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| Miguel Olivo went 2-for-4 and belted a two-run homer in Friday's 7-6 win over the Marlins. That was his fifth homer of the season. |
Our View: He has now racked up two hits in back-to-back games, and tonight was his fifth multi-hit game of the month.
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| Joe Nathan picked up his 13th save of the season in Friday's 4-2 win over Colorado. He issued one walk and one hit in the ninth inning. |
Our View: He is a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities, and has 18 strikeouts and four walks over 17 innings.
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| Miguel Cabrera went 1-for-4 and hit a two-run homer in Friday's 4-3 loss to Arizona. |
Our View: Those were his first RBI since May 1, when he collected three against the Yankees. He hit his last home run prior to tonight in that game against New York as well.
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| Garrett Olson allowed three runs on nine hits over five innings in Friday's 5-3 win over the Nationals, with no walks and three strikeouts. |
Our View: Olsen remains unbeaten at 3-0. He has 18 strikeouts and seven walks over 23.1 innings. He is worth a look in AL-only leagues if still available.
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| Nick Blackburn only allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings in Friday's 4-2 win over the Rockies, with five strikeouts and no walks. He improved his record to 4-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.77. |
Our View: That was one of his best performances so far this season. He now has 10 strikeouts over his last two starts (13 innings), with only one walk issued. He is worth a look if you need pitching help and can land him for cheap.
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| Joe Mauer strained his neck during early batting practice and there was concern he may be scratched tonight, but he managed to play the entire game, and went 1-for-5 with an RBI in the Twins' 4-2 win over the Rockies. |
Our View: Mauer seems to be fine, and is once again a safe fantasy option.
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| Michael Young went 2-for-6 and racked up three RBI in Friday's 16-8 win over the Astros. He also scored three runs. |
Our View: Young has recorded seven RBI over his last five games. He is closing in on the .300 mark as well, as he currently stands at .289.
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| Josh Hamilton had another huge game as he went 5-for-5 with five RBI in Friday's 16-8 win over the Astros. Two of his hits went for home runs, giving him 10 for the season. He also scored four runs. |
Our View: He now has 49 RBI over 42 games, with a .314 average. He is on pace for 189 RBI.
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| Matt Tolbert has officially been placed on the 15-day DL due to a torn ligament in his left thumb, according to the AP. To replace Tolbert on the roster, the Twins will purchase the contract of infielder Howie Clark from Triple-A Rochester. |
Our View: Tolbert was hitting .265 prior to landing on the DL, with 13 runs scored and four stolen bases over 30 games. Six of his 22 hits went for doubles. He provided solid depth to the Twins' infield, and he will be missed while out of action.
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| Andy Sonnanstine only allowed one run on eight hits over eight innings in Friday's 3-1 win over the Cardinals, with no walks and four strikeouts. The only run came on a Chris Duncan homer. |
Our View: Sonnanstine is now 6-1 for the season, but holds an unimpressive 4.53 ERA. The Rays average just under seven runs of support over his nine starts.
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| Dana Eveland pitched well but ended Friday night with a no decision as Oakland was topped by Atlanta 3-2. Eveland allowed two runs on six hits over 5.2 innings, with three walks and four strikeouts. |
Our View: Eveland has only allowed five earned runs over his last three starts (18.2 innings). He only allowed four or more runs in two of his nine starts, and held a solid 1.25 WHIP heading into tonight's outing.
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| Jose Guillen remains hot as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's close 7-6 win over the Marlins. |
Our View: He now has racked up nine RBI over his last six games, while collecting 12 hits over the span as well.
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| George Sherrill nailed down his 16th save of the season in Friday's 5-3 win over Washington. He did not allow a hit or walk in the ninth inning. |
Our View: Six of his saves have come over seven appearances in May. He has only allowed six hits over that span as well.
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| Melvin Mora missed two straight games due to a sore right shoulder, but fared well in his return on Friday, as he went 1-for-3 with an RBI, his 22nd of the season. |
Our View: He returned to action without a problem, and is safe to return to your lineups.
