Silders: Does NL stand for No Love?

Well, I did it again.

Knowing the uproar I created last time and the hundreds of sleepless nights I spent tossing and turning, haunted by the lives I'd affected, by the leagues I'd affected, I again committed the cardinal sin for anyone attempting to write for a general audience.

I specialized. I addressed only one side of the coin, forsaking those on the other and leading them down a dark path without a light to show them the way.

Yes, in last week's Sliders column, I didn't mention a single player from the National League.

I had my choice of 400 and turned my back on all of them, instead focusing on that other lot of 350. In doing so, I alienated a significant percentage of the Fantasy community -- the NL-only leaguers -- leaving them to fend for themselves without so much as a whisper of what to do next.

And on quiet nights, when the wind hits the foyer just right, I can still hear their cries for help.

Granted, 90 percent of readers didn't even notice because they play in mixed or AL-only leagues, but from the 10 percent that did notice, I felt the heat, and it made me sweat the smelly sweat of sorrow.

So with their permission and yours, I'd like to atone. I'd like to open a new chapter on a new day and lead all the Fantasy leaguers -- the NL-only, the AL-only, the mixed -- side-by-side-by-side, leaving none behind as we walk down that dark path to the glory that awaits us in Fantasy Week 26.

But I know what you're thinking: Why walk when we can slide? I couldn't agree more.

Sliders These guys' recent performances signify more than a hot or cold streak. Their Fantasy appeal has actually "slid" either up or down.

Jair Jurrjens, SP, Braves

Jurrjens plays in the NL. Just thought you'd like to know.

Jair Jurrjens has quietly has a very nice season for the Braves. (US Presswire)

He also plays well, looking at his numbers from his last three starts. Over that period, he has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, striking out 14 batters in 21 2/3 innings. In fact, if you look at his season marks of an 8-3 record and 2.94 ERA, you probably don't need me to tell you he's a pretty good pitcher.

But you might not know just how good. Those numbers, as much as they tell of his success, don't quite do him justice thanks to a three-start stretch at the end of May when he had a blister problem on his throwing hand. His numbers changed so dramatically during that time you almost have to throw them out.

And if you do, check out what remains: a 7-3 record, a 1.95 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

If not for that blister problem, Jurrjens might have an ERA below 2.00, meaning we might be calling him the Justin Duchscherer of the National League, only with plenty of room to grow and develop at age 22.

And although I prefer my Fantasy pitchers to get more strikeouts than Jurrjens does, I can't write off this performance as a fluke. Jurrjens had enough of a pedigree in the Tigers organization that the Braves gave up Edgar Renteria, an All-Star shortstop, to acquire him.

So while he hasn't created quite the stir Edinson Volquez has, Jurrjens' numbers don't trail the Reds right-hander's by much. Time to make him a permanent fixture in your lineup.

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

Players get hot -- this much we know.

So some might look at Pedroia's .528 batting average since the middle of June and write it off as nothing more than a little player stepping up in a big way.

I beg to differ.

The hot streak came at a fitting time for the 5-foot-9 25-year-old. He had a .262 batting average after he'd already established himself as a high-average hitter by batting .317 as a rookie last year. In other words, while Pedroia obviously won't hit .528 the rest of the year, he shouldn't have a counteractive cold streak waiting just around the corner. The hot streak served to normalize his stats, not abnormalize them.

And so with his batting average back at a level we can expect, we can now appreciate his gains in power and speed. His eight home runs and nine stolen bases put him on pace to join the 15-15 club, which while not as prestigious as the 30-30 club, is a nice contribution from a middle infielder, provided it accompanies a high batting average.

I don't mean to call Pedroia elite and place him in the same class as Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler, Dan Uggla, Brandon Phillips and Brian Roberts, but if you want the guy I'd take directly after them, look no further than Pedroia.

Nate McLouth, OF, Pirates

I know; I know -- we all had to expect McLouth to come back down to earth. I did. You did. Little Jimmy across the way did.

(Across the way? What is this farm boy talking about?)

But "down to earth" is such vague terminology, and McLouth's tumble from the heavens has met with such a thud I'd call it more like "through the earth" or "to the core" or ... something much worse than I expected, in any case.

