Again, I would like to thank the guys from fantasybaseballsearch.com for having me as a guest on their weekly radio show. They do an hour and a half show every Sunday, and I was lucky enough to make my second appearance. Please check out the show as well as their sites. They are fantasybaseballsearch.com, www.fantasybaseballgenerals.com, and www.junkyardjake.com. Please visit these sites as they are great tools to help your fantasy teams.

Let the demise of Cliff Lee as Cy Young begin. A guy who many have touted as this year’s big pitcher to have, will slowly turn back into the pitcher he has been for the last few years. He lasted just 5.2 innings and allowed five earned runs, striking out only two while taking his first loss of the season. I see Lee winning 14 games with an ERA near 4.00 by the end of the year. He is one player that I certainly would try to sell high on now, as you might be able to get one of the top15 pitchers in the league, but move quickly.

2007 17 game winner Jeff Francis finally picked up his first win of the season on Sunday. Francis had been a victim of poor run support on some days, but he was incredibly awful on others. I believe he will finish the season at around the .500 mark, and is a decent option to pick up if you have someone who is really struggling.

A guy I would work on acquiring is Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. The guy has a ton of talent, is still very young, and has a great strikeout rate. King Felix had a good start Sunday going six innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. Felix has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career, but remember he came up when he was 19. Still under 25, he is more of a veteran now, and I believe he will start being very effective regularly very soon.

Although he is almost eligible to start receiving his social security benefits, Randy Johnson continues to be an effective pitcher when he is healthy enough to take the mound. The Big Unit threw seven shutout innings and struck out five improving his record to 4-1. His ERA is higher than he would like, but at his age, if you can get any contribution from him you should be happy, and he is far exceeding my expectations.

Whenever there is a game that is big to the Mets, it always seems that Oliver Perez pitches well. Not that a game in May is huge in the grand scheme of things, but you know the Mets want to beat the Yanks, especially on national television. And right on cue Perez threw well. Oliver went 7.2 innings, allowed two earned runs and fanned four. You know my thoughts on the guy, although he isn’t the most consistent, he is one that I really like.

Although Zach Greinke continues to pitch well and win, he is starting to allow more hits and runs. In the beginning of the season he was giving up zero or one run. The last few times out it has been two or three. I know what you are thinking, boy that’s really splitting hairs. But I really don’t expect this production to continue, and if you need something to point to for backup, it is that he hasn’t been as dominant later. He is another sell high candidate.

Chris Perez is going to be a name that you will be hearing plenty about in the coming days. Perez is a minor leaguer for the Cardinals who was just called up when Jason Isringhausen was put on the DL. Chris appears to have been the Cards closer in waiting, who may not be waiting anymore. Isringhausen is close to the end of his career, and if Perez pitches well while he is in St. Louis, you might not see Izzy back in the 9^th inning when he is healthy enough to return. I’m not sure that Perez is worth all the hype he has received the past couple days, but if you are looking for a new source of saves, Perez might be closing for the Cardinals within the next few weeks.

Home Run Derby

Light hitting White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera hit two baseballs out on Sunday, hopefully the start of a turnaround to a nightmare start of the season for the OC. Cabrera will never lead your team to the top of your game in homers, but it is nice to get this kind of game from an unexpected source. I expect his numbers will improve from the .220 he is currently hitting, just don’t expect this power showing to continue.

Adam Dunn has now homered in four straight games. One of the best home run hitters in the majors, you can pretty much write Adam down for 40 bombs now. You can also probably write him down for a .245 average too, but you didn’t draft him for his ability to take the ball the other way, or hit with two strikes. After a power outage to start the year, Dunn is now where we expected, and you can safely expect him to keep hitting homers.

In the past eight games, Ryan Howard now has four home runs, and is another player who is getting back on track from a tough start to the year. He still is striking out at an alarming rate (64 in 45 games), but at least now he is showing the power that we expect from him. Continue to start Howard (obviously) and expect him to play like the first round pick he was.

Fenway Park was a launching pad between the Red Sox and Brewers, as an amazing eight taters went over the fence. Leading the charge were formerly struggling sluggers Ryan Braun (eight in the last eight games), and David Ortiz (three in the past three games) as it seems both of them are back on track to produce like they did last season. But also leaving the yard was J.J. Hardy, Dustin Pedroia, Prince Fielder, and Kevin Youkilis.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.

The bullpen situation in Cleveland is an absolute mess. A couple days after removing Rafael Betancourt from the interim closers role while Joe Borowski is out, Masa Kobayashi gave up a TOWERING three run homer to Adam Dunn and blew a save himself. I can’t believe it is possible, but are the Indians (and fantasy players) asking how much longer Joe Borowski will be out? Borowski is one of the more criticized closers in baseball, but we are finding out why he has kept his job for so long.

One start after getting absolutely tattooed, Rich Harden showed flashes of brilliance again Saturday. Harden allowed just one run over seven innings and struck out eight, as he showed why fantasy owners continue to pick him, even though he breaks their hearts with his injuries every season. Hold on to him, until…….

Not too many details yet, but Brad Penny will be scratched from his start on Sunday due to stiffness in his right arm. No news yet to the extent of the injury or when he will pitch again, but it is certain that at least this start will be skipped as the Dodgers will move Derek Lowe up to pitch on Sunday.

For the second consecutive start, Arizona rookie Max Scherzer didn’t allow an earned run, but he wasn’t exactly sharp. Scherzer lasted just five innings, and although he struck out five he walked four and gave up three hits. Overall, not bad at all, but he has been unable to recapture the magic from that first appearance of his career.  Also, Doug Davis is making his way back to the majors following cancer treatment, so Scherzer’s days in the rotation appear to be numbered.

Ervin Santana has now struggled in two consecutive starts. Santana has seen his ERA go up almost an entire run in just two starts, as he gave up four runs over six innings and striking out five. Santana took his first loss of the season on Saturday, and he is someone that I would look to sell high before he has a few more starts like this.

Aaron Harang had one of his typical starts, and of course, the Reds didn’t score the runs in time for him to get a win. Harang went seven, allowed just one run, one walk, and struck out five but left in a tie game. The Reds would win on a walk off homer by Adam Dunn, so Harang’s record will still sit at 2-5. He is a player that I would be targeting cheap if I were looking for starting pitching.

Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsusaka ran his record to a perfect 7-0 with another impressive start on Saturday. Dice didn’t allow an earned run over 6.2 innings, and struck out six, lowering his season ERA to 2.15. He has taken his game to the next level this season, and is starting to prove what all the hype was about last season. He obviously isn’t going to finish the season 25-1, so you have to expect at least a little drop in production, but it appears that Matsusaka is going to have a top 15 starter kind of year.

After three great starts in succession, it appeared that Matt Garza had it all put together. Well, Garza took one on the chin Saturday against St. Louis. In just 4.1 innings, Garza allowed six runs, walked two and only fanned one. He is still a young pitcher, and I always preach with pitchers under 25 you are going to have your fair share of starts like this. But be patient with Garza, he was one of the best pitching prospects in recent years.

One day after hitting homer number seven and eight, Alfonso Soriano went 5-5 today and hit dingers number nine and ten. Soriano is now hitting .295 and is the hottest hitter in baseball. Look for Soriano to finish the year between 35-38 homers and 93-97 ribbies as he gets back to a feared fantasy player. He isn’t stealing bases like he used to, but his power still makes him valuable.

Although he is hitting for a good average and swiping some bases, Corey Hart has been a mild disappointment to his fantasy owners with his lack of power. Hart connected on just his second homer of the season on Saturday, and hopefully this will start a little chain reaction of power. You don’t expect him to hit 35 out of the yard or anything, but we were projecting 20-25. He is hitting .301 and has stolen seven bases, so he isn’t a wasted pick, but his owners would like to see him showing a little more pop, he could be available cheap.

The knock on Albert Pujols coming into the season (besides the elbow injury) was that he had no one hitting behind him that struck any fear into the opposing pitcher to stop them from pitching around Albert. Well, the Cardinals may have found that protection in Ryan Ludwick. With two more bombs on Saturday, that is now six for Ludwick in the past ten games to go with RBI. He isn’t a young guy, so this production might be a fluke, but if you can pick up a guy batting over .330 with ten homers you gotta grab him now.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.

No Brainers

Jake Peavy, SD—5/19 vs. STL (Wellemeyer); 5/24 vs. CIN (Arroyo)

Josh Beckett, BOS—5/18 vs. MIL (Villanueva); 5/23 vs. OAK (Harden)

Felix Hernandez, SEA—5/18 vs. SD (Estes); 5/24 vs. NYY (Wang)

Chien-Ming Wang, NYY—5/18 vs. NYM (Perez); 5/24 vs. SEA (Hernandez)

Cliff Lee, CLE—5/18 vs. CIN (Volquez); 5/24 vs. TEX (Feldman)

Edinson Volquez, CIN—5/18 vs. CLE (Lee); 5/23 vs. SD (Estes)

Gotta Start ‘Em

John Maine, NYM—5/20 vs. ATL (Glavine); 5/24 vs. COL (Francis)

Matt Cain, SF—5/18 vs. CHW (Danks); 5/24 vs. FLA (Hendrickson)

Shaun Marcum, TOR—5/18 vs. PHI (Kendrick); 5/24 vs. KC (Hochevar)

Zach Greinke, KC—5/18 vs. FLA (Hendrickson); 5/23 vs. TOR (Burnett)

Brad Penny, LAD—5/18 vs. LAA (Weaver); 5/23 vs. STL (Wainwright)

Jered Weaver, LAA—5/18 vs. LAD (Penny); 5/24 vs. CWS (Danks)

Brett Myers, PHI—5/19 vs. WAS (Redding); 5/24 vs. HOU (Moehler)

Randy Johnson, ARI—5/18 vs. DET (Robertson); 5/24 vs. ATL (Glavine)

Derek Lowe, LAD—5/19 vs. CIN (Arroyo); 5/24 vs. STL (Lohse)

Oliver Perez, NYM—5/18 vs. NYY (Wang); 5/23 vs. COL (Reynolds)

Worth Two Starts

John Danks, CWS—5/18 vs. SF (Cain); 5/24 vs. LAA (Weaver)

Mark Hendrickson, FLA—5/18 vs. KC (Greinke); 5/24 vs. SF (Cain)

Jeff Francis, COL—5/18 vs. MIN (Slowey); 5/24 vs. NYM (Maine)

Justin Duchscherer, OAK—5/18 vs. ATL (Reyes); 5/24 vs. BOS (TBA)

Bronson Arroyo, CIN—5/19 vs. LAD (Lowe); 5/24 vs. SD (Peavy)

Tom Glavine, NYM—5/20 vs. NYM (Maine); 5/24 vs. ARI (Johnson)

Jeremy Guthrie, BAL—5/18 vs. WAS (Lannan); 5/23 vs. TB (Garza)

Kyle Lohse, STL—5/18 vs. TB (Jackson); 5/24 vs. LAD (Lowe)

Edwin Jackson, TB—5/18 vs. STL (Lohse); 5/24 vs. BAL (TBA)

Luke Hochevar, KC—5/29 vs. BOS (TBA); 5/24 vs. TOR (Marcum)

Jo-Jo Reyes, ATL—5/18 vs. OAK (Duscscherer); 5/23 vs. ARI (Gonzalez)

Getting Desperate

Nate Robertson, DET—5/18 vs. ARI (Johnson); 5/24 vs. MIN (Bonser)

John Lannan, WAS—5/18 vs. BAL (Guthrie); 5/24 vs. MIL (Villanueva)

Boof Bonser, MIN—5/19 vs. TEX (Feldman); 5/24 vs. DET (Robertson)

Kevin Slowey, MIN—5/18 vs. COL (Francis); 5/23 vs. DET (Gallaraga)

Kyle Kendrick, PHI—5/18 vs. TOR (Marcum); 5/23 vs. HOU (Backe)

Jason Marquis, CHC—5/18 vs. PIT (Dumatrait); 5/24 vs. PIT (Dumatrait)

Brandon Backe, HOU—5/18 vs. TEX (Gabbard); 5/23 vs. PHI (Kendrick)

Carlos Villanueva, MIL—5/28 vs. BOS (Beckett); 5/24 vs. WAS (Lannan)

Kason Gabbard, TEX—5/18 vs. HOU (Backe); 5/23 vs. CLE (Carmona)

Scott Feldman, TEX—5/19 vs. MIN (Bonser); 5/24 vs. CLE (Lee)

Phil Dumatrait, PIT—5/18 vs. CHC (Marquis); 5/24 vs. CHC (Marquis)

Shawn Estes, SD—5/18 vs. SEA (Hernandez); 5/23 vs. CIN (Volquez)

Brian Moehler, HOU—5/19 vs. CHC (Lilly); 5/24 vs. PHI (Myers)

It has been an offensive night tonight, with baseballs leaving ballparks all over the country.

