Under my microscope: Volquez starts hot
No, I'm not referring to the meteorological term or the movie that brought together George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly (Dewey Cox, anyone?).
All points of the sporting world converge this weekend, offering fans and fantasy owners a perfect storm that consists of wall-to-wall events.
We've got racing in Alabama as the Sprint Cup series rolls into Talladega. The NBA and NHL Playoffs continue the long and winding road to the finals (are we destined to see a renewed Celtics-Lakers rivalry?). Of course, many will be occupied by the introduction of new additions to their favorite teams by way of the NFL Draft.
Lest we forget, there's a lot of good baseball to be watched, including several series that could be important when we look back at the playoff picture come September. We've got a great battle of NL East powers with the Braves taking on the Mets. The Yankees and Indians square off in Cleveland. And there are two great series featuring NL West rivals. The Rockies visit the Dodgers, and Randy Johnson looks to rebound on Friday and pitch the red-hot Diamondbacks past the Padres.
I'll be back on Monday to recap all the action, but for now, let's roll out the honors to those players sliding Under my microscope .
Honor roll — This week's top performers
We saw another of the special career milestones reached this week when 40-year-old fireballer John Smoltz, against the Nationals, struck out his 3,000th batter. Smoltz pitched seven innings of one-run ball against Washington and struck out 10 hitters without issuing a single walk. Unfortunately, his teammates stood back and watched him work instead of helping at the plate, and Smoltz took the loss. It was Smoltz's second straight game with 10 strikeouts. He's struck out 12.1 batters per nine innings pitched.
Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell established a new team record for the month of April by driving in two runs to raise his season total to 25. Burrell has driven in eight runs in his past four games while supporting a stellar .355 batting average. He carries a five-game hitting streak into the weekend.
Colorado starter Aaron Cook silenced the Cubs at Coors Field on Thursday to pick up his third straight victory. Cook struggled somewhat in his first start against St. Louis, allowing four earned runs over six innings. He's pitched to a strong 2.25 ERA in his past four starts.
Andy Sonnanstine of the Rays struggled through his first three starts of the year, pitching to a balloon-like 8.81 ERA. Sonnanstine has recovered nicely in his past two starts, allowing just three earned runs in 15 1/3 innings pitched to earn back-to-back wins. He'll next face the Orioles in Baltimore.
Edwin Encarnacion started the season slowly, to say the least. He's rallied to produce a 14-game hitting streak during which he's batted .377 (20-for-53) with four home runs and eight RBI. Encarnacion has hit six home runs this season, tying him for second among third basemen behind Chipper Jones.
Edinson Volquez of the Reds finally pitched into the seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers. Volquez allowed three hits and struck out seven batters for the third time in four starts (he actually fanned eight in his first start against Philadelphia). He's won three of his four starts, surrendering three earned runs in 22 1/3 innings of work (1.21 ERA). The only glaring issue in Volquez's stat line to open 2008 is the fact that he's walked 13 batters. He'll need to curb his control issues to continue his hot start to the year.
I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the brilliance of Chipper. The 36-year-old third baseman has hit safely in 15 of 16 games to keep his batting average at a lofty .442. Jones is tied for third in the National League with 20 RBI.
Detention — This week's fantasy underachievers
The Baltimore Sun reported earlier in the week Adam Loewen is healthy and that the team's decision to move his start to Thursday was the result of concerns about his control. After watching Loewen's latest start against the Mariners, an outing in which he struggled with both location and velocity, one has to wonder if there's more to the story. Loewen failed to escape the third inning, allowing five earned runs on four hits (including a home run) and three walks. His season ERA inflated to 7.85. Loewen has walked 15 batters this season while striking out 12.
Slugger Carlos Peña of the Rays picked up right where he left off in 2007 by hitting six home runs in his first 11 games. Peña has slumped terribly in the past two weeks, and his homer drought has reached 34 at-bats. In fact, Peña hasn't produced an RBI during this period while watching his batting average drop to .189.
