Our weekly digest of everything fantasy baseball. Facts don't lie and The Lineup is full of 'em. Projections for the week of Aug. 6-12. Stats through Aug. 3:



Los Angeles Angels, OF
Stats: .375 AVG, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R, 0 SB
Comment: So much for all that worry over his power outage: Vlad had back-to-back 2-HR games Thursday and Friday.

New York Yankees, C
Stats: .611 AVG, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 8 R, 0 SB
Comment: Tremendous season continues for Hip-Hip-Jorge. Should be cashing in pretty nicely this off-season.

Chicago Cubs, OF
Stats: .375 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 5 SB
Comment: Swiped three bags against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Fantasy owners are hoping he'll continue to put his speed to use down the stretch.


Colorado Rockies, SP
Stats: 2-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 13 SO
Comment: Didn't walk a single batter in strong performances against the Braves and Dodgers.

New York Mets, SP
Stats: 1-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 17 SO
Comment: Vintage El Duque on display against the Cubs and Nationals.

Houston Astros, SP
Stats: 2-0, 0.69 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 15 SO
Comment: After a forgettable July where he posted a 4.41 ERA, it is nice to see him back to his old self this week.



Philadelphia Phillies, 1B
Stats: .192 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB
Comment: Not the same player without 2B Chase Utley in the lineup (no HR since Utley went on DL).

Minnesota Twins, 1B
Stats: .261 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB
Comment: After mashing in July (.347 AVG, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 14 R in 27 games), these numbers are a bit suprising.

New York Yankees, 3B
Stats: .130 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
Comment: Clearly pressing at the plate with thoughts of no. 500 swirling through his head.


Cincinnati Reds, SP
Stats: 0-1, 37.80 ERA, 5.40 WHIP, 1 SO
Comment: Took a beating at the hands of the lowly Nationals (7 ER in 1.2 IP).

Detroit Tigers, SP
Stats: 0-1, 38.57 ERA, 5.14 WHIP, 4 SO
Comment: Angels abused him to the tune of 10 ER in 2.1 innings this week.

Chicago White Sox, SP
Stats: 0-0, 54.00 ERA, 6.75 WHIP, 1 SO
Comment: Allowed 8 ER in an inning against the Yankees in bizarre game on Thursday.


Baltimore Orioles, C
Comment: When he's at home this season, he's worth starting for fantasy owners: .325 AVG, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 13 R, 1 SB in 25 games.

Colorado Rockies, C
Comment: His July has been awesome and you can't argue with his home stats in 2007: .320 AVG, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 19 R in 128 at-bats.

Los Angeles Angels, 1B
Comment: No shame starting him at home this season: .336 AVG, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 17 R, 1 SB in 134 at-bats.

Boston Red Sox, 1B
Comment: Tearing it up this year against the Orioles (.391 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R in 23 at-bats) and Angels (.429 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R in 7 at-bats).

Toronto Blue Jays, 2B
Comment: In 2007, Hill has feasted on the pitching of the Yankees (.345 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB in 8 games) and Royals (.636 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 3 games).

Cincinnati Reds, 2B
Comment: Favorable match-ups this week based on season numbers against the Dodgers (.308 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB in 3 games) and Padres (.385 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB in 3 games).

Washington Nationals, SS
Comment: Disappointing '07 thus far, but fantasy owners can have faith in him this week based on career stats against San Francisco (.321 AVG, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 19 R, 6 SB in 22 games) and Diamondbacks (.302 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 15 R, 3 SB in 31 games).

Texas Rangers, SS
Comment: Playing real well lately and has solid career numbers against the Devil Rays (.299 AVG, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 34 R, 4 SB in 56 games) and Athletics (.316 AVG, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 71 R, 7 SB in 116 games).

Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 3B
Comment: Batting average is on the rise again and he has steady production so far this season against both the Tigers (.500 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 10 at-bats) and Rangers (.300 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB in 10 at-bats).

Atlanta Braves, 3B
Comment: Smoking the ball on the road this year: .351 AVG, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 34 R, 3 SB in 42 games. Addition of 1B Mark Teixeira should only help pad Chipper's stats.

Colorado Rockies, OF
Comment: Brawny numbers at home this season: .323 AVG, 13 HR, 40 RBI, 32 R in 49 games.

Baltimore Orioles, OF
Comment: Has gotten better as season has worn on and played well this season against Boston (.300 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB in 5 games) and Seattle (.400 AVG, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 6 games).

Colorado Rockies, OF
Comment: Home-body this season: .331 AVG, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 28 R, 14 SB in 40 games at Coors Field.

Toronto Blue Jays, OF
Comment: Fantasy owners enduring Wells disappointing 2007 can at least take solace in his great batting average numbers against the Yankees (.323) and Royals (.333) in 2007.

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Comment: Should be a strong start against the New York Yankees based on lifetime numbers: 9-4, 3.01 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 119 SO in 146.2 IP.

San Francisco Giants, SP
Comment: Those of you who jumped off the bandwagon in mid-June are sorely regretting it now. He is white-hot and gets to face two of the worst offenses at home this week (Washington and Pittsburgh).

Toronto Blue Jays, SP
Comment: In 12 IP against the Kansas City Royals for his career (including 1 start), Marcum is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 12 SO.

Los Angeles Angels, SP
Comment: Is a two-start pitcher this week and has a solid lifetime track record against both the Red Sox (0-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 10 SO in 12.2 IP) and Twins (1-0, 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 6 SO in 14 IP).


Seattle Mariners, C
Comment: Road stats noticeably worse this season: .264 AVG, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 16 R, 0 SB in 43 games.

Chicago White Sox, C
Comment: Poor season will continue as Pierzynski has stunk in '07 against the Indians (.231 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 26 at-bats) and Mariners (.250 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB in 8 at-bats).

