Notables:
-Trying to keep this clean, I was going to officially title this blog "WTF, John Buck?" If you had him as the first player to record three home runs in a game this season, congrats. Don't go nuts on the waiver-wire, he's been a below.250 catcher with at-best moderate power.
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-Paul Konerko grabbed back the MLB lead in home runs with two late shots in Texas. Last season he didn't hit 10 until June 23. Gavin Floyd bounced back to get the win with seven innings of one-run ball. He allowed only five hits and struck out five. The window to buy-low is over, here's your poster child for patience early in the season.
-Kelly Johnson hit his NL-leading ninth shot in a route over the Cubs. Ian Kennedy looked solid but seemed to tire later in the game, allowing fours earned runs on four hits over his final two innings. Two other balls were sharply hit but luckily for Kennedy they were right at his defense. Adam LaRoche hit two home runs in the same game meaning he may duck his usual slow start this year.
-David Freese responded to being moved up to sixth in the lineup with a 3-for-3 day with a home run and six RBIs. Colby Rasmus went 2-for-2 with four runs occupying the cleanup spot. Who needs Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday?
-Dontrelle Willis picked up the win tossing six scoreless innings against a depleted Minnesota lineup. He struck out six and walked two but only 57 of his 101 pitches were strikes. The control is still not there and he shouldn't be trusted.
-Justin Smoak hit his first home run on Thursday, a solo shot off Gavin Floyd. Smoak had a .470 OBP at Triple-A Oklahoma before his call up and has a career mark of over .400. Maybe he should be hitting higher than sixth in the lineup? Are we counting on the catcher-of-the-week or Julio Borbon to knock him in?
-If you're wondering why Boston didn't sign John Papelbon to a multi-year deal (besides that's something you shouldn't do with closers in general), look no further than Dan Bard. Bard currently sits with a 2.63 ERA, .730 WHIP and a 17:3 K:BB ratio over 13.2 innings. What are the odds that Bard is closing in Boston next year, 50/50?
-A.J. Burnett shut down the Orioles at Camden Yards with eight scoreless innings, three hits and a walk given up. Robinson Cano hit his seventh and eighth home runs of the season and is batting .407 to lead the majors. Second base was a deep position in this year's drafts but Cano is proving last year was no fluke. This was his second multi-homer game in the young season. Even more impressive? The Yanks have played only six games at home (two homers) and 15 games on the road (six homers). That short porch at home in right field coupled with the third-best mark in doubles last year (48) suggests he'll easily eclipse the 25 home runs he hit a season ago.
-Does Matt Garza really need ridiculous run support this year? Staked to a 9-0 lead after three innings, Garza threw six innings of one-run ball, picking up his fourth win. Seven of the first 11 outs were strikeouts and he ended up with a total of nine for the game. The resume for a Cy Young continues to grow…
-Wade LeBlanc lowered his ERA to 0.52 with a scoreless 6.1 innings. He allowed eight hits and no walks en route to his second win. LeBlanc can thank the unsustainable 95.5|PERCENT| strand rate for his tiny ERA.
Minor League Notables:
-Drew Storen was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse after blowing away the competition at Double-A. It's looking like a mid-season call up at this point and hopefully Matt Capps will continue to make a believer out of some playoff contender.
-Lars Anderson was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. The big lefty has stormed out of the gate, hitting .355 with five home runs. A Red Sox fan I know told me in the offseason Lars rededicated himself to the game after realizing he was going to have to improve himself as he is promoted through the Red Sox system. With David Ortiz struggling and the Red Sox linked to trade rumors regarding Adrian Gonzalez, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lars in the bigs at some point this season.
-Chris Tillman threw a no-hitter on Wednesday for the Norfolk Tide. He had been pretty wild to start the season but was told to concentrate on commanding his fastball and to trust his cutter before the outing. Apparently that advice worked. Besides improving his overall numbers, the outing gave him a shot of confidence and he bears keeping tabs on in keeper and AL-only leagues. Not to be outdone, Ryan Brasier, a converted reliever threw a no-no for Double-A Arkansas on Thursday. Brasier isn't considered much of a prospect but congrats to him for the accomplishment.
Save Chances:
-Jose Valverde, converted. Valverde had a walk and a strikeout over a scoreless frame to earn his seventh save.
