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| Richie Sexson, who sat out last night due to personal reasons, was ejected on Thursday after charging the mound because of an up and in fastball, according to the Miami Herald. Felix Hernandez hit Ian Kinlser after he hit an earlier home run, and in the bottom of the inning when Keith Gabbard game up and in, Sexson charged the mound, threw his helmet and was the only player ejected. |
Our View: Sexson has had a rough couple of days. Maybe he can channel the turmoil into some production on the ball field cause we all know he could certainly use it.
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| Nick Markakis produced all the offense the Orioles needed on Thursday night as he hit a 3-run home run in a 4-1 victory over the Royals. |
Our View: Since Markakis also scored twice, he was involved in all the scoring on the night. He has struggled with consistency early on, but there is little reason to think that he won't finish as a top-15 outfielder when all is said and done.
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| Tony Pena Jr. continues to struggle at the plate, though on Thursday night he went 1-for-3 with the Royals lone RBI off of Daniel Cabrera. |
Our View: Pena is approaching 100 AB on the year, so it's not like the team hasn't given him time to work out of his season long slump (.167). Pena's defense remains gold glove caliber, but he simply must hit better to maintain a spot in the lineup.
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| Luke Hochevar made his fourth start of the season on Thursday night and the result was seven innings of five hit ball, though he allowed four runs on the night to fall to 2-2 on the year. |
Our View: Hochevar may or may not stick with the big league club all year, but he has a tremendous amount of potential in the long run as one of the most exciting young arms in the American League.
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| Daniel Cabrera threw a complete game three hitter to improve to 4-0 in his career against the Orioles. Cabrera struck out seven and walked one in his fifth career complete game. |
Our View: Is this the start of the long awaited breakout for one of the most talented arms in the game? This marks six straight quality starts for Cabrera who has allowed two or fewer runs in five of those outings. If he is somehow still on waivers pick him up and take a shot.
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| Troy Percival suffered his first blown save of the season as he blew an eight inning shutout of starter Edwin Jackson on Thursday night as he allowed four hits and three runs in one inning. |
Our View: Percival had been perfect on seven save chances and hadn't allowed a run in his first 11 innings on the year. We are still rooting for Percival, and this is only one game, but keep an eye on things as we have the feeling they could go south rather quickly with Percival.
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| Jesse Litsch had another solid outing on Thursday night as he held the Jays to three runs in seven innings as he allowed zero walks on the night. |
Our View: Litsch continues to give the Jays a chance to win most night he is on the hill, but unfortunately he really isn't of much use in mixed leagues where his lack of strikeouts hampers his value.
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| Edwin Jackson shut out the Blue Jays for eight innings before he was pulled after throwing 112 pitches. Jackson allowed one walk and six hits while picking up three K on the night. He picked up a no-decision thanks to a blown save by Troy Percival. |
Our View: Jackson continues to tempt with his talent, but in his last five starts he has allowed five, six, one, six and zero earned runs making him the standard boom or bust play.
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| Vernon Wells hit his fifth home run of the season in the ninth inning to help force extra innings in a game the Jays ultimately lost to the Rays. |
Our View: Wells is hitting .279 with 24 RBI on the year, but after a quick start he hasn't really been much of a factor. His shoulder appears sound, and given that fact we would think that his production should be on the upswing soon.
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| Dioner Navarro hit a grand slam in the 13th inning to help the Rays to an 8-3 victory over the Jays. Navarro had three hits and two runs on the night. |
Our View: Navarro has been sharing time with Shawn Riggans in the early going but he has now boosted his average to .368 which calls for some more AB don't you think?
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| Kason Gabbard (back) was activated from the the DL on Thursday as the team optioned A.J. Murray to Triple-A, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Gabbard was thrown right into the fire as he started tonight against the Mariners. Gabbard is 1-0 with a 2.18 ERA in four previous starts this season.
