| Dan Haren, P, Arizona Diamondbacks | Saturday 3/1, 10:41 PM CT |
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| Dan Haren made his Arizona spring debut on Saturday. The ex-Athletic allowed one run on five hits over a pair of innings. Three of Haren's four strikeouts came on outstanding split-finger fastballs. Haren is a top-tiered mixed league option. His move from the AL to NL is positive; his venue move from Oakland to Arizona isn't. |
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| Shawn Chacon, who is battling for a rotation spot with the Astros, gets a chance to earn brownie points on Sunday when he starts against the Washington Nationals. Chacon has a shot to earn a slot at the back end of a weak Houston rotation. |
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| Hunter Pence went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Saturday's loss to the Braves. Pence, who was brilliant with Houston last season, is currently over valued in most formats. Pence is being drafted before proven veterans, and considering the second-year outfielder has only 108 games under his belt, he comes with some risk. That said, he could also prove to be worthy of his current draft day status. |
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| Tom Glavine, P, Atlanta Braves | Saturday 3/1, 10:11 PM CT |
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| Tom Glavine, who was pitching in a Braves uniform on for the first time since 2002, registered two strikeouts and allowed one run in two innings of work in the win over the Astros. Glavine doesn't offer much in the way of strike outs, but he will stay near the mean in ERA and WHIP. |
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| Woody Williams faced the minimum in the Astros loss Saturday, allowing one hit in two innings of work. The veteran right-hander's only hit allowed was a single to Yunel Escobar. |
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| Ty Wigginton, a sleeper candidate at the corner in mixed formats, homered off Tom Glavine in the second inning on Saturday. Wiggington was successful in his short stint with Houston late last summer. After being traded from the Rays, Wiggs hit six home runs in 164 at-bats. |
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| Jeff Francoeur hit a three-run home run off right-hander Runelvys Hernandez on Saturday. It's early, but Francoeur is currently hitting .429 this spring. |
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| Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies | Saturday 3/1, 8:03 PM CT |
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| Chase Utley recorded his third double of the spring and has continued where he left off after returning last September from a hand injury that cost him five weeks of games. Despite missing those five weeks, Utley's 48 doubles tied for third in the National League last year, and he was the only second baseman to record 100 runs scored and 100 RBI. Don't believe the so-called experts that don't buy into positional scarcity, and especially don't believe those who don't consider Utley a first round talent. |
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| Adam Eaton, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Saturday 3/1, 7:58 PM CT |
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| Adam Eaton wasn't good in his first Grapefruit League outing of 2008. He surrendered three singles and a three-run home run in the first inning. Eaton completed two innings Saturday allowing five hits, three earned runs, walking three and striking out two. |
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| Pitching coach Mike Maddux told Fox Sports that left-hander Chris Capuano has the eye of the tiger this spring.
"I think he really wants to silence the critics," Maddux said. "No doubt about that." Capuano began the 2007 campaign with a 5-0 record and 2.31 ERA. Capuano followed his hot start by never winning another game, going 0-12 with a 6.08 ERA in 18 starts. He was eventually taken out of the rotation and sent to the pen. Capuano recorded 18 victories in 2005, and then made the National League All-Star team the following season. Believing those two achievements are aberrations isn't logical. Look for the Brewers left-hander to earn a spot in the rotation and have a bounce back season. |
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| Brad Penny, P, Los Angeles Dodgers | Saturday 3/1, 5:06 PM CT |
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| Brad Penny was impressive in his first spring training start Saturday. The Dodgers right-hander allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out two. A healthy Penny will assist fantasy owners in all formats. Throwing half of his innings in pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium with hopeful starts against the Padres in PETCO Park as well. |
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| Justin Huber was scratched from the Royals lineup for Saturday's exhibition game due the flu, according to the KC Star. The virus has been working its way through the Royals' locker room -- Ryan Shealy missed his third game Saturday due to the same sickness. |
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| Marlon Anderson collided with Ryan Church during Saturday's spring game and sustained a bruised chest, according to the New York Daily News. Anderson initially has been diagnosed with a bruised sternum, but more should be known about his condition following an MRI. |
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| Ryan Church collided with Marlon Anderson during Saturday's spring game, according to the New York Daily News. The Mets confirmed that Church sustained a concussion. "He doesn’t remember anything about anything," said Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said. "He doesn’t remember going out to catch the ball. He doesn’t remember the collision. He’s able to walk. His jaw is sore. But he’s a little woozy." It sounds like Church will be out for at least a little while, but for how long will depend on the severity of the concussion. We'll have more news for you as it becomes available. |
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| Dmitri Young, 1B, Washington Nationals | Saturday 3/1, 2:30 PM CT |
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| Dmitri Young was scratched from Saturday's exhibition game due to a strain that runs from his side into his left quadriceps, according to the Washington Post. The soreness should only cost him a few days, barring something unexpected. |
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| Paul Lo Duca took dry swings in a batting cage on Friday and is slated to have a soft-toss session on Saturday, according to the Washington Post. Lo Duca hopes to catch batting practice on Monday. He's recovering from offseason knee surgery and still hopes to be ready for the season opener. |
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| Johnny Estrada's surgically repaired knee is fine, but his surgically repaired right elbow still is tender and inflamed, so he'll be shut down for the time being, according to the Washington Post. "I'm not too worried - yet," Estrada said. He won't work out for a few days, at which point we should have a better read on his status going forward. |
