FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Toronto Blue Jays.
There's no team in baseball in a worse spot than the Blue Jays. They've had to contend with the megapowers in New York and Boston for years, watching their competitive payroll and over-.500 seasons amount to nothing more than third-place finish after-third place finish. No matter how much they have spent and how much they have won, it has never been enough to catch the Red Sox or the Yankees.
From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from Spring Training. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster making a surge for the "big club" we'll let you know the fantasy implications.
Boston Red Sox The shortstop battle between Jed Lowrie and Julio Lugois heating up. Lowrie has six hits in sixteen at-bats with two doubles and a triple while Lugo has eight hits in fifteen at-bats with two doubles.
Lugo has made changes the Sox hope will help him recapture the power he showed before his arrival in Boston. He added muscle this offseason and, this spring, he slightly altered his batting stance.
Hitting coach Dave Magadan has been telling Francona he expects to see more power from Lugo this season.
There aren't enough positions on the field for both of these guys to play full-time and the DH spot is going to be occupied by David Ortiz. That can only mean one thing; a who's hotter at the moment platoon. No fantasy owner wants to hear that. This is one of those situations where what's best for the Major League team isn't so good for your fantasy team.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Team about to lose one of the best pitchers in baseball. Let's face it, with the economy in the tank for the rest of this calendar year, major league teams will be forced to cut costs. Roy Halladay makes a lot of money. The Blue Jays are going to be the worst team in the AL East (yes, they really will). People will stop attending games, and the Jays are going to have to deal him for about 30 cents on the dollar.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups
Chicago Cubs (71-67) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (73-66) - 2:20PM Est.
I don't know if anybody's told you yet, but the NFL season kicks off tonight. Major League Baseball is well aware of that, which probably goes a long way in explaining why there are only five games scheduled today, with only two night games. So my options for today's On Deck are pretty limited. The Cubs are hanging on by the slimmest of margins in the NL Central, with a .5 game lead on the Brewers. Today they'll be trying to salvage a split with the Dodgers in this four game series, and it will be up to Jason Marquis to see that it happens. Marquis has enjoyed pitching at Wrigley, where he's 8-3 with a 4.12 ERA in 15 starts this season. For the Dodgers, today is the day they say goodbye to any team outside of the NL West. After this afternoon's game against the Cubs, it's all NL West opponents all the time. So if they're going to make a charge back to the top of the division, they're going to need big performances from players like today's starter Derek Lowe. Lowe has a disappointing 11-12 record this season, but had been pitching well before getting knocked around in his last start. The Dodgers are going to need more of the good starts from Derek if they want to have a chance.
By now you know all about Pedro Martinez's successful return to the mound for the Mets today. But he's not the only former All-Star starter that will make his 2007 debut this week as Mark Mulder will take the mound on Wednesday for the St. Louis Cardinals as they fight to stay in the NL Central race. In fact, that's only half of the rotation moves the Cards will make this week as they're also going to put Mike Maroth back into the rotation and send Anthony Reyes to the bullpen, leaving the rotation at six strong for the stretch drive.
Tony La Russa did admit that the changes might not be long term:
"We're making decisions to save our life," manager Tony La Russa said after announcing the moves. "If it changes next week, it changes next week."
The horrible inappropriateness of La Russa likening playoff baseball to a life or death situation for a team that watched a teammate die this year aside, I don't see how Mike Maroth and a guy that hasn't made a major league start in a year are going the be the cure to what ails the Cards. Kip Wells is still in the rotation and he couldn't make it out of the fourth inning against the Pirates today. Braden Looper and his 5.52 ERA since May 18 is still in the rotation. So I guess what I'm saying is that Mulder is going to have to find his form real quick if he's going to make that much of a difference.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups Philadelphia Phillies (45-44) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (40-46)-FOX 3:55PM Est.
Is today the day we've all been waiting for? Will the Phillies become the first team in the history of the world to lose 10,000 games? Yes, they will. As for whether it will be today or not, I can't tell. Considering Cole Hamels is on the mound this afternoon there's a pretty good chance that the milestone will be put off for another day. If there is a city in this country that I would think could handle something like this, it would be Philadelphia. They've been living without a winner of any kind for a while now, but it hasn't seemed to diminish their fervor for their home teams. It's as though they've gotten to a point where they relish the opportunity. The Cardinals will be sending Mike Maroth to the mound to try and help the Phillies out. Will you be watching as history is made? Do you want to take the chance of not seeing it live? I don't think you do.
On Deck is The Fanhouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
New York Mets (41-32) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (33-39)-ESPN2 7:05PM Est.
