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Fantasy Baseball Tip Sheet - June 20

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By James LoPresti / The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2008

INJURY REPORT

Chien-Ming Wang, SP (Yankees) - Wang is expected to miss two months after spraining his right foot and partially tearing a tendon while running the bases Sunday against the Astros. It is optimistic to believe Wang will be back at full strength by October. Dan Giese will make a spot start against Cincinnati on Saturday in Wang's place. He is worth a look in AL-only leagues.

Hank Blalock, 3B (Rangers) - Barring any more setbacks in his recovery, Blalock is expected to rejoin the Rangers on Tuesday when they face the Astros. Blalock will go to Triple-A Oklahoma on Saturday and get three more rehab games to get his timing back. Word is that the Rangers figure to move Blalock to first base rather than third to avoid the risk of further injury.

Troy Tulowitzki, SS (Rockies) - In six rehab starts in the minors, Tulowitzki is 6-for-16 with four extra-base hits. If all goes as planned, Tulowitzki will be back in the majors by Saturday at the latest. If he is available, now is the time to grab him.

Mike Gonzalez, RP (Braves) - Gonzalez was activated from the disabled list Wednesday and responded by picking up his first save since May 11, 2007. With Rafael Soriano suffering from a sore elbow, Gonzalez is the clear-cut favorite for saves. He should be picked up right away.

STREAKING PITCHERS

Andrew Miller (Marlins) - Miller has been impressive in his past two outings, throwing seven innings in each and giving up a total of two runs. Since May 16, he has improved his ERA from 6.18 to 4.87. He is a solid play at Oakland on Sunday.

Nick Blackburn (Twins) - Blackburn faces the struggling Diamondbacks at home Saturday, and he is a good bet to pitch at least six innings and pick up a win. In six starts at the Metrodome, Blackburn is 3-2, with a 2.63 ERA.

Jamie Moyer (Phillies) - Moyer is still baffling hitters despite being the oldest player in the majors. In his last three starts, Moyer is 1-1 with a 2.21 ERA. Moyer is fifth in the majors in run support when he pitches. He and the Phillies offense should do well in his next start against Oakland.

Jeff Francis (Rockies) - Francis is coming off a strong outing against Cleveland, where he went six innings, only giving up one run. He is scheduled to pitch Monday at Kansas City and has a good chance to get a win against the Royals' struggling offense.

WAIVER-WIRE BARGAINS

Marcus Thames, 1B/OF (Tigers) - Thames is the hottest hitter on the planet right now. He has seven home runs his last nine games, and until Wednesday he had at least one homer in five consecutive games. Since the beginning of last season, Thames has hit 31 home runs despite playing just 130 games. He will continue to get playing time as long as Gary Sheffield is out of the lineup.

Francisco Liriano, SP (Twins) - Liriano is showing signs he may be back to his old form. Over his last three starts for Triple-A Rochester, he is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA and has a 26:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26 innings. Twins manager Rod Gardenhire hinted that Liriano could be called up sometime in July. If Liriano has recovered fully from Tommy John surgery and can perform anything like he did in 2006, he will be a steal.

Jason Bartlett, SS (Rays) - Bartlett is batting .370 over the past eight games and has chipped in with three stolen bases, giving him 15 for the year. The Rays are an aggressive team on the base paths, meaning Bartlett will most likely have the green light from Manager Joe Maddon whenever he gets on base. If you are desperate for steals, Bartlett is a solid option.

Mike Aviles, SS (Royals) - Since being called up by the Royals on May 29, Aviles has pretty much taken the shortstop position from Tony Pena Jr. He has a .321 average, three home runs and 12 runs scored in 14 games. Last year at Triple-A Omaha, Aviles hit .296 with 17 home runs and 77 RBIs in 133 games. He figures to be a steady fantasy contributor for the rest of the season.

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