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| Kason Gabbard gave up one run in four innings on Saturday in a rehab start with Double-A Frisco, according to the AP. Gabbard threw just 30 pitches in the first three innings but needed 35 more to finish the fourth, when he walked three batters and forced in a run. Gabbard said he became a “little fatigued” in his final inning. He did register six strikeouts and said, "I was happy with my outing." |
Our View: Gabbard was placed on the 15-day DL last month because of a sore lower back. The Rangers have indicated that he could return to their rotation on Thursday (May 8) in Seattle.
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| Frank Thomas went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Saturday's 6-3 loss to Texas. |
Our View: Thomas is 8-for-34 (.235) with no homers and seven RBI over 10 games with Oakland so far.
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| David Murphy went 1-for-4 and belted a three-run homer in Saturday's 6-3 win over Oakland. |
Our View: Murphy has fared well this season as he is hitting .278 over 115 at-bats, with three homers, 18 RBI, and 16 runs. He also has three stolen bases.
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| Jose Guillen had a tough day at the plate in Saturday's 4-2 win over Cleveland, as he went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, while leaving four men on base. |
Our View: His batting average now stands at .168, and he only contributed 15 RBI over 29 games played. Guillen, who is making $12 million in 2008, only generated four hits over his last six games.
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| Mike Jacobs went 1-for-4 with two RBI, and crushed his eighth homer of the season in Saturday's 7-2 loss to San Diego. |
Our View: He is only hitting .247 but racked up 19 RBI and 14 runs over 26 games. His sprained middle finger is seemingly fine, evidenced by tonight's performance.
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| David Ortiz went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs in Saturday's 12-4 rout over Tampa Bay. |
Our View: Ortiz is only hitting .216 but has five homers with 24 RBI and 19 runs scored over 29 games. Ortiz has racked up eight hits over his last four games, and his average should continue to rise.
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| James Shields was rocked for seven runs on 10 hits over a mere 3.2 innings of work against the Red Sox on Saturday, with three walks and three strikeouts. |
Our View: Shields was previously named the AL Player of the Week, and was 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA and solid 1.15 ERA prior to today's nightmarish outing. See if you can lure him away for a bargain price.
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| Craig Monroe started in center field in place of the injured Carlos Gomez (headache) on Saturday against Detroit, and took advantage of the playing time as he went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer. |
Our View: Monroe is a talented player, but his fantasy value will be limited while fighting for playing time in a strong Twins' outfield with Carlos Gomez, Michael Cuddyer, and Delmon Young.
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| Curtis Granderson went 2-for-4 with one RBI and blasted his fourth homer of the season in Saturday's 4-1 loss to Minnesota. |
Our View: Granderson is hitting .297 and has scored 12 runs over 10 games this season. He is back on track after going 0-for-9 over his previous two outings.
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| Reliever Brian Bass took the hill in place of the injured Scott Baker in the fourth inning against Detroit on Saturday, and held on to nail down a win, as he held the Tigers scoreless over four innings, with only three hits allowed. |
Our View: Baker was forced out of action due to his groin ailment. Bass is a reliever, and the team would likely replace Baker with another starter if he is to miss time. Bass held a 4.67 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 17.1 innings, and doesn't merit fantasy consideration, despite his win today.
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| Justin Verlander lost his fifth game of the season on Saturday, as Detroit fell to Minnesota 4-1. Verlander surrendered four runs on seven hits over seven innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. Half of the damage came on a two-run homer by Craig Monroe. |
Our View: Verlander is now 1-5 for the season with a 6.28 ERA. Keep him on the bench until he redeems himself worthy of your starting lineup.
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| Manager Ron Washington commented on his plans at catcher, according to MLB.com. Washington noted that he is planning to alternate Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia two games at a time. Laird will catch Sunday against the Athletics and Monday against the Mariners. Saltalamacchia will catch Tuesday and Wednesday, and then it will be back to Laird. Washington added, "I'm just trying to get them back-to-back at-bats. It was a matter of how I was going to do it. I'm trying to figure out how to get them both the most playing time. We've got two good catchers; I need to get two of them in there. We'll just see how it goes. At some point it will take care of itself."
