4/23 Recap

Angels 6, Red Sox 4
Jon Lester and Jon Garland weren't very sharp. This is of more importance for Lester because Bartolo Colon almost certainly will be up in the next month, so it'll between Buchholz and Lester for the spot loss. From a person standpoint, I think Lester should be the one to go, but it would probably be Buchholz because of the age and experience. However, Lester was on 3 days rest, so it's almost cruel to look too far into this start. Dice K will be fine, I can't imagine he'll miss another start. KRod had a solid appearance for the first time in a while, so maybe he's feeling a little better. Gary Matthews hit two bombs. I can't really describe how much I dislike Gary Matthews. I don't hate him, but he's just a mediocreish outfielder, not going to win you the league or anything. He's going to do better than a .247 average, but with around 15 homers. He's not going to steal a ton of bases or hit for a really high average, but with his contract, he's going to play. Too bad. David Ortiz hit another homer and walked twice. I think you can say the slump is officially over.

Tigers 19, Rangers 6
See what I was saying about Granderson sparking the team? I'm brilliant. Granderson was solid in his return, going 2-4, 3 R, 2 RBI. He should have a great year and he's coming at the right time to a team that's really heating up. Even Jacque Jones got in on the fun, hitting his first homer. I would stay away from Jones, but Granderson is worth starting ASAP. Behind this great victory for the Tigers is that Kenny Rogers was absolutely awful, and has been this year. Maybe Armando Galarraga will play more of a role this year than expected, so you might want to grab him. Carlos Guillen, playing 1B of course the day after it was announced he's playing 3B (and making an error), had 5 RBI. I love Guillen, no matter what position he plays. No reason to play him anywhere but short this year, but having him 3B eligible is a lot better for next year than just 1B. Not much to say about the Rangers, other than Frank Thomas would look awful good on that team, especially with their 1Bs are hitting under .200.

Rays 5, Jays 3
Roy Halladay threw his third straight complete game and lost. Josh Hammel was decent, but the 4/2 K/BB isn't encouraging, especially for teams that don't have their DH hitting 8 and going 0-4. I'll get over this someday, but I think it was incredibly stupid for them to cut Thomas. Matt I don't think Hammel is worth owning yet. Stairs did hit 2 bombs, and you can expect more on the way, he's legit. Looks like Evan Longoria is going to stick in the 5 spot, that's great for his value. I like Jason Bartlett, even though he's hitting .217, it could be a nice time to buy low.

Yankees 6, White Sox 4
Javy Vazquez hates the Yankees. Mike Mussina was pretty good only giving up runs on Crede and Quentin homers. I don't think Quentin is going to hit for average, but the power is real. Crede already has 6 homers, and he could really get to 30 this year. I expect him to stick around with the Sox too. Jorge Posada had three doubles and was behind the plate, so the shoulder can't be too bad. With Cano going 0-4 and dropping his average to .165, this should be the best time to buy low. He's the best second basemen in the AL. That said, would I trade Ian Kinsler for him? Well I dont know, probably not because I need the speed. But he's going to have a great year, don't worry about the slow start. Johnny Damon has been pretty hot lately, but I don't really like him a ton this year. He's not elite anymore, but he's better than average for sure, especially hitting at the top of the lineup. He could be a nice addition now too.

A's 3, Twins 0
Chad Gaudin threw 7 shutout innings, walking no one while striking out 4. Nice start. He may end up having some value after all. He's one of those guys I just don't feel confident about ever, but I could be made a believer if he strings a couple good starts together. Boof Had a nice start too, although the walks returned, which is a problem for him. Both should be owned at this point already. Mike Sweeney homered, perhaps he's hearing the Frank Thomas rumors. Sweeney is an interesting guy to watch. He hasn't provided much power to date, but he has a solid track record of it. I'm not expectd much out of him this year though. Jack Cust finally got a hit, going 1-2 before being pulled for a pinch runner. He's sporting a .161 average. We know he's not going to hit for average, but the power will be there given time. I could see him dropped in some leagues, so he's worth the pickup. I'm almost afraid to mention that Raja Davis was picked up by the A's off the waiver wire, but he's one of my boys from the National League, I just don't want anyone to grab him before I can. He will hit for a decent average and get on base at a nice clip while playing some good defense, all things the A's like. But fantasy owners should care because he's capable of stealing 40 bases. I don't know how much play time he's going to get, so I'm not grabbing him yet, but it's not like the A's have a ton of great options out there.

O's 3, M's 2
Don't buy into DCab. He'll do this and you'll think he's going to be good, but it's just not going to happen. Carlos Silva has been pretty sharp this year, and he's fine in matchups. I guess I haven't really noticed how bad Ichiro has been this year, probably because I'm not worried about him at all. There's going to be a month where he hits .450 and everything will be forgotten. Not a bad idea to try to pry him away from someone now, but I doubt he'll be that discounted.