Around the Majors: Apr. 15

There is certainly plenty to talk about after yesterday’s games.  Ian Kinsler (pictured) went 6-for-6 and hitting for the cycle.  Tim Wakefield carried a no-hitter in to the eighth inning.  Clayton Kershaw dazzled for seven innings, finishing with 13 Ks.  Let’s take a look at these and all the rest from yesterday’s games.

Chicago (AL) vs. Detroit

• For his second straight start, Armando Galarraga was tremendous.  He tossed 6.1 shutout innings giving up 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5.  He know is 2-0 with 13 Ks over 13.1 innings of work.  While his first start against the Rangers was impressive, his next outing comes in Los Angeles against the Angels, a start that will be very telling.  Galarraga was tremendous last season, outside of May (4.55 ERA) and September (7.11 ERA), so it shouldn’t be surprising to see him succeed.
• Carlos Guillen was a player I was skeptical prior to the season, but his .167 start (after going 0-for-5) is making things even worse.  He’s going to get better, so if you took him, don’t panic, but he’s not a player I’d buy low on, if someone is selling.

Cleveland vs. Kansas City

• Billy Butler was 0-for-2 before being lifted for a pinch hitter.  I’m not going to read too much into it, as it was a righty on the mound and the team put in power hitting lefty Mike Jacobs (who did respond with a home run).  Sit tight on Butler and don’t panic yet.
• I don’t want to talk about Hafner every day, but he’s making it tough to ignore.  He went 2-for-3 with 1 RBI and 1 R, raising his average to .286 on the season.  He’s had a hit in six out of seen games now, though this is only his second multi-hit game.  He also has RBI and a run scored in four out of the past five games.

Boston vs. Oakland

• The story of this game was Tim Wakefield.  He went the distance giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4.  It’s an impressive line, but the bigger story was the fact that he carried a no hitter into the eighth inning.  Still, even with this outing, he’s a pitcher that’s proven in the past to be best used only when the match-up calls for it.  He has significant highs and lows that you do not want to subject yourself to.
• Brett Anderson fell to 0-2, but this was a significantly better outing.  He went seven innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 5. He did allow a home run to Mike Lowell.  I’ve spoken about him recently, which you can view by clicking here.

New York (AL) vs. Tampa Bay

• Robinson Cano continued his strong start, going 2-for-4 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and 1 R.  He’s now hitting .382 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. Given the fact that he’s regarded as a second half player, fantasy owners could be in line a treat.
• Was there any doubt that Carlos Pena was a big-time power source?  He’s now homered in three of his past four games and has four on the season.  He’s not a top option, since he’s may hurt you in average, but he’s certainly a solid fallback guy.

Baltimore vs. Texas

• There’s a lot of people from Texas offense that I could talk about, but obviously Ian Kinsler deserves all of the attention.  Not only did he hit for the cycle, he did it while going 6-for-6!  He finished with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R and 1 SB.  That’s a great week for some players.  He’s now hitting .474 with 3 HR, 13 RBI, 11 R and 2 SB.
• Adam Jones homered for the second straight day, going 2-4 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 2 R.  He hasn’t shown the speed quite yet, but has settled into that No. 2 hole nicely with 12 runs scored already.  He’s is worth using in all formats while he’s hot.

Toronto vs. Minnesota

• Aaron Hill went 4-for-5 with 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 R. He has hits in 8 of 9 games, including four multi-hit contests.  He certainly seems to have his concussion problems behind him and is well worth using in all formats while he’s hot.
• Scott Baker made his season debut, giving up 6 earned runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 3, over 4 innings.  Don’t sweat it, he should be fine.

Los Angeles (AL) vs. Seattle

• Jered Weaver gave up 4 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks, striking out 2, over 5 innings.  I wouldn’t worry about him much after just one start.
• Ichiro Suzuki returned to the line-up batting leadoff, going 2-5 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R and 1 SB.  That meant that we would finally get some answers regarding Endy Chavez, who hit second and continued to rake.  He went 2-for-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R.  If he’s going to stay in that spot in the line-up, he’ll have value in all five OFer formats, so that is certainly something worth tracking.

