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| For the second time in less than 24 hours, Rangers' closer C.J. Wilson pitched in the ninth inning of a close game and couldn't get the job done. Wilson allowed two runs on two hits, walked one and struck out one. Despite the performance the Rangers were able to secure a 5-4 victory over the Braves on Thursday night.
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Our View: On Thursday, Wilson couldn't finish what he started but he was bailed out by a clutch hit from veteran Michael Young. Wilson has struggled this year. His ERA (5.04) is far too excessive for a relief pitcher and his BB/9 ration (4.50) is to blame.
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| Matt Holliday went 2-for-3 with two RBI helping the Rockies to a 6-3 victory over the scuffling Indians on Thursday night. |
Our View: Holliday is quietly securing himself among the fantasy elite. The Roks outfielder is hitting .329 with 33 RBI and 37 runs scored and while his numbers are not what they were a year ago, Holliday has accomplished his statline in only 56 games.
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| Jeremy Sowers recorded a quality start, but it wasn't enough as the Rockies defeated the Indians 6-3 on Thursday night. Sowers allowed three runs on 10 hits, walked none and struck out four. |
Our View: The 10 hits that Sowers surrendered included three infield hits and two bloopers. The lefty improved on his last start and given the circumstances the kid pitched well enough to win. The Indians bullpen, specifically Masahide Kobayashi, surrendered the lead in the seventh inning and the Rockies cruised to their third straight win and 31st of the season.
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| The Plain Dealer reports that Dr. James Andrews told the Indians that Travis Hafner does not need surgery on his shoulder, back or rotator cuff.
Hafner has no timetable to rejoin the lineup, but from what head trainer Lonnie Soloff told the paper, it could be a long time.
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Our View: Hafner will continue his program of strengthening the rotator cuff and shoulder girdle (the muscles surrounding the shoulder) and have his strength re-evaluated every 7-to-10 days.
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| Grant Balfour pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win on Thursday night. It was the second win of the interleague series against the Cubs for the former Twins prospect. |
Our View: Balfour made his eighth appearance of the season on Thursday night. Coming into the game the right-hander had allowed two runs on three hits, walked five and struck out 12 in 8.2 innings. He is a solid addition to what has turned out to be a very good Rays 'pen.
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| Carl Crawford hit his second career grand slam and the Tampa Bay Rays scored a 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. |
Our View: Crawford, who was playing in only his second game since serving a four-game suspension for his part in the Boston brawl earlier this month, went 3-for-5 scoring once and driving in four. The speedster was caught stealing for the fifth time this season against 19 successes.
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| Aubrey Huff went 2-for-3 with a home run and the Orioles extended the Astros' losing streak to eight games with a 7-5 victory Thursday night. |
Our View: Huff is currently in a rhythm and the Orioles are once again hitting and pitching better than expected. The first baseman and designated hitter hit his 12th home run of the season, and has gone deep in three of the past four games.
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| Ramon Hernandez hit a solo home run helping the Baltimore Orioles execute a sweep of the Houston Astros with a 7-5 win on Thursday night. |
Our View: Hernandez hasn't produced as expected, but his fifth home run of the season and the Birds winning streak is keeping the restless happy in Baltimore... for now.
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| Brian Burres allowed three runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out three in 5.2 innings of work, and helped the Orioles climb three games over .500 for the first time since May 21. Burres improved his record to 6-5 with the win. |
Our View: Burres gave up two early runs, single tallies in the first and the second and settled down to finesse the aggressive Astros hitters until Matt Albers took over in the sixth. The lefty won't overpower hitters but when he can locate his breaking pitch he's good enough to supply the Orioles and AL-only owners with quality innings.
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| George Sherrill saved his 24th game of the season in Thursday's win over the Astros, and notched his seventh in June. |
Our View: George Sherrill entered with the bases loaded in the ninth and gave up a sacrifice fly to Kazuo Matsui and a run-scoring infield hit to Miguel Tejada before retiring Lance Berkman on a short fly ball to end the game with the O's winning 7-5.
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| Alex Cintron went 3-for-4 hitting out of the ninth spot in the batting order helping the Orioles extend the Houston Astros' losing streak to eight games with a 7-5 victory Thursday night. |
Our View: Cintron had two singles and his first home run of the season. Back from the dead, Cintron was starting at shortstop for Freddie Bynum, and at this point it appears the two will share at-bats from the position. Cintron has much more offensive upside the the light-hitting Bynum and he showed that tonight.
