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| It was, in a vast understatement, a pitcher's duel as the White Sox fell in disappointing fashion to the LA Angels, 2-0. Chicago LHP John Danks pitched 6 1/3 innings, failing to allow a single run on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts. |
Our View: Both runs in this game were surrendered by relief pitchers, thus Danks walks off the mound with no decision, his first since his first start of the season. With that said, Danks now carries 12 walks versus 35 strikeouts on the season. That's worthy of note to say the least.
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| The White Sox must have lost their sticks on the way to the park, for the box score reveals the team was held to no runs on just three hits in the 2-0 loss to the LA Angels. Of those three hits, only one was produced by a man that found himself on base twice. 3B Joe Crede went 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk, also adding one of nine strikeouts on the evening in a game that fails to match depiction. |
Our View: It was awful in every sense of the word, and now only catcher A.J. Pierzynski sits with an average of .300 in today's starting lineup.
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| Toronto closer B.J. Ryan picked up his fourth win of the month of May and his sixth save of the season, helping the Jays put Minnesota down for the count, 5-3. Ryan pitched one inning, allowing one hit and one strikeout. |
Our View: That's Ryan's fourth save this month, making six total appearances without surrendering a single run.
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| Toronto RHP Jesse Litsch didn't last too long into the game, but he earned the win and now stands at 5-1 on the season as the Blue Jays put the 5-3 win on the Minnesota Twins. Litsch pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts. |
Our View: Litsch now has three wins over his last four starts, though he's surrendered at least two runs in each.
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| The Twins struggled to get the offense going this evening, suffering the 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, but leadoff man CF Carlos Gomez tried his best to improve the results. Gomez went 2-for-4 with his third home run of the season, totaling one RBI on the night. |
Our View: Gomez has turned it on in May, going 12-for-40 with seven RBIs and two homers in 10 games.
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| The Twins suffered the 5-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays this evening, giving RHP Kevin Slowey his third loss of the season. Slowey pitched 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs (all earned) on five hits, walking two and striking out 5. |
Our View: Slowey put forth a respectable effort and went two more innings than he has in his two previous starts, but the end result was the same.
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| The Tigers' offense is struggling to find answers as they suffer the 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals this evening, but 1B Miguel Cabrera continues his efforts to show the way despite the struggles. Cabrera went 2-for-2 this evening with two walks. |
Our View: Cabrera left April with a desire to improve, a struggle that is proving difficult in May: 10-for-41, one HR, three RBIs through 11 games this month.
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| Tonight it was the Kansas City Royals emerging with the 3-2 win over Detroit, and it was DH Jose Guillen proving deadly with the bat to support the cause. Guillen is struggling with back spasms, yet he hit the batter's box and went 2-for-4 hitting two doubles to gather two RBIs. |
Our View: Guillen now touts 19 RBIs on the season and is really heating up at the plate, going 10-for-18 with five doubles over his last five games.
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| Kansas City RHP Zack Greinke left with no decision in the Royals' 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers this evening, but his efforts continue to indicate the hurler is finally coming into this own. Greinke pitched six innings, allowing two runs (both earned) on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts. |
Our View: Over his last five outings, Greinke has posted one win, one loss, and three no-decisions, yet he continues to work late into games and is giving his team a chance to compete.
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| The Texas Rangers pulled the 5-2 victory over Seattle this evening, using a strong outing from catcher Gerald Laird as the guiding light for victory. Laird went 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk, adding three runs scored and one RBI. |
Our View: Check out Laird's numbers from May and it's hard not to be impressed: 10-for-30, three doubles, raising his average from .278 to .296.
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| Seattle suffered the 5-2 loss to Texas this evening, but catcher Kenji Johjima continues to work towards better offerings. Today Johjima went 1-for-4 at the dish with his fifth double of the season, adding one RBI to an otherwise boring stat line. |
Our View: Over his past four games, the Seattle backstop has gone 8-for-16 with two doubles, three runs scored, and five RBIs.
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| The Texas Rangers picked up the 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners this evening, led by the effort of LHP Kason Gabbard . In his sixth start of the season, Gabbard pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (both earned) on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts. |
Our View: Gabbard is not eating too many innings, but he's keeping the scores low and that is bringing positive results. He now has four no-decisions in a row, but at least the effort towards success is there.
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| The kid is a supreme talent, but Seattle RHP Felix Hernandez is learning that talent does not always equal success in the majors. Hernandez suffered his fourth loss of the season this evening as the Mariners fell 5-2 to the Texas Rangers, pitching six innings to give up three runs (two earned) on six hits with five walks and three strikeouts. |
Our View: This bring Felix to four consecutive losses, giving up 16 combined earned runs over that span.
