Could Donaldson, Belt help your hunt for homers?

In Saturday's post, I mentioned power only in passing.
There come times in a season when you're looking for power. This could be one, especially for owners with Orioles 1B Chris Davis on the roster.
In the first place, Davis hasn't been hitting with power. In the second, he might not even play for the next two weeks if he goes on the disabled list.
The easy choices are the current major league leaders, Angels 1B Albert Pujols and White Sox 1B Jose Abreu. They each have nine homers in less than four weeks. What's that you say? Pujols was a keeper in your league and other owners jumped on Abreu as the new kid on the power block?
OK, let's look a bit further down the home run list.
With eight homers, there's Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez. That's a pace for more than 50 this season. But should you be concerned because that's about twice the number he has hit in most seasons? Yes. I'm not even talking about steroids in this article, but you know which players to whisper about amongst yourselves.
The 7-HR group has some of the players you'd expect -- Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista, Marlins OF Mike Stanton and Diamondbacks OF Mark Trumbo, who's now injured. I've already touched on Twins SS Brian Dozier. There are up-and-comers such as Giants 1B Brandon Belt and Athletics 3B Josh Donaldson. I'm not sure about Belt as a consistent power source, but I could see power potential in Donaldson, even though he's not very big, back when he was a minor league catcher. Braves OF Justin Upton also has seven homers in what appears to be a bounce-back season.
Those with six homers also include some you'd expect -- Brewers OF Ryan Braun, who has been hitting his homers in bunches; Orioles OF Nelson Cruz; Braves 1B Freddie Freeman and C/OF Evan Gattis; Giants OF Mike Morse; Angels OF Mike Trout, and Pirates 3B Pedro Alvarez. Like last season, when he finished strong to tie for the National League lead, Alvarez has started slowly, with a batting average still on the interstate. He probably could use more protection in a lineup that hasn't been working. However, Pittsburgh 2B Neil Walker also has six homers, a pace he seems highly unlikely to keep up. He's also less effective against right-handed pitchers, the kind that Alvarez terrorizes. He's sometimes platoon-replaced against lefties.
Missing from that list is Tigers 1B/3B Miguel Cabrera, who reached five homers with a hot Week 4. He's a perfect example of why I don't like to make yes-or-no decisions about players until after Week 5.
Saturday was a difficult day for a number of players. Nationals OF Bryce Harper went on the disabled list Sunday. Davis seemed likely to join him on the DL. Braun left Saturday's game because of a strained intercostal muscle and his teammate, SS Jean Segura, left Milwaukee's lineup after being hit in the face by a Braun practice swing.
More coming over the next few days about other fantasy categories -- most importantly stolen bases and saves. I also expect some shorter posts with observations about players I see in person. Those could be similar to Saturday's comments about Rangers LHP Martin Perez.

Hot and Not -- Up, up with Uptons

The players listed here were the major league statistical leaders during the last week. Batting averages are based on 20 at-bats, and ERA and WHIP on seven innings pitched. In most cases, we eliminate batters with an average lower than .280 and pitchers with ERAs above 4.00 from the Hot list. Keep in mind players’ career performance and current-season totals even more than current trends in deciding on whether to keep those players in your lineup.

Hot

Pos. Name, Team H-AB Avg. HR-RBI SB

1B/3B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers 11-24 .458 3-5 0
OF Justin Upton, D-backs 11-24 .458 1-5 0
2B/OF Scott Schumaker, Cardinals 11-24 .458 0-2 0
3B/1B/C Pablo Sandoval, Giants 10-22 .455 2-4 0
1B/OF Aubrey Huff, Orioles 9-20 .450 1-6 0
C Yadier Molina, Cardinals 11-25 .440 1-4 0
OF B.J. Upton, Rays 12-28 .429 2-9 2
OF Michael Cuddyer, Twins 9-21 .429 2-3 0
OF Matt Kemp, Dodgers 9-21 .429 0-2 4
SS Cristian Guzman, Nationals 12-29 .414 0-0 0

This is Sandoval’s second consecutive week on the Hot list. Cabrera moved to the top after being on the Not list a week earlier. It was a good week for Uptons. Also a good week for Guzman, who’s defying the conventional wisdom that he should be coming back to earth.

Home runs – Cubs 1B Derrek Lee and Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols 4; Cabrera, Tigers OFs Curtis Granderson and Marcus Thames, Cardinals SS Khalil Greene, Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler, White Sox SS/2B Alexei Ramirez and Indians SS/2B Jose Valbuena 3. Coming off the disabled list, Greene hit his homers in just eight at-bats.

RBI – Pujols and 1B Prince Fielder 11; Lee and B.J. Upton 9; Brewers 3B Ryan Braun, Indians C/1B Victor Martinez and Mets C Brian Schneider 8.

Stolen bases – Granderson, Kemp and Reds 2B Brandon Phillips 4; Kinsler and Reds OF Chris Dickerson 3.

