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| Francisco Rodriguez has altered his delivery in an attempt to take pressure off his bad left ankle, and it has resulted in decreased velocity, according to the LA Times. His fastball has registered mostly at 91 MPH, down from his regular 94 MPH. "He was working on a lot of things as far as mechanics in the spring, trying to iron some things out, and sometimes it's a work in progress," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He should be crisper the more he gets out there." K-Rod's new delivery hasn't affected his results thus far, as he's 2-for-2 in save opportunities with three strikeouts in two innings. This doesn't seem like anything to worry about right now. |
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| Francisco Liriano was roughed up for four runs on six hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings in his rehab start for Single-A Fort Myers Thursday. He also committed an error but did finish with eight strikeouts. The original plan called for Liriano to make two rehab starts before rejoining the Twins rotation, but manager Ron Gardenhire recently said it could take longer than that. Given the results from tonight, perhaps the left-hander does need to spend a little more time on the farm before facing big league hitters. |
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| Bartolo Colon was dominant in his outing for Triple-A Pawtucket Thursday, tossing five shutout innings while allowing just one hit and one walk while punching out five, according to the Providence Journal. Colon's last pitch registered at 95 MPH on the radar gun. With Josh Beckett slated to come off the DL this weekend, the Sox don't have any room in their rotation. However, if Colon continues to pitch like this, he should find his way up to Beantown eventually. |
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| The Orioles will keep their rotation in order after Thursday's rainout, according to the AP. Steve Trachsel will now start Friday against the Mariners, with everyone else simply moving back a day. It doesn't really matter who Trachsel faces. He's a sketchy fantasy play, at best, no matter what. |
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| The Rays will keep their rotation in the same order after Thursday's rainout, according to the AP. That means Andy Sonnanstine will now start Friday against the Yankees, while everyone else gets bumped back a day. Tough break for the righty, as he goes from facing the worst offense in the AL in Baltimore to possibly the best. |
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| Victor Martinez could return to the lineup as soon as tomorrow night, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. V-Mart hasn't played since the opener, when he had to leave after straining a hamstring. "It's getting better every day," said manager Eric Wedge. "We're going to get to the ballpark early and he should be back in a day or two. This was an opportunity to get him back out there. I'm very happy with his progress." Wedge said there was no chance of using V-Mart as a DH. Check back for updates to see if the catcher will get back to action tomorrow. |
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| The Rangers outrighted Nelson Cruz to Triple-A Oklahoma Thursday after the outfielder cleared waivers, according to the AP. Cruz, who was designated for assignment Saturday, still has a bit of upside, but he'll be 28 in July and has done very little at the big-league level thus far. |
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| Gary Sheffield, who tore a tendon in his left ring finger Thursday when he slid into second base, left open the possibility that he would play Friday, but manager Jim Leyland said it's unlikely the DH will be available, according to the Detroit Free Press. Sheffield wore a splint on the finger after the game and said he had "no feeling" in the finger immediately after the injury. "I think I hit it on the base, but I'm not sure," he said. "I didn't notice it until I got in the dugout, looked at it, and it looked deformed." Sheff is as tough as nails, but this sounds like something that will keep him out of the lineup at least a few days. A DL stint is certainly possible. Marcus Thames would likely see the bulk of the time at DH if Sheffield misses significant time. |
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| Jorge Posada is out of the lineup Thursday for the second straight day because of a stiff right shoulder, according to MLB.com. He is expected to be available as a pinch-hitter. Posada is able to hit and exercise, but is not permitted to throw yet. "They want me to rest," Posada said. "It doesn't hurt at all, even hitting or anything. We'll find out tomorrow when I throw. It's better because, obviously, there's no ache. The stiffness is gone too. It's just a matter of finding out tomorrow what it feels like." Jose Molina started in Posada's place. Expect Jorge to be back in the lineup sometime this weekend. |
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| It's possible Francisco Liriano will need more than two minor-league starts before rejoining the Twins rotation, according to MLB.com. "Two starts and we'll see where he's at," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I think with two starts, if everything continues on as is with him stepping up each time, he should be really close to being ready for here. But it has to continue. If he stays flat and stays about the same with his location and he's throwing the ball all over the place, then we'll extend [the Minor League stint] out. It's up to him now to keep elevating [his game]." The lefty will make his first minor-league appearance tonight for Single-A Fort Myers. He will then start in five days for Triple-A Rochester. Nick Blackburn had been the obvious choice to be sent down once Liriano is ready, but he pitched well Wednesday and Kevin Slowey left Thursday's start with an injury, so perhaps he'll need a DL stint. |
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| Gary Sheffield tore a tendon in his left ring finger in the eighth inning of Thursday's game while sliding into second base, the AP reports. "He would have not been able to hit if we came around to him in the ninth," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I don't know how serious it was, but he couldn't bend it." There is still no word on how much time Sheffield will miss. If he does miss time, Marcus Thames figures to gain significant at-bats. |