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| James Shields allowed three runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out nine Cubs over 6.1 innings of work. Shields and the Rays began the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead, but the Cubs strung together a double by Fontenot, a single by Fukudome, a single by Theriot and an error by B.J. Upton allowed Chicago to score three runs. |
Our View: When Shields exited the game he was the pitcher of record and could win his fifth game of the year but could lose his sixth. The performance by Shields was outstanding until the hard-throwing right-hander appeared to run out of gas.
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| Sean Gallagher allowed one run on four hits, walked two and struck out three over six innings on Thursday night. He left the game with the Cubs leading 3-1. |
Our View: Gallagher continues to hold down the fifth spot in the Cubs rotation. As long as he continues to pitch like he did on Thursday, Rich Hill will continue to find himself riding the Triple-A bus.
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| Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who is with the parent club because of his bat, went 0-for-4 in Thursday's win over the Braves. The young catcher's average fell to .226 in 93 at-bats on the season. |
Our View: Atlanta stole two bases, giving Texas opponents 23 consecutive thefts when Saltalamacchia is the catcher. Again, Salty needs to hit if he wants to carry his weight.
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| Scott Feldman gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings of work and was in line for the win on Thursday afternoon until the Texas bullpen, closer C.J. Wilson, blew up for the second straight game. |
Our View: Feldman allowed two runs on five hits, walked three and struck out four. The right-hander will keep his spot in the rotation after today's effort. Not that the Rangers have many choices on the farm, especially after firing the volatile Sidney Ponson.
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| Evan Longoria is starting at shortstop in tonight's series finale against the Chicago Cubs. The rookie is hitting in his usual fifth spot in the batting order. |
Our View: Longoria is starting for Jason Bartlett and Willy Aybar has moved from first to third base. Eric Hinske is the bagman tonight and Cliff Floyd is serving as the designated hitter. There is no evidence that Longoria will get more than a handful of starts at short this season, but owners in leagues that need only one start at any given position to receive eligibility are loving the new possibilities.
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| Michael Young singled home Ian Kinsler in the bottom of the ninth inning the game-winning RBI and the Texas Rangers, rallying twice, brought home a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Young's average has hit a season low of .281. The game winning single was his only hit in the win.
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| While most believe that Jeremy Sowers is in the Cleveland rotation because of injuries, the left-hander deserves the chance and is much better than his 0-1 record, 7.23 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. Sowers will be a capable No. 4 or 5 starter for years to come, and will likely be even better when he's had more experience and time to develop at the big league level. |
Our View: Remember in the 2006 season when everyone thought that the Cleveland Indians lefty was a superstar in the making after throwing back-to-back shutouts? It's amazing how quickly fans, and the fantasy nation, turn on a player, especially a pitcher. Sowers faces a Colorado Rockies lineup today that has no first hand experience against the young southpaw. Advantage Sowers tonight.
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| The Jeff Clement watch continues. The rookie's return to the Seattle lineup on Wednesday night had mixed results. He was hitless in two official at bats, dropping his average to .160 in 50 at-bats. |
Our View: However, the catcher walked twice, which is more noteworthy than if he had recorded two hits. Clement had walked only seven times in his 15 earlier games with the parent club. A rookie that takes walks offers evidence of good things to come.
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| Joakim Soria saved his third game in three days and the Kansas City Royals completed a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 4-1 victory on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Soria threw three perfect innings in three days and bumped his save total from 15 to 18 on the season. In 32 innings of work this year the right-hander has allowed only 17 hits and five runs.
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| It wasn't Gavin Floyd best effort this year, but the White Sox right-hander won his fourth straight decision, allowing seven runs (one earned) on six hits, walked two and struck out six as Chicago defeated Pittsburgh 13-8 on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Floyd improved his record to 8-3 and his ERA dipped 11 points from 3.30 to 3.19.
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| A.J. Pierzynski went 2-for-5 in yet another White Sox offensive onslaught against Pittsburgh. The catcher now has a 13-game hitting streak. |
Our View: The second slot in the White Sox batting order has provided Pierzynski owners with some additional runs. The starting catcher has 32 runs scored on the season.
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| Orlando Cabrera homered and had four RBI as the White Sox rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-5 on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Another offensive typhoon by the White Sox at Comerica Park. Cabrera had three RBI in Tuesday's 16-5 win, and the four he added today gives him 30 on the season.
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| Jermaine Dye hit two home runs helping the Chicago White Sox execute a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-8 on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: The White Sox continue to tear the cover off the ball at home and Dye's two home runs raised his season total to 14. The right fielder also registered six RBI in the game giving him 38 on the season.
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| Mark Teahen missed the cycle by a double and had three RBI in the Royals 4-1 win over the Cardinals on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Teahen is beginning to produce a more consistent power stroke. The home run was only his seventh in 258 at-bats, but he recently hit three home runs in three games when the Royals visited Comerica Park.
