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| Josh Bard went 0-for-3 on Thursday night to drop his average down to .209 for the Padres. |
Our View: Bard has failed miserably to take advantage of the playing time he was given with the injury to Michael Barrett. Bard is now 1-for-18 over the last five games, and it doesn't get much worse than that for a career .271 hitter.
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| Adrian Gonzalez hit his sixth home run of the season off of Randy Wolf, and he now has 21 RBI on the year. |
Our View: Gonzalez has now gone deep four times in the last 10 games for the Padres as he continues to be one of the only productive bats in the Padres lineup.
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| Pat Burrell had two hits and knocked in his 26th RBI of the season on Thursday. |
Our View: Burrell started May the same way he ended April - hot. The average will certainly fall, but that doesn't mean he won't continue to produce a ton of RBI.
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| Ryan Howard went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI including his sixth home run of the season on Thursday. |
Our View: Howard is hitting only .184 thanks to a massive 39 K in just 103 AB meaning that he is striking out in almost 38% of his AB. All those punchouts are putting a terrible drain on his production, but you know that Howard will catch fire and put up those big power numbers by the end of the year. Be patient.
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| Randy Wolf continued his early season run of solid starts as he allowed just two runs over six innings to the Phillies. Wolf also tied his season best with nine K. |
Our View: Wolf has quietly racked up some extremely impressive strikeout numbers with 37 K in 35.1 innings as he is giving the Padres everything they hoped he would. Almost as impressive as the K totals is the fact that he has walked only 11 batters on the season leading to a 1.13 WHIP.
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| Adam Eaton, surprisingly, pitched well on Thursday allowing only two runs in six innings against the Padres. Eaton walked two, struck out two, and permitted five hits in the no-decision. |
Our View: Eaton continues to be a middling pitcher with a propensity to either blow up or end up injured. Don't let this start fool you, but it was his fifth time in six outings that he has allowed three of fewer runs.
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| Brad Lidge worked his 12th inning, in his 12 appearance, and failed to allow a run for the 12th time on Thursday night. He also recorded his seventh save. |
Our View: So much for those who felt Lidge was toast. Lidge has 13 K in those 12 innings, with a WHIP of 0.92, giving those Phillies fans nothing to boo about.
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| With the news that Jimmy Rollins will be sidelined a few extra days, the Phililes will continue to turn to Eric Bruntlett, according to MLB.com. "I feel like it's coming together for me," Bruntlett said. "It is getting better, and I know I have more work to do. |
Our View: Bruntlett entered action on Thursday with an 8-game hitting streak (9-for-28), but his value will go back to basically nil once Rollins returns to action, hopefully some time next week.
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| Freddy Sanchez hit his first home run of the season on Thursday, though it was his only hit of the day. |
Our View: This is better news than it might seem because it might signal that his shoulder truly has regained the required strength needed to return to the .300 hitter he has been the past few years. This is a potential buy low opportunity you might want to look into to.
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| Austin Kearns went 2-for-4 with a run scored and and RBI as he attempts to break out of an early season slump. |
Our View: Kearns is batting a hideous .194 through 103 AB and has been a major source of disappointment so far. The smart money is on a regression to being the professional hitter that he is, but its been painful to watch up until this point.
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| Ryan Doumit hit his fifth home run of the season on Thursday as he continues to make an excellent play at the catchers position. |
Our View: Doumit is batting an amazing .351 over his first 77 AB which includes 13 hits in his last eight starts.
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| Jon Rauch picked up his sixth save of the season on Thursday by pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Pirates. |
Our View: Rauch has now allowed only one run over his last 10 appearances, and seems to be settling in quite well to the closers role that he just might be putting a stranglehold on even when Chad Cordero is healthy.
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| Zach Duke rebounded from two rough starts to hurl seven innings of two run ball for the Pirates on Thursday. Duke allowed five hits and a walk while striking out one Nationals batter. |
Our View: Zuke is the type of soft tossing starter that can have a lot of success one night and get lit up the next. Tonight he was on, the last two times he wasn't (11 ER in 10 IP). Tread carefully with him.
