| Erik Bedard, P, Seattle Mariners | Saturday 3/15, 8:22 PM CT |
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| Erik Bedard got rocked for eight runs (six earned) on seven hits over four innings of work against the Giants on Saturday. He did have five strikeouts but three of his hits allowed went for home runs, and the team must be concerned as he allowed four runs in his previous outing on March 10. |
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| Kenji Johjima hit a grand slam against the Giants on Saturday. The four RBI from the blast boosts his spring total to seven. |
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| Daric Barton, 1B, Oakland Athletics | Saturday 3/15, 8:12 PM CT |
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| Daric Barton went 0-for-4 against the Giants on Saturday. He recently returned from a hand ailment and only has four spring hits over 25 at-bats. |
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| Mike Sweeney, 1B, Oakland Athletics | Saturday 3/15, 7:57 PM CT |
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| Mike Sweeney continues to hit well for Oakland as he recorded his first home run of the spring on Saturday, which was good for two runs. He now has 10 RBI for the spring and has a great shot to make the final roster with a bench job. |
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| Gil Meche, P, Kansas City Royals | Saturday 3/15, 7:46 PM CT |
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| Gil Meche fared well on Saturday as he held the Brewers scoreless through the first three innings. He ran into trouble after back-to-back walks in the fourth but still finished with a solid stat-line as he allowed three runs on six hits over five innings, with eight strikeouts. He needs to have a solid season for the Royals and this was a positive outing. |
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| David Murphy hit two home runs against the Rockies on Saturday, and now has four for the spring. He also collected four more RBI to push his spring total to nine and should have a firm grasp on a bench job with the Rangers. |
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| Jim Thome, DH, Chicago White Sox | Saturday 3/15, 7:26 PM CT |
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| Jim Thome blasted his second home run of the spring in a winning effort against the Cubs on Saturday. He now has nine RBI (two today), but is only batting .194 (7-for-36) with nine strikeouts. |
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| Gary Matthews Jr. hit his first homer of the spring against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, which was notably the only run surrendered by Randy Johnson. It was a good day for Matthews, but he remains a risk heading into the new season due to concerns about his knee. |
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| Jeff Niemann improved his spring record to 2-0 on Saturday as he only allowed one run on six hits over four innings against the Yankees. His spring ERA now stands at 1.13 and today's performance will help keep him in the hunt for a rotation spot this season. |
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| Ian Kennedy, P, New York Yankees | Saturday 3/15, 5:42 PM CT |
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| Ian Kennedy was dealt his first loss of the spring against the Rays on Saturday, but had a favorable outing as he only allowed two runs on three hits over three innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. Both of the runs came on solo home runs (to Eric Hinske and Chris Richard). He continues to pitch well in his bid for the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation. |
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| Jason Hammel got rocked for nine runs on nine hits against Cleveland on Monday, but he was able to bounce back on Saturday as he hurled five scoreless innings on three hits allowed against Atlanta. Hammel has a shot at a rotation spot, but will likely start the season in the bullpen. |
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| Roy Halladay dominated the Pirates on Saturday as he cruised to his first spring win while throwing five scoreless innings, with four hits allowed and four strikeouts. Halladay is once again a safe prospect for 2008. |
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| Curtis Granderson notched 11 total bases during battle against the Yankees on Saturday as he blasted a pair of home runs and a triple. Granderson is off to a great start (4 home runs) and should have another strong campaign. |
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| Joba Chamberlain earned his first spring win as he allowed three runs on four hits over three innings of work against the Tigers. He had three walks and two strikeouts and gave up a home run to Curtis Granderson. He could land in the Yankees' rotation this season, but will likely start out in the bullpen. |
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| Kevin Slowey enjoyed a solid start on Saturday as he only allowed one run on two hits over four innings against the Phillies, with five strikeouts and only one walk. He is fighting for a rotation spot, and today's performance will help his chances. |
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| Andy Marte, 3B, Cleveland Indians | Saturday 3/15, 4:42 PM CT |
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| Andy Marte may be past his early spring slump as he blasted two home runs against the Astros on Saturday. He notably hit a home run on Friday as well, and now has four for the spring. He raised his batting average to .242 and has 10 RBI additionally. |
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| Julio Lugo, SS, Boston Red Sox | Saturday 3/15, 4:37 PM CT |
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| Julio Lugo returned to action on Saturday for the first time since March 2 and went 2-for-3 against the Reds, while scoring a run. That was a great rebound performance and hopefully his back woes are behind him. |
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| Steve Trachsel had another unstable outing on the mound on Saturday (in a 7-6 loss to Florida) as he allowed five runs on six hits over four innings of work. He could still land a spot in the Orioles' rotation, but holds very little fantasy value. |
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| At this point, Melky Cabrera plans to appeal his three-game suspension, though he will watch video of Thursday's incident before making a final decision, according to the New York Daily News. It wouldn't be surprising to see Cabrera, Shelley Duncan and Tampa's Jonny Gomes appeal in an attempt to be available for opening day, since they would be allowed to keep playing until their cases are heard. However, the appeals would be due by Friday, which means it's possible that MLB could make a decision before opening day. Stay tuned. |
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| Daisuke Matsuzaka's wife gave birth Saturday morning to their second child, according to the Boston Globe. Now that the baby has arrived, Dice-K should be all clear to head with the Red Sox to Japan for the opening games of the season. |
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| Carl Crawford skipped Saturday's exhibition game due to tightness in both of his legs, according to the AP. "He just came up a little tight today," manager Joe Maddon said. "I just think the field was kind of wet yesterday, and sometimes you run on soft ground it can happen." It appears to be a minor ailment, so hopefully he will be back in action within a couple of days. |
