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| Carlos Quentin, batting leadoff for the first time in his major league career, went 1-for-2 with a run, RBI and walk for the White Sox. Quentin is still searching a bit for his stroke at the plate, but that hasn't stopped him from producing nine RBI in seven games. |
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| Clete Thomas continues to be a force from the top of the Tigers batting order as he had two more hits on Friday night to see his average fall to .476 over 21 AB. Don't you just love the early season numbers? With Curtis Granderson taking longer than expected to comeback from his injury, Thomas will continue to maintain his standing as an OF play in deep AL Only leagues. |
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| With Adam Everett struggling to a .095 batting average, youngster Matt Tolbert continues to excel when given the chance as he knocked out three hits on Friday to push his season long average to .556 over 18 AB. You would have to think that Tolbert will be nothing more than a spare part this season, but the Twins would be crazy not to find him at-bats when he is this hot which marks him as a great AL Only play at the moment. |
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| Gil Meche allowed only five hits on Friday night but he also walked four batters and allowed five earned runs over six innings to pick up his second loss of the season. Meche has been on a near K per IP pace with 16 in 17.2 innings, but he has walked 10 batters thereby negating the advantage of the punchouts. He will right the ship before long and might be someone to target in trade talks as he could possibly be had cheaply. |
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| Josh Hamilton stroked his second home run of the season on Friday night on his way to four RBI for the Rangers. Hamilton now has 11 RBI through just 10 games and figures to be on his way to his first significant fantasy season of his career if he can stay healthy. |
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| Vernon Wells continued to slap balls all over the yard on Friday night as he totaled three hits, two RBI and two runs scored against the Rangers. Wells is now hitting .341 with 12 RBI through his first 10 games and he appears fully recovered from the shoulder issues that led to the worst season of career last year. |
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| Nathan Haynes continues to work on making a name for himself in Tampa as he had three hits, scored a run, and stole his third base of the season on Friday night. With injuries to Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli, the Rays have AB to give, and while he likely won't unseat any of the players ahead of him on the depth chart, Haynes is shaping up to be a great waiver wire pickup in AL Only leagues. |
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| Luke Scott picked up two hits and two RBI on Friday night as he upped his season long average to .429 through 28 AB. This is the same Scott that was called up to Houston in 2006, and not the hitter who struggled last year in Texas. Scott could end up being a great AL Only play as well as a solid starter in deep mixed leagues if the Orioles just give hime the at-bats. |
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| Jeremy Guthrie received a no-decision on Friday night despite limiting the Rays to two runs in 6.1 innings. Guthrie lowered his ERA to 4.34 on this night though he continues to allow far too many base runners to be successful long term as evidenced by his 1.45 WHIP through 18.2 innings. |
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| Carlos Pena exploded for two home runs and six RBI in the Rays 10-5 victory over the Oriolesn Friday night. Believed by many to be in line for a bit of a regression after last season's breakout, Pena has five HR and 12 RBI through 10 games, though he is hitting just .216 thanks to 14 K in 38 AB. |
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| Jhonny Peralta hit his third home run of the season on Friday night on his way to two hits, two runs and two RBI for the Indians. Peralta belongs to the second tier of power options at the shortstop position, and hitting in a loaded Indians lineup certainly means he should have a boatload of chances to knock in runs this season. |
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| Bobby Crosby raised his batting average to .326 with three hits on Friday for the A's. Crosby has been unable to stay healthy for any length of time the past few years which has obviously stunted his growth. Still, if he can somehow manage to suit up for 130 games this season, he could end up being a great SS/MI play in AL Only leagues. |
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| Jason Bay continued his climb back to respectability on Friday night as he hit his second home run of the season. Bay is now working on a five game hitting streak during which time he has seven hits to raise his average from .143 to .281. |
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| J.D. Drew hit a home run for the Red Sox, the only run they recorded off Chien-Ming Wang in a 4-1 loss. Drew now has three HR, eight RBI and eight runs scored in, you guessed it, eight games this season. |
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| Clay Buchholz dominated the Yankees holding them to one run in six innings on Friday. Buchholz allowed four hits and three walks on the day while picking up three K. Clay now holds a 3.27 ERA through two starts on the young season. |
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| Chien-Ming Wang was magnificent on Friday as he needed just 93 pitches to hurl a CG victory over the Red Sox. Wang permitted two hits and one run on a solo HR. Wang improved to 3-0 while lowering his ERA to 1.23 as his sinker just keeps on sinking and missing the sweet spot of bats. |
