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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Kendry Morales' broken leg is a devastating blow


Can there be a bigger swing from the ultimate high to the lowest of lows than the one the Angels' Kendry Morales experienced on Saturday? In the celebration following his game-winning grand slam against Seattle, Morales suffered a broken lower leg when he jumped and landed awkwardly on home plate. Morales is scheduled to undergo surgery on Sunday and his recovery will most likely be measured in months, not weeks, according to the Orange County Register.

Morales had appeared in every Angels game and was hitting .286 with 11 homers and 39 RBI. There's a chance those could be his totals for the entire season. Fantasy owners will need to make immediate plans to fill the void he leaves behind. Besides Morales, only backup catcher Bobby Wilson has even played a single inning at first all season, so there is no ready-made solution. Second baseman Howie Kendrick has played first before, but not since he appeared in 42 games there in 2006. The most likely replacement will come from the Angels' Class AAA affiliate, the Salt Lake Bees. They have major league veteran Robb Quinlan, who's hitting .253 in 23 games and 24-year-old Mark Trumbo, who's hitting .275 with 11 homers and 39 RBI.

No mater what the Angels do, the loss of Morales -- however long it is -- is a major blow to their playoff hopes. Fantasy owners feel their pain.

For fantasy owners in search of that extra edge, Benchcoach.com has a look at today's top batter vs. pitcher matchups. Use these stats to make your selections in our free 56 Hit Streak game. And for those in leagues with daily transactions, these posts might also help you decide who gets the start and who sits on your bench.

Players you want in your lineup

Stephen Drew vs. Todd Wellemeyer .636 (7-for-11, 2 HR, 6 RBI)
Dustin Pedroia vs. Gil Meche .571 (8-for-14, HR, 2 RBI)
Kevin Youkilis vs. Gil Meche .500 (7-for-14, HR, 4 RBI)
Ronny Paulino vs. Jamie Moyer .429 (9-for-21, HR, 6 RBI)
Skip Schumaker vs. Ryan Dempster .419 (13-for-31, 3 RBI)

Players you don't want in your lineup

Jose Guillen vs. Jon Lester .000 (0-for-11)
David DeJesus vs. Jon Lester .083 (1-for-12, RBI)
Fernando Tatis vs. Randy Wolf .097 (3-for-31, HR, 2 RBI)
Troy Tulowitzki vs. Clayton Kershaw .111 (2-for-18)
Alfonso Soriano vs. Adam Wainwright .154 (4-for-26, RBI)

Today's Hit Streak pick: Dustin Pedroia

Yesterday's hit streak pick: Derek Jeter
Result:3-for-5
Streak: 3 games

Current 56 Hit Streak leader: illini81887, 15 games
Season's longest hit streak: THE 56-ERS, 24 games
MLB's longest active hitting streak: Robinson Cano, 12 games

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