The latest Subway Series between the New York Yankees and Mets concluded Sunday at Shea Stadium. And despite being known as the Bronx Bombers, the Yankees were more like pacified kittens as the Mets silenced the Pinstripers 3-1 behind seven strong innings of one run ball by Oliver Perez.

The Mets started things off early with a one out single in the second by Endy Chavez. Brian Schneider then singled followed by a Perez sacrifice and a Jose Reyes walk to load the bases. Luis Castillo then legged out an infield single to put the boys from Queens up early, 1-0.

The third inning saw the recently rejuvenated Carlos Delgado hit a solo home run to push the score to 2-0, which would prove to be enough support for Perez.

Perez sailed through the first six innings, not running into any trouble until the seventh inning when Yankee reserve Wilson Betemit hit a solo home run, providing the only run the Yankees would score on this day. Despite a Reyes error that followed, Perez was able to finish out the frame to cap a very strong outing.

For having such a sparkling ERA on the season (1.91), Met closer Billy Wagner has an unusual amount of blown saves with five. The usually reliable Wagner has struggled at times this season and the ninth inning Sunday was no exception as he allowed a leadoff single to Derek Jeter followed by a wild pitch that allowed the Yankee captain to advance to second. Wagner was able to compose himself and retire Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Betemit in order to finish off his 18th save of the season as he closes in on an 11th 20-save season.

Fantasy Factor

Perez has had an up and down season, but Sunday was definitely an up (as it usually is vs. the Yanks, whom he is now 5-1 in his career against). With the win, he pushed his record to 6-5 on the season and with eight strikeouts he catapulted his season total to 76 through 90 1/3 IP. It was his first win since June 13 at Texas and he finished the month off with a 2-2 and an ERA over five and a quarter. After such a strong comeback season in 2007, right now, Perez just isn’t showing signs of consistency, so it is a big risk to put him in your lineup unless you are in dire need of strikeouts which he will indeed get you (although, again, not at the same pace he did last year). In many leagues, in fact, Perez has found himself on the waiver wire.

Castillo has had a worse year than Hillary Clinton as he currently sits at only .260 on the season. But if Sunday was any indication, he might be heating up as he went 3-for-5 with a RBI. While Castillo sports a career average of .293, his current BA of 33 points below that hurts especially, given his constant lack of power production with only three home runs and 26 RBI (although, believe it or not, that puts Castillo on pace for career highs in both departments). On the plus side, with 13 steals on the season, he’s on pace for his finest running year since he was a Marlin. Keep one eye on him in case Sunday’s three hit-performance and Friday’s career-high five-run game are any indication of things to come the second half of the season, but keep him far far away from your lineup right now.

Ryan Church made his return from the DL Sunday with two base hits to push his batting average over the .300 barrier. He has ten home runs and 35 RBI on the season and has been one of the many fantasy surprises of 2008. Church showed on Sunday that rust will not be a factor after a brief stint on the DL. He is a nice all around player so if a spot is open, go ahead and put him in your lineup. There’s a slim chance he is still available on your wire, but that will likely vanish very shortly.

Darrell Rasner had another decent but not spectacular start for the Yankees on Sunday going five innings while allowing only two runs, as his record slid to 4-6 on the season, while his ERA shrunk slightly to 4.42 ERA. Rasner is relatively young - only 27 - but hasn’t shown many flashes of brilliance other than a seven inning shut out performance against Baltimore on May 21. In ten starts, Rasner has factored into the decision every time while lasting at least five innings in each contest except one. Rasner might have better long-term value than short term as he continues to work throughout the summer to improve his stuff. In keeper leagues, it might be worth trying to acquire him but in a non-keeper league his value is not much this season. I’d recommend either dumping him or benching him until he shows more consistency.

Melky Cabrera had another less than stellar outing going 0-for-3 dropping his average to .246 midway through the 2008 campaign. His power numbers aren’t vastly different than last year’s output of eight home runs and 73 RBI, but his batting average sits 27 points below last season’s mark. Cabrera is also only getting on base at a .312 clip, which definitely hurts for those of you in leagues which take OBP into account. Keep him as far away from your lineup as possible right now and consider dumping him should a more attractive outfield option present itself.

