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| Matt LaPorta hit his second home run in as many games for Double-A Huntsville on Sunday. |
Our View: LaPorta, Milwaukee’s top pick in the 2007 draft, is hitting .286-3-14 this season. He was already on the radar of many fantasy owners entering this season, but the Brewers can afford to bring him up slowly with the depth that they have shown in the outfield this season.
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| Nick Adenhart improved to 3-0 after throwing six scoreless innings for Triple-A Salt Lake. He allowed four hits, three walks and struck out five. |
Our View: The Angels’ top pitching prospect has a 1.17 ERA through four starts, but his command could be better with a 14/12 K/BB ratio in 23 innings. The Angels have no need to rush him, especially with John Lackey likely returning in the next month.
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| Jorge de la Rosa threw six scoreless innings to earn his second win of the season for Triple-A Omaha on Sunday. He allowed three hits, two walks and struck out six. |
Our View: De la Rosa’s ERA is down to 1.15, and he is aligned in the rotation now with Luke Hochevar. Hochevar will probably get at least one more shot, but should he falter again and John Bale remain in the DL, de la Rosa could get a chance to start for the Royals in the coming weeks.
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| Mike Hessman went 4-for-5 with three home runs and five RBI for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. |
Our View: Hessman failed to make the Tigers out of spring training, but he will likely see the majors at some point this season. He has displayed quite a bit of power during his professional career, including the majors. This big game should continue to keep him on the radar should the Tigers need a corner infield or pinch-hit fill-in in the near future.
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| Mike Pelfrey, who gave up 10 hits and four runs in five innings of work Sunday night, threw almost nothing but fastballs. The results of such were not what the right-hander or the Mets were aiming for. All Star second baseman Chase Utley single handedly did Pelfrey in hitting his seventh and eighth home runs of April. |
Our View: Pelfrey had been good in his first two starts, recording a 1.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. The Mets' right hander escaped the loss and gets a chance to record his third victory of the season Friday versus Atlanta.
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| Brad Lidge escaped a shaky ninth for his third save of the season, and the Phillies defeated the Mets 5-4 on Sunday night. |
Our View: Lidge still doesn't have complete command of his arsenal. The right-hander allowed a hit, issued a walk and struck out one in the final inning.
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| Chase Utley hit two home runs, his second and third in the last two games, leading the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Mets on Sunday night.
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Our View: Utley went 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored.
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| After suffering through a tough start because of a flu bug on Tuesday, Aaron Harang was back throwing strikes on Sunday, allowing four hits in eight innings of work. The right-hander struck out eight with his only mistake on the day, a home run my Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy.
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Our View: Harang, who has 2.43 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP, hasn't disappointed his managers this season.
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| Yovani Gallardo, who was activated off the disabled list before Sunday's game, allowed only four hits through eight innings of work. Gallardo proved he is fit and ready to resume his starting role by throwing 112 pitches in a no-decision. |
Our View: The 112 pitches may end up costing the Brewers. Pitchers coming off the disabled list, who throw more than 100 pitches in the first start back, typically struggle in their second start. The right-hander is scheduled to start in a favorable Friday matchup against Florida.
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| Edwin Encarnacion assisted the Brewers take a 3-1 lead in the top of the 10th by committing an error on a hurried throw to second base. The Reds third baseman redeemed himself by hitting a 10th inning home run, sparking the Reds to their eighth victory of the season. |
Our View: Encarnacion has four home runs, nine RBI and eight runs scored in April. The streaky hitter has always been a liability in the field, and an inconsistent hitter. However, his upside is he's capable of tearing the cover off the ball for a week at a time.
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| Mark Teixeira was 3-for-4 and highlighted his day at the plate by hitting a long home run. |
Our View: The left-handed hitter continues to find his swing. Tex raised his average to .250 and the home run was his fourth of the young season.
