MLB Fantasy Watch, May 7: Evan Longoria, Mark Buehrle, Matt Holliday, and More

Evan Longoria continued to rake. Mark Buehrle kept on dazzling, improving to 5-0 after flirting with a perfect game. Matt Holliday appears to be turning things around. Let’s take a look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games.

Seattle vs. Kansas City

* I know that Jarrod Washburn is 3-2 on the season, but his other numbers have been significantly better than that.  After giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks, striking out five over seven innings, he is sporting an impressive 2.68 ERA. He’s also given up more than two earned runs in just one out of six starts and has a 1.05 WHIP.

Does that make him an advisable option? Considering that he hasn’t posted an ERA below 4.33 since 2005 and a WHIP below 1.33 since 2003, I’m still not willing to bet long-term on his early-season success. His next start, which comes in Texas, will be very telling for me.

* After starting the season in Triple-A, Brian Bannister improved to 3-0 with a 1.48 ERA after tossing six shutout innings and allowing five hits and a walk while striking out seven. Much like Washburn, his struggles in the past make me hesitant to commit to him. Still, with his next start scheduled to come in Oakland, he does have potential value in the short term at least.

Texas vs. Oakland

* It appears that the jump from Double-A to the majors has not gone smoothly for Elvis Andrus. After going 0-for-5, his average is at .259 to go along with two home runs, five RBI, 15 runs, and three stolen bases. He has walked just three times vs. 13 strikeouts. His legs are his biggest asset, with 54 SB in 2008, and I have to think that more will come in time.

He’s a player to stash on the bench, as he could become a tremendous asset as the season progresses if you are in need of some speed.

* Matt Holliday went 1-for-2 with a homer, three RBI, and two runs. He has now hit four home runs over his past eight games to go along with nine RBI and eight runs. As I’ve said in the past, a regression was coming from his move away from Coors, but there was no way it was as extreme as his early season indicated.

* Trevor Cahill picked up his first win of his Major League career, giving up one run on five hits and zero walks, striking out four over seven innings. He’s only had one start where he’s given up more than two earned runs, though walks have been a problem prior to yesterday (18 walks in 26 innings coming into the day). He also has not racked up the Ks, limiting his fantasy appeal.

Tampa Bay vs. New York (AL)

* Yankee Stadium strikes again, with eight more home runs being hit. I guess we just need to get used to seeing this.

* Evan Longoria went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI, and three runs, giving him 10 dingers and 38 RBI on the season. It’s simply amazing the start to the season he’s had.

* Jeff Niemann left after three-and-a-third innings, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks, failing to strike out a batter. How much longer do we have to wait until we see David Price in the Rays rotation? I know he has not been lights out in Triple-A (1-4 with a 4.74 ERA and 21 K over 24.2 IP), but we all know how talented he is. I think it’s about time.

* The Yankees tied the game in the eighth, but Mariano Rivera struggled, giving up a pair of solo home runs in two-thirds of an inning to get saddled with the loss. It happens to the best of them, so I don’t want to hear about his age and demise. He’s one of the best, and we all know it.

Minnesota vs. Baltimore

* Joe Mauer went 3-for-4 with an RBI, putting him at .476 since returning from the DL. He was sorely missed, wasn’t he?

* We’ve spoken about Lou Montanez a bit here recently, and he returned to the lineup to go 1-for-4 with an RBI, putting him at .185 since returning from Triple-A. He had hit .429 in 42 at-bats prior to his recall, but had zero home runs and three RBI there. The Orioles may give him a chance, but at this point he doesn’t offer much potential upside for fantasy owners. That could change, but for now I’d just watch from a distance.

Cleveland vs. Boston

* It must be nice to be Tim Wakefield when your offense gives you a 12-run inning. He went six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks, striking out three, to improve to 4-1 on the season.

Wakefield's the type of pitcher that taunts owners, looking like a great buy at times only to have a huge blow-up once you decide to use him. He showed signs of that in his last outing against Tampa Bay (five earned runs over five innings), so I’d be careful with him. His next start comes against the Angels in Los Angeles, making him a dangerous play.

* Jason Bay continues to make Boston fans forget about Manny Ramirez (think he can help Dodger fans as well?). He went 2-for-5 with a homer, four RBI, and two runs, putting him at .316 with eight home runs and 29 RBI on the season.

Detroit vs. Chicago (AL)

* The story of this game was all Mark Buehrle. He was perfect for six innings, ultimately going eight shutout frames, giving up just one hit and two walks, striking out five. He’s been tremendous this season, improving to 5-0, and hasn’t given up more than three earned runs in a start yet.

Everyone writes him off due to his lack of strikeout upside, 24 K in 38 IP, but he simply continues to perform year in and year out. I know I’ve said it before, but it certainly is worth repeating. His next start comes in Cleveland against Carl Pavano, certainly a winnable matchup.

* It was not such a good start for Armando Galarraga, who gave up six runs on six hits and two walks, striking out three over six innings. That marks back-to-back subpar starts, having given up a total of 11 earned runs over 11 frames, striking out just five.

He started off strong and should not simply be ignored, despite this tough stretch, but you certainly should knock him down a peg at this point. He will rebound, though, so do not shy away from him.

Toronto vs. Los Angeles (AL)

* Mike Napoli had gone hitless in back-to-back games, but that came to a screeching halt yesterday. He went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs, raising his season average to .328 with five homers and 13 RBI.