Jason Giambi came in as a pinch hitter on Sunday and flew out, but overall he has a solid comeback season. The Giambino currently has the most home runs on the Yankees with 17 and is getting on base at a .396 clip, so you know he’s receiving plenty of free passes. While his .262 batting average is not spectacular, it is much better than the paltry .236 Giambi hit last season. If your league takes OBP into account, and you need some power production, start Giambi as his fantasy value has reemerged throughout the course of this season. Notwithstanding a recent slump, he’s enjoyed a very fine June as he continues to put an abysmal April in the rear view mirror.

The Yanks finally cooled off David Wright, although despite an 0-for-3, he did manage to drive in his 64th run in 80 games with a sac fly. Wright has been backsliding since the season began, but his play over the past week (.476, three homers, eight RBI) suggests that July could be the start of a huge second half. Note that he’s been a significantly stronger second-half player in the last three years, so if his owner is a bit frustrated with Wright’s first half, now is a perfect time for you to make an offer.

Yankees reliever David Robertson made his big league debut, giving up four hits, a wild pitch and a run in two innings. He whiffed one and walked none. Just 23, Robertson has fanned 169 batters in 125 career minor league innings for a K/9 of 12.17. A closer at Alabama in college, Robertson has future closer written all over him, so keeper league owners pay attention.

Do you think Reyes is a factor in the Mets’ fortunes at all? He has scored at least one run in each of the team’s last 13 wins. He’s enjoying a strong year, but has just one extra-base hit in the past week. Still, he has a career high in OBP and is on pace to match his career high in runs, and that’s what you need from your lead-off man.

June 30th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Daniel Olson, Game report . Author: Daniel Olson . Comments: 9 Comments

Sunday afternoon’s affair between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels proved to be a good old fashioned pitching duel with the AL West-leading Angels coming out on top, 2-0. With the win, the Halos avoided a three-game sweep at home. It’s been almost a year since the last time such an event happened at Angel Stadium to the home squad.

Joe Saunders continued his surprising breakthrough season for the Angels by tossing 7 1/3 innings, scattering six hits while striking out three for his tenth win. Jorge Campillo was almost as impressive in his seventh start of the season for the Braves, hurling a complete game seven-hitter, fanning seven and walking none.

The Braves threatened in the first inning after a Yunel Escobar lead-off single was followed by a Kelly Johnson single, putting runners on first and second with no outs. But early season NL MVP favourite Chipper Jones struck out in the next at bat followed by a Mark Teixeira double play grounder that ended the threat. Unfortunately, this was likely the best chance Atlanta had all day to get on the board.

The teams continued to toss goose eggs at one another be scoreless until the fifth inning when the Halos tallied the only two runs of the game. Vladimir Guerrero (who’s heating up, having hit safely in a season-best seven straight games) led off with a double, but after a Torii Hunter strike out, Casey Kotchman , one of the season’s most pleasant surprises, stepped up to the plate and whacked his seventh home run of the season (but first since late-April), putting the Angels up 2-0 and starting and ending the scoring on the day with one swing of the bat.

The Braves threatened one more time in the sixth with another single by Escobar as well as a single by Teixeira. A Saunders wild pitch by Saunders advanced the runners to second and third with two outs, but Jeff Francouer harmlessly flied out to end the inning, effectively ending the threat for the Compton South Dakota Angels of California.

Francisco Rodriguez relieved Saunders in the ninth and mowed down the side for his major league leading 28th save, pushing the Angels record to 42-28, while the Braves slid to 34-36, dropping into a tie with the Mets for third place in the NL East.

Fantasy Factor

Escobar, a Cuban defector, has quickly become a major fantasy factor among other emerging young shortstops around the majors. He is making the Braves’ front office look smart after dealing away Edgar Renteria this past offseason. Escobar has already topped his rookie totals with six dingers and 30 RBI, while batting a very solid .303. In keeper leagues, it’s worth your while to try to acquire him him in the long run as he is only 25 years old (well that’s his listed age, anyways; maybe he’s 38 a la Miguel Tejada) and is producing in only his second year in the majors. While finding him on waivers in any league would be next to impossible, make sure this guy is in your starting lineup constantly as he is getting on base at an impressive .379 clip and will only continue to improve with each game.

