Rangers back in Cruz control

News and notes from Friday:

* Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz (pictured below, center) had the hitting performance of the night, going 4 for 5 with a grand slam and eight RBIs in the Rangers' 14-3 victory over Toronto. Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow didn't make it out of the first inning, allowing six runs on five hits in two-thirds of an inning. It just goes to show that you're better off benching a starting pitcher that's going up against the Rangers.

* The top pitching performances of the night came from the New York Mets' Dillon Gee (7 IP, 1 ER, 9 SO), Baltimore's Jason Hammel (6 IP, 0 ER, 7 SO), Texas' Derek Holland (7.1 IP, 2 ER, 9 SO), Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo (7 IP, 1 ER, 5 SO), Houston's Lucas Harrell (7.1 IP, 1 ER, 0 SO) and Pittsburgh's A.J. Burnett (5.1 IP, 0 ER, 6 SO). All picked up victories.

* The Cleveland Indians had two key players leave with injuries in their 9-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera left after six innings with a tight hamstring and catcher Carlos Santana departed in the eighth after taking a foul ball off his facemask. Both players are day-to-day at this point.

* It was a rough day for some solid pitchers. The Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, Arizona's Ian Kennedy, Atlanta's Tim Hudson, Boston's Jon Lester, San Francisco's Tim Lincecum and Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto all took losses. All but Kershaw were hit hard. Lester had the worst outing of the bunch, allowing seven runs on six hits in four innings in a 7-4 loss to Tampa Bay. He also walked three. Lester's ERA rose to 4.72. It's not as bad as Lincecum's, though. His is now at 6.41.

* Chicago Cubs righthander Ryan Dempster is now winless in his past 17 starts, yet he has a 2.14 ERA this season. He dropped to 0-3 this season after a 1-0 defeat to Pittsburgh. The Cubs have lost 10 straight and have scored only four runs in their past 56 innings. 

* Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones (calf) is expected to be placed on DL on Saturday. He has missed seven straight games.

* Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols has finally put together a good week. He hit a three-run homer in the Angels' 6-4 victory over Seattle. He now has three homers and seven RBIs in his past four games.

* Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp (hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Sunday and could be activated Tuesday, according to ESPN.

* New York Mets third baseman David Wright saw his MLB-leading batting average drop from .405 to .397 after an 0-for-3 night against Pittsburgh.

* Miami closer Heath Bell got pulled from a save situation after allowing a single and two doubles in the ninth inning against San Francisco. Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen replaced Bell with right-hander Steve Cishek, who allowed a run-scoring sac fly, but struck out Melky Cabrera to end the game and earn his first save in a 7-6 victory.

* Tampa Bay outfielder Matt Joyce hit his second grand slam in seven days and the fourth of his career in the Rays' 7-4 win over Boston.

* Despite posting a 2.82 ERA this season, Philadelphia left-hander Cliff Lee remains winless this season after a no-decision against St. Louis. He is 0-2, but has allowed three or less earned runs in five of seven starts.

* Catcher Miguel Montero has agreed to a five-year, $60 million contract extension with Arizona. 

* Since throwing his perfect game on April 21, Chicago White Sox right-hander Philip Humber is 0-2 with an 8.21 ERA.

 

Here's Saturday's games with pitching match-ups:

American League

Detroit (Scherzer 3-3) at Minnesota (Pavano 2-3), 2:10 p.m.

Toronto (H.Alvarez 3-4) at Texas (Lewis 4-3), 3:05 p.m.

Kansas City (F.Paulino 2-1) at Baltimore (W.Chen 4-1), 4:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Sabathia 5-2) at Oakland (Colon 4-4), 4:05 p.m.

Cleveland (D.Lowe 6-2) at Chicago White Sox (Peavy 5-1), 4:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Williams 4-2) at Seattle (F.Hernandez 4-3), 7:15 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Price 6-3) at Boston (Beckett 4-4), 7:15 p.m.

National League

San Diego (Richard 2-5) at N.Y. Mets (J.Santana 1-2), 1:10 p.m.

Washington (Strasburg 4-1) at Atlanta (Minor 2-4), 4:05 p.m.

San Francisco (Bumgarner 5-3) at Miami (Buehrle 4-4), 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Maholm 4-3) at Pittsburgh (Correia 1-5), 7:15 p.m.

Colorado (Guthrie 2-2) at Cincinnati (Leake 1-5), 7:15 p.m.

Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 0-4) at St. Louis (J.Garcia 3-2), 7:15 p.m.

Houston (Norris 5-1) at L.A. Dodgers (Billingsley 2-3), 10:10 p.m.

Milwaukee (Greinke 5-1) at Arizona (Miley 5-1), 10:10 p.m.

 

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Waiver wire: Top pitchers available

Looking to improve your pitching staff? Here's a quick list of some pitchers to consider.

Make sure Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Chris Capuano and Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander James McDonald (pictured) aren't still available. They're the top-ranked players in Yahoo who aren't owned in at least 90 percent in ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Capuano is 6-1 with a 2.21 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 50 strikeouts. He is available in 20 percent of Yahoo leagues. He's allowed two earned runs or less in seven of nine starts.

McDonald is 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 58 strikeouts. He is available in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues and a few ESPN leagues. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his nine starts and has at least seven strikeouts in each of his past six starts.

