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| Carlos Villanueva retired the first 11 batters in Friday night's game against Houston, but suffered his third loss of the season in a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Astros. The Brewers' right-hander allowed six runs on nine hits, walked none and struck out four in five innings of work. |
Our View: Close to losing his rotation spot when Yovani Gallardo returned from a spring training knee injury, Villanueva did little to help himself in tonight's loss. His ERA rose to 5.56 over his six '08 starts.
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| Ty Wigginton returned to Houston's lineup Friday night after missing 22 games with a fractured thumb. The versatile infielder was 1-for-4 with one strikeout. |
Our View: Wigginton, considered a sleeper candidate in NL-only formats, has played in only six total games.
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| Hunter Pence enters May just like the Texas weather, warming up. The Houston outfielder hit a pair of home runs, one in the fifth inning and another in the eighth, helping the Astros beat the Brewers 7-4 in a come from behind victory. |
Our View: Pence now has three home runs on the season along with his 14 runs scored, 13 RBI and one stolen base.
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| Livan Hernandez did something not too many pitchers have done recently by shutting down the Detroit offense. The veteran gave up just one run on eight hits to bounce back from a poor performance against Texas. |
Our View: Hernandez struck out four and walked two lowering his ERA to 4.43 in the 11-1 win over the Tigers.
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| Mark Hendrickson allowed three runs on five hits in a 6-4 win over San Diego. The win helped the Fish end a three-game losing streak. The Marlins left-hander walked one and struck out two in seven solid innings of work.
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Our View: Surprisingly, Hendrickson is now 5-1 on the season with a 3.68 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.
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| Edinson Volquez failed to win his fifth straight game in a 2-0 loss to the Braves on Friday night. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits in six innings of work. He struck out nine and walked two. |
Our View: One of the runs Volquez allowed was unearned and he finished the Friday loss with a 1.27 ERA. A very good outing for the Reds' rookie, but without any run support he was never in a position to receive a win.
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| Brian McCann hit his sixth homer of the season in Friday's 2-0 win over the Reds and Edinson Volquez. |
Our View: McCann had a terrific April -- and his .275 average, 15 runs scored and 14 RBI so far this year -- makes him the top fantasy catcher in the league.
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| Tim Hudson pitched his 11th career shutout as the Atlanta Braves ended a season-high four-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.
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Our View: His shutout comes on the heels of allowing opponents to hit nearly .400 against him over the last three games, and leaving his last start in the third inning in a loss to the Mets.
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| Luis Gonzalez hit his third home run of the season in Friday's 6-4 win over the Padres. |
Our View: Gonzalez, who is filling in for the injured Josh Willingham, will see the bulk of the playing time and the at-bats filling in for the Marlins starting left fielder, Willingham, until he returns from the disabled list.
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| Dan Uggla hit two home runs and the Marlins defeated the San Diego Padres 6-4 on Friday night. |
Our View: Uggla's second homer was a three-run shot off Justin Germano that traveled over the left-field scoreboard.
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| MLB.com reports that those who predicted that Mike Hampton wouldn't throw a pitch for the Braves this season are moving closer to being correct.
When Hampton exited Wednesday afternoon's Minor League rehab start with Triple-A Richmond because of more discomfort in his left pectoral muscle, the Braves knew the news wasn't good. After they had a chance to talk to the 35-year-old hurler, they came to understand that his exit wasn't simply a precautionary action.
"I did it worse than before," said Hampton, who originally strained the left pectoral muscle approximately 10 minutes before making his scheduled April 3 start against the Pirates. "I don't know what kind of timetable there is for this. All I know is it's pretty bad."
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Our View: Those still waiting for Hampton to return, can stop waiting.
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| Rich Hill's days in the Cubs rotation may have come to an end. The left-hander was pulled after walking four and allowing one run in the first inning of Friday night's game in St. Louis.
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Our View: Either Jon Lieber or Sean Marshall are in line to fill the No. 5 slot in the rotation if Hill is send down.
