Posted on August 19, 2008 by Andrew Flynn
Trade: Pearce Sent to Cover Zero for Milledge
- Atomic Roadrunners acquires Lastings Milledge ($9/1 year)
- Cover Zero acquires Steve Pearce ($1/1 year)
The Sports Xchange notes, Pirates RF Steve Pearce has been a disappointment since being called up on July 26 when Xavier Nady was sent to the New York Yankees as part of a six-player trade, hitting .208 with five RBI in 15 games. Most disappointing is that Pearce has yet to hit a home run in 116 major-league at bats over the past two seasons after going deep 34 times in the minor leagues in 2007. Pirates’ manager John Russell said he first wants Pearce to get untracked at the plate before worrying about hitting for power. Hitting for power? Pearce should try hitting period. Still, he’s starting every day for the struggling Pirates. Consider him a sleeper in deeper formats, especially NL-only and long-term keeper leagues. (CBS Sports)
OF Lastings Milledge continues to perform well for the Nationals even when his team is struggling. Milledge has hit safely in 16 of his past 18 games, going 26-for-71 (.366) with five homers, 11 RBI and nine extra-base hits. His season average is up to .261. Milledge is having a nice second half, finally proving to be the elite talent he is. Consider him someone to trust in all deeper leagues now, especially Rotisserie formats. (CBS Sports)
Analysis: With the trading deadline just hours away, the Atomic Roadrunners accepted the trade offer from Cover Zero. There is no question that Milledge is hitting better than Pearce right now, and it’s probable that Milledge will shine for the rest of the season (even though he’s a National). The deal came down to years. Milledge is a free agent in the WBRL after this season, and Pearce is protectable for two more years at $1. However, Pearce may not be in the rebuilding Pirate’s plans. Next season will likely feature Nate McLouth, Brandon Moss, and possibly rookie Andrew McCutcheon. And with Adam LaRoche back, Pearce may only be a 4th OF/backup 1B, which may not be worth protecting, even for $1.
In essence, Pearce’s disappointment this season, plus the nagging notion of a “wasted” $1 bid on an active spot, wants me to be rid of him. Plus, with X-Men’s acquisition of Alfonso Soriano (also from Cover Zero), the Atomic Roadrunners need all the help they can get. So welcome, Lastings, may you make us proud in these final days before free agency! And as Chris Keck reminded me in August of 2000, “Flags fly forever.”
Jason Bergmann was a nice starter, but unfortunately he recorded two wins in his 3-1/2 months on the Roadrunners. That’s what happens when you play for the Nationals. Plus, he would have cost $10 to protect, and we couldn’t risk actually activating him, so there you have it. It was a nightmarish start for Nationals starter Jason Bergmann Wednesday night against the Mets. Bergmann lasted just three innings and allowed 10 runs — all of them earned — on nine hits. He walked six men and had one strikeout. He needed 89 pitches to go just three full frames. Far and away the worst outing of the season for Bergmann, the man still has an ERA under 5.00 after this fiasco. He’d been pitching pretty well prior to Wednesday and we certainly don’t expect a repeat of this performance next week. That said, he pitches for the Nationals so wins will always be hard to come by. He is a two-start pitcher in Fantasy Week 21 (Aug. 18-24) but that makes him a viable option in only the deepest of mixed Fantasy leagues. His next scheduled start comes Tuesday at the Phillies and he’ll finish the week at the Cubs. (CBS Sports) 
John Bowker was sent down to AAA Fresno last week, and we’re not sure he’s coming back. Even though he was second on the team in homers (with 9), he just wasn’t hitting consistently. Bowker has been seeing plenty of time at first base since mid-June, but he hasn’t homered in his last 96 at-bats. He’s also managed just nine hits in his last 78 at-bats, bringing his average down to .247 on the season. (Rotoworld)
Reds rookie OF Chris Dickerson singled in the first inning Sunday, ending his extra-base streak. His first six hits in the majors were for extra bases — four doubles, a triple and a homer. Since the trade of Adam Dunn, Dickerson has taken over as the Reds’ leadoff man and a starter in center and/or left. Consider him a nice sleeper in Rotisserie leagues down the stretch, especially NL-only and long-term keeper formats. (CBS Sports) 
Giants SP Noah Lowry is a protected-list gambit who is out for the season. Formerly a 14-game winner (though never that great a pitcher), he’ll have 2 years remaning on his $1 contract. He was acquired in the 2008 auction by Misogynistic Padres. Lowry (left arm surgery on March 7) opened the season on the 15-day disabled list, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on May 30. He was told April 30 to stop rehabbing. He resumed throwing in late July, and trainer Dave Groeschner said he could begin throwing off a mound in mid-August. Lowry is likely to miss the remainder of the season. Lowry won’t be able to help in Fantasy leagues until spring 2009 at this point. Consider him a candidate to be a nice comeback player, but drop him in annual formats right now. (CBS Sports)