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| Victor Martinez, who left Monday's outing with a strained hamstring, flew out as a pinch hitter Thursday. Manager Eric Wedge hopes V-Mart can return to catching duties in the next few days, according to the AP. The Tribe are in Oakland over the weekend and then start a series with the Angels Monday. Hopefully Martinez will be behind the plate sometime against the A's. |
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| Justin Morneau went 0-for-2 against the Angels on Thursday, and is now hitless over his first 12 at-bats of the season. Morneau notably inked an $80 million contract back in January, and he clearly isn't playing up to expectations in the early going. |
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| Torii Hunter, CF, Los Angeles Angels | Thursday 4/3, 3:42 PM CT |
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| Torii Hunter went 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 5-4 win over Minnesota on Thursday, and notably recorded his first homer with the Angels, which came at the expense of his old team. Hunter bounced back a bit following a slow start. |
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| Ervin Santana earned the win in a close 5-4 battle against Minnesota on Thursday, as he only allowed two runs on four hits over six innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. He is off to a good start as he tries to bounce back from a weak 7-14 campaign in 2007. |
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| Brandon Inge fared well as he replaced Miguel Cabrera at third base against Kansas City on Thursday, as he went 2-for-3 and drove in the Tigers' only run on a solo homer in a 4-1 loss. Inge is among the most solid utility men in the league, evidenced by today's performance. |
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| Jeremy Bonderman surrendered four runs on eight hits (two home runs) over 6.1 innings of work in a 4-1 loss to Kansas City on Thursday, with two walks and one strikeout. This appeared to be a good week for Detroit pitchers as they were facing Kansas City, but that gravely was not the case as the Tigers were swept in the three-game series. |
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| Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City Royals | Thursday 4/3, 3:23 PM CT |
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| Alex Gordon went 2-for-5 with two RBI in a big 4-1 win against Detroit on Thursday, and notably collected his second homer of the season. He also registered four RBI in the three-game series, which the Royals swept. |
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| Zack Greinke was in control on the mound Thursday, as he only allowed one run on six hits over seven innings in 4-1 win over Detroit, with two walks and three strikes. He helped the Royals sweep the Tigers in their three-game series. |
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| Ryan Garko, 1B, Cleveland Indians | Thursday 4/3, 2:19 PM CT |
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| Ryan Garko went 1-for-3 and registered the only RBI in a 2-1 loss to Chicago on Thursday. He collected two RBI over the three-game series. |
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| Grady Sizemore had a tough day at the plate in a 2-1 loss to Chicago on Thursday, as he went 0-for-4 with a stikeout. He is still off to a solid start as he racked up four hits and four RBI in the first two games of the series. |
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| Jake Westbrook was dealt his first loss of the season on Thursday as he allowed two runs on six hits over 7.1 innings of work, with one walk and three strikeouts. Both runs came on solo homers by Joe Crede and Juan Uribe, as Cleveland fell 2-1. |
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| Jim Thome, DH, Chicago White Sox | Thursday 4/3, 1:56 PM CT |
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| Jim Thome had a tough day at the plate against Cleveland on Thursday, as he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He is still off to a strong start as he registered two homers and four RBI over the first two games of the series. |
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| Bobby Jenks, P, Chicago White Sox | Thursday 4/3, 1:49 PM CT |
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| Bobby Jenks earned his first save of 2008 as he preserved a 2-1 win against Cleveland, as he threw a hitless inning, with one strikeout. The White Sox needed this win, and end the first Cleveland series with a 1-2 mark. |
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| John Danks, P, Chicago White Sox | Thursday 4/3, 1:45 PM CT |
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| John Danks was strong in a no decision against Cleveland on Thursday as he only allowed one run on two hits over 6.2 innings, with two walks and two stikeouts. He also started the game with five hitless innings, until Casey Blake broke up his bid for a no hitter. The White Sox held on to win 2-1 and he made a blip on the fantasy radar following this performance. |
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| David DeJesus remains listed as day-to-day with his ankle injury, according to MLB.com. He missed another game on Thursday and Manager Hillman stated, "He's still day-to-day. A lot of treatment again today. Still sore but it's still not a DL situation." Joey Gathright will continue to fill his spot in the lineup.
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| Victor Martinez has returned to action as he pinch-hit for Jason Michaels in Thursday's game against the White Sox, according to the Plain Dealer. He flied out to left field but it is good to see him back on the field. |
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| Kevin Slowey went down with what is initially being called a right biceps strain, according to the Star Tribune. He left today’s start against the Angels in the fourth inning with an apparent injury. He will be re-evaluated on Friday, and Francisco Liriano would be a possible choice to take Slowey’s spot in the rotation if the injury is serious. More should be known shortly.
