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When the Mariners signed Chone Figgins they expected that he’d be an offensive upgrade over Adrian Beltre. Little did the fans know that he’d play second base instead of third base, where he’d made a home in the past two seasons with the Angels.

Let’s take a look at a few of the potential pitch and ditch options from today’s games and determine if anyone is worth using:

Jason Hammel, Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are one of the hottest teams in baseball, and Hammel gets to take on a Padres offense that is not among the league’s best (21st in the league with 598 runs and 27th in average at .247).

The game is in Colorado, where Hammel is 7-1 with a 3.67 ERA. 

With the athleticism that made him an All-American wide receiver, a frame suitable for a future workhorse, and an arm that's both live and fresh, he fits the physical standards for your prototypical major league pitcher.

With a focused demeanor on the mound that could become a formidable presence in the coming years and the kind of work ethic that can only come from within, he has the intangibles you wish for too.

It's that time of year when it becomes apparent certain teams have players remaining on their rosters that don't really belong.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are no exception, and they have several pitchers that should be on their own, or at the very least in the minor league system. 

Here are five pitchers the Dodgers could do without, and why.

All hail the Jay Bruce express! Hop on the bandwagon now, because it’s filling up quick.
 
Bruce has been up-and-down all season long for the Reds…shoot, for his whole career. Yet the offense had never gone through an extended lull this season until Bruce went down.
 
The Reds offense had become stale over the past two weeks. Having two-and-a-half healthy outfielders will do that to a team (Chris Heisey had been playing banged up).
 

The Giants' season-long chase after the San Diego Padres has finally paid off. San Francisco is half a game back of the Padres.

Getting here has been a lengthy and remarkable pursuit marked by the resilience and dedication of the boys in orange and black.

And it isn't over. Much will depend on how the Giants play their last remaining games.

And yet there are some things beyond the Giants control that may happen to hamper their run at NL West Pennant.

Let's take a look at 10 key things to watch for down the stretch for the Giants.

Prince Fielder’s streak of 327 consecutive games played ended tonight due to reported flu-like symptoms. Given Fielder’s famed dimensions (espn.com and si.com list him as 5’11″ and 268 lbs), he’s not the first guy who’d pop into mind when hearing that a player had just ended a 327 consecutive games played streak.

With a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay, the Yankees dropped out of first place for the first time since August 3.  They've lost seven of their past eight games, three via the walk-off.  No one player has been entirely blameless during the stretch and many players have played poorly, or not at all.

As your fantasy baseball marathons come down to the wire look to these players to help your team or keep them from hindering your team.  Rookies’ Starlin Castro and Ike Davis should have stellar weeks for your team.

Start ‘Em

Starlin Castro | Chicago Cubs | 81 percent

Winning 11 baseball games in a row is tough to do in little league, let alone the big leagues.