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| Jamie Moyer was at his best on Monday night, on the mound and at the plate. The Phillies left-hander allowed two runs on six hits, walking none and striking out five. Moyer went 2-for-3 at the plate with a run producing single in the win. |
Our View: Moyer was just good enough to keep the Diamondbacks off balance, and the large strike zone of Jerry Meals helped him get several calls outside of the black.
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| Ryan Tucker lowered his ERA to 0.89 for Double-A Carolina after throwing seven scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, one walk and struck out five. |
Our View: Tucker is one of several very impressive Marlins pitching prospects. His peripheral numbers have not been as dominant as his ERA would indicate (39/16 K/BB in 40.1 IP), but there is no doubt that this former first-round pick is an excellent prospect. Still, the Marlins will probably want to see him in Carolina for a little longer after he posted a 3.71 ERA in High-A last season.
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| Carlos Carrasco won his third game of the season for Double-A Reading after throwing seven scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, two walks and struck out seven. |
Our View: Carrasco has had some hiccups, but he seems ready for Triple-A. He has a 3.25 ERA and 39/14 K/BB ratio in 36 innings. He could be a No. 2 starter for the Phils by next season.
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| Eulogio de la Cruz improved his record to 4-1 after throwing seven scoreless innings for Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday. He allowed five hits, one walk and struck out nine. |
Our View: De la Cruz has been making progress following two horrific starts to begin the year. He has power stuff and nice groundball rates, but he still needs to make progress with his control. It would not be the least bit surprising if he joined Florida’s rotation at some point this season.
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| Jason Isringhausen pitched the ninth inning of St. Louis' 6-5 win over Colorado on Monday night for his 11th save in 14 chances. Once again his ninth inning work was an adventure as Izzy had to induce Garrett Atkins into a 5-4-3 double play after Helton drew a one-out walk. |
Our View: Isringhausen's numbers are down right ugly. A 6.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP don't trump his eleven saves, but they offer strong evidence that the right-handed veteran is nearing the end of his closing career.
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| Brad Hawpe recorded two hits in Monday's loss to the Cardinals, including a solo home run. |
Our View: The long ball was Hawpe's third of the season. The Roks right fielder added an RBI single to raise his runs batted in total to 14 on the season.
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| Randy Flores earned his first win of the season after working a trying but scoreless eighth inning to help secure a 6-5 win over Colorado. |
Our View: It was Flores thirteenth appearance of the season, and the left-hander has still not allowed an earned run.
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| Francisco Cordero walked Ryan Theriot to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning, but was able to retire Derrek Lee to remain perfect in five save chances this season in a 5-3 win over the Cubs. |
Our View: Cordero has been quiet this season, primarily because the Reds haven't given him many ninth inning opportunities.
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| Brett Tomko went seven shutout innings in his best start of the season, but Angels starter Ervin Santana was better. Tomko allowed only one runner as far as second and struck out the side in the third inning on just 13 pitches. |
Our View: Tomko finished the game allowing two hits, two walks and struck out seven. The start keeps Tomko in the rotation, something that was a question mark entering the game.
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| Geovany Soto hit his sixth home run of the season in a losing effort on Monday night as the Reds defeated the Cubs by the score of 5-3. |
Our View: The Cubs catcher was 3-for-3 and raised his average to .352 on the season.
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| Adam Dunn hit a two-run home run on Monday night to help the Reds end a five-game losing streak. |
Our View: The home run was Dunn's fifth of the season. It was the outfielders only hit on a night he also struck out twice. The left-hander is striking out at a 25 percent clip so far this season.
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| Aramis Ramirez missed his third straight game with a sore left wrist, which was hit by a pitch on Friday. Mark DeRosa started at third base. |
Our View: Ramirez tested the wrist on Monday but still isn't ready to return to the starting lineup.
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| Johnny Cueto bounced back on Monday night and had the command that made him a spring training sensation. Cueto was able to locate his 95 mph fastball resulting in a Reds 5-3 victory over the Cubs.
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Our View: The 22-year-old Cueto allowed three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out eight in the win.