Houston Astros, 1B
Comment: Bench him if you have alternatives due to 2007 numbers against Cubs (.211 AVG, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB in 6 games) and Brewers (.242 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 0 SB in 9 games).

Colorado Rockies, 1B
Comment: Struggles will continue to mount as he has fared poorly this season against the Cubs (.111 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB in 3 games) and Brewers (.250 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 R, 0 SB in 3 games).

San Francisco Giants, 2B
Comment: You could find a better option on the waiver wire given Durham's home numbers in ’07: .240 AVG, 1 HR, 23 RBI, 26 R, 4 SB in 50 games.

Texas Rangers, 2B
Comment: He's back, but fantasy owners should wait a week or so until he gets back into the swing of things. Don't forget how inconsistent Kinsler was before his injury.

San Diego Padres, SS
Comment: Keep him seated as he has had little success this season against the Reds (.167 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0 SB in 3 games) and Cardinals (.167 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB in 3 games).

Kansas City Royals, SS
Comment: Oft-injured infielder is dealing with knee issues and his season stats are underwhelming against the Devil Rays (.250 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB in 12 at-bats) and Athletics (.250 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB in 8 at-bats).

San Diego Padres, 3B
Comment: Do not let his 2-HR performance on Thursday dupe you into thinking that he can be the fantasy presence he was in 2005. Remember, this is Morgan Ensberg we are talking about.

Boston Red Sox, 3B
Comment: Can't get over how much worse he is on the road this year: .242 AVG, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 12 R, 0 SB in 48 games.

New York Yankees, OF
Comment: Don't expect any stolen base contributions from Abreu this week, just 2 SB in 5 attempts on the road this year (compared to 12 SB in 14 tries at home). Also hitting just .233 away from Yankee Stadium.

Cleveland Indians, OF
Comment: Would be wise to bench Blake this week based on season numbers against White Sox (.229 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 R, 0 SB in 9 games) and Yankees (.154 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB in 3 games).

Boston Red Sox, OF
Comment: Not getting it done this season against the Angels (.000 AVG, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 R in 8 at-bats) and Orioles (.167 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB in 12 at-bats).

Colorado Rockies, OF
Comment: Having an outstanding season, just not against Milwaukee (.250 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 0 SB, 5 SO in 8 at-bats) or Chicago (.182 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 0 SB, 4 SO in 11 at-bats).

Baltimore Orioles, SP
Comment: Horrific career stats against the Boston Red Sox: 1-7, 8.39 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 40 SO in 39.2 IP.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays, SP
Comment: Lifetime numbers against the Detroit Tigers make Kazmir a sit candidate: 1-3, 5.47 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 20 SO in 24.2 IP.

Los Angeles Angels, SP
Comment: Struggling this season against the Twins: 0-2, 6.75 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 5 SO in 12 IP.

St. Louis Cardinals, SP
Comment: Popular waiver-wire addition should be benched this week against the Dodgers, who spanked him earlier in the year (2.2 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 0 SO).


Starbonell is UPDATE! Major League Baseball Editor.

10,037,283 Amount of money, in US dollars, that new Pittsburgh Pirates SP Matt Morris is due to make this season, making him the highest paid player in franchise history. His salary alone will take up around 20 percent of his team's payroll.

42 Number of games between Tampa Bay Devil Rays OF Carl Crawford's sixth and seventh home runs this season.

8 Number of homers hit by the New York Yankees this week against the Chicago White Sox, tying a franchise record accomplished in 1939.

1.32 ERA of Los Angeles Angels SP Kelvim Escobar when former-Angel / current-New York Yankee C Jose Molina catches his games. The pair were 6-0 in 8 games; the Angels went 8-0 during those games.


Seattle Mariners, OF
Comment: Jose Guillen be damned, Jones has officially received the call to the big leagues. A leading candidate for minor league player of the year, Jones put his power on display in 2007, hitting .314 with 25 HR, 84 RBI, 75 R and 8 SB in 101 games. Due to tension in the clubhouse regarding his call-up — Guillen has come out and said he's "pissed off" about it — the Mariners are likely to ease Jones into the starting lineup, although he did get the start in left field Friday, going 2 for 4 in his 2007 debut. It's possible that Guillen and OF Raul Ibanez may lose a ton of at-bats and significant fantasy value as a result of Jones. One thing is for certain, Jones is a top-flight talent with the ability to really help fantasy teams down the stretch. Pick him up if you can. Bench him for the first week or so. But once he starts playing regularly, make sure he's in your lineup.


With an AL Wild Card at stake, this week's match-up between the Yankees and Indians (the three-game set begins Friday) figures to be an exciting one. Early in the season, the Yankees swept the Indians in New York during a three game set. The last game of that series saw 3B Alex Rodriguez smash a two-out, 3-run HR in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap an 8-6 come-from-behind victory. Should be interesting to see how Cleveland responds since they currently lead the Yankees in the quest for a Wild Card playoff berth. The Indians will send Fausto Carmona, Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook to the hill while the Yankees are countering with Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte.

• The Lineup: July 28-Aug. 3 2007
• The Lineup: July 21-27 2007
• The Lineup: July 14-20 2007
• The Lineup: July 7-14 2007
• The Lineup: June 30-July 6, 2007
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• The Lineup: June 3-9, 2007
• The Lineup: May 27-June 2, 2007
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• The Lineup: March 26-April 1, 2007
• The Lineup: March 19-25, 2007
• The Lineup: March 12-18, 2007
• The Lineup: March 5-11, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 26-March 4, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 19-25, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 12-18, 2007
• The Lineup: Feb. 5-11, 2007
• The Lineup: Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2007
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• The Lineup: Jan. 1-7, 2007