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| Zack Greinke, Ramon Ramirez and Joakim Soria combined on a two-hitter, and the Kansas City Royals completed their first three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals since 2001 with a 4-1 victory Thursday. Greinke allowed one run on two hits, walked one and struck out seven in seven innings of work. |
Our View: Greinke was outstanding, and after a rough three-game patch that saw him walk seven in his last start in Arizona, the Royals ace proved again that he is one of the best pitchers in the American League. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 3.33 with the performance.
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| A.J. Burnett allowed eight runs on eight hits, walked four and struck out five over five innings, and the Toronto Blue fell 8-7 to the Brewers on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Burnett continues to produce Jekyll and Hyde results in his starts. After a 10 hit, eight run outing against the Orioles on June 7th he came back with five strong innings against the Cubs in his last start. The right-hander holds a 5.42 ERA after today's performance.
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| Russell Branyan hit his third homer in three days, a three-run shot, and the Brewers held on for an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: Branyan is doing his best Babe Ruth imitation. The third baseman has hit 10 home runs in 62 at-bats. Yes, one home run in every 6.2 AB.
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| Joe Inglett hit a two-out grand slam that highlighted the Blue Jays' six-run rally in the ninth inning against the Brewers. Milwaukee held on for a 8-7 win on Thursday afternoon. |
Our View: It was the reserve infielder's first home run of the season.
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| Joba Chamberlain only allowed one earned run on four hits over 5.2 innings of work in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Padres, with three walks and nine strikeouts. He exited the game with a no decision. |
Our View: This was a great outing despite only lasting 5.2 innings. He should continue to get stronger with every start.
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| Michael Cuddyer went 2-for-2 (with two walks) and chipped in a pair of RBI in Thursday's 9-3 victory over the Nationals. He hit a double and a triple. |
Our View: Cuddyer raised his season average to .251, and has 34 RBI over 56 games.
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| Glen Perkins surrendered three earned runs on 10 hits over eight innings in Thursday's 9-3 win over Washington, with one walk and two strikeouts. One of the runs came on a Dmitri Young solo shot. |
Our View: Perkins has allowed nine homers over nine starts, and has given up at least three earned runs in five straight.
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| Jonah Bayliss has been traded to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. |
Our View: He was designated for assignment by the Pirates in late May, and held a terrible 8.36 ERA and 1.83 WHIP over 37.2 innings. He could benefit from a fresh start in Toronto, but his fantasy value won't likely climb high enough to consider for your rosters.
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| Brian Bruney, who is recovering from a torn ligament in his left foot, remains optimistic he could return to the Yankees in late July, according to Pinstripe-Alley.com. But he first needs to get into a rhythm of throwing every other day, and then getting in some work in rehab games. |
Our View: Late July to early August seems an accurate estimation for his return. He will help the Yankees pen upon his return, but will hold little fantasy value as a middle-reliever.
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| As expected, reliever Kiko Calero has been designated for assignment, according to the AP. Oakland activated Santiago Casilla from the DL, and viewed Calero as expendable to make room on the roster. |
Our View: Calero only pitched 4.2 innings with the A's this season, and held no fantasy value prior to his designation.
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| Santiago Casilla has been activated from the 15-day DL, according to the AP. The team decided to designate Kiko Calero for assignment, as an adjoining move. Casilla has recovered from right elbow soreness. |
Our View: Casilla only allowed two earned runs over 19.1 innings this season, with 22 strikeouts and a 0.83 WHIP. He should return to fantasy service, namely in leagues that use middle relievers.
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| Oneli Perez, who was designated for assignment by the Indians last week, has been claimed by the Yankees on Wednesday, according to MLB.com. The Yankees optioned him to Double-A Trenton. |
Our View: Perez did not make an appearance with the Indians this season, and will continue to hold no fantasy value in the Yankees' system in 2008.
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| Jeremy Sowers will be looking for his first win of 2008 when he takes the hill against the Rockies today at Coors Field, according to MLB.com. Sowers is 0-1 over four starts, with a 7.23 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. |
Our View: Sowers should not be considered for your lineups, especially against a potent Rockies' lineup at Coors. Sowers is having trouble putting away hitters, and blew a 3-0 lead in his last outing on June 13, as Cleveland fell 9-5. He has given up nine earned runs over his last two starts, with only three strikeouts over the span.
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| Hideki Matsui is battling soreness in his left knee and is not in the starting lineup today, but could be available to pinch-hit against the Padres, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: He is expected to play on Friday at home against the Reds, but the team will continue to evaluate his knee. The Yankees will not have a DH option over six games from June 24-29 as they are on the road against the Pirates and Mets.