Here's some other starting pitchers who might be available in your league (ESPN and Yahoo percentages are availability in those leagues):

Pitcher	Team	Rec.	ERA	WHIP	SO	ESPN	Yahoo
Chris Sale	CWS	5-2	2.50	1.05	46	0%	27%
Wandy Rodriguez	HOU	4-4	2.14	1.10	45	0%	24%
Jason Vargas	SEA	5-4	3.39	1.02	48	56%	54%
Bud Norris	HOU	5-1	3.14	1.20	58	4%	32%
R.A. Dickey	NYM	6-1	3.45	1.17	51	45%	50%
Jason Hammel	BAL	5-1	3.12	1.14	46	20%	28%
Jeff Samardzija	CHC	4-3	3.00	1.18	57	7%	31%
Wade Miley	ARI	5-1	2.14	1.19	30	72%	67%
Tommy Milone	OAK	6-3	3.75	1.09	32	91%	81%
Anthony Bass	SD	2-4	2.89	1.15	51	67%	65%
Carlos Zambrano	MIA	2-3	2.85	1.12	44	29%	32%
Ryan Vogelsong	SF	3-2	2.50	1.22	38	46%	46%
Andy Pettitte	NYY	2-1	2.53	1.08	19	55%	64%
Edwin Jackson	WAS	1-2	3.38	1.01	50	39%	42%

 

Here's some closers that might still be on some waiver wires:

Pitcher	Team	Rec.	ERA	WHIP	SV	SO	ESPN	Yahoo
Alfredo Aceves	BOS	0-1	4.15	1.29	11	23	11%	30%
Dale Thayer	SD	0-0	0.00	0.80	5	10	29%	51%
Addison Reed	CWS	0-0	5.02	1.33	4	19	46%	53%
Tyler Clippard	WAS	1-2	3.15	1.15	1	24	69%	64%
Brian Fuentes	OAK	2-0	3.00	1.06	4	14	49%	54%
Rafael Soriano	NYY	2-0	2.35	1.57	3	14	20%	35%
Frank Francisco	NYM	1-3	6.75	1.82	12	22	17%	26%
Casey Janssen	TOR	1-1	3.31	0.98	3	17	54%	63%
Jonathan Broxton	KC	0-1	2.16	1.26	8	11	12%	29%

 

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Waiver wire: Hitters available at each position

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy is the highest-ranked hitter who is still available in a lot of ESPN and Yahoo leagues. Lucroy (pictured below), ranked No. 68 among hitters and pitchers by Yahoo, is on the waiver wire in 40 percent of ESPN leagues and 41 percent of Yahoo leagues.

For the season, Lucroy is hitting .349 with five homers, 29 RBIs, 16 runs and two stolen bases. What's been most impressive is his RBI numbers. He has the most in the majors in the past 15 days (17) and 30 days (23). He's hitting .400 in the past two weeks and has hit safely in 18 of 21 games this month.

Here are some other players worth looking at who you might find available in your league (broken down by position):

CATCHER

* A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox: .301, 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, 18 R (33% availability in ESPN, 37% Yahoo) 

* J.P. Arencibia, Toronto: .246, 7 HRs, 26 RBIs, 18 R, 1 SB (52% ESPN, 33% Yahoo)

* A.J. Ellis, Los Angeles Dodgers: .327, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs, 16 R (87% ESPN, 73% Yahoo)

* Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Boston: .273, 7 HRs, 19 RBIs, 14 R (91% ESPN, 72% Yahoo)

 

FIRST BASE

* Luke Scott, Tampa Bay: .243, 8 HRs, 31 RBIs, 16 R (55% Yahoo, not eligible at position in ESPN)

* Chris Davis, Baltimore: .294, 6 HRs, 17 RBIs, 20 R (48% ESPN, 54% Yahoo)

* Mitch Moreland, Texas: .277, 7 HRs, 16 RBIs, 19 R (35% ESPN, 64% Yahoo)

 

SECOND BASE

* Kyle Seager, Seattle: .263, 5 HRs, 26 RBIs, 19 R, 5 SB (39% Yahoo, not eligible at position in ESPN)

* Aaron Hill, Arizona: .248, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs, 17 R, 4 SB (20% ESPN, 61% Yahoo)

* Tyler Greene, St. Louis: .239, 4 HRs, 11 RBIs, 12 R, 6 SB (97% ESPN, 94% Yahoo)

* Danny Espinosa, Washington: .221, 4 HRs, 9 RBIs, 19 R, 5 SB (56% ESPN, 70% Yahoo)

 

SHORTSTOP

* Jed Lowrie, Houston: .279, 7 HRs, 18 RBIs, 18 R, 2 SB (13% ESPN, 47% Yahoo)

* Alcides Escobar, Kansas City: .305, 1 HR, 12 RBIs, 17 R, 7 SB (55% ESPN, 62% Yahoo)

* Yunel Escobar, Toronto: .258, 2 HRs, 15 RBIs, 26 R (39% ESPN, 50% Yahoo)

* Zack Cozart, Cincinnati: .251, 5 HRs, 11 RBIs, 23 R, 1 SB (78% ESPN, 73% Yahoo)

 

THIRD BASE

* Seager (see above)

* Chris Johnson, Houston: .288, 5 HRs, 23 RBIs, 19 R, 2 SB (61% ESPN, 66% Yahoo)

* Chipper Jones, Atlanta: .307, 5 HRs, 24 RBIs, 19 R (28% ESPN, 43% Yahoo)

* Chase Headley, San Diego: .250, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs, 25 R, 4 SB (31% ESPN, 48% Yahoo)

* Wilson Betemit, Baltimore: .221, 7 HRs, 22 RBIs, 18 R (98% ESPN, 95% Yahoo)

 

OUTFIELD

* Alejandro De Aza, Chicago White Sox: .283, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, 33 R, 8 SB (32% Yahoo)

* Angel Pagan, San Francisco: .297, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, 23 R, 8 SB (40% Yahoo)

* Raul Ibanez, New York Yankees: .263, 9 HRs, 27 RBIs, 13 R, 2 SB (4% ESPN, 47% Yahoo)

* Jordan Schafer, Houston: .248, 2 HRs, 11 RBIs, 22 R, 13 SB (54% ESPN, 54% Yahoo)

* Luke Scott (see above)

* Gerardo Parra, Arizona: .246, 2 HRs, 14 RBIs, 22 R, 10 SB (78% ESPN, 77% Yahoo)

* Andy Dirks, Detroit: .321, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs, 21 R, 1 SB (4% ESPN, 59% Yahoo)

 

Look for pitchers available in my next post.

