Posts Tagged ‘Cliff Lee’

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Starting Pitchers

Posted by Todd Lammi on January 25th, 2011

Here is the seventh article in the series for 2011 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the position of starting pitchers. A lot of the pitchers in the top tier have scores for their rankings that are pretty close so then is just comes down to a matter of preference in terms of the team they play on or whether they are an American League or National League pitcher.

Just a reminder that if you are looking for more player capsules and stat projections, the FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide will be released on February 1 so be sure to check back for that.

1. Roy Halladay – came over to the National League, won 21 games, claimed the CY Young award and tossed 9 complete games for the 3rd straight year. ERA and WHIP was his lowest since 2005. Only thing moving in the wrong direction is his home runs allowed which rose for the 3rd straight season.

2. Tim Lincecum – velocity was down and control was off the first half of the season, in the second half he gave up a few more home runs which caused ERA to rise. Was much more hittable which makes the gap between him and the next two guys ion the list not too big.

3. Adam Wainwright – season was right in line with 2009 numbers. Showed no ill effects from  his 100 innings jump from 2008 to 2009. His five complete games were more than his three previous seasons combined.

4. Felix Hernandez – pretty impressive to see four straight seasons of improvement outside of wins which is a fickle category. Innings up, strikeouts up, ERA and WHIP all trending lower.  Was dominant the second half of the year with a 1.53 ERA and a .94 WHIP.

5. CC Sabathia – stats were almost identical to his 2009 season despite a rough May which saw him post a 5.15 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Should be good for close to 20 wins and 200 strikeouts again.

6. Jon Lester - made nice improvements against right-handed hitters for the second year in a row. Also increased his ground ball rate by 6 percentage points which helped to offset his increase in walks.

7. Cliff Lee – has taken his control to new levels after walking only 18 hitters in 212 1/3 innings as he relies more and more on his cut fastball. The move back to the National League is only going to make his numbers even better.

8. Clayton Kershaw – wins still held somewhat in check by control and pitch count but it has gotten better each season. Very hard to hit when over the plate with a minuscule home run rate that gives him upside still.

9. Justin Verlander – followed up his 2009 breakout season with a similar WHIP and ERA but was unable to keep up his strikeouts losing 1.3 per nine innings.

10. Ubaldo Jiminez – showed improvement across the board in all categories for the second straight year. Was unable to keep up his phenomenal pace the second part of the year as ERA was 3.80 with a 1.30 WHIP.

11. Jered Weaver – was simply a beast at home with a 1.86 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP and only six home runs allowed in 111 1/3 innings. Strike out rate took a big jump allowing him to fan an extra 59 batters in 13 extra innings.

12. Dan Haren – was much better after coming back to the American League, with a 2.87 ERA and 1.16 WHIP for the Angels. ERA was inflated the first half of the season thanks to 16 home runs allowed in April and May in Arizona.

13. Zack Greinke – lost two strikeouts per game in 2010. Move to the National League and into a possible pennant chase should give him the motivation to be inspired again.

14. David Price - new bullpen behind him will likely make his ERA a little higher in 2011. Still has some work to do on his control to take the next step into the top handful of pitchers.

15. Cole Hamels – strikeout rate picked back up and he made great strides against left-handed hitters holding them to a .196 average. Was stellar after the All-Star break with a 2.23 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with more than a strikeout per inning.

16. Josh Johnson – talent is there but so is the injury risk. Was shut down toward the end of 2010 which still leaves him with one season in the major leagues with over 200 innings. First half numbers were simply sick with a 1.70 ERA and a .96 WHIP.

17. Matt Cain – has made strides against left-handed hitters the last two years which has helped his numbers. Control was superb the second half of the season with only 19 walks allowed in 102 innings.

18. Chris Carpenter – ERA jumped a run after his home run rate normalized in 2010. Was much better at home than on the road with a 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP at Busch Stadium vs. 3.75 and 1.36 on the road.

