FanHouse Curtis Granderson

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That Cole Hamels is starting to look like the World Series MVP.

The left-hander, who was one of the biggest reasons the Phillies won a title last season, tossed eight innings of one-run ball and struck out 10 in a 4-2 win over the Nationals.

Hamels hasn't looked like the ace he was for Philadelphia last year, but his last five starts suggest he could be rounding into form at exactly the right time.

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From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday -- it's running Friday this week.

Earlier this week, Brad Lidge's nightmare 2009 season continued, when he allowed a walk-off homer to Andrew McCutchen. Ed Price covered the outing the following morning. The abysmal performance by the Phillies' closer underlines the only weakness of the defending World Series Champions.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

One of the most prized prospects in baseball is blossoming before our eyes. And his timing couldn't be better as the Colorado Rockies are in the thick of a Wild Card hunt.

Carlos Gonzalez did it all in the minor leagues. Before being called up he hit ten home runs and batted .339 in 48 games. He struggled a bit upon arriving in Denver, but now is really turning it on.

Over the last month, Gonzalez is batting .432 with a home run and three stolen bases. His 1.114 OPS shows that he's really creaming the ball and his eruption is fueling the Rockies' winning ways. On Sunday Gonzalez went 3-for-5 and brought his season batting average up to .283.

NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson made sure every business card was laminated, the times and places immaculately engraved. He confirmed the restaurant reservations, paid for the hotel rooms, wrote down exact instructions for the subway to Yankee Stadium. This is how they would get to and from the airport; here was the nightclub where everyone would meet at 11:30 p.m., sharp. If Granderson didn't already have a pretty good job, he'd be a fine community organizer.

As it is, Granderson plays center field for the Detroit Tigers -- when he's not going to extraordinary lengths to make life a whole lot better for people he may or may not know. Searching for an escape from the daily rundown of athletes involved in steroid scandals, gunplay, drug use and assorted mayhem? Granderson might be ground zero for good work and good deeds.

Different year, different path, same result.

The American League stretched its unbeaten streak in the All-Star Game to 13 (12 wins, one tie), edging the National League 4-3 Tuesday night in St. Louis for its fourth consecutive one-run victory in the showcase. The win secured home-field advantage for the junior circuit in the World Series for the seventh straight season, making it unbeaten since the exhibition took on that meaning.

In stark contrast to last year's game, which lasted 15 innings and a record four hours and 50 minutes, this year's was a brisk two hours and 31 minutes, the shortest Midsummer Classic since 1988 and a tribute to the irrepressible pitching of the American League.

It's a baseball podcast. The math is easy, right? BaseCast. Let's rock.

He's baaaaaaack. Manny Ramirez rejoins the Dodgers Friday night in San Diego after a 50-game suspension for a violation of Major League Baseball's drug prevention program.

FanHouse's own Jeff Fletcher will be at Petco Park to see and report on Manny's return, so in preparation he joined Andrew Johnson (Prez) on the second edition of BaseCast to talk about what the media horde will be like, how, if at all, the slugger will address the media, what impact he'll have on the Dodgers on the field and how the road fans will react to him post-suspension.

And just for good measure, there's also Fletch's exclusive interview with Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson. Listen in after the jump.

Back before he was making us think of loyalty in the locker room and steroids, Jose Canseco made us think up the 40/40 club. The club didn't exist prior to 1988, there have only been three members inducted since, and Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle scoffed at the "new" club saying, "Hell, If I'd known 40-40 was going to be a big deal, I'd have done it every year!"

Today I want to talk about the junior varsity version of the 40/40 club. I want to examine a few hitters who could make it to the 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases plateau in 2009.

The major league season is about 43% complete now (give or take a few games for some teams), which means any hopeful 30/30 member needs to be somewhere near 13 home runs and stolen bases to be considered on pace.

Last season, only Hanley Ramirez and Grady Sizemore entered the 30/30 club. In 2009 we could see a lot more inductees.

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

It sure didn't take long for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen to get used to the big leagues. Matt Wieters, on the other hand, needed 48 at-bats to respond to the hype.

Both top prospects hit their first home runs at the major-league level on Wednesday -- matching two-run jacks to left field -- but there's an acute difference in perceived fantasy value between them.

It's time to correct that, people.

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

I think we can all agree that it's far too early to start voting upon who the best 2009 players are when it's only the middle of May. That being said, there are certainly some shining stars at this point who deserve some props. Plus, Major League Baseball recently released their All-Star ballots for our voting pleasure -- we vote on who will start the All-Star Game. If that's not important, I don't know what is. Let's take a gander.