By the 5^th inning of tonight’s game, Phillies CF Jayson Werth had three home runs and eight RBI tying the franchise record for runs batted in within a single game. Werth has been a decent player to have at the end of your roster, but tonight someone will grab him and start to play him daily. He is ok as an injury replacement, or an occasional play, but I wouldn’t want to have to have him in my lineup daily. Before this explosion he had six homers in 33 games while hitting .272. Not bad, but not great. If you happen to own Werth, I would try to throw his name in some trade talks and see if you can take advantage of this guy’s career night.

Alfonso Soriano is hot, red hot. With his two home runs on Friday, Soriano now has five dingers in his last five games, with 10 RBI during that time. Is this the signal of the end of his season starting slump? The Cubs, and his fantasy owners sure hope so. After going 40/40 in 2006, Soriano took a pretty good sized step back in 2007. He struggled to start the season in 2008, but if this is any indication, Soriano could be back to first round pick production.

The third guy to hit two or more over the wall is the American League RBI leader Josh Hamilton. Hamilton homered in the third and the fourth inning on his way to a 5-5 night as he raised his RBI total to 49. In his second season back from a hiatus from baseball due to drug addictions, it appears that Hamilton is now ready to realize the potential that made him one of the brightest prospects before his lifestyle forced him from the game. He obviously can’t keep this pace up or he will finish with close to 200 ribbies, but he will hit 30 HRs and drive in 120 as long as he stays healthy.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been struggling since his recall to the majors, but he did take his first ball out of the park on Friday. Salty is hitting just under .200 and four batted in over ten games. Salty also most likely has catcher eligibility in your league, which makes him a sleeper candidate if the catcher you drafted isn’t living up to expectations. He isn’t playing every day, but if he goes on a little hot streak, Salty will be in the lineup on most occasions.

Dan Uggla is playing out of his mind lately. Uggla hit his seventh homer in his last ten games, and has his average up to .313. Uggla also has 14 RBI over that span. He has never had his average this high, and is due to have a dry spell. Take this opportunity to see if you can land one of the top few options at second base.

After being a fantasy darling in his first two years in the league, Jason Bay fell off the fantasy map in 2007. In 2008, he is trying to regain the form that made him the National League ROY. Bay hit his ninth homer of the year on Friday, and has his average at .271. He still isn’t back to the status that he once held, but Bay is back to being a top 20 outfielder.

Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday missed Friday’s game with some tightness in his back. Manager Clint Hurdle made a point to say that the injury was nothing serious, and he was only out due to precautionary reasons. It is possible that he will miss another game, but this is nothing that will cost him any significant time.

Not all the news concerns the guys with the bats, there were some great pitching performances as well.

Looking for a sleeper closer in the second half of the year, keep an eye on the A’s Joey Devine. Once the closer in waiting for the Braves during John Smoltz reign, Devine is now an important part of Oakland’s bullpen. Devine’s ERA is at a ridiculous 0.55, and he has allowed just one earned run in 14 appearances, striking out 22 batters in just 17 innings. If anything were to happen to Huston Street, Devine should be the next in line given his performance this season.

Johnny Cueto continues to drive his owners crazy with his inconsistency. However, his performance on Friday was a step in the positive direction. Cueto lasted six innings, allowed three runs, and whiffed seven. He didn’t factor in the decision, but continues his good start, bad start routine. Unfortunately for those of you who have Cueto, if he keeps following this pattern, his next time out will be bad.

Francisco Liriano is showing some improvements in AAA ball. Liriano had his longest outing since going down to the minors, when he went eight innings, gave up three runs, walked just one batter and struck out four. He has continued to last longer into games, walk less guys, and give up fewer runs. This doesn’t mean that his return is imminent, but it at least means that he is making progress, and all is not lost with one of the most exciting prospects in recent memory.

Orioles prospect Garrett Olson is off to a 3-0 start to 2008. Olson beat the Nationals giving up three runs over five innings and striking out three. I wouldn’t go running to the waiver wire to grab Olson, but if you have a short term injury, he could be a decent fill-in.

The FIRST PLACE Tampa Bay Rays got another strong performance from young Andy Sonnanstine. Sonnanstine threw eight great innings against the St. Louis Cardinals as he ran his record to 6-1. His record might be a little misleading, seeing that his ERA is 4.67 but he was terrific Friday. Sonnanstine allowed just one run and struck out three against the Cardinals, as the Rays went to eight games over .500. I envision the number of runs that Sonnanstine has been giving up will catch up to his win-loss record, but for now ride the hot hand if you can’t find a taker in a trade.

Marlins’ pitcher Andrew Miller had a shaky outing, but not one of the horrible ones he had been having in the beginning of the season. Miller pitched five innings and allowed four runs (only two were earned), and struck out six. It is a slight step back, but Miller has certainly been pitching better in May than he did in April. He is a decent end of the rotation starter, with the potential to be the second or third best guy on your staff.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.

His fantasy demise was written in the first two weeks of the season, but now C.C. Sabathia is making all of you without patience with their stars pay for your quick hooks. Sabathia threw an absolute gem tonight, a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts. That is now four of his last five starts that he has allowed one run or less. He is obviously back to the form that won him the AL Cy Young award last year and is a must start every time out. Further proof that fantasy championships aren’t won and lost in the first two weeks.

There were some good expectations that Indians’ 1B Ryan Garko would develop into an everyday force at the plate in ’08. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case so far this season. However, Garko has now homered in two consecutive games after his bomb on Wednesday, and could be a sign that he is back on track and could be a good fantasy performer this year. Keep an eye on him over the weekend and see if this trend continues.

