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 5/17/08

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.

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 5/5/08

Max Scherzer didn’t quite have the starting debut he had hoped for. Scherzer only lasted four innings, gave up five runs (two earned) and struck out five. Scherzer still is a top prospect, and we have already seen what he is capable of in his relief appearance, so don’t let this little setback effect your opinion of him. If anything this helps out those who missed out on Scherzer, maybe those who got him might sour on him with this subpar outing.

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsusaka has had trouble with control throughout his tenure in the United States, but tonight took the cake. Matsusaka walked EIGHT guys throughjust five innings, but somehow only gave up one run and got the win. This is crippling to your WHIP for those in leagues that keep that category, but he is now 5-0, so it is hard to complain too much about other categories.

David Ortiz seems to be breaking out of his slump. In his last five games he has ten hits, and in the last ten games he has four homers, counting the one on Monday night. You had to figure that Big Papi would break out, and it looks like he is doing just that now. Keep him in your lineup no matter what.

Two bits of news coming out of Toronto. One is closer that closer B.J.Ryan has been cleared by doctors to throw two consecutive games. Ryan has been nearly unhittable in his return from Tommy John Surgery, and this is just one more positive step in his full recovery from his injury. He is getting closer to being considered a number one closer again.

Johnny Cueto was back on the winning track Monday, throwing six innings and striking out eight. Cueto only gave up three runs and ran his record to 2-3. As I have been saying from the beginning, there are going to be good games, and bad games, and if you commit to owning Cueto you are going to have to learn to take the good with the bad, but the good should outnumber the bad.

Angels’ starter Ervin Santana continued his improbable success in 2008 by doing something he had only done once before in his major league career. Monday marked the second time that Santana threw a shutout. He now sits at 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA, and is one of the sleepers of 2008, although I like to think of him as a serious sell high candidate. See if you can find someone to give you the value of the way he is pitching right now, because this won’t continue all year long.

Although he has been getting into most games at some point during the contest, Brandon Wood really hasn’t been starting too many games. And although Monday was no different, Wood did his first home run of the season, while he bats just .200. Like I have said before, I have long since jumped off of Wood’s bandwagon, but just wanted to report what he has been doing, but I wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole.

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto is proving that last year in the minors was no fluke. Soto is hitting .352 with six homers and 24 RBI, and is on pace to be one of the top three or four catchers in fantasy. This is a huge steal for those of you who own Soto.

Brad Hawpe hit his second homer in three games, and it is looking like he is starting to regain the form that showed him hit 29 HRs in 2007. Keep Hawpe in your lineup everyday, and hope that this resurgence is the real deal.

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 4/25/08 Minors Moves, Injury News, More

Welcome back Salty! After being inexplicably sent down to AAA to start the season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back with the Rangers. Starter Gerald Laird is still in Texas so this doesn’t necessarily mean that Salty will take the full time catching duties. He will most likely catch once or twice a week, DH some, and maybe grab some starts at first. He will most likely be grabbed quickly in your league as the news spreads, so if you have the roster spot act quickly.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, struggling Twin Francisco Liriano was sent back to Triple A to try to find that electric form again. Liriano was awful this year, and it all fell apart last night when he gave up six runs and failed to get out of the first inning. The Twins sent him down to try to get his head straight and find his control again. This is far from the end of the line for Liriano, many pitchers struggle when coming back from an injury of this magnitude, but there is no timetable for his return to the majors, so I can’t fault you for cutting ties with him, but keep an eye on his AAA performance. If he does well, he might not be gone long.

Phillies OF Shane Victorino is nearly complete with his rehab assignment as he is returning from a strained right calf. Victorino is doing well (2-3 on Wednesday), and it looks as though he will be coming off the DL when he is eligible on April 29. He may have been dropped in your league when he was injured, so take a look to see, if he’s available, I would try to find a spot for him on your roster.

Returning from the DL tonight, Rays SP Matt Garza did OK against the Red Sox. Garza threw 84 pitches over five innings, giving up three and striking out only one. There was major concern about Garza’s eligibility for the season when his injury was first diagnosed, but after tonight’s outing it looks like it is safe to put him back in your lineup.

In a shocking development, the Seattle Mariners have resigned catcher Kenji Johjima to a three year extension. This is surprising because it was assumed that they would let his contract run out and hand the catching duties to top prospect Jeff Clement next season. Clement hit 20 HRs and drove in 80 at AAA last season and is off to a good start in 2008, but this move means that Clement’s future in Seattle isn’t behind the plate, and it is now more cloudy as to when you might see him in Seattle.

In his second start after coming back from injury, Yovani Gallardo was impressive again. Yovani threw 117 pitches over seven shutout innings, and struck out five. That is just one earned run allowed over 14 innings after missing the first three weeks of the season. If by some fluke he is still available, jump all over Gallardo.

Quick Hitters

Yankees’ DH Jason Giambi has 5 HRs after his two jack game on Friday. The bad news? That is a total of just 11 hits so far in ’08 for Giambi. His fantasy relevance is all but over, and he really shouldn’t be on your roster unless you have a deep roster.

Curtis Granderson is really ripping up pitching since his return to the field. In three games, he has two homers, four ribs, and four hits. It is safe to say that Granderson is back, and belongs in the middle of your roster.

Embattled starter Ervin Santana ran his early season record to 4-0. He wasn’t great, as he gave up three runs over 6.1 innings, striking out four. Santana is showing that he might have found the stuff that made him so successful over the first few weeks of the year. Put him back in your lineup if you have him.

Dueling with Gallardo, Scott Olsen continues to be unhittable. Olsen gave up just five hits in 7.1 innings, gave up one run and walked five. He also did not strike out a batter. Continue to ride the hot hand, but beware that this streak must come to an end soon.

After not getting a save chance since being named closer, Rafael Betancourt saved his second as in as many games Friday. No word on when Joe Borowski may return, so keep Betancourt active for the near future.

Astros’ super soph Hunter Pence is finally starting to make some noise. After starting the season batting .161, Pence has gone on a hit parade. In his last eight games Pence has 14 hits and raised his average over 100 points. He also has a homer and five RBI during that span.

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 4/19/08; 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.