TB 8 BOS 2

Jeff Niemann is the man! I was a little late jumping on board with him, but once he put up those stellar Spring numbers I came around. Just in time to draft him once and trade Homer Bailey and Octavio Dotel for him before the season started. He took care of the Boston lineup tonight (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K) and John Lackey was pounded for 8 ER in 3.1 Innings. Not that Lackey's previous numbers were bad, but the decline was fairly obvious. I'm not going to call him a bust, but I wasn't going to spend a mid Rd pick for what I projected (1.30 WHIP, 7.0 K/9). Bartlett (.245) went 3 for 5 with 3 Runs and a RBI, Crawford (2 for 2, R, RBI) stole his 6th base, Longoria (1 for 5) scored a Run and knocked in two and BJ Upton hit a 3 Run HR, his 4th of the season. Even Pat Burrell had 3 hits in 4 AB. Reid Brignac (.364) got the start at 2B, pushing Zobrist to RF, he went 1 for 4 with a Run. Not a good day for the Boston offense (5 hits). Jeremy Hermida provided the only help with a 2 Run HR in the 7th. Pedroia, VMart, Youk and Papi went without a hit. Cameron was a late scratch, he has the same symptoms from when he passed a kidney stone.

WAS 5 COL 2

Craig Stammen shut down the Rocks, throwing 8 IP of 2 Run ball. He gave up 5 Hits, a walk and struck out 5. His numbers are still ugly tho (1.60 WHIP, 8.16 ERA), time to move along. Aaron Cook sucks (5 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BB, 3 IP), we all know this. Matt Capps got his 6th Save! Fowler sat in favor of Seth Smith (0 for 4), CarGo also went 0 for 4, Helton (Run) and Tulo each went 2 for 4, Ian Stewart went 1 for 3 with a Run, and Barmes went 1 for 3 with a RBI. Nyjer Morgan went 2 for 3 with a BB, RBI and was caught stealing. Adam Dunn went 1 for 2, scored 2 Runs and Walked twice. Ivan Rodriguez is on fire, he had another multi hit game (2 for 4) and scored a Run. Willie Harris (2 for 3, 4 RBI) got the start in RF and hit a 3 Run HR. Olivio (0 for 3) got the start, knocked in a Run and threw out base-cleptos Nyjer Morgan and Willy Tavares.

KC 1 TOR 8

Brandon Morrow looked great tonight (7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K), Brian Bannister did not (6 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 5.1 IP). DeJesus went 1 for 3 with a RBI, Jose Guillen went 2 for 4, Alex Gordon (0 for 2) took a walk and scored a Run. Fred Lewis (.111) got the start in LF and led off again, going 0 for 4. Lyle Overbay finally did something (2 for 2, 2 BB, 2 R). Jose Bautista (2 HR, 5 RBI) and Travis Snider (2 for 5, solo HR) provided most of the offense. 10,314 showed up to the game, the lowest attendance in the 22-year history of Rogers Centre. Podsednik (family emergency) missed the game, he should be back tomorrows.

CHI 1 NYM 6

Jonathon Niese gave up 8 Hits, 3 Walks in 5.2 Innings, but didn't give up an Earned Run. He struck out 7, but had to settle for the no decision. Randy Wells was pretty efficient on the other side (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K). Jenry Mejia seems to be doing well in his bullpen role, I grabbed him today in a holds league. He pitched the 8th and 9th today, striking out 2, walking 2 (no hits). The story of the day was the Mets calling up Ike Davis from AAA. He hit 6th, going 2 for 4 with a RBI in his debut. You can read more about him here at Fanhouse and Roto Arcade. David Wright (1 for 3, R) stole his 5th base. Jeff Francoeur (0 for 4) went hitless... again. He has a 3 game 0 for streak after his 10 game hit streak. Marlon Byrd hit leadoff, he went 3 for 5 with a RBI. Soriano went 2 for 4 with a double. Ted Lilly could make his return this weekend against MIL.

STL 4 ARI 2

All attempts to abolish the penny have failed, Congress has failed and so have the Diamondbacks. Brad Penny threw 7 strong Innings, giving up 2 ER, 8 H and a BB. He struck out 5 and had a 9/7 GB/FB split. The Dave Duncan magic is working, 60% GB% this year, up from his usual 40-sum%. The Ks wont be pretty, but his BB/9 was 1.29 entering the game and he looked good again. He is looking like the Joel Pineiro of 2010 with a slightly better K Rate. Rodrigo López had a decent game for ARI (7 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 3 K) after having a strong Spring. I wouldn't recommend him tho. Ryan Franklin closed the door for his 5th Save. Drew (Run), LaRoche (Run), Reynolds (2 RBI) and Snyder all went 2 for 4. Justin Upton (.212) is in a mini slump, he has 5 hits in the past 9 games. Matt Holliday (3 for 5, HR, 2 RBI) and Colby Rasmus (2 for 5, R, RBI) did most of the damage for the Cardinals. Holliday has 4 HR now, he also hit his 4th double. Felipe Lopez (1 for 3) stole two bases. Conor Jackson hit the 15-day DL (hammy).

SF 2 SD 3

Matt Cain (6 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 4 K) and Clayton Richard (6.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K) had strong performances, neither got the Win. Heath Bell blew the Save, his 1st, but Tim Stauffer was credited with the W after a David Eckstein bottom of the 10th walk off HR. Behold the power of Eckstein. Chase Headley went hitless, but stole a base. Kyle Blanks went 2 for 4. Aubrey Huff (.292) and Schierholtz (.353) had 2 hits, Schierholtz stole a base. Juan Uribe 2 for 3 with a solo shot off Heath Bell, that is back-to-back games with a HR for him.

DET 0 ANA 2

Joel Pineiro (7.1 IP, 9 H, 0 BB, 4 K), Kevin Jepsen and Fernando Rodney shut out the Tigers. I don't think too many ppl thought Pineiro could repeat the 1.14 BB/9, so that WHIP (1.08) will rise a bit when his BABIP (.245 before tonight) corrects itself. He is still useful tho, especially in leagues that do not use an Innings cap. He hasn't lost the ground ball magic he learned from Dave Duncan (4.50 GB/FB, 67% GB% entering today, 12/8 GB/FB vs DET). Fernando Rodney hasn't allowed a hit or walk in his last 5 appearances, he now has 4 Saves. Even Dontrelle Willis pitched well (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K). Johnny Damon and Magglio Ordonez each went 2 for 4. Detroit was shutout, but at least they had 9 hits; the Angels only had 4. Howie Kendrick had 2, going 2 for 2 with a walk and a Run. Jeff Mathis got the start at Catcher again, he went 1 for 3 with a Run. Mathis has a hit in every game so far, I purged myself of Mike Napoli.

BAL 2 SEA 8

Doug Fister was fist pumping all night long on the Seattle dance floors. Fister only allowed 1 ER, 3 H and 1 BB over 7 Innings, striking out 3. He took a no-hitter into the 7th Inning. Brad Bergesen looks like a demotion candidate (2.2 IP, 4 ER, 2.61 WHIP, 12.19 ERA) for Tillman or Arrieta. Ty Wiggington (1 for 3, .294) hit his 5th HR. Wieters (.286) went 2 for 4 with a Run. Casey Kotchman (2 for 4, 3 RBI) hit his 3rd HR, Ichiro (.321) went 2 for 4 with a Run. Franklin Gutierrez (.426) had another multi-hit game, his 7th on the year. Chone Figgins (.217) is hitless in the past 4 games. Lopez, Griffey Jr and Milton Bradley each had a hit and a RBI. Felix Pie will miss 3 months due to a torn latissimus dorsi muscle, whatever that is. He tore it on Opening Day and played thru the pain. Miguel Tejada (groin) hopes to play tomorrow. Safeco hosted the small crowd in it's history (14,528). no comments

Is that you Jon Lester? I can't see you behind that mountainous ERA and WHIP. Are my eyes deceiving me or do I see a 8.44 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP? Yikes! Everyone knows I was a big Lester fan coming into drafts this season, but I wasn't able to land him in many leagues (just one). Am I happy with him so far? Of course not. Am I worried about him and doubting my projections? No.

Lester is a slow starter, this is evident in his splits. Lester's career numbers in April are ugly: 1.58 WHIP, 5.29 ERA. Even in his break out season last year, he struggled in April (1.53 WHIP, 5.40 ERA) and May (1.56 WHIP, 5.86 ERA). According to BaseballMonster, from June 1st on, Lester was the 6th best pitcher behind Lincecum, King Felix, Javier Vazquez, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. He posted 1.08 WHIP, 2.35 ERA and struck out 151 batters in 138 Innings.

Lester has also experienced a little bit of bad luck. I'm looking at Fangraphs and I see a .379 BABIP, 58.2% Strand Rate and a 15.4% HR/FB%. You can't expect any of this to continue. His career BABIP is .312 and the defense behind him has improved this year, so I would expect it to be lower than his career norm. His career Strand Rate is 75.7%, almost 20% higher than what is now. His career HR/FB% is 9.0%, which is below the league average.

