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| Rob Mackowiak was given his unconditional release on Saturday as the Nationals are expected to recall right-handed pitcher Garret Mock to take his roster spot, according to MLB.com. "When you hit .132, you can't expect to hang around. I didn't perform with the little appearances that I had," Mackowiak said. "I guess the only thing that bothers me is the when you decided to sign the team, you were promised more at-bats. I understand they have their guys they want to play. I didn't do well when I got in there. I had a horrible spring. It's my own fault." |
Our View: Mock will likely make his first start of the season against the Giants on Sunday. As for Mackowiak he was hitting just .132 in 53 AB and will have to hope another team takes a chance on his veteran bat.
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| Ryan Tucker was called up from Double-A and will make his big league debut on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. Paul Hoover, a catcher, was optioned to Triple-A to create a roster spot. |
Our View: Tucker was 4-2 with a dominating 1.41 ERA at Triple-A, and he will replace Burke Badenhop who was originally scheduled to start the game, but after pitching 1.1 inning of relief on Saturday, he will obviously be unavailable on Sunday.
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| Carlos Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with two doubles to give him doubles on each of the first seven hits of his big league career, good enough to tie the major league record set my Johhny Mize in 1936. |
Our View: Gonzalez is only hitting .233 during his young career, but the A's apparently are ready to run with him in an everyday capacity even when Ryan Sweeney returns from the DL. When that happens, the club will have to decide what to do with Rajai Davis.
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| Livan Hernandez took another beating on Saturday as he allowed seven runs in four innings to fall to 6-3 with the loss to the White Sox. |
Our View: This was the fourth straight outing that Livan permitted five or more runs as his ERA has balloned from 3.88 to 5.32 in that time. He will get his double-digit wins, but it's going to be a very bumpy ride.
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| Dave Bush allowed two home runs, including a grand slam, in his sixth loss of the season for the Brewers. |
Our View: Bush has allowed an inordinately high total of 15 home runs in 12 appearances which has been a big reason that his ERA is so high (5.85) despite a decent WHIP (1.33). As they say, he is pitching in some bad luck right now.
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| Greg Reynolds won the first game of his major league career on Saturday holding the Brewers to two runs over six innings for the Rockies. |
Our View: Reynolds didn't strike out a batter and now has nine K against 20 BB on the year. You don't really need us to tell you what that means for his chance of continuing to have success do you?
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| Brad Hawpe hit a grand slam off of David Bush on Saturday as he paced the Rockies attack with two hits on the afternoon. |
Our View: Hawpe is now 3-for-7 since being activated from the DL, and two of the hits are home runs which has led to six RBI. Not a bad return for the 100-RBI performer of 2007.
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| John Bowker hit the fifth home run of his young career on Saturday night, a grand slam off of Luis Ayala. |
Our View: Bowker continues to provide enough offense to be a nice corner infield play in NL Only leagues, and with the Giants willingness to continue to run him out there on a daily basis, that doesn't appear likely to change, at least in the short-term.
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| Bengie Molina had another solid night from the middle of the Giants order as he went 2-for-5 with a runs scored and an RBI. |
Our View: Big Money Molina really is at the point where he should be considered for the all-star team. He may be overweight and only run slightly faster than a tortoise, but he is hitting .332 with 40 RBI on the year.
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| Shawn Hill fell to 0-3 despite a solid outing against the Giants on Saturday as he held the orange and black to seven hits and two runs over 7.1 innings. |
Our View: Hill still can't find the strikeout with three or fewer Ks in six of his last seven appearances, though he continues to battle each outing. Still, he just doesn't offer enough to be used in most 5x5 leagues.
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| Jonathan Sanchez locked in early and the results were impressive as the young left hander held the Nationals scoreless for seven innings to pick up his fifth victory of the year. |
Our View: Sanchez only had four K on the night but he walked only two needing, for him, a low total of 98 pitches to make it through seven innings. While he might not be able to keep that ERA below four all season (3.70), he should continue to pile up the strikeouts.
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| Pat Burrell hit his 15th home run of the year, and he also added his 17th double on Saturday for the Phillies. |
Our View: .281-15-41 is where Burrell currently sits, which puts him on pace to challenge his performance of last season (.256-30-97). Burrell won't bring a high average, but his run production will continue to be substantial.
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| Chipper Jones produced the only two runs the Braves scored on Saturday with a 2-run home run, his 15th of the season. |
Our View: Jones still reached base twice in four AB to leave his OBP at a Bondsian .503, while his .420 average is Cobbian.
