Take note

F. Liriano of the Twins is back in the majors and pitched, ummm, not so effectively. 4.2IP, 6H, 4ER, 5BB, and 4K's. Don't expect him to be pitching 8 innings with 10K's right away. Be patient and hopefully he gets back to his old self from two year ago.

E. Bedard was scratched from his latest start, AGAIN, with inflammation in his left hip. This is not good news and even worse news for owners who drafted him or kept (which I did) him, so please be patient and wait until more news comes out on Bedard. Just shows everyone how volatile pitchers can be and why drafting them early just doesn't work out.

J. Reyes of the Mets has a mild strain, that was seen through an MRI. So far, there is no news on him hitting the DL but for owners this is not good news. Reyes is drafted in the first round because he can single handedly take the SB category for any owner. With a leg injury this thing called running might not be in the cards for him. Owners, relax and hope this injury doesn't linger through the season.

B. Bannister of the Royals threw a CG 3 hitter and well he should be on your team.

C. Cordero and J. Rauch of the Nationals seem to be sharing save duties for now. Keep both on your team until a single closer is finally declared. What I just said isn't official but it is good idea to have both...for now.

Ugly and Great

Oswalt is 0-3 this season for the Astros. In his latest disappointment, he pitched 4IP, 9H, 8ER, 6K's with 4HR. Owners should be disappointed with this performance and his overall performance throughout the 2008 season. But, it's great its happening now then during the crunch time in September. Just keep him in your lineup and just hope he turns the corner because he is one of the better pitchers in the league. He isn't as good as he was a few years back with his elite fantasy value but he is still better then majority of the pitchers out there. Stick with him for a few more starts.

L. Hernandez of the Twins is a work horse and is 3-0 to start the season. This pitcher won't give owners the contribution needed to attack all the categories but he does provide a healthy option for innings. He has pitched at least 200 innings dating back to 2000. Owners should have him on your team and ride out his hot streak and if you are looking for a solid 3-4 pitcher, he's a good option.

CC Sabathia of the Indians seems to be starting slow for 2008 and it seems to have continued in his last outing with a poor outing (9ER's in 3.1IP)...OUCH!!! Owners, just hope it's early season jitters. He's an elite pitcher so keep trotting him out there.

T. Hudson of the Braves had a nice outing. 8IP with 0ER's.

Canadian J. Francis of the Rockies is starting slowly and is worrying fantasy owners. With 7ERs in 5 innings isn't going to cut it. Owners expected a nice season from the southpaw but so far hasn't delivered much except smiles for opposing hitters. Owners, bench him until he come back with a strong performance.

Gomez

A nice little stat jumped out at me. Carlos Gomez, a player in the Santana deal, stole 2 bases in the opener for the Twins. Gomez is going to steal and steal and steal but the only thing you have to worry about is him getting on base. But adding him to your fantasy roster is dependent on how quick your team is on the base paths.

Liriano to Minors

Hard throwing Franciso Liriano of the Twins will start the season in the minors. He is being sent down for two starts and will pitch in a Class-A and also a Class-AAA game to work on his fastball. Depending on his velocity and his ability to command his pitches the Twins will consider bringing him back up after the two starts.

Fantasy owners, take this as a good sign. If there were problems with his arm he would be on the DL. The Twins are going to be extremely cautious with Liriano after Tommy John Surgery. Most owners drafted him with the thought of him being on the DL or slowed by the surgery. Waiting for the first two weeks is nothing.