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| Matt Stairs was the entire Blue Jays offense on Monday night as the big left-hander homered to help the Toronto beat the slumping Chicago White Sox 1-0 Monday night for a four-game sweep. |
Our View: The home run was Stairs' fourth of the season in 88 at-bats.
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| Matt Kemp appears to have finally earned everyday playing time for the Dodgers. The Dodgers outfielder has been in the starting lineup for every game the last two weeks (since April 20). He is 20-55 with eight extra base hits and six stolen bases in that span. |
Our View: The talented right hander is still striking out too much (17 times in the last 14 games), but his .324 average disguises his inadequacies nicely.
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| Orlando Hudson returns to the lineup tonight when the Diamondbacks host Jamie Moyer and the Phillies. Hudson, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, will bat third behind Chris Young and Eric Byrnes. |
Our View: Hudson is hitting .272 on the season with 17 runs scored, 17 RBI, two stolen bases and three home runs.
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| It isn't surprising to hear Brewers general manager Doug Melvin tell Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Eric Gagne According to the report, Gagne remains the club's closer despite the veteran right-handers off-and-on struggles this season.
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Our View: Gagne, who blew his major league-high fifth save of the season by surrendering two ninth-inning runs against Houston on Sunday, has no real competition. If the truth be known, his blown save on Sunday wasn't because he didn't make good pitches, it was one of those games that simply didn't work out due to some close plays and bad breaks.
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| Ian Snell's record dropped to 2-2 with Sunday's loss to the Nationals. His 5.09 ERA and 1.65 WHIP are very concerning, especially for the most consistent piece of a Pirates rotation. Snell's strike outs are down on the season. He has only 22 in 34.2 innings of work for a career low 5.53 K/9. |
Our View: The fact that Snell hasn't had more than five strikouts in any of his seven starts indicates there are problems with his mechanics or he isn't completely healthy.
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| Joey Votto, with more playing time, has begun to show flashes of his talent. The Reds first baseman has started to hit for power, but it's his plate discipline that's always been the question mark. However, that patience has started to grow as Votto accepted two walks on Sunday, which gives him three in the last two games. This is significant because Votto has only seven free passes on the season. |
Our View: In fact, Votto has drawn six walks in the last six games. His 10 extra-base hits (four HR and six 2B) in 85 at bats, his .294 average and his .348 on base percentage could be just the start of better things to come.
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| Dan Uggla, who is traditionally a slow starter, is hitting .267 with seven home runs, 19 RBI and 18 runs scored so far this season. The right-hander is 5-14 with three home runs and seven RBI in the first four games of May. |
Our View: Expect the second baseman to produce in May and June, historically his best months.
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| Jason Marquis walked five, allowed seven hits and all but looked like a right-hander throwing batting practice in his in 5.1 innings of work in Saturday's loss to the Cardinals. Marquis walked the bases loaded in the first, but was saved by a gold glove play at first base by Derek Lee. |
Our View: Rich Hill was yanked from a game this past week for doing exactly what Marquis did on Sunday, walking the bases loaded. Rich Hill may be struggling, but keeping Marquis in the rotation over Hill, doesn't say much for Sweet Lou's objectivity. He obviously has a grudge against Hill and was looking for an excuse to rid the 25-man roster of his services.
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| The Red Sox placed Brandon Moss on the 15-day disabled list on Monday. Moss will spend the time recovering from an emergency appendectomy. |
Our View: The Sox didn't call up another position player to replace Moss. They recalled Craig Hansen and now have 13 pitchers on the roster, eight in the bullpen.
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| Manny Ramirez is back in left field for tonight's game against the Tigers. On Sunday, with David Ortiz scratched due to a sore knee, ManRam was the designated hitter. |
Our View: Ortiz is back in Monday's lineup and Manny is back in left field.
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| Jimmy Rollins went 4-for-4 with two RBI in an extended spring training game on Monday. The Phillies shortstop is on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his eight-year career because of a sprained left ankle. |
Our View: Rollins is expected to rejoin the team as early as Thursday.
