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| Padres LHP Randy Wolf was about as reliable and strong as any starting pitcher on the plate today, leading the Padres to a dominating 0-6 win over the Colorado Rockies. Wolf held the Rockies to just ONE hit over seven innings of work. |
Our View: Wolf threw 112 pitches, including 68 for strikes, walked four and struck out nine. That brings his ERA to a lowly 1.42 and give Wolf his first win of the season.
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| Hideki Matsui hit his third home run of the season on Tuesday night as the Yankees defeated the Rays, 5-3. |
Our View: Matsui has been steady in April. His three home runs include five runs scored and eight RBI.
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| Victor Martinez had three hits and two RBI for the Indians in a Tuesday loss to the Red Sox. |
Our View: Martinez, who has played in nine games this April, has yet to hit a home run and has only one run scored and four RBI (two today).
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| Melvin Mora hit his team-high third homer Tuesday's 11-3 loss to the Blue Jays. |
Our View: Mora has been steady for Baltimore this April. The veteran third baseman has stolen a base, scored six runs, driven in six and is hitting .255 in 13 games.
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| David Eckstein had three hits and scored three runs in the Jays 11-3 win over the Orioles. |
Our View: Steady Eckstein won't have too many days at the plate like he had in the Jays Tuesday win, and isn't likely in too many starting lineups, save AL-only formats.
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| Nick Markakis, who has always hit the Blue Jays well, hit is second home run of the season in the O's loss to Toronto.
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Our View: Markakis is hitting .310 on the season, but has yet to be the run producer the team needs him to be.
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| Steve Trachsel gave up five runs, five hits and three walks in 2.1 ugly innings. The O's right-hander retired only five of 14 batters; the other two outs occurred on attempted steals. |
Our View: The veteran had terrific career numbers against the Jays, but at some point in a pitchers career, those numbers don't wash.
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| Shaun Marcum allowed two runs and four hits in 6.2 innings of work. The right-hander walked three and struck out four. |
Our View: Marcum has struggled against the O's during his career but he was strong on Tuesday in the Jays 11-3 win.
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| Milwaukee RF Corey Hart was one of few offensive high points for the Brewers in a 1-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Hart went 2-for-3 with a double (the only extra-base hit of the night for the Brewers) and the only RBI for Milwaukee in the game. |
Our View: Hart is also the only player on tonight's starting lineup hitting .300 or better (.319).
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| Cardinals starter Braden Looper is now one of few in the MLB carrying a 3-0 record, holding the Brewers to three hits over five innings, surrendering one run. |
Our View: Looper wasn't especially dominating by any means, giving up five walks versus just four strike outs, but he worked ground balls and got took full advantage of the offensive bounty laid by the offense.
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| Prince Fielder failed to gain a single at-bat in tonight's 1-6 loss for the Brewers against the Cardinals. |
Our View: He played the entire game, but he walked in each of his four visits to the plate. That doubles Fielder's TOTAL walks this season coming into this game.
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| The Cardinals watched 2B Adam Kennedy carry the bulk of the offensive load this evening, going 3-for-4 at the plate (all singles) with one RBI and two runs scored. |
Our View: He was one of three players with multiple hits this evening, a list including CF Rick Ankiel (2-for-4) and Skip Schumaker (2-for-4).
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| Chicago 1B Derrek Lee put up some quality numbers in the Cubs' 5-9 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Lee went 3-for-5 at the plate, hitting his fifth home run of the season. |
Our View: Lee gathered three RBIs on the day and has five total RBIs over his last two games.
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| Chicago SS Ryan Theriot was an absolute stud for the Cubbies today, earning a bit 5-9 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Theriot went 2-for-4 at the plate with one walk, one strike out, a double, and a homer. |
Our View: That's four hits in the last two games for Theriot.
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| Aaron Harang pitched reasonably well, but as is often the case in Cincy, the offensive support was nowhere to be found and Harang suffered the loss, 5-9, to the Chicago Cubs. Harang pitched six innings, throwing 110 pitches with 72 counting for strikes, allowing five runs (all earned) on eight hits. |
Our View: Harang allowed two walks, collected six strike outs, and allowed two homers that accounted for all earned runs.
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| Florida left fielder Josh Willingham put his best foot forward against the Braves this evening as the Marlins put the wood to Atlanta, taking a 0-4 win. Willingham, hitting in the fourth hole, went 2-for-3 with one walk, including a triple. Willingham picked up one RBI (seven on the year) and a run scored, also adding his first TWO stolen bases of the season. |
Our View: Willingham has failed to get a hit in just one of his last seven games (going 0-for-1 against the Astros) and seems to be working in a positive mode thus far.
