Really, Cubs? One of your players stepped into the batter's box with this on his head? At least they won the game.

***

Francisco Liriano's latest gem raised our streaming starter record to 50-33, and gave him a 2.67 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings since returning to the Twins' rotation five starts ago. Not bad, even if I still think it's part of a dastardly plan to make me pick him up in a bunch of leagues and then see him start to stink it up again.

Today's pick is Dillon Gee (seven consecutive quality starts, owned in 14.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Cubs, while Wednesday's selection is Kevin Millwood (2.3 percent owned) in the friendly confines of Safeco Field versus the A's.

On to the news:

• After two months of obliterating Triple-A pitching (.349 BA, 23 HR, 1.120 OPS in 68 games), 1B Anthony Rizzo will make his Cubs' debut tonight, and bat third or fourth. The 22-year-old Rizzo is an excellent prospect, but if we want to nitpick, his walk rate (22 BB in 278 PA) hasn't been great this season, and his .365 BABIP is likely to settle down. I've only seen highlights of Rizzo, and I know how well-regarded he is, but he's a rookie, and will probably struggle at times, so don't kick a good player off your standard mixed-league roster to make room for him. I just went through the list of fantasy first basemen (leaving out multi-positional catchers Joe Mauer, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana), and counted 19 guys I'd pick over Rizzo for the rest of 2012. Maybe he'll take the big leagues by storm like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, but some inconsistency is likely. Contact me on Facebook or Twitter if you have any specific "Rizzo or _______?" questions.
• Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says that Glen Perkins and Jared Burton will share closer duties while Matt Capps is on the DL. Even though Burton saved games on Sunday and Monday, Perkins is still this blog's preferred pickup.
• Nice game, Mat Latos. Let's see a few more of those.
• The Red Sox are targeting a Friday return from the DL for SP Josh Beckett (shoulder). 
• Tigers catcher Alex Avila will probably play through pain in his sore knee, which means that he could avoid the DL but get scratched occasionally, like last night. In other Tiger news, Drew Smyly comes off the DL to start tonight's game.
• Shaun Marcum's sore elbow isn't getting better, so his planned weekend return is off the table.
• The Cubs aren't sure when SP Ryan Dempster will return from the DL, but his rehab seems to be going well.
• Pencil in Rays SP Jeremy Hellickson to be activated in time for a Saturday start against the Tigers.
• Astros 2B Jose Altuve is still day-to-day with a hamstring issue, while Bud Norris could come off the DL to start as soon as Thursday. We should know more about Norris tomorrow, and you should plan to bench Altuve today unless you hear good news.
• I'll be in the FOXSports.com fantasy chat room today at 2 p.m. ET. Make sure to stop by!
• Trevor Bauer has not yet been confirmed as Thursday's starter for the Diamondbacks, but that still appears to be the plan.
• Don't get too excited yet, but one Reds' beat writer thinks the team could promote SS Billy Hamilton in September. If you haven't heard about Hamilton yet, he has a .423 on-base percentage and 87 stolen bases in 69 games this season at the Reds' Class A affiliate in Bakersfield, and is probably one of baseball's 25 best prospects. In a couple of years, he's going to be a fantasy game changer.
• Fantasy tease Luke Hochevar threw a shutout for the Royals last night, and has a 1.13 ERA over his last three starts. I can see taking a chance on Hochevar in a deeper mixed league, and if my AL keeper league is any indication, he might also be available in AL-only formats.
• The Dodgers aren't expecting OF Matt Kemp to come off the DL until after the All-Star break. That's two weeks away, so it's not as bad as it sounds.
• Signs still point to Wednesday being Chase Utley Day in Philly.
• NL-only owners should keep infielder Drew Sutton on their radar, as he just got picked up by the Pirates. Sutton can hit a little bit, and incumbent SS Clint Barmes (.528 OPS) can't.
• 1B Aubrey Huff projects as a part-time player when he comes off the DL for the Giants.
• Padres 1B Yonder Alonso will probably return to action tonight after missing a couple games with a sore knee.
• Chris Carpenter's rehab isn't going very well. Fantasy owners shouldn't be waiting for him, anyway.
• According to minor-league guru Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, the agent for Rangers SP prospect Martin Perez tweeted last night that Perez is headed to the majors. Stay tuned, as the Rangers haven't yet announced anything.
• Blue Jays SP Henderson Alvarez left Tuesday's game with a sore elbow, and his prognosis is TBD. As friend of the blog Tim McLeod noted last night, "the winner of Survivor-Blue Jays Edition would be Ricky Romero."
• Keep an eye on information about Bryce Harper's back issues. There's nothing to worry about ... yet.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.

Sunday was a busy news day in baseball, headlined by Kevin Youkilis' trade to the White Sox in exchange for utilityman Brent Lillibridge and SP Zach Stewart. Youkilis has been affected by injuries over the past three seasons, but his numbers last year were still OK (.833 OPS, 17 HR in 120 games). He's been in and out of the Red Sox lineup this year, which could be a reason for his inconsistency at the plate.

