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The Daily Dirt for April 13th

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 13th, 2011

Here is a look at at the latest fantasy baseball news from around the major leagues on Wednesday night.

The Chicago White Sox bullpen is a mess after blowing another lead Wednesday before eventually losing 7-4 to the Oakland A’s. Chris Sale allowed three hits without recording an out, followed by Jesse Crain who allowed a walk and then Matt Thornton who allowed the game-tying hit in the 9th and then lost the game in the 10th. Thornton who stared the year as closer for the White Sox is now 0-for-4 on saves for the season.

The injury to Tsuyoshi Nishioka in Minnesota might be good news for Michael Cuddyer owners as he got his second start at second base on Wednesday night. Check your league position eligibility rules if you own Cuddyer to see if you might be able to move eventually into your infield where he would have more value.

Corey Patterson has taken over in center field for the Toronto Blue Jays with Rajai Davis on the disabled list. If you are looking for stolen bases in AL only, Patterson is worth grabbing for the next couple of weeks.

Greg Dobbs got the start at third base again for the Florida Marlins and could be seeing a few more at bats in the future as he is the one guy in the mix for playing time that is hitting, plus he is left-handed so he owns the better side of a platoon split with Wes Helms. Donnie Murphy has been struggling this season, hitting just .154 in 26 at bats and has give way to Dobbs the last two games.

Jonathan Herrera is making a little noise in Colorado with the additional playing time he has received with Ian Stewart out of the lineup. Herrera swiped two bases giving him four for the season and is hitting .474 with eight walks and one strikeout. Playing time is going to be a little harder to come by once Stewart returns unless Herrera starts to play over Jose Lopez at second base.

Catcher Chris Snyder was activated from the disabled list by the Pittsburgh Pirates and should own the majority of starts going forward which cuts the value of Ryan Doumit.

The Daily Dirt from Saturday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 10th, 2010

The first week of the baseball season just re-affirms the rule of not wasting a high draft pick on a closer because of the good chance you can find saves late in the draft or through free agency. The leader in the clubhouse with week one almost complete, Jon Rauch of the Minnesota Twins who saved his 4th game in the Twins 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. In other fantasy baseball news from around the diamond on Saturday…

Hitters:

Jose Reyes returned from the disabled list for the New York Mets and went 1-for-4 hitting lead off. It is safe to get him active in all formats for next week.

Not the way you want your first start in the major leagues to go, Juan Francisco went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts for the Cincinnati Reds.

Jason Varitek played for the first time this season and delivered two solo home runs to power the Boston Red Sox offense.

Ryan Howard went 2-for-4 with three RBI and is well on his way to another 40+ home run season with his third dinger of the year.

Nelson Cruz slugged his 4th home of the season and looks ready to duplicate his 30+ home runs from last year.

I have caught two of the Atlanta Braves games this season and in each one I have seen Troy Glaus made a terrible play at first base. I know the Braves have him there for offense and not his defense, but if he is not slugging home runs by May and still playing that type of defense and if the team is in the race for the playoffs, I have to think they make a move at that position.

Pitchers:

Scott Baker was much better in his second start, allowing one run in seven innings with three strikeouts.

Jeremy Bonderman picked up his first win in almost two years, allowing one hit in five innings with five strikeouts.

Carlos Zambrano allowed three runs in seven innings with nine strikeouts to notch his first win of the season.

Rookie Jaime Garcia worked six solid innings, allowing one run with five strikeouts to pick up the win. Garcia struggled with his control throughout the game, pitching first-pitch strikes to only 9 of 25 hitters, but helped his cause by recording 10 ground ball outs.

CC Sabathia lost a no-hitter in the 8th inning and finished with 7 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with five strikeouts. It would have been interesting to see if he had made it through the eighth without allowing a hit if the Yankees would have send him back out for the ninth as he threw 111 pitches.

Dana Eveland tossed 7 1/3 shutout innings with two strikeouts to pick up the win for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Jered Weaver allowed one run in six innings with seven strikeouts but received a no decision.

Closers:

Ryan Perry picked up a save for the Detroit Tigers with Jose Valverde getting the night off after already working in four games this week.

Matt Capps sure does like to make hings interesting as he loaded the bases in the ninth innings before getting Rod Barajas to line out to save his second game of the season.

It looks like Neftali Feliz might have some value after all this year after Frank Francisco blew his second save of the season. Francisco has given up three runs in each of his last two appearances, leaving him with a 27 ERA.

George Sherrill got the chance to close out the Los Angeles Dodgers win after Jonathan Broxton pitched the previous two days, but he was not up to the task, has the Florida Marlins rallied for the win with three runs in the ninth inning

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Friday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 22nd, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Jimmy Rollins hit his third home run of the season and stole his sixth base of the year. He has raised his batting average 40 points in the last seven games up to .240. In addition to slumping at the plate, he has struggled on the base paths this season getting caught stealing four times in 10 attempts. As a point of reference, he was 47 for 50 on stolen bases last season and 41 for 47 in 2007. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Friday…

Hitters:

Brandon Inge hit is 12th home run of the season and drove in two runs giving him 31 RBI on the season. He is now on pace for 49 home runs for the year. And people still don’t believe in the juiced ball theory? Brandon Inge, 49 home runs in one year? His career high was 27 back in 2006.

Exhibit two of my juiced ball theory, Raul Ibanez, with his third home run in as many days, this one coming at Yankee Stadium and Ibanez is now on pace for 65 home runs and 166 RBI. He leads the National League with 16 home runs, 41 RBI and is second in runs scored with 36.

Speaking of the new Yankee Stadium, through the first 21 games, 82 home runs have been hit which is a major league record, breaking the mark of 77 hit at Houston’s Enron Field back in 2000.

Carlos Pena hit home run number 15 on the season and drove in three runs in a 15-2 victory over the Florida Marlins. Pena is currently third in the American League with 38 RBI.

Michael Cuddyer hit for the cycle, going 4 for 5 with 5 RBI and slugging his seventh home run of the season, giving him 30 RBI on the year.

Nolan Reimold went 2 for 5 and hit his second home run of the season and is now batting .313 on the year.

Elvis Andrus went 4 for 5, knocking out his third home run of the year and stealing his sixth base of the season. Andrus is now hitting .292 on the year.

Pitchers:

Johan Santana allowed two runs in seven innings with eight strikeouts to get his sixth won of the year. The 118 pitches he threw on Friday night were the most he had thrown this season.

Bronson Arroyo allowed one run in eight innings with two strikeouts to notch his 6th win of the season, good for a tie for first in the National League with Johan Santana and Chad Billingsley.

Kevin Slowey improved to 6-1, surrendering two runs in 7 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. It was the fourth straight start he has allowed three runs or fewer.

Rick Porcello allowed one run in six innings and struck out three to move to 5-3 on the season. He has now allowed three runs in his last 24 innings and has reeled off four consecutive wins.

Bret Myers allowed three runs in eight innings with five strikeouts to pick up win number four on the season.

Kenshin Kawakami picked up his third win of the year with a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Kawakami pitched eight shutout innings and struck out seven. Roy Halladay hurled seven shutout innings for the Blue Jays and fanned six.

Gavin Floyd tossed eight shutout innings with eight strikeouts to earn his first win in more than a month, in a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Zach Duke suffered the loss, allowing two runs in eight innings with seven strikeouts.

Jordan Zimmermann allowed two runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts in a no decision against the Baltimore Orioles.

Todd Wellemeyer threw six scoreless innings with three strikeouts to even his mark at 4-4 on the season. He was much more effective with his pitches, needing only 85 to get through six innings.

Derek Holland made his first major league start for the Texas Rangers and allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. With Vincente Padilla on the disabled list, Holland should see another start or two.

There has got to be an injury that Ricky Nolasco is hiding for him to be this bad. Nolasco allowed eight runs for the second consecutive start and now sports a 9.07 ERA.

Daisuke Matsuzaka returned from the disabled list and allowed four runs in five innings with four strikeouts in a 5-3 loss to the New York Mets.

Chien-Ming Wang returned to the New York Yankees and threw three innings from the bullpen, allowing six hits and two runs with two strikeouts.

David Price is expected to be recalled by the Tampa Bay Rays to take the rotation spot vacated by Scott Kazmir who was placed on the disabled list with a quadriceps strain. Price would likely get the start Monday against the Cleveland Indians.

