Hiroki Kuroda just became a nice fantasy trade chip. This was his pitching line on Monday:

9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K.

The right-hander had a perfect game through seven innings, and settled for near-perfection after Mark Teixeira doubled to lead-off the eighth.

That's 16 scoreless innings for Kuroda since his return from the DL. He began the night only 25.3 percent-owned.

As the AP's game recap points out, the Braves were perhaps not at their best on Monday:

The Braves flew across the country after waiting through a 1-hour, 50-minute rain delay in a 7-6, 17-inning victory over Houston on Sunday in the longest game ever at Turner Field.

We'd write something like "That's not to take anything away from Kuroda's fine effort," except that it does actually take something away.

Still, the Braves seemed impressed:

"Kuroda was great tonight -- probably the best pitching performance we’ve seen all year,” Teixeira said. “His stuff was great -- a mid-90s fastball, putting it exactly where he wanted it, sinking his fastball at 90 to get you to ground out or miss."

Kuroda lowered his ERA to 3.39 with the win, and he nudged his K/BB ratio just over 2.00. He entered the night with a significant home/road split already (1.13 WHIP at home, 1.45 away), and it's going to look more dramatic tomorrow. Kuroda should get one more start in L.A. before the All-Star break. 

• Ubaldo Jimenez struck out seven Brewers, and he allowed only three hits over seven innings. He really did all he could to spoil CC Sabathia Night in Milwaukee.

The 24-year-old Jimemez throws hard, in the upper-90s. He's also been very useful over the past month, posting a 2.37 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 20 Ks in 30.1 innings. If you're streaming, this guy should be in the rotation. If you're in a dynasty league, he should have your attention.

• Ideally, you wouldn't have Brian Bass pitch to the heart of Boston's order in the eighth inning of a scoreless game. But the Twins did, and Dustin Pedroia greeted Bass with a double, then later scored on a Manny Ramirez RBI single. The Red Sox won 1-0.

Neither Scott Baker or Daisuke Matsuzaka earned a decision, but both were terrific. They combined to produce the following fantasy line: 14.1 IP, 0 W, 12 K, 0.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP.

• Pedro Martinez finally had a useful outing: 5.1, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. He allowed home runs to Chase Utley and Pat Burrell, but he won a game in which Adam Eaton was simply mauled.

• Also mauled: Dan Wheeler. He allowed back-to-back 10th inning home runs to John Buck and Mike Aviles. The 14.1 percent-owned Grant Balfour is the Rays reliever you want, although Tampa seems like a strong candidate to add bullpen help before the deadline.

• And also mauled: Runelvys Hernandez and Phil Dumatrait, in the same game. Damaso Marte picked up the save in the Pirates' 10-7 win, while Tyler Yates pitched two innings, striking out four.

• David Ortiz took BP before Monday's game. There's still no exact timetable for his return, though.

• After his eight-inning, seven-strikeout win at San Diego, Ricky Nolasco now has a string of six straight useful fantasy outings. He's 10-4 on the season with 82 Ks in 110.2 innings, and he's lowered his ERA to 3.74. Nolasco should get Kuroda in his next start, and something will have to give there.

• Don't sweat tonight's Manny Parra relief appearance. He's not scheduled to start until Friday, which would have meant going eight days between appearances.

Related: Closing Time