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| Jo-Jo Reyes piled up eight strikeouts over 7.1 innings, but he allowed two home runs and four runs to pick up his fourth loss. |
Our View: Reyes long ago lost the feel good aura that was surrounding him. He is now 0-2 in his last four decisions and he has allowed 17 earned runs over his last four starts (6.04 ERA).
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| Kyle Kendrick was able to hold the Braves to just two runs despite allow a ton of runners in his 5.1 innings. Kendrick permitted four hits and five walks, but held on long enough to give the Phillies a chance to win late (which they did). |
Our View: Kendrick misses a bat about as often as a good bat boy, which is to say not very often. When his control is off like it was tonight, the results can be pretty detrimental to your ratios.
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| Bronson Arroyo looked poor for his second straight start last just 4.2 innings during which time he gave up seven hits, two home runs, and two walks leading to four runs. |
Our View: Arroyo was lined up for two starts this week, and he rewarded those who started him with nine runs in nine innings while permitting 17 hits. Great work Arroyo.
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| Adam Dunn went deep for the 16th time on Saturday, his lone hit against the Marlins (he did score two runs). |
Our View: Dunn has the power bat going with 16 long balls in 59 games, putting him on pace to challenge the 40-HR plateau for the fifth straight season.
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| Cody Ross hit his 11th home run in the ninth innings against the Reds to finish up a 2-for-4 day with three RBI. He also stole his fourth base of the season in the game. |
Our View: Ross has now gone deep five times in his last 10 games with 12 RBI marking himself as a terrific pick up if you are looking to play the hot hand.
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| Scott Olsen held the Reds without an earned run over six innings though he wasn't involved in the decision. |
Our View: Olsen wasn't great on the night as he actually allowed four runs to score, but he only allowed four hits and a walk while nailing down five strike outs in a solid overall effort.
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| Shawn Chacon gave up 10 hits and three walks as the Cardinals scored seven runs off the big right hander in five innings to hand him his second loss of the season. |
Our View: Chacon is nothing more than a drifter who finds a job when no one else can take it. He barely holds any value in NL Only leagues at the moment.
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| Hunter Pence pushed his average up to .300 on Saturday thanks to three hits. He also scored a run and knocked in two for the Astros. |
Our View: Pence was hitting .161 through 14 games this year causing many owner to curse the experts that recommended Pence. Hopefully you exercised some patience and held on to him, as he is currently doing a decent job of providing production at levels that owners were expecting.
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| Ryan Ludwick put a charge into one on Saturday night, his 14th long ball of the year, in the Cardinals 8-4 victory over the Astros. |
Our View: Ludwick, who knocked in three runs on the day, continues to be a viable option behind Albert Pujols in the order. With #5 hitter Troy Glaus finally hitting as well, the Cardinals offense is clicking in the middle of the lineup.
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| Michael Bourn will likely begin to lose playing time with the Astros recent decision to call up Reggie Abercrombe, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I spoke to Reggie early today about what the plans are," manager Cecil Cooper said. "Initially the plans will be for him to be maybe get some at-bats that Michael (Bourn) might not get. They'll kind of split some time. I won't say split time, but he'll get his starts when Michael's not playing. |
Our View: Finally. We love the kids wheels, but he is simply deficient at the plate right now with a .274 OBP that is barely passable for a gold glove shortstop let alone a purported leadoff hitter.
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| Eric Gagne continues to throw off flat ground in his attempt to comeback from a right shoulder strain, according to MLB.com. "I'm just trying to get my strength back," Gagne said. |
Our View: Gagne threw at 75% from 120 feet on Saturday, and he estimated that he would have to be throwing at about 95% before taking the hill. Best case scenario for Gagne would likely have him back in about two weeks.
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| David Riske threw off the mound on Saturday for the first time since going on the DL with a hyperextended right elbow, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Riske is scheduled to throw again on Tuesday, but chances are that he will need to throw multiple bullpen sessions before the team would consider activating him.
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| Chris Snyder hit a game-winning home run off John Grabow in the ninth inning of the D'backs 4-3 victory over the Pirates. |
Our View: Snyder now has six home runs and 30 RBI, excellent power production from a secondary catcher who doesn't even play every day.
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| Nate McLouth knocked in two runs on two hits and now has 45 RBI on the season chiefly from the leadoff spot. |
Our View: McLouth continues to produce at a level that will find him on every mid-season fantasy all-star squad.
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| Tom Gorzelanny had one of his better outings of the season on Saturday allowing three runs over seven innings to the D'backs. Gorzelanny allowed five hits and three walks in the outing. |
Our View: Gorzelanny has been hideous this season in almost every start, so don't think that one outing of value is worthy of your attention.
