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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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| Jeff Francis got hit hard once again on Friday as he allowed seven hits, three of which for home runs, and seven runs over five innings for the Rockies. Francis has been awful thus far with a 9.53 ERA, and don't forget the fact that he was lit up in the game that got rained out as well. Bench him for now and wait for the inevitable comeback. |
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| Brandon Webb improved to 3-0 on the young season as he scattered four hits over eight innings against the Rockies. Webb continues to dominate the competition with a 2.14 ERA and 0.86 WHIP, and there is no reason to think he will be anything less than a top-10 starting pitcher at the end of the season. |
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| Justin Upton continued his strong start to the season on Friday night as he hit his fourth home run of the season for the D'Backs. Upton is hitting .368 at the moment, but given the fact that he has 11 K in only 38 AB, it's almost impossible to predict that he will be able to sustain this level of success throughout the course of the season. |
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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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| Livan Hernandez has turned back the clock as he continues a marvelous start to the '08 campaign as he picked up his third victory of the season for the Twins. Livan allowed only seven hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings, and he now boasts a 2.57 ERA and 1.05 WHIP thanks to only a single walk over 21 innings. It might be wise to explore trade opportunities quickly before things turn south with the portly hurler. |
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| Roy Oswalt was beaten around the park for eight runs in just four inning on Friday night as he fell to 0-3 on the year. Oswalt has now allowed 16 runs in 16 innings in quite possibly his worst three game stretch of his career. Oswalt has allowed 30 hits in those 16 innings and we have to think that he is hiding some injury, it's the only explanation for this poor of a performance. |
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| Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a HR and two RBI and saw his average drop to .410 on Friday night. It's pretty crazy when you have two hits and your average goes down, but that just shows you how amazing Hanley has been on the young season, though he still has just two SB attempts through 10 games. |
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| Jeremy Hermida had his first big game of the young season on Friday night with two hits, both of them long balls, for the Marlins. There is little doubt that Hermida will hit, the question is will he be able to stay healthy long enough for it to matter? |
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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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| Matt Chico picked up his second loss of the season on Friday night despite allowing just one run in eight innings for the Nationals. Chico was in total control all night needing just 91 pitches to get through eight, but his offense let him down as they failed to score a run. Chico still projects as nothing more than an NL Only play this season. |
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| Tim Hudson dominated the Nationals on his way to his second victory of the season as he allowed no runs and just three hits over eight innings for the Braves. Hudson now owns a 2.14 ERA over 21 innings to open the year, and with the uncertain health of John Smoltz, the Braves will need to rely heavily on Hudson this year if they hope to challenge for the division title. |
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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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| Al Reyes picked up his first victory of the season mere hours after being arrested for an altercation at a night spot. True to their word Reyes was available on this night and he picked up win by pitching two thirds of an inning for the Rays. |
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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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| Joe Blanton wasn't at his best on Friday night but he still picked up his first victory of the season as he allowed five runs in 7.2 innings against the Indians. After three starts Blanton has a 4.15 ERA, but with only nine K in 26 innings, he will need to miss more bats or his performance will likely suffer over the course of the year |
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| C.C. Sabathia was torched on Friday as the A's batter the reigning Cy Young winner for 12 hits and nine runs in 3.1 innings. Yes, it's time to be worried. Perhaps all those innings have taken their toll on his arm, but even if they haven't C.C. has allowed 18 ER in 14 innings for a 11.57 ERA marking him as perhaps the biggest flop on the hill in the early going. |
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| Adam Dunn had one hit on Friday night to raise his average to .194 in what has been a terribly slow start to his season. The good news is that he has still been getting on base as he has 13 BB and just eight K on the year, so look for the power numbers to show up shortly. |
