| Players of the Week: April 28 - May 4 |
| American League |
| Jack Cust |
 | Team: Oakland Athletics |
| Pos: DH |
| Stats: Hit .500 (10-20) with three home runs, a double and four RBI. |
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| National League |
| Matt Kemp |
 | Team: Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Pos: RF |
| Stats: Led the NL with 11 RBI and six stolen bases and tied for the league-lead with 11 hits. |
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Alphabetical Listing
Position Listing
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Fantasy Updates
 Gagne removed from closer's role
Eric Gagne, RP MIL
News: The Brewers yanked Eric Gagne from the closer's role on Sunday after the reliever called his latest performance embarrassing and said he didn't feel he deserved to pitch the ninth anymore. Manager Ned Yost said he read Gagne's comments and will use a closer by committee approach while Gagne takes what Yost called a "mental break." "He's really pushing himself really, really hard and taking it really, really hard," Yost said. "We'll probably just mix and match, I'm not going to do anything crazy." Yost said he hopes Gagne works his way back into the closer's role. Possible options to close games include Guillermo Mota, David Riske and Salomon Torres.
Analysis: Gagne, who signed a $10 million, one-year contract with the Brewers in the offseason, said after Milwaukee's 5-3 loss on Saturday that he wanted to keep pushing through, but he didn't deserve to close. "It's mental, I think it's negative thinking that creeps back in your mind," Gagne said Saturday. Yost said the coaching staff thinks they know why Gagne has struggled recently, but declined to reveal what they've found in Gagne's approach. "His stuff is not a problem. He's throwing the ball really, really well," Yost said. "He just, right now, has been beat down a little bit and needs to take a step back and regain his confidence and make an adjustment or two." Consider Gagne a less than attractive Fantasy middle reliever until he is back in a ninth inning role, if that day ever comes.
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 Ellis has three hits, leaves hurt
Mark Ellis, 2B OAK
News: Athletics 2B Mark Ellis, who showed signs of breaking out of a slump earlier this week, conclusively did so Sunday at Texas. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored. He also stole his fifth base but had to leave in the ninth for a pinch runner after sustaining a minor hamstring strain. He's listed as day-to-day. He is batting .429 (6-for-14) over his last four games.
Analysis: Ellis won't come close to hitting .300 this season, but he has decent pop for a middle infielder and has added steals to his repertoire. In traditional Rotisserie setups that require middle infielders, he definitely deserves to start when healthy. Of course, hamstring injuries have a way of ending up worse than they initially appear, so he looks like a somewhat risky start for Fantasy Week 7 (May 12-18).
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Ramirez deals with sore leg
Manny Ramirez, LF BOS
News: Manny Ramirez's pursuit of his 500th home run will have to wait for at least another day. Ramirez, who has 497 career homers, was given Sunday night off against the Minnesota Twins because of a sore right hamstring. Manager Terry Francona said he saw Ramirez come up a little gimpy while running out a grounder in Saturday night's 5-2 victory over the Twins. Ramirez called Francona on Sunday morning and told him the leg was a little sore. "When he reached for first last night, I thought I saw him (grab) behind his right hamstring, kind of lower," Francona said. "It looked a little awkward. He called me this morning and said, 'You know what, it's kind of sore."' Jacoby Ellsbury took Ramirez's spot in left field, but Ramirez did ground out in a pinch-hit appearance.
Analysis: Francona praised Ramirez for alerting him early enough in the day to give the manager ample time to let Ellsbury know to be ready, but didn't seem too concerned with Ramirez's injury. "He'll be OK," Francona said. "He's a little sore." Ramirez went 0-for-5 on Saturday night and has just one homer in his last 18 games. Ramirez has just one hit in last 14 plate appearances and is going through a mini-slump at this time. Manny might miss a few games with the leg injury and is somewhat of an injury-risk start for Fantasy Week 7 (May 12-18). When healthy, Ramirez is one of the best Fantasy OFs on the market.