Don't get me wrong: I don't expect his .214 batting average and .622 OPS in June to last either, but they depart so much from his April and May numbers that neither gives a good indication of his final tally.

So I'll try splitting the difference and project him for a .280-.285 batting average with 26 home runs and 18 stolen bases -- numbers that still make him a must-start in most Fantasy leagues, but not a No. 1 outfield option. Really, teammate Jason Bay might do more for your Fantasy team going forward.

Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros

In a Dear Mr. Fantasy column earlier this season, I called Rodriguez "idiot proof" because he suffered from Ervin Santana syndrome last year. He had a 2.94 ERA at home and a 6.37 ERA on the road.

Well, like Santana, Rodriguez has begun to sing a different tune, normalizing his inconsistencies into an all-around impressive stat line. Over his last three starts, he has a good start on the road (5 2/3 innings, two earned runs, six strikeouts at Tampa Bay), a bad start at home (five innings, five earned runs, one strikeout against the Yankees) and a terrific start at home against one of the best-hitting teams in baseball (eight innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts against the Rangers).

In short, both his 1.89 ERA at home and his 3.80 ERA on the road get the job done in Fantasy.

He's always had great strikeout-to-walk ratios and the ability to succeed in Fantasy if he could ever find consistency. Now that he appears to have it, take a flier on him in all leagues.

Matt Garza, SP, Rays

Garza's minor-league numbers read as nothing short of jaw-dropping, but the 24-year-old had trouble translating them to the big leagues because of recurring control problems.

He looks like he's whipped those problems now, averaging 1 1/2 walks in 6 2/3 innings over his last six starts. Not surprisingly, he has a 3.43 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP over that same stretch, striking out 36 batters in 39 1/3 innings.

His one-hitter against the Marlins last week shows just how much progress he's made, and for the first time in his career, he looks like he deserves a starting spot in mixed leagues, regardless of matchup.

Hanging Sliders These guys look like Sliders, but not so fast! Their recent performances might cause you to misinterpret their Fantasy appeal.

Aubrey Huff, 1B, Orioles

Everyone looks at Huff's .344 batting average and .613 slugging percentage in June and thinks he's reverted back to his Tampa Bay days. Well, let me tell you something about those Tampa Bay days: They were vastly overrated.

See, Huff has reverted back to his Tampa Bay days because in those days, he'd have one or two months of spectacular numbers surrounded by four months of mediocrity.

During that three-year period from 2002 to 2004, I made sure I had Huff on my Fantasy team because I wanted him active for that 60-day offensive explosion. I called it Aubrey-mania, and I eventually hoped to make hats, t-shirts, buttons and a whole line of commemorative merchandise that I'd have to store in my garage because no one would want to buy it.

Every year, I foretold the coming of Aubrey-mania, and every year it came. And every year when it came, I'd ask my leaguemates if they remembered it from the year before, and every year, they'd say no.

Aubrey-mania was the Great Pumpkin to my Linus Van Pelt.

So as the foremost expert on the matter, I declare that Aubrey-mania has officially come and gone. Only mediocrity remains. Huff's 2-for-9 performance entering Monday signals his eventual return to low-end corner-infield status in mixed leagues.

Change-up Every week, I make terrible errors in judgment. It happens to us all, and if it didn't, Fantasy wouldn't be a game worth playing. Fortunately, I permit myself the opportunity to correct one of my mistakes by throwing a change-up.

Bobby Abreu, OF, Yankees

I sometimes wonder if players actually read my column as some sort of motivational ploy. How else do you explain Abreu blowing up for his best week of the season right after I blasted him for having across-the-board sinking stats?

In Fantasy Week 13, he hit .474 (9-for-19) with two home runs and three stolen bases. He even walked five times after I blamed his lack of walks for his poor numbers.

He still doesn't walk nearly as much as he did during his glory years, and his stats will likely suffer as a result. But his big week put him back on pace for a 20-20 season, and a 20-20 outfielder ranks inside the top 25, not outside the top 30 as I stated last week.

So I won't give Abreu a huge boost, but I'll admit I overstated his decline last week. Fair enough?

You can e-mail Scott your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Sliders in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.We'll answer as many as we can.