The only thing that seems to be an issue is the walks. He's rocking a 5.06 BB/9, which is almost double from the past two seasons. His First Strike% is up slightly, but his Zone% is a fugly 41.6%. He started a little slow in this stat last season too, but it was still 46.8% compared to the 48.1% he finished with. This has to improve and I'm sure it will.

The velocity is still there (his Cutter has gained 1 mph), hes inducing a few more Ground Balls and even though the O-Contact% is up a bit (which I expected, but more than I hoped), I wont be complaining about 8 K/9. I'm not worried about Jon Lester and if someone wants to deal him to me at a semi-reduced price, I'll be happy to oblige. no comments

TEX 2 NYY 5

Andy Pettite held the Texas lineup to 4 hits over 8 Innings and Mariano Rivera did what he does best, close games. Rich Harden was wild, walking 6 and beaning Gardner and Teixeira in 3.2 IP. It was a day of firsts for the Yanks lineup. Teixeira hit his first HR, he went 1 for 4 with the solo shot. ARod got on base all 4 times (1 for 1, 3 BB) and stole his first base of the season. Even Robinson Cano got his first SB. Posada had another good day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with 2 Runs and a solo HR. Posada may slacking on the defensive side, but he was underrated coming into drafts this year. Jeter had the day off (ill with a cold), Gardner led off (2 for 3, BB, R) and stole 2 bases. He's up to 7 SB now. Elvis had a good day on stage, going 1 for 3 with a Run and RBI. Michael Young had two hits (2 for 4) with a RBI. Ryan Garko got the start at 1B vs the LHP Pettite, but Chris Davis made it into the game to pinch-strike out.

CHI 4 CLE 7

Gavin Floyd gave up 6 Hits, 4 Walks and 7 ER, only recording 3 Outs. He didn't do my team any favors today. Fausto Carmona had a decent line (6 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 4 K), inducing 10 ground balls to 5 fly balls, throwing 19 first pitch strikes to 25 batters. He has 3 Quality Starts in a row now. Chris Perez got his 4th Save, getting 2 Outs without giving up a walk or hit. The White Sox lineup continues to suck, although Juan Pierre (.208) went 2 for 5 with 3 SB and Alexei Ramirez had 3 hits. Teahan filled the DH spot and got a couple hits, Omar Vizquel played 3B (1 for 3 RBI, Run). Shin-Soo Choo was huge today. He hit his 4th HR (Grand Slam) and knocked in 5 runs. He is hitting .350 and has 12 RBI on the season. I'm starting to wonder who is the better OF between him and Sizemore. Grady didn't get a hit (0 for 3, .231), but took 2 walks and scored twice. Choo started the season going 2 for 18 with 9 Ks, but he's been more patient since, not trying to do too much.

LAA 3 TOR 1

Ricky Romero threw another great game (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K), but took the loss b/c the TOR lineup blows! Ervin Santana does deserve credit tho, he had a great game too and came within 1 strike of a Shut Out (CG, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 6 K). Romero has added a 2 seam fastball that has some nice movement, it seems to be serving him well. Adam Lind (2 for 4) broke up the shutout and provided the only run for the team with a solo shot in the 9th. Fred Lewis (1 for 4, double, SB) got the start in LF and led off for TOR. Erick Aybar (55% owned) went 1 for 3 with a Run, he should be rostered in more leagues. Hideki Matsui had another good day in the clean-up spot, going 2 for 4 with a RBI. Mathis got the start over Napoli and drove in the Angels 3rd Run with a double. I may be dropping Napoli soon in my 14 team H2H league. I almost cut him today.

MIL 11 WAS 7

Doug Davis was pretty terrible (4.2 IP, 11 Hits, 5 ER), but escaped the loss b/c Jason Marquis was god awful. Marquis gave up 7 ER and didn't record an Out. He threw 28 pitches, only 13 for strikes. Where do I start with the hitting? Everyone did well, even Craig Counsell went 2 for 4 with a Grand Slam. Rickie Weeks (.311) went 2 for 4 with 2 Runs. Casey McGehee (.400) continues to slug, he went 3 for 4 with 2 Runs and a RBI. Jim Edmonds started in place of Corey Hart and went 1 for 3 with a Run and 2 RBI. Willy Tavares started in place of Nyjer Morgan and went 2 for 4 with 2 Runs. Guzman played SS/RF, going 2 for 5 with a Run and RBI. Zimmerman (2 for 5) knocked in two runs. Ivan Rodriguez is now hitting .444 after going 3 for 5, he had two Runs and a RBI. MIL has used 12 different lineups in 12 games now.

COL 3 ATL 4

Jair Jurrjens rebounded from a poor start, but didn't get the W. He went 8 Innings, allowing 8 base runners (5 H, 3 BB), 3 Earned Runs (2 HR) and struck out 9. Eric O'Flaherty got the Win after Franklin Morales blew another Save (his second). Morales sucks, which is why I have tried to get Rafael Betancourt (8th Inning man, 4 Holds, 1.00 WHIP, 1.50 ERA) in all of my leagues. Carlos Gonzalez (.368) hit his 1st HR of the season. Ian Stewart (3 for 4, Run, 2 RBI) hit his 3rd HR. Dexter Fowler (0 for 2, 2 BB) stole his first base (3rd base) of the season. Jason Heyward went 1 for 3 with 3 RBI, including the game winner. He now has 15 RBI on the season. Chipper went 2 for 4 with a Run, Martin Prado (.426) went 1 for 4 with a Run and RBI, Matt Diaz got the start in LF (hitting leadoff) and went 3 for 5 with a Run. Entering the game Atlanta's leadoff hitters combined for a .065 AVG (3 for 46).

PIT 5 CIN 3

Paul Maholm pitched well (6.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K) and got the Win. Bronson Arroyo was beat up a bit, allowing 5 ER in 6 IP, he took the loss. Octavio Dotel served up a solo shot to Jay Bruce, but recorded his 3rd Save. I picked up Brendan Donnelly (8th Inning man, 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 5 Holds), but I'm not looking to start him until Octavio loses the job via suckage, injury or trade. Andrew McCutchen didn't get a hit (0 for 3, BB), but stole his 7th base. Jay Bruce (2 for 4) hit 2 HR, both were solo tho b/c no one could clog the bases for him. Drew Stubbs got the start in CF over Dickerson, hit lead off, but went 0 for 3 and lowered his AVG to .167. Garrett Jones (.209) hasn't hit a HR since hitting 3 in his first 5 At Bats. "The game started three minutes past the scheduled 1:35 p.m. EDT start because crew chief Joe West’s crew was late arriving on the field. West recently complained about the slow pace of games involving the Red Sox and Yankees."

FLA 2 PHI 0

Nate Robertson induced 14 ground balls (5 fly balls) and blanked the Phils over 6.1 Innings. He walked 4, gave up 4 hits and struck out 4. I'm sure the switch from the AL Central to the NL East will help his numbers, but I was scared to add him to my pitching-depleted NL-Only team. Cole Hamels pitched well too (8 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 8 K), but took the loss as the lineup failed to score a run. Ryan Howard finally struck out (you ever read that before?), giving him 6 Ks in 55 At Bats. Cameron Maybin led off and went 2 for 4 with a double and a SB, he was hyped here today. Dan Uggla (3 for 4, Run, 2 RBI) provided all the offense, hitting a solo HR and doubling in another run. The Jorge Cantu (1 for 4, R) 17 game hit streak is still alive. Raul Ibanez (.175) sat in favor of Ben Francisco.

TB 7 BOS 1

Matt Garza (0.75 ERA, 0.88 WHIP) destroyed the BOS lineup, going 8 Innings, giving up 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BB and striking out 5. Jon Lester had his 3rd poor start, he gave up 7 ER in 6 IP. He isn't making me very happy, I think I'll discuss that later. Pedroia (0 for 3) had a Sac Fly in the 9th. Beltre went 2 for 3. Varitek (1 for 3) played, moving VMart (0 for 4) to DH and Big Papi (3 for 22 vs Garza) to the bench. Zobrist went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 SB. Crawford (0 for 4) went hitless, but stole a base (his 5th). Carlos Pena (1 for 3, 2 R, 2 RBI) and BJ Upton (1 for 3, R, 2 RBI) each launched 2 Run homers off Lester. Upton has 3 HR now.

KC 10 MIN 5

Luke Hochevar didn't pitch well (6 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 4 K), but Carl Pavano was worse (3.1 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 0 BB, 2 K). Soria came in and pitched 1.1 clean Innings (no hits, no walks, 2 Ks) for his 3rd Save. Span went 2 for 5 with a Run, Mauer (.378) had 3 hits and a Run, Morneau (0 for 3) knocked in a run and scored, Kubel (1 for 5) had 2 RBI, but it wasn't enough to keep up with Alberto Callaspo, who went 3 for 5, hit 2 HR and knocked in 6 RBI. Podsednik (.457) continued his hot streak going 3 for 5 with a Run, 2 RBI and stole his 7th base. To add injury to insult, Podsednik "lost his grip" during a swing and hit a Twins fan in the head with his bat. The fan was OK, this is the hockey state ya know. Billy Butler and Jose Guillen each went 3 for 5 with a Run and RBI, Guillen even stole a base.