19. Mat Latos - was considered on the bubble heading into spring training last year and ended the season as the Padres best pitcher. Struck out more than a batter per inning after the All-Star break with 90 strikeouts in 78 innings.

20. Tommy Hanson – interesting second half of the year as he lost strikeouts but also cut down his walk rate. Finished the second half with a 2.51 ERA and a .98 WHIP while holding hitters to a .205 average.

If you are looking for 2011 fantasy baseball pitcher projections and more player rankings and capsules, then check out the 2011 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is now on sale for just $9.99. You can view a sample here to see the template for the top 10 catchers and top 10 starting pitchers from 2010.

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2010 MLB Free Agent Signings Cliff Lee, Overbay, Martin, Matsui

Posted by Todd Lammi on December 14th, 2010

The Philadelphia Phillies shocked the baseball world on Tuesday, plucking free agent pitcher Cliff Lee away from the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers with a five-year $120 million contract. The return to the National League should give Lee a boost in value in fantasy baseball leagues in 2011. The team is now trying to move Joe Blanton to shed payroll. Blanton was playable in NL only leagues before so a move to the American League would be a big hit to his value.

In the category of why your low market baseball team never breaks .500, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed first basemen Lyle Overbay to a one-year, $5 million contract. The move reportedly pushes Garrett Jones to a platoon role with Matt Diaz in the outfield. Really a wasted signing by the Pirates as Overbay is not an upgrade over Jones and fared no better against southpaws either, hitting just .222 in 126 at bats against them compared to Jones at .220 in 214 at bats. Add to the fact that Overbay is four years older and it doesn’t get any better. It further buries Ryan Doumit on the bench meaning Pittsburgh is going to have to step up efforts to trade him so his salary is not wasted on riding the pine.

It looks like the Oakland A’s will have a 20 home run hitter in their lineup after all in 2011 after signing Hideki Matsui to a one year contract. The 36-year-old Matsui has a .294 lifetime average at Coliseum Field with four home runs and 20 RBI in 119 at bats.

The New York Yankees signed catcher Russell Martin to a one-year contract and he should take over as starting catcher with Jorge Posada at designated hitter. With the Yankees losing out on Cliff Lee, this could be the depth they need to move Jesus Montero in a deal for a guy like Zach Greinke in Kansas City or Matt Garza in Tampa Bay

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2010 MLB Free Agency Preview – Starting Pitchers

Posted by Ben Pasinkoff on November 16th, 2010

Let’s continue our look at the available free agents, turning our attention to the starting pitchers. Remember, this is ranking JUST the free agent starting pitchers based off of the 2010 final starting pitcher fantasy baseball rankings.

1.) Cliff Lee: Unless someone comes out of the blue this is down to the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.  The latest rumor is that the Rangers have money to spend to sign Lee and Victor Martinez.   I find it hard to believe that the Rangers can commit all that money to Lee and Martinez while also retaining Colby Lewis and C.J. Wilson (free agents next year) and locking up Hamilton long term.  If history tells us anything, Cliff Lee will become a Yankee.  Whether it’s Matsui, Mussina, Giambi, Sabathia or Teixeira, the Yankees get their guy and right now that’s Cliff Lee.  It’s nice rhetoric for the Rangers to say they’ll spend but until it happens you have to imagine the Yankees will win out.  With that said, if Lee goes to the Yankees his value really won’t change much.  Wins are hard to predict and whatever win bonus he would get for playing in NY will just off-set increases in ERA and WHIP.  Regardless, Lee is a top flight fantasy baseball pitcher wherever he goes, but we all knew this already.

2.) Hiroki Kuroda: Signed with the Dodgers for 1 year $12M.  He said that in Japan they go year to year and that’s what he wanted to do.  $12M is pretty expensive but on a one year deal it can’t really hurt you.  The Dodgers have locked up Ted Lilly for 3 years $30M and now Kuroda. It’ll be interesting to see if these two deals help dictate how the non-Lee pitching market ends up.

