The Fantasy Factor

Players of the night

Pitching

Jason Marquis - Rockies
@ Dodgers
W, CG, 2 H, 3 K

Is this really Jason Marquis? After being dependable but oh-so-mediocre in the N.L. Central for all those years, Marquis seems to have found a career rejuvanation center in the unlikeliest of places: Coors Field.

Marquis has been filthy the entire first half and should find himself in St. Louis for the All-Star game. His numbers speak for themselves: 10 wins, a sub-4 ERA, a respectable 1.3 WHIP.

What's more telling, though, is that Marquis is only owned in 27 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. His strikeout to walk numbers aren't good. He has to fall apart at some point, right?

Players of the night

Pitching

Chad Gaudin - Padres
@ Rangers
W, 8 IP, 1 H, 9 K

After getting rocked June 12 on the road against the Angels, Gaudin has stringed together three very nice starts. Sunday was his best performance of the year, as he cruised through eight innings against the Rangers in a cool 101 pitches.

If Gaudin can keep up his recent K-rate, he'll definitely be an option in fantasy leagues. His last three starts, he is averaging over nine strikeouts.

Players of the night

Pitching

Matt Garza - Rays
Vs. Phillies
W, 8 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 3 H

It has been an up and down season for the Rays' 25-year old hurler. Garza hasn't made it out of the sixth inning in his last three starts, and Tampa Bay's offense hasn't given him much run support.

Maybe this outing will propel Garza going forward. His peripherals so far have been pretty good. His K-rate is way up from last year, and he's held opponents to just a .216 batting average. Expect big things in the second half from Garza.

More, after the jump...

Players of the Night

Pitching

Aaron Cook - Rockies
@ Angels
W, 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 3 H

It's a bit shocking to think Colorado was in the World Series just two years ago. Now they sit nine games out of first in the NL West behind the Dodgers, but are still five games over .500. Cook is a big reason why.

He'll never be flashy, but when he's on the mound, Cook is always reliable. He doesn't get many strikeouts, but doesn't walk many either.

More, after the jump...

Players of the Night

Pitching

Nick Blackburn, Minnesota Twins
vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
9 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, W

While some teams have to go through hell and back during interleague play against their heated rivals, others get a chance to taste life on easy street. But it's up to the players to take advantage of this good fortune and Nick Blackburn didn't miss the opportunity to pad his numbers against the lowly, white flag Pirates.

While Blackburn isn't what you'd call a strikeout specialist, he's become a very dependable second starter for the Twins and hopefully maybe your fourth or fifth. When it comes to the back end of your rotation, having a solid pitcher like Blackburn is a luxury that doesn't come along very often. He'll take the ball every fifth day and you can count on solid, not great, production on a consistent basis.

Batting

Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
vs. Seattle Mariners
4-4, 1 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB

It's frightening to think of what this Padres team would look like if Gonzalez weren't a part of it. After a very successful 2008 season, Gonzalez hasn't lost a step in 2009 and leads the NL with 23 round trippers and 53 free passes.

He's an absolute fantasy beast and one of those players you'll never even think twice about trading. This is especially true in a dynasty league due to the fact that this slugger is only 27-years-old. In the NBA that might seem ancient, but in MLB, he's only getting started.

More to come after the jump...

Players of the Night

Pitching

Scott Richmond, Toronto Blue Jays
vs. Philadelphia Phillies
8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 1 BB, W

Outside of a solo home run by Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, Richmond was absolutely untouchable last night. He mowed down ten while picking up the win against the leaders of the NL East.

And if you are looking at that stat line and thinking to yourself, 'Is he available in my league?' The answer is probably yes. Richmond is owned in about 16% of ESPN leagues and is a relative unknown commodity.

He went through a bit of a rough patch in May, but he's still sporting a respectable 5-3 record and 3.58 ERA.

Batting

Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers
vs. Cleveland Indians
3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

The Chicago product has returned to top form this season after suffering through injuries only a year ago. Granderson's the spark in the Tigers offense and is a big reason why they've gotten off to such a solid start in 2009.

What's great about Granderson is that he can give you a little bit of everything on a consistent basis. He's got enough speed to swipe a bag at any time, he can go yard from the leadoff spot and drive in enough runs to make him a viable center fielder for any fantasy squad.

More to come after the jump...

Players of the night

Pitching

Felix Hernandez - Mariners
@ Padres
CG, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K's

Is Hernandez finally fulfilling his enormous potential, or does yesterday's outing say more about the Padres' offense than Hernandez's development? Judging by his recent pitching lines, it looks like Hernandez has turned the corner.

In three starts in this month, Hernandez has two seven inning, one earned run outings under his belt. Add in what he did yesterday and you get a 2-0 record with a .78 ERA in June.

Hernandez is still walking a few too many (his K-BB ratio is only 2:1 this month), but it looks like he's for real. At 23, he's only getting started.

More, after the jump...