HOU 3 CHI 2

Wandy Rodriguez (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K) and Ryan Dempster (7.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K) had a nice pitcher's duel, neither received the Win. I'm not sure why some ppl were down on Dempster going into drafts, I had him close to Roy Oswalt (35th) in my SP ranks. I would have been happy to land him at his ADP. Marmol blew the Save, nooooooo! He didn't walk anyone tho and struck out 2 in 1.1 Innings. Lindstrom locked up his 2nd Save in overtime, striking out 3 of 4 batters. Marlon Byrd went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI, Soriano went hitless and was replaced in the field again, Soto went 2 for 3 with a Run. Jeff Keppinger went 2 for 4, raising his AVG to .371. I was always intrigued by him when he was in CIN, he has amazing Contact Rates. It nice to see him get consistent playing time, grab him if you need MI help. Hunter Pence (.156) awoke from a slumber to swing the lumber, he went 2 for 4 with a Run. Lou Pinella said, “I’m going to change the lineup around a little bit and spur this offense on a little bit.” Berkman went 0 for 2 with a Sac Fly in his first rehab game, he is expected to get four at bats on Sunday.

BAL 8 OAK 3

Brian Matusz needs to be rostered in more than 50% of Yahoo! leagues. Hes pitched well vs Tampa twice and now Oakland (not that pitching well vs Oak is hard) after having a strong Spring [20.1 IP, 19 K, 3 BB]. Tonight, he threw 6.1 Innings (102 pitches, 75 strikes), giving up 3 ER, 8 H, 1 BB and striking out 8. It's easy to see why many think he is going to win AL ROY. Brett Anderson had a tough game, even tho looked good in certain areas. He gave up 5 ER, 8 Hits, 0 Walks in 5 IP. He struck out 2 and didn't walk anyone. He threw only 83 pitches, 53 for strikes. Jim Johnson actually threw 2 Innings, allowing only a hit, for the Save. Ryan Sweeney (1 for 3, Run) extended his hit streak to 13 games. Jake Fox DH'd and went 2 for 4 with a RBI. Travis Buck and Cliff Pennington each had two hits. Ty Wiggington (2 for 5) hit a double and a HR, he finished with 3 Runs and 4 RBI. Adam Jones, Nick Markakis (who has reached safely in all 12 games) had two hits and Reimold added two RBI with a double. Daric Barton left after the fourth with a contusion above his elbow. Miguel Tejada hopes to be back in a few days.

ARI 3 SD 5

Ian Kennedy looked great (5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K) @ Petco, pretty easy to see coming as I streamed him in at least 1 league. Wade LeBlanc was called up from AAA to sub in for Chris Young and threw 5 Innings, allowing 1 ER, 7 Hits, 2 Walks and struck out 7. SD won and Heath Bell got his 3rd Save, allowing a run in the process. Juan Gutierrez was beat up again (1 H, 1 BB, 2 Runs, 1 ER), he was pulled after getting just 1 out. Serves all those vultures right, you shouldn't be stealing my free agent closer pick-ups. Everth Cabrera led off, getting two hits, a Run and stealing his 3rd base of the season. Scott Hairston hit his 1st HR and Chase Headley continued his go ahead/hot hitting ways (1 for 3, Run, 2 RBI). Mark Reynolds (3 for 4, 2 RBI) hit a solo HR, his 4th on the year. Conor Jackson (1 for 4) and Justin Upton (0 for 3) were each caught stealing.

LAD 2 SF 1

Dont look now, but Barry Zito is rocking a 0.88 WHIP and 1.86 ERA. Zito threw 7.1 Innings, allowed 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB and struck out 3. Kershaw had a good game, going 7 strong, striking out 9. He walked 4, gave up 4 Hits and 1 ER. Jonathan Broxton got his first Save! He just needs the opportunity, he's been lights out so far this season. Ethier went 2 for 3 and Manny provided the heroics with a 2 Run pinch-hit Home Run. Juan Uribe hit a solo shot to give the Giants their only run. Ronny Belliard played 1B while Loney (1 for 20 vs Zito) rode the pine.

DET 4 SEA 2

Mad Max went thunderdome on the Mariners (6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K), Ian Snell was overmatched (5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 4 K). Jose Valverde got his 3rd Save, allowing only a BB and striking out 1 in an Inning of work. Austin Jackson (3 for 5, R, RBI) raised his AVG to .340, Johnny Damon went 2 for 3 with a walk and a Run, Miguel Cabrera went 2 for 4 with a 3 Run HR that landed in the second deck. Ichiro went 1 for 3, Eric Byrnes (1 for 3) started in LF, Casey Kotchman (2 for 3, Run, 2 RBI) hit his 2nd HR of the season. “In college I realized I had to be really intense, the more intensity I bring the more focused I get,” Scherzer said. “There were times where people told me I had to tone it down, but that’s not me. I need to get more intense, get more focused and everything falls in place for me."

NYM 3 STL 5

Adam Wainwright threw a Complete Game (107 pitches, 75 strikes), allowing 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB and struck out 9. John Maine didn't. In 5 Innings, Maine allowed 6 Hits, 4 Walks and 3 Earned Runs. Ludwick (.304) hit his first HR of the season, going 2 for 2 with 2 Runs and 2 RBI. Colby Rasmus (.188) also homered (his 3rd), he went 1 for 3 with 3 RBI, snapping a 0 for 18 drought. Pujols went 0 for 5 and left 5 on base. Matt Holliday broke from his 0 for 16 slump and went 3 for 3, raising his AVG to .311. Angel Pagan had two of the Mets 4 hits, he knocked in 2 runs with a single in the second. Reyes, Wright and Bay combined to go 0 for 9. Francoeur went 0 for 3 and is now 0 for 10 in the past two games, this could be the beginning of another streak for him. no comments

TEX 1 NYY 7

A.J. Burnett pitched well at Yankee Stadium once again. He had better numbers at home (1.33 WHIP 3.51 ERA) than on the road (1.47 WHIP, 4.59 REA) last year. Burnett struck out 7 in 7 IP, allowed 8 runners to reach base (6 H, 2 BB) and didn't allow a Run. Kramer's bizarro world double, Feldman, only lasted 2.1 Innings. He had a much tougher task than the two layups he had before vs SEA and TOR. Feldman was put on the trade block in two of my leagues after his fast start, no one bit. ARod hit his first HR of the season, his 584th career HR, passing Mark McGwire for 8th place. Jeter hit his 3rd HR. Granderson stole 4th base, his 5th SB of the season. The Yanks had 13 hits, it was a good day for everyone, even Mark Teixeira got a hit (1-4) and raised his AVG to triple digits (.100 on the dot). Brett Gardner gave me the middle finger for trading him (3 infield hits, 2 Runs, RBI). Julio Borbon went 0 for 5, his AVG (.083) isn't looking pretty. He doesn't hit Lefties (.097 in 31 at bats) so you can see why Ron Washington wanted him to play only 130 games. Start him at your own risk. Nelson Cruz launched a 3 Run HR, his 7th of the season.

HOU 4 CHI 3

Oswalt scattered 5 hits and threw 7 scoreless Innings, striking out 6, walking none. Gorzellany was knocked out early by a Pedro Feliz line drive, he says he's making his next start. Lindstrom got his first Save. Aramis Ramirez went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI and a Run. Soriano went 2 for 4 with a RBI, he also dropped a fly ball in the field. J.R. Towles (3 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI) hit his 1st HR, thanks buddy. Bourn was held out for precautionary reasons, his groin is sore. McLovin sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the stretch.

MIL 0 WAS 8

Livan Hernandez shut out Milwaukee. I'm not picking him up, I'll leave Livan on the the wire. Milwaukee only stuck out 3 times and pounded a bunch of balls in the dirt. Rickie Weeks' (0 for 4) 10 game hit streak is over. Zimmerman (2 for 3, 2 RBI) was back in the lineup and Guzman (2 for 4, 2 Run, SB) got the start at 2B. Justin Maxwell (1 for 3) got his first start in RF and hit a 3 run HR. Ivan Rodriguez continue his hot hitting, going 2 for 4, 2 Runs, 3 RBI.

LAA 6 TOR 3

Toronto's lineup is pretty ugly. Anyone who streamed Joe Saunders vs them was rewarded with a 8 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 ER performance. Fernando Rodney locked down his 3rd Save. He hasn't allowed a Hit, BB or ER in his last 4 appearances. Frasor and Gregg each gave up an ER. Howie Kendrick (.317) hit his first HR and stole his 2nd base of the season. He went 3 for 5 with 2 Runs and 3 RBI. Juan Rivera (2 for 4) hit a solo shot (his 3rd HR) and knocked in another run with a single. Mike Napoli and Brandon Wood went hitless. Fred Lewis, acquired from SF, made it into the game for Toronto to pinch-strike out.

