Roy Halladay has got a lot to complain about. He has now gone the distance in four consecutive starts, and his record during this time? 1-3. Granted, they weren’t your traditional complete games (he gave up four runs in one, and five in another), but when your pitcher goes all the way, you gotta score enough runs to get him the win. Halladay has been extremely durable this year, but I am concerned given his injury history and all the innings that he is putting on his arm early in the season. If you own him, maybe test the market for his value.

Yanks rook Phil Hughes is having a tough season. Hughes has not only had a tough time going deep into games (only lasting through six once), but he is getting tattooed pretty regularly, and Tuesday was no different. Hughes threw 82 pitches in just 3.2 innings and he gave up six runs. Hughes even uncorked two wild pitches. I still believe that Hughes will find his confidence at some point during the year and pitch well, but I don’t know when that will be.

Johnny Cueto had another one of those “bump in the road” games tonight. He had been rotating bad start and good start for his last four, but this is two pretty bad ones in a row. Cueto gave up six runs in just 1.2 innings for his shortest outing of the year. The next start will be a big one for Cueto to see what he is made of. Can he bounce back from back to back bad starts to get back on track? Or will he go down the path of many young pitchers before him, and collapse under some adversity?

Marlins rookie Andrew Miller looked like he had turned the corner his last time out, but he was awful again tonight. Miller lasted just three innings again (he is yet to go past five innings yet), and gave up six earned and didn’t strike out a batter. He got off the hook for the loss by a good comeback by the Marlins, but his ERA is now over nine and he would need to put together a good month before I could recommend putting him on your roster.

All the pitching Tuesday was bad. Red Sox starter Jon Lester was amazing Tuesday. Lester went eight shutout innings, gave up just one hit and fanned six. Lester has been no better than average so far this season, but the talent is there, and when he throws games like this it shows what is possible when the guy learns to be consistent.

Arizona minor league phenom Max Scherzer made his major league debut tonight, and boy did he make some noise. Mad Max went 4.1 innings, didn’t give up a hit or a walk and struck out seven. If he is going to be this good, I guarantee the Diamondbacks will find a way to give him starts. I didn’t turn on the TV until after he was relieved, but they showed his strikeouts afterwards, and he had a really live fastball with some movement on it. He could make a big fantasy impact in 2008.

Any excuse to write about Boof Bonser, I will take it. The Boofer was nasty tonight, going seven innings, only giving up one run and whiffing eight. Bonser has been good in 2008 outside of one bad start, and is getting close to be worth owning in all leagues. He strikes out a pretty good number, and although the Twins aren’t great, they aren’t so bad that they often waste solid efforts from their starters.

Freakin Nate McLouth just won’t go away. I sound frustrated with him today because the owner I am playing in a head to head league has Nate. McLouth led off the game today at Shea with his seventh homer of the year, and now has driven in 22 runs, while hitting .327. I keep thinking that you should sell high before he comes back to earth, but McLouth keeps hitting. Can he keep this up all year? I still don’t think so.

Stop the presses, Andruw Jones got a hit. Jones seems to be in a competition with Barry Zito for worst contract ever, as his batting average continues to be well below the Mendoza line. He is averaging over a strike out per game, and has just four RBI in 25 games. It is time for you to cut ties with Jones if you can find anything on the waiver wire worthwhile. Jones may still turn it around, but this is a long drawn out slump that he is stuck in.

Injury Notes

It has just been announced that Alex Rodriguez will be sent to the DL after the game against the Tigers tonight. This is a devastating blow to his fantasy teams, as he was certainly your first round pick. Hopefully this rest will be what he needs to get back healthy, and back on the field.

Troy Tulowitzki left the game tonight in the first inning with some sort of leg injury. The last play that he was a part of was a grounder up the middle that he pretty much just waved at on the way by him and he was taken out of the game after that. Too soon for details, but stay tuned on a guy who was really in a funk anyway.

Scott Kazmir has been told that he will be pitching for the Rays this Sunday against the Red Sox. Kazmir was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA during his three rehab starts, but more importantly he got through them pain free. I am still nervous about Kazmir, but if you have him, you have to plug him back into your lineup when he is set to come off the DL, and hope he gets back to the form that showed him leading the AL in strikeouts.

One pitcher comes off the DL, another goes on. John Smoltz will be returning to the DL with inflammation in the rotator cuff and severly inflamed biceps tendon. It was diagnosed that it could be cured without surgery, but there has been no timetable for his return. Put him on your injury list, and wait to see if fantasy waste Chuck James, or hot prospect Jo Jo Reyes are called up to take his spot.

