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| Joe Crede went 0-for-3 on Wednesday night to drop his season average down to .250. |
Our View: After a red hot start, Crede has fallen on hard times over the last 14 games with only five RBI while has average has fallen .054 points. The Sox should have traded him when they had the chance.
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| Mark Buehrle had a rough outing on Wednesday night as he allowed seven runs on nine hits and three walks against the Twins. With the loss he fell to 1-4 with a 5.31 ERA. |
Our View: The soft-tossing lefty needs to have pinpoint control or he often struggles. This was the third time in seven starts that Mark has allowed at least five earned runs in a game.
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| Richie Sexson was not in the lineup on Wednesday night due to "personal reasons", according to the Associated Press. No further details are available. |
Our View: Sexon, who is slowly starting to find his stroke, is still batting .209 on the year giving him a .206 average over his last 549 AB.
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| Michael Bowden allowed only one hit in 6.2 scoreless innings for Double-A Portland on Wednesday. He walked one batter and struck out three to improve his record to 2-3. |
Our View: Bowden’s ERA is now down to 2.68 through seven starts. He has No. 2 starter upside and is picking up where he left off last season as one of the best prospects in the minors.
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| Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle on Wednesday night to become the first Twin to accomplish the feat in almost 22 years since Kirby Puckett in 1986, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Gomez went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBI on the night, so we won't mention the fact that he didn't steal a base. Oops, we just did.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits, two runs and two SB for the Red Sox. |
Our View: Ellsbury is now 22-for-22 on SB attempts in his career, the best mark to start a career for a Red Sox player since 1920. A little power would be nice, but we'd take 50 SB with nary a complaint.
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| Jonathan Papelbon allowed a broken bat single to Placido Polanco to allow two runs to score as he picked up his first loss and blown save of the season to the Tigers. |
Our View: Both runs were unearned thanks to Julio Lugo, but no one is perfect including Papelbon now. Of course, this does nothing to diminish the value of Papelbon, it's just one of those things that happens.
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| Placido Polanco slapped five hits all over the yard for the Tigers on his way to two runs and three RBI. |
Our View: Polanco, who was batting .174 has raised his average to .270 in the past nine games, eight of which he has recorded a hit in. Career .304 hitters don't struggle forever you know.
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| Mike Lowell had his second big game in three nights with a home run, three hits and three RBI against the Tigers. |
Our View: Lowell has finally found his stroke after dealing with injury for most of the early season. Lowell still figures to be a top-15 third basemen this year if he can stay on the field, so keep that in mind if his name comes up in trade talks.
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| Kevin Youkilis hit two home runs on his way to two runs scored and three RBI for the Sox. |
Our View: Youkilis continues to have another solid season for the Red Sox, and in fact, it can be argued that he is the team's MVP so far. Youkilis is hitting .317 with 25 RBI and 23 runs through 33 games, so role him out there with confidence.
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| Luis Mendoza (shoulder) is closer to returning to the Rangers rotation after he threw 45 pitches and reported no pain on Wednesday, according to MLB.com. "It felt really good," Mendoza said. "No problems. No more soreness. No more pain. Nothing." |
Our View: Even with this new news, Mendoza is still a couple of weeks away from returning as the team has him scheduled to throw a simulated game this Saturday to be followed by a couple of minor league starts to build up his endurance.
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| As often happens with injured pitchers, John Patterson suffered a setback on Wednesday as he had to be shut down during his second start after experiencing soreness in his right forearm, according to MLB.com. "He was not happy with the way the ball was coming out of his hand, and he had some pain in his forearm again," Rangers pitching coach Mark Connor said. "Everything was going well until that second start." |
Our View: Patterson is a long shot to add much of anything to the Rangers in the first half of the season, and at this point his ability to add anything at any point has to be in question.
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| Michael Young flew out to shallow right field off of Erik Bedard and then was removed from the game with a injured left hip flexor according to the Star Telegram. |
Our View: Young, who is hitting .375 over his last 14 games, needs to avoid a trip to the DL if he wishes to extend his streak of 200-hit seasons to six seasons. Check back for more details on this injury.