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| Dontrelle Willis injury is being called a hyperextended right knee, this according to MLB.com. Willis injured the knee while slipping on the mound, and at this point it is unclear if he will miss his next start or be forced to the DL. |
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| Tony Pena Jr. was given the night off on Friday to rest his body as well as his mind after a 1-for-27 start for the Royals, this according to MLB.com. "I'm far from giving up on Tony Pena, but it's always good to get other guys in the mix," manager Trey Hillman said. Alberto Callaspo started on Friday, but it is not certain who will get the call come Saturday, so keep an eye on how it plays out if you are counting on either player in an AL Only league. |
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| John Lackey (triceps) was able to throw 30 pitches on Thursday and is looking forward to a scheduled 45-pitch outing for this Sunday, this according to the Orange County Register. Lackey only threw fastballs on Thursday and he hopes to mix in some off-speed on Sunday for the Angels. Based on the established timeframe, Lackey hopes to be back in either the first or second week of May. |
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| Howie Kendrick was not in the lineup on Friday night, the third straight game he has missed because of his injured thumb, but he took batting practice and was able to throw during pregame work, this according to the Orange County Register. Kendrick should be back in action this weekend, and he will look to pick up where he left off as he is currently hitting .429 through 28 AB. |
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| Francisco Rodriguez said that he is feeling much better and that his ankles have recovered to the point that he could pitch on Friday night, this according to the Orange County Register. K-Rod will likely still produce his normal 40 saves when all is said and done, though it certainly would be nice to see him healthy enough to have some success on the hill early on. |
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| Nick Swisher will be sidelined for at least the next two days as the team hopes the time off will allow him to heal the sore right hip flexor that has plagued him, this according to MLB.com. This doesn't appear to be a serious issue, at least that's what the club hopes as they are being proactive here. Carlos Quentin will move up into the leadoff spot in place of Swisher. |
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| Dontrelle Willis suffered an injury to his right leg in the first inning of his start on Friday night and had to be removed from the game. Willis threw just 15 pitches before being removed from the game and he allowed one run, walked two batters, and threw a wild pitch in the abbreviated outing. More details to follow once we learn the severity of the injury. |
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| David Ross, in the minors on a rehab assignment because of back spasms, suffered a setback recently with a sore left groin, and as a result he likely won't be activated from the DL on on Tuesday as previously hoped, this according to MLB.com. Javier Valentin and Paul Bako have been holding down the fort with the Reds so there is no urgency to get Ross back in the lineup until he is 100% healthy. |
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| Xavier Nady will sit out the Pirates game on Friday, this after having appeared in every inning of the teams first nine games this season, according to MLB.com. There is no reason to suspect a hidden injury, the team just wants to get Nady a day off. In his absence the team will go with Nyjer Morgan in the leadoff spot with Nate McLouth sliding down to the third hole. |
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| Updating an earlier report, Evan Longoria was held out of the Durham Bulls starting lineup on Friday leading to speculation that he could be nearing a call to the big league's due to the injury to Willy Aybar, this according to the Tampa Tribune. The Bulls radio broadcast also apparently mentioned that Longoria is on his way to the Show, though the team hasn't offered an official statement yet. Stay tuned. |
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| Kevin Slowey will be placed on the DL due to a strained right biceps, this according to the AP. The Twins have recalled Francisco Liriano to take Slowey's turn in the rotation on Sunday. The DL move is retroactive to April 4th, Slowey's lone appearance of the year, so he could be back with the Twins within a little over a week if he continues to progress without incident. |
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| Francisco Liriano will be called up to start on Sunday against the Royals, this according to the Star Tribune. The Twins will move Nick Blackburn back to throw on Monday and will place Kevin Slowey on the DL to make room for Liriano. Liriano hasn't looked very sharp in the minors so it might be wise to avoid starting him in his first couple of outings until he proves his control has returned. |
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| Scott Feldman will be called up by the Rangers to start on Sunday against Toronto, this according to the Dallas Morning News. This move is being made to allow Jason Jennings an extra day of rest and to split up Kevin Millwood and Vincente Padilla in the rotation. Feldman allowed only one run and three hits in his lone minor league start this season, but last year he really struggled at the major league level with 32 BB in 39 innings making him one to avoid until he proves he has harnessed his stuff. |