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| The Yanks suffered a troublesome 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays after 11 innings this evening, a night that saw continued struggles for the bulk of an offense that managed just six hits and seven strikeouts. The top offender on the evening was 2B Robinson Cano , going 0-for-4, and while he failed to earn a single strikeout, he stranded four men on-base. |
Our View: His batting average also drops to .183, though he has worked hard to get that number up from the .151 mark he carried leaving April.
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| Give full credit to Tampa Bay RHP Edwin Jackson, for he gave the Rays all he had and held them in a game that fell in their favor after 11 innings. Jackson pitched seven innings, failing to allow a single run on five hits, posting one walk and five strikeouts. |
Our View: Jackson's name consistent gets mentioned as the team is enjoying a plethora of worthy young arms that need to be balanced with talent on the rise, but tonight shows he may be ready to take a big step forward.
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| The Yankees suffered the heartbreaking 2-1 loss in 11 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays, but starter Chien-Ming Wang continues to prove his value. Tonight he left with no decision, pitching seven innings to allow one run on seven hits, walking three and striking out two. |
Our View: The struggles to balance strikeouts and walks continue, but Wang has been eating innings and keeping his team in the hunt.
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| It took 11 innings to get the job done, but the Tampa Bay Rays emerged victorious 2-1 over the New York Yankees. Few of the batters let their best effort loose at the plate, but catcher Dioner Navarro went 2-for-3 with a walk, and while none of those offerings led to a run scored, they set the tone for a hard-fought win. |
Our View: Navarro is on a bit of a role, suffering just one strikeout over his last nine games, going 11-for-28 during that same span.
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| The Orioles got nice pitching, but they needed the offense to hold off the Boston Red Sox tonight for a 5-4 win. DH Luke Scott led the way, going 3-for-4 at the plate with his second home run of the season, taking Josh Beckett deep in the 3rd inning with two runners on base and two outs on the board. Scott left with three RBIs and two runs scored. |
Our View: Times have been rough for Scott since entering May, going 4-for-22 with one walk and eight strikeouts coming into tonight. This may signal a brighter day or two ahead.
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| The Baltimore Orioles fought to a rewarding 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox this evening, giving RHP Jeremy Guthrie his second win of the season. Guthrie pitched six innings, surrendering three runs (two earned) on eight hits with just one walk and seven strikeouts. |
Our View: Guthrie closed the book on April with consecutive losses, but he now owns two wins in three starts in May with a no-decision (laced with three walks versus six strikeouts) in between.
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| The Red Sox got in hole early and were unable to bring it back, suffering the 5-4 loss to Baltimore. Ace Josh Beckett let the early innings get away, handed a 3-run lead in the first only to watch it fall as he surrendered five runs (all earned) on 11 hits over 5 2/3 innings of work. Beckett walked two, struck out five, but the end result was his third loss of the season. |
Our View: Beckett has been a puzzle during these early weeks but seems to have things back on track after consecutive wins to start the month of May, going deep in both with one walk and 13 strikeouts combined. Tonight shows he still has work to do.
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| The Indians pulled the 4-0 win over Oakland this evening and it was 1B Ryan Garko providing the comfort in that final score. Garko went 1-for-4 at the plate, the one hit coming in the form of a three-run homer in the 8th inning to secure the win. |
Our View: Garko hit the month of May hitting just .224, but he has surged since, going 8-for-32 to get his average to .250.
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| The Indians didn't shock the world with a offensive explosion, but the hits needed were there to secure the 4-0 shutout victory over Oakland. DH Travis Hafner seems to have responded to the slight move up in the order, going 2-for-4 at the dish with one RBI and one run scored. |
Our View: Hafner has slumped in recent weeks, but he was moved to the 5th spot in the order with hopes of lighting a fire to get him going. Thus far, the results are positive.
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| While the offense for Oakland failed to show, the right arm of starter Justin Duchscherer was working just fine. Duchscherer pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking two and striking out six. |
Our View: However, the talented hurler suffers his second loss of the year due to a horrific offensive effort from his teammates, and while his ERA drops to 2.20, this two-game win streak comes to an abrupt end.
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| The offense was unable to solve the arm of Cleveland starter Paul Byrd, leaving Oakland with a 4-0 loss and a lack of players to note. On the bright side, CF Ryan Sweeney went 2-for-2 at the plate, the only player to post multiple hits on a night when no player in green and gold managed to get past first base. |
Our View: Sweeney is slowly but surely getting the batting average up, starting at .268 entering May and now sitting at .279.