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| Outfielder Gregor Blanco started over Matt Diaz for the third straight game on Sunday. The left fielder was 1-for-2 with a walk after having two hits in each of the first two games of the series. |
Our View: Blanco replaced Diaz, who had shown little pop in his bat over the last week.
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| Outfielder Gregor Blanco started over Matt Diaz for the third straight game. The left fielder was 1-for-2 with a walk after having two hits in each of the first two games of the series. |
Our View: Diaz hasn't shown much punch at the plate, but his .267 average, nine RBI is more than many of the Braves have supplied in April. Diaz pinch-hit for Blanco in the seventh and did little to make a case for a return to the starting lineup by striking out twice.
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| After starting the season on fire, and recording a career best 12-game hitting streak, James Loney was 0-for-12 with five strikeouts in a series sweep by the Braves. |
Our View: Loney failed on a number of occasions to assist the Dodgers offense. He struck out when all he need to do was put the ball in play and left more than 10 runners in scoring position during the series.
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| Russell Martin is trying to break out of his April slump. In Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Braves, the LA catcher accounted for the only Dodgers offense hitting a home run off Jair Jurrjens in the fourth inning. |
Our View: It was Martin's second home run of the season, and his Sunday RBI game him six on the season. These numbers are far from what is expected of the talented hitter.
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| Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda allowed seven hits, walked four and gave up two runs in six innings of work Sunday. The right-hander struggled to find the plate, which was evident by his four free passes, but he was able to record four strike outs in the loss.
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Our View: He pitched well enough to win, but Los Angeles hitters were only 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position during the series, offering very little run support to the pitching staff.
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| Jair Jurrjens recorded his second win of the season on Sunday pitching three-hit ball over seven innings. The right-hander beat Japanese import, Hiroki Kuroda, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1. |
Our View: Jurrjens struck out countryman Andruw Jones three times on the day, and normally that would be considered a feat. However, the ex-Brave isn't hitting (.169) his weight and has showed little reason to believe he's working his way out of an April funk.
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| Ubaldo Jimenez pitched 6.2 innings in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Astros. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits, walked five and struck out six. |
Our View: Jimenez threw his fourth straight quality start.
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| Former Rok, Shawn Chacon, allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings of work on Sunday. He struck out three and walked one in the no-decision. |
Our View: Chacon has been a surprise this season. His 2.77 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and his 5.00 K Rate have actually assisted managers in Roto formats.
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| Jose Valverde returned to his normal ninth inning role on Sunday recording three outs for his second save in four chances this season. |
Our View: Doug Brocail vultured a save this weekend, leading many fantasy owners to fear that Valverde might have lost his closer role. Valverde is going to have to find an injury before the team trusts Brocail as their primary ninth inning option. The Sunday save was Valverde's 100th of his career.
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| Brad Hawpe went 3-for-4 in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Astros. Hawpe and the Roks saw their April record even out at 9-9. |
Our View: The Colorado right fielder hit his fourth double of the season, added two singles and raised his average to .246.
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| Sunday's poor effort by Braden Looper against San Francisco should come as no surprise. The former closer is 0-3 with a 5.65 ERA and two saves in 31 career appearances, including two starts, against the Giants. |
Our View: Looper was hit hard Sunday lasting only three innings. The veteran allowed seven runs on ten hits, walked none and struck out one in the loss.
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| The Cardinals are holding off activating reliever Russ Springer (elbow) from the disabled list. The staff wants to see how he feels after throwing and performs in another simulated effort Monday. |
Our View: Springer, who was shut down for a week due to a nerve problem in his elbow, threw to hitters for the first time on Saturday.
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| Jonathan Sanchez pitched two-hit ball in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Cardinals. The left-hander needed 101 pitches over five innings to get his first win of the season. |
Our View: Sanchez took several batters to full counts and walked four while striking out five in the win.
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| The Angels have decided to add a bench player and reduce their 25-man roster to 11 pitchers, this according to the team website. LA will call-up Kendry Morales for the first time this season from Triple-A Salt Lake.