Rich Harden was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a back strain. Carlos Zambrano returned from the disabled list Friday and will take Harden’s spot in the rotation.

Closers:

Troy Percival was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. Tampa Bay Rays Manager Joe Maddon said he would go with the dreaded closer by committee in place of Percival.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Thursday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 21st, 2009

by Todd Lammi

The Philadelphia Phillies, with the top offense in the National League, continue to club home runs as they now have three players in double digits. Chase Utley went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI and hit his 11th home run of the season. Raul Ibanez (15) drove in three runs and has now driven in 14 runs in his last seven games and Ryan Howard (10) hit a solo shot. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Thursday…

Hitters:

The Minnesota Twins erupted for 20 runs against the Chicago White Sox in a 20-1 victory. Joe Mauer went 3 for 4 with 6 RBI including his eighth home run of the season and is now hitting .417 on the year. Michael Cuddyer went 4 for 6 and hit his sixth home run of the season while adding 3 RBI and Matt Tolbert added his first long ball of the year and drove in four.

Todd Helton went 3 for 5 with 5 RBI and hit his fifth home run of the season. Helton is now hitting .338 on the season.

Robinson Cano went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and hit his eighth home run of the season. Cano is now batting .317 on the year with 25 RBI.

Jason Bay hit his 13th home run of the season and drove in two runs, jacking his RBI total up to 44, two behind Evan Longoria in the American League.

Mary Reynolds went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, with two coming on his 12th home run of the year. Reynolds also stole his 10th base of the year and is currently on pace for a 40-40 season.

Pitchers:

Edwin Jackson allowed three runs in eight innings and struck out seven to pick up his fourth win of the season.

Nick Blackburn threw seven shutout innings and struck out two to pick up his third win of the year.

Carl Pavano allowed three runs in six innings and struck out eight to move to 4-4 on the season.

Matt Garza allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts in a no decision. Garza has allowed three runs or less in his last five starts.

Kris Medlen’s first major league start was not a good one for the Atlanta Braves. Medlen walked five and allowed five runs in three innings to suffer the loss and seemed overwhelmed by nerves in the start. He also hit a batter, threw two wild pitches and had a balk called against him. His counterpart Aaron Cook of the Colorado Rockies tossed a complete game shutout with three strikeouts.

Joba Chamberlain left his start in the first inning after taking a line drive from Adam Jones above his right knee. Chamberlain faced two more batters before being removed from the game. X-Rays were negative on the knee and his status for his next start is up in the air.

Jon Lester allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts to pick up his third win of the year.

Adam Wainwright allowed one run in 8 2/3 innings and struck out seven to move to 4-2 on the year. Wainwright has allowed one run in back-to-back starts.

Two young guns squared off in the Arizona Diamondbacks – Florida Marlins game, although both starting pitchers did not factor in the decision. Max Scherzer allowed three runs in six innings and struck out 10, while Andrew Miller had his second good start in a row since returning from the disabled list, surrendering two runs in seven innings with nine punchouts.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 19th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

One cannot underestimate the importance of having a solid closer on a major league team and the impact it has on a pitching staff. Since Trevor Hoffman has returned to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Brewers have gone 16-4 with Hoffman picking up 10 saves. Despite missing the first 19 games of the season, Hoffman is currently second in the National League in saves. I don’t know if that is the most amazing stat, or that he currently has a zero ERA with a 0.27 whip ratio. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Tuesday…

Hitters:

Alex Rodriguez homered for the fourth consecutive game and drove in two runs. Rodriguez has made his hits counts since returning from injury; collecting five home runs and two singles on the season.

Mark Teixeira homered for the fourth time in his last four games and drove in two runs. I don’t think it is any coincidence that since A-Rod has returned to the lineup that Teixeira has picked up his hitting. Since May 8th, Teixeira in 11 games has hit six home runs, driven in 15 runs and raised his batting average roughly 50 points.

Hanley Ramirez hit his seventh home run of the season and is now batting .348 on the year, good for seventh place in the National League.

Scott Hairston hit his fifth home run of the season and stole his fourth base. Hairston is now hitting .354 and is starting to see more playing time as he continues to hit left and right-handed pitching at an over .300 clip.

Pitchers:

Joel Piniero pitched a complete game shutout against the Chicago Cubs to move to 5-3 on the season. Piniero allowed three hits and struck out five and has now gone three consecutive starts without allowing a walk.

Jair Jurrjens allowed one run in seven innings with eight strikeouts to pick up his fourth win of the year. Jurrjens lowered his ERA to 1.96 and has allowed more than two runs in only one start all season.

Dontrelle Willis tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. The win was the first for Willis since September of 2007.

CC Sabathia allowed one run in seven innings and struck out seven to up his record to 4-3. Sabathia has allowed three runs in his last 24 innings while reeling off three consecutive victories.

Tim Wakefield silenced the hot hitting Toronto Blue Jays, allowing one run in eight innings with three strikeouts. Wakefield improved to 5-2 on the year and has give up four runs in 21 innings in his three home starts this season.

Cole Hamels seems back on track, notching his second win of the year, while giving up three runs in six innings and fanning seven. Hamels has now struck out 23 hitters in his last 19 innings.

Mark Buehrle picked up his sixth win of the year, allowing one run in seven innings with three strikeouts. He has allowed two runs or less in all five of his home starts this season.

The Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays went to 11 innings, before the A’s pulled out a 4-1 win. Both starting pitchers were unscored upon before leaving the game. James Shields hurled 8 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out five. Josh Outman pitched six shutout innings and struck out six.

Closers:

Kerry Wood allowed four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to cough up the win for Cliff Lee, who allowed two runs in eight innings. AL only owners shoudl take note, several names are already floating out there from the Cleveland Indians as possible trade candidates, with Victor Martinez and Mark DeRosa being mentioned as candidates to be trade if the Indians continue to under perform.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Thursday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 14th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Milwaukee Brewers top prospect Mat Gamel was recalled from Triple-A, but don’t rush to pick him up just yet. It looks Gamel was brought up strictly to serve as the designated hitter in upcoming interleague games and as a pinch hitter off the bench. He struck out as a pinch hitter in his only at bat Thursday night. In other fantasy baseball news from around the diamond on Thursday…

Hitters:

Recent call up Nolan Reimold went 1 for 5 for the Baltimore Orioles. Reimold started in left field and hit seventh. With Adam Jones and Luke Scott out with injuries, Reimold should see consistent at bats the next few weeks.

Aubrey Huff hit his seventh home run of the season and now is second on the team with 32 RBI, one behind Nick Markakis.

Prince Fielder hit home run number eight on the season. Fielder has now driven in 12 runs in his last eight games and is up to 32 RBI on the year.

Torii Hunter, trying to carry the Los Angeles Angels on offense with Vladimir Guerrero out, went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and stole two bases.

The Cleveland Indians had an offensive outburst as three players had four hits in their 11-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Asdrubal Cabrera 4 for 5, four runs scored, Victor Martinez, 4 for 5 with 4 RBI and Shin-Soo Choo, 4 for 5 with 3 RBI and home run number four on the year.

David Wright went 3 for 3 with two RBI and stole four bases, bringing his season steal total up to nine.

David Ortiz, 0 for 7 with 12 runners left on base. Not a good sign for a power hitter when your on base percentage (.318) is higher than your slugging percentage (.300). With zero home runs midway through week 6, in 2009 his nickname has become “Big Floppy”.

Pitchers:

Josh Johnson only made it through four innings for the Florida Marlins, before being removed with shoulder issues. Not a good sign for a guy who has had injury problems in the past, although Johnson said he expects to make his next start.

David Bush allowed two runs in seven innings and struck out seven to pick up his second win of the year. Bush has now tossed seven innings in three consecutive starts.

Chad Billingsley and Cole Hamels matched each other pitch for pitch for seven innings with neither pitcher factoring into the outcome. Billingsley allowed one run and struck out nine. Hamels allowed one earned run and also struck out nine.

Justin Verlander allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings and struck out 13, but did not factor into the decision. He has now racked up double digit figures in strikeouts in three consecutive starts, but at the same time, those three starts have produced his highest pitch count totals of the season, at 121, 118, and 122 on Thursday.

Matt Harrison picked up a complete game win, allowing two runs and striking out seven. Harrison has now allowed two runs in his last 23 innings.