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| Mark Kotsay went 0-for-3 but he scored two runs for the Braves. |
Our View: Kotsay is hitting .342 with nine runs scored in 10 May games forcing himself back into all NL Only fantasy lineups.
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| Oakland and Cleveland locked horns this evening, and while the offense was more than enough for a 4-0 win for Cleveland, it was the work of RHP Paul Byrd that ruled the night. Byrd pitched 7 1/3 innings, shutting the A's out with no runs earned on just five hits. |
Our View: To add to the pleasure, Byrd failed to walk a single batter and struck out seven, good for his second win of the year.
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| Minnesota RHP Scott Baker was in the bullpen throwing a light "tennis shoe" session today in an effort to test his strained right groin muscle, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Baker reports there is still discomfort in the muscle, leading the Twins to delay any potential rehab assignments in the minors. Today was the first time Baker has thrown off a mound since May 3rd. "Groins are a funny thing when you are a pitcher," said manager Ron Gardenhire. "You just have to be really careful with these things. We saw that a few years ago with (Brad) Radke. He told us after two weeks he was fine and then went out and really blew it out. So you've got to be leery about that. We let (Baker) try to pitch once (with the injured groin) and we're not going to let him do it again until he's healthy." We will update as news comes forth.
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| Seattle DH Jose Vidro is out of tonight's game versus Texas, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Vidro has been missing prolonged time due to back spasms, but the Mariners were hopeful that time had passed. Vidro was in for the Mariners last evening as the team battled to a heartbreaking 13-12 loss in 10 innings to the Rangers, but today he is once again on the bench resting. "It (having Vidro in for extra innings) wasn't a good idea," said manager Jon McLaren. "He's sore today." McLaren reports the team will continue to evaluate Vidro on a daily basis, but they have intentions of resting him now until the team returns home on Friday for their first interleague battle with San Diego.
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| Lineup changes for the Cleveland Indians have hit the field this evening, according to MLB.com. Shorstop Jhonny Peralta has been moved into the 2nd spot in the batting order, a surprising move for a player in the midst of an 0-for-11 slump (sporting just five hits in his last 42 at-bats). |
Our View: Manager Eric Wedge has also moved DH Travis Hafner, normally hitting 6th, into the #5 spot in the order. Hafner has just seven hits in his last 39 at-bats with no RBIs over his last eight games. "We're trying to find a combination that works and we're comfortable with and makes sense," said Wedge. The Indians' team batting average, .237, ranks last in the AL. Something had to be done, so we'll see if this brings results.
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| Mike Jacobs, out since May 7th with an injured quadriceps, is edging closer to a return to the lineup, according to MLB.com. Jacobs is available to pinch hit, and he has been taking batting practice recently. |
Our View: Jacobs power hasn't been missed with the surge from Dan Uggla, but when he returns the team could suddenly have a solid middle of the order, especially with the addition of injured Josh Willingham who is currently out with a bad back.
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| Boston RF J.D. Drew has left tonight's game with Baltimore early following an apparent wrist injury, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Drew left the field in the third inning after a failed sliding catch on a looping fly ball off the bat of Freddie Bynum. The initial report from the team indicates Drew has suffered a sprained left wrist and that X-rays were negative. We will update as news becomes available.
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| Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced RHP John Lackey will be making his season debut on Wednesday as LA faces the Chicago White Sox, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. |
Our View: Lackey has been out since spring training with a strained right triceps. Scioscia reports, "He's gone 90 pitches, so he should have at least 90 in him, maybe more depending on how it goes. He went full gorilla and pitched well in his workout in Tempe (AZ), so he should be ok."
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| The Cleveland Indians report RHP Jake Westbrook , currently on the 15-day DL with a strained left intercostal muscle, is scheduled to make a rehab appearance with Class A Lake County on Saturday against Lexington, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Westbrook threw a four-inning simulated game today at Progressive Field and the team is going to monitor how he pitches on Saturday. If things go well, Westbrook could jump right back into the Indians' starting rotation after just the one rehab start.
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| The Tampa Bay Rays report LHP David Price is nearing return, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The young pitching prospect was expected to start the season in Class A Vero Beach but has been withheld from action due to soreness in his left elbow. The team sent him to St. Petersburg for rehab, and following a successful throwing session on Monday, Andrew Friedman, the Rays executive vice president of baseball operations, has announced Price will throw approximately five innings later this week in extended spring training. If that goes well, expect Price to begin that stint in Vero Beach. Price was the 1st-overall draft pick of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft and is expected to mature into a major league starter in short order.