3.) Carl Pavano: Target Field has proven to be a real cash machine (for now) for the Minnesota Twins.  It’s not to the point where they are now considering adding a Cliff Lee, but it’s enough to where they’ll be able to retain a guy like Pavano.  Since joining the Twins, Pavano has been a WHIP stabilizer and has randomly become a total horse piling up more innings than only a handful of guys in the majors.  Pavano has been an above average pitcher when healthy his entire career, so long as he stays that way he should remain a solid pitcher to complete a fantasy rotation.

4.) Jorge De La Rosa: According to Keith Law of ESPN, DLR more so than anyone else on this list has the potential to be an ace if something clicks.  However, that doesn’t come without risk as DLR could be Oliver Perez Part II.  In a market thin on great starting pitching, DLR will get a lot of attention.  It would be hard for the Pittsburgh Pirates to justify spending millions on a pitcher who won’t be around when the team is actually good but since DLR is younger (29) I could see a team like the Pirates, Royals or Nationals signing him with similar logic to when the Royals signed Gil Meche.  Since the Pirates have no salary obligations to anyone and can barely (if at all) field a major league pitching staff, I see them signing De La Rosa.  As is usually the case, leaving Coors will only help his value so long as it doesn’t involve switching leagues.

5.) Andy Pettitte: He’s going to retire or return to the Yankees.  We’ve seen this dance for four years now, no comment necessary.

6.) Jake Westbrook: Westbrook will get some looks from other teams but he’s pretty much a lock to remain a Cardinal.  A permanent move to the National League under Dave Duncan’s tutelage is about as good of a recipe as one can have to increase their value.   In only 12 starts last year Duncan helped Westbrook lower his walks and increase his strikeouts.  Westbrook may seem older, but he’s still relatively young at 32 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Westbrook have a season better than anyone on this list besides Cliff Lee.

7.) Jon Garland: Garland is the perfect pitcher for Petco Park and the San Diego Padres took advantage of that last year as he gave them 200 innings with a 3.47 ERA.  Coming off of a year like that, Garland’s price will go up likely leaving the Padres out of the equation.  Since the Rockies may lose DLR and could always use some consistent pitching, I see them looking to sign Garland.  Like I said, Petco was the perfect situation for Garland and unsurprisingly Coors is not.  While his value will surely take a hit don’t forget that Garland still had a 4.29 ERA in Arizona (a big hitters park) in 2009, so he’s still rosterable on fantasy teams, even outside of Petco.

8.) Javier Vazquez: Javy’s value comes down to some simple math, Javy + AL = BAD, Javy + NL = GOOD.  The Nationals name keeps coming up with a lot of the free agent pitchers but I think Javy is the guy they get.  Expecting him to get back to his Expo days is unrealistic but a move to the NL will only help his value.  Vazquez had a lot of velocity concerns at the end of the season so pay attention to that as we get closer to opening day wherever he lands.  If he stays in the high 80s his potential is limited, but if it returns Javy becomes an instant sleeper.

9.) Brad Penny: Penny will always be an injury risk but in his limited starts in the NL over the past 2 years he’s actually been very effective.  He’ll be lucky to get half of what he got last offseason ($7.5M) but he should be able to find a home.   Even though the Giants (as of now) have 5 healthy starters, you can never have too much pitching and I can see the Giants signing Penny for a cheap 1-year deal.  Remember, Penny pitched very well for them in 2009 after leaving Boston.

10.) Kevin Millwood: A veteran innings eater, Millwood has been hurt by pitching in Texas and Baltimore the last several seasons and a return to the NL seems likely.  The difference between Cliff Lee and the #2 free agent pitcher is larger than the difference between #2 and #10, so a team like the Mets would be better off by not going after any of the above guys and trying to sign Millwood to a one year deal.   You could do much worse than spot-starting Millwood in the National League if he switches leagues.

