Fantasy Baseball Minor League Report - week 8

by Todd Lammi With Brett Myers of the Philadelphia Phillies scheduled to have surgery on his right hip that will likely end his season, let's take a look at some the internal options the Phillies have to fill that void either by call up or via trade. Carlos Carrasco was the minor league pitcher closest to the majors when the season started, beginning the year in Triple-A. He has been off to a disappointing start so far this season at 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA. In 55 innings, he has allowed 63 hits with 58 strikeouts and opposing batters are hitting .281 against him. He has been better in his last three starts with 7 runs allowed in 19 2/3 innings with 21 strikeouts that the Phillies might be willing to give him a shot while he has momentum. Antonio Bastardo was recently promoted to Triple-A where he has made two starts, allowing three runs in 13 innings with 12 strikeouts. In 34 2/3 innings at AA, he had a 1.82 with 39 strikeouts while holding batters to a .178 average. Kyle Kendrick has done nothing to distinguish himself in Triple-A, with a 4.25 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 53 innings, but he could be an option because of his past big league experience. The longest of long shots is Kyle Drabek in Advanced A ball. Drabek currently holds a 2.48 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings. If nothing else, the injury to Myers should have him bumped up to AA very shortly. If the Phillies look to trade for a starter, they might move shortstop Jason Donald who is currently in AAA blocked by Jimmy Rollins. Donald has been off to a slow start with a .234 average with one home run and four steals. In AA in 2008, Donald hit .307 with 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Outfielder Michael Taylor in AA could also be a trade target of other teams. Taylor is hitting .342 with 9 home runs, 37 RBI and 8 stolen bases with a low 19 strikeouts in 152 at bats. In other minor league news from week 8... Tommy Hanson continues to dominate in Triple-A, allowing one run in seven innings with nine strikeouts. Opposing hitters are batting a paltry .164 on the season against him. Gordon Beckham was promoted to Triple-A and is seeing time at third base. It looks like the White Sox are intent to get his bat into the line up at any position they can. Beckham hit .299 with 4 home runs and 22 RBI in 38 games in AA before the promotion. He has gone 3 for 7 in two games with the Charlotte Knights. Wade Davis should be next in line the next time the Tampa Bay Rays need a starting pitcher from the minors. Davis in Triple-A currently has a 3.40 ERA in 53 innings with 32 strikeouts. His AAA numbers were actually better in 2008 following his promotion from AA. 2008 ERA - 2.72 Innings - 53 Hits - 39 Strikeouts - 55 2009 ERA - 3.40 Innings - 53 Hits - 44 Strikeouts - 32 The Cleveland Indians have several promising arms they could turn to in AA in the second half of the season. Jeanmar Gomez has a 1.29 ERA in five starts with 0.57 whip ratio and 3o strikeouts in 35 innings. Teammate Chuck Lofgren was just promoted to Triple-A after posting a 1.42 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings. Mat Latos (Padres) tossed seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts and could see a promotion to Triple-A in another month or two. Latos has a 0.50 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings on the season. Madison Bumgarner (Giants) is heating up in AA, running off four straight wins since his promotion. Between his two minor league stops, Bumgarner is 7-1 with a 1.14 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings with zero home runs allowed. Brad Lincoln (Pirates) should be ready for a move up to Triple-A in the near future. Lincoln has a 2.05 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings of work. He has allowed only two home runs and 12 walks on the season. Alcides Escobar (Brewers) has been working at second base since the injury to Rickie Weeks and his hitting has taken off. He has boosted his average to .290 with two home runs and 21 steals. It remains to be seen whether the Milwaukee Brewers promote him the second half of the season or use him as the main trade bait to try to get Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres. Catcher Carlos Santana is hitting .292 with 7 home runs and 29 RBI in AA. He also has a 31 to 22 walk to strikeout ratio. If the Cleveland Indians go into fire sale mode and trade Victor Martinez or Kelly Shoppach, Santana could see time in the second half of the season. To get more minor league baseball insight and analysis, see the Minor League Report

Fantasy Baseball - the Daily Dirt for Sunday

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.

