Five weeks ago, after evening his record at 2-2 with a tidy eight-inning effort in Atlanta, Lopez actually looked like a somewhat decent Fantasy option, at least in an NL-only league or as a streaming possibility for H2H league owners. At that point, half of his eight starts had been quality in nature, and his 3.81 ERA was pretty impressive for a hurler with a career mark a full run above that and one that hadn’t had an effective season since 2004.

Fantasy owners shouldn’t care about defense, unless of course, things get bad enough to either (a) result in a shift in position, or worse; (b) result in losing a job. Well, Castillo’s range has really slipped this year and it’s not as if his bat is screaming “keep me in the lineup, coach!”

Obviously, it’s pretty hard to be productive when you’re not playing, so at this point Kotchman is completely useless in mixed leagues (unless you’re in one of those 45-team thingamabobs).

After taking two of three from the Florida Marlins on the weekend, the Atlanta Braves have now moved into sole possession of second place in the NL East. They’re just a half game behind the Giants in the NL Wild Card race, but Wild Card leader Colorado continues to surge, and has put 4.5 games between itself and Atlanta. And despite the fact that the Braves have played well lately, the Phillies have been that much better, opening up a seven-game bulge in the East.

Okay, okay, don’t panic. Despite the headline, I’m not advocating the outright dumping of one of the NL’s better catchers. I’m pretty hung over today, but no longer drunk.

In his past seven games, Blake is 4-for-25 with eight strikeouts, dimming what had been a very good July up until about a week and a half ago.