You probably remember Reimold, who looked like an up-and-coming star back in 2009 (.279, 15 homers in 358 at-bats, to go with a strong rep in the scouting community). Alas, a terrible six weeks submarined Reimold in 2010, and he's been struggling in the minors ever since. He stumbled to a .249/.364/.374 slash last year in Norfolk, and his first month in Triple-A this season was in the same neighborhood (.237 average, .739 OPS). When you can't make the roster in Baltimore, you're not in our mixed-league plans.
The Derek Lee injury forced the Orioles to recall Reimold a week ago, however, and he's been taking advantage of the opportunity. He clocked a two-run homer in Saturday's victory over Washington, and Thursday's turned into The Reimold Show. He homered in his first two at-bats, then added an infield single, a walk, and a ringing double to the left-center gap. He even, bless his heart, tried to steal a base in the sixth; the Royals cut him down. Buck Showalter can't ignore this type of showing; Reimold has earned the right to get more at-bats until others are healthy.
In smaller mixed leagues, you don't have to react to this story. We'll nudge you down the road if Reimold keeps it going. But in the deeper mixed pools, this is one of those "I see plausible upside, let's give him a shot" acquires. Michael Gehlken made an in-game pickup of Reimold in the Friends & Family League, the type of thing you do in a 14-team mixer. I know other desperate saps who were trying to do the same thing (okay, I can only speak for myself). We're not going into hype mode on Reimold, we're simply presenting the facts: in larger leagues, you need to be open minded to these types of stories.
Before you turn this thread into the inevitable "I'm not adding Nolan Reimold" pile-on party, let's take a look at some of the other Thursday roto happenings:
?�The Rockies pulled the plug on Jose Lopez (so much for that sleeper pick), in part because they're ready to kick the tires on Eric Young Jr. The speedy Young was having his way in the minors, posting a .363/.462/.544 line and swiping 17 bases, and he's expected to be recalled Friday. There's no clear lineup spot for Young to take over (his shaky defense at second and the outfield has held him back during his career) but the Rockies have been struggling to score runs and Jim Tracy isn't married to that many players in his lineup. Young has been playing the outfield in the minors, but Jonathan Herrera's recent funk (.627 OPS in May) could tempt the Rockies to use the speed demon at second.
?�The White Sox and Blue Jays played a tight game north of the border (Phil Humber and Brandon Morrow both had to settle for strong no-decisions), but we didn't get any new definition on the Toronto closing situation. Jason Frasor got the final two outs of the eighth, trimming his ERA down to 1.77. Lefty and spelling-bee nightmare Marc Rzepczynski was tabbed for the ninth with the score tied ? if the Jays had a dedicated closer, this would be the spot for him ? and things got messy right away. John McDonald threw a ball away. Rzepczynski uncorked a wild pitch and hit a batter. Juan Pierre produced one run with an infield single, and Juan Rivera's fielding error pushed the second run across. Jon Rauch ultimately recorded the final out, but the horse was out of the barn. The wheel is still in motion, place your Toronto bets.
?�Looks like Grant Balfour already has the closer mentality down ? the part where you're supposed to struggle when summoned into a lopsided game. Balfour was asked to pitch the ninth inning at Anaheim and protect Brett Anderson's 4-0 lead, and he nearly lost it. Mark Trumbo made things interesting with a three-run homer, and the game ended on Russell Branyan's fly out to the center-field warning track. Hurry back, Andrew Bailey. Anderson wasn't utterly dominant in his eight scoreless innings, but he was plenty effective (3 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 11 ground-ball outs).
?�The Phillies desperately needed to save their bullpen after Wednesday's marathon, so Cliff Lee went deep in the Thursday matinee without his best stuff (8 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 114 pitches). The offense took over from there, knocking around Homer Bailey and sacrificial lamb Daryl Thompson (apparently the other brother Daryl was unavailable to throw). Chase Utley added a window-dressing homer in the eighth, a lazy fly ball that had enough to reach the right-field seats. Domonic Brown had his best showing of the year, with a single, double and walk.
? You know all about the San Francisco offense these days: they might not be Giants. Anibal Sanchez was dominant by the bay, fashioning a five-hit shutout and striking out eight, putting him one step ahead of Ryan Vogelsong (1 R, 12 fly-ball outs). Getting Brandon Belt recalled and in the lineup (worth trying in most mixers, immediately) should help the defending World Champs, but we're all still in a bit of Buster Posey mourning. Upcoming streaming possibilities against the Giants include Randy Wolf (Saturday), Kyle McClellan (Monday) and Jake Westbrook (Wednesday).
Speed Round: Jay Bruce homered three times and drove in 11 runs in the four-game series at Philadelphia. He's got six taters in his last 35 at-bats. … Sergio Santos was sharp at Toronto, striking out two of the four men he faced. … Justin Morneau is playing through a neck problem that might need off-season surgery. The poor Twins, they can't get a break in 2011. … Two things I love about Carlos Zambrano: he shows his emotions on the field, and he's the rare pitcher who can hit. Zambrano worked six strong innings in a victory over the Mets (1 ER, 5 K) and he helped his own cause with two singles and a double. Keep being you, Big Z; I'll dial you up against Houston next week. … Kelly Johnson was working on another collar before a reprieve came in the ninth: a two-run homer into the Mile High air. Small steps. Arizona won the series ender in Colorado despite the fact that its best offensive player in 2011, Ryan Roberts, sat in favor of Willie Bloomquist and Melvin Mora. …�If you're into that Twitter malarkey, feel free to follow along.
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Images courtesy of Associated Press
Aisha Tyler K. D. Aubert Sara Spraker Alexis Bledel Kim Kardashian
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