FanHouse Jake Peavy

In this week's Fantasy Baseball Cram Session Tom Herrera and I spent some time talking about pitchers on most waiver wires. Jordan Zimmerman and Kevin Correia are two of the better options that we mention. We also spent some time on the Pain Train talking injuries to players like Jake Peavy, Jose Reyes and Grady Sizemore. And finally in Fantasy Felony we give a few of our picks to help you out in baseball's second half.

MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.

So, quick apology on my part: the Power Rankings were supposed to go live Wednesday, but things happened, I'm a jerkstore, excuses, etc., and here we are. It's not Wednesday! So please note that the records reflect Wednesday -- not Thursday, not Friday, not Saturday. Don't freak out in the comments and call me names. Please. I can't take that in my fragile emotional state right now. I might turn into Raul Ibanez, at which point I would yell at you and then strain my groin. And that wouldn't be good for anyone.

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

As Joey Votto heads out to a rehab assignment, the Reds are anxiously awaiting the return of their best hitter. Votto hasn't started a game since May 27 -- when the Reds stood at 26-20. Since then, they've gone 8-11. As a team, the Reds are hitting .244 and rank 11th in the National League in runs scored. Votto is hitting .357 with eight home runs and 33 RBI in only 38 games. Translation: The Reds really, really need him. They aren't the only team in baseball that will be missing a star player in the upcoming weeks. After the jump, we'll list the Top 10 most important injuries in baseball moving forward in 2009.

Can you believe we're almost through three months of the fantasy baseball season? If you're serious about making a push for the title, now's the time to evaluate your roster and make moves. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to chat with Sid Rosenberg of OPENSports.com on their Fantasy WHIPlash segment to discuss Jake Peavy's injury, selling high on Raul Ibanez, and players you can acquire at terrific prices. Check out the video after the jump.

Unless you've been hiding under a rock or are just too far away from San Diego to hear their collective screams of agony, you probably already know that Jake Peavy has been placed on the disabled list.

When the story broke we were thinking that Peavy would be out for about a month, but the news has gotten worse. It could be longer.

Peavy is going on the disabled list with a partially torn tendon in the right ankle that has bothered the ace right-hander since May 22.

Optimistically, the Padres are hoping Peavy – the subject of trade rumors and attempts since the end of last season – will be ready to pitch shortly after next month's All-Star break.

But Padres trainer Todd Hutcheson said Friday night that it could be eight to 12 weeks before Peavy is fit to pitch again.

From a fantasy perspective there isn't too much you can do about this situation. Whether it's a month or three months you need to stash him on your disabled list and go find another pitching option.

Here are a few ideas:

Jake Peavy was in a nice little groove until he twisted his ankle while running the bases against the Cubs on May 22. Including that victory over Chicago, Peavy compiled a 1.50 ERA during a 5-start stretch, striking out 47 and walking only 10. Opponents were hitting only .144 off him during that stretch.

Though Peavy claims his ankle pain since then has been "managable," something was obviously different. Since it happened, he's had three starts. The results, other than somehow managing to go 2-1, were not pretty: a 6.28 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. Apparently, the ankle was bothering Peavy more than he cared to let on, because he's being placed on the 15-day disabled list -- and will miss at least a month.

---

---

There are a total of 46 two-start pitchers this week. None have it tougher than poor J.A. Happ who faces the Mets and Johan Santana, and then Boston and Josh Beckett. I'm afraid Happ's perfect record might become blemished this week.

There are two afternoon games on Monday so your weekly lineups need to set by 2:05 PM ET.

Must Start
Derek Lowe, Braves - Tuesday vs PIT (R. Ohlendorf) and Sunday at BAL (D. Hernandez)
Josh Beckett, Red Sox - Tuesday vs NYY (A. Burnett) and Sunday at PHI (J. Happ)
Ted Lilly, Cubs - Tuesday at HOU (B. Moehler) and Sunday vs MIN (S. Baker)
Mark Buehrle, White Sox - Tuesday vs DET (D. Willis) and Sunday at MLW (B. Looper)
Johnny Cueto, Reds - Tuesday at WAS (J. Zimmermann) and Sunday at KC (B. Bannister)
Cliff Lee, Indians - Tuesday vs KC (B. Bannister) and Sunday vs STL (C. Carpenter)

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

For the most of past two seasons, Aaron Rowand has been a thorn in the collective sides of his fantasy owners. In the middle of May, his batting average even dipped down to .214 (he also only had 2 homers at the time). Starting May 10, though, Rowand has been mashing. In that 21-game span, he's hitting .378 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI. He's also accrued 10 doubles and scored 18 runs in that time.

With Brett Myers possibly lost for the season thanks to hip surgery, the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies are now looking for some pitching to help them defend their title this season. As teams who are looking for pitching are prone to do these days, that means they're wondering if Jake Peavy would be a possibility for them. Coincidentally, Peavy and the Padres are hosting Philadelphia tonight and Jake will be taking the ball for San Diego.

So would Peavy be interested in a trade to the Phillies? You'd think so because the Phillies are a contender this season, are set up to contend for a while and they play in the National League. All of those are requirements Peavy is looking for so you'd think he'd be cool with it, but he's not going to say until after he pitches there tonight.

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

Remember 'Five Alive,' the juicy blend with five fruits that's fun for all the family? Well, Rick Porcello is a unique blend of rookie flavor who's reeled off five straight victories. You can hardly find that syrupy drink on the shelves anymore, but you can still find Porcello in about 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. And that's not all there is to like about Porcello. After the jump, it's fun time for all fantasy owners! (sugar rush optional)