Ryan Dempster allowed two runs in seven innings with five strikeouts to move to 3-2 on the season. The difference in numbers for Dempster in 2009 has been an increase in both his walk rate and home run rate.

Wandy Rodriguez allowed two run sin seven innings and struck out 11 to pick up his 4th win of the season and lower his ERA to 1.90.

CC Sabathia allowed two runs in eight innings and struck out five., lowering his ERA to 3.70.

Eric Milton is expected to start in place of Jeff Weaver for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. James McDonald was sent to Triple-A with Milton being recalled. Milton was 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 35 innings. He last pitched in the major leagues in 2007, finishing with a 5.17 ERA in 31 1/3 innings.

Closers:

Brad Lidge allowed a run in the ninth inning and has now given up a run in five straight appearances.

Brandon Morrow blew a win for Felix Hernandez, surrendering home runs to Hank Blalock (10) and Chris Davis (10) in the bottom of the ninth inning. Morrow has now given up six runs in his last three appearances.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Sunday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 10th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Cameron Maybin was sent to Triple-A by the Florida Marlins. He will get a chance to play every day and rebuild his confidence after being rushed to the major leagues last season by the Detroit Tigers and by the Marlins this year. Maybin needs to work on reducing his strikeout rate, after fanning 31 times in 84 at bats this season. In other fantasy baseball news from around the diamond on Sunday…

Hitters:

Albert Pujols hit his 12th home run of the season, scored three runs and stole his fifth base.

Jay Bruce hit his 10th home run of the season, giving him four home runs in his last five games. His batting average has been hovering in the .260 range for most of the season, because of his inability to hit lefties so far, as he holds a .172 average against southpaws.

Jose Reyes went 2 for 4 and stole his 10th base of the season. Reyes started picking up the pace on the base paths this past week, stealing six bases in seven games.

Nate McLouth hit his fifth home run of the season, and has been one of the few offensive bright spots for the Pittsburgh Pirates this year. McLouth is hitting .292 with 22 RBI for the year.

Johnny Damon hit a three-run home run, his 9th of the season to power the New York Yankees to a 5-3 win. Damon is batting .314 on the year with 25 RBI.

Hank Blalock hit two solo home runs giving him nine on the season. He is now batting .257 with 21 RBI.

Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run home run, his 10th of the season to go along with 20 RBI.

The Chicago Cubs seem content going with Aaron Miles at second base (.205 avg.) and Mike Fontenot (.229) at third base with Aramis Ramirez sidelined. Recently acquired Ryan Freel pinch hit on Sunday.

The Houston Astros had multiple offensive stars on Sunday. Carlos Lee went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI and his 6th home run of the season. Miguel Tejada went 3 for 5 with 4 RBI and his second home run of the year and Ivan Rodriguez went 4 for 3 and knocked out his fourth home run of the season.

Armando Rios went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and his third home run of the year. Cito Gaston and Gene Tenace have done a great job with the Toronto Blue Jays hitters since taking over last June. The Blue Jays had six hitters batting over .300 in their lineup on Sunday.

Juan Pierre went 3 for 5 and stole his third base of the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Manny Ramirez now sidelined the next two months, Pierre is a good source of runs scored and stolen bases.

Adam Dunn went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI including two home runs, numbers 10 & 11 on the season. Dunn is now hitting .311 with 28 RBI. Teammate Josh Willingham also added two home runs for the Washington Nationals.

Chipper Jones left Sunday’s game in the seventh inning with a sore elbow and is considered day to day.

Pitchers:

Kenshin Kawakami picked up his second win of the season, allowing two runs in six innings with six strikeouts.

Rick Porcello picked up win number three on the season, allowing one run in five innings with five strikeouts. Despite his inconsistencies from start to start, he still sports a respectable 4.28 EAR and 1.31 whip ratio on the season.

Rookie Brett Cecil tossed eight shutout innings, allowing five hits with six strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season.

Nick Blackburn pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts, olny to see his win blown by the Minnesota Twins bullpen in the 8th inning.

Matt Garza allowed three runs in seven innings with six strikeouts in a no decision. He has now allowed five runs in his last 22 2/3 innings.

Luke Hochevar was recalled from Triple-A to replace Sidney Ponson in the rotation and will start on Tuesday for the Kansas City Royals.

Bryan Augenstien is expected to be recalled from AA to start for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Cincinnati Reds. Augenstein is 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA, with 31 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.

Closers:

Rafael Soriano picked up his third save of the season with Mike Gonzalez working the 8th inning. I don’t think it was a permanent closer change as the Phillies had left-handed hitters Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Matt Stairs up in the 8th inning to hit and I think Boby Cox feels confident that either Gonzalez or Soriano could close as needed.

Ryan Franklin blew his first save of the season, giving up home runs in the ninth inning to Jerry Hairston and pitcher Micah Owings.

Brandon Morrow, in his first appearance since April 23rd, allowed one run and loaded the bases in the ninth inning before getting Brendan Harris to ground out to preserve the save.

Huston Street picked up his fourth save of the season, and has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances.

Joakim Soria was placed on the disabled list by the Kansas City Royals with a strained rotator cuff. Juan Cruz will take over as closer while Soria is out of action.

Minor Leagues:

Tommy Hanson had his longest outing of the season, pitching eight innings with nine strikeouts. He did allow three home runs but they were all solo shots.

Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, but did not strike out a batter. There is a chance he could be recalled by the Boston Red Sox to start next weekend.

John Lackey allowed three runs in five innings with five strikeouts and could be ready to return to the Los Angeles Angels rotation by the weekend.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 6th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

New York Mets starter Johan Santana hurled seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to pick up his fourth win of the season in a 1-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies. Santana was dominant in his start, throwing 72% of his pitches for strikes. Jose Reyes added his seventh stolen base of the season for the Mets. Jon Niese is expected to get the start on Friday in place of Oliver Perez (15-day disabled list) for the Mets. Chan Ho Park kept his starting rotation spot for another week for the Phillies, allowing one hit in six scoreless innings with five strikeouts. In other fantasy baseball news from around the diamond on Wednesday…

National League:

The Colorado Rockies used three home runs to defeat the San Francisco Giants 11-1. Todd Helton (3), Matt Murton (1) and Yorvit Torrealba (2) all went deep for the Rockies. Ubaldo Jimenez went seven innings, allowing one run with six strikeouts to pick up the win…..The Milwaukee Brewers scored nine runs off of Cincinnati Red starter Bronson Arroyo in the first two innings, en route to a 15-3 win. Ryan Braun hit his sixth home run and had 6 RBI. J.J. Hardy added his fourth home run of the season and 3 RBI. Prince Fielder chipped in with his 5th home run of the season, off of shortstop turned mop up pitcher Paul Janish, in the ninth inning…..In his second game back from the disabled list, Garret Anderson drove in three runs to pace the Atlanta Braves to a 8-6 win over the Florida Marlins. Jordan Schafer went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts and is now hitting .227 on the season. Schafer has struck out 14 times in his last 19 at bats and although he has been drawing walks at a decent rate, striking out in 43% of his at bats is not going to cut it, especially for a guy who is not a home run / power hitter. Jorge Cantu hit his 8th home run of the season for the Marlins and drove in five runs. In attempts to get some additional offense, Cameron Maybin has been moved up to the second spot in the batting order and catcher John Baker has been dropped to the fifth slot…..Aramis Ramirez hit his fourth home run of the year and Reed Johnson drove in three runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros. Rich Harden allowed three runs in seven innings with four strikeouts to get his third win of the year. Lance Berkman hit home run number seven for the Astros, but his batting average still remains below the Mendoza Line at .194…..Albert Pujols, making his case early this season for the Triple Crown, blasted home run number 11 on the season to power the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pujols went 4 for 4 and is now hitting .364 on the year, and leads the National League in home runs, runs and RBI. Nyjer Morgan stole his seventh base of the season for the Pirates…. Justin Upton hit two home runs to propel the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres. Felipe Lopez added two stolen bases. Jon Garland tossed seven shutout innings with two strikeouts. Josh Whitesell was recalled from Triple-A and could split time at first base with Chad Tracy with Tony Clark going on the disabled list. Jake Peavy took the loss, allowing two runs in seven innings with 12 strikeouts.

