Get Boofed, Curt Shelling, And Ollie Perez

Lemme just say that looking through the boxscores and seeing KC and Washington combine for 23 runs in the same night had me weirded out, like it was bizarro world or something. Those teams might not combine for that many runs in a week ever again.

Boof Bonser - Another good start again from the Boof, allowed 2 ER and K'ing 6 in 5 IP. He did allow 8 baserunners, but minimized the damage and continued racked up the K's. He's well worth using in mixed leagues, although his lack of command will result in some ugly outings.

Joe Nathan - Geez, a save opportunity for Nathan, his first in 18 days. He's pitching well for the most part, and the Twins will start generating more save opportunities for him. It might be worth seeing if he can be had for a discount given his lack of saves so far. He took a broken bat off his knee, stuggled a bit after that, but nothing indicates it will be a problem moving forward.

Curt Schilling - Schilling continued to struggle, although if you started him last night you enjoy living your fantasy baseball life dangerously. He went 6 IP, but allowed 12 hits and 5 ERs. He was cruising this year until 3 starts ago in Minnesota when he unraveled in the 7th inning, and he hasn't pitched well since. Something might be bothering him that he's not talking about, and he's sporting an ugly 1.39 WHIP.

Hideki Matsui - He's finally recovered from his injuries and has hit batting average up to .291, plus he's homered twice in the past week. Nice to see some signs of life from him, and the struggles were expected due to all the time he's missed in the past year.

Derek Jeter - He's only hit 3 HRs and stolen 4 bases this year, but he's hitting an amazing .367 this year to make up for hit. Some extra power and speed would be nice, but he's continuing to perform like an elite SS should in some shape or form.

Andy Pettitte - Another solid start from him. Given the lack of Ks (35 in 64 1/3 IP) and below average WHIP (1.35), he's not helping his owners as much as it seems, especially while only winning 3 games due to the lack of run support. I'd shop him and his flukey 2.66 ERA to try to find a more well-rounded pitcher in return.

Brian Roberts - He's quietly returned to form as well, lifting his average to .307 and swiping his 15th SB last night. He's justifying the draft position, but with only 2 HRs and 12 RBIs, there were much better draft day values at the 2B position. Still, he's definitely helping owners as much as he can, and you can't argue with the SB production.

Nick Markakis - Boy am I glad I traded him (with John Maine), even if all I got in return was a struggling Carlos Zambrano. He was a popular sleeper on draft day, and I bought into it, but his production has been below his draft value when many expected him to exceed it. A .264 average with 5 HRs and 3 SBs? Odds are you've picked up at least one waiver wire hitter that's producing better than that. You shouldn't cut him, but I'd keep him on the bench unless you don't have better options. Odds are he'll come around eventually, but the power he flashed in the 2nd half of last year seems to be a bit flukey.

Magglio Ordonez - Holy renassaince. 2 more HRs last night giving him a line of .345 with 12 HRs and 42 RBIs. He's definitely returned to his pre-knee injury hitting form, and there's no reason to sell high given he has a history of great hitting seasons in the past. He won't hit .340 this season, but the power is legit and he'll have plenty of runners to drive home all year long.

Freddy Garcia - His K rate is back up in the NL, but his ratios are a bit ugly so far. He's still worth a spot start against weaker offense, preferrably on the road. He turned in a quality outing last night with 6 IP, 9 baserunners, 3 ER, and 4 Ks against a quality Florida offense. He would have won too if Myers hadn't gotten hurt and blew the lead all at once.

Ryan Church - 3/5 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs. Not a mixed league option, especially in Washington, but props for a big night. He'd likely be roster-able if he played somewhere better as he's a talented OF.

Jose Guillen - 4/5 with a 2 Rs and RBIs. He's hot, so pick him up if you need OF depth or have a hole in your lineup. He's always been a legit hitter when healthy, but Safeco Field will limit his power a bit.

B.J. Upton - Another HR and SB for him last night. His AVG is dropping back down to normal levels (I doubt he'll hit .300 this year), but given he's posted 8 HRs and 9 SBs, he's been an outstanding draft day value.

Oliver Perez - I watched him pitch last night, and he was honestly not very good for the most part, throwing a wild pitch, hitting 2 batters, and struggling to command his breaking pitches for innings at a time. However, he was effectively wild and posted a great statline of 7 IP, 6 baserunners, 0 Rs, and 5 Ks. It's a great sign to see him post such a solid night even when he wasn't at his best. He's been one of the best waiver wire finds of the year so far, and he definitely has the talent and supporting offense to keep this up.

Jose Reyes - 26 SBs already. Ridiculous.

Kip Wells - He tantalized many owners by posting 3 quality starts at the beginning of the year, but he's been beyond brutal since then, until last night. He posted 7 IP, 6 baserunners,1 ER, and 4 Ks. It was only the Pirates, so he'll need 2-3 more outings like this in a row before you should think about picking him up again. In other words, don't bother.

Mike Sweeney - 2 nights in a row with a HR. You could pick him up and hope he stays hot for a while if you're desparate at the UTIL spot, but in that lineup with his injury history it won't last for long. He was a great hitter in his prime, but never played for good teams and was injured quite a bit.

Cliff Lee - Brutal last night, giving up 8 ER in 4 1/3 IP. You might be tempted to take a chance on him if you remember his 2005 compaign, but odds are he'll never recapture that form. Avoid.

Alex Gordon - The most hyped bust of the year so far, but start paying attention to him. He has a little 6 game hitting streak including 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, and 2 SBs. He's likely on the WW in all but deep keeper leaguees, but he's a legit talent and might be starting to figure things out at the plate.

Chad Gaudin - Very underappreciated season so far, posting a 2.58 ERA and only allowing more than 2 ERs twice so far this year. At this point he's worth rostering in all mixed leagues to see what he'll do the rest of the year. He very well could surprise and be solid throughout.

Jeff Francis - 7 IP, 7 baserunners, 0 ER, and 4 K last night. That's 4 straight very good starts from him, so it's probably time to pick him up in mixed leagues. I'd start him based on quality matchups only, though, unless he gets on a serious roll. Being a Colorado pitcher is not a good thing, but after a rough stretch of 4 starts he's pitching very well. He was well thought of in the minors, so he has talent.

Sean Marshall - Great start last night in his first start of 2007, but he's not worth picking up a mixed leagues. First of all, it was in San Diego. Second of all, he was horrible last year. Lastly, he has no job security. Avoid.

Barry Zito - There's the Zito I was talking about in my last post about him. He never struggles for too long, and an outing against the weak Houston offense was just what he needed. He pitched 7 innings last night, giving up 6 baserunners and K'ing 2 batters. Definitely a step in the right direction, and he's still worth trying to acquire at a discount.