Ben Sheets made his first start since coming off the DL, and was far from impressive but still improved his record to 4-0. Sheets threw 108 pitches in five innings, gave up just three earned runs, but walked seven batters. I have been advising anyone who asks me that owns Sheets to try to find an owner in your league that will trade for him and get him off of your team. The fact that he got another win most likely keeps his trade value higher than it should, so take advantage while he still has value.

Quick Hitters

Nats 3B Ryan Zimmerman hit his first homer tonight since the first weekend of the season. Zimmerman has been in a pretty good slump since that first weekend, and his owners are hoping that this is the key to getting him back on track. I was pretty high on Zim going into the season, but now it is looking like last year’s numbers might be what we should expect. If you’ve got him, play him, if you don’t maybe you can buy him at a very low point.

Orioles closer George Sherrill collected his 10^th save of the year tonight and was tied for the league lead until K-Rod notched his 11^th just a few minutes ago. This is completely unexpected from a guy who was setting up in Seattle until he was traded for Erik Bedard and was anointed closer. You might want to try to sell high, but I am confident that Sherrill will nail down most chances presented to him, it is just a matter of how many chances the Orioles will give him.

Mike Cameron’s 25 game suspension for stimulant use is up, and he was back in the lineup for the Brewers. You pretty much know what to expect from Cameron, a decent amount of pop, and a lot of strikeouts.

Yankees 2B Robinson Cano connected on his second homer tonight, and with all the injuries that the Yanks have endured the last week or so, they need him to start contributing more than ever.

Mets’ RF Ryan Church continues to be one of the sleeper stories of the year. Church is still hitting over .315 and connected on his third homer of the season and is closing in on 20 RBI. No one could’ve expected this when they traded Lastings Milledge for Church and Schneider, but right now that trade is looking great for the Mets. He is certainly worth owning while he has a hot bat, but I would be trying to sell high if at all possible.

Angels starter Joe Saunders moved to 5-0 tonight after another incredibly strong start. Saunders threw eight shutout innings and whiffed five. It is the fourth time that Saunders has thrown eight innings, as he continues his improbable season. He is definitely a sell high candidate, but if you can’t find a taker keep running Saunders out there and enjoy it while it lasts. He has the talent to be a good fantasy starter, but he will certainly take a step back from the unheard of start he is on.

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

There were only a handlful of games last night, and one was rained out so not a ton to report on.

The shoulder injury to Yankees catcher Jorge Posada now looks like it is worse than was originally feared.  After trying to tough it out for a week Posada finally hit the DL on Monday.  Worse news than that is that is he scheduled to meet with Dr James “Tommy John Specialist” Andrews.  Now I’m not saying that Posada will have Tommy John Surgery, but there is rarely good news when you go to see Dr. Andrews.  It means the injury is significant enough to make an appointment with the one of the best in the business.  This could be a huge blow to Posada’s fantasy owners, as most teams don’t carry backup catchers and the talent pool is thin.  If you own Posada, I would stash him on the DL until you get word of how long he will be out and hit the free agent wire for Ryan Doumit, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, etc, to see get some production out of that position.

Seattle has called up its top hitting prospect Jeff Clement, and he figures to get a bunch of starts at DH until they figure out where he is going to play.  He will most likely take some games behind the plate when Kenji Johjima needs a break, but with Johjima’s contract extension, his future is no longer behind the plate.  He could have a great fantasy impact with the bat (although he might only be utility-eligible), so if you have the room, pick him up.

Indians rookie Aaron Laffey made his major league debut Monday night, and lucky him it was against the Yankees.  Laffey was cruising, giving up no hits through five, but with most young pitchers, he was bitten by the big inning.  The Yanks scored four times in the 6th, chased Laffey, and tagged him with a loss in his first start.  He only struck out one, so it wasn’t an eye popping debut, but if you are desperate for pitching, he might be worth a look.

The Angels brought Brandon Wood back to the majors to see if he can recapture the stroke from his magical 2005 season in the minors.  Not sure exactly what his role will be, as Howie Kendrick is due back from the DL, Erick Aybar has taken the starting SS job, and Chone Figgins is entrenched at third.  Wood did come in as a replacement in a 14-2 blow out last night to the A’s and he did what he does best, strike out.  Brandon is more aggressive at the plate than Roger Clemens picking up a date at the Junior Prom.  Wood may still have a productive major league career, but that big season was a long time ago now, and it has been followed by low batting averages and high strikeout rates along the way.  I need to see some consistent production before I jump back on the bandwagon.