American League:

Carlos Pena hit the game winning home run in the 10th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees. Carl Crawford (20), B.J. Upton (7) and Evan Longoria (2) all swiped based for the Rays. Mark Teixeira went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI for the Yankees…..Victor Martinez went 3 for 5 with 4 RBI, including his sixth home run of the season to help the Cleveland Indians score a 9-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. Mark DeRosa also hit his sixth home run and drove in two runs. Aaron Laffey, moved to the bullpen to make room for Jeremy Sowers in the rotation, picked up a three inning save…..Mark Teahan and Mike Jacobs each drove in three runs to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 9-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Billy Butler went 3 for 4 and has now raised his batting average 83 points in the last eight games. Sidney Ponson picked up the win, allowing one run in 7 1/3 innings…..Elvis Andrus hit his second home run of the season to help the Texas Rangers defeat the Oakland Athletics 3-2. Nelson Cruz stole his fourth base of the year. Jack Cust went 3 for 4 for the A’s and is now batting .299…..The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-1, in a game that was called in the top of he 6th inning due to rain. Nick Markakis (5) and Luke Scott (4) each homered for the Orioles. The Twins demoted second basemen Alexi Casilla to Triple-A. Matt Tolbert got the start Wednesday night and went 0 for 3. Brendan Harris will likely see the majority of time at second base unless Tolbert can go on a hot streak.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 5th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Rick Porcello picked up his second win of the season for the Detroit Tigers in a 9-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. His season so far has been a typical rookie season, especially for someone pitching in the major leagues as the age of 20. Porcello tossed seven shutout innings with three strikeouts. Curtis Granderson blasted his 9th home run of the season. With Granderson displaying a power stroke early on in the season, he has been dropped down to 5th in the batting order. Miguel Cabrera hit his seventh home run of the season and is now batting .406 on the year. The Tigers placed Carlos Guillen on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his shoulder. Jeff Larish and Clete Thomas have been recalled from Triple-A and could see time in Guillen’s place. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Tuesday…

American League:

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford stole his 19th base of the season, and has now stolen a base in eight straight games, in a 6-3 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles. Evan Longoria went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and now has 34 RBI on the season. The decision for the Orioles to go with Gregg Zaun at catcher over prospect Matt Wieters has not been the right move early on this season. Zaun hit his first home run of the season Tuesday, and is hitting just .162 for the year. Koji Uehara allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings for the Orioles and struck out eight…..The Texas Rangers scored 6 runs in the top of the 10th inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 7-2. Nelson Cruz hit his seventh home run of the year for the Rangers and Jarrod Saltalamacchia added his third to go along with 4 RBI. Vincente Padilla allowed one hit through eight innings and one unearned run with four strikeouts. Erik Bedard pitched well for the Mariners, allowing one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts…..Adam Lind went 3 for 4 with 5 RBI to power the Toronto Blue Jays to a 10-6 win over the Cleveland Indians. Lind hit is sixth home run of the year and is now up to 29 RBI. Ben Francisco stole his fourth base of the year for the Indians. Rookie call up Brett Cecil pitched much better than he had been in Triple-A, allowing one run in six innings with six strikeouts for the Blue Jays…..Jason Bay hit his seventh home run of the season to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 7-3 win over the New York Yankees. Jacob Ellsbury stole base number 15 on the year. Joba Chamberlain suffered the loss, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts. Johnny Damon hit his 6th home run and drove in three runs. Jorge Posada was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the New York Yankees with a hamstring strain. He is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

National League:

The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals played to a 10-10 tie before play was suspended in the 11th inning due to rain. The game will be resumed on July 9th. Miguel Tejada went 3 for 6 with 3 RBI for the Astros. Elijah Dukes (4) and Christian Guzman (1) each homered for the Nationals. Nationals Manager Manny Acta said Joe Beimel who is coming off the disabled list will get a shot to claim the closers role…..Tim Lincecum allowed two runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts to pitch the San Francisco Giants past the Chicago Cubs 6-2. Bengie Molina hit his 5th home run of the season and drove in three runs. Emmanuel Burriss added his eighth stolen base of the year. Aaron Miles stole two bases for the Chicago Cubs geting the start in place of Ryan Theriot. Randy Wells will be promoted from Triple-A to start in place of Carlos Zambrano (out three weeks) on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers….Edison Volquez hurled eight shutout innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts in a 7-0 win over the Florida Marlins. Brandon Phillips went 3 for 5 with 6 RBI, including his fourth home run of the season…..J.J. Hardy went 3 for 3 with 4 RBI to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Corey Hart went 2 for 4 with three runs scored and his third stolen base of the year. Pirates closer Matt Capps will be shelved until at least the weekend with discomfort in his elbow. Tyler Yates and John Grabow could see save opportunities in his absence…..Shane Victorino went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI and three runs scored to propel the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Jason Werth added his 4th home run of the season and 4 RBI. Ryan Ludwick hit his 7th home run of the year for the Cardinals and Albert Pujols added his 10th.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Sunday

Posted by Todd Lammi on May 3rd, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Matt LaPorta was recalled from Triple-A by the Cleveland Indians and will get a chance to play with Travis Hafner on the disabled list. LaPorta started in right field batting eighth on Sunday and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Sunday…

Hitters:

Carl Crawford went 4 for 4 and stole six bases, giving him 17 steals on the season in 17 attempts.

Michael Bourn is having quite a bounce back season so far compared to his disappointing 2008 year. Bourn stole two bases on Sunday to give him eight for the season and his batting average is now up to .301.

Justin Upton is starting to heat up for the Arizona Diamondbacks now that he is getting regular playing time. Upton hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday and has now hit four home runs in his last nine games. During that stretch, he has raised his batting average 78 points.

National League only players should look to grab Fernando Tatis who has been playing in place of Carlos Delgado, out with an injured hip. Delgado was supposed to return to action on Sunday after missing five games before it was rained out. With Delgado’s injury expected to linger throughout the season, Tatis could be in line for some additional at bats.

Brandon Wood got his second start on Saturday since being recalled April 21, playing third base and batting eighth. Wood went 2 for 4, but it looks like the Los Angeles Angels are not going to commit to giving him a full season of at bats at any point in 2009. A trade would probably be the best for both parties at this time.

Kyle Blanks has started working in the outfield in Triple-A for the San Diego Padres. With Adrian Gonzalez blocking his way at first base, the Padres are looking at other alternatives to get Blanks’ bat in the lineup.

Pitchers:

Chad Billingsley moved to a perfect 5-0 after allowing two runs in seven innings with eight strikeouts. Billingsley has now allowed two runs or fewer in five of his six starts this season.

Justin Verlander allowed one run in seven innings with 11 strikeouts. He continues to dominate at home, where he has now allowed two runs in 19 innings with 28 strikeouts.

Scott Richmond picked up win number four on the year, allowing two runs in seven innings with six strikeouts. Richmond has now become an option in mixed league formats with several consecutive good outings.

Johnny Cueto hurled eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts . Part of the reason for his improvement so far in 2009 is his reduction in home runs. After allowing 29 in 174 innings last season, he has only allowed two in 32 2/3 innings this season.

Carlos Zambrano left his start in the bottom of the fifth inning with a strained hamstring after attempting to beat out a throw on a bunt. Zambrano allowed two runs in five innings before leaving the game, but still managed to notch his third win of the year.

Barry Zito tossed seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a no decision. Zito has now allowed three runs in his last 20 1/3 innings.

Roy Oswalt let his start early on Saturday due to a rain delay after throwing only 17 pitches. Because of the short outing, Oswalt will return to the hill against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.

Cole Hamels is still feeling soreness in his ankle and with Sunday’s game rained out, it means his start will be pushed back to Friday.

Oliver Perez most likely made his last start for the New York Mets for awhile. After talk of accepting a possible demotion to the minors, Perez said Sunday he has been bothered by a sore knee and could be headed to the disabled list.

Jeff Weaver has taken over the 5th starter role for the Los Angeles Dodgers in place of James McDonald. Weaver will start on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Gio Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A by the Oakland Athletics but will work out of the bullpen for the time being.

Closer:

Brandon Morrow was placed on the 15-day disabled list with bicep tendinitis. David Aardsma will replace Morrow as the Seattle Mariners closer for the time being. Hopefully if you had handcuffed Aardsma to Morrow as I mentioned in several previous articles, you fantasy baseball team should be covered.

