- Note: I will be away this weekend, starting Thursday, to cover the Fanduel World Fantasy Baseball Championship where $4 million in prizes will be given away. There likely won't be much writing from now through the weekend.
Greg Bird, starting in place of the injured Mark Teixeira, hit two 2-run homers Wednesday. He had hit six homers in 34 games at Triple-A this season after hitting six in 49 games at Double-A. He’s got 20 homer power, but he doesn’t have a spot in the lineup unless Tex heads to the DL with his bone bruise (the Yankees are hopeful that won’t happen).
Byron Buxton has been recalled from the minors with Aaron Hicks going down with a hamstring injury (he’s been placed on the DL). Buxton was hitting .412 with an OPS of .993 at Triple-A after returning from his thumb injury. Same story as before. An elite talent is Buxton but one that simply cannot stay healthy. The 21 year old had a .501 OPS over 11 big league games.
Khris Davis is powering the ball like Chris Davis of late. Khris hit two homers Wednesday, with five RBIs, and that gives him seven homers in the month of August, and he’s hit six of those in three games with all three contests resulting in two big flies an outing. That’s impressive.
Derek Holland was in mid-season form his first start back from the DL as he allowed two runs over 6.1 innings against the Mariners. Holland struck out six and didn’t issue any free passes. You can take a shot in mixed leagues, but realize that this is one outing and that he’s only made two starts all year so it’s anyone’s guess how he will perform the final six weeks.
Dominate your fantasy football league with the Fantasy Alarm team. This is not your typical draft guide with the same players in every rookies, sleepers and bust columns. Every Coaching System broken down. Every Offensive Line broken down. 30+ winning strategies. 500+ players ranked and updated every day. Check out the Preview Today!Lance McCullers will return to the Astros and start… Sunday against the Dodgers. The team had previously hinted that McCullers might remain in the minors until September. Realize though that it’s highly unlikely that McCullers will make every start the rest of the way when his turn comes up. The Astros are monitoring his workload closely.
Did you see Miguel Cabrera throwing his glove at the ball cause he wasn't wearing it? The result was an out, though it shouldn't have been. You can read rule 7.05 of the offical rules to find out what should have happened.
Mitch Moreland hit another homer Wednesday, his 18th of the year. Moreland has 64 RBIs, is batting .295 and has a .506 SLG. Know how many other first baseman can match all three of those numbers? The answer is three: Paul Goldschmidt, Jose Abreu and Anthony Rizzo.
Drew Pomeranz picked up his second save Wednesday for the Athletics. He’s a better option that Edward Mujica, but he’s not the “closer” – at least yet.
Francisco Rodriguez picked up his 30th save of the year for the Brewers. Not only does he have a terrific 49/9 K/BB ratio, but he’s also perfect converting all 30 chances that have been presented to him. Some thought he was close to be doing. Certainly doesn’t look that way.
Tyson Ross allowed one runs over six innings Wednesday to drop his ERA down to 3.32. He’s still only 8-9 but over his last 12 starts he has a 2.66 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Pitching well now is he.
Miguel Sano went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Wednesday. That’s 57 strikeouts in 137 at-bats. That’s a pace for 229 strikeouts over 550 at-bats. That is pathetic. No way on earth he can hit .285, his current mark, if he swings and misses that much.
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday at 8 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).