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Our View: Jason Bulger was optioned to Salt Lake to make room for the Angels' infielder.
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| John Bowker hit his third career home run on Sunday sparking the Giants to a season high in runs, hits and winning margin with a 8-2 victory over St. Louis. |
Our View: Bowker played in his seventh game of the season, but when he's taken the diamond and the batters box, he has been productive. Bowker is hitting .364, has four runs and nine RBI in 22 at-bats.
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| Bengie Molina hit three doubles and drove in three runs in the Giants 8-2 win over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. |
Our View: Molina now has 13 RBI, seven runs and is hitting .292 on the season.
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| Injured Cubs reliever Chad Fox (right elbow) is scheduled to head to Class-A Daytona for a rehab stint on Tuesday, this according to the AP. |
Our View: Retiring? Or is the veteran returning? Fox has the ability to add a power right arm to the Cubs pen, but his inability to stay healthy over the last half decade makes him more of a fan attraction -- than fantasy hopeful. Fox nearly called it quits in November of 2005 when he discovered he would need another TJ procedure, but like the Eveready Bunny, he just keeps going and going.
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| Pittsburgh's Nate McLouth extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a single in the first inning of Sunday's loss to the Cubs. |
Our View: The Pirates leadoff hitter now has the longest streak since Jason Kendall hit in 20 straight in 2004.
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| Derrek Lee continues to hit the cover off the ball. The Cubs first baseman registered another two hits on Sunday, two RBI, two runs scored and raised his average to .364. |
Our View: The only thing missing is having Lee be more aggressive on the base paths. But, the 12-6 Cubs have not had a lot of reason to run as of late.
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| Overshadowed by a three game sweep, and 28 runs allowed, Ryan Doumit's two solo homers for Pittsburgh almost went unnoticed as the Cubs bounced the Pirates like a Single-A team this weekend. |
Our View: Without sounding to harsh, that is exactly how the 7-11 Bucs played in Chicago this weekend. Doumit, the most versatile Pirate, has been doing his part. The catcher/outfielder is hitting .320 this April with six RBI, three home runs and nine runs scored.
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| The Cubs scratched Kosuke Fukudome from their Sunday lineup because of a small cyst above his right eye. Chicago skipper Lou Piniella told WGN during the broadcast that the ailment is not serious and called it "a one-day thing." |
Our View: The Japanese import is expected to return to the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
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| Zach Duke, who was 4-2 with a 2.01 ERA in nine previous starts against Chicago, allowed five runs on eight hits in four innings of work in Sunday's 13-6 loss. |
Our View: The left-handers ERA climbed from 2.89 to 4.37. He walked two and hit two batters. Only 36 of his 69 pitches were for strikes.
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| Ryan Dempster won his third game of the season on Sunday as the Cubs swept a three game series from the Pirates. The former closer allowed three runs on five hits, walked two and struck out three in five innings of work. |
Our View: Dempster has been better than expected so far this season. After a sub par spring the right-hander has an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of just over 1.00.
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| Chicago shortstop Ryan Theriot recorded four hits, scored three runs and drove in two, as the Cubs took over first place in the National League Central. |
Our View: Theriot, better known for his speed, is hitting .338 on the season, he's scored 14 runs, and has five RBI this April. He also has three stolen bases and is the speed at the top of the Cubs lineup now that Soriano is on the disabled list.
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| Aramis Ramirez tied a career high with four hits, including a two-run homer, in a 13-6 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. |
Our View: Ramirez is starting to warm up. The third baseman raised his average to .274, has 11 RBI, 16 runs scored and with his Sunday home run, now has four on the year.
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| Paul Byrd had his best performance of the season in the Indians Sunday 2-1 loss to the Twins. The Cleveland right-hander allowed one run on six hits, walked none and struck out three. |
Our View: The lack of run support cost Byrd and the Indians a win Sunday.