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| Jimmy Rollins won't be ready for Monday's game, the first day he's eligible to be activated from the disabled list, but the Phillies shortstop is hoping to be ready for Thursday's series finale against the D-backs, this according to MLB.com.
"Mother's Day is coming up," Rollins said, referring to playing next Sunday in San Francisco, where his mother and biggest fan, Gigi Rollins, will be in the stands.
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Our View: Rollins ran the bases on Thursday, and did some additional running on Friday.
If all goes well, Rollins will return on Thursday, Sunday at the latest.
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| There still hasn't been anything officially announced concerning reliever Peter Moylan's elbow, and while season-ending surgery is still a possibility, it's not a given, this according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
After two weeks of resting his elbow, in which a bone spur is growing into a ligament, Moylan has felt good enough to begin throwing again. |
Our View: After three days of playing catch, he's set to throw in the bullpen Saturday to give the elbow a test. After feeling "pretty good" throwing from 120 feet Friday, Moylan is not ruling out a return this season.
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| Russell Martin is starting at third base tonight as the Dodgers play Colorado at Coors Field. Gary Bennett is starting behind the plate. |
Our View: It is Martin's first career start at third base.
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| Hanley Ramirez is hitting from the No. 3 spot on Friday night. Many believe that the Marlins usual leadoff man, is a natural third-spot hitter. The switch comes in the Marlins' 29th game. Center fielder Alfredo Amezaga is hitting at the top of the order.
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Our View: Manager Fredi Gonzalez had kicked around the idea for a while, but with left fielder Josh Willingham on the disabled list Ramirez is needed in the meat of the order.
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| Indians' manager Eric Wedge moved Franklin Gutierrez, who is batting .471 over his last four games, up to the No. 2 spot, and lowered Casey Blake to No. 8 slot for Friday's game against the Royals.
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Our View: With a lineup full of players scuffling with the bad, Wedge who is not afraid to change his lineup card, has had to get creative this week. Travis Hafner is hitting from the No. 6 spot.
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| Gregor Blanco is making making the start over Matt Diaz in left field on Friday night versus the Reds. |
Our View: Manager Bobby Cox hasn't officially called it a platoon, but it appears that Blanco and Matt Diaz will continue to split time in left field.
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| Kelly Johnson, who has missed the last two games due to lower back soreness, is back in the starting lineup Friday against the Reds and Edinson Volquez. |
Our View: Johnson is hitting .241 with 14 runs scored, 12 RBI and three stolen bases in 23 games.
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| Shane Victorino is starting in center field and hitting from the leadoff spot for the second straight night. |
Our View: Victorino returned from the disabled list (strained right calf) on Wednesday, but didn't return to the regular duty until Thursday.
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| Brandon Moss is in Friday's starting lineup as the Red Sox battle the first place Tampa Bay Rays and Edwin Jackson. The 24-year old is playing right field for the injured J.D. Drew. |
Our View: Moss has played in five games this year and is hitting .235 with one run, two RBI and a home run. The recent call-up spent most of his time at first base in Triple-A Pawtucket.
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| Alberto Gonzalez is starting at second base on Friday night and hitting ninth against Seattle southpaw Erik Bedard. |
Our View: Gonzalez is giving starter Robinson Cano the night off. Cano is hitting a puny .151 and manager Joe Girardi is trying to cut back on his left-handed heavy lineup against M's starter Bedard.
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| The Marlins placed outfielder Josh Willingham on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a back injury. The move is retroactive to April 18.
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Our View: Willingham was hitting .341 with a terrific OBP of .406. Luis Gonzalez will receive the bulk of the at-bats while he's is out.
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| Brett Carroll is expected to be recalled by the Marlins to replace the injured Josh Willingham on the roster, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Caroll had a triple in eight at-bats earlier this year with the Fish. He was hitting .418 with nine homers and 23 RBI in 67 at-bats with Triple-A Albuquerque. |
Our View: Carroll could get some playing time in left against southpaws. He may be worth a flyer in NL-only play.
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| Josh Willingham appears headed to the DL due to his neck injury, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The outfielder hasn't played since Sunday because of the injury. Brett Carroll is expected to be recalled. |
Our View: Tough break for Willingham owners, as Josh was off to a blistering start. He'll be eligible to come back on the 13th.