George Sherrill may have lost his job as closer for the Baltimore Orioles after blowing his second save of the season. Manager Dave Trembley said for the time being, the decision on who will close could vary from day to day. Chris Ray has still been struggling so he is not the permanent answer quite yet either. Jim Johnson could also see a save opportunity as well.

LaTroy Hawkins picked up his third save of the year for the Houston Astros. With Jose Valverde out three to five weeks, Hawkins is a good pick up for saves.

Joakim Soria returned to action this weekend with back-to-back appearances that netted a win and a save so he should be safe to activate for next week.

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 22nd, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox pitched his second consecutive complete game, albeit it a rain-shortened seven-inning one, in a 10-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. Kevin Youkilis hit his fourth home run of the year for the Red Sox and Mike Lowell hit his third. Scott Baker of the Twins was roughed up again in his second start back from the disabled list. I would recommend benching Baker in all fantasy baseball formats until he strings a couple of good starts together. Same goes for Francisco Liriano, who was pounded in the second game of the double header for seven runs in four innings in a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox. Justim Mourneau hit his third home run of the year for the Twins . In other fantasy baseball happenings around the diamond on Wednesday….

American League:

Melky Cabrera hit two home runs, including a two-run home run in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the New York Yankees a 9-7 win over the Oakland Athletics. Derek Jeter added his fourth long ball of the season for the Yankees. Kurt Suzuki conitnues to be the lone hot A’s hitter. Suzuki hit his first home run of the season and drove in three runs…..John Danks allowed one run in seven innings to lead the Chicago White Sox to an 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Jim Thome hit his fourth home run of the year and Josh Fields hit his first. Alexei Ramirez and Chris Getz each stole their second base of the season for the White Sox. Luke Scott of the Orioles hit his third home run of the season…..Brian Bannister, just recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday, threw six shutout innings to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Grady Sizemore stole his third base of the year for the Tribe. It is telling how bad the Cleveland Indians bullpen has been that Cliff Lee had to throw 122 pitches in the third week of the season. Lee went eight innings, allowing two runs with five strikeouts…..The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Texas Rangers 8-7 in 11 innings. Rod Barajas hit two home runs and drove in four runs. B.J. Ryan blew the save for the Blue Jays, allowing three runs in the ninth inning. Michael Young hit his fourth home run for the Rangers.

National League:

Braden Looper pitched six shutout innings to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Todd Coffey picked up his second save of the season. J.J. Hardy hit his third home run of the year for Milwaukee. Jason Werth hit his second home run of the season for the Phillies…..Paul Maholm of the Pittsburgh Pirates improved to 3-0 with a 7-4 win over the Florida Marlins. Nyjer Morgan stole two bases to give him six on the season. Emilio Bonifacio stole his 5th base for the Marlins……Dan Haren took matters into his own hands by throwing seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts to help the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the Colorado Rockies 2-0. Haren had received only one run of support in his previous three starts. Ryan Spillborghs went 4 for 5 for Colorado and stole his first base of the season……The San Francisco Giants defeated the San Diego Padres 1-0 in 10 innings. Chris Young and Barry Zito mirrored starts by tossing seven shutout innings. Emmaanuel Burriss stole his fourth base of the year for the Giants…..The Washington Nationals bullpen failed them again, walking in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning in a 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Jair Jurrjens threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings for the Braves. Rafael Soriano picked up his second save of the season instead of Mike Gonzalez, who pitched the eighth inning. John Lannan threw seven shutout innings for the Nationals…..Johnny Cueto tossed seven scoreless innings to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. Jay Bruce hit his third home run for the Reds. Ted Lilly allowed no earned runs in seven innings for the Cubs, while striking out two…..Lance Berkman hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to propel the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hunter Pence also hit his fourth home run for the Astros. For the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez (4), Andre Ethier (5) and Casey Blake (4) all went deep. LaTroy Hawkins got the save in place of Jose Valverde, who was out with a bruised ankle and pulled calf muscle…..Joel Piniero went to 3-0 after allowing two runs in eight innings in the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 win over the New York Mets. Ryan Franklin picked up his fourth save of the year.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Friday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 18th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

The New York Yankees hit five home runs in their first win at home in their new stadium as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-5. Derek Jeter his his 3rd home run of the year in the eighth inning for the go ahead run. Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira both hit their first home run of the year for the Yankees. Mark DeRosa hit his second home run of the season for the Indians. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Friday…..

American League:

Jason Kubel hit for the cycle and drove in five runs to power the Minnesota Twins past the Texas Rangers 11-9. For the Angels, Bobby Abreu stole base number five and Chone Figgins base number six. Vladimir Guerrero was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn pectoral muscle and will likely miss six to eight weeks of action…..The Oakland Athletics scored an 8-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The A’s scored eight run without the help of any long balls. On the season, the A’s have hit only three home runs in 10 games. Bobby Crosby drove in three runs and Ryan Sweeney stole his second base of the year. Marco Scutaro and Aaron Hill each hit their 4th home runs of the season for the Blue Jays…..Jason Bay and J.D. Drew each hit home run number three on the year to propel the Boston Red Sox past the Baltimore Orioles 10-8. For those fantasy baseball owners that like to rotate pitchers with two starts in a week, Justin Masterson will get the start on Monday in place of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Nick Markakis hit his second home of the season for the Orioles and had 5 RBI…..Carlos Pena hit his 6th home run of the year to lead the Tampa Bay Rays over the Chicago White Sox 6-5. Jason Bartlett stole his 5th base of the year for the Rays. Carlos Quentin (5) and Jermaine Dye (4) each went deep for the White Sox…..The Kansas City Royals used three home runs to pound the Texas Rangers 12-3. Mark Teahen now starting at third base in place of the injured Alex Gordon (out 10-12 weeks) went for 5 for 6 with his first home run of the season. Mike Jacobs hit his 3rd home run and drove in four runs. Gil Meche threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts. Hank Blalock hit home run number three for the Rangers…..Felix Hernandez threw six strong innings to push the Seattle Mariners over the Detroit Tigers 6-3. Hernandez allowed three runs and struck out six. Miguel Cabrera had three hits for the Tigers and is now hitting .513 on the season.

National League:

The Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7, keyed by Alfonso Soriano’s 5th home run in the 8th inning. Aramis Ramirez went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. Carlos Marmol got the save for the Cubs. Ryan Ludwick hit two home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals giving him five total for the season. Brian Barden hit his third home run. Chris Perez got the loss, surrendering Soriano’s two-run home run in the 8th. Ryan Franklin seems to be the best fantasy baseball choice at the moment for saves with Perez and Jason Motte failing to perform in the bullpen. P.J. Walters starting in place of the injured Chris Carpenter allowed three runs in four innings and struck out seven…..Another day, another win for the Florida Marlins, as they rallied to defeat the Washington Nationals 3-2 in 10 innings. Cody Ross homered off of Joel Hanrahan in the ninth inning to send the game to extra frames. Leo Nunez got the win and looks to have established himself as the main set up man for the Marlins. If you own closer Matt Lindstrom, you should have Nunez as his handcuff. John Lannan had a solid start for Washington, going 6/13 innings, allowing one run with eight strikeouts. Christian Guzman was placed on the 15-day disabled list after the game by the Nationals. Alberto Gonzalez has been filling in for Guzman in his absence. Alex Cintron has been recalled from Triple-A…..The San Diego Padres used three home runs to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-7. Scott Hairston hit his second of the season and drove in four runs. Chase Utley hit his second of the year for the Phillies and Shane Victorino stole two bases. Cole Hamel allowed five runs in six innings and surrendered all three of the Padres home runs…..Paul Maholm threw seven shutout innings to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Atlanta Braves 3-0. Nate McLouth hit his 3rd home run of the year. Jair Jurrjens had a good start for Atlanta, throwing 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run with seven strikeouts. Jo-Jo Reyes gets the start for Atlanta Saturday in place of the injured Tom Glavine…..Gary Sheffield hit career home run number 500 in the New York Mets 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey is expected to miss his start on Sunday with forearm tendinitis. Ryan Braun hit his first home run of the season for Milwaukee…..Ramon Hernandez hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning off of closer Jose Valverde as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Houston Astros 2-1. The home run spoiled a good start by Astros starter Roy Oswalt who threw six shutout innings with four strikeouts. The Astros said after the game Felipe Paulino will be recalled to start Saturday…..Although he did not factor in the decision, Randy Wolf struck out nine in six innings in the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Orlando Hudson stole his 4th base of the year for the Dodgers. Brad Hawpe hit his first home run of the season for the Rockies. Catcher Chris Iannetta continues to struggle for the Rockies as he is now 1 for 21 on the season. The Rockies named Manny Corpas as new closer in place of Huston Street….Jonathan Sanchez threw 6 2/3 shutout innings as the San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0. Dan Haren was the tough luck loser for Arizona as he fell to 0-3 on the season, despite an ERA of 1.89. Stephen Drew left the game in the 5th inning for the D-Backs with tightness in his hamstring and is considered day to day.