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| Florida first baseman Mike Jacobs found little competition in swinging the bat against the Atlanta Braves in a 0-4 win. Jacobs went 2-for-3 at the plate, hitting two doubles with two RBIs and one run scored and a walk. |
Our View: Jacobs also added his first stolen base of the season.
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| Young LHP Scott Olsen pitched a gem of a game in leading his Florida Marlins against the Atlanta Braves, pulling a 0-4 win. Olsen pitched seven full innings, giving up no runs on five hits with no walks surrendered and three strike outs on the evening. |
Our View: Even more impressive, Olsen threw just 83 total pitches and made 61 count for strikes.
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| Aaron Hill hit a three-run homer helping the Toronto Blue Jays beat up the Baltimore Orioles 11-3 on Tuesday night. |
Our View: Hill is hitting .340 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 14 games so far this season.
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| Andy Pettitte allowed three runs over seven innings and notched his second victory on Tuesday night as the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3. |
Our View: Pettitte gave up nine hits, struck out five and walked three. The left-hander is 14-2 against Tampa Bay overall, including 8-1 in games at Tropicana Field.
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| It looks like Mets 3B David Wright should go on David Letterman every night. He was a guest on the late-night talk show yesterday and today he hit the field, going 3-for-4 at the plate with one walk, no strike outs, a total of FIVE RBIs, and two runs scored. |
Our View: Wright recorded a double and his fourth homer of the season.
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| Mets SS Jose Reyes is working into top form once again, swinging a hot bat in New York's 0-6 win over the Washington Nationals this evening. Reyes went 4-for-5 at the plate with his third double, his first triple, and one run scored and one strike out. |
Our View: The young gem of the Mets organization has started a bit slow, but this game shows he's headed in the right direction.
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| Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey continued to impress in picking up his second win of the season tonight, putting the Washington Nationals down 0-6. Pelfrey worked seven solid innings, failing to give up a single run on just five hits. He walked two, struck out four, and dropped his ERA to 1.50. |
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| Kenji Johjima hit a run scoring double in a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
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Our View: The Seattle catcher scored twice and had two total RBI in Seattle's big win over the Royals. The Japanese import was scuffling before tonight's game hitting a light .162. He raised his average to .220 with the three hits.
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| Aaron Laffey allowing only two runs on three hits in eight innings for his second win of the season at Triple-A on Monday night. He is now 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA on the year. |
Our View: The Indians are in very good hands with Laffey as a potential replacement should something happen to their current starting five. The lefty posted a 4.56 ERA in nine starts for the Indians last season, and his solid groundball rate and control makes him a fair AL-only option should he get another chance to join the rotation this season.
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| Brooks Brown lost his second game of the season on Monday after allowing one run on two hits in five innings at Double-A. He fanned seven batters and walked two. |
Our View: Fellow farmhand Max Scherzer receives more press, but Brown is not far behind him on the organizational depth chart for Arizona. The Georgia alum and 34th overall pick in the 2006 draft had a solid season between High-A and Double-A in 2007, and he now has a 2.81 ERA in 16 innings this season. Brown could be a solid major league contributor by this time next season.
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| Odalis Perez picked up his third loss of the season this evening, falling to the New York Mets 0-6. However, that's not to say Perez wasn't throwing well. He completed six innings of work, allowing just two runs on six hits. |
Our View: Perez did allow four walks and picked up three strike outs, struggling to throw strikes (103 total pitches, only 59 for strikes). However, it was the total lack of offensive support and the failures of the relief pitching that did the Nats in this evening.
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| David DeJesus is healthy, in only his third game back, the center fielder went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. |
Our View: The return of DeJesus kills the momentum that Joey Gathright built during his absence.
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| Arthur Rhodes , who had ligament replacement surgery last May, made his first appearance since Sept. 9, 2006, when he was with Philadelphia. The Mariners' 38-year-old left-hander recorded an out but gave up two hits in the stint. |
Our View: Rhodes has no fantasy worth outside of deep AL-only formats that start middle relievers, and even then his value is low.
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| Struggles continue for Phillies 1B Ryan Ryan Howard , going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in tonight's 3-4 win over the Houston Astros. |
Our View: Howard has three homers on the season but has struggled to get his batting average to .200.
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| Miguel Batista struggled through five innings, allowing seven hits and four runs in his first win of the season. |
Our View: The right-hander walked two and struck out only one in the win. Batista's fantasy value rests in deep AL-only formats.
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| Hideo Nomo, who is attempting a comeback at the age of 39, allowed four runs in Tuesday's 11-6 loss to Seattle. |
Our View: Expect to see Nomo released in the next two days.
