It's only the first weekend, but the Orioles and Royals are leading their divisions, while the Red Sox are in 0-3. Very bizarro if you ask me.
Indians 7 - White Sox 1
- Coming off of a rough 2010 season, Justin Masterson's price was probably very low in most leagues. I got him for $1 in a 10 team AL only league. Sunday he held the White Hot Sox to just 1 run on 7 hits and 2 walks over 7 innings. Sadly he brought no strikeouts with him. Unless he shows real improvement against lefties (.288 BAA), he's probably best left on waiver wires.
- John Danks took the loss, but 8 strikeouts to just 1 walk will play anywhere.
- Chris Perez and Matt Thornton got work in the 9th. Neither gave up any earned runs.
- Shin-Soo Choo went hitless and is now 1-12 on the season. If there's an owner out there panicking, you know what to do.
Tigers 10 - Yankees 7
- Max Scherzer and Phil Hughes got hit around pretty good as it was home-run derby day at Yankee Stadium. It's a bit concerning that Hughes's fastball topped out at 91 mph and he struck out only 1.
- Brennan Boesch went 4-4 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 4 runs. As the lone left handed bat in the Tigers' outfield, he's started twice now. Before you go add crazy, remember his second half swoon (2 HR, 18 RBI, .163 avg in 221 at-bats) from last season.
- Jose Valverde nailed down his first save of the season. With Joaquin Benoit setting him up, he should be good to go.
Twins 4 - Blue Jays 3
- If you were betting on a big regression from Jose Bautista this season, you may be out of luck. He went 2-4 and smacked his 2nd homer of the season.
- Justin Morneau got his first hit since his concussion from last season. It wouldn't be surprising for him to struggle early on as he continues to work on getting his stamina up.
- Speaking of comebacks, Joe Nathan got his first save since his TJ surgery last Spring. It was a bumpy outing as he gave up a sac-fly, before loading the bases on two walks. Ultimately he was able to induce Adam Lind into a grounder to end things. Nathan probably won't pitch on back-to-back days initially, so Matt Capps owners should stand their ground for now.
Orioles 5 - Rays 1
- The Twitter-verse was buzzing about the debut Zach Britton had against the Rays. He pitched 6 innings with 6 Ks, 3 BBs, and 1 ER for the first win in his career. He's in the rotation for now as Brian Matusz deals with a back injury. If you're reading this, he's probably already gone in your league.
- Wade Davis wasn't as sharp as Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Mark Reynolds each got two hits off of him. Such is life in the AL East.
- Manny Ramirez went 0-4 and is now 1-12 on the season. All the guy does is hit, so stay patient if you're living on Planet Man-Ram.
Rangers 5 - Red Sox 1
- Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz stayed hot as each hit their 3rd homer of the early season. Health is about the only thing holding these two back from potentially having massive fantasy seasons.
- Matt Harrison struck out 8 Red Sox batters over 7 innings and allowed only 1 earned run. He showed good control as he threw 71 of his 108 pitches for strikes and walked only 2. Improving on his 4.5 BB/9 walk rate from a season ago would greatly increase his chances of sticking in the rotation.
- Facing a lefty, Carl Crawford hit 7th for the Bo-Sox. He came through with two hits and a RBI. It's only a matter of time before he moves up in the line-up against south paws.
Royals 12 - Angels 9
- Fernando Rodney blew his first save of the season. That didn't take too long, now did it? He walked the bases loaded, before Wilson Betemit knocked in two with a double to tie the game. If you're hedging against Rodney keeping the job, the smart add is Jordan Walden. Walden pitched the 8th in this game with 2 strikeouts and 1 hit.
- I was taught that if you don't have anything nice to say, you should whisper. So listen closely… Scott Kazmir was only able to get 5 outs and in the process gave up 5 runs. If you own him in any leagues, please explain yourself in the comments.
- Alex Gordon wrapped out four hits as the three hitter for the team from Kansas City.
- Mike Scioscia can't be too pleased with the 6 stolen bases that happened on Jeff Mathis' watch.
A's 7 - Mariners 1
- Gio Gonzalez gave up 6 hits and walked 4 batters over 7 innings in a win as the Mariners held themselves to just 1 run. I'm not a card carrying member of the pitch count police, but 116 pitches against a punchless lineup seems a bit much to me. Either way, Gonzalez is going to have to cut down on the walks (4.13 BB/9 last season) if he's going to take the next step that many are calling for.
