Keith Lipscomb

  (3:01 PM)

Good afternoon, all. Let's get right to your questions...

Jon (San Diego)

No mention in the Daily Notes on Friday's offensive blockbuster pitting the Mighty Mariners versus the Pounding Padres. Do you like Wolf at home for this one?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:04 PM)

I think he's worth starting, because of the way he's pitched recently, and for the strikeouts. But keep in mind that the Mariners actually hit lefties well.

Sid (Brooklyn, NY)

Is either Verlander or Sabathia worth giving up Markakis or Hart for?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:05 PM)

Sure, all things being equal. I have to assume you could use the pitching and have hitting to spare. I can see exchanging those guys, sure.

Hunter (Boise, Idaho)

Hey Keith! What's happening? Wondering if you could weigh in on whether Alfonso Soriano's power will suffer upon his return from the broken hand. Can buy low now, but a little scared.

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:08 PM)

Hunter, it's always tough to say how someone will come back from an injury, especially without any inside info. I think it's a good time to buy him, and would be more concerned if it was a wrist injury. At least it shouldn't affect his legs, since they'd like him to run more the rest of the way.

Mike (Cleveland)

Big outing for Garza. Complete game one-hitter with 10 Ks! Not to make too much out of one start, but do you think he has a chance to be a top 30 or so pitcher from here on out?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:11 PM)

I think top 30's a little generous. I don't like to get too excited about one great start or one horrible outing. What I'm most excited to see is him keeping the walks down recently, which I think will lead to a nice second half. He's really only had a couple bad starts since his poor first week or so of the season.

eno (Jersey City)

I hate to say Mr LipComb, but I think you're a slow typer! I've got Jered Weaver here. I'm looking at Campillo, Lilly, Olsen, Meche or Slowey. It's a redraft, should I just stream the spot?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:14 PM)

Well, today I'd have to agree, but no excuses. With those type of pitchers on the wire, it might not be a bad idea. I like Lilly and I think Slowey is undervalued as well.

Jimmy (Vancouver)

Hey Keith, WIth T.J. Ford gone and J.O. in,would you say that Jose Calderon is now a late 2nd rounder or early 3rd rounder?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:17 PM)

Well, in a league where assist-to-turnover ratio is a category, he's definitely more valuable. But even in those leagues, I wouldn't take him until the top two rounds of even a 14-team league. Third round, maybe. And I like Calderon, too...but I'll be doing my top 60 later tonight and we'll have it on the site tomorrow, so you'll see where I put him. I'm still not sure where he fits in at the moment.

Simon (Columbia, SC)

How would you draft differently from a yearly draft if your FF league is introducing keepers at the end of this season? thanks

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:19 PM)

Well, it really depends on how many keepers you'll have. If you're only going to have 1 or 2, then I wouldn't draft too differently, because you'll want to keep your stars. But if you're protecting, say, five players, then you definitely put extra weight on that and take a youngster or two earlier than you normally would. I'm one of those who would prefer to win now, so I don't necessarily jump on rookies as fast as others in keeper formats.

Jon (Grand Rapids)

Cano is gathering heat. Him or Polanco (who just got tossed from his game!)?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:20 PM)

No question Cano for me. He's a better hitter than he's demonstrated so far, and he's one of the best buy-low guys out there, in my opinion. The window has already started to close.

Dave (Dallas)

2-part question: I own Putz, Wainright and Izzy. Lilly, Danks, Galarrago, and Sanchez are all available on the waiver wire. Should I give up on Wainright and pick up one of the above starters? Also, do you think Putz will have more value than Isringhausen this year? I could dump either and pick up Loney. I really only need one of those two. Please advise. Thanks!

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:23 PM)

I'm not giving up on Wainwright, especially since he's on the DL. I can stash him there. But as far as Putz and Izzy are concerned, I'm not completely sold that Izzy will get his job back, since Franklin's done well in the role and Chris Perez is still waiting in the wings. And today, Izzy came in in the 6th inning! My money's on Putz, as long as he can demonstrate he's OK. It might be a wait for either to reclaim the closer's gig as it is.

ben (philly)

thanks for taking my question. My Pitching Staff is Halladay, Bedard, Sheets, Harden and Vasquez I feel like all except vasquez is an injury risk but that all except vasquez and bedard has been pitching well. Do I start the process of trying to get more "reliable" pitching or do I just ride this mother till the wheels come off?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:25 PM)

Well, I think it's a great time to sell high on both Sheets and Harden, for the same durability reasons. However, you may find it difficult to get full value for them for the same reason. You'll have to hold onto Bedard for now, as it is. But don't take a lesser deal than you feel is worth it for those guys. If that winds up being the case, you might as well ride 'em out and enjoy the numbers.

