After enjoying Fourth of July festivities, it’s time to get back to business, which means filling out a Star Fantasy Leagues daily lineup. And if a day as American as July 4th doesn’t get you in the mood for enjoying the national pastime, nothing will. This is when the baseball season really starts to get great as the game has the national sports landscape to itself and the playoff races heat up. One way to make it even better is to fill out a lineup at SFL, and use the promo code “SJN” for a 40% deposit bonus. And if you need a little help putting your team together, I’m here to offer my assistance.
(C) Salvador Perez $7,029 – Even when he doesn’t get the start, he still find a way to get a hit. Last night, a had a pinch-hit, bases-clearing, game-winning double in the eighth inning. He now has hits in eight of his last nine games and is 2-for-3 with a double against tonight’s opposing starter, Tommy Milone.
(1B) Eric Hosmer $7,018 – It’s back-to-back Royals for me to start my lineup. Hosmer has been on fire during his current six-game hitting streak, with 11 hits, five home runs, and nine runs scored. He’s also gone deep against Milone in the past.
(2B) Robinson Cano $10,279 – Cano is proving that there is life left in a least one Yankee this season. His hitless performance last night was his first in seven games and he had multiple hits in each of the six in between with four home runs. He’s a good bet in any lineup.
(3B) Kyle Seager $5,887 – Seager is working on a four-game hitting streak and has nine hits during that stretch including two home runs, brining his total to 12 on the year. I’ll roll with him, even against Matt Cain.
(SS) Ian Desmond $6,788 – The Nationals’ shortstop has hit safely in seven of eight games and is coming off a three-hit, two run, two steal performance last night. He can help a lineup in many ways.
(OF) Yasiel Puig $10,217 – Not even running into a wall will keep Puig out of a lineup or unproductive. After bruising his hip and thigh on Wednesday, he was back last night and picked up another hit, adding to his now eight-game hitting streak. I’ll stick with my motto of “Live by the Puig, Die by the Puig” tonight.
(OF) Raul Ibanez $6,882 – My mind tells me I should not be spending money on a 41-year-old, but the numbers don’t lie. After a four-hit game last night, he owns a 10-game hitting streak and seven home runs in those games. He has 21 homers on the year. Those are numbers worth believing in.
(OF) Leonys Martin $6,448 – Martin has been making appearances in many of my recent lineups. He comes at a very reasonable price and has been quite productive as of late. He has at least one hit in 17 of his last 18 games and had a streak of six straight games with a stolen base. I think it’s only a matter of time before his price goes up.
(U) Paul Goldschmidt $7,445 – I can’t believe one of the National League’s best hitters comes this cheaply. While he hasn’t been at his best over the last week, he’s only gone hitless once this month and his last home run came just four days ago. I’m not panicking on him now and I’m happy to start him at this price.
(SP) Jacob Turner $12,643 – Turner has been quite excellent during his six starts this season with the Marlins. He has a 2-0 record, a 1.76 ERA, and five quality starts. He’s also coming off a complete game against San Diego in which he gave up just one run and struck out seven. While a small sample size, his price is right.
(SP) Aaron Harang $8,897 – His 3-7 record and 5.08 ERA on the season may not be intriguing, but he’s been better recently. He’s given up more than three runs just once in his last seven starts and went eight innings his last time out against the Cubs. This is also very much a matchup-based selection. He’s won both of his career starts against the Reds and has allowed just two earned runs in 13 innings.
(RP) Jonathan Papelbon $2,128 – Cliff Lee is on the mound for Philadelphia, which bodes well for a potential Papelbon appearance. After hitting a rough patch last month, he’s bounced back to save his last three chances with relative ease. He’s fine, and I feel great about using him.
(P) Mark Buehrle $8,337 – Buehrle is having a very average year, but I think he should be comfortable tonight against Minnesota. By spending most of his career in Chicago, he’s started 49 games against the Twins in his career and is 27-19 with a 3.75 ERA. If there is cure for him, it might just be a start against the Twins.
