Grand Slam Willingham

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham accomplished a feat that had been done just twice in National League history before yesterday, smacking two grand slams in the same game. Check this out -- the first National Leaguer to do this was Tony Cloninger, a pitcher, and the second was Fernando Tatis, who you may remember hit both his grand salamis in the same inning. By comparison, Willingham's slams look mundane. Ten American League players have also hit two grand slams in the same game, with the trick last being accomplished in 2003 by Bill Mueller.

What will the slams mean for Willingham's value? He's owned in far too few leagues, especially considering he's been a top-ten outfielder over the past month, even before last night's outburst. While the power is first and foremost at attention, Willingham does a great deal of help to a team's batting average as well. He's even thrown in a couple steals for good measure. His splits indicate that you'll be able to plug him into your lineup regardless of the situation.

Bits From the Box Scores
• Speaking of Tatis, he delivered a pinch-hit grand slam for the Mets to break an eighth-inning tie. Unfortunately, he didn't get another bases-loaded opportunity later in the inning. Earlier in the game, Troy Tulowitzki hit his 19th homer. After two ugly months at the beginning of the season, Tulowitzki has raised his average to .260 while homering 14 times in June and July.

• The grand slams just kept on coming. Carlos Zambrano and Wandy Rodriguez locked into a pitcher's duel, with each giving up one solo homer in seven innings of work. Carlos Lee and Derrek Lee provided the juice early, but we had zeroes on the board from the fifth inning on. Alfonso Soriano approached the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 13th and cleared them with a walk-off grand slam. Soriano has been excellent in July, so congrats if you bought low.

• Billy Butler always profiled as a high average hitter; last night, he showed why. The Kansas City first baseman posted a 5-for-5 day, lining pitch after pitch to left and right field and throwing in an infield single for good measure. This pushed Butler's average up to .295 for the season. Alex Gordon now has a five-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 in the same game.

• Tim Lincecum: 9 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 15 K. Wow. Not even Garrett Jones could touch Lincecum last night, and that's sayin' something. Coming in with the exact opposite line was Felix Hernandez, who was rocked for seven earned runs in 5.2 innings. Nothiing you can do about that one but shrug your shoulders and keep starting King Felix.

• It's about time to start taking Texas pitcher Tommy Hunter seriously. The rookie has started four games in July, winning three games while allowing just three earned runs in 24.1 innings. More impressive is that all three wins have come at home in the Texas heat. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Hunter for your fantasy team; then again, I'd say the same about Joel Pineiro, and he continues to shiine.

• The Yankees completely had their way with the Rays pitching last night, scoring five runs off Tampa Bay starter James Shields and six runs off the Rays bullpen. All the Yankees starters had at least one hit in the game, while Nick Swisher contributed two longballs. Swisher's been massively disappointing since a huge April, and this looks like a blip on the radar. Carl Crawford stole his 48th base for the Rays, while New York's A.J. Burnett picked up a win with a great performance.

• Another HR from Mark Reynolds puts him at 27 for the season. He's also in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak. Yeah, Mark Reyonlds. Who knew? Ryan Howard homers for the Phillies, while Jamie Moyer gives the Stream Team another successful start, going 6.2 innings and allowing no runs in the win.

• Chris Carpenter benefited from four double plays against the Dodgers on the way to his ninth win. Carpenter also reached the requisite innings requirement to qualify for the ERA title, and his 2.19 ERA is good for second in the National League behind Dan Haren. On offense, Mark DeRosa homered for the second consecutive game. With DeRosa and Julio Lugo hitting in front of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, the St. Louis offense is suddenly one you want your pitchers to avoid.

• It was Opposite Day in San Diego. Slugger Kyle Blanks stole a base for the first time in his career, while speedster Everth Cabrera juiced his first home run. Both players make interesting pickups, but not for the abilities they flashed last night -- Blanks hit three HRs last week, while Cabrera has 11 steals in 155 plate appearances this season.

• Kendry Morales has quitely become a force in Los Angeles. Two HRs against Cleveland last night put him at 20 for the season. With seven homers in July, Morales could easily top 30 HRs this season; combine that with the .290-plus average, and Morales has been quite a steal in 2009. Since you still don't hear much about him, he might make a fine value pick in 2010.

Trade Winds: The Giants picked up 28-year-old Ryan Garko in an attempt to bolster their offense. Expect to see him in the lineup on most days, and with solid average and power, he's a fine pickup for those in NL-only leagues. While it looks like Roy Halladay might stay put, it's becoming more and more likely that Cliff Lee and Bronson Arroyo are on the move. Lee could be staying in the AL, and AL-only owners want nothing to do with Arroyo in the hitter's league.

The Afflicted: Kevin Slowey is finally biting the bullet and having surgery on his right wrist, making him droppable in all non-keeper leagues. Juan Rivera returned to the lineup last night and was part of a three-homer second inning for the Angels. Tim Hudson had a good four-inning outing in Triple-A, but he's still likely two weeks away at the very least. Jose Lopez and Russell Branyan are day-to-day for the Mariners. Cardinals OF Colby Rasmus missed another game and with the offense clicking, the team needn't rush back the youngster.

Lineup Lock Time: Take your time today -- the lineups don't lock until 7:05 ET.