It seems like every year there's that one player that you develope a huge man-crush on. Usually for me it's someone that I pick late in the draft of someone I sign, the type of players that make you look smart. Last year for me that guy was Shaun Marcum. I still don't get why he doesn' get more attention, he's pretty awesome. It got to the point that I went to a Jays game and wanted to get a Marcum t-shirt, but they didn't even have one of those. In Toronto. Talk about flying under the radar. So naturally I wanted him back this year, and thought I could pick him up pretty late in the draft, although peple were aware of my love of Marcum. Well long story short, my brother picked him just to make me angry, which he did with a number of picks, all of which have worked out and I actually really like his team. Well today Marcum faced off against Tim Wakefield, who I was starting hoping to pick up a win. Of course Marcum is brilliant, giving up 3 ER over 7, striking out 8 while Wakefield puts in a pretty typical Wakefield start and gets a no decision. Painful.
White Sox 8, Tigers 5
After watching this game, the Tigers did little to impress, even though they doubled their run output on the year with the game. The pen is a big problem. Contreras was horrible, like always, but usually decent Robertson matched him. AJ Pierzinski continues to rake. I like him, he seems like he's always underrated, probably because he's a dick. Don't expect a career year or anything, so enjoy this while it lasts. Nick Swisher isn't doing much fantasy-wise out of the leadoff spot, but the three walks are great for this lineup. Carlos Quentin goes 2-5 with a homer and 2 RBI. It looks like he's the better option than Alexei Ramirez. However, this all changes that Jerry Owens is set to come off the DL Tuesday and leadoff everyday. I like Owens a lot this year, simply because he's cheap steals. I'm debating starting him next week, although if I had better options than Coco Crisp, I'd probably wait a week. The strange Crede situation continues, and he keeps hitting. For the Tigers, Clete Thomas has been exceeding everyone's expectations, although as soon as Sheffield/Miggy C return to full strength, he's on the bench again. He would really be better suited to play everyday in the minors, and I imagine that's what will happen when Granderson returns. This team is unbelievably flat now. It won't last, but there's no signs of them breaking out of this funk.
O's 7, M's 4
Nothing spectacular out of Trachsel or Washburn, but that's expected. You'll pretty much get the league average out of them, with Washburn far more likely to have the better year. Richie Sexson hits a homer. I like him this year, I don't think he's going to be a stud or anything, but a solid year when power is short. If you can handle a .250 average, Sexson should appeal. Both of these teams are pretty punchless, I wouldn't hesitate to start a pitcher against either. Nice to see Ramon Hernandez have a good game. I'm a believer. George Sherrill gets another save, it should be pretty clear he's going to have good value this year as long as he doesn't get dealt.
Rays 13, Yankees 4
This is what the Rays are capable of. This is a real dangerous team. I'd rank them right up with the Red Sox, Yankees, and Tigers as far as most dangerous offense. Pena hits a bomb, Crawford steals a base, all is well. Sonnanstine had a poor start. A lot of people are big on him. I'm not one of them. I do like Ian Kennedy, although he was shelled. With Igawa pitching well in the minors, it's possible he could be on a short leash. After trashing Giambi and Matsui yesterday, they double and homer, respectively. I don't expect much out of Giambi, while Matsui is good for a .280 15-20 year. Not the value for where he's drafted. Posada is back in the lineup, and still hitless. It looks like he's going to be safe to start next week.
Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 3
I've already said quite a bit about this game, but more needs to be said. What's going on with Terry Francona? Pedroia leads off with Ellsbury in the lineup, hitting 8. It seems like Ellsbury doesn't have a fan in Francona at this point. He was yanked for Crisp at the end of the game anyways. Yeah, I also have to mention that Marco Scutaro stole another base. I find this really funny.
Twins 4, Royals 3
I think I'm going to start a mass letter mailing campaign to the Twins to get Kubel to start everyday. Monroe goes 0-4 with 3 strikeouts, remaining hitless on the year. I'll mention that Carlos Gomez and Mark Grudzielanek are the best players in baseball again. Really though, Gomez's value is taking a nice bump. He steals to bases and shows no signs of stopping. Scott Baker, another solid sleeper, does alright. You can do a lot worse for a 4 starter than him. A 4ish ERA, 150 K's, and10 wins is reasonable.
Rangers 11, Angels 6
Kason Gabbard throws 7 shutout innings, striking out 4. Here's another nice sleeper, but I thought the same of Dustin Moseley, who got shelled. I imagine he has a short leash this year. Broussard hits a grand slam, I'll say he's worth a pickup again. I have having DH and 1B filled, or I'd be all over him. Hank Blalock missed the game with the flu he's been battling, nothing to be concerned about. It's possible you missed it, but Juan Rivera played some 1B, which can only help his value. I'm a big fan if he was on a team without 8 other guys that played his position.
Oakland 6, Indians 3
A nice first start for Justin Duchscherer. It'll probably be a while before he can pitch deep into games, but expect good K numbers in the meantime. I'd suggest him. Byrd was pretty unimpressive. He's usually around at the end of drafts and on the wire, and really he's not worth it. There's a lot of better upside guys out there. Ryan Sweeney goes 4-4, which could earn him a couple extra starts. He has talent, just never really given a shot before. The Mike Sweeney experiement isn't off to a thrilling start. I'd still watch him as the year progresses. And nice to see Garko hit a bomb, I'm banking on quite a few more out of him this year. Hafner is another definitely guy I like this year. At the same time, Huston Street is a definite guy I hate this year.
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