Francoeur has been struggling mightily this season. For the second straight year, he looks headed for under 20 home runs, as he has only bashed eight this season, and with a .253 BA, the progress he made in his hitting last season has been lose. After a horrid May, he’s been slightly better in June, but at .264 with only two round trippers, I’d hardly term it a recovery. With his OPS sitting at only 722, it might be time to sideline the young the outfielder until he starts performing at the level you drafted for. This is especially an issue if your fantasy league factors in OBP, where his currently sits at a putrid .303. July is historically Francouer’s best month, so try to be patient.

Johnson, the Braves’ keystone corner man, has been putting up respectable numbers that could definitely help out your fantasy team. While he only went 1-for-4 on Sunday, and is in a mini slump the past few days, he’s batting .283 for the year, with a respectable seven home runs, putting him on pace for a new career high in dingers. Johnson will steal you a handful of bases, accumulating six so far on the season, also well on pace for a new career best in that department. He is just 26, so if you are in a keeper league it’s definitely worth your while to hold on to him as the middle infield tandem of Escobar and Johnson has plenty of room for growth.

Saunders is having a monster season, moving into a tie for the league lead in wins on Sunday. A 10-3 record with an ERA of just 3.06 will likely land him a spot on the All-Star roster as well as a potential big contract down the road. He won’t strike out many (only 46 on the season, and a declining K/9 for the second straight year), but thanks to the Ws and his control (leading to a nice WHIP), Saunders has been a major fantasy find this year, so kudos to those of you who had the foresight to jump on his early in the season. Prior to this season, Saunders, who turns 27 today (Happy Birthday Joe!) had a career high of just eight wins, set in 2007. Well, not only has he already surpassed that this season, but he’s headed for a ridiculous 23 wins. If you have the pieces, take a look at trading for this stud as he might be reaching the peak of his pitching in the next couple of years. Given his weak K totals, Saunders is a true stud in 4 x 4 leagues.

If you didn’t already know that K-Rod is a stud, then you’ve been in hibernation for the greater part of this decade. This season, even though his K rate is uncharacteristically low, he is really dominating, leading the majors with 28 saves while chalking up a miniscule ERA of 2.03. I’m not even going to give you advice about him fantasy wise because if you need it, you shouldn’t be playing fantasy baseball. Unless it’s involving a trade. Then, I’ll help you.

Gary Matthews, Jr. is showing that his career season two seasons ago might have indeed been a little PED-induced (at least if just looking at his BA). In the Angels’ logjam of an outfield, he is batting only .243 which is by far the worst among the underperforming star outfielders. Matthews’ seven home runs and 31 RBI put him just a bit off the pace of his career year with the Rangers in which he belted 19 home runs and knocked in 79 while batting .313, the season that earned him a huge contract from the Angels. Fortunately, Matthews is headed in the right direction, batting .348 in June with a couple of stolen bases already. Given how hot he’s been, he’s worth another look on the waiver wire and if you already own him, Matthews should be a regular in your lineup as he could give you a power boost as well as offer some help in the always-hard-to-find stolen base category.

It’s conceivable (but highly unlikely) that depending how big your league is, Kotchman could be out there, as he’s cooled off considerably this month. Take a peek; you don’t want to miss an opportunity if some bonehead dumped him.

Scot Shields tossed his ninth straight scoreless outing, trimming his ERA to a sparkling 2.81 through 25 2/3 IP. After enduring a rough May, Shields is rolling, making him a superb target in AL-only leagues, especially those tracking holds.

Atlanta youngster Brandon Jones smacked a single to give him a 6-for-11 series against the Halos. Time to invest in this kid in NL-only leagues, and definitely in any keeper league.

Erick Aybar is making progress in his rehab, so it won’t be long until Maicer Izturis’ fantasy use could wane. Stay on top of this situation as Aybar was enjoying somewhat of a breakout before busting a digit last month. Izturis, by the way, has been heating up big time, but his 13-game hitting streak came to an end Sunday.