 

Here are Friday's games with pitching match-ups:

American League

Kansas City (B.Chen 3-4) at Baltimore (Hammel 5-1), 7:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Cobb 1-0) at Boston (Lester 3-3), 7:10 p.m.

Toronto (Morrow 5-2) at Texas (D.Holland 3-3), 8:05 p.m.

Cleveland (J.Gomez 3-2) at Chicago White Sox (Quintana 0-0), 8:10 p.m.

Detroit (Smyly 1-1) at Minnesota (Swarzak 0-3), 8:10 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Nova 4-2) at Oakland (T.Ross 2-4), 10:05 p.m.

L.A. Angels (E.Santana 2-6) at Seattle (Beavan 2-4), 10:10 p.m.

National League

Chicago Cubs (Dempster 0-2) at Pittsburgh (A.J.Burnett 2-2), 7:05 p.m.

Colorado (Friedrich 1-1) at Cincinnati (Cueto 5-1), 7:10 p.m.

San Diego (Bass 2-4) at N.Y. Mets (Gee 3-3), 7:10 p.m.

San Francisco (Lincecum 2-4) at Miami (Jo.Johnson 2-3), 7:10 p.m.

Washington (Detwiler 3-3) at Atlanta (T.Hudson 3-1), 7:35 p.m.

Philadelphia (Cl.Lee 0-2) at St. Louis (Lohse 5-1), 8:15 p.m.

Milwaukee (Gallardo 2-4) at Arizona (I.Kennedy 3-4), 9:40 p.m.

Houston (Harrell 3-3) at L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 4-1), 10:10 p.m.

 

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Upton brothers on the upswing

After a slow April, the Upton brothers are beginning to hit their stride in mid-May. Both B.J. Upton of Tampa Bay and Justin Upton of Arizona extended their hitting streaks to seven games Wednesday night.

B.J. (pictured below, left), a former Greenbrier Christian Academy star, went 3 for 6, stole his 10th base of the season and hit the game-winning RBI double in the 11th inning of the Rays' 5-4 victory over Toronto. Justin (below, right), a former Great Bridge High standout, went 1 for 4 with a homer (his fifth), two RBIs and two runs in the Diamondbacks' 11-4 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

B.J., who missed the first 13 games of the season with a back injury, is hitting .448 with two homers, four RBIs, six runs and five stolen bases over the past week. Justin is hitting .416 with two homers, eight RBIs, nine runs and two steals in the same period.

Here are their season stats:

B.J.: (30 games) .300, 14 runs, 4 homers, 16 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, .357 OBP, .482 SLG, .839 OPS

Justin: (42 games) .253, 31 runs, 5 homers, 18 RBIs, 8 stolen bases, .356 OBP, .390 SLG, .747 OPS

 

Here are the top hitters from Wednesday's games:

* Nick Johnson, DH, Baltimore: 2 for 3, two homers, three RBIs, two runs

* Alex Liddi, OF, Seattle: 2 for 3, grand slam, four RBIs, run

* Alex Rodriguez, 3B, New York Yankees: 2 for 4, two homers, three RBIs, two runs

* Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado: 2 for 4, homer, four RBIs, two runs 

* J.D. Martinez, OF, Houston: 3 for 4, three RBIs, run

* Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox: 3 for 4, homer, three runs

* Willie Bloomquist, SS, Arizona: 3 for 6, RBI, three runs

 

Here are the top pitchers from Wednesday's games:

* Cole Hamels, Philadelphia: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, win vs. Washington

* Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, win vs. Minnesota

* Kevin Millwood, Seattle: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, win vs. Texas

* Jon Niese, New York Mets: 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, win vs. Pittsburgh

* Wandy Rodriguez, Houston: 7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, win vs. Chicago Cubs

* Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, win vs. Kansas City

* Jered Weaver, L.A. Angels: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, no decision vs. Oakland

* Jarrod Parker, Oakland: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, no decision vs. L.A. Angels

* Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, no decision vs. Atlanta

* Tommy Hanson, Atlanta: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, no decision vs. Cincinnati

* James Shields, Tampa Bay: 7.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, no decision vs. Toronto

 

Worst pitching line of the night: The Dodgers' Ted Lilly, who entered the game 5-0, allowed eight earned runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings against Arizona. He also walked five and struck out three. 

Worst hitting line of the night: Toronto catcher J.P. Arencibia went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts against Tampa Bay.

 

Other news and notes from Wednesday:

* First baseman Matt Carpenter (oblique) is the fifth St. Louis Cardinals player to go on the DL this week. The others were Jon Jay, Allen Craig, Kyle McClellan and Lance Berkman. 

* Arizona is sticking with J.J. Putz as its closer despite three blown saves and an 0-3 record, according to a report.

* The Chicago White Sox have named Addison Reed their closer. Reed has four saves and 17 Ks in 13.1 IP.

* First baseman Anthony Rizzo is hitting .355 with 16 homers for Triple-A Iowa, yet the Chicago Cubs still don't seem ready to call him up.

* Philadelphia's Cole Hamels and St. Louis' Lance Lynn became the first seven-game winners of the season. There were no incidents between Hamels and Nationals rookie Bryce Harper after Hamels beaned Harper in a May 6 game and served a five-game suspension for admitting he purposely hit him.

* The Orioles are 16-6 in games decided by two runs or fewer - best in the majors.

* Nationals outfielder Michael Morse (lat) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, according to a report.

 

A majority of teams get the day off Thursday. Here's the limited schedule with pitching match-ups:

American League

Detroit (Verlander 5-1) at Cleveland (Masterson 1-3), 12:05 p.m.

Minnesota (DeVries 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Humber 1-2), 8:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Haren 1-5) at Seattle (Vargas 5-3), 10:10 p.m.