I know we can't quantify the "chip on his shoulder" effect, but if I was scuffling along with a mediocre third baseman in a standard mixed league, I'd take a shot at Youkilis if he's available (he's owned in 65.3 percent of FOXSports.com leagues). He's injury-prone, but not far removed from being a very good hitter. His new home ballpark won't hurt, either.

Lillibridge's status doesn't really change from solid, speedy AL-only OF/1B, and the mediocre Stewart will start at Triple A. The biggest effect of this deal will be on Will Middlebrooks (33.5 percent owned), who is now the everyday third baseman in Boston, and should be owned in all formats even if he's not going to keep hitting .326 all season long (he's had some help from the BABIP fairy). Finally, you won't be seeing much more of Orlando Hudson or Brent Morel (currently on the DL) in Chicago this season.

***

Clayton Richard had a decent start for us on Friday, Wei-Yin Chen was acceptable on Saturday, and Edinson Volquez shut out the Mariners over 6 2/3 innings on Sunday. With the streaming starter record up to 49-33 for the season, today's pick is the resurgent Francisco Liriano (22.8 percent owned) against the White Sox, while Tuesday's selection is underrated Met Dillon Gee (10.5 percent owned) versus the awful Cubs.

On to the rest of the news:

• Since you've been asking - and asking, and asking, and asking - Diamondbacks SP Trevor Bauer appears ready to make his big-league debut on Thursday, with Joe Saunders on the DL due to shoulder inflammation. The 21-year-old Bauer has big-time talent, but his shaky walk rate (20 BB in 42 IP at Triple A) is cause for concern in the short term. Taking a chance on Bauer in a standard mixed league isn't a bad idea, but don't cut anyone good to get him, and don't expect dominance right away.
• Red Sox SP Clay Buchholz is on the DL with a gastrointestinal issue. He should be back in a couple of weeks.
• With Matt Capps apparently headed for the DL with a shoulder issue, Glen Perkins (1 percent owned) is the Twins' likely interim closer, even if Jared Burton got Sunday's save. Perkins and many other interesting players are mentioned in this week's edition of Free Agent Frenzy.
• Chase Utley might make his 2012 debut for the Phillies as soon as Wednesday. Utley is already owned in 72.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and his effectiveness upon returning is not guaranteed.
• Flamethrowing Bobby Parnell will be the Mets' closer while Frank Francisco (oblique) is on the DL. Come on, Parnell - take the job. Francisco is excruciating to watch.
• Tigers closer Jose Valverde (wrist) should be ready to pitch again tonight or tomorrow.
• The Blue Jays have recalled 1B Adam Lind from Triple A, but he'll probably sit against lefties. Lind was mashing (eight HR, 1.120 OPS in 31 games) at Las Vegas, but doesn't everyone do that?
• Look for Anthony Rizzo to become a permanent fixture in the Cubs' lineup tonight or tomorrow. There's a lot to like about Rizzo, but someone asked me in a chat last week if Rizzo is a "must-add," and I said no. He's 22, for crying out loud. Unless you're Bryce Harper or Mike Trout, there are often bumps in the road.
• Brandon McCarthy's troublesome right shoulder has landed him back on the DL.
• Ryan Zimmerman had a cortisone shot in his shoulder over the weekend, and plans to keep getting them all season in an effort to stay in the lineup and off the DL. This seems like a lost season for Zimmerman, doesn't it?
• Rangers SP Matt Harrison left his Sunday start due to back tightness, but isn't expected to miss any time. Teammate Derek Holland probably won't come off the DL before the All-Star break.
• Astros 2B/short guy hero Jose Altuve is day-to-day with a hamstring injury. It doesn't sound serious.
• Look for DH Luke Scott to come off the DL for the Rays later this week.
• The Padres have sent SP Anthony Bass (shoulder) to the DL, and will be without 1B Yonder Alonso (knee) for at least tonight's series opener against the Astros.
• Jeff Karstens returns to the Pirates' rotation tonight after a two-month DL stint. Karstens isn't that great, but he's somehow available in your NL-only league, snatch him up.
• Gee, Michael Fiers is pitching well for the Brewers. 
• The Reds expect to activate OF Drew Stubbs from the DL today.
• Mike Minor might be running out of chances to stay in the Braves' rotation. That'll happen when you have a 6.14 ERA.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.

Rays RP Joel Peralta has been suspended for eight games after getting snitched on by the Nationals being ejected for using pine tar on his glove earlier this week. Joe Maddon is really going to unleash his tweeter on Davey Johnson now.

***

Despite technically reaching two of our four Fantasy Quality Start criteria (win, 4.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 4 Ks), we're not going to give Daisuke Matsuzaka credit for last night's uninspiring start. The streaming starter record stands at 46-33 for the season.

