Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/22/08

The next young arm that is going to be added in a lot of fantasy leagues in the next 24 hours is going to be the Marlins’ Andrew Miller. Miller was one of the two big pieces that the Marlins got back in the Miguel Cabrera trade, but he got off to a terrible start. This is the fourth consecutive good start for Miller, and tonight was the best of his major league career. Miller lasted seven shutout innings, while striking out nine. Not bad for a guy who turned 23 yesterday. Unless your staff is stacked, see if you have someone you can replace with Miller, and keeper league players, act quickly.

Yankees rookie Ian Kennedy finally had a start that he didn’t embarrass himself. Kennedy has been a whopping disappointment for both the Yankees and fantasy players, and I am guessing most people had given up on him by now. Kennedy gave up just one run over six innings with four punchouts. I still think that you should wait for two or three more starts like this before thinking of adding him to your roster.

After swirling rumors about his job security, Rangers’ closer C.J. Wilson collected his ninth save of the season. He still could be replaced sometime soon by Eddie Guardado, but perhaps he has bought himself some more time with the 1-2-3 performance he gave on Thursday.

Despite walking more than a batter an inning, Daisuke Matsusaka remained unbeaten with his 8^th win of the season against Kansas City. Dice allowed three runs, walked six and struck out seven over 5.2 innings in which he threw 118 pitches. It wasn’t pretty, but he got the job done.

Both Santanas took the loss on Thursday, with Johan losing to the Braves and Ervin going down to the Jays. Ervin gave up four runs over six innings with seven Ks. He has been shaky his last few times out which is to be expected. He is pitching over his head, I would try to move him if I had him (which I do, and I will).

Johan Santana had two parts to his line score which wouldn’t make me happy if I owned him. First, Santana gave up a career high 12 hits, second, he struck out only one over seven innings. He is a great buy low candidate. Don’t expect anyone to give him away, but I bet the price is lower than it was when the season started.

Even when he loses, Aaron Laffey is pretty impressive. The great Indians’ rookie threw seven, one-run innings and struck out six while only walking one. Laffey has been one of the more impressive rookies in 2008 and is starting to look like a must-start each time out.

Ryan Howard is on a tear, and is starting to show he was worthy of your first round pick. After his 13^th on Thursday, Howard now has six in his last nine games. Ryan will most likely finish with 50, or somewhere near that, you just have to hope that he starts to cut down on the strikeouts which have plagued him this year.

Tigers rookie Matt Joyce is making the most of his opportunity to play. Joyce connected on his fifth homer of the season Thursday, and raised his average to .276. Joyce is worth a look in larger leagues as he is showing that he has some pop. Joyce did have a season of 17 HRs in 130 games, so this isn’t a total fluke. Continue to watch Joyce, and if he continues to hit like this, pick him up.

Jason Bay continues on the road to fantasy relevance again with his 11^th homer of the season Thursday while he now has 22 RBI. After hitting just 21 HRs all of last season, Bay looks to be on pace to get back to the numbers he put up his first two years in the league.

With his third homer in five days, it also looks like Corey Hart is getting back to the form that made him a very sexy pickup in 2007. Hart also stole his eighth base of the year, which puts him on pace to smash his career high of 23 last season. I believe that Hart will hit fewer homers in 2008, but steal more bases than he did in 2007.
Injury News

Brewers closer Eric Gagne has been shut down indefinitely with rotator cuff tendonitis. It is too soon to have a timetable for his return, but if you have him, try ANYTHING to get someone to take him or just cut him off your team.

One day after taking a Pujols line drive to the nose, San Diego pitcher Chris Young was placed on the Disabled List with the broken nose. He hopes to miss just the mandatory 15 games, so stash him in your injury spot on your roster and hope that there are no lingering effect to that scary injury.

Indians closer Joe Borowski will be activated off the DL on Friday and immediately regain his role as closer in the Cleveland bullpen. Yeah, he gives up a lot of runs and blows some saves, but after the way his replacements performed during his absence Borowski’s job security has never been higher. Put him back in your lineup immediately.

Indians catcher Victor Martinez left the game Thursday with an injured finger, making him day-to-day. This is just the latest is in a string of tough events for one of the best catchers in the league. Martinez is hitting for a good average, but still hasn’t homered yet this year. Considering you probably have no second option behind the plate, continue to play Victor and hope this doesn’t keep him out long.

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.

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 5/11/08

I want to start tonight by wishing a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, especially my wonderful mother who has meant so much to my life. And also to my wife, who will be a mother for the second time at any minute. We all owe so much to these women, make sure they know what they mean to you. I know fantasy baseball doesn’t lend itself to too many mothers reading this (although I know of two for sure), but it is something that is important to me.