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Our View: Saltalamacchia got the call on Saturday, which was his fourth start in the last eight games. Laird is better defensively, but Saltalamacchia has more upside offensively. As expected, the Rangers will cycle them both in a platoon at the position.
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| Carlos Gomez sat out Saturday night's game against the Tigers due to a nagging headache after being hit in the head by a throw in Friday's outing, according to MLB.com. Gomez said he did not sleep favorably on Friday night and showed up to the Metrodome with a headache on Saturday. He did not take batting practice and commented that he would spend the game "chilling" in the dugout.
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Our View: Scott Ullger said, "We'll have to wait and see about Sunday. If he still has a headache, it might be better to give him Sunday and then he'll have Monday off, too. I'd sure like to have him in the lineup, but we'll let somebody else play Saturday." We will keep you posted on his playing status for Sunday and beyond.
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| German Duran is starting at second base against Oakland tonight, according to the Dallas Morning News. Ian Kinsler has been scratched due to a sore hamstring. |
Our View: Duran is only 4-for-19 (.211) with no homers or RBI and isn't worth targeting for your fantasy squad. The team also said that Kinsler's injury isn't expected to keep him out of the lineup very long.
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| Ian Kinsler has been scratched for tonight's game due to a sore hamstring, according to the Dallas Morning News. German Duran is covering his spot at second base. |
Our View: The Rangers state that Kinsler's hamstring has been bothering him for a day or so, and is not expected to be an injury that will keep him out of the lineup very long.
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| Scott Baker left Saturday's game against the Tigers after three innings due to an apparent groin injury, according to the AP. Baker yielded just one hit with two strikeouts in three innings, and was replaced by reliever Brian Bass in the fourth. |
Our View: Baker's groin ailment has returned, and could potentially land on the DL this time. We will keep you updated on his status.
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| Chris Shelton, who was recently recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma, is starting at first base against the A's on Saturday night and is hitting eighth in the order.
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Our View: Shelton, who took Jason Botts' place on the roster, was expected to see playing time against left-handed pitching, however, the A's are starting right-hander Chad Gaudin. Shelton was called up on April 29th, and his current stay with the parent club is his longest big league stint since he was with Detroit in 2006.
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| Rajai Davis, recently claimed off waivers from the Giants, is starting in center field against the Rangers on Saturday night and is slotted ninth in the order.
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Our View: Davis gives the team a third option in center field along with Ryan Sweeney and Chris Denorfia. He offers stolen base potential to AL-only owners but little else. In 19 games between San Francisco and Oakland this year, the speedster has score four run, recorded two RBI, five stolen bases and is hitting .172.
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| Reggie Willits performed well while handling the DH role in Saturday's 3-1 win over Baltimore, as he went 2-for-3 with one RBI. |
Our View: The Angels just recalled Willits from Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday. This was a strong outing for him, but his playing time should remain limited.
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| Francisco Rodriguez nailed down his 12th save of the season in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Orioles, as he held the team hitless in the ninth inning, with one strikeout. |
Our View: He has not allowed a hit over five straight appearances.
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| Jon Garland improved to 4-3 for the season in Saturday's 3-1 win over Baltimore. Garland only allowed one run on three hits over eight innings, with one walk and one strikeout. |
Our View: Garland is going to have more strong outings like today, but his strikeout totals are going to remain low, as he only has 10 over 44.1 innings. He carried a poor 1.73 WHIP heading into today's game as well. He is a solid starter for the Angels, but his numbers don't translate well as a fantasy performer.
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| Luke Scott went 1-for-3 and registered the Orioles' lone RBI in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Angels. |
Our View: That was his first hit over his last six games, and his first RBI since April 18. He is hitting .286, but has failed to make a strong impact with the Orioles so far.
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| Daniel Cabrera was dealt his first loss of the season on Saturday, as the Orioles fell to the Angels 3-1. Cabrera allowed three runs on six hits over 7.1 innings, with two walks and six strikeouts. |
Our View: Cabrera is now 2-1 for the season, with a 4.06 ERA. It was a quality start for him today, but received poor run support.
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| Howie Kendrick could be ready for a rehab start, according to the AP. Kendrick, who was placed on the DL on April 18 due to a strained left hamstring, may make a rehab start with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. Manager Mike Sciosca said, "It’s not a matter of him getting at-bats. There’s a lot of stuff, prep stuff, like taking a swing, getting out of the box."