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| Shawn Hill, P, Washington Nationals | Saturday 3/1, 2:20 PM CT |
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| Shawn Hill was sent for a precautionary MRI on his sore right forearm Saturday, according to the Washington Post. The exam revealed no torn tendons or swelling, but the club plans to hold him back a bit to rest up. Hill has trouble staying healthy, so while the MRI results were good news, the fact that he's bothered enough by this to warrant an MRI in the first place is a bit concerning. |
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| Cameron Maybin said his tight right hamstring felt better Saturday morning and that he should be back in the mix within a couple of days, according to MLB.com. "It feels better than yesterday," he said Saturday morning. "I'm getting a little stretching in. I will still participate in BP and throwing, just no running." Maybin was pulled from Friday's game due to the ailment, but it appears it shouldn't slow him down much in his attempt to lock down the starting role in center field. |
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| Carlos Delgado has been sent back to New York to undergo an MRI on his sore right hip, according to Newsday. "We don't expect it to be an extended situation," GM Omar Minaya said. "It's early in spring training and we wanted to get a look at it." Let's hope they're just being cautious, because Minaya added that the soreness is in the same area of Delgado's hip that bothered him last September. Delgado missed two weeks due to that injury. |
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| Jason Isringhausen is working on adding a split-finger fastball and a hybrid spread-finger splitter to his arsenal of pitches, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "He keeps adding a little something different with hitters," manager Tony La Russa said. "I think that's very important, especially for somebody who pitches late in the game. The old videotapes aren't going to tell the whole story in a particular year." Every little bit helps. Izzy picked up 32 saves and posted a 2.48 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last year. |
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| Kazuo Matsui missed Friday's game due to what originally was diagnosed as hemmorrhoids, but further tests revealed the it was something else, according to the Houston Chronincle. "It wasn't what we thought it was, so he'll get a chance to play (today)," manager Cecil Cooper said. Um, well, we'll just leave that all up to your imagination as to what really was going on there, but it sounds like he should be back in action Saturday. |
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| Orlando Hernandez attempted to toss a batting practice session Friday, but his troublesome right foot didn't feel comfortable and limited his velocity, according to the New York Daily News. "I'm not worried, but I'm worried," El Duque said. "I have a lot of time still - one month. But now, it's no good. I'm not feeling comfortable on the mound." He had been scheduled for his spring game debut Monday, but he'll try to throw another batting practice, instead. Hernandez has a bunion on his right big toe that won't be removed until after he retires. He also had surgery on the adjacent toe during the offseason, which has left that digit shorter. Clearly, his ability to push off the rubber and stay on the mound will be ongoing concerns. |
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| Bill Bray, P, Cincinnati Reds | Saturday 3/1, 8:51 AM CT |
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| Bill Bray was able to throw of a mound Thursday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It went pretty well," Bray said. "I felt fine." Bray had been limited to long-toss for a while due to a sore shoulder and now will stick with bullpens for a bit longer. |
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| Jerry Gil, P, Cincinnati Reds | Saturday 3/1, 8:47 AM CT |
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| Jerry Gil is being shut down for at least the next five days due to a strained quadriceps, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I worked hard," he said. "I was ready to play some baseball." Gil missed nearly all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so being felled by a quadriceps must be a tough pill for him to swallow. The club will take things slowly with his return, which could limit his chances of breaking camp with the team. |
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| Randy Johnson is scheduled to take the mound for his next throwing session on Tuesday, according to the East Valley Tribune. Johnson will face hitters in batting practice then receive four days of rest, the longest he has gone between outings this spring. Johnson is still about a week behind his mound-mates this spring and will likely miss the first round of the rotation. Johnson is on track to make his regular season debut on April 6 in Colorado. |
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| Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks | Saturday 3/1, 8:24 AM CT |
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| Stephen Drew , who was held out of Friday's game, had three wisdom teeth removed, notes the East Valley Tribune. The reported noted that Drew is scheduled to make his spring debut on Saturday and the minor oral surgery went as planned. Drew's current average draft position is the 15th round of mixed formats. |
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| Brandon Webb, P, Arizona Diamondbacks | Saturday 3/1, 8:21 AM CT |
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| Brandon Webb pitched two strong innings on Friday despite an upper respiratory infection, this according to the East Valley Tribune. The Diamondbacks' ace needed only 16 pitches in his two innings, facing only six batters. Webb is scheduled to pitch again Tuesday, on three days’ rest, in the D-Backs’ exhibition opener against Texas in Surprise. |
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| Chad Tracy, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks | Saturday 3/1, 8:13 AM CT |
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| Chad Tracy said he won't be cleared for game action until he's allowed to get off blood thinners he's been taking since developing a blood clot in November, according to the Arizona Republic. "As soon as I get off of the thinners, if I'm able to run, then technically I could play in a game," he said. "But I don't know where I'll be with the knee." Tracy doesn't expect to stop taking the blood thinners for another two or three weeks, and he's running at only 60 percent of his weight on a gravity-differential machine. Realistically, it sounds like we won't see him test his surgically repaired knee in a game for quite a while. |
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| Miguel Montero still is bothered by his broken finger enough that the Diamondbacks announced Friday he will not play in a spring game for at least the next two weeks, according to the Arizona Republic. A CT scan revealed Friday that the fractured digit sustained in a December winter league game still has not fully healed. At this point, it looks like Montero will have a tough time being ready by opening day. |
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