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| The Dodgers admitted on Sunday that they have something called the "Kershaw Decree." It's a strategy that says Clayton Kershaw will not pitch more than 25 innings in any month while in the minors. "We don't want to get teased and find out in September [that Kershaw's] not pitching anymore," manager Joe Torre tells MiLB.com. Kershaw is expected to move to the bullpen in the near future in order to limit his innings. |
Our View: How nice of them to put a media-friendly name on their plan. It's no secret that Kershaw will be up this season, and we've always imagined that the southpaw would work no more than 150 or so innings after pitching 122 in 2007.
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| Adam Kennedy went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles, one run, and two RBI on Sunday against the Cubs. The second baseman is up to .329 on the season. |
Our View: Kennedy is coming off a disastrous 2007 season in which he hit .219, but even when he hits .300, Adam doesn't have much fantasy value. He is lacking in pretty much every other category.
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| Jason Marquis served up seven hits and five runs over 5.1 innings against the Cardinals on Sunday. He issued five walks and struck out four. Marquis fell to 1-2. He has allowed five runs in three of his six starts. |
Our View: It's never too surprising to see Marquis put up lines like this. He tends to be inconsistent, and he's not worth using in anything other than NL-only leagues.
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| Todd Wellemeyer improved to 3-1 with a victory against the Cubs on Sunday night. He held the rival to three hits and two runs over five innings. Wellemeyer mixed in four walks and four strikeouts. |
Our View: That's three straight starts with four runs allowed, and Wellemeyer is beginning to lose his early shine. Yes, he won on Sunday, but we still don't trust him in anything other than NL-only leagues.
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| The Diamondbacks won't press Max Scherzer to be an ace. Heck, he might not even stick with the big club for long. Scherzer will start on Monday and may only make another two or three outings before returning to the minors. "I think potentially a good byproduct of that is keeping Max's innings in check as we get him through the season," general manager Josh Byrnes tells the Arizona Republic. The club would like to limit him to around 140-150 innings this year. "We've been careful with him. I don't think he's gone beyond 90 pitches (in any appearance)," Byrnes adds. "It hasn't been a big exertion month for him. We'll always try to handle him with care." |
Our View: Scherzer has been ridiculously good at both Triple-A and in his one major league appearance thus far. It will be awfully hard for the Diamondbacks to hold him back if he continues to throw this well, but fantasy owners need to understand the situation.
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| The Red Sox will called up reliever Craig Hansen on Monday, the Providence Journal confirms. He will replace outfielder Brandon Moss, who underwent an appendectomy on Saturday. |
Our View: Hansen has pitched well at Triple-A this year, but he has yet to prove he can do it at the major league level. Plus, he has not chance to get saves while Jonathan Papelbon is around.
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| Eric Gagne blew his fifth save of the season on Sunday. The closer appeared to be rattled by a close play at first base and by a tight strike zone, and he ended up walking three batters, including a free pass which plated the tying run. "You've got to put yourself in position not to depend on anybody," Gagne tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I made some good pitches, made some bad pitches. I put myself in a situation I shouldn't have been." |
Our View: Gagne had been throwing well over the past couple weeks, and this latest blowup brings back the questions about his job security. If you have the roster depth, it can't hurt to grab Guillermo Mota or Salomon Torres, the two setup men who'd pitched the best thus far.
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| Taylor Buchholz registered his first career save on Sunday night. The right-hander entered a 6-2 contest in the eighth inning with two runners on base. He closed out that frame and worked a spotless ninth after the Rockies opened up the lead to 7-2. |
Our View: No, Buchholz is not the new closer. Brian Fuentes still has the job, and he wouldn't have gotten a save if he replaced Buchholz in the ninth.
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| The Cardinals called up Mike Parisi on Sunday. The 25-year-old right-hander was 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA over six starts at Triple-A Memphis. |
Our View: Parisi will initially work in long relief, but he could get a spot start if Joel Pineiro (back) can't go on Monday. There's not much fantasy value here.
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| Pedro Martinez is still limited to side sessions, but he may be able to face live hitters next week. "Each time he gets up there to see how it feels, they push it a little further," assistant general manager John Ricco tells MLB.com. Martinez is out due to a strained left hamstring. He will need to pitch to batters before going on a minor league rehab stint. |
Our View: It sounds like Pedro is still at least three weeks away from returning. So much for that original timetable of four-to-six weeks, huh?