National League

Atlanta (Delgado 2-4) at Cincinnati (Bailey 2-3), 7:10 p.m.

San Diego (Stults 0-0) at N.Y. Mets (Hefner 0-1), 7:10 p.m.

San Francisco (Vogelsong 2-2) at Miami (A.Sanchez 2-2), 7:10 p.m.

Philadelphia (Blanton 4-4) at St. Louis (Westbrook 4-3), 8:15 p.m.

  

(Photos by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Former Tide Matusz putting 2011 season behind him

Former Norfolk Tide Brian Matusz is starting to put a disastrous 2011 season in his rearview mirror. The left-hander won his third straight start Tuesday night, limiting the Boston Red Sox to a run on two hits in 6.1 innings and matching a career high with nine strikeouts in the Orioles' 4-1 victory.

Matusz (pictured below) went 1-9 with a 10.69 ERA before being sent to Norfolk last season. He started out this season back with the Orioles, but continued the trend by losing his first three starts. He allowed at least four runs in each start.

But since then, he's gone 4-1 with five quality starts in six games. And four of those strong outings have come against AL East opponents: Toronto, Tampa Bay, Boston and the New York Yankees.

The only mistake Matusz made Tuesday night was a fourth-inning solo homer to Kevin Youkilis, who oddly enough just came from Norfolk where he played with Triple-A Pawtucket on a rehab assignment. Youkilis was activated from the DL and played first base while promising rookie Will Middlebrooks started at third.

In other news and notes:

* St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright pitched his best game since undergoing Tommy John surgery last season, throwing his first shutout since August of 2010 in blanking San Diego 4-0. He allowed only four hits and struck out a season-high nine to end a two-game losing streak.

* Los Angeles Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson also pitched a gem, allowing one hit in eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over Oakland. He bounced back from an erratic outing in his last game where he walked six in only 3.2 innings. He's now 5-4 with a 2.90 ERA for the season.

* Colorado outfielder Michael Cuddyer, a former Great Bridge High star, continued his current tear by going 3 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI against Miami. He is 7 for 10 in his past three games and is hitting .282 with four homers and 26 RBIs for the season.

* Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, a former Kellam High and U.Va. standout, continues to battle injuries this season. He sat out Tuesday night's game against Philadelphia with shoulder soreness, but is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday.

* The Nationals didn't seem to miss Zimmerman much, scoring five runs against the Phillies' Roy Halladay to post a 5-2 victory. Bryce Harper had the key hit - a two-run triple. Halladay dropped to 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA for the season.

* Mets right-hander R.A. Dickey is 6-1 with a 3.45 ERA and had 11 strikeouts in a 3-2 victory Tuesday night over Pittsburgh, yet is owned in just 41 percent of ESPN leagues and 43 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* P.J. Walters is the first Minnesota Twins starter to get an out in the eighth inning this season. He's now 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA after getting a complete-game victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

* Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips and Atlanta outfielder Michael Bourn each hit a pair of homers in the Reds' 4-3 win over the Braves.

* How bad have things been for the Chicago Cubs lately? They haven't had a lead since the fourth inning last Wednesday (59-inning stretch). And now they have the worst record in baseball at 15-28.

* Former Norfolk Tide Josh Bell hit his first homer as an Arizona Diamondback, a two-run shot in only his second game with the team.

* Pittsburgh right-hander James McDonald has at least seven strikeouts in each of his past six starts. He doesn't have a bad start this season. As a result, he's gone 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA.

* Arizona right-hander Daniel Hudson (shoulder), a former Princess Anne High star, is set to come off the DL and start Sunday.

* Texas closer Joe Nathan has been red hot, converting eight straight saves after getting No. 10 for the season Tuesday night against Seattle. He's allowed one run in his past 14.2 innings.

 

Here's Wednesday's games with the pitching match-ups:

American League

Boston (Bard 3-5) at Baltimore (Arrieta 2-4), 12:35 p.m.

Toronto (R.Romero 5-1) at Tampa Bay (Shields 6-2), 1:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Weaver 6-1) at Oakland (J.Parker 1-2), 3:35 p.m.

Texas (Feldman 0-1) at Seattle (Millwood 2-4), 3:40 p.m.

Detroit (Fister 0-2) at Cleveland (McAllister 1-1), 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City (W.Smith 0-0) at N.Y. Yankees (Pettitte 1-1), 7:05 p.m.

Minnesota (Diamond 3-0) at Chicago White Sox (Sale 4-2), 8:10 p.m.

National League

N.Y. Mets (Niese 2-2) at Pittsburgh (Morton 2-4), 12:35 p.m.

San Francisco (Zito 3-1) at Milwaukee (Estrada 0-3), 1:10 p.m.

Washington (E.Jackson 1-1) at Philadelphia (Hamels 6-1), 7:05 p.m.

Atlanta (Hanson 5-3) at Cincinnati (Arroyo 2-2), 7:10 p.m.

Colorado (White 0-3) at Miami (Zambrano 2-2), 7:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Samardzija 4-2) at Houston (W.Rodriguez 3-4), 8:05 p.m.

San Diego (Suppan 2-2) at St. Louis (Lynn 6-1), 8:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Lilly 5-0) at Arizona (J.Saunders 2-3), 9:40 p.m.

 

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Injury update: Berkman's knee not as bad as feared

Looks like Lance Berkman's career is not over after all. The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman found out Monday that he doesn't have a torn ACL as he feared, but a torn meniscus, according to Fox Sports Midwest.

Berkman is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks, so he should be back after the All-Star break if all goes well.

Rookie Matt Adams will replace Berkman at first ... at least until Allen Craig comes off the DL either late this month or early June. Craig, though, can play multiple positions, so Adams could continue to see regular time if he produces.