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.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 15th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Injury updates:

Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals will miss four to eight weeks with a strained rib cage. The Cardinals are expected to promote P.J. Walters to start on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Ichiro Suzuki returned from the disabled list for the Seattle Mariners. Melvin Mora of the Baltimore Orioles was placed on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury. Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox was placed on the disabled list with arm fatigue. New York Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady is headed to the disabled list with a right elbow injury that could require Tommy John surgery. In other news around the diamond on Wednesday…

American League:

Scott Baker’s return to the Minnesota Twins from the DL did not go well, as he allowed six runs in four innings. On the other side, if you are looking for somebody to root for, Scott Richmond got the win for the Toronto Blue Jays. It was just two years ago that Richmond was pitching in the independent league for the Edmonton Cracker Cats. Aaron Hill hit his 3rd home run for the Blue Jays and Vernon Wells and Scott Rolen each hit their second…..Armando Galarraga threw 6 1/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts as the Detroit Tigers blanked the Chicago White Sox 9-0. Miguel Cabrera hit his fourth home run and also stole a base…..Aaron Laffey got the win for the Cleveland Indians, starting in place of the injured Scott Lewis. Kerry Wood picked up his first save of the season…..Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox allowed two runs in a complete game win over the Oakland Athletics. Mike Lowell and J. D Drew each hit their second home run for the Red Sox. Rookie Brett Anderson of the A’s threw a solid seven innings, allowing two runs with five strikeouts…..Robinson Cano hit his second home run of the season to lift the New York Yankees over the Tampa Bay Rays. Andy Pettite allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings pitched…..The Texas Rangers pounded out 19 hits in a 19-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Ian Kinsler had a dream day at the plate for the Rangers going 6 for 6 with 4 RBI and a stolen base. Marlon Byrd went 5 for 6 and outfielder Nelson Cruz drove in 6 RBI.

National League:

Jason Marquis allowed one run in seven innings as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-2. Jason Grilli got the save for the Rockies, after replacing closer Huston Street in the ninth inning. Street allowed a home run to Derek Lee and then put two more runners on base before being relieved. Catcher Geovany Soto returned to action for the Cubs…..Ryan Ludwick hit his third home run of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Chris Duncan went 3 for 4 and Yadier Molina went 3 for 3. Chris Perez returned from AAA and threw two shutout innings…..The Florida Marlins defeated the Atlanta Braves 10-4, as four players had two hits each. Cameron Maybin went 0 for 3 for the Marlins with three strikeouts. On the year, Maybin is hitting .214 with 12 strikeouts in 28 at bats. As long as the Marlins keep winning and he plays defense, he might be able to hold the position, but at some point the team is going to need to get some offense from him. Chipper Jones of the Braves re-aggravated his bruised thumb and missed the game and will likely sit out tomorrow as well…..Mike Hampton pitched six shutout innings with eight strikeouts as the Houston Astros defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1…..Oliver Perez allowed one run in six innings to lead the New York Mets past the San Diego Padres 7-2. Jose Reyes stole his second base of the season for the Mets and Carlos Delgado hit his second home run of the year. Gary Sheffield got his first start as a Met and went 0 for 2. Scott Hairston stole his second base for the Padres…..Mike Cameron hit two home runs to power the Milwaukee Brewers past the Cincinnati Reds 9-3. Rickie Weeks hit his second home run. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez of the Reds picked up his first hit of the season and is now 1 for 19 on the year. Clayton Kershaw struck out 13 in seven innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers, while allowing only one hit.

The Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 14th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

It looks like it may be coming to an end of an era for some Atlanta Braves fans that grew up watching the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz a top the rotation. Maddux retired in the off season and John Smoltz left for the Boston Red Sox, but Tom Glavine decided to take a trip down memory lane and returned for one more season with the Braves. Unfortunately for Glavine, that season may now be in jeopardy. Glavine has been shelved for two weeks after inflammation was found in his rotator cuff. Glavine had left Sunday’s minor league start in AA after two innings with soreness in his shoulder. He made it sound like he is willing to give it a few weeks to heal, but not much more than that. Jo-Jo Reyes will replace Glavine in the rotation and start at Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox was suspended six-games after head hunting Bobby Abreu of the Los Angeles Angels last week. Beckett appealed the decision which means he should still be able to make his start this Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Outfielder Lastings Milledge of the Washington Nationals was demoted to the minor leagues, opening up center field for Elijah Dukes. Look for Josh Willingham and Austin Kearns to split time in right field.

Jesse Litsch of the Toronto Blue Jays was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained forearm. It looks like he will miss more than 15 days as the current plan is for Litsch to go without throwing for two weeks. Relief pitcher Brian Tallet will get temporarily moved into the rotation to fill Litsch’s spot, and gets the start Saturday against the Oakland Athletics.

Shortstop Jed Lowrie of the Boston Red Sox was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore left wrist on Monday. Nick Green should see the majority of starts at shortstop until either Lowrie or Julio Lugo return to action.

It looks like one and done for James McDonald as the 5th starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers. McDonald has been replaced in the rotation by recent call up Eric Stults.

In other news around the diamond on Tuesday…

American League: Nick Swisher continues to be on fire for the New York Yankees, hitting his fourth home run of the season. Yankee outfielder Xavier Nady left the game in the seventh inning with pain in his right elbow. Pitchers A.J Burnett and Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays matched performances with two runs allowed and nine strikeouts…..In the battle of unheralded lefties, rookie Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays and Glen Perkins of the Minnesota Twins each allowed two runs over eight innings…..John Buck hit two home runs and drove in five runs for the Kansas City Royals…..Nelson Cruz hit his 4th home run for the Texas Rangers and Chris Davis hit his second. Luke Scott hit his second home run of the year for the Baltimore Orioles.

National League: Chris Volstad of the Florida Marlins got his second win of the year, allowing one run in seven innings. Javier Vazquez of the Atlanta Braves took the loss, but struck out 12 in six innings. Kelly Johnson hit his 3rd home run of the year for the Braves…..Willy Taveras stole two bases for the Cincinnati Reds, giving him three on the season…..Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals left his start before the beginning of the fourth inning with a strained ribcage. Max Scherzer made his season debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks and allowed three runs in five innings.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Sunday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 12th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

The marquee matchup in the National League lived up to its billing on Sunday. Josh Johnson out dueled John Santana as the Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets 2-1. Johnson struck out seven in nine innings. Santana fanned 13 in seven innings, allowing two unearned runs. In other fantasy baseball news of significance, Arizona Diamondbacks starter Brandon Webb was placed on the disabled list after feeling soreness playing catch on Sunday. Now on to the rest of major league baseball from Sunday’s action…

National League:

Three names serve as a reminder early on why it is not worth using a high draft pick on a pitcher in a fantasy baseball league draft. Brandon Webb, Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum. Lincecum was not good again on Sunday as allowed 13 runners in 5 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres. On the flip side, Chris Young, who was brutal in spring, tossed seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts for his second win of the year. Nick Hundley went 4 for 4 for the Padres and Chase Headley hit his second home run of the year. Randy Winn stole his third base of the season for the San Francisco Giants…..Aaron Harang looked more like his 2007 self, throwing a nine inning shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates, while striking out nine. Brandon Phillips hit his first home run for the Cincinnati Reds and Willy Taveras stole his first base of the season…..The Washington Nationals fell to 0-6 on the season after an 8-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Rafael Soriano picked up the save for the Braves. Tom Glavine left his minor league start in AA after two innings with shoulder discomfort…..St. Louis Cardinals Kyle Lohse threw a complete game shutout against the Houston Astros. Shortstop Khalil Greene went 3 for 4 for the Cardinals with a stolen base. It could be a long season for the Astros who are now 1-5. I went to the Round Rock Express game today, Houston’s AAA team, and there is no immediate help on the way…..The Philadelphia Phillis rallied for four runs in the final two innings to defeat the Colorado Rockies 7-5. Manny Corpas and Huston Street both gave up two run home runs in their innings of work to contribute to the loss. Rookie Dexter Fowler hit his second home run for the Rockies. With Seth Smith struggling to hit, Fowler could be in line for more playing time. Chase Utley hit his first home run for the Phillies and stole his second base of the year. Utley is now hitting .476 on the season…..Randy Wolf allowed one run in seven innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1. Juan Pierre stole his first base of the season for the Dodgers. Justin Upton sat the bench for the D-Backs again and could be in danger of being sent to AAA. Upton has five strikeouts in his nine at bats this season.

