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| Milton Bradley continued his recent tear by going 3-for-4 with a home run, his 13th of the season, for the Rangers on Thursday night. |
Our View: Bradley pushed his average up to .337 and his OPS is almost at 1.100 after tonight's effort. Dating back to last season, Bradley is now hitting .326-24-71 in his last 96 games.
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| Michael Young had three hits, including his sixth home run, leading to two runs and two RBI on Thursday night for the Rangers. |
Our View: On a night went Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler went 0-for-4, Young stepped up to help carry the offense. He is now batting .306 and is on pace for another 200-hit season as one of the most unsung stars in the game.
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| Ian Kinsler lost his 19-game hitting streak on Thursday as he went 0-for-4 against the Indians. |
Our View: Kinsler is ends the streak hitting .306 with 16 SB and 52 runs scored placing him as one of the top-10 fantasy performers on offense through the first third of the season.
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| Joey Gathright had a hit, scored a run, and stole his 15th and 16th bases of the year on Thursday night. David DeJesus also stole his fifth base of the year against the White Sox. |
Our View: Gathright certainly is getting a chance to show his stuff for the Royals but he is hitting just .250 with a terrible OBP of under .300, limiting him to the bottom of the order. Gathright will continue to steal enough bases to maintain his value, but he has been truly deficient in the other categories.
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| Jim Thome went deep for the 12th time this year knocking in his 31st RBI of the year for the Sox. |
Our View: Thome is still hitting only .212 despite two homers in the past two games, and both he and Paul Konerko still have yet to find their swings.
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| Gil Meche lost for the eighth time on Thursday night after walking four batters and permitting seven hits over 5.2 innings against the White Sox. Meche allowed five runs, four earned, in the loss. |
Our View: This was the first time in five starts that Meche had allowed more than three runs, and he also reversed a trend of 8-straight starts with two or fewer walks. Meche has the makings of being a quality hurler, we all saw that last year, but he just hasn't been able to put things together this season.
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| Jose Contreras improved to 6-3 with yet another dominating performance, this time holding the Royals to just one run over seven innings. Contreras had three strikeouts, allowed two walks, and now sports a 2.76 ERA. |
Our View: Contreras has made 12 starts this season and seven times he has allowed just one earned run. Contreras has kept the White Sox in every game he has thrown this year never allowing more than four runs in any outing. His strikeout rate is still extremely low, but he isn't hurting himself by walking anyone and he is making the right pitch at the right time at almost every turn.
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| Jon Lester allowed just one run over 6.1 innings to improve to 4-3. Lester walks no one on the night while striking out five in the effort against the Rays. |
Our View: Lester stayed in the fight marred game and continued to lower his ERA as it fell to 3.50 with this effort. If he continues to throw strikes like he did tonight, he will continue to have an awful lot of success.
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| James Shields was saddled with the loss as he allowed four runs in just one inning of work before being ejected for throwing at Coco Crisp. |
Our View: As mentioned earlier, Shields will almost certainly be suspended for his actions tonight, it's only a matter of whether or not he will appeal the league's ruling.
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| Asdrubal Cabrera was held out of the Indians lineup for one more day due to his injured hip, according to MLB.com. Cabrera, who was injured in batting practice while fielding ground balls on Wednesday is expected back in the lineup for the Indians next contest. |
Our View: Jamey Carroll started for the Indians, but the bigger question is why the team continues to run Cabrera out there when he is batting just .192 with one home run in 151 AB while former fantasy star Josh Barfield continues to waste away in the minors.
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| Kevin Melillo was acquired by the Blue Jays on Thursday from the Athletics for cash consideration, according to Slam Sports. Melillo was sent to Triple-A Syracuse while infielder Hector Luna was outrighted. |
Our View: Melillo was batting .250 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 38 games at Triple-A Sacramento while a member of the Athletics organization.
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| Jeff Fiorentino was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday after the team outrighted Luis Hernandez to Triple-A, according to the Baltimore Sun. |
Our View: Fiorentino was drafted by the Orioles in 2004 and played for them in 2005 and 2006 hitting .253 in 32 games. He doesn't figure to have much of a role with the Orioles other than the occasional start and possible pinch-hitting duties when he is recalled.
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| James Shields was ejected from the Sox and Rays game on Thursday after he threw a pitch at Coco Crisp that started a brawl, according to the Associated Press. Crisp was hit by a pitch from James Shields, likely a retaliatory strike for Crisp trying to injure Akinori Iwamura on Wednesday night, and he then charged the mound. Shields threw a huge punch that missed, at which point Crisp got in several punches.