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| As expected, the Red Sox recalled Craig Hansen from Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday.
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Our View: The Red Sox now have eight arms in their bullpen as they prepare for some hard fought road contests that start in Detroit on Monday.
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| The Reds optioned Bill Bray to Triple-A Louisville on Monday. The move corisponded with the team activating David Weathers from the disabled list.
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Our View: Bray made four appearances, threw four scoreless innings, walked three and struck out four in his time with the big club.
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| The Reds activated David Weathers from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. The right-hander has appeared in eight games this season, pitched 7.1 innings, walked eight and struck out only one.
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Our View: Weathers is expected to return to his setup role, but the Reds are hoping for better results than he produced in April.
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| Adam Dunn, and his .221 average, is hitting sixth in the Reds lineup on Monday night versus the Cubs. |
Our View: Dusty Baker has moved Edward Encarnacion into the fifth spot in the order.
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| Ryan Freel is leading off and playing center field for the Reds on Monday night. Facing the Cubs and Ryan Dempster, skipper Dusty Baker has given Corey Patterson the night off. |
Our View: Freel has played in 25 games this season, scoring nine times, driving in eight, stealing three bases while hitting .328.
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| Oliver Perez is set to take the hill tonight when the Mets battle the Dodgers in Los Angeles, according to MLB.com. In two starts against the Dodgers last season, Perez finished 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA.
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Our View: Perez has racked up 26 strikeouts over 29 innings, but is having control issues as he also issued 21 walks. He continues to hurt fantasy owners with his 1.69 WHIP and needs to have another solid outing against the Dodgers, like he did in 2007.
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| Max Scherzer will make his first start of the season when the Diamondbacks host the Phillies tonight, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Scherzer made a seismic blip on the fantasy radar when he retired all 13 batters faced in his first start, with seven strikeouts. Pencil him into your lineups if you scooped him up off the waiver wire.
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| Antonio Bastardo picked up a victory in his debut with Double-A Reading on Saturday, according to MLB.com. Bastardo is now 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA in six starts between Class-A Clearwater and Reading. |
Our View: Bastardo is considered one of the top prospects in the low-minors, and he improved his stock with another win in his Double-A debut.
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| Jacque Jones has reportedly been designated for assignment, according to MLive.com. The Tigers also purchased the contract of outfielder Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo. |
Our View: Jones had just one hit in his last 29 at-bats, and he was hitting .165 with one home run and five RBI in 24 games. Joyce was hitting .299 at Toledo, with five homers and 21 RBI in 28 games. Manager Jim Leyland stated that changes were coming to shake up the offense, and Jones proved to be a casualty due to his poor play.
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| Matt Kemp has been named the NL Player of the Week, according to the AP. Kemp batted .407 (11-for-27) in six games this past week, while racking up league highs of 11 RBI and six stolen bases. He also had four doubles and scored seven runs.
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Our View: Kemp is hitting .324 overall, with two homers, 22 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 18 runs scored over 29 games. This was Kemp's first weekly honor, and his fantasy stock remains on the rise.
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| Albert Pujols has reached base safely in all 32 games for the Cardinals this season, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Pujols is hitting .358 overall, and leads the league with 33 walks. He has 23 RBI so far as well, and is on pace for 116. Pujols slipped a little bit in many drafts due to preseason injury concerns, but he has held up fine to post solid numbers so far.
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| Peter Moylan has been transferred to the 60-day DL due to a bone spur in his right elbow, according to the AP. |
Our View: Season ending surgery could be announced next for him. He recorded one save and five strikeouts over 5.2 innings, with one run and five hits allowed. He will be missed by the Braves, who are still without closer Rafael Soriano.
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| Martin Prado has been placed on the 15-day DL due to his sprained left thumb, according to the AP. |
Our View: The Braves noted that Prado is expected to be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks but will not require surgery. The team acquired veteran Greg Norton from the Mariners to add depth (and an extra bat as a pinch-hitter) to their infield. Prado held little fantasy value as a reserve, but played well when called into action as he went 11-for-39 (.282) with six RBI.