KJ (NC)

Does Chris Davis play well enough to stay up? What do you expect out of him?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:29 PM)

Well, I don't see why the team would bring him up so quickly if they weren't planning on playing him. He's got great power and should produce some runs. I think the team just got tired of waiting for Blalock and figured why not see what they've got in Davis. He may struggle at times since he was still in Class A at this time last season, but he's worth a flier in deeper mixed leagues and a definite in AL-only formats just in case he comes up and keeps hitting like he did in Double-A and Triple-A this year.

Sam (Chicago)

What are your thoughts on Josh Banks? Worth it NL only, or just a flash in the pan?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:31 PM)

I just don't see how much longer this can last, to be honest, Sam. Maybe being in Petco will help him overall, but I think this nice run comes to an end soon.

Nick (Sioux Falls)

Hey Keith, I could use your advice. I'm thinking about buying low on Harrang, do you see him turning it around, and would you trade Loney or Co Jak to get him, assuming the other owner takes one?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:33 PM)

Two or three weeks ago, I would have said definitely do it. But each time I watch him pitch, I can't help but wonder if he's pitching through an injury or dead-arm period, or if his mechanics are all screwed up. This is a guy who almost always gives you 7 innings or more, so the fact that he's been getting hit so hard and not lasting past the 6th at all recently really worries me. I'm in a holding pattern on him right now.

Cody Philly

I have been enjoying the nice production from longoria recently, what are his final numbers for the year. Thanks Keith

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:35 PM)

I bet you are, Cody. He's been outstanding from a power standpoint. Much better than I expected thus far. I figured he'd be in the 20-homer range, but on a better pace than that. I expect maybe the homers slow down some, but the average comes up. I think he's much better than a .250s hitter.

Frank (Worcester)

Does Max Ramirez get consistent PT with the Rangers or is he being showcased for a trade?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:37 PM)

I don't think he gets consistent playing time, Frank, but I could be wrong if indeed the Rangers are showcasing him. It could have just as easily been Teagarden that got the call if he had been available. I'd be surprised if they just sat Salty down, though, especially now with Davis up to play 1B.

Matt (St. Augustine, FL)

pick one, Garza, Meche, Campillo

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:38 PM)

I just can't bring myself to buy Campillo still. I may be the only one, who knows? I look at his track record and am just waiting for things to change for the worse. I'll take Garza in that one, because I'm encouraged by what I've seen in recent weeks ... and hey, the Rays can score runs, so he could get some wins, too.

Billy (Petaluma ca)

what do u think of adrian beltre will he bring his averge up is headley better? thank you keith

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:40 PM)

At this point, I think Beltre is slightly better, but my reasoning has a lot to do with Beltre's history in the second half of seasons. You can check his player card, but he's put up some pretty good power totals in recent years after the break. I'm holding on Beltre for a hot streak.

The Duke of Justin (Oakland)

Keith, why is everyone hating on me so much? Sure I'm going to go well over my career innings in a season in the next few weeks, but look at my numbers! Sub-2 ERA and a .97 WHIP! I know I'll tail off some but not enough to warrant being left off Harris' top-60, right? Not when Rich "I still can't throw strikes" Hill is at No. 60...

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:43 PM)

Well, I believe today's column, if that's the one you're speaking of, was NL-only. But you're right that Duchscherer isn't getting the respect he deserves. Sure, he's never pitched 100 innings in the big leagues and he's almost there already, but he's allowed 2 ER or less in 11 of his 12 starts and the one he didn't, he allowed 3! Pretty crazy. And I don't think he's a fluke, either. Sure, he'll come back to the pack in ERA and WHIP, but he's always demonstrated good control and is a solid pitcher. I'm riding him as far as he takes me right now.

Andrew (Washington, D.C.)

