In today’s Fantasy baseball notes, we look at how young the Angel rotation is, the emergence of Ervin Santana and the struggles of Mark Prior.

• Suddenly the Angels’ rotation has exactly one starter over 27 or with more than four years of big league experience. But so what? You go with what wins games, and right now, the kids are alright in Los Angeles. Joe Saunders shut down the Rangers on Sunday for seven innings, giving up just three hits and two walks while fanning six. The pair of Saunders and Jered Weaver have gone 10-0, 1.67 over their combined 12 starts. And with the announcement that Bartolo Colon is probably done for the year, Saunders’ instant job security has made him a scorching property. He’s been scooped up in almost every AL-only league and is starting to garner attention in deep mixed leagues. Have a look at him if you need pitching help.
• How about 23-year-old Angels’ starter Ervin Santana? After a second straight solid eight inning outing on Saturday, there are now just six AL pitchers with more wins than the dozen he’s racked up this season. When this kid nips his control problems in the bud, look out.
• Quick: how many of you that own him, picked August 5 as the day Mark Prior would win his first game of the season? We don’t suppose we have to ask you how your team is doing, do we?
• While we’re discussing young pitchers, the Mets’ John Maine is on quite a roll. He took a 17-IP scoreless streak into Sunday’s start, threw another six shutout innings at the Phils and will probably get the win. The 25-year-old former Oriole prospect has pitched so well of late, that it was he — not uber prospect Mike Pelfrey — who survived the cut when Pedro Martinez came off the DL. Maine looks like he’s earned the chance to finish out the season in the Mets’ rotation and as a result, he’s been getting picked up in mixed leagues like a cheap hooker. There’s a very slim chance he’s still available in your NL-only league, and a more likely possibility he’s still on waivers in your mixed leagues. But after Sunday, that could change fast, so you better be quick.

But does all this wonderful sausage talk mask the fact that the Brewers are six games under .500 in a season that was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era of winning for them? Other than home runs, the team is near the bottom of nearly every offensive category. So what’s the plan? more

Adam Eaton has finally pitched his first game for the Rangers after being out all season because of a finger issue. The start was a disaster: three runs, four walks and two hit batsmen in just 3 2/3 IP. But come on. He hadn’t pitched a real game since last year. Eaton gave up only one hit and fanned four, so there was plenty to get excited about. Give him a look. Eaton is probably gone by now in your AL-only league, but he could be an asset in a deeper mixed league, so check your waiver wires and expect a nice return down the stretch. more