Before we get so excited about his average, keep in mind that it is coming with a batting average on balls in play of .362. That just is not really a believable number, and I’d expect a regression to come.  That says nothing about the power, which is legit, but something’s going to give with the average.

* Jered Weaver improved to 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA after going the distance, giving up one run on three hits and zero walks, striking out eight. He’s only allowed more than seven base runners in one start, telling you how good he has been in keeping people off base. Of course, you can also attribute that to an unrealistic .230 BABIP. I do like him as an option, but it is obvious his 0.98 WHIP is not going to hold.

Atlanta vs. Florida

* Casey Kotchman went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and a run. He’s sporting a solid .313 average, but this was his first home run of the season. He also has just six RBI hitting primarily in the No. 4 and 5 slots. That’s just not enough production no matter what the position, but especially from your first baseman.

* Jair Jurrjens went seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks, striking out four to improve to 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA. His biggest problem is the strikeout totals, with 20 Ks over 40.1 innings thus far this season. Considering the other numbers, however, he’s certainly a pitcher worth using. Be careful with his WHIP (1.19), as he entered the game with a BABIP of .264, a number that could easily regress.

Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis

* With Rick Ankiel now on the DL, get used to seeing Colby Rasmus in the lineup. He went 1-for-4 with a run yesterday. He has a lot of upside, but he hasn’t really shown it yet. Those in deeper formats should monitor his progress and hope he develops quickly.

* Nate McLouth went 1-for-3 with one RBI, giving him a hit in seven of his last eight games. His move out of the leadoff spot has significantly affected his value, however, as he has scored just 14 runs to date. Last season, he scored 113 times, with 22 coming in April and another 22 in May. He really needs to step it up to get even reasonably close to that pace.

San Francisco vs. Colorado

* Bengie Molina may be as slow as molasses, limiting his chance to score runs, but outside of that, he is one of the better catchers in the game, and he continues to prove it. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI, and two runs, putting him at .310 with seven HR and 27 RBI on the season. That line is impressive for anyone, but especially from a catcher.

* Matt Cain tossed six shutout innings, giving up one hit and five walks, striking out seven, to improve to 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA. The overall numbers are good, but he’s walked four or more batters in four of his six starts. That certainly is not the recipe for long-term success, so tread extremely lightly. Next up on the schedule are the Nationals, a very favorable matchup, but a turn in luck could happen at any time.

Arizona vs. San Diego

* Justin Upton went 2-for-4 with one run, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. His average is now up to .294.

* This marked Dan Haren’s worst start of the season, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out four over six innings. It breaks his streak of double-digit strikeout games at two. His ERA was raised all the way to 1.84. Terrible, huh?

* Heath Bell got in an inning of work, striking out one and not allowing a base runner. Sooner or later he has to show some vulnerability, doesn’t he?

Philadelphia vs. New York (NL)

* Jayson Werth went 4-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs. He started off slow, but he’s now hit three home runs and picked up eight RBI over his past four games. That puts him at five homers and 19 RBI on the season, much more along the lines of what owners had hoped for from him.

* Mike Pelfrey improved to 4-0 after going seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk without a strikeout.  That marks the second consecutive start without a K. In fact, in 28 innings he’s struck out just six batters. He’s also sporting a WHIP of 1.71, so the record is slightly deceiving. He’s a usable option, but I certainly could see him sitting on your bench, depending on the other options available to you.

Milwaukee vs. Cincinnati

* The Reds' lineup was hurting thanks to illness, with Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips absent. In Phillips it is a real shame, as he was finally rounding into form. Hopefully he can get back in there quickly.

* Ramon Hernandez played first base, going 2-for-3. He doesn’t bring a strong enough bat to the table to add much extra value for in leagues that require just one game for eligibility.

* Prince Fielder continues to come alive, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run. He now has an RBI in five of his past six games and has scored runs in five straight.

Chicago (NL) vs. Houston

* With his last home run coming April 28, Alfonso Soriano had gone seven games without a long ball. That came to an end last night, going 2-for-5 with two dingers, three RBI, and two runs. He’s now hitting .276 with nine HR, 17 RBI, and 27 R.

* Lance Berkman went 0-for-5 with four Ks, dropping his average to .184 on the season. He’s struck out 27 times in his first 103 at-bats, a K percentage of 26.2. Considering that he’s got a career 20-percent strikeout rate, an improvement should be coming there. Throw in his terrible luck, with a BABIP of .174, and the signs are there for a potential hot streak to be coming. Be patient; he’s too good of a hitter to be this bad for too long.

Washington vs. Los Angeles (NL)

* The day the Manny Ramirez suspension began, the Dodgers finally lost a game at home, though it certainly wasn’t their bats that were the problem. The bullpen allowed 10 earned runs in just three innings of work.

* I guess we should get used to seeing the Dodgers using the pitcher in the No. 8 hole and Juan Pierre in the No. 9 spot.

I also know I said I wasn’t going to complain about the lineup, and Matt Kemp did go 3-for-5 with a homer, five RBI, and a run. Still, I have to ask, is James Loney really a clean-up hitter? He hasn’t hit a home run this season and had just 13 in 2008. Not that Kemp is a pure power hitter, but at least he brings some long ball potential.

* Jordan Zimmermann had his second consecutive rough start, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks, striking out four. After impressing in his first two starts, he’s now allowed 11 earned runs over 11.2 innings his last two times out. Next week is a two-start week against the Giants and Phillies, but with his recent performances, it’s tough to imagine using him, especially in that second matchup.

Anyone have any thoughts? Anything to add?

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