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| Jose Reyes recorded his third straight multi-hit game during Thursday's 14 inning win over the Nationals. The Mets shortstop was 2-for-6 with a run scored. |
Our View: Reyes still has only one stolen base in three attempts.
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| Bryan Anderson went 4-for-6 with a home run on Thursday for Double-A Springfield. He is now hitting .391-2-7 this season. |
Our View: Anderson has big fantasy potential if he sticks at catcher. He hit .298 at Double-A last season, and he has been facing older pitchers at age 21. Yadier Molina is in the way in St. Louis, but Anderson is not a liability behind the plate. If he finds a new organization, he will likely be rostered in most keeper leagues, if he is not already.
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| Steven Pearce hit his first two home runs of the season and added five RBI for Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday. |
Our View: Pearce has gotten off to a slow start, which could be related to learning a new position moving from first base to the outfield. Pearce should have made a good enough impression last season to be able to earn some playing time in the majors later this year if and when the Pirates fall out of contention.
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| John Lannan, who had a career-high 11 strikeouts in the Nats 14th inning loss to the Mets. The left-hander allowed just one run and three hits in six innings of work.
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Our View: Lannan became the first rookie left-hander to record 10 or more strikeouts in a start without a walk since Noah Lowry did it for the Giants against the Mets in San Francisco.
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| Damion Easley scored on Joel Hanrahan's second wild pitch in the 14th inning allowing the New York Mets to defeat the Washington Nationals 3-2 Friday morning. |
Our View: Easley got extensive playing time in the extra innings affair. It was Easley's third run scored in eight games.
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| Ricky Nolasco suffered the loss in the Marlins' 8-0 Thursday whitewashing by the Atlanta Braves. In 4.2 innings of work Nolasco allowed six runs on nine hits, walked none and struck out four. |
Our View: Nolasco evened his record at 1-1 and raised his ERA to 6.46.
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| Chipper Jones went 4-for-4 with two homers and three RBI to help the Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins 8-0 on Thursday night. |
Our View: Enjoy it while Chipper is healthy, because it's an inevitable occurrence that he will miss time to an injury at some point this year. Why shouldn't he join the rest of the Braves' disabled?
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| John Smoltz pitched five shutout innings and struck out 10 helping an injury riddled Braves tame to a 8-0 victory over the Florida Marlins on Thursday. |
Our View: Smoltz, and Chipper Jones, are the only two productive vessels on a dismal Atlanta squad. The problem with this picture is that both are injury risks at any time. The Braves are taking on water and tonight's victory is nothing more than a piece of bubble gum in the Braves current cracks.
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| Manny Ramirez hit his 494th home run Thursday night. With the home run, he passed Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for sole possession of 24th place on the All Time list.
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Our View: Loving the spotlight, the left fielder added No. 495 an inning later, his fifth of the year.
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| The Milwaukee Brewers sent outfielder Tony Gwynn on a rehabilitation assignment to Triple-A Nashville Thursday, this according to the Sports Network. |
Our View: Gwynn was placed on the 15-day disabled list April 10 with a strained left hamstring, and has not played since.
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| Carlos Beltran will be out of tonight’s lineup due to a stiff neck, this according to MetsBlog.com. |
Our View: If it isn't a left knee it's a right knee. If it isn't one of those, it seems to be something else. Tonight, it is a stiff neck. Beltran, who will have his 31 birthday in late April, has the wear and tear of a player in his late thirties.
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| Ryan Ludwick went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Cardinals on Thursday. |
Our View: Ludwick has been on fire of late with at least two hits in four of his last eight games helping to raise his average to .390 on the young season.
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| Manny Parra had another uneven outing on Thursday as he allowed five hits and five walks in four innings on the hill. Parra wasn't involved in the decision and though he did manage to limit the damage to three runs in four innings. |
Our View: Parra owns a 5.40 ERA through three starts, and he has now allowed 11 hits in his last eight innings over two starts.
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| Kyle Lohse pitched seven solid innings allowing just five hits and no walks against the Brewers though he wasn't involved in the decision. |
Our View: Lohse's ERA now sits at 1.48 after 24.1 innings though he has only 10 K. His numbers will regress as the year drags on, but he is certainly looking like a fine starter in deep mixed leagues.