Reds’ rookie Johnny Cueto is taking a turn for the worse. After electrifying his opponents in Spring Training in the beginning of the season, Cueto has lost four of his last five decisions. Cueto allowed another six runs on Sunday against the Mets, failing to get through the fifth inning. I still wouldn’t advise dropping him, but he has got to be on serious watch if he continues to pitch this way.

Closers in the National League Central are dropping like flies. A day after Jason Isringhausen was removed as Cardinals closer, Eric Gagne was finally removed as the closer of the Brewers. Milwaukee announced that they would employ the dreaded “closer by committee” and the first opportunity went to Salomon Torres, but he had to be removed in the ninth inning before the save went to Bob Shouse. This situation is a mess, and it is hard to say who will be getting saves for the Brewers. More information will come IF it becomes available.

People are always very torn on their opinion on the Mets’ Oliver Perez on how he should be valued. Those who argue against Perez see him as a guy who can’t keep his concentration, walks too many batters, and is prone to the big inning. Those, like me, who like Perez see his electric arm, strikeout rate, home park he pitches in, and offensive ability of the team he plays for, and says if he gets a few breaks he could win 18 games. Today Perez was that good pitcher, and the Mets were that offensive team. Perez went six innings, allowed three runs, and struck out eight to improve his record to 3-3. I can’t really argue against his negatives, but I believe he will be good more often than he will be bad.

Rich Harden made his much anticipated return to the mound Sunday, but he did not come through for those who have been so patient with him. Harden could only get through 3.2 innings and allowed five runs. I wouldn’t advise go sending Harden to the waiver wire, not yet at least. As long as he is healthy, keep Harden on your roster, at least until he gets hurt again. He is an immensely talented guy, he just can’t stay on the mound. If you have been this patient, wait until he starts again.

To replace the struggling Rich Hill, the Cubs called up Sean Gallagher, and let’s just say, Rich Hill could have done that! Gallagher only lasted 4.1 innings, gave up four runs, and struck out six. I would want to see at least one quality start before I thought about adding Gallagher to my roster.

Ervin Santana has been nearly perfect all season long, and we here at Fighting Chance have just been waiting for him to falter. And boy did he falter. Santana gave up five runs in 5.2 innings, but didn’t figure in the decision. While I believe that Santana will have a pretty good season, trust me, this isn’t the last time that we will see a terrible outing like Sunday. To me, he is one of the biggest sell high candidates of 2008.

“Mr. Almost A No Hitter” Gavin Floyd did not get so close to the no hitter on Sunday. In fact, Floyd didn’t even see the fifth inning today. He allowed five runs over 3.2 innings and didn’t record a strikeout. Floyd has been a good story this year, but he is still wildly inconsistent. No runs here, five runs there, no runs again, three runs over there. At the bottom of your rotation, he’s not a bad guy to have, but he is just too up and down for me to advise depending on him too much.

The Angels finally placed Chone Figgins on the disabled list with his strained hamstring. The move was retroactive to May 4^th (the day after the last time he played),which means he is eligible to return on May 19^th. The Angels are hopeful that he will be able to return on that day.

Francisco Liriano has been better in the minors, but still has a long road in his return to the majors.  On Saturday he allowed just two runs over six innings with five strikeouts.  This isn’t going to be a quick fix for Liriano, but this is at least encouraging for those of us who are holding on to him while he is in the minors.

Royals starter Brian Bannister came into 2008 with a lot of expectations on him, and up to this point he has been a mild disappointment. On Sunday, he showed what he is capable of. Bannister went eight shutout innings while striking out five. He was viewed as one of the big sleepers coming into the year, but he is looking like he will be slightly more than a .500 pitcher.

Impressive Performances

Ryan Braun is starting to look like the guy who won the 2007 NL ROY. Braun hit homers number six and seven on Sunday, and now has his batting average up to .281. He is not stealing bases like he did last year (he has only one), but if you can get the power numbers he put up last year, you still would have to be happy with his production.

After hitting two more homers on Sunday, Marlins 2B Dan Uggla now has seven homers in his last nine games. He also has 14 RBI during that stretch and has raised his average by over 30 points.

Another Marlin, Jeremy Hermida could possibly be on a hot streak that has been projected of him for years. Hermida has seven hits in his last five games to get his average over .300. He also hit his third homer of the year, and perhaps if he can stay on the field he can start to realize the potential that he has. A couple more good games, and you should hit the waiver wire for him.