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Our View: Kendrick is missing more time than expected, but will be worth the wait when he returns, as he was hitting 18-for-36 (.500) with five doubles and one trible over 10 games before getting hurt.
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| Josh Hamilton has been named the AL Player of the Month for April, according to the AP. Hamilton hit .330 (38-for-115) with six homers and a major league-leading 32 RBI in the season’s first month. It is the first career Player of the Month award for Hamilton, who was the first overall pick of the 1999 draft.
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Our View: Hamilton is on pace for 172 RBI, and is bound to cool off and come back down to earth, meaning his fantasy (trade) value is at its peak.
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| Cliff Lee has been named the AL Pitcher of the Month for April, according to the AP. Lee won each of his five starts to earn the first monthly honor of his career. In 37.2 innings, Lee allowed just one home run, 19 hits, four earned runs and two walks. He struck out 32 batters and had an ERA of 0.96 and a WHIP of 0.56. |
Our View: In his best outing of the month, Lee hurled a shutout against the Royals on April 24. He is off to a tremendous start for a guy who was not guaranteed a spot in the Indians' rotation through spring training.
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| Carlos Quentin blasted his eighth homer of the season in Saturday's 5-2 loss to Toronto. He went 1-for-3 overall, with one RBI. |
Our View: Quentin is proving to be a mid-to-late round fantasy steal as he is hitting .289 over 27 games, with the aforementioned eighth homers and 22 RBI.
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| Pittsburgh 3B Jose Bautista put the wood on the ball for the Pirates today, but alas it was for naught as his team fell 9-8 in a barnburner against the Washington Nationals. Bautista went 3-for-4 at the plate, hitting his seventh double and fourth homer of the year, totaling three RBIs and two runs scored. |
Our View: That's two hot games in a row for the third bagger, going 5-for-8 with five runs scored and thee home runs over the past two days.
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| Pittsburgh OF Xavier Nady continues to prove his worth as one of the more coveted young bats in the league, going 3-for-4 in the Pirates 9-8 loss to the Washington Nationals todays. |
Our View: Nady picked up his 10th double of the season and added three RBIs to his '08 resume.
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| Pittsburgh LF Jason Bay did all he could to put the Pirates in the win column, but his efforts came up short as Washington prevailed 9-8. Bay went 2-for-3 at the plate with his third double of the season, adding two walks and two runs scored to the stat line. |
Our View: Bay has been swinging a strong bat, now sporting a line of 4-for-6 with two doubles, three runs scored, and four walks over his past two games versus the Nats.
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| The Yankees enjoyed a rather massive surge of offense from the top of their lineup in today's 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. |
Our View: Leadoff man Johnny Damon went 3-for-5 with two doubles and his fourth homer of the season (the top performance of the day), grabbing two RBIs and three runs scored. SS Derek Jeter also went 3-for-5 with is fourth double of the season, adding one RBI and one run scored. RF Bobby Abreu went 2-for-4 with a walk, gathering his 20th RBI on the season and adding a stolen base (his second of the year). Last but not least, Hideki Matsui went 2-for-5 in the DH role, hitting two singles to drive in one RBI and adding one run scored (though leaving five runners on-base stings a bit).
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| Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima was reportedly in the midst of a two-day rest as his hitting woes left need for reflection and focus, but Johjima was behind home plate today despite those reports and performed well, going 2-for-4 at the dish. |
Our View: Granted, it brings his seasonal average to a paltry .190, but it is a step in the right direction.
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| Yankee RHP Mike Mussina was in strong form for New York today, leading his team to an impressive 6-1 over the Seattle Mariners. Mussina pitched six innings, allowing just one run on seven hits, failing to surrender a single walk while striking out five. |
Our View: Moose now touts just five walks allowed this season versus 17 strike outs, also failing to surrender a single home run for only the second time this season.
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| Seattle phenom Felix Hernandez suffered through rough day on the mound as the Mariners fell 6-1 to the New York Yankees. Hernandez completed just 5 2/3 innings, surrendering six runs (all earned) on 12 hits in his second loss of the season. He also surrendered three walks and pitched three strike outs, allowing one home run to OF Johnny Damon in the 6th inning with a man onboard. |
Our View: This is Hernandez's second loss in as many starts, giving up four runs on six hits to the Oakland A's on April 27th.