In other injury news:

* Arizona right-hander Daniel Hudson (shoulder) made a rehab assignment start Monday night and is expected to return to the Diamondbacks' rotation this weekend against Milwaukee, according to the Arizona Republic. Hudson (pictured below), a former Princess Anne High star, allowed two runs in five innings in the Triple-A game.

* Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun left Monday night's game against San Francisco with tightness in his groin, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He went 2 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs in the game. 

* Texas right-hander Neftali Feliz has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and could be out until after the All-Star break, according to Fox Sports Southwest. He is 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA.

* Oakland outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (hand) hasn't been cleared to swing a bat yet, so he probably won't come off the DL Tuesday when he's eligible. Cespedes is hitting .245 with five homers and 21 RBIs.

* Philadelphia right-hander Vance Worley (elbow), already on the DL, has a bone chip in his throwing arm that will likely require offseason surgery, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Worley should still be able to pitch with the injury and is expected to start throwing again this week. He's eligible to come off the DL on Sunday. He is 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA.

* Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Juan Uribe (sore left wrist) resumed baseball activities Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times. He will likely return to the team late this month or in early June.

* San Diego left-hander Cory Luebke (elbow) will have Tommy John surgery Wednesday and miss the rest of the season, according to the North County (Calif.) Times. He'll likely miss a few months of next season as well.

* Baltimore left-hander Zach Britton (shoulder) is set to make his first rehab start on Saturday, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. He has yet to pitch this season.

* Also out of Baltimore, second baseman Brian Roberts (concussion) could start a rehab assignment within a week.

* Boston outfielder Cody Ross has a fracture in his foot and will miss 6-8 weeks, according to the Boston Herald. Ross is hitting .271 with eight homers and 28 RBIs.

* Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg (biceps) will make his next scheduled start Saturday at Atlanta, according to the Washington Post. Strasburg is 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA.

* Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vernon Wells has a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times. Wells is hitting .244 with six homers and 12 RBIs.

* Tampa Bay placed second baseman Jeff Keppinger on the DL with a broken right toe, according to the Tampa Tribune.

 

Here are Tuesday's games with pitching match-ups:

American League

Boston (Doubront 4-1) at Baltimore (Matusz 3-4), 7:05 p.m.

Detroit (Porcello 3-3) at Cleveland (Jimenez 4-3), 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City (Hochevar 3-4) at N.Y. Yankees (P.Hughes 3-5), 7:05 p.m.

Toronto (Hutchison 3-1) at Tampa Bay (M.Moore 1-4), 7:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Walters 1-1) at Chicago White Sox (Floyd 3-4), 8:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (C.Wilson 4-4) at Oakland (Godfrey 0-3), 10:05 p.m.

Texas (M.Harrison 4-3) at Seattle (Noesi 2-4), 10:10 p.m.

National League

N.Y. Mets (Dickey 5-1) at Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 3-2), 7:05 p.m.

Washington (Zimmermann 2-4) at Philadelphia (Halladay 4-3), 7:05 p.m.

Atlanta (Beachy 5-1) at Cincinnati (Latos 2-2), 7:10 p.m.

Colorado (Nicasio 2-1) at Miami (Nolasco 4-2), 7:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (T.Wood 0-0) at Houston (Happ 3-3), 8:05 p.m.

San Francisco (M.Cain 3-2) at Milwaukee (Marcum 2-2), 8:10 p.m.

San Diego (Volquez 2-3) at St. Louis (Wainwright 2-5), 8:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Harang 3-2) at Arizona (Cahill 2-4), 9:40 p.m.

  

(Photo by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Cards' Berkman could have career-threatening injury

Could this be the end for St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman (pictured below)? He left Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a knee injury that he fears could be a career-threatening torn ACL, according to reports.  

We'll know more when he gets results from an MRI on Monday, but it doesn't sound good at this point. The Cardinals have already placed him on the 15-day disabled list and called up first baseman Matt Adams. Adams went 2 for 4 with a run in his major-league debut Sunday night.

Berkman has played in only 13 games this season due to injuries. He put up huge numbers last season (.301, 31 homers, 94 RBIs) to earn NL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

In other news and notes:

* Boston third baseman Kevin Youkilis (back), currently on the DL, is expected to rejoin the Red Sox on Tuesday, according to a report. But with rookie Will Middlebrooks putting up big numbers (.275, five homers, 15 RBIs in 17 games), the Red Sox may consider trading Youkilis. There are reports that Cleveland and Philadelphia, who both have injured third baseman, are among the teams that have kept an eye on Youkilis' rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket.   

* San Francisco right-hander Tim Lincecum has been baffling to fantasy owners. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has a 3.09 career ERA and has averaged 15.5 wins over the past four seasons, but is 2-4 with a 6.04 ERA this season. He allowed four earned runs in four innings Sunday before leaving with an injured thumb on his non-pitching hand - the result of a home-plate collision with Arizona's Collin Cowgill (pictured below). Lincecum has allowed four earned runs in each of his past three starts. He has only three quality starts in nine games.

* Washington right-hander Stephen Strasburg (biceps tightness) is not expected to miss his next start, according to a report. Strasburg got the victory in the Nationals' 9-3 win over Baltimore to improve to 4-1 and he hit his first career MLB homer.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers' Ted Lilly and Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson are the only regular starting pitchers who are still undefeated. Lilly is 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA, while Hellickson is 4-0 with a 2.77 ERA.

* Cincinnati reliever Aroldis Chapman has appeared to have taken over the closer role after earning his first save Sunday in the Reds' 5-2 win over the Yankees. Chapman has not allowed an earned run in 22.1 innings and has 39 strikeouts and seven walks. Sean Marshall, who has been the team's closer, has a 5.02 ERA and 1.74 WHIP.

* Oakland has placed right-hander Brandon McCarthy (strained shoulder) on the DL.

* Detroit right-hander Max Scherzer had a career-high 15 strikeouts against Pittsburgh on Sunday, but needed a three-run Tigers rally in the bottom of the seventh to post the victory and improve to 3-3.