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| Alex Rios went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Phillies. |
Our View: He has now registered an RBI in back-to-back games, after going 13 straight games without one. He hasn't hit a home run since May 1 as well.
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| Friday's game between the Red Sox and Brewers has been postponed due to rain, according to the AP. |
Our View: It was rescheduled as the second game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
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| Daniel Bard could be promoted to Double-A Portland, according to the Providence Journal. The Red Sox selected the right-hander as their second pick (28th overall) in the 2006 draft.
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Our View: The reliever is 1-0 with a 0.67 ERA in 14 appearances at Greenville, with 42 strikeouts over 27 innings.
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| Nick Swisher is penciled in to bat seventh in the White Sox lineup tonight, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Swisher holds a .211 batting average over 40 games, with four homers and 10 RBI, but still managed to score 23 runs, due to a .339 on-base percentage.
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| Kevin Mench was removed from the Blue Jays game on Friday night after running into the outfield wall, according to The Sports Network. Mench was replaced by Shannon Stewart after injuring himself on the leaping catch. |
Our View: Mench gave it his all on the play, and that type of effort is what the Jays are looking for. We will update you when we hear how he is doing, but Stewart would figure to be the prime beneficiary with one less bat to share at-bats with in teh Jays outfield if Mench is out long-term.
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| Alexei Ramirez will start at second base against the Giants tonight, according to the Chicago Tribune. He will bat eighth in the lineup. |
Our View: He has loads of potential, but is only hitting .143 so far, with no homers and three RBI over 42 at-bats. Keep him on your bench.
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| Updating a previous report, Rafael Betancourt has indeed been removed from the closers role in Cleveland and the spot will now be filled by four pitchers, according to the Associated Press. “I look at it like we have four guys I feel comfortable using in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, depending on the matchup and availability,” manager Eric Wedge said. “That’s how I’m goring to play it out. I’m not going to say somebody is or somebody isn’t (a closer). I feel we can be comfortable using all four of those guys.” |
Our View: The four pitchers are Jensen Lewis, Rafael Perez, Masa Kobayashi and Bentacourt, and it sure looks like Kobayashi is the top option with Betancourt most likely to slide back into his setup role since most managers like to keep their top lefty (Perez) for tough matchups.
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| Contrary to previously established reports, Travis Hafner will not play first base when the Indians take on the Reds in interleague play, according to MLB.com. "I'm not crazy about taking any chances physically," said manager Eric Wedge. "For him to ramp up with the throwing and do everything he needs to do, I don't want to do anything that does affect him physically. |
Our View: Maybe the time off will give Hanfer the time he needs to straighten out his lost swing. Ryan Garko, swinging a bit of a down bat himself, will continue to start at first base for the time being.
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| Matt Holliday has been scratched from the Rockies' lineup for tonight due to a lower back ailment, according to the Star Tribune. Head trainer Keith Dugger said, "He’s been battling it for a couple of days. He tried to get loose. It’s precautionary. He didn’t have any injury of any sort, it just kind of came on. It’s not a disk or anything like that, it’s a tight back." Dugger also said he could pinch hit Friday night if his back responds to treatment.
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Our View: Holliday is listed as day-to-day. Ryan Spilborghs will cover his spot in left field.
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| Joe Mauer strained his neck during early batting practice but indicated that he can play, according to the Star Tribune. |
Our View: There was initial concern that he may be scratched, so he will be a risky fantasy option for tonight.
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| Darrell Rasner will be skipped in the rotation, according to the AP. Rasner was scheduled to start tonight against the Mets, but the game was postponed due to rain. Andy Pettitte will start on Saturday and Chien-Ming Wang will go on Sunday. |
Our View: Manager Joe Girardi was going to keep his pitchers in order, but ultimately decided to change his mind by skipping over Rasner.
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| Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty stated on Friday that the Reds and Mariners have talked a little about Ken Griffey Jr. , but there will need to be extensive negotiations before a player with a $16.5 million option for the 2009 season gets moved anywhere, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Jocketty added, "There haven't been any substantial discussions. I know he's said he wants to end his career in Seattle, but I also know he wants to win a World Series title. And I think he'd like to win that here, if possible."