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Our View: Shields will likely be served a suspension here, one that will likely be long enough to cost him at least one start, so keep that in mind when setting your lineup next week unless Shields appeals the looming suspension.
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| Coco Crisp was ejected for inciting a brawl in the Sox and Rays game on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. Crisp was hit by a pitch from James Shields, likely a retaliatory strike for Crisp trying to injure Akinori Iwamura on Wednesday night, and he then charged the mound. Shields threw a huge punch that missed, at which point Crisp got in several punches. |
Our View: Crisp will likely be suspended for this, as will Shields. With Jacoby Ellsbury leaving the game due to an injured wrist, the Sox could be very thin in the outfield in the coming week.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury left the Sox game on Thursday with a strained right wrist, according to the Associated Press. Ellsbury was injured while making a diving catch, but the good news is that x-rays were negative. |
Our View: We will update this report when we have more information, but for now the hope is that he escaped a major injury.
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| Coco Crisp has an injured left thumb, but it appears that he will still be in the starting lineup for the Red Sox on Thursday, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: With David Ortiz out of the lineup, the Sox certainly have a spot in the daily lineup for Crisp who brings one of the better gloves in the game. Crisp hasn't offered much this season with a .261 average and just 15 runs scored, but he still remains a viable option in AL Only leagues based on his speed.
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| Dustin Pedroia is mired in a 7-for-49 slump (.143) over the last 12 games that has dropped his average to .273 from .304, according to the Providence Journal. "It's like all guys go through," said Francona. "He's trying too hard. It's the human nature part. It's a little bit of a lot of things." |
Our View: Pedroia is a spunky player who has proven that he can be a legitimate .300 hitter at the major league level, so this is a great time to make an offer for him to his current owner.
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| Sean Casey will start at first base for the Red Sox on Thursday forcing Kevin Youkilis to the bench, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: Casey is in the lineup so that he doesn't get "rusty" according to the report, coupled with the fact that Youkilis is 0-for-14 against the Rays starter James Shields.
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| Supporting a story by the AP yesterday, it does in fact appear that Vernon Wells is well ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken left wrist and that he could return to the Jays lineup by late next week, according to MLB.com. "He could be back in the middle of next week or the end of next week, probably," said manager John Gibbons, who then smiled. "If all goes Wells. ... I didn't expect him to start doing anything probably until six weeks. What's it been, four? He's drinking his milk." |
Our View: Though he appears to be on track to beat the original estimate, broken bones in wrists and hands are notorious for sapping batters ability to drive the ball. So be careful when activating Wells as it could take him a long while before he can once again hit the ball out of the yard.
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| Matt Holliday (hamstring) had his rehab process slowed on Thursday as the Sky Sox game with the Salt Lake Bees was deemed to be too wet for Holliday to play, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Holliday is now scheduled to play on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and if all goes well he hopes to be able to return late next week.
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| Nick Punto was placed on the DL on Thursday due to a strained left hamstring, according to the Miami Herald. Infielder Matt Macri was recalled from Triple-A to fill the open roster spot. |
Our View: Punto has been a bit part most of the year anyway, and with the hot bat of Alexi Casilla of late, Punto likely wasn't going to see the field too often anyway despite being a favorite of manager Ron Gardenhire.
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| Rod Barajas returned to action on Thursday and went 0-for-3 for the Jays a day after being pulled due to lower back tightness. |
Our View: Barajas has been blowing up of late with two homers and eight RBI in his last eight games in place of the injured Greg Zahn. He could be seizing a more sizable run with this hot streak.
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| Dustin McGowan had another rough outing on Thursday permitting five runs, on seven hits and two walks, to the Yankees in 5.1 innings on the hill. He ended up with a no-decision. |
Our View: McGowan averaged 7.64 K/9 last season and this year that number has shrunk to 7.11 while his BB/9 has jumped from 3.24 to 3.55. A downturn in K, and an uptick in BB isn't a recipe for success, but McGowan should still be a solid arm for the Jays with upside.
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| B.J. Ryan allowed a game-winning pinch hit home run by Jason Giambi on Thursday to pick up the loss and a blown save for the second straight outing. |
Our View: After allowing just one run in his first 17 appearances, Ryan has now allowed five earned runs while only picking up four outs over his last two efforts. There are no signs that he is hurt so don't panic, but it's still a situation to keep a very close eye on.