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| Freddy Garcia is on the radar of the Tigers (as previously reported), White Sox, Indians, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, according to Fox Sports. |
Our View: Three of those teams are in the AL Central. Garcia is trying to make a comeback from shoulder surgery and could throw for teams in early July. He has a good relationship with Chicago skipper Ozzie Guillen, but is also friends with Detroit's Carlos Guillen.
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| Joe Mauer is in the Twins' lineup today against the Nationals, according to the Star Tribune. He was not given a day off following last night's game. |
Our View: He played today as the team may opt to go with Mike Redmond on Friday against lefty Randy Johnson. The Twins are also going for a sweep against Washington today, which would be their first since sweeping Kansas City May 27-29.
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| John McLaren has been fired as the Mariners' skipper, according to the Seattle Times. Seattle holds a MLB-worst 25-47 record, and his termination is not a surprise. |
Our View: Bench coach Jim Riggleman will take over as acting manager. The Mariners are off today, and will play the Braves on Friday in Atlanta.
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| Milton Bradley is expected to miss another game today due to his strained left quad, according to the Star-Telegram. |
Our View: Manager Ron Washington hopes he can make it back onto the diamond on Friday. Adjust your lineups accordingly.
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| Joba Chamberlain will be making his fourth start of the season today when the Yankees host the Padres in the Bronx, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Manager Joe Girardi will not restrict his pitch count today, and will let him throw upwards of 100 pitches, but will keep a close eye on him. It will depend on the difficulty of his innings. He threw six strong innings in his last start (his final pitched clocked at 97 mph), and is a good fantasy option at Yankee Stadium today, especially against a Padres team that will be without Kevin Kouzmanoff.
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| Ken Griffey Jr. missed another game on Wednesday due to a bout with the flu, but was available to pinch-hit if needed, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He said, "It started Saturday and I can't focus for long distances. It's flu-like. It is probably more dehydration than anything."
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Our View: The Reds activated outfielder Norris Hopper from the DL to give the team depth while Griffey is sick. Griffey could sit out today's game as well.
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| Nick Blackburn threw a 15-minute pen session on Wednesday, with no problems, according to the Star Tribune. He said, "My arm felt too good." His last start was pushed back due to elbow soreness.
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Our View: His next start will be Saturday against the Diamondbacks.
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| Adam Everett, who is battling a right shoulder strain, is not returning to the Twins anytime soon, according to the Star Tribune. He made some light throws on Wednesday, but remains a long way from returning. |
Our View: Everett was only hitting .189 over 25 games this season, and Brendan Harris is doing better at shortsop, and will get support from Nick Punto when he returns from the DL, meaning Everett isn't going to be rushed back to the club.
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| The Cubs are not targeting outfielder Coco Crisp, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. |
Our View: A team source stated that the Cubs have had no talks with the Red Sox regarding Crisp since spring training.
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| There has been news swirling that Seattle could be parting ways with Richie Sexson, but the Seattle Post-Intelligencer states that the team isn't ready to go that route as of yet. A team source said, "There's a lot of moving parts. You could see a few things happen at once, and it will depend on having some procedural things in place."
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Our View: He is owed around $8 million for the rest of this season, and the Mariners would have to pay all or most of that to trade him to another team. If he's designated for assignment and clears waivers, he would likely refuse a minor league assignment and become a free agent while being paid his full salary. Sexson is hitting .220 over 205 at-bats, with 66 strikeouts and only nine homers.
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| Coco Crisp is expected back soon after sustaining a soft-tissue strain on the top of his left hand on Wednesday, according to the Providence Journal. |
Our View: Manager Terry Francona does not believe the ailment is serious and thinks Crisp may be ready to return to the lineup on Friday night against the Cardinals at Fenway Park.
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| Anthony Reyes has been placed on the 15-day DL due to a strained right elbow, according to the AP. Reyes said, "I knew there was something there, but I didn’t think it was serious. I think it’s more precautionary than anything.They don’t want me starting a game knowing it’s going to be in there in the back of my mind."
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Our View: Brad Thompson will now start against Kansas City Thursday. Thompson has been on the DL since April 23 with an elbow injury.
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| Brent Clevlen has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo, according to MLive.com. The Tigers activated Clete Thomas from the DL, and optioned Clevlen to make room on the roster. |
Our View: Clevlen displayed solid defense over 11 games, but only hit .208 with eight strikeouts.
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| Clete Thomas has been activated from the DL, according to MLive.com. Outfielder Brent Clevlen has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo to make room on the roster. |
Our View: He has recovered from his sprained ankle, and will fight for playing time in the Tigers' outfield. He didn't hit any homers over 65 at-bats this season, but maintains a solid .292 average.
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