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| Chad Qualls allowed three hits and three runs (one earned) in the ninth inning against the Mets on Sunday. The effort marred the reliever's spotless work thus far. Qualls had yet to allow an earned run over his previous 16.2 innings. |
Our View: Oddly, Qualls is 0-2 despite a 0.51 ERA. He's been great near the end of that bullpen. Brandon Lyon remains the closer, but we wouldn't be too surprised if Qualls gets a few chances throughout the year.
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| Despite facing Johan Santana on Sunday, Mark Reynolds had one of his better days of the past two weeks. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI and just one whiff. Reynolds' last two-hit game came on April 20, and he'd struck out at least twice in nine of the previous 10 contests. |
Our View: Reynolds is quickly staking his claim as the streakiest hitter in the majors. The guy is a stud when he's seeing the ball, but his down times are really, really awful. It's tough to take in head-to-head leagues, but roto formats allow for us to somewhat ignore the roller coaster.
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| Johan Santana held the Diamondbacks to one run over six innings on Sunday. That line came despite six hits and four walks. Santana helped his own cause by striking out eight in the no-decision. His ERA fell to 2.91. |
Our View: The scary thing? Santana hasn't gotten on a roll yet, and he is still putting up darn good numbers.
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| Chris Snyder went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, and one RBI on Sunday. Not impressed? Well, both extra-base hits came off Johan Santana. |
Our View: Snyder has been hitting a little better over the past two weeks. We expect him to be a decent No. 2 backstop in mixed fantasy leagues.
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| Jose Reyes continues to stretch his legs. He went 1-for-3 with two RBI, a walk, and a stolen base on Sunday. Reyes has swiped a bag in three straight games and six bases over the last 10 contests. |
Our View: It's never surprising to see Jose go on a tear like this. Fantasy owners should be pleased with the way he is coming on after a relatively quiet start.
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| Huston Street picked up his ninth save by tossing a scoreless inning against the Rangers on Sunday. The closer has allowed only one run over his last 10 appearances (10.2 innings). |
Our View: Street was roughed up early in the year, but he has since reminded everyone that he's a darn good stopper.
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| 2007 first-round pick Jarrod Parker pitched outstanding for Low-A South Bend on Sunday, throwing six scoreless innings and allowing only four hits for his second win. |
Our View: Parker is extremely highly regarded as a prospect, and he has showing great polish this season with a 19/2 K/BB ratio in 20.2 innings. The 19-year-old is a nice keeper, but he is a long way from the majors.
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| Travis Wood improved his record to 3-2 after throwing seven scoreless innings for High-A Sarasota. He allowed three hits, one walk and struck out four. |
Our View: Wood’s ERA stands at just 2.05, putting him among the best pitching prospects in Cincinnati’s farm system. The former second-round pick struggled with Sarasota last season in 12 starts. He has plenty of time to develop at age 21.
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| Tyler Greene hit his fourth home run of the season for Double-A Springfield on Sunday. |
Our View: The former first-round pick is showing some pop, but he is hitting only .181 and batting eighth in Springfield’s lineup. At age 24 we can’t give up on him yet, but the performance is especially discouraging after he hit .244 at the same level last season.
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| Jason Bergmann threw six scoreless innings to improve his record to 2-2 for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed three hits, two walks and struck out five. |
Our View: Bergmann was awful for the Nationals earlier this season, but he is making progress in the minors with two outstanding starts in a row. We probably have not seen the last of him in the majors and on NL-only rosters this season.
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| Greg Smith didn't pick up a win on Sunday, but he was impressive nonetheless. The rookie struck out 10 Rangers over six innings. Smith allowed only three hits and one run but took a no-decision. |
Our View: The southpaw continues to amaze. We didn't expect him to pitch so well in his first go through the league, but it looks like he's worth trusting in all fantasy formats.
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| Lance Berkman went 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, two runs, and four RBI in Sunday's win over the Brewers. He has crossed the plate in eight straight games and joins Chase Utley as the only major leaguer with 10 homers on the year. |
Our View: Berkman continues to chug along. He is one of the game's best hitters, and fantasy owners have to love how he's performed thus far.
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| The good news? Ben Sheets didn't walk anyone on Sunday. The bad news is that he allowed seven hits and four runs over 6.1 innings against the Astros. Sheets also struck out six and drove in a run during his no-decision. |
Our View: Big Ben was very shaky in his last outing, and it's nice to see him pounding the strike zone. He is likely still working through some of the issue with his triceps. Fantasy owners shouldn't hesitate to use him.
