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It’s been four days since the last action was seen in major league baseball. Be sure to take a look at today’s premium