MLB Fantasy News 2010

[HacheMan]

All's Wells for Vernon Again?
Vernon Wells went 3-for-4 with a homer on Opening Day and followed that up with two more homers Wednesday, showing some serious signs of life after a terrible 2009. Last year was either the worst or second-worst of Wells' career, with the other forgettable campaign being 2007, and he bounced back from that to hit .300 with an .840 OPS in 2008. Too early to expect a similar story in 2010, but so far so good.

While the $107 million left on Wells' contract looks slightly less horrific for the Blue Jays, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Billy Wagner looked excellent Wednesday nailing down his first Braves save, clocking in at 96-99 miles per hour with his fastball and breaking off several unhittable sliders to strike out the side. Wagner has come back amazingly well from Tommy John surgery given that he went under the knife at age 36. Since returning late last season he's thrown 17.2 innings, racking up 31 strikeouts compared to just nine hits.

* Rich Harden's lack of peak velocity during spring training carried over to his Rangers debut Wednesday, as he worked mostly in the high-80s and topped 91-92 miles per hour on just a couple pitches. Harden has always managed to remain dominant despite a never-ending string of injuries, but his velocity has crept downward for several years now and he was anything but overpowering against the Blue Jays.

* After a cortisone shot and having his surgically repaired knee drained, Lance Berkman said Wednesday that he's hoping to come off the disabled list during the six-game road trip that begins Monday. Geoff Blum and Pedro Feliz have batted fifth while replacing Berkman at first base, so the Astros desperately need him back in the lineup, but some of his comments suggest that the knee is still far from full strength.

* Kelly Johnson moved into the leadoff spot Wednesday with Conor Jackson getting the night off and responded by going 3-for-3 with two homers and a walk. With his value at an all-time low following a poor, injury wrecked season Johnson was one of my favorite sleeper targets in part because Arizona is a great place to hit and in part because he batted .282/.362/.451 in 297 games for the Braves in the previous two seasons.

* Milwaukee faced a right-handed pitcher for the second time Wednesday and for the second time Jim Edmonds started over Corey Hart in right field, going 2-for-4 with a double. Edmonds is 40 years old and sat out last season when the job market proved lacking, but looked good this spring and posted an .882 OPS against righties in 2008. He's unlikely to hit for much of a batting average, but the power and patience remain.

AL Quick Hits: John Lackey tossed six shutout innings in his Red Sox debut Wednesday, but Curtis Granderson won it with an extra-inning homer off Jonathan Papelbon ... Ian Kinsler (ankle) is hoping to join the Rangers during an 11-game road trip that begins Monday ... Russell Branyan (back) is slated to begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A ... Max Scherzer and Luke Hochevar combined for 13.2 shutout innings Wednesday in a game that went into extra frames ... Nolan Reimold got his first start Wednesday when Felix Pie was scratched from the lineup with a sore shoulder ... Fausto Carmona handed out six walks Wednesday, but also held the White Sox to one hit in six innings ... Hideki Matsui is scheduled to play the outfield Thursday for the first time since June of 2008 ... Jim Thome got his first start Wednesday, but Ron Gardenhire oddly chose to bench Jason Kubel rather than Delmon Young versus a right-hander ... Matt Joyce (elbow) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A ... Jake Fox replaced Eric Chavez at designated hitter Wednesday against a left-hander.

NL Quick Hits: Edgar Renteria reached safely in all six plate appearances Wednesday, collecting five hits and a walk in a blowout win ... Brad Lidge (elbow, knee) is slated to throw a bullpen session Thursday, but there's no timetable yet for his return ... Jose Reyes went 1-for-5 with a double in an extended spring training game Wednesday ... Jason Giambi started Wednesday as part of the Rockies' plan to give Todd Helton more rest ... Brett Myers escaped with a no-decision Wednesday despite giving up a dozen hits in six innings ... Jason Marquis lasted just four innings in his Nationals debut, coughing up six runs ... Jeff Keppinger started at shortstop Wednesday after Tommy Manzella was plunked on the wrist ... Joe Blanton (oblique) made 60 throws from 60 feet Wednesday, but isn't close to rejoining the rotation yet ... After batting .373 with 18 RBIs in 20 games this spring, Hunter Pence is 0-for-12 ... With his path to Cincinnati blocked by Joey Votto, the Reds have moved prospect Yonder Alonso to left field.

 

[HacheMan]

Kelly Goes Ka-Powski

"I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so, I'm so... scared!"

- Jesse Spano, 1990

Powerful words, apropos to the first week of the baseball season for some fantasy owners. Much like how our friend Jesse here crammed for geometry, we used the winter to formulate a cohesive and flawless game plan on draft day. There were probably some pretty late nights along the way -- hopefully none under the influence of anything on the banned substance list, of course. But now that the drafts are done and the games are underway, all (or most) of your sound offseason logic is thrown out the window.

You probably felt pretty okay drafting Carlos Zambrano and Neftali Feliz at the time. But now? They've ruined your week. You would have never thought of drafting Edgar Renteria -- I mean, he's shot, right? -- but after a five hit day against the Astros on Wednesday, he's 8-for-11 to start the season while Mark Teixeira -- a consensus top 10 pick -- is 0-for-12. What gives? Ah, it's just the natural ebb-and-flow of the baseball season. It's back. And it's fantastic.

Let's move on to the good stuff.

MIXED LEAGUES

Kelly Johnson 2B, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 5 percent owned, ESPN: 81.4 percent)

Johnson greets us as the new hot waiver claim on Thursday morning. He was 3-for-3 with a pair of homers, three RBI and a walk while batting leadoff against the Padres on Wednesday night. The 28-year-old was non-tendered by the Braves last December after he batted just .224/.303/.389 over 303 at-bats, but remember that he is just two years removed from double-digit homers and stolen bases. There's still plenty of reason for optimism here, as Johnson moves to one of the friendliest parks in the National League for left-handed hitters, according to Bill James' Park Indices. If I had one small area of concern, it would be that manager A.J. Hinch had him batting eighth for the first two games of the season. Hopefully he rewards Johnson's fine performance with another chance out of the leadoff spot against the Pirates on Friday. Johnson is notoriously streaky, so perhaps he sticks there for at least a little while.

Jeff Niemann SP, Rays (Yahoo: 75 percent owned, ESPN: 10.4 percent)

This is how one site's pre-draft rankings can make a huge difference on ownership. If you're in fortunate enough to be in one of these ESPN.com leagues, take note and take advantage. Niemann held his own in the American League East as a rookie last season, finishing 13-6 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 125/59 K/BB ratio over 180 2/3 innings. It's easy to expect some regression as far as his FB/HR rate is concerned (7.6 percent last season), but Niemann exhibits adequate control and will at least induce equal amounts of groundballs and flyballs moving forward. His minor league track record indicates that there could be more grounders on the way. I'm even more encouraged by his performance during spring training. Sure, the statistics don't matter, but it's hard not to be impressed by a 24/3 K/BB ratio over 25 1/3 innings. Niemann won't overpower hitters, but he appears to be a relatively safe bet to round out your rotation in 12-team mixed leagues.

Nick Johnson 1B, Yankees (Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 56.8 percent)

The resistance to Johnson is only natural given his injury history and his lack of power relative to other first baseman, but if you're currently waiting on Lance Berkman to return from the disabled list, why not take a flier on someone who has the cushy job of batting No. 2 in what is arguably the best lineup in all of baseball? We all know Johnson is an on-base machine -- so he's probably already gone in OPS leagues -- but looking deeper at his power output from last season, you'll notice that he traded some flyballs for groundballs while his FB/HR shrunk to a career-low 6.2 percent (as opposed to a 13 percent career average). The result? Just eight home runs in 574 plate appearances. Would it be crazy to think he'll hit a few more homers within the cozy confines of the new Yankee Stadium? I think not. Buy!

Wade Davis SP, Rays (Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 64.9 percent)

I'm not ready to say he should be universally-owned quite yet, but I'd rather take a chance on the immense talent of Davis than middling options like John Maine, Paul Maholm and Kyle Lohse -- all of whom are currently owned in more Yahoo leagues. Armed with a plus-curveball, the 24-year-old Davis impressed in a brief six-start sneak preview last season, posting a 3.72 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 36/13 K/BB ratio over 36 1/3 innings. He was awarded a spot in the rotation over Andy Sonnanstine this spring and with the benefit of regular starts this season, I believe he possesses even more upside than the aforementioned Jeff Niemann.

Matt Lindstrom RP, Astros (Yahoo: 45 percent owned, ESPN: 59.9 percent)

Lindstrom has been one of the hottest adds in mixed leagues this week, but he's still available in far too many leagues for my liking. The 30-year-old fireballer was handed the ninth-inning gig by new skipper Brad Mills and it wasn't just because Brandon Lyon (shoulder) was limited for the early part of the exhibition schedule. Nope. Lindstrom simply outpitched him, compiling an 0.84 ERA and a 10/4 K/BB ratio over 10 2/3 spring innings compared to Lyon's 6.43 ERA and 3/2 K/BB ratio over seven innings. Casting injuries aside, the fact that Lindstrom experienced a down year statistically last season wasn't a tremendous surprise. Remember, his 3.14 ERA in 2008 was aided in part by the fact that he allowed just one home run over 57 1/3 innings. Command has never been Lindstrom's strong suit, but with a power fastball and a 46.5 career groundball rate working in his favor, he's a pretty nice candidate for a rebound. The only red flag here -- and it could be a big one -- is if the Astros try to justify Lyon's bloated contract by pushing him back into the closer role. Stay tuned.

Josh Willingham OF, Nationals (Yahoo: 24 percent owned, ESPN: 15.8 percent)

While doing research on Opening Week sensation Colby Rasmus (Yahoo: 60 percent owned, ESPN: 66.5 percent), I noticed one common theme: For some reason, Willingham is still available in over 75 percent of leagues. Some may get hung up on his rough finish to the 2009 season, but it ultimately obscured what amounted to some near-elite production from the 31-year-old. "The Hammer" connected for 24 homers in just 427 at-bats, while matching or posting new career-highs in on-base percentage (.367), slugging percentage (.496) and OPS (.863). There's enough of a track record here to suggest that he may already be at his ceiling, but he should see plenty of RBI opportunities hitting behind Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn for a full season. With a little luck, I could see him at .270 with 25 bombs and 90 RBI.

Here's a helpful reminder: For exclusive stat projections, player rankings and more, check out Rotoworld's MLB Season Pass

Chris Young SP, Padres (Yahoo: 30 percent owned, ESPN: 6.7 percent)

Young, who underwent shoulder surgery last August, looked in fine form in his season debut against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, allowing just one hit over six shutout innings. After giving it some thought, I see two significant reasons to consider buying on Young right now. One, because he pitches half of his games in a place where his penchant for walks and flyballs won't hurt him nearly as badly as it would elsewhere. And two, because with a couple more solid efforts under his belt, he would make for great trade bait. And wouldn't you know it, his next two starts will be at PETCO. Worth speculating.

Sean Rodriguez 2B/OF, Rays (Yahoo: 12 percent owned, ESPN: 8.8 percent)

Before you grab everyone's new favorite sleeper from the waiver wire, just know that Matt Joyce, who was placed on the disabled list due to a strained right elbow, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Thursday. Once he's ready to return to action, either Rodriguez or Reid Brignac will likely be sent to the minors. So, consider the next two weeks a duel. Rodriguez, who batted .460 (29-for-63) with six homers and 17 RBI during spring training and was other-worldly playing in the hitter-friendly PCL last season, is obviously the more appealing option in fantasy, especially with eligibility at second base and the outfield in some leagues. Let's hope he hits enough to stay up here.

J.J. Hardy SS, Twins (Yahoo: 22 percent owned, ESPN: 94.8 percent)

With two home runs over the first three games of the season, Hardy is bound to be another popular claim on Thursday. After all, it's pretty easy to get nostalgic about his back-to-back 20-plus homer seasons of 2007 and 2008. I'm pretty optimistic about his chances for a rebound, as well, especially if he can rediscover his once-potent production against left-handers (.539 OPS last season as opposed to an .878 OPS for his career).


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AL-ONLY

Ryan Raburn OF/1B, Tigers (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.4 percent)

If you're in a competitive league I'm going to assume he's already gone, but it's positively shocking to see that he isn't owned in more leagues. Granted, he's essentially Detroit's tenth man, but remember that he hit 16 homers in just 245 at-bats last season, including a sick 976 OPS in 133 at-bats against southpaws. And this is hardly a fluke, either, as he managed a 908 OPS against left-handed pitching during his minor league career. While he's an obvious add in AL-only leagues, I still think he'll end up having some mixed league value.

Gio Gonzalez SP, Athletics (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.3 percent)

Gonzalez compiled a 2.96 ERA and a 25/13 K/BB ratio over 24 1/3 innings this spring, beating out Trevor Cahill for the final spot in the starting rotation. Still, the 24-year-old left-hander remains one of the most frustrating talents in all of baseball. For all the strikeouts he racks up with his excellent curveball (9.7 K/9 in 132 2/3 big league innings), he has averaged 5.5 BB/9, rendering him a complete drag in the WHIP department. Fantasy owners shouldn't expect a miracle here, and there's a pretty good chance he'll be a headache once again, but I'm optimistic that he'll at least see an improvement upon his .369 batting average on balls in play from last season. It's hard to find this kind of strikeout potential just sitting on the waiver wire, so it's worth a shot if he can finally figure things out.

Mike Aviles SS, Royals (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.8 percent)

This one goes out to Reid, who emailed me last week saying that I "whiffed" on Aviles. I held back on recommending him at the time only because there was still the small chance that the Royals wouldn't think Aviles, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, would have the arm strength to play the left side of the infield this soon. I'm happy to be wrong in this case, as Aviles earned a roster spot after batting .471 (24-for-51) with five triples, eight RBI and 16 runs scored. So far, Willie Bloomquist and Alberto Callaspo have drawn starts at third and things could get even more complicated after Alex Gordon and Josh Fields return. Let's hope Aviles progresses to the point where he can make throws from shortstop again. Unseating Yuniesky Betancourt might be his best avenue to regular playing time.

Eric Chavez 3B/DH Athletics (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent)

This isn't fun for me. Ultimately, this is one of those "hold your nose" selections, but with Jack Cust on the scrap heap, it appears the oft-injured Chavez will be given regular at-bats as the designated hitter in Oakland. The 32-year-old Chavez has only played in 31 games over the past two seasons, but the designated hitter role may give him the best chance of lasting through the season. I'm hardly holding my breath, but there's some value in that. If he fails, Jake Fox will be waiting.

NL-ONLY

Mike Fontenot 2B, Cubs (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 1.3 percent)

I first mentioned him a few weeks ago when it became obvious that he would be the lefty-swinging side of a platoon with Jeff Baker. Fontenot left little doubt that he was up to the task by batting .355 (22-for-62) with two home runs and 15 RBI during spring training. Admittedly, Fontenot was a bust as a full-fledged starter last season and though it appears he was unlucky with a .276 batting average on balls in play, a .236 batting average will happen when you lose a significant number of line drives. That being said, with even a modest rebound in BABIP and line-drive percentage, I could see him matching his .278 batting average from 2007 while possibly reaching double-digit home runs for the first time. It's not a bad gamble for a guy who is also eligible at third base.

John Bowker OF, Giants (Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 0.5 percent)

Bowker earned the right field job over early favorite Nate Schierholtz on the strength of a .312/.386/.623 spring batting line to go along with six homers and 23 RBI. His hot-hitting has already translated to the regular season, as Bowker slugged a two-run homer off Brett Myers on Wednesday. The 26-year-old was jerked around by the Giants last season, resulting in a .194 batting average to go along with two home runs and seven RBI in 67 at-bats, but he absolutely raked in the minors, leading the PCL with a .342 batting average while hitting 21 homers and driving in 83 runs for Triple-A Fresno. He'll have to remain productive in order to keep the job, and strikeouts could be a problem for him, but I see some sneaky power potential here.

