Baseball

Looking for a team that is building its way to being competitive? Hoping to get in on the ground floor of a team loaded with young fantasy talent? The Cincinnati Reds might be your team.

Cincinnati general manager Walt Jockety has done a good job of assembling talented youngsters. Then he surrounded them with quality veterans who can produce on the field, lead in the clubhouse and mentor the kids.

The latest news out of Phillies camp was not promising: Starter J.A. Happ will miss tonight's start against the Atlanta Braves due to stiffness in his elbow.

Instead, Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 17.47), pictured, will face Tommy Hanson (1-1, 2.38).

Other matchups feature Tim Hudson (1-0, 2.84) vs. Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.12) and Jamie Moyer (1-1, 7.50) against Derek Lowe (3.0, 4.67).

In the face of losing two of three games at home to the Marlins, facing the Braves' quality starters looks like a mismatch.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke used a historic April to propel him to the American League Cy Young award last year. I don’t think anyone expected Greinke to repeat his April performance this year.

As a hitter, there's no worse feeling in baseball than knowing you're going to come to the plate to face a man who you know will dominate you with one pitch.

As you adjust your batting gloves and dig in, you know that you're going to flail wildly, but that there's nothing you can do about it.

It's the call most Mets fans wanted in spring training.

Ike Davis became a fan favorite with his impressive spring, but the Mets organization wanted to see him play more in Triple-A.

They chose to give the first base job to a combination of Fernando Tatis and Mike Jacobs while waiting for Daniel Murphy to return from injury.

Well, that didn't work out so well.

The closer role is perhaps the most difficult job in major league baseball. If not the most difficult, it surely is the most highly scrutinized and insecure position on any team.

Before two weeks of the 2010 regular season had passed, four teams had already changed pitchers filling this important role.

Matt Holliday is looking like one of the best hitters in the game. Ike Davis made his big league debut. Could Brandon Morrow be turning the corner?

Let’s look at 10 of the biggest stories from yesterday’s games.

Hitting

B.J. Upton (1-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R)

Scott Podsednik batting .457 and on pace to steal 94 bases? A fluke.

Livan Hernandez’s 16 scoreless innings and 2-0 record? A fluke.

The Pirates’ 7-5 record? Definitely a fluke.

However, there are some other early season trends around baseball that are more than just a stroke of good luck. Let’s take a look at Five Early MLB Trends that are No Fluke.

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Here’s a look at the unheralded players who played well yesterday.

Pat Burrell, Tampa Bay Rays
Pat the Bat went three-for-four with a double. He’s hitting .270, but has just five RBIs.