Around the Majors (May 1)

Are Jhonny Peralta, Brandon Phillips and Geovany Soto warming up?  Clayton Kershaw and Jake Peavy certainly turned their luck around.  Joe Mauer returned with a bang.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games.

Cleveland vs. Detroit

• Welcome back David Dellucci.  He was in the DH role yesterday, going 4-5 with 1 R.  It’ll be interesting to see how much playing time he gets, which obviously would determine if he has any fantasy value.  Ryan Garko was on the bench in this one to make room.
• Jhonny Peralta, expected to be one of the top offensive shortstops in the game, went the entire month of April without a home run.  It didn’t take long for him to get himself on the board in May, going 2-5 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 2 R.  It’s quite conceivable to see him have a huge month of May, helping owners significantly.  If someone in your league is selling, I’d certainly be buying.

Los Angeles (AL) vs. New York (AL)

• The Angels bullpen completely collapsed.  With a 9-4 lead heading into the eighth inning, they completely coughed it up.  While the two set-up men each took a hit, the big culprit was Brian Fuentes, who failed to record an out in the ninth inning.  He have up 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk, falling to 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA on the season.  Think they are missing Francisco Rodriguez right now?
• Jorge Posada went 2-4 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and 2 R.  He’s now hitting .288 with 4 HR and 18 RBI.  Yes, he may be an injury concern after having his 2008 season cut short, but the results thus far have been tremendous.  He’s obviously worth using in all formats, but that really should go without saying at this point.
• Andy Pettitte gave up 5 runs on 9 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2, over 5.2 innings.  Yeah, his ERA is now 3.82, but remember, he hasn’t had a sub-four ERA since 2005.  I have to believe that the ERA is going to continue to rise, which should cause concern.

Baltimore vs. Toronto

• It’s been a heck of a start for Nick Markakis, hasn’t it?  He went 1-3 with 1 HR,  2 RBI and 2 R, putting him at .379 with 3 HR, 24 RBI and 25 R.  He’s also walked (14) more times then he’s struck out (13).
• Adam Lind went 2-5 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R, putting him at .320 with 5 HR and 22 RBI.  That gives him home runs in back-to-back games, going 4-8 with 4 RBI and 3 R.  He just hasn’t really slowed down, has he?
• Roy Halladay improved to 5-1, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6, over 8 innings.  It’s just standard operating procedure for one of the Top 5 pitchers in the game.

Boston vs. Tampa Bay

• Carlos Pena is the first major leaguer to reach double-digit home runs, going 1-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R.  Yeah, he’s hitting just .256, but that’s not why people draft him.  He’s looking like the force he was in 2007, no?
• So much for a potential sophomore slump for Evan Longoria, huh?  After going 1-3 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 R he’s hitting .368 with 7 HR and 28 RBI on the season.  Wow…
• The bloom could be off the rose when it comes to Justin Masterson in the rotation.  Everyone was talking him up big-time after his first two starts, but he gave up 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 6, over 6 innings in this one.  He’s a solid pitcher, but I wouldn’t expect him to stick long-term this season, making him nothing more then a pitch-or-ditch option at this point.  His next start would come against the Indians.

Chicago (AL) vs. Texas

• It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but Mark Buehrle just gets the job done.  He improved to 4-0 after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 0 walks, striking out 3, over 6 innings.  I hope people will stop writing him off, as he continues to prove that he has value in all formats despite the lack of strikeout upside.
• Andruw Jones has now started four of the past five games for the Rangers.  He went 1-4 with 1 RBI in this one.  He’s far from the player he once was, but it is conceivable that he proves valuable for owners in 5-OF formats.  He’s hitting .333 with 3 HR and 7 RBI on the season.  I wouldn’t make a move on him at this point, but monitor his progress.

Kansas City vs. Minnesota

• It is obviously safe to get Jose Guillen back into your line-up.  He went 3-4 with 2 RBI and is now hitting .270 with 2 HR and 7 RBI since returning from the DL.  Is he an elite option?  Nope, but he has the potential to reach 100 RBI on the season.
• Kevin Slowey is 4-0, but his ERA is now 5.17 after giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and 0 walks, striking out 4, over 5 innings.  This is already the third start that he’s given up five earned runs, so it certainly is surprising that he is still undefeated on the season.  It’s nice to see, but he isn’t a must use option by any stretch.
• Welcome back Joe Mauer!  He went 2-3 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 3 R.  We all know how tremendous of an option he is, so do not hesitate to slot him in now that he is back.

Oakland vs. Seattle

• One is good.  Two is better.  Matt Holliday hit a home run for the second straight game, going 2-5 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 2 R.  All I can say is that it’s about time.  I know I said it yesterday, but outside of Colorado or not, he’s a better player then he’s shown thus far.
• Jose Lopez was the hero, getting the game-winning hit.  He went 2-5 with 3 RBI, his third consecutive two-hit game and fifth multi-hit game in his last seven.  He too is a much better player then he showed in the season’s first month.  He’s a player worth considering as a low-end 2B (depending on who else is available to you), but most certainly as a middle infielder in deeper formats.

Florida vs. Chicago (NL)

• Graham Taylor’ results were better, giving up 2 runs over 5 innings, but that’s not to say that the start was a success.  He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out just 1.  While it was the bullpen that blew the win for him, those peripherals are awfully unappealing.  Continue to ignore him in all formats.
• Geovany Soto went 2-3 with 1 R, his first multi-hit game of the season.  He also had not had a hit since April 25.  Owners have to hope that with the turn of the calendar, things are going to start improving for him.
• Rich Harden went 3.2 innings giving up 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks, striking out 2.  That certainly is not a Harden-like performance, the first time this season he has failed to strikeout at least 8 batters in a game.
• Hanley Ramirez didn’t start, but owners have to be happy to see him enter the game.  It would appear to be inevitable that he returns to the line-ups, so daily league owners monitor the pregame line-up closely.