KC 5 MIN 6

Blackburn (5 IP) and Meche (6 IP) each allowed 5 ER. Jon Rauch picked up his 6th Save in as many tries. Who needs Joe Nathan. Rick Ankiel hit 2 HR, he's hitting .308 now. I mentioned him here before the season, but I didn't have to dig that deep for OF in my mixed leagues. Delmon Young was benched and Jim Thome was slid into the lineup. He went yard, his 2nd HR of the season. Delmon is 2 for 23 vs Gil Meche. Mauer (.341) knocked in two runs, Span stole his 4th base and Hudson hit his 1st HR.

BAL 3 OAK 4

Duchscherer (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 K) and Guthrie (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K) pitched well. Rajai Davis (1 for 5) stole his 7th base and scored two Runs. Ryan Sweeney (2 for 2, 12 game hit streak) knocked in 3 runs. Daric Barton went back to getting on base (1 for 2, 2 BB) after his small hiccup yesterday. Miguel Tejada had 3 hits and Garrett Atkins had 2 RBI. Matt Wieters went 1 for 5 with a K, lowering his AVG to .268. Jim Johnson blew the Save, his 2nd Blown Save. The first was the 8th Inning variety. Koji Uehara (hamstring) threw batting practice and will pitch in a simulated game Monday.

NYM 2 STL 1

It took 19 Innings for someone to score a run, but the game wasn't decided until the 20th. 19 Pitchers (well, 18 and a UT player) were used between the two teams. Johan Santana (4 H, 1 BB, 9 K) and Jamie Garcia (1 H, 2 BB, 5 K) each threw 7 scoreless Innings. Garcia should be owned in more leagues. I picked him up earlier today, before his start, in a 14 team league after he came off waivers. Francoeur's 10 game hit streak was snapped in grand fashion, he went 0 for 7 with a K. He did drive in the first Run with a Sac Fly tho. David Wright (1 for 6, SB) walked 3 times, Albert Pujols (2 for 5) walked 4 times. Jose Reyes' Sac Fly in the 20th was the game winner. KRod blew the Save, but got the Win. He said he threw as many as 100 pitches, warming up each inning. Joe Mather, the Utility player, took the loss. Matt Holliday (0 for 5, hitless in last 5 games) struck out 3 times.

CHI 2 CLE 3

Jake Peavy (7.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K) and Jake Westbrook (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K) played dueling banjos, but it was Jensen Lewis who ended up with the Win. Chris Perez pitched a clean Ninth for his 3rd Save. Grady Sizmore went 2 for 4 with a triple and 2 Runs. Shin-Soo Choo had 2 RBI. Asdrubal Cabrera hit the game tying HR off Peavy in the 8th. Andy Marte (0 for 2, BB) got the start at 1B. The Indians wore brown hats made of recycled material, the White Sox used a lineup made of recycled material. Alex Rios went 2 for 3 with a RBI and SB.

SF 9 LAD 0

Tim Lincecum beat the Dodgers all by himself. He threw 6 scoreless Innings, allowing 6 base runners (4 H, 2 BB) and striking out 7. He also went 3 for 4 at the plate with 3 RBI. Charlie Haeger's knuckler wasn't floating and the Giants made him pay (5 ER in 3 IP). Even Aubrey Huff was able to steal 3rd base on him. Huff tried stealing 6 times last year and was caught all 6 times. Pablo (1 for 4, R) stole his 2nd base. Bengie Molina went 2 for 4 with 2 Runs and a RBI. Manny Ramirez, Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin and Casey Blake got the day off. Manny has a sore calf, the rest are a combined 3 for 36 vs Timmy. Mark DeRosa was removed in the fourth due to a strained hammy.

FLA 5 PHI 1

Nolasco threw a Complete Game (109 pitches), giving up only 1 ER and striking out 4. He gave up 5 Hits and 3 Walks in the game. Jamie Moyer gave up 5 runs in the first inning and then settled down and cruised thru the next 5 (6 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 7 K). Werth hit a solo shot, his first HR of the season. Ryan Howard went 0 for 4, but didn't strike out. Hanley Ramirez went 1 for 3 with a Run and a SB. Ronny Paulino went 1 for 4 with a 3 Run HR. Jorge Cantu (1 for 4) kept his 12 game hit streak alive, 16 games if you count last season.

CIN 4 PIT 5

Daniel McCutchen (4 IP) and Johnny Cueto (5 IP) each gave up 3 ER and did not look very sharp. Francisco Cordero gave up 2 hits, 3 walks and blew the Save for the Reds. Lastings Milledge went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI, Andrew McCutchen (1 for 4, R) was caught stealing and Garrett Jones (1 for 4) singled in a Run. Joey Votto had a great day going 3 for 4 with 2 Runs, a RBI and his 4th SB. Orlando Cabrera (.234) went 2 for 4 with 2 Runs. Andy LaRoche, Scott Rolen and Drew Stubbs were benched b/c of stiff backs.

TB 6 BOS 5

Clay Buchholz pitched 5 Innings (3 H, 4 BB, 7 K) and gave up 4 Runs, but none were Earned. James Shields pitched 6.2 Innings, gave up 4 ER (9 H, 1 BB, 7 K) and got the Win. Soriano locked down his 3rd Save with a clean Ninth Inning. Scutaro (1st), Pedroia (5th) and Youkilis (2nd) all went yard. Mike Lowell started at 3B and went 2 for 4. Evan Longoria (1 for 2, 2 R) hit his 3rd HR, a solo shot. Crawford (4th) and Upton (3rd) stole a base. Pat Burrell went 1 for 4 with a 3 Run double. Ellsbury is hopeful to be back in the lineup by midweek.

COL 4 ATL 0

Ubaldo Jimenez threw a No-Hitter, walking 6 batters in the process tho (9 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 6 BB, 7 K, 129 pitches). He is a legit stud, I talked him up everywhere, drafted him twice and traded for him (giving up Matt Cain and Mike Gonzalez) in another league. Kenshin Kawakami was roughed up, allowing 10 base runners and 4 Earned Runs in 5 Innings. Carlos Gonzalez was back in the lineup, he went 2 for 5 with a Run and 2 RBI. Brad Hawpe had 3 hits and a Run in 4 At Bats. This was the first No-Hitter in Rockies history, he was hitting 98 mph in the Ninth Inning.

ARI 0 SD 5

Kevin Correia threw 5.2 scoreless Innings. He gave up 3 Hits, walked 2 and struck out 8. Chase Headley went 1 for 3 with a Run, Nick Hundley went 3 for 4 with a HR and 3 RBI. Conor Jackson and Justin Upton each went 1 for 4 with a SB. It was Conor's 1st and Upton's 2nd. Wade LeBlanc will be recalled from AAA where he is striking out everyone. He will start on Sunday and I streamed him in a few leagues. He had a strong Spring and joined my NL-Only club recently thru the Waiver Bidding process. I'm hoping he sticks with the club.

DET 2 SEA 4

Justin Verlander pitched well (7 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 K), but took the loss anyway. Verlander said, “The command of my fastball wasn’t there tonight.” Ryan Rowland-Smith had a good game (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K) and Aardsma pitched a clean Ninth for his 5th Save (5 for 5). Ichiro went 3 for 3 with 2 Runs a double and a triple and just like that, his AVG is above .300 (.306). Ichiro, Chone Figgins (0 for 3, R, RBI) and Milton Bradley (0 for 2, R) each had a Stolen Base. Franklin Gutierrez had a good day, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Magglio Ordonez went 1 for 3 with a solo shot, his 4th of the season. Scott Sizemore went 2 for 4 with a double and a Run. Ian Snell is fighting the flu, but is expected to start on Sunday. no comments

no comments

HOU 2 CHI 7

How do you know when an offense is bad? When Carlos Silva throws 7 Innings w/o giving up an Earned Run. He even knocked in a run with a double off Felipe Paulino. That does make two good starts for him and I'm still amazed by the 188 Inning 9 Walk season he had in 2005, but there is no way I'm rostering that guy. The hit streak is over for Michael Bourn (0 for 4). I almost feel bad for Houston, Berkman is out, Carlos Lee (1 for 4) is hitting .103 and Hunter Pence (0 for 4) is hitting .108. Lee hadn't hit safely in the past 4 games and still doesn't have a RBI to his credit. Ouch. There's a couple buy low candidates if I ever seen one. Soriano got the start and went 2 for 3 with a Run and RBI, he also stole 3rd base (his first of the season). Theriot pushed in the go-ahead run with a bases loaded bunt and Derek Lee put the exclamation mark on the win with a 3 run homer. Berkman will make his first rehab start on Saturday and could be back by Tuesday.

TEX 1 NYY 5

C.J. and C.C. each had a Complete Game... b/c it was called after 6 Innings, due to rain. C.J. Wilson had a low quality Quality Start (6 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 5 K) and Sabathia went to town for his 2nd Win. C.C. struck out 9, walked no one and only allowed 3 Hits and 1 ER to cross the plate. Chalk up another 0 for April day for Teixeira. Both him and ARod still don't have a HR, but at least Rodriguez isn't hitting .083 like Teixeira. Michael Young, Josh Hamilton and Joaquin Arias were the only Rangers to get a hit. Jeter and Cano each have a 10 game hitting streak to open the season, the first pair of Yankees to ever do so in the same season.