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| The Braves won't be activating Rafael Soriano from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, this according to the team website.
When asked when Soriano will begin throwing off of a mound, Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell responded, "when he's able to throw without any discomfort."
While playing catch over the past few days, Soriano hasn't been able to throw without feeling some discomfort in his right elbow. |
Our View: The team is just hoping that the right-handed closer will at least be able to begin throwing off of a mound some time this week.
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| The Angels can't get injured starters, John Lackey or Kelvim Escobar, back soon enough. The teams' fifth starter, Dustin Moseley, continues to throw batting practice during his starts. The right-hander allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks over 4.2 innings of work in Sunday's loss to the Mariners. |
Our View: It was Moseley's fourth start of the season with Lackey and Escobar on the disabled list. His ERA of 7.79 and WHIP that exceeds 2.00 should not be anywhere near your fantasy lineup, not even in the deepest format imaginable.
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| Curtis Granderson feels relatively fine at the plate and he's batting .385 in three games since retreating to the farm system for a brief stint of rehab, this according to the Detroit News. Granderson is expected to rejoin his teammate this week, for his first big league game of the season.
And it would not be surprising to see him back in a Tigers uniform as early as Wednesday's game against Texas at Comerica Park. |
Our View: Granderson does not have his game legs but will be thrust into the leadoff role upon his return and asked to get in shape, on the job.
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| Ryan Rowland-Smith struck out Angels' outfielder Garret Anderson to notch his second save of the season on Sunday. |
Our View: The ninth inning committee in Seattle, due to the injury to closer J.J. Putz, continues to find a way to survive.
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| Miguel Batista scattered eight hits over 7.2 scoreless innings, struck out eight and walked one -- lowering his ERA from 6.35 to 4.38 in Sunday's win over the Angels. The 37-year-old right-hander did not allow a runner past second base, and six of the hits he gave up came with two out.
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Our View: Batista gained confidence with each inning and the early four runs the Seattle offense scored allowed him to pitch his game.
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| Conor Jackson had three hits in Sunday's loss to San Diego. The first baseman went 8-for-14 with a double, two triples, a homer and four RBI in the three-game series. |
Our View: Jackson is finding his stride and living up to the potential many tagged him with in 2007. Jackson has 17 RBI, 16 runs scored and a stolen base on the season.
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| Padres' Randy Wolf threw his second strong outing on Sunday as the Padres defeated division leader Arizona. The left-hander allowed four runs on six hits, walked one and struck out seven over 6.1 innings of work. |
Our View: Wolf's fourth start indicates that the Padres rotation is the strongest in the National League.
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| Khalil Greene was 3-for-5 in Sunday's win over Randy Johnson and Arizona. The power hitting shortstop has suffered a power outage this April. Until his two runs on Sunday the shortstop had a total of two runs scored in the teams first 18 games. |
Our View: Greene isn't going to wow fantasy managers with his average, nor is he a threat to steal. His ability to record 20 home runs and 60 RBI is why managers in deep mixed formats have him in the starting lineup.
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| Justin Morneau has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games to raise his average to .269. He is 9-for-15 (.600) with 12 RBI with runners in scoring position this season.
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Our View: The Twins designated hitter has returned to the form that earned him the 2006 MVP award.
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| Brendan Harris hit his first home run of the season on Sunday as the Twins defeated the Indians in 10 innings. The Twins second baseman had three hits, two runs scored and one RBI. |
Our View: Harris won't hit for much power this season, but his near .300 average and 10 runs scored are solid numbers for roto-managers.
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| Rafael Perez took the Sunday loss in relief of Paul Byrd's best start of the young season. The Cleveland bats are in a funk, and the defending AL Central champions have lost eight of their past 11 games. Perez gave up one run on four hits, walked one and struck out one in two innings of work. |
Our View: This was the left-handers ninth appearance of the young season. The loss was his first and the run allowed raised actually lowered his ERA to 5.19.