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Fantasy Baseball - the Daily Dirt for Saturday

by Todd Lammi

Zack Greinke extended his scoreless inning streak to 20, as he threw a complete game shutout against the Texas Rangers, striking out 10 batters, in a 2-0 victory. Greinke has now struck out 26 in only 20 innings on the season. Kevin Millwood got the loss, as he also threw a complete game with three strikeouts. His one mistake was a two-run home run given up to Miguel Olivo in the seventh inning. Rangers top pitching prospect Derek Holland was recalled from Triple-A and will initially pitch out of the bullpen. In other fantasy baseball news around the diamond on Saturday...

American League:

The Cleveland Indians set a major league record, scoring 14 runs in the second innings, as they pounded the New York Yankees 22-4. The Indians hit six home runs, led by Grady Sizemore (4), Victor Martinez (4) and Travis Hafner (4). Chien-Ming Wang had another poor outing for the Yankees, allowing eight runs in 1 1/3 innings. Wang's ERA now stands at 34.50, after giving up run totals of 7,8 and 8 in his three starts..... Carlos Quentin hit his 6th home run and Paul Konerko his 3rd as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3. The control problems that Rays starter Scott Kazmir had at the end of last season resurfaced today, as he walked six in four innings. Carl Crawford stole base number four for the Rays.....Kevin Youkilis hit his 3rd home run of the season and drove in four runs in a 6-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Shortstop Jed Lowrie on the 15-day DL with is headed to Arizona to get a second opinion on his sprained left wrist, as it may require surgery.....Jason Kubel continues to rake for the Minnesota Twins, going 4 for 5 with 2 RBI in a 9-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Kevin Slowey allowed two runs in seven innings with five strikeouts to pick up the win. Bobby Abreu stole base number six and Chone Figgins base number seven for the Angels.....Edwin Jackson tossed 7 2/3 shutout innings with six strikeouts to lead the Detroit Tigers over the Seattle Mariners 2-0. Fernando Rodney picked up his 3rd save of the year. Erik Bedard had a strong outing for the Mariners, allowing two runs in six innings with eight strikeouts. ....Lyle Overbay hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. Rookie starter Trevor Cahill for the A's has a 2.60 ERA, and is holding batters to a .197 average, but his lack of control is holding him back from pitching deeper into ballgames. Cahill currently has a 13/5 walk to strikeout ratio.

National League:

Ian Snell threw seven shutout innings to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Atlanta Braves 10-0. Outfielder Craig Monroe hit two home runs and drove in six runs for the Pirates. One thing to keep in mind when projecting fantasy baseball stats is the change in position coaches. New pitching coach Joe Kerrigan seems to have a done a good job early on of making improvements in multiple Pirate pitchers. Heading into Saturday's games, the Pirates led the major leagues in ERA. Jo-Jo Reyes did not fare well in his first start for the Braves, allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Chipper Jones missed his 4th straight game with a bruised thumb.....Jeremy Hermida was a one man show for the Florida Marlins, vaulting the Marlins past the Washington Nationals in extra innings 9-6. Hermida hit a two-run home run off closer Joel Hanrahan in the ninth inning to tie the game at 6-6 and then hit a three-run home run in the 11th inning for the win. Austin Kearns hit a grand slam for the Nationals.....Johan Santana threw seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts to pitch the New York Mets past the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0. Yvoni Gallardo of the Brewers matched him pitch for pitch, tossing six shutout innings with seven strikeouts.....Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning to lead the Chicago Cubs over the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5. Any questions about either bullpen seemed to be answered in this game. Carlos Marmol who had been unscored upon this season, pitched the seventh inning with Kevin Gregg throwing innings 8 and 9. For the Cardinals, Jason Motte pitched inning 7, Ryan Franklin innings 8-9 and Chris Perez inning 10.....The Los Angeles Dodgers got two home runs each from Manny Ramirez and Andre Ethier to defeat the Colorado Rockies 9-5. Chad Billingsley moved to 3-0 on the season with six strikeouts in six innings. Those of you in NL only fantasy baseball leagues looking for relief pitchers with good numbers should check out Ronald Belisario of the Dodgers. Belisario has allowed one run in 8 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts.....San Francisco Giants starter Tim Lincecum flashed his 2008 form, throwing eight shutout innings with 13 strikeouts against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Doug Davis of the D-Backs matched him with eight scoreless innings and six strikeouts. Outfielder Chris Young won the game for Arizona in the 9th inning with a two-run double.....Wandy Rodriguez threw seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts to pace the Houston Astros to a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence each stole their second base of the season for the Astros.....Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a tie-breaking three-run home run off of closer Brad Lidge in the 9th inning to power the San Diego Padres past the Philadelphia Phillies 8-5. Adrian Gonzalez hit his 4th home run for the Padres. Raul Ibanez (4), Ryan Howard (2) and Chase Utley (3) all went deep for the Phillies.