It appears that once big time Diamondbacks prospect Carlos Quentin has nailed down the everyday job in left field for the White Sox.  Quentin was one of Arizona’s prized possessions until he struggled upon his callup, and his subsequent shoulder injury made it appear that his talent had left him.  Now after healing that injury, it appears as though Quentin is back on track to success.  He hit his sixth homer of the season Monday, and drove in his 20th run.  More impressive than that, he has his batting average up to .312, which is a little higher than I expect him to be at.  Quentin now appears to be worthy of being on a roster if you have a hole in the outfield, and if he wasn’t already scooped up.  He could hit 25 with 90 RBI and hit around .285.

Daniel Cabrera is up to his old tricks again.  In just 6.1 innings Monday night, Cabrera allowed an amazing seven walks.  No wait a minute, it isn’t the seven walks that are amazing, it is the fact with all those base runners he gave up only two runs!  Could you imagine if this guy could ever get his head on straight what he would be capable of?  But you know what, I’ve finally given up on that pipe dream.  Cabrera is what he will always be, a guy with a ton of potential, who just can’t figure it out.

Alex Rodriguez left Monday’s game a little early after feeling a pull in that injured quad.  Manager Joe Girardi has already said that the MVP will not play on Tuesday.  It will most likely be a day to day thing for the next five to ten days for A-Rod, but my guess is even though he says he doesn’t like to play at less than 100%, he will be in there more often than not.

Matt Cain finally broke into the win column in 2008, and has actually put two nice starts together in a row.  Cain allowed no earned runs through 5.1, and struck out only three while walking five.  That is the one thing that he also needs to get under control, the free passes.  It doesn’t effect him quite like our friend Danny C., but Cain could be so much more if he could stop allowing the base on balls.  He is still a top 20 pitcher, and now that he is on a little bit of a roll, you can start praying for some offense out of the Giants.

Speaking of the Giants, the man with the worst contract in history has been demoted.  Barry Zito, who now sits at 0-6 will be pitching from the pen.  This should come as no surprise, and if for some reason you still had him on your roster, hopefully this is the last straw that causes you to dump him.  No word yet on who will take his place in the rotation.

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

Colby Rasmus

The thought was the Cardinals moved Jim Edmonds to San Diego to give the starting job to Rasmus, but with their glut of outfield talent, they were able to send him back to Memphis for some more seasoning. He is certainly still in the future at Busch, and has the potential to be 30/30 someday. When he comes to St. Louis, grab him up.

Jay Bruce

I’m not introducing you to anyone new here, if you don’t know Bruce, you need to pay more attention. The top hitting prospect coming into 2008, it was somewhat surprising that Bruce didn’t start the year with the big club, but make no mistake about it he will be back soon and he will hit. It is possible that he will arrive soon with the change at GM with the Reds and the fact that no one that has been playing centerfield is doing anything great for Cincy.

Cameron Maybin

The gem of the Willis/Cabrera trade to Florida, Maybin has a WORLD of potential. I have seen some projections as high as 40/40 when he fully matures. Maybin is a dynamic talent that should fill up the boxscore when he arrives in South Beach, but he might be a year away from starting to realize that immense talent. Keeper leagues, however, need to get Maybin ASAP.

Carlos Gonzalez

Gonzalez was an integral part of the Dan Haren trade, and will most likely be roaming the outfield in Oakland before the end of the year. Gonzalez had a few really good season in the minors, he hits for a good average, steals a few bases and has 30 HR potential.

Ian Stewart

Stewart is the best hitting prospect in the Rockies’ system, and he is showing why this year at AAA Colorado Springs. The problem is that he is blocked by Garrett Atkins at third base, and even if they wanted to move Atkins to first, Todd Helton is still there. Stewart was involved in a Spring Training battle for the starting second base job, but his lack of defense cost him that. Barring injury, Stewart could still be at AAA for a while.

Steve Pearce

Pearce had a great Spring, and it looked like he would be joining the team in Pittsburgh when camp broke, but the jobs went to Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, and Xavier Nady (looking like the right call). Pearce will be in Pittsburgh at some point this year and has some good pop in his bat, and could make a fantasy impact upon his arrival.

Brandon Wood

The human strikeout machine has been promoted back to the majors today. Everyone is still holding on to 2005 when Wood hit 43 HRs and drove in 115. But two things to remember about that. One, it was three years ago now, and two, it was Single A ball. Wood has been dubbed a huge power prospect ever since, and he is having his best season since in 2008. We will see if it translates to major league success.