Colorado vs. Chicago (NL)

• Rich Harden lasted only three innings, but it was not an injury that cut his outing short.  It took him 92 pitches to get through the stint, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, striking out 8.  If you want a positive, 8 out of 9 outs via the strikeout?  That’s nasty and there’s no doubting his talent.  He just needs to get the control and pitch count in line.
• Seth Smith picked up his second hit of the season, both of which have been home runs.  He went 1-for-2 with three walks, so it was not all bad news.  Of course, Dexter Fowler entered the game as a pinch hitter, picking up an RBI double.  He is now hitting .333 and as I’ve said before, it would not be surprising to see Fowler starting to steal a few more AB if things continue.
• The Rockies continue to try to find at bats for Ian Stewart, giving him a start in RF yesterday.  He’s seen time at 2B, 3B and OF already this season, meaning he could provide great flexibility if he sees regular playing time.  With a 1-for-2 day (with two walks), he’s hitting .429, but has gotten just 14 AB.

St. Louis vs. Arizona

• The Cardinals outfield shuffle continued, with Colby Rasmus (1-5, 1 RBI, 2 R), Ryan Ludwick (2-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) and Chris Duncan (3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R) getting the start.  If you own Rick Ankiel in a deeper format, you may want to consider grabbing Duncan (.344, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R) if he’s available.  The longer Ankiel struggles, the more possible it appears for him to be losing playing time.  I wouldn’t drop Ankiel, thanks to his great power potential, but you want to be prepared.
• Justin Upton had a hit, raising his average to .105 on the season.  I know he has immense potential, but will it surprise anyone if he gets sent down soon?
• There was thoughts that the move to the NL would help Jon Garland but he was rocked yesterday.  He lasted just 3.2 innings giving up 7 runs on 7 hits and 5 walks without striking out a batter.  Ouch!

Houston vs. Pittsburgh

• Mike Hampton turned back the clock, tossing 6 shutout inning giving up 4 hit and 1 walk, striking out 8.  This comes after he was so-so in his first start (3 ER over 5 IP).  He has struck out 13 over his first 11 innings and certainly deserves to be watched at least for a potential pitch-and-ditch scenario.  Of course, he’s likely to end up on the DL at some point and this is just a small sample.  I wouldn’t do anything quite yet.
• Adam LaRoche went 2-4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI and 1 R.  He’s now hitting .267 with 3 HR and 5 RBI.  Last season he hit 1 HR in all of April.  Could this be the season?  I’d at least stash him now just in case.

San Diego vs. New York (NL)

• Oliver Perez rebounded nicely, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 4, over 6 innings to even his record at 1-1.  He’s just so enigmatic that you never really know what you are going to get from him.  His next start is scheduled at St. Louis and I would say use him at your own risk.

Florida vs. Atlanta

• Almost everyone on the Marlins hit, we maybe except Cameron Maybin.  He went 0-for-3 with 2 walks and 3 strikes, leaving his average at .214.  He’s also struck out 12 times already, meaning his chances of taking over the leadoff spot at any time soon is unlikely.  That limits his potential fantasy value in 2009 for yearly league owners for sure.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him either on the bench or in the minors by June.
• Derek Lowe struggled for the first time, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 5 walks, striking out 5, over 5 innings.

Cincinnati vs. Milwaukee

• Micah Owings, he of the hot spring, finally made his first start of the season.  He gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 2, over five innings.  He also allowed 2 HR.  With his next start coming at Chicago, I certainly wouldn’t recommend using him.
• Mike Cameron went 3-3 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 3 R.  He’s now hitting .370.  Considering his .250 career average, who thinks the average is going to come crashing down?

San Francsico vs. Los Angeles (NL)

• Clayton Kershaw deserved much more then a no decision on this night.  He went 7 innings giving up 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk, to go along with 13 K.  That gives him a 1.50 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 19 K over his first 12 innings of the season.  Yes, he is a must own in all formats.  In his sophomore season he could be on the verge of some great things.
• Matt Cain gave up just 2 runs over 6 innings, but he was not as good as that suggests.  He allowed 7 hits and 4 walks, striking out 3.
• What’s going on with Pablo Sandoval?  Stay patient, but after an 0-2 game, he’s now hitting .179 on the season.

What does everyone think of these stories?  Anything to add?

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