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| Chien-Ming Wang continued an awful run of pitching on Thursday as he allowed seven runs, six earned in a no-decision against the Blue Jays. |
Our View: Wang continues to confound as he has now allowed at least five earned runs in each of his last four starts leading to an 8.75 ERA. We've said it all along, too many walks and not enough strikeouts eventually catch up to a guy. Consider Wang caught.
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| Jason Giambi hit his 12th home run of the season in a pinch hitting role for the Yankees on Thursday to win the game in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Yanks. |
Our View: Since the start of May, Giambi is hitting .341 with seven home runs, so if your leaguemates haven't caught on to that fact this may be the last chance for you to try and pilfer the g-string diva.
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| Alexi Casilla went 3-for-5 with an RBI in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Orioles. |
Our View: He extended his hitting streak to eight games, with three mult-hit efforts over the span. He raised his average to .343 over 70 at-bats, and has recorded an RBI in three of his five outings in June.
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| Scott Baker only allowed two runs on five hits over five innings in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Baltimore, and he was dealt a no decision in his first game back from his strained right groin ailment. |
Our View: That was a favorable return for him, and he had good control, with only one walk and three strikeouts.
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| Nick Markakis went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and led the Orioles to a close 3-2 win over the Twins on Thursday. |
Our View: He now has 10 homers, and that was his first since May 26. He extended his hitting streak to eight games as well, with five multi-hit outings over the span.
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| Garrett Olson surrendered two runs on eight hits over 6.1 innings in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Twins, with one walk and one strikeout. |
Our View: He is now 5-1 for the season, with a 3.86 ERA. He has allowed two or less earned runs in three straight starts.
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| The White Sox have selected Georgia University shortstop Gordon Beckham with the eighth overall selection in Thursday's draft, according to the Chicago Tribune. |
Our View: Beckham is hitting .397 with 24 home runs, 65 RBI and 17 stolen bases for the Bulldogs, and is also a finalist for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award. He displays power to all fields, and will shore up the middle of Chicago's infield when he is ready.
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| Left-handed hurler Brian Matusz has been selected fourth overall by the Orioles in today's draft, according to the AP. The University of San Diego prospect is believed to be the most polished pitcher in the draft. |
Our View: Matusz headlined Team USA last summer and has three plus pitches in his arsenal, led by a fastball that hits 90-93 and a curveball that he can pinpoint to both sides of the plate. Matusz should move rapidly through the Orioles' system and marks the first time since 2004 that the club has spent a first-round pick on a pitcher (Adam Loewen).
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| The Royals have tagged first baseman Eric Hosmer with the third pick in Thursday's baseball draft, according to the AP. |
Our View: This was a surprise pick, but the Florida high school prospect could have the most raw power in the entire draft. He is also advanced in his plate approach, and has been compared to Casey Kotchman, but with more power.
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| The Rays have selected shortstop Tim Beckham with the number one overall pick in the baseball draft Thursday, according to the AP. |
Our View: They selected him over Florida State catcher Buster Posey. Beckham, who hails from Griffin, Georgia, was ranked as one of the best pure athletes in the draft and labeled as a legitimate five-tool player. He also established himself as the top prep prospect in the entire nation with solid performances at last summer’s high school showcase events, and hit .500 with five homers, 31 RBI and 16 stolen bases this season.
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| Scott Baker has been activated from the DL and returned to the mound against the Orioles Thursday, according to ESPN.com. Baker has recovered from his strained right groin, and Manager Ron Gardenhire said, "He's a guy we've counted on from the beginning. Hopefully he'll get back and get going here and be one of our solid starters." |
Our View: Baker will be limited to 85 or 90 pitches. He is taking Boof Bonser's spot in the rotation, who has been moved to the pen. Baker held a solid 1.09 WHIP over six starts prior to landing on the DL.
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| Ken Griffey Jr. has returned to the Reds' lineup Thursday after missing the first three games of the four-game set against the Phillies, according to the AP. The 38-year old outfielder was out due to general soreness. |
Our View: Griffey is still one homer away from joining the 600 club, which would make him only the sixth member.
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| Pitcher Brian Wolfe has been activated from the DL, and optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, according to CBSsports.com. |
Our View: Wolfe allowed three runs on eight hits over 7.1 innings, with two walks and five strikeouts this season, and only held some value in very deep AL-only leagues.
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| Jorge Posada is in the Yankees' starting lineup today against the Blue Jays, according to the AP. He has spent more than five weeks on the DL with his shoulder injury. |
Our View: Posada has not played in a game for the Yankees since April 26. He will bat sixth in the order in his first game back. He should be safe to return to your roto-lineups.
