Fantasy Baseball Roundup 5/9

John Maine is starting to make Mets fans feel better about their starting rotation.  After two straight horrible starts to begin the season, Maine has had three straight quality starts and is now looking like the reliable starter they hoped they had to start the year. Maine allowed just one run over six innings, walked two, and struck out three. He is now 3-2 and has allowed only four runs over his last three starts. If he is available, he is worth adding to the bottom of your rotation.

Juan Pierre has been making the most of his playing time since the Manny suspension.  He had three hits today, including two doubles, and now has six hits in the three games but only one steal. He had been hitting ninth but was in the leadoff role today, which should only increase his runs scored and steal opportunities. Of course, I think it is only because Rafael Furcal didn’t play, but see where he’s playing tomorrow. Pierre is definitely worth the addition while Ramirez is out.

Eric Stults threw a complete game shutout Saturday, but I urge you not to pick him up unless you are in need of a substitute for an injured player or a short-term fix. Yes, he is 4-1. Yes, his ERA is under 4.00. But his career numbers say this isn’t going to last.  Stults is 29, so it isn’t like we are talking about a hot prospect. He has been up in the major leagues a few times before and has never been a player of consequence. He was in the minors for a long time before getting this chance, so I don’t figure Stults will start to fall off in the near future. You can hold him while he’s hot. Just don’t expect this to be a long-term thing.

Javier Vasquez bounced back from a couple of rough outings with a seven-inning performance. He gave up two runs and struck out seven.His record is just 3-3, and his ERA is near 4.00, but his strikeouts are great. Through 46 innings, Vasquez has now struck out 57 batters. He was a great strikeout pitcher in the American League, so it isn’t inconceivable that he can keep this pace up. But I expect his ERA to continue to balloon. His win total will depend on if the Braves are just off to a bad start or are in the middle of another disappointing season.

Julio Lugo has been very productive since returning from injury, but I don’t know how valuable he will prove to be. Lugo was able to connect on his first homer of the season.  In the last three games, Lugo has six hits, including a triple. He hasn’t stolen a base yet, but he has the job going forward. Not sure I would want him as my starting shortstop, but as a middle infielder or bench option he is worth a look.

Yunel Escobar continued his solid week, topping it off with his third home run of the season. Escobar is now hitting .287 and has driven in 16 runs. He has a little trouble staying healthy, but when he is in there, Escobar is usally someone you can rely on.  This is another guy that I wouldn’t want as my everyday starter at shortstop, but I do own him in two leagues. One is as a middle infielder, the other is as an injury replacement.

Brian Tallet has been great in four of his five starts since being put into the Toronto rotation, but this seriously cannot last. Tallet is a 31-year-old career reliever who was pretty good coming out of the bullpen. But his career high in innings pitched is only 62.  With his outing tonight, he is already at 36 for the year, so how long do you think this production can continue? So far, so good for Tallet, who lasted seven innings, allowed just one run, and fanned seven, but I assure you, the party has to come to an end soon. His arm will not be able to withstand starting all season long.

Phil Hughes has gone from great to OK to horrible in three starts. After throwing six shutout innings in his first start, Hughes couldn’t even get out of the second in Baltimore. He allowed eight runs over 1.2 innings, walked two, and didn’t strike out anyone. Given the situation the Yankees are in, I’m not sure how long they will have patience with Hughes. If history is any indicator, the kid is on a pretty short leash. I have heard rumblings that Chien-Ming Wang thinks he will be able to return after one more rehab start. If that is the case, expect to see Hughes back at AAA before too long.

John Danks had a great start tonight, calming the fears of his owners after he allowed 10 earned runs in his previous two outings. Danks was able to go only six innings, but he allowed only one run and struck out 10. The kid has a ton of talent and will be a star, but he is still young and will have a rough outing here and there. In the end Danks will do much more good than bad and is a good No. 3 three option on your staff, perhaps even a No. 2.

Brian McCann looks like he is adjusting just fine to the new glasses. A night after driving in two runs after returning from the disabled list, McCann had three hits and a home run. If you didn’t listen to me last night about getting him back into your lineup, please get him back in there tomorrow.

Adam Jones looks more and more like a superstar in the making. Jones had three more hits on Saturday, including his sixth home run of the year. He is still hitting .353 on the season and has driven in 21 runs. He is really turning into the complete package. I hope he is someone you drafted because he should be tough to get in a trade.

Jorge De La Rosa deserves better than his 0-3 record, but he hasn’t exactly been lights-out either. Don’t be fooled by tonight’s incredible 12-strikeout performance. I’m not saying he’s bad, but I am not running to the waiver wire to pick him up. He has allowed more than three runs only once this season, but he is just not a guy who excites me. I know this isn’t the most eloquent summary I have ever given. Let’s just say De La Rosa was great tonight, I’m just not buying into it.

You will see tonight that Joel Hanrahan collected a save for the Nationals, but he wasn’t the first one to the mound.  Kip Wells was the first to come out in the ninth inning, but he was unable to nail it down. Hanrahan came in to finish it up. I still think he gets the job back eventually, perhaps this is the first step.

Zack Greinke allowed just a sacrifice fly and took the loss thanks to the great pitching of Joe Saunders. He is off to another great beginning in 2009, as he is now 5-1 with a 2.66 ERA. Don’t forget, however, that he got off to a similar hot start in 2008 but faded badly down the stretch. I foresee this happening again this season, so don’t get too excited about Saunders. He is the ultimate sell-high pitcher, and you should start shopping him immediately.

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