 

Sunday's top performers:

HITTERS

* Reds DH Ryan Ludwick: 3 for 5, homer, 3 RBIs

* Jays DH Jose Bautista: 3 for 5, homer, 2 RBIs

* Nationals OF Bryce Harper: 2 for 4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs

* Rangers OF Nelson Cruz: 3 for 5, 2 RBIs, run

* Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy: 3 for 5, 2 homers, 7 RBIs, 3 runs

* Brewers OF Ryan Braun: 3 for 4, 4 RBIs, 2 runs

* Brewers OF Corey Hart: 3 for 5, homer, 2 RBIs, 3 runs

* Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez: 3 for 5, homer, 2 RBIs, run

* Angels OF Mike Trout: 3 for 4, homer, RBI, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases

PITCHERS

* Reds' Johnny Cueto: 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 SO, win

* Marlins' Josh Johnson: 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 SO, win

* Tigers' Max Scherzer: 7 IP, 2 ER, 15 SO, win

* Nationals' Stephen Strasburg: 5 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO, win

* Red Sox's Josh Beckett: 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 SO, win

* Braves' Tim Hudson: 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 SO, win

* Rangers' Colby Lewis: 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 SO, win

* Diamondbacks' Wade Miley: 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 SO, win

* Brewers' Zack Greinke: 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 SO, win

* White Sox's Jake Peavy: 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 7 SO, win

 

Here are Monday's games and pitching match-ups:

American League

Boston (Buchholz 4-2) at Baltimore (Tom.Hunter 2-2), 7:05 p.m.

Kansas City (F.Paulino 1-1) at N.Y. Yankees (Kuroda 3-5), 7:05 p.m.

Toronto (Drabek 3-4) at Tampa Bay (Hellickson 4-0), 7:10 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Williams 4-1) at Oakland (Milone 5-3), 10:05 p.m.

Texas (Darvish 6-1) at Seattle (F.Hernandez 3-3), 10:10 p.m.

National League

N.Y. Mets (J.Santana 1-2) at Pittsburgh (Bedard 2-5), 7:05 p.m.

Washington (G.Gonzalez 5-1) at Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 0-3), 7:05 p.m.

Atlanta (Minor 2-3) at Cincinnati (Leake 0-5), 7:10 p.m.

Colorado (Moyer 2-3) at Miami (Buehrle 3-4), 7:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Garza 2-1) at Houston (Norris 4-1), 8:05 p.m.

San Francisco (Bumgarner 5-3) at Milwaukee (Wolf 2-4), 8:10 p.m.

San Diego (Richard 2-5) at St. Louis (J.Garcia 3-2), 8:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Capuano 5-1) at Arizona (Corbin 2-2), 9:40 p.m.

 

(Photos by The Associated Press)

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Verlander just misses third no-no, elite group

Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander came within two outs of joining a very elite club Friday night. Verlander, a former Old Dominion standout, had a no-hitter broken up with one out in the ninth inning by Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison.

Had Verlander (pictured below) completed the no-no, he would have become just the sixth pitcher in major league history to throw more than two no-hitters. The five who have accomplished the feat are Nolan Ryan (7), Sandy Koufax (4), Bob Feller (3), Cy Young (3) and Larry Corcoran (3). Ryan, Koufax, Feller and Young are in the Hall of Fame.

Verlander, 29, the AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner last season, increased the velocity of his fastball throughout the game - something he's done consistently this season. His fastball speed went from 91.4 mph in the first three innings to 97.9 mph in the final three innings, according to ESPN. But it was his curveball that really threw the Pirates hitters off.

Verlander finished with 12 strikeouts in his first career one-hitter in the Tigers' 6-0 victory. He improved to 5-1 on the season and took over the major-league lead for strikeouts with 68. Seattle's Felix Hernandez is second with 61.

Verlander's next scheduled start is Thursday at Cleveland against Justin Masterson.

Here are some other top performers from Friday:

* Outfielder Nick Markakis hit a solo homer in the 11th inning to lift the Baltimore to a 2-1 victory over Washington in Game 1 of the Beltway series. Markakis now has two hits in each of his past three games. The Orioles now have extra-inning wins in 10, 11, 13, 15 and 17 frames. They increased their AL East lead over Tampa Bay to two games, while the Nationals fell to 1.5 games behind Atlanta in the NL East.

* Philadelphia left-hander Cole Hamels became the seventh pitcher to earn his sixth victory with seven strong innings in a 6-4 win over Boston. He allowed three runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and one walk.

* New York Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte showed his vintage form, tossing eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over Cincinnati. He allowed only four hits and struck out nine with one walk. It was quite an improvement from his first start where he allowed four runs in 6.1 innings with only two strikeouts against Seattle. He's still available in 89 percent of ESPN leagues and 81 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* Miami right-hander Carlos Zambrano had another quality start, allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings to pick up the win as the Marlins edged Cleveland 3-2. He did struggle with his control with five walks, but this was his seventh straight start where he has allowed three runs or less. He's still available in 23 percent of ESPN leagues and 42 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* The biggest offensive fireworks of the day came in Toronto's 14-5 victory over the New York Mets. Catcher J.P. Arencibia went 3 for 5 with two homers and six RBIs and light-hitting outfielder Rajai Davis also hit two homers and drove in four runs. Arencibia is hitting .538 with four homers and 10 RBIs in his past three games. He's still available in 78 percent of ESPN leagues and 41 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* Minnesota outfielder Denard Span went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and three runs in the Twins' 11-3 rout of Milwaukee. Catcher Joe Mauer (3 for 5, three RBIs) and first baseman Justin Morneau (2 for 4, three RBIs) also had nice games and left-hander Scott Diamond improved to 3-0 in his third start. Diamond is available in 81 percent of ESPN leagues and 86 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* Seattle right-hander Kevin Millwood took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before settling on a two-hit shutout of Colorado. He struck out seven and walked one. He has struggled most of the season, starting it 0-4, but has won his past two starts and has allowed one run in 16 innings in those two games.

* Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout went 3 for 4 with an RBI, a run and a stolen base in the Angels' 7-2 win over San Diego. He has six multi-hit games in his past nine contests and is hitting .428 in that span with two homers, seven RBIs and three stolen bases. He's still available in 10 percent of ESPN leagues and 34 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen blew his second save, but ended up with his second win when A.J. Ellis worked a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Dodgers edged St. Louis 6-5. Third baseman Adam Kennedy went 4 for 4 with an RBI and run for the Dodgers.

* Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson went 3 for 4 with a homer and five RBIs in the A's 8-6 loss to San Francisco.  

 

Here is Saturday's games and pitching match-ups:

Interleague

Cincinnati (Bailey 1-3) at N.Y. Yankees (Nova 4-1), 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Batista 1-1) at Toronto (Morrow 4-2), 1:07 p.m.

Miami (A.Sanchez 2-1) at Cleveland (J.Gomez 2-2), 4:05 p.m.

Oakland (T.Ross 2-3) at San Francisco (Vogelsong 1-2), 4:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh (A.J.Burnett 1-2) at Detroit (Smyly 1-0), 4:05 p.m.

Atlanta (Delgado 2-3) at Tampa Bay (Cobb 0-0), 4:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Pavano 2-3) at Milwaukee (Gallardo 2-4), 4:10 p.m.

Seattle (Vargas 4-3) at Colorado (Friedrich 1-0), 4:10 p.m.

Arizona (I.Kennedy 3-3) at Kansas City (B.Chen 2-4), 7:15 p.m.

Baltimore (Hammel 4-1) at Washington (Detwiler 3-2), 7:15 p.m.

Boston (Lester 2-3) at Philadelphia (Blanton 4-3), 7:15 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Danks 2-4) at Chicago Cubs (Dempster 0-1), 7:15 p.m.

Texas (D.Holland 3-2) at Houston (Harrell 2-3), 7:15 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Haren 1-4) at San Diego (Stults 0-0), 10:05 p.m.

National League

St. Louis (Westbrook 4-2) at L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 3-1), 10:10 p.m

 

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Will Mets make the Wright decision?

The way David Wright is playing right now, the New York Mets would be crazy not to sign him to a long-term contract. There have been reports as recent as this week that indicate the team will likely make Wright (pictured) an offer, possibly as soon as this summer.

The third baseman from Chesapeake (Hickory High) is making the Mets' decision easy. He leads the majors with a .411 batting average after another huge game Thursday. He went 2 for 2 with three walks, three runs and his sixth game-winning RBI of the season (tied for most in the majors) in the Mets' 9-4 win over Cincinnati.

Wright has four homers, 22 RBIs, 28 runs and four stolen bases to go with his stellar average, which is the highest at this point in the season since Chipper Jones batted .414 through June 12, 2008.

He's hit safely in 10 of his past 11 games (hitting .487 in that stretch) and has failed to reach base in only one game this season.

Here's a few other top performers from Thursday:

* Pittsburgh outfielder Andrew McCutchen had a big game in the Pirates' 5-3 victory over Washington, hitting two homers and making a leaping catch at the wall to preserve what was still a no-hitter by right-hander James McDonald at the time. McCutchen is hitting .485 with five homers and nine RBIs in his past 10 games. McDonald ended up allowing three runs on four hits, but he struck out 11 and got the win to improve to 3-2. He's averaging nine strikeouts in his past four games.

* Philadelphia's Carlos Ruiz has been the top-ranked catcher in fantasy baseball this season, according to Yahoo rankings. He went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and his first stolen base in the Phillies' 8-7 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. For the season, he's hitting .363 - fifth in the majors - with seven homers and 27 RBIs. Amazingly, he's still available in 27 percent of Yahoo leagues.

* Atlanta right-hander Brandon Beachy showed why he has the best ERA in the majors by tossing his first career shutout in a 7-0 win over Miami. He lowered his ERA to 1.33, allowing only five hits with six strikeouts and no walks while improving to 5-1.

 

Here's some news and notes from Thursday:

* Cincinnati reliever Aroldis Chapman allowed his first run in 19.1 innings, although it was unearned. For the season, he has 34 strikeouts and five walks.

* St. Louis outfielder Carlos Beltran (sore knee) didn't start for a fourth straight game, but did pinch-hit in the ninth inning. He popped out.

* Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols hits his second homer in as many days - his third on the season.

* New York Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova (foot, ankle) is expected to start Saturday against Cincinnati.

* Toronto third baseman Brett Lawrie dropped his appeal of a four-game suspension and began serving it Thursday night.

* St. Louis 1B/2B/OF Allen Craig (tight hamstring) is expected to miss a couple days.

 

Interleague play begins tonight. Here's the games and pitching match-ups:

Chicago White Sox (Humber 1-2) at Chicago Cubs (Samardzija 4-1), 2:20 p.m.

Baltimore (Arrieta 2-4) at Washington (E.Jackson 1-1), 7:05 p.m.

Boston (Bard 3-4) at Philadelphia (Hamels 5-1), 7:05 p.m.

Cincinnati (Arroyo 2-1) at N.Y. Yankees (Pettitte 0-1), 7:05 p.m.

Miami (Zambrano 1-2) at Cleveland (Masterson 1-3), 7:05 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Morton 2-3) at Detroit (Verlander 4-1), 7:05 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Niese 2-1) at Toronto (R.Romero 4-1), 7:07 p.m.

Atlanta (Hanson 4-3) at Tampa Bay (Shields 6-1), 7:10 p.m.

Texas (Feliz 3-1) at Houston (W.Rodriguez 3-3), 8:05 p.m.