Last night we wrote about Edwin Jackson teasing fantasy owners into false hope that he could remain consistent. Tonight’s teaser is Danny Cabrera. I have to admit, even I am falling for the tease a little this time. After going the distance in his last start, Cabrera threw seven strong innings, allowing just one run and whiffing three. Most impressive is that Cabrera has only walked one batter in his last two starts combined. I’m not ready to say add him yet, but he is 4-1 with an ERA under 4. One more good start, and perhaps I might be willing to change my mind.

Another pitcher in Baltimore is having an incredible season. Closer George Sherrill is second in the majors after picking up his 15^th save on Wednesday. If you read my position rankings in the beginning of the year, I did like Sherrill as an option at closer, but my reasoning for selling him high has more to do with his team than his talent. The Orioles are currently two games over .500, thus giving Sherrill a good number of save chances. I really expect the O’s to go in the crapper anytime now, they aren’t this good and therefore Sherrill’s chances will be fewer and farther between in the future. Now’s the time to see if you can turn him into a more reliable fantasy closer on a team that wins some games.

Is it truly possible, has Mike Mussina won five consecutive starts? One of my favorite targets, Mussina has been pitching great in ’08. Mussina hasn’t given up more than three runs since April 17^th, and shockingly has turned himself into a serviceable starter. I plead with you to try to package him in some sort of trade if you own him, there’s got to be a Yankee fan in your league who is buying into this. I can’t believe this will continue.

Royals rookie Luke Hochevar is now starting to look like he belongs. In his five starts he has given up two runs or less in three of them, and has now run his record to 3-2 after six shutout innings on Wednesday with five strikeouts. He is fanning batters at a little better rate than was expected (24 in 28 IP), and looks like he will be in KC to stay.

Another rookie, Manny Parra of Milwaukee, finally threw a pretty good game. Parra had his longest outing of the year (6.2 innings) and gave up just one earned run. The bullpen blew the lead for him so it didn’t lead to a win, but perhaps this could be the first step towards him regaining the form that made him a highly sought after player in the Spring. Do not add him yet, but keep an eye on his next couple starts.

Phillies starter Brett Myers continues to struggle with consistency. Myers had another horrible outing, two starts after throwing a gem. Myers couldn’t get out of the fifth inning and gave up six runs. I don’t suggest dropping him outright, but I would gauge interest around the league in him and take the best offer you can get right now. Not tonight since he just got bombed, but over the weekend, see if you can get anyone to give you something for Myers. His name alone might make it possible to get something for him.

A possible sell high candidate is the Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell. With a homer on Wednesday, Lowell now has four in the past ten games, while his average sits at .273. Lowell had a career year in 2007, and with this hot streak in 2008, you might be able to get a good deal of value for Lowell from someone in your league.

Another miracle from off the scrap heap seems to be happening in St. Louis. Somehow, pitching coach Dave Duncan has made Todd Wellemeyer into a better than average fantasy starter. Wellemeyer raised his record to 4-1 on Wednesday, with seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball. Wellemeyer has been so much more than you could have hoped for, and while he continues to pitch like this, keep him on your active roster.

Nats 3B Ryan Zimmerman may be heating up again. He homered for the second consecutive day, and fantasy owners are hoping that this is the start of something much, much bigger. Now, I wouldn’t expect 35 homers from Zim, but his average should be near .300, and I would look for 25-28 HRs by the end of the year.

With a grand slam in the 8^th inning, Carlos Quentin continues to lead the American League in home runs. Quentin is quickly turning into one of the biggest bargains from Draft Day, as he was most likely selected at the very end of your draft, if he was picked at all. He was always a good prospect for the D-Backs, so this has a very good chance of lasting all season.

Although he had an injured ankle, which may have been responsible for his inconsistency, Micah Owings looks like he is back on track. Owings threw six shutout innings while striking out five. Perhaps more surprising than his good start, Owings was actually 0-3 at the plate dropping his average to .370! Owings is a good option in all leagues, and at age 25 looks like he is ready to put it all together for Arizona.

Even when he pitches well, Justin Verlander can’t get a win. In one of his best starts of the year, Verlander pitched six innings, allowed just two earned runs and struck out just three. Verlander fell to 1-7 and is one of the biggest disappointments in fantasy in 2008. This is not a guy you drop, however, just keep throwing him out there and hope that he figures it out. He is way too talented to be doing this bad.

John Lackey made his return from the DL on Wednesday, and the results were as good as you could have hoped for. Lackey lasted seven innings in his first start of the year, allowed just one earned run and whiffed four. If someone had a brain failure and dropped Lackey, go get him right away, but I seriously doubt that happened. Lackey is one of the more underrated pitchers in fantasy baseball, and hopefully he is fully recovered from his injury.

Boston rookie Clay Buchholz landed on the DL with a broken fingernail. The Sox will most likely call up Justin Masterson to take Buchholz spot in the rotation, so give him a look if you need a replacement for Clay. This doesn’t sound like an injury that should cost him more than the 15 days that are required when going to the disabled list, so just transfer Buchholz to your injury spot.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.

Given the struggles/injuries to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, the Yankees were basically forced to give Kei Igawa another shot at the majors (not to mention his huge contract). Well, Igawa was back to his old major league self on Friday, as he got spanked around again. Igawa lasted just three innings, gave up 11 hits, six runs and didn’t strike anyone out. Do not touch Igawa if he was the last pitcher on Earth.

40+ year old Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers was a little bit more than serviceable for the fourth consecutive start. During this time, Rogers hasn’t given up more than three runs, and has run his record up to 3-3. It would take either a 16 or more team league, or a desperate injury situation before I picked up Kenny Rogers though.

From the very old to the very young, Brewers’ rookie Manny Parra has moved to the land of the unownable (is that a word?). Parra has still yet to get through more than 5.1 innings, and has yet to give up less than two runs. He needs to show any sign of consistency before you can even think about adding him to your roster. Continue to monitor Parra, but if he keeps pitching like this, he should spend the whole year on the waiver wire.

After a really tough start, it looks like Ted Lilly is back to the form he showed in 2007. Lilly threw his fourth straight start in which he allowed three runs or less, and today he struck out ten batters in just seven innings. If he happened to be dropped in your league, definitely find a way to get Lilly on your roster in most traditional leagues.