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| Prince Fielder hit his first home run of the season on Thursday as he went 2-for-5 with three RBI on the day. |
Our View: We all knew this would happen, and so it did, but of bigger concern with Fielder is what does he do moving forward since he is still batting just .241 on the year. He only has nine K on the year, so for the most part he has managed to make consistent contact.
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| Pat Burrell hit his sixth home run of the season on Thursday on his way to two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Howard hit his fourth home run and also had two runs scored and two RBI. |
Our View: Burrell continues to hum along with six HR and 17 RBI in the early going for the Phillies. Dating back to last season, Burrell has hit .309-25-77 over his last 90 games.
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| Miguel Tejada went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored on Thursday, hours after a story broke that he had lied about his age. |
Our View: Tejada is now batting .328 with 11 RBI as he continues to be one of the better hitting shortstops in baseball, even if he is two years older than he had previously stated (he is 33).
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| Jose Valverde had another rough outing on Thursday as he allowed two runs in one inning for the Astros. |
Our View: Valverde now owns a 12.27 ERA and horrible 2.53 WHIP as he has looked terrible this season thanks to an amazing four home runs allowed in 7.1 innings.
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| Brett Myers allowed just one run over seven innings on Thursday to pick up his second victory of the season. Myers struck out eight Astros batters, walked only one, and allowed just five hits. |
Our View: The only run Myers allowed today was on a solo HR, the sixth home run he has allowed in just four games. If he can cut back on the taters he would appear to be in line for a big-time season.
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| Jonathan Meloan threw six scoreless innings on Wednesday, allowing only one hit, four walks and fanning four to bring his ERA down to 1.69 at Triple-A Las Vegas. |
Our View: Meloan was overpowering as a reliever between Double-A and Triple-A last season (2.03 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 66.2 innings), but the Dodgers are giving him a try as a starter this season. He has had some control issues, but the upside is enormous if he continues to work out.
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| Brandon Phillips will be given the day off on Thursday, this according to MLB.com. "I think he needs it. He's played every day, every inning," manager Dusty Baker said. "You see him swinging at bad pitches and taking good ones. He's not trusting himself right now." Ryan Freel will play in his place. |
Our View: Phillips is 6 for his last 31 (.194) and is without a hit in 10 AB, so perhaps a mental day off will allow him to get his game back on track.
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| Jay Bruce left Wednesday’s game with an injured shoulder, Baseball America reports. The injury is not considered serious, but he could miss Thursday’s game. |
Our View: Not too much to be worried about for keeper-league owners and Bruce fans.
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| Russ Springer (inflamed nerve in elbow) threw a successful bullpen session on Thursday and is looking forward to being activated from the DL on Monday, this according to MLB.com. "Everything is fine. All my pitches worked. I'm right where I want to be." |
Our View: Springer is coming off his best season (8-1, 2.18 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) and will add a great arm to a Cardinals staff that is off to a solid start in the new year.
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| Mike Fontenot will continue to fill the leadoff role for the Cubs until Alfonso Soriano returns from the 15 day DL, this according to MLB.com. "It's been a few years since I've done it," Fontenot said . I keep my same approach. I usually don't hack at a lot of pitches -- I try to see a few pitches, so it works out." |
Our View: Ryan Theriot figures to bat second on most nights to help break up the the run of left-handed and right-handed batters.
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| Jimmy Rollins may have pinch hit last night but his ankle continues to bother him, this according to MLB.com. Besides that issue there is also a death in the family, so the decision has been made to hold Rollins out of action until at least Sunday. |
Our View: Rollins is using a hyperbaric chamber to improve his ability to recover, but the bottom line is that he is out until at least Sunday, so continue to make other arrangements until he returns to action.
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| Kyle Lohse has started off hot and rewarded the faith in him that the Cardinals showed when they signed him late in the preseason, this according to MLB.com. "He's using his breaking ball's a lot more effectively, and his stuff looks better than it was last year," said one scout. "That's [pitching coach Dave] Duncan for you. He'll take a guy other teams have given up on and win with him." |
Our View: Lohse is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA through three starts a year after he went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA. Lohse doesn't figure to have suddenly morphed into an all-star, but there is no denying that he has the stuff to be an above average major league hurler.
