Preview/Prediction

Mike Pelfrey dazzled the Cubs Tuesday night, allowing no runs on three hits and three walks in seven innings. He also struck out six en route to his third win in as many starts. The 26-year-old now has a 0.86 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with a 16:8 K:BB ratio through 21 innings.

The question all fantasy managers are asking now is: How good is Mike Pelfrey ?

The A's very good start has left them sitting pretty atop the AL West standings with a 9-5 record. That's got to have the A's feeling good about their chances.

Breaking down the first four series of the season, the A's are now 4-3 vs. the Seattle Mariners, 2-1 vs. the Los Angeles Angels, and 3-1 vs. the Baltimore Orioles. Not bad.

The main problem plaguing the New York Mets right now is not Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel, or the pitching staff; it’s the complete lack of certainty.

Will Jerry Manuel still be around in two weeks? Your guess is as good as mine.

What will the Mets’ pitching staff look like next week? Who knows.

How long will Ike Davis be on the big league roster? A week? Two weeks?

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.

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.

Less than six months into his Tigers career, Jackson is working to dilute Detroit's memory of former fan favorite Curtis Granderson.

From day one, management hoped the 23-year-old would fill Granderson's role: to man Comerica Park's cavernous center field and set the table for the big boppers.

Jackson has quickly surpassed the expectations thrust upon him.

Last spring, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson dubbed him the best athlete in the New York Yankees organization—and there was plenty of evidence to back that up.

The Red Sox were booed as they left the field today. They've suffered five straight losses, including a sweep by the Rays, and now they're six games out of first. 

The Sox are now 4-9 this season. You have to go back to 1996 to find a Red Sox team that got off to worse start after 13 games than the current edition. 

Of specific concern, the Sox are 1-6 against the Yankees and Rays this season, with all games played at Fenway. The Boston locals are currently facing their worst home start since the 1932 team started 1-9 at home.

So much for home cooking.

The Cubs (5-7) started off their first homestand of the 2010 season in strong fashion, just missing out on a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Then the one-win Houston Astros came to town and did just enough to take two of three from a punchless Cubs squad.

While it’s not time to panic, I wouldn’t smack you over the top of the head for being worried.

After a seemingly endless nine-game slide, the Orioles have added one more notch to the win column and currently sit at the bottom of the AL East standings with a record of 2-11.

The beginning of every season, in every sport is always full of hope and optimism.