For all of the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis, head to http://fantasybaseballtools.com.

Fantasy Baseball - The Daily Dirt for Thursday

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.

To get more fantasy baseball news and analysis, head to http://fantasybaseballtools.com.

Hotties and Notties

Just about every major league player has hot & cold streaks. When they're hot, hitters think about chasing Pete Rose or Joe DiMaggio...while pitchers have Nolan Ryan and Cy Young in their lofty sights. When they're cold, hitters worry the Mendoza Line will be renamed for them...and pitchers see visions of John Van Benschoten dancing in their heads. If those hot & cold streaks happen at the start of a season, however, they're put under more microscopes than Lindsay Lohan's career. Fantasy baseball owners with itchy trigger fingers are watching live gamecasts ready to click the add/drop button with every 0-fer. Before we dive into the Fantasy Tipster's first Hotties and Notties of 2009, remember that everything is uber-magnified at this time of the year. Remember, Dustin Pedroia started his career 6 for 38 (.158 BA)...and finished as the 2007 Rookie of the Year (not to mention the 2008 AL MVP). Is there a Pedroia lurking in our Notties? Let's find out... The Hotties Emilio Bonifacio (2B/3B) FL - There may be no more a polarizing player this season than Bonifacio. Some view his start and think he's the second coming of Luis Castillo, circa 1999. Others look at the peripherals and are simply waiting for the inevitable Tuffy Rhodes flameout. Unfortunately, a close look at his minor league track record suggests that fantasy baseball owners may want enjoy this while it lasts. Bonifacio's numbers suggests a career more in line with Britney Spears (hot start then crash and burn) than Christina Aguilera (hot start, steady production). The one thing Castillo (and others of his ilk...see: Lofton, Kenny and Pierre, Juan) had that Bonifacio does not is plate discipline. During Castillo's breakout season, and through his most productive seasons, he drew nearly as many walks as strikeouts and never whiffed more than 90 times in a season. Bonifacio has K'd over twice as often has he's walked in the minors and the 41 K/14 BB line he posted with the Nationals last year suggests his average is bound to fall back to earth. Hard. That doesn't mean he can't be productive, Willy Taveras stole 68 bases last season while hitting .251 and posting a 79/36 K-to-BB rate. Just don't expect miracles and if you're the "sell high" type, sell sell sell. Nick Swisher (1B/OF) NYY - A former 1st round pick who'd played in at least 150 games for the past three straight seasons, Swisher found himself in an unfamiliar spot to open 2009: his butt planted squarely on the Yankee pine. But thanks to early injuries to Mark Teixeira, Xavier Nady and Hideki Matsui, Swisher has quickly become a fixture in the starting lineup, even batting cleanup in yesterday's victory over Tampa Bay. Swisher is just 28 years old, has always exhibited solid plate discipline and hits lefties and righties with equal authority. Maybe all he needed was some motivation to finally deliver on all that potential. He'll never hit .300, but 25 HR and 90 RBI are very much in reach if he can continue to find regular playing time. The Notties Jimmy Rollins (SS) PHI - How bad has Rollins been? In Yahoo's ranking system, he's ranked 1105th. Alex Rodriguez is ranked 959th and hasn't played a game yet. In other words, you'd have been better off leaving your SS spot empty than starting Rollins. Ouch. Still, it's hardly time to panic. While the power he flashed in 2006-07 is looking more and more like a Brady Anderson out-of-body experience, Rollins peripherals actually suggest he's only improving. In 2008 he walked more than he K'd for the first time in his career. He also swiped a career high 47 bases and was caught just three times. Now if you drafted Rollins looking for a 20-20 or 30-30 player, you'll probably be disappointed. But despite the slow start, there's no reason to think Rollins won't end up with 15 HR and 40+ SB when all is said and done. If you don't own him, see if you can pry him loose from a panicked owner. Lasting Milledge (OF) WAS - Anybody else feeling a little deja vu all over again? For all Milledge's obvious talents, the Nationals, like the Mets before them, have grown weary of his poor defense, poor plate discipline (10/1 K-to-BB ratio) and poor attitude (missing meetings, late arrivals to the ballpark). Washington has more than enough options to fill out it's outfield in Milledge's absence (Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns, Adam Dunn & Josh Willingham) so don't expect Milledge back in the big leagues barring injury, Dukes implosion or a serious attitude adjustment. Of course, players of his talent always find jobs so if you have room to stash him on your bench do so, but until he figures out that being a big leaguer means more than just having talent, he'll never deliver you or the Nationals to a championship.