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| Travis Buck will sit out the A's game on Friday due to shin splints, this according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The report also went on to say that Buck should be back in the lineup on Saturday. After an awful start to the year, Buck has seven hits and four RBI in his last three games so you'll want to keep him active and hope he only misses this one game. |
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| With the Rays uncertain about whether or not the sore left hamstring of Willy Aybar will require a trip to the DL, there might be a sighting of rookie Evan Longoria with the big league club sooner rather than later, this according to the St. Petersberg Times. Longoria would likely only be recalled if Aybar was forced to the DL, but it's worth keeping an eye on as his first game in a Rays uniform this year could come much sooner than most expected after he was sent to the minors following spring training. |
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| Scott Kazmir threw another successful round of batting practice on Friday and he will likely pitch in an extended spring training game on Tuesday, this according to the St. Petersberg Times. Kazmir hasn't suffered a setback in his attempt to come back from his elbow issue, and its now looking like he could return to the Rays rotation by the end of the month or early May at the latest. |
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| Alan Horne, one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects, left Thursday’s start at Triple-A with a biceps injury. This is bad news for the Yankees, but hopefully the injury does not keep him out for too long. He was facing the possibility of a call-up at some point this season. |
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| Adam Lind went 4-for-4 with his second home run of the season at Triple-A on Thursday. He is now hitting .448 as he tries to get his first call-up of the year. |
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| Coco Crisp is penciled in to start over Jacoby Ellsbury in center field against the Yankees tonight, according to the Providence Journal. He will bat leadoff, and will face Yankees' hurler Chien-Ming Wang. |
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| Jose Molina is expected to make another start at catcher against the Red Sox tonight, according to the Providence Journal. Jorge Posada will serve as the DH, and Molina will bat eighth in the order. He is hitting .318 over 22 at-bats this season. |
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| Jorge Posada will serve as the Yankees' DH tonight against Boston, according to the Providence Journal. He will not catch due to his shoulder ailment, and Jose Molina will make another start at the position. |
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| Yorman Bazardo has been designated for assignment, according to MLive.com. He got rocked for eight runs over a mere three innings of work this season. Clay Rapada was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace him on the roster. |
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| Clay Rapada has been called up, according to MLive.com. He will replace Yorman Bazardo, who has been designated for assignment. He could work in a middle relief role. |
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| Vladimir Guerrero has fared well against Felx Hernandez, tonight's opposing pitcher for Seattle, according to MLB.com. Over his career against the Mariners' hurler, Vlad is hitting 10-for-24. He is off to a good start with a .300 average over 40 at-bats, and should once again have the upper hand in this match-up. |
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| Juan Rivera has some at-bats coming, according to MLB.com. Manager Sciosca noted, "I wanted to get our regular guys into the flow of the season, but Rivera and Willits are going to have to play shortly so they can stay fresh enough to contribute. We'll look closely at next week." Rivera is hitless over three at-bats so far in 2008. |
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| Reggie Willits has some at-bats coming, according to MLB.com. Manager Sciosca stated, "I wanted to get our regular guys into the flow of the season, but Rivera and Willits are going to have to play shortly so they can stay fresh enough to contribute. We'll look closely at next week." Willits notably generated a two run double in his only at-bat of this season so far. |
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| Felix Hernandez, who will be looking for his first win of the season tonight, has a poor track record against the Angels, according to MLB.com. Over his career against the Angels, Hernandez is 2-4 with a 4.72 ERA, while allowing 57 hits in 55 innings. And that was before they added Torii Hunter to the lineup, who is off to a strong start with the Angels. He will be in for another tough battle. |
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| Jose Guillen's 15-day suspension has been rescinded, according to the Kansas City Star. Guillen was suspended on December 6 for unspecified violations in the previous policy. His ban was scheduled to start at the beginning of the season, but enforcement was delayed twice while the industry negotiated a tougher new program. Bud Selig granted amnesty to all 86 players, including Guillen, cited in the Mitchell Report, and he stated, "It is time to move the game forward. There is little to be gained at this point in debating dated misconduct and enduring numerous disciplinary proceedings." This is good news, now he just needs to move on and pick up his anemic .162 batting average.
