Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling of the Red Sox had surgery which will end his season and perhaps his career.

From a fantasy this is great news. He was never going to be the dominating pitcher was but he was still serviceable on fantasy rosters. The great news is the situation is now complete so owners can now cut ties and free a spot on rosters and that DL spot for someone else. Also, for owners of Lester, Masterson, and Buchholz this means one less person to worry about when competing for a rotation spot. At this point, Lester and Masterson will be the ones who see time on the mound unless Buchholz finds a way to pitch himself back into contention, I woundn't see why not.

Daisuke

Daisuke of the Red Sox last ONE inning in a start against the Cardinals. In his return the Cardinals welcomed him back with an explosion of offense which was capitalized with a grand slam by Troy Glaus. In total, Daisuke allowed 7ER's in a one out performance.

Owners, don't worry too much about this performance since he was out of action for a little bit. Things will hopefully turn out well. I am saying this because you never know if there is a problem still in his arm and if he is still suffering from something or if he re-injured his arm. Looking back at the Smoltz situation, yes it is completely different, we saw Smoltz come back and than only having to leave again to have season ending surgery. Look for reports in the coming days to see if he is suffering from anything.

Masterson and Bedard

Justin Masterson of the Red Sox earned his 3rd win of the season by beating the lowly Mariners. Masterson pitched 6 innings allowing only 3H's, 1ER, and striking out 4. It seems like the Red Sox have someone to fill in holes whenever someone goes down with injury. This kid should be owned so go out and grab him now!

Erik Bedard of the Mariners did not earn the loss against the Red Sox and for owners, like myself, are very happy with what they saw in his performance. Even though he only pitched 5 innings, Bedard left the game allowing only 2H's, 1ER, and striking out 5. For owners, hopefully Bedard can turn things around and be more consistent.

Fight Night Suspensions

Please adjust your lineups accordingly.

Red Sox
Coco Crisp - 7 games
Jon Lester - 5 games
Sean Casey - 3 games

Rays
James Shields - 6 games
Jonny Gomes - 5 games
Edwin Jackson - 5 games
Carl Crawford - 4 games
Akinori Iwamura - 3 games

Big Papi

David Ortiz of the Red Sox will be placed on the 15-Day DL with a partially torn tendon in his left wrist. This is devastating news for owners because of his surge of almost 60 points in his batting average this month. According to the Red Sox they are unsure on how long he will be out. This is never good news. But with a torn tendon in his wrist this sounds like a relatively long stint on the DL and if he does have surgery it might take 4-6 weeks and worse case scenario the season.

It is impossible to replace such a bat in any fantasy lineup but for the unlucky who have lost his services, try and find some hot bats off the wire, yes I know how that will be. If you are absolutely dying for power you will have to deal some pitching for hitting. If you are hurting in both categories, it might be time to think ahead to the future.

Ellsbury

Jacob Ellsbury of the Red Sox is tearing up the base paths right now. Over his past 5 games he has recorded 9 SB's!!!! During this stretch he had back to back nights of 3SB's, wow, can you say winning the SB by himself?!?

Enjoy his services but since you have a speed demon on your team in Ellsbury, you can use another player who steals to sweeten deals to acquire help in some areas. Remember, this is fantasy baseball and you can only win if you put up the stats. Deal players when you have a strong hold on a category to help in categories where you are weak in.

Manny = 500HR Club

Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox has hit his 500th career home run.

Manny is hitting .286 with 10HR's/35RBI's/33R's.

Congratulations Manny!

Daisuke

Daisuke of the Red Sox was put on the 15-Day DL after taking an MRI which revealed a slight strain to his rotator cuff. With his impressive start to the season owners must be a little disappointed with this DL sting but at least the Red Sox are being cautious with him now instead of him over working the shoulder and having his season end prematurely.

Owners, don't worry about this right now. Just focus on pitchers who are on the wire right now and pick up pitchers who are pitching in favourable match-ups.

Two Pitchers

Bartolo Colon pitched in his second game with the Red Sox and got his second win of the season. This outing was very impressive going 7 innings while allowing 5H's, 1ER, and striking out 4 Mariners. As I mentioned before, go out and pick this guy up!

Fausto Carmona of the Indians is expected to be out 4 weeks with a strain in his left hip. This is terrible news for owners who expected Carmona is be fairly dominating after watching him go 19-8 last year. Stash him on the DL and wait him out. Or as I always try to do, use him as a sweetener in a 2 for 1 deal.

Nice Pitchers

Dana Eveland of the A's just finished a complete game and allowed 1ER over 3H's. So far this season Eveland has impressed and with his line of 4-3, 62IP, 24BB, 44ER, and a 2.90ERA he should be on all rosters.

D. Cabrera of the Orioles with a line of 5-1, 3.48ERA, 41K's, and 24BB's is a great pick-up right now if he hasn't already been picked up in your league, go and grab him.