Our weekend picks are Clayton Richard (owned in 4.5 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) versus the Mariners in PETCO tonight,  Baltimore's Wei-Yin Chen (24.8 percent owned) against the Nationals on Saturday, and Edinson Volquez (5.9 percent owned) in a matchup with the Mariners on Sunday. I thought about an all-Padre weekend, but couldn't bring myself to pick fellow Staten Island native Jason Marquis on Saturday. I'm a traitor to my own people!

On to the news:

• Roy Oswalt (owned in 21.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) makes his 2012 debut tonight for the Rangers against the Rockies. If you're hunting for a starter, picking up Oswalt is OK in any format, but in standard mixed leagues he's a last-man-in, first-man-out type for me. Oswalt had a 3.69 ERA with a 1.34 WHIP and barely more than six strikeouts per nine innings last season. Now, he's in a tougher league and pitching home games in a park more favorable to hitters. Don't expect miracles. 
• Here's an update on the high-profile Red Sox injuries (Andrew Bailey, Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury). Crawford might appear in a rehab game this weekend.
• Catcher Salvy Perez wasn't in the lineup at Triple-A Omaha last night. There's been some speculation that it's because he's on his way to Kansas City to join the Royals, but nothing official has been announced. Stay tuned.
• The A's have promoted Derek Norris to share time with Kurt Suzuki at catcher. Suzuki's bat gets worse every year, and if you still own him in a standard mixed league, this is your cue to drop him. Norris was batting .273 with eight homers and five steals at Triple A before his callup. The rookie doesn't project to hit for a high average, but with decent power and a little speed, he's an interesting pickup in most formats.
• In other A's news, manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that Yoenis Cespedes will DH for awhile until his hamstring is healthy. This doesn't mean too much for fantasy players, except that the A's are trying to keep Cespedes in the lineup as often as possible.
• Joe Mauer's quad might keep him out of a couple more games this weekend.
• Diamondbacks SS Stephen Drew could be activated from the DL as soon as Wednesday.
• Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel is "like that dude in the video game that you create and give the highest possible rating," according to teammate Jonny Venters. In other Braves' news, Jair Jurrjens returns to the rotation tonight.
• The Cubs haven't announced when 1B Anthony Rizzo will be promoted, but it could happen as soon as this weekend.
• Reds OF Drew Stubbs (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment tonight. His stay in the minors could be very short.
• Former big leaguer Jeff Kent is rumored to be on the next season of Survivor, along with Blair from The Facts of Life. You needed to know that, right?
• What in the world has gotten into James McDonald this season? I know he only beat the Twins yesterday, but a 2.19 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP? That's great, and I hate to be a wet blanket, but he can't keep up this pace.
• Rays OF Matt Joyce is day-to-day, with a possible DL stint on the horizon, due to back tightness. The Rays also expect to get infielder Jeff Keppinger back tonight after he missed a month with a broken toe.
• Southpaw Drew Smyly might be ready to return to the Tigers' rotation on Tuesday.
• No news yet from the Padres on the shoulder inflammation that caused SP Anthony Bass to leave Wednesday's game.
• Nats' manager Davey Johnson really seems to like slugging 1B/OF Tyler Moore. Take note, deep mixed leaguers.

See you back here Monday morning.

Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.

The Davey Johnson-Joe Maddon feud is certainly entertaining, isn't it? I loved the part where Johnson called Maddon a "weird wuss" with a "tweeter."

***

Erik Bedard's fine outing raised our streaming starter record to 46-32 for the season. Tonight's selection is Daisuke Matsuzaka (owned in 5.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Marlins, while Friday's pick is San Diego's Clayton Richard (2.3 percent owned) at home against the Mariners.

On to the news:

