The Hook

An Active Last Two Days?

With the trade deadline nearly upon us, the picture seems to be clearing up a little bit, but nothing is actually set in stone. As I'd been hoping to have at least one deal to analyze, this puts us in a tough spot. We've already gone over the primary pitchers who can expect to be dealt not once, but twice. We're still going to have a little fun and speculate a little more, though.

Kris Benson will not be a Twin, but a Met?

While rumors throughout the week have been circulating that the Twins were about to acquire Benson for 1b Doug Mentkiewicz and a prospect, they apparently don't want to give up the outfield prospect that the Bucs wanted in the deal. Reports have now come out of New York that the Mets are set to acquire him early Friday morning for 3B Ty Wigginton, prospect Matt Peterson, and a third prospect who isn't in their system.

While the deadline usually has a few three-team deals, this one doesn't seem like your usual run of the mill three-team trade, as the third team is presumably the Chicago White Sox... one of Minnesota's main competitors in the AL Central race. There's been no real confirmation on who the player from the Sox' system will be, but it can be expected that it will be someone who's ready to contribute in the near future. If he is, then Pirates' GM Dave Littlefield will have done nearly as well in dealing Benson as he did with their former star offensive player, Brian Giles.

No Soup for the Yankees?

Randy Johnson has said it's New York or bust, reportedly refusing a deal that the Diamondbacks had agreed to with the NL West front-running Dodgers earlier this week. The Yankees simply don't have the prospects that the Diamondbacks want in return within their system, though, and are desperately looking for a third team to help them complete a deal. Don't bet on it happening.

While the Yanks certainly appear headed to the postseason for the tenth straight season, their rotation is in an absolute shambles, so it makes a lot of sense that George Steinbrenner will do everything that it takes to upgrade. That said, no team in their right mind is going to help the Yankees. Arizona continues to claim that they don't mind the salary, but want to move Johnson so that he can be on a contender and they can speed up the rebuilding process, so don't be shocked if they hold onto him.

Ugueth Urbina will be a Giant?

The Giants continue to try and mask the fact that Matt Herges simply isn't a legitimate big league closer. If they're to hope to stay in the race (either the NL West or the Wildcard), they simply have to address the ninth inning at the deadline. Scouts have been watching Urbina in Detroit all week long, and they're sure to make a pitch for him.

Other teams formerly said to be interested in the flamethrowing righty were the Cubbies and Cardinals. While the Cubs would also like to upgrade their closing situation, the Cardinals would merely be looking for depth. St. Louis is apparently more interested in Pirates' closer Jose Mesa at this point, though he could also end up in Chicago, as the Bucs' have looked like the Cubs' farm system for the past few years.

The Phillies won't get that arm they're after

Philadelphia has been the most prominent name among teams trying to acquire a starter since the mid-July frenzy was upon us, but they can't seem to pull the trigger on any deals. In fact, they're not even being mentioned as possible destinations for most of the pitchers on the market (or hitters, for that matter, now that Steve Finley has said he'll only accept a deal to the west coast) any more. Their primary concern right now should probably be what to do about how much they have been underachieving on the field (i.e., Larry Bowa).

There's still a possibility that the Phils could make a minor splash by adding some bullpen depth (they may need it, as they'll find out more about Billy Wagner's condition later today), but they haven't even had much luck on that front. Apparently, they swung and missed with an attempt to get Terry Adams back from the Blue Jays. In short, their front office is looking a lot like the team on the field.... incapable of closing the deal.

St. Louis will stand pat

Those of you who are nervous Jose Mesa owners shouldn't really worry about the Cardinals taking away his fantasy value. Though they could certainly use another righty in the bullpen (presumably to add depth, but possibly to eliminate any role Cal Eldred has in their 'pen), the Bucs will hold onto old Joe Table. Why? He's cheap. The Cardinals don't look like they need a whole lot of help right now, but we'll see how that looks come playoff time.

Line of the Week

The pitching line of the week will always be one of three things: a great line (green), an awful line (red), or a bizarre line (yellow)

7.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 K

Is he finally back? Bartolo Colon threw his fourth straight quality start in a 2-0 victory over the first place Texas Rangers. Colon has been fantastic since the break, allowing just two runs on seven hits in twenty innings. If the preseason favorites are to find a way back into the AL West picture, Colon will have to be this good the rest of the way.