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| David Ortiz had two more hits on Thursday night and now has multiple hits in six of his last eight starts to raise his average to .239. |
Our View: That window to acquire Ortiz for below value is about closed, so make one last pitch if you want to add him to your squad before it's too late.
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| Ben Broussard was designated for assignment on Thursday and the team will go with a platoon of Frank Catalanotto and Chris Shelton at first base, according to MLB.com. The Rangers called up Travis Metcalf to take the open roster spot. |
Our View: A fairly shocking move considering the team is on the hook for almost $4 million in salary for Broussard the this season. Catalanotto will see the majority of work in the new split against righties, with Shelton looking to do some damage against left-handers.
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| Curtis Granderson went 0-for-4 on Thursday night and is now 0-for-10 in his last two games. |
Our View: Don't be too alarmed as all hitters struggle from time to time. Granderson already has five home runs, three doubles and a triple on the year, so about the only thing he hasn't done yet is run (he is one for two on steal attempts).
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| Justin Verlander was hit hard yet again on Thursday as he allowed nine hits and five runs over six innings to fall to 1-6 on the year. |
Our View: This is downright disturbing. Everyone keeps saying that Verlander is healthy, but the results say otherwise as he has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his eight starts. Hopefully you have him reserved until the issues are resolved.
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| Josh Beckett dominated the vaunted Tigers lineup on Thursday night for seven innings as he held them to one run on six hits and no walks. He also punched out eight batters to improve to 4-2. |
Our View: Beckett has allowed more than three earned runs in just one of his last five starts and appears to be in total control of his arsenal once again after battling injury early on.
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| Kevin Youkilis only went 1-for-5 on Thursday but the one hit was a home run, his fifth in the last five games. |
Our View: While others were chasing the big names on draft day, those who were patient and selected Youkilis in the middle rounds are reaping the benefits of his hot start to the season.
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| Mike Jacobs was out of the starting lineup on Thursday night for the Marlins due to a tight left quadriceps, according to MLB.com. "I should be able to pinch-hit, no problem," he said. "If I had to, I could go in. I definitely want to play today, but I think it's better that I don't, just to give it another day. I should be able to play tomorrow, no problem. It should be a lot better tomorrow." |
Our View: Jacobs may be held out through the weekend despite his pronouncement of improvement, so keep an eye on the reports before deciding whether or not to have him active next week.
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| Michael Young was out of the starting lineup on Thursday because of his injured hip flexor, but he hopes to be back in the lineup on Friday, according to the Star Telegram. |
Our View: Ramon Vazquez will fill in tonight, and the good news is that the injury to Young appears to be relatively minor.
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| Scott Kazmir hopes he was able to fix the mechanical issues that have crept into his motion with a recent bullpen session on Wednesday, according to MLB.com. "Everything I was throwing [in the session] was right on point," said Kazmir on Thursday. "I was hitting every one of my spots. The slider was working good, the changeup was working good. More importantly everything was sound. Everything just felt like it was perfect mechanics." |
Our View: At this point the fact that he is healthy is the best sign. Don't look for Kazmir to dominate hitters right away, but also don't be shocked if he does since he possesses some of the filthiest stuff in the game.
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| Freddie Bynum was recalled by the Orioles and he will start at shortstop for the foreseeable future over Luis Hernandez, according to MLB.com. "To be honest with you," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said, "there have been a lot of plays that could've been made and should've been made that weren't made. So we gotta try something different. That's it." |
Our View: The Orioles have gotten abysmal offense from Hernandez and Brian Fahey at shortstop, so the hope is that Bynum can bring a spark with his speed. Jump all over him if he is on waivers in your AL Only league.
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| Dallas Braden was sent to the minors on Thursday in part to clear roster space for the expected return of Keith Foulke and Rich Harden, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Braden posted a 3.86 ERA over 9.1 innings with the A's out of the bullpen, but he will be sent back down to the River Cats until another injury, or trade, strikes with the big league club.