• The Denver Post reports that Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki will miss eight weeks after undergoing groin surgery today. If you own Tulowitzki, keep him on the DL or bench, but don't bend over backwards to do so if you're tight on roster space. Marco Scutaro will continue to start at shortstop in Tulowitzki's absence.
• Roy Oswalt will make his 2012 debut on Friday for the Rangers. Oswalt is probably an SP5 in standard mixed leagues, but no more than that. Check his 2011 stats, and remember that he's switching leagues. I'm pessimistic about Oswalt's fantasy value.
• The Detroit Free Press reports that Tigers' closer Jose Valverde will rest for 3-4 days due to a sprained wrist, and isn't expected to go on the DL. Joaquin Benoit and Phil Coke are in line for saves during Valverde's absence, but choosing between them on a daily basis would be guesswork.
• After Wednesday's two-homer game against the Yankees, Braves OF Jason Heyward is batting .262 with an .820 OPS, and is on pace for 23 home runs, 80 RBI, 80 runs and 23 stolen bases. His fantasy owners complain too much.
• Blue Jays 3B Brett Lawrie left Wednesday's game with a sore right knee. The Jays are off today, and Lawrie should play tomorrow.
• Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia sat last night with his thumb injury, but the Boston Herald reports that he expects to play tonight.
• The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Twins C Joe Mauer is still day-to-day with a bruised quad. Don't start Mauer today unless you know he's playing. 
• There are six games on today's schedule, including Cardinals-Tigers at 1:05 p.m. ET. Set your lineups accordingly.
• Rays rookie SP Chris Archer was pretty good in his big-league debut on Wednesday, allowing one earned run and striking out seven in six innings. Just remember that Archer walked 45 batters in 76 2/3 innings at Triple A before his promotion, and has a minor-league track record littered with similarly bad control. Archer might figure things out and become a good pitcher, but it probably won't happen this season.
• Royals SP Felipe Paulino had no issues (other than allowing a couple of homers) in a Double-A rehab start on Wednesday. Look for him to rejoin the KC rotation on Monday.
• Rangers 1B Mitch Moreland (hamstring) is headed to the DL, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The combo of Michael Young, Brandon Snyder and Mike Napoli will hold down the fort in Moreland's absence.
• The Washington Post reports that Ross Detwiler is back in the Nationals' rotation, replacing Chien-Ming Wang. Detwiler wasn't bad as a starter earlier this season. I own him in a 15-team mixed dynasty league, and will start him when the matchups are friendly.

Sorry for the link-free blog entry today. I've been having technical difficulties all week, and since this is my second time writing today's post (my borrowed laptop crashed after 700 words near the end of the first try), I wanted to keep things simple and publish as fast as possible. Thanks for your understanding through this trying, emotional time. By trying and emotional, I mean that I was very emotional when I tried to throw the laptop out the window this morning.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Brewers closer John Axford had an interesting Tuesday. His wife gave birth to a son, Jameson, during the day, and he blew a save against the Blue Jays last night. Um, congratulations?

***

We got no help from Scott Diamond last night, so the streaming starter record is down to 45-32 for the season. Today's pick is Erik Bedard (owned in 5.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Twins, while Thursday's selection is Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.1 percent owned) against the Marlins. I'm not a Dice-K fan, but the pickings are slim, and I don't hate this matchup.

On to the news:

• Rays SP Jeremy Hellickson is on the DL with shoulder fatigue, and expects to miss only a couple of starts. Chris Archer will make his major-league debut in place of Hellickson tonight, and if you like both walks and strikeouts, Archer is your man. Avoid Archer unless you're in a keeper league.
• Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia re-aggravated his thumb injury last night, and while manager Bobby Valentine didn't sound too concerned after the game, details are unclear at this point. As a Pedroia owner, I don't think I like him trying to play through this injury anymore.
• Carlos Gonzalez's strained knee kept him out of Tuesday's lineup, and his status for tonight is uncertain. In other Rox' news, there's still no word on Troy Tulowitzki's possible sports hernia. 
• Chase Utley's recovery is progressing well, and the Phillies' website reports that he could be back before July 2, which is when the team would be required to bring him back from his rehab assignment. Just remember that we don't know how effective Utley will be when he gets back. Last season, Utley batted .259 with 11 homers, 44 RBI, 54 runs and 14 stolen bases in 103 games. A pace like that sounds fine until you consider that it might be hard for a guy with a chronically bad knee to keep stealing bases.
• Speaking of the Phillies, 2B Freddy Galvis failed a PED test and will serve his suspension ... while on the disabled list? Give 'em hell, Jon Paul Morosi!
• There are four afternoon games today, with Braves-Yankees getting things started at 1:05 p.m. ET. Set your lineups accordingly.
• This Boston Globe notebook reports that Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and Andrew Bailey are all getting close to rehab assignments for the Red Sox. In other Sox news, OF Cody Ross homered in his return to the lineup last night.
• Here's a non-update on Evan Longoria's hamstring. We should know more in a day or two.
• After last night's outburst, A's OF Coco Crisp is 10-for-21 with five stolen bases in his last six games. Crisp might finally be getting untracked, and he's owned in just 33.7 percent of FOXSports.com leagues.
• (more coming ...)

Remember in the spring, when you circled tonight's Lance Lynn-Justin Verlander matchup on your calendar? It's too bad that the sensational Lynn, who's having a shocking breakout season (10-2, 2.42 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 86 K) projects to take a back seat in the National League All-Star starter discussion to the even more amazing R.A. Dickey (11-1, 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 103 K), who last night became the first major leaguer in 24 years to throw consecutive one-hitters.

***

Jerome Williams flopped for us last night, but we can't be too angry with him since he passed out and was taken to the hospital after the game. Get well soon, Mr. Williams. Our streaming starter record is down to 45-31 for the season.

Today's pick is Minnesota's Scott Diamond (owned in 21.7 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Pirates, while Wednesday's selection is Erik Bedard (3.8 percent owned) against Diamond's Twins.

