B.Chen on winning streak : Royals starter Bruce Chen picked up his third straight win during Saturday night's contest against the Diamondbacks. Chen, who was making his ninth start of the year, allowed two runs of eight hits over 6 1/3 innings in the 7-3 win. Both runs he surrendered came in the seventh inning, including a RBI double off the bat of Ryan Roberts. Willie Bloomquist also added a RBI single in the frame, which forced Chen from the game. He was pulled after throwing 100 pitches and finished with four strikeouts and two walks, while improving to 3-4 on the year. (Updated 05/19/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
After gong winless in each of his first six starts, Chen has now won three straight outings for the Royals. He has pitched into the seventh inning in all three of his victories and posted a 2.74 ERA over that stretch to go along with 16 strikeouts and four walks. Chen will now look to get back to .500 when he makes his next start, which is scheduled for Friday at Baltimore. The 34-year-old is 2-1 with a 3.74 ERA in four career starts against the Orioles and should continue to viewed as a viable option in AL-only formats heading into his next outing. (Updated 05/19/2012).
05/19/2012 12:45 Di Fino: What's in a name?
When you see the name Montero dangled in a trade, which one would you assume it is? What about Soriano? Our Nando Di Fino has a little fun with some similar names to help owners evaluate players.
05/17/2012 14:59 By the Numbers: Weighing in on the Chens
Which starting pitchers have ratios that suggest a correction -- good or bad -- is in their immediate future? Our Al Melchior shares some buy-low and sell-high starting pitchers in his By the Numbers.
05/14/2012 23:11 Royals' Chen handles Rangers for win
Bruce Chen pitched into the seventh inning for his second straight win and the Kansas City Royals took advantage of Adrian Beltre's throwing error for a 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night.
05/13/2012 20:18 Hit Parade for Week 7
As interleague play gets under way there are many matchups to break down. Our Scott White tells you who the best bets and biggest risks are in his Hit Parade for Week 7.
05/09/2012 23:37 K.C. capitalizes on Boston's outfield flubs
Bruce Chen picked up his first victory of the season, Alcides Escobar drove in the go-ahead run and the Kansas City Royals held off the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Wednesday night.
In a tribute to underdogs everywhere, Bruce Chen managed to win 12 games for the second consecutive season in 2011, only this time with an improved ERA of 3.77 -- his lowest for a season in which he made more than 15 starts. In other words, he defied expectations again, continuing to make amends for a career of unfulfilled expectations through a courageous display of guts and guile. His Fantasy owners were especially appreciative of his performance over the final two months of the season, when he went 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 12 starts to make a legitimate impact in the playoff picture. Of course, part of the reason he was so valuable then -- at least in Head-to-Head leagues -- was because he was eligible at relief pitcher. That's not the case anymore. As purely a starting pitcher, Chen's mediocre WHIP and strikeout rate make him not so alluring on Draft Day. Back with the Royals for another year to toy with fate, the 34-year-old former top prospect could make another surprising contribution in Fantasy. But the bottom line is he'll be available off the waiver wire if he does. (Updated 1/9/12)