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| Al Reyes isn't quite ready to be activated from the DL, according to the Tampa Tribune. The veteran is coming back from a shoulder impingement. |
Our View: It's not clear when Reyes will return, but he appears close.
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| The Cubs optioned Kevin Hart to Triple-A Iowa Friday. He posted a 5.06 ERA in 10 games but did strike out 13 in 16 innings. Veteran Chad Fox replaced him on the roster. |
Our View: We're not sure why the Cubs think Fox is a better option than Hart.
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| The Cubs purchased the contract of reliever Chad Fox from Double-A Tennessee Friday. The 37-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005 and gave up four runs in his lone appearance for Tennessee. He did throw four scoreless innings at High-A Daytona. Fox replaces Kevin Hart on the roster. |
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| Dave Bush has been recalled from Triple-A Nashville to replace the injured Yovani Gallardo on the roster. The right-hander held a 6.75 ERA in four starts with the Brewers last month. He allowed one run and struck out seven over six innings in his lone start at Triple-A. |
Our View: Bush earned his spot back by default, but he should remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future.
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| Yovani Gallardo appeared to have escaped serious injury in a collision at first base in Thursday's game, as he was able to stay in the game. It turns out that's not the case, as an exam Friday morning revealed Gallardo suffered a torn ACL, an injury that could sideline the hurler for the rest of the season, according to MLB.com. No decision will be made on surgery until the swelling subsides. He has been placed on the DL, with Dave Bush replacing him on the roster. |
Our View: What a huge blow to the Brewers and fantasy owners alike. Bush will replace Gallardo in the rotation.
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| With the injury to Troy Tulowitzki, Clint Barmes will be the regular shortstop, and GM Dan O'Dowd has said he'd like to "finally see what we have in Jeff" at second base. The Jeff he's referring to is Jeff Baker, who got a crash course at second base over the offseason and in spring training after playing mostly in the outfield and at first base in his first three years in the league. However, Baker is currently dealing with a broken blood vessel in his right middle finger, and it's not clear when he'll be ready to return. |
Our View: Baker is an intriguing fantasy option at second base, because he can swing the bat with some pop. He's already played five games at second this year and shouldn't have a problem gaining eligibility there in nearly all leagues.
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| Shane Victorino played center field and batted in the leadoff position on Thursday night, his first start since he went on the disabled list with a strained right calf, notes the Philadelphia Inquirer. |
Our View: Victorino has played in 15 games this season and has only scored five runs. But despite the recent roster shuffle and key injuries, the Phillies find themselves in first place. At this point Philadelphia has to be considered the team to beat in the NL East.
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| According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Brett Myers is working to rediscover his fastball. The right-handed opening day starter for the Phils has been long-tossing, as pitching coach Rich Dubee had suggested. This, in the attempt to build arm strength. He also has looked at film. Myers, who will start tomorrow night against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park, recently looked at film from starts last season against the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. He thinks his lack of velocity has more to do with his legs than his arm. "I wasn't using my legs as much as I thought I was," Myers said. "In my last start [in Pittsburgh], my leg was straight and I wasn't getting any drive off of it." |
Our View: Myers (2-2, 5.11 ERA) has also been working on improving his conditioning. There's a reason why guys can throw the ball hard, and most of the time conditioning plays a big part in it. Look for Myers to improve his numbers as spring passes and summer approaches.
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| With all the talk of Eric Gagne's lack of consistency this April, and the carry over from his dismal performance with the Red Sox last September, the Brewers' closer registered his ninth save of the season (tied for 3rd in the ML) on Thursday night. |
Our View: With the release of Turnbow on Friday, and barring a a complete melt down or injury, Gagne is assured of being the teams ninth inning option for the rest of the season. Sure, his 5.27 ERA and 1.46 WHIP are ugly, but don't be surprised to see the former All Star approach 40-45 saves this year.