CIN 3 PIT 4

So much for Mike Leake's superb control, he walked another 5 today, making it 12 on the season in 13.2 Innings. Still, he only allowed 3 ER and his ERA sits at a pretty 2.63. I was going to stream Duke in a league today, but I literally missed out by 1 minute. He went 7 Innings, allowing 6 H, 3 BB, 1 ER and struck out 2, but still didn't get the Win. Octavio Dotel blew a Save to get the Win. McCutchen went 2 for 4, stealing his 6th base. Who says you can't steal bases in the 2 hole? Aki Iwamura (a sneaky 2B option in deeper leagues) and Lastings Milledge also had 2 hits. Drew Stubbs got the start in CF, but went 0 for 3. He did steal a base tho, his 3rd. Jay Bruce also went hitless (0 for 3) and stole a base, I wonder how Dusty felt about his bases clogging RBI walk in the 8th.

MIL 3 WAS 5

Yovani Gallardo allowed 2 ER thru 6 IP (6 H, 4 BB, 5 K), but LaTroy gave up 3 Runs and was credited with the Loss and 8th Inning Blown Save. John Lannan didn't look too bad (7 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K), but Bruney got the Win and Capps Saved his 5th game. Nyjer Morgan (1 for 2) stole his 4th base and the underrated Josh Willingham (2 for 2) launched a grenade (his 3rd HR) off Gallardo. J-Will is hitting .375 now. Casey McGehee says hate on me now bustas, he jacked his 4th HR, going 3 for 4 with a pair of Runs and a RBI. Casey Casem is hitting a chart topping .378 after today. Hart, Braun and Gomez each stole a base off Lannan. Zimmerman missed another game.

CHI 2 CLE 6

Mitch Talbot threw a Complete Game with less than 100 pitches (97, 68 for strikes). He didn't walk any, struck out 2 and only gave up 6 hits and 1 Earned Run. The 18-6 GB-FB split looks very nice. He is a poor man's Joel Pineiro and worth a look in deeper leagues, preferably h2h leagues. Konerko went yard (his 4th), but there isn't much else to say about the White Sox offense. Beckham (1 for 4) is leading the positional players with a .256 AVG. Sizemore continued his slide going 0 for 4 and lowering his AVG to .212. I don't likey. The Soo-Choo Train is gaining steam, 1 for 2 with 2 BB raised his AVG to .333 and his OBP is getting close to .500. Cleveland now has back-to-back Complete Games from Huff and Talbot.

FLA 6 PHI 8

Roy Halladay is a stud, just in case you needed a reminder. He lasted 8 Innings, walking none, striking out 4. He scattered 8 hits, allowing 2 ER to cross the plate. Doc put an end to Cantu's 10 game hit/RBI streak, although Cantu did get a hit (1 for 5) so that streak is still alive. Anibal the Canibal Sanchez was devoured. Chase Utley (2 for 3) said Robinson Cano who? and then proceeded to hit his 6th HR, his 5th in the past 4 games. Ryan Howard went 2 for 5, raising his AVG to .362. He didn't strike out again (5 Ks in 47 AB now), in fact Halladay was the only Philly to strike out. Second basemen Uggla and Polanco each hit their 2nd HR. Jayson Werth went 2 for 4 (2 R, 1 RBI). Manley Ramirez went 3 for 5 with a RBI. I think Ryan Madson slipped David Herndon a $10 bill so he could have the Save Opp.

LAA 7 TOR 5

Jered Weaver looked great, minus the 2 HR. Who can blame him for giving up a bomb to Vernon Wells. Weaver went a strong 7 Innings, striking out 8, allowing only 5 hits and the two solo HR. Fernando Rodney showed his mentor Todd Jones how to close a game. He's a perfect two for two now. Shaun Marcum also went 7 Innings, but he gave up 4 ER. He only allowed 8 base runners (7 H, 1 BB) and struck out 6. Lind (2 for 4, HR, 2 RBI), Wells (3 for 4, HR) and Randy Ruiz (1 for 4, solo HR) were the only Blue Jays to do much of anything. Napoli sat in favor of Mathis again, coach was rewarded when Mathis went 1 for 3 with a SB. Mathis has an 8 game hit streak. I dropped Napoli in one league and I'm holding onto him in another H2H league. My boy Erick Aybar went 2 for 5 with a RBI, Torii Hunter went 2 for 4 with a Run and RBI. Kendry Morales went yard, his 3rd. Maicer Izturis played 3B and went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI.

TB 1 BOS 1 to be continued... rain delay

Josh Beckett looked great, going 7 Innings, striking out 8, giving up 0 ER and allowing only 5 hitters to reach base (4 H, 1 BB). Wade Davis only gave up 2 hits and 1 ER, but he gave himself extra work by walking 4. It took him 105 pitches (58 strikes) to get thru 5 Innings. VMart got the day off and Varitek hit the games only HR. Big Papi was back and he went 1 for 3, but K'd twice. Crawford, Zobrist, Longoria and Pena all stole a base. Only 7 hits in this game... so far. Pat Burrell went 0 for 3, he's hitting below his weight... by 50 points.

COL 5 ATL 9

MC Hammel was on the mound singing You Cant Touch This, 8 hits, 3 walks, 7 runs later he was gone. He lasted as long as MC Hammer's gangsta rap career (1.2 Innings). Derek Lowe didn't pitch much better (5 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 5 K), but he got the W anyway. Prado (.463), Chipper (2nd HR), Heyward (.316) and Melky each had two hits. Spilborghs went 3 for 4, Tulo added 2 hits and there was a CarGo sighting. Carlos didn't start, but he pinch-struck out later in the game. I'm hoping he doesn't hit the DL like the rumors were suggesting. Prado has 19 hits in the Braves first 10 games, matching Deion Sanders team record. Not much of a record, but I'll reference Prime Time whenever I can.

KC 3 MIN 10

Scott Baker outpitched Zack Greinke, I think he has to hand Scotty his Cy Young Award now, right? Baker went 7 strong, allowing no walks, 7 hits, 2 ER and struck out 6. Greinke only went 5 Innings, walking 5, giving up 5 hits and 4 runs, 2 earned. He struck out 5 batters. The 5 walks were the most hes allowed since he handed out 7 free passes in a 2008 June start. Span (2 Runs), Hudson (2 R, 2 RBI), Cuddyer (R, 3 RBI), Hardy (2 RBI) and Brendan Harris (2 Runs) each had 2 hits for the Twins. The 4 game HR streak for Jose Guillen is done, although Yuniesky Betancourt smoked a 420 ft HR off Baker. Neshek could be heading to the DL soon.

NYM 3 STL 4

Chris Carpenter went to town, striking out 10 in 7 Innings. He only allowed 7 base runners (4 H, 3 BB) and no Earned Runs. Oliver Perez didn't look too bad on the other side going 6.1 Innings (4 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 ER). Ryan Franklin gave up 3 hits, 2 ER, but recorded his 4th Save. This is the 2nd ugly outting he's had, but he hasn't blown a game yet. Felipe Lopez played the role of Albert Pujols, driving in all 4 Cardinal Runs with a Grand Slam. David Freese went 3 for 4 and is proving to be a sneaky option at 3B in deeper leagues. The Jeff Francoeur hot streak just keeps going, he posted another multi-hit game with 2 Runs and a walk. That is 10 out of 10 games with a hit and his 6th multi-hit game. Holliday was out due to illness. Ric Flair bounced 3 first pitches in the dirt, wooooooooooooo!

ARI 3 SD 6

Edwin Munster Jackson didn't give up a run thru 6 Innings, but didn't get the W. Jackson allowed 7 base runners (3 H, 4 BB) and struck out 3. Jon Garland still sucks. Heath Bell got the Win and Juan Gutierrez blew a Save (2 hits, 2 walks, a HR and 4 Earned Runs), unless that was Chad Qualls wearing his jersey. Chase Headley must have been pissed about his hit streak being snapped last night, he hit his 1st HR of the season, the game winner. Kyle Blanks went 2 for 3 with a Run and RBI. Adrian Gonzalez went 1 for 3 with a Run and 2 BB. Conor Jackson is coming around, he went 2 for 3 with a Run and BB, raising his AVG to .297. Chris Young struck out twice, during a 0 for 3 night. Gerardo Parra provided the Diamondbacks only other 2 hits.

BAL 2 OAK 4

Dallas Braden had another strong start, going 7 Innings (3 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 4 K). Andrew Bailey got his first Save of the season. Rajai Davis stole his 6th base and Jake Fox got the start at Catcher, going 1 for 3 with a Run and RBI. Markakis went 2 for 4 and Wiggy hit a HR. Sweeney extended his hitting streak (1 for 4, RBI) to 11 games. Barton's on base streak is over after a 0-4 night at the plate. Braden is now 5-1 with a 1.57 ERA vs Baltimore in 6 games, he pitches with permanent numbness in his left foot as a result of nerve damage suffered last year.

