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Hache Man · 04-17-08, 05:39 PM

Calf Injury Knocks Soriano Out

It seemed reasonable to assume that the Cubs would call up Matt Murton if they placed Alfonso Soriano on the disabled list following a calf injury Tuesday night, because Murton should never have been demoted to Triple-A in the first place after batting .296/.365/.455 in 289 career MLB games. Instead, Soriano headed to the DL on Wednesday and the Cubs left Murton to rot in Iowa while calling up Eric Patterson.

Patterson is a good prospect with solid long-term fantasy potential because of his power-speed combination, but the Cubs refused to play him when they called him up last year and he figures to spend much of his time on the bench this time around too. While Patterson watches from the dugout and Murton continues to waste away in the minors, expect Mark DeRosa to see most of the starts in left field and Mike Fontenot to take over for him as the regular second baseman.

DeRosa was already playing nearly every day, so his value won't change much, but Fontenot is now a solid NL-only option. He started at second base and led off Wednesday, going 1-for-5 with an RBI. Fontenot isn't nearly as strong a hitter as Murton and can't compete with Patterson in the steals department, but has batted .277/.338/.410 through his first 285 plate appearances in the majors after putting up similarly decent numbers in the minors.

Patterson is worth grabbing in deeper leagues and remains a quality keeper-league option, while Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno, and Reed Johnson should also receive small value boosts. As for Soriano, no timetable has been established yet for his return, but it's safe to assume that he'll be out for longer than the 15-day minimum. Following up last year's quadriceps problems with a calf injury can't be good news for his speed, so don't expect many steals when he does return.

While the Cubs do everything they can to ruin the career of a perfectly solid hitter in Murton, here are some other notes from around baseball …

* He's made me look like the boy who cried wolf before, but Felix Hernandez finally appears to be making The Leap. King Felix tossed a complete game Wednesday, holding the A's to two runs while racking up eight strikeouts versus one walk. He allowed a run in the eighth inning to trim the Mariners' lead to 4-2 and finished the frame with over 100 pitches, but manager John McLaren let him go back out for the ninth inning rather than turn to fill-in closer Mark Lowe.

Allowing Hernandez to throw 115 pitches in April isn't the smartest move in the world given that he turned 22 years old last week. Plus, he got off to a similarly outstanding start last year, tossing 17 straight scoreless innings before being slowed by arm problems. This time around Hernandez is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and 1.17 WHIP through four outings, and looks capable of long last living up to all the hype that he's received in this space. He has Cy Young potential.

* Nomar Garciaparra returned from the disabled list Wednesday, one day earlier than expected, and went 1-for-2 with two walks as the Dodgers' starting third baseman. Rookie Blake DeWitt did a decent job filling in for Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche, batting .261/.382/.348 with eight walks in 14 games, but has zero chance of continuing to play regularly now that manager Joe Torre has another veteran to stick in the lineup.

Garciaparra went 3-for-10 during a three-game minor-league rehab assignment and shouldn't be counted on as an immediate asset after saying Tuesday that he'll "never be pain-free" because "it would probably take a lot longer than that" for his wrist to completely heal. He'll have reasonable value in NL-only leagues, but will have to play his way into being a mixed-league option after batting just .283/.328/.371 last season and will have to hurry with LaRoche on the way back.

* Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases Wednesday, giving him nine steals through 15 games. That puts him on pace to swipe about 95 bases, which would make him the first player to crack the 90-steal mark since Rickey Henderson stole 93 bags in 1988. Amazingly, all of that thievery has come despite Gomez getting on base just 28 percent of the time and his lone caught stealing came via pickoff. Never before has .262/.284/.369 been such fun to watch.

AL Quick Hits: Barring a setback, Curtis Granderson (hand) is on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as Friday … Manager John Gibbons said Tuesday that the best-case scenario for Scott Rolen's (finger) return is another two weeks … Jorge Posada (shoulder) hasn't caught since April 8, but was in the lineup Wednesday at designated hitter … Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-6 with a homer Wednesday, making him 12-for-33 (.363) with two homers and nine RBIs since beginning the season 2-for-20 … His ill father is reportedly feeling better, but there's no timetable yet for Joba Chamberlain's return … Kevin Youkilis left Wednesday's game with a bruised foot, but X-rays were negative and he's considered day-to-day … Alex Rodriguez's homer Wednesday was No. 522 of his career, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th place on the all-time list … A.J. Burnett came on in relief Wednesday in the 14th inning and took the loss as the Blue Jays' ninth pitcher of the night … With Al "Don't Tase Me, Bro!" Reyes (shoulder) going on the disabled list Wednesday, Dan Wheeler will take over as the Rays' primary setup man.

NL Quick Hits: Jimmy Rollins (ankle) pinch-hit Wednesday, but was clearly hobbled and will now be away from the Phillies until at least Saturday while attending his uncle's funeral … Mike Jacobs smacked his MLB-leading sixth homer Wednesday and has a dozen hits during the past six games … With youngsters Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez already thriving in the Reds' rotation, the Homer Bailey Watch officially began once the Cubs got to Josh Fogg for nine runs Wednesday … After saying that he fixed a flaw in his delivery that had contributed to his rough start, Roy Oswalt held the Phillies to one run over seven innings Wednesday … Doug Brocail closed out the win for Oswalt, but the struggling Jose Valverde working on three of the past four days may explain why he got the save chance … Off to a .309/.361/.455 start, Lastings Milledge was shifted to the fifth spot in the Nationals' batting order Wednesday … Looking like the NL version of Gomez, Michael Bourn swiped his league-leading seventh base Wednesday and also went deep for the second time after homering just once in 133 plate appearances last season.