A whopping disappointment, Carlos Beltran, had a game that could possibly get him out of the season long slump he has been in. Beltran had two hits, including his third homer, and raised his season average to .240. You probably spent a pretty high draft pick on Beltran, and you have to be hoping that this is the game that he starts to turn it around.

Rays OF Carl Crawford had himself a great Sunday. Crawford had three hits, including his third homer and also stole two bases (his 11^th and 12^th of the year). You most likely spent either a first round or early second round pick on Crawford, and theses are the kind of games you have been waiting for. Crawford has been decently consistent, but you’ve got to be hoping for a little more.

Finally, I got some gas today and I am appalled at the $3.85/gallon price that I paid. I’m not going to get into my political views, as this is not the place, but it is insane the amount that gas has gone up in the past 6-8 weeks. So, my question is, I want to know for those who read this and care to answer, where are you from and what is the gas price in your area?

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.

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/23/08 Closers, Injuries, Rookies, more

couple of aging closers are really dealing so far in 2008. In New York, Mets’ closer Billy Wagner has been completely dominant. Not only has Wagner not given up a run yet in his eight appearances, but Wagner is yet to give up a hit! He does only have four saves and six Ks, but Billy has been dealing every time out for Manager Willie Randolph, whether it has been a save situation or not. Although he too isn’t filling up the save category (only has three), Rays’ closer Troy Percival has also yet to give up a run, and has allowed only one hit. This is a little more surprising than Wagner’s season, as many wondered how Percival would do being in the closer’s role for the first time in a number of years. I believe the last time that Percival had a save, Jesus himself was playing left field. Although he doesn’t get a ton of chances, he is making the most out of the chances he gets.

Speaking of closers, it was Derrick Turnbow, not Eric Gagne who came in to finish the game for the Brewers on Wednesday. Most likely this was because Gagne has pitched in five of the last six days. Even though Gagne has struggled, Turnbow hasn’t been much better, with an ERA over nine. He did convert the save with no trouble, but I don’t see this as any change in the guard, Gagne is still the Brewers closer.

In Colorado, closer Manny Corpas is in the middle of a meltdown. After blowing tonight’s chance, Corpas has now blown three out of the last four opportunities. Haven’t heard anything about changing jobs yet, but if it isn’t already in the works, you have to believe Corpas is on a very short leash now. Might be worth grabbing Brian Fuentes as insurance.

Trevor Hoffman was victimized again on Wednesday, as Giants catcher Bengie Molina took Hoffman out of the yard for a blown save. There is still some concern over Hoffman, but he will have to do much more to put his job in jeopardy.

If I am going to crush people when they suck, I should give credit when they don’t. One of my favorite whipping posts, Mike Mussina was good tonight as the Yanks played the White Sox. The Moose gave up only two runs over seven innings for the longest outing of his season, and the Bronx Bombers remained above the .500 mark. Don’t expect this type of production to continue, Mussina’s fantasy days are in his rear view mirror…..and out of sight.

Ok, time to check back in with Evan Longoria. He has now played in 11 games, and although the average is lower than what we expected (.243), he does have two homers and seven ribbies. I have to say that so far he has been a success, and as time passes and he becomes comfortable in the majors, it is dangerous to think what he might do.

Another rookie, Geovany Soto is starting to get noticed. The Cubs catcher got off to a pretty horrendous start, but he is locked in now. Soto was a triple away from the cycle tonight, collecting his seventh double and third homer of the season. He is a welcome addition to a position that is starving for some young talent.

The Tigers have made a fairly drastic change to their infield already in this young season. It was announced on Wednesday that 3B Miguel Cabrera would now play first base, and 1B Carlos Guillen would now be the starting third baseman. This is great for those of you who own these players, as the added flexibility helps your team out. Especially with Guillen, your league most likely gives him SS eligibility from last year, he probably already gained 1B eligibility, and now he will soon have 3B as well.

I know I usually try to stay away from reporting about first round picks, but a few were completely awesome on Wednesday. Chase Utley hit his seventh home run in the last seven games, and has driven in 12 runs during that span. Hanley Ramirez not only hit his seventh homer of the year (his fourth in four games), but stole his sixth base as well. He is definitely proving last year was no fluke. Prince Fielder went yard twice as he aims to get back on his pace to get to 50 HRs again his year.

Injury Notes

Welcome back Curtis Granderson! One of my guys going into this year to come close to replicating last season’s numbers, Granderson came back from the DL today after being hit by a pitch in the Spring. Granderson didn’t disappoint, going 2-4 with two walks, three runs scored and two ribeyes. Get him back into your lineups immediately and get ready for Curtis to fill up the boxscore.

