Fantasy Baseball Morning Update: Buchholz keeps rolling
Here's a link to Tuesday's chat transcript. Gee, you had a lot of questions about Allen Craig.
***
Wei-Yin Chen wasn't great - or even good - last night, but he got four Ks and a win to meet our Fantasy Quality Start Criteria (any two of W/4.00 ERA/1.30 WHIP/4 K) and raise our streaming starter record to 43-27 for the season. Today's choice is Hector Noesi (owned in 1.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Padres, while Thursday's pick is Minnesota's Scott Diamond (19.1 percent owned) against the Phillies. Diamond's repertoire of excellent control and lots of ground balls has him off to a solid start (5-1, 1.61 ERA, 1.19 WHIP). He's not this good, but let's see how he fares as a streaming option.
On to the news:
- Red Sox SP Clay Buchholz had another strong outing last night, and is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 28 strikeouts against six walks in 31 innings over his last four starts. I'm past the point of thinking that Buchholz will be an ace, but if his current owner hasn't caught on to his recent turnaround, you might still be able to buy low on his 5.38 ERA. Also, Buchholz is owned in just 61 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, so check your free-agent wire to see if he's available.
- Shawn Camp saved the Cubs' win last night, but he's still part of a committee. Don't get too excited.
- Ryan Cook got his first save last night for the A's. Cook is also part of a committee, but he'll be the chairman and/or sole proprietor soon. This, you should get excited about.
- Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (groin) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment today. Tulowitzki is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will. Stay tuned.
- The Blue Jays don't have a timetable for Brandon Morrow's DL stint. Jesse Chavez (6-2, 3.38 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 60K/13BB in 63 2/2 IP at Triple A) will probably replace Morrow in the Jays' rotation, and he's worth a look in AL-only league. Don't expect too much, though.
- In other Jays' news, closer Sergio Santos (shoulder) still isn't throwing after suffering a setback in his rehab last week.
- Brian Roberts had three hits in his first start in 13 months. Good for him.
- In Rays' news, 3B Evan Longoria might be ready to begin a rehab assignment on Friday, while 2B/OF Ben Zobrist is day-to-day with a sore hand. Zobrist was scratched on Tuesday, but could play tonight.
- Vladimir Guerrero requested and received his release from the Blue Jays on Tuesday, basically because he wanted to play in the major leagues right away. I think the Jays probably offered a better chance for that to happen soon than he'll get in other places, but what do I know?
- Jonathan Sanchez will come off the DL to start tonight for the Royals. As a Sanchez owner, I'd ask that Sanchez throw some strikes, but fantasy owners have been hoping for that since the dawn of time without much success.
- Angels' ace Jered Weaver hopes to come off the DL next week.
- David Ortiz was the odd man out for the Red Sox last night, with Kevin Youkilis starting at first base. We can probably attribute that move to the Sox facing lefty Mark Buehrle, and wonder if it will happen again on Sunday night, when Paul Maholm takes the hill against them at Wrigley Field.
- Kris Medlen appears to have stretched out enough to be a starter, but where he fits in the Braves' rotation remains to be seen. There were a few questions about Medlen in Tuesday's chat, so there's your update.
- Orioles SP Brian Matusz might not be able to make his start tonight against the Pirates. You see, Matusz bunted a ball off his face in the batting cage on Tuesday while preparing for some interleague play next week. But please, let's abolish the DH rule so this can happen more often.
- Reds 3B Scott Rolen won't go on a rehab assignment before coming off the DL. Before doing something silly like picking up Rolen, make sure to remember how terrible he was (.542 OPS) before getting hurt.
- The Royals have reactivated 2B Chris Getz, and sent Johnny Giavotella to Triple A. Zzz ...
- Look for Yankees setup man David Robertson to come off the DL on Friday.
- The A's plan to have OF Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring) in the lineup tonight after a four-game absence. Teammate Brandon McCarthy has been scratched from tonight's start due to more shoulder soreness - ugh.
- Remember Franklin Gutierrez? The Mariners will activate him today to be part of an outfield rotation. Don't expect the guy who averaged 15 homers and 20 steals in 2009-10, but grab him in an AL-only league if you need a fill-in.
- Rangers SP/RP Alexi Ogando (groin) is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, and the team isn't sure who will make his start on Saturday. It won't be Roy Oswalt, who got knocked around again last night at Triple A, and will make at least one more start there.
- Look for Nationals OF Roger Bernadina to miss 2-3 games with his hamstring strain. A DL stint isn't planned.
See you back here tomorrow morning.
Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.