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| Tom Gorzelanny is dealing with back tightness and as a result the Pirates plan to monitor him very closely moving forward, according to MLB.com. Tom will throw on Friday and that will go a long ways toward determining the teams next move. "It's one of those things we'll monitor over the next few days," manager John Russell said. "If something changes, we'll re-evaluate." |
Our View: The team is still saying that they expect Gorzelanny to make his next start, scheduled for Tuesday, as they really seem to think that there is nothing to this back tightness thing. Time will tell, but the safe move is to plan on replacing Tom in your lineup for at least the next week, and maybe much longer considering how poorly he has pitched this year.
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| Phil Dumatrait will start for the Pirates on Friday taking over the rotation spot of the retired Matt Morris, according to MLB.com. "To be honest, I was kind of intimidated a bit," he said when referring to his performance last season (0-4 with a 15.00 ERA). "I was pitching away from guys." |
Our View: Dumatrait has appeared in 10 games out of the pen this year with mixed results, and that makes the move to the starting rotation a bit risky at this point. Phil will likely be on a pitch count, probably well under 100, until he builds up the required arm strength.
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| Jim Edmonds entered Thursday on an 0-for-23 dry spell, and as a result he has been relegated to the 7th hole in the batting order, according to MLB.com. "I don't think it [moving him down in the batting order] takes any pressure off a guy like Jim Edmonds," manager Bud Black said. He wants to do everything he can to help the team win." |
Our View: Edmonds just isn't the same hitter that he used to be, that fact is painfully obvious. He can still pop the occasional long ball, but in truth, he is nothing more than a depth play in NL Only leagues at this point.
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| Paul Lo Duca will play one more game at Triple-A Potomac on Thursday with the hope of being activated to play with the big league club on Friday, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Lo Duca will be given the starting role with Will Nieves and Johnny Estrada splitting the backup duties. Nieves would appear to have a hold on the #2 spot with Estrada likely serving as a pinch hitter on most nights.
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| Adam Dunn, a free agent at the end of the season, is on many a team's wish list, according to MLB.com. Dunn hasn't engaged in any contract talks with the Reds, and though he has a no-trade clause in his contract through June 15th, after that he has only a limited clause that allows him to specify 10 teams which he would approve a trade to. |
Our View: Dunn has been off to a painfully slow start in the 5x5 categories, but he still has a .391 OBP despite the struggles, and there is the little matter of history that is on his side as well (40 HR, 90 RBI, 90 runs in 4-straight seasons). If he does move, he will be one hell of an acquisition.
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| Olivo Astacio was released on Thursday for a "significant violation of organization policy", according to MLB.com. No further details were provided. |
Our View: Astacio is a big flame throwing right hander who has spent the last two years in the Pirates minor league system.
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| Matt Lindstrom has an injured lower back, but an MRI exam revealed no significant damage which means he will likely avoid the DL, according to MLB.com. "It's day-to-day," Lindstrom said. |
Our View: The team has not announced when he will return to the hill, and given that he also suffered back problems last season, look for the Marlins to be very careful as to when they bring him back into the setup role.
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| Derrick Turnbow has been bad this year, and he was hideous the other night, so the Brewers are considering sending Turnbow to the minors, according to MLB.com. "When we make a move, we'll let you know," GM Doug Melvin said. "It's not fair to Derrick Turnbow to tell the media what we're doing before we talk to Derrick Turnbow. If there's any move, we'll let you know." |
Our View: The team could wait a week and release Turnbow and recall Dave Bush who they just sent down. Turnbow is out of minor league options, so if he refuses such a move by the team he could eventually become a free agent, though he would also have to forfeit roughly $2.5 million in salary.
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| Prince Fielder had another 0-for outing on Thursday as he went 0-for-4 to drop his average to .240. |
Our View: Fielder has three home runs and eight RBI in his last eight games, this after one and 12 in his first 20 games so he has certainly heated up. Still, his SLG is below .450 and he clearly is still searching for his stroke. Pity the pitchers when he finds it.
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| Eric Gagne picked up his ninth save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday. |
Our View: Though his ERA (5.27) and WHIP (1.46) are ghastly, he does have 16 K in 13.2 IP. Still, he is just nine for 13 in save conversions, so it's really tough to get a handle on what to expect from Gagne moving forward. At least he has managed to stay healthy thus far.