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| The Kansas City Royals has moved OF Jose Guillen to the role of DH as they face the Detroit Tigers this evening, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Guillen has been battling a hip flexor that is slow to improve, and while he can (and has) played through the pain, the team feels they can help his cause by taking him out of the field. Guillen hasn't played in the field since Wednesday, originally diagnosed with a sore shoulder. Now the hip is the only thing keeping him from full health, and the Royals are doing what they can to help him along.
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| Updating an earlier report, the Orioles are also without catcher Ramon Hernandez this evening as they face the Boston Red Sox, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Hernandez is nursing a sprained left wrist. He received a cortisone shot to relieve inflammation and the team reports the wrist has bothered him for a couple of weeks. However, the team does not anticipate placing him on the disabled list.
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| The Red Sox report manager Terry Francona will be away from the team for a couple of days following the death of his mother-in-law, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Mary Ann Lang, Francona's mother-in-law, passed away on Monday night in Arizona where the family will travel to attend to family matters.
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| The Orioles report RHP Chris Ray and LHP Adam Lowewen is tentatively scheduled to throw a full bullpen session next weekend, according to the Baltimore Sun. |
Our View: Both pitchers are rehabbing in the minors and will be completing their bullpen sessions in St. Petersburgh, Florida. Ray continues to work towards a return from Tommy John surgery. Loewen had a screw inserted into his left elbow in June to repair a stress fracture and appears to be recovering well. The club hopes both will return before we reach the All-Star break. We will update as news becomes available.
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| Tony Pena Jr. tried wearing contacts but when they caused blurred vision in one eye he decided to go with a pair of prescription glasses, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: There are so many jokes here we don't even know where to start. the .160 hitting Pena even made one of his own: "I guess I'm not used to seeing the ball this good."
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| The Orioles and Red Sox are under way, but Baltimore has a couple of lineup surprises for us to review. For starters, 3B Melvin Mora has been pulled from the evening's lineup after a batting practice accident, taking a line drive to the right shoulder (we will update with injury news should we learn it is needed). |
Our View: Also, Jay Payton is playing left field and Luke Scott has been moved into the DH spot.
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| Rocco Baldelli took batting practice on Tuesday and was able to take 50 swings in the cage, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune. Baldelli, out with a “mitochondrial disorder,” appears to be on the way to regaining his health. “I did a lot of tests when I had the last muscle biopsy done,” said Baldelli. “They found some things out, but it’s not worth me discussing because they have to do confirmation tests on all the tests they’ve already done. They’re running all the secondary tests now, so that’s what I’m waiting on.” |
Our View: There is no timetable for Baldelli to return to the field, but he still fully intends to resume his career at some point. At this point expecting anything out of him this season seems like a stretch. We are just glad to hear that he is on the road to health once again.
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| Nick Adenhart was sent down to the minors to work on a few things a day after posting a decent start for the Angels (5.2 innings, four runs to earn his first victory), according to MLB.com. "They stressed to me to go back and work on command and consistency," Adenhart said. "I knew John [Lackey] was coming back, so I understand the situation." |
Our View: Adenhart walked 13 guys in just 12 innings, and given that he stuck out only four batters, it's no surprise that he has a 9.00 ERA and 2.58 WHIP through three starts. He will be back when a need arises, but he still has a way to go before becoming fantasy worthy.
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| Milton Bradley is not in the lineup for the Rangers on Tuesday, and he will likely miss a couple more game as well because of his sore right shoulder, according to the Star Telegram. |
Our View: The good news is that Bradley will not be placed on the DL. Given Bradley's track record, you just know he isn't going to play 150 games, so we are sure you have a backup plan. Frank Catalanotto will start at DH with Chris Shelton playing first base on Tuesday.
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| Despite recent struggles, Clay Buchholz will still make is scheduled start on Sunday, according to the Boston Herald. Bucchholz has also been dealing with an issue with his nail on his right middle finger, but it's not believe to be serious. |
Our View: On ESPN's broadcast of Buchholz last start, there was a lot of talk of Clay not using his ample stuff in the best way seeming to indicate that he is not comfortable with his stuff (which is top shelf). Look for the Sox to monitor him closely, and if he keeps struggling like he currently is, don't be surprised to see him sent down for a while to fix what ails him.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury will miss Tuesday nights game due to a bruised left knee, according to the Providence Journal. The injury isn't serious, and Ellsbury should be back in the next day or two. |
Our View: Keep an eye on whether or not Ellsbury curtails his running once he returns as he has been perfect on the bases this season (14-for-14) and in his career (23-for-23).
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| Julio Lugo will miss at least one more game on Tuesday due to a mild concussion leaving Alex Cora to make the start, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: The team hopes to have Lugo back any day now, and while they don't lose much on defense with Cora, their offense certainly could use Lugo's speed.