Since coming back from his quad injury, Chipper is just 2-for-15, dropping him to a mere .402. What a stiff, eh?

June 16th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Daniel Olson, Game report . Author: Daniel Olson . Comments: 6 Comments

In a game that started with some early thunder, the fireworks were put out relatively early. The major league leading Chicago Cubs handled the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1, behind 6 1/3 strong innings from veteran starter Jason Marquis.

With the Dodgers already training 1-0 in the bottom of the first, LA lead-off man Juan Pierre singled. Pierre promptly stole second, and after Andre Ethier popped out, Pierre made it to third on a Geovany Soto throwing error. The man with the porn ’stache, Jeff Kent, then followed up with an RBI groundout, scoring Pierre and pushing the Dodgers back to a 1-1 tie after the Cubbies tallied in the top of the first thanks to a Mark DeRosa round tripper.

From there on, the Dodgers bats were quieter than a silent film as they managed a measley three hits over the final eight innings, not being able to touch Marquis or relievers Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood.

The Cubs’ bats came alive again in the fifth when DeRosa knocked in his second run of the game, scoring Alfonso Soriano. That was followed by an RBI double from third basemen Aramis Ramirez. This was more than enough run support for Marquis as he pitched one of his best games of the young season and the Cubs continued their hot streak and pursuit of their first title since 765 B.C. (or around there).

Fantasy Factor

Soriano went a modest 1-for-5 in Sunday’s contest, dropping his batting average to a still decent .279. Soriano is never going to win a batting title, but from a fantasy standpoint, he’s all about his high homer numbers and ability to steal bases. On the season, he sits at a robust 15 dingers and a solid 40 RBI, tops for all lead-off hitters in baseball. If you can afford to take a hit on that .320 OBP (only a factor in OBP leagues), then he remains fantasy gold as his power and speed will pay nice dividends.

For the past few seasons, DeRosa has been a great super-sub type to own, but this year he’s enjoying a serious breakout. He went 3-for-5 on Sunday with two RBI, pushing his average over the .300 barrier at .303. With eight home runs and 34 RBI on the season, he is near the top of heap for second basemen in production. Combine that with his .391 on-base percentage and this guy is easily having a career year. If he continues at this pace, DeRosa could finish the season with around 20 home runs and 90 RBI, more than solid numbers for a second baseman.

Marquis had a solid start, only allowing one unearned run for his 89-pitch effort, while issuing just one walk — a nice recovery after he experienced a serious breakdown in his control the last time out. Marquis pushed his record to 4-3 on the season, lowering his ERA to 4.54. Dating back to May 18 in a game against Pittsburgh, Marquis hasn’t allowed more then three earned runs in a contest, going at least five innings in each of those five starts. While Marquis will never be your ace, if you are thin in the starting pitching department it can’t hurt to take a look in NL-only leagues since he is on a strong Cubs team and should continue to rack up more Ws as long as the Cubs stay hot.

While Dodger starter Brad Penny managed to toss his second straight quality outing Sunday, he still took the loss falling to 5-8 on the season with a Roseanne-like ERA of 5.38. Shockingly, in just 14 starts, Penny has double the losses he suffered in 33 starts in all of 2007. He allowed only three runs in six innings of work, but was unable to receive any run support and that lead to his ultimate downfall. After a 5-2 start, Penny has lost his last six decisions, and something just isn’t gelling right now (perhaps that 8.82 May tipped you off?). Is he hurt? I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up on the DL sooner rather than Later. Despite being a solid proven starter, you can’t rely on him on your staff right now. I like the fact that he’s turning it around so far in June, but it sure would be nice to see some Ws.

You take what you can get with Pierre. He will get you a handful of hits and a decent average, but will produce little to no power numbers (in fact, he’s headed for the worst full-season slugging mark of his career this year). He went 2-for-4 on Sunday with his usually Speedy Gonzalez stolen base (that’s 23 on the season now). His .281 batting average won’t hurt your team, but his zero home runs and weak 18 RBI won’t exactly help. If you need stolen bases and a slight average boost, Pierre’s your man.