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| Randy Johnson gave up six runs, four of them earned, and six hits in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out six in Sunday's loss to the Padres. |
Our View: Johnson struggled with his slider and his velocity was registering in the high 80's for most of the afternoon.
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| Justin Huber connected against Randy Johnson for his first career home run as the Padres beat up on the D'backs, 9-4. |
Our View: Huber has only played in six games this year and has a total of 12 at-bats. In other words, he has no fantasy value.
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| C.J. Wilson suffered a blown save and was the pitcher of record in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox. The left-hander failed to record an out, allowed two hits, two runs and walked three in an appearance that cost Kevin Millwood and the Rangers a win on Sunday. |
Our View: Wilson has been good this season, and while he doesn't seem to have his entire arsenal at full force (has only two strikeouts in eight innings of work) just yet, today he was just bad. Wilson was hit hard in the Red Sox four run eighth inning.
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| Kevin Millwood scattered 10 hits, allowed two runs, walked two and struck out seven in Sunday's game against the Red Sox. |
Our View: The Texas right-hander was in line for his second win of the season but his bullpen failed him. Millwood has been somewhat fortunate this year and his 2.53 ERA is deceiving. Like today the Rangers' ace has been the benefactor of some bases loaded outs and double plays that has kept his ERA in line. His WHIP 1.60 WHIP is more representative of his magic so far this season, something that will eventually catch up with the Texas right hander.
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| Milton Bradley hit a three-run homer off Tim Wakefield in the sixth inning, a shot that hit an advertising sign above the Monster seats in left field. It also was the last run the Rangers would score on the day. The tape measure long ball staked the Rangers to a 5-0 lead, but Sox scored six runs in the seventh and eighth innings to beat Texas 6-5. |
Our View: Bradley has been terrific since returning from and early April stint on the disabled list. While today's three run shot was his first of the season, he has seven RBI, along with seven doubles and is hitting .339 in April.
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| Ian Kinsler hit a solo home run to lead off the first inning in Sunday's loss to the Red Sox. |
Our View: The long ball was Kinsler's first of the season. While the Texas second baseman hasn't tapped his power potential -- he's been steady at the plate with seven RBI -- and has six stolen bases this April.
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| Tim Wakefield registered his second win of the season after allowing five runs on seven hits in Sunday's win over the Rangers. The right-hander struck out five and didn't walk a batter in eight innings of work. |
Our View: Like a good wine, Wakefield seems to get better with age. On the season the knuckle-baller has 3.96 ERA with 24 hits in 25 innings pitched. His 6.50 K Rate has really assisted keeping him out of the big inning.
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| Boston shortstop Julio Lugo played left field in the ninth inning of Sunday's win over Texas, his first outfield appearance with the Red Sox and first since August 2006 with the Dodgers.
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Our View: Lugo has the ability to be a versatile asset for Boston, but his defense has been suspect during April. He leads all American League shortstops in errors this spring, six in total in just 18 games.
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| Jonathan Papelbon worked a perfect ninth inning for his seventh save as the Red Sox scored six runs in the seventh and eighth innings to beat the Rangers 6-5 on Sunday. |
Our View: Papelbon is without doubt the most dominate closer in the game, and his April record during his career is over-the-top good. In Papelbon's big league career, he is 26-for-26 in save opportunities in April, has recorded over 40 strike outs in 23 plus innings, and given up 12 hits without surrendering a single run.
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| Tigers starter Nate Robertson remained winless with a 5-3 loss to A.J. Burnett and the Blue Jays on Sunday. The left-hander's ERA climbed to 7.48 through four starts. |
Our View: Between Robertson and Sabathia, the two pitchers have seven of the Tigers 13 losses.
