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| Kevin Millwood picked up a complete game loss on Saturday night as he held the Angels to just two runs on the night. Millwood scattered 12 hits on the evening but thanks to just one walk he was able to limit the damage. This is about as good a performance as we are likely to see from Millwood this season though the hope is his new training regime rekindles memories of his performance while wearing a Braves uniform. |
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| David Murphy continued his impressive start to the season on Saturday night as he hit his first home run of the year for the Rangers. The kid is hitting .412 in five games this season and his bat keeps giving the club a reason to have him in the lineup. Right now he should be owned in all AL Only leagues, though rostering him a mixed league format seems a bit premature. |
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| Howie Kendrick had two hits, an RBI and he stole a base for the Angels on Saturday night. Kendrick is now 10-for-23 (.435) on the year. He has only one K on the season but he also has only one walk, so unless he learns to have a bit more patience he will likely be hard pressed to match last years .322 mark. |
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| Jered Weaver hurled seven shutout innings on Saturday night to lead the Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers. Weaver allowed only three base runners on the night, all on hits, while striking out six batters. With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the sidelines Weaver has really stepped up his game and is pitching very well right now with an 11 to 2 K/BB mark. |
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| Matt Holliday had two hits on Saturday night to lift his average to .167 on the year in 18 AB. It's still way too early to panic, but this was the fifth straight game for Holliday this year without an RBI, something that never happened even once last year in his MVP runner-up season. |
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| Mike Jacobs hit the first grand slam of his career on Saturday night to lead the Marlins to a 7-3 victory over the Pirates. The home run was his only hit of the night, and he is hitting just .250 in 20 AB, but Jacobs hopes to transition into a 25 HR hitting first baseman that the team believes he can be. Be patient with Jacobs, though it would be wise to realize that no matter how much he improves the average will likely be at best, well average. |
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| Yuniesky Betancourt picked up two more hits on Saturday to up his average to .444 in 18 AB for the Mariners. Betancourt continues to swing away from the ninth spot in the order. After two nearly identical seasons at the plate, the hope is that Bentacourt will show some plate discipline and hopefully turn into a .300 hitter. Time will tell. |
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| Raul Ibanez went 0-for-3 on Saturday and now sits at .167 with only one RBI in five games. Ibanez continues to be one of the most overlooked bats in the outfield as he has hit .290 with 228 RBI the past two seasons for the Mariners, so look for him to snap out of this mini funk soon. |
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| Who said this closing thing was difficult? George Sherrill now has three saves in three appearances for the Orioles after Saturday night. Sherrill figures to be locked into the role in Baltimore, and if he keeps pitching the way he has early in the year there will be a whole lot of happy fantasy owners out there that grabbed Sherrill late. |
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| Adam Loewen was pulled after throwing only 4.2 innings thanks to allowing seven base runners, four runs and two home runs on the night. Loewen's performance tonight wasn't much different than what Loewen showed most of spring, and no matter how much talent he has, it will be difficult to keep running him out there every fifth day if he can't find the strike zone. Heck, the Orioles already have a starter who cant throw strikes and his name is Daniel Cabrera. |
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| Brian Roberts had only one hit on Saturday night but he was still able to steal two bases on the night despite being caught once. Whether or not Roberts stays in Baltimore he still figures to be a top-5 hitter from the second base position, especially if he keeps on running like this. |
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| Luke Scott went 3-for-3 with two RBI on Saturday night in the Orioles 6-4 victory over the Mariners. Scott, who hit in the sixth hole, would appear to be in a great position to drive in some runs with the Orioles, that is if Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff continue to find their way on base ahead of him. |
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| Daric Barton had his first three hit game of the young season on Saturday as he went 3-for-5 with a run scored. Barton appears to be a safe average play this season, and with his ability to work the count he should remain in the lineup even while struggling. However, if you have him on your roster you had better look for your power elsewhere as he has yet to develop a power bat. |