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| Hank Blalock (hamstring) will likely be activated from the DL on Friday in time to take on the Astros, according to the Star Telegram. Blalock will head to Double-A Frisco to get in some work, but manager Ron Washington wants to see how Blalock does on the farm before saying that Blalock will return on Friday. |
Our View: Blalock is a needed bat in the middle of the Rangers lineup, especially with the inconsistent health record of Milton Bradley.
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| Ken Griffey Jr. will not play on Tuesday and it doesn't appear to have anything to do with an impending trade, according to the Associated Press. Griffey will be given the night off to rest after playing on Sunday when he was originally scheduled to take a break. |
Our View: Griffey is hitting only .250 on the year with four home runs in the year, and he is finding it hard to get any traction at the plate.
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| Jim Thome is expected to get some work at first base during batting practice this week, but it could be very limited, according to CBSsports.com. With interleague play coming up against the Giants this weekend, manager Ozzie Guillen wants Thome to play at least one game, but not put pressure on his chronic back problems in getting ready for that one game. Guillen said, "Everybody thinks first base is easy. First base is not an easy position because you have to move around every time the pitcher throws the ball. If there's a groundball, you have to move. I don't expect him to be a Gold Glover there for one day, just catch and throw. I told him to make sure when he works out, don't overdo it." |
Our View: Jim Thome is expected to make one start at first base in the inter-league series against the Giants this weekend, and isn't worth keeping in your lineups for that one game. San Francisco is a tough place to hit homers as well, which is where Thome holds most of his fantasy value (he is only hitting .214).
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| Xavier Nady sat out the first game of the Pirates' double-header against the Braves on Monday due to his mildly strained groin, according to CBSsports.com. Nady has been playing with the ailment for the past week, though he says the injury isn't serious. Nady started the second game of the double-header and favorably went 2-for-4. |
Our View: Recently acquired outfielder Jason Michaels replaced Nady in right field in the first game. Nady is ailing, but it hasn't hurt his production, as he still holds a .340 batting average, with five homers and 34 RBI over 37 games.
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| Mark Ellis has been icing his sore left hamstring and hopes to be in the lineup when Oakland opens a series in Cleveland Tuesday night, according to CBSsports.com. Ellis said, "I don't think it's anything major. I can't even guess how long I'll need. Hopefully, I won't have to take any time off." |
Our View: He hopes to return, but the team could be cautious and hold him out. Donnie Murphy would likely replace Ellis if needed.
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| Alex Rodriguez is hoping to rejoin the Yankees early next week, according to the AP. A-Rod said, "We’re aiming for next Tuesday at home. Everyday it’s much better. You’ve got to be smart, so it’s a good way to go."
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Our View: Rodriguez hasn’t played since April 28 due to a strained right quad, and is eligible to come off the 15-day DL Thursday. He took batting practice, fielded grounders and ran for about six minutes in the outfield Tuesday.
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| Andy Cannizaro has been designated for assignment, according to the St. Petersburg Times. He has been battling illness, and the team needed to free up a roster spot for Ben Zobrist, who has been activated from the DL. |
Our View: Cannizaro was limited to one at-bat over one game this season, and held no fantasy value prior to his designation.
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| Infielder Ben Zobrist will be activated from the DL for today's game against the Yankees, according to the St. Petersburg Times. He missed the entire season so far due to a fractured left thumb. To make room on the roster, Andy Cannizaro was designated for assignment.
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Our View: Zobrist could get some action soon, as manager Joe Maddon said he plans to give shortstop Jason Bartlett and second baseman Akinori Iwamura a day off at some point in the coming days.
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| Howie Kendrick's MRI on his strained left hamstring revealed no new damage and doctors believe the "grabbing" he felt was the tearing of scar tissue, according to the LA Times. He aggravated the injury while playing for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on May 6, and after several days of physical therapy, Kendrick has resumed baseball activities but no timetable has been set for his return. Kendrick said, "It depends how it feels. I feel good today, and I felt good the day after the injury. But I have to strengthen it. The reality is, there's a strain, and I tore some scar tissue."
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Our View: Kendrick was on track to return in this coming week, but it now looks like it will be at least another 7-10 days.
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| Nick Adenhart got his first major league win on Monday as the Angels recorded a hard fought 10-7 victory over the White Sox. Adenhart allowed four runs on nine hits, walked four and struck out three. |
Our View: Command has been Adenhart's Achilles, and while he walked another four hitters on Monday he was able to keep the offense in the game and get his first win. Until he can command his arsenal better, he is subject to be beat around the park in most of his starts.
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