A "Closer" Look

Closers with three or more saves in the past seven days: John Smoltz, 5; Trevor Hoffman, 3

With Jose Valverde still expected to be out until the middle of August, Greg Aquino has taken over the closing duties in the Arizona bullpen. Aquino closed both Diamondbacks' victories in Houston (and only two wins in their past sixteen games) and has shown promise early on. He doesn't seem to have great control, but his strikeout numbers are OK.... Octavio Dotel seems to be settling in with Oakland, and should be a big force down the stretch, particularly in fantasy leagues. The A's always seem to pick up the pace around mid-July, and he's fanning a ton of AL hitters who haven't really gotten a chance to see him before. Over the past seven days, Dotel has fanned eleven of the twelve hitters he's retired while allowing just three baserunners.... Mariano Rivera featured a rare hiccup last week, blowing two consecutive saves against the Bosox and Blue Jays. While it's always nice (as long as he's not on your team) to see a chink in the armor of the most dominant closer in the past decade, don't count on this becoming a trend.... The Phillies should get the results of an examination by their team doctor regarding the status of Billy Wagner's shoulder. Wagner continues to say that he thinks he should be ready to go in the next few days and has avoided a trip to the DL, but we'll see. Tim Worrell has been closing in his place, but it's not like he's seeing any chances... Rumors of the early season demise of John Smoltz as a fantasy factor were clearly exagerrated. Smoltzie had a superb week, notching five saves without allowing a baserunner, and is arguably on his way to being named our closer of the month for July.

Let's Play Two

The following is a list of all starters scheduled to make two starts during the following fantasy week (8/2-8/8). All home games are in CAPS.

American League

John Lackey - Minnesota, Kansas City
Sidney Ponson - SEATTLE, TEXAS
Tim Wakefield - TAMPA BAY, Detroit
Esteban Loaiza - Kansas City, CLEVELAND
Cliff Lee - Toronto, Chicago White Sox
Scott Elarton - Toronto, Chicago White Sox
Nate Robertson - TEXAS, BOSTON
Jimmy Gobble - CHICAGO WHITE SOX, ANAHEIM
Carlos Silva - ANAHEIM, OAKLAND
Jon Leiber - OAKLAND, TORONTO
Mark Mulder - New York Yankees, Minnesota
Ron Villone - Baltimore, Tampa Bay
Jamie Moyer - Baltimore, Tampa Bay
Mark Hendrickson - BOSTON, SEATTLE
Rob Bell - BOSTON, SEATTLE
Kenny Rogers - Detroit, Baltimore
Ted Lilly - CLEVELAND, New York Yankees
Miguel Batista - CLEVELAND, New York Yankees

Start of the Week

Admittedly, we've done horribly in the American League so far this season despite playing the percentages. This week will be a little of the same, and a little attempt at going with a pitcher who needs things to turn around in a bad way. Tim Wakefield has been solid against Detroit in his career, going 9-8 with a 4.25 ERA (sadly, better than ours so far this year). The start that should make or break him, though, is the start against Tampa on Monday. Wakefield has made a living of owning the D-Rays, stomping them constantly on his way to a 9-1 career record with a 2.61 ERA against them lifetime. If he pitches well in his first start (he sure hasn't pitched well in about two months), he'll start turning it around with his second.

Last Week's Selection: Mark Buehrle - 0-1, 6.1 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 12 H, 0 BB, 2 K - To give an accurate description of our luck with the AL, this was against the team that he's absolutely dominated throughout his career. Next: at Detroit

On the Year: 7-9, 127.1 IP, 143 H, 37 BB, 77 R, 66 ER, 80 K (4.66 ERA, 1.41 WHIP)

National League

Casey Fossum - FLORIDA, ATLANTA
Russ Ortiz - Houston, Arizona
Kerry Wood - Colorado, San Francisco
Corey Lidle - San Francisco, Colorado
Jeff Fassero - CHICAGO CUBS, CINCINNATI
Brad Penny - Arizona, MILWAUKEE
Roger Clemens - ATLANTA, MONTREAL
Jose Lima - PITTSBURGH, PHILADELPHIA
Chris Capuano - NEW YORK METS, Florida
Tony Armas - St. Louis, Houston
Jae Weong Seo - Milwaukee, St. Louis
Brett Myers - San Diego, Los Angeles
Oliver Perez - Los Angeles, San Diego
Brian Lawrence - PHILADELPHIA, PITTSBURGH
Dustin Hermanson - CINCINNATI, CHICAGO CUBS
Jason Marquis - MONTREAL, NEW YORK METS

Start of the Week

As bad as we've been on the AL side of the ball, we've got a Cy Young winner going here in the National League. Roy Oswalt blew away the ailing D-Bax last week, and still has a start against a team that he's 8-0 against in Cincinnati to look forward to. That said, it's time to play with fire a little. Ever since being dealt for Matt Mantei, Brad Penny has flat out killed the Diamondbacks, going 3-0 with a 1.51 ERA against them in six starts in his career. He doesn't fare nearly as well against the Brew Crew, but this week's short list of two start pitchers (the entire NL is off on Monday) means that there aren't a lot of starters with great histories against two teams.

Last Week's Selection: Roy Oswalt - 1-0, 7 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K - Next: at Cincinnati

On the Year: 12-2, 134.0 IP, 119 H, 31 BB, 48 R, 41 ER, 127 K (2.75 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)

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