FanHouse John Mayberry

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Adam LaRoche, he of the longest swing in the majors, is starting to heat up. In the last 9 games, he's hit .387 with 3 home runs, 5 RBI, 4 runs, 2 doubles, a .444 on-base percentage and 1.186 OPS. If his career history is any indicator, we can expect things to continue along this pace.

It's just that he's starting things up a bit early. In LaRoche's career, he's been two different players per season. Just look at his splits. He's a decent hitter with good power in through June. From July on, though, he's a good hitter with great power.

A bad week for the Phillies got worse Thursday morning when the team placed left fielder Raul Ibanez on the disabled list with a groin strain. The injury has been bothering Ibanez for a while, eliminating the possibility that it had anything to do with providing a stool sample.

The loss of Ibanez won't help the Phillies reverse a trend that's seen them lose four of their last five games. Until they address the need to upgrade their starting pitching, they'll need all the offense they can get to keep winning games. Ibanez, who leads the team in most offensive categories, is a big part of those efforts.