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Our View: The Mariners currently have the worst record in the American League at 16-26, but Cincinnati is not much better as they are 18-23 at the bottom of the NL Central. Griffey won't likely be winning a championship with either of these teams in the near future.
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| Melvin Mora returned to the Orioles' lineup on Friday, according to the AP. His sore right shoulder responded well enough to throwing drills, and Manager Dave Trembley thought he was fully recovered, but cautioned to reporters to have erasers handy in case he gets scratched for his third-straight game. |
Our View: He has basically had four days to rest the ailment, and should be safe to return to your lineups if his can play tonight's game without any problems.
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| Matt Tupman has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha, according to the AP. He was brought in to cover John Buck's spot on the roster, who was given three days of bereavement leave because of health concerns for his wife, Brooke, after giving birth to twins.
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Our View: Tupman will provide depth during his brief stint with the team, but won't likely see much action. Miguel Olivo will start at catcher while Buck is away.
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| John Buck has been granted three days of bereavement leave because of health concerns for his wife, Brooke, after giving birth to twins, according to the AP. Buck did not accompany the Royals to Miami for their weekend series against the Marlins, and catcher Matt Tupman has been recalled from Triple-A Omaha to fill his roster spot.
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Our View: Miguel Olivo will handle the catching role while Buck is away from the team.
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| Friday's subway series opener between the Yankees and Mets has been postponed due to rain, according to the AP. |
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| Matt Tolbert is expected to be placed on the 15-day DL due to the thumb injury he sustained in Thursday's game against Toronto, according to the Star Tribune. The team is yet to name a potential replacement on the roster. |
Our View: Tolbert was hitting .265 prior to going down, with 13 runs scored and four stolen bases over 30 games. Six of his 22 hits went for doubles.
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| Ramon Hernandez is expected back in the Orioles' lineup tonight against Washington, according to the Baltimore Sun. |
Our View: He has missed five games due to a sore left wrist, and was believed to be battling the pain for a couple of weeks. He should remain on your bench until he proves he can be effective, as he holds a poor .215 batting average over 32 games.
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| Richie Sexson's five-game suspension is up, and he is expected to return to the Mariners' lineup tonight, according to CBSsports.com. |
Our View: He has seven homers this season, but only 18 RBI over 34 games, with a dismal .202 batting average.
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| Joe Borowski threw a two-inning simulated game on Friday at Great American Ballpark, and said he was fit to start his rehab assignment Monday night at Class-A Lake County, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Borowski threw 36 pitches against Asdrubal Cabrera, Jamey Carroll, Andy Marte and Franklin Gutierrez. Borowski said, "All systems are go. You have to judge how you feel every day. So far, knock on wood, everything has been good."
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Our View: Borowski is expected to pitch the first inning Monday night at Lake County. He said after that he'll probably pitch an inning out of the bullpen for Double-A Akron. He has been on the DL since April 15 due to a strained right triceps. Borowski will resume his closer's role when he returns, if he is 100% recovered.
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| Jason Bay homered for the second straight game on Friday to give him nine taters on the year. |
Our View: Of course his long ball was a solo shot, he has just 18 RBI on the year, but he continues to work the count and get on base which should eventually pay off in the counting categories.
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| Sean Gallagher had a nice outing on Friday as he held the Pirates to one run over six innings to pick up his first big league victory. On the day, Gallagher allowed four hits and three walks while striking out three. |
Our View: The Cubs have already stated that Gallagher won't be removed from the starting rotation for a while, so today's outing certainly gives some tangible backing to that statement.
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| Infielder Gregorio Petit has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento, according to Scout.com. He will replace pitcher Santiago Casilla on the roster, as he has landed on the DL. |
Our View: He should see some action with Mark Ellis ailing, but won't likely play enough to merit fantasy consideration.
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| Coco Crisp has been cleared to return to the field after dealing with an illness the past couple of days, according to the Providence Journal. "He feels better,'' said manager Terry Francona. "(But) I don't think he feels terrific. I don't think he's 100 percent yet. Whatever hit him, hit him hard." |
Our View: Despite a couple of stops and starts this year, Crisp has been fairly productive when on the field with a .315 average and six SB.