Bonus Injury Rankings:

Brandon Webb: I see the Nationals signing Webb like they did with Chien-Ming Wang last year.  He may very well give them nothing, but it won’t be expensive and the upside is well worth it.

Justin Duchscherer: Has overcome clinical depression and several surgeries and still wants a chance to start.  The Red Sox and Pirates have expressed interest but the Pirates should win out as they are more likely to guarantee Duchscherer a starting spot.

Aaron Harang: He hasn’t really been relevant for a few years now but never doubt the Petco Equation: Fly Ball Pitcher + Petco = Startable.  Consider him a candidate to be this years Jon Garland if he signs with the Padres.

Jeff Francis: The Rockies declined his option but Francis would like to return and the Rockies should be able to sign him at a discounted price.

Rich Harden: Harden is a good candidate to go to the NL or move to the bullpen.

Other free agent starting pitchers:

Chris Young
Dave Bush
Kevin Correia
Doug Davis
Vincente Padilla
Nate Robinson
Ian Snell
Freddy Garcia

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2010 Final Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Starting Pitchers

Posted by Todd Lammi on October 27th, 2010

Here is a look at my 2010 final fantasy baseball rankings for starting pitchers. These rankings base ERA and WHIP on innings pitched and not just a round number so player A who pitchers more or less innings with the same ratio as player B will be ranked differently.

1. Roy Halladay – Halladay was so good in the American League that the move to the NL did not impact his stats too much like it would for most pitchers. Dropped his ERA by a quarter of a run and won 20 games for the third time in his career. Tossed nine complete games for the third straight season.

2. Adam Wainwright - showed no effects from the jump in innings pitched from 2008 to 2009 as he put up pretty much the same numbers with a little bit lower whip as he was harder to hit in 2010. Won 20 games for the first time in his career.

3. Felix Hernandez - Hernandez was even better in 2010 outside of his win total. That was suppressed because he received the worst run support of any starting pitcher in baseball at 3.8 runs per game. Had ridiculous numbers after the All-Star break with a 1.53 ERA and a .94 WHIP.

4. Ubaldo Jimenez - it was a breakout season for Jimenez who saw a jump in runs and strikeouts while his ERA and WHIP dropped for a second consecutive season. Came back down to earth the second part of the year with a 4-7 record, a 3.80 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

5. CC Sabathia - finished the season as the only 20 game winner in the Amercian League. Stats from 2010 were right in line with his 2009 season.

6. Jered Weaver – Weaver took his game to another level in 2010, striking out more than one batter per inning and finishing with a 3.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Was much more dominant in home starts with a 1.86 ERA vs. 4.14 on the road, mainly due to only six home runs allowed at Angel Stadium vs. 17 at away games.

7. David Price – another pitcher who enjoyed great success at home, with a 1.96 ERA and 1.05 WHIP vs. 3.64 and 1.37 on the road. Wins might be a little harder to come by in 2010 in the Tampa Bay rays slot him in as the first starter.

8. Roy Oswalt – Oswalt battled back from his injuries of 2009 and turned in a solid season, racking up 193 strikeouts, his highest total since 2004. Thrived after being traded to Philadelphia where he went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and a .90 WHIP.

9. Jon Lester – just missed out on 20 wins and struck out 225 hitters for the second straight season. Was harder to hit but then he walked for hitters so the WHIP gains were not as big as they could have been. Second half was not as strong as the first with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

10. Justin Verlander – ERA and WHIP was nearly identical in 2010 to 2009. Won close to 20 games again and he was harder to hit as well with a 15 point drop in batting average. Strikeouts were down from 2009, but he still punched out 219 batters.

11. Cliff Lee – impeccable control helped him improve his WHIP ratio as he walked just 18 batters in 212 1/3 innings. ERA was up 1.5 runs after moving to Texas and he actually won more games per start with Seattle than with the Rangers.