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| Hunter Pence was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts on Sunday before launching a game-winning, two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th. It was the young outfielder's third long ball of the series. |
Our View: All's well that ends well, right? Pence is beginning to pick it up a little bit after a quiet start. He remains a solid fantasy outfielder in all leagues.
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| Mike Cameron went 2-for-5 with a pair of homers in Sunday's loss to the Astros. He drove in four runs on the day. |
Our View: Cameron has already swatted three homers in his first week with the Brewers. As usual, though, he is also striking out a lot. Fantasy owners know well what to expect out of the veteran.
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| The Pirates acquired Matt Miller from the Red Sox on Sunday and sent him to Triple-A Indianapolis, the AP confirms. |
Our View: We're not sure why the Pirates would want a 36-year-old reliever. Maybe Neal Huntington lost a bet.
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| Scott Podsednik did an excellent job of filling in for a resting Willy Taveras on Sunday. The veteran went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs, and a pair of steals in a win over the Dodgers. |
Our View: There's no doubt that Pods can still run, but his starts are too few and far between for all but NL-only leagues.
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| Andre Ethier went only 1-for-4 on Sunday, but his one hit was a solo homer. The outfielder hadn't gone deep since April 12. |
Our View: Ethier's average has come down a bit over the past week, but he remains a solid bat in NL-only leagues and deeper mixed formats.
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| Aaron Cook improved to 5-1 thanks to a solid performance against the Dodgers on Sunday. He held the boys in blue to nine hits and two runs over 7.2 innings. Cook walked none and struck out two. He has allowed two or fewer runs in four straight starts. |
Our View: Cook is a roll. He doesn't strike many batters out, but he is a solid ERA guy when his sinker is working. Cook has never won 10 games in a season, but it looks like that's going to change.
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| Ian Snell continues to struggle. He served up 10 hits and four runs over six innings against the Nationals on Sunday. Snell struck out only two batters. He has allowed at least three runs in six of his seven starts this year. |
Our View: We still like Snell in general, but his current work is a bit alarming. He's not making batters miss at the moment. It may be a decent buy-low moment.
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| It took 61 at-bats, but Wily Mo Pena now has an extra-base hit on his 2008 resume. The outfielder managed a pinch-hit RBI double against the Pirates on Sunday. |
Our View: The first one is always the hardest. Wily Mo hasn't displayed any of his typical power thus far, but he tends to be very streaky.
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| Adam LaRoche was allowed to run around all four bases on Sunday when he hit something called a "home run." The first baseman said he is unfamiliar with the expression, since he has not swatted a ball over the fence since April 9. LaRoche also had two other hits against the Nationals. It was his first three-hit day of the season. |
Our View: LaRoche is over .200! Can you believe it? His batting average hasn't been this high since April 2. Adam is a notorious slow starter, and we pray he is beginning to break out of his hibernation.
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| Tim Redding improved to 4-2 by working 6.1 strong innings against the Pirates on Sunday. He held the Bucs to six hits and one run, walked none, and struck out five. |
Our View: Redding stats look great through seven starts, and his ERA over his last 22 outings is 3.50. Mixed league fantasy owners may need to start taking this right-hander serious.
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| Martin Prado sprained his left thumb in Sunday's win over the Reds. X-rays were negative, the AP reports. Prado was starting in place of shortstop Yunel Escobar. |
Our View: Prado doesn't help much in fantasy leagues, but he's been a very active utility infielder for the Braves thus far. Bobby Cox would miss him if he has to sit for any significant amount of time.
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| Brad Lidge picked up a win on Sunday when he tossed a scoreless ninth inning against the Giants. The Phillies broke a 5-5 tie with an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame. It was Lidge's first victory of the year. |
Our View: Lidge is now up to 15.0 innings without allowing an earned run. Fantasy owners obviously use closers for saves, but the occasional win is nice, too.
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| Rich Aurilia went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a homer, one run, and three RBI on Sunday against the Phillies. The veteran owns three long balls and six RBI over his last seven games. |
Our View: Aurilia doesn't play every day, so you have to realize those seven games stretch all the way back to April 24. Anyway, Rich is finally swinging well and helping NL-only teams after his dismal start.
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| Pat Burrell went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, and two RBI against the Giants on Sunday. The outfielder is up to 30 RBI through 32 games. |
Our View: Pat the Bat hasn't driven in 100 runs since 2005, but he looks locked in and motivated this year. His fantasy owners are obviously pleased.