American League:

Travis Hafner hit his third home run of the season as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4. Kevin Millwood of the Texas Rangers turned in his second strong outing of the year, tossing seven shutout innings with six strikeouts. He was denied the win when the Detroit Tigers rallied for six runs in the eight innings, sparked by Brandon Inge who hit his 4th home run of the season….. Evan Longoria hit his 5th home run of the year and stole his first base to help lead the Tampa Bay Rays to an 11-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Akinori Iwamura stole his third base of the year for the Rays…..Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye hit home runs to lead the Chicago White Sox over the Minnesota Twins. Mark Buerhle got his first win of the year, allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings…..Joba Chamberlain made his debut for the New York Yankees, allowing one run in six innings with five strikeouts in a 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Brett Gardner stole his second base of the year for the Yankees. John Buck went 3 for 4 for the Roals with a home run and 3 RBI. Yankess first basemen Mark Teixeira sat out his second consecutive game with a sore left wrist…..Vladimir Guerrero hit his first home run and Chone Figgins stole his fifth base of the season as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-4. Dustin Pedroia stole his second base for the Boston Red Sox…..Erik Bedard threw 8 1/3 shutout innings with seven strikeouts in a 1-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Davis Aardsma got his second save of the season. Rookie Trevor Cahill was much better in his second start allowing one run and two hits in seven innings.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Saturday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 11th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

It was a tale of two closers in Milwaukee as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 behind Alfonso Soriano’s two-run home run off closer Carlos Villanueva in the top of the ninth inning. Carlos Marmol closed the door for the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth for his first save of the season. Cubs Manager Lou Piniella said Kevin Gregg remains the closer and would get the save attempt tomorrow if there was one. In another news around the diamond on Saturday…

National League:

Kenshin Kawakami had a successful debut for the Atlanta Braves striking out eight in six innings. Kelly Johnson hit his second home run of the season for the Braves. Jordan Schafer had three hits and is now hitting .421 on the season…..Nyjer Morgan had two stolen bases for the Pittsburgh Pirates and now has three for the year. Paul Maholm was solid again in his second start and has allowed only one earned run in back to back starts. Johnny Cueto allowed four runs in six innings for the Cincinnati Reds, but struck out nine batters. Pittsburgh starter Jeff Karstens will have his start pushed back to Thursday due to the rainout to keep the top four starters on schedule…..Albert Pujols had two home run and 7 RBI for the St. Louis Cardinals to make a winner out of Adam Wainwright. Wainwright threw five shutout innings, but was pulled due to a high pitch count. Joe Thurston got the start at third base and went 3 for 4. Jason Motte threw a scoreless inning for the Cardinals in the sixth inning. It looks like the Cardinals are trying to build up his confidence so expect someone else in the bullpen to get the next save opportunity….Livan Hernandez won his first start with the New York Mets giving up two runs in 6.2 innings. Jose Reyes hit his first home run of the season. Emilio Bonifacio had three more hits for the Florida Marlins and is now hitting .583…..Chris Coste got the start at catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies in their 8-4 win over the Colorado Rockies, after Carlos Ruiz was placed on the disabled list with an oblique injury. Rookie Lou Marson was recalled from AAA and will serve as the backup. Troy Tulowitzki hit his third home run of the season for the Rockies…..Recently recalled Eric Stults, in place of the injured Hiroki Kuroda, pitched the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing one run in 5.1 innings while striking out five. Yusmeiro Petit had a solid first start for the D-Backs striking out six in five innings of work…..Jake Peavy struck out 10 in 8.1 innings to help the San Diego Padres defeat the San Francisco Giants. Heath Bell picked up his third save of the year. Catcher Henry Blanco hit two home runs for San Diego.

American League:

The Toronto Blue Jays held on to defeat the Cleveland Indians 5-4 after B.J. Ryan was rescued in the ninth inning by Jason Frasor to preserve the win. After Mark DeRosa of the Indians hit a three-run double off of Ryan in the ninth inning, Ryan was replaced by Frasor who struck out Victor Martinez to snuff out the Cleveland rally. Cliff Lee struggled again for the Indians in his second start and has now allowed 17 hits in two starts. For comparison purposes, Lee allowed only 19 hits through his first five starts last season. Starting pitcher Scott Lewis was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Indians with a sore elbow…..Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers struck out eight in five innings to defeat the Texas Rangers. Fernando Rodney struck out the side in the ninth inning to earn his first save of the season. Hank Blalock hit his second home run of the year for the Rangers…..Bartolo Colon pitched six scoreless inning for the Chicago White Sox in an 8-0 blanking of the Minnesota Twins. Carlos Quentin hit his second home run of the year for the White Sox. For the Twins, Carlos Gomez stole his first two bases of the season…..Brad Ziegler could not close the door on the Seattle Mariners as the M’s scored five time in the final two innings to beat the Oakland Athletics 8-5. Russell Branyan hit his second home of the season for the Mariners. Jack Cust hit Oakland’s first home run of the season…..Jason Bay hit two home runs for the Boston Red Sox in their 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Catcher Mike Napoli hit two home runs for the Angels. Jacob Ellsbury stole his third base of the year for the Red Sox. Jed Lowrie might be feeling the pressure to perform as the starting shortstop for the Red Sox with Julio Lugo out from from injury. Lowrie is hitting only .056 and has eight strikeouts in 18 at bats…..Jeremy Guthrie got his second win of the season for the Baltimore Orioles, throwing six shutout innings against the Tamp Bay Rays. Melvin Mora hit a grand slam to provide the offensive support…..CC Sabathia got his first win as a New York Yankee with 7.2 shut out innings against the Kansas City Royals. Nick Swisher hit his second home run and now has 9 RBI for the year. Billy Butler went 0 for 4 for the Royals with three strikeouts and is hitting .059 this year with a total of seven whiffs in 17 at bats.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Thursday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 9th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

One thing to keep an eye on for fantasy baseball owners playing in an National League only league where you lose a player if he is traded. The Milwaukee Brewers staff is pretty bad outside of Yovani Gallardo. One transaction the Brewers made late in spring was to claim first basemen Joe Koshansky and send him to AAA. With Brad Nelson already on the roster, I think Milwaukee is preparing themselves early for the possibility of dealing Prince Fielder later this year. In other fantasy baseball happenings around the diamond on Thursday…

National League:

NL only league players in deeper leagues should look to put in a free agent claim on Darnell McDonald of the Cincinnati Reds. McDonald looks to be the man against left-handed pitching in left field for the Reds. McDonald got his second start of the season on Thursday. Joey Votto continues to rake, hitting his second home run of the season. He is justifying his high draft status early on this year…..Chris Carpenter turned in a gem for the St. Louis Cardinals. He seems to be back to his form from 2006 but beware the injury risk still lingers going forward. Dennis Reyes got the save for the Cardinals as the Pittsburgh Pirates had lefties Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit up to bat in the ninth inning, so don’t rush to grab Reyes from the waiver wire assuming that he is the new closer.Ramon Vazquez got another start at third base for the Pirates over Andy LaRoche…..All the speed the Los Angeles Dodgers have and Orlando Hudson leads the team with three stolen bases? Hudson’s previous high was 10 in 2007. So far so good for Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres, now 2 for 2 in saves. Jody Gerut sat the bench again for the Padres with a lefty on the mound for the Dodgers…..Matt Cain got a win in his first start of the year for the San Francisco Giants. I think the Giants are the sleeper team in the National League West. Their offense does not look intimidating on paper but they seem to have a bunch of professional hitters that will put runs together this season.