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| The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports, Phil Dumatrait has all kinds of reasons for looking forward to his first start with the Pirates tonight. Mostly, though, he is looking to improve on his numbers as a starter for the Cincinnati Reds last season. |
Our View: Dumatrait his only six starts in his career. In those appearances he has been roughed up registering an 0-4 record with a 15.00 ERA. He allowed 39 hits and 12 walks over 18 innings of work for the Reds last year. An average of only three innings per start.
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| According to the Giants' official website, Barry Zito, although he'll likely make multiple-inning appearances out of the bullpen, can benefit from the culture shock. Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti pointed out that mild-mannered Russ Ortiz, an 18-game winner in 1999, was demoted to the bullpen to begin the season's second half in 2000 after posting a 4-8 mark and a 6.92 ERA. Ortiz regained his starting spot when Joe Nathan injured his shoulder and won seven consecutive games on his way to a 14-12 finish. |
Our View: When Zito returns to the rotation is still undetermined, but the team has yet to announce a starter for the Saturday, May 5, rotation spot next week.
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| According to the Washington Times, the Nationals have flip-flopped their starting pitchers for the next two games. John Lannan will start tonight with Matt Chico starting in Game 2 of the three-game series against Pittsburgh tomorrow. |
Our View: The switch gives Chico an extra day to prepare for what could be his last outing, if he doesn't perform better than he has. The left-hander is 0-5 with a 6.68 ERA.
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| Brian Schneider won't start Friday, but he is ready to serve as a backup, according to the NY Daily News. Schneider hasn't played since April 23 because of a thumb injury. |
Our View: The Mets will try their best not to use Schneider over the next few days, but it sounds like the catcher is just about healed up.
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| Tony Abreu is expected to return to extended spring training and begin a rehab assignment soon, according to the Press-Enterprise. He is coming back from hernia surgery. |
Our View: Chin-lung Hu has done a fine job as a backup at second, but the Dodgers could use Abreu for depth at third. But unfortunately for Abreu, Andy LaRoche will probably be ready to play before him.
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| Jason Schmidt will throw a bullpen session Friday and could go on a rehab assignment by the weekend, according to the Press-Enterprise. Schmidt is working his way back from shoulder surgery. |
Our View: Schmidt will be a huge fantasy risk when he does return to the mound, but it's certainly worth keeping track of how he does on his rehab.
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| Manager Joe Torre told the Press-Enterprise that Clayton Kershaw will start pitching out of the bullpen in order to limit his innings. The lefty boasts a 1.40 ERA with 31 Ks in 25 2/3 innings at Double-A Jacksonville this year. |
Our View: Torre didn't make it clear exactly when Kershaw would make the move. It seems awfully premature to move him now, though. We'll keep you posted.
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| Rafael Furcal is open to sitting down with the Dodgers and discussing a contract extension, according to the Press-Enterprise. GM Ned Coletti would like to get the pending free agent under a long-term deal. "He's been our best player the first month of the season, and we want him to remain a Dodger," Colletti said. "I hope to sit down with his agent, Paul Kinzer, very soon and work towards getting an agreement done." |
Our View: Furcal has shown that his ankle problems from last year are in the past, as he's been a fantasy force with a .371 average, three homers, 28 runs and seven steals.
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| Al Reyes threw 22 pitches in an extended spring training game Thursday and if all feels well this morning he could rejoin the Rays tonight, or Saturday at the latest, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Reyes has been on the DL with a shoulder impingement. |
Our View: Reyes will return to a setup role with the Rays, but with the way Troy Percival is pitching, he won't get any save opportunities anytime soon.
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| Dmitri Young experienced a sudden and dramatic breakthrough with his back injury Wednesday when the Nationals massage therapist focused on the first baseman's hip flexor and not his back. "All of a sudden, he felt instant release," GM Jim Bowden said in the Washington Post. "She found the spot." Young will go to extended spring training Sunday, but the team has no timetable for his return. |
Our View: This is certainly good news for those that have been waiting on Young, but don't expect to see him before the end of the month.
