Around the Majors: Apr. 27

Has Dexter Fowler emerged as a must own option?  Has Justin Verlander finally found his form?  Is it time for the Nationals to explore other closing options over Joel Hanrahan?  Let’s dig into these questions and all of the rest from yesterday’s games.

Boston vs. Cleveland

• Jason Bay went three-for-four, but the big hit came in the top of the ninth, when he hit a three-run home run to break a 0-0 tie.  He’s now hitting .344 with five HR and 19 RBI on the season.  Manny who?
• The struggles of Cliff Lee appear to be a thing of the past.  He tossed eight shutout innings, giving up five hits and zero walks, and striking out five.  Over his last three starts, he’s given up three ER in 22 innings.  He’s not going to be considered a strikeout artists and he’s not going to be the pitcher that he showed last season, but at least he appears to be usable once again.

New York (AL) vs. Detroit

• The Yankees' offense is in a very sorry state at the moment—something no one expected heading into the season.  Robinson Cano (two-for-four, one R), is the only player excelling at the moment, with Mark Teixeira (.220, three HR, and 10 RBI) going through a customary early season swoon.  Alex Rodriguez can’t return soon enough.
• Justin Verlander went seven shutout innings, giving up seven hits and zero walks, striking out nine.  The strikeouts have been great, but he has proven to be extremely untrustworthy.  You would think that Cleveland, which he’s scheduled to face next, would be a positive match-up.  He did allow five earned runs against the Mariners over 7.1 innings.

Texas vs. Baltimore

• Michael Young continues to surprise with his power.  He went two-for-five with one HR, two RBI, and one R, giving him six HR on the season.  This is the same guy who hit just 12 last season, isn’t it? He’s also laced seven doubles!  Did anyone see this coming?
• Chris Davis went zero-for-three with one R, dropping his average to .203.  It’s still too early to panic.  Still, those who gambled and took him early have got to be questioning that decision right now, huh? 
  

Toronto vs. Kansas City

• Jose Guillen is back.  He went three-for-four with two HR, three RBI, and two R, and is certainly worth using in all deeper formats.  He’s got some pop and should help the Royals' offense get things on track.
• It’s become tough to use David Purcey, despite the strikeout potential.  He allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out three, over five innings, and raising his ERA to 7.01 on the season.  I wouldn’t cut him completely, but I also wouldn’t use him in my starting line-up until he proves worthy.

Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota

• Jeff Niemann pitched better, giving up one run over 5.2 innings, but he did allow three hits and four walks, striking out four.  He’s walked 11 batters over 22.1 innings overall, which simply can’t continue.
• What has happened to Scott Baker?  He gave up four runs on six hits, and one walk, striking out seven, over six innings to fall to zero-for-three with a 9.82 ERA.  He’s too good of a pitcher to think that he’s not going to be productive this season.
• Is there any stopping Carlos Pena?  He went two-for-four with one HR, three RBI, and two R, now hitting .257 with nine HR and 24 RBI on the season.

Washington vs. Philadelphia

• It was a slugfest in Philadelphia, to say the least.  Ryan Zimmerman (two-for-four, two HR, three RBI, and three R) and Adam Dunn (three-for-four, one HR, two RBI, and two R) led the way for the Nationals, though the bigger story for me was the performance of Joel Hanrahan.  He pitched just 0.1 innings giving up three runs on one hit and two walks, striking out one.  He’s sporting a nice and tidy ERA of 8.64.  Who still believes that he deserves the job as the team’s closer with certainty? 
• Raul Ibanez went three-for-five with one HR, four RBI, and two R, raising his average to .342 with six HR and 16 RBI.  Is anyone still concerned about his age?

Florida vs. New York (NL)

• John Maine used his fastball perfectly, looking like the pitcher that the Mets hoped that he would be this season.  He tossed six innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit and three walks, striking out four.  Before owners get too excited, the Marlins are a team that has always seemed too dominant, enjoying some of his most memorable performances. 
• Gary Sheffield went one-for-four with one RBI and one R, as well as dropping a flyball in left field.  How long will the Mets try to force him into the line-up?

Houston vs. Cincinnati

• Francisco Cordero came in for a non-save situation and got beat up for three runs (two earned) on three hits and zero walks, striking out two.  Everyone is going to get hurt at some point during the season.
• Johnny Cueto looked great, giving up one run on seven hits and one walk, striking out five over seven innings.  Since walking six against the Astros on Apr. 17, he’s walked just one batter over 14 innings.  That’s what fantasy owners want to see.

St. Louis vs. Atlanta

• Rick Ankiel continues to turn his season around.  He went two-for-four with two RBI, picking him up to eight RBI on the season.  I know that’s not much, but a week ago he was sitting with just two. 
• Jair Jurrjens was a tough luck loser, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, striking out two, over six innings of work.  With a 1.72 ERA, he certainly deserves to be better then two-for-two on the season.  He’s obviously a pitcher worth using in all formats.

Pittsburgh vs. Milwaukee

• Rickie Weeks is playing productively?  Really?  He went one-for-five with one HR, four RBI, and two R.  For the season, he’s hitting .260 with four HR, 12 RBI, 14 R, and one SB.  The speed is likely to pick up at some point as well, so I’d use him while you can.
• Trevor Hoffman made his first appearance of the season for the Brewers, pitching a perfect inning.  He’s the closer, so Todd Coffey owners (or anyone else you took a flier on) can safely be dropped at this point.

San Diego vs. Colorado

• Dexter Fowler went two-for-four with three R and five SB.  No, that’s not a typo.  If the Rockies are still unsure if he can handle the duties atop their lineup, then those questions should clearly be answered now. 
  
• Ian Stewart went one-for-five with three RBI and one R, but the more interesting thing was that he spent time at 2B, 3B and LF during the game.  He’s proven to be flexible, which should allow him to stay in the lineup on most days, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he should be owned.
  

Chicago (NL) vs. Arizona

• With Aramis Ramirez and Derek Lee out of the lineup, the Cubs' lineup just looks anemic, doesn’t it?  I know that Kosuke Fukudome has played well, but there’s no way that the Cubs want to be using him as their No. 3 hitter.  How about Reed Johnson hitting clean-up?  This team needs Geovanny Soto to breakout in a major way, but with a zero-for-three day, his average dropped to .119. 
• Dan Haren continues to roll.  He improved to two-for-three with a 1.54 ERA after giving up two runs on three hits and zero walks, striking out 10 over nine innings.  The way things have been going this season, I think he’d like to save a few of the runs the D-Backs scored last night for a future game.
• It was nice to see Chris Young steal his first two bases of the season.  He’s got tremendous fame there, despite just 14 SB last season.

Los Angeles (NL) vs. San Francisco

• Pablo Sandoval caught again, his second time this season.  It’s coming more frequently in recent days. I’d figure by mid-May he’ll have eligibility there in formats that require five games.
• Russell Martin went one for four, hitting .239 with no HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, and no SB.  What is going on with all the catchers this season?

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