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| Jose Guillen injured his arm on Wednesday night and as a result he was not in the starting lineup on Thursday night, according to MLB.com. "It was real bad," Guillen said. "It went from my shoulder straight down my arm, and started tingling in my hand." |
Our View: The injury is commonly referred to as a "stinger." The team hopes to have Guillen back over the weekend, and until he returns to the lineup look for the team to possibly use utility man Alberto Callaspo who stepped in for Guillen on Wednesday night.
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| Curt Schilling had another successful throwing session on Thursday as he threw 25 pitches from 60 feet with no pain, according to MLB.com. "Another good step," Schilling said. |
Our View: Schilling will throw again on Saturday, and if he suffers no setbacks he will move back and throw from 75 and then 90 feet the next time out. Schilling is still a long way from returning to the Sox rotation, but the news is very positive so far.
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| Matt Holliday had four hits that led to three runs scored on Thursday for the Rockies star. |
Our View: Holliday is now working on a 6-game hitting streak which has boosted his average to .324 from .292. He's gonna hit, and put up some huge numbers, so just leave him in your lineup every day and don't give it a second thought.
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| Jeff Mathis has a growing reputation as a great receiver, thrower and teammate, according MLB.com. The team is 13-5 with Mathis behind the plate. |
Our View: No matter how good the defense is, he will continue to lose playing time to Mike Napoli given the fact that he is batting .246 with a .266 OBP.
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| Just a day after saying that he wouldn't be placed on the DL, John McDonald was placed on the DL on Thursday with a sprained right ankle, according to the Associated Press. “I’m walking on it but I can’t run on it,” he said. “I wrenched it pretty good. The ligaments have got to heal up.” |
Our View: McDonald will be replaced on the roster by Joe Inglett who was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse.
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| Joe Borowski reported that his his arm felt great after his first bullpen session on Thursday, according to MLB.com. "A huge difference," he said. "I could see my arm speed, compared with the way it was before, was decidedly better." |
Our View: Borowksi is scheduled to throw four bullpen sessions every other day, then a simulated game, then go out on a short rehab assignment. When healthy, it appears that Borowski will slide back into the closers role with Rafael Bentancourt moving back into his customary setup role.
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| Pat Neshek felt a pop in his elbow on Thursday and had to be removed from the game with a right elbow strain, according to the Associated Press. "I felt something tweak," Neshek said. "It kind of rolled over real quick like a snap. I'll get it checked out [Friday] morning and make sure nothing happened." |
Our View: Uh oh. No further details are yet known, but after dealing with some arm issues toward the end of last season, this certainly could be bad news.
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| Nick Swisher went 0-for-4 on Thursday to drop his average to .200 on the season thanks to a 10-for-70 stretch. |
Our View: One word for you - ugly. Swisher has never been a big average hitter, his career mark is .248, but the depths we are seeing here are shocking. However, he is getting on base at almost a .350 clip, so he has still been able to produce in the runs scored category (23).
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| Joe Mauer returned to the lineup after a day off to go 2-for-3 to raise his average up to .346. |
Our View: Mauer hit .347 in 2006 before slumping to .293 last year, so there is certainly a possibility that Mauer will continue to push for the AL batting lead. However, injuries often up to catchers, so it's a bit of a stretch to expect Mauer to maintain his current pace.
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| Michael Cuddyer went 1-for-3 on the day but the big news was that he stole two bases. |
Our View: Cuddyer now has 26 SB in... 635 career games. Today's effort was a total fluke, he has only stolen 11 bases the past two seasons, but it certainly was a nice bonus.
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| Juan Uribe hit s home run, his third of the season, though he is still hitting under his weight at .191. |
Our View: There still hasn't been a decision on what will happen with Uribe but perhaps today's home run will buy him a few more at-bats.
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| Carlos Quentin had two hits, and RBI and stole his third base of the season for the Sox on Thursday. |
Our View: The team announced that Jerry Owens is fully healthy but that they will leave him in the minors with Quentin playing so well, so breathe easy if you had been worrying about it.