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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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| Paul Maholm rebounded from a poor first start to hold the Reds scoreless for 5.1 innings on Friday night. Maholm allowed six hits and two walks on the night as he trimmed his ERA to 4.35 over 10.1 innings. After a nine K outing the first time out, Maholm had only two on this night, though he isn't a pitcher to count on for strikeouts anyway. |
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| Edinson Volquez had another solid outing for the Reds on Friday as he allowed just three hits and no runs over five innings against the Pirates. Volquez now has a 0.87 ERA over 10.1 innings, and though he has nine K overall he had just one punchout on this night. |
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| Jason Kendall had just his third hitless game of the season on Friday as his average fell to .483. Kendall, the only Brewer starter currently hitting over .300, has been on an amazing tear to open up the year. His power is all but gone, and he hardly runs anymore, but he still has a good shot at producing quality numbers in the average and runs scored categories, and this hot start will go a long way to making that prediction a reality. |
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| Angel Pagan continued his amazing start to the season as he picked up two hits and an RBI on Friday night. Pagan, playing for an injured Moises Alou, is now hitting .387 with 10 RBI in nine games, much greater production than anyone would have thought possible two weeks ago. Still, he will lose AB once Alou returns, so ride him while he is hot but be ready to go in another direction when the time comes. |
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| Manny Parra who dominated the Giants last time out picked up his first loss of the season on Friday as he allowed three runs in four innings for the Brewers. Parra struck out four Mets on the night, but he allowed six hits and a walk, far too many base runners for a four inning outing. |
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| Nelson Figueroa picked up his first victory of the season as he retired 14-straight Brewers at one point in the Mets 4-2 win. Figueroa limited the Brew Crew to just two hits, two walks and two runs over six innings, while he picked up six K. With Orlando Hernandez and Pedro Martinez on the DL, the Mets really need one of their pitchers to step up to fill the void, and this was a great first step for Figueroa in that attempt. |
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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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| Derrek Lee went 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourth of the year, on Friday night for the Cubs. Lee scored a run and knocked in one as he continues to display the power bat that he lost a bit last year with four doubles and four home runs through 10 games. |
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| Carlos Zambrano needed 107 pitches to make it through six innings on Friday night as he allowed five runs to pick up his first loss of the season against the Phillies. Zambrano allowed nine hits but only one walk on the night, though five of those 10 runners crossed the plate as his ERA rose to 3.20. |
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| Brett Myers allowed three runs over eight innings to pick up his first victory of the season for the Phillies. Myers punched out five Cubs on the night, but he continues to be dogged by home runs, he allowed three solo shots on the night, which conspires to hold him back from joining the elite. |
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| Pat Burrell had two hits, including his fourth home run of the season, and three RBI for the Phillies on Friday night. Burrell is now hitting an amazing .400 through 35 AB, but even more impressive may be his 12 RBI in 11 games. |
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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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| Jose Reyes was forced from the Mets game on Friday after five innings because of a sore left hamstring, this according to the AP. Something has obviously been bothering Reyes as he has only attempted two steals in nine games this season, and given that he is hitting .195 through 41 AB perhaps a day or two off may be beneficial. |
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| Matt Belisle, in the minors because of a strained right forearm, tossed a complete game for Double-A Chattanooga on Thursday as he allowed two runs on seven hits in the game. Belisle, who has now allowed just two runs in 17.2 innings, will have one more start next Tuesday before the team determines whether or not he is ready to be recalled to the big league club. |
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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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| The Braves will employ a closer by committee approach until Rafael Soriano returns, and one of those hurlers in line for saves is Manny Acosta, this according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Acosta doesn't have a major league save but he does have 29 saves the past two seasons at Triple-A, and he figures to be in the mix with Peter Moylan for the majority of the save chances. |
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| Reversing their previous position, the Houston Astros have decided to place Ty Wigginton on the DL retroactive to April 6th with his fractured left thumb, this according to the Houston Chronicle. Wigginton's spot on the roster will be filled by David Newhan. Wigginton was thought to be a good source of cheap power this season, but so far it has been one setback after another for the Astros third basemen. |