At the age of 40, has Kent finally passed his twilight? He went 0-for-4 on Sunday, dropping his average to a Seattle Mariner-like .251 on the season, not good for a number three hitter (where he’s hit in the past few games), let alone a hitter in the nine hole. For the season, he does have eight home runs and 29 RBI, better power numbers than we’ve seen from him the past couple of years, but he’s been very inconsistent. At this stage of career, he is not reliable and you would be better suited starting someone else at second base if you have that luxury.

June 9th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Daniel Olson, Game report . Author: Daniel Olson . Comments: 3 Comments

The last time baseball was exciting in Cincinnati was when manager Lou Piniella was at the helm way back in the early ’90s. Prior to that, of course, The Big Red Machine dominated baseball during ’70s. Well that was a long time ago and most Reds’ fans probably have less hair and less faith nowadays. Other than trading for sure fire Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey, Jr. a few years back, the team has been famous for not making any news.

But that may have changed last week. On Tuesday, the Reds called up the number one prospect in baseball, Jay Bruce, and it paid huge dividends all week as the team capped off a 5-1 week on Sunday by beating the Atlanta Braves.

Rookie Johnny Cueto hurled a gem, allowing only two runs in seven innings on 100 pitches.

The Reds started things off early, tagging Atlanta ace Tim Hudson for three runs in the first four innings. Hudson was able to last another three-plus innings, only allowing one more run, but an error by Yunel Escobar in the seventh led to two unearned runs off Blaine Boyer, pushing the lead to 6-2 after the Braves had cut the lead to 3-2 in the previous inning behind back-to-back homers by Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann.

Reds’ reliever Jared Burton came in for Cueto in the eighth and scattered two hits in two innings to close the game for Cincy, finishing a noisy week which saw rookie sensation Bruce bat .591 in his first six big league games (all of which he started in right field).

The Reds record currently sits at 28-29 and they are 7.5 games back of the Cardinals, but with an impressive 7-3 run in their last ten, they’re making some noise. Bruce’s promotion has clearly provided a spark, so look for things to potentially heat up in Reds’ land.

Fantasy Factor

How can I not talk about Bruce? Just looking at his first six boxscores makes me blush. After a half dozen games in the majors, he has a six-game hitting streak and a .591 batting average with two home runs, six runs batted in, and an impressive six walks, showing he has a keen eye at the plate — rare footage for a youngster. While most were surprised, frustrated, even angry when he wasn’t named to the Opening Day roster, fear not because Bruce time is here and if his first week is any indication of what is to come then we have something special on our hands. If he is not claimed in your fantasy league yet, don’t be foolish; pick him up and start him now.

Cueto started the year off masterfully and nearly every owner was rushing to get him after he allowed only three runs in 13 1/3 innings. He then hit a slump, common to many rookies, as his ERA ballooned to way over the five barrier. But Cueto has shown he has good stuff still as he has allowed just four earned runs over his last two starts, resulting in two victories. He might be too inconsistent this season to be a huge fantasy factor, but look to this young hurler in the future to be a successful strikeout pitcher as he definitely has good stuff.

A few weeks ago, the rumors ran rampant that Griffey might be traded back to his first team, the Seattle Mariners. But now that the Reds are making a play towards respectability and the Mariners sit with nearly the worst record in baseball, this is more than likely not going to happen and Griffey will stick with this surging Reds’ team. His batting average is lower than one would like at a mere .255, but he has shown signs of heating up as he hit his 599th career home run on Saturday and went 3-for-9 over the weekend.

He also still sports a respectable .343 OBP, so at least he’s getting on base at a decent clip. I wouldn’t recommend him as a top outfielder but as a fourth or fifth outfielder on your team, he should be just fine.

Jerry Hairston Jr., the lesser known Jr. on the Reds, is the third shortstop the team has employed this season and, like the ones before him, is producing nicely. In 96 at bats, he is batting .344 with one home run and 11 RBI. Factor that in with a .390 OBP and it looks like you might have yourself a decent leadoff hitter. Don’t expect Hairston to bat at this clip all year as his career batting average sits at only .256. But he might be a viable short-term replacement option, especially if you were starting Jeff Keppinger at short.