Arizona (J.Saunders 2-3) at Kansas City (Mendoza 2-2), 8:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Diamond 2-0) at Milwaukee (Estrada 0-2), 8:10 p.m.

Seattle (Millwood 1-4) at Colorado (White 0-2), 8:40 p.m.

L.A. Angels (Weaver 5-1) at San Diego (Suppan 2-1), 10:05 p.m.

Oakland (Parker 1-1) at San Francisco (Zito 2-1), 10:15 p.m.

  

Here is the one National League game:

St. Louis (Lynn 6-1) at L.A. Dodgers (Lilly 5-0), 10:10 p.m.

 

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and click the follow-me button to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.

Orioles continue to amaze with 15-inning victory

The Baltimore Orioles' magical season continued with more extra-inning heroics Wednesday night in Kansas City. Adam Jones' 431-foot solo homer in the 15th inning helped the O's improve to 5-0 in extra-inning road games with a 4-3 victory over the Royals.

The Orioles are a half game behind the Dodgers for the best record in the majors at 24-14 (they're tied for the AL East lead with Tampa Bay), and Jones (pictured below) is a big reason why. He's now tied for fifth in the majors in homers with 12, including six in his past 11 games. He's also hitting .295 with 24 RBIs and six stolen bases, leading the team in all of those stat categories except batting average - he's second among regulars.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Matt Wieters have also supplied some power for the O's. Hardy has nine homers and 18 RBIs, while Wieters is finally living up to his hype with eight homers and 20 RBIs.

But perhaps the biggest surprise to the Orioles' season has been their pitching staff. Jim Johnson has been arguably the best closer in baseball. He leads the majors in saves with 13 and has a microscopic 0.51 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. Wei-Yin Chen has been the most impressive starter, going 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his first season in the majors. In his past two starts (both victories), he's held the Texas Rangers to one run in 7.2 innings and the New York Yankees to two runs in seven innings. Amazingly, he's still available in 90 percent of ESPN leagues and 83 percent of Yahoo leagues. And Jason Hammel is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA despite battling a knee issue. He's had six quality starts in seven appearances.

In other news and notes from Wednesday:

* It took Angels first baseman Albert Pujols 28 games to hit his first homer of the season. He went another nine games before hitting his second Wednesday night. But his three-run shot helped L.A. beat the Chicago White Sox 7-2. Although he's still hitting only .212, he has hit safely in his past five games.

* Outfielder Andre Ethier was the only starter from Opening Day in the Dodgers' lineup Wednesday night in San Diego. The result was a 4-2 loss to the Padres. Chris Capuano suffered his first loss of the season as the Dodgers dropped to 0-2 without MVP candidate Matt Kemp.

* Tampa Bay second baseman Will Rhymes had a scary incident in the Rays' 2-1 victory over Boston. Rhymes got hit in the forearm by a pitch from Red Sox reliever Franklin Morales. After making his way to first base, Rhymes collapsed into the arms of first-base coach George Hendrick. He did regain consciousness, but had to be taken off the field on a cart. It was determined after the game that he had a right arm bruise and he fainted due to adrenaline rush.

* Nationals reliever Drew Storen (elbow) hopes to be back near the All-Star break, according to the Washington Post. Also on Wednesday, Nats outfielder Michael Morse (lat) threw a baseball for the first time in weeks and hopes to return in early June.

* Braves left-hander Mike Minor has an 11.95 ERA in his past four starts. He gave up six earned runs in 4.2 innings against Miami on Wednesday night.

* Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran missed his third straight game with knee soreness.

* RedSox reliever Andrew Bailey (thumb) is expected to resume throwing next week and is hoping to return around the All-Star break, according to a report.

* Tigers closer Jose Valverde (lower back strain) expects to return this weekend.

* BlueJays third baseman Brett Lawrie was suspended four games by MLB for his tirade against an umpire on Tuesday night. Lawrie slammed his helmet into the ground and it hit the umpire on the bounce. He appealed the suspension, so he will be allowed to keep playing into there is a decision made on his appeal. He played Wednesday night against the Yankees and went 0 for 4 with a run and stolen base.

* Phillies right-hander Vance Worley went on the DL, retroactive to May 12, with right elbow inflammation. The good news is there is no structural damage, so he should only miss 2-3 starts.

 

Here are Thursday's games with pitching match-ups:

American League

Seattle (Noesi 2-4) at Cleveland (McAllister 1-1), 12:05 p.m.

Minnesota (Walters 0-1) at Detroit (Fister 0-1), 1:05 p.m.

Oakland (McCarthy 3-3) at Texas (M.Harrison 4-3), 2:05 p.m.

Baltimore (Matusz 2-4) at Kansas City (Hochevar 3-3), 2:10 p.m.

Chicago White Sox (Sale 3-2) at L.A. Angels (C.Wilson 4-3), 3:35 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (P.Hughes 3-4) at Toronto (Hutchison 2-1), 7:07 p.m.

Boston (Doubront 3-1) at Tampa Bay (M.Moore 1-3), 7:10 p.m.

National League

Cincinnati (Latos 2-2) at N.Y. Mets (Dickey 5-1), 1:10 p.m.

Arizona (Cahill 2-4) at Colorado (Nicasio 2-1), 3:10 p.m.

St. Louis (Wainwright 2-4) at San Francisco (M.Cain 2-2), 3:45 p.m.

Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 2-2) at Washington (Zimmermann 2-3), 7:05 p.m.

Miami (Nolasco 4-1) at Atlanta (Beachy 4-1), 7:10 p.m.

Milwaukee (Marcum 2-1) at Houston (Happ 2-3), 8:05 p.m.

Philadelphia (Halladay 3-3) at Chicago Cubs (Volstad 0-5), 8:05 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Harang 2-2) at San Diego (Volquez 2-2), 10:05 p.m.

 

Click here for daily fantasy baseball and football updates on my Twitter page and follow me to get year-round fantasy news.

Click here for more blog posts.