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| Left fielder Pat Burrell provided the fireworks for the Phillies in their 3-4 9th-inning win over the Houston Astros. Burrell belted his fifth homer of the season in that 9th inning with one man on to give his team a shot to win, the win completed on 3B Pedro Feliz's RBI double. |
Our View: Burrell went 1-for-4 at the plate with two strikeouts, a bit of a slip for a man that enjoyed a surprising resurgence early this season.
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| John Bale allowed five runs on seven hits, lasting only three-plus innings in a 11-6 loss to Seattle on Tuesday night. |
Our View: Bale is hanging on by a thread as the Royals fifth starter and shouldn't be anywhere near a fantasy roster, not even deep AL-only formats.
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| Starter Shawn Chacon watched as his brilliant performance, well worth a win, was flushed down the toilet as the Astros blew a late-game lead to fall 3-4 to the Philadelphia Phillies. Chacon threw eight full innings, throwing 109 pitches with 68 counting for strikes, failing to surrender a single run on four hits allowed. Chacon surrendered just two walks and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.25. |
Our View: Unfortunately, reliever Jose Valverde entered the game and allowed four runs (three earned) on just three hits, surrendering two home runs and the win.
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| Lance Berkman brought the big stick to the yard this evening, providing a bit of offense in the Astros' devastating 3-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Berkman went 2-for-4 with one walk and two runs scored. |
Our View: It is early but Berkman's .327 batting average leads the starting lineup as the always powerful first bagger continues to work as the team leader.
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| Jose Lopez became the 12th player in major league history to hit three sacrifice flies in a game. Seattle put a 11-6 beat down on the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. |
Our View: Lopez finished the game 1-for-2 with four RBI. Incredibly, the M's second baseman has 13 RBI in 15 games so far this year.
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| Twins starter Scott Baker gave up three runs on five hits in seven innings of work on Tuesday night The right-hander walked two and struck out three in a no-decision. |
Our View: Baker pitched effectively. The Twins simply ran into a Detroit team that is finally coming out of its winter slumber.
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| It wasn't pretty, again, but Detroit closer Todd Jones recorded his third save of the season in the 6-5 win over the Twins on Tuesday night. |
Our View: Jones once again made his ninth inning appearance interesting. The right-handed veteran gave up one run on two hits. He also struck out a Twinkie in his one inning of work.
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| Gary Sheffield, who is playing through some shoulder pain, hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday. |
Our View: Sheff, who helped the Tigers to their second straight victory, had only one RBI coming into tonight's game. Sad isn't a strong enough word for what the Tigers offense has been. After two victories, and a combined 17 runs in the last two games, Detroit is poised to have some of their big bats break out.
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| Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer to help the Detroit Tigers to a second straight eighth-inning rally, beating the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Tuesday night. |
Our View: The long ball was Miguel's second of the season. The third baseman drove in his fourth and fifth RBI.
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| Jesse Crain, who is reportedly suffering from a sore knee, was the pitcher of record in the 6-5 loss to the Tigers on Tuesday night. |
Our View: Crain was tagged for three runs on two hits. The right-handed reliever gave up a walk and struck out one in the loss.
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| Clay Rapada , who was called up just last Friday, recorded two outs and got the the 6-5 win over the Twins on Tuesday. |
Our View: Rapada replaced right-hander Yorman Bazardo, who was designated for assignment.
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| Magglio Ordonez was a major contributor in the Tigers 6-5 win over the Twins on Tuesday night. The right fielder was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. |
Our View: Mags scored twice and drove in two for a Tiger offense that appears ready to break out.
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| Nate Robertson pitched well for the first time this season in a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. The Detroit left-hander didn't receive the decision but kept the Tigers in the game. The southpaw allowed four runs on six hits, walked one and struck out five over 6.1 innings of work. |
Our View: The Tigers bats are coming alive, and with an average starting five and bullpen, it's the Detroit hitters that will have carry the Tigers to continued success.
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| Pitcher Tom Glavine reports his aching hamstring feels much better and the veteran lefty reported to practice with the team, did a small bit of running, and played catch, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: A hamstring strain forced Glavine to leave Sunday’s game against the Nationals in the first inning and the fear of a prolonged recovery is unavoidable for pitcher at his age, yet Glavine appears to be fine and will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.
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| Outfielder Gabe Kapler has been scratched from tonight's lineup for Milwaukee Brewers, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Kapler ran into an outfield wall while shagging fly balls in batting practice at Busch Stadium, and while his status is not considered serious, the Brewers played it safe and kept him on the bench for the evening.