For the second time in two days, the Boston Red Sox had to scratch their projected starter. After Josh Beckett couldn’t make his start, Daisuke Matsusaka had to miss his start due to flu like symptoms. I didn’t see any quotes, but I am sure that Dice will make his next start.

Quick Hitters

Marlins’ pitcher Andrew Miller finally put up a decent outing. Miller went five innings and only gave up one earned run. He didn’t strike anybody out, but consider the growing pains, everyone doesn’t execute right away as rookies. There was talk of sending Miller down, but this start most likely bought him a few more.

The Colorado middle infield situation is a mess. Today’s combination was Clint Barmes at second and Troy Tulowitzki at short. I believe that this is the best lineup for the rookies and the Rockies, keep watching Barmes, he hit another long ball today and is earning his playing time.

When the Cardinals and Blue Jays traded Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus, it seemed as both teams were just changing for the same guy. It is looking like the Cardinals got the better end of that deal. While Glaus isn’t exactly mashing (he is yet to go deep), he does have ten doubles and is hitting .267. I know, I know these aren’t all-star numbers, but thinking of those two guys when the season started you would’ve taken those numbers from Glaus.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours.

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/22/08 Aces, Rookies, Injuries, more

A couple of aces have shown on Tuesday, that maybe they still have it. In Detroit, Justin Verlander might not have been dominant, but right now he’ll take it. Verlander threw six innings giving up just one run and striking out three against the Rangers. After the way he started the season, Justin and his fantasy owners must be breathing a sigh of relief that he was able to pitch so well. After being talked about as someone potentially to drop after his last awful start, C.C. Sabathia came back with a vengeance Tuesday against the Royals. Sabathia went six shutout innings and struck out 11, and is in line to take the win. As I have said previously, I don’t expect him to come close to last year’s Cy Young statistics, but he should be more than a .500 pitcher this season.

Not that Ted Lilly would be described as an ace, but another guy that fantasy owners were starting to think of parting ways with had a turn around start himself. Lilly collected his first win of the season giving up just one run in six innings, while striking out four. Like Verlander, he wasn’t dominant (he did walk four), but it was good to see a guy that some players put some big stock in having a good time out.

It was good news/bad news for the Brewers on Tuesday. The good news was young gun Manny Parra had a better outing than his last couple. Parra has struggled going deep into games, and that continued as he only lasted five innings. But, he did give up only three runs today, and was in line for the win….until the bad news game into the game. After converting give straight save chances, Eric Gagne has now blown two in a row. He continues to show that it was most likely foolish for the Brewers to sign him to that ridiculous contract.

Red Sawks rookie Jacoby Ellsbury is really heating up now. After having two consecutive two-hit, two-steal games, Jacoby added another 2-fer, as he hit two homers on Tuesday. Ellsbury came into the season with the hype that he was a strong candidate for the Rookie of the Year, and after he couldn’t get a start in the beginning of the season, he was cut in many leagues. Well, get yourself running to the waiver wire to see if this guy is available in your league, he could be a 20/50 kind of guy.

The greatest hitter of all time, Nate McLouth, finally had his season beginning hitting streak come to an end. McLouth was up to 19 games before he took the 0-fer tonight. He did still walk twice, so he continues to find ways on base even if he doesn’t hit. I have been urging you to try to sell high on McLouth, as his past performance doesn’t show this type of production in his future.

Injury Notes

Alex Rodriguez was not in the lineup today for the Yankees due to a combination of his second child being born, and a quad injury. It was reported on Baseball Tonight that he is due to rejoin the lineup on Thursday.

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was scratched from his start due to neck pain. This appears to have just been a giant precaution, and manager Terry Francona has said that Beckett will make his next scheduled start.

That giant sigh of relief you hear is coming from Seattle. The Mariners activated closer J.J. Putz from the disabled list today, and free agent prize Eric Bedard is due to come of the DL on Saturday. Get both of these guys back into your lineups immediately.

Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano has targeted May 1^st as his return to action after missing time with a strained calf suffered when making his signature hop when catching a fly ball. Get ready to get him back into your lineup.

Quick Hitters

Reds rookie pitcher Edinson Volquez continues to impress. Volquez improved to 3-0 Tuesday, with a commanding seven innings with seven strikeouts. Volquez gave up just one run, and his season ERA sits at just 1.21. He was a highly touted prospect for the Rangers, so he shouldn’t be considered a flash in the pan.