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| Jermaine Dye went 2-for-3 on Thursday with a home run, the third straight game he has gone yard. |
Our View: Dye has pushed his average to .275 and he now has six home runs, though he only has knocked in 14 runs. Dye should finish between the two extremes he posted the past two years, making him a solid third outfielder in most leagues.
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| Free agent to be Mark Teixeira went 1-for-4 on Thursday with an RBI and a walk, but he is still batting just .254 on the year. |
Our View: Tex may want a $200 million contract this off-season, but unless he starts hitting more like Albert Pujols and less like Lyle Overbay, that contract could remain a pipe dream.
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| Jason Bay went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Giants. |
Our View: Bay has now generated five hits over his last two games, and 10 over 24 at-bats in May so far, for a .416 average. He is yet to hit a homer this month though, and only has two RBI.
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| Manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the bottom of the sixth inning in today's game against the division rival White Sox, according to the AP. Gardenhire was tossed by plate umpire Doug Eddings for arguing a pitch that was called a ball to Paul Konerko. |
Our View: Chicago currently leads the game 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
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| Robinson Cano went 2-for-3 with one RBI, and recorded his fourth home run of the season in Thursday's 6-3 win over Cleveland. |
Our View: Cano needed a solid outing as he was only hitting .148 over 39 games, with a mere 10 RBI. He has now registered a hit in four straight games, and that was his second homer over seven games in May. Perhaps he is now starting to get on track.
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| Mike Mussina notched his fifth win of the season on Thursday, as the Yankees topped the Indians 6-3. Mussina allowed three runs on four hits over five innings, with no walks and three strikeouts. |
Our View: Mussina is displaying strong control this season, as he has only issued five walks over 52 innings. Two of those walks came in his first start of the season.
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| Paul Byrd was dealt his third loss of the season against the Yankees on Thursday. Byrd was rocked for five runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings, with no walks or no strikeouts. He surrendered three home runs. Byrd is now 1-3 with a 4.28 ERA. |
Our View: Byrd carried a solid 1.17 WHIP into this game, but has now given up 13 home runs over 45.2 innings. He only has 15 strikeouts as well.
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| Nick Swisher is hitting sixth in the White Sox order today, according to the Star Tribune. He dropped down in the order, and Alexei Ramirez is batting leadoff. |
Our View: While Swisher was solid as a leadoff man, but the team slipped to 15-17 and could use more firepower in the middle of their order. He may not score as many runs from the sixth spot, but he could swing for the fences more often, meaning his home run totals could improve. He only has three homers over 128 at-bats so far.
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| A.J. Pierzynski is sitting out today, according to the Star Tribune. Toby Hall got the call at catcher, and is batting ninth in the order. |
Our View: Pierzynski is enjoying a productive season as he is hitting .297 with three homers, 16 RBI, and 17 runs scored over 31 games. The 31-year old should continue to provide great value as a late-round fantasy catcher.
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| Carlos Quentin is batting second in the White Sox order today, according to the Star Tribune. Alexei Ramirez is leading off as well, while Nick Swisher moved down to sixth in the order. |
Our View: The White Sox are 15-17 following a solid start, and Manager Ozzie Guillen wanted to change the lineup around for today. Quentin's RBI potential will be compromised from the two spot, but he has good potential to add to his eight season homers, while being protected in the order ahead of Jim Thome and Paul Konerko. His chances to score runs will increase from the second spot as well.
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| Nick Punto was scratched for Thursday action due to cramps in his left hamstring, according to the Star Tribune. Cold weather was expected in Chicago today (it is currently 51 degrees) and Punto was benched as a precaution. |
Our View: Brendan Harris covered his spot at second base. Punto is only hitting .250 with no homers and seven RBI over 21 games (with only four runs scored), and shouldn't be in your lineups today anyway.
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| Victor Martinez is sitting out today's game due to neck stiffness, according to MLB.com. The ailment forced him to miss Tuesday as well, and relegated him to the DH role on Wednesday. Manager Eric Wedge said, "He sucked it up to play Wednesday. He doesn't have great numbers against Yankees starter Mike Mussina, and it's a day game after a night game, so we're going to give him a day."