On to the news:

• Rays 3B Evan Longoria left last night's Triple-A rehab game after feeling discomfort in his partially torn left hamstring. Longoria didn't seem too concerned, but he'll continue his rehab with the team's trainers, and there's no timetable for his return (though I don't think there was before last night's incident). If you own Longoria and expected him to be back this week, you'll probably need to wait a little while longer.
• Reminder: Jered Weaver is scheduled to come off the DL to start Wednesday for the Angels.
• Expect the Rockies to have an update on Troy Tulowitzki's sports hernia examination sometime today.
• The Cubs have placed SP Ryan Dempster on the DL with a strained lat muscle, and the timetable for his return is murky. So much for Dempster being the first big name traded this season.
• Blue Jays SP Kyle Drabek will have Tommy John surgery and be out until sometime next season.
• Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said Monday that SS Stephen Drew probably won't be an everyday player when he comes off the DL. I don't like the sound of that.
• Braves 1B Freddie Freeman (finger) hopes to return to the lineup tonight. I can't say I'm excited about a hitter who might have trouble gripping the bat all season.
• In other Braves' news, SP Brandon Beachy might be headed for Tommy John surgery. Expect a firm diagnosis for Beachy later this week, but if you need a replacement now and don't have bench or DL space, you can probably waive him.
• Orioles OF Nick Markakis (hand) hopes to start swinging a bat on Friday and return to the lineup next week, but in my expert medical opinion, that timetable seems very optimistic. Seriously, we should have more news over the weekend.
• It sounds like we're less than a week away from Anthony Rizzo joining the Cubs' lineup for the next 10 years.
• Reds OF/fantasy enigma Drew Stubbs hopes to come off the DL on Friday.
• Jordan Schafer and Justin Maxwell are in an unofficial centerfield platoon for the Astros.
• 2B Chris Getz (leg) is back on the DL for the Royals. Yuniesky Betancourt played second base last night, and so far there's no sign of my man Johnny Giavotella.
• Shaun Marcum will miss his Tuesday start for the Brewers due to a sore elbow.
• Catcher Joe Mauer (quad) and closer Matt Capps (shoulder) are day-to-day for the Twins; both might be ready to play tonight. If you own Mauer, are you happy with his season so far? His numbers (.314, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 32 R, 3 SB) are OK with me.
• Mets 1B Ike Davis is still surging.
• The Rangers decided to give OF Josh Hamilton one more night off on Monday, but used him as a defensive replacement. He's expected to be in the lineup tonight. For real this time.
• White Sox SP John Danks has a tear in his pitching shoulder, and will be out indefinitely.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Click here for more FOXSports.com Fantasy Baseball coverage.

Did any more Blue Jays' pitchers hurt their elbows while I was sleeping? No? Good. Here's an update on their rotation, which has "TBD" listed for Tuesday and Wednesday. If you can throw 75 mph and e-mail the Jays' front office by noon ET today, you might be considered for one of the games.

***

Dillon Gee wasn't bad on Friday, A.J. Burnett was good enough on Saturday, and Bartolo Colon pitched only two innings Sunday before leaving with an oblique strain. Colon will probably be out for awhile, and our streaming starter record is 45-30 for the season.

Today's pick is Anaheim's Jerome Williams (owned in 18.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Giants, while Tuesday's selection is soft-tossing Twin Scott Diamond (19.3 percent owned) against the weak-hitting Pirates.

On to the news:

• Rangers OF Josh Hamilton is likely to return to action tonight after a weekend that included three missed games and a hospital stay due to a nasty virus. Manager Ron Washington said Sunday that there's a chance Hamilton will get one more day off, but if he does he'll be close to a lock to play on Tuesday. If owned Hamilton in daily leagues and had to make a decision before tonight's lineup is announced, I'd start him.
• Red Sox SP Josh Beckett is on the DL with a sore shoulder, and the team hopes he'll miss only two starts.
• With Brandon Beachy on the DL due to an elbow injury - a prognosis should be announced today or tomorrow - the Braves will bring Jair Jurrjens back from the minors to pitch on Friday. Jurrjens, who had a 2.96 ERA in 23 starts last season, has spent the last two months at Triple A after struggling through four April starts. My official reaction to Jurrjens' return is ... eh.
• Best wishes to Jason Bay, who is on the seven-day concussion DL after going head first into an outfield wall on Friday. Is it true that the Met fans booed Bay as he left the field?
• Doug Fister is back, baby!
• Roy Oswalt might make his Rangers' debut on Friday.
• AL-only owners should try to grab OF Ryan Kalish, who can expect to get plenty of playing time in the Red Sox' depleted outfield.
• Rays 3B Evan Longoria started his minor-league rehab assignment over the weekend, but doesn't have a timetable on when he'll return to the Tampa lineup.
• With John Danks (shoulder) not yet ready to return to the White Sox rotation, Zach Stewart will make a spot start tonight against the Cubs. Stewart has been so-so as a reliever this season, with a 5.18 ERA, excellent control and lots of ground balls. He IS pitching against the Cubs ...
• Back to the Blue Jays: Brett Cecil pitched well Sunday after getting called up from the minors. Cecil flamed out last season after a solid 2010, and while he's not a special talent, he's still just a couple weeks short of his 26th birthday, and Bluebird Banter was somewhat encouraged by his outing. AL-only owners might want to take a flier on Cecil.
• Tigers C Alex Avila aims to come off the DL on Thursday.
• After being relegated to pinch-hitting duty over the weekend, Royals 1B/DH Billy Butler will be back in the lineup tonight against southpaw J.A. Happ at Houston, with Eric Hosmer probably getting the night off.
• The Giants say they won't skip Tim Lincecum's next start. Don't cut him, no matter how much you might want to.
• Yankees OF Nick Swisher hopes to play tonight after missing Sunday's game with a bruised thigh.
• The Angels are making a catching change, with Hank Conger headed back to the minors, and Bobby Wilson getting reactivated today. Um, yippee?
• After Sunday's excellent outing, do you believe in Angels SP Garrett Richards? I don't think I do.
• Royals 2B Chris Getz will be re-evaluated today after injuring his leg on Sunday. The Kansas City Star also reports that Felipe Paulino is expected to come off the DL to start next Monday.
• Astros SP Bud Norris is on the DL with a sprained knee. It doesn't sound serious.
• Rays SP Matt Moore allowed one hit and whiffed eight over seven shutout innings Friday night. Get on the bandwagon, because here he comes.
• Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez is day-to-day with a strained knee. Fortunately, the Rox don't play tonight. In other Rockies' news, SS Troy Tulowitzki will be examined today for a sports hernia, which would be bad.
• Even if Scott Rolen comes off the DL today, Todd Frazier is expected to keep getting plenty of playing time.
• Is anyone excited that the Cubs plan to activate C Geovany Soto today? Yeah, that's what I thought.
• This week's edition of Free Agent Frenzy is ready for your review. I'd like to report that since I decided to include Trevor Plouffe in the article last Tuesday, he's hit five more home runs.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.

My friend John Osmanski will throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field this afternoon, having won the honor in a charity auction. If you happen to be at the game, please let me know if he screws up so I can give him some grief. A dollar says he bounces a 22-mph fastball to the catcher.

***

Scott Diamond didn't help us last night, so the streaming starter record is down to 44-28 for the season. The weekend selections are Dillon Gee (owned in 7.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Reds today, A.J. Burnett (28.4 percent owned) at Cleveland on Saturday, and Bartolo Colon (20.5 percent owned) on Sunday against the Padres.

On to the news:

• On Tuesday afternoon, I decided to get an early start on next week's edition of Free Agent Frenzy by selecting some tentative players, and tabbed Trevor Plouffe at shortstop. Since then, Plouffe has hit three home runs, giving him five taters in his last six games, 11 in his last 21, and 12 for the season. We can't expect Plouffe to continue this torrid pace, but he did hit 23 homers between Triple A and the majors last season, and 17 across the same levels in 2010. Plouffe is owned in just 22.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and qualifies at shortstop, third base and outfield. There's no good reason for him to remain on your league's free-agent wire.
• Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki had an MRI on his strained groin yesterday, and while results haven't been announced, the team doesn't seem to think it's serious. Still, if you own Tulo in a weekly league, don't plan to start him next week unless we hear some good news over the weekend.
• Faced with a temporary hole in their rotation, the Rangers have called up RHP Justin Grimm to start Saturday against the Astros. Grimm is 8-3 with a 1.87 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and 67 strikeouts against 14 walks in 77 innings at Frisco, and while this is a big jump for him, the Astros are terrible, so he could be worth a flier if you've got an emergency this week in a head-to-head league. Grimm isn't considered a high-ceiling prospect.
• The White Sox, Red Sox and Royals are in NL parks again this weekend, which means they'll have DH issues. Look for Dayan Viciedo to cede left field to Adam Dunn with the White Sox, the Royals to shift Jeff Francoeur to center field (bumping Jarrod Dyson), and the Red Sox to continue some sort of rotation between Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Will Middlebrooks. With lefty Paul Maholm starting for the Cubs Sunday night, I bet Ortiz gets the night off. Please note that these predictions are educated guesses, and not based on statements from managers.
• Brian Matusz will start tonight for the Orioles. Matusz couldn't make his Wednesday start after bunting a ball off his face in the cage earlier in the week, so I can't wait to see him hit tonight.
• Here's an update on the Reds' long list of injuries, with OF Chris Heisey (groin) being the latest victim, and 3B Scott Rolen targeting a Monday activation from the DL.
• I hate small sample sizes as much as the next stat geek, but Mets 1B Ike Davis is 8-for-19 with a homer and seven RBI over his last five games. His batting average is all the way up to .188! Seriously, keep an eye on Davis to see if this minor hot streak is the beginning of a long-awaited turnaround.
• Speaking of struggling, young, left-handed hitting first basemen, Brandon Belt has homered in three straight games for the Giants. It's about freaking time.
• Oh, good grief. Yankees OF Brett Gardner will miss at least another 3-4 weeks with his elbow injury. 
• Fireballing Mariners RP Stephen Pryor is expected to miss a few weeks with a strained groin.
• The Cardinals are giving SS Rafael Furcal the night off.
• Rays DH Luke Scott is on the DL due to back spasms, and should return in 10 days or so. 3B Evan Longoria will begin his rehab assignment tonight.
• Tigers SP Doug Fister will come off the DL to start Saturday against the Rockies, while teammate Ryan Raburn is back with the team as a part-timer. AL-only owners can still consider Raburn, but he doesn't project to play enough for mixed-league roster status.
• If you hear any rumors that Blue Jays 1B Adam Lind might be promoted after being removed from Thursday's Triple-A game in the fifth inning, it's probably a false alarm. His manager says he came out because he fouled a ball off his shin. Lind has been smacking the ball around at Las Vegas, though, so you never know when a minor slump by rookie 1B David Cooper could get him back to Toronto.
• John Danks was scheduled to come off the DL to start Monday for the White Sox, but a sore arm has that plan in doubt. Stay tuned.