Rickie Weeks has got to be one of the more frustrating players to own. Weeks will go 0-4 with 3 Ks two or three times a week, but then he has a game like he did on Tuesday and you go back to thinking that he could be an impact player. Weeks had three hits including a triple, drove in three runs with that triple, and stole his fifth base of the year. These are the days that you try to find someone to bite on a trade with Weeks, or you will have no hair left by the end of the year.

Angels 1B Casey Kotchman is showing signs of living up to his potential. Kotchman hit his fifth homer of the season, and is now batting .315. Casey now has 15 RBI, and could be looking at a .300/22/85 kind of season.

Marlins 3B Jorge Cantu is starting to really look like that guy we knew three years ago. Cantu went 3-4 on Tuesday, and hit his third homer of the season. Jorge also has 7 doubles in his first 20 games, and should be a good option toward the bottom of your roster as a sleeper. Pick him up if you have some dead weight on your team.

Nats SP John Lannan has been great in three of his first four starts. Lannan followed up a one run, 11 strikeout performance, with seven shutout innings with four Ks against the Braves. It is time to give this guy a serious look to see if he should have a spot on your roster. He had a pretty good 2007 in the minors, so he might be for real although I’m not ready to make that statement just yet.

Braves Old Man River John Smoltz joined the exclusive 3,000 strikeout club Tuesday, but unfortunately his team could score any runs for him. Smoltz gave up just one run in seven innings and fanned 10. He continues to defy Mother Nature and pitches great.

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.

 

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/20/08 Hochevar, Big Papi, Dodgers Outfield, Injury Report, and more

Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez left the game today with a quadricps injury. He said he felt it in his swing, and then as he ran down the baseline, he felt a “twinge.” Rodriguez has been an incredibly durable player throughout his career, so it is tough to gauge how long this might keep him out of action. Complicating matters further, his wife is about to give birth to a child which would most likely keep him out of action a couple of days. Although there has been no definite reports, it wouldn’t surprise me to see A-Rod miss a few games as a precaution while he visits that classy wife of his in the hospital. She will be a very good mother, who doesn’t need a mother who would wear a shirt that said f#!k you across the back? Remember that last year? Disgusting.

The big news of the day was the promotion in Kansas City of SP Luke Hochevar. Fighting Chance Fantasy was all over the breaking news, giving you a crack at adding him to your roster before your competition got to him. I was very excited about his potential, and picked him up in three different leagues. And then he got shelled. Hochevar cruised for 3.2 innings, before getting in trouble with two out in the fourth, when a 1-1 game quickly turned into a 5-1 game. That is the other problem with young pitchers, if they don’t walk everybody, they are prone to the big inning. However, I’m not coming off the bandwagon just yet. Hochevar will start again Friday against the Indians, and let’s hope for better results.

Is Jed Lowrie going to stick with the Red Sox in this callup? The answer is most likely no, but he certainly is making a strong case for himself. Lowrie hit two doubles today and drove in his fifth run in just his third major league game. He is now batting .417 and even if he doesn’t stick around this time, he is certainly putting the pressure on Julio Lugo to perform this year. Lowrie is also filling in at third base while Mike Lowell is on the DL.

David Ortiz has raised his batting average 49 points in the last three days. Big Papi also drove in a run for the third consecutive day, as he looks like he is batting his way out of this season beginning funk. Even though it was a weak homer, that grand slam Friday night was just what the doctor ordered. Ortiz was 2-4 on Sunday, and should be back on track to put up gaudy fantasy numbers again in 2008.

He has been pegged as a problem child, but Marlins’ hurler Scott Olsen is off to a flying start. Olsen improved to 3-0 after allowing just one run over seven innings with three strikeouts. The potential has always been there, but it has been his attitude that has gotten him in trouble in previous years. Olsen could be quite the sleeper if he can keep up this type of production, and should find his way on to a roster in your league after today’s performance.