Seth Smith OF, Rockies (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 1.6 percent)

It's utterly shocking to see Smith owned in so few leagues when there's a real chance he could be mixed-league worthy by the end of the 2010 season. Dexter Fowler was benched against Yovani Gallardo on Opening Day on account of his performance against right-handers last season, suggesting that he could share left field duties with Smith, at least initially. The 27-year-old batted .293/.378/.510 with 15 homers and 55 RBI in 335 at-bats last season, emerging as one of the more valuable fourth outfielders in baseball. If he's on the better side of a platoon, he should be owned in every NL-only league, with mixed-league relevance not far away.

Felipe Paulino SP, Astros (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

Here's one of my favorite sleepers. Of course, Paulino was a complete mess on the surface in '09, finishing 3-11 with a 6.27 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. All very icky stuff. But step back for a second and realize that he actually managed a pretty impressive 93/37 K/BB ratio. There's even more reason for hope here, as Paulino has a rather outlandish 17.6 percent HR/FB ratio over his first 28 major league appearances. Couple that with his .368 batting average on balls in play last season and it's enough to tell you he isn't nearly as bad as some of these traditional numbers indicate. Keep in mind that command has been a problem for him in the minor leagues (4.4 BB/9), so he'll need to prove that he can pitch deep in games, but with a mid-90s fastball and a powerful slider, he has some of the best raw stuff on the Astros' staff.

 

[HacheMan]

D-Train Back on Track?
After capturing a spot in the Tigers' rotation this spring Dontrelle Willis made his 2010 debut Thursday with a Quality Start, allowing two runs over six innings in a no-decision. Willis has come a long way after not being able to throw the ball over the plate for the past two seasons, tossing 54 of 88 pitches for strikes and walking just two batters, but there's plenty of reason to be skeptical that he'll reemerge as an impact pitcher.

For one thing, the spring performance that earned him a rotation spot included an awful 14/12 K/BB ratio in 22 innings. Beyond that, his velocity was underwhelming Thursday and a Royals lineup that included left-handed bats David DeJesus, Scott Podsednik, Rick Ankiel, and Chris Getz was just about the most favorable matchup possible for Willis. He also strung together back-to-back Quality Starts early on last year before falling apart.

While the D-Train takes one step toward getting back on track, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Despite a 3.75 ERA, 51 saves, and 231 strikeouts in 233 innings as a reliever over the past four seasons C.J. Wilson campaigned for a spot in the Rangers' rotation this spring, won the third-starter gig, and tossed seven shutout innings Thursday in his first start since 2005. Wilson was impressive with nine strikeouts versus five hits and two walks, but Frank Francisco blew his win by serving up a homer to the red hot Vernon Wells.

* Bronson Arroyo allowed just four hits in eight innings of one-run ball Thursday against the Cardinals despite taking an early Colby Rasmus comebacker off his calf, but got stuck with a no-decision and said afterward that his leg was "not real good." Hopefully he can make his next start, because Thursday's gem kept Arroyo on a major roll dating back to last season. In fact, Arroyo has the best ERA in all of baseball since last July at 2.01.

* Brad Penny matched Arroyo with seven innings of one-run ball and perhaps most impressively induced 13 ground-ball outs. Penny has always been a fly-ball pitcher, but Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan has a history of getting scrap-heap veterans to change their approach in the name of more grounders. Joel Pineiro was his big success story in 2009 and it wouldn't be shocking if Duncan worked similar miracles with Penny.

* If you're interested in running commentary about baseball (and other random stuff), plus links to articles that are worth reading and a sizable helping of snark, follow me on Twitter. And even if you're not into any of that stuff, just do it to give my ego a boost.

* Rotoworld's award-winning Season Pass product offers exclusive, subscriber-only columns, daily waiver wire and starting pitcher advice, extensive prospect coverage, detailed bullpen and rotation databases, frequently updated projections and rankings, and much, much more. If you're not satisfied simply putting your teams on cruise control after draft day, Season Pass can help you make the most of this season.

AL Quick Hits: Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back on the disabled list again and manager Ron Washington isn't very happy about it ... Jeff Niemann is day-to-day after a line drive to the shoulder knocked him from Thursday's start ... Aaron Hill was scratched from Thursday's lineup with hamstring soreness ... Russell Branyan (back) went 3-for-3 in a rehab game Thursday at Triple-A ... Andruw Jones started in center field Thursday, with Alex Rios moving to left field and Juan Pierre at designated hitter ... Jim Thome made his second straight start at designated hitter Thursday and blasted his first Twins homer ... Kerry Wood (back) is slated to play catch from 110 feet Thursday, but remains unlikely to pitch this month ... Daric Barton dropped two foul balls in the same at-bat Thursday, but made up for it with four RBIs ... Ian Kinsler's (ankle) return may be delayed for a few days following a cortisone shot Thursday ... Maicer Izturis got the nod at third base Thursday after Brandon Wood started 0-for-12 with five strikeouts ... Brett Anderson looked excellent Thursday with six shutout innings.

NL Quick Hits: Yovani Gallardo and the Brewers agreed to a long-term contract Thursday that could keep the 24-year-old right-hander in Milwaukee through 2015 ... Jose Reyes (thyroid) went 0-for-4 in a rehab game Thursday at Single-A, but is expected to join the Mets this weekend ... Tyler Colvin homered Thursday while making his first career start in place of Alfonso Soriano ... Jonny Gomes crushed a Jason Motte fastball for a walk-off homer Thursday ... Nate Robertson tossed five innings of one-run ball to win his Marlins debut Thursday ... Matt Capps pitched a scoreless ninth inning Thursday to save the Nationals' first win ... Ronnie Belliard missed the cycle by a single Thursday, knocking in four runs while starting in place of Casey Blake ... Chipper Jones is expected to miss 2-3 days after exiting Thursday's game with a strained oblique ... Luis Castillo will sit out Friday's game with a calf injury ... Randy Wells induced 13 ground balls in six shutout innings Thursday to beat Tommy Hanson

 

[HacheMan]

Forging Forth

With one week in the books, the baseball season is officially underway. Apologies for the handful of errors in the two-time starter lists last week; projecting the first week is always the trickiest because teams tend to make late changes to their rotation alignment prior to the start of the season. As always, if you catch a mistake, feel free to fire me an email and I'll try to update the list as soon as I get a chance.

With that out of the way, we present your two-time starters, streamer recommendations and team-by-team match-up breakdowns for the second week of the season...

Going Twice...



American League

Strong Plays

Brian Matusz: TB (Niemann), @OAK (Anderson)
Jon Lester: @MIN (Pavano), TB (Garza)
Jake Peavy: @TOR (Tallet), @CLE (Westbrook)
Max Scherzer: KC (Hochevar), @SEA (Rowland-Smith)
Justin Duchscherer: @SEA (Rowland-Smith), BAL (Guthrie)
Matt Garza: @BAL (Guthrie), @BOS (Lester)

Decent Plays

Jeremy Guthrie: TB (Garza), @OAK (Duchscherer)
Gavin Floyd: @TOR (Romero), @CLE (Carmona)
Ervin Santana: @NYY (Pettitte), @TOR (Romero)
Carl Pavano: BOS (Lester), KC (Hochevar)
Andy Pettitte: LAA (Santana), TEX (Harden)
Ryan Rowland-Smith: OAK (Duchscherer), DET (Scherzer)
Rich Harden: @CLE (Carmona), @NYY (Pettitte)
Ricky Romero: CWS (Floyd), LAA (Santana)
Brett Anderson: @SEA (Fister), BAL (Matusz)

At Your Own Risk

Fausto Carmona: TEX (Harden), CWS (Floyd)
Luke Hochevar: @DET (Scherzer), @MIN (Pavano)
Brian Tallet: CWS (Peavy), LAA (Saunders)

National League

Strong Plays

Jair Jurrjens: @SD (Young), COL (Smith)
Ricky Nolasco: CIN (Cueto), @PHI (Halladay)
Clayton Kershaw: ARI (Kennedy), SF (Zito)
Cole Hamels: WAS (Marquis), FLA (Robertson)
Adam Wainwright: HOU (Myers), NYM (Maine)
Ryan Dempster: MIL (Davis), HOU (Paulino)

Decent Plays

Johnny Cueto: @FLA (Nolasco), @PIT (Duke)
Bronson Arroyo: @FLA (Robertson), @PIT (Ohlendorf)
Ross Ohlendorf: @SF (Zito), CIN (Arroyo)
Chris Young: ATL (Jurrjens), ARI (Kennedy)
Barry Zito: PIT (Ohlendorf), @LAD (Kershaw)
Ian Kennedy: @LAD (Kershaw), @SD (Young)
Brett Myers: @STL (Wainwright), @CHC (Dempster)

At Your Own Risk

Greg Smith: NYM (Maine), @ATL (Jurrjens)
Doug Davis: @CHC (Dempster), @WAS (Marquis)
John Maine: @COL (Smith), @STL (Wainwright)
Jason Marquis: @PHI (Hamels), MIL (Davis)
Nate Robertson: CIN (Arroyo), @PHI (Hamels)


Streamer City



The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Tuesday, 4/13: Brian Bannister @ DET
Bannister looked sharp in his first turn this season, and matches up against Dontrelle Willis in his second start. He's worth a look.

Wednesday, 4/14: Gio Gonzalez @ SEA
The Mariners offense looks dreadfully punchless, and the young Gonzalez had a terrific spring. Those two factors bode well for this match-up.

Thursday, 4/15: David Hernandez @ OAK
The 24-year-old Hernandez has demonstrated an ability to miss bats in the minors and had himself a nice spring, making him a quality sleeper pick this year.

National League

Wednesday, 4/14: Aaron Cook vs. NYM
I recommended Cook last week and his results -- 4 ER in 5 1/3 IP -- were disappointing. I'm going to recommend him again this week anyway. What's the old saying about the definition of insanity?

Wednesday, 4/14: Kyle Kendrick vs. WAS
Kendrick was very shaky in his first outing this season, but you couldn't ask for a much better opportunity to get on track than a home match-up against the Nats.

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Total Games



American League

6: BOS, CLE, DET, KC, LAA, MIN, NYY, SEA, TB, TEX
7: BAL, CWS, OAK, TOR

National League

6: ARI, ATL, CHC, COL, HOU, LAD, MIL, NYM, PHI, PIT, SD, SF, STL, WAS
7: CIN, FLA


Lefty/Righty Breakdown



American League

BAL: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
BOS: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
CWS: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CLE: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
DET: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
KC: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAA: 2 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHP
MIN: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
NYY: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
OAK: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
SEA: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
TB: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
TEX: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
TOR: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP

National League

ARI: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
ATL: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CHC: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CIN: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
COL: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
FLA: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
HOU: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAD: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
MIL: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
NYM: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
PHI: 6 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
PIT: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
SD: 6 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
SF: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
STL: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
WAS: 1 vs. RHP, 5 vs. LHP


The Infirmary



You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld's Injury Page, but here's the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:

Kerry Wood: Out until mid-May
Scott Kazmir: Returning this week
Lance Berkman: Returning this week
Coco Crisp: Out until late April
Ted Lilly: Out until late April
Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Out indefinitely
Daisuke Matsuzaka: Out until early May

 

[HacheMan]

Young and Ready?
Young players stepping up, injury prone players getting injured plus stuff you will want to know is all covered in the Week That Was.


Curtis Granderson: It was a week of ups and downs for new Yankee CF Curtis Granderson. Yes, he hit a game winning tater off of Jonathan Papelbon to help the World Champs beat the Sox Wednesday. However, he also looked absolutely helpless flailing against LHP in big spots. Of course, this is my pet peeve – if you hit far under the Mendoza line against LHP why on earth are you swinging from your heels rather than taking pitches, working the count, etc.? (Ok, rant over for now). Bottom line -- it very much looks like more of the same is in store for Granderson this year – strong HR and counting numbers and a weak batting average. One thing to be afraid of (and a reason I did not pick him on any team) is that his continued weakness against LHP may result in him sitting and being pinch hit for far more often than he did in Detroit. Plan accordingly.


Luke Hochevar: Royals hurler Luke Hochevar pitched a beauty out of the gate Wednesday, tossing 7 2/3 shut out innings. According to reports, Luke was lighting up the gun at 95+ late into the game. Here is a great place to prospect cheap on high upside. First, Hochevar is only 26, yet it seems as if he has been a around forever. Often pundits write-off young players too early. Stating the obvious, 26 is hardly over the hill. Second, Luke was the overall first pick in the 2006 draft. He may not be Stephen Strasburg, but you have to be pretty darn good to go number one overall. Finally, he pitches for a team that can afford to be patient and let him work through the rough spots. Buy.


Matt Garza: Matt Garza pitched a gem in his first start this week, going eight innings, giving up just four hits and one run while striking out nine. Bold prediction – Garza will have a great year. He is just 26 and already has two strong seasons under his belt. Pitching on a good team while not having to be the ace is a perfect spot for Matt to succeed. Look for 200 K's, 15 wins, an ERA under 4.00 and a WHIP around 1.20.


Nate Robertson: Nate Robertson enjoyed a solid Fish debut, limiting the Mets to one earned run over five innings Thursday. Yes, Robertson has been pretty bad over the last couple of years. However, there have been some injury concerns that may well be in the rear view mirror. That said, there is a simpler reason why I like Nate and why Rick Wolf and I grabbed him in LABR-NL off the waiver wire this week. It happens time and time again that LHP go to the NL and become far better pitchers than they were in the junior circuit. Think John Tudor with the Cardinals and Bob Ojeda for the Mets. Will Robertson reach those heights? Doubtful. Will he post solid numbers at a bargain price pitching in a pitcher's park getting to go against the Nats, Mets and Braves this year? Likely – and certainly worth the minimal investment it will take to find out.


Chris Young: Chris Young had a huge night Friday night, going 3-4 with a grand slam and five RBI. Young, who hit an atrocious .212 last year will turn just 27 in September and is already in his fourth full year in the show. Like Hochevar, Young is a talented top prospect who made the big leagues at a very tender age. He may not hit .300 but he should produce very strong power numbers all year. I have no doubt he was available at bargain prices in your drafts. Even the best and the brightest of the fantasy world are down on CY. Early in march, I was sitting in the stands in Arizona watching team Panda play the DBacks listening to Jason Grey, Steve Gardner, Nate Ravitz and others who I respect tremendously express extreme doubts about Young. They may be right, but they also may be lulled by his early 20's track record accumulated while most other players his age were riding buses from small town to small town. We shall see.


Casey Kotchman: New Mariner 1B Casey Kotchman is off to a fast start. Casey went yard Friday night against Texas and already has six RBI in just four games (and he sat one of them). Kotchman is yet another example of a talented kid who made the majors very early and is erroneously being labeled based on his early 20's numbers. At this point, Kotchman is just 27 and has been in bigs for parts of 6 seasons already. I could easily see him becoming a valuable Mark Grace or Keith Hernandez-type hitter. For the small price you would have to pay, that is great value. In NFBC, which I am playing in partnership with the aforementioned Nate Ravitz, we picked up Kotchman with one of our very late picks. So far, we look pretty smart!


