Roto Riteup: July 2, 2012

Ah, the monday Roto Riteup. It goes down like a smooth cup o’ Joe with some of those playground wood chips mixed in.

• Phil Hughes has been brilliant in three of his past four starts, including yesterday’s against the Chicago White Sox. In that one bad start, Hughes allowed four homers at home against the Braves. Hughes probably isn’t out there in AL-only leagues, but it’s worth checking your waiver wire in standard leagues.

• Zach McAllister, called up to take the place of Jeanmar Gomez in the Indians rotation, has two starts this week. He has to face the Angels, but then he’ll be getting the banged up Rays. Both of his starts come at home, and I think he’ll be able to snag one win with a few strikeouts along the way.

• Two more dingers were hit yesterday by Trevor Plouffe, giving him 18 on the year. While no one should be comparing Plouffe to Jose Bautista, an interesting comparison is Mike Morse of the Washington Nationals. Like Morse, Plouffe is a bigger guy than most shortstops, but unlike Morse, he’s been able to stay healthy. I believed Plouffe could be a solid MLB bat, but I didn’t see anything like this.

• Halfway through the season, it’s time to look around your keeper league and figure out if you’re a buyer or a seller. If you are looking to put the decision off, you really have only one more week to do so before the all-star break screws with everyone’s schedule. Make a decision, stick to it, and add some value where you can.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: Hisashi Iwakuma vs BAL
Iwakuma will be making his first start of the season, and while Baltimore can hit, why not give him a chance at home?

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Joe Kelly vs COL
Kelly isn’t special, but he’s at home.

A Hitter for Today: Freddie Freeman vs CHC (Jeff Samardzija)
Shark has been struggling, and I think Freeman will take advantage, whether it be in the form of a home run or some walks.