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| Andruw Jones scored three runs on Saturday night though he also went 0-for-3 to drop his season average to a sickly .105. |
Our View: With all the energy being pushed in the direction of the Matt Kemp/Juan Pierre battle for playing time maybe it's time to question whether or not it such a great idea to just pencil in Jones name to the lineup each night.
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| Chris Young had a terrible outing on Saturday as he allowed two HR and six earned runs over just three IP to pick up his first loss of the season. Young was unable to control the strike zone tonight as he walked four batters and permitted seven hits. |
Our View: Last season Young allowed only 10 HR and he has already allowed three this season as his HR/F ratio is likely to regress closer to the league average this season.
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| Derek Lowe shut down the Padres for eight innings allowing only four hits, no walks and one earned run while striking out six. |
Our View: Lowe's sinker has been diving early in the year as he now owns a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings for the Dodgers. Lowe still doesn't strike out enough batters to join the elite pitchers, but he always seems to post an ERA below 4.00 with about 14 wins, and there is a lot of value in that.
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| Casey Kotchman came up big on Saturday as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and three hits overall. |
Our View: Kotchman is now hitting a robust .333 with a somewhat surprising total of three home runs. He won't morph into a 30 HR hitter, but he likely was drafted far too late in most leagues this year given what figures to be a very fine offensive season that is in the works.
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| Jon Garland suffered another poor outing this time at the hands of the Mariners as he allowed 12 hits and walk in five innings. Garland also allowed six runs, though only three where earned, as he fell to 1-2 on the year. |
Our View: Through three starts Garland owns a 5.50 ERA and a total of two, yes two, K over 18 IP. Unless he misses more bats, the struggles will likely continue.
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| In what is becoming a nightly occurrance, Raul Ibanez was the Mariners hitting star on Saturday night as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. |
Our View: That's five home runs and 10 RBI in 12 games on the year giving Ibanez an amazing total of 20 HR in his last 67 games dating back to last season.
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| Ian Snell picked up his second win of the season despite striking out only two batters and allowing nine hits in 6.1 innings on Saturday night. |
Our View: Snell limited the Reds to three runs on the night and continues to offer reasons to believe that he could end up as one of the top-20 starters in the NL this season.
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| Jeff Keppinger had three hits and an RBI on Saturday night to boost his average to .340. |
Our View: Dating back to the start of his Reds career last season, Keppinger is hitting .333 in 288 AB as he continues to try and dissuade the club from inserting Alex Gonzalez back into the lineup when he is healthy.
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| Nate McLouth extended hit hitting streak to 11-games on Saturday as he is now hitting .396 with a league leading 21 hits. |
Our View: Wow. A breakout seemed like a possibility with this guy, but even the most optimistic of backers didn't think he had this kind of start in him.
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| Aaron Hill continues to blister the ball as he picked up two hits and knocked in three runs for the Jays. |
Our View: Hill didn't get a lot of respect in most circles entering the year, but he seems more than intent to prove that last year's performance is merely his flooring moving forward.
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| Luis Mendoza made his first start of the season for the Rangers on Saturday as he picked up the loss despite allowing just one run in four innings. |
Our View: Mendoza allowed eight hits and three walks on the night and needed 94 pitches to get just 12 outs.
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| Roy Halladay threw 111 pitches on his way to a one run, complete game victory over the Rangers. On the night, Halladay walked one, allowed six hits and struck out six. |
Our View: Halladay is an innings eater who has at least four complete games in each of the last four seasons he has thrown at least 140 innings, and while he is no longer as dominant as he once was he is still a staple on many a championship team.
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| Hanley Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 10-games with two hits on Saturday night for the Marlins. |
Our View: Hanley has now gotten two hits in five at-bats in three straight games, though his average has actually fallen slightly in each game down to its current .409 mark.
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| Hunter Pence was moved up to the leadoff spot on Saturday, but the change did little to spark anything in his bat as he went 0-for-4 to drop his average to .180. |
Our View: Pence has looked lost most of the season as he now has 13 K and just two BB on the year, not to mention that he has a measly single RBI in 12 games. It's way to early to call last seasons performance a mirage, but unless he starts hitting soon there are going to be a whole lot of owners wishing they had their pick back on draft day.