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| Mark Ellis was the A's hitting star on Saturday as he scored a run and had three RBI in addition to two hits against the Indians. Ellis had started the year mired in a 1-for-17 slump, so this was a welcome bust out for the second baseman. Ellis hit 19 HR with 76 RBI last season, and while he may not be able to match those numbers this season he should still be a solid middle infield option in mixed leagues. |
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| Travis Buck was on the bench on Saturday as the A's faced C.C. Sabathia as Buck is currently 0-for-18 with nine strikeouts. Buck is being counted on to provide a solid bat from the top of the A's lineup this season, and given the A"s dearth of top level talent, there would appear to be plenty of playing time coming his way to prove his worth at the major league level. |
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| Dana Eveland looked fantastic in his first start for Oakland as he helped to defeat the Indians 6-1 on Saturday. Eveland lasted seven innings and allowed only one run while striking out seven. Eveland certainly appears locked in to the starting rotation for the A's, especially considering the recent injury to Justin Duchscherer, and he appears well on his way to being a useful AL Only starter this season. |
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| Jermaine Dye scored two runs and had an RBI for the White Sox on Saturday in their victory over the Tigers. Dye is hitting a blistering .474 in his first 19 AB as he tries to return to the 30 HR, 100 form he has showed in seasons past (he hit just .254-28-78 in 2007). |
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| Brandon Inge was the hitting star of Saturday for the Tigers as he had two hits and three RBI in the Tigers loss to the White Sox. Inge has already seen time at third base and outfield, though we are still waiting for him to try on the tools of ignorance. No matter where he plays Inge is hitting in the early going with a .375 mark in 16 AB. |
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| Bobby Jenks closed out the Tigers on Saturday to pick up his third save of the early season for the White Sox. Not many people seem aware of the fact that Jenks may have been the best relief pitcher in the American League last season after the all-star break as he posted a 0.58 WHIP in 29.1 innings. If he keeps pitching like this, we will forgive him for having a blonde fu manchu hanging from his chin. |
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| It was the worst of times, it was the best of times for Dontrelle Willis on Saturday. Willis didn't allow a hit until the sixth inning against the White Sox but he ended up allowing three runs in five innings despite only permitting one hit. How is that possible you ask? Well, Willis walked seven batters on the day. Besides having no idea where the ball was going at times, Willis also seemed to be favoring his shoulder, which might explain how he was able to throw 89 pitches without a single strikeout. Willis remains nothing more than an AL only play at the moment, and another outing or two like this will bring even that into doubt. |
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| Kyle Snyder will be designated for assignment to make room for the activation of Josh Beckett, this according to the Boston Globe. This move hasn't been officially announced yet, but when it does it will mean that the Sox will lose Snyder who is out of options and cannot be sent to minors. As a result of this move, it would appear that David Aardsma will continue to hold a spot in the Red Sox bullpen. |
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| Troy Percival needed 13 pitches to pick up his first save of the season for the Rays on Saturday. Percival is being counted on to be the team's stopper out of the bullpen this season but the situation bares watching as Percival hasn't thrown 50 innings in a season since 2002. If you own Percival, make sure you have also rostered Al Reyes. |
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| Edwin Jackson had a stellar outing on Saturday to pick up his first win of the season as he limited the Yankees to just one run over six innings. Jackson allowed five hits and two walks on the day and he punched out four Yankees hitters. Amazingly still only 24 years old, Jackson continues to possess the arm of a big-time winner though he has never been able to show the consistency needed to earn the moniker of "winner." |
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| Andy Pettitte picked up the loss in his first start of the season after allowing five runs, three earned, in five innings. Pettitte allowed eight hits and two walks over his 86 pitches, and was generally very unimpressive against the Rays. Pettitte still figures to win his 14-15 games as long as he can stay healthy, but it might be a bumpy ride in the ratio categories. |