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| Toronto RF Alex Rios has been getting good work done for the Blue Jays as the leadoff man this season and continued to do in their 5-2 over the Chicago White Sox today. |
Our View: Rios went 2-for-5 at the plate with a run scored and his 8th stolen base of the season.
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| Toronto enjoyed a strong outing from CF Vernon Wells in their 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox today. Wells went 3-for-5 at the plate, all singles, to collect three RBIs. |
Our View: Wells has been in the midst of a minor slump, going just 3-for-26 coming into today.
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| The Chicago White Sox struggled to get their bats going in today's 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Only 1B Paul Konerko managed to post multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-4 at the plate, both singles, both failing to drive in a run. |
Our View: Konerko has struggled a bit, now carrying a batting average of .233. However, this is his third multi-hit performance in four games and his fifth in his last nine outings.
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| Toronto RHP Jesse Litsch had his best stuff working off the mound today as the Blue Jays put the Chicago White Sox to bed, 5-2. |
Our View: Litsch completed 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs (both earned) on five hits. Those runs came off two homers surrendered, both solo shots late in the day, though Litsch failed to surrender a single walk and whiffed three. The outing brings Litsch to a record of 4-1 on the season and adds to a strong run for the Toronto rotation, giving up just five runs combined over the past six games.
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| Detroit manager Gary Sheffield has informed the press he will be giving DH Gary Sheffield a day of rest on Sunday as the Tigers visit Minnesota, according to CBSSports. |
Our View: Leyland also noted catcher Ivan Rodriguez will be getting the day off, but he suggested he could do that today. Stay tuned.
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| The Chicago Cubs have recalled RHP Sean Gallagher from Triple-A Iowa and, in response, optioned LHP Rich Hill down to Iowa, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Gallagher is with the team and ready to go for this afternoon's game in St. Louis. He has gone 2-2 with an ERA of 3.10 in five starts with Iowa this season, holding opponents to a lowly .196 batting average (.162 versus lefties, .214 versus righties). He has struck out 30 batters and walked just nine through 29 innings of work. On the other hand, Hill is 1-0 with an ERA of 4.12 in five starts for the Cubs this season, walking 18 batters while striking out 15. This is his first demotion to the minors since 2006.
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| Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki is starting to rediscover the power of his legs, according to the Sports Xchange. |
Our View: Ichiro stole both second and third base in the 6th inning against the Yankees on Friday, helping produce the lone run Seattle managed to manufacture in a 5-1 loss. Ichiro also swiped a bag (third to be specific) on Thursday night in the 9th inning against the Cleveland Indians. This brings Ichiro to 10 stolen bases on 11 attempts this season.
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| Yankee RHP Ian Kennedy is believed to be headed for a demotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to the Sports Xchange. |
Our View: The rumor has been revolving all week long, further enhanced by manager Joe Girardi's decision to discuss his belief that this rotation would work well with just four pitchers on Friday. A reporter asked Girardi if he was hinting that Kennedy was likely to be sent down, and he acknowledged it was a possibility.
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| Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima received the first of two promised days off on Friday against the Yankees, according to the Sports Xchange. |
Our View: Johjima is in the midst of his worst-ever start to a professional season, hitting just .175 with five RBI and no home runs. He was (and likely will be again today) replaced by backup Jamie Burke, though recently-recalled Jeff Clement could get the opportunity to play.
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| Boston CF Jacoby Ellsbury responded well from the rest earned with a minor groin injury and the adjoining time off from action. Ellsbury had taken batting practice on Thursday and was returned to action in full on Friday night as the Red Sox faced the Tampa Bay Rays, going 1-for-3 at the plate with two walks and key additions in the Sox's surge in the 4th inning. |
Our View: Ellsbury drove in a run on a single following a walk to Julio Lugo and a single by Jason Varitek. Ellsbury then stole second base and was consequently driven home by Dustin Pedroia. Ellsbury now touts nine stolen bases and 15 walks versus just seven strike outs.