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| Fernando Rodney will throw a bullpen session on Thursday in Lakeland, Fla., according to MLB.com. This will mark the first time that the injured Tigers reliever has thrown since being put on the 15-day DL near the end of spring training. Rodney is dealing with tendinitis in his right shoulder, and he will not throw much. The Tigers want to be very careful with him, especially since he made a trip to the DL in 2007. He could also strengthen their struggling bullpen. The team will evaluate his session on Thursday before making any further decisions. Manager Leyland commented, "We'll have to wait and see how that all plays out. I'm not going to get all excited and rush it."
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| Francisco Rodriguez is changing his pitching delivery in an attempt to limit stress on his body, according to MLB.com. He understands that too much movement is never good for a pitcher, so he has taken steps to limit stress on his body by employing a more compact delivery. The main focus is on keeping his left leg tighter and softening his landing on his left ankle, which has recently given him problems at times. He noted, "Before, I used to be more open, swinging my leg around. I'm trying to take a little pressure off my left ankle. It's been really painful after every outing. That's because my delivery was so violent. I just have to make sure not to land so hard. It's the only change I've made. Now the delivery is more on a line, not toward first base. Now it's quick, short, let it go." He notably nailed down his first save of the season on Wednesday, with one strikeout over his one inning of work.
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| Alexei Ramirez will sit against Cleveland on Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune. Carlos Quentin is going to start in left field, and Nick Swisher is going to play center field. Jermaine Dye is penciled in at right field, as usual. |
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| Carlos Quentin will make his first start of the season in left field today, according to the Chicago Tribune. Manager Guillen noted that he is not down on Alexei Ramirez in any way, he justs wants to give Quentin more at-bats.
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| Nick Swisher, CF, Chicago White Sox | Thursday 4/3, 11:20 AM CT |
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| Nick Swisher is going to bat lead-off for the White Sox today, according to the Chicago Tribune. Orlando Cabrera is going to move down to the number two spot. Swisher collected two hits and two runs over the first two games of the season against Cleveland. |
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| Clete Thomas will start in center field today according to the Sports Network. Brandon Inge is going to move to third base to cover for the ailing Miguel Cabrera, which frees up center field for Thomas. He was a longshot to make the team this season, and it is nice to see him start a game. |
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| Brandon Inge is expected to cover third base today while Miguel Cabrera sits out with a sore quad, according to the Sports Network. Not many teams have a utility man as solid as Inge, and hopefully he can help prevent Detroit from an 0-3 start. |
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| Miguel Cabrera will not play on Thursday, according to the Sports Network. He is nursing a sore left quad, and is listed as day-to-day. He is notably off to a slow start with Detroit as he only has one hit over the first two games. |
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| Nathan Haynes started in right field for the Rays on Wednesday against Baltimore, and he fared decently as he went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He was awarded the start because Eric Hinske was 3-for-21 against starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera. |
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| Grant Balfour has cleared waivers, according to the St. Petersburg Times. The Rays are now waiting to see if he will accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham.
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| Jonny Gomes, DH, Tampa Bay Rays | Thursday 4/3, 10:15 AM CT |
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| Jonny Gomes' appeal for his two-game suspension has been moved to Monday, according to the St. Petersburg Times. He will remain eligible to play through the weekend in New York, with hope of getting at least one game dropped.
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| Carl Crawford wants to stick with the Rays for a long time, according to the St. Petersburg Times. Crawford noted, "I couldn't imagine playing anywhere else. I would like to stay here with the Rays. This is the only organization I know. I don't know nothing different. It would be nice. I'd hate to leave right when the getting is good. You've been around for all the bad stuff, you want to be around for the good part, too. And it looks like the good part is coming ahead." Crawford also noted that he doesn't know if or when there will be official talks about a contract extension for him.
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| Marco Scutaro was hit on the hand by a pitch in the ninth inning against the Yankees on Wednesday, according to the Toronto Star. Manager Gibbons commented that he was feeling "tender" and that the hand will be checked again today. If Scutaro is a scratch, then John McDonald would likely get the call at third base. |
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| B.J. Ryan, P, Toronto Blue Jays | Thursday 4/3, 9:53 AM CT |
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| B.J. Ryan is expected to share the closer's role with Jeremy Accardo upon his return from the DL, according to the Toronto Star. Ryan should return in eight or nine days, and the plan is to have Accordo help out in the early going. |
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| Jerry Owens, CF, Chicago White Sox | Thursday 4/3, 9:39 AM CT |
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| Jerry Owens is reportedly close to returning to the White Sox, according to the Chicago Sun Times. He has been making great strides in his recovery from a small tear in his right adductor, and the team expects him to come off the 15-day DL on Tuesday. He could start the team's home opener (in center field) against Minnesota on April 7, and Manager Guillen stated, "Obviously having a guy who can run a little bit in the leadoff spot is an ideal situation, but like I said before, I don't want a guy who can fly and all of a sudden never gets on base. The plans out of spring training were the way Jerry was playing, having him lead off and having Swisher back somewhere he can help us. When Jerry is ready to play, then we'll make the decision. Jerry comes back and starts playing with us, he should be the leadoff guy." This is good news, but is sounds like Swisher is going to slip down in the batting order.
