STUDS OF THE WEEK
Ryan Braun has been the man over the past seven days, helping both the Brewers and fantasy owners alike making playoff runs. The Brewers' outfielder is hitting .413 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and a SB in that span. Indians' ace Cliff Lee made the most of his two starts this week going 2-0 with two quality starts, including a complete game. Lee has now won three straight starts and has given up just two runs in that span with 21 strikeouts. He is on pace to become Cleveland's first 20-game winner in 34 years.
DUDS OF THE WEEK
Second baseman Chase Utley is not living up to the MVP-hype from earlier in the season and this week offered more proof of that. The Phillies' slugger mustered just 3 hits and only 1 RBI in 22 at bats. We listed him as a player likely to have a second-half letdown just two weeks ago, and so far the A's Justin Duchscherer has lived up to the billing thus far as he is winless since the break. This past week was not good for teh AL All-Star as he dropped both starts while posting a 6.92 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with 10 K's and 5 BB's in 13 IP.
KEY INJURIES
Chipper Jones (hamstring) - day-to-day with pulled hammy
Rick Ankiel (abdominal) - questionable for 7/28-7/31 vs. ATL
Tim Hudson (elbow) - keep your eyes on status for Tuesday's start
Roy Oswalt (back) - expected to return TUE night vs. CIN
Kerry Wood (finger) - blister forces him to 15-day DL
Joe Crede (back) - out until mid-August after being put on DL
Jorge Posada (shoulder) - postponed surgery; could return in mid-Aug
Erik Bedard (back) - hopes to return to rotation in early Aug
Aaron Harang (forearm) - making progress; return still unclear
Chris R. Young (nose) - could return on TUE night vs. ARI
TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:
AL
Must-starts:
Daisuke Matsuzaka – LAA (Jered Weaver), OAK (Dallas Braden)
James Shields - @TOR (A.J. Burnett), DET (Armando Galarraga)
Mark Buehrle - @MIN (Kevin Slowey), @KC (Kyle Davies)
Sleeper Picks:
Matt Ginter – DET (Armando Galarraga), @MIN (Glen Perkins)
Jeremy Guthrie - @NYY (Darrell Rasner), @SEA (Felix Hernandez)
NL
Must-Starts:
CC Sabathia – CHC (Ted Lilly), @ATL (Charlie Morton)
Carlos Zambrano - @MIL (Ben Sheets), PIT (Ian Snell)
Ricky Nolasco – NYM (John Maine), COL (Jason Hirsh?)
Sleeper Picks:
Johnny Cueto - @HOU (Jack Cassel), @WAS (Collin Balester)
Yusmeiro Petit - @SD (Greg Maddux), @LAD (Clayton Kershaw)
WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
RP Joel Hanrahan (+32% roster change)
OF Alfonso Soriano (+30%)
DH David Ortiz (+28%)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (+23%)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (+22%)
Five most dropped (non-injured):
SP Jaime Garcia (-20%)
SP Jesse Litsch (-19%)
RP Damaso Marte (-16%)
RP Grant Balfour (-14%)
SP Aaron Laffey (-12%)
GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:
AL
7: CHW, CLE, DET, LAA, MIN, NYY, SEA, TEX
6: BAL, BOS, KC, OAK, TB, TOR
NL
7: ARI, ATL, CHC, COL, FLA, LAD, MIL, STL
6: CIN, HOU, NYM, PIT, SD, SF, WAS