SF 8 LAD 10

Todd Wellemeyer is still horrible. Vicente Padilla (V-Pad?) pitched 7 Innings (4 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 7 K) for the Win. Padlo Sandoval hit his 2nd HR, a solo shot. Eugenio Velez and Juan Uribe each had 3 RBI. Velez entered the game after Rowand was beaned in the beanie, that is 111 times Rowand has been hit by a pitch if you're counting at home. The Dodgers lineup is scorching hot. Loney went 3 for 5, raising his AVG to .327 so now everyone in their lineup has an above .300 AVG except the 2B platoon of DeWitt and Carroll. Kemp hit his 5th HR, he has a 4 game HR streak and 15 RBI on the year. Ethier hit 2 HR, including a Grand Slam, he's up to 3 HR now and has 12 RBI. Anyone want to take back their Rafael Furcal projections? He's hitting .341 with 4 SB already. Manny Ramirez left after 3 Innings b/c of tightness in his right calf, he was replaced by Reed Johnson.

DET 3 SEA 11

King Felix taxed the Tigers' asses, striking out 9 in 6.2 Innings. He allowed 6 base runners (4 H, 2 BB) and 2 ER. Jeremy Bonderman is horrible, there is nothing else to say about him. Austin Jackson continues to look great in the lead off role. He went 2 for 4 with a Run, boosting his AVG to .325. Miguel Cabrera knocked in a couple Runs with a double. Ichiro is alive! 2 for 5, 2 Runs, a RBI and his 2nd SB of the season. Figgins stole his 3rd after going 0 for 1 with 3 walks. Franklin Gutierrez went 3 for 5 with a Run and 3 RBI. Jose Lopez knocked in 2, going 2 for 4 with a Run in the process. Even Griffey Jr. got in on the action with 2 hits and a Run, he is 233 hits away from 3,000. I find it doubtful he gets there, but I'm cheering for him. Cliff Lee is on track to return May 1st or 2nd depending on the appeal of his 5 game suspension. no comments

I'm slapping together a spur of the moment podcast show, starting at 5:00 PM Central, guest starring Chris Carbonell from RotoExperts and Starbonell Station. I'll have a few Leinenkugel Classic Ambers in me and the show is Live! so there is no telling what'll happen. If J.R. Towles is reading this, don't listen to the show. Your feelings will be hurt.

Million Dollar Podcast home
call in number: 347-857-1738

Carbonell's Slumps and Dumps no comments

TEX 3 CLE 0

David Huffed and puffed and blew down the Rangers lineup, which was built with heavy sticks. He only used 104 pitches (71 strikes) for the Complete Game (his first career CG). Huff struck out 4 batters, allowed 5 base runners (4 H, 1 BB) and 2 Earned Runs (off a Michael Young HR). The Ks won't be sexy, but that makes two good starts in a row for the UCLA product. Speaking of two good starts in a row, Matt Harrison pitched well for Texas (7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K). He had a strong Spring and people were saying his velocity is up, but it doesn't show on Fangraphs. These two are worth a look in deeper leagues. I woke up and Grady Sizemore already went 0 for 12 across 3 of my leagues. Shin-Soo Choo went 2 for 4 with a HR and 3 RBI, he now has 3 HR and 3 SB with his .323 AVG. He was the only AL player last season to hit .300 with 20 HR and 20 SB, I am glad I drafted him in at least 1 league. Asdrubal Cabrera ended a 0 for 16 skid with a single in the 5th, he went 1 for 4. C.J. Wilson will start on Friday after a food poisoning incident, I'm guessing it was Taco Bell.

BOS 0 MIN 8

I love Francisco Liriano. The Franchise shut out Boston thru 7 Innings, striking out 8 and allowing 6 base runners (4 H, 2 BB). The 10 ground ball to 2 fly ball split was also great. Cuddyer hit his 2nd HR, that is now back-to-back games with a HR for him. Delmon Young sat after I talked him up yesterday, but he is 3 for 18 vs Wakefield and Thome lowered his AVG to .211 so I'm not retracting anything there. Span got a couple hits, Pedroia continued hitting well vs the Twinkies and Big Papi sat in favor of Mike Lowell (Francona used the Liriano matchup as an excuse to bench Ortiz). Maybe Terry is a huge Jay-Z fan.

HOU 5 STL 1

Houston won a game! Is Bud Norris related to Chuck? He straight up karate chopped St. Louis today. He only lasted 5 Innings (106 pitches, 67 strikes), but he struck out 9 batters (career high, including 2 Ks vs Pujols) while allowing 7 base runners (4 H, 3 BB) and no Earned Runs. He also knocked in a run with a single to left. Bud was a sleeper on many people's lists and he showed his potential today. If you need Ks, look no further. Kyle Lohse pitched well too (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 K), but was saddled with the loss. Colby Rasmus struck out 3 times, going 0 for 4, lowering his AVG to .200. Maybe I am not so disappointed that I didn't land him in a draft. The breakout looked imminent after the strong Spring. Another day, another multi-hit game for Michael Bourn. That makes 4 straight and 5 in the past 6 games.

MIL 8 CHI 6

Jeff Suppan was Jeff Suppan and Carlos Zambrano was too. Zambrano allowed 11 base runners (8 H, 3 BB) in 5 Innings (121 pitches) and his numbers do not look good so far (2.02 WHIP, 9.45 ERA). Carlos Villanueva continued looking great in a relief role, but he was boom or bust last season. An explosion is likely coming. I mention this b/c Hoffman had another interesting Save and people seem to be down on him lately. Send me your weak, your poor and your Hoffmans, I'll buy low if possible. Fonzy was benched in favor of Tyler Colvin, who went 2 for 4 with 2 Runs. Corey Hart was benched in favor of Jim Edmonds, who went 3 for 6 with 3 Runs. The wind was blowing out (18 mph) and Braun, McGehee, Lee, ARam, Byrd all went yard.

WAS 7 PHI 5

J.A. Happ handed out 6 free passes in 5.1 Innings, didn't induce many ground balls (5 GB, 8 FB), didn't strike out anyone but still didn't allow an Earned Run. Thankfully, the bullpen blew the win for him. Happ hasn't allowed an Earned Run yet, but that 1.65 WHIP doesn't inspired much confidence. Capps got his 4th Save, but his WHIP (1.94) is bigger than his ERA (1.59) and he allowed a HR to Victorino. Hopefully you can find a taker for him before he loses his job. Guzman got the start at 2B and got his first walk of the season. Dunn and Zimmerman (Gibson-esque pinch-hit) got their first Home Runs of the year. Pudge continues making me look good (2 for 4, 1 Run, 2 RBI). Utley hit another HR, his 5th on the season and 4th in the last 3 games. Ryan Howard didn't strike out. It's still really early, but Howard's contact percentage and k rate are much improved this season. I expect 50 HR and 150 RBI.

NYM 5 COL 0

Jorge De La Rosa let me down by walking 5 in 6.0 Innings. He also allowed 8 Hits and 4 Earned Runs, but his numbers on the year are still pretty. Mike Pelfrey looked great, throwing 7 scoreless Innings, allowing only 5 Hits, no walks and struck out 6. Colorado went with the ugly lineup today tho (Giambi, Mora, Smith, Spils). Tulo went 2 for 4 and was caught stealing. Francoeur went 2 for 4, raising his AVG to .438, that is a 9 game hitting streak if you're counting. David Wright didn't get a hit, but walked 3 times and stole his 3rd base.

ATL 6 SD 2

Tim Hudson and Mat Latos looked bad. Hudson was cruising thru 5 Innings, but things turned sour in the 6th. Jason Heyward went 2 for 3 with a couple doubles, a Run and 2 RBI. He didn't strike out and was put on my trade block last night. No offers sent my way, no questions asked. Where did the hype go? Chipper Jones stole a base, hopefully all his fingers and toes are in tact. Martin Prado went 2 for 5, actually lowering his AVG to .459. He hit his first HR. The Chase Headley hit streak is over (0 for 4). Kyle shot more Blanks, going 0 for 3 and lowering his AVG to .188. Will Venable hit his 3rd HR. Moylan and Saito didn't allow a hit, can't wait for the inevitable Billy Wagner DL stint. Is it wrong of me to cheer for an injury? If that's wrong, I don't want to be right.

LAA 2 NYY 6

Scott Kazmir stunk (after coming off the DL) and Phil Hughes didn't look great either. Kazmir was chased out after 4 Innings. He allowed 11 base runners (8 H, 3 BB) 3 HR and 6 Earned Runs. Hughes walked 5 in 5 Innings, but only allowed 3 hits, 2 Earned Runs, struck out 6 and got the Win. I guess the Angels have a new Francisco Rodriguez pitching the 9th. Jeter took Kazmir deep once and Cano did twice. Cano is looking like a stud in the RBI spot (.395, 4 HR, 9 RBI). Granderson hit two triples. Teixeira had another 0 for April day, lowering his AVG to .091, yikes. He did take 3 BB, but struck out in his other two At Bats. Aybar went 1 for 4 with a walk and a SB (his first). Hideki Matsui had a great day vs his former team (2 for 2, a solo HR, 2 BB). Napoli got the start and went 1 for 3. Brandon Wood went 0 for 4 with 2 Ks, not looking good so far.