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| Jorge Posada is back in action for the Yankees, but it has been revealed that he is not fully healthy, according to the NY Post. He is capable of playing, but determined that he will
undergo labrum surgery after the season. He said, "I don't think it's going to be 100 percent, but it's good enough. I think it's good enough to get going here. There's no discomfort. Obviously something's messed up in there. We're going to have to get that fixed after the season."
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Our View: That means Posada's shoulder status probably will hover over him the rest of the season, which has 101 games to go. Longer if the Yankees make the playoffs. Posada believes the shoulder will strengthen throughout the year, so it could become less of an issue, however. The Yankees will continue to keep three catchers until Posada proves ready to handle more than two-consecutive starts.
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| Asdrubal Cabrera has been nursing a hip ailment, but is expected to return to the Indians' lineup today, according to MLB.com. Manager Eric Wedge said, "He should be OK. The hip jammed on him pregame, but we thought he was all right to play. It was irritating him a bit. I talked with head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff, and Cabrera felt better after getting treatment."
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Our View: If the hip strain were to develop into a deeper issue, Cabrera's backup at second base is Josh Barfield, who (coming into Wednesday) was batting .251 with five home runs, 19 RBI and 16 doubles. Cabrera is only hitting .192 over 151 at-bats, with one homer and 14 RBI.
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| Matt Macri has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester, according to CBSsports.com. The team activated hurler Scott Baker from the DL Wednesday night, and Macri was seen as expendable to make room on the roster. |
Our View: Macri fared well in limited action, as he went 3-for-7 with one RBI, but he will now have to wait for another chance to prove his worth to the Twins.
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| Curt Schilling threw 25 fastballs off a mound on Wednesday, according to the Providence Journal. He threw 22 strikes during the session, but did not throw any breaking balls. Manager Terry Francona said Schilling is still in the arm-shoulder strengthening stage, and will increase to 35 pitches in his next session Friday. |
Our View: The team is yet to set a timetable for his next step, which would be to pitch live batting practice, followed by a rehab assignment. He is trying to bounce back from right biceps degeneration, and this was an encouraging outing for him.
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| Esteban Loaiza is going to be used as a reliever as well as an emergency starter, according to the Daily Herald. Manager Ozzie Guillen said, "My concern was the bullpen, the way we were using it. We've got to protect our pitchers the best we can. Loaiza can do both. He's going to be the long man and an emergency starter. That's the way we're going to start with him."
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Our View: The team also likes the option to use Nick Masset at the back of their bullpen on days when Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel may not be available. Loaiza could help Chicago, but will hold little to no fantasy value.
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| Travis Hafner, who is recovering from a right shoulder strain, will begin swinging the bat this weekend, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. |
Our View: He has been doing strengthening exercises, and his rehab is more about weakness than pain at this point. He was placed on the DL back on May 26.
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| Freddie Bynum rode the pine on Wednesday in favor of Alex Cintron at shortstop, according to the Baltimore Sun. |
Our View: Bynum is struggling at the plate as he is currently in a 3-for-28 (.107) slump, but Manager Dave Trembley just wanted to get Cintron some action to keep him sharp. Bynum is not in jeopardy of losing his starting job at shortstop, and is still carrying his weight with his glove, as he only made one error over 20 games.
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| Adam Loewen, who is recovering from left elbow soreness, is scheduled to return to the Orioles at the end of June, according to the Baltimore Sun. Manager Dave Trembley said, "I would think he is going to have to pitch for a couple weeks, at least a couple weeks in the minors. He'll probably start, so he can warm up and go out there and build himself up. I wouldn't expect him until the end of June. I think that is realistic."
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Our View: The team also mentioned that he may initially return as a reliever. It depends on how well he does in his rehab stint, but the move would put less wear and tear on his tender left elbow.
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| Blake Wood threw a complete game shutout three-hitter for Double-A NW Arkansas on Wednesday. He didn’t allow any walks and struck out 10 batters. |
Our View: It was an absolutely dominating performance for Wood in only his second start at Double-A. The former third-round pick is quickly becoming one of KC’s elite prospects, posting a 2.55 ERA in 12 starts between High-A and Double-A.
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| John Parrish improved his record to 8-0 for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. He allowed one run on seven hits in 6.2 innings, walking one and fanning eight. |
Our View: Parrish has been tried in just about every role in the majors, but he has usually failed to command his pitches. With a sub-3.00 ERA in Triple-A, we should expect him to be tried again this season. Most likely, it will be in short relief.
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