Four guys hit two home runs today around the majors. In Philly, Mr. Super-Awesome Chase Utley continued his barrage of statistics going deep in the first, and again in the fifth. He is now batting .342, took over the ML HR league lead with his eighth, and has 17 RBI. Not much more you can say, he is one of the best. Hanley Ramirez further proved he was worthy of that high draft pick, as he hit his fourth and fifth homers of the season. After stealing three bases in the last two days, Ramirez decided to flex his muscles on Sunday. He has now driven in 14 runs, and is hitting .366. Hanley does it all, and is proving himself as one of the top two or three guys in fantasy baseball at age 24. After committing an error that put his team behind, Edwin Encarnacion knew he had to make up for it with his bat. Edwin did just that as he started the rally against Eric Gagne that would give the Reds the win in 10 innings. Encarnacion also hit one in the fifth inning to bring his season total to four. He has been a little bit of a disappointment to fantasy owners who thought he might break out this year, perhaps this will be a starting point to an improvement in his production. The Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit finishes this group of double tater guys. He still isn’t seeing everyday at bats over Ronny Paulino, but is making his case for that. With his two solo shots today, Doumit is now hitting .320 to Paulino’s .240, but it is Paulino’s defense that continues to keep him in the lineup. Monitor this situation if you have a crappy catcher. Doumit has some offensive potential, so if he starts playing everyday, he is worth a look.

The Dodgers outfield situation is probably the most frustrating situation in fantasy baseball in 2008. Andruw Jones, Matt Kemp, Andre Eithier, and Juan Pierre all want to play everyday, however this isn’t beer league softball, there is no shortfielder. The funny thing is, the one guy who is struggling the most, Jones, is the one who almost never sits. But I suppose a $100 million contract will help your PT. The other three are all hitting over .280, while Jones flounders at .169. Let us all thank Scott Boras for negotiating another huge contract for a guy who just doesn’t produce like he should. If you own one of these four guys, you have to hold on to them, they all have too much potential to be cut. This isn’t the holy thing to do, but all you can do is root for an injury to one of the other guys who aren’t on your team.

Injury News

Reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins has hit the DL for the first time in his career. A day after actually getting an at bat in a game, Rollins and the Phillies decided that they needed to sit him for two weeks, and bring up someone that they knew would be able to play. Rollins was having a good start to the season, and this is a blow to his fantasy owners. All you can do is wait two weeks, and plug him back into your lineup then. For those who don’t own him, is he available cheap in your league?

It was a bad day for quad injuries. Similar to A-Rod, Chipper Jones left Sunday’s game with the same injury as he tried to leg out a double. Apparently Larry injured the quad on April 9th and has been playing with some pain. Bobby Cox was quoted as saying that he is questionable for Monday night, but it isn’t something that will keep him out for long. Those of you with daily transactions might want to bench him Monday, and then see what happens from there.

Now to the good news on the injury front. Brewers stud pitcher Yovani Gallardo was great in his first start off the DL. Gallardo went seven, gave up just one run and fanned four. Unfortunately, his team couldn’t score for him today, so he ended up with a no decision, but this was a good reward for his owners that were patient as they waited for him to come off the DL. Put him back on your active roster immediately, and expect big things from Yovani in 2008.

Rays hurler Matt Garza pitched a minor league game today and was pronounced ready to rejoin the rotation. Garza gave up four runs and eight hits in just 3.2 innings, but manager Joe Madden said he would pitch Friday against the Red Sox. He wasn’t off to a good start before the injury, so be cautious on expecting too much from him right away. If he is truly healthy, he could make an impact for the rest of the season.

Astros 2B Kaz Matsui returned to the lineup over the weekend, and if you are in desperate need of middle infield, he could be a good option. After batting near .300 and stealing 30+ bases in just over 100 games in 2007, Matsui might not run as much for Houston, but that tiny ballpark means his power numbers could be a little better.

Further away is Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder. Mulder threw six shutout innings for the Cardinals AA affiliate, and is supposed to make his third rehab start on Friday. Tony LaRussa has said Mulder will need two more starts before he can prove that he is ready to rejoin the rotation. Mulder is so far away from the time in his career when he was effective, I don’t know how much you can expect from him. But if these two surgeries finally fixed whatever has been ailing him for the last few years, maybe he can return to the pitcher he once was.

Although it wasn’t due to injury, Joba Chamberlain returned to the Yankees bullpen today after tending to his ailing father. Joba didn’t retire a batter, gave up two hits and a run. He has been incredibly effective again this season, and as long as he is right mentally, he should continue to be an effective 8th inning guy, before he gets placed into the rotation at some point in 2008.

Quick Hitters

One day after he trashed the organization, Frank Thomas and the Blue Jays came to a “mutual agreement” to part ways, and the Big Hurt was cut. If you have the roster room, it is ok to stash him, I’m sure some team will scoop him up as their DH. But if you have a shallow roster, it is time to cut him loose.

The best pitcher that gets no fantasy love, Aaron Harang was incredible again. Harang gave up just one run over eight innings, and fanned eight. He gets blown up every fifth or sixth start, but the other outings Harang is just awesome. A low ERA, high strikeouts, and now that the Reds are supposed to start to compete, maybe he can top 15 wins.