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| Alfonso Soriano returned to the top of the lineup on Thursday but he went 0-for-4 in his first game back from a calf injury dropping his average to .164. |
Our View: Soriano didn't hit a single home run last year in April and still finished with 33 long balls, so he has clearly shown he can rebound from slow starts. Hopefully he can do the same thing this year as well.
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| Kosuke Fukudome went 4-for-4 on Thursday to push his average up to .353. |
Our View: Fukudome has only one home run through 102 AB, but he has that huge average and 22 runs scored providing the quality bat that the Cubs hoped they were bringing into the fold. Toss in his three SB, and Fukudome has also been a wonderful fantasy player as well.
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| Yovani Gallardo had another solid outing on Thursday as he allowed three runs in six innings to the Cubs. Gallardo permitted nine hits and a walk while striking out four batters. |
Our View: This was his worst performance in three outings, but it still qualifies as a quality start. Gallardo has rebounded very well from his knee injury and appears good to go as a potential fantasy ace.
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| Carlos Zambrano had another great outing on Thursday allowing only one run over 6.1 innings to the Brewers. Zambrano allowed seven hits and two walks, while striking out three in the no-decision. |
Our View: Zambrano's well below his career K/9 rate of 7.83 this year (6.70), but he has also cut his walk rate in half (2.11 per nine). As long as he keeps throwing strikes, there is no reason to think he will be anything other than a fantasy stud this season.
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| Kerry Wood suffered his third blown save of the season, and his first loss, by allowing three runs to the Brewers in the ninth inning. |
Our View: Those Carlos Marmol whispers are growing. Wood has 13 K and only three BB in 14 innings, and he has only been scored on in three of 13 outings, so he should be able to hang on to the closers role moving forward. You didn't think it would be a smooth ride with Wood did you?
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| Troy Tulowitzki has sustained a torn tendon in his left quadricep and could be out until at least the All-Star break, July 14-16, according to the Rocky Mountain News. Tulowitzki underwent an MRI on Wednesday, and Rockies trainer Keith Dugger confirmed Thursday that the shortstop had suffered a tear in the quad near the hip area.
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Our View: Tulowitzki was expected to land on the DL, but was not expected to be out of action until at least the All-Star break. This is a tough loss for fantasy owners, but he wasn't hitting well with only one homer over 26 games with a .152 average, which lessens the pain a bit. The fantasy value of Clint Barmes climbs following this news, and is worth targeting for your roster, especially if you have Tulowitzki and lack a worthy backup to fill his spot. Barmes is hitting .292 over 65 at-bats.
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| Dan Uggla had a tough day at the plate in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. |
Our View: He has now gone 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in back-to-back games against the Dodgers, and only has two hits over his last four outings.
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| Cody Ross went 1-for-3 and blasted a two-run homer in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers. That was his first home run of the season. |
Our View: Ross is platooning with Alfredo Amezega in center field, and this was a good day for him in his bid to earn more playing time. He was only hitting .146 heading into today's contest.
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| Juan Pierre had a strong outing while replacing Andruw Jones in the starting lineup on Thursday, as he went 2-for-3 with two RBI in a 5-3 win over Florida. |
Our View: Pierre has 10 RBI over 20 games. He is worth scooping up if you have Andruw Jones on your roster.
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| Hiroki Kuroda ended Thursday's 5-3 win over Florida with a no decision. He hurled a quality start as he allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. Most of the damage came on a two-run homer by Cody Ross. The Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to break a 3-3 tie and held on for the win. |
Our View: He pitched well enough to win, but the Dodgers bats came alive after he left the contest.
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| Matt Murton has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa, according to the AP. Alfonso Soriano has been activated from the DL today, and Murton was seen as expendable. |
Our View: Murton held no fantasy value prior to his demotion, while fighting for playing time in a crowded and talented Cubs' outfield.
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| Ty Wigginton has been activated from the DL. He had recovered from a small fracture in his left thumb. To make room for him on the roster, Houston optioned pitcher Jack Cassel back to Tiple-A Round Rock. |
Our View: Wigginton will need a few games to shake off the rust and find his rhythm, so you may want to monitor his performance before penciling him back into your lineups.