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| Ryan Braun continues to work on his approach at the plate but he has a long way to go as he has yet to draw a BB in 40 AB this season, according to MLB.com. "There's some anxiousness there," manager Ned Yost said. "It doesn't really 'bother' me, it concerns me a little bit. It's not something that can continue, [but] I'm not apt to change it this early. I'll give it its due course." As we have previously stated, unless Braun becomes more selective at the plate there is virtually no way he will be able to hit over .320 again though he also isn't the .250 hitter he has currently shown himself to be. |
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| Matt Kemp will not be in the staring lineup for the Dodgers on Friday night as the Dodgers will go with an outfield of Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones and Andre Ethier, this according to the Los Angeles Daily News. And so it continues. It really serves no purpose to have Kemp on the bench, but the Dodgers have painted themselves into this corner by signing Jones and holding on to Pierre. Of course, Kemp hasn't exactly played well this season with only one RBI and nine K in eight games. |
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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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| Jimmy Rollins will not be in the starting lineup on Friday due to his injured ankle, the third straight day he has been on the bench, this according to the AP. Eric Bruntlett will continue to start at shortstop for the Phillies. Rollins is hitting .306 with eight runs in his nine games, and he hopes to return to the starting lineup this weekend for the fighting Phils. |
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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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| Mike Hampton threw 40-50 pitches on the side on Friday in his attempt to return from a strained pectoral muscle, this according to the AP. “It’s not 100 percent. We’ll see how it progresses,” Hampton said. “I’ll probably try that again on Sunday. If that goes well, I’ll probably increase it and see how it goes.” Hampton hasn't pitched in a game since 2005, so as much as we are rooting for the guy, there isn't one single fantasy team he should currently be on even in a DL spot. |
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| Rich Hill will be available to pitch out of the bullpen this weekend, but the team hasn't ruled him out of the starting rotation just yet, this according to the Chicago Tribune. "We’re going to put him in the bullpen here through Sunday," Manager Lou Pinella said. "We’ve been short of pitchers. He only pitched three innings (Thursday) night. Obviously we won't use him tonight, but maybe by Sunday we can get him a little work out of the bullpen and look to get him back in the rotation, either against Cincinnati [Thursday] or against Pittsburgh [on Friday]." Hill was thought by many to be a breakout candidate this season due to his 183 K and 1.19 WHIP 2007 season, but until he starts throwing strikes he will not have a chance to reach his potential, though the good news is that he appears to in line to stay in the starting rotation. |
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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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| Miguel Tejada will not be punished by major league baseball for his inclusion in the Mitchell Report, this according to the AP. The new agreement worked out says that no players mentioned in the report will be punished, but that doesn't speak to the possibility that Tejada could still face an FBI investigation. Tejada has eight RBI and two home runs in his first 10 games as an Astros and he should continue to be one of the best power-hitting shortstops in baseball. |
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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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| Prince Fielder has gone 33 AB without a home run this season, and he is not happy about it, this according to MLB.com. "I just want to hit the ball hard first," Fielder said. "You can't worry about hitting home runs when you can't make solid contact. I'll just try to hit the ball hard and see what happens." Fielder will be fine, everyone knows that, it's just that slumps early in the year are magnified because of the small sample size available to review. If he goes 33 AB with a HR in July, would anyone even notice? |
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| Jay Bruce went 4-for-5 with his second stolen base of the season on Thursday at Triple-A. He is now hitting .333 for the year and is likely still the team’s top option in the outfield should a current Reds starting outfielder get injured. |
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| Collin Balester threw six scoreless innings and allowed only one hit Thursday at Triple-A for his first win of the season. The former fourth-round pick is one of Washington’s best pitching prospects, and he definitely has a chance to make an impact in the majors later this season for a team that is unlikely to compete. |
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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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| Jeff Samardzija threw seven scoreless innings on Thursday at Double-A, allowing four hits, one walk and fanning five. It was been a good start to the season for the former Notre Dame wide receiver, though he really needs to raise his professional strikeout rate (65 strikeouts in 141.2 innings last season) in order to truly raise his stock. |
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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 | |
