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| Nate Robertson was hit around for the second straight start this season. The Tigers left-hander allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out six over 5.1 innings of work in the Thursday loss to Boston. The southpaw is 0-1 with an ERA of 7.48 in two starts. |
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| J.D. Drew went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI helping lead the Boston Red Sox to a 12-6 victory over Detroit on Thursday. Drew is hitting .440 and has two home runs and seven RBI in seven games played. |
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| Michael Young , who scored twice in the 3-1 opening game win for the Rangers, hit a solo home run in the first inning of the nightcap assisting Texas to a 4-3 win and a doubleheader sweep. Young's struggled early this season and heads into the weekend action against a good Blue Jays pitching staff hitting .212. |
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| Ian Kinsler hit an RBI tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, and the Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Thursday night to complete a doubleheader sweep. Kinsler was 1-for-4 in the second affair leaving his average at .294 as the team heads into the weekend action as hosts to the Toronto Blue Jays. |
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| John Bale was exited from the mound after six innings on Thursday night, a 6-1 loss to the Yankees. The Royals left-hander allowed four runs and eight hits with a walk while striking out three. |
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| Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada went back-to-back with long balls in the ninth inning off Hideo Nomo, who replaced Bale for his first appearance in the majors since 2005, while with Tampa Bay. Posada, who is still suffering from a shoulder sprain, served as the teams designated hitter. |
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| Alex Rodriguez went deep in the Yankees 6-1 win over Kansas City on Thursday night. A-Rod hit his home run off Hideo Nomo, who replaced Bale for his first appearance in the majors since July 15, 2005, while with Tampa Bay. Even if the Royals played well enough to sweep the Evil Empire, they deserved to lose tonight based solely on the fact they decided to add Nomo, instead of a deserving young arm in their farm system, to the 25-man roster. |
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| Melky Cabrera and the Yankees avoided a three-game series sweep by KC with a 6-1 win on Thursday night. Cabrera tied the game after the Royals took a 1-0 lead, with a solo homer in the third. The Yankee outfielder finished the game 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. |
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| Andy Pettitte picked up his first victory of the season and helped the New York Yankees defeat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 Thursday night, avoiding a series sweep.
Pettitte held the Royals to one run and five hits in 6.2 innings of work. The Yankee southpaw has a career record of 12-4 with a 3.06 ERA against Kansas City. |
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| Adam Jones went 2-for-4 hitting from the leadoff spot in the first game of a double header against the Rangers. The Birds lost the game, 3-1, and their six game winning streak in the process. It was Jones' first appearance at the top of the lineup after batting eighth in every game this season.It was Jones's first appearance at the top of the lineup after batting eighth in every game this season. |
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| Joaquin Benoit struck out three of the four batters he faced in the eighth inning of Thursday's 3-1 win over the Orioles. Benoit replaced starter Kevin Millwood and gave way to closer C.J Wilson in the ninth. |
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| Josh Hamilton hit his third double on the season and drove in two runs in the Rangers game-one 3-1 win over Baltimore. Hamilton is slowly warming for his new team. The power-hitting outfielder is hitting .290 with a home run and seven RBI in the first two weeks of the season. |
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| Michael Young was singled and doubled in the Rangers 3-1 win over Baltimore on Thursday. Texas' shortstop scored twice and drove in a run. |
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| Steve Trachsel gave up three runs and five hits over 6.1 innings in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Rangers. The 37-year-old right-hander struck out two and walked four in his effort. |
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| C.J. Wilson worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the season. The Rangers closer has pitched three innings on the year and has yet to strike out a hitter. |
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| Kevin Millwood was solid in Thursday's first game of a double header defeating Baltimore 3-1 and ended the Orioles' six-game winning streak.
Millwood allowed only one run in seven innings to lower his ERA to 1.29. |
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| Jorge Posada returned to the lineup card on Thursday and will be the Yankees designated hitter in the final game of a three-game series against the Royals. Posada, who was thought to be headed to the disabled list with a shoulder injury, is not ready to return to his catching duties and likely won't be until early next week. |
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| Joey Devine was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to replace the disabled Rich Harden.
Devine will fill the relief role of Lenny DiNardo who is expected to start for Harden on Saturday. |
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| In the Tigers eight games this season, their ninth tonight in Boston, the team has had four different leadoff hitters, with Brandon Inge getting the call tonight against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, this according to MLive.com.