Yanks bulldog Andy Pettitte threw a gem on Sunday as he threw seven shutout innings and whiffed five. Considering his rocky offseason, it is more incredible that Pettitte hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any start. Continue to ride Pettitte’s great start, as he should continue to produce as he has for the last 10 years.

Young starter John Danks has had a great start to the season. Outside of one complete stinker, Danks hasn’t allowed more than one run in three of his four starts. Danks threw seven innings of one run ball, fanning eight. Once a member of the Rangers’ DVD trio of pitching prospects, it appears that the change in scenery is what Danks needed. If you need a starter, Danks should be available in your league.

Another young starter, Jair Jurrjens has been a great surprise for the Braves. Jurrjens went seven and struck out eight as he shut down the Dodgers. He has given up two runs or less in three of his four starts and has struck out a decent number of batters as well. Keep an eye on this guy, and if he has one more good start, he is worthy of a roster spot.

A final great appearance by a young pitcher, Dana Eveland continues to surprise and is now sitting at 2-1 with a sub 2.00 ERA. Eveland is still walking guys a little more than you would like to see, but he has been incredibly effective, and if he is still available, see if you can find a spot for him.

If John Bowker could play the Cardinals everyday, and get regular at-bats, he could be the next Albert Pujols. Bowker his his third homer of the season on Sunday, all against St. Louis, and has made the most of the playing time that has been given to him. I don’t think he is worth an add until he gets everyday at-bats.

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

Beyond the Boxscore–Fantasy MLB News and Notes 4/19/08; Hochevar, Greinke, Lincecum, Cueto, more

The player who has created the biggest buzz so far this year in fantasy baseball has been Johnny Cueto, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. His owners had to be very curious how he would do after giving up five runs in his previous start. Would he bounce back? Or was he doomed to start to struggle like most pitchers in his situation? Cueto answered today with another great outing. He went seven innings, gave up just two earned runs and struck out five. He wasn’t around for the decision, but it was a good answer after being roughed up for the first time in the majors.

Another young fireballer, Tim Lincecum looks like he is putting it all together this year. He has yet to give up more than two runs in any of his four starts, and he shut down the St. Louis Cardinals for the second consecutive time on Saturday. During that time he has also struck out 16 batters in just 13 innings, and he is now 3-0. This is about the most that you could expect from Tiny Tim, you have to expect him to be the victim of poor run support pitching in San Francisco, but so far that hasn’t bothered him.

Mentioning this for possibly the last time in an article, two more guys hit their first homers of the year. In San Francisco their latest bad contract, Aaron Rowand finally went deep for the first time. Rowand has at least been hitting for a good average when he has been healthy, but to expect him to repeat his numbers from 2007 is just crazy. If you own him, hope that he goes on a hot streak and you can get someone to bite on him. While Chipper Jones is lighting it up in Atlanta, the Jones they let go, Andruw Jones is floundering badly in LA. Jones has been moved to 7^th in the lineup, and finally hit his first homer today. How the mighty have fallen! He hit just .222 with 26 HRs last year, and he got his average up to .182 with just three RBI so far in 2008. Once one of the more feared hitters in the NL, Jones is getting close to being on the chopping block of many fantasy rosters.

Zach Greinke also has caused a great deal of talk in fantasy baseball this season, and I stand by my opinion that he will not have a great season. I admit, I have been starting to worry that I may be way off on this guy, but today he gave me some of my confidence back. Not saying he was bad, but at least he took a step back. He did just give up two runs over five innings, but it was the four walks that caught my eye. That is what does in young pitchers every time, the walks. Greinke didn’t factor in the decision, so he remains at 3-0, and his ERA rose to 1.24. I still say “sell high” he won’t keep this up all year.

More from Kansas City, the number one overall pick in 2006 will be on the mound on Sunday. Luke Hochevar will be making his season debut for the injured John Hale (who?), and should be a two start pitcher this week. He is 1-1 in the minors this season with a 2.60 ERA and 12 Ks in 17.1 innings. He is one of the elite pitching prospects in the game, and if you are looking for pitching, definitely give him a chance, he could be dominant. Normally, I wouldn’t suggest picking up a Royals pitcher so strongly, but with the success of Zach Greinke (ugh) and Brian Bannister, it looks like you can win games as a pitcher for the Royals.