12. Mat Latos – as much as the San Diego Padres talked of him not making the team or being the 5th starter in spring, by the end of the season he was the team’s best pitcher. Struck out a batter per inning and was tough to hit, allowing only a .217 batting average against him.

13. Tim Hudson – it was quite a come back year for Hudson after making only seven starts in 2009. Doesn’t rack up quite the strikeouts you would like to see from a fantasy baseball perspective, but his 17 wins, 2.83 ERA and 1.15 WHIP made up for that.

14. Josh Johnson – missed a month worth of starts, but still managed to finish this high in the rankings because he was dominant when did pitch. If he is able to carry over his performance from the first half of the season1.70 ERA and .96 WHIP for an entire year, he will be close to the top of the list at the end of 2011.

15. Clayton Kershaw – showed good strides in his third season, cutting his walks which allowed him to go deeper in games. Has just one complete game in 83 career starts so there is still improvement to be made.

16. Matt Cain – dropped his walk rate for a second straight season as well as his batting average against. Control took a big step forward the second half of the year with just 19 walks in 102 innings, helping him to a 2.91 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP.

17. Chris Carpenter - ERA jumped almost a full run in 2010 as home runs allowed tripled, going from seven in 2009 to 21 this season. Good sign though at age 35 he held up for the entire year.

18. Trevor Cahill – started off most fantasy baseball leagues as a free agent that rewarded his owners that grabbed him early in the season. Still walks a lot of batters and his strikeout numbers are not too pretty, but he was very hard to hit, allowing a .220 average against. Was much better pitching at home with a 2.18 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

19. Tim Lincecum – had a decent year, but not good enough for a guy that went as the number one pitcher in most fantasy baseball drafts. Strikeout rate dropped due to losing a mile or two off of his fastball. Home runs jumped from 10 to 18 and his batting average against was 36 points higher.

20. Cole Hamels - his 2009 season looks like an outlier as 2010 was much the same as 2008 with a few more strikeouts thrown in. Was dynamite after the All-Star break with a 2.23 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with more than a strikeout per inning.

21. Clay Buchholz
22. Jonathan Sanchez
23. Brett Myers
24. C.J. Wilson
25. Francisco Liriano
26. Shaun Marcum
27. Colby Lewis
28. Gio Gonzalez
29. Bronson Arroyo
30. John Danks
31. Johan Santana
32. Ted Lilly
33. Ryan Dempster
34. Tommy Hanson
35. Hiroki Kuroda
36. Carl Pavano
37. Max Scherzer
38. Phil Hughes
39. Dan Haren
40. Ervin Santana

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Starting Pitchers (Part I)

Posted by Todd Lammi on February 4th, 2010

by Todd Lammi

This is the eighth report in the series of our 2010 fantasy baseball rankings looking at the starting pitchers.

1) Tim Lincecum – totaled 260+ strikeouts for the second straight season. People worry about his size and that he might break down, but the pitching motion taught to him by his dad seems to be working out so far. Has replaced John Santana as the one pitcher that will go in the first round in fantasy baseball drafts.

2) Roy Halladay – has turned up the strikeouts the last two seasons boosting his K/9 ratio by two per game. Has won 16+ games four consecutive years with an offense not as good as the new one he will be playing for in Philadelphia. Also gets the benefit of moving from the American League East to National League East which should only help his numbers. Great chance that he gets his third 20 win season this year. To fully the realize the impact of what a move from the American League to the National League means, check out the numbers for Cliff Lee and Javier Vazquez last season.

3) Dan Haren – mirror seasons almost between his 2008 and 2009 numbers. Three consecutive years of almost 200 strikeouts and a tight range of numbers for his ERA and WHIP ratio. Second straight year of improvement in batting average allowed to right-handed hitters. As consistent as they come.

