MLB Briefs

• D-Rays ace Scott Kazmir (my #1 pitcher investment pick for age 23-25) has been on fire. In his last 3 starts, he's 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA, 11.37 K's/9IP and only1.89 BB/9IP! Tonight he shut down Jeremy Bonderman (my #3 pick for age 23-25) & the Tigers, helping his team to a 8-1 victory. Kazmir's key Auto RC's have been slowly inching up in price the past couple of months. I expect them to continue their upward trend, and possibly start increasing at a faster pace.
• On Sunday, Dustin McGowan helped lead his Bluejays to a win over the Rangers, 4-1. McGowan pitched 8 strong innings, allowing just 1 run & 1 BB, with 6 K's. He has improved every month so far this season, with a 5.90 ERA in May, a 4.54 in June, a 2.78 in July, and now a 1.13 in his first August start. His 03 Bowman's Best Auto RC was selling in the $30's range in June, but has since fallen to the $9-12 TAC range in July. Now is a good time to pick this card up, before it starts to rise again.
  
• When this season started, I had high hopes for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I thought that their rotation could be a cinderella-type rotation for the NL. Unfortunately, they've disappointed more than they're shined. One bright spot in this group though, has been Tom Gorzelanny, who leads this rotation with a 10-6 record, 3.50 ERA and a 11.78 IP/HRA (innings pitched/homerun allowed). Through the end of May, he was 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA, but thereafter, he started to struggle in June, and really stumbled in July. During that time, his 03 UD Propsect Premiers Auto fell in TAC price from the mid $20's range down to the $12-15 range. His last start, on 8/7, was a good one. In 7 innings against the NL West-leading D-Backs, he allowed 2 runs & 2 BB, and had 9 K's. Look for his key Auto RC's to start getting some hobby attention again soon.