Fantasy Baseball - The Daily Dirt for Tuesday

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.

To get all of the latest fantasy baseball news and insight, go to http://fantasybaseballtools.com.

Fantasy Baseball - The Daily Dirt from Friday

by Todd Lammi

Philadelphia Phillies starter Cole Hamels was pounded by the Colorado Rockies on Friday for seven earned runs. Hamels, who had his start pushed back due to elbow trouble in spring training, struggled with his control and his velocity. Manager Charlie Manuel suggested that Hamels could possibly miss his next start. Dexter Fowler stole his first base of the season for the Colorado Rockies. In other news around the diamond on Friday...

National League:

Jason Motte of the St. Louis Cardinals struggled again when given the opportunity for the save, allowing two hits before being replaced by Kyle McClellan. In AAA, Chris Perez threw two scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg blew a save for the Chicago Cubs, costing Rich Harden a win. Harden struck out 10 batters in six innings. Cubs manager Lou Piniella said catcher Geovany Soto should be ready to play in a few days. Matt Lindstrom blew a save for the Florida Marlins, but was bailed out when Jorge Cantu singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. John Maine and Anibal Sanchez both turned in good starts for the New York Mets and Marlins respectively.....James McDonald struggled in his first start for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matt Kemp stole his first base of the season. Hiroki Kuroda was placed on the disabled list with a mild oblique strain. Eric Stults has been recalled from the minors and will start against the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow. D-Backs starter Brandon Webb is scheduled to make his next start on Friday, April 17th assuming the MRI that was taken does not show anything of significance.....Chipper Jones returned to the lineup for the Atlanta Braves. Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe was removed in the fourth inning after a two hour rain delay.....Scott Hairston hit his first home run for the San Diego Padres as he continues to see playing time against left-handed starters. Emanuel Burriss got his first stolen base of the season for the San Francisco Giants.

American League:

Miguel Cabrera hit his third home run of the season for the Detroit Tigers and drove in six runs, giving him 10 RBI on the season already. Armando Galarraga turned in a nice performance on the mound for the Tigers, striking out eight in seven innings of work. Nelson Cruz hit his third home run for the Texas Rangers.....Adam Lind hit his third home run for the Toronto Blue Jays, giving him 11 RBI on the year. Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner both went yard for the Cleveland Indians as they each continue to show home run power that was missing in 2008.....Andy Pettitte got a win in his first start of the season for the New York Yankees, striking out six in seven innings. Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals was placed on the disabled list with a torn groin muscle. This move puts Alberto Callaspo into the starting lineup at second base, but also pushes back the eligibility time frame of Mark Teahan who now moves from second base back to the outfield.....The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Tampa Rays for the first time in their last 13 meetings, despite two home runs from Evan Longoria who now has four long balls on the young season. Outfielder B.J. Upton is expected to return from the disabled list on Monday for the Rays.....Joe Crede returned to U.S. Cellular Field, this time in a Minnesota Twins uniform, and hit a home run to propel the Twins over the Chicago White Sox. Twins starter Scott Baker, on the disabled list with stiffness in his right shoulder, had a successful minor league start in Class A, giving up one run in seven innings.....Jered Weaver had a good first start for the Los Angeles Angels, striking out eight in six and two-thirds innings. Bobby Abreau stole base number two and Chone Figgins base number three on the year for the Angels.....Rookie Brett Anderson had on average start for the Oakland As, giving up five earned runs in six innings of work. David Aardsma got a two inning save for the Seattle Mariners.