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| Andrew Miller had his third straight nightmarish outing on Saturday night as he allowed eight hits, four BB and five runs in just five innings to pick up his second loss of the year. |
Our View: The team keeps saying all the right things, but at a certain point they are going to have to send Miller down to the minors as they just can't keep running him out there to get his brains beat out every night.
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| Brandon Backe held the Marlins scoreless over five innings to pick up his first win of the season for the Astros. |
Our View: While he was ultimately successful in that he didn't allow a run, Backe allowed five hits and five BB as he was able to wiggle out of jam after jam on the night. He has 12 K and 11 BB on the year, and a ratio that poor limits any pitchers ability to sustain success long-term.
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| Ryan Howard hit his third home run of the season on Saturday, he also had two RBI, though he is still hitting just .205 through 44 AB. |
Our View: Howard continues to strike out more often than the sun comes up as he now has 17 in just 12 games. As long as he continues to swing and miss so frequently, his average will continue to languish well below the .300 mark.
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| Cole Hamels totally dominated the Cubs allowing just one hit and no runs over seven innings on Saturday night. |
Our View: Hamels, who posses some of the filthiest stuff in baseball, has been on his game and then some early on with a 0.82 ERA and 0.82 WHIP through three starts. If he can stay healthy, always a huge if, he will likely challenge for the NL Cy Young.
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| Ted Lilly struggled again on Saturday night as he allowed seven hits (two HR), two walks and five runs in just 4.1 innings in his second loss of the season. |
Our View: Lilly seems completely lost on the hill as he has now failed to pitch even five innings in any of his three starts. Lilly didn't figure to be able to better last years numbers, but if he doesn't turn things around pretty quickly, he may not even have the chance to match them.
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| Bobby Crosby continued to hit the ball hard as he knocked his first home run of the season on Saturday on his way to three RBI against the Indians. |
Our View: Despite all the great numbers, the most important one for Crosby in the early going is zero, as in the number of games he has missed due to injury.
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| Grady Sizemore stole his third base of the season and knocked in his fifth run for the Indians on Saturday. |
Our View: Sizemore has scored only three runs through 11 games, a shockingly low total for a guy who has scored 111 or more in each of the last three seasons. Look for his pace to quicken substantially in the coming weeks.
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| Fausto Carmona set a career-high with eight walks on Saturday in just 3.1 innings which led three runs and his first loss on the year. |
Our View: Carmona now has an amazing 17 BB in just 16.1 innings on the season meaning that there may not be a more deceiving number than his 2.20 ERA which certainly doesn't speak to how poorly he is really pitching right now.
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| Jason Hammel bucked history on Saturday night as he entered the game with a 8.83 ERA against the Orioles only to limit them to two runs over seven innings. |
Our View: Hammel walked one and struck out six on the night as tries to convince the Rays brass that he should be in the rotation all year long. Even if he does, his upside is limited to AL Only leagues at best.
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| Daniel Cabrera pitched his best game of the season on Saturday night as he allowed just one run over 6.2 innings to the Rays. |
Our View: A big key on the night was that he allowed only three walks, though to be fair that is still too high a number for less than seven innings pitched. Cabrera will continue to taunt his owners with an and down performances until he throws strikes more consistently.
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| Ramon Hernandez finally awoke from his early season slumber with two hits and two RBI, including his second home run of the season, on Saturday night. |
Our View: This big night still leaves him with just a .194 average, though with seven RBI in 11 games he has still found a to knock in a few.
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| Jose Guillen was dropped to the fifth spot in the order on Saturday night but it did little to change his performance as he went 0-for-4 to fall to .133 with no home runs through 11 games. |
Our View: Maybe he should have just accepted the suspension he was set to serve as the Royals may have been better off with someone else in the lineup.
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| Jason Kubel had two hits on Saturday night including his third home run of the early season. He now has nine RBI in 10 games for the Twins. |
Our View: Perhaps this early season performance will put the idea of Kubel splitting at-bats this season totally out of the Twins minds. If they just let him play everyday, it would appear that Kubel could possibly produce a 25 HR, 90 RBI type season.
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| Brett Tomko allowed only two runs in six innings to the Twins on Saturday night but that was enough for him to pick up his first loss of the season. |
Our View: Tomko has pitched about as well as anyone could have hoped this early in the year and he now appears entrenched in the Royals starting rotation.
