Another Yankee Leaving

Highly touted prospect Ian Kennedy was sent down to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre due his lack of anything except poor performances in the majors this year. Coming into the season Kennedy was looked to make a difference in a young rotation which included Hughes and Kennedy. The time has come for the Yankees to take a honest look at their highly paid roster and see what they can do to stop the bleeding because if they don't do anything, the other AL East teams will open up a huge lead that the Yankees won't be prepared to close come September.

Owners who were hoping Kennedy would provide some nice depth to their rotations for the 2008 season must be a little disappointed but be honest with yourselves, Hughes and Kennedy are both rookies who haven't yet taken the ball on a regular basis in the majors. Hopefully owners will see Kennedy and also Hughes come back to the Yankees in 2008 and provide some nice fantasy value. Don't get me wrong, they both will return in 2008 unless they stink it up in AAA.

DL Update

It seems like the DL is swallowing plenty of players on a daily basis.

Troy Tulowitzki SS Rockies hasn't been officially been placed on the DL just yet but it seems highly because of his quadricep or hip flexor. You might be wondering why an injury hasn't been officially been diagnosed. Well, according to Tulo he doesn't even know what the problem might be. Owners should stash him on the DL or if you are in a tight roster position try to add him into a trade to someone who has an available DL spot. His sophomore season just isn't working out.

Phil Hughes SP Yankees was placed on the 15Day-DL with a strained right oblique. Hughes was a highly touted pitcher coming into the season but has pitched more like a glorified minor leaguer in 2008. With an ERA of 9.00 in 22 innings, this is a great chance for him to rest and see if he can solve something that isn't working. You should only keep this pitcher on your roster if you are in a dynasty league or if you have a huge bench. In most leagues, he's cut ASAP.

John Smoltz SP Braves, as you know, is already on the DL. The bigs news is he might return as a closer. Yes, you read that right. There is talk about him coming back as a closer to reduce the amount of stress on the old body. During his stint as a closer he had 154 saves in 4 seasons...impressive! So, for you owners who are in search of a closer, try and trade for Smoltz now when his value might be a little lower than what it should be. Even if he comes back as a starter he's still a dominant pitcher in all leagues/formats.

quick look @ pitchers

Lincecum of the Giants had his first real start and was strong like usual but was left with a no decision (like usual). 6IP, 7H, 1ER, 1BB, and 7K's (nice).

Harden of the A's was bumped from his start and is scheduled to pitch on Saturday. This is terrible news for Harden owners. This guy dominates the Red Sox in his first two outings and now is left with wondering if he'll be on the DL. Injury doesn't sound bad but any injury with Harden is not good. Keep an eye on this guy. He has a sore upper back.

Phil Hughes had a rough outing. 3IP, 6H, 3ER, 4BB, 2K. For the Yanks to do anything this year, they need him to step up and pitch better than this. Owners should keep him and monitor his starts closely. I would pitch him against favourable match-ups for the time being.

Daisuke had another dominating outing. The only thing I want to say is his 4BB. He needs to lower his BB but I'm only being picky right now. Owners should be happy with his stuff.

Bedard of the Mariners pitched in his return from a sore hip (something he woke up with...sounds like an 80 year old). Only thing to note is 2HR's allowed. He's giving up the long ball and that's not a good sign.

Great Starts

Johnny Cueto (Reds) had a great major league debut against the Diamondbacks throwing a gem (7IP, 1H, 1ER, and 10K's). An impressive start for this rookie and fantasy owners should take notice. Owners who have room should pick Cueto up and make him your 4-5 starter.

Phil Hughes (Yankees) pitched well with a line of 6IP, 4H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K against the Blue Jays.

Dustin McGowan (Blue Jays) pitched well with a line of 6IP, 4H, 2ER, 4BB, 4K against the Yankees.

Both McGowan and Hughes deserve spots on ALL fantasy rosters (3-4 starter). These two bright stars will be opening day starters for their respective clubs in the near future, there is no doubt about it.