Inge hasn't led off since Sept. 10, 2006. He led off four times that season, and 74 times the year before.
Jim Leyland cited Inge's numbers against Wakefield (6-for-22, 2 home runs).
The other leadoff hitters the Tigers have used in Granderson's absence are Edgar Renteria, Pudge Rodriguez and Clete Thomas. The Tigers still aren't sure how soon Granderson will return. He said today that he's making good progress, but still doesn't know how soon he'll be taking batting practice. |
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| Mike Lowell has been placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained left thumb, according to the Providence Journal. Jed Lowrie has been recalled from Pawtucket.
The report noted that Lowell walked into the clubhouse with a removable cast on his right arm. He injured the thumb in the first inning of Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
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| Mark Buehrle will get seven days' rest due to Thursday's rainout, this according to the Chicago Tribune.
Don Cooper insists Buehrle is healthy and will remain on a five-day schedule following his next start Monday against Oakland.
"Nothing is wrong with Buehrle," Cooper said during a conference call with reporters. "Mark Buehrle is fine with a couple of extra days (of rest). He's looking to get his 33 starts and 200 innings. Mark Buehrle will pitch on April 14, 19, 24 and 29th. That's every five days. There's no extra time."
The realigning also means that Buehrle and fellow left-hander John Danks will pitch on consecutive days (April 14-15 and 19-20) but will be separated after that. |
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| The Boston Herald is reporting that Alex Cora pulled up lame after making a throw over to first during pre-game workouts this afternoon. After bending over in obvious pain he attempted one more throw over to first. After coming up well short of first with the toss, Cora returned to the clubhouse to get his arm checked.
There was no word yet whether Cora was starting for the injured Mike Lowell tonight, but as of now it doesn't look like the veteran will be available. |
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| Garrett Olson threw six scoreless innings on Wednesday, fanning seven and not allowing a walk at Triple-A. Olson is still considered an excellent pitching prospect, and he could be the first option to replace any current Orioles starters. |
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| Toronto's replacement closer Jeremy Accardo took the loss for the second straight day Wednesday, this after blowing a ninth inning one run lead against the supposedly light hitting A's (they have 10 or more hits in the last five games). Wednesday's blown save was his first after three successful conversions, but he looked abnormally shaky for the second straight day. Big B.J. Ryan could be ready to return during Toronto's next homestand, which begins on Wednesday. Ryan will step right into the closer role upon his return. |
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| Henry Rodriguez threw six scoreless innings at High-A on Wednesday and struck out eight while walking two batters. Rodriguez is emerging as a top pitching prospect because of his outstanding stuff, and the command that he has shown early on is encouraging. |
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| How many of you were cursing yourself this past weekend for passing on the limited number of quality shortstops in the American League during March drafts, while waiting to use a mid-to-late round selection on Jhonny Peralta? After starting the season in a 1-for-17 hole, the Cleveland infielder arisen. His 3-for-5 performance on Wednesday, a double and home run, makes him 7-for-13 in his last three games. He currently holds a more than respectable .294 batting average. It's worth noting that Peralta is a notoriously slow starter, batting around the Mendoza line in each of his last three seasons. If he can forge forward this April and carry this production into May, it's probably a result of his ears burning after a miserable Week 1. |
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| With K-Rod in a boot and nursing a sprained ankle, someone has to get the save opportunities for the Angels. Manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com he would use the dreaded "closer committee," but the word on the street is that the LA skipper will lean on Jason Bulger . The right-hander has experienced success at the highest level in the minors. At Triple-A Salt Lake last year he recorded 10 saves in 49 appearances and finished 23 games. Bulger struck out 81, walked 24 and posted an ERA of 3.76 in 52.2 innings pitched. If Bulger is available, especially those who own Rodriguez, make a bid for his services. |
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| Marcus Thames will start in left field against Boston today, according to the Boston Globe. He is only hitting .200 over 10 at-bats, but has one homer and two RBI over three games. He will bat ninth in the order. |
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| Sean Casey will start at first base today against Detroit, according to the Boston Globe. Regular first baseman Kevin Youkilis will move to third base to cover for the injured Mike Lowell. Casey is hitting well, as he holds a .333 average over nine at-bats. |
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| Kevin Youkilis will start at third base today against Detroit, according to the Boston Globe. He will replace Mike Lowell, who is nursing a hand injury. Sean Casey will take his spot at first base. |
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| Kevin Cash is expected to start over Jason Varitek at catcher today against the Tigers, according to the Boston Globe. He has one hit over three at-bats this season, and he will bat ninth in the Red Sox order. He will face Tigers' lefty Nate Robertson. |
