Rounding The Bases: April 13

Clayton Kershaw definitely atoned for his shaky first outing with a much better time the second trip to the mound.  Kershaw allowed just two runs over 5.1 innings and struck out seven as he collected his first win of the season.  

I am not happy with the fact that he walked five batters and his WHIP on the season is at an atrocious 1.90 but he is guaranteed to improve.

I would even think of going to the Kershaw owner to see if he is a little concerned with him to see if maybe you can get a good deal; this kid is the real deal.

Brian Matusz was absolutely dealing for seven innings, but by the end of the night his line looked kind of average.  Matusz got in trouble in the eighth and ended up getting charged for four runs, but his manager just left him in the game too long. 

Matusz struck out eight batters in 7.1 innings against a very solid offensive team in Tampa Bay. 

It is no secret that I like this kid an awful lot and while I am sure he will have his ups and downs, it is becoming obvious already that he is ready for the major leagues. 

Ricky Romero was on fire and brought a no hitter into the eighth inning before what seemed like a bogus hit by pitch was followed by a two run homer by Alex Rios to spoil the fun. 

That would be the only hit that Romero would give up in a 12 strikeout game that earned him his first win of the year. 

Romero is a former first-round pick, so this success isn’t completely coming out of nowhere, but he was unable to keep it up all season last year so we will see what the rest of 2010 will bring. 

Even though he pitches in the tough AL East, I think Romero has a chance to win 15 games with at least 150 strikeouts. 

Andy Pettitte showed that at times he still has something left in the tank, but over an entire season, I still don’t trust him as a fantasy pitcher.  

Pettitte knows how to get up for big moments as a Yankee and what is likely to be his final Opening Day was no different.

Pettitte threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts. He will still have some gems left in that old arm, but I think he is the kind of guy that you play against good matchups now, not an every-start kind of pitcher. 

Just two years ago, Ervin Santana won 16 games and struck out 214 guys with an ERA just under 3.50.  Since then Ervin has been a less than .500 pitcher with an ERA over 5.00 and his strikeouts have taken a considerable downturn.  He had another subpar outing on Tuesday and he is now 0-2 on the season. 

Santana is still a guy worth having on fantasy rosters, but you have to keep your expectations in check.  He is likely to have right around a .500 record and if he strikes out more than 150 batters you should consider yourself lucky. 

Just a couple of years ago he was a No. 2 fantasy starter, while now he is an end of the rotation kind of guy.

After getting off to a tough start, Austin Jackson has four multi-hit games in the last week, and two stolen bases over that time. 

I still think that Jackson will have his share of growing pains during the season as I think he was still one year away from being ready for the majors, but for now you should ride his hot streak if you have someone bringing you down in your outfield. And not an established vet who isn’t performing but a guy you were taking a flier on that hasn’t panned out so far. 

Jackson should have a very productive major league career, just keep your expectations in check in 2010. In keeper leagues you might just have to live with the bumps in the road for the future payoff. 

Dontrelle Willis followed up his great first start with…a slightly below average second outing.  Willis gave up four runs over five innings with three Ks and three walks against the lowly Royals.

I think it might be a better season for Willis than the last couple but I would still stay away from him for fantasy purposes. 

It will be a long road back for the D-Train, and I am not confident that he will make it all the way down that road. 

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