Ian Kinsler: According to reports, Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler is aiming to begin his season on April 20. Yes, Kinsler is a very good player. Yes, when healthy, he is one of the best, if not the best fantasy 2B in the game -- the key phrase being "when healthy". Those of you who paid full value for Kinsler, shame on you. Look at the numbers – Ian averages fewer than 130 games per year. In other words, he is likely to miss 30 games or 110+ AB. Therefore, if you think he is worth $30 playing full time, you should only pay $24 (80%) to account for time on the shelf. I say it all the time in this space, reduce risk, reduce risk, reduce risk. It is fine to buy risky players cheap and hope for upside. However, your big money or early draft pick players have to stay on the field. When they have a track record of injury, let someone else take the fall.


Mike Gonzalez: Mike Gonzalez has already blown two saves in the first half week of the season. Friday, Gonzo gave up two runs in against the Jays to cough up the lead. What do we make of this? Well, Mike has a long history of injury issues. Is he hurt? Honestly, I do not know. However, I do know that he pitched over 74 innings last year after pitching only 50 in the previous two years combined. Often that type of workload increase spells trouble. I would not cut bait yet, but I would stock up on alternatives in the O pen. But who you ask? Good question. I vote no to Jim Johnson. He failed in the role last year and simply does not have the nasty stuff of a closer. The best bets are the injured but soon to return Koji Uehara (who is being shifted to the pen this year) and current minor leaguer Kam Mickolio. Stash one or both of them on your taxi and wait. You will thank me.


Brian Roberts: Returning to the injury-issue 2B position, Brian Roberts left Friday's game with a reported strained abdominal muscle. Ordinarily, I would not worry too much about this, however, after all of the pre-season back problems, any injury is a worry. If you paid full value for Roberts, shame on you. A bad disc in the lower back for a speed guy is bad (yeah, I know, I should have gone to medical school). The roto point remains the same – reduce risk! If you own Roberts, wait for the first big flourish and trade him.


Joba Chamberlain: When you look below, you will see Schultz waxing on about watching the players play. Well, on that he is right. If you watched Joba pitch against the Sox this week in the role he should have never left (set up), you saw a guy throwing in the high 90's with a filthy slider that makes really good hitters look really bad. Look for Joba to rack up close to 100 K's and win 7-10 games in the pen. Very strong numbers for someone who probably can be had very cheaply after he lost out on the 5th starter spot to Phil Hughes. Buy!


And last, but not least, Schultz says: "If you haven't guessed it by now, The Week That Was is a prime-time, all-business, non-exhibition column. We just don't cover pre-season baseball. This should be a practice to be followed by all, other than health issues, there's really little to learn from Grapefruit leagues. No one's trying all that hard; you never know what pitchers trying to learn a knuckleball or what hitters are trying new stances so the stats are extremely misleading. Plus, no one's hot streak ever carries into the games that actually matter. Anyone foolish enough to start Chris Johnson this week deserves whatever scorn you wish to heap on them. (Stash him away though, he can hit -- just not at a 60 HR per season pace.

Everyone always looks for the secret to winning fantasy baseball, usually on sites like this fine one that provides more free sports information than any other locale on these vast InterWebs. Therein lies the Catch-22. Your best way to win this year is to chart out a strategy that flies in the face of the conventional wisdom being spouted by the punditry. Unless you were in a keeper league where you get to benefit from your foresight of grabbing him last year, you did not just gain a competitive advantage by getting Brett Anderson. Everyone hyped him as the breakout pitcher of 2010 which means that no one flinched at his 4.06 ERA. If you drafted him, it was at the proper time; if you outbid everyone for him, you received no bargain. This goes for Francisco Liriano and Fausto Carmona (THIS is the rebound year I touted at this time last year). Because roto-writers couldn't keep their mouths shut about the great leaps and bounds they had made from last year, you couldn't steal a pitcher who went 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA or a guy who had to spend 2009 in the minors for fear that he would walk the San Diego Chicken or Phillie Fanatic.

Your bargains are going to come by knowing things outside of the mainstream roto-coverage. Stuff like Milton Bradley usually rebounds from catastrophic seasons by blaming everyone except himself and recapturing his roto-value cause he needs to prove something to his imaginary friend; after turning in performances that recalled John Franco's days with the Mets, why is Jonathan Papelbon considered an "elite" closer when he habitually loads the bases before getting his third out and Dave Duncan transforms pitchers like Brad Penny into quality starters. (Yes, that last one isn't quite a secret, yet people tend to forget and inflate expectations for Joel Pineiro's return to the AL).

Your advantage over your league mates will come from watching baseball, catching something interesting Vin Scully notes at 1:00 a.m. while you're forgoing sleep to watch the Dodgers feed on the MLB package or doing your own legwork. If you fish from the same informational pond as everyone else, what edge are you actually getting?

Notwithstanding all that, you really should be reading grammatically malapropped The Week That Was every Saturday (or Sunday when Colton is lazy). Welcome back people."


Response: Well, all I can say is "huh?" All right, that is not really ALL I can say. So, I will note that as always, Schultz is half right. Yes, you cannot get a bargain by paying full price for the hyped player. However, you can learn very important strategies and truisms by reading sites like this that will help you win. Big points made above like how important it is to find young players who seem to have hit a plateau but really have not, avoid risk by passing on injury prone players, or just to be SMART when planning or managing your team are key things you can learn. As to specific points Schultz makes, Carmona walked 6 guys in one game this week, so the jury is still out. Brad Penny will be good and yes, shame on you if you drafted Pineiro – he struck out only about 100 guys last year and 30 of them were pitchers he will not face in the American League.

 

[HacheMan]

AL Team-by-Team Notes
With the regular-season here, we're back to the twice-a-week notes format in the Strike Zone. Technically, I'll be posting AL notes on Sunday and NL notes on Monday. In reality, I should have the AL notes up sometimes Saturday night and the NL notes done in the early evening Sunday. That's the plan anyway.

Also, once a month, I'll be featuring updated sets of fantasy rankings in this spot. The May rankings will be posted on May 3.

American League Notes

Baltimore - The Orioles signed Mike Gonzalez to close, and odds are that he'll be just fine in that role eventually. Still, he simply hasn't been his usual self at any point since spring training started, and the team would almost surely be better off sticking him in middle relief for a couple of weeks until he irons through his issues. It's not going to happen yet, but one more blown save could result in a move. Jim Johnson is next in line for saves. … The Orioles will have a better idea Sunday whether Brian Roberts' strained abdominal muscle will put him on the DL. Julio Lugo played second base and led off on Saturday. If Roberts does go on the DL, then Justin Turner figures to be called up to help out. Turner may well be the superior option as a stopgap, but since Lugo is a new acquisition, the Orioles will probably give him most of the playing time in order to see what he can do. Lugo is the one to try in AL-only leagues this week.

Boston - While he's not quite swinging as the Red Sox would like, David Ortiz isn't about to duplicate his horrific 2009 start. He has pulled some balls with authority, but he's just not getting under them up yet. I'm still expecting a .260 average and 25-30 homers. … Everyone was wondering when Mike Lowell was going to make his first start of the year, but the player the Red Sox really need to try to find at-bats for is Jeremy Hermida. He singled Friday after Ortiz was ejected and then homered off Zack Greinke in his first start Saturday. I'd argue that he has more offensive upside than either Jacoby Ellsbury or Mike Cameron; the Red Sox ought to try to play him at least three times per week.

Chicago - Through five games, the White Sox have used Mark Kotsay three times and Andruw Jones twice. The two are a combined 1-for-17 after Kotsay singled in his final at-bat Saturday. Fortunately, the DH spot is one that should be easily upgradable once the White Sox realize it's a problem. In the meantime, they might as well give Jones more of a chance, since everybody already knows what Kotsay can and can't do. … Batting second figured to be a good thing for Gordon Beckham's value, but manager Ozzie Guillen has already had him lay down two sac bunts following those rare occasions on which Juan Pierre has reached base. Really, Ozzie, if you're not going to utilize one of your best hitters with men on base, why not hit Beckham first and let Pierre bunt him over? If five games is any indication, Beckham won't near 80 RBI this season.

Cleveland - Russell Branyan (back) missed enough of the spring that his rehab assignment in the minors could extend another full week. The Indians, though, need his bat in the middle of the lineup and won't wait too long to activate him if he hits. With Matt LaPorta off to a fast start, the guess is that the Tribe will send down Michael Brantley and shift LaPorta to left to make room for Branyan. However, if the team doesn't believe LaPorta is ready to play left regularly just yet -- he's still recovering from offseason hip surgery and not moving at 100 percent -- then Andy Marte could be placed on waivers. … I've been thinking July or August for Carlos Santana's debut, but it could come as soon as the end of May at this rate. The newly turned 23-year-old has three homers in two games for Triple-A Columbus. I like Lou Marson as something close to a league-average starting catcher, but I have him projected to hit three homers all year.

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Detroit - I didn't see anything particularly encouraging about Dontrelle Willis holding the Royals to two runs in six innings in his 2010 debut, but Jeremy Bonderman's performance Saturday versus the Indians changed my mind about his fortunes. While he lost his best stuff quickly, he was hitting 92-93 mph with his fastball early on and his new splitter, which serves as a changeup, looks like a legitimate third pitch. Assuming that he builds some stamina, allowing him to take low-90s heat deeper into games, he should be a solid AL-only starter. I wouldn't try him in mixed leagues yet. … It could be the start of a trend: Brandon Inge has seven hits, three of them doubles, in five games, yet he still hasn't scored a run. The bottom third of the Detroit lineup is going to be awfully weak even if Scott Sizemore meets his projections. That's a big reason why I had Inge as just a $6 player this year.

Kansas City - Mike Aviles and Mitch Maier were the Royals' best players this spring, yet those have combined for one at-bat through five games. That even though manager Trey Hillman claimed he had never seen anyone improve as much as Maier has in a year's time. It's bizarre that Aviles isn't playing even with Alex Gordon on the shelf. It makes one wonder if he'll be the player demoted when Gordon returns in a week or two. Hopefully, Hillman will give him at least a couple of starts over Chris Getz before then. … An alternative to demoting Aviles would be to trade or release Willie Bloomquist, a player who seems to have outlived his usefulness now that the Royals have some viable depth at every position. The Royals probably would be able to get a prospect for him if they picked up part of his $1.7 million salary.

Los Angeles - Wow. I think we all assumed that Jeff Mathis would get more playing time than he deserved early on this season, but that Mike Napoli has started just one of six games for the Angels is truly distressing. Napoli, after all, is one of the game's top five offensive catchers, and while he's not the defender that Mathis is, he's also no liability behind the plate. He certainly doesn't deserve this treatment from Mike Scioscia. Odds are that he'll find himself regular playing time at some point, perhaps as a result of a Hideki Matsui injury that opens up the DH spot, but things look pretty bleak for the short-term. … Brandon Wood took his .063 average to the bench Saturday. The Angels are committed to giving him a shot, but Maicer Izturis is probably going to play third base 30-40 percent of the time for now and maybe take over the job later unless Wood can put a hot streak together in a hurry. … Scott Kazmir (shoulder) is expected back from the DL this week, but since he'll be facing the Yankees, the smart move would be to keep him reserved for now.

Minnesota - With four quick saves, Jon Rauch is off to a terrific start in the closer's role. However, Jesse Crain needs to be picked up in any AL-only leagues in which he's available. He has the best stuff in the Minnesota pen, and he's followed up a nice spring with an outstanding first week (1 H, 0 BB, 6 K in 3 1/3 IP). … Working extremely well so far is the Twins' Delmon Young-Jim Thome arrangement. The two have started three games apiece and combined for three homers and 10 RBI. It's tough to trust either player in a mixed league right now, especially since the Twins will hardly ever start both at the same time, but the two are definite assets in AL-only leagues and Young is worth having in reserve in mixed leagues while we wait and find out whether this is the year he becomes a legitimate power hitter.

New York - That wasn't the Javier Vazquez we'll see all year for the Yankees, but he was poised to disappoint for fantasy purposes in his return to the American League. He'll keep having problems with the home run ball, so while he'll be a big asset in WHIP and strikeouts, he's not going to do much for a team's ERA. … After two starts in extended spring training, Phil Hughes will make his 2010 debut Thursday against the Angels. He's a risky play in mixed leagues, but he was impressive enough in the appearances against minor leaguers to justify a spot in fantasy rotations this week. Besides, it might be a Jeff Mathis game.

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Oakland - Jack Cust had $2.6 million reasons to accept his assignment to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. If he finds his stroke quickly, there's little doubt that he'll be back with the A's before long. Eric Chavez has done nothing yet to suggest that he'll be an adequate DH against righties, and since he's in the last year of his contract, the A's need to forget sentiment and cut him if he doesn't pick it up quickly. … Daric Barton may never be a stud fantasy first baseman and it certainly won't happen this year. However, with eight hits and seven walks in six games, he's shaping up as a terrific No. 2 hitter for the A's. He's even managed to drive in seven runs already. However, that won't continue and mixed leaguers should be able to better fill a corner spot. … That Gio Gonzalez walked just one in his 2010 debut was a positive sign. He earned the fifth spot in Oakland's rotation even before Trevor Cahill landed on the DL, and he's well worth trying in AL-only leagues.

Seattle - This is what a great offseason gets you? A lineup with Casey Kotchman batting third? Ian Snell starting the second game of the season? An iffy bullpen that features a Rule 5 pick in a key role? The Mariners aren't hopeless -- they'll get Cliff Lee (abdomen) back in a few weeks and their biggest hole offensively is easily fixable through the pickup of a left fielder or a DH -- but they might find themselves in quite a hole before April is over. … Part of the reason is that two-fifths of the rotation is currently comprised of Doug Fister and Jason Vargas. Neither is worth using in AL-only leagues even with the vaunted Seattle defense providing support. The Mariners will probably stick with both until Lee returns, but Luke French might be an upgrade in the meantime. He pitched six scoreless innings and struck out seven Friday in his first start for Triple-A Tacoma. … It's too bad the Rangers probably won't want to trade within the division, as Seattle would be a great place for Brandon McCarthy to try to revive his career.

Tampa Bay - Matt Joyce (elbow) is back rehabbing at the minors and should be ready to come off the DL at some point during the week if the Rays want him on their roster. They appear to prefer Sean Rodriguez at second and Ben Zobrist in right field, and if that's the case, they might as well leave Joyce at Triple-A Durham indefinitely. If they do bring Joyce back, then Reid Brignac would be the obvious candidate for a demotion. … It sounds like Jeff Niemann can be left active this week. He exited his start Thursday with a bruised right shoulder, but he's scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Orioles.

Texas - The Rangers would be 4-1 if not for Frank Francisco's failure to hold a pair of ninth-inning leagues. The closer was 25-for-29 saving games last year, and he typically gets a ton of swings and misses when he's on. However, he's given up eight hits in just two innings so far this year. Since the Rangers' old fallback closer, C.J. Wilson, is now in the rotation and the current setup man, Neftali Feliz, is 21 and looking rather shaky himself, the team figures to have a fair amount of patience in Francisco. In the event that it's an injury causing the ineffectiveness, the Rangers would probably pair Feliz and Darren Oliver in the closer's role for a spell. … Ian Kinsler (ankle) is still at least a week away. Joaquin Arias had three hits Saturday and is due to get the bulk of the playing time at second base over Opening Day starter Andres Blanco. … Taylor Teagarden really needs to take advantage of Jarrod Saltalamacchia's latest absence (this one due to a back injury). He struggled this spring and he's off to an 0-for-12 start. Teagarden and Salty were supposed to split time evenly to begin the year, but if Teagarden doesn't start hitting, he'll take a backseat after Salty returns.