Keith, here's a tricky one for you: Who has more saves by end of the year, Franklin or M. Gonzalez?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:45 PM)

That is a tricky one, because I think Gonzalez has a stronger hold on the Braves' closer gig than Franklin does in St. Louie...however (in best Stephen A. voice), I'm still a bit skeptical that Gonzalez can remain completely healthy so soon off of ligament transplant surgery, so I'll say Franklin.

Jake(Omaha)

Should i dump M.Bradley in a 10 team OBP league in favor of someone like Fukedome or Francoer or Loney? I need to make up some ground and think it might be better to have someone who doesn't sit so much. Since the FA list is so deep there really isn't any trade market for a guy like him.

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:47 PM)

I can see your dilemma. And there's no doubt it's tough to own a guy like Bradley, because of all the missed time. Francoeur is not a good OBP guy and though I like him to heat up, it appears you could wait until he did in your league. But either Loney or Fukudome can help you in OBP in a big way, so I think I would do that if you'd like to know they'll be in the lineup every day.

John (Herndon, VA)

STRATEGY QUESTION: In my inning capped roto league I purposefully roster a lot of starters so that I can play good matchups. Between draft and trades, I thought I had a good roster (Kazmir, Bedard, Oswalt, Billingsley, E Santana, R Johnson, Jurrjens), but I seem to be catching all of the bad starts and benching all of my good ones. Is my strategy misguided? Thanks Keith!

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:50 PM)

Well, I think you figured out the problem with the strategy of playing what appear to be good matchups when you have a solid staff. It's tough to play matchups, regardless, but when you're dealing with generally good pitchers, you have to just start them every time out so you don't miss the good starts (which will be more plentiful than the bad ones). I would be more apt to employ that strategy if I had a suspect staff, but not one like yours.

Dan (Cincinnati)

Sizemore and Morneau for Pujols-- fair deal?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:52 PM)

Not in my mind, because getting Sizemore and Morneau will easily outdo Pujols in every category except BA. Both are high quality fantasy players, so you should be able to get a lesser player back along with Pujols to even things out. Yes, Pujols may be the best player in the deal, but the others are hardly chopped liver. Good to see he was rusty coming back today, huh? Wow.

Jerry (STL)

Miguel Cabrera and Ichiro Suzuki: What happened to my first two picks? Where did their awesome batting averages? Any chance their numbers come back in the second half?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:53 PM)

Definitely a good chance of that. They are both great players and it's a long season. I think you don't have much choice but to wait for them to start doing what they normally do in BA.

Gus - NJ

Quick need your help, was just offered Mauer for Doumit, pull the trigger?

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:57 PM)

Well, the biggest difference between the two players is home run power. Sure, Doumit will likely drive in more runs the rest of the way if he can stay on the field, but that average has to come down. Mauer's average doesn't necessarily have to. I'm not sure it's a deal that needs to be made, really. I think Mauer's more likely to remain healthy the rest of the way, if that's worth anything?

Zack (Fort Worth)

Help me out please! My catcher is Suzuki.. do I trade Josh Hamilton for Hanley and Posada?!

Keith Lipscomb

  (3:58 PM)

If that's a deal that's on the table, it's hard to argue against it. Hanley for Hamilton is a pretty even deal as it is. And with Hamilton, we still don't know if he can play a full season.

Chris (Pittsburgh,Pa)

If you had to pick one of these two A's pitchers right now,who would you choose...Harden or Duchscherer?

Keith Lipscomb

  (4:00 PM)

I hate to be pessimistic, but Harden's made eight straight starts and I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. He's obviously the better pitcher ... he's one of the best in the game when he's healthy, but for the rest of the season, I'd probably have to go with Duchscherer, even knowing he could hit a wall soon, too. That's a tough one!

Mike (Avondale, AZ)

Is it time to sell high on Cliff Lee?

Keith Lipscomb

  (4:02 PM)

I think so, Mike. This is actually the second sell-high period on Lee, in my opinion, and I just don't see any reason to believe he'll keep this up for the entire season. You should be able to get something quite good for him right now, so at least explore the option.

Keith Lipscomb

  (4:03 PM)

All right, everyone. It's been a good time. Sorry about the speed at times. I'm not world-class like many of our other chatters. Have a great rest of the week!