The last time the Cardinals visited Shea Stadium they were dogpiling on the pitcher's mound and preparing themselves to go win a World Series. This time around they're just trying to get back to .500. Mike Maroth will be making his first start for the Redbirds after they acquired him from the Tigers last week. He'll be facing a Mets team that's won three in a row, and looks like it might be coming out of it's June swoon. Jorge Sosa starts for the Metropolitans, and I'm sure he's hoping Paul Lo Duca doesn't throw his catchers equipment at him.
On Deck is The FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing games
Seattle Mariners (37-32) vs. Cincinnati Reds (28-45)-10:05PM Est.
For the first time since being traded to his hometown Cincinnati Reds, Ken Griffey Jr. will be playing a baseball game in the city of Seattle. Junior is easily the greatest player they've ever had in the Pacific Northwest, and the Mariners are going to give him a 15-minute tribute prior to the first pitch. Of course the Griffey that played in Seattle was the one that kept himself on the field, that hasn't been the case since he's been in Cincy. He'll be facing a Mariners pitching staff that hasn't allowed a run in the last two games, so I expect him to hit a majestic home run and pull his hamstring rounding third base. You know, the complete package.
After putting the baseball world on the edge of their seats with their "Wil Ledezma for Macay McBride" deal with Atlanta earlier this week, the Tigers did it again on Friday afternoon, sending Mike Maroth to the Cardinals. It's not yet known who the Tigers received in exchange for Maroth, whose claim to fame is once losing 21 games as the fall-guy for Detroit's 2003 campaign, but it's not expected to be much. He may not have an arm growing out of his back like the picture suggests, but he is left-handed, which means he should be able to draw a major league salary for as long as he wants to stay in the game.
Maroth's departure wasn't exactly a surprise, not with Kenny Rogers returning from the disabled list tonight and Nate Robertson not too far behind. Chad Durbin has pitched surprisingly well lately, and rookie Andrew Miller looks like he belongs after three starts. The Tigers could certainly use some help in the bullpen, but I'm going to wager they received the always popular "Player to Be Named," likely some kind of pitching prospect in the low minors.
For the Cardinals, it's the second move this week they've made to try patching up their rotation after signing Tomo Ohka to a minor league deal earlier this week. Will it be enough to get back in the hunt? Probably not, especially with the Brewers apparently back on track, but then again, no one saw that Jeff Weaver deal working out quite as well as it did for them last year.
There's quite a bit of uncertainty in the Tigers starting rotation right now, what with injuries, returns from injuries, and now possible trades on the horizon. When asked about his starting rotation Jim Leyland would only commit to naming three of his players as members: Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, and Jeremy Bonderman.
Kenny Rogers will be making his first start of the season on Friday after missing the first two and a half months thanks to a blood clot in his throwing arm. Nate Robertson is about to embark on a rehab assignment, and he could be back off of the DL and with the Tigers as soon as next week.
All of which means the Tigers have too many starting pitchers. So what are they going to do? When asked who would start Monday's game against the Rangers, Chad Durbin or Mike Maroth, Leyland may have answered the question. Sort of.
Asked who will start Monday, when the Tigers return home for a series against Texas, Leyland said Chad Durbin or Mike Maroth. How that either/or will be decided triggers another round of speculation because Maroth availability rumors persist.
It's no secret that the Tigers are looking for some bullpen help, and are interested in the Rangers Eric Gagne. If Detroit makes a deal with Texas, or anybody, it's likely Maroth will be a part of the deal. All of which means that both Durbin and Maroth could be starting on Monday. It's just Maroth may be starting for the Rangers against the Tigers.
From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from Spring Training. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster making a surge for the "big club" we'll let you know the fantasy implications.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over. 
By now you know all about Pedro Martinez's successful return to the mound for the Mets today. But he's not the only former All-Star starter that will make his 2007 debut this week as Mark Mulder will take the mound on Wednesday for the St. Louis Cardinals as they fight to stay in the NL Central race. In fact, that's only half of the rotation moves the Cards will make this week as they're also going to put Mike Maroth back into the rotation and send Anthony Reyes to the bullpen, leaving the rotation at six strong for the stretch drive. 
After putting the baseball world on the edge of their seats with their "Wil Ledezma for Macay McBride" deal with Atlanta earlier this week, the Tigers did it again on Friday afternoon, sending Mike Maroth to the Cardinals. It's not yet known who the Tigers received in exchange for Maroth, whose claim to fame is once losing 21 games as the fall-guy for Detroit's 2003 campaign, but it's not expected to be much. He may not have an arm growing out of his back like the picture suggests, but he is left-handed, which means he should be able to draw a major league salary for as long as he wants to stay in the game. 
There's quite a bit of uncertainty in the Tigers starting rotation right now, what with injuries, returns from injuries, and now possible trades on the horizon. When asked about his starting rotation Jim Leyland would only commit to naming three of his players as members: Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, and Jeremy Bonderman.