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| Garret Anderson hit his fifth home run of the season on Wednesday night to give him three home runs and nine RBI in his last three games. |
Our View: Anderson has become a streaky hitter the past few years, and he can certainly go on an extended tear if he can stay healthy (he had 65 RBI over his last 68 games last season). There is nothing wrong with picking him up and inserting him in your lineup while he is hot, he can still hit.
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| Mike Napoli connected for his eighth home run of the season on Wednesday night for the Angels. The three hits he had on the might pushed his average to .273. |
Our View: With Jeff Mathis in a slump, perhaps the Angels will lean on Napoli more often as he has now knocked eight taters in just 65 AB on the year.
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| Jose Guillen had three hits and scored two runs for the Royals, but despite the solid night, he is still batting just .185 with only with 14 runs in 32 games. |
Our View: This outing snaps a 1-for-21 slump, but Guillen has just been awful this season. You are a glutton for failure if Guillen is anywhere near your lineup at the moment, but perhaps this outing will propel him to being the hitter he always has been.
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| Alex Gordon hit his fourth home run of the season for the season on Wednesday night for the Royals to break a 20-game homerless drought. |
Our View: Gordon has been a disappointment this season with a .280 average and 15 RBI in 33 games. Gordon is immensely talented, but he has been rolling over on too many balls in the early going. Once he fixes that fact, his numbers could take off.
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| Mark Grudzielanek went 3-for-3 with two runs scored to push his batting average up to .302. |
Our View: Mark owns a career .289 average and has posted at least a .294 average in each of the last five seasons, and though it is a hollow number, he still has a lot of value in AL Only leagues.
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| Zack Greinke improved to 4-1 with a solid performance against the Angels as he allowed five hits, two walks and three runs over seven innings. He also struck out eight batters. |
Our View: Greinke continues to display some of the best stuff in all of baseball in what is becoming a stunning turnaround from his off-field struggles of the recent past. Keep throwing those strikes Zack.
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| Jered Weaver was bombed for 10 hits, a walk, and eight earned runs in his fifth loss of the season for the Angels in just 3.1 innings of work. |
Our View: It doesn't get much uglier than this. Weaver's ERA sits at 5.59 and his WHIP is 1.48, so unless he is hiding some type of injury he would make a solid buy low candidate because he is a much better pitcher than this.
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| Victor Martinez returned to fill the DH role on Wednesday, and though he produced an RBI on the night, he failed to record a hit to lose his 15-game hitting streak. |
Our View: It's tough to dog a guy who is hitting .337 from the catchers position, but he has fewer home runs than D'backs pitcher Micah Owings this season (zero). That can't be good can it?
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| Ben Francisco continued his solid start to the season with two more hits giving him a .357 average in 14 AB. |
Our View: If Francisco keeps hitting like this he will certainly find himself in the lineup on a daily basis. His value would also receive a huge boost if he were to remain in the number two spot in the Indians order.
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| Hideki Matsui went 1-for-4 top extend his hitting streak to 16-games on Wednesday night. |
Our View: Matsui is now hitting .339 which has helped to offset a bit of a slow start with the power stroke (one home run in 18 games). Matsui will end up with his .300-25-100 season just like always, so just be patient.
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| Chien-Ming Wang lost his first game of the season as he allowed three runs in seven innings against the Indians. |
Our View: After a bit of a rough start, Wang found his groove and ended up with solid numbers on the night. He will continue to win games, but you have to be a little concerned that his ERA will stay in the low 3's.
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| Cliff Lee continued his amazing start on Wednesday as he hurled seven shutout innings against the Yankees to improve to 6-0 on the season. |
Our View: Through six starts, Lee owns a 0.81 ERA with two BB in 47.2 IP. Lee isn't Sandy Koufax, but no one is pitching better right now. Obviously this cannot continue, and it might be a great idea to try and move Lee for a struggling stud to a team that is willing to buy high.
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| Evan Longoria had another 0-for outing on Wednesday as he went 0-for-3 to drop his average to .220. |
Our View: With the two K today, Longoria now has as many K (23) as games played, and he has just one RBI in his last eight games. He hasn't looked completely overmatched at the plate, but he looks a lot like Alex Gordon in his first year compared to Albert Pujols in his first season. Keep your expectations within the realm of reason with Longoria.
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| In our nightly Carlos Pena update, it's more of the same as Pena went 0-for-4 with another three K for the Rays. |
Our View: Pena now has four RBI over the last 21 games, and he has 42 K in just 115 AB, meaning that he is striking out more than a third of the time that he picks up an AB. At this point, you need to give series consideration to benching him and just leaving him there until he shows something, anything, as he is simply killing his teams.
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| In what is becoming a bit of a trend, Pittsburgh OF Xavier Nady once again produced in support of a Pirates win, taking the San Francisco Giants to task 3-1. Nady went just 1-for-4 at the plate with two strike outs, but that one hit was his fifth home run of the year, good for two RBIs. |
Our View: He would probably reflect on the four runners left on base, but Nady now stands at 9-for-22 with six runs scored and eight RBIs on the month of May.
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| B.J. Upton broke up a shutout in the ninth inning with a two run double for the Rays. |
Our View: Upton is batting .295 on the year, but he has only one long ball in his last 18 games, and only two more SB (6) than CS (4). It's too early to tell if the shoulder is bothering him, but he has looked pretty good moving around since the injury.
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| Marco Scutaro, starting at shortstop with David Eckstein and John McDonald injured, went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Jays. |
Our View: Scutaro is still best left as a AL Only player, but these extra few AB he is in line to pick up will certainly give his owners the warm and fuzzies.
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| Scott Rolen hit his second home run of the season on Wednesday night as he went 2-for-4 with one run scored and two RBI for the Jays. |
Our View: This was the second time in 11 games that Rolen had multiple hits in a game, and it helped to break up a 1-for-9 spell. Rolen still has a lot to prove, but it seems like he finally might be rounding back into shape.
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| Matt Garza pitched extremely well on Wednesday night though he still picked up his first loss of the season. In 6.2 IP, Garza allowed one run on three walks and six hits. |
Our View: Garza has now allowed just three runs over his last two starts and is starting to round into form for the Rays. This may be your last chance to get him on the cheap before he takes off, so keep that in mind if you need some help in the starting rotation.
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| Shaun Marcum improved to 4-2 as he allowed just two runs in 8.2 innings against the Rays. On the night, Marcum walked one and struck out nine. |
Our View: Marcum was one out from a complete game shutout, but had to settle for the numbers above. Marcum now has an 8.14 K/9 mark, one of the main reasons he has enjoyed so much success in the early going. He is looking a potential breakout season square in the face and he isn't blinking.
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| Florida 1B Mike Jacobs has left tonight's game against the Brewers with what the team reports is a tight left quad, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Jacobs was removed in the 3rd inning after he pulled up on a two-run double. He began limping as he approached first base and slowly jogged to second. First base coach Andy Fox, manager Fredi Gonzalez, and assistant trainer Mike Kozak came to his assistance and helped him off the field. He was replaced by Wes Helms as a pinch runner. Jacobs leads the Marlins with nine home runs and 24 RBIs.
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| Dontrelle Willis is slowly working back from the most recent setback with his injured knee, according to MLB.com. "I think Dontrelle's doing [his rehab] the right way," manager Jim Leyland said. |
Our View: Willis hopes to throw off the mound this weekend and to make a minor league start next week. Form there, it really depends on what shape he is physically in as to when he we be called back up to Detroit.
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| Nick Markakis had three hits and a run scored for the Orioles on Wednesday and is now hitting .270 on the season. |
Our View: Markakis has been in a slump that has dropped his average from .324 to .270 over his last 13 games during which time he has only four RBI. He is too good not to rebound, so ride out the rough play and wait for better days.
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| Kurt Suzuki had two hits, including his first home run of the season on Wednesday for the A's. Suzuki ended the day with two hits, two runs and two RBI. |
Our View: Suzuki has been on a hot streak of late that has vaulted his average with hits in nine of his last 10 games. Look for him to continue to provide value as a depth catcher.
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| Jeremy Guthrie picked up the no-decision on Wednesday as he allowed four runs over 5.2 innings to the A's. Guthrie struck out six while allowing eight base runners. |
Our View: Guthrie had gone six straight starts allowing three or less runs, and this was the fourth straight time he has put up at least five K. Look for him to continue to post solid but unremarkable numbers.
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| Andy Marte made his second straight start at third base on Wednesday as the team might be giving him one last chance to make his mark, according to MLB.com. "We want to give him a chance to play two days in a row," manager Eric Wedge said. "I felt he had some decent swings [on Tuesday] night." |
Our View: Casey Blake shifted to first base on this night to allow Marte to be in the lineup. Marte is running out of chances to prove he is the Indians third baseman of the future, and with no minor league options left, the team could end up placing him on waivers if he doesn't start to show something.
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| Howie Kendrick suffered yet another setback in his recovery from an injured hamstring and he will likely not be back with the Angels until sometime next week, according to MLB.com. "Hamstrings are a life of their own," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Sometimes the last 10 percent can take some time. We want to make sure this thing is 100 percent. The fact he still feels it is indicative that he needs more time. |
Our View: Kendrick has felt fine hitting, but when running or trying to field his position he just doesn't feel right. With Chone Figgins and Macier Izturis dealing with their own injuries, Sean Rodriguez should continue to play second for the Angels.
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| Jed Lowrie not only started on Wednesday for the Red Sox to give Dustin Pedroia a day off, he has endeared himself to manager Terry Francona who said that even when Alex Cora is activated from the DL Lowrie will stay with the team, according to MLB.com. "He's done a great job of playing a couple times a week, and not letting his swing get long, making the plays, trying to listen," Francona said. |
Our View: Lowrie was the Sox Minor League Player of the Year last season as he hit .297, and though he likely should be playing everyday at this point of his career, he will stick around as a utility player for the time being. Feel free to pick him up in deep AL Only leagues.
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| Dodgers RHP Esteban Loaiza will be place on the 15-day disabled list on Friday, according to LA Daily News. |
Our View: The team reports Loaiza is experiencing tightness and spasms in his throwing shoulder, problems believed to be a primary cause for Loaiza's inability to maintain and hold a six-run lead in Colorado on Saturday. The move to the DL will be retroactive to Sunday and is believed to all but guarantee a spot in the starting rotation for Chan Ho Park, coming off three perfect innings of work today.
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| Jason Botts, who was designated for assignment last week, passed through waivers and well be outrighted to Triple-A, according to the Star Telegram. |
Our View: Botts wanted to move on as he has grown tired of the Rangers yo-yo action with him. He will look to make a statement at Triple-A in the hopes of making it back to the show quickly.
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| The Giants have optioned RHP Brad Hennessey to Triple-A Fresno, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The team will recall RHP Billy Sadler, touting a record of 0-0 with an ERA of 1.13 in 16 innings of work for Fresno, to fill the spot left vacant by Hennessey's demotion. Hennessey was 4-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 69 games with the Giants last season and had struggled to perform this season, allowing 23 earned runs and 38 hits in 16 innings.
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| Mark Ellis broke an 0-for-17 spell with a hit in the sixth inning, and he went on to make it a joyous afternoon in Oakland as he also hit a game-winning home run in the 10th inning. |
Our View: Ellis had a career best season last year with 19 HR and 76 RBI, and while it might be stretching it to expect him to repeat those numbers, it is clear that he isn't a .223 hitter. Perhaps this will spark him on a nice little hot streak.
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| In case you haven't noticed, David Ortiz is once again, well David Ortiz, according to MLB.com. "He's getting it back," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "I think he's taking more aggressive swings..." |
Our View: After a 3-for-43 start to the year, Ortiz is hitting .309 though his average still sits at .226 overall. Ortiz has 27 RBI though 31 games, so his struggles at the plate haven't stopped him from knocking in runs.
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| Mariano Rivera was awarded the DHL Major League Delivery Man of the Month of April, according to MLB.com. Rivera went 8-for-8 on the month with a perfect 0.00 ERA. |
Our View: Rivera continues to be one of the best reliever in the game and reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Consider yourself lucky if you grabbed him in the middle of the closer run on draft day.
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| Dustin Pedroia wil be given the night off on Wednesday with rookie Jed Lowrie getting the spot start, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: Pedroia was the only member of the team to have played in all 35 games, and after an 0-for-5 night the team decided to get him some time off. Look for Pedroia to return next time out and try to get that .299 average back over .300.
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| Bartolo Colon threw a side session on Wednesday for the Red Sox and is scheduled to throw three innings for the Pawtucket Sox on Saturday, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: Colon has reportedly hit about 93 mph on the gun, which should be enough to allow him to have some success once he returns to the big leagues if he can locate his pitches. Still, he is a big-time risk to be anything more than a spot starter in AL Only leagues at the moment.
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| Joe Mauer will sit out the Twins game on Wednesday night simply as a break to rest his body, according to the Star Tribune. |
Our View: Mauer is hitting a scalding .407 over his past 16 games to bump his average all the way up to .337. Mike Redmond will make just his fifth start of the season in Mauer's absence.
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| Adam Jones was given the day off on Wednesday simply to receive a day off, according to MLB.com. Brian Roberts was also given the day off. "It didn't matter if they were 3-for-3 or 4-for-4 [Tuesday] night," said manager Dave Trembley. "They were not going to start today." |
Our View: Jones has satisfied the Orioles with his work so far, but his fantasy owners were hoping for more from Jones than a .233-2-10-11-3 line through 116 AB. Jones posses 20/20 potential, but until he learns to control the strike zone a bit better, his average will likely lag behind his other numbers.
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| Victor Martinez appears to be slated to start at DH tonight after sitting out two games with a sore neck, according to the AP. |
Our View: V-Mart has been a hitting machine all season with a .347 average, and we are just glad he is in the lineup, though this most recent injury likely won't help him to start hitting the longball (he has six doubles and no home runs).
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| John McDonald's injured ankle isn't as badly hurt as originally thought and he even took part in batting practice on Wednesday, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: Though the injury appears to be mild, McDonald still may miss a couple of days. With David Eckstein also sidelined, the team called up Jorge Velendia to backup Mark Scutaro.
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| Adam Lind was demoted so that the Jays could call up Jorge Velandia to help give the team some depth at shortstop after injuries to David Eckstein and John McDonald, according to the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: Lind is one heck of a hitter, but he has yet to find his legs at the major league level. Look for him to be recalled at some point in the near future as he has little to prove in the minors. Shannon Stewart will be the benefactor of this move in the Jays outfield.
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| Victor Martinez tried to beg his way into the lineup tonight when the Indians play the Yankees in New York, but the coaching staff felt inclined to give their catcher another day to get his neck straight. Martinez will miss his second straight game to a crick in his neck. |
Our View: Yes a "crick." Kelly Shoppach receives his second straight start in place of the All Star and the American League's leading hitter.
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| Frank Thomas is not in the starting lineup for the A's today. He is being replaced by Mike Sweeney who is hitting third in the batting order. |
Our View: Thomas is still sgruggling at the plate, despite his change of scenery. Sweeney is hitting a puny .212 with 16 RBI and three home runs.
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| Brian Roberts will get the day off as the Orioles wrap up a three-game set against the Athletics in Oakland on Wednesday. |
Our View: Eider Torres is starting at second base and leading off for the Birds.
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| Rafael Betancourt (5.93 ERA) got three quick outs in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees for his third save of the season. |
Our View: Betancourt has had his issues when trying to secure the ball in the ninth inning, this year and last. Once Joe Borowski returns from the disabled list Betancourt is expected to return to his setup role.
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| The Orioles' fourth loss in a row -- the longest streak of the season, came after left-hander Brian Burres allowed eight hits and lasted just 5.1 innings, this according to the Washington Post. What he lacked in style, Burres made up for with grit, allowing four runs (three unearned) though it was clear early on that he lacked his sharpest stuff. Still, he left the game with his team trailing by two. Unsightly as his outing was, Burres gave his team a chance to win. |
Our View: Surprisingly, the O's refuse to go away, and with timely hitting and young arms that don't seem to know they are supposed to be losing. Baltimore is 16-17, four games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.
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| Jim Johnson understood the simple formula he needed to follow to earn opportunities to pitch, notes the Washington Post. So, as the long reliever, Johnson has excelled. He did not allow an earned run until Monday night's 3-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics. He surrendered the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th, ending his 17-inning scoreless streak. |
Our View: Baltimore skipper Dave Trembley said he would have no problem putting Johnson in tight late-game situations. The pitcher already has shown his versatility. A starter in the minor leagues, Johnson has been used both in long relief and late in close games. Johnson is a candidate to replace Matt Chico if he fails in his Friday start against Florida.
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| The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that closer Joe Borowski (right triceps) is scheduled to throw a bullpen Thursday at Yankee Stadium. |
Our View: When Borowski is ready to go on a rehab assignment, Wedge doesn't think it will take too long for the right-hander to get his arm strength back, and then return as the team's ninth inning option.
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| The offensively-challenged Indians suffered a setback before Andy Pettitte threw his first pitch on Tuesday night. Indians catcher Victor Martinez was scratched from the lineup during batting practice with a stiff neck, notes the Cleveland Plain Dealer. |
Our View: Martinez is leading the American League with a .347 batting average. His 15-game hitting streak is the longest active streak in the big leagues. Kelly Shoppach replaced Martinez in the lineup. Martinez missed five games in April with a strained left hamstring, but the neck injury isn't considered serious and the team is calling their backstop day-to-day. RotoTimes sources reported early Tuesday morning they believe the All Star will be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
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| Billy Butler admitted before Tuesday’s game that he’s not locked in like he was earlier in the season, notes the Kansas City Star. His average has dipped below .300, and he only had one extra-base hit since he hit a home run on April 14. Butler, though, is taking a reasoned approach. |
Our View: Butler is still a young hitter and experienced pitchers have figured him out. Opposing arms are pitching Butler up-and-in, the most successful way to approach his style. Butler wants the ball over the plate and likes to drive balls to the opposite field. The onus is on Butler to start making adjustments to what pitchers are offering.
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| Zack Greinke hasn’t picked up a victory in his last three starts, but that will not be his focus when he takes the mound tonight against the Angels, notes the KC Star. Greinke understands that his main focus is to come up with a “quality start” whether he gets the victory or not. What matters is the Royals win when he pitches. And Greinke has given the Royals a real chance to win in all six of his starts. His ERA is 1.47. |
Our View: The Royals face the Angels and Jared Weaver tonight at the "K", and the right-hander has struggled against most of the young Royal bats. Greinke has a good chance to break his winless streak tonight.
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| The Royals goosed their run-starved attack for an early lead Tuesday night before Brian Bannister gave it all back and more in a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium, according to the KC Star. It came down to this: Bannister couldn’t retire Garret Anderson in RBI situations. Anderson hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning and delivered two-out RBI singles in the fifth and seventh. |
Our View: Bannister is never going to be an ace of a staff, but he is a smart pitcher and will make the necessary adjustments to be a quality arm in most situations. The problem is he will bomb occasionally, and when he doesn't -- there is no guarantee he will get any run support.
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| Vladimir Guerrero showed signs of breaking out of a 10-day slump in which his average fell 39 points, notes the LA Times. In Tuesday's win over the Royals, the right-handed hitter doubled and tripled. "I think No. 27 might be finding his way back," reliever Scot Shields said. |
Our View: Since collecting his 2,000th hit in Detroit on April 26, Guerrero had managed just four singles in 26 at-bats -- a .154 average -- before he tripled off the center-field wall in the first inning Tuesday.
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| The Star Tribune reports that Saturday actually is Francisco Liriano's next day to pitch. The Twins won't be recalling him this time, but Triple-A Rochester manager Stan Cliburn said the left-hander took a nice step forward Monday. Liriano held Columbus to one run on two hits over five innings, striking out four. |
Our View: This is better. Liriano was 0-2 with a 7.24 ERA in his four previous minor league starts. Cliburn said Liriano continued to struggle commanding his fastball, leading to four walks. There is no definitive timetable for the left-hander to return to the Twins starting rotation.
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