4) Zack Greinke – the mental part of his game finally caught up to the talent and a star was realized. A phenomenal season in 2009 but I don’t want to pay for a repeat that is not likely happening in 2010. Did not allow more than three earned runs in a start until the beginning of June. Let’s see what happens if he faces some adversity this season and how he copes with it.

5) Felix Hernandez – third straight season of falling ERA as he has now shaved a full two earned runs from his mark in 2006. High strand rate kept his ERA under three so expect some correction there. Second straight year of improvement in batting average allowed to right-handed hitters.

6) CC Sabathia – concerns about workload early in his career never materialized as he has been a workhorse every season. Best chance in the American League to crack 20 wins with the offense around him and a stud closer. Much better the second half of the season with a 2.74 ERA and a strikeout per inning.

7) Justin Verlander – a combination of lowering his walk rate by 1.5 per nine innings and boosting his strikeout rate by 2.8 per nine allowed him to edge out Lincecum for the strikeout title. Much better pitcher at home last season with 2.81 ERA and 1.08 WHIP at Comerica Park vs. 4.04 and 1.26 on the road.

8.) Johan Santana – underwent arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in September and is supposed to be ready for spring training. Can’t assume an automatic bounce back to 2007 as his strikeout was down the last two years upon moving to the National League which is not a good sign. Usually a move to the league with no designate hitter boosts a pitchers strikeout numbers. Watch his stats in spring training to see how he is performing.

9) Adam Wainwright – was death on right-handed hitters last year, holding them to a .217 batting average. Dominant after the All-Star break with a 2.10 ERA and 1.10 WHIP ratio. Should be good for more of the same in 2010 if his arm can handle the 100 inning jump.

10) Josh Johnson – really not that far off from his 2006 season when he was last healthy except with better command. Like Wainwright, had a 100 innings jump from 2008 to 2009. Does having undergone Tommy John surgery already preclude him from future injury risk? I guess only time will tell.

11) Jon Lester – HUGE jump in strikeout numbers, boosting his K/9 rate by 3.5. After an awful first two months of the season, he was dominant the rest of the way with a 2.37 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.

12) Tommy Hanson – his .225 batting average against would have been seventh best if he had enough innings to qualify. Took some time to adjust to the major leagues the first half of the season. Flashed his stuff after the All-Star break with a 2.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and more than a strikeout per inning. Right-handed hitters had no chance against him, batting a meager .192.

13) Chris Carpenter – numbers are terrific but age (will be 35 in April) plus his injury history makes him less than reliable. Has spent time on the disabled list four straight seasons. May be worth owning only if he falls a few rounds in the draft or you can get him at a discount in an auction. Tough to own him at full price knowing the odds are stacked against you.

14) Cliff Lee – fantasy baseball ADP slightly higher than where I see him. Sure, he was a beast in Philadelphia, but now he is back in the American League. Before the trade, control in Cleveland was worse than 2008 with 1.30 WHIP in ’09 vs. 1.11 in ’08. Strikeout rate was also slightly down with 6.9 in ’08 and 6.3 in ’09 in American League. When is off, the numbers can be tough to stomach. Had five starts where he gave up six or more earned runs in a game.

15) Josh Beckett – numbers turn out fine at the end of the season, but always seems to have a month or two each year where he gets clobbered so keep that in mind if you own him for the first time. Set a career high in innings pitched and strikeouts in 2009. Has only manged to toss 200 innings or more in three of eight seasons.

16) Yovani Gallardo – despite missing all of 2008, turned in a good season in 2009. Win total held in check due to control issues and pitch count numbers that keep him from working deeper in games. Managed to make it to six innings or more in just 17 of his 30 starts. Splits seem to show that he wore down the second half of the season. Had a 3.22 ERA and 1.23 WHIP the first half and went 4.56 and 1.45 after the All-Star break.