04-17-08, 05:39 PM	#72
Hache Man Moderator On The Rays' Wagon Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 46,218	Re: Fantasy Baseball News 2008 Calf Injury Knocks Soriano Out It seemed reasonable to assume that the Cubs would call up Matt Murton if they placed Alfonso Soriano on the disabled list following a calf injury Tuesday night, because Murton should never have been demoted to Triple-A in the first place after batting .296/.365/.455 in 289 career MLB games. Instead, Soriano headed to the DL on Wednesday and the Cubs left Murton to rot in Iowa while calling up Eric Patterson. Patterson is a good prospect with solid long-term fantasy potential because of his power-speed combination, but the Cubs refused to play him when they called him up last year and he figures to spend much of his time on the bench this time around too. While Patterson watches from the dugout and Murton continues to waste away in the minors, expect Mark DeRosa to see most of the starts in left field and Mike Fontenot to take over for him as the regular second baseman. DeRosa was already playing nearly every day, so his value won't change much, but Fontenot is now a solid NL-only option. He started at second base and led off Wednesday, going 1-for-5 with an RBI. Fontenot isn't nearly as strong a hitter as Murton and can't compete with Patterson in the steals department, but has batted .277/.338/.410 through his first 285 plate appearances in the majors after putting up similarly decent numbers in the minors. Patterson is worth grabbing in deeper leagues and remains a quality keeper-league option, while Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno, and Reed Johnson should also receive small value boosts. As for Soriano, no timetable has been established yet for his return, but it's safe to assume that he'll be out for longer than the 15-day minimum. Following up last year's quadriceps problems with a calf injury can't be good news for his speed, so don't expect many steals when he does return. While the Cubs do everything they can to ruin the career of a perfectly solid hitter in Murton, here are some other notes from around baseball … * He's made me look like the boy who cried wolf before, but Felix Hernandez finally appears to be making The Leap. King Felix tossed a complete game Wednesday, holding the A's to two runs while racking up eight strikeouts versus one walk. He allowed a run in the eighth inning to trim the Mariners' lead to 4-2 and finished the frame with over 100 pitches, but manager John McLaren let him go back out for the ninth inning rather than turn to fill-in closer Mark Lowe. Allowing Hernandez to throw 115 pitches in April isn't the smartest move in the world given that he turned 22 years old last week. Plus, he got off to a similarly outstanding start last year, tossing 17 straight scoreless innings before being slowed by arm problems. This time around Hernandez is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and 1.17 WHIP through four outings, and looks capable of long last living up to all the hype that he's received in this space. He has Cy Young potential. * Nomar Garciaparra returned from the disabled list Wednesday, one day earlier than expected, and went 1-for-2 with two walks as the Dodgers' starting third baseman. Rookie Blake DeWitt did a decent job filling in for Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche, batting .261/.382/.348 with eight walks in 14 games, but has zero chance of continuing to play regularly now that manager Joe Torre has another veteran to stick in the lineup. Garciaparra went 3-for-10 during a three-game minor-league rehab assignment and shouldn't be counted on as an immediate asset after saying Tuesday that he'll "never be pain-free" because "it would probably take a lot longer than that" for his wrist to completely heal. He'll have reasonable value in NL-only leagues, but will have to play his way into being a mixed-league option after batting just .283/.328/.371 last season and will have to hurry with LaRoche on the way back. * Carlos Gomez went 2-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases Wednesday, giving him nine steals through 15 games. That puts him on pace to swipe about 95 bases, which would make him the first player to crack the 90-steal mark since Rickey Henderson stole 93 bags in 1988. Amazingly, all of that thievery has come despite Gomez getting on base just 28 percent of the time and his lone caught stealing came via pickoff. Never before has .262/.284/.369 been such fun to watch. AL Quick Hits: Barring a setback, Curtis Granderson (hand) is on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as Friday … Manager John Gibbons said Tuesday that the best-case scenario for Scott Rolen's (finger) return is another two weeks … Jorge Posada (shoulder) hasn't caught since April 8, but was in the lineup Wednesday at designated hitter … Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-6 with a homer Wednesday, making him 12-for-33 (.363) with two homers and nine RBIs since beginning the season 2-for-20 … His ill father is reportedly feeling better, but there's no timetable yet for Joba Chamberlain's return … Kevin Youkilis left Wednesday's game with a bruised foot, but X-rays were negative and he's considered day-to-day … Alex Rodriguez's homer Wednesday was No. 522 of his career, moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th place on the all-time list … A.J. Burnett came on in relief Wednesday in the 14th inning and took the loss as the Blue Jays' ninth pitcher of the night … With Al "Don't Tase Me, Bro!" Reyes (shoulder) going on the disabled list Wednesday, Dan Wheeler will take over as the Rays' primary setup man. NL Quick Hits: Jimmy Rollins (ankle) pinch-hit Wednesday, but was clearly hobbled and will now be away from the Phillies until at least Saturday while attending his uncle's funeral … Mike Jacobs smacked his MLB-leading sixth homer Wednesday and has a dozen hits during the past six games … With youngsters Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez already thriving in the Reds' rotation, the Homer Bailey Watch officially began once the Cubs got to Josh Fogg for nine runs Wednesday … After saying that he fixed a flaw in his delivery that had contributed to his rough start, Roy Oswalt held the Phillies to one run over seven innings Wednesday … Doug Brocail closed out the win for Oswalt, but the struggling Jose Valverde working on three of the past four days may explain why he got the save chance … Off to a .309/.361/.455 start, Lastings Milledge was shifted to the fifth spot in the Nationals' batting order Wednesday … Looking like the NL version of Gomez, Michael Bourn swiped his league-leading seventh base Wednesday and also went deep for the second time after homering just once in 133 plate appearances last season.