I want to start tonight with a little warning. I am going to be a dad for the second time any day now. So, if I go for a day or two without an article, or if I don’t get back to an email in my usual speedy fashion, that could be the reason. I’m not going away, and I’ll be back as soon as it is possible. Now without further ado, Beyond the Boxscore, gonna be a little bit of a short one tonight I think.
I know I mentioned the other day that Clayton Kershaw could be coming sooner rather than later, and there have been more rumblings, including in the LA Times that it is possible his first start could be May 17. Now, this is not written in stone by any stretch, but those of you who have been waiting for the next big thing, your wait might not be that much longer.
Justin Upton hit his first home run today since April 12th. I know some of you might have soured some on
the young stud during this power draught, but let’s look at the situation. He is just 20 years old, he is starting everyday for a quality team, and today he hit cleanup. Even with his slump lately, he is still hitting a robust .345. He is still going to make a good impact this year, don’t lose the love for Upton.
Is it time to be concerned about Justin Verlander? As much as I touted him as a guy who would jump to superstar status this year, I am officially worried about this guy. Where have his statistics gone? Granted he has gotten garbage for run support, but he just isn’t performing. Poor run support doesn’t make your ERA 6.43 and he isn’t striking out batters at a good rate. You can’t drop Verlander by any stretch, but I’m starting to worry that something might be wrong.
It had to happen eventually. Ancient Rays’ closer Troy Percival finally blew a save tonight. Percival hadn’t given up a run this season before Vernon Wells took Troy out of the yard tonight. He was seven for seven on save opportunities, and no one is perfect. Percival has far exceeded everyone’s expectations this year, and it looks like he will be a decent second level closer in 2008.
For all of you who went running to the waiver wire when Frank Thomas was released by the Jays, it is time for you to drop Adam Lind now. The trendy pickup a couple of weeks ago, Lind struggled mightily. Lind hit just .059, and was a total bomb in his time in Toronto. As I suspected, I think he is a 4A player, and might never make an impact in the majors.
It happened late last night after I was finished writing, but Twins’ rookie Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle. Gomez hit his second homer, along with the single, double, and triple. Gomez has been shipped to free agency in a lot of leagues, and if you have someone underperforming, he is a good addition. I believe he will hit around .275 with 50+ steals in 2008.
Cardinals OF Ryan Ludwick is on fire. After hitting his fifth homer last night, Ludwick did even better hitting two on Thursday. Ludwick is now hitting .356. He isn’t playing every single day with the Cardinals crowded outfield, but the more he plays like this, the more at bats he will get. Ludwick is looking like a good sleeper this season.
Brandon Webb threw another complete game Thursday, as he ran his record to start the season to 8-0. Webb was his usual sharp self, allowing only six hits, two earned runs, and no walks. News flash! He is one of the top five starters in the majors, perhaps top three.
Jacoby Ellsbury continues his impressive rookie season, and is in the discussion of the AL ROY. He is now hitting .290 with 13 RBI and 13 steals (and hasn’t been caught yet). Ellsbury looks like he could be on pace for 12 HRs and 50 steals.
Matt Cain is still struggling with his consistency. He was having a great outing today, giving up just two runs over six innings, and then in the seventh the wheels fall off. He kept his walks under control, but ended up being charged with all five earned runs, and took the loss. Cain has been pitching better as of late, so stay patient with him.
Danny Cabrera has been a little better this year than most, but I still wouldn’t trust him. He has teased us before with good starts, but always ends up doing the same thing. But he hasn’t given up more than three runs in six straight starts, and went the distance on Thursday and gave up only one run and one walk. He did have an eight walk game recently, but I still recommend staying away from Cabrera.
Royals rookie Luke Hochevar was OK on Thursday. He went seven innings, gave up four runs and struck out five. The rookie has been somewhat inconsistent, but still has a high ceiling and should stay in the rotation for the near future.
Injury News
Michael Young left the game last night with an injured hip flexor. He wasn’t in the game tonight, and is
listed as day-to-day. He is off to a pretty good start, and the injury doesn’t appear serious. It looks like you just might have to sit on him for a few days, and hope he might be back by Monday.
Braves starter Jo-Jo Reyes left his start today with a blister on his left index finger. No word on how long he might miss, but if it is any length of time, you might have to think about cutting him. He is still showing signs of inconsistency, although in keeper leagues, you might want to wait on him.
Kevin Slowey made his return to the majors, but to unimpressive results. Slowey lasted five innings, but gave up three runs and struck out four. That isn’t terrible, but the Twins weren’t scoring runs. Leave him a free agent right now, but watch his next start to see if it improves. He will be roster worthy at some point this year.
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.
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