Thoughts, Links, and more...

Good to see the Rangers host a turn back the clock night in Arlington. Andruw Jones hit three homers to pace Texas in a eight to one Rangers win over the Angels. Jones finished the night going three for five with four RBI and three runs scored.

The Mets welcome Ollie Perez back to their rotation and he celebrates by walking seven LA Dodgers. This time around he was able to wriggle out of trouble and help New York to a five to four win over the best in the National League. Check out the videos in that link... Daniel Murphy made a great defensive play.

AJ Burnett struggles with his control, but the Yankees hold on for a win. Burnett didn't have his best stuff, evident by his three wild pitches and four walks, but was able to gut his way to a win over Minnesota, five to four. New York is now six for six against the Twins this season.

David Ortiz helps knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to eleven wins, the first pitcher to do so in the American League. The Red Sox won five to four over the A's. Ortiz is still batting .223 on the season, but does have 10 home runs. He is as important to the Sox lineup as anyone, so will be interesting to see how he fairs in the second half.

MLB Trade Rumors has some great links and is a sound resource for hot stove insight. I check the site at least three times a day. As the trade deadline nears, they are most definitely the best site to link you to all the news on the web. (You can always start here for my analysis, or check back once you get the news.)

I am thinking more and more that Roy Halladay will NOT be traded. The Blue Jays are, rightfully so, as king for a boat load of prospects for him. Halladay would be THE difference maker in this year's trade market. You would think the Yankees and Red Sox would be out of consideration due to being in the same division (you think the Blue Jays, after all these years, would want to FACE Mr. Halladay four to six times a year.) The Phillies, Cardinals, and Angels all seem to be lining up to take their best (or best they are willing to part with) offers. We shall see how this plays out.

Fantasy Baseball Tidbit...

Middle infield always seems to be a tough position to predict, more specifically short stop. This year Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes have had tough years, Rollins slumping and Reyes with the injury. Keep a close eye on Rollins as the Phillies begin the second half. He seems to be coming along this past week and looking like the old JRoll. If you can make a conservative pitch for him, a middle tier OF and SP and get someone to bite, expect Rollins to play up to the back of his baseball card. As I am writing this I clicked over toe Fantasy Baseball Geeks and saw a great article was just posted about this exact topic! Check it out...

As for Reyes, good luck. I have no idea what to thinkf of the quirky Mets shortstop. Will he be back? Will he be fully healthy? Does he know how to play at 80%? I don't think Reyes will be at all worth while in the second half. This wreaks of a come back after the All-Star break only to play a couple of games, strain a muscle, and be shelved for the whole year. There isn't much out there on the waivers at SS, but maybe you can pull a Willie Bloomquist or Ronny Cedeno depending on how many teams you have in your league.

Feel like asking me a question? Email mailto:dan_strafford@hotmail.com