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| Casey Kotchman is off to the best start of his young career this season as he has four HR in 58 AB, twice as many home runs as he had in 151 career AB in April entering the season, this according to MLB.com. "He's putting it all together," one scout said. "You could seem him coming on last year. He's got the smooth swing, good eye, and has had enough time to figure out how [opposing pitchers] are going to pitch him. |
Our View: Kotchman doesn't figure to develop into a 30 HR hitter, but there is nothing wrong with a .300 hitting corner infielder with 20 home runs now is there?
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| Bill Hall has gone back to wearing contacts after choosing not to wear them the past three years, this according to MLB.com. "Now, when I take my contacts out at night I'm like, 'Why did I ever not wear them?'" Hall said. "Maybe that was my problem last year." |
Our View: Ya think? It always amazes us, the stupidity of some players. If you go to the eye doctor and they tell you that you need correction to see better, why not listen to them? Hall has five HR in the early going but he has has 18 K and just one BB, so maybe the contacts aren't helping that much after all.
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| Jerry Hairston may find himself in the Cincinnati dugout before too long as Dusty Baker is close to making some roster decisions, this according to the the Cincinnati Enquirer. The team could also call up Jolbert Cabrera instead. |
Our View: Hairston is hitting .429-2-10 in his time in the minors this year and he appears to be the logical choice of a bat to add if the team decides to go in that direction.
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| J.R. Towles caught a bullpen session on Wednesday and appears to be in line to return to action on Friday, this according to the Houston Chronicle. "I felt all right," he said. "It didn't really bother me. I felt it on the low pitches when I had to turn my thumb down. It was definitely better than I expected. I thought I'd be more sore." |
Our View: Towles has had a rough start to the year being in and out of the lineup, but he has three HR and seven RBI in 11 games, not to mention six BB and three HBP which offset his lowly .207 batting average.
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| Ty Wigginton, out with a displaced fracture in his left thumb, was able to play an extended game of catch and feels he is nearing a return to the lineup, this according to the Houston Chronicle. Hitting isn't really the problem. Catching has been the problem. It's improved. Not great, but improved." |
Our View: Wigginton hopes to be ready when he is able to be activated on April 21st, but he might need a couple of extra days past that date to make sure everything is good to go.
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| It turns out that the rumors are true, Miguel Tejada is older than he has always stated, this according to a report on the AP. Though currently listed as 31 years old, Tejada is actually 33, a fact that goes back to when he signed his first pro contract and said he was 17 when he was really 19. “I’m a poor kid that wanted to sign,” Tejada said. “I’m feeling free now. It’s something that I had in my mind.” |
Our View: Kudos for Tejada clearing that up, but did he really have to wait 14 years? Maybe this helps to explain why his range on defense has diminished so greatly the past couple of seasons; he is older than we thought. Doesn't this guy have enough problems with PED's already? If he lied about his age, what else has he lied about?
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| Following up on an earlier report; Tim Hudson's fastball velocity was down about five mph in Wednesday's loss to the Marlins. Tim Hudson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "I felt fine physically. Just one of those nights I went out there and just couldn't get anything behind the ball. It was kind of a weird feeling. My heater fastball is normally a lot better than that. Just wasn't coming out of my hand good, for whatever reason." |
Our View: Things look bad in Hotlanta. Their entire starting rotation is in shambles, their closer is on the disabled list, and Mark Teixeira can't hit left-handed pitching, his strong suit. Don't be deceived. While the Braves are not disclosing any injury news concerning Hudson, a team and coaching staff don't pull their ace after three innings for simply "not having his best stuff." Throw up the yellow caution sign around Hudson and the Braves. They are taking on water with a quickness.
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| Kazuo Matsui will return to the starting lineup this weekend, this according to Rototimes sources. Houston skipper Cecil Cooper told sources that the Astros' second baseman will start Friday and Saturday against his old mates, the Roks. |
Our View: Kaz is coming off a .288 season where he stole 32 bases. He's a solid pickup and potential contributor in the speed category for managers in shallow leagues. The former Met and Rok shouldn't be available otherwise.