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| The Boston Red Sox report RHP Curt Schilling is close to throwing, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Schilling spent time with reporters on Friday, stating, "I'm close to throwing. I don't know. Close. I would argue that we're close to throwing in the next week to 10 days, probably... There's no pain, no stamina issues, no strength loss, no lingering effects, which is a huge plus." As MLB.com writer Ian Browne notes, Schilling will be facing more than health as he attempts to return. Schilling is currently without a spot in the rotation and will have to earn his way back in to a starting role for a Sox system that is working. "There's a certain challenge to it, because I couldn't be farther from being a part of the team," said Schilling. "But I never looked at it as hard. It was a necessary part of what was happening." Thus far the veteran starter has passed every test, but he has yet to throw a pitch and has not specific timetable for those activities. We'll update, as always, when further events transpire.
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| The Boston Red Sox report RHP Curt Schilling is close to throwing, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Schilling spent time with reporters on Friday, stating, "I'm close to throwing. I don't know. Close. I would argue that we're close to throwing in the next week to 10 days, probably... There's no pain, no stamina issues, no strength loss, no lingering effects, which is a huge plus." As MLB.com writer Ian Browne notes, Schilling will be facing more than health as he attempts to return. Schilling is currently without a spot in the rotation and will have to earn his way back in to a starting role for a Sox system that is working. "There's a certain challenge to it, because I couldn't be farther from being a part of the team," said Schilling. "But I never looked at it as hard. It was a necessary part of what was happening." Thus far the veteran starter has passed every test, but he has yet to throw a pitch and has not specific timetable for those activities. We'll update, as always, when further events transpire.
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| The Toronto Blue Jays report RHP Brian Wolfe has yet to pick up a baseball since landing on the 15-day disabled list on April 18th and is at least a week to 10 days away from returning to duty, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Wolfe's return from the 15-day DL was scheduled for today, but manager John Gibbons instead expects Wolfe to play catch in the outfield "sometime soon." Assuming all goes well, Wolfe is likely to head to the minors for a rehab stint. The team has not put a timetable to his return and remains open with a tentative-and-loose set of accomplishments they want to see Wolfe complete before moving him along to the next.
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| Tampa Bay CF B.J. Upton reports his recently-injured shoulder is improving quickly and he hopes to be back in action sooner rather than later, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Upton had fallen with injury in the midst of a swing against Baltimore LHP Brian Burres on Thursday, a similar injury to one he had suffered in August of 2006 that sidelined the slugger for three days. "(It) just feels kind of funny... it hurts initially, then it feels like it's not really there," said Upton. "(It happens) when I kind of get out front (with my swing)... (I) can't really tell you exactly what does it." Upton reports it is a regular problem he tends to experience late in the season but could not explain exactly why it happens. The Rays hope to have him back in the lineup today.
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| The Detroit Tigers report LHP Dontrelle Willis has completed his first rehab start without pain, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Willis started for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens on Friday night, completing 4 2/3 innings to allow two runs on four hits. Willis did not surrender a single walk, threw 72 pitches, and reports his arm feels great. Manager Jim Leyland has told reporters he wants to see Willis make two rehab starts in Toledo before discussions of his return to the Tigers start. He will throw a bullpen sessions at some point this week under the supervision of pitching coach Chuck Hernandez before making his next rehab start in the minors (most likely to come on Wednesday).
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| The Rangers have officially placed RHP Jason Jennings on the 15-day disabled list, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Jennings was pulled during his outing against Kansas City earlier this week after feeling a "sharp twinge" in the back of his throwing elbow. The initial diagnosis was an irritated ulnar nerve, but follow-up exams have revealed the pain is caused by forearm muscle soreness. While it appears Jennings' ulnar nerve and ligaments are fine (great news), Jennings will need rest to improve. The Rangers have recalled A.J. Murray to fill his spot in the rotation (slated to start today).
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| Texas has recalled LHP A.J. Murray from Triple-A Oklahoma and have scheduled him to make the start against Oakland today, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Murray carries an ERA of 4.18 with a record of 2-0 as he has spent his time in the minors attempting to make the transition from relief pitcher to starter, and reports indicate the Rangers were not pushing to rush that work. However, injuries in the rotation seem to have forced their hand, namely to fill the void left by Jason Jennings (placed on the DL with a strained right elbow).
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