4/27 Recap

Man, talk about a day of pitching performances. I watched the Chien Ming Wang/CC Sabathia duel on TBS (who knew they showed Sunday baseball?) and it was a great game. They matched each other pitch for pitch, and only one mistake to Melky Cabrera was the difference. For Sabathia, this is a huge step forward. I don't anticipate not starting him the rest the way. Supposedly he fixed a mechanical issue and the results seem to back that up. Wang is incredibly underrated, and always will be. He doesn't strike a ton of guys out, even though he wins 19 games every year. He can easily put together a Cy Young caliber year, although I don't know if he'll ever win. It's amazing he plays for the Yankees and has remained underrated. That said, I don't think I've ever heard him talk or anything like that. So he's done a good job of keeping a low profile. He's looked particularly dominant this year. After watching the game, I went out and got him. It cost me Ian Kinsler and Joe Saunders for Wang and Asdrubal Cabrera, but it completely solififies my rotation. Now the search for a better 2B begins. And 3B. And cathcer. More on that soon.

Yankees 1, Indians 0
Big news is that Jorge Posada is hitting the DL for the first time. It's unfortunate because he's been hitting through the injury. As a Posada owner, I'm now looking at Gerald Laird, Miguel Olivo, or Jose Molina. Yuck. Jeff Mathis was picked up in the morning, so I got screwed there. I'll probably go with Laird and monitor Olivo. Grady Sizemore missed his first game in forever, but there isn't much long term worry here for twisting his ankle. David Delucci slid into the leadoff spot. He's an interesting guy to watch. And to my dismay, Mekly Cabrera hit his 5th homer. I don't buy into his power, but he keeps proving me wrong.

Rays 3, Red Sox 0
Here's two more awesome pitching performances. Josh Beckett struck out 13 over 7. I'm gonna say he's feeling alright now. But the real story is James Shields threw his first shutout of his career. He's only getting better and could be an ace by the end of the year. He's probably has more value than ever, but he's worth trying to get. He's still under the radar. Evan Longoria keeps hitting, taking Beckett deep. This kid is real. Meanwhile, the Rays are in first. This is a good club.

White Sox 6, O's 1
Jose Contreras keeps teasing owners with these solid starts mixed in with the not so solid starts. He's starting to get my attention though. As a spot starter, he's alright, but I wouldn't really trust him. Jeremy Guthrie is pitching alright too. I really don't love either one for the rest of the year. Paul Konerko hit two homers, and he's up to 5. The time to get him cheap is running out, get on it quick, he's going to be fine, although the average may never approach .300 again. Carlos Quentin keeps hitting, and stole a base. There's no controversy here.

Texas 10, Twins 0
Finally Livan Hernandez got destroyed. Vincente Padilla threw a gem but he's not any good. Jason Botts hit is second homer, so he could end up with some value after all. It looks like they're willing to get him some time, so watch him. Saltalamacchia didn't play, and I feel like he's not a full time player at this point. There are whispers Hank Blalock is going on the DL. I started Maicer Izturiz over him this week. With Michael Young hurting too, it increases the chances that Blalock hits the DL.

Jays 5, Royals 2
Jesse Litsch has been all over this year, and that's what you can expect from him. I'd stay away. Gil Meche pitched his best game in a while, and it still wasn't that stellar. He's going to be alright but you might want to wait until he can start putting some good games together. Callaspo keeps got while Grudzielanek is out. His Minors stats aren't really that great, so I don't buy. Alex Rios in the leadoff spot is very interesting. He was 4-5 and should steal more bases and score more runs. Scott Rolen keeps hitting since returning. I'd be hesitant with him, but he's done nothing but hit so far. Odd situation with BJ Ryan today, and I'm not sure what happened. He entered in the 8th and then pulled for the 9th. Weird. The best explaination is that the Jays added more runs in the 9th so they didn't want to leave him out for a two inning save. I'm sure we'll find out more on this.

A's 4, M's 2
Felix struck out 10 before losing it in the 7th. Blanton has been just about what you would expect from him, which is solid. Emil Brown keeps raking. Weird. He had two good years in 2005 and 2006, and he could approach those .285 15 homer 10 steal numbers again. With Kurt Suzuki out of the lineup, Mark Ellis led off. Not a bad spot for him, and like with Suzuki, it only helps his value.

Angels 6, Tigers 2
I watched this game too. Verlander is not winning me over. I'm not sure what the problem is with him, the velocity was back today, but the control is still missing. If I own him, I try to trade him close to full value. Jered Weaver pitched well, the 4 walks aren't great, but he looked good. I think Gary Sheffield is done. His injuries have just piled up on him and he's not right. He's going to have to shut it down for a while I think. Casey Kotchman was in the 4 slot again, even with Garrett Anderson in the lineup. It's the best spot for him anyways. Torii Hunter and Erick Aybar both drove in three. Hunter had two extra base hits, he's looked good.