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| According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Rafael Betancourt will replace Borowski at closer. The report noted that the right-hander wasn't available Tuesday night against Boston after pitching two days in a row. |
Our View: Wedge said he'd use Jensen Lewis or Rafael Perez if he needed a closer. It will come as no surprise if Betancourt finishes out the season as the Indians' ninth inning option.
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| Curt Schilling remains in the dark on when he might be able to start throwing, according to MLB.com. The Red Sox right-hander hopes it will happen within "the next couple of weeks." "I'm getting closer, obviously, because they're challenging me more, but I don't know," said Schilling. "I feel good enough to be asking them on a daily basis, so that's a good thing. But I don't know. I don't have an answer for you." |
Our View: Schilling will be fortunate if he can return before the All Star break, and even then he is a a fringe fantasy reserve in mixed formats.
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| Left fielder Alfonso Soriano has suffered an undisclosed leg injury while fielding a fly ball against the Cincinnati Reds this evening, according to ChicagoSports.com. Soriano was making his traditional hop while catching a fly off the bat of Ken Griffey Jr. and came up limping after an awkward landing. |
Our View: Soriano missed five games last May with hamstring problems and was on the 15-day DL earlier this year with a quad strain. Now it appears he will miss more time with additional leg issues. The extent of the injury is not known at this time and we will update when more news become available.
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| According to the Dallas Morning News, after a shaky spring training, Kason Gabbard has started the season with a couple of solid outings. He allowed his first two runs of the season in his last start against Baltimore. He went 5 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits but got no decision in a Rangers win.
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Our View: It should be no surprise that any staff, including the Rangers' fare better away from Ranger Stadium. Texas pitchers have a 2.31 ERA away from Arlington and a 5.32 ERA at home.
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| Conor Jackson enjoyed a strong day at the park in Arizona's 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. Jackson went 2-for-4 with a walk, hitting a double and his second home run of the year with thee total RBIs earned. |
Our View: Jackson is being counted on to provide a lift for this young but highly-talented lineup, carrying the big stick at first base for a team in need of power and strength. Thus far he’s making good much more often than not.
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| Young hurler Micah Owings picked up his third win of the season today, throwing a gem of a game to lead his Arizona Diamondbacks to an 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Owings completed six full innings of work, throwing 96 pitches with 63 counting for strikes, allowing just one run on three hits with two walks surrendered and six strikeouts gathered. |
Our View: Through three starts, Owings has picked up 19 total strike outs with just five walks allowed. He's gone at least six innings in each outing, he's allowed just five runs on 12 hits, and seems to be in a groove any fantasy owner would be gifted to own.
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| RHP Kevin Correia pitched well today, but the offensive support failed to come through as Correia suffered the loss, 8-2, to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Correia pitched six innings, throwing 83 pitches with 54 counting for strikes. He allowed five runs on five hits, walking three and striking out six. The righty also allowed two home runs where the bulk of the damage was done. |
Our View: This brings Correia to a record of 1-2, and while he’s gone respectfully deep into all three starts and kept his pitch counts down, he has surrendered multiple walks in each (eight total) and now carries an ERA of 4.12.
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| Veteran Ray Durham continues to struggle at the plate for the San Francisco Giants, coming up short in today’s 8-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Durham went 0-for-3 leaving four runners on base, including a foul out in the 6th inning to first base. |
Our View: It appeared Durham might have been dumping the funk with three hits against the St. Louis Cardinals over the final three days of a four-game set, but the veteran has once again gone cold and has not enjoyed a multi-hit performance since April 5th.
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| The Plain Dealer suggests that closer Joe Borowski and the team have hidden the right-handers injury this season. The report notes that the team entered the season with Borowski still hurting, denied he was hurt on April 7 after he gave up a walk-off grand slam to Torii Hunter and were still playing dumb Monday night after Borowski gave it up again against Manny Ramirez.
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Our View: Questioning the papers speculation one would obviously ask what was the point in hiding an injury. This isn't football, or basketball where opposing players could utilize the information. The Indians have no timetable for Borowski's return, but it is again speculated that he could miss as much as a month.
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| Jake Westbrook completed his third straight quality start on Monday night, but received a no-decision after the Indians bullpen blew his 4-2 lead. |
Our View: Westbrook was perfect during spring training, and has carried his success into April. If Westbrook can continue this pattern, it would be an aberration for a right-hander at the age of 30. If you buy into the theory that by the time a pitcher hits his thirties, and they are what they've been, one might spend some time finding out what the Indians starter is worth on the open market.