CHI 3 TOR 7

Freddy Garcia is still pitching? Maybe not after tonight. Dana Eveland turned in another good performance, earning a Quality Start. He went 6 Innings, allowing 2 ER, 6 base runners (3 H, 3 BB) and striking out 4. Alexei Ramirez and I Love Donny Lucy provided the White Sox only offense with a couple HR. Travis Snider hit his first HR. Vernon Wells went 2 for 4 and stole a base without permission from Starbonell and Kiffy, hes now hitting .343, thank you very much. Alex Gonzalez is doing his best Scutaro impression, going 4 for 5 with 3 RBI from the two hole, his AVG is sitting at .349. Jason Frasor rebounded from a rough outting to pitch a clean 9th Inning in a non-save opp. Encarnacion sat with a sore right arm, he'll be out a couple days. Hopefully no one is relying on him.

CIN 2 FLA 10

Josh Johnson dominated the Reds, allowing 1 ER, 6 base runners (5 H, 1 BB) and striking out 10 thru 6 Innings. Aaron Harang was abused (8 ER in 4 IP). Drew Stubbs owners unite! Dickerson got the start in Center again, rewarding Dusty by going 2 for 3 with a Run and 2 SB. Votto went 0 for 2 with a Walk and stole his 3rd base. Joey only had 12 career steals in 306 games so this should be interesting. 15 steals would go a long way for his value. Cameron Maybin had a great day, going 3 for 4 and hitting his first HR of the season. He's hitting .310 now. Another day, another Jorge Cantu hit and RBI. He has a hit and RBI in every game (10) so far. Extrapolaters are going crazy. Baker, Uggla and Ross had a multi-hit, multi-RBI day. Everyone in the Florida lineup got a hit, except Brett Carroll.

BAL 2 OAK 6

Ben Sheets pitched 6 scoreless Innings and got his first Win since Sept of 2008. He allowed 8 base runners (5 H, 3 BB) and struck out 4. David Hernandez had mixed results for Baltimore, he gave up 4 ER in 5 Innings, but he did strike out 6 batters and allowed only 1 walk. Kam Mickolio gave up a Walk, Hit and ER in his first relief appearance (1.0 IP). That won't help his chances for Save Opp. Baltimore's coach, Dave Trembley, expects Jim Johnson to pick up most of those opportunities, but his decisions will also be based on matchups. Adam Jones had a 3 hit day (3 for 5) with 1 RBI. Ryan Sweeney extended his hit streak to 10 games with a 1 for 4 (Run, RBI) performance. Miguel Tejada received a warm ovation from the Oakland fans.

ARI 5 LAD 6

Chad Qualls blew another Save and the Dodgers won in extra Innings. Qualls gave up 3 H, 2 BB and 2 ER in a single frame. He also chucked a wild pitch. He's blown two Saves back-to-back and his ERA (8.31) and WHIP (2.31) are awful. Juan Gutierrez pitched the 8th, looking good. He should be on the watch list (maybe even owned, at least by Qualls owners in deep Save-tough leagues) in case something happens here. He hasn't allowed a Run yet and his WHIP is a sparkling 0.50. Broxton pitched well again, earning the Win. Dan Haren and Hiroki Kuroda looked pretty good tonight. Haren lasted 6.1 Innings, giving up 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER and striking out 7. Kuroda went 7 Innings, giving up 10 H, 0 BB, 2 ER and striking out 7. Kuroda looks great so far this year (1.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP). Haren does too, but that is expected. Chris Young went 2 for 5 with a Run and SB, plus he didn't strike out again! CoJacks went 3 for 4 with a RBI from the lead off spot. Drew went 2 for 4, he has a 5 game hit streak going on. Justin Upton hit his 3rd HR, Kemp hit is 4th. James Loney went 3 for 5 and stole 3rd base. Casey Blake went 2 for 5 with a RBI, he's hitting .345 now. The Dodgers lineup is looking tough right now, the only one not hitting above .300 is Loney (.295) and DeWitt/Carroll. no comments

KC 7 DET 3

DeJesus, Podsednik, Butler, Guillen (KC's 1-4 hitters) all continued hitting well. Guillen now has a 4 game HR streak after going yard (career HR #200) off Ryan Perry. Don't look now, but Jason Kendall is hitting .382 after a 4 hit day. Magglio Ordonez continued swinging a hot bat, going 1-3 with his 3rd HR. Don't sleep on Magglio, he hit .375 after the All-Star break last season. He's not washed up by any means. Old man Johnny Damon knocked in his 1,000th RBI. Rick Porcello scattered 10 hits over 6 Innings, allowing 3 Earned Runs, no Walks and Striking Out 2. That's only 5 Ks in 11 Innings for Porcello, I don't think that is the type of improvement some ppl were expecting. He did induce 15 ground balls tho so...

LAA 5 NYY 3

Joel Pineiro out pitched Javier Vazquez and Rappin Rodney went into the studio and recorded his 1st Save of 2009, lowering his ERA to 9.00. Pineiro actually struck out 7 batters in 7 Innings (walking none, 12-4 GB-FB) while Vazquez continued proving all his doubters right. Brandon Wood got a hit (hurray!) raising his AVG above .100, he also stole a base. Napoli pissed off his owners once again, well me at least. Chalk up another 0 for April day for Teixeira, he's now hitting .097 (.245 career hitter in the month of April). No need to panic here, now may be a good time to ask around about his services. Erick Aybar is looking good as the lead off man, hitting .290 and making an effort to walk more. Very underrated SS going into drafts.

BOS 6 MIN 3

It took 29 years, but it finally rained on the Twins at home. Big Papi swelled up in the rain and hit a double, but he struck out twice and tried stealing 2nd base on Mauer. Slowey didn't look too good allowing 4 Walks (tying a career high) in 5 Innings and a HR to little Dusty Pedroia. Him and Mauer didn't seem to be on the same page at times. Lackey didn't look too much better, but he got the win anyhow. Neshek threw 2 hitless Innings, striking out 2. He is a terrific pitcher and someone who can help your team without getting Saves. Delmon Young had 3 hits, raising his AVG to .346. If you can use a .290/15/15 line with room for a lot of upside, Delmo is your man. Thome is hitting .214 so I wouldn't worry about lost playing time. Span is hitting .156 from the leadoff spot, but he now has 9 walks to only 4 Ks. Hudson's AVG isn't pretty either, but his 1-5 day at the plate extended his hit streak to 6 games. Hermida had 3 RBI, Ellsbury is expected back by Friday. Still, he should be owned in AL-Only leagues.

TB 9 BAL 1

David Price went to town and the Big BossMan Jr used his nightstick to club 2 HR. Price allowed 1 ER, 6 base runners (4 H, 2 BB) and struck out 7 in 7 IP. He is now sporting a 2.45 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. I am a little upset I didn't draft either of these two in 2010. Luckily, I'll always have BJ (and Justin) on my dynasty league team. If BJ is truly past the shoulder issues and that power he's displayed in the past is back, watch out! Bergesen didn't last long, getting chased out after 3 IP. Sean Rodriguez got another start and led off, going 1-4. He's now hitting .190 and not looking like the Spring Training monster he once was. Carlos Pena went yard, his 3rd on the season, and he's hitting .333. Looks like he's past last season's injury woes. Why is Pat Burrell in the TB lineup?

MIL 6 CHI 7

Is anyone still talking trash about Carlos Marmol? You haters, get ta steppin! My boy Marmolboro was smoking tonight; 3 batters faced, 3 Ks. His ERA/WHIP sits at a pretty 0.00/0.69. Show me someone rostering John Grabow and I'll show you a fool. Dave Bush turned in a decent performance, but didn't factor in the decision. He's had good seasons in the past and seems to be a forgotten man. Xavier Nady got the start at 1B and went 1-3 (Lee and his inflamed thumb are expected back Thurs). Theriot stole 2 or 3 bases, depending on where you look in the boxscore. Fukudome continued swinging a hot bat, going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and raising his AVG to .417. Fonzy had another rough day in the field and was booed by the crowd when replaced by Tyler Colvin. The Fonz may have gotten the thumbs up if this game were in Milw, I'm guessing.

PIT 0 SF 6

Jonathan Sanchez threw 8 shutout Innings, striking out 11 while allowing 6 base runners (3 H, 3 BB). The Aubrey Huff inside-the-park HR was all the offense the Giants needed, but they (Whiteside, Rowand) hit 2 more HR off Charlie Morton for good measure. Lastings Milledge had 2 hits. Garrett Jones didn't hit any HR or steal any bases, he is hitting .242 now. Eugenio Velez now has a correctly spelled jersey, all is well.

TEX 6 CLE 2

Grady Sizmore is back, but nobody seemed to be in trouble. Well maybe Grady was, they beaned my friend boy! Colby Lewis did his best Hideo Nomo impression, striking out 10 and walking 4 in 5.1 Innings. The pinpoint control Lewis displayed in Japan hasn't really shown itself, but he's been effective anyway. Neftali Feliz got his 2nd Save, Nelson Cruz hit his 6th HR and Lou Marson stole a base. Oh my god, Julio Borbon got a base hit!!! For a second I thought I drafted Julio Inglesias. Even Chris Davis had a couple hits. Justin Masterson was roughed up a little bit, but still came out looking pretty. He went 6 Innings, striking out 9 and allowing 0 walks (9 hits). Justin induced 10 ground balls (2 flyballs). Masterson wasn't on everyone's radar coming into drafts, but he was on mine. Don't overlook him.