Toronto - I might be more sold on Vernon Wells' big week if he had played with a pulse this spring. It's hardly outside the realm of possibility that he'll resurface as a top-20 fantasy outfielder, but at the moment, I'd still take the under on a 30-homer, 100-RBI season. Remember that his big series came in Arlington. … I said it in the offseason and I'll say it again now; if the Jays want Jose Bautista playing regularly, they should have installed him at third base and tried Edwin Encarnacion in the outfield. It'd be a shame if Encarnacion's atrocious glove gets him benched. He's going to hit this year, but he's simply too much of a liability to keep at third base. … Aaron Hill missed his third straight start Saturday with a hamstring injury, but he's aiming to return Monday. Keep him active.

 

[HacheMan]

Feliz Replaces Francisco
Early on in spring training the Rangers were deciding whether to use Neftali Feliz as a starter or a reliever, but suddenly the 22-year-old phenom has been thrust into the closer role following two blown saves from Frank Francisco. Ron Washington made it clear that the switch is intended to be short term, saying: "We need to give him some time to get things together. Frankie will be the closer for the Texas Rangers."

Francisco began last year by converting 11-of-11 save chances in 17.2 scoreless innings, but since then he has a 7.22 ERA in 33.2 innings while blowing six saves in 20 chances. Between arm problems and extreme fly-ball tendencies Francisco is hardly reliable even if he reclaims the gig and if Feliz ends up staying in the bullpen long term he's destined for ninth-inning duties eventually. In other words, don't presume they'll switch back.

While the Rangers didn't even need a closer in a 9-2 win Sunday, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Arizona unsuccessfully shopped Chris Snyder this offseason, with reports of Toronto pulling out of a swap for Lyle Overbay and Texas balking at an offer for C.J. Wilson, but suddenly the Diamondbacks have plenty of use for the former backup. Miguel Montero suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee Saturday and the injury will require surgery, with further tests Monday determining the length of his absence.

Montero had a breakout 2009 season to make Snyder an afterthought in Arizona, but Snyder posted a .785 OPS as the Diamondbacks' primary catcher from 2006-2008 and knocked in five runs with a homer and a double starting Sunday. His batting average won't be pretty, but Snyder has 20-homer pop and should get at least three-fourths of the starts for as long as Montero is out. John Hester is now his backup.

* Next time someone relies strictly on wins and losses to evaluate pitchers, remember Sunday night. Trevor Hoffman served up back-to-back homers to blow a three-run save and ended up with a "win" when the Brewers scored in the bottom of the ninth inning. He also took Chris Carpenter off the hook for a "loss" despite allowing seven runs on three homers. One of the many reasons why the baseball world needs sabermetrics.

* Mike Leake made his MLB debut Sunday, becoming just the fourth pitcher in the past 32 years to go from being drafted to the majors without any time in the minors. He held the Cubs to one run in 6.1 innings, but handed out seven walks and rarely topped 90 miles per hour. Leake is a solid prospect and the control problems are surprising given his reputation for being so polished, but the No. 8 overall pick likely isn't ready to thrive.

* Leake jumped from college to the majors Sunday, but Stephen Strasburg merely made his pro debut at Double-A. Picked seven spots ahead of Leake, he struck out eight while allowing four hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. Strasburg gave up four runs, but three were unearned and his electric fastball was in the high-90s throughout. Washington is suppressing his service time, but also limiting his pitch count before a midseason arrival.

* Chris Perez converted his first two saves with ease, but was asked to get four outs Sunday and gave up three runs to take the loss. Perez was the obvious fill-in for Kerry Wood and has the raw stuff to be a closer long term, but his control has always been spotty. One of his three free passes walked in the tying run and he ended the game on a wild pitch. He'll be fine if Cleveland shows patience, but will implode from time to time.

* I'll be at Target Field this afternoon as the Twins open their new ballpark against the Red Sox, so check out Hardball Talk and my Twitter page for updates.

AL Quick Hits: Jacoby Ellsbury avoided a serious injury after colliding with Adrian Beltre, but will miss some time with bruised ribs ... Gil Meche (shoulder) was awful in his return from the disabled list Sunday, allowing seven runs ... Jason Frasor got Sunday off after pitching in three of the past four games, so Kevin Gregg closed out a 5-2 win ... Dustin Pedroia had four hits Sunday and has already matched his homer total through July 8 last season ... A.J. Burnett tossed seven innings of two-run ball Sunday despite just one strikeout ... Cliff Lee (abdomen) threw 45 pitches off a mound Sunday and is scheduled for a simulated game Friday ... Alex Gonzalez smacked a pair of homers Sunday and already has seven extra-base hits in six games after totaling 30 in 112 games last season ... Miguel Cabrera reached safely in all six plate appearances Sunday, notching three hits and three walks ... David Ortiz went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts and a walk Sunday ... Justin Verlander managed just three strikeouts while allowing six runs in five innings Sunday ... Grady Sizemore was scratched from Sunday's game with a tight back.

NL Quick Hits: After one promising start, Chris Young is headed back to the disabled list with more arm problems ... Aroldis Chapman made his pro debut Sunday, striking out nine and allowing one run in 4.2 innings at Triple-A ... Andre Ethier (ankle) was out of the lineup Sunday, but did ground out as a pinch-hitter ... In the past four seasons Livan Hernandez had ERAs of 5.44, 6.05, 4.93, and 4.83, so naturally he tossed seven shutout innings Sunday in his 2010 debut ... Roy Halladay beat Roy Oswalt in an all-Roy matchup Sunday, tossing his first NL complete game while allowing only an unearned run ... Miguel Olivo homered and stole a base Sunday as he continues to grab starts over Chris Iannetta ... Ryan Zimmerman (hamstring) was out of the lineup Sunday and is expected to sit out Monday too ... After previously starting over Corey Hart in right field, Jim Edmonds replaced Carlos Gomez in center field Sunday ... Carlos Gonzalez left Sunday's game due to hamstring soreness, with Dexter Fowler replacing him ... Charlie Haeger and his knuckleball racked up 12 strikeouts Sunday.

 

[HacheMan]

NL Team-by-Team Notes
Oh, Alfonso.

The $136 million man hit his first homer of the season on Saturday, but he has just the one RBI in five starts. On Sunday, he had two very catchable flyballs go off his glove in left field. Fortunately, the first was a foul ball. The second, though, put Tom Gorzelanny into a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and resulted in his removal from 1-0 game. The Reds went on to tie the game off Sean Marshall and win 3-1.

At this point, I think it's safe to assume that most Cubs fans would prefer to have Tyler Colvin playing left field. Soriano isn't done as an offensive threat, but his defense has gone from almost adequate to abysmal and he's no longer an asset on the basepaths. I don't believe Colvin is truly ready, but he's been white hot since the beginning of the spring and he'd be a big upgrade over Soriano with the glove. The Cubs may have no other choice but to make Soriano a part-time player for a little while. He's been a liability for almost a full year now.

National League Notes

Arizona - It's suddenly looking like a good thing that the Diamondbacks never found a taker for Chris Snyder's contract, as Miguel Montero will require a surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee. It's not necessarily a major injury, but Montero figures to miss 3-4 weeks even if no additional damage is found. Snyder will be a nice No. 2 catcher in mixed leagues for the duration of Montero's absence. John Hester will serve as the backup. … Montero's injury should also provide Kelly Johnson's fantasy value with a modest boost. Except for his one big game filling in for leadoff man Conor Jackson, Johnson has been stuck batting eighth ahead of the pitcher this year. Now Snyder and Hester will fill that role, giving Johnson more chances to drive in and score some runs.

Atlanta - Melky Cabrera figured to be a part-timer after the Braves chose Jason Heyward as their right fielder, but he started his fifth game of the year Sunday. In the one game he didn't start, he still got three at-bats after a double-switch. Nate McLouth has started just four games so far, and Matt Diaz has played three times. While McLouth should resume functioning as the primary leadoff hitter soon -- he's typically hit eighth as he attempts to overcome his hamstring injury -- Cabrera is looking like better bet now than he did a couple of weeks ago. … Chipper Jones could return Monday after missing the weekend with a strained oblique. Keep him active.

Chicago - Again, while I'm fine with the idea of giving him a chance, I doubt Colvin will turn into a quality regular this year. The 24-year-old has little plate discipline, and while he's proven better at handling breaking balls than I expected, he swings at far too many bad pitches. He's worth trying in NL-only leagues for the short-term, but I don't see a breakout on the way. … Gorzelanny seems to have made legitimate progress while working with Greg Maddux this spring. He hasn't suddenly turned into a command specialist, but he is throwing more strikes and it seems like he's tightened up his slider a bit. If he stays in the rotation following Ted Lilly's return -- and he's a far better bet than Carlos Silva -- then he could provide value in NL-only leagues all year long.

Cincinnati - While he walked seven and failed to light up the radar gun, 2009 first-round pick Mike Leake was largely impressive Sunday in his major league debut. He has a varied arsenal at his disposal and great movement on his fastballs. I'm still not expecting him to be a big asset in the short-term, but he'll be a fine No. 3 starter for the Reds in time. … Fortunately, the Reds' decision making has improved as of late. Since both were benched on Opening Day, Drew Stubbs has started five games in a row and Jonny Gomes has started four times. Chris Dickerson is useful, but the Reds need to treat him as a fourth outfielder behind those two and Jay Bruce. Also, Juan Francisco was sent down Sunday to make room for Leake. He's still way too unpolished to serve as a bench player in the majors when he could be starting regularly in Triple-A.

Colorado - The Rockies outfield situation will be awfully interesting to follow again this year. Carlos Gonzalez is the lone outfielder to start all six games so far. Brad Hawpe has played five games, Dexter Fowler four, Seth Smith two and Ryan Spilborghs one. I think the Rockies are better off with Smith starting against righties and Fowler on the bench, but it's not going to turn into a straight platoon. Encouraging is that Gonzalez has started against both lefties the Rockies have faced. I was worried that he might lose more time to Spilborghs than Hawpe versus southpaws. … Of course, Gonzalez did leave Sunday's game with what was described as hamstring tightness. It sounds like a minor issue, so barring some bad news before roster deadlines, he should be left active.

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Florida - Josh Johnson still isn't quite right, and it might be time to start worrying about the state of his arm. That he had the flu late in the spring is one possible explanation for his slow start, but it's not like he was throwing well before the illness. His fastball has lost a little zip, and his slider has been awfully flat. It's not yet time to panic, but these next couple of weeks will be telling. … Emilio Bonifacio was 14-for-24 with nine runs scored and four steals through April 11, 2009. This year, he has one at-bat after six games.

Houston - This is the team that Ed Wade built. The eight guys who started on Opening Day for the Astros have combined for one homer, seven RBI and two walks through six games. The team as a whole has two homers, no steals and a 43/5 K/BB ratio. Lance Berkman's return from knee surgery will help, but he's still at least eight days away. Expect another week of little offense with road series on the schedule against the Cards and Cubs. … Brett Myers, Felipe Paulino and Bud Norris are all weak plays in NL-only leagues at the moment. Norris, in particular, has really struggled dating back to the spring, and he might find himself in the bullpen if he doesn't improve in his next couple of outings.

Los Angeles - Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger shouldn't be a big strikeout pitcher, but he fanned an MLB season-high 12 batters in his 2010 debut Sunday against the Marlins. It'll probably go down as something of a fluke. Haeger can be tough to hit even by knuckleballer standards, but he'll have big problems with walks and hit batters. If he can just keep the Dodgers in games, like he did by giving up four runs -- three earned -- in six innings versus Florida, the team should be pleased. … It's very encouraging that Rafael Furcal is 3-for-3 stealing bases already. He attempted just 18 steals last year and was successful on two-thirds of them. He hasn't been a real threat on the basepaths since hurting his back and missing most of 2008. … Andre Ethier is due back from his sprained ankle on Tuesday, so he should be active in fantasy leagues this week.

Milwaukee - It looks like money was the determining factor in the Brewers' fifth-starter competition, as Jeff Suppan will join the rotation and start Thursday against the Cubs. The 35-year-old had a 5.29 ERA last year, a 7.71 ERA in five spring starts and he let 10 hitters reach in 4 1/3 innings in his A-ball rehab start last week, but he's getting the nod over Manny Parra and Chris Narveson. No fantasy value here, of course. … Much more encouraging is that the Brewers are giving Jim Edmonds a chance to start in right field against right-handers. It might not work out, but it's certainly worth trying. If nothing else, it could motivate Corey Hart to play up to his potential for the first time in years. It'd be dangerous to drop Hart in a mixed league, but he's obviously not worth using right now.

New York - I'm holding out hope for Jon Niese, but the Mets may well be a last-place team with their current rotation. John Maine's stuff hasn't come back, Oliver Perez isn't what he was even on those rare days that he's on and Mike Pelfrey's splitter isn't likely to make him more than a No. 4 starter in the short-term. I'm not too worried about Johan Santana, but, again, he's not quite what he used to be. Besides Santana, only Niese and Pelfrey are fringe starters in NL-only leagues. Maine and Perez can't be used right now. … The Mets are prepared to wait for Daniel Murphy to return rather than go to Ike Davis at first base. That means a whole lot more Mike Jacobs for at least another three weeks. Fernando Tatis will continue to start against lefties.

Philadelphia - Raul Ibanez has lost his bat speed? I don't see anything to suggest it, but then, I've never had a good eye for that kind of thing. Ibanez has spent most of his career defying expectations, so while he's 38 and due to decline, I'm not going to pretend to know what's in store for him this year. I put together what I viewed as a safe projection for him: .283-25-98, making him my No. 38 fantasy outfielder. … Brad Lidge (knee, elbow) was lit up for four runs in his first rehab appearance Saturday, so it's safe to assume he won't be closing games for the Phillies this week. Ryan Madson is worth using in all formats.

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Pittsburgh - The Pirates are again trying something new with their lineup, as they've moved Lastings Milledge from fifth to third, slotting him right in between Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones. I dropped him a bit in the rankings this spring, but he's back looking like a solid play in mixed leagues now. … Manager John Russell also gave Delwyn Young his first start at third base on Sunday. One wonders if it will start a trend. Young was terrific all spring, while Andy LaRoche mostly struggled. I doubt LaRoche will do much of anything for fantasy purposes while the Pirates bat him one spot ahead of the pitcher.

St. Louis - Jaime Garcia probably won't be more than a six-inning pitcher and he'll have outings in which he fails to command the strike zone, but he's already looking like a viable mixed-league pickup. He'll get run support, and he's going to post pretty good strikeout numbers in spite of a modest inning total. … That the Cardinals aren't getting much of anything from David Freese, Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan yet would seem to be good news for Felipe Lopez. Ryan's glove will keep him in the lineup at shortstop, but Lopez may well be an upgrade on the other two. While the Cards are committed to Schumaker, Lopez is at least his equal with the bat and his superior with the glove.

San Diego - San Diego is another one of the teams trying to figure out how best to divvy up outfield time. Through six games, the Padres have given Kyle Blanks and Will Venable five starts apiece, Tony Gwynn Jr. four, Scott Hairston three and Jerry Hairston Jr. one. Blanks is the one from the group the Padres really want to treat as an everyday player, but he was 3-for-19 with eight strikeouts before sitting Sunday. The best offensive outfield has Hairston in center and Gwynn on the bench, yet the Padres can scarcely afford to go that route in Petco when they have a first baseman in left. … Gwynn's stock is down anyway. The Padres tried Everth Cabrera in the leadoff spot Sunday and may keep him there if he hits. Of course, I'm not very optimistic that either Cabrera or Gwynn will do an adequate job in the role. … After an impressive debut last week, Chris Young will miss his turn Monday with shoulder stiffness. The Padres haven't placed him on the DL, so they must be optimistic that he'll be back to pitch Sunday, which is the next time they'll need a fifth starter. Tim Stauffer would likely be the choice if Young isn't ready.