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Millwood makes it to DL
Kevin Millwood, SP TEX
News: The Rangers placed right-handed pitcher Kevin Millwood on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin on Sunday before Texas' game against the Oakland Athletics. The Rangers called up right-hander Doug Mathis from Triple-A Oklahoma to take Millwood's roster spot. Mathis is 5-0 with a 3.55 ERA in seven starts for Oklahoma, but will pitch in relief for Texas. The Rangers won't need another fifth starter until May 20 at Minnesota. A.J. Murray and Luis Mendoza are the likely candidates to join the rotation.
Analysis: Millwood left Saturday night's game against Oakland in the first inning after throwing 12 pitches to three batters, recording two outs. Millwood was injured on his 11th pitch. After he threw one more, he put his hands on his knees in obvious discomfort before being removed from the game. Millwood, the Rangers' No. 1 starter, is 2-3 with a 4.88 ERA in nine starts this season. Last season he had two stints on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Millwood has been very injury-prone the last few seasons and it has weighed on his performance. Millwood opened this season with a 2.53 ERA in his first five starts, but it has jumped more than two points in his last four. He is nothing more than a low-end Fantasy SP when healthy.
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Weak-hitting Everett hits one out
Adam Everett, SS MIN
News: Twins light-hitting SS Adam Everett connecting for his first home run Sunday against the Red Sox, hitting a two-run shot in the second inning that just barely got over Jacoby Ellsbury's glove and fell into the left-field seats. He finished 1-for-4.
Analysis: Everett is batting .308 (4-for-13) over his last four games and .200 on the season. Believe it or not, the latter is closer to what you can expect from him. Even though he plays nearly every day, he's viable only in deeper AL-only leagues.
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 Monroe doubles season homer count
Craig Monroe, OF MIN
News: Twins OF Craig Monroe put together the third multihomer game of his career Sunday, connecting twice against the Red Sox to double his season count. He hit a three-run home run off Tim Wakefield in the second inning and a solo shot off Mike Timlin in the seventh. He finished 2-for-4.
Analysis: Monroe has three home runs in his last six games, batting .350 over that stretch (7-for-20). He has turned his season around after a slow April and is once again worth starting in AL-only leagues for his modest power potential.
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Morneau perfect 3-for-3, scores two
Justin Morneau, 1B MIN
News: Twins 1B Justin Morneau went 3-for-3 on Sunday against the Red Sox, raising his season batting average to .286. He entered the game batting .273 in May.
Analysis: Morneau has hits in only three of his last six games, but he has at least two in each. With six home runs on the season, he seems to have overcome whatever caused him to bat .243 with seven home runs in the second half last year, but he might never replicate his MVP numbers of 2006. He remains a must-start in Fantasy.
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Drew swinging well, doubles Sunday
J.D. Drew, RF BOS
News: Red Sox OF J.D. Drew went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored Sunday at Minnesota. He is batting .333 (8-for-24) during his six-game hitting streak.
Analysis: Drew was a bust after signing a big contract last year, batting .270 with 11 home runs. He has only three home runs so far this year, but at least he has a decent batting average of .284. Aside from his 2004 season in Atlanta, he has gone his whole career without making good on his potential. Think of him as no more than a No. 4 Fantasy OF.
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Crisp hot, homers in two straight
Coco Crisp, CF BOS
News: Red Sox OF Coco Crisp hit a two-run homer -- his second in as many days -- off Matt Guerrier in the seventh inning Sunday at Minnesota. He also tripled and stole a base, finishing 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI.
Analysis: Crisp is splitting center field duties with Jacoby Ellsbury this season, and if he keeps hitting like this, that situation won't change. The Red Sox could still decide to move Crisp by the July trade deadline, which could have a positive impact on his Fantasy value if he were to go to a team that had everyday at-bats waiting for him. As it stands, Crisp remains useful in AL-only play and in deeper mixed Rotisserie formats for his efforts on the bases.
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Nathan overcomes two runs for save
Joe Nathan, RP MIN
News: Twins closer Joe Nathan gave up two runs in the ninth inning Sunday against the Red Sox, but he won a showdown with pinch-hitter Manny Ramirez by getting him to ground out to shortstop with the tying run on second base to pick up his 12th save in as many chances.