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| A.J. Pierzynski will put his 10-game hit streak on the line tonight against hurler Dontrelle Willis and the Tigers, according to MLB.com. AJ has been among the most productive fantasy catchers in the early going, as he is hitting .429 with two homers and seven RBI. |
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| Joe Crede is swinging a hot bat as he collected eight hits over his last 13 at-bats, with two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs in his last three games, and he will look to keep it going tonight against division rival Detroit, according to MLB.com. Crede holds a .406 average overall, with three homers and 11 RBI, and his fantasy stock will continue to rise, as long as he can stay healthy. |
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| Miguel Cabrera is expected to start against the White Sox tonight, according to MLB.com. Cabrera tweaked his left leg injury by catching a spike at home plate while swinging on Thursday, but he is good to go. |
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| Billy Butler has registered a hit in all nine games for the Royals this season, and will look to extend his streak tonight against Minnesota, according to MLB.com. He holds a .400 average over 35 at-bats, and his fantasy stock remains on the rise. |
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| Alex Rios has reached base safely in each of his last 20 games dating back to last season, and will look to extend his streak tonight against Texas, according to MLB.com. This is the longest active streak in the American League, but he is yet to hit his first home run this season. |
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| Frank Thomas has struggled over his career against Vincente Padilla, tonight's opposing hurler for Texas, according to MLB.com. Thomas is only hitting 4-for-21 against Padilla, and could have another rough outing, as he is only hitting .182 so far this season. |
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| Vicente Padilla is off to a favorable start as he holds a 1-0 record with a 2.77 ERA (over two games), and he could have another solid outing against Toronto tonight, according to MLB.com. Over his career against the Jays, Padilla is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA over 27.2 innings. This is a good night to have him penciled into your lineups. |
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| Gabe Gross will get the start in center field against the Mets' righty Nelson Figueroa tonight, according to MLB.com. He is only hitting .143, but is awarded the start over Gabe Kapler, who will start the next two games against Mets' lefties. |
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| Manager Maddon stated that Willy Aybar will not likely start at third base against Baltimore tonight, according to MLB.com. Utility man Eric Hinske replaced Aybar at third in the Rays' last game, and he notably belted his second homer of the season. Aybar is battling hamstring tightness, but could be available as a pinch-hitter. |
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| David Ortiz has a good track record against Chien-Ming Wang, tonight's opposing pitcher for the Yankees, according to MLB.com. Over his career against Wang, Ortiz is hitting 15-for-30 with four doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI. This is good for him, as he is in need of a big game since he is only hitting .083 over 36 at-bats this season. |
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| Chien-Ming Wang is going for his third win of the season tonight on the road against the rival Red Sox, according to MLB.com. He has dominated over his first two outings while maintaining a 1.38 ERA, but tonight's game won't be quite as easy, as he holds a 2-3 record and 6.17 ERA at Fenway Park. He last faced Boston on September 15 at Fenway Park, while suffering the loss in a 10-1 blow out. He surrendered five runs on nine hits over 5.2 innings. The Yankees could be without team leader Derek Jeter, to make it even harder on him.