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| Boof Bonser went six strong inning allowing only three hits and no runs to the Royals to pick up his first victory of the season. |
Our View: Perhaps all the weight that Bonser lost during the off-season really will help him this season, imagine that? Through 19 innings he has posted a 2.84 ERA with only two BB.
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| J.J. Putz (lat) threw for the fourth straight day without incident on Saturday, this according to the AP. “We’re right where we want to be,” Putz said. “I feel great.” |
Our View: Putz will not return when eligible on April 17th, and no timetable has been set for his return, but this is great news that seems to signal a return will happen sooner rather than later for the team's dominant reliever.
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| Shane Victorino was forced from the Phillies game on Saturday night in the 7th inning because of a right calf strain, this according to the AP. |
Our View: Victorino was 2-for-4 before being removed, and there is no clear cut explanation as to when he suffered the injury.
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| Robinson Cano went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Saturday to up his batting average to .188 through 48 AB. |
Our View: Cano owns a .312 career batting average, so seeing this prolonged slump is a bit shocking, but he still has plenty of time to get that average back up to the .300 range.
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| In the worst slump of his life, David Ortiz now sits at 3-for-43 on the season, a .070 batting average, after an 0-for-4 outing on Saturday. |
Our View: The lowlight of the day was a checked swing comebacker on a 85 mph Mike Mussina fastball on a 3-1 count. His knee certainly isn't at 100%, but still, this is ridiculous.
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| Manny Ramirez was the hitting star on Saturday for the Red Sox as he had two hits, including his second home run of the season, on his way to three RBI. |
Our View: Manny now has 11 RBI in 12 games in his quest to return to the 100-RBI level this season. Once David Ortiz starts hitting, watch out.
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| Josh Beckett allowed three runs over 6.2 innings to pick up his first victory of the season against the Yankees. |
Our View: Beckett allowed only five hits on the day while picking up five K, and he appeared to be throwing nice an easy following his bout with injury earlier in the year.
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| Jonathan Papelbon worked around a lengthy rain delay to pick up his fourth save of the season on Saturday against the Yankees. |
Our View: Pablebon has now picked up an amazing 12 K in six innings on the season as he continues to be the most dominating closer in the business.
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| Doug Mientkiewicz made his first career start at third base on Saturday replacing the struggling Jose Bautista, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Doug can pick it, there is no doubt there, and given the fact that Batista is hitting just .179 on the year, why the heck not allow the Gold Glove first baseman to start at third base?
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| Ryan Sweeney was removed from the A's game on Saturday with what is being called a strained right quad, this according to the AP. |
Our View: This doesn't appear to be a catastrophic injury, though the A's likely want to play it safe considering it's about minus 213 degrees in Cleveland tonight. If he is out for a while, look for Chris Denorfia to pick up most of the AB in the A's outfield.
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| Wesley Wright, the Astros only left-handed bullpen pitcher, is unavailable to pitch on Saturday due to a strained right finger on his pitching hand, this according to MLB.com. "It's a little strain of my middle finger," Wright said. "I don't think it's anything serous." |
Our View: Wright should be back in action soon, that is unless subsequent medical tests reveal some major issue that is as of now unknown.
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| Updating an earlier report on the status of Jimmy Rollins, it now appears that he will also be given Sunday off as well because of his injured ankle, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The Phillies have a travel day on Monday, so it only makes sense that the Phillies would give him another couple of days with the hope that he will be ready to go on Tuesday.
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| Anthony Reyes picked up the first save of his career on Saturday as he pitched the 10th inning of the Cardinals victory over the Giants. |
Our View: With Jason Insringhasuen off to a great start to the season, Reyes figures to only pick up the rare save opportunity so don't go scrambling to the waiver-wire to find him.
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| Joey Votto is batting only .238 with nary a single RBI in 21 AB, so he has been spending extra time in the batting cage trying to fix his stroke, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Votto also hit barely .200 this spring (.206), so it's really a minor miracle that he is still with the big league club. If he doesn't start hitting soon, he might just find himself riding buses in the minors instead of planes in the majors.
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| The Royals shook up their batting order on Saturday as they dropped Jose Guillen to fifth and promoted Billy Butler to cleanup, this according to MLB.com. The team also dropped Joey Gathright to ninth and put Alberto Callaspo in the leadoff spot. |
Our View: The Royals haven't been shy about switching spots in the order in the early going so these moves shouldn't be considered too surprising, though this might signal that Gathright will return to the bench once David DeJesus is healthy.
