Saturday Swingin': Rios, Lowell, Ordonez Stay Hot

Rich Hill - 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Another great outing from this youngster, although he cost himself 2 runs with a throwing error. It's always something with the Cubs these days, whether it's hitting, pitching, or fielding related. They are playing bad baseball, and several of their pitchers are getting hurt in the ERA and W department.

Chuck James - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K. Not the cleanest of outings for James, but he continues to pitch well after a bad start to the season. He's a good pickup for the end of your fantasy rotation.

Alfonso Soriano - Finally hit a HR last night after a 3 week drought. He's been pretty worthless in the power department with only 5 HRs and 13 RBIs so far this year. He tends to be as streaky as they get, so perhaps we'll see a power surge from him. Odds are he's going to severely underplay his draft position this year as he was often taken in the top 4 picks.

Alex Rios - Cranked his 13th HR last night as he continues his torrid pace this season. He's proving that his hot start before his injury last year was no fluke, and he's on pace for 39 HRs and 15 SBs. He's bounced around the lineup a lot this year as the Blue Jays deal with all sorts of injuries, but hopefully he settles in as the 2/3 hitter so his power translates into more RBIs.

Jorge Sosa - 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He's becoming a borderline pickup in mixed leagues now. Since joining the rotation, he's posted quality starts in 5/6 outings, and since he's pitching for the Mets, Wins should not be a problem. I'd be cautious as to the opponent at first, but you can use him against weaker offenses without hesitation.

Mike Mussina - 5 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 1 K. He had an encouraging outing last time out, but he got hit hard by the Red Sox last night. It's hard to read too much into this due to the potent Red Sox lineup, but with his ability to K batters gone and his velocity down, I just don't see him being a mixed league option this year. Don't chase Ws with Yankees pitchers assuming their lineup will do enough to get it done...use spot starters instead.

Curt Schilling - 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. I watched a bit of his outing, and manager Terry Francona stayed with him too long. He was tiring in the 5th, but he got sent back out in the 6th and promptly gave up single, walk, 3 run HR. He had pitched well to that point, but he was fatigued. He should be fine.

Mike Lowell - The waiver wire gem at the 3B position this year. 3/4 with a HR, 4 RBIs, and 2 Rs last night to up his AVG to .337, and the HR was his 11th. He's experienced quite a resurgence this year, although if I remember correctly with his Marlins days, he's prone to 2nd half dropoffs. Don't act it right now, but keep that in mind.

Jim Edmonds - 5 HRs and 9 RBIs in his last 10 games. He's quietly on fire, and worth picking up if you need some OF/UTIL help. More important to fantasy leaguers, however, is hopefully the added protection he'll give to Albert Pujols.

Carlos Lee - Hit his 11th HR last night, and he's now up to a tie for the MLB lead with 52 RBIs. He's having another monster season as is living up to his draft day position as a top OF.

Cole Hamels - 9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He didn't have the K numbers owners expect of him, but that's the only blemish in this great outing. I'm sure his owners would sacrifice some of the Ks to allow him to pitch deeper into ballgames.

Chris Capuano - 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K. Nice stat line last night, although his offense didn't support him. He's continuing to be a quality back-of-the-rotation starter for your fantasy team.

Armando Benitez/Kevin Gregg - Holding to his word, Gonzalez used Benitez in the 8th and Gregg in the 9th. Both responded with scoreless innings, and Gregg got the save. If Benitez continues to impress in the 8th, he'll probably switch roles with Gregg. There's no reason to trade for him unless he was going to close. Gregg owners might want to acquire Benitez before the possible switch as insurance.

Magglio Ordonez - Slammed his 13th HR last night, and went 4/6 with 3 Rs and 2 RBIs. He's tied with Carlos Lee for the most RBIs in the majors now with 52 as his amazing season continues. The .362 AVG is awfully nice for his owners.

Ian Snell - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. His breakthrough season continues in an impressive fashion as Snell won his 5th game last night. His numbers would be good for at least 2 more wins on a better team, but it is what it is and he continues to be one of the better draft day bargains for SPs.

Matt Capps - Pitched a perfect 9th for his first save. I apologize for not addressing this sooner, but I read this on Friday before I headed out and forgot to post it. Capps has taken the closer role from the struggling Salomon Torres. It's probably too late, but pick him up if he's sitting out there.

Justin Germano - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. 4-0 now, and continuing to pitch well. I honestly don't know much of anything about this kid other than he's been lights out since joining the Padres rotation, posting a 1.74 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP. Given his very low K rate (10 Ks in 31 IP), there's no way he's going to keep this up. You can't post numbers like that for very long without missing more bats.

Akinori Iwamura - He was a popular pickup at 3B after his hot start, but he was likely dropped after his DL stint. He's 8/18 since returning, and he's also the new Rays leadoff hitter. I'm not sure what type of numbers he'll post in the HR/SB catagories, so I'm not sure how valuable he is until he proves more of his skillset here in the US.

Jeff Francis - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Pick him up...he's pitching way too well to be left on your waiver wire. 2.23 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 3 Ws in the month of May. He's only posted 47 Ks in 80 1/3 IP, but you can still be a quality pitcher with that kind of ratio.

Joe Blanton - 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. A very nice rebound after 2 bad outings for Blanton. Hopefully this gets him back on track to being a quality end rotation starter for your team.

Mark Teixeira - Played last night despite the concussion, and smacked his 10th HR. He's fine to put back in your lineup if you had him benched last night assuming he wouldn't play, like I did. Thanks Mark, you couldn't have posted a 0 fer, could you?

J.J. Putz - Picked up his 13th save last season. He's very quietly been an elite closer again this year with a 1.48 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, and 23 Ks in 24 1/3 IP. A great payoff for those drafting him for a discount when he had a elbow problem this spring.