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| Jason Giambi left the Yankees game on Saturday after five innings because of a sore groin and he is being listed as day-to-day, this according to the AP. Giambi still has 30-HR power if he can remain on the field, but at this point we just don't know how often that will occur. Giambi has begun the year going 1-for-11, so the Yankees may be better off with Wilson Betemit or Morgan Ensberg in the lineup for a while. |
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| First bagger Justin Morneau was the story of the day for the Minnesota Twins, going 2-for-4 at the plate in the Twins' 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Morneau posted his first double of the year as well as his first homer of the season, going long in the 4th off Gil Meche. He collected an impressive four RBIs on the day, a strong outing for a man that was struggling (bringing his batting average to .150). |
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| Jonny Gomes hit a home run while knocking in four runs in the Rays 6-3 victory over the Yankees. Will the Rays just please give this guy his 500 AB so he can knock 30 dingers while approaching 100 RBI? Gomes is only AL worthy at the moment because of his unsteady playing time, but keep and eye on him in mixed leagues if the team runs him out there every day. |
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| Joe Nathan picked up his third save of the season, throwing 15 pitches (12 strikes) to four batters, giving up one hit and inducing one ground out, one fly out, and one strike out. Nathan has yet to surrender a single run or a walk, and while it's early, it's starting to look like he was worth that fat contract he recently signed. |
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| Gil Meche failed to impress in his second start of the season, throwing 87 pitches (57 strikes) through 5 2/3 innings to surrender six runs (all earned) on six hits. Meche only walked two and struck out five, but the heart of the Twins' batting order abused him all day long. This brings Meche to a seasonal ERA of 6.94, having surrendered two homers with a 1.71 WHIP. |
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| RF Alex Rios continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-5 in Toronto's 10-2 win over the Boston Red Sox today. Rios picked up his fourth RBI of the season and his second double thus far, bringing him to a seasonal batting average of .353. |
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| Vernon Wells had his swing working today as the Blue Jays put a 10-2 trouncing on the Boston Red Sox. Wells went 1-for-3 with one RBI (his 3rd of the season), two runs scored, and two walks. Wells is now hitting .278 after six games. |
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| RHP Clay Buchholz suffered through a rough outing against the Toronto Blue Jays today, but the relief pitching is what cost the Red Sox a shot at competing, falling 2-10. Buchholz threw 89 pitches through a short five innings of work, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits. Buchholz had his arm working, striking out seven and walking just two, but the offense failed to materialize in his support and the relief pitching, namely Kyle Snyder and Bryan Corey (giving up SIX runs on the next 30 pitches), was an utter disaster. |
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| Detroit relief pitcher Fernando Rodney remains a significant question mark after hope planted in a rehab bullpen session has gone sour, according to the Detroit News. Battling tendinitis in his throwing shoulder, Rodney hit the pen on Friday at Comerica Park and failed to assure any of the coaches that things were progressing. "I'm not going into any details about it," said manager Jim Leyland. "I'm not going to get into medical stuff. There was nothing (medically related) discovered or anything. It just wasn't good." In response to the events, Leyland has added RHP Francis Beltran to the active roster and has optioned OF Ryan Raburn to Toledo. This is bad news for a team in need of relief options from the bullpen. We will update this situation when additional information about Rodney and his health becomes available. |
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| Catcher Miguel Olivo has been activated from the suspended list by the Kansas City Royals, according to USAToday.com. Olivo was serving a four-game suspension for his part in a brawl with the NY Mets, events that took place when Olivo was a member of the Florida Marlins at the end of last season. Rookie catcher Matt Tupman has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Olivo on the active roster. |
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| Boston manager Terry Francona fielded his team with a slightly different look today, according to MLB.com. Facing the Toronto Blue Jays, Sean Casey has earned his first start at 1B for the Sox while Coco Crisp has gotten the start over Jacoby Ellsbury in center. Francona suggests he is simply trying to keep players in shape and ready to go, not wanting folks to grow complacent with sitting. "It's early," Francona said. "[We're] trying to win a game and keep guys sharp. Our guys are good about understanding - especially early on - about being flexible." While it is hard to argue with Francona's reasoning, the fantasy owners with Ellsbury on the roster have to be growing frustrated. We keep hearing Crisp is going to be dealt, but it's not happening and the young star on the rise is forced to miss opportunity as Crisp gets playing time. Casey is nothing more than an option of depth who can give both 1B Kevin Youkilis and DH David Ortiz a rest. |