See you back here Monday morning.

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Congratulations to Giants SP Matt Cain on throwing the 22nd perfect game in major league history last night. I have a dynasty league team with both Cain and R.A. Dickey on the roster. Their combined line for the night was 18 innings, two wins, zero earned runs, one hit, zero walks and 26 strikeouts. That's pretty solid, don't you think?

***

Hector Noesi's strong game raised our streaming starter record to 44-27 for the season. Today's pick is Minnesota's Scott Diamond (owned in 24.1 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Phillies, while tomorrow's selection is the Mets' surging Dillon Gee (5.7 percent owned, 2.60 ERA over his last four starts) versus the Reds.

On to the news:

• Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki re-aggravated his groin injury during a Triple-A rehab game on Wednesday. The Rockies don't seem to think the issue is too serious, but Tulowitzki was expected to rejoin the team this weekend, and that's unlikely to happen. If you own Tulowitzki, you'll just need to wait for an update, and be ready to bench him next week unless you hear good news.
• OMG! Stephen Strasburg left Wednesday's game with a cut on his finger! Seriously, he should be fine to make his next start.
• A's OF Yoenis Cespedes re-aggravated his hamstring injury on Wednesday, and won't play today. His weekend status is TBD, but the A's say they might let him DH.
• In other A's news, Ryan Cook got another save last night. Cook is still owned in just 2.7 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and is clearly the chairman of his team's closer committee, which may cease to exist pretty soon.
• Lance Lynn, still awesome.
• Blue Jays SP Kyle Drabek left Wednesday's game with an elbow injury, and his status is TBD. Initial tests were positive, but Drabek isn't out of the woods yet.
• There are five afternoon games on today's schedule, with Indians-Reds getting things underway at 12:35 p.m. ET. Set your lineups accordingly.
• White Sox DH Adam Dunn was scratched last night due to a sprained ankle, and probably won't play today, either.
• Here's an update on Phillies 2B Freddy Galvis, whose season is probably over due to a broken vertebra. 
• The A's will probably decide today if SP Brandon McCarthy (shoulder) needs a DL stint.
• Do you care that the Indians sent 1B Matt LaPorta back to the minors? Me neither.
• Royals 1B Eric Hosmer only has one home run this month, but he's batting .306 with an .895 OPS. It's coming, I'm telling you.
• The Astros aren't yet sure if Bud Norris (knee) will be able to make his scheduled start on Sunday.
• Reds OF Drew Stubbs, who has been out for more than a week due to an oblique injury and an illness, still might go on the DL at some point. Bench Stubbs in daily leagues until you know he's playing again.
• Cubs 3B Ian Stewart is on the DL because of a sore left wrist. Veteran Joe Mather started in Stewart's place last night, but doesn't bring much to the table offensively.
• What's that? A good start by Mat Latos? Wow!
• After a strong outing in place of the injured Brian Matusz last night, Jake Arrieta will probably get another start for the Orioles. AL-only owners should check Arrieta's solid ratio of 75 strikeouts against 24 walks in 81 innings, and consider taking a flier on a little luck turning his season around. 
• Braves 1B Freddie Freeman got Wednesday off to rest his injured finger. He should be ready to go on Friday.
• Trevor Bauer's latest Triple-A start wasn't so good. Danny Hultzen's Wednesday game in Double A, on the other hand, was excellent. Hultzen has a 1.19 ERA and a scoreless streak of 27 2/3 innings, and it's not a big stretch to think he'll reach the majors before Bauer does. Bauer is considered a better prospect, but Hultzen will be in a really nice pitcher's park when he gets the call.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.