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| Aaron Laffey is the number one starter in the Triple-A Buffalo rotation, according to the Plain Dealer. Laffey was notably battling for the final rotation spot for the Indians in spring training, but he was edged out by Cliff Lee. |
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| Ryan Garko, 1B, Cleveland Indians | Thursday 4/3, 9:20 AM CT |
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| Ryan Garko is currently serving as the Indians' backup catcher until Victor Martinez returns, according to The Plain Dealer. The team was believed to be targeting minor league prospects for the backup job, but they are going with Garko for now. |
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| Kelly Shoppach made his first start in place of the injured Victor Martinez on Wednesday, and he performed favorably as he went 1-for-3 while drawing a walk in a 7-2 win over the White Sox. He helped guide Fausto Carmona to a four hit win as well, with four strikeouts over seven innings. Martinez remains day-to-day with his hamstring ailment, and the team is seemingly in good hands at catcher until he returns. |
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| Luis Mendoza threw in a simulated game on Wednesday, according to the Dallas Morning News. He threw around 65 pitches in four innings, and said he had no problems with the blistered area of his ailing finger. After the session he stated, "I'm ready for my next start. I get this thing every spring training, but once I get it fixed, I don't have any more problems. I was able to finish off all my pitches in the simulated game." This is good news and Mendoza remains on target to return to the Rangers starting rotation on April 12.
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| Brandon McCarthy is scheduled to resume throwing again on Friday in Arizona, according to the Dallas Morning News. McCarthy is currently on the 60-day DL with forearm irritation, and isn't eligible to return until May 29.
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| Hank Blalock has been battling flu-like symptoms but reportedly felt significantly better on Wednesday during game action, according to the Dallas Morning News. He went 0-for-3 against Seattle, but did draw a walk and was able to finish the game. |
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| Jose Molina, C, New York Yankees | Thursday 4/3, 8:28 AM CT |
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| Jose Molina started for the Yankees on Wednesday while Jorge Posada was scratched due to a stiff right shoulder, and Molina favorably went 1-for-3. Posada is expected to be fine, and Molina will provide solid depth when needed. |
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| J.J. Putz, P, Seattle Mariners | Thursday 4/3, 8:18 AM CT |
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| There is no time-table set for the return of J.J. Putz, according to the Seattle Times. He is out with a rib cage injury that he sustained Wednesday night. The team has to let the injury rest, and then rehab can begin. The team is reportedly very encouraged by the initial diagnosis, because there was fear yesterday that it might be an oblique or soft tissue injury, which usually takes a lot longer to heal. The doctor that read Putz's MRI determined his inflammation to be "mild."
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| Victor Martinez has a mild hamstring strain, according to the Beacon Journal. Manager Wedge stated, "Victor felt better yesterday, and he felt better today." Wedge does not believe the effects of the injury will linger long enough to force Martinez to spend time on the DL, or even to be out of the lineup for as long as a full week. Martinez stated that he does not feel any twinges in his leg when he participates in normal activity, and he will remain listed as day-to-day.
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| Mark Lowe, P, Seattle Mariners | Thursday 4/3, 7:39 AM CT |
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| Mark Lowe is believed to have have the inside track on the closer's job while JJ Putz is out, but he is going to have some competition, according to the Seattle Times. Sean Green and Eric O'Flaherty are also going to be tried out for the role. |
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| Eric O'Flaherty will get a chance to be the team's closer while JJ Putz is on the DL, according to the Seattle Times. He was previously acting as the team's left handed setup man. |
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| Sean Green, P, Seattle Mariners | Thursday 4/3, 7:26 AM CT |
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| Sean Green will likely get an opportunity to be the Mariners' closer while JJ Putz is on the DL, according to the Seattle Times. He has racked up three strikeouts over 2.2 innings of work so far this season. |
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| Sean Green, P, Seattle Mariners | Thursday 4/3, 7:26 AM CT |
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| Sean Green will likely get the first opportunity to be the Mariners' closer while JJ Putz is on the DL, according to the Seattle Times. He has racked up three strikeouts over 2.2 innings of work so far this season. |
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