- Speaking of walks, as long as Doug Fister keeps his to a minimum, as he did today with none, he'll be useful in AL only leagues. Last season his walk rate was a muted 1.68 BB/9.
- Coco Crisp had a game high 3 hits with 1 RBI… yeah, not much offensive power to speak of between these two teams.
Mets 9 - Marlins 2
- Javier Vazquez pitched like he was back in the AL East as he gave up 7 runs (4 earned), while only getting 7 outs. His velocity hovered around 89 mph and his control never materialized as he was only able to throw 32 of his 67 pitches for strike. I'm throwing this fish back.
- Knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey struck out 7 and allowed 1 unearned run over 6 innings. The strikeouts are probably an outlier, but his ERA and WHIP should play well in NL only leagues.
- An outfield of Willie Harris, Angel Pagan, and Lucas Duda is probably not what Mets fans had envisioned coming into this season.
Reds 12 - Brewers 3
- Ryan Hanigan went 4-4 with a homer, 4 RBI, 3 runs, and a walk. Combine that with his catching duties and he had a full day's work.
- Bronson Arroyo (mononucleosis) looked strong over 7 innings as he struck out 5 and walked none, en route to a win. He threw 87 pitches before being pulled. The big question for Arroyo will be how he performs as the meat of the season sets in and the heat ratchets up.
- Aroldis Chapman made his season debut throwing gas that registered as high as 103 mph. He struck out 1 batter in his inning of work.
Braves 11 - Nationals 2
- Brian McCann went 3-5 with 4 RBI, 1 run, and 1 stolen base. After slow starts the last two seasons, he looks to be in mid-season form.
- Tim Hudson shutdown the Nationals by allowing only 1 earned run over 7 innings. His 5 strikeouts is what owners can expect on most nights.
- Jordan Zimmerman struck out 2 and walked 3 over 6 innings. He allowed only 2 earned runs before the bullpen imploded for 8 runs. It looks like it may take a little big longer for Zimmerman to be back where he was before his TJ surgery in late '09.
Phillies 7 - Astros 3
- Roy Oswalt quieted his former team with 6 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs over 6 innings. The walk was the Astros first of the season.
- Bud Norris brought the strikeouts (7) and limited the walks (1), but served up two homers in the first inning to doom himself.
- Ben Francisco went 3-5 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 1 run. He's now 6-13 with 1 HR, 7 RBI, and 3 runs. Owners who took a chance on him have to be pleased at this point.
Cardinals 2 - Padres 0
- Jaime Garcia spun a completed game shutout with 9 strikeouts and 2 walks. He needed only 102 pitches and scattered 4 hits. This probably isn't news to most of you, but if you're streaming pitchers this season, pick on the Padres and Astros.
- With Matt Holliday (appendectomy) out, Jon Jay played LF and hit 2nd, while Lance Berkman played RF and hit clean-up.
- Dustin Moseley's 1 earned run effort over 7 innings should not inspire confidence as his strikeout rate hasn't risen above 5.0 K/9 the last two seasons.
Pirates 5 - Cubs 4
- Matt Garza struck out 12 and gave up 12 hits with no walks over 7 innings. He came away with a no decision as Carlos Marmol blew the save in the 9th.
- Joel Hanrahan nailed down his second save with a strikeout. He's almost certainly taken in your league, but he may be better than you think. Last season he struck out 100 batters with 26 walks in 69.2 innings.
- Andrew McCutchen missed the game with a sore neck. Matt Diaz filled in against Garza, a righty, and predictably went 1-5 with 2 strikeouts.
Dodgers 7 - Giants 5
- Hiroki Kuroda struck out 5, walked none, and gave up two solo homers. When healthy, Kuroda is one of the better NL options out there.
- Aubrey Huff butchered RF all night long. This probably means nothing to his owners, but to those who watched, it was painful. Cody Ross (calf) can not come back soon enough. Offensively he was 2-5 with a run.
- Jonathan Broxton gave up a home run to Aaron Rowand in the 9th, but hung on for the save. He hasn't been the same since the All-Star break last season.
- Diamondbacks vs. Rockies was postponed due to snow… yes, snow.