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| Tim Lincecum's ERA dropped again on Sunday, even though he allowed four runs. The right-hander worked six innings against the Phillies and served up six hits, but all four runs were unearned. Lincecum also walked two, struck out five, hit a batter, and tossed a pair of wild pitches in the no-decision. |
Our View: We get the sense that Tim didn't have his best stuff against the Phillies, but fantasy owners will take the ERA help. He is quickly becoming a fantasy ace despite the lack of run support.
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| Adam Dunn went 2-for-4 with a double, one run, and two RBI against the Braves on Sunday. The slugger is up to 13 RBI through 30 games, which is well off his typical pace. |
Our View: Dunn recently dropped to sixth in the order, and maybe the move will wake him up. There's no reason he can't turn it on and get to his projected digits, but Adam needs to turn it on soon.
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| After hitting a pair of doubles on Saturday, Kelly Johnson added three more two-baggers on Sunday. He went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBI against the Reds. |
Our View: Johnson has dealt with a couple injuries through the first month-plus of the season, but we expect him to be a solid fantasy second baseman when healthy.
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| Bronson Arroyo lasted only 1.1 innings against the Braves on Sunday. He allowed seven hits and seven runs before being pulled, and his season-to-date ERA rose to 8.63. |
Our View: Arroyo has only one quality start over his seven outings this year, and we have to wonder when his seat will start to get hot. He's been good enough for long enough to earn a lot of leeway, but fantasy owners need to think about benching him until he shows us something better.
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| Chipper Jones went 3-for-6 with a double, homer, and five RBI in Sunday's win over the Reds. He is hitting .425 with 27 RBI through 28 games. |
Our View: Larry is up to 395 homers for his career, and there's been no better fantasy third baseman thus far in 2008. A-Rod, David Wright, Miggy Cabrera, and a few other hot corner denizens should eventually catch up to Chipper in the fantasy rankings, but not too many hitters can match what Jones does on a per-game basis.
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| Adrian Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with one RBI and blasted his eighth home run in Sunday's 10-3 loss to Florida. |
Our View: Gonzalez has now hit three homers over his last four games, with five RBI over that span. He is now hitting .302 for the season as well.
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| Dan Uggla went 3-for-4 with three RBI in Sunday's 10-3 win over San Diego, and one of his hits went for his seventh home run of the season. He also scored three runs today. |
Our View: Uggla now has 19 RBI amd 18 runs scored over 30 games played. He struck out 32 times, but is generating favorable fantasy numbers regardless.
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| Matt Stairs went 2-for-3 with two RBI in Sunday's 4-3 win over the White Sox. |
Our View: Stairs raised his average to .310, but those were his first runs batted in (today) since April 23, when he racked up three against Tampa Bay. He doesn't offer enough to consider as a fantasy DH.
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| Justin Germano could be replaced in the Padres' rotation, according to MLB.com. Manager Bud Black said Sunday that the Padres are considering a personnel change in the fifth spot in their starting rotation for Thursday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Germano is currently the fifth starter in the rotation but he's struggling at 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA in six starts this season, and allowed 21 runs over his last three outings. |
Our View: Black said Thursday's starter will likely come within their 12-man staff, if Germano gets demoted from the rotation. Black added that left-handers Wil Ledezma and Glendon Rusch could be viable candidates for the role. Shawn Estes from Triple-A Portland could also be considered, if Black goes outside the 12-man staff. Germano held little to no fantasy value prior to this news.
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| Yunel Escobar has been scratched from Sunday's lineup due to an illness, according to the AP. |
Our View: Escobar leads the Braves in walks with 15 and is second in runs with 20, and holds a .317 average. Martin Prado replaced him at shortstop. The exact illness, and it's severity, is yet to be disclosed.
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| Scott Eyre had his rehab moved to Double-A, according to CBSsports. He is recovering from left elbow inflammation. |
Our View: He holds little fantasy value as a middle-reliever in a talented and crowded Cubs' bullpen.
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| Ryan Zimmerman is out of the Nationals' lineup today, according to the AP. He asked for and received the day off, and will end his consecutive-games streak at 205 (if he isn't used as a pinch-hitter), which was the second highest active streak in the league behind Jeff Francoeur's 355. |
Our View: Zimmerman and Manager Manny Acta met in spring training and decided that there was no reason for the third baseman to play a full 162-game schedule. Zimmerman said, "This has nothing do with me being beat up or me not doing so well at the plate or anything."