San Francisco - There probably isn't any real sell-high potential on Edgar Renteria yet. It wouldn't hurt to check around, though. … Nate Schierholtz, who went into the spring as the likely regular right fielder, has yet to get a start. The Giants will keep him around because he's out of options and he has a nice glove, but since he and John Bowker are both left-handed hitters, it's hard to imagine that he'll get an opportunity anytime soon. Bowker may well prove to be the Giants' second-best hitter. … I'm regretting placing Brian Wilson ninth in the reliever rankings. It looks like he's on his way to becoming an elite fantasy closer, and as many close games as the Giants figure to play, it'd come as little surprise if he leads the NL in saves.

Washington - We'll know the Nationals have made some real progress when they go the first two weeks of a season without revising their rotation. They announced Sunday that they're replacing Garrett Mock with Scott Olsen. I think it's an upgrade, given the way that Olsen was throwing at the end of the spring. Still, the left-hander isn't worth a roster spot in NL-only leagues at the moment. Mock belongs in middle relief. … Rather than continue to live with a limited Mike Morse, the Nats placed him on the DL with his calf injury and called up Roger Bernadina from Triple-A. Bernadina figures to play behind Willie Harris and Willy Taveras in right field for now. … Ryan Zimmerman (hamstring) is expected back after the off day Tuesday, so he should be left active in most formats.

 

[HacheMan]

Bad Day To Be A 2B
Toronto finally placed Aaron Hill on the disabled list Monday after the All-Star second baseman missed five straight games with a strained hamstring. Because the DL stint is backdated Hill is eligible to return next week, but he's no sure thing to be ready by then. John McDonald and Mike McCoy have alternated starts filling in for Hill at second base, but neither has any much fantasy value beyond McCoy's speed.

Hill wasn't the only All-Star second baseman put on the shelf Monday, as Brian Roberts' strained abdominal muscle landed him on the DL. Roberts received an epidural injection in his back Monday, so he's at least 4-5 days from even resuming workouts. Triple-A call-up Justin Turner may see some fill-in action, but Julio Lugo has started three straight games in Roberts' place and is the better short-term pickup.

While second basemen are suddenly hot commodities on the waiver wire, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* In the latest example of bullpen usage revolving entirely around the "save" statistic, the Rangers demoted Frank Francisco from the closer role Sunday ... and let him pitch the ninth inning of a tie game Monday. You know, because that's not a crucial situation or anything. Francisco ended up with the victory when Nelson Cruz homered in the 10th inning and replacement closer Neftali Feliz picked up the save.

* Jimmy Rollins was scratched from Monday's lineup with a strained right calf and is scheduled for an MRI exam Tuesday. The banjo-hitting duo of Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro will replace Rollins at shortstop, with Shane Victorino sliding into the leadoff spot. Early speculation has Rollins likely needing a disabled list stint, but obviously the Phillies will have a better idea of his timetable once the MRI results are back.

* Carl Pavano has shockingly gone from oft-injured bust in New York to Minnesota's designated big-game starter, beating the Red Sox on Monday to improve to 7-4 with a 4.15 ERA and fantastic 69/17 K/BB ratio in 86.2 innings since joining the Twins last August in a trade with the Indians. Perhaps more amazingly given how much of his time with the Yankees was spent on the disabled list, he hasn't missed a start since 2008.

* Rotoworld's award-winning Season Pass has subscriber-only columns, daily waiver wire and starting pitcher advice, extensive prospect coverage, detailed bullpen and rotation databases, frequently updated projections and rankings, and much, much more. If you're not satisfied simply putting your teams on cruise control after draft day, Season Pass can help you make the most of this season.

AL Quick Hits: David Ortiz denied a report that he's playing through an injured wrist, saying: "Don't pay attention to that crap" ... Rich Harden was slightly improved Monday, but still far from his usual dominant (when healthy) self ... Fausto Carmona tossed eight innings of two-run ball Monday, but his control has been very shaky ... Jake Peavy coughed up seven runs and managed just two strikeouts in 5.2 innings Monday ... Vernon Wells hit his MLB-leading fifth homer Monday after totaling just 15 homers in 158 games last season ... Scott Podsednik went 4-for-5 and swiped his fifth base Monday ... Kerry Wood (back) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Monday and is slated to throw again Thursday ... Matt Garza is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA against the Orioles this season after eight innings of one-run ball Monday ... Andruw Jones went 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs Monday ... Jason Kubel hit the first Target Field homer Monday, but the jury is still out on whether the Twins' new ballpark will favor hitters or pitchers.

NL Quick Hits: Miguel Montero is seeking a second opinion on his knee injury, but likely remains headed for surgery and at least six weeks on the sidelines ... Adam Wainwright and Jason Motte combined to shut out the Astros on Monday ... Jayson Werth (hip) said he left Monday's game for precautionary reasons, adding "I'll be fine" ... Jair Jurrjens allowed eight runs in 3.1 innings Monday as the Padres set a Petco Park record with 17 runs ... Jim Edmonds started over Carlos Gomez in center field Monday for the second straight game ... Scott Rolen homered twice Monday for the first time since 2006 ... Jesus Flores (shoulder) has been cleared to begin a throwing program, but remains at least a month from returning ... After tossing six innings of one-run ball in his season debut, Chris Young has been placed on the disabled list with shoulder soreness ... Chipper Jones (oblique) returned to the lineup Monday by going 0-for-3 ... Gregg Zaun went hitless Monday, making him 0-for-18 to begin the season.

 

[HacheMan]

Romero Flirts With No-Hitter
Last week Ozzie Guillen ranted about the White Sox striking out too much after a dozen whiffs in a game, so he probably lost some sleep Tuesday night after they struck out 14 times against the Blue Jays. Ricky Romero actually took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before grazing leadoff man A.J. Pierzynski with a pitch and then serving up a homer to Alex Rios, settling for a career-high 12 strikeouts over eight innings of one-hit ball.

Kevin Gregg closed out the win with two more strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his third save. Gregg's first two saves came because Jason Frasor was getting days off after heavy workloads, but Frasor was available Tuesday and still didn't get the call. My guess all winter was that Gregg would wind up as Toronto's closer and while he didn't open the season in the role a shift away from Frasor seems to be taking place.

While the rebuilding Blue Jays jump out to a surprising 6-2 start, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Last week when Dontrelle Willis held the Royals to two runs over six innings in his first start of the season I warned against reading too much into one decent outing against a poor lineup and unfortunately it didn't take long to see why. Facing the Royals a second time Tuesday afternoon, Willis narrowly escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first inning only to allow four runs in the next four frames.

The good news is that Willis has yet to implode by completely losing the strike zone like he did so often during the past two seasons. The bad news is that he's allowed a poor Royals lineup stacked with left-handed hitters to bat .348 against him, managing just seven strikeouts compared to five walks in 11 innings. He's made huge strides relative to 2008/2009, but the matchups will get tougher and he just doesn't look very good.

* Tampa Bay's quasi-platoon at catcher was busted up Tuesday when Kelly Shoppach landed on the disabled list with a sprained right knee. Shoppach's injury leaves Dioner Navarro as the clear-cut starter behind the plate, with minor-league veteran John Jaso coming up from Triple-A to serve as his backup. Jaso once looked like a solid prospect and still does a nice job of getting on base, but he's no real threat to Navarro.

* ESPN Deportes reported that the Phillies are negotiating with Pedro Martinez, but several local outlets shot that down Tuesday. For now it sounds like the Phillies are content to see how the rotation looks once Joe Blanton returns from the disabled list, but haven't ruled out signing Martinez around midseason if more injuries strike or the Jamie Moyer/Kyle Kendrick combo struggles in the fifth spot.

* If you're not sick of me yet, you can read my blogging throughout the day at Hardball Talk and follow me on Twitter.

AL Quick Hits: Toronto finally made the $10 million deal with Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria official Tuesday ... Cliff Lee (abdomen) threw a 63-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and is scheduled for a simulated game Friday ... You wouldn't know it from his overall line, but Brian Matusz tossed seven scoreless innings Tuesday before struggling in the eighth frame ... After chasing Willis the Royals blew a late 5-0 lead without Joakim Soria ever throwing a pitch because they were holding him back for a "save" situation ... Milton Bradley was all smiles Tuesday night after breaking a late 0-0 tie with a three-run homer ... Andy Pettitte beat the Angels with six shutout innings in the Yankees' home opener Tuesday, although not before David Robertson forced Mariano Rivera into the game by serving up a grand slam to Bobby Abreu ... Jose Guillen moved into the cleanup spot Tuesday and homered for the fourth time in three games ... Don Wakamatsu said "if everything goes well" Erik Bedard (shoulder) could return by the end of May.

NL Quick Hits: Philadelphia is expected to learn Wednesday whether Jimmy Rollins' calf injury will require a trip to the disabled list ... John Maine was rocked for eight runs in three innings Tuesday and looked every bit as bad as the numbers suggest ... Andre Ethier (ankle) homered in his return to the starting lineup Tuesday ... Carlos Beltran (knee) has not yet been cleared by doctors to begin running ... Chris Young (shoulder) expects to come off the disabled list when eligible next week ... Lance Berkman (knee) ran at three-quarters speed Tuesday, but there's no timetable yet for his return ... Carlos Gonzalez (hamstring) was out of Tuesday's lineup and Brad Hawpe left the game with quadriceps soreness ... Clayton Kershaw picked up the win Tuesday, but now has 11 walks in 10 innings this season ... Ian Kennedy served up three homers Tuesday, failing to make it out of the fifth inning ... Carlos Delgado said Tuesday that he wants to play this season, but he's still rehabbing from hip surgery.

 

[HacheMan]

Musical Closers
Brian Fuentes hasn't pitched since Opening Day and the Angels placed him on the disabled list Wednesday with a sore back, handing closer duties to Fernando Rodney. Despite leading MLB in save percentage for the Tigers last season Rodney couldn't find another closer gig as a free agent, as teams smartly recognized that a 4.40 ERA and 61/41 K/BB ratio are more representative of his skills than converting 37-of-38 saves.

He's far better suited for a setup role, but Rodney should do just fine with ninth-inning duties in the short term and while off to a slow start the Angels typically generate lots of save chances. An interesting side effect of Fuentes' injury is that he surely won't reach the 55 games finished needed for his 2011 option to vest at $9 million, clearing the way for Rodney to be the full-time closer next year no matter what happens in the meantime.

While Rodney closes out a Joel Pineiro gem against the Yankees for his first Angels save, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Fuentes wasn't the only left-handed, AL closer to land on the disabled list Wednesday, as the Orioles put Mike Gonzalez on the shelf with a strained shoulder. Gonzalez looked awful while blowing two of his three save opportunities and has a lengthy history of arm problems, yet got a two-year, $12 million deal from the Orioles after coming back from Tommy John surgery to appear in a career-high 80 games for the Braves in 2009.

Gonzalez has legit closer stuff when healthy, but never had even 55 innings in a season before last year and looked bad enough that it wouldn't be shocking if something major is wrong. Jim Johnson will assume closer duties in the meantime after saving 12 games last year, but he's more of a setup-caliber arm. Kam Mickolio replaced Gonzalez on the roster and has the mid-90s fastball to potentially get a shot if Johnson falters.

* As expected Jimmy Rollins was placed on the disabled list Wednesday, but the Phillies got some relatively good news in that his strained calf was deemed "mild to moderate." He's slated to miss 2-4 weeks, with Shane Victorino replacing him in the leadoff spot and the far less capable duo of Juan Castro and Wilson Valdez filling in at shortstop. Neither has a shred of fantasy value, but Philadelphia's offense can roll on without Rollins.

* Jerry Manuel said Wednesday that John Maine will keep his rotation spot despite allowing 12 runs in his first two starts, but the manager also hinted that Maine could lose his job with another ugly outing. Maine is scheduled to pitch Sunday night against the Cardinals, so he may be auditioning for the job against a strong lineup and in front of a national audience. Luckily for him the Mets don't exactly have a ton of other options.

* As suspected in this space earlier in the week, Cito Gaston announced Wednesday that Kevin Gregg has replaced Jason Frasor as Toronto's closer "until further notice." Frasor blew two of his first five save chances while Gregg has been nearly flawless in four appearances, but like Lou Piniella before him Gaston will learn soon enough that Gregg is hardly a reliable ninth-inning option either. Frasor seems likely to be traded.

* Rotoworld's award-winning Season Pass has subscriber-only columns, daily waiver wire and starting pitcher advice, extensive prospect coverage, detailed bullpen and rotation databases, frequently updated projections and rankings, and much, much more. If you're not satisfied simply putting your teams on cruise control after draft day, Season Pass can help you make the most of this season.

AL Quick Hits: After throwing seven shutout innings last week in his first start since 2005, C.J. Wilson was scratched from Wednesday's outing with food poisoning ... David Ortiz will get Thursday off after two more strikeouts Wednesday ... Javier Vazquez was booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd Wednesday while allowing four runs in 5.1 innings ... B.J. Upton went deep twice Wednesday for his first multi-homer regular season game since July of 2007 ... Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) is not expected back before the weekend ... David Price impressed again Wednesday, striking out seven in seven innings of one-run ball ... Carlos Quentin blasted a grand slam and knocked in six runs Wednesday ... Scott Kazmir (shoulder) will come off the disabled list Thursday against the Yankees, but remains a big question mark ... Brandon Morrow was knocked around for seven runs in four innings Wednesday and seemingly isn't right physically ... Dustin Pedroia hit his fourth homer Wednesday, which is as many as he had through July 26 last season.

NL Quick Hits: Miguel Montero (knee) should be back in 4-6 weeks after no ligament damage was discovered ... Jorge Cantu homered Wednesday, becoming the first player in MLB history to begin a season with both a hit and an RBI in nine straight games ... Ted Lilly (shoulder, back) allowed one run over four innings in a rehab start Wednesday at Triple-A ... Homer Bailey struggled Wednesday and equally discouraging is that Dusty Baker let him throw 115 pitches ... Jonathan Sanchez racked up 11 strikeouts in eight shutout innings Wednesday, but we've seen that before ... Carlos Marmol struck out the side for his third save Wednesday and has nine strikeouts in 4.1 shutout innings ... Kyle Kendrick was rocked again Wednesday and has a 17.47 ERA in two starts against the Nationals ... Leo Nunez got Wednesday off, so Burke Badenhop picked up a save ... Lou Piniella denied reports that he threatened to bench Alfonso Soriano, saying "it couldn't be further from the truth" ... Jayson Werth (hip) walked as a pinch-hitter Wednesday.

 

[HacheMan]

Welcome to Fickle Season
Yes, we're officially at that time of year where many of us speculate on small sample sizes or limited job security in order to gain a temporary edge or long-term bargain. For this week's edition of Waiver Wired, I hope to provide several choices that apply to these strategies.

MIXED LEAGUES

Kevin Gregg RP, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 46 percent owned, ESPN: 15.8 percent)

The writing was already on the wall when he closed out Tuesday's 4-2 win over the White Sox, but manager Cito Gaston made it official on Wednesday, naming Gregg as his new "primary closer." It's pretty easy to see why. After all, Jason Frasor already had two blown saves in five chances while allowing three runs on eight hits over just 4 1/3 innings (6.23 ERA). Meanwhile, Gregg has allowed just one hit in 4 1/3 shutout innings, posting a perfect 6/0 K/BB ratio. It's obvious that the margin for error is razor-thin in the back of this bullpen, so roles could change again at any time, but Gregg is immediately worth owning in all formats.