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| Julio Lugo is back in the lineup for the Red Sox on Friday after missing a few games due to a minor concussion, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: The Sox are a better offensive team with Lugo in the lineup flashing his speed, though how in the world he has scored only 10 runs in 35 games is beyond us.
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| J.D. Drew will return to the Sox lineup on Friday night after missing the past couple of days after rolling over his wrist in the field, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: Drew will look to pick right up where he left off getting on base at around a .400 clip, though it would be nice to see him generate a few more extra base hits than the nine he has produced in 34 games.
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| Santiago Casilla was placed on the DL on Friday with soreness in his right elbow, according to The Sports Network. The team called up infielder Gregorio Petit who was hitting .304 with a .448 batting average with RISP. |
Our View: Casilla was simply dominating so far with a 10.24 K/9 mark and a 0.83 WHIP through 19.1 innings, so this is a big blow to a strong A's pen. There isn't much info to go on yet, so we don't know if Casilla will need to miss more than the 15 days.
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| Carl Pavano could throw off the half mound sometime next week in his ongoing attempt to make it back from arm surgery, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: Does anyone really care anymore? After the contract signed by Mike Hampton, Pavano's deal is likely the worst in the history of baseball for a starting pitcher.
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| Rafael Betancourt, who has struggled for most of the past two weeks, may have lost his hold on the closing job in Cleveland to Masa Kobayashi, according to MLB.com. "I've got to reflect upon everything and go from there," manager Eric Wedge said when asked about the fate of Bentancourt. "I haven't had time to think about it just yet." |
Our View: What is clear in all of this is that Kobayashi appears to be a must pick up in deep mixed leagues as the potential for him to pick up saves moving forward appears to be very real given that he has two in his last two appearances.
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| The Indians recalled Jeremy Sowers from Triple-A Buffalo Friday. The lefty will make a spot start for the Tribe Saturday against the Reds. Jason Tyner was demoted to make room on the roster. |
Our View: Sowers is expected to make just one start and then be sent back down. He's not a recommended play at Great American Ballpark.
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| Scott Baker, recovering from a strained right groin, is scheduled to head to Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday to begin a rehab assignment, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: The righty will throw two bullpen sessions and likely make a start in an extended spring training game on Thursday. A decision on whether to activate Baker from the DL will be made after that.
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| Milton Bradley is expected to play this weekend in Houston after missing a couple games because of a sore right shoulder, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Milton had three dingers in his last six games before sitting out, so his owners should be happy to know he'll be back in action tonight.
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| The Blue Jays optioned Jorge Velandia to Triple-A Syracuse after Thursday's game. The move was made to make room for David Purcey, who is making a spot start Friday. |
Our View: Velandia was called up to provide depth with both David Eckstein and John McDonald out, but he failed to pick up a hit in seven at-bats.
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| If Mark Ellis' hamstring injury forces him to miss the entire series in Atlanta this weekend, manager Bob Geren said that Daric Barton could be used some at third base, according to MLB.com. Barton played 18 games at third base for Triple-A Sacramento last season and made nine errors. |
Our View: This could potentially give Barton some positional flexibility in some leagues, but his value is pretty minimal right now since he's barely hitting his weight.
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| The Indians will designate Jason Tyner for assignment to make room on the roster for Jeremy Sowers, who will be recalled to make a spot start, according to MLBlogs.com. |
Our View: Tyner wasn't going to receive much playing time and is likely to clear waivers and head back to Triple-A.
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| Manager Fredi Gonzalez said there is a good chance Mike Jacobs will be ready to return to the starting lineup Saturday, according to the Miami Herald. Jacobs has been limited by a strained left quad. |
Our View: Jacobs has received just two at-bats over the last week plus but was red-hot before going down with the ailment.
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| Jake Westbrook's rehab start for Single-A Lake County has been moved from Saturday to Sunday, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. |
Our View: Jake didn't suffer any sort of setback with his intercostal strain. The Tribe just wanted to give him an extra day.