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| Dan Haren hurled another quality start on Saturday allowing three runs in seven innings against the Pirates to pick up a no-decision. |
Our View: Haren was stung for two home runs on the day, but thanks to his ability to limit base runners, he allowed one six base runners, he was able to limit the damage.
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| Jake Peavy threw a simulated game on Saturday and the hope is that he will be able to take the hill for the Padres by the middle of the coming week, according to MLB.com. "It wasn't crisp by any means but I came out of it healthy," Peavy said. "Just have to get better than that before I pitch in a Major League baseball game, I know that." |
Our View: Peavy will throw on Monday in a side session, and if that goes well he will likely start on Thursday against the Dodgers.
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| Adam Wainwright was forced to leave his start on Saturday with a sprained right finger, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The Cardinals pitching staff is being decimated by injuries, so hopefully this isn't a situation that leads to any DL time for Wainwright.
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| Ryan Church was not in the Mets lineup on Saturday for the third time in four days, and he will likely also be out of the lineup on Sunday, according to the New York Daily News. |
Our View: Church had returned from his concussion to have a few productive days, but it's clear that he isn't 100% as the Mets continue to be very careful with him after many believe he was rushed back initially.
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| Johnny Estrada will travel to Florida to continue working on his recovery from an injured elbow, according to MLB.com. Estrada hopes to return to action by the end of the month. |
Our View: When Estrada is healthy, it's not a certainty that he will be able to unseat Jesus Flores or Paul Lo Duca (also to be activated soon).
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| Chad Cordero will travel to Florida to throw at the team's spring training complex for at least two weeks as he attempts to build up strength in his shoulder, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Cordero hopes to return to the Nationals by late June, but even when he does find his way back to the mound he will find it extremely difficult to pry the closers job from Jon Rauch.
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| Jeff Francoeur continues to struggle along, a fact highlighted by an 0-for-5 night with nine runners left on base on Friday leaving Francoeur batting .237 with a .379 SLG over his last 50 games, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. |
Our View: Francoeur has always been too much of a free swinger, and while the run production figures to be there by the end of the year, he will go through periods of extreme ineffectiveness because of his lack of strike zone control.
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| Word out of Atlanta is that Rafael Soriano was unavailable to pitch on Friday even though they were nursing a 2-1 lead because of soreness in his elbow, this according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We thought he was good to go," manager Bobby Cox said. "Had him set to throw the ninth inning. Called down [to the bullpen], and they said he couldn't go." |
Our View: The Braves bullpen went on to blow the game causing Tim Hudson owners to rejoice. The bottom line is that Soriano simply cannot be counted on, period. Manny Asosta is awful, which means that Blaine Boyer could get some looks in the closers role, and don't forget about Mike Gonzalez who should be back soon.
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| Manny Ramirez hit another long ball on Saturday to tie Eddie Murray for 23rd on the all-time list with 504 home runs. |
Our View: Manny also picked up three walks from the DH spot and didn't seem any worse for the wear with his injured knee and hamstring. Look for him to continue to mash out of the DH spot as his stick is white hot right now.
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| Scott Olsen is finally getting his "stuff" back even though he had a rough start last time out against the Braves, according to MLB.com. Olsen's fastball hit 92 in that outing, and his slider had more bite than he has been getting earlier in the year. |
Our View: Olsen had been throwing in the 85-88 range for most of the early going, so it's very encouraging to hear that his fastball had that extra little giddy up. He'll need to bring his K-rate back up (4.32 per 9) while drastically cutting his walks (3.96 per 9), or it won't matter.
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| Edwin Encarnacion was out of the Reds lineup on Saturday as he is still suffering from a swollen left elbow, the result of a HBP on Friday, according to MLB.com. "You play with a swollen, rusty hinge, boy, with that front elbow, that's bat speed right there," manager Dusty Baker said. "I told him to get some treatment. He fought me on it. Hopefully, he'll be ready tomorrow or the next day." |
Our View: Andy Phillips started in place of Edwin on Saturday who had recently rediscovered his swing at the plate hitting .304 over the past seven games.
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| Aaron Rowand was not in the Giants lineup on Saturday due to a sore right quadriceps, according to MLB.com. "[Manager Bruce Bochy's] just taking precaution," Rowand said. "It's tender, and he doesn't want to take a chance. We're just going to give it a day to calm down." |
Our View: Rowand is said to be available to pinch hit, and he hopes to return to action on Sunday which is vital for a Giants offense that simply can't replace Rowand's bat (.328 average).
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| Derrek Lee went 1-for-4 on Saturday as his batting average continues to plummet as its now down to .283. |
Our View: Lee is 2-for-14 over the past four games, and just 3-for-24 since June began. As troubling is that he has just one home run in 11 games.