New York (NL) vs. Philadelphia

• The New York Mets desperately needed help in the rotation and after having a start skipped, Mike Pelfrey has stepped up (somewhat).  He improved to 3-0 after giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks, striking out 0, over 5.1 innings.  Yeah, I know those numbers are not extremely impressive, but you have to remember that this was against an extremely difficult opponent.  That’s not really an excuse for a WHIP over 2 and failing to strike out a batter.  In fact, he’s only registered 6 Ks over 21 innings.  That’s got to be a huge concern.
• Jimmy Rollins went 0-4, stopping his four game hitting streak, dropping his average back under .200.  He also has just one stolen base and nine runs scored.  He’s been a bitter disappointment, but better days should be ahead.

Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh

• I still really don’t understand why Brandon Phillips was given the day off the other day.  Phillips went 1-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R.  That’s HR in back-to-back starts (he went hitless in that pinch hit appearance).  Granted, he’s still hitting just .192, but at least he’s showing some power now.
• Zach Duke had another solid outing, despite taking the loss.  He went 7 innings giving up 1 run on 6 hits and 2 walk, striking out 5.  His ERA is down to 2.21.  He has only had one outing where he’s given up more then 1 earned run (against the Braves), making him a pitcher worth using in all formats.

St. Louis vs. Washington

• Jordan Zimmerman had his first rough start of his major league career, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and 0 walks, striking out 6, over 5.2 innings.  The biggest problem was that he allowed three home runs.  Bad starts happen, and it’s not like the Cardinals are a terrible offense.  Rookie pitchers are generally not dependable, so this is not very surprising.  His next start comes against the Dodgers, not a start i would recommend using him for.
• Interesting that the Cardinals used Chris Duncan in the clean-up spot, though he did respond by going 3-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R.  While he was pulled, is it that he has earned relatively regular playing time?  Who knows, as Tony La Russa continues to juggle things, but he certainly deserves it.  It’s a tough situation, because owners do not want to see Rick Ankiel or Colby Rasmus find their way to the bench, either, and Ryan Ludwick deserves to be out there every day.  Continue to monitor the situation.

Houston vs. Atlanta

• Miguel Tejada went 0-4, dropping his average to .301.  He has just four RBI on the season, and that comes having spent 44 AB batting fifth.  That’s really unacceptable, and with his average freefalling (he was hitting .383 on April 19), he’s not a player that I would use in most formats.  There are significantly better options available, and I’d only use him out of desperation or as a short-term fill-in unless he starts to hit again.
• Mike Hampton was a big comeback story in April, but he struggled in this one, giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 0, over 4.1 innings.  I would not write him off, but he’s certainly more of a pitch-and-ditch option at this point.
• How disappointed are Mets fans right now?  Derek Lowe is clearly proving worth the money (which the Mets shied away from), improving to 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA.  He allowed 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3, over 6.2 innings.  He’s clearly worth using in all formats.

Arizona vs. Milwaukee

• Justin Upton extended his hitting streak to 8 games, going 1-3 with 2 RBI and 1 R.  Of course, he has just two multi-hit games during the streak, but that’s not the point.  At the beginning of the streak, he was hitting .167, but he’s now up to .254.  That’s quite a jump.
• Manny Parra had his second consecutive solid start, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8, over 6 innings.  That’s still too many walks, so be mindful of that.  He’s walked 16 batters over 25.1 innings of work.

San Diego vs. Los Angeles (NL)

• This game was all about the pitching, though neither starter figured in the decision.  Jake Peavy went 8 shutout innings giving up 2 hits and 1 walk, striking out 8.  Considering he had given up 11 ER over his previous two starts, this certainly is a great sign.  It’s the perfect reason for not giving up on a player, despite his struggles.  We know he’s going to turn it around; you just need patience.
• Clayton Kershaw had been terrible over his previous two starts, giving up 15 earned runs over 9 innings.  He turned that around in a heartbeat, tossing 7 shutout inning giving up 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3.  He has the potential to be one of the elite starters in the game and he should continue to be used in all formats.  Granted, he’s been a little unpredictable and has yet to win a game, but that’s not completely his fault.  In his three no-decisions, he’s given up a total of two earned runs.  He easily could be 3-2 on the season.

Colorado vs. San Francisco

• Ubaldo Jimenez supporters can rejoice with this start, despite the loss.  He went 7 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.  Unlike other pitchers, this one encouraging start does not necessarily mean a turnaround in my mind.  While he controlled the baserunners for one night, he’s still sporting a WHIP of 1.81 and those walks can bite him at any time.  He’s got a rematch with the Giants in his next start, so you could gamble on him next week but be wary.  He certainly is not my top choice to use.
• Pablo Sandoval went 2-4, raising his average to .316.  Remember when people were concerned that he was hitting just .195?  He has hits in eight of his past nine games, getting that number up there quickly.  The problem is that he hasn’t contributed anywhere else, with 1 HR, 6 RBI and 7 R on the season.  Once he becomes catcher eligible, he will have more value, but for now he’s only worth using in extremely deep formats.

Anyone have any thoughts?  Anything to add?

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