Akinori Iwamura was one of the great surprises in 2007, producing a strong .285 batting average with seven home runs and 12 stolen bases for the Rays. He's shifted positions to second base to open the door for Evan Longoria, and the change has been unkind to him at the plate. In his past 10 games, Iwamura has batted .167 (7-for-42) with two RBI.
Omar Vizquel's left knee is recovering slowly from off-season surgery, leaving Brian Bocock as the Giants' shortstop for the foreseeable future. The 23-year-old prospect has been great in the field, committing just two errors in 94 chances (.979 fielding percentage), but that's not helping fantasy lineups. Bocock enters the weekend hitting a woeful .177 with two RBI. He has stolen four bases to offer some support in the deepest of NL-only leagues.
 |
| Barry Zito couldn't get a win against Arizona even though San Francisco's offense actually gave him run support. ( / Associated Press) |
Despite having his offense produce a rare lead, Barry Zito failed to deliver his first win of the year against the Diamondbacks. Zito allowed five earned runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings of work. He's allowed 1.32 hits per inning pitched and has yielded more walks (12) than strikeouts (10) to generate a brutal 1.79 WHIP. Zito carries a 5.61 ERA into the weekend series against the Reds.
Pittsburgh outfielder Nate McLouth's torrid pace has slowed. The early-April hero has gone hitless in his past 10 at-bats to reduce his batting average by 42 points. McLouth appears to be getting more anxious at the plate, a factor that could send his batting average into a free-fall (remember that he is a career .258 hitter).
Francisco Liriano was battered for the third straight start since being activated by the Twins. In fact, Liriano failed to escape the first inning against the A's, allowing six earned runs on five hits and three walks. His ERA since rejoining the team rests at a bloated 11.32, and he's walked nearly twice as many hitters as he's struck out (13:7). On Thursday, only 15 of his 35 pitches were in the strike zone, and the A's jumped on every straight ball he threw. Liriano has allowed 28 baserunners in 10 1/3 innings of work. Things won't get easier when the White Sox visit Minnesota, assuming that Liriano stays with the team. His control issues may force him back to the minors.
Curve busting — This week's fantasy surprises
He should lead the "Honor Roll" for this week, but I have to slot Cleveland starter Cliff Lee here. Lee continued his early-season mastery of opposing batters with another gem on Thursday to help the Indians complete a doubleheader sweep of the Royals. He pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout. More impressively, Lee struck out nine batters and did not issue a walk. With this shutout effort, Lee lowered his ERA to 0.28 and raised his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 29:2. Are you kidding me? Next up is a mid-week date with the Mariners.
Lee is joined on the list this week by teammate Fausto Carmona. Carmona's control has been downright dreadful this season, and he's been unbelievably hittable. He's walked twice as many hitters as he's struck out (22:11) and has surrendered nearly one hit per inning, yet Carmona owns a strong 2.89 ERA. The fact that Carmona induces groundballs by the truckload (12 groundballs against two flyballs on Thursday) keeps him from giving up the big inning, but his walk rate is frightening and could eventually come back to haunt him.
We joked before the season that Tim Lincecum would need to pitch to a sub-2.00 ERA in order to win games behind the anemic San Francisco offense. Don't look now, but with his 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball on Thursday against San Diego, Lincecum reduced his season ERA to 1.23 and extended his record to 4-0. Lincecum has struck out 36 batters in 29 1/3 innings pitched (11.05 per nine innings). And while his high walk total of 14 is somewhat disconcerting, his big punch out ability allows him to work out of any jams.
A series of 1-for-4 and 1-for-5 performances isn't going to be enough to bring his batting average in line with years past, but Boston slugger David Ortiz has found his power stroke. Ortiz extended his hitting streak to seven games on Thursday against the Angels. More importantly, Ortiz has driven in 16 runs during this streak with three home runs.
The top three hitters in the American League reside in Boston. Manny Ramirez leads the league with his .356 batting average. Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis follow at .351 and .345, respectively.
In their first 12 games of the 2008 season, the Tigers generated 33 runs. Detroit scored 37 runs in the recently completed three-game series against the Rangers.