Is Chipper Jones’ run for .400 finally winding down? Jones went 0-for-4 on Sunday, dropping his batting average to a pathetic .405, meaning he just barely finished May with his average over .400. That is just awful, I would cut him right away. Okay, kidding aside, Jones is completely locked in despite his 0-fer on Sunday. He probably won’t bat over .400 for the season, but it definitely looks like he is having a career year at the ripe age of 36.

With 12 home runs and 35 RBI, he is the best run producer for the Braves right now. He is also sporting a Barry Bonds-esque .489 OBP, meaning he is almost getting on base one out of every two at bats for you non-math majors. The point here is keep him in your lineup. He is a machine this year.

In his fourth year in the league, McCann is poised to take over as the best offensive catcher in baseball, and many scouts say he even remind them of Mike Piazza in his heyday. McCann went 1-for-4 on Sunday with a homer, his tenth jack of the season while also sporting a beefy 33 runs batted in. That puts him perfectly on pace for his first 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign. If you can find a way to get him on your team, do it, because he is a bona fide stud.

Hudson hit a rut on Sunday, surrendering four runs — three earned — in six innings as his record dropped to 7-4 on the season. Despite that, his ERA sits at a very nice 3.01 for the season and he is continually one of the leaders of a solid Braves’ staff. Unfortunately, he left the game with a tweak of his left hamstring on Sunday, so keep your eyes open on news alerts to monitor his progress and find out whether he can make his next start. If he can start, make sure he is in your lineup as he has had a great year.

June 2nd, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Daniel Olson, Game report . Author: Daniel Olson . Comments: 4 Comments

Crafty veteran Tim Wakefield wasn’t so crafty on Sunday. Wakefield’s knuckler was not quite knuckling enough, and the Red Sox fell to the Twins 9-8, losing for the second time in three tries against the Twins this weekend.

Wakefield only lasted 2 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs — six earned — raising his ERA on the season to 4.25. The Red Sox bats heated up briefly with one run in the third and three in the fourth, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the Twins in check, giving up runs in the fourth and the seventh innings. The Sox scored twice more in the seventh on Kevin Youkilis’ two run double, as the Youk-dog continued his torrid May similar to what he did last season. He’s batting .359 so far this month, with five doubles, six homers, ten runs, 14 RBI and six walks. It’ll do. Of course, the Greek God of Walks hit over .400 with six dingers last May, so he’s clearly a May man.

The BoSox entered the top of the ninth down three runs against the usually unhittable Joe Nathan and made some noise. They quickly collected three hits and scored two runs, but stranded the tying runner on base as Nathan was able to barely escape out of the inning for his 12th save of the season.

The win pushed the surprising Twins to 19-17 on the season, one game ahead of Cleveland for first in the AL Central, while the Sox fell to 24-16 with their lead over the Tampa Bay Rays shrinking to only 1.5 games. That’s right, the Rays. Seriously. I’m not joking. And it’s May.

Fantasy Factors

Youkilis has been putting on a rare display of power and production with an OPS of 1384 for the month and it looks like he might be on his way to becoming a top five fantasy first baseman. He went 2-for-5 on Sunday to raise his overall average to .319 on the season. Continue to ride Youkilis’ hot bat, but don’t be surprised if his power numbers start to level out as he is not typically known for the long ball (last season, he hit a career-best 16). May is clearly his month, so either start him on your team or sell him while his stock is high.

The real David Ortiz is finally starting to show up. After a dismal April in which he batted under the Mendoza Line at .198, Big Papi currently sits at .241 on the year, thanks to a .368 mark for the month of May. And to think Sox fans were worried! Ortiz currently has seven homers and 28 ribbies, and with his batting average still being lower than usual, you might be able to steal him from other owners. Big Papi just had a bad month, but trust me when I say…actually, when I guarantee…he will finish with 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so when September comes around.