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| Carlos Pena had a tough day at the plate against Seattle on Thursday, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, while leaving four men on base. The Rays won 7-0 however, and his poor outing will be forgiven. His average is only at .176 now, but he has been productive with three homers and six RBI over the first nine games of the season. |
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| Eric Hinske was awarded the start at third base in place of the ailing Willy Aybar on Thursday, and he took advantage of the playing time as he went 1-for-4 with one RBI, and notably blasted his second homer of the season. The utility man batted fifth in the Rays' lineup as they defeated Seattle 7-0. |
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| Ichiro Suzuki had a tough day at the plate against Tampa Bay on Thursday, as he went 0-for-3, with one strikeout. He did register one walk, but his season average dipped to .279. He should bounce back fine. |
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| Edwin Jackson fired eight scoreless innings, with a mere two hits allowed, in a 7-0 win over Seattle on Thursday. He had four walks with six strikeouts, and lowered his season ERA to 0.64 and improves to 2-0. His fantasy stock will continue to rise with each strong outing. |
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| Miguel Batista has fallen to 0-2 for the season as he allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings, with three walks and four strikeouts, as Seattle fell to Tampa Bay 7-0 on Thursday. His back was bothering him through spring training, and could be attributed to his poor start. |
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| Billy Butler has hit safely in all eight games so far this season, and will look to extend his streak today against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees, according to MLB.com. Butler is belting .406 overall, in 32 at-bats, and his fantasy stock remains on the rise. |
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| Andy Pettitte is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA but has a good chance to get on track today against the Royals, according to MLB.com. Over his career against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, he is 6-2 with a 3.55 ERA over 11 games (nine starts). The Royals are hot, but this could be a quality outing for him. |
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| Dana Eveland looks to followup his impressive first win as he takes the hill today against Toronto, according to MLB.com. In his first start, he only allowed one run on six hits over seven innings, with seven strikeouts and one walk. His fantasy stock will continue to rise if he has another strong outing today. |
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| Bobby Crosby is seeing the ball very well right now as he has gone seven games without striking out, which is the longest stretch in his career, according to MLB.com. Crosby has only struck out once overall, in 36 at-bats, and holds a solid .306 average. His fantasy stock will continue to rise. |
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| Magglio Ordonez has a good track record against Tim Wakefield, today's opposing pitcher for Boston, according to MLB.com. Ordonez is hitting 15-for-33 with two homers over his career against the knuckle-baller. Ordonez is off to a favorable start in 2008 with a .273 average over 33 at-bats, and should have the upper hand in this match-up. |
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| Jacoby Ellsbury will ride the pine today in favor of Coco Crisp in center field, according to MLB.com. Crisp will get the call against Tigers' lefty Nate Robertson, and Ellsbury has been limited to only 17 at-bats so far this season, with a dismal .176 average. |
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| Coco Crisp will start today in center field against Tigers' lefty Nate Robertson, according to MLB.com. Jacoby Ellsbury will ride the pine again, and this will be Crisp's sixth start in the first 10 games for Boston. |
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| Ben Broussard will ride the pine in favor of Jason Botts in the second game of today's double header against Baltimore, according to MLB.com. Botts will get the call at first base against Baltimore lefty Adam Loewen. |
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| Jason Botts will start at first base in the second game of today's double header against Baltimore, according to MLB.com. He will face lefty Adam Loewen. This will be his first start of the season. |
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| Eric Hinske starts at third base today in place of Willy Aybar, according to the Tampa Tribune. Aybar is out due to hamstring tightness, and the utility man is batting fifth in the lineup. |
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| Willy Aybar is out of the Rays' lineup today, according to the Tampa Tribune. He is battling hamstring tightness and Eric Hinske takes his place at third base. |
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| Matt Garza could be out anywhere from four to six weeks, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Garza underwent an MRI exam on his right arm that he noted showed "everything's fine," but he won't throw for at least five days and will be re-evaluated in about two weeks. He added that he plans to be cautious in his comeback after seeing how former team-mate Francisco Liriano was injured. Jeff Niemann is believed to be called up from Triple-A to take Garza's spot in the Rays' rotation on Sunday.