Ambulance chasing
Morgan Ensberg has manned the fort at third base while Alex Rodriguez recovers from a strained quadriceps muscle (and celebrates the birth of his second child). Per The New York Times , Rodriguez is expected to rejoin the club on Friday for the series opener in Cleveland.
The Toronto Star says the Blue Jays will activate third baseman Scott Rolen from the disabled list on Friday for the series opener against Kansas City. His right middle finger has healed and he'll try to help the Blue Jays turn a new leaf following an emotional week with the release of Frank Thomas and being swept by the Rays.
White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye left Thursday's series finale against the Yankees in the seventh inning with what has initially been declared a strained left groin. The extent of the injury has yet to be revealed, per The Chicago Sun-Times, but it appears that Dye may be forced to miss at least one or two games in this weekend's series against the Orioles. Alexei Ramirez replaced Dye to close out Thursday's game.
Gary Sheffield was held out of the Detroit lineup once again on Thursday. The Detroit Free Press reports Sheffield received a second cortisone shot in his shoulder before Thursday's game. There's no timetable for his return to the lineup. It's a good thing that Curtis Granderson has rallied the team around him while they await the return of their veteran slugger.
It's not an injury, but the Brewers expect outfielder Mike Cameron to return from his suspension on Tuesday of next week. The Tennessean reports that Cameron went 1-for-4 in his return to the field for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds and slammed a home run in his first at-bat.
Boston team doctors have been working overtime. The Boston Globe reports that Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell will begin a rehabilitation assignment over the weekend as he recovers from a thumb injury. He's taken batting practice in back-to-back days, and barring a setback, could rejoin the squad early next week. Also in Boston, Coco Crisp returned from a hamstring injury and drove in two runs with two stolen bases against the Angels. Catcher Jason Varitek may return to the lineup on Friday against the Rays after missing four games with the flu. Daisuke Matsuzaka missed a start with the flu, and Josh Beckett was skipped because of a neck problem. The first-place Red Sox are hopeful to be back at full strength early next week.
Eric Chavez of the A's was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in order to clear roster space for Thomas. The Oakland Tribune reports Chavez is set to begin baseball activities this weekend. Looking down the road, Chavez will be eligible to return from the disabled list following the Memorial Day weekend. The paper also reports that starter Justin Duchscherer has recovered from his biceps injury and will take the hill against the Mariners on Saturday.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Jeremy Sowers will be recalled from Triple-A Buffalo for a Saturday start against the Yankees (part of the FOX coverage on Saturday afternoon). He'll take the place of Jake Westbrook, who was put on the disabled list with a strained back muscle. Sowers has pitched to a solid 3.18 ERA in four minor league starts to open the year, fanning 16 batters in 22 2/3 innings pitched.
The paper also reports that Joe Borowski is tentatively scheduled to begin a throwing program at the end of next week. Rafael Betancourt finally earned his first save for the Indians on Thursday night. Borowski appears to be at least two weeks away from rejoining the squad.
Alfonso Soriano took batting practice during the Cubs' mid-week series in Colorado and reported no discomfort in his injured calf. The Chicago Tribune reports Lou Piniella is confident Soriano will rejoin the squad on May 1, the first day he's eligible to be activated.
Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino began his rehabilitation assignment on Wednesday, collecting a hit and two RBI in Class-A ball. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Victorino will continue his assignment in Double-A this weekend and may return to the Phillies lineup early next week.
Seattle starter Erik Bedard is expected to be activated for Saturday's game against the A's. Bedard had been scratched from two starts with hip pain before heading to the disabled list. The Seattle Times also reports that versatile infielder/outfielder Mike Morse has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery.
Keep an eye on the pages of FOXSports.com for all of the latest player and team news as enjoy a veritable sports smorgasbord this weekend. You've got playoffs in the NBA and NHL, NASCAR at Talladega and a full slate of major league games. Oh, and then there's that little thing known as the NFL Draft.
Good times, indeed.
advertisement