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| Matt Kemp went deep for the fifth time this season on Friday on his way to three RBI for the Dodgers. |
Our View: Kemp continues to impress with the Dodgers with his .307 average, but his BABIP is extremely high which could signal a bit of a down turn in the average when things normalize, so keep that in mind moving forward.
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| Russell Martin had three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, for the Dodgers on Saturday. Martin scored twice and was able to knock in three runs in the outing. |
Our View: Even with this effort, Martin has only five home runs and 25 RBI putting him on pace to hit roughly 13 home runs with 70 RBI, which would be a big time step down from his work last season (19-87). He is hitting .316, but the rest of his performance is a bit disappointing including just five SB.
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| Derek Lowe held the Cubs to three runs over seven innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. All told, he allowed six hits and two walks while striking out four. |
Our View: Lowe rebounded from a rough stretch to record his fourth straight quality start and is one again back to being a solid back of the rotation option in mixed leagues.
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| Carlos Zambrano allowed a career worst 13 hits in 6.2 innings leading to sevens runs in a loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. Zambrano had a shutout through five innings before allowing two runs in the sixth and five in the seventh. |
Our View: Zambrano took out his frustrations on a couple of water coolers in the dugout with his best Pele kicking action. Look for Big Z to rebound next time out as he allowed only one walk on the day but just got beat on some bad pitches today.
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| Ryan Zimmerman, on the DL with a small tear in his left shoulder, will not receive a cortisone shot and will be re-evaluated on Monday, according to the Associated Press. "Cortisone is helpful with certain injuries with certain players, but we don’t want to mask anything with it,” general manager Jim Bowden said. |
Our View: Judging from the tenure of reports coming out of Washington, we are operating under the impression that Zimmerman will be lost for longer than 15 days as the Nats will proceed extremely cautiously with their cornerstone player.
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| Eric Byrnes continues to rehab his dual injured quads and he is making steady progress, according to MLB.com. "He ran a little bit today," D-backs manager Bob Melvin said. "He was probably about 50 percent, so nothing earth shattering. We will probably get after it a little bit harder after we get to New York. |
Our View: Byrnes has been out since May 27th, so even when healthy he will likely need some at-bats in the minors to get his swing back though he could also go the extended spring training route.
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| Clint Barmes, out with an injured right knee (May 22nd), has increased his baseball activities, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Barmes is still "a ways out", according to the report, but he has clearly moved on to the second phase of his rehab work with the third phase being participation in minor league games.
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| Troy Tulowitzki's injured quad is healing well, and he hopes to begin his rehab assignment in full next week, according to MLB.com. "He's doing very well," head trainer Keith Dugger said. "I'd say the last week he's been taking full ground balls. The last four or five days, there's no hesitation. He looks normal." |
Our View: This is great news for Tulo owners who could see him back on the field weeks before original estimates would have had us believe (all-star break).
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| Jayson Werth was activated from the DL on Saturday, according to EPSN. Werth had been dealing with a strained right oblique muscle. Chris Snelling was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Werth. |
Our View: Werth is in the lineup and starting in right field tonight, but it will be interesting to see how the Phillies choose to work Werth and the suddenly hot Geoff Jenkins into the lineup.
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| Luis Vizcaino was activated on Sunday from the DL prior to the Rockies and Brewers game, according to the Associated Press. Glendon Rusch was sent to Triple-A. |
Our View: Vizciano appeared in only two games before being sent to the DL with a strained right shoulder and will move back into a setup role in the Rockies pen, though he will likely be nothing more than the fourth option for saves, so he is only worthy of a look in NL Only leagues.
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| Danny Ardoin might be named Hiroki Kuroda's personal catcher, according to MLB.com. "It's tempting. I will look at it," manager Joe Torre said. "I think just to, what I saw in Chicago and again here last night is pretty impressive." |
Our View: In two starts catching Kuroda, the Japanese import has allowed just one run in 15.1 innings. Gary Bennett's recovery from plantar fasciitis and a battle with the yips is going well, but he might have an extended stay in the minors if the club goes with Ardoin.
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| Contrary to earlier reports, Jason Schmidt will not make his scheduled minor league start on Sunday due to "discomfort" in his shoulder, according to MLB.com. "It's not a setback, it's just a set aside," manager Torre said. "At this point, we're not ready to start the clock on him. I think we're more cautious on starting the clock because we know once we start it, you have a 30-day window. We're going to just hold off maybe for a few days, maybe a week, but depending on him." |
Our View: Schdmit had only 10 days left on the 30 day clock when he suddenly developed a phantom calf injury. He was then placed on the minor league DL which meant he would have another 30 days to pitch in the minors once activated. With this latest setback, the 30-day clock will be on hold until he hits the mound again.