Runs – Braun 10; Cabrera and Schumaker 9; Martinez 7.

Throws Pitcher, Team IP ERA W-L WHIP SO/BB

LHP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers 12.2 0.00 1-0 1.18 13:7
RHP Josh Beckett, Red Sox 9.0 0.00 1-0 0.56 7:0
LHP Mark Buehrle, White Sox 7.0 0.00 1-0 0.86 3:1
RHP Jon Garland, D-backs 7.0 0.00 0-0 1.14 3:1
RHP Nick Blackburn, Twins 9.0 1.00 1-0 0.78 2:1
RHP Felix Hernandez, Mariners 16.1 1.10 1-0 0.86 14:6
RHP Matt Cain, Giants 8.0 1.13 0-0 0.75 8:3
RHP Chris Carpenter, Cardinals 7.2 1.13 0-0 0.75 8:3
LHP Andy Pettitte, Yankees 7.0 1.29 1-0 0.43 7:0
RHP James Shields, Rays 7.0 1.29 1-0 0.43 4:0
LHP Jason Vargas, Mariners 7.0 1.29 1-0 0.43 4:0

Vargas moved up from the Not list a week earlier.

Wins – Cubs RHP Kevin Gregg, Giants RHP Sergio Romo and Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright and Athletics RHP Michael Wuertz 2.

Saves – Mariners RHP David Aardsma, Angels LHP Brian Fuentes, White Sox RHP Bobby Jenks, Orioles LHP George Sherrill and Astros RHP Jose Valverde 3-for-3.

WHIP – Padres RHP Kevin Correia 0.34; Pettitte, Shields and Vargas 0.43; Mariners LHP Garrett Olson 0.45.

Strikeout/walk ratio (10 Ks, at least a 2.5:1 ratio) – Reds RHP Aaron Harang 10:0; Correia 12:1; Blue Jays RHP Scott Richmond 11:1; Phillies LHP Cole Hamels 16:2; Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero 15:5 and Rangers RHP Kevin Millwood 16:6.

* * *

Not

Pos. Player, Team H-AB Avg. HR-RBI SB

1B Chris Davis, Rangers 1-20 .050 1-1 0
3B Pedro Feliz, Phillies 2-24 .083 0-0 0
1B/OF Lance Berkman, Astros 2-21 .095 1-1 1
SS Stephen Drew, D-backs 3-26 .115 0-4 0
3B Mark Reynolds, D-backs 3-24 .125 2-4 0
OF Ben Francisco, Indians 3-23 .130 0-0 1
3B Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals 4-28 .143 0-1 0
OF Gerardo Parra, D-backs 3-27 .143 1-3 0
OF Mike Cameron, Brewers 3-20 .150 0-1 1
3B Adrian Beltre, Mariners 3-20 .150 1-1 1

Davis also struck out nine times without walking. It was a bad week for Diamondbacks – or at least apparently for those not named Upton.

The week’s hitless wonders were Indians C Kelly Shoppach 0-for-14, Athletics 3B Jack Hannahan 0-for-13, Nationals OF Austin Kearns and Marlins OF Jeremy Hermida 0-for-12 and Padres SS/2B Luis Rodriguez 0-for-11.

Beltre and Hermida were on the Hot list a week ago.

Walk/strikeout ratio (10 or more strikeouts) – Parra 0:10; Zimmerman 1:10.

Caught stealing – Astros OF Michael Bourn 2-for-5; White Sox OF Brian Anderson 0-for-2; Rays OF Carl Crawford 1-for-3.

The pitchers on the next list each made two starts, doubly damaging their real and fantasy teams.

Throws Pitcher, Team IP ERA W-L WHIP SO/BB

RHP David Bush, Brewers 6.1 18.47 0-1 2.37 3:2
LHP Jorge De La Rosa, Rockies 8.0 12.38 1-1 2.38 10:4
LHP Paul Maholm, Pirates 10.0 11.70 0-2 2.70 11:5
RHP Chris Volstad, Marlins 9.2 10.24 1-1 1.76 6:3
LHP Jeremy Sowers, Indians 9.1 8.68 0-2 1.93 3:6
LHP Barry Zito, Giants 10.2 7.59 1-1 1.50 11:4
RHP Gil Meche, Royals 12.1 6.57 1-1 1.30 7:3
RHP Shairon Martis, Nationals 11.0 5.73 0-1 1.73 2:7
LHP Wandy Rodriguez, Astros 11.0 5.73 1-1 1.56 12:8
RHP Justin Verlander, Tigers 11.2 5.40 1-1 1.54 12:5

Verlander dropped down after two consecutive weeks on the Hot list. He was not as Not during the past week as pitchers usually have to be to make that list. Maholm and Meche also were on the Hot list a week ago.

Losses – Maholm, Sowers, Rangers RHP Jason Jennings, Phillies RHP Ryan Madson and Athletics RHP Brad Ziegler 2.

Blown saves – Madson and Indians RHP Kerry Wood 0-for-2.