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| Scott Kazmir will hurl another batting practice session on Saturday before moving on to minor-league games, which would seemingly push his targeted return back to the end of April, according to the St. Petersburg Times. The team had discussed moving him next to an extended spring game, but Manager Maddon said he made a cumulative call to have him throw another pen session. He could be out longer than expected, but you should still get plenty of starts out of him in your quest to win your fantasy league title.
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| It appears that Jorge Posada will avoid the DL, according to the NY Daily News. The team received encouraging news on him, as an MRI exam revealed nothing more than a strained right shoulder. Posada noted, "It's good news that it's not worse. I was worried because my shoulder is part of what I do. I had surgery in 2001 and I was worried that it was going to be the same. I'm happy that it's not." Posada stated that he expects to miss the next three or four days, although Girardi commented that he could miss a few more days than that, and added, "I really believe he'll be back in there in a week. We'll have to wait and see. I tend to be a little more conservative. You don't want to run him out there until he's completely healthy." This is good news for Posada, and the fantasy value of backup Jose Molina will begin to decline.
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| Michael Cuddyer rejoined the team after seeing a hand specialist on Tuesday, according to the Star Tribune. He remains on track to have the stitches in his injured right index finger taken out on Monday, and he still hopes to return from the 15-day DL on April 20.
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| Fausto Carmona has reportedly signed a new four-year deal with the Indians, according to the AP. The deal is worth $15 million, and includes options from 2012-2014. He notably won 19 games in 2007, and is off to a 1-0 start in 2008, with a 0.69 ERA. |
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| Francisco Cruceta has finally received his visa, according to the Detroit News. It took two months, but he is now allowed to report to the Tigers' Class-A Lakeland club. The Tigers will have 30 days after that to decide whether to add him to their 25-man roster, or to outright his contract to one of their minor league teams.
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| Joe Saunders is performing very well so far and is notably the first Angels' starter to pitch at least eight innings in each of his first two starts of a season since Jack Lazorko in 1987, according to the LA Times. Saunders is 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA over 16 innings (with nine strikeouts), and his fantasy stock should continue to rise. |
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| The Angels hope Francisco Rodriguez can throw this weekend, in the bullpen and possibly in a game, according to the LA Times. The elite closer should be back very soon as he heals from his sore ankle. |
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| The Angels are hopeful that Howie Kendrick can return to the lineup this weekend, according to the LA Times. He has a jammed thumb, but has been rock solid over eight games, as he is hitting .429 over 28 at-bats, with only one strikeout. |
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| Kurt Suzuki went 0-for-4 against Toronto on Wednesday, and had his eight game hitting streak snapped. He did reach base on a walk, however, and his average remains strong at .364 over 33 at-bats. |
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| Miguel Cabrera is off to a shaky start in Detroit, as he made his third error of the season on Wednesday against Boston. He also went 1-for-4, while leaving three men on base. He is only hitting .125 over 24 at-bats, with six strikeouts, and he is clearly having a rough time adapting to the American League in the early going. |
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| Placido Polanco made another error in the Tigers' first win of the season against Boston on Wednesday, and he now has two for the season. The usually reliable Polanco has been bothered by a stiff lower back, and that is likely what is causing his fielding mistakes. His bat is cold as well, as he is only hitting .103 over 29 at-bats. |
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| Jason Bay entered Wednesday's game hitting .182, with only one extra base hit in 22 at-bats. Bay had zero RBI and had yet to jog around the bases. Through the first seven innings of Wednesday's loss to the Cubs, with Ryan Dempster on the mound, Bay's slump continued. However, once the former Cubs closer departed, Bay found his stroke. The Pirate outfielder hit the game tying home run in the bottom of the ninth off Chicago closer Kerry Wood and finished the evening 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. Fantasy owners that believed they stole Bay in the middle rounds of mixed formats, would like some return, any return on their investment. Tonight was a good start to what many would like to think is a bounce back campaign.
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