The Day(s) in Review

Again, sorry. I won't say his name (let's just say it ends in "-ete") but one of the other writers on here forgot to post Friday, and I thought he'd cover both days last night as he did on Thursday. That said, I'll look over the past couple days and see what's been going on. It's been hectic with moving in and all...

Injury News:

• Josh Beckett is missing his weekend start due to inflammation in his elbow. Wakefield will get the nod, though the Red Sox ace isn't expected to miss more than one start and will make his next scheduled nod on Friday. I'm skeptical, but we at least know the Red Sox can't afford to give him precautionary time off.
• Alex Gordon, who I will always like more than I should, tore his quadriceps and will miss the rest of the season.
• El Duque has opted for toe surgery (remove a bunion) and will miss all of next season, probably ending his career. I don't mean to underplay what is an apparently serious injury, but how exactly does toe surgery mean a missed season?
• Going back a day, J.D. Drew has a herniated disk in his back, and will probably see a DL stint. The Red Sox need an outfielder, so they are going to go out and get Barry Bonds. Just kidding.

Notable Performances:

• Aramis Ramirez tallied six RBIs with the assistance of two 3-run bombs in Chicago to give the Cubs a chance to win the series against D.C. in the third game. Dempster continued his dominance, giving up only one run over 7.1 innings en route to his fifteen W.
• The White Sox had four hits against Scott Kazmir, but two of the were solo shots by Jermaine Dye. The "ancient" outfielder now has 31 HRs on the season.
• Vernon Wells had two homers and despite the very shortened season has been tolerable. Will he get the nod next year in drafts?
• Pat Burrell had five RBI as he went 3-5 with his 30th homerun. Think of him as Torii Hunter 2008--"third outfielder playing above his head in a contract season". Then, when you draft next season, think the same thing.

Notable Performances (Friday):

• Willie Harris had six RBI, four coming on a grandslam that the Cubs would never recover from. DeRosa would homer in this game and the following, and has been very good this season.
• Those thinking Maddux would pitch well after moving to LA saw that it doesn't matter after he gave up 7 runs in less than six innings. In fairness, it was in Philadelphia.
• Shaun Marcum was hit hard, surrendering five runs in 3.2 innings, leading the Jays to send him back to the minors.
• Although conceding eight hits, Justin Verlander got past the Royals without being tagged for a run, striking out six over his six innings. His upcoming schedule is beautiful, so if an owner has given up on him, he's a great add.
• Rocco Baldelli hit his first homer of the season, and I must admit I doubted he'd play a single game after being diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder before the season started. Good luck to him, but in the fantasy world, you should probably wait awhile before recognizing the name.
• Aaron Harang threw six scoreless at Coor's to earn only his fourth win of the season. Hopefully he can finish the season strong.
• Randy Johnson struck out thirteen, but won't win his 300th game this season as he again failed to get a decision.
• Tim Lincecum-eight scoreless, eight strikeouts. He's going to be the best very soon.

That's what you need to know for the day.