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| Alfonso Soriano has been activated from the DL, and is batting leadoff against the Brewers today, according to ESPN. Manager Lou Piniella said, "We'd like for Soriano to come in nice and hot and give us a lift. We'll see." To make room on the roster, the team optioned outfielder Matt Murton back to Triple-A Iowa. |
Our View: Soriano's right calf has reportedly healed favorably, but he still needs to find his swing, as he was only hitting .175 before landing on the DL.
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| Geovany Soto set a Cubs' rookie record with 20 RBI in the month of April, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The rookie is proving to be a fantasy steal for 2008, as he is belting .333 with five homers and 20 RBI over 87 at-bats. He is generating strong numbers, despite striking out 23 times.
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| Ryan Braun has not generated a home run over his last 76 at-bats, but is still hitting well right now as he is 14-for-38 (.368) over his last nine games, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The reigning NL Rookie of the Year is only hitting .273 with three homers and 18 RBI overall, but is worth targeting if you can lure him away from a disappointed fantasy owner. He still has plenty of time to pick his numbers up and make a strong impact like he did in 2007.
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| Yovani Gallardo is set to make his third start of the season today when the Brewers battle the Cubs in Chicago, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Gallardo has two no decisions so far, but it is due to poor run support. He has been pitching very well since his return to the rotation, as he only allowed one run over 14 innings, with nine strikeouts. Gallardo holds a 0.64 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, and he was worth the wait this season.
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| Adam Melhuse cleared waivers and is officially a free agent, according to MLB.com. The former backup catcher of the Rangers was released last week. |
Our View: Melhuse only hit .200 over 20 at-bats, with 11 strikeouts, and held no fantasy value prior to parting ways with Texas.
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| Chin-lung Hu started at second base for the Dodgers today over Jeff Kent, according to MLB.com. Kent received the rest for an early day game after a night game. |
Our View: He made the opening day roster as an infielder due to injuries to Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche, and is hitting 6-for-25 (.240) with three RBI in limited action.
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| James Loney sat out at first base in favor of Mark Sweeney today, according to MLB.com. Manager Joe Torre just wanted to get Sweeney some at-bats and practice for his pinch-hitting duties. |
Our View: Loney cooled off following a hot start, but he is still having a good season overall, as he holds a .283 average over 27 games, with two homers and 19 RBI.
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| Mark Sweeney was awarded the start at first base for the Dodgers today, according to MLB.com. James Loney was given the day off. |
Our View: He only has two hits over 17 at-bats, and Manager Joe Torre said he wants to get him some action and sharpen his eye for his regular pinch-hitting duties. He was protected in the order while being placed between Matt Kemp and Russell Martin.
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| Andruw Jones is riding the pine today, according to MLB.com. Juan Pierre filled his spot in left field. |
Our View: Jones is still only hitting .159 over 88 at-bats, with 29 strikeouts. So far, he has only contributed one homer and four RBI over 27 games with the Dodgers.
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| Matt Murton is expected to get sent down to Triple-A when the team activates Alfonso Soriano from the DL on Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Murton only received 14 at-bats during his time with the Cubs this season, and is seen as expendable. He held no fantasy value for this season.
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| Jimmy Rollins still feels discomfort in his sprained left ankle, namely when he rounds the bases, and now it seems unlikely he will be activated from the DL on Monday in Arizona, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer. Rollins is trying to be cautious. If he comes back too quickly, before the ankle heals, he could injury it more severely, which could affect the season or his career. Rollins said, "Don't treat it right and I've got a bad ankle for the rest of my career, too. That's not good. When I'm ready, I'll be up on that lineup board."
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Our View: Rollins was previously on track for a Monday return, and this is disappointing news for fantasy owners.
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| Paul Lo Duca could return from the DL as soon as Thursday, according to the Washington Post. Manager Jim Bowden said he doesn't expect Lo Duca, who has been a starting catcher for eight seasons, to need many at-bats to get his timing back. Lo Duca is recovering from a bruised right hand.
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Our View: Lo Duca should be penciled back into lineups (namely for NL-Only leagues) upon his return to his starting spot at catcher. Lo Duca is off to a slow start with a .200 average, but he hit .300 three times over his career, and should get on track.