To get all of the latest fantasy baseball news and analysis, go to http://fantasybaseballtools.com.

Fantasy Baseball - The Daily Dirt from Thursday

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.

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Fantasy Baseball - The Daily Dirt from Wednesday

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.

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Saves and Supermodels

In fantasy baseball, top closers are like supermodels. They're rare, they're expensive and they make otherwise rational men do things they'll deny to friends later. "I didn't draft Jonathan Papelbon in the third round. No, really, what kind of man do you take me for?" Usually much beer drinking ensues. Now if Tom Brady's marriage to Giselle doesn't work out, since he's already rich and talented beyond mortal standards, it's easy for him to pick himself up, dust himself off and go hang out at the Playboy Mansion looking for a rebound. But if Papelbon, Rivera or K-Rod leave you at the alter, don't expect Hef to be handing you the keys to his mansion. You'll have to hit the waiver wire and scrounge for saves like the rest of us mortals trying to decide if Manny Corpas or Huston Street looks like a bridesmaid (setup man) or a bride (closer). Oh sure, you could pledge allegiance to the single life, trolling the bars (waiver wire) for a one-night stand. Or worse, you could become a saves monk, punting the category and making a vow of saves celibacy. But you'll never find a supermodel that way…and you probably won't win a lot of fantasy baseball championships either. Don't despair. Here are five names to remember as we enter this week's Fantasy Tipster Fly 5: Salomon Torres, Jon Rauch, Ryan Franklin, Jonathan Broxton and Jensen Lewis. All entered 2008 as no more than bridesmaids to Eric Gagne, Chad Cordero, Jason Isringhausen, Takashi Saito and Joe Borowski. All ended it with double-digit save totals. Broxton, in fact, may be a borderline marriage prospect going into 2009. Who can be your Broxton or your Franklin this season? Here are five current bridesmaids you might consider proposing marriage to before the season is out, in order of marriage worthiness: 1. Jensen Lewis (CLE) – If Kerry Wood were a supermodel, he'd be Kate Moss: in and out of rehab but productive when healthy. The health issue (sore back) has already reared its ugly head this spring, making Lewis a must-have for Wood owners. He converted 13 of 14 save chances as 2008 came to a close, so don't be afraid to nab Lewis if Wood reverts to his injury prone ways. 2. Ryan Perry (DET) – The Tigers bullpen is a complete mess, the equivalent of "America's Next Top Model" if all of the contestants were culled from the ranks of those who failed to make it on the "The Swan." Fernando Rodney has been announced as the closer going into the season, but Brandon Lyon and Joel Zumaya lurk as unappetizing alternatives. Perry, the Tigers first round selection in 2008, has the stuff, but he's just 22 years old with 13 innings of professional experience. Still, unless Willie Hernandez comes out of retirement, he may well be the Tigers most appealing option come summer. 3. Jerry Blevins/Santiago Casilla (OAK) – With Joey Devine en route to visit Dr. James Andrews, sidewinder Brad Ziegler has the closer duties to himself. But it's his deception, not his stuff, which gets major league hitters out. If the A's find Ziegler can't repeat his magic, Blevins and Casilla, profile as more classic closer types with their strikeout abilities. Casilla has already been mentioned as a potential Ziegler sidekick, but Blevins has the better control. 4. Juan Cruz (KC) – Cruz spent most of the winter like Paris Hilton. He had nearly every team interested in his services, but no firm commitments because of the price tag. Eventually the Royals coughed up the cash and the draft pick to sign him and he's likely to set up for super closer Joakim Soria. While Soria is secure in his role, Cruz's stuff (12.37 strikeouts per nine innings in 2008) makes him, along with the Cubs' Carlos Marmol, the best of the setup men "one heartbeat away" from top dog. 5. Todd Coffey/Jorge Julio (MIL) – Trevor Hoffman is 141 years old. Carlos Villanueva and Seth McClung have eight career big leagues saves between them. David Riske is exactly that. Looming in the back of the Brew Crew 'pen are Coffey (mentioned by manager Ken Macha as a potential fill-in) and Julio, he of the 99 career saves. Never underestimate what can happen when a manager has a "proven closer" to turn to.