Achievers/Bums - 7/25/08

ACHIEVERS

Joba Chamberlain - SP - New York Yankees - Win, 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 K - In his 10th start since moving to the rotation, Joba showed why Hank Steinbrenner called him the Yankees' answer to Beckett. It was nice to see him get a little deeper into the ballgame and cut down on the walks.

Carlos Delgado - 1B - New York Mets - 1/4, HR, 2 RBI - Don't look now, but Carlos Delgado is kind of awesome again. Last month: .355, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 20 R & only 16 K to 16 BB. I don't expect it to last all season, but there are worse options at first base.

Brian McCann - C - Atlanta Braves - 2/3, 2 HR, 5 RBI, SB, 2 BB - Huge night for the Braves' backstop. Is there any doubt that he's the number one fantasy catcher in all the realm? I submit that there is not.

BUMS

Edinson Volquez - SP - Cincinnati Reds - Loss, 4 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - Uh oh, he's blaming mechanics. And I really, really hate to say I told you so...but I told you so.

Aramis Ramirez - 3B - Chicago Cubs - 0/4, 2 K - A-Ram is only hitting .168 over the last month, which is bad news for Cubs and fantasy owners. He's a streaky hitter, and I believe he'll bounce back. Try to buy him low if you can.

Jonathan Sanchez - SP - San Francisco Giants - Loss, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K - Rough night for Sanchez against the D-backs. But don't panic, and for the love of Pete, don't drop him. He's been a better fantasy pitcher this year than Scott Kazmir, Rich Harden, John Maine or Matt Garza. You know you lucked into him and you should be happy for what you get. Greedy bastards.

CC Is a Big, Fat Achiever

CC Sabathia went 8 scoreless innings and struck out 11 as the Indians shutout the Reds last night. He continues to show why he is considered the top pitcher on the trade market.

Grady Sizemore made an amazing catch and hit a bomb last night.

Jar Jurrjens continued his impressive rookie campaign last night with a strong 8-inning performance against the Blue Jays. He only struck out 3 though, and it may be a good time to try to move him to an owner who's willing to overpay for a rookie pitcher.

Looks like Mark Teixeira is starting his second half hot streak early this year.

Carlos Delgado had 9 RBI! You still don't need him.

Bobby Abreu went 4-for-4 with 3 RBI and 2 SB in the second game of the Yankees double-header with the Mets.

Hideki Matsui is headed to the DL due to lingering knee issues.

J.D. Drew owners hope David Ortiz stays down for awhile. He hit his 11th HR of June last night, backing an encouraging start by Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Joe Saunders did not get his 12th win last night.

I'd be surprised if anyone started Chan Ho Park last night against the Angels. But if they did, they were rewarded with a win and 7 k's. I'm still not picking him up just yet though.