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| Jeremy Accardo picked up his fourth save of the season on Sunday as the Jays defeated the Tigers, 5-3. |
Our View: Accardo has struggled as of late, but was called on to notch the save in place of closer B.J. Ryan. Accardo will continue to get save opps until Ryan is allowed to pitch on back-to-back days.
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| Rays starting pitcher Matt Garza came out of his first rehab start without issue, this according to MLB.com.
It was his first start after landing on the disabled list on April 9, "I felt good. I got some good work in," said Garza. "The best part is I'm pain-free."
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Our View: Garza, who was placed on the DL to a radial nerve injury, gave up eight hits and four earned runs in 3.w innings of work on Sunday. He struck out four and walked three. Garza might have felt fine but his command wasn't. The right-hander converted only 39 of his 70 pitches for strikes.
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| Andy Sonnanstine will move up and start in rookie right-hander Jeff Niemann's slot in the rotation, this according to the St. Petersburg Times. Sonnanstine will get the nod on Thursday and Matt Garza is coming off the DL to start on Friday. |
Our View: Sonnanstine threw a complete game on Saturday, the first of his career, and as a result has been rewarded with a permanent spot in the rotation. However, with Scott Kazmir (elbow) expected back at the end of the month, Sonnanstine's permanent assignment could end up being temporary.
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| Mark Mulder, who is trying to come back from two shoulder operations, pitched six scoreless innings for Double-A Springfield on Sunday, this according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch. It was the left-handers second rehabilitation outing.
Mulder allowed three hits, walked three and struck out one, and needed only 76 pitches while facing Tulsa.
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Our View: He could rejoin the St. Louis rotation after one more rehab start.
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| 1B/DH Dan Johnson was added to the Rays 25-man roster on Sunday, this according to the St. Petersburg Times. The team optioned right-handed rookie Jeff Niemann back to Triple-A Durham after Sunday's game. |
Our View: Johnson was claimed off waivers on Friday from the Athletics and will immediately receive at bats cutting into the fantasy value of Jonny Gomes and Eric Hinske.
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| David DeJesus, who jammed his big left toe on Thursday night, returned to action on Saturday. However, on Sunday he was not in the starting lineup against Dana Eveland and the Athletics. |
Our View: Joey Gathright started in center field. The shuffling between DeJesus and Gathright is expected to take place for most of the summer, diminishing both players fantasy value.
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| Outfielder T.J. Bohn was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday to fill the roster spot of the disabled Chris Snelling (knee), notes MLB.com. |
Our View: Bohn last played for the Mariners in 2006 when he had two hits in 14 at-bats. In those plate appearances he struck out eight times.
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| Infielder Brad Harman was recalled from Double-A Reading to fill the roster spot of the disabled Jimmy Rollins on Sunday, this according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Harman has no big league experience and currently has no fantasy value, either.
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| Outfielder Chris Snelling (left knee) was put on the disabled list on Sunday, retroactive to April 17, notes MLB.com. |
Our View: The oft-injured Snelling was once a highly touted prospect for the Mariners, but was never able to stay healthy suffering multiple knee injuries during his Seattle tenure.
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| Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is headed to the disabled list for the first time in his eight-year Major League career, this according to MLB.com.
The Phillies announced before Sunday's finale of a three-game series against the Mets that Rollins was placed on the 15-day DL.
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Our View: Rollins is hitting .308 (12-for-39) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and two stolen bases.
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| B.J. Upton had a quiet day as he went 1-for-4 in Sunday's 6-0 loss to the White Sox. His lone hit was a single. |
Our View: He should bounce back fine, and is still hitting 24-for-71 with 16 RBI and four stolen bases for the season.
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| Edwin Jackson was rocked for six runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings of work in a 6-0 loss to the White Sox on Sunday, with three walks and four strikeouts. He falls to 2-2 for the season, with a 4.63 ERA |
Our View: Jackson was pitching well prior to today's outing, and you can use that to your advantage by trying to add him to your fantasy rotation for cheap.
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