Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That Clay Buchholz did exactly what the Red Sox wanted him to do, but still earned a ticket right back to Triple-A after doing it. The Red Sox, whose rotation is set, gave Buchholz the ball on Friday night as a reward for his successful comeback this year at Triple-A. The plan all along was for him to get one start and go back down, and that's what happened after he gave up one run in 5 2/3 innings in a victory over Toronto.
It was Buchholz's first big league game since last August, when he was demoted after a seven-game losing streak. This year at Triple-A, he was 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA, earning the brief promotion.
"Considering the circumstances and everything, I thought he had poise, I thought he had good stuff," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He attacked with his fastball, he threw his changeup, he threw his breaking ball. He commanded the game. It's really gratifying for us. We've heard all the reports and we've seen him work but then to see him do it tonight was a lot of fun for us."
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's no secret we here at Fantasy FanHouse were not a fan of Matt Holliday for your fantasy baseball team this season. We told you to avoid him several times in the draft kit, and still more in chats. This wasn't because we thought he was a terrible player or a bad guy. Quite the contrary, he's a good player and seems like a swell enough guy. It's just that he was so overvalued and we knew his numbers would take a hit departing Colorado for the Bay area.
Well, now is the fun part of fantasy baseball. Now we're telling you to trade for him.
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.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Matt Garza is one of those talented pitchers that novice owners probably lost patience with quickly. And if they did, they were watching Thursday's spectacular performance kicking themselves. Garza, who had struggled with his command through his first four starts, took a perfect game bid into the seventh inning against the Red Sox and finished with a line worthy of adulation: 7 2/3 innings, 10 strikeouts, 1 hit, 1 walk, no runs. Has he turned the corner that quickly?
Monday night, Ryan Braun hit a first-inning home run off of Jeff Karstens of the Pirates. Two innings and two bombs later (by Rickie Weeks and Mike Cameron, respectively), Braun wore a Karstens fastball in the middle of his back. It was the first pitch of the at-bat, so it appeared to be an intentional beanball.
Let's face it, we could all use a little bit of help on our fantasy teams. I'm currently mired with Chris Davis and Mark Teixeira as my corner infielders in one of my fantasy leagues. I can't cut either, but I could sure use some stop-gap assistance until they both wake up.
If you're looking for some power potential off of the waiver wire, I've found four hitters who could step in until some of your big bats wake up.
Mike Jacobs, Royals - Jacobs popped 32 home runs last season and already has four more in the early stages on 2009. He's batting .282/.349/.692 and has ten RBI. Currently he's sitting on the waiver wire in 79% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. That's a shame because he could probably help a lot of fantasy teams.
SAN FRANCISCO -- When Giants pitcher Joe Martinez was drilled in the head by a line drive last week, there was perhaps only one person in the ballpark not emotionally shaken by the incident.
Joe Martinez.
Martinez rejoined his teammates today for the first time since his frightening accident (watch it here) on the mound on April 9. Martinez suffered a concussion and three factures of the bones on his face. His right eye is black, but otherwise he seemed remarkably unaffected by the incident.
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 who could easily end up with the best offense in the National League. The potential firepower of this lineup is mind-boggling. They are going to need it, because the pitching staff has a chance to embarrass itself on a regular basis. They weren't good to begin with, but now Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia have departed.
For a brief minute last week it seemed certain that Mike Cameron and Melky Cabrera would switch teams, but Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed that the proposed trade with the Yankees has officially died. What happened? Apparently both sides took the "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" mantra a little too far, refusing to follow up discussions that began during the Winter Meetings with a phone call.
Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "I haven't heard from (Yankees general manager) Brian Cashman, and I haven't called him. Cashman confirmed as much to the New York Post, saying "He hasn't told us, we haven't talked since Vegas.
Pick up the phone, fellas, there's still time to get this deal done! Or ... maybe not. Talks first began to stall when the Yankees asked the Brewers to either pay a portion of Cameron's $10 million salary or take on the remaining $12 million Kei Igawa is owed over the next three years. The Brewers balked, and uless they have a change of heart, this deal will likely stay dead. As a Yankees official told the New York Daily News:
"Maybe he thinks we'll be upset and jump back in," the official said when informed of Melvin's comments. "We didn't think Cameron was worth $10 million - and we still don't. I guess (Melvin) finally got the message."
It sounds to me like the Yankees drew a line in the sand. Unless Melvin suddenly feels like subsidizing the Yankees' outfield, this one probably isn't going to happen.
Objectively speaking, it makes sense: the Yankees are giving up a 24-year-old hitter with potential for a guy who turns 36 next month who's almost certainly going to be a one-year rental. Long-term, there's no question the Brewers are getting the better end of the deal, so asking Milwaukee to chip in a few dollars doesn't seem unreasonable.
That said, it's the freaking Yankees! After doling out $161 million for CC Sabathia (dashing Milwaukee's hopes in the process), arguing about a few dollars now seems insulting. It's kind of like a yard sale: everyone is expected to haggle a little bit, but if you pull up in a Lexus and can only pay with hundred dollar bills, you're paying full price.
As it happens, it seems the Yankees finally came around: talks eventually picked back up yesterday afternoon via phone and ended with Brian Cashman and Doug Melvin agreeing to resume talks today.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with quick nod to what is ahead.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Monday night, 
Let's face it, we could all use a little bit of help on our fantasy teams. I'm currently mired with 
SAN FRANCISCO -- When Giants pitcher 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
For a brief minute last week it seemed certain that 
Trade talks that would send 