For the second time in three starts, James Shields threw a shutout tonight. Of course he threw a total stinker out in the start between the shutouts, but he is absolutely a must start every time out. Tonight was his best start yet, as he allowed only one hit. Shields is keeping the strikeout level in the ball park of one per inning, and is turning himself into a top 20 pitcher.

Jimmy Rollins made the most of his return to the Phillies lineup Friday night, as he hit his third homer of the season. I’m not breaking any news here, but the reigning MVP needs to get immediately back into your lineup now that he is off of the DL.

Mariners 1B Richie Sexson was hit with a six game suspension after he charged the mound and threw his helmet at the opposing pitcher. Sexson is appealing the suspension, and was in the starting lineup on Friday. This shouldn’t be big fantasy news, Sexson lost his fantasy appeal years ago.

C.C. Sabathia has now thrown four straight impressive starts. Ok, there was a four earned run game, but he just had one bad inning. Sabathia struck out nine in just seven innings, while giving up just one run. Even with this good start, his ERA is still 6.55, however, that is way down from the 13.50 it peaked at. Sabathia will go back to being a top ten pitcher after his horrible start.

For the second time in three games Alex Gordon has left the yard. Gordon is looking to improve on his disappointing rookie season, and for the most part he is doing that. After having his average around the .230-.240 range in 2007, Gordon is hitting nearly .290 in 2008 with now five homers and nearly 20 RBI. I believe it will be 2009 before Gordon realizes the potential numbers that have been thrown out there for him as his ceiling, but he should have a very respectable 2008. Look for .285, 23 HRs, and 85 RBI.

Rangers’ rookie Brandon Boggs has been impressive since he was called to the majors. Boggs did hit 19 HRs in just 104 games in AA in 2007, so he has some pop, but he isn’t listed as one of the top few prospects for the Rangers. In 11 games for the Rangers, Boggs is hitting .385 with two homers and eight RBI. If you have an empty or unproductive roster spot, you can give him a chance, but don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.

Oh, my, Lance Berkman is a man possessed. As of right now Berkman is 2-2, raising his average to .378 and hit his 14^th double and 12^th HR of the year. He is exceeding his expectations by so much it is ridiculous. Berkman is capable of 40 homers, and it looks like this season he may approach that number.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.

No Brainers

Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS - 5/5 vs. DET (Jeremy Bonderman),
5/10 vs MIN (Kevin Slowey)

Gotta Play ‘Em

Fausto Carmona, CLE - 5/6 vs NYY (Andy Pettitte), 5/11 vs. TOR (A.J. Burnett)

Javier Vazquez, CWS - 5/5 vs. TOR (Dustin McGowan),
5/10 vs. SEA (Jarrod Washburn)

Ervin Santana, LAA - 5/5 vs. KC (Brett Tomko), 5/11 vs. TB (Andy Sonnanstine)

Chris Young, SD - 5/6 vs. ATL (Jair Jurrjens), 5/11 vs. COL (Mark Redman)

Oliver Perez, NYM - 5/5 vs. LAD (Chad Billingsley), 5/11 vs. CIN (Johnny Cueto)

Andy Pettite, NYY - 5/6 vs. CLE (Fausto Carmona), 5/11 vs. DET (Nate Robertson)

Chad Billingsley, LAD - 5/5 vs. NYM (Oliver Perez), 5/11 vs. HOU (Shawn Chacon)

Jair Jurrjens, ATL - 5/6 vs. SD (Chris Young), 5/11 vs. PIT (Zach Duke)

Scott Olsen, FLA - 5/6 vs. MIL (Jeff Suppan), 5/11 vs. WAS (Shawn Hill)

A.J. Burnett, TOR - 5/6 vs. TB (Andy Sonnanstine) , 5/11 vs. CLE (Fausto Carmona)

Worthwhile For Two Starts

Brian Bannister, KC - 5/6 vs. LAA (Nick Adenhart), 5/11 vs. BAL (Brian Burres)

Gavin Floyd, CWS - 5/6 vs. MIN (Nick Blackburn), 5/11 vs. SEA (Miguel Batista)

Randy Johnson, ARI - 5/6 vs. PHI (Adam Eaton), 5/11 vs. CHC (Ryan Dempster)

Brian Bannister, KC - 5/5 vs. LAA (Nick Adenhart), 5/10 vs. BAL (Brian Burres)

Jonathan Sanchez, SF - 5/6 vs. PIT (Zach Duke), 5/11 vs. PHI (Adam Eaton)

Johnny Cueto, CIN - 5/5 vs. CHC (Ryan Dempster), 5/11 vs. NYM (Oliver Perez)

Dustin McGowan, TOR - 5/5 vs. CHW (Javier Vasquez),
5/10 vs. CLE (Aaron Laffey)

Jeremy Bonderman, DET - 5/5 vs. BOS (Daisuke Matsusaka) ,
5/10 vs. NYY (Kei Igawa)

Max Scherzer, ARI - 5/5 vs. PHI (Jaime Moyer, 5/10 vs. CHC (Jason Marquis)

Dana Eveland, OAK - 5/5 vs. BAL (Garrett Olson), 5/11 vs. TEX (Sidney Ponson)

Andy Sonnanstine, TB - 5/6 vs. TOR (A.J. Burnett), 5/11 vs. LAA (Ervin Santana)

Getting Desperate

Ryan Dempster, CHC - 5/5 vs. CIN (Johnny Cueto), 5/11 vs. ARI (Randy Johnson)

Kevin Millwood, TEX - 5/5 vs. SEA (Jarrod Washburn), 5/10 vs.OAK (Greg Smith)

Tim Wakefield, BOS - 5/6 vs. DET (Nate Robertson), 5/11 vs. MIN(Nick Blackburn)

Braden Looper , STL - 5/6 vs. COL (Mark Redman), 5/11 vs. MIL (Jeff Suppan)

Ubaldo Jimenez, COL - 5/5 vs. STL (Joel Piniero), 5/10 vs. SD (Greg Maddux)

Jeff Suppan, MIL - 5/6 vs. FLA (Scott Olsen), 5/11 vs. STL (Braden Looper)

Brian Burres, BAL - 5/6 vs. OAK (Justin Duchscherer) ,
5/11 vs. KC (Brian Bannister)

Nick Blackburn, MIN - 5/6 vs. CHW (Gavin Floyd), 5/11 vs. BOS (Tim Wakefield)

