Only 10 games on the docket today, but that hasn't stopped the fantasy baseball train from rolling along, as we finally see some outstanding pitching performances from a number of aces today and plenty of offensive output as well, albeit from some unlikely sources.
There's also some news about the return of Adam Dunn, an exciting young infielder suffers a broken leg, a potential closer returns from the disabled list and then there's Manny being Manny.
It's time for a fantasy baseball recap, so as Def Leppard said back in the '80s, "Step inside, walk this way, you and me baby...hey, hey!"
We're going to try something different tonight, as we at Fantasy Alarm are always trying to alter our content to satisfy our loyal readers. Thus, tonight we are going to start including a quick spreadsheet of all the day's top players both hitting and pitching.
But don't worry; the usual sarcastic, wisecracking commentary isn't going anywhere folks, as we will be sure to always offer our reactions and opinions to whatever is going on in fantasy baseball today.
Here is a quick rundown of those who came to play today, April 7th, 2011.
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Hitters
Wilson Valdez -- 2B -- Phillies -- 4-for-4, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs, 0 steals
Raul Ibanez -- LF -- Phillies -- 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs, 0 steals
Placido Polanco -- 3B -- Phillies -- 2-for-5, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 runs, 0 steals
Juan Pierre -- LF -- White Sox -- 3-for-5, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 steal
Sam Fuld -- LF -- Rays -- 1-for-3, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 runs, 3 steals
Ryan Braun -- LF -- Brewers -- 2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 run, 0 steals
Troy Tulowitzki -- SS -- Rockies -- 2-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 run, 0 steals
Brett Gardner -- CF -- Yankees -- 1-for-2, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 run, 1 steal
Ian Desmond -- SS -- Nationals -- 2-for-5, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 run, 2 steals
Jayson Werth -- RF -- Nationals -- 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 run, 0 steals
Adam Jones -- CF -- Orioles -- 2-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs, 1 steal
Mark Reynolds -- 3B -- Orioles -- 2-for-3, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 run
Vlad Guerrero -- DH -- Orioles -- 2-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs, 0 steals
Alex Avila -- Catcher -- Tigers -- 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 0 steals
Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher went into second base hard this afternoon while trying to break up a double play and wound up breaking the leg of Twins 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Nishioka has a fracture in his fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks while he recovers.
This is bad news for the Twins, who do not have much infield depth in their organization, and thus Matt Tolbert figures to get most of the playing time for the time being. The Twins also called up Luke Hughes from AAA this evening. Hughes had a nice spring but is not a highly regarded prospect or worth very much consideration even in AL-only leagues.
Manny Ramirez is once again angry and is not yet traveling with the team, deciding to stay back in Florida and tend to an uber important "personal matter." Rays manager Joe Maddon even showed some disappointment in this latest "Manny being Manny" episode but does expect Ramirez to be back with the club as soon as Friday in Chicago.
Unless the Rays start hitting and ultimately start winning, this situation with Manny is going to take a turn for the worse real fast.
The Blue Jays expect slugger Jose Bautista to be back with the team on Friday after missing the past couple of days to be with his newborn daughter. Congratulations Jose, but believe me, once they start getting older and siding with their mother all of the time, your best bet is to be on the road or at the ballpark, my friend.
The answer is NO when asking whether or not Placido Polanco and/or Wilson Valdez are fantasy worthy after their big days on Thursday. Sam Fuld, on the other hand, may have something going for him over in Tampa because he is the only hot hitter on the entire Rays ball club at present moment.
Fuld could be worth a quick pickup in AL-only leagues right now and may get you a couple of weeks of high batting average, solid runs scored totals and definitely plenty of stolen bases.
Pitchers
Trevor Cahill -- A's -- WIN -- 8 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 7 K's, 0 BB
Edwin Jackson -- White Sox -- WIN -- 8 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 13 K's, 1 BB
Roy Halladay -- Phillies -- WIN -- 7 IP, 6 hits, 0 ER, 7 K's, 1 BB
Shaun Marcum -- Brewers -- WIN -- 6 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 4 K's, 2 BB
A.J. Burnett -- Yankees -- WIN -- 6 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 5 K's, 2 BB
Jon Lester -- Red Sox -- ND -- 7 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 9 K's, 3 BB
Ricky Romero -- Blue Jays -- ND -- 7.1 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 5 K's, 2 BB
Fausto Carmona -- Indians -- ND -- 7 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 4 K's, 2 BB
Another bad outing by the Braves' Tommy Hanson has got me thinking there might be some sort of injury concern here with the young power pitcher. He suffered some back issues in spring training but received treatment and has been totally cleared; however, as often happens in these situations, the overcompensation for the back might have led to a new injury that we are not aware of yet.
Hanson has lost velocity on his fastball, and his slider definitely hasn't had the bite it showed even earlier this spring. Pay close attention here, as it is my belief that Hanson heads to the DL with one more poor start.
The Blue Jays activated setup man Octavio Dotel from the disabled list today. With the addition of Dotel and the expected return of Frank Francisco, the Blue Jays bullpen might finally become the strength the organization envisioned this offseason.
At this point the Yankees must be glad that they didn't trade for Twins starter Francisco Liriano. Liriano has been erratic in his two starts this season and hasn't had the command that he's shown in spurts throughout his career. If he doesn't iron his issues out, there are going to be a lot of unhappy fantasy owners and Twins fans in 2011.
Sean Burnett got his second save of the season tonight as the Nationals beat the Marlins in extra innings 5-3. But please do not go out and pick up Burnett off the waiver wire just yet. In fact, don't pick up Sean Burnett at any point this or in any other season. The two early-season saves have both come as a result of circumstance instead of the coach’s decision or any amazing feat by Burnett.
It is worth noting, though, that Drew Storen, who had been awful so far this spring, notched two perfect innings in which he struck out three. Hopefully he begins trending back up after quite a poor early-season performance.
Jeff Mans is a co-host of SiriusXM's Fantasy Alarm Show, weekends 5-8 PM and also the Fantasy Alarm Show Podcast. He is also a contributor to Bleacher Report and the Senior Writer for Fantasy Alarm.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
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