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| Dustin McGowan is better than his record, and as unlucky as he is good. The future ace is throwing consistently in the mid-90s and his array of pitches are as active as any right-hander in the league. He has allowed 21 hits in 17 innings and struck out 16 during that stretch. |
Our View: The Jays have given him little run support and his task doesn't get any easier over his next three starts (Tigers, Rays, and Red Sox).
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| Despite Angel Pagan's .385 batting average, the Mets are insisting he will not retain his starting role when Moises Alou returns from the disabled list. |
Our View: Alou has yet to begin his minor league rehab assignment but is expected to sometime next week.
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| Dave Bush appears to be taking his final turn in the rotation tonight, or pitching for a rotation spot, depending on your outlook. Yovani Gallardo returns this weekend and one of the current five Brewer starters have to go. |
Our View: If it's Bush, the likelihood is he'll end up in the bullpen. Bush had some closing experience and has seemed to be better going short stints, two, three or four innings. In his two starts, he has gone 5 1/3 innings in each one. In the final inning of both appearances, Bush has allowed six runs.
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| There's no timetable for Joba Chamberlain's return to active duty, which leaves a void in the Yanks' bullpen. |
Our View: The club recalled right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday to take Chamberlain's place in the bullpen.
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| Jimmy Rollins is not in Tuesday's starting lineup.
The reigning National League Most Valuable Player will miss his sixth game with a sprained left ankle. |
Our View: The Phillies shortstop worked out with the team in pre-game drills, but still isn't able to run from first to third without issue.
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| The Boston Globe is reporting that it's likely that Alex Cora will be placed on the disabled list. Though there was no definitive news or confirmation according to the note. |
Our View: Terry Francona told the paper it might be as much as a week before Cora is ready on Tuesday. However, Francona had said the infielder had "no limitations" this past weekend.
With the ability to retroactively place Cora on the DL -- expect the move to take place tonight or tomorrow.
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| Bedard has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, this according to ESPN SportsCenter. |
Our View: There is no word yet on who will fill his spot among the starting five. It's likely Bedard will miss only one more start and return to his slot in the rotation when he's eligible to return. R.A. Dickey is the likely candidate to replace the left-hander for Friday's start.
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| Evan Longoria is again in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees. The rookie third baseman is hitting fifth in the order. |
Our View: Longoria will be playing his fourth game of the season, and currently has four hits in nine at-bats, with one home run and two RBI. He has only struck out once in his nine plate appearances.
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| Mike Cameron traveled for the three game series in St Louis, and is working out with his teammates, this according to JS Online. |
Our View: Cameron, who is serving his 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant last season, cannot be in the ballpark when the gates open, so he has to go back to the team hotel.
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| Ned Yost told JS Online that Ryan Braun is out of the lineup today against St. Louis because he needs to "relax."
"He's stepping in the (batter's) box and wanting to get into a real big hurry," said Yost. "He's too good a hitter for that to happen."
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Our View: Braun has only three hits in his last 25 at-bats. During this slump he has struck out 11 times and drawn zero walks. The sophomore (jinx) slump is so difficult to shake, even for the most talented.
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| David DeJesus, for the second straight game, is starting and at the top of the Royals' order. |
Our View: This will be the center fielder's third game of the season. DeJesus has one hit and one RBI in five at-bats on the year.
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| Rays' starter Matt Garza threw 30 pitches off the bullpen mound today and came away pain free, this according to the Tampa Tribune. The radial nerve irritation that placed him on the 15-day disabled list was treated with an injection and has responded well.
“I feel that good,” he said. “That’s my plan, but we’ll see what’s in store. Today is Day One of throwing off a mound. I felt good and I’m ready to get right back on it. Let’s go.”
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Our View: Manager Joe Maddon also sounded optimistic that Garza would be able to pitch either against the Blue Jays at Disney on April 24 or against the Red Sox during the weekend series at Tropicana Field April 25-27.
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| Twins shortstop Adam Everett will have his right shoulder examined by the team’s medical staff Wednesday, skipper Ron Gardenhire said, notes the Star Tribune.
Everett had a throwing error in the eighth inning of Monday’s 11-9 loss and missed two games over the weekend to rest the shoulder. |
Our View: Matt Tolbert is in the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Tigers.
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| The Mets activated right-handed reliever Duaner Sanchez from the 15-day disabled list and optioned Carlos Muniz to Triple-A New Orleans. |
Our View: Muniz pitched four scoreless innings in his work with the parent club. The team decided to keep right-hander Joe Smith up on the 25-man roster over Muniz. Sanchez becomes a viable fantasy option in leagues that start middle relievers.
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