Nate Robertson, DET - 5/6 vs. BOS (Tim Wakefield), 5/11 vs. NYY (Andy Pettitte)

Jarrod Washburn, SEA - 5/5 vs. TEX (Kevin Millwood),
5/10 vs. CHW (Javier Vasquez)

Joel Piniero, STL - 5/5 vs. COL (Ubaldo Jiminez) , 5/10 vs. MIL (Ben Sheets)

Shawn Hill, WAS - 5/6 vs HOU (Shawn Chacon), 5/11 vs. FLA (Scott Olsen)

Miguel Batista, SEA - 5/6 vs. TEX (Sidney Ponson), 5/11 vs. CHW (Gavin Floyd)

Jamie Moyer, PHI - 5/5 vs. ARI (Max Scherzer), 5/10 vs. SF (Barry Zito)

Adam Eaton, PHI - 5/6 vs. ARI (Randy Johnson), 5/11 vs. SF (Jonathan Sanchez)

Garrett Olson, BAL - 5/5 vs OAK (Dana Eveland), 5/10 vs. KC (Brett Tomko)

Sidney Ponson, TEX - 5/6 vs. SEA (Miguel Batista), 5/11 vs. OAK (Dana Eveland)

Shawn Chacon, HOU - 5/6 vs. WAS (Shawn Hill), 5/11 vs. LAD (Chad Billingsley)

Mark Redman, COL - 5/6 vs. STL (Braden Looper), 5/11 vs. SD (Chris Young)

The following pitchers are those who will have two starts here in Week Six. This is for those whose scoring period goes from Sunday-Saturday

No Brainers

Johan Santana, NYM - 5/4 vs ARI (Dan Haren), 5/9 vs. CIN (Bronson Arroyo)

Cole Hamels, PHI - 5/4 vs. SF (Tim Lincecum), 5/9 vs SF (Tim Lincecum)

Tim Lincecum, SF - 5/4 vs. PHI 5/9 (Cole Hamels), vs. PHI (Cole Hamels)

Scott Kazmir, TB - 5/4 vs BOS (Jon Lester), 5/10 vs. LAA (Joe Saunders)

Roy Halladay, TOR – 5/4 vs. CWS (Jose Contreras), vs. CLE (C.C. Sabathia)

Dan Haren, ARI - 5/4 vs. NYM (Johan Santana), 5/9 vs CHC (Ted Lilly)

Gotta Play ‘Em

Ben Sheets, MIL - 5/4 vs. HOU (Chris Sampson), 5/10 vs. STL (Joel Piniero)

Ian Snell, PIT - 5/4 vs. WAS (Tim Redding) 5/10 vs. ATL (Jo-Jo Reyes)

Max Scherzer, ARI – 5/5 vs. PHI (Jamie Moyer), 5/10 vs. CHC (Jason Marquis

Joe Saunders, LAA - 5/4 vs. BAL (Steve Traschel) , 5/10 vs. TB (Scott Kazmir)

Derek Lowe, LAD - 5/4 vs. Col (Aaron Cook), 5/10 vs. HOU (Chris Sampson)

Greg Maddux, SD - 5/4 vs. FLA (Andrew Miller) , 5/10 vs. COL (Ubaldo Jiminez)

Worthwhile For Two Starts

Matt Albers, BAL - 5/5 vs, OAK (Dana Eveland), 5/10 vs. KC (Brett Tomko)

Ubaldo Jimenez, COL - 5/5 vs. STL (Joel Piniero), 5/10 vs. SD (Greg Maddux)

Greg Smith, OAK, 5/4 vs. TEX (Scott Feldmann), 5/10 vs. TEX (Kevin Millwood)

Carlos Silva,SEA, 5/4 vs. NYY (Darrell Rasner), 5/9 vs. CHW (Jose Contreras)

Todd Wellemeyer, STL - 5/4 vs. CHC (Jason Marquis), 5/9 vs. MIL (Manny Parra)

Boof Bonser, MIN - 5/4 vs. DET (Kenny Rogers), 5/9 vs. BOS (Jon Lester)

Jon Lester, BOS - 5/4 vs. TB (Scott Kazmir), 5/9 vs. MIN (Boof Bonser)

Getting Desperate

Tim Redding, WAS - 5/4 vs. PIT (Ian Snell), 5/10 vs. FLA (Andrew Miller)

Brett Tomko, KC- 5/4 @ CLE (Ervin Santana), 5/9 vs. BAL (Matt Albers)

Darrell Rasner, NYY - 5/4 vs. SEA (Carlos Silva), 5/10 vs. DET (Kenny Rogers)

Andrew Miller, FLA - 5/4 vs. SD (Greg Maddux), 5/10 vs. WAS (Tim Redding)

Chris Sampson, HOU - 5/4 vs. MIL (Ben Sheets), 5/10 vs. LAD (Derek Lowe)

Bronson Arroyo, CIN - 5/4 vs. ATL (Tom Glavine), 5/10 vs. NYM (Johan Santana)

Jose Contreras, CWS - 5/4 vs. TOR (Roy Halladay), 5/9 vs. SEA (Carlos Silva)

Kenny Rogers, DET - 5/4 vs. MIN (Boof Bonser) , 5/9 vs. NYY (Darrell Rasner)

Jason Marquis, CHC - 5/4 vs. STL (Todd Wellemeyer), 5/10 vs. ARI (Max Scherzer)

Felix vs. Mussina Saturday night, it’s a no brainer, right? Put it in the win column for the Mariners. Ahh, not so fast. Mike Mussina has put together three consecutive good starts, and beat King Felix and the Mariners 6-1 as Hernandez struggled mightily. Felix had his worst outing of the season, as he needed 105 pitches to get through 5.2 innings. He gave up six runs and walked three, while only striking out three. He is still one of my picks to near 20 wins, but he’s got to limit these kind of games as he has given up ten earned runs in his last two starts. Mussina could now be seen as an injury replacement now, as I have been touting him as a bottom of the barrel pitcher all year long.

Braves top pitching prospect Jo-Jo Reyes was called up to make the start on Saturday, and didn’t disappoint. Reyes was impressive in his first major league start in ’08 as he went 5.1 innings and gave up only one run. He did walk three, however, and struck out five. If Reyes is going to be successful in the majors, he is going to have to keep his walks to a minimum, as that has gotten him in trouble in the past. I wouldn’t drop an established veteran (ex. Brett Myers) for him, but if you have a need for pitching Reyes could be a nice surprise.