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| Bartolo Colon is nearing a return to the hill despite suffering from an injury to his right oblique, this according to MLB.com. "He had a very good exam," said Terry Francona. "Whether it's tomorrow or the next day, we're close [to throwing]." |
Our View: Colon won't be rushed back to the mound, but the Sox are optimistic that at some point in the not to distant future Colon will be able to contribute at the big league level.
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| Fred Lewis, batting leadoff, produced three hits, one RBI and one run scored on Saturday. |
Our View: Lewis should continue to see the majority of AB in LF with Dave Roberts on the DL, but it should be noted that Rajai Davis did enter the game late for John Bowker to steal his fourth base of the season, so he could steal some of Lewis' at-bats.
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| John Bowker made the first start of his major league career on Saturday and he ended up with two hits, including a home run, and three RBI. |
Our View: The Giants could use a spark, and with Aaron Rowand still dealing with some rib soreness, Bowker could see a few more AB in the coming week making him a FAAB candiate in NL Only leagues.
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| Jason Isringhausen entered Saturday with five saves before blowing his first one of the year against the Giants as he allowed two runs in an inning of work. |
Our View: As often happens in such situations, Isringhausen was still the pitcher of record when the Cardinals came back to take the lead which led to his first victory of the season.
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| Chris Duncan hit his first home run of the season on Saturday as he went 3-for-5 with one run scored and two RBI for the Cardinals. |
Our View: Duncan is a key component of what the Cardinals are tying to do on offense, and if he can stay healthy and productive in front of Albert Pujols, team's may not be as easily able to pitch around Pujols.
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| Albert Pujols went 2-for-4 with two runs scored on Saturday to up his average to .390 for the Cardinals. However, it appears that Pujols will receive his first off day of the season on Sunday, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Pujols is just getting a day of rest as the team will continue to be very careful with their most valuable part.
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| Wily Mo Pena (oblique) will have his rehab assignment cut short as the plan is for him to play in the Nationals outfield on Sunday, this according to the Washington Post. |
Our View: Pena has a power bat, there is no disputing thatfact, and with the way the Nationals have been hitting of late, it's obvious they felt they could use in injection of offense.
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| Chad Cordero was activated from the DL on Saturday and will be available to pitch on Sunday, this according to the Washington Post. In order to make room on the roster, the Nationals sent Jason Bergmann down to Triple-A. |
Our View: Joe Rauch, who hasn't been very impressive in his own right, now moves back into the set up role in front of Cordero.
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| Jimmy Rollins will miss his fourth straight game on Saturday because of his injured ankle, this according to the AP. |
Our View: On the plus side, Rollins did take BP and did some light jogging before the game which signals his return could be close.
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| Jose Reyes hopes that he will be able to return from his hamstring strain on Tuesday, this according to the NY Daily News. |
Our View: Reyes sat out on Saturday, and plans to do so again on Sunday before the Mets off-day on Monday. We aren't overly panicked if he returns by that date, but if he doesn't, consider us extremely nervous.
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| Troy Tulowitzki continued the worst slump of his young career on Saturday as he went 0-for-4 with three K to lower his average to .159. |
Our View: Awful. Tulo has managed just two extra base hits in 44 AB (both doubles), and he continues to drain the life out of the top of the Rockies order.
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| Justin Upton hit his fifth home run of the new year amongst his three hits on Saturday. Upton also knocked in four runs and upped his average to .415. |
Our View: Upton still is very raw and has a lot to work on at the plate, but his physical gifts have clearly been on display in the early going.
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| Franklin Morales had a brutal outing on Saturday as he was hit around the yard to the tune of seven hits and seven runs in just four innings. |
Our View: This was a huge step back for Morales who looked great in his first start. After an uneven spring, it remains to be seen how Morales will fair in a starting role this season.
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| Dan Haren limited the Rockies to just one run over six innings to pick up his second victory of the season. |
Our View: Haren punched out seven batters and allowed just seven base runners in yet another fantastic outing for the streaking Diamondbacks.