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| The Brewers have started Gabe Gross in center field today as Milwaukee faces the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com. The Brewers have started three different players in center as they seek a committee answer to the loss of Mike Cameron, gone for 25 games serving a league-mandated suspension. Tony Gwynn Jr. and Gabe Kapler have been the weapons of choice in center, but Gwynn left Thursday's game in Chicago with a bad hammy and Gross, a left-handed swinger, is getting a shot against RHP Kevin Correia. The team expects Gwynn will not miss much time, but official updates have yet to come forth. |
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| Tampa ace Scott Kazmir continues to work towards a return to the mound, throwing 60 pitches during an 18-minute bullpen session today, according to the Associated Press. The Rays have told reporters Kazmir will throw a batting practice session on Tuesday as the up-and-coming hurler continues to rehab from a left elbow strain. The hopes is to see Kazmir traveling with and pitching for the team by the end of the month, and the fact he is throwing his slider effectively off the bullpen mound is promising. |
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| The Yankees will welcome Andy Pettitte to the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays today in the veteran's first start of the '08 season, according to the Sports Network. Pettitte opened the season on the disabled list with back issues, but he appears to be set for action today and hopes to continue what has been a strong career string of success against the Rays, sporting a record of 13-2 with a 3.53 ERA over 21 games against this team. |
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| RHP Hideo Nomo has become a member of the Kansas City Royals as the team has purchased his contract from Idaho Falls, according to the Kansas City Star. The Royals have been watching Nomo to determine if his recovery from a strained right groin was complete, and with a roster spot open (sending rookie catcher Matt Tupman to Omaha), they are making the leap and adding an arm to the mix. |
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| Boston ace Josh Beckett is expected to return from his stint on the DL and make his first start of the season, according to the Providence Journal. Manager Terry Francona told reporters Beckett should be in but will be closely monitored, thus we expect the low pitch count to be in full effect. "We expect he'll give everything he has, but we know he's not going to pitch a complete game," said Francona. Beckett has been struggling with lower back pain and reports of an undisclosed hip injury have also persisted. Also, keep in mind the Red Sox need to make room for Beckett on the roster, so someone will go (rumors indicate RHP David Aardsma is the likely candidate). |
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| Carl Crawford is doing what he can to keep the Rays and fantasy owners happy, going 1-for-5 at the plate (just one stolen base) with a stolen base, one RBI, and two runs scored in the Rays' 13-4 trouncing of the New York Yankees. Crawford is hitting .286 thus far and already has three stolen bases on the season, but leaving four men on base is killer for those hoping to see bigger and better gains from the top talent in Tampa baseball. |
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| Grady Sizemore left '07 with a bat to envy and continues to shine in '08. In Cleveland's 3-6 loss to the Oakland A's, Sizemore went 2-for-4 with one strike out. Hitting leadoff, Sizemore's .375 batting average, if he can keep it going, serves as a great sign for Cleveland moving forward. Getting on base in front of a some of the best power hitting in the league should result in better returns. |
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| Bobby Crosby got work done in Oakland's 6-3 win over Cleveland, swinging the wood in what has been a strong start at the plate for the defensive gem. Crosby went 2-for-4 at the plate, posting a double with one RBI and two runs scored. Crosby now carries a batting average of .333, and while we expect that number to come down, the strong start is a great indication of the season ahead for the talented SS. |
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| Kevin Millar seems to be enjoying the clean-up spot in the batting order for Baltimore. In last night's 7-4 win over Seattle, Millar hit 3-for-4 with his first home run of the season, registering two runs scored and bringing his season batting average to .417. |
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| Adrian Beltre continues swing a hot bat in the early going, hitting 1-for-4 with his first home run of the year in Seattle's 4-7 loss to Baltimore yesterday. Beltre has recorded a hit in each of the team's first four games, touting an early batting average of .333. |
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