Fernando Rodney RP, Angels (Yahoo: 37 percent owned, ESPN: 4.6 percent)

Here's the dope on Rodney. He was 37-for-38 in save opportunities with the Tigers last season. Pretty sweet, right? Not so much when you see his rather pedestrian 4.40 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. So yes, he's being included here by virtue of Brian Fuentes' balky back. But hey, somebody has to close games while he's on the shelf for the next week or two, right? This isn't a ringing endorsement, but if you miss out on Gregg, he's not a bad temporary fallback with the potential for strikeouts.

Jim Johnson RP, Orioles (Yahoo: 13 percent owned, ESPN: 1.5 percent)

Mike Gonzalez was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a strained left shoulder, leaving Johnson as the favorite for saves, almost by default. With a career groundball rate of 54.3 percent, Johnson is often at the mercy of his own defense, since he can't put batters away on his own (5.58 K/9 in career). This means you'll be taking your chances should you grab him. Keep in mind, he posted a 6.23 ERA after George Sherrill was traded to the Dodgers last July. Still, he's worth speculating, provided that the Orioles actually have a lead again at some point in the near future.

Ricky Romero SP, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 53 percent owned, ESPN: 15.4 percent)

You shouldn't need much coaxing to pick up a guy who struck out 12 and carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of a game, but fantasy owners should have already seen the building blocks already. Don't forget that in addition to averaging 7.13 K/9 last season, the 25-year-old left-hander induced worm-killers at a rate of 54 percent. This is a very valuable skill to have, especially in the powerful American League East. There's some obvious risk attached here, but why pass up the chance if Romero has finally figured it out?

Chase Headley 3B/OF - Padres (Yahoo: 47 percent owned, ESPN: 98.9 percent)

He hasn't homered yet, but Headley is flying under the radar as one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the first two weeks of the season. There's a good chance you're worried about Headley's well-documented struggles at PETCO (.220 career batting average), but he still makes for an ideal pickup in daily transaction and head-to-head leagues, offering eligibility in the outfield and at third base. Conservative estimates have him at about 15 homers and six or seven stolen bases, but he could legitimately surprise with some modest progress at home.

Scott Podsednik OF, Royals (Yahoo: 44 percent owned, ESPN: 27 percent)

He's not a sexy name, but that's exactly why he's undervalued in many leagues right now. "Scotty Pods" has been given the green light by manager Trey Hillman, swiping six bags over the first nine games of the season. And just for kicks, the .278 lifetime hitter is leading the American League with a .457 batting average. That won't continue, of course, and there will probably come a time when you are ready to drop him, but remember that only 11 players stole more bases than him last season.

Brian Matusz SP, Orioles (Yahoo: 48 percent owned, ESPN: 97.8 percent)

Matusz showed plenty of promise in eight starts last season, compiling a 38/14 K/BB ratio over 44 2/3 innings. Since he's earned the reputation as a control pitcher (2.5 BB/9 in the minors), I'm not worried about the five walks he issued against the Rays in his first start of the year. More broadly, recognize that while his ERA currently stands at 4.38, his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) is a much more palatable 2.02. He'll need to improve his flyball rate (50 percent over 10 major league starts), but there's plenty of reason to be optimistic here.

Chris Young OF, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 39 percent, ESPN: 72.7 percent)

I've already given up on Young several times over so the fact that I'm endorsing him here comes as a real surprise, even to me. The thing that has always separated the 26-year-old from success in the big leagues is his anemic contact rate, so it's worth noting that he has struck out just five times over his first 32 at-bats. Of course, it would be folly to expect him to maintain anything close to a .300 batting average in the near future, but there's always been 20-20 upside with this skill set.

Jaime Garcia SP, Cardinals (Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 1.1 percent)

Throwing Garcia out there for mixed league consideration may seem crazy, but I think he has a very good chance of being one of the better rookie hurlers in fantasy this season. The 23-year-old left-hander was limited to just 37 2/3 innings last season after Tommy John surgery, but has averaged 8.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 58.7 percent groundball rate during his minor league career. It's these healthy peripherals, combined with the presence of pitching coach Dave Duncan that gives me hope. Why not try him on for size against the offensively-challenged Mets on Saturday?

Chris Davis 1B/3B, Rangers (Yahoo: 32 percent owned, ESPN: 91.1 percent)

Davis is off to a pretty rotten start, at least on the surface (.207/.281/.310 with zero homers and one RBI), but that's precisely why I think now is the perfect time to buy. Entering play on Wednesday, Davis had a lousy (and unlucky) .222 batting average on balls in play as opposed to a .332 career average. Perhaps most encouraging, he has just eight strikeouts in 29 at-bats so far (27.6 percent). And after his disastrous showing in 2009 (38.4 percent), that's the kind of progress we can all live with.


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AL-ONLY

Jensen Lewis RP, Indians (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.2 percent)

In case you haven't noticed, Chris Perez hasn't exactly been light's out as Manny Acta's temporary fill-in for Kerry Wood, allowing three runs over three innings (9.00 ERA) while posting a 1/5 K/BB ratio. Meanwhile, Lewis has a 1.93 ERA and 5/3 K/BB ratio over 4 2/3 innings. Remember that Lewis was 13-for-14 in save opportunities as a 24-year-old in 2008, so there's a chance he could vulture a save or two before Wood returns.

Doug Fister SP, Mariners (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.1 percent)

Two starts against the Athletics can make pretty much anyone look good, but there's reason to believe Fister is no fluke. The 26-year-old right-hander gets by with excellent control, posting a 36/15 K/BB ratio in 61 innings with the Mariners last season and an impressive 84/12 K/BB ratio between Double-A West Tennessee and Triple-A Tacoma. There's no telling how long he'll last in the rotation with Cliff Lee on the way and Erik Bedard not far behind, but Fister is worth a spin against the Orioles in his next start.

Ty Wigginton 1B/3B, Orioles (Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.9 percent)

I recommended the multi-position eligible Wigginton in Rotoworld's Season Pass on Wednesday and I'll repeat it again here. The 32-year-old slugged two homers on Tuesday night and added another multi-hit game on Wednesday afternoon. With a lineup looking for a much-needed jolt, it's clear that manager Dave Trembley will give him at-bats for as long as he stays hot. As such, Wigginton is the clear favorite to start at second base with Brian Roberts out of the lineup.

Carlos Santana C, Indians (Yahoo: 3 percent owned, ESPN: 0.6 percent)

It's time to think about the future. Lou Marson, who won the starting catcher job out of spring training, is batting just .063 (1-for-16) to begin the year. Meanwhile, as of Wednesday night, Santana had four home runs and eight RBI over his first 23 at-bats with Triple-A Columbus. It's only a matter of when for the 24-year-old top prospect. Like Giants' phenom Buster Posey, there's a pretty good chance he's up for good after Memorial Day.

NL-ONLY

Ronny Paulino C, Marlins (Yahoo: 1 percent, ESPN: 0.2 percent)

There are plenty of catching time shares going on right now, but I feel Paulino might be the most overlooked from a fantasy perspective. Sure, he's on the weak side of a platoon with John Baker, but remember that Paulino has an elite .885 OPS against left-handed pitching in his career. So far manager Fredi Gonzalez has batted Paulino sixth in 17 of his 19 at-bats, indicating that he values his bat. He could be a real asset as a platoon option.

Ryan Church OF, Pirates (Yahoo: 1 percent, ESPN: 0.3 percent)

As of now, Church is a fourth outfielder in Pittsburgh (5-for-11 with three RBI), but I could at least envision a scenario where he becomes an everyday player very soon. Jeff Clement, who I recommended in this space just two weeks ago, is off to a very slow start, batting just .136 with one home run and seven strikeouts in 22 at-bats. I'm still hopeful he can turn it around, but if he continues to struggle, it's entirely possible that they could send him down and move Garrett Jones to first base, allowing Church to start in right field. Worth monitoring, at the very least.

Dave Bush SP, Brewers (Yahoo: 1 percent, ESPN: 0.4 percent)

Bush has turned in consecutive encouraging outings to begin the season after compiling an ugly 6.38 ERA in '09. I've always considered Bush to be an interesting case, because for all the home runs he serves up (1.28 HR/9), he has also averaged 6.19 K/9 and just 2.15 BB/9 over his career. He'll probably never be of much value in the ERA department, especially with his flyball rate trending in the wrong direction for three seasons running, but he's the kind of guy who can keep your team's WHIP relatively low, and that's worth something.

Jonny Gomes OF, Reds (Yahoo: 2 percent, ESPN: 0.8 percent)

Some people must be forgetting that Gomes launched 20 home runs in just 281 at-bats last season. Granted, it's a fool's errand to guess Dusty Baker's lineup card from day-to-day -- look for him to share time with Chris Dickerson and Laynce Nix in left field -- but part-time duty, especially against left-handed pitching (.888 career OPS) serves him pretty well anyway.

 

[HacheMan]

Boston No Match For Liriano
After dominating in both winter ball and spring training to get Twins fans optimistic again following a disastrous 2009 season Francisco Liriano kept rolling Thursday against the Red Sox, tossing seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts and nine ground-ball outs. He allowed just four hits and two walks while needing only 96 pitches to record 21 outs in arguably his best performance since blowing out his elbow in 2006.

His fastball command remains spotty at times, but Liriano has shown more velocity than last season and continues to get tons of swinging strikes with his slider and changeup. Tommy John surgery cost everyone a chance to see just how special Liriano could be after emerging as the most overpowering pitcher in baseball as a rookie, but right now he looks a lot more like that guy than the one who went 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA last year.

While the Twins begin the season with series wins against the Red Sox, White Sox, and Angels here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Liriano dominated an atypical Boston lineup, as David Ortiz was benched in favor of Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury continued to sit out with bruised ribs, and Mike Cameron was a last-minute scratch with what the Red Sox fear may be appendicitis. It's unclear when Ellsbury and Cameron will return, so the Red Sox may call up an outfielder. As for Ortiz, sitting him versus tough lefties makes sense regardless of his slow start.

* Brad Lidge received positive reviews for his latest rehab appearance at Single-A, but manager Charlie Manuel indicated that he may not be reclaim closer duties immediately upon his return. Manuel is right to play it cautious, because even setting aside the injury concerns Lidge is coming off one of the worst seasons by a closer in baseball history. For now it's a non-issue, because he's not expected back for several more weeks.

* Scott Kazmir came off the disabled list Thursday and made his season debut against the Yankees, looking terrible while allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks in four innings. He managed just two strikeouts and served up seven extra-base hits, including three homers. Kazmir has looked like a shell of his former self dating back to last season and sadly it's possible that his once-dominant stuff may be gone for good at age 26.

* Jose Guillen revealed Thursday that he "almost died" last offseason due to blood clots in both legs and "had to stay in St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City for 20 days just lying in bed." Not only is Guillen healthy, he's off to an incredible start with five homers in nine games after batting .231 with nine homers and a .681 OPS in 81 games last year. He'll come back to earth, but did have 20-plus homers in five of the previous six seasons.

* Rotoworld's award-winning Season Pass has subscriber-only columns, daily waiver wire and starting pitcher advice, extensive prospect coverage, detailed bullpen and rotation databases, frequently updated projections and rankings, and much, much more. If you're not satisfied simply putting your teams on cruise control after draft day, Season Pass can help you make the most of this season.

AL Quick Hits: Mark Teixeira went hitless Thursday for the eighth time in nine games, but slow starts are nothing new for him ... Toronto acquired outfielder Fred Lewis from San Francisco for a player to be named later Thursday and assigned him to Triple-A ... Matt Harrison took a shutout into the eighth inning Thursday, but lost on back-to-back errors and a Shin-Soo Choo three-run homer ... Maicer Izturis was supposed to start Thursday over Brandon Wood, but was scratched with a sore shoulder ... Felix Pie re-injured his shoulder and will be reevaluated Friday, likely meaning more starts for Nolan Reimold ... Robinson Cano homered twice Thursday and is now sporting a nifty 1.216 OPS ... Scratched from his Wednesday start with food poisoning, C.J. Wilson will now pitch Friday against the Yankees ... Edwin Encarnacion is expected to miss several games with a sore arm, so Jose Bautista will play third base in his absence ... After a solid first start, Freddy Garcia allowed seven runs in three innings Thursday ... Phil Hughes won his 2010 debut Thursday despite five walks in five innings.

NL Quick Hits: Joe Blanton (oblique) is slated to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Single-A, so the clock is ticking on Kyle Kendrick's rotation spot ... Derrek Lee (thumb) returned to homer in his first at-bat Thursday and was later ejected for arguing a called third strike ... Mike Pelfrey tossed seven shutout innings Thursday, striking out six and walking zero ... Aaron Harang was rocked again Thursday, coughing up eight runs in four innings ... Ryan Zimmerman (hamstring) delivered a pinch-hit homer Thursday in his first action of the week ... Tim Hudson picked up a win Thursday, but didn't look good with zero strikeouts and five walks ... Huston Street (shoulder) began a throwing program Thursday at extended spring training ... Bud Norris had a career-high nine strikeouts Thursday, but needed 106 pitches to get through five innings ... Scott Olsen had good velocity Thursday, but allowed four runs in 5.2 innings ... J.A. Happ allowed only an unearned run in 5.1 innings Thursday despite six walks, but the bullpen blew his win ... Carlos Zambrano needed 123 pitches to get through five poor innings Thursday.

 

[HacheMan]

Third Week's a Charm

As we move toward the end of April, most pitchers now have multiple starts under their belts and are giving us a better idea of what we can expect from them this season. Still, at this point in the year it's clearly best to weigh match-ups over stats when when making decisions. This week's set of streamer suggestions features a few guys who've not fared too well thus far, but who I expect to succeed based on the teams they'll be facing and based on their histories.

The slate of two-start pitchers this week isn't as top-heavy as we've seen during the first couple weeks of the season. There are a bunch of guys who fall under the "Decent Plays" category in both leagues, so follow your gut.

Going Twice...



American League

Strong Plays

John Lackey: TB (Niemann), BAL (Matusz)
John Danks: TB (Niemann), SEA (Fister)
Javier Vazquez: @OAK (Gonzalez), @LAA (Kazmir)
Jeff Niemann: @CWS (Danks), TOR (Morrow)
Kevin Slowey: CLE (Masterson), @KC (Bannister)

Decent Plays

Rick Porcello: @LAA (Kazmir), @TEX (Lewis)
Tim Wakefield: TEX (Lewis), BAL (Bergesen)
Justin Masterson: @MIN (Slowey), @OAK (Gonzalez)
Brian Bannister: @TOR (Morrow), MIN (Slowey)
Joel Pineiro: DET (Willis), NYY (Pettitte)
Scott Kazmir: DET (Porcello), NYY (Vazquez)
Gio Gonzalez: NYY (Vazquez), CLE (Masterson)
Doug Fister: BAL (Bergesen), @CWS (Danks)
Colby Lewis: @BOS (Wakefield), DET (Porcello)

At Your Own Risk

Brad Bergesen: @SEA (Fister), @BOS (Wakefield)
Dontrelle Willis: @LAA (Pineiro), @TEX (Harden)
Brandon Morrow: KC (Bannister), @TB (Niemann)

National League

Strong Plays

Tommy Hanson: PHI (Kendrick), @NYM (Pelfrey)
Jorge de la Rosa: @WAS (Olsen), FLA (Volstad)
Chris Volstad: @HOU (Myers), @COL (de la Rosa)
Chad Billingsley: @CIN (Bailey), @WAS (Olsen)
Matt Cain: @SD (Richard), STL (Penny)

Decent Plays

Randy Wells: @NYM (Niese), @MIL (Davis)
Carlos Zambrano: @NYM (Pelfrey), @MIL (Bush)
Homer Bailey: LAD (Billingsley), SD (Richard)
Aaron Cook: @WAS (Stammen), FLA (Robertson)
Dave Bush: @PIT (Maholm), CHC (Zambrano)
Paul Maholm: MIL (Bush), @HOU (Myers)
Clayton Richard: SF (Cain), @CIN (Bailey)
Brad Penny: @ARI (Lopez), @SF (Cain)
Kyle Kendrick: @ATL (Hanson), @ARI (Lopez)

At Your Own Risk

Rodrigo Lopez: STL (Penny), PHI (Kendrick)
Brett Myers: FLA (Volstad), PIT (Maholm)
Jon Niese: CHC (Wells), ATL (Jurrjens)
Mike Pelfrey: CHC (Zambrano), ATL (Hanson)
Craig Stammen: COL (Cook), LAD (Kershaw)
Scott Olsen: COL (de la Rosa), LAD (Billingsley)


Streamer City



The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Tuesday, 4/20: Dana Eveland vs. KC
Eveland has been outstanding in this young season. Might as well keep riding him until he gives reason not to.