Speaking of Myers, he was in a matchup tonight of aces who have a problem with consistency against Matt Cain. Both pitchers pitched well, and Cain has put a nice stretch of starts together. Myers went seven gave up two and fanned ten, while Cain also went seven and gave up two and whiffed eight. Most impressive is that between the two of them they only walked four batters, as control is a problem for both. If you own either man, you have to start them every time out, but both can give you an ulcer every time they step on to the mound.

Starting to hear some rumblings about the call up of Clayton Kershaw happening before too long. It appears that the Dodgers want to limit him to about 150 innings this year, so the possibility is there that either he will come up and be shut down before the end of the season, or he might come up and work out of the bullpen at the start before working his way into the rotation. No matter what his role, the hype for Kershaw is immense, and I will be grabbing him in every league I can, and I would advise you to do the same unless your staff is already stockpiled with talent. And in that case, I would recommend trading one of your pitchers away to clear room.

The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff is putting up stupid numbers. Before Jermaine Dye hit a homer in the seventh inning tonight, the Jays pitchers hadn’t allowed a run in 24 innings. Many expected great things from Toronto, but things haven’t gone to plan so far in 2008. But this little surge gives those north of the border something to be excited about. Jesse Litsch gave them a great start tonight, going 7.1 innings, gave up only two and struck out three to improve to 4-1. All Jays’ starters are worth owning right now, and even their closer B.J. Ryan appears that even though they are not overusing him, he is regaining his All-Star form.

Injury News

Angels utility man Chone Figgins left the game tonight with a hamstring injury and is due for an MRI. No word yet on if he will miss any time, but if he does two things will most likely happen. One, his fantasy owners will lose the stolen base category for the upcoming week, and second and perhaps more important, prospect Brandon Wood will get yet another chance to prove himself at the major league level.

Scott Kazmir is due to pitch Sunday against the Red Sox, but Mother Nature might not cooperate. They are calling for a 100% chance of rain, so there is a chance that Kaz might not take the mound until Monday (that is if the game is called, if they play he will be out there). Those of you who have been patient, hopefully rest has cured Scott’s injury.

Angels’ starter John Lackey will make a rehab start Sunday, and if all goes according to plan he will be set to rejoin the Anaheim rotation on May 14.

Quick Hitters

Mike Pelfrey’s good start to the season appears to be over. He has now thrown three straight sub-par outings as he lasted only five innings, gave up five runs, walked four and only whiffed one. After two great starts to begin the season, it now looks as if the Mets may have overestimated Pelfrey’s talent.

White Sox OF Carlos Quentin continues his breakout season. Quentin connected on his 8^th homer of the year, and appears to be finally starting to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was a top notch Arizona prospect.

Cubs’ Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome continues to exceed expectations. Although he isn’t hitting for much power, Fukudome has kept his batting average over .340 with a 3-5 game on Saturday. He now has ten doubles, 12 RBI, and three steals. He is an every week starter going forward.

Joe Torre’s thought to play catcher Russell Martin at third to keep his bat in the lineup actually happened Saturday. Martin started at third and went 1-3. He is finishing the game behind the plate, but in the boxscore I see no indication of an error for Martin, so it appears the experiment is off to a good start.

It has now been confirmed that the reason that Rich Hill was pulled from the game after just 0.2 innings yesterday was due to his ineffectiveness. Hill has been demoted to Triple-A, and his spot in the rotation looks to be taken by Sean Marshall. Cut ties with Hill as he will now live in Pinella’s doghouse.

Royals rookie Luke Hochevar pitched pretty well again as he collected win number two. He still had a bit of control problems as he walked four in just six innings, but the rest of his line is solid. In those six innings, Hochevar gave up just three hits, two runs, and struck out six. I know a lot of you sent him packing after that first start, but he is immensely talented, and still could have a great rookie year.

Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly appears to have found his mojo again. After beginning the season giving up 4+ runs in his first four starts, Lilly has now allowed only six in his last three starts. He picked up his second win as struck out four in seven innings against the Cardinals. I have seen him dropped in more than one league I play, so check to see if someone gave up on him way to early in your leagues as well.

Pirates 3B Jose Bautista now has three homers in the past two games, but unless you need an injury replacement, don’t go chasing this little hot streak. Bautista has been around, and his numbers aren’t impressive. He will finish where he has the last couple of years. A .245 average with 15 HRs and 55 RBI. Let someone else grab him up after seeing this.

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. And remember what I said yesterday, leave those comments! I want to hear from all of you!

The Reds had two rookie starters going into this season, and it looks like the one with less hype will make the bigger fantasy impact this year. While Johnny Cueto has begun to struggle some now, Edinson Volquez is not. He will take the loss tonight, but it wasn’t all his fault. He was the victim of a horrible drop in the outfield by Corey Patterson (I’m talking right in his glove!), and then gave up a bomb to Brian McCann. And that was it. Volquez final line was six innings, one earned run, and struck out nine in his first loss. Continue to start him with supreme confidence as we keep waiting for him to come back to life, and he keeps mowing down hitters. He obviously can’t keep up the 1.27 ERA, but you can expect him to have a tremendous season as he will be one of the fantasy gems of 2008.

And speaking of Corey Patterson, CAN WE CALL UP JAY BRUCE YET?!?!!???!? PLEASE!!!!!!! Patterson is a bum, and needs to be replaced. He has four home runs, sure, but they all came in a seven day stretch. After an 0 for 4 tonight, he is hitting a lofty .205 while Bruce is making the minor leagues his bitch again. Bruce is now hitting .307 with five homer, 21 ribbies and has stolen six bases. C’mon Cincy, don’t you ever think about us fantasy players?????

Who was that pitching for the Braves tonight in Tim Hudson’s jersey, because it certainly wasn’t him. Hudson went the distance against the Reds while striking out 10. Now no one is going to name the Reds the team with the best plate discipline, but this was the first time since last April. I view Hudson as a low end fantasy starter due to his low strikeout rate, but I might be the minority in that opinion.