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| Wandy Rodriguez's simulated game has been pushed back to either Saturday or Sunday due to continued soreness in his strained groin, according to the Houston Chronicle. The session was originally scheduled for Thursday. The lefty will be examined today by team medical director Dr. David Lintner. "We'll see how he feels when he shows up at the ballpark (today) and play it by ear," GM Ed Wade said. "No sense in rushing it at this point and have him reaggravate it and have to run through another two to three weeks of building back up again. We'll be guided by how Wandy feels and try to make sure we make the right decision as far as when to reinstate him." |
Our View: Wandy is eligible to return on Monday, but that's not going to happen. We'll keep you posted on his rehab.
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| Carlos Zambrano developed a blister on his right index finger in Thursday's no-decision, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He had thrown 111 pitches in the game, so the high pitch count likely had more to do with him getting taken out than the blister. ''That was enough for me,'' Zambrano said. ''I had a little blister on my [right index] finger. |
Our View: This doesn't sound like anything to worry about at this point, but it's certainly possible the blister could get worse and force Big Z to miss some time.
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| The Nats activated Paul Lo Duca from the DL Friday. He had been out with a bruised hand. |
Our View: Lo Duca should go back to regular duty behind the plate with Johnny Estrada failing to take advantage of his playing time.
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| The Nationals officially placed Chad Cordero on the DL Friday. He will miss 4-6 weeks with an acute tear of the latissimus dorsi. Paul Lo Duca was activated from the DL to take Cordero's spot on the roster. |
Our View: Jon Rauch will continue to close while Cordero is out.
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| The Brewers designated Derrick Turnbow for assignment Friday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Turnbow held a 15.63 ERA in eight games. Joe Dillon was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to replace Turnbow on the roster. |
Our View: Some team may be willing to take a chance on Turnbow, but he hasn't been consistently effective since 2005.
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| Brett Tomko will remain in the rotation for now despite his recent struggles, according to the Kansas City Star. "I still believe in him," manager Trey Hillman said of Tomko, "and I have every intention of giving him a couple of more starts. We’ll see how he does in his next start and go from there." |
Our View: Tomko started off well this year but has allowed 16 runs over his last three starts. He is unusable in fantasy right now.
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| Jonathan Broxton will throw a side session today and could be available to pitch tonight if he feels well. Manager Joe Torre said Broxton "didn't feel a thing" when playing catch Thursday, according to the LA Times. The reliever hasn't pitched since Sunday because of a strained lat. |
Our View: Torre added that Broxton should be available Saturday if he's not Friday. It sounds like fantasy owners will be getting the big man back soon enough.
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| Rich Harden was pleased with the results of his rehab start Thursday, as he allowed three hits and a run while striking out four over 3 2/3 innings. He threw 50 pitches. "I was actually pretty happy with my command," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "That's something I wanted to get out of it, and that's what I wanted to work on because it hadn't been that good in my simulated game. I felt like I was hitting my spots. For the most part, I threw a lot of strikes." Harden, who has been out since April 2 with a strain under his right arm, is scheduled for another rehab start Tuesday and if all goes well, he's likely to return to the A's rotation on May 11. |
Our View: Obviously this is a positive step, but make sure the right-hander doesn't have a setback in his next outing before you count on him returning on time.
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| The Mets hope they don't have to DL Brian Schneider when they activate Moises Alou on Friday, instead preferring to send out Gustavo Molina, according to the NY Daily News. |
Our View: Schneider hasn't played since April 23 and would have to stay on the DL for just six days. We'll let you know what the Mets end up doing.
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| With Moises Alou slated to come off the DL today, Carlos Delgado is likely to be moved down to seventh in the Mets order, according to the NY Daily News. |
Our View: It looked as if Carlos was coming out of his funk with a pair of bombs earlier this week, but he's since gone 1-for-8 with just one single. He shouldn't be started in mixed leagues at this point.
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| The Mets will activate Moises Alou from the DL today, according to the NY Daily News. He has been on the DL all year after undergoing hernia surgery and also dealt with an ankle ailment. Alou will probably bat sixth in the Mets order. |
Our View: Give Moises a couple days to knock the rust off and then go ahead and stick him in your lineup next week.
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