Oswalt's "K" Brigade ... and other notes

Roy Oswalt's decline as a fantasy ace has been well-documented over the last few years. Since '04, his wins have decreased, while his ERA has been on the increase. Perhaps no stat is more telling concerning Oswalt's fall from "ace" status than the decline in his strikeout totals (dropping around 25% since the '04 season).

So imagine my surprise when I turn on the Astros/Nationals game Wednesday night and see Oswalt strike out 8 batters in 3 innings...8 batters! in 3 innings! Oswalt hadn't struck out 8 batters in any game at all this year. Now after the 3rd inning, Owalt came back to earth (1 K in his final 4 IP). Given how he started the night, his line by night's end was less than spectacular (7 IP, 3 ER, 9 K).

Other notes from Wednesday...

If Joey Votto wasn't known nationwide before Wednesday afternoon, he certainly is now. The former 2nd-round draft pick launched not 1, not 2, but 3 home runs against the Cubs. All 3 were majestic shots, raising his season home run total now to 7 on the year. Early in the year, he was platooning with veteran Scott Hatteberg. Now, though, he's getting more and more starts on a consistent basis. He's going to have some very solid fantasy value for the rest of this year

Yankees OF Hideki Matsui singled in the 2nd inning of Wednesday night's game against Cleveland to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Matsui is quietly putting together a nice season - .339, 13 R, 4 HR, 17 RBI. He's a solid #2 outfielder in mixed leagues.

That loud sound you heard late this afternoon was the collective sigh of relief from every Nick Markakis owner. Markakis went 3-for-5 on Wednesday, raising his average to .270. Prior to today's game, 'Kak had only 1 multi-hit game in his last 10. Fantasy owners who had gutwrenchingly watched his average drop 44 points in the last 10 games can breathe easy...at least for a day.

Finally, in case you were worried that the Oakland A's weren't going to be able to find room in their rotation when Rich Harden (1-0, 0.82) returns, have no fear. The A's brass announced on Wednesday that Chad Gaudin (3-2, 3.75) will head to the bullpen when Harden returns from the D.L. (maybe on Sunday)