The Yankees came into the season depending heavily on a couple of young arms they refused to trade for Johan Santana. So far, it isn’t looking like that was a good move. A day after Phil Hughes fell to 0-3 with an 8+ ERA, Ian Kennedy couldn’t get out of the third inning. Kennedy gave up four runs and walked five in just 2.2 innings, and his ERA is approaching ten. While I still have some faith in Hughes, Kennedy has only gotten out of the fifth inning once, and has been a pretty big disappointment so far, and I believe it is time to cut ties with him.

Derrek Lee is trying his best to make me look like an idiot. I have been preaching to move him while he is putting up good numbers, and he just keeps going out and fills up the box score. Lee went and hit his league leading seventh homer today, and is now hitting over .350. Like Greinke, I will stand by my opinions, and spin it to say, Lee is just giving you more time to make that trade. See if you can package him in a deal that maybe lands you someone like Prince Fielder who is off to a terrible start, but will turn it around.

Rays’ second year pitcher Andy Sonnanstine had himself quite a night on Saturday. Andy had not only his first career complete game, but a shut out to boot, allowing just three hits and striking out four. Unfortunately for Mr. Sonnanstine, that lowered his ERA to a still robust 5.55. He was 40-18 in his minor league career, and had a good K/IP ratio so it is possible that he could still be a viable fantasy option. Be careful who you might drop for him, but he is definitely worth a look. Think quickly though, when a young guy throws a shutout, he doesn’t usually last long on the waiver wire.

Like Cliff Lee, who we wrote about yesterday, it looks like Ervin Santana has put his putrid 2007 behind him, is back on track to keeping his career on the upswing. Santana went eight strong shutout innings Saturday night against the Mariners, allowing only three hits, didn’t walk a batter, and whiffed eight. Santana is off to the best start of his career, and I’m officially on his bandwagon to win 13-15 games and keep his ERA at around 3.50.

Quick Hitters

Joey Votto continues to get playing time, and he keeps making the most of it. Getting another start on Saturday, Votto was just 1-4, but that one was his third homer of the season. He is now hitting .326 and it is making it tough for Dusty Baker to keep him out of the lineup.

Kosuke Fukudome went 1-3 with his ninth ribbie of the season, and his third stolen base. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to hit .450 all year, so this slump that he has been in is expected. He is still performing above my expectations, but see if the last couple of games is the Fukur getting back on his groove.

B.J. Ryan collected his second save since returning from Tommy John surgery on Saturday. Ryan did allow a hit, but also struck out three batters. I haven’t been able to see him pitch just yet, but by the numbers he is putting up, it is looking like he is returning to his old form. Definitely start him if he is on your roster.

Not that this is really fantasy relevant, but the game between the Marlins and Nationals featured SEVEN ERRORS! There should be some rules against these owners tearing down their teams, there is some ugly baseball being played.

Oliver Perez was impressive again today for the Mets. I tapped him as one of my guys who would take the next step to stardom, and outside of one bad start, he looks ready to take that step. He did have some control issues today (five walks in 5.2 innings), but was able to work through them. He is now 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA and 21 Ks in 21.2 innings.

More from the Mets, Jose Reyes is starting to play like the guy you thought you picked in the first round of your draft. Reyes hit his fourth double, second homer (second in four games), and stole his third base of the season. Reyes now has 12 hits in his last five games, and he is poised to put up some big numbers this season.

After blowing two of his first three save chances, Eric Gagne has now put together five in a row as he saved Saturday’s game for the Brewers. Gagne hasn’t allowed a run during this span, and has only allowed two hits. Can’t say I’m confident this will continue, and if you own him, has he done enough to have some trade value in your league? I think it’s time to test it out.

A’s rookie Daric Barton was a homer away from the cycle as his up and down first year continued. Barton will go through a few games where he gets no hits, and then look great for a few days. He is kind of frustrating to own, but he’s hitting .276 with five doubles and three triples, so he’s worth adding if you have the room.

Twins rookie Nick Blackburn was very good again on Saturday. Nick went 7.2 shutout innings, although he only struck out one. He isn’t striking out a bunch of batters, but hasn’t had an awful start yet. If you are playing the merry go round of pitchers, give Blackburn a try the next time his turn comes up.

Highly touted Dodgers’ rookie Chad Billingsley has had an awful start to 2008, and it continued Saturday. Billingsley was only able to last five innings, giving up four runs, and walking five, whiffing nine. He has struck out 17 in his last two starts, but his walks and ERA are a problem. If you have him, I would say try to ride this out because he has a world of talent, but it has got to have you concerned.

Dustin McGowan hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his starts so far this season. He continued his nice (not great, but nice) start to the year and collected his first win. McGowan has been lacking in the strikeout department, but the way he has been able to stay consistent makes him worthy of a spot on your roster.

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