Here's a link to Tuesday's chat transcript. Gee, you had a lot of questions about Allen Craig.

***

Wei-Yin Chen wasn't great - or even good - last night, but he got four Ks and a win to meet our Fantasy Quality Start Criteria (any two of W/4.00 ERA/1.30 WHIP/4 K) and raise our streaming starter record to 43-27 for the season. Today's choice is Hector Noesi (owned in 1.6 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) against the Padres, while Thursday's pick is Minnesota's Scott Diamond (19.1 percent owned) against the Phillies. Diamond's repertoire of excellent control and lots of ground balls has him off to a solid start (5-1, 1.61 ERA, 1.19 WHIP). He's not this good, but let's see how he fares as a streaming option.

On to the news:

• Red Sox SP Clay Buchholz had another strong outing last night, and is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP and 28 strikeouts against six walks in 31 innings over his last four starts. I'm past the point of thinking that Buchholz will be an ace, but if his current owner hasn't caught on to his recent turnaround, you might still be able to buy low on his 5.38 ERA. Also, Buchholz is owned in just 61 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, so check your free-agent wire to see if he's available.
• Shawn Camp saved the Cubs' win last night, but he's still part of a committee. Don't get too excited.
• Ryan Cook got his first save last night for the A's. Cook is also part of a committee, but he'll be the chairman and/or sole proprietor soon. This, you should get excited about.
• Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (groin) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment today. Tulowitzki is eligible to come off the DL on Friday, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will. Stay tuned.
• The Blue Jays don't have a timetable for Brandon Morrow's DL stint. Jesse Chavez (6-2, 3.38 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 60K/13BB in 63 2/2 IP at Triple A) will probably replace Morrow in the Jays' rotation, and he's worth a look in AL-only league. Don't expect too much, though.
• In other Jays' news, closer Sergio Santos (shoulder) still isn't throwing after suffering a setback in his rehab last week. 
• Brian Roberts had three hits in his first start in 13 months. Good for him.
• In Rays' news, 3B Evan Longoria might be ready to begin a rehab assignment on Friday, while 2B/OF Ben Zobrist is day-to-day with a sore hand. Zobrist was scratched on Tuesday, but could play tonight.
• Vladimir Guerrero requested and received his release from the Blue Jays on Tuesday, basically because he wanted to play in the major leagues right away. I think the Jays probably offered a better chance for that to happen soon than he'll get in other places, but what do I know?
• Jonathan Sanchez will come off the DL to start tonight for the Royals. As a Sanchez owner, I'd ask that Sanchez throw some strikes, but fantasy owners have been hoping for that since the dawn of time without much success.
• Angels' ace Jered Weaver hopes to come off the DL next week.
• David Ortiz was the odd man out for the Red Sox last night, with Kevin Youkilis starting at first base. We can probably attribute that move to the Sox facing lefty Mark Buehrle, and wonder if it will happen again on Sunday night, when Paul Maholm takes the hill against them at Wrigley Field.
• Kris Medlen appears to have stretched out enough to be a starter, but where he fits in the Braves' rotation remains to be seen. There were a few questions about Medlen in Tuesday's chat, so there's your update.
• Orioles SP Brian Matusz might not be able to make his start tonight against the Pirates. You see, Matusz bunted a ball off his face in the batting cage on Tuesday while preparing for some interleague play next week. But please, let's abolish the DH rule so this can happen more often.
• Reds 3B Scott Rolen won't go on a rehab assignment before coming off the DL. Before doing something silly like picking up Rolen, make sure to remember how terrible he was (.542 OPS) before getting hurt.
• The Royals have reactivated 2B Chris Getz, and sent Johnny Giavotella to Triple A. Zzz ...
• Look for Yankees setup man David Robertson to come off the DL on Friday.
• The A's plan to have OF Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring) in the lineup tonight after a four-game absence. Teammate Brandon McCarthy has been scratched from tonight's start due to more shoulder soreness - ugh.
• Remember Franklin Gutierrez? The Mariners will activate him today to be part of an outfield rotation. Don't expect the guy who averaged 15 homers and 20 steals in 2009-10, but grab him in an AL-only league if you need a fill-in.
• Rangers SP/RP Alexi Ogando (groin) is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, and the team isn't sure who will make his start on Saturday. It won't be Roy Oswalt, who got knocked around again last night at Triple A, and will make at least one more start there.
• Look for Nationals OF Roger Bernadina to miss 2-3 games with his hamstring strain. A DL stint isn't planned.

See you back here tomorrow morning.

Check out more Fantasy Baseball News and Notes.