17) Matt Cain – got his head back in the game in 2009 after struggling with lack of run support in 2008. Had the lowest run support of any starting pitcher in 2008 and it affected him on the mound. Got an extra 1.24 runs per mound appearance in ’09 and pitched much better. Strand rate kept his ERA low so expect a little regression this season.

18) Cole Hamels – not much difference in 2008 vs. 2009 except for being much more hittable by right-handed hitters. After allowing a .215 batting average in ’08, that number rocketed up to .282 in ’09. Much better after the All-Star break with a 3.76 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 7.8 K/9 rate. First half featured elbow issues in March and an injured ankle in May that probably accounted for the higher numbers. No reason for him not to return to 2008 levels.

19) Jake Peavy – some risk to him,  having thrown 200 innings in only three of six seasons. Loses the comfort of Petco Park which helped to surpress his ERA. Strikeout rate probably drops by at least one per game with the move to the American League.

20) Ubaldo Jimenez – how much the world has changed that a Colorado Rockies pitcher would crack the top 20 starters. Ground ball rate of 53% helps to limit some of the impact of Coors Field. Limits damage by keeping hits in the ballpark. Ranked seventh in home runs allowed in ’09 and tied for second in long balls surrendered in ’08.

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Next up in the series for the 2010 fantasy baseball rankings will be starting pitchers 21-40.

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Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Thursday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 16th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

The injury bug continues to strike down players in Major League Baseball as several more players will be out of action for awhile. Kansas City Royals third basemen Alex Gordon will miss potentially two plus months after he undergoes hip surgery on Friday. Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels will be out of action with a strained pectoral muscle. Guerrero will meet with doctors upon returning to Los Angeles to determine a time frame for his return. Catcher Kenji Johjima of the Seattle Mariners was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring. Yunel Escobar of the Atlanta Braves will miss 3 to 4 games with a strained abdominal muscle. In other fantasy baseball news from around the diamond on Thursday…

National League:

Anibal Sanchez pitched the Florida Marlins past the Atlanta Braves 6-2. Sanchez allowed two runs in six innings.  Cody Ross hit his first home run for the Marlins. Emilio Bonifacio struck out three times in five at bats and has now struck out seven times in his last 11 at bats. Jordan Schafer of the Atlanta Braves went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and has now struck out 10 times in his last 15 at bats…..Hunter Pence hit his third home run for the Houston Astros and Lance Berkman his second in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  LaTroy Hawkins got the save, pitching in place of Jose Valverde who was out with back soreness…..Chris Duncan and Brian Barden each hit their second home runs of the year to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ryan Franklin picked up his second save of the year. Sean Marshall got his first start of the year for the Cubs, allowing three runs in five innings. Kosuke Fukudome hit his third home run for the Cubs and Ryan Theriot stole his third base of the season…..Break out the bubbly, the Washington Nationals picked up their first win of the year, 8-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies. Adam Dunn hit his third home run for the Nationals and Elijah Dukes his second. Jimmy Rollins went 0 for 3 for the Phillies and is now hitting .111…..Chase Headley went 4 for 4 for the San Diego Padres with 3 RBI to help defeat the New York Mets 6-5. Heath Bell picked up his 5th save of the year for the Padres. Carlos Delgado hit his third home run for the Mets.

American League:

The Cleveland Indians spoiled the New York Yankees home opener in their new stadium with a 10-2 win. Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez each hit their third home run for the Indians. Cliff Lee got the win, allowing one run in six innings….. John Danks tossed six innings of one run ball with eight strikeouts to help lead the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Jermaine Dye hit his third home run for the White Sox. The Rays continue to run wild on the bases as Jason Bartlett stole two bases and Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford each stole one. Carlos Pena hit his 5th home run of the season…..Toronto Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay became the first to three wins in a victory over the Minnesota Twins. Halladay tossed seven innings of one run ball with eight strikeouts. Marco Scutaro hit his third home run for the Blue Jays. Francisco Liriano was much better in his third start of the season allowing one run in six innings with five strikeouts.

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