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| The Braves have acquired infielder Greg Norton from the Mariners for a player to be named or cash considerations, according to the AP. Norton played in six games for the Mariners before he was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He batted .435 (9-for-22) for Seattle and .409 (9-for-22) in seven outings at Triple-A Tacoma. The team also placed infielder Martin Prado on the 15-day DL with a left thumb injury. They transferred reliever Peter Moylan to the 60-day DL as well.
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Our View: Norton is a good pinch-hitter, and will provide depth to the Braves' outfield while Prado is out of action. He holds little to no fantasy value though.
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| Johnny Cueto will make his seventh start of the season when he takes the hill against the Cubs tonight, according to MLB.com. Cueto has allowed 21 runs over 35 innings this season, but has 33 strikeouts with only six walks, and still holds a strong 1.09 WHIP. His 5.40 ERA is his only stat which is unfavorable right now. |
Our View: Expectations went through the roof after the rookie racked up 10 strikeouts and only allowed one run on one hit over seven innings in his first start. He has not won again following that game, and allowed 11 earned runs over his last two starts. His numbers overall are still solid, and he is worth targeting if you can get him for a good price.
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| Derrek Lee has hit 12 homers over his career at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Lee got off to a strong start this season as he hit eight homers over 31 games, with 23 RBI and a .339 average, but he has not hit a homer over his last five games. Look for him to break out of his power skid, and add at least one long ball to his total during the three-game set against the Reds.
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| Ryan Dempster will look to remain unbeaten when he takes the hill against the Reds tonight in Cincinnati, according to MLB.com. Dempster is 4-0 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 37 innings, with 22 strikeouts. |
Our View: The former closer is pitching well, but needs work on his control, as he issued eight walks over his last 13 innings. He still holds a solid WHIP at 1.11, and should remain in your lineups tonight against the Reds, who he beat in his previous start against (on April 15).
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| Manny Ramirez has been stuck on 496 career homers since April 19, as he has not hit one over his last 47 at-bats, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Ramirez has six home runs so far this season, and should regain his power stroke soon enough, in his bid to reach 500. He is still hitting fine with a .317 average over 32 games, with 23 RBI. He also has one stolen base this season, and 20 runs scored.
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| John Smoltz is headed to the bullpen upon his return from the DL, according to the AP. Smoltz admitted he is not entirely certain how many bullets he may have left in his right arm, and he added, "I know I can do the role. It has everything to do with how my body reacts. The best avenue to come back is to slowly come back. It does me no good to come back to just pitch five innings. There’s no reason to fight it, complain or pout. I will just attack the problem. I see it like a puzzle and I just find different pieces. I’m fired up about the challenge. It may not work but I’m fired up about it. My success has confused people. I know it’s four games and two runs but it’s been five innings at a time and it was getting harder to do that. The up and down, pitch an inning and sitting down, an inning and pitch, an inning and sitting down, an inning, by the fourth inning was getting to me. I am completely at peace with where I am. If a fortune teller tells me that’s it, then I’m fine with it. I may still pitch 30 or 40 games this season, but not as a starter. I’m focused on doing what it takes this year. We have a very good team. The results haven’t been good. In about five months, we’re going to see how this works out."
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Our View: Smoltz could really help an ailing Braves' bullpen right now, and is eligible to come off the DL sometime next week.
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| Jimmy Rollins left on Sunday for a rehab stint in Clearwater, Florida, where he will determine when he plays, and with which group, the Class-A affiliate or the extended spring-training participants, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. |
Our View: Rollins, who can come off the DL today, hopes to return Thursday against the Diamondbacks, barring a setback.
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| Ben Johnson has been released by the Mets, according to the NY Daily News. He was still being hindered by an ankle injury that he sustained last season. |
Our View: Johnson did not register any at-bats in 2008, and held no fantasy value.
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| Ramon Castro is close to returning to the Mets and may be activated for this weekend's series against the Reds, according to the NY Daily News. He is recovering from a right hamstring strain. |
Our View: He will serve as Brian Schneider's backup when he returns. Gustavo Molina would likely be out of the mix, as team's don't usually carry three catchers.