John Maine held the Pirates scoreless for five innings in a no-decision Monday afternoon. Maine also threw five shutout innings in his first start back from the disabled list last week. His velocity was down Monday and he walked four batters, but he’s now allowed zero runs on three hits in 10 innings since coming off the shelf. He exited holding a 2-0 lead, but the Mets’ bullpen coughed up five runs to let another game slip away. (Rotoworld) Maine said after his start Monday that he doesn’t have the pain he felt in Miami before going on the DL with a mildly strained rotator cuff, but he has felt stiffness in both starts since his return, the NY Daily News reports. Maine had no life on his fastball Monday, as his velocity was mainly in the 88-92 range, down 4-8 ticks from where he normally is. Pitching coach Dan Warthen said that Maine will likely be in that range the rest of the season and he maybe capped at five to six innings in most starts, unless his pitch count is very low. The Mets have four off-days from August 28 to September 12, so the Mets can try and alter the rotation to give Maine an extra days rest. After that, the team plays every day rest of the way, so don’t look for Maine to receive extra rest before those starts, meaning that he will need to rely on his other pitches and find a way to gut it out in each outing; not always a recipe for success. (Rotowire)
Corey Hart singled, doubled and homered for Milwaukee during a 9-3 win Monday against the Astros. The Brewers got a run in the first on Hart’s two-out RBI double. Hart hit a solo homer in the seventh, his 19th, and also scored twice while raising his RBI total to 76. Hart, who is 6-for-12 in his last three games, homered for the first time in seven games Monday. He has eight multi-hit games in August and continues to rake at the plate for Fantasy owners. Hart remains a viable Fantasy OF. (CBS Sports)
Angels 1B Mark Teixeira couldn’t manage a hit in two at-bats Monday against the Rays and saw his hitting streak end at nine games. Teixeira, who did walk once Monday, was 17-for-35 (.486) with three homers and nine RBI in that span. Teixeira came to the Angels hitting .283, but he has since raised his average to .296. He has been great in the middle of the Angels lineup and continues to be a must-start Fantasy option. (CBS Sports)
Braves 3B Chipper Jones singled in his last at-bat in the eighth inning Monday against the Giants to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Jones is 10-for-33 (.303) with one homer and six RBI in that span. Jones’ batting average has actually dropped from .371 to .363 during his latest run. It’s not very often when a hitting streak actually hurts your average, but that’s how good Jones has been in 2008. He continues to perform well coming off the DL and remains a must-start Fantasy 3B. (CBS Sports)
Gregor Blanco has been playing with a bone spur in his right ankle. “I’ve had it the last two months, but it’s getting worse,” Blanco said Monday. Blanco is trying to play through the injury after finally getting his chance this season, but it’s possible the Braves could start to limit him. (Rotoworld)
According to MLB.com, Brandon Moss’ ankle injury “will not keep him out for an extensive period of time.” Moss twisted his ankle Sunday and sat out Monday afternoon’s game. MLB.com reports that he’s unlikely to rejoin then lineup before this weekend, but should be able to avoid a stint on the disabled list. “I rolled it pretty good, but luckily nothing pretty serious happened,” Moss said. “They said that everything is pretty positive on it because it didn’t swell and it didn’t bruise.” Jason Michaels will pick up playing time in his absence. (Rotoworld)
Padres OF Jody Gerut is hitting .370 (17-for-46) since Aug. 3 with three doubles, five homers, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored. Gerut is playing well enough right now to consider starting in NL-only play as a No. 3 outfielder. (CBS Sports)
Tim Lincecum improved to 13-3 Sunday by holding the Braves to one earned run over 7 2/3 innings. Lincecum fanned 10 while limiting the Braves to three hits. He lowered his ERA to 2.60 and got five of his strikeouts with runners in scoring position. He has a 1.88 ERA on the road, best in the major leagues, and will take on the Padres next. He has already racked up 192 strikeouts in 169.2 innings. (Rotoworld)
Brandon Phillips finished 2-for-5 and knocked a three-run homer that secured a Reds victory over the Cardinals on Sunday. Jay Bruce got things going for the Reds when he drove in Chris Dickerson with a single in the first inning. The Reds would put up two more runs before Brandon Phillips hammered a ball that scooted over the left field wall and gave the squad a 6-0 lead. The Cardinals rallied for two runs in the ninth, but Francisco Cordero finally secured the win. Phillips is hitting .270 with 20 home runs and 73 RBI this season. (Rotoworld)
Padres 3B Chase Headley recorded the team’s only run during a 2-1 loss Sunday against the Phillies with a RBI single in the sixth off Cole Hamels. Headley, who finished 1-for-4, had hit safely in 11 of 12 games. He has two homers and six RBI in that span. Headley’s batting average has risen from .235 to .263 in his latest run and even has eight walks in that span. The rookie is getting a bit more selective at the plate and is starting to look like a major leaguer. However, Headley remains a low-end Fantasy option until his numbers really start to pop. (CBS Sports)