Roto Chronicles: National League–Sept. 15

Pitchers dominate the good list.  The race is getting hotter and hotter, and many of the players are stepping up in a very heated race. 

Pitchers dominate this list, highlighted by a no-hitter by Zambrano. There are only two weeks to go in the season and you have no idea what’s in store. The last two weeks are bound to be interesting with the Wild Card up for grabs and the NL East seemingly changing leaders by the day. Who will step up under the pressure? Who knows, but last week, six special players stepped up and the majority of them are still in the playoff race.

Royalty:

Carlos Zambrano: What tired arm? Zambrano came back after missing a start for a tired arm. What’s even more impressive is that he did it against a team that was surging to the top of the NL Wild Card race. He pitched a near perfect game; his only blemish was walking Michael Bourn. Zambrano struck out 10 throughout the course of the game, and was never threatened. His ERA over this last two starts is 1.22. I was critical of the call to skip his last start, but now I stand corrected. What Zambrano might have done is salvage the Cubs confidence coming down the stretch and take the sails out of the Houston Astros.

Chris Young: Young is 1-1 in his last three starts, but he pitched a jewel against the Brewers on September 7th allowing two hits and one run while going the distance. What was more impressive was that he only pitched 96 pitches that day. His last start regressed slightly; however, he pitched well for going seven innings giving up three runs. He took the loss, but the Padres didn’t give him any run support. Young’s command has improved as of late, leading to more strikeouts and less walks. Though he had a good last couple days, I would recommend keeping him on the bench for his next start against the Rockies. He has struggled against them this season. In two games against them, he is 0-1 and a 7.20 ERA. While Young is improving sit him, but play him against Washington, a slumping offensive team.

Matt Lindstrom: Not many know about this gem. It’s rare that I put a reliever in this section, but I can’t ignore what he’s been doing of late. Lindstrom may have found his niche as a closer. In his last five appearances, he has converted four saves and not giving up a run. He may be underrated, but he’s putting on a good show on the mound. On the season he has a 3.38 ERA, with 14 holds. In a league where closers are inconsistent, Lindstrom is showing he belongs in that pressure-filled spot. He may not get many opportunities this week as he’ll go against the Astros and the Phillies, but should the Marlins be in a place to play him, you should do the same. It’s not a bad idea to play him every game. This close to the end of the season, you never know what kind of strategy is going to be used.

Dave Bush: Dave Bush had an okay first half of the season, did real well after the all-star break and has been fairly consistent since. Bush may be 9-10 on the season, but that’s an unfair record. In his defense he did put the team in position to win in many of his games, but offensive production just wasn’t there. Bush hasn’t recorded a win since August 29th, a win against the Pirates. Bush has a very modest WHIP with 1.15, and an ERA of 4.24. Many owners shy away from players who have an ERA over 4, but ERA’s are slowly going up especially with the season nearing an end. One of Bush’s problems is his tendency to give up the long ball. He has given up a homerun in each of his last six starts. That hurts, but he still puts his team in a position to win. His next game is against the Cubs and he has struggled against them going 0-2 with an 8.54 ERA. Sit him.

Justin Upton: This one may be a stretch here, but my reasoning is legit. He has been getting expanded time in the field and his average has raised .14 points over the last two weeks. His average is .256, but he’s still showing he can hit. Even though he strikes out quite a bit, striking out 1/3 of his time, he’s still worth a start. His injury looks to have gone away and he’s looking more comfortable at the plate and in the field. He’ll play against San Francisco at home and Upton is batting .340 while there. Start him if you have him.

Kelly Johnson: Johnson’s not a name you hear about too often, but he is in the middle of an 11-game winning streak where his average has raised .11 points. He stands at a .284 average and he looks to be getting better as the season comes to a close. This will be a look into next season, but he has claimed the starting job at second base for the Braves. He maintains his health well and has played in nearly every game this season. He is a work horse and deserves a start. Johnson faces Philadelphia this week, a team that he has owned batting .313 with an OBP of .463. Start him.

Ruts:

Mark DeRosa: DeRosa is having his worst week of the season. He’s batting a paltry .118 on the week, but he does have two runs. Though DeRosa is going through this dry spell that still doesn’t force him to the bench. DeRosa will break out of it. He is a veteran player that has seen slumps before. Piniella still has faith in him because he’s starting him every game; you should too. If it’s any time to break out of a slump, it’s now. He plays Milwaukee and St. Louis this week, against which both teams are batting over .300. Start him.

Mike Cameron: Cameron is batting .120 this week with a homerun. If the Brewers are to make the playoffs, they need Cameron to step up his play. His average now dips below .250 to .246. Part of the problem is he’s striking out more. Ten to be exact on the week. That’s not going to get him playing time in fantasy leagues. If he doesn’t turn it around soon, the Brewers will find another alternative to replace him, especially this close to the end of the season. Even missing the first two weeks of the season, Cameron has 25 homeruns and 66 RBIs. He started off strong, but now has a little more work to get back to that early season form. Bench him if you have him. It doesn’t get easy for Cameron this week. He bats against the Cubs, a team that has put him in check this season.

Brad Hawpe: Hawpe has power and he’s showed it all season belting 25 homeruns and driving in 83, but is .220 for the week. That’s not bad, but it’s not great. However, on the season he ranks ninth in the league in OBP (.396), and 11th in OPS (.901). That’s pretty good even though he is in this slump. When he breaks out of it, it will be a big day for your fantasy team. The question is when. He plays against San Diego and Arizona this week. Both teams, he’s mediocre against. It still wouldn’t hurt to play him, but as a utility person. You may want to use better outfielders to use instead of him.

Juan Pierre: Pierre is slowly making his way out of the lineup. He had back spasms on September 6th, and subsequently returned the game after. He hasn’t been the same, and I admit, it was hard to put him here based off of that fact, but you have to look at his average over his last 10 games. His average has slipped .09 points and now stands at .269. That’s not bad at all, but his playing time is slowly being reduced, back spasms or not, and his replacement, some guy named Manny Ramirez is doing better. That’s not a knock on Pierre, but since Manny came into town, Pierre has seen less playing time and sadly, it will be that way until the end of the season.

Skip Schumaker: Skip is batting .240 on the week, but sits pretty at a .305 average for the season. Schumaker has good power, but he does have some issues with not being patient at the plate. He could be under pressure, or he could just be in a slump. Either way, it should no concern that Schumaker is slumping. Batters that go over .300 stay there because they’ve obviously shown they can hit and not stay in slumps for too long. He’s been over .300 since the end of July. Play him this week. He’s playing the Reds and he has a .324 average against them.