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| Manager Ozzie Guillen said earlier this week that Jim Thome would start one of the interleague games this weekend, but now he's backtracking. ''Right now, I'm not going to play him,'' Guillen said in the Chicago Sun-Times. ''Last year we did, and then he lost a couple of games because he was sore. He lost a couple of games because playing in the field was tough. I talked to him, and hopefully we'll get him one at-bat here and there. Maybe if things go a certain way, I will change my mind, but right now I don't want to use him.'' |
Our View: Thome has been more productive this year than Paul Konerko, but he's obviously a liability in the field.
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| The Twins have claimed Sergio Santos off waivers from the Blue Jays. The infielder was designated for assignment last week after the Jays acquired Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench. |
Our View: Santos had played all of his minor league games at shortstop before this year, when he moved over to third base. He is a former first-round pick, belted 20 homers last year at Double-A and is still just 24, so this seems to be a worthy move by the Twins.
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| The Brewers recalled Zach Jackson from Triple-A Nashville Friday. |
Our View: Jackson struggled while starting for the Sounds, but he's been good since moving to the bullpen. He won't hold any fantasy value, however.
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| Dustin Moseley is set to make another rehab start Sunday, this time for Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the LA Times. The righty, who is coming back from a strained forearm, could be activated next week if all goes well. |
Our View: Moseley would go to the bullpen upon activation, though he could always get some starts down the line.
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| Mark Ellis missed the Cleveland series with a strained left hamstring, and his manager, Bob Geren, doesn't expect his second baseman to be in the lineup tonight, either, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. |
Our View: Donnie Murphy will continue to spot start at second until Ellis is ready.
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| Eric Chavez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his first rehab game Thursday with Triple-A Sacramento. Chavez is working his way back from back problems. |
Our View: The third baseman is in the DH spot for now and will eventually work his way to the hot corner.
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| Bartolo Colon is still one more start away from a major league call-up, this according to the Boston Herald. Colon, who can opt out of his contract if he is not called up by June 1, pitched six scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory at Buffalo yesterday. He allowed just one hit, walked none and struck out four.
Not working in the right-hander’s favor, however, was his pitch total. He threw just 64
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Our View: That means the Red Sox will look to other in-house solutions - David Pauley and Charlie Zink are two Triple-A possibilities - to fill the open starter’s spot in the rotation Tuesday against the Royals. Justin Masterson, who has already made one spot start for the Red Sox this season, has struggled of late.
After allowing two runs in his first four minor league starts, Masterson has allowed 16 in his last four. The right-hander was battered for nine hits and seven runs in Double-A Portland’s 7-2 loss to Trenton last night.
Assuming there are no more injuries between tonight and Tuesday, whoever does get called up would likely replace outfielder Jonathan Van Every.
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| Vladimir Guerrero had two hits and a run scored for the Angels as he is trying to start the long road back to excellence. |
Our View: Vlad is hitting just .269 with a scant four home runs on the season, but we all know bad Vlad can go nuts and hit .400 for a month. Let's just hope that streak starts soon as this has been a pretty extensive cold period for the slugger.
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| A.J. Pierzynski, taking a liking to the second hole in the order, knocked out three hits leading to an RBI and a run scored for the White Sox on Thursday night. |
Our View: After falling to just a .263 batting average last season, A.J,. has rediscovered his stroke in the early going as he is hitting .315 thanks in part to an 8-game hitting streak that has him hitting .452. Ride it while it lasts but a regression is likely in the cards so don't get too cocky.
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| Francisco Rodriguez entered a three to three game with the White Sox only to allow the go ahead run to score in the ninth inning to pick up his first loss of the season. |
Our View: K-Rod has the 16 saves that we all desire, and this is likely just one of those rare times when an offense catches up to a closer. Brush it off an move on like he will.
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| Javier Vazquez pitched 6.2 innings in another quality start as he allowed three runs, two earned, in a no-decision against the Angels. |
Our View: Vazquez has allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of his last eight starts as he continues to give the Sox a chance to win almost every night he takes the hill. The 58 K in 58.2 IP doesn't hurt either.
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