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| Rickie Weeks will ride the pine tonight against Colorado, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Craig Counsell gets the start at second base, and is going to bat leadoff. |
Our View: Weeks holds a four-game hitting streak, but hasn't hit a homer since May 22, and only has one RBI over his last seven outings. He could use a day off.
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| Angel Berroa is not penciled into the starting lineup at shortstop against the Cubs today, according to the LA Daily News. |
Our View: Berroa was projected to get plenty of time at shortstop while Rafael Furcal is out, but the team opted for Chin-lung Hu today instead. Berroa only has one hit over 11 at-bats this season.
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| Manny Ramirez was suffering from a tight right knee and hamstring, but he returned to Boston's lineup on Saturday, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: He is batting cleanup, and fantasy owners should not be worried about him if he can play the entire game without any issues.
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| Matt Wise, who is on the DL with right rotator cuff tendinitis, was examined Thursday by orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles, according to Newsday. |
Our View: The Mets are still awaiting his diagnosis and treatment options for him. Wise allowed five earned runs and 10 hits over seven innings in relief this season, and is not worth waiting for as a fantasy performer.
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| Jason Schmidt threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Thursday, and is scheduled for a rehab start on Sunday with Triple-A Las Vegas, according to the LA Times. He is trying to bounce back from right shoulder surgery. |
Our View: He has dealt with a few setbacks in his recovery, but a solid outing could potentially put him back on target to return to the Dodgers by the All-Star break.
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| Jeff Kent, who was ejected on Friday, will ride the pine on Saturday, according to the LA Times. |
Our View: Kent has been performing very well, as he hit three homers over his last three games, and blasted four in his last seven outings.
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| Mark Sweeney strained his right hamstring while rounding first base on his way to a double on Monday against Colorado, but said he is improving, according to the LA Times. |
Our View: Sweeney was able to pinch-hit in the fifth inning of the opening game of the Dodgers' four-game set versus the Cubs on Thursday night, but had to have Chan Ho Park pinch-run for him when he reached base on a single. It remains to be determined how long Sweeney will be out of action. He was only hitting .130 over 46 at-bats, and held no fantasy value.
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| Rafael Furcal, who is recovering from a lower back strain, has targeted June 17 as his date of return to the Dodgers, according to the LA Times. |
Our View: Furcal will travel with the Dodgers for their upcoming series against the Padres that begins Monday and will work out with the team over the three-game set. If Furcal doesn't suffer a setback in San Diego, he will be sent on a minor league rehab assignment when the Dodgers head for an inter-league series against the Tigers in Detroit. Furcal hasn't played since May 5.
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| Jose Valentin, who is recovering from a disc injury, served as a DH for the second straight game for Triple-A New Orleans on Friday, according to Newsday. He went hitless, and is 0-for-8 over his two games. He could return to the Mets sometime next week. |
Our View: Valentin will provide veteran leadership to the Mets' infield, but not much else.
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| Brad Thompson is expected to begin his rehab assignment on Thursday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Though he may begin it earlier in the week. Thompson is recovering from right elbow inflammation. |
Our View: Thompson is being rehabbed as a starter. He held a poor 4.58 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over 17.2 innings this season prior to going down, and is not worth waiting for as a fantasy hurler.
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| Jason Isringhausen, who is recovering from a right hand laceration, will begin a rehab assignment on Monday at Single-A Palm Beach, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. |
Our View: The team is yet to set a timetable for his return to the Cardinals, or what his role may be with the team, as he blew five save opportunities this season.
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| Tyler Clippard is believed to get called up from Triple-A Columbus to make a spot-start in place of John Lannan on Monday, according to the Washington Times. |
Our View: Lannan pitched in Thursday's doubleheader and would have to come back on short rest to make his scheduled start. Clippard made six starts in 2007, and went 3-1, but held a poor 6.33 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. He is not worth fantasy consideration if he does in fact start on Monday.
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| Garrett Mock is projected to be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make a spot-start on Sunday for the Nationals, according to the Washington Times. |
Our View: He would replace the injured Odalis Perez, who is recovering from shoulder tendinitis. That would mark his first appearance of 2008, and would not merit fantasy consideration for likely one start.
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| Matt Chico's MRI results have shown loose bone fragments in his throwing elbow, according to the Washington Times. |
Our View: He will be re-examined by team doctors, but could be facing surgery. He held no fantasy value, as he was 0-6 this season, with a 6.19 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.
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