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| David Weathers is expected to return from the DL when eligible on Monday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Weathers, who is recovering from an elbow injury, threw a scoreless inning for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. Manager Dusty Baker said, "He didn't feel any discomfort. Reading the report, he said he felt pretty good. There's a good chance."
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Our View: Weathers would likely serve as a middle reliever until he proves he is healthy and can handle a role as the Reds' setup man. The team did not state who would come off the roster when Weathers is activated.
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| Noah Lowry will be "shut down" for the next three to four weeks, as the Giants' training staff evaluates his left forearm, which was surgically repaired on March 8, according to the SF Chronicle. Team trainer Dave Groeschner said Lowry is experiencing a "pins and needles" sensation in the affected area. Lowry had a nerve exam Tuesday and will get another opinion later this week. Groeschner added, "It could be three weeks, it could be longer. We need to shut him down until this thing is right. Otherwise, we are just spinning our wheels."
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Our View: Lowry was already supposed to be back in action, and now suffered another lengthy setback. He is not worth waiting for at this point.
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| Jack Cassel has been optioned back to Triple-A Round Rock after Wednesday's game, according to the Houston Chronicle. The move was made to clear room on the roster for third baseman Ty Wigginton, who will be activated from the DL Friday. Cassel stated, "I knew how I was limited in my time here. I know Wiggy's down doing his rehab assignment, so essentially it was going to be a numbers game. I was pleased with how I threw the ball in the two outings."
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Our View: Cassel performed favorably while filling in for the injured Wandy Rodriguez in the rotation, as he went 1-0 with a passable 1.34 WHIP over 9.2 innings, with only two walks. He holds no fantasy value following his demotion, and Rodriguez will return to his spot in the rotation soon.
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| Wandy Rodriguez, who is on the DL with a strained left groin, said he felt some minor pain in his left leg during his bullpen session on Wednesday in Arizona, according to the Houston Chronicle. |
Our View: Rodriguez is still scheduled to throw five innings in a simulated game on Friday at Minute Maid Park, and hopes he can return to the Astros' starting rotation next Wednesday. Rodriguez racked up 24 strikeouts over 23.1 innings, while maintaining a 1.11 WHIP, and is worth scooping up if you can lure him away for a low price before he returns.
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| Troy Tulowitzki is "all but certain" to land on the DL, according to the Denver Post. He was examined on Wednesday in Denver, with the shortstop stating that he was unsure whether he hurt his quadriceps or suffered a hip flexor Tuesday. He added, "Of course I am frustrated. Once I know the results of my MRI, I will know what's wrong."
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Our View: Clint Barmes will cover his spot at shortstop while Tulowitzki is out of action. Barmes is worth targeting for your roster, especially if you have Tulowitzki and lack a worthy backup to fill his spot. Barmes is hitting .292 over 65 at-bats, with two homers and nine RBI.
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| Closer Billy Wagner commented on Oliver Perez after Perez allowed seven runs while walking five batters through 1.2 innings on Wednesday, according to MetsBlog. Wagner said, "Perez, honestly, has got to step up and know we just used every guy in our bullpen the night before. He can’t come out there and decide that he hasn’t got it today." Perez added, "Sometimes you don’t have your stuff and you have to find what you can do to get out of the innings. I had trouble throwing strikes. Everybody can have a bad day. I’ve been good in the last few games and this is a time to find what you’re doing wrong, to get better, and try to go in the right direction…I think sometimes I’m trying to throw too hard…Tomorrow we’re off, and I can find what I’m doing wrong."
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Our View: Perez generally racks up a solid strikeout count, as he has 26 over 29 innings, but he is now 2-2 and he is hurting fantasy owners with his 1.69 WHIP and 4.03 ERA.
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| Chad Tracy had five hits, including two doubles, in an extended spring training game on Tuesday and played first base Wednesday, his first time in the field while recovering from September right knee surgery, according to the East Valley Tribune. Tracy gave his knee a good workout, running from second to home and sliding twice. Arizona hopes to move him to Triple-A Tucson in a week or so. |
Our View: Tracy will fight Mark Reynolds for playing time at third base when he eventually returns, but would be hard-pressed to play a lot as Reynolds blasted seven homers and 24 RBI so far. He wouldn't push Conor Jackson at first base either, as Jackson is belting .348 with five homers and 25 RBI.
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