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| Right-handed reliever Evan Meek has been designated for assignment, according to the AP. Pittsburgh has 10 days to trade, waive or release Meek. The team called up lefty reliever Sean Burnett from Triple-A Indianapolis, and Meek was seen as expendable to free up a roster spot. |
Our View: Meek held a 4.85 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 13 innings this season, with seven strikeouts and 12 walks, and held no fantasy value prior to his demotion.
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| Sean Burnett has been officially called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday, according to the AP. They also designated right-handed reliever Evan Meek for assignment. Pittsburgh has 10 days to trade, waive or release Meek. |
Our View: Burnett will work as a short reliever and was 1-1 with three saves and a 1.04 ERA in 17 relief appearances with Indianapolis. The Pirates need to strengthen their pen, and Burnett should step in and help right away.
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| Long reliever Brian Moehler threw a simulated game on Saturday and is preparing for the possibility of making a spot start in place of the injured Wandy Rodriguez, according to the Houston Chronicle. Rodriguez continues to feel discomfort in his ailing groin muscle, and if he isn't ready by Friday, a decision will be made. Manager Cecil Cooper said, "Brian Moehler threw kind of a simulated game. We just wanted to line him up in case he might have to be the guy here if we don't make any kind of move. He'd be the guy that would probably take a start. He's our long guy and he hasn't pitched a whole lot here recently, so it's a chance to get him the work and kind of line him up, so to speak, so if you need him to take that start maybe he's the guy that could potentially get it."
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Our View: Moehler holds a poor 1.83 WHIP and has allowed six runs and 11 hits over 7.2 innings this season, and wouldn't make a favorable fantasy prospect if the reliever gets called into action for a spot start.
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| Doug Davis is making good progress in his recovery from thyroid cancer surgery, according to the Arizona Republic. Davis began taking radioactive iodine pills Tuesday and was quarantined at home the past three days. He noted he had to stay at least three feet away from people. He was expecting the treatment to leave him drained of energy, but he was pleasantly surprised by how he has felt, and he said, "I expected the worst, and I was very fortunate not to get sick, not to feel any fatigue, nothing. I don't know why. I'm fortunate, I guess." Davis originally hoped to be back with the Diamondbacks by next weekend but said that's no longer realistic. He is planning to make his first rehab start Monday in extended spring training or Tuesday for Triple-A Tucson. He hopes he can be back after two rehab starts.
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Our View: Davis is now taking aim at a return to the Diamondbacks during the May 16-18 home series against Detroit.
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| Orlando Hudson's status is doubtful for Sunday action, according to the Arizona Republic. He left Friday night's game with a hamstring problem and sat out Saturday. Manager Bob Melvin stated, "I'm prepared not to play him unless they deem him really close to 100 percent. We'll probably stay away from him Sunday."
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Our View: The team examination of the leg revealed no serious damage, and Hudson should not miss significant time. Augie Ojeda would cover his spot again at second base, and notably generated six RBI in last night's win over the Mets.
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| Khalil Greene left Saturday's game against Florida in the seventh inning because of left-eye irritation, according to CBSsports. He is listed as day-to-day. |
Our View: This doesn't sound serious, but there is always concern that the irritation could affect his vision at the plate. He is only hitting .220 with one homer and 11 RBI over 31 games, and is worth sitting for the time being if you have a favorable option to take his place.
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| Reliever Sean Burnett is expected to be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis today, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is expected to report in plenty of time for the afternoon game against Washington today at Nationals Park. Evan Leek will likely be out of the mix, to free up a roster spot for Burnett. Burnett was the Pirates' best reliever in spring training and at Indianapolis.
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Our View: The Pirates' need to strengthen their pen in middle relief, and Burnett should step in and help right away. His fantasy value will remain limited as a middle-reliever, however.
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| Brian Schneider stated that he is likely to return to his starting post at catcher on Monday against the Dodgers, according to MetsBlog. Schneider spent six days in the hospital last week with a staph infection in his left thumb. He is still experiencing pain in this finger, but he caught a bullpen session on Friday and has been available the last few days as a back-up catcher.
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Our View: Schneider seems to have healed up fine, and is seemingly safe to return to your lineups for the week. He was hitting a solid .309 over 16 games, with eight RBI before going down.
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| Peter Moylan had to stop a bullpen session after only seven pitches yesterday, according to FanNation. |
Our View: He'll have his ailing elbow examined by team doctors on Sunday morning, but seemed ready to face the reality that season-ending surgery is potentially coming.
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