Friday, 4/23: Jake Westbrook @ OAK
Westbrook hasn't achieved very strong results thus far, as illustrated by his 7.45 ERA entering Friday, but he has displayed an ability to miss bats and is worth a look in Oakland's pitcher-friendly park.

Friday, 4/23: Nick Blackburn @ KC
Blackburn tends to be hit-or-miss, but he's likely to be in strong form in Kansas City against a dreadful Royals offense.

National League

Wednesday, 4/21: Bud Norris vs. FLA
His control issues present some concerns, but Norris is a good source of strikeouts and can dominate a lineup on any given day. Give him a shot at home against the Marlins.

Thurdsay, 4/22: Anibal Sanchez @ HOU
It's tough to predict what you'll get from the enigmatic Sanchez on any given day, but he draws a favorable match-up against the Astros in Houston this week.

Friday, 4/23: Charlie Haeger @ SD
In his first start this season, Haeger randomly struck out 12 batters over six innings. While it's certainly not realistic to expect that again, he's coming off a good spring and deserves consideration against the Padres.

<!--RW-->


Total Games



American League

6: BAL, CWS, CLE, KC, MIN, NYY, OAK, SEA, TEX, TOR
7: BOS, DET, LAA, TB

National League

6: ARI, ATL, CIN, FLA, HOU, LAD, MIL, PHI, PIT, SD, SF, STL
7: CHC, COL, NYM, WAS


Lefty/Righty Breakdown



American League

BAL: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
BOS: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
CWS: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
CLE: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
DET: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
KC: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAA: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
MIN: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
NYY: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
OAK: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
SEA: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TB: 3 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHP
TEX: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
TOR: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP

National League

ARI: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
ATL: 3 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
CHC: 3 vs. RHP, 4 vs. LHP
CIN: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
COL: 4 vs. RHP, 3 vs. LHP
FLA: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
HOU: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
LAD: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
MIL: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
NYM: 6 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
PHI: 6 vs. RHP, 0 vs. LHP
PIT: 4 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP
SD: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
SF: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
STL: 5 vs. RHP, 1 vs. LHP
WAS: 5 vs. RHP, 2 vs. LHP


The Infirmary



You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld's Injury Page, but here's the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:

Brian Fuentes: Out until early May
Lance Berkman: Returning this week?
Aaron Hill: Out until late April
Ted Lilly: Returning this week
Carlos Beltran: Out indefinitely
Brian Roberts: Out until late April

 

[HacheMan]

Opportunity hasn't knocked for some SB threats


So you look at your roster and see that you are not getting the steals you had hoped for. Jacoby Ellsbury has only two steals despite a .333 BA? Carl Crawford with a mere two despite a .360 BA? Carlos Gomez with only one? What is going on?
As is the case with RBI, stolen bases are largely contextual. While speed is a skill that never takes a day off, a player cannot steal if the opportunity does not arise. Adding in manager philosophies, batting order slot and a slew of other factors, and it is easy to see why steals can fluctuate wildly on a weekly basis, wreaking havoc with your head-to-head or points league squad.
It is easy to be misled in the early weeks; this is when your optimism is highest about the players that you gambled on late in your draft. "Rajai Davis has five steals? Awesome, this is the year he gets 70!" Of course, Davis has taken every opportunity to steal, because he has run -- literally -- 100% of the opportunities he's had available.
You should ignore all stats compiled so far. They only serve to cloud your vision. If you drafted a player hoping he'd be a steals source and are disappointed, just look at opportunities.
Here are some players and their SB opportunities through Tuesday's games:
<TABLE border=0 width=250 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>Player</TD><TD>SB Opportunities</TD></TR><TR><TD>Derek Jeter</TD><TD align=middle>1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Grady Sizemore</TD><TD align=middle>1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Adam Jones</TD><TD align=middle>1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Justin Upton</TD><TD align=middle>1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Carlos Gomez</TD><TD align=middle>1</TD></TR><TR><TD>Elvis Andrus</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD></TR><TR><TD>Mark Reynolds</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD></TR><TR><TD>Dexter Fowler</TD><TD align=middle>0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
All of these players are strong bets for at least 20 stolen bases in 2010. So, if you are waiting, just look at it this way: zero down, 20 to go.
Contrast this with these players:
<TABLE border=0 width=250 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD>Player</TD><TD>SB Opportunities</TD></TR><TR><TD>Tony Gwynn</TD><TD align=middle>4</TD></TR><TR><TD>Chris Getz</TD><TD align=middle>3</TD></TR><TR><TD>Derrek Lee</TD><TD align=middle>3</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
You can give me any betting action on group one versus group two. To be fair, none of these numbers matter at all, but if you simply must have something to look at to assuage your concerns, we hope these help.
-- Patrick DiCaprio, FantasyPros911.com

 

[HacheMan]

Big Puma to the Rescue
Out since arthroscopic knee surgery in the middle of spring training, Lance Berkman was 3-for-6 with a homer and two doubles rehabbing at Triple-A over the weekend and told the Astros that he'll be ready to rejoin the lineup Tuesday after the team's off day. Big Puma admitted his surgically repaired left knee is not yet 100 percent, but told manager Brad Mills "you can run me out there for about 10 or 15 games and see what happens."

Houston has recovered from opening the season with eight straight losses to win three of four games, but the Astros' offense ranks dead last with 2.3 runs per game and fill-ins Geoff Blum and Pedro Feliz have predictably been awful replacing Berkman at first base. Obviously the knee injury makes Berkman something of a question mark at age 34, but he's never slugged below .500 and his career-worst OPS is .896.

While the Astros hope to soon be merely very bad rather than historically terrible, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Rarely does an Opening Day cleanup hitter get designated for assignment before the end of April, but that's exactly what happened Sunday when the Mets cut Mike Jacobs after starting him in six of the first eight games. Getting rid of Jacobs makes more sense than batting him in between David Wright and Jason Bay ever did, but that isn't saying much and now the Mets are reportedly set to call up prospect Ike Davis from Triple-A.

Davis is a 2008 first-round pick, impressed during spring training, and is off to a big start in Buffalo, but just turned 23 years old and has played a grand total of 65 games above Single-A. To call him up now shows a sense of panic and startling lack of planning. Plus, while Davis projects to be a very solid player, with 159 strikeouts and a modest .467 slugging percentage in 181 games he's hardly a sure thing to thrive in the short term.

* Speaking of prospects thriving in the short term Jason Heyward delivered a walk-off hit with two outs and the Braves down a run in the ninth inning Sunday, singling with the bases loaded on a 96-mph fastball from Franklin Morales. Heyward has struggled a bit with breaking balls in the dirt, striking out 16 times in 12 games, but the 20-year-old phenom is hitting .302 with a 1.004 OPS and ranks second in the NL with 15 RBIs.

* Rich Harden looked horrible again Sunday versus the Yankees, lasting just 3.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits and six walks. He's managed 15 strikeouts in 13.1 innings overall, but has also handed out 14 walks and more importantly his raw stuff looks underwhelming. Texas signing Harden to an incentive-laden contract struck me as a smart gamble, but it's looking like all the injuries may have finally caught up with him. To see where Harden ranks among this week's starters, check out Season Pass.

AL Quick Hits: Adam Lind homered with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning Sunday to break up Ervin Santana's shutout ... Derek Jeter sat out Sunday's game with a head cold, but expects to play Tuesday following the Yankees' off day ... Aaron Hill (hamstring) is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but likely won't be back before Friday ... Matt Garza is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA after shutting out the Red Sox for eight innings Sunday ... Scott Podsednik had three more hits Sunday, raising his MLB-best batting average to .457 ... Perhaps breaking out of his annual early slump, Mark Teixeira hit his first homer Sunday ... Gavin Floyd was rocked for seven runs and failed to make it out of the second inning Sunday ... Daric Barton left Sunday's game after taking a pitch off his elbow, with Eric Chavez coming in at first base ... Alberto Callaspo hit a pair of three-run homers Sunday after going deep a total of 12 times in his first 318 games ... Miguel Cabrera turned 27 years old Sunday and celebrated with his 212th career homer.

NL Quick Hits: Adam Wainwright saved the Cardinals' bullpen Sunday night, holding the Mets to one run in a complete-game victory ... Aaron Rowand won't need surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone, meaning he could return in early May ... Manny Ramirez's pinch-hit homer turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead Sunday and Jonathan Broxton closed out the win for his first save ... Carlos Lee went hitless in five at-bats Sunday and is now batting .104 with zero extra-base hits in 12 games ... J.A. Happ is in danger of missing his next start with forearm soreness ... Jason Marquis failed to retire any of the seven batters he faced Sunday and then Miguel Batista served up a grand slam to Craig Counsell after relieving him ... Clayton Kershaw's shaky control continued Sunday, but he struck out nine and allowed just one run in seven innings ... Wade LeBlanc racked up seven strikeouts in five innings of one-run ball Sunday starting in place of the injured Chris Young ... Ian Kennedy tossed five shutout innings Sunday, striking out seven ... Nate Robertson shut out the Phillies for 6.1 innings Sunday, out-dueling Cole Hamels.

 

[HacheMan]

Mets Like Ike
Originally in the Triple-A lineup Monday afternoon, Ike Davis was scratched 30 minutes before the first pitch and made his way to Citi Field in time to start at first base against the Cubs, going 2-for-4 with an RBI batting sixth in the Mets' lineup. You wouldn't know it based on the amount of coverage and hype his promotion received, but Davis actually projects as more of a solid all-around player than a superstar.

Selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2008 draft out of Arizona State, he struggled in the low minors after signing and then hit .298/.381/.524 in 114 games between Single-A and Double-A last year. Davis continued to impress this spring and was off to a big start at Triple-A before the call-up, but through 182 games in the minors he has a relatively modest .287 batting average and .467 slugging percentage with 160 strikeouts.

Those numbers are dragged down by the poor initial showing, but Davis simply doesn't project as a 40-homer, middle-of-the-lineup monster and ranked just 62nd on Baseball America's annual prospect list heading into the season. Despite the tremendous hype, the Mets should be happy if Davis can hit .275 or so with 20-homer pop, which would be a huge upgrade over Mike Jacobs and should be enough to hold off Daniel Murphy.

While the Mets begin the Isaac Benjamin Davis era with a 6-1 win, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Conor Jackson reclaimed his spot in the lineup and emerged as Arizona's leadoff man after missing nearly all of last season with valley fever, only to suffer a hamstring injury while chasing down a fly ball Sunday. He was put on the disabled list Monday, leaving Gerardo Parra to start in left field. Parra has some value in NL-only leagues thanks to a solid batting average, but lacks the power or speed to be a mixed-league asset.

* Felix Pie followed up a strong second half last season by getting off to a good start this year, but aggravated a shoulder injury last week and may be sidelined for several months after an MRI exam Monday found significant damage. For now he'll try to rehab the injury while avoiding surgery, but he could miss the remainder of the first half while giving a big value boost to Nolan Reimold and perhaps a lesser one to Luis Montanez.

* Initially diagnosed with a sprain, Kelly Shoppach underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Monday and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Dioner Navarro has started seven of eight games since Shoppach went down, but he's hitting just .162 and doesn't have a whole lot of fantasy value even when he's playing well. John Jaso is up from Triple-A to serve as Navarro's backup and has nice on-base skills, but lacks the power to make an impact.

AL Quick Hits: Brian Fuentes (back) threw a perfect inning in a rehab appearance Monday at Triple-A and could be on the verge of returning ... According to manager Don Wakamatsu "the best-case scenario" for Erik Bedard (shoulder) is a return "somewhere toward the end of May" ... Russell Branyan (back) is slated to come off the disabled list Tuesday, bumping Matt LaPorta to left field and Michael Brantley to Triple-A ... After struggling in his first two starts, Brandon Morrow tossed seven innings of one-run ball Monday ... Jacoby Ellsbury (ribs) missed his seventh straight game Monday and doesn't seem close to returning ... Cliff Lee (abdomen) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Tuesday, after which he could be cleared for a rehab assignment ... Jose Bautista homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs Monday ... Mike Cameron was scratched from Monday's lineup and may be dealing with another kidney stone ... Scott Podsednik was unavailable Monday because of a family emergency.

NL Quick Hits: Ted Lilly (shoulder, knee) allowed one run over seven innings in a rehab start Monday at Single-A, setting him up to come off the disabled list this weekend ... Carlos Beltran has yet to begin running and will have his surgically repaired knee examined by doctors in Colorado later this week ... J.A. Happ (elbow) will miss at least one start, but the Phillies seem hopeful that he can avoid the DL ... David Eckstein delivered a walk-off homer Monday after going deep a grand total of two times in 136 games last season ... Brad Penny turned in another gem Monday, improving to 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three starts ... Jose Reyes requested Monday off after playing all 29 innings in two weekend games, so Alex Cora started in his place ... Chris Young (shoulder) played catch Monday, but no plans for a rehab assignment have been made yet ... Eric Gagne officially announced his retirement Monday, finishing 46th all time with 187 career saves.

 

[HacheMan]

Time for a change?

In this week's edition of Saves and Steals, your hierophant of a correspondent endorses Matt Capps and Leo Nunez, recaps no less than three closer changes and removes his hand from Chad Qualls' chair for fear of incineration.

In honor of the upcoming NFL Draft, this week's tiers are brought to you by the five levels of Top-10 first round prospects, rated by safety of selection.


Tier 1: Elite (3) (AKA: The "Ndamukong Suh" Tier.)


Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox
Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers


Tier 2: Rock Steady (8) (AKA: The "Eric Berry" Tier.)


Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets
Heath Bell, San Diego Padres
Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds
Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants
Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics

David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners

Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs

Comment:
At least some regression was expected from David Aardsma, the 28-year-old who came out of nowhere last year to convert 38-of-42 save chances and post a 2.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 80/34 K/BB ratio over 71 1/3 innings.

Oh ye of little faith. Aardsma, a former first-round pick who couldn't find a home prior to last season, has continued the renaissance, intent on burning every fantasy owner that didn't believe in his amelioration. He hasn't yet allowed an earned run while converting all five save opportunities thrown his way. In so doing, he's produced a 6/2 K/BB rate in five innings.

Aardsma is here to stay as a top closer.

Carlos Marmol's value is on the rise, despite blowing his first save of the season on Sunday against the Brewers. The hiccup raised his ERA to a still-sparkling 1.35, while he's posted an outstanding 13/2 K/BB ratio in 6 1/3 innings.


Tier 3: OK options (6) (AKA: The "Sam Bradford" Tier.)