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| Carlos Zambrano picked up his third quality start of the season on Tuesday, and notched his second win of the young season. The Z-Man gave up two runs on eight hits over seven innings of work. If he can continue to throw the same strikeout to walk ratio (5:1) at his gameday line moving forward, the big right-hander is in for a solid season. |
Our View: The Cubs' ace is a two start pitcher in Week 4, facing an overrated Mets offense and Nats' bats that he should find favorable.
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| The Nationals' are concerned with closer Chad Cordero, according to the Washington Post. His warm-up pitches were gravely slow on Wednesday night. His first pitch registered at a mere 75 mph, and it took him 15 throws to top 80. His top speed was 82 mph, and the team may pull him from his closer's role until he gets his velocity up, although he did throw a scoreless inning against the Mets. Manager Manny Acta commented, "What do you do? He says he's fine. He has no pain. He's going to continue to pitch. Just right now we're going to have to pick and choose our spots, because I really don't feel right now, the way he's throwing the ball, I should trust him to save a game here."
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Our View: Jon Rauch could return to the closer's role until Cordero regains his velocity.
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| Mark DeRosa will spend time in left field in place of the injured Alfonso Soriano, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Mike Fontenot will step in and cover second base. |
Our View: DeRosa is hitting 14-for-48 so far, with three homers and 10 RBI. He will play in left field for Chicago, rather than calling up Matt Murton from the minors.
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| Alfonso Soriano is expected to be fully recovered from his calf strain when he comes off the DL, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The team does not think his ailment will linger, or be a problem when he returns. |
Our View: This is favorable news, and Mark DeRosa will spend time in left field until he returns.
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| Miguel Montero had played in six games of his rehab assignment entering Wednesday, according to the Arizona Republic. Manager Bob Melvin said Montero would need to catch nine innings in back-to-back games before he is ready to return. He was scheduled to catch seven innings on Wednesday and is expected to be ready to come off the DL before the end of the month. He is recovering from a fractured right index finger.
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Our View: He will compete for a backup catcher role when he returns.
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| Chad Tracy is moving toward starting a minor-league rehab assignment, according to the Arizona Republic. He will run the bases over the weekend, Manager Bob Melvin said, and if all goes favorably, he could go down to Tucson sometime next week to begin playing in extended spring-training games or in Triple-A. He is recoving from right knee surgery.
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Our View: He would battle Mark Reynolds for playing time at third base when he returns.
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| Rafael Soriano hopes to return from the DL on Tuesday, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He is battling elbow tendinitis. |
Our View: He would resume his role as the Braves' closer when he returns.
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| Tim Hudson's fastball velocity was down about 5 mph all night during his loss to Florida on Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Hudson threw a fastball as hard as he could to Mike Jacobs, but he juiced it into the stands for a homer, on a pitch that only hit 85-mph. Hudson commented, "I felt fine physically. Just one of those nights I went out there and just couldn't get anything behind the ball. It was kind of a weird feeling. My heater fastball is normally a lot better than that. Just wasn't coming out of my hand good, for whatever reason."
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Our View: Hopefully he is not hurt, and will bounce back in his next outing.
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| Adam LaRoche went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk on Wednesday in the Pirates loss to the Dodgers. |
Our View: LaRoche has always been a slow starter, but he has just three RBI and a .143 batting average through 42 AB, and that isn't slow, it's glacial. Look for him to breakout of the slump soon, that is if he is over his recent bout with the flu.
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| Brad Penny allowed only one unearned run on Wednesday in the Dodgers 8-1 thrashing of the Pirates. Penny held the Pirates to five hits and no walks, as he picked up four K in 5.2 innings. |
Our View: Penny has posted a 2.98 ERA through four starts, he is 2-2, but with only 13 K in 24.2 IP he is living dangerously with a 4.81 K/9 mark.
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| Rafael Furcal went 4-for-4, including a home run, with two runs scored and two RBI for the Dodgers on Wednesday. |
Our View: The team may not know what it's going to do with Juan Pierre, but they know exactly what to do with Furcal and that is put him in the leadoff spot, wind him up, and let him go. It's currently working as he is hitting .407 with 14 runs scored in 15 games.
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