bay, Toronto,
Washington.
Everybody else plays six games.
Injuries
1. Matt Holliday(OF COL) -Bad Hamstring has him on the 15 Day DL.
2. Eric Gagne(RP MIL) - Went on the DL with rotator cuff tendinitis.
3. Andruw Jones(OF LAD) - Finally landed on the DL with that bad right knee.
4. Fausto Carmona(SP CLE) - On the DL with a bad hip.
5. Austin Kearns(OF WAS) - Bad right elbow landed him on the DL.
6. Chris Young(SP SD) - That line drive off the bat of Albert Pujols has Young on the DL.
7. Jason Werth(OF PHI) - On the DL with a strained abdomen.
8. Brad Hawpe(OF COL) - Strained hamstring has him on the 15 Day DL.
Players on the Rise
1. Dan Uggla(2B FLA) - Tied for Major League lead in HR's with 16.
2. Carlos Quentin(OF CHW) - Now has 14 HR's with 43 RBI's.
3. Chipper Jones(3B ATL) - Still hitting over .400 with a .417 average.
4. Edinson Volquez(SP CIN) - He has a 1.31 ERA with 76 K's, leading the Majors in these two categories.
5. Daisuke Matsuzaka(SP BOS) - He is 8-0 with a 2.40 ERA.
Players on the Decline
1. Eric Gagne(RP MIL) - Losing his grip on the closers role in MIL. The DL may be more of a mental break.
2. Rafael Betancourt(RP CLE) - Lost closers role, and now Joe Borowski is back.
3. Michael Bourn(OF HOU) - Batting below .200 and may start seeing some time in the 8th spot.
Got a fantasy question you would like answered in my column? Send it to me via
e-mail at mikek@creativesports.com. Until next week, I wish you the best of
luck.