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| Jim Thome is hitting only .158 on the year but that doesn't mean anyone in Chicago is panicking, this according to MLB.com. "I'm starting to feel better, so I just have to grind it out and keep battling," Thome said. "One thing I've learned is never get too high or too low during good and bad times. |
Our View: Of note is the fact that Thome has only three walks in 10 games, so he has not only lost his production, he is still in the process of working into any kid of groove at the plate.
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| Orlando Cabrera took a fastball from Justin Verlander off his ear flap on Saturday, but he remained in the game and was fine thereafter, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Cabrera might take Sunday off just to be sure he is fit, but the good news is that this shouldn't affect him long-term.
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| Matt Cain had a no-hitter through six innings before being removed after 6.2 innings having allowed three hits, three walks and two runs against the Cardinals. |
Our View: Though he left with a 5-2 lead, the Giants bullpen blew yet another of Cain's outing for the Giants hard luck loser. Cain may be the unluckiest pitcher in baseball since the start of the 2007 season.
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| Ryan Spilborghs has been playing well early in the year and as a result he has found himself in the lineup taking a few AB from Wily Taveras in the early going, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Taveras will still end up with his 500+ AB if he can stay healthy, so don't worry about him losing a start here or there to Spilborghs who only has value in NL Only leagues unless one of the Rockies other outfielders is injured.
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| Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-3 on Saturday with an RBI to up his average to .220 for the Nationals. |
Our View: This was Zimmerman's first RBI in nine games as he has struggled at the plate most of the past week including a 0-for-16 stretch the previous four games.
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| Jeff Francoeur hit two home runs on his way to driving in a career best seven RBI for the Braves on Saturday. |
Our View: Francoeur is now hitting .298 with 11 RBI in 11 games for the Braves though he still has trouble laying off pitches with only one walk on the season.
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| John Lannan permitted nine hits, four walks and six earned runs over four innings to pick up his second loss of the season. |
Our View: Lannan, in an eight game career, has allowed 24 BB compared to 16 K, and you know what to expect from a guy with a ratio like that.
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| John Smoltz improved to 2-0 on the year as he limited the Nationals to five hits and one run over six innings to pick up his second victory of the season. Smoltz was able to exit after just 90 pitches as he stuck out five while walking two. |
Our View: Smoltz finally appears healthy, but at his age there is always the chance that he could be limited moving forward though there is no disputing the fact that he still can pitch.
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| Dontrelle Willis was placed on the 15-day DL due to his hyperextended right knee, this according to the AP. “There is no tear, so that’s good,” Willis said Saturday. “We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I’ll take it day-by-day. I felt better today, just a little stiffness.” |
Our View: By being placed on the DL, Willis will save his owners the decision of whether or not they should start him given his less than scintillating performance in a Tigers uniform.
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| Corey Hart had a tough day at the plate against the Mets on Saturday, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. His average dropped to .231 over 39 at-bats, with 11 strikeouts. |
Our View: His fantasy stock will continue to fall until he gets on track.
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| Johan Santana was dealt his second loss on Saturday, as he allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits over 6.2 innings of work against Milwaukee, with two walks and seven strikeouts. He gave up three home runs in this game, and his ERA climbed to 3.05 for the season. |
Our View: He is now 1-2 and has started a bit slow on the year for the Mets with four home runs allowed in three starts. Hopefully he will fare better in his next start.
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| Eric Gagne has nailed down his second save of the season on Saturday, as he hurled a hitless ninth inning (with one strikeout) in a 5-3 win over the Mets. |
Our View: He has been erratic in the early going, but should rack up a solid amount of saves if he remains the Brewers' closer this season.
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| Ben Sheets improved to 2-0 on Saturday, as he allowed three runs on five hits over 7.2 innings against the Mets in a 5-3 win, with two walks and five strikeouts. He lowered his season ERA to 1.17 as well. |
Our View: That was another great outing from the Brewers' ace, as he tries to regain his elite status.
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| A.J. Pierzynski enjoyed another productive outing at the plate, as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 7-0 win over Detroit. He raised his average to .438, and has collected nine RBI over eight games. |
Our View: He remains among the most productive fantasy catchers in the early going, and you should continue to start him while he's hot.
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| Alberto Callaspo will start at shortstop against the Twins tonight, according to the Star Tribune. He will bat leadoff as well. |
Our View: The utility man has fared well in the early going | |