American League:

In a battle of rookie starters, Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays outpitched Rick Porcello of the Detroit Tigers. Adam Lind hit his second home run of the season for the Blue Jays. He should be good for 20-25 home runs this season and out of the 5th spot in the lineup should be able to drive in 90+ runs…..Brandon Morrow of the Seattle Mariners was much better in his second save attempt shutting the door on the Minnesota Twins. Even though Glen Perkins got the loss, I like him in AL only leagues as a back half of a fantasy baseball rotation…..Lots of firsts for the New York Yankees on Thursday. First win in the new uniform for A.J. Burnett, first home run of the season for Mark Teixeira and first stolen base of the season for Brett Gardner…..Evan Longoria hit his second home run of the season for the Tampa Bay Rays. I had said in an earlier post that I expect him to battle David Wright and A-Rod for the first third basemen chosen in fantasy basbeall drafts next season. Jason Varitek hit his second home run for the Red Sox. He will provide a little bit of power from the catcher position for your fantasy team but be prepared to offset his low batting average…..Good starts from both Kyle Davies and John Danks in the Kansas City – Chicago game. Coco Crisp sent the Royals home a winner with his home run off of Bobby Jenks in the ninth inning. Alex Gordon stole his first base of the season for the Royals…..Andruw Jones got his first start of the season for the Texas Rangers and they decide to hit him cleanup? Mmmm, just saying, if a guy is good enough to hit cleanup when he plays, either he should be playing more or the manager is hitting him in the wrong spot in the lineup.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Wednesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 9th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

Very sad news today in the world of sports today as Los Angeles Angels rookie starting pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident Thursday morning. Adenhart, 22, was the starting pitcher against the Oakland Athletics last night and had thrown six shutout innings.

In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Wednesday…

American League:

Derek Jeter went yard for the New York Yankees who are still looking for their first win of the season. Koji Uehara was solid in his first start for the Baltimore Orioles, but where are the strikeouts?….Zach Miner got the win for the Detroit Tigers thanks in part to Brandon Inge, who hit his third home run of the season. Did I mention that he hits better as an infielder? Miguel Cabrera hit two home runs for the Tigers. I expect a monster season from Cabrera this season as he should league the American League in rbi…..Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria both went deep for the Tampa Bay Rays. Nice to see Rocco Baldeill make it back, as he started in right field for the Boston Red Sox…..Fausto Carmona, err, not a good start with the Cleveland Indians. Nelson Cruz for the Texas Rangers hit two home runs and stole a base. Elvis Andrus even chipped in with a home run; that is pure gravy if you own him….Kevin Slowey got the win for the Minnesota Twins, although his line was not that pretty. Denard Span has put his awful spring behind him and is off to a good start in week one, slugging his first home run of the season…..Zack Greinke looked sharp for the Kansas City Royals as did Gavin Floyd for the Chicago White Sox. Note on Gavin Floyd, his strikeouts were up in spring training and in his first start, this may be the season he kicks up his strikeout rate up a notch.

National League:

The Florida Marlins continued to roll. Emilio Bonifacio stole his fourth base of the season. Chris Volstad struck out 7 in 5 innings of work. Closer Matt Lindstrom looked shaky, loading the bases with one out before getting out of the jam. Elijah Dukes got his first start of the year in center field over Lastings Milledge for the Washington Nationals…..If you had game three in the Chipper Jones injury pool, you are a winner as Chipper sat with a bruised left thumb. Jordan Schafer hit his second home run of the season. Don’t get too excited thinking he is going to hit 30+ home runs, his career high in the minor leagues was 10. Dexter Fowler got the start in center field for the Colorado Rockies and hit his first home run in the major leagues. Manager Clint Hurdle said Fowler will see time against left-handed pitching and some right handers so I see Fowler getting 300-350 at bats…..New year, different result for Edison Volquez as he struggled against the New York Mets. I see some downside to Volquez who had a stellar year last year. Downside as in not likely to repeat last year’s numbers because they were just too good. There is always some regression to the mean…..Alfonso Soriano stole his frst base of the year for the Chicago Cubs. Jeff Keppinger got the start at 3b for the Houston Astros. He is a good free agent pickup in NL only leagues as he should see time against left-handed starters. How bad is the Astros staff that Russ Ortiz is on it?….David Freese got the start at 3b for the St. Louis Cardinals as manager Tony La Russa tries to set a major league record for having a different starting third basemen for every game of the season. Zach Duke who had a respectable spring for the Pittsburgh Pirates had a good first start…..Rule 5 pick Everth Cabrera got the start at shortstop for the San Diego Padres. I like Cabrera in NL only leagues as he has a chance to steal 15-20 bases this season in a reserve role. The best reliever in the National League (sorry K-Rod) Jonathan Broxton got his second save of the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers…..Yovani Gallardo (love him!) got the first win of the year for the Milwaukee Brewers. Gallardo should be good for close to 200 strikeouts this season health permitting.

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Tuesday

Posted by Todd Lammi on April 7th, 2009

by Todd Lammi

It is time to break out the bubbly, the Florida Marlins look like they are going to the World Series this year. Of course, they are beating up on the Washington Nationals, but still, with a solid lineup and two top of the rotation starters, the Marlins should be in the hunt for the playoffs if their bullpen can protect leads this season. Now on to more important matters, fantasy baseball news and notes from Tuesday at the ballpark.

National League:

Josh Johnson, NL CY Young sleeper this year, health permitting. If Emilio Bonifacio keeps getting on base, Jorge Cantu is going to drive in a ton of runs this season. Cantu hit his second home run of the year on Tuesday. Cameron Maybin batting second got his first stolen base of the season. Austin Kearns hit his first home run for the Nationals. Still no sign of Josh Willingham or Elijah Dukes…..The San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers but the big news was ace Tim Lincecum leaving after three innings and only 78 pitches thrown. The Giants offense could be semi interesting this season with a lot of guys in the 10-15 home run range driving in 80-90 runs…..Seriously, isn’t there a class these managers could take on how to fill out a batting order to appease fantasy baseball players? I really would like to know why Hunter Pence is batting behind Geoff Blum for the Houston Astros. Catcher Geovany Soto left in the sixth inning for the Chicago Cubs with soreness in his right shoulder. He is expected to be out of action until the weekend at the earliest…..Colby Rasmus got his first big league start for the St. Louis Cardinals and hit second in the batting order. Joe Thurston got the start at 3b for the Cards as they continue to mix and match players to replace the injured Troy Glaus. Skip Schumaker got the start at second base and hit lead off…..Tory Tulowitzki hit his second home run in as many days as he looks to rebound from an injury plagued 2008. At least he moved up one spot in the lineup with Clint Barmes starting at second base sliding into the 8th spot in the batting order. Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton were in the lineup for the Arizona Diamondbacks with Tony Clark and Eric Byrnes on the bench…..Jody Gerut took a seat on the bench for the San Diego Padres with the Los Angeles Dodgers starting a lefty. Scott Hairston took his place in the lineup. Orlando Hudson stole his second base of the season for the Dodgers.

American League:

Alex Gordon keeps right on rolling. I recently posted about his numbers from spring training and his work with new batting coach Kevin Seitzer and the hot streak continued Tuesday with Gordon’s first home run of the season….. Josh Beckett was dominant for the Boston Red Sox, striking out 10 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Matt Joyce and Gabe Gross were both in the lineup for the Rays with B.J. Upton currently on the disabled list…..Brandon Lyon blew his first save opportunity of the season for the Detroit Tigers. Nothing ruins a fantasy baseball day more than getting a 5 whip ratio from your closer……Brandon Morrow also blew his first save attempt of the year for the Seattle Mariners. Delmon Young got the start for the Minnesota Twins in place of Jason Kubel with the Mariners starting a left-hander on the mound….Rookie Trevor Cahill got the start for the Oakland Athletics and struggled with his control, giving up 5 hits and 5 walks in 4+ innings. Matt Holliday was out of the lineup for Oakland due to an illness.

Posts Tagged ‘Daily Dirt’

The Daily Dirt for April 13th

The Daily Dirt from Saturday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Friday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Thursday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Thursday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Sunday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Sunday

Fantasy Baseball – the Daily Dirt for Wednesday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Friday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Thursday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Wednesday

The Daily Dirt for Tuesday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Sunday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt for Saturday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Thursday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Wednesday

Fantasy Baseball – The Daily Dirt from Tuesday

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