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| The Rays finally threw in the towel on having Scott Kazmir ready for opening day after having his scheduled spring appearance Sunday pushed back, according to the AP. "It will definitely knock out the opening day assignment,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We just want him to try and build up a little bit more arm strength before we put him back out there. He’s fine. There’s not a thing wrong with him. During the season he probably would have pitched today." Well, actually, there is something wrong with him: a strained left elbow. Barring a setback, Kazmir should be ready early in April, but his condition remains something to keep an eye on. James Shields likely will get the nod for the opener now. |
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| Kelvim Escobar went through a strength test on his sore shoulder Friday and should begin throwing within a matter of days, according to the OC Register. Barring a setback, Escobar should be ready for his season debut within the first couple of weeks of May. |
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| John Lackey, P, Los Angeles Angels | Saturday 3/15, 1:09 PM CT |
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| An MRI taken on Friday revealed that John Lackey has a strained triceps, according to the OC Register. He will be completely shut down for the next 3-4 weeks, at which point he'll be re-examined to determine whether he can begin a throwing program. That means he'll all but certainly miss all of April and could be out well into May, depending on how his recovery goes. Dustin Moseley should replace Lackey in the Angels rotation. |
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| The Twins sent Alexi Casilla to their minor league camp on Friday, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He hit .250 and swiped four bases in 11 spring games, while continuing to struggle on defense at second base. He'll probably be back up at some point this season, but he's going to have to improve at the plate and with the glove to make it happen. |
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| Biceps tendinitis has kept Chad Orvella from throwing the past 10 days, and he hasn't appeared in a spring game since March 3, according to the Tampa Tribune. "It's nothing bad," Orvella said. "It's moving in the right direction, it's just taking a little long." Nonetheless, if he can't get back on the mound soon, he'll have a tough time being ready for the start of the season. |
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| Brandon Inge started at shortstop Friday before the game was rained out, according to the Detroit Free Press. "I want to see what he looks like there," manager Jim Leyland said. "If he pinch-hits, he might have to stay in a game there." Inge won't likely see much, if any, time at short this season, but that's now the sixth position (catcher, third, all three outfield spots) that he's played this spring. |
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| It turns out that the Carlos Gonzalez's strained hamstring is more serious than initially believed, according to the Contra Costa Times. He's now expected to miss about a week of action. That could well nix any chance he had of going to Japan with the A's. |
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| It's believed that the Rockies are shopping Ramon Ramirez this spring, according to the Denver Post. The 8.31 ERA and 1.56 WHIP he posted last season isn't very enticing, but after another good outing Friday, he's carrying a 1.13 ERA this spring. |
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| Shin-Soo Choo has been taking batting practice the past four days, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The goal is for me to DH in some games this spring," said Choo. "The elbow is a little sore on some days, but it's muscular pain. It's not that sharp pain." Choo is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to be available for the Indians in May. |
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| Coco Crisp, CF, Boston Red Sox | Saturday 3/15, 8:12 AM CT |
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| Coco Crisp took part in a full workout Friday, shagging fly balls in the outfield and taking batting practice, according to the Boston Globe. "The last couple of days I've felt better and I felt I could do a lot more today," he said. "I just have to be patient with the sprinting. I haven't gotten to the sprinting part of it yet. I don't want to do that yet and restart [the injury]. But I ran out there pretty fast. I could probably beat you guys [reporters] in a race right now. It's coming along. I'm happy with the progress." He still hopes to head to Japan with the Red Sox, but that's up in the air at this point -- as are any potential trades -- until he proves to be over his strained groin. |
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| Manny Delcarmen slipped while making a defensive play in Friday's game and had to exit the contest, according to the Boston Globe. "I just slipped a little bit on the mound," he said. "I have a little bit of tendinitis on my knees anyway, so any time I slip, it might flare it up a little bit, but I'm good. They probably won't let me throw for a couple of days." Hopefully, this really is just a minor ailment, but we'll update you as new information becomes available. |
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| Alex Cintron, SS, Baltimore Orioles | Saturday 3/15, 7:41 AM CT |
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| Alex Cintron was hit on his right cheek by a foul ball while standing in the on-deck circle Friday, according to the Chicago Tribune. He was taken for X-rays, but the injury was not considered to be serious. |
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| Jerry Owens, CF, Chicago White Sox | Saturday 3/15, 7:34 AM CT |
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| An MRI Jerry Owens's sore right groin revealed no damage, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Now it's a matter of getting over the mental thing," Owens said. "I told [trainer Herm Schneider] that was what I needed to hear, just so I know it might be hurting me or bugging me, [but] there's nothing in there that's going to do anything long-term. It's a matter of getting out there and playing through it." Owens is expected to take part in B game Saturday and a Cactus League game Sunday, as he tries to ramp up for the start of the season and win a starting job. |
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| White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen announced Friday that Mark Buehrle will start their season opener against C.C. Sabathia and the Indians, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Buehrle is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in his past four starts against Sabathia, who had dominated the Sox 6-0 over the past two seasons. |
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| Adam Loewen, P, Baltimore Orioles | Saturday 3/15, 7:15 AM CT |
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| Adam Loewen was able to test his sore shoulder out by playing catch Friday, and he reported no discomfort in the joint, according to the Baltimore Sun. Loewen, who is dealing with tendinitis in his shoulder, is expected to throw a side session Sunday and start Wednesday's game. He missed his last start as a precaution but should be fine going forward. |
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| Scott Moore, 3B, Baltimore Orioles | Saturday 3/15, 7:12 AM CT |
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| Scott Moore is slated to return to exhibition action on Saturday, according to the Baltimore Sun. He hasn't taken part in a contest since March 3 due to a strained abdominal muscle. |
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