-Kevin Gregg, converted with authority, the "strike out the side" kind of authority. Is it time to start believing in Gregg? Sure it's the AL East but is it possible that he's feeling less pressure playing for a team not expected to contend?
-Francisco Cordero, converted. Cordero protected a two-run lead, allowing a leadoff hit before getting a pop-up and a game-ending double play.
-Evan Meek, converted. Meek pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his first save in place of Octavio Dotel, who was unavailable. Meek sports a 15:4 K:BB ratio over 15 innings and is probably next in line if Dotel continues to struggle.
Other Closer Outings:
-Bobby Jenks made things interesting pitching the ninth with a four-run lead. He allowed three hits and two runs and let the game-winning run to the plate before closing out the inning.
-Mariano Rivera threw a scoreless inning to preserve a 4-0 lead with a walk and a strikeout. He's yet to give up an earned run this year.
-Neftali Feliz, given a verbal endorsement. Ron Washington came out and stated that Feliz will remain the Texas closer. The key for Feliz will be to develop his secondary pitches to the point where one can be used as his out pitch. Hitters will eventually catch up to his high-90s fastball if that's the only pitch they're sitting on.
-Matt Lindstrom got through a dicey inning, allowing two walks and a hit in an inning's work. A Scott Rolen double-play got him unscathed from a bases-loaded jam.
-Down two runs in the final frame, Jonathan Broxton threw the ninth inning allowing a hit and no runs. Patience owners, the saves will come.
Non-Closer Outings:
-Sean Marshall got some work in for the Cubs, striking out two in an inning. He now has a 16:1 K:BB ratio in 12 innings of work. Maybe it's time for a more prominent role, Lou Piniella?
Lineup-ology:
-Juan Pierre has lost the leadoff spot for the White Sox and will be given the day off on Friday. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise as he entered Thursday's game with a .276 OBP. If you find a nervous Pierre owner, he's a good buy-low right now if you need steals. His 4:4 K:BB ratio and .224 BABIP suggests better days are ahead and outside of Paul Konerko, all the White Sox are struggling at the plate.
-Brad Lidge, Ian Kinsler and Chris Getz are all expected to be back in their respective lineups on Friday. Get them activated immediately.
-Justin Maxwell and Roger Bernadina will platoon in right field for the Nationals. The Willie/Willy experiment is done.
Tough Days:
-The worst day probably belonged to Luke Hochevar, who ran into the buzzsaw known as the Rays offense. His pitching line? Nine earned runs, 11 hits and two walks in a whopping 2.2 innings. The note to take away from here is to watch for your pitchers away games at Tampa. Treat them as you would a game at Yankee Stadium, the Rays are that good, if not better.
-Ted Lilly returned to the lineup to give up six earned runs in five innings. He struck out six and walked two and was the victim of a stiff wind blowing out at Wrigley (the game featured five homers). The important note here is he got through the game without incident and will be an excellent starter as long as he remains healthy. His 1.06 WHIP last season was good for fifth among starters, beating out studs like Roy Halladay and Zack Greinke.
Injuries:
-Jair Jurrjens left after only throwing 14 pitches due to a hamstring injury. After the game he said he was hopeful to make his next start, indicating that the injury doesn't sound too severe. His shortstop, Yunel Escobar, left with a left adductor strain. No word yet on the severity of the injury.
-A day after hitting his fourth home run, Carlos Quentin was out of the lineup with a hamstring strain and will miss Friday's game also.
-Kurt Suzuki has an intercostal strain and could need a trip to the DL. Landon Powell looks to get the playing time behind the plate for the near future.
-Wandy Rodriguez (back spasms) has been scratched from Friday's start. Luckily for owners he was on the road against Tommy Hanson anyway.
-Justin Duchscherer left the game in the fourth inning with a hip injury. He's no stranger to the DL and he suggested that this injury felt the same as the hip injury that required two surgeries a few years back.
Gaff of the Night:
-Carlos Lee, while playing left field. He let Drew Stubbs go from first to third on a single. I repeat, a single which was hit in front of him. He's making Brad Hawpe look like a candidate for the Gold Glove.
Real Gaff of the Night:
-Matt Kemp in center field. He misplayed a Ryan Doumit hit which turned into a triple and scored two runs. It's not often you see the Pirates need only two runs to win a game.