Analysis: Nathan tripled his season run count with the two Sunday, but his ERA is still only 1.93. He has at least 36 saves in four straight seasons and looks like he'll easily make it five this season. Start him in all leagues.
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Blackburn so-so, but picks up win
Nick Blackburn, SP MIN
News: The Red Sox chipped away at Nick Blackburn, who ended up winning Sunday in Minnesota, scoring four runs on nine hits in six innings. Blackburn also walked a batter and struck out five. He hasn't allowed fewer than three earned runs in his last four starts.
Analysis: Blackburn has a 5.40 ERA over that stretch and a 3.93 mark on the season. The rookie isn't overpowering, but he generally pitches deep into games and doesn't get blown out. He can fill out a mixed-league Fantasy staff, but he's better suited for AL-only leagues. His next start is scheduled for Friday at Colorado.
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Wakefield awful following shutout
Tim Wakefield, SP BOS
News: Red Sox SP Tim Wakefield, coming off a combined shutout against the Tigers, turned in an atypically brutal start at Minnesota on Sunday. Wakefield's knuckleball always seems to bite a little bit harder in the Metrodome, with the 41-year-old entering 7-3 with a 3.95 ERA in his career under the puffy white roof. But he gave up seven runs -- six earned -- on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings Sunday, the earliest he's been knocked out of a start since June 20, 1997, at Detroit, when he lasted just 2 1/3 innings. He suffered the loss, striking out two and walking two.
Analysis: Wakefield twice lasted only two innings since that 1997 start, but one was a tuneup before the playoffs started on Sept. 28, 2003. The other was at Milwaukee on June 6, 2003, when he was hit by a pitch on the ankle in the third inning and taken out of the game. The contrast between Sunday's start and his last one kind of demonstrates the nature of the knuckleball. When it's on, Wakefield can be brilliant. When it's off, he gets tattooed. No sense playing matchups with him. He remains a worthy back-of-the-rotation Fantasy SP, and his next start is scheduled for Saturday against the Brewers.
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Bard sits Sunday after treatment
Josh Bard, C SD
News: Padres backup C Luke Carlin started Sunday's day game after catching Saturday night's game because Josh Bard got an injection in his surgically repaired right wrist. Manager Bud Black said Bard is expected back Monday night in Chicago.
Analysis: Bard is hitting only .204 through 108 at-bats and not taking well to everyday duty. The wrist might be to blame. He's probably not worth starting right now outside of NL-only leagues.
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Chavez to begin rehabbing Thursday
Eric Chavez, 3B OAK
News: Athletics 3B Eric Chavez will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday. Chavez is on the 60-day DL after offseason back surgery. He took about 25 groundballs and early batting practice. "He had a really nice day ... moved very well," manager Bob Geren said. "It was by far his best day."
Analysis: Chavez likely won't be ready until June, but he's obviously worth stashing in AL-only leagues until that time. He used to be a regular 30-homer guy until injuries caught up with him. If he can return to his old form, he might become mixed-league viable before the end of the season.
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Correia expects to throw in a week
Kevin Correia, RP SF
News: Giants SP Kevin Correia, nursing a strained muscle in his left side, hopes to be throwing off a mound again in about a week.
Analysis: Correia went down in late April, and the team said he might miss a month at that time. So far, that sounds about right. When healthy, Correia has proven himself a fairly consistent pitcher, though his lack of upside makes him better suited for NL-only leagues.
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Durham shows up as a pinch hitter
Ray Durham, 2B SF
News: Giants 2B Ray Durham, who had missed six straight games because of a tight right hamstring, made a pinch-hit appearance Sunday against the Phillies. He struck out.
Analysis: Durham appearing as a pinch hitter shows the Giants have nixed the idea of putting him on the DL. It also shows he might return to the starting lineup soon. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer much offensive potential at age 36. He can still steal the occasional base and pop the occasional homer, but leave him for NL-only leagues.
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