Jeff Clement

After the M’s signed current catcher Kenji Johjima to a contract extension, it became obvious that Clement’s future is either not in Seattle, or not behind the plate. Clement has a load of power potential wherever he ends up playing, and the extension to Johjima most likely will get Clement to Seattle faster either at first or at DH.  And speak of the devil, within hours of this post, Clement has been called to the majors where he will most likely serve at DH the most, but probably catch some when Johjima needs a day off.

Josh Fields

If Brandon Wood is the strikeout king, Fields is the Prince. Fields was quite successful in 2007 while filling in for the injured Joe Crede, but was sent back to the minors after a subpar Spring. Fields will be back to Chicago whenever Crede is finally traded, or when his back finally gives out.

Wladimir Balentien

Balentin has some great pop in his bat, and could be manning right field in Seattle sometime in 2008. He hit at least 20 homers in each of his last three years in the minors and has stolen in double digit bases as well. He is off to a slow start at AAA this year, but could be a viable fantasy player in all formats when he arrives.

Matt LaPorta

LaPorta was originally a first baseman, but considering I think Prince Fielder might be there for a while, LaPorta will be stuck behind him for a long time. The Brewers are trying to have him make the transition to the outfield to try to get his bat into the lineup as soon as possible. He might not arrive in Milwaukee this year, but keep your ears to the gound on LaPorta.

Chase Headley

Headley has some good power potential, but as a third baseman, he is blocked by Kevin Kouzmanoff. Headley was sent to triple A to work on his defense, as he will be trying to make the team as a starter in left field. He will most likely hit about .275-.290 when he arrives at the majors, but he does strikeout a lot. Be patient when waiting for him to arrive.

Matt Antonelli

Antonelli has been rated the best second base prospect, and although that isn’t saying much given the 2B prospects right now, that fact alone makes him intriguing. Antonelli has 20/30 potential when he arrives, even though he is blocked by Tad Iguchi at the moment.

Reid Brignac

Brignac may be the best SS prospect in baseball, and should arrive in Tampa Bay at some point in 2008. Reid has 20/20 potential and will hit around .300. The Rays traded for Jason Bartlett to help hold the position warm for him, but is doing a terrible job. Expect him to be in Tampa possibly by the All-Star Break.

Andrew McCutcheon

Another highly touted outfield prospect for the Pirates, McCutcheon is blocked by a developing outfield in the majors. There will need to be an injury or two for Andrew to get himself a legitimate shot at being an effective fantasy pleyer.

Fernando Martinez

The guy the Mets refused to trade in the Johan Santana negotiations, Martinez is struggling in 2008. Martinez has given the Mets an outfielder who can steal 40+bases and hi 10-15 HRs, although he doesn’t have a clear path to the major leagues.

 As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

It looks like Erick Aybar has taken over as the everyday shortstop for the Anaheim Angels. Aybar has been starting every game for at least a week now, and his stats show that he is making the most of the opportunity. He is batting .333 with nine RBI and has stolen four steals. Aybar has the potential to steal 40+ bases if he continues to have an everyday job.

B.J. Ryan entered the game today in the eighth inning, but did not finish the game in the ninth. However the speculation is that they wanted him to work two innings, but then pulled him back. Ryan still hasn’t allowed a run, so there’s no reason to believe he is being replaced as closer. Keep him in your lineup unless you hear different.

Two pitching prospects will be making their debuts this week. In Arizona, it appears Max Scherzer will be getting a start this week after being called up Sunday. Scherzer has been pitching great so far in 2008. If he gets a regular turn in the rotation, pick him up right away. The Indians sent Jeremy Sowers back to the minors, and it appears that Aaron Laffey will get a chance to replace Jake Westbrook for the month or so he will be out. If Laffey is impressive on Monday, see if you have someone that you can let go, he is one of the 15 best pitching prospects in baseball.

Mets’ disappointment Carlos Delgado broke out on Sunday as he hit two home runs. Mets’ fans are praying that this will break the slump that Delgado has been in for over a year now, and that his skills haven’t completely eroded away. I don’t believe that is the case, so don’t go running to the waiver wire unless Delgado continues to show he can be successful.

Nate McLouth won’t go away. After it seemed that the hot start he was on was starting to fade away, McLouth hit two home runs on Sunday and re-established himself as one of the great surprises on 2008. Keep playing him unless he continues to struggle like he did before today.

Not fantasy related, but after sweeping the Boston Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays are now tied for first place.

Kyle Lohse has now made himself worthy of being on fantasy rosters. After not having a team until just before the season started, the St. Louis Cardinals have resurrected another pitchers career. Lohse is now 3-0 after throwing six innings of one run ball and his ERA is just 2.36. Ride the hot hand until he throws a few stinkers out there.