C. Billingsley of the Dodgers seems to have found his groove this season by going 4-5, 29BB's, 60K's, and a 3.76ERA. Owners, grab him ASAP.

B. Colon of the Red Sox is finally back on the mound. His first start of the season was impressive going 5 innings, 2ER's, 2BB's, and 4K's which earned him a win. If you are in need of help with your pitching stats, go out and take a chance with Colon. Even if he produces a 4.50ERA he will still add some wins with that powerhouse Red Sox lineup.

S. Ponson of the Rangers just pitched a complete game 6 hitter and only allowed 1ER. After all the problems he's had over the past 2-3 years, Ponson seems to have found a groove in 2008. Again, just like Colon, if you are in need of some help in your pitching stats, take a chance on Ponson. He's doing very well right now.

Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon will start on Wednesday for the Red Sox. All owners should take a look at Colon and monitor his outing closely. For owners who are in AL-only leagues, this is worth a pick-up and if you are in a league with bidding, try and grab this player now before his start. Throwing a dollar this guy now before his start might turn out to be a steal because if he has a great start on Wednesday his price will skyrocket. Mixed league owners who have a spot to spare or a player they can spare should pick up Colon and hold him just in case.

No No for Lester

Jon Lester of the Red Sox has thrown the first no-hitter of 2008. With a 130 pitch start the cancer survivor baffled Royals hitters all night and earned himself a spot in baseball history.

Lester finished with a line of 9IP, 0H's, 2BB's, and 9K's.

Going into this game Lester was throwing extremely well allowing only 6ER's in his previous 25.1 innings pitched while striking out 17. Fantasy owners should have Lester on their teams, even before the no-hitter, because of his strong outings.

Congratulations Jon Lester!

Lowell

Mike Lowell of the Red Sox is quietly putting together a nice season after a stint on the DL. Currently, Lowell in his past 10 games is showing owners who stuck with him why it was the right choice.

15H's, 8R, 4HR, 13RBI's, and has raised his average by 32 points and now stands at .282.

Owners, don't expect Lowell to repeat his career year in 2007 (.334, 21HR's, 120RBI) but he is still a valuable contributor in all fantasy formats. Enjoy his services at 3B.

D. Cabrera

Mr. Cabrera of the Orioles just won his 3rd straight game last night against the mighty Red Sox. So far this season, Cabrera has shown his ability to keep his team in the ballgame and it has produce some nice stats. With a 3.58ERA and 40K's in 67.1 innings and a 4-1 record this pitcher should be on all fantasy rosters. If you see him on the waiver wire, go out and grab him ASAP.

Ellsbury

Jacob Ellsbury of the Red Sox is putting together a nice season so far. He's added 14 steals to fantasy stats and with his .380OBP the 14 steals will continue to increase as the season progresses. Fantasy owners should expect Ellsbury to end the year with 30+ steals.

DL Report

Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox has landed himself on the 15-Day DL with a broken nail on his right middle finger. This injury seems a little odd but does make sense since he applies plenty of pressure while pitching. For fantasy owners, this doesn't mean much unless you are in a deep deep deep league or an AL-only league. Look for Clay to be back right after his DL stint is over.

Jeff Keppinger of the Reds is on the DL, as I mentioned in a previous post, and this has a bigger impact on fantasy owners than Clay. So far this season, Keppinger has held the team together by hitting a solid .324AVG, 3HR, 27RBI's, and 2SB's. The injury, a fractured left kneecap, will sideline him for 4-6 weeks. This guy is droppable if you don't have room on your team or if you DL is filled with someone more important. Also, Paul Janish was called up from AAA-Louisville and well I guess Jay Bruce will have to wait another day before being called up. But the Reds would be stupid if they don't call Bruce up soon. With their current spot in the bottom of the standings and with trade rumours flying over Griffey and Dunn, the Reds should give this highly touted and highly proven stud a chance in the majors.

Scott Kazmir

Scott Kazmir of the Rays is back from his DL stint with a left elbow strain. His first game was against the strong hitting Red Sox lineup and he ended up with a loss. Kazmir pitched 4innings, 6H, 3ER, 3BB, and 5K's. Not a great start back after being on the DL but owners don't worry.

This young pitcher is an ace and should be put into your roster on a daily basis. Just keep an eye out for any news from the Rays on his elbow just in case there might be something that comes back.

Hitters Hit

Look at these hitters.

Carlos Quentin LF White Sox - .298AVG, 7HR, 21RBI's
Edwin Encarnacion 3B Reds - .287AVG, 7HR, 14RBI's
Nate McLouth LF/CF Red Sox - .342AVG, 7HR, 28RBI's

I'm not buying into the McLouth batting .342 the rest of the way so if you have him, make sure to sell high on him. I do believe in Carlos Quentin and Edwin Encarnacion.