I am scouring a bunch of websites to see if there is any reason besides he was sucking, why Rich Hill was pulled in the first inning tonight in St. Louis. Hill only lasted 2/3 of an inning and gave up a run on four walks. There is no doubt that the Cubs have lost confidence in him, and he is apparently on the shortest leash in history. If there is a decent option in free agency, it may be time to consider cutting ties with the guy.

Update:  Rich Hill has been pulled from the rotation, although not sure if he is being sent down or going to the pen.  Pinella says Shawn Marshall will most likely take his spot.  Time to cut ties with Mr. Hill.

The Reds have changed their minds again on how their rotation will be set this coming week. Johnny Cueto will now pitch Monday and Aaron Harang is moved back a day to Tuesday. “We saw an opportunity to get Harang an extra day’s rest, so we are going to take advantage of it, that’s why they call them probable pitchers” was the quote from Reds pitching coach Dick Pole. Ok, I gotta stop there because that is the only reason I included this. If your name is Richard Pole, why would you let people call you Dick? Especially if you will have a public-type job like pitching coach of a major league team. Can anyone explain this to me?

The Yankees inched closer to the .500 mark as the Mariners couldn’t handle Wang. Ok, ok, I’m done with the dirty stuff tonight. Chien-Ming did go to 6-0, however, and continues to be one of the more underrated pitchers in fantasy baseball.

When Frank Thomas was released by the Blue Jays, fantasy players went running to the waiver wire for Adam Lind. And why not, Lind has had a fairly successful minor league career. But for some reason his bandwagon has passed me by. Lind may be what is known as a 4A player, too good for Triple A, but doesn’t make it in the big leagues. After another 0-3 tonight, Lind is hitting .062 since being called up on 4/26. Keep tabs on him as he is talented, but I can’t recommend having him on your roster right now.

Why do the Dodgers’ continue to play Andruw Jones? Well, I know there are over 100 million reasons why, but he is killing them, and anyone who still has him on their fantasy team. Through six innings tonight, Jones is 0-3 with another three strikeouts, lowering his average to .154 and he now has 32 K’s in just 29 games. Meanwhile Andre Eithier, Matt Kemp, and even Juan Pierre are performing well. Thanks Scott Boras, you suck! (well, that’s not true, you are awesome at what you do for your players, but you handcuff teams when your players don’t perform; see J.D. Drew, Andruw Jones, Barry Zito, etc.)

Injury News

I hate to tell you this Yovani Gallardo owners, but it looks like your guy is done for the year. After it appeared Gallardo avoided injury in a collision yesterday, word came today that he has a tear in his ACL and if surgery is done, his season will be over. In keeper leagues if you can stash him on your DL all year I would certainly do that, but in yearly leagues, let him go and let’s go searching the waiver wire.

Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins now looks on pace to return to the lineup this coming Thursday. This is good news, because the reports yesterday were looking cloudy as far as when he might be able to return to the field.

It looks like Yanks’ catcher Jorge Posada isn’t going to have surgery until after the season, meaning he will probably miss about 6-8 weeks to heal his inflamed rotator cuff. Great news for Posada owners, because if you need to replace your catcher at this point, you are usually scraping the bottom of an already shallow barrel.

Shane Victorino got his second start since coming back from the DL tonight, and it is now safe to get him back into your lineups. The “Flyin Hawaiian” will hopefully now get on track to repeat his breakout performance from 2007. Victorino was 1-5 in the Phillies comeback win, and stole his first base since returning to the field.

Marlins’ OF Josh Willingham was placed on the 15 day DL with a stiff back. He had been missing some time with the injury, and now he will get a couple of weeks to try to rest it. Back injuries are tricky and tend to linger for a while, so this could really cool off the hot start that Josh got off to. Put him in your injury slots, and hope that the rest cures what’s ailing him.

The only man to play in 12 different decades, Moises Alou returned to the Mets’ lineup after missing the beginning of the season after hernia surgery. If he can stay on the field, Alou isn’t a bad option to have on your bench to play in case of emergencies, but he shouldn’t be more than an injury replacement on your roster.

Quick Hitters

I’m watching my beloved Cardinals against the hated Cubs and Alfonso Soriano looks LOST in left field. He has completely misplayed two balls in the outfield tonight, and you can bet that Lou Pinella will have a press conference tonight that will be NSFW.

Aramis Ramirez was hit on the wrist by a pitch by Adam Wainwright tonight, but he stayed in the game initially, but was lifted shortly after. Damn it, Soriano just atoned for his sins and hit a two run homer in the 9^th to tie the game.

As much as I have been bashing him, Aaron Rowand is starting to heat up a little for the Giants. Rowand had his fourth consecutive two hit game and connected on his third homer of the year (his second in four days). I can’t see him repeating 2007 statistics, but perhaps he will be better than I thought. A decent fourth outfielder, but don’t expect great production.

Ichiro is also hitting a bunch of singles. The speedy slap hitter had two hits and stole three bases tonight to bring his season total to 10. He has hit in 10 of his last 11 games and has 15 hits during that time. He has got to be on the downside of his career, but should have a few more productive seasons left.

I am so tired of writing about Nate McLouth, but the guy keeps on producing. McLouth was 2-3 with a double and a stolen base, and looks to be single handedly costing me my matchup in my head-to-head league. Thanks Nate!

Marlins’ 2B Dan Uggla is doing exactly what we figured, hitting with some pop, and an average that is poop. After his two taters tonight Uggla now has six on the season and is on pace to hit his 23-28 HRs, and at .245 his average is right where you expect it to be.

After hitting 27 HRs and nearing 100 RBI many had hopes that Khalil Greene would finally put it together…..but they were wrong. Greene finally hit his first homer of the year tonight and is batting an awful .217. If you own Tulowitzki, Greene may be an option to look at, he should improve some from this terrible start.

Mark Hendrickson continues to pitch out of his butt. With seven strong innings on Friday, Hendrickson ran his record to an improbable 5-1 and kept the Marlins around the lead in the NL East. A lifetime 47-56 pitcher, Hendrickson is the poster boy for selling high. Hurry, before it’s too late.

Shawn Marcum continues to pitch well in Toronto when nothing else is going right. Marcum went 6.2 gave up no runs and struck out nine. He has given up two runs or less in four of his six starts and is trying to prove that 2007 was no fluke.

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.