Trevor Hoffman, Milwaukee Brewers
Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers
Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay Rays
Billy Wagner, Atlanta Braves
Jon Rauch, Minnesota Twins

Matt Capps, Washington Nationals

Comment:
In my mind's eye, I imagine Pirates GM Neal Huntington waking up one of these mornings, unwrapping the local sports page over coffee, perusing Matt Capps' progress with the Nationals and blurting, Ron Burgundy style: "I immediately regret this decision."

Huntington, of course, non-tendered Capps this offseason and watched him sign an affordable one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Nationals. It's a marriage that has worked well for all sides -- save the spurned Pirates -- as Capps leads the NL with six saves and has allowed just one earned run. He will have to improve upon his 5/5 K/BB rate, but Capps has obviously shook whatever afflicted him in an ineffectiveness-plagued 2009 (5.80 ERA) while finding himself on a team that is, at least thus far, better than expected. Washington improved to 7-6 on Monday, with Capps closing out the victory.


Tier 4: Question marks (5) (AKA: The "Anthony Davis" Tier.)

Chad Qualls, Arizona Diamondbacks
Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals
Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox
Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers

Leo Nunez, Florida Marlins

Comment:
Hot seat alert.

Two recent blown saves have Chad Qualls feeling heat, flames that Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch tried to extinguish on Friday by saying: "A couple of rough games for him, but he's our closer."

Early returns haven't been great since he returned from surgery to repair a dislocated left kneecap that prematurely ended his 2009 campaign. Through six appearances, Qualls had blown two opportunities while converting only one and contributing an 8.44 ERA and 2.44 WHIP. On Monday, he was inserted in a non-save situation against the Cardinals and surrendered one run on three hits. If he's yanked at any point, Juan Gutierrez is still the man to own. Gutierrez, you'll recall, converted eight consecutive save opportunities last season after Qualls went down.

On the opposite side of the job-security spectrum is Leo Nunez, who is almost perfect in 2010. In six appearances, he hasn't given up a run while posting a 0.79 WHIP. He's allowed only one hit, but could improve upon his 7/4 K/BB rate. We're into nitpicking, here.


Tier 5: Rollercoaster rides (8) (AKA: The "Dez Bryant" Tier.)


Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians
Franklin Morales, Colorado Rockies
Octavio Dotel, Pittsburgh Pirates
Ryan Madson, Philadelphia Phillies
Matt Lindstrom, Houston Astros

Fernando Rodney, Los Angeles Angels

Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles

Kevin Gregg, Toronto Blue Jay

Comment:
After a few shaky outings, Chris Perez tweaked his delivery in a bullpen session and weekend yields were great, as he earned his third and fourth save of the season against the White Sox on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, without allowing a baserunner.

It looks like Fernando Rodney's stay as closer is about to end. Brian Fuentes (strained back) is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Wednesday and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said that the left-hander will remain the Angels' closer when he returns. Fuentes pitched a perfect inning during a rehab appearance for Class-A Rancho on Monday.

Mike Gonzalez (shoulder) is expected to miss, at minimum, the next two weeks. Jim Johnson, his replacement, blew a save Saturday, allowing two runs to Oakland, but persevered the next day to earn a two-inning save. He has a golden opportunity to unseat Gonzalez long-term, despite the lefty's expensive new contract, but he's going to have to revert back to his 2008 setup form, when he posted a 2.23 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 68 2/3 innings. Luckily for both Gonzalez and Johnson, it isn't as though Baltimore is awash with additional options.

Kevin Gregg nudged aside Jason Frasor with a killer combination: the former's great start and the latter's implosion in a few key spots. Gregg, who always seems to find himself in the middle of closer controversies, has a 1.69 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 6/0 K/BB ratio in five appearances.

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Injured

Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins (Out for the season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow)
Huston Street, Colorado Rockies (15-day disabled list with shoulder stiffness)
Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies (15-day disabled list due to knee and elbow surgeries)
Kerry Wood, Cleveland Indians (15-day disabled list with a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle)
Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels (15-day disabled list with a strained back)
Mike Gonzalez, Baltimore Orioles (15-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder)

Comment:
Brad Lidge will soon move up to Double-A Reading after a rocky rehab stretch for Single-A Clearwater. He could potentially rejoin the Phillies by the end of the month, although, according to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, that may or may not be as the team's closer.

We should find out quickly if Kerry Wood needs a minor league rehab assignment, as he's scheduled to throw a simulated game this week. Either way, he is nearing a return from the disabled list and manager Manny Acta is nearing a big decision: keep Chris Perez in the closer's role or turn back to the veteran? Wood's expensive contract and the club's desire to showcase him for a deadline trade would probably take precedence over continuing the youngster's ninth-inning development.

The Graveyard:
Frank Francisco, Texas Rangers
Jason Frasor, Toronto Blue Jay

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The Steals Department

Thursday's trade that sent Fred Lewis to the Blue Jays was a win-win -- for player and new team. I'm rather unsure why the Giants dumped a player of moderate value for essentially nothing, but that isn't our concern.

If Lewis went unclaimed in your AL-only league's waiver process, grab him immediately. If he was claimed by a team in front of you, my humble suggestion is this: see if you can swing a reasonably-priced deal.

Lewis needs only to unseat Jose Bautista for playing time. He would have AL-only value even if he only logged playing time against right-handed pitching, but my guess is that he'll eventually elbow his way into more time than that.

Lewis hit only .258/.348/.390 in 295 at-bats last year, but keep in mind that he hit .286/.359/.434 (105 OPS+) in the three years prior to that. He's also a plus defender, which, while not counting for anything in fantasy, should ensure playing time in Toronto's outfield even if his bat were to go cold for a stretch.

Lewis stole only eight bases during his rough 2009 campaign, but swiped 21 in 2008, a season in which he also collected 11 triples (and posted a .351 OBP). He's entering baseball's toughest division, the AL East, which has stud starting pitching in spades. But that's not what you should be focusing on as a fantasy owner. Instead, realize that the fleet Lewis will now have an opportunity to run on such defensively-challenged backstops as Victor Martinez and Jorge Posada. All of which is to say that it should be expected that he return to his 2008 form on the base paths.

It almost goes without mention, but Bautista, the only man standing between Lewis and an everyday job, is currently hitting .216 and owns a career .238 batting average. Bautista was able to hurdle the Mendoza Line on Monday when he homered twice and drove in five runs in a win over the Royals. He'd better keep hitting that way if he hopes to stave off Lewis. Currently, he is filling in for Edwin Encarnacion at third base, but should have all sorts of problems finding playing time once Encarnacion returns. I personally expect Bautista to be relegated to the corner utility role he was suited for all along in the very near future.

On Monday, Lewis led off and played left field for a second consecutive game. Despite a slow start -- he's 1-for-9 as a Blue Jay with one stolen base -- expect him to keep getting at-bats in Toronto. Assuming he does, Lewis has real AL-only value for his speed and sneaky power and could potentially emerge on deeper mixed league radars later on down the line.

 

[HacheMan]

Heyward Does It Again
For the second straight night Jason Heyward worked his magic with the Braves one out from a loss, following up his walk-off single Monday with a game-tying homer off Ryan Madson. Nate McLouth then took Jose Contreras deep for a game-winner in the 10th inning, but the 20-year-old phenom remains the story for Atlanta and Heyward is now hitting .298/.411/.617 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 13 games.

Madson blowing a three-run save wiped away an excellent outing from Kyle Kendrick, who tossed eight shutout innings to lower his ERA all the way from 17.47 to 7.24. He's fighting for his rotation life with Joe Blanton tossing two scoreless innings in a rehab start at Single-A and it's worth noting that Kendrick managed only two strikeouts in the gem. Blanton is likely still a couple weeks from his oblique injury allowing him to return.

While the Phillies get used to dealing with Heyward for the next couple decades or so, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* After playing short-handed in the outfield for most of the season the Red Sox finally placed both Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury on the disabled list Tuesday. Ellsbury has a chance to return from his rib injury when eligible Monday, but Cameron is expected to miss at least three weeks after being diagnosed with a strained abdominal muscle that potentially could require surgery if rehab doesn't go well.

Cameron and Ellsbury running down fly balls together was a big part of the Red Sox's plan this year and leaves them very thin in the outfield, although for one night at least Triple-A veteran Darnell McDonald played the hero. Called up hours before the game, McDonald delivered a game-tying homer pinch-hitting for Josh Reddick in the eighth inning and then pelted the Green Monster with a walk-off single in the ninth.

* Jeff Mathis was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with a fractured right wrist, which means Mike Scioscia will finally be forced to give Mike Napoli regular starts behind the plate. Scioscia has always preferred Mathis' glove, but he's a terrible hitter while Napoli has a lifetime .844 OPS with 30 homers per 500 at-bats. Mathis is expected to miss at least six weeks and Napoli is capable of emerging as a top-10 fantasy catcher.

* Last month Kevin Slowey expressed some concern about limited range of motion in his surgically repaired wrist, but he finished spring training 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA and is now 2-1 with a 2.46 ERA to begin the season after holding the Indians to one run over eight innings Tuesday. Slowey's pinpoint control returned after some shakiness in his first two outings and in addition to zero walks he racked up nine strikeouts.

AL Quick Hits: Cliff Lee (abdomen) is slated to make a rehab start Sunday at Triple-A and MLB has dropped his five-game suspension ... Despite making 32 starts as a rookie, Trevor Cahill (shoulder) was optioned to Triple-A after being activated from the disabled list Tuesday ... Mike Scioscia announced that Brian Fuentes (back) will resume closing once he comes off the DL ... John Danks allowed just two hits over eight innings of one-run ball Tuesday, improving to 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA ... As expected, Russell Branyan (back) come off the DL and started at first base Tuesday ... Vernon Wells went 3-for-4 with a homer Tuesday and is now sporting a 1.308 OPS ... Ian Kinsler ran Tuesday for the first time since injuring his ankle in mid-March and said afterward that he "felt great" ... Milton Bradley left Tuesday's game with a strained calf ... Kerry Wood (back) threw a 35-pitch simulated game Tuesday, perhaps clearing the way for a rehab assignment ... Brandon Wood was benched Tuesday, but the Angels say they're sticking with him ... Nelson Cruz left Tuesday's game with a hamstring injury.

NL Quick Hits: Edinson Volquez was suspended 50 games for a positive PED test, but it hardly matters since the clock inexplicably starts ticking while he's out after Tommy John surgery ... Lance Berkman (knee) made his season debut Tuesday with a double and two RBIs ... Jose Reyes snapped a 0-for-18 streak by going 4-for-5 with a steal and a triple Tuesday ... Chad Billingsley struggled again Tuesday, coughing up seven runs in three innings, but Joe Torre made it clear that he'll remain in the rotation ... Dan Haren won Tuesday despite giving up seven runs thanks in part to going 4-for-4 at the plate ... Carlos Beltran was not cleared to resume baseball activities after having his surgically repaired knee examined Tuesday ... Dave Bush tossed seven shutout innings Tuesday for his first win ... Mike Pelfrey allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings Tuesday and is now 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA ... Madison Bumgarner finally showed some signs of life in his latest outing at Triple-A ... Daniel Murphy (knee) admitted Tuesday that he'll probably be Ike Davis' backup once he returns.

 

[HacheMan]

Big Z Bullpen Bound
For all his faults Carlos Zambrano has posted an ERA under 4.00 in each of his eight full seasons and is one of just nine active pitchers with at least 100 career wins and a .600 winning percentage, yet after going 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA through four starts this year the Cubs decided Wednesday to move him to the bullpen. He's reportedly fine with the move and will serve as Carlos Marmol's setup man, but ... well, it's an odd decision.

Chicago can certainly use the relief help, but the rotation is hardly a big strength unless you think Carlos Silva or Tom Gorzelanny will maintain ERAs below 2.00. Ted Lilly coming back this weekend helps, but Zambrano has been an above-average starter every year since 2002 and moving him to a role with one-third as many innings just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Oh, and the Cubs still owe him $18 million per season through 2012.

While the Cubs patch one hole by opening up a bigger one, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

* Francisco Liriano pitched scoreless ball Wednesday for the second straight start, keeping Cleveland off the board for eight innings after shutting out Boston for seven innings in his last outing. In those 15 innings he's totaled 14 strikeouts versus just 10 hits and four walks while inducing 23 ground-ball outs, which along with his increased fastball velocity is an incredibly good sign. His ugly 2009 seems like a distant memory.

* Roy Halladay hurled a complete-game shutout Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing just four hits and one walk while improving to 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA on the season. In an odd coincidence the man Halladay was essentially traded for, Cliff Lee, also began his Phillies career with an identical 4-0 record and 0.82 ERA last season. Lee hasn't pitched yet for Seattle due to an abdominal strain, but the Mariners have scheduled his debut for next Friday.

* After missing seven straight games with a shoulder injury Edwin Encarnacion finally landed on the disabled list Wednesday. Jose Bautista will continue to start at third base in his absence and shifting Encarnacion to the DL also clears roster space for Aaron Hill, who's due to come off the shelf Friday. Hill has been out since Game 2 with a hamstring injury and fill-ins John McDonald and Mike McCoy have done little in his place.

* I criticized the Nationals for signing Jason Marquis to a two-year, $15 million deal this offseason, but his first month has gone far worse than I ever could have imagined. He went 0-3 with a 20.52 ERA through three starts, coughing up 20 runs in 8.1 innings, and was put on the disabled list Wednesday after an MRI exam revealed "floating bodies" in his elbow. No word yet on a return timetable, but he's not worth waiting for anyway.

* If you like baseball talk, non-baseball talk, and links to random stuff, follow me on Twitter.

AL Quick Hits: Phil Hughes took a no-hitter into eighth inning Wednesday before Eric Chavez reached on a single off his chest ... Felix Hernandez out-dueled Kevin Millwood as both pitchers went the distance Wednesday ... It took Brian Fuentes just one batter to blow a save after coming off the shelf Wednesday ... In shades of last season Zack Greinke got stuck with a no-decision despite an excellent outing Wednesday, but the Royals did win on Alex Gordon's extra-inning homer ... Mike Lowell homered Wednesday starting in place of David Ortiz against a left-hander ... Mark Ellis was placed on the disabled list Wednesday after aggravating a hamstring injury, leaving Adam Rosales to start at second base ... Grady Sizemore went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Wednesday, dropping his batting average to .191 ... Brett Cecil is back in Toronto's rotation thanks to Brian Tallet's forearm injury ... Eric Patterson got a start Wednesday when Travis Buck was scratched from the lineup with a strained oblique ... Nelson Cruz left Wednesday's game in extra innings with more hamstring soreness.

NL Quick Hits: Hitting just .226 and homerless in 53 at-bats, Prince Fielder revealed that he's playing through a sore hand ... Placido Polanco left Wednesday's game after being plunked on the elbow, but X-rays were negative ... Huston Street (shoulder) made 60 throws from 120 feet Wednesday, but remains several weeks from returning ... Justin Upton struck out in all four at-bats Wednesday and is now hitting .186 ... Joe Blanton's (oblique) next rehab start will be Friday at Double-A ... Chris Young (shoulder) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Wednesday and will advance to a simulated game Friday ... Xavier Nady was scratched from Wednesday's lineup with complications from Tommy John surgery ... Yovani Gallardo struck out 10 in five shutout innings Wednesday for his first victory ... Troy Glaus is batting just .184 after going hitless Wednesday, but Shane Victorino did rob him of a homer ... Astros reliever Alberto Arias will miss the remainder of the season following shoulder shoulder ... Kevin Millar officially retired Wednesday, taking a job at MLB Network ... If your teams need an extra boost, check out the tons of great content in Rotoworld's award-winning Season Pass.