WAS 7 PHI 14

Both teams scored early and often, but Philly kept it going. Kendrick was blown up in less than 2 innings (“I was bad,” Kendrick said) and Stammen was even worse for the Nats. Victorino was in the leadoff spot with Rollins on the DL. He looked good, going 4 for 5 with 3 runs, 5 RBI and a HR. Utley went yard twice (4 on the season). Polanco continued looking great in the 2 hole. Guzman got another start over Ian Desmond and went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Pudge stole a base! Zimmerman (hammy) and Werth (hip) were no shows.

CHI 11 TOR 1

The Toronto lineup is awful. Don't give Lind and Wells much to swing at and they're done. Stream vs these guys at will. Danks went 7 Innings, striking out 6, allowing 5 base runners (2 H, 3 BB) and 1 Earned Run. Brandon Morrow was abused. He lasted only 4 Innings, giving up 8 hits and 7 Earned Runs (2 HR). Carlos Quentin hit his 5th HR (grandslam), knocking in 6 RBI. He wasn't very cheap in my leagues, but I'm sure plenty of ppl ended up with a huge steal there. Andruw Jones hit his 3rd HR and is hitting .350. I'd bet he'll weigh 350 before he ever hits .350 so don't hold your breathe there. He is worth a look tho.

FLA 5 CIN 3

Homer Bailey sucks! I love saying that, not sure why, but I do. It feels good, you should try it. He walked 4 batters in 5.1 Innings, giving up 5 Earned Runs in the process. Dusty let him throw 115 pitches, no surprise there I guess. Volstad looked OK, getting the Quality Start. He struck out 5 batters in 6.2 IP, allowing 9 base runners (5 H, 4 BB). He was hyped when he joined the league, but didn't have a successful second year. The ground baller is worth a look in most leagues. Maybin went 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a SB, Cantu went yard and now has a hit and RBI in every game, Jay Bruce went 1 for 3, Votto went 0 for 4, but stole a base. Dickerson got the start over Stubbs in CF, going 1 for 4 with a K. Badenhop got the 2 Inning Save. Coghlan missed the game (sore ribs).

STL 2 HOU 1

Three runs were scored in the 1st Inning and that was it, Brett Myers and Brad Penny looked great. Myers went 7 Innings, striking out 7 and allowing 6 base runners (4 H, 2 BB). He allowed only 1 Earned Run. Penny also went 7 Innings, striking out 4 and allowing only 4 hits. The run was unearned. Ryan Franklin got the uneventful Save, no hits, no walks, no Ks. J.R. Towles went 0 for 2, lowering his AVG to .056, he is freaking terrible and I hate him. Michael Bourn went 2 for 3 and now has a 6 game hit streak going on, including 3 straight multi hit games. That would be 4 straight, but he only had 1 AB on the 10th.

NYM 5 COL 6

David Wright hit a HR and Jose Reyes stole a base! When is the last time that happened in the same game? Jeff Francoeur continued his hot streak, clubbing his 3rd HR. He also took 2 free bases and is now hitting .429 with a hit in all 8 games and 7 extra base hits. I drafted him in a couple deeper leagues as he came into the season being underrated by most. Niese was horrible, but Jenry Mejia took the loss in the 10th. Franklin Morales was credited with a Blown Save, but the run was unearned. He still looks good. Seth Smith got another start and led off, going 0 for 4, while CarGo rests his hammy. Spilborghs and Iannetta went yard. Hawpe didn't start (tightness in thigh), but did pinch-hit.

ATL 6 SD 1

Tommy Handsome walked 4 in 6 Innings, but cmon, it's the Padres. He struck out 7 and allowed only 1 Earned Run. Clayton Richard was denied the chance for a Quality Start after throwing only 90 pitches. He went 5.1 IP, striking out 5, allowing 7 base runners (6 H, 1 BB) and 3 Earned Runs. Saito and Moylan looked great in relief and can be used as WHIP/ERA sources. Jason Heyward went 1 for 4, striking out 2 more times. That is 12 Ks in 30 AB now, he is having trouble with breaking pitches from what I hear. Might be a sell candidate if the hype is still in the air. Adrian Gonzalez went 2 for 3 with a walk and a RBI. Troy Glaus hit his 1st HR of the season, his first HR since Sept. 28, 2008. Prado now has a 12 game hit streak after a going 1 for 5. Headley struck out 3 times, but got a hit and now has hit safely in all 8 games.

OAK 2 SEA 4

Aardsma didn't walk anyone (or allow a hit) and recorded his 4th Save. His numbers look great (0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP) and he is making all those Brandon League lovers look bad. Jason Vargas looked good tonight, but cmon, it was against the A's. Gio Gonzalez walked 4 batters in 4.2 IP. Take that Moe. Ichiro went 2 for 5 with a Run (stopping a 0 for 13 skid), Chone went 1 for 3 with a couple Walks, Milton Bradley went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI and Adam Moore went 2 for 4. Oakland's lineup was pathetic tonight. Jake Fox hit a HR and that was about it.

ARI 9 LAD 7

Jonathan Broxton still doesn't have a Save. It was a productive day for the heart of the Diamondbacks lineup. Drew and Upton each had 3 hits, including a HR for each. LaRoche went 2 for 4, Reynolds had a hit and a RBI and even Chris Young went 2 for 4 with a Walk(!), hitting the go-ahead RBI in overtime. I had to do a double take when I seen Young's .344 AVG. Not to be outdone, LA's lineup had a great day too. Furcal, Kemp, Ethier, Manny and Loney combined to go 13 for 25. Kemp hit the Dodgers only HR, he has 3 HR in the past 4 games. Russell Martin had 3 hits himself and is now rocking a .389 BA. Furcal stole his 4th base. The real Rodrigo Lopez stood up. Billingsley got Buffalo'd, giving up 6 ER in 5.2 IP. Charlie "Sammy" Haeger can't throw 55 and made a relief appearance. I thought he was starting? no comments

There is no doubt in any one's mind that Clayton Kershaw is something special. A few years back the Dodgers wouldn't deal him for Johan Santana and people were already talking about a Cy Young award before this season started. When a 21 year old posts a 9.74 K/9, 1.23 WHIP and 2.79 ERA in his second season, who wouldn't get excited? On average, he was the 19th SP taken in drafts and went around pick 90. Expectations were huge, I even heard about co-managers who were forcing head honchos into paying extravagant prices for Clayton. Even BFun got caught up in the whirlwind and selected him 77th overall in the Y! Friends and Family draft. While the hype was likely justified, they were warnings signs.

4.79 BB/9: Only Ian Snell, Fausto Carmona, Manny Parra, Jonathan Sanchez and Kyle Davies had a worse BB/9 in 2009.

4.1% HR/FB%: Best in the league. Most pitchers do not have the ability to keep their HR/FB% below league average (near 11%). Clayton posted a 11.6% HR/FB% in 2008.

These nerd stats wouldn't give Harold Reynolds any pause in selecting Kershaw, but they were enough for MDS. Kershaw didn't end up on any of my teams. It's not that I was avoiding the guy or anything, it's just that other managers loved him more than me. They either reached for him or paid the extra dollar. I am no fan of any pitcher who allows that many free bases. Clayton will need that BABIP to stay below average for that 1.23 WHIP to repeat itself. He posted a .274 BABIP last year compared to the .303 league average. It was .325 in 2008, so you can either say he made a huge leap or he was a little lucky. The data set is pretty small, so that is a judgement call. 11 SP bested Kershaw's .274 BABIP in 2009 and the majority of them are on everyone's Regression lists: Jair Jurrjens (I'm still laughing), J.A. Happ, Bronson Arroyo, Ross Ohlendorf, Randy Wolf, Jarrod Washburn. If Kershaw continues handing out free passes and those HR Allowed start catching up, watch out!

It's only been two starts, but Kershaw is not looking good. He walked 6 batters in 4.2 Innings vs Pittsburgh and walked 5 batters in 5.1 Innings vs Arizona. That's a grand total of 11 walks in 10 IP. He's already thrown 219 Pitches and only 118 of them were for strikes. Don't expect a large number of Quality Starts, 6 Innings might be asking for a lot from this guy. It's too early for Kershaw owners to panic, but if he doesn't get his stuff together and that HR/FB% normalizes, it's not going to be pretty. I expect this to be a roller coaster ride for everyone involved. He will be a huge wild card in H2H playoffs. Maybe you can buy low at some point, but I'm guessing not in most circles.

Is MDS too big of a stat nerd? Do you fear the walks or do you get a chubby from the upside? No middle ground here, choose a side. Voting is anonymous, defend your honor in the comments if you must.
Kershaw, still worth the 91 ADP?online surveys no comments