Wakefield finally put up a serious stinker. Prior to Sunday’s game, his worst outing was an eight inning performance in which he gave up five runs. Normally, he does very well in the Metrodome, heading in with a career mark of 7-3 with a 3.95 ERA. Owners shouldn’t be worried though, because from time to time the knucklers are going to get rocked. Half the time, they don’t even know where their pitch is going to end up. I wouldn’t start Wakefield unless you have a big time pitcher on the DL, in which case he is a nice fill in. Otherwise, his 27 Ks to 23 BB is not enough to make up for the fact that he’s a good source of Ws, likely headed for 15 wins on the season.

Joe Mauer is being outhomered by Ichiro Suzuki right now, 2-0. Now, that’s no knock on Ichiro as we all know he has some power, but the point is Mauer is batting in the three hole for the Twins and while he is hitting a superb .330, one would think he would have at least one dinger by now. He is sporting an excellent .409 OBP with a modest 15 RBI, and he went 1-for-4 again on Sunday, continuing a solid May. Mauer is one of the best catchers in the game, so obviously start him and hope he begins to mash a few home runs and produce some more RBI.

Craig Monroe went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Sunday’s contest, raising his average to .284 on the year. Despite having a nice game, do not count on Monroe as he is a streaky hitter who is currently splitting time at DH for the Twins.

Justin Morneau’s average isn’t quite where we want it to be yet (.284), but he took a step in the right direction on Sunday, going 3-for-3 with a walk. Canada’s finest has a respectable six home runs on the season to go along with his 27 RBI, but has yet to go yard and has only produced five RBI so far this month . He is going to give you plenty of power, but unless he gets that batting average and OBP up a little bit, it might be worth looking at another option for first base.

Manny Ramirez, nursing a sore hammy, got the day off, but the fact that he pinch-hit in the ninth suggests he’ll be okay. Hopefully some down time with help ManRam redisover his early-season stroke. A 1-for-15 skid has him under .300 for the first time since April 15. Contract year, baby!

Mike Lamb enjoyed a nice weekend, going 5-for-9, but please remind me why the Twins signed this guy again? A 556 OPS? Uh, right. And the Twins actually believed this dude could be an everyday player.

With Manny sitting, Jacoby Ellsbury shifted over and handled left field. He took an 0-for-4, capping an ugly 1-for-12 weekend. The rook is playing, but not hitting particularly well so far this season. Coco Crisp, meanwhile, was in centrefield for the second straight day, and he went yard for the second straight game. He also tripled, stole a base and drove in three runs on Sunday. It’s about time to consider Crisp as a fantasy option, in AL-only leagues at the very least. He’s earned more PT, and if Ellsbury keeps flailing, Crisp will get it.

Matt Tolbert, an early season revelation, continues to struggle. He’s been playing second with Brendan Harris nursing a sore right hamstring, so Adam Everett has been manning short. But Everett hasn’t exactly taken his chance and run with it. He was 1-for-4 Sunday to get back to .200 on the year. Woo hoo! I’d say Tolbert needs not worry, about Everett at least.

Alex Cora returned from a DL stint because of his elbow. He’s been out almost a month, and got the start at short, lashing three hits, including a double. With Julio Lugo still dealing with the after effects of his concussion, and Jed Lowrie sent back to the minors, Cora could see some action this week.

Rookie Nick Blackburn earned the win for the Twins. He wasn’t overly sharp, giving up nine hits and four runs in six innings, but he walked just one and struck out five — his most in over a month. Blackburn is now over .500, but his ERA is approaching 4.00. He’s a decent option in deep AL-only leagues, but because of his lack of Ks, he’s best used in 4×4 leagues.

Mike Timlin appeared in his 1,032nd career game, moving him past Lee Smith and Jose Mesa into eighth place all-time. Unfortunately, after a solid 2007 campaign, the 42-year-old righty looks to be on his last legs, having giving up 16 hits and ten runs in nine innings this year. Start watching for a passing ice floe to toss the oldtimer onto.

May 12th, 2008
Categories: BASEBALL, Daniel Olson, Game report, Uncategorized . Author: Daniel Olson . Comments: 4 Comments