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| Matt Wise may be activated for next weekend's series against the Mets, according to the NY Daily News. Wise is on the DL with a bruised right forearm, and is going to pitch back-to-back days this week for Single-A St. Lucie. |
Our View: Wise will fight for playing time out of the Mets' bullpen when he returns. He allowed three hits and a run over his lone inning of work this season.
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| Jonathan Broxton, who returned Saturday from a strained side muscle ailment, was unavailable to play Sunday for precautionary reasons, according to the LA Times.
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Our View: Broxton should benefit from the extra day of rest and fantasy owners shouldn't worry about him. He is pitching well this season with 17 strikeouts over 13 innings, with a 1.08 WHIP. He also has a win to his credit.
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| Nomar Garciaparra is walking without discomfort in his strained left calf, and will start hitting and throwing today, according to the LA Times. |
Our View: He would be able to come off the DL this weekend, barring any setbacks.
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| Jason Michaels could be released by the Indians, according to TheTribeTimeReport.com. Ben Francisco was pulled from the second game of a Double Header in Buffalo (Triple-A). If he is called up, then Michaels would be the likely casualty to free up a roster spot.
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Our View: Michaels only hit .207 (no homers) over 58 at-bats this season. He holds no fantasy value, and is seemingly expendable to the Indians.
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| Brandon Moss is recovering following his appendectomy, according to the Providence Journal. Manager Terry Francona said, "He's doing OK. I think there’s a chance that in four or five days he might be jogging. I don’t want to exaggerate, but I think, because of the way procedures are done today they can get going in a hurry."
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Our View: Moss will likely be sent home (to Georgia) to rest and, when he is ready, head to Florida to do some rehab work before being activated. Moss hit two homers over six games with the Red Sox this season.
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| Bronson Arroyo will be examined physically after allowing seven runs and seven hits over a mere 1.1 innings of work against Atlanta on Sunday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Manager Dusty Baker said, "We're kind of lost right now. We're going to get him checked out, maybe something is wrong with him. His pitches aren't sharp. His breaking ball isn't crisp. He's kind of gotten a little bit predictable as far as throwing the 3-2 breaking ball. Ordinarily, that ball Tom Glavine hit doesn't stay up in the zone. We'll get him examined. You don't want to find anything. But, hopefully, we can come up with some kind of solution. I know he's going crazy, too."
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Our View: Arroyo countered, "There ain't nothing to check out. They said they want to check me out? That's probably the best I felt in years on a day game. I've got no excuses. They just beat my butt. I had a good fastball, decent command, everything felt good." Arroyo is 1-4 with a 8.63 ERA and 1.95 WHIP and should remain on your bench until he gets himself straightened out.
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| Justin Upton was ejected at the end of Sunday's contest with the Mets by home plate umpire Angel Campos, who called Upton out on strikes for the final out of the game, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: Arizona starts a new series with Philadelphia today. Upton is hitting .346 with five homers, 16 RBI, and 19 runs scored over 30 games, and his fantasy stock remains on the rise.
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| Orlando Hudson missed his second straight game on Sunday due to a mildy strained hamstring, but could return to action today, according to the Arizona Republic. Manager Bob Melvin said, "He probably could play, but it's not worth taking the risk. I expect him to be in there today."
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Our View: Augie Ojeda will return to bench duty when Hudson returns. Hudson is hitting .272 with three homers and 17 RBI over 30 games, with 17 runs scored and two stolen bases.
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| Derrick Turnbow, who was recently designated for assignment by the Brewers, is said to be on the Mets' radar, according to MetsBlog. The team is discussing whether to sign the reliever, who made the All-Star team in 2006. |
Our View: Turnbow was off to a terrible start with Milwaukee prior to his designation, as he allowed 12 hits, 11 runs, and 13 walks over a mere 6.1 innings of work (with a 3.95 WHIP). The Mets may take a chance on him, but fantasy owners should not.
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