The game in San Francisco today featured a rising star, and a complete dud. For the Reds, Edinson Volquez continued his incredible start as he is now 4-0 after striking out 10 Giants. I can’t believe he would still be available, but if he is, please grab him now. On the other side, Barry Zito fell to 0-6 and is rising up the charts of the worst contracts in history. If for some reason you are still holding on to him, cut him immediately.

John Smoltz left the game today against the Mets with what he described as shoulder discomfort. He said he would wait and see over the next couple of days to see how he felt, and if he had to miss a start. The Braves have a few days off this week, so it is possible that if it is minor that Smoltz might just be skipped. Keep an eye on this situation.

Nationals rookie starter John Lannan is starting to get the attention of fantasy players. Lannan has only given up more than two runs in one start, and was great on Sunday. Lannan threw seven shut out innings and struck out four to lower his ERA to 2.64. At this point, you have to take a look and see if he is worth adding to your roster.

Rays starter James Shields not only outdueled Josh Beckett, but threw a complete game shutout against the Red Sox. Many (including yours truly), thought that Shields breakout year in 2007 was a one year wonder. But at 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA, it appears that Shields is establishing himself as a top 20 starter in the major leagues. He gets another start this week, and unfortunately it is against the Sox and Beckett again.

Two guys traded for each other, Cardinals’ Troy Glaus, and Blue Jays’ Scott Rolen both hit their first home run for their new team on Sunday. Both have been a little disappointing to their new teams, but both have the chance to put up good fantasy numbers if they can stay healthy.

A couple of games on Sunday featured dueling aces. In Cleveland, Chien Ming Wang was just slightly better than Indians’ C.C. Sabathia as the Yankees won 1-0. Only Melky Cabrera’s fifth home run tarnished Sabathia’s masterpiece outing. And in San Diego a battle of Cy Young Award winners saw Brandon Webb improving to 6-0 beating Jake Peavy 2-1. Peavy only allowed a Cory Snider home run, and Webb just gave up a sac fly to Jim Edmonds. All four of these guys are elite, must-start pitchers every time they take the mound.

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

Max Scherzer, Arizona Diamondbacks

Scherzer was called up to the big leagues today, although it is not certain in what capacity he will serve. He might get a start if Micah Owings’ injured ankle makes him unable to go, but nothing has been announced yet. If Scherzer has a spot in the Arizona rotation, grab him up.

Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds

There’s no need for an introduction here, as Bailey’s name has been known in fantasy leagues for a while now. After an unimpressive stint in the majors last year and being passed over by Johnny Cueto this Spring, his star had tarnished some. However, now it looks like Bailey has a new motivation because he is looking great so far in ’08. When he gets the call, pick him up.

Nick Adenhart, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Adenhart nearly won a rotation spot out of Spring Training, but it was given to Ervin Santana (turned out to be a good call). He has done nothing in his time in the minors to hurt his chance of being in Anaheim, and it is just a matter of time before the spot that Dustin Moseley is keeping warm will belong to Adenhart.

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

His knee-buckling curveball was dubbed “Public Enemy No. 1” by Dodgers HOF announcer Vin Scully. Not bad for a 20 year old. Kershaw has elite talent, and there is a strong possibility that he will see Los Angeles at some point this year. He might even be worth grabbing and stashing until then.

Gio Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics

Gonzalez had a decent spring and is one of the top prospects in the Athletics system. He has good strikeout potential, but he was passed up for the first promotion by Greg Smith. It is unclear when he will reach the majors, but when he does he’s worth owning on your team.

Adam Miller, Cleveland Indians

Miller was spending some time in extended Spring Training allowing a blister to heal, and he had a pretty decent AAA debut. Miller will be a valuable fantasy player when he is finally called up, as he is on a good team and strikes out about a batter an inning.

Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays

Niemann has already seen the big leagues when he filled in for injured Matt Garza, so he appears to be Tampa’s first choice when a sub is needed. He has had a good minor league career, and has good strikeout potential. I would wait until he has a set rotation spot to pick him up.

Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers

Porcello is just 19, and in High Class A, but is an elite talent. There is an outside chance that he could be in Detroit at some point this year, but he is also supposed to be on an innings limit, so that could hurt his chances. If you hear that he does arrive in the Bigs, get your hands on Porcello

Aaron Laffey, Cleveland Indians

It has been reported that Laffey will get a spot start on Monday, and could fill the rotation spot while Jake Westbrook is injured. Jeremy Sowers got the first shot, but he was sent back to the minors. Laffey may get an extended look if he fairs well on Monday.