FanHouse Zack Grienke

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

What a fantasy season it has been for Prince Fielder. Of course, we must thrown the "fantasy" before season, as I'm sure Fielder pictured himself squarely in the middle of a playoff race when looking ahead to September 21st earlier in the season, but his owners must be pleased by their second-round pick's production. Fielder launched his 40th homer of the season Sunday, making this year the second (2007) in which he's reached the 40-HR mark. His average is still trucking along near .300 (currently at .299), which is a pleasant surprise, and his 128 RBIs tie with Albert Pujols' total as the best mark in baseball.

The Fanhouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (14-16) vs. Oakland Athletics (14-15)-1:40PM Est.

Don't look now, but the Devil Rays are in second place in the AL East. Sure, they're only 14-16 and 5.5 games behind the Red Sox, but it still counts. Today they'll be sending Edwin Jackson to the hill and he's 0-4 with a 7.56 ERA so I don't expect the Rays to gain any ground this afternoon. They'll be facing Joe Blanton and whatever is left of the Athletics.

Kansas City Royals (10-21) vs. Detroit Tigers (18-11)2:10PM Est.

The hottest team in baseball right now is the same team that dominated the 2006 season, the Detroit Tigers. They've won six in a row and look to make it seven today. They're also looking to beat the Royals for the seventh time this season. It's Chad Durbin going against Zack Grienke. Grienke is 6-2 with a 2.86 ERA in his career against the Tigers, but all but one of his career starts against them came when they sucked. Earlier this season he only lasted 2/3 of an inning while giving up four runs.

Arizona Diamondbacks (16-16) vs. New York Mets (19-10)-4:40PM Est.

The Diamondbacks are heading the complete opposite direction of the Tigers. They's lost their last five games and have fallen to fourth place in the NL West. The Mets, meanwhile, are now in sole possession of first in the NL East and look to improve on their 12-3 road record. That's insane. For the Mets, Mike "Bats In The" Pelfrey (Hey, look at me! I'm Chris Berman!) looks to get his first win of the season against Livan Hernandez.

The Royals lost 3-1 to the Angels on Monday night to finish the month of April. They ended their month with a record of 8-18, and though he's still not happy, Buddy Bell wants you to know that it's an improvement.

"I think it is important to let everybody know that this is a better team," Bell said. "But it feels the same. It cannot feel the same and it shouldn't feel the same."

Bell's right too. Last April the Royals went 5-17. I'm no wizard, but I think 8-18 is better than 5-17. In the long run it doesn't mean anything, but it's better.

If there's anything that Royals fans can enjoy about this young season is the teams starting pitching. That Gil Meche signing isn't looking anywhere near as crazy as it did a little over a month ago. He's 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA right now, and along with Jorge De La Rosa and Zack Grienke, the starting pitching as a whole has not been bad in Kansas City. The problem, excluding Joakim Soria, has been the bullpen.

Still, it's not enough for this team to compete in the AL Central. I know it's only May 1st but I feel supremely confident in saying that the Royals have been eliminated. So sure, the Royals are better, but they still aren't any good.