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Our View: Martinez had treatment on his neck Thursday morning, but commented that is wasn't progressing. Martinez leads the team with a .321 average, but is yet to hit his first homer of the season over 109 at-bats. We will keep you posted on his status. Kelly Shoppach will cover his post at catcher.
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| Travis Hafner is struggling and is sitting out today's game for "mental rest", according to MLB.com. He has also been out of the lineup for three of the last seven games. |
Our View: Hafner is only hitting .220 over 127 at-bats, with 34 strikeouts. He only has three homers as well. He wasn't doing much when in the lineup, so fantasy owners should not be too disappointed by him riding the pine over the last few games. Hopefully he can benefit from the time off, and find his swing, namely in the power department.
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| Brayan Pena has been placed on the 15-day DL due to a mid-back strain, according to the Miami Herald. The team also activated infielder Omar Infante. |
Our View: Pena was 5-for-16 (.313) over 15 games this season, with no homers or RBI. He held no fantasy value prior to landing on the DL.
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| Anthony Reyes has been on the Rockies' radar as a possible trade option for their struggling rotation, according to Rocky Mountain News. The Rockies are also interested in Josh Fogg of Cincinnati and Julian Tavarez of Boston. They need a starter for Sunday, as Mark Redman has been demoted to the pen due to disappointing play. |
Our View: Reyes is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 14.2 innings. He would benefit from a change of scenery in Colorado, but wouldn't likely serve as the stable starter the team is looking for.
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| A handful of teams have contacted the Pirates to inquire about Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, but the team is not prepared to make a deal until it is ruled out as a contender this season, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The team is said to be looking at acquisitions through lower-profile trades or waiver claims, with three openings on the 40-man roster, though. |
Our View: Bay is hitting .266 and struck out 28 times over 124 at-bats. He has eight homers with 13 RBI, and scored 26 runs over 35 games. Bay has battled injuries, namely with his knee, but he would top 30 homers and 100 RBI if he is able to play a full slate healthy. His trade stock for the Pirates would be high.
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| The White Sox are not ready to call up speedy Jerry Owens from Triple-A, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Owens was projected to be Chicago's leadoff hitter heading into spring training, but Manager Ozzie Guillen said, "We talked about him, but we left the conversation right there. We talked about don't panic yet. I explained to him what's wrong with the hitting. The hitting is not the problem. Right now, we are OK. We have to wait for the right time to call him up." GM Kenny Williams added, "'The way we put the club together is one in which he can go with a smaller lineup or a big lineup. Now once Jerry Owens gets a few more at-bats underneath him, we can slide him into the mix in some way, shape or form, and then Ozzie has another weapon to use. But you've got to understand Jerry didn't have much of a spring training, so you don't want to bring someone up too soon, and then if he's not playing every day, he loses his stroke."
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Our View: Carlos Quentin is playing very well in left field (with eight homers and 26 RBI), and Nick Swisher and Jermaine Dye are both firmly planted in the other two spots in the outfield, so there really is no need for Owens right now. The team is also content with using Brian Anderson as a top reserve.
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| It appears to be unlikely that Alex Rodriguez will be able to return from the DL when he eligible next Thursday, according to the NY Daily News. Rodriguez said he felt no pain in his strained right quadriceps after a full pregame workout on Wednesday, and added that he couldn't wait to get back in the lineup. But it was determined that Rodriguez will need another MRI to be cleared to begin rehab games in Tampa. The team wants to see that the tearing in the muscle has healed enough for him to go all-out in a rehab assignment. He further injured it trying to come back too quickly last month. Manager Joe Girardi said, "It's less likely that he'd be back when he's eligible. There's nothing that's happened, but they want to make sure on the MRI that it's healed enough for him to take the next step. It's always a little bit different when the intensity has to be turned up, when you have to make the quick break and everything isn't calculated. But it is a good sign what he did today."
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Our View: Rodriguez's rehab assignment will be in extended spring training games on Tuesday at the earliest. The team did not insist that A-Rod do the rehab assignment, and he asked to do it. Morgan Ensberg and Wilson Betemit will platoon at third base until he returns.
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| Marlon Byrd is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday with Triple-A Oklahoma, according to the Dallas Morning News. He is recovering from knee inflammation. |
Our View: If that goes favorably, he could be activated on Tuesday. Byrd was only hitting .132 with one RBI over 15 games before getting hurt, and won't hold much fantasy value when he returns.
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| Josh Fields has been placed on the DL at Triple-A Charlotte, due to patella tendinitis, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Fields was batting .240 with four home runs and 14 RBI over 25 games for Charlotte. Joe Crede is healthy and playing well for the White Sox right now, and Fields wasn't going to be called up to push him for his spot at third base. Crede has registered eight homers and 28 RBI over 33 games.
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| Chone Figgins is healing slower than expected, according to the LA Times. He still hasn't been able to run since straining his right hamstring while sliding at the plate against Baltimore.
Figgins has resumed some baseball activities, but with the Angels off today, he won't run until Friday at the earliest. Manager Mike Sciosca said, "We'll get a little better idea after the off day where he is. He's got to get in some physical activity first before we can evaluate him. And he's not quite there yet."
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Our View: Figgins was off to a strong start as he registered eight RBI, 11 stolen bases, and 18 runs over 34 games before going down. He maintained a .302 average as well. While it is disappointing that he hasn't returned yet, he will be worth the wait when he does. We will keep you posted on his status.
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| Mike Jacobs was removed in the third inning on Wednesday after he experienced tightness in his left quad while getting out of the batter's box on a two-run double, according to FishStripes.com. Jacobs said, "I didn't think the ball I hit out Tuesday was going out, so I came out of the box pretty hard. It kind of tightened up on me a little bit. The same thing tonight. I came out hard, and running the bases, I just felt it a little bit." Manager Fredi Gonzalez added, "He felt a little tightness. We'll check him out tomorrow."
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Our View: Gonzalez may decide to use Wes Helms at first base, to give Jacobs time to recover. The ailment is not believed to be serious. Jacobs belted nine homer and 24 RBI over 29 games, and is took a quad injury to slow him down.
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| Milton Bradley had another solid night at the plate for the Rangers as he went 2-for-3 with his fourth home run of the season. |
Our View: Bradley has been relatively healthy, and hitting, with an average of .315 and an OBP of over .400. The question, as it always is with Bradley, is will he be able to stay healthy enough to accrue 500 AB, because if he does, he will end up being one hell of a productive hitter.
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| Jeff Clement went 0-for3 from the DH spot before being pinch hit for as his average has fallen to .130 over 23 AB with the Mariners. |
Our View: About the only thing keeping Clement in the big leagues right now might be the potential loss of Richie Sexson who is dealing with personal issues. Clement has 11 K in his 23 AB and clearly appears to be overmatched at this stage of his young career.
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| Vicente Padilla was masterful on Wednesday night as he held the Mariners to two hits, two walks and no runs over seven innings. He also picked up eight K on the night to improve his record to 5-2. |
Our View: Don't look now, but Padilla has allowed zero earned runs in two of his last three starts and has a 0.41 ERA over his last 21.2 IP. If he's on waivers you might as well grab him at the moment cause he certainly possesses the stuff to go on an extended run of success.
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| Erik Bedard had another strong start for the Mariners on Wednesday night as he limited the Rangers to two runs over seven innings. Bedard walked only one batter while striking out five as he allowed six hits on the night though he fell to 2-2 with the loss. |
Our View: After missing time with injury and struggling with his control, Bedard now owns a 1.99 ERA through five starts as he continues to push for the title of top left handed starter in the AL now that Johan Santana is in the NL with the Metropolitans.
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