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| Kyle Snyder is reportedly on the trading block, according to the Boston Herald. The Tigers, Rays, and Phillies, are said to be interested in acquiring the reliever. He could help the bullpen of any of those three teams. |
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| Justin Duchscherer said that he felt great after playing catch for about 30 throws on Thursday, according to the SF Chronicle. Duchscherer is out nursing a biceps strain, and thinks he will be ready to pitch when he's eligible to come off the DL on April 20. He stated, "I did exactly what I wanted to do and I didn't feel anything. I don't see the biceps being an issue." This is good news for him, and he was notably off to a 1-0 start (with a 1.80 ERA) before getting hurt.
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| Joel Zumaya is progressing favorably from his shoulder surgery, according to the Detroit News. Team trainer Kevin Rand commented, "He's up to 120 feet with his throws. He's been on schedule for the most part. At times he's been a day ahead, at times he's been a day behind but pretty much right on it. But he's still working on building up his arm strength, which appears to be pretty good. I'm pleased with his progress." Manager Leyland added, "He's firing the ball, I can tell you that. Even when we were there, he was throwing pretty good. He's doing well to my knowledge. He feels good and his arm feels good. But that's another one we can't get greedy about. He's like everybody else on the DL to me. There's no sense talking about them because it's a waste of time. That's just the way I am. I have other issues to think about." Zumaya could begin pitching off a mound in May.
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| Curtis Granderson went through his third workout of short throws and hitting a ball off a tee, according to the Detroit News. After the session Granderson commented, "It didn't feel great. That's the frustrating part." Hopefully his next session will be more favorable.
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| Francisco Liriano could potentially start for the Twins on Tuesday, according to the Star Tribune. GM Bill Smith stated that the plan was for Liriano to remain with Triple-A Rochester and be prepared to pitch for the Red Wings on Sunday. That seemingly leaves a door open for the Twins to pull Liriano from that Triple-A start, so he could pitch for the Twins on Tuesday against Detroit. But since the weather forecast is questionable in Kansas City and Detroit, the Twins might get another rainout, which would give the team more time with Liriano, who has posted a 7.56 ERA in two minor league starts. We will continue to monitor the status of Liriano.
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| J.J. Putz threw a favorable session on Thursday, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. The team was encouraged that he was able to throw again in the Tropicana Field outfield before Thursday's game, and felt no pain. The closer threw for around eight minutes at a distance of close to 75 feet.
He will next have a meeting with team medical director Dr. Edward Khalfayan on Friday to determine his next move. Manager McLaren noted that Putz's throws were "more intense" than the ones on the previous day. It remains unclear when Putz will throw off a mound. The team is far from ready to state if Putz will come off the DL when he is eligible next Thursday. He may do a short round of injury rehab before he comes back. Overall, this is favorable news for him.
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| Mike Timlin will be activated from the DL today, according to the Providence Journal. The 42-year old righty feels healthy following his recovery from his finger injury, and he is ready to join the Red Sox bullpen. |
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| Derek Jeter will likely miss Friday's game against the hated rival Red Sox due to his quad ailment, according to the AP. He is expected to take ground balls, play catch and could possibly taking batting practice on Friday, but Manager Joe Girardi isn’t taking any chances, as he stated, "We have to know he can’t re-injure it. That’s when we are looking at six weeks." Jeter’s status for the remainder of the three-game series is unknown.
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| Kelvin Jimenez is believed to be a likely candidate to get sent down when Joel Pineiro returns for his start against the Giants on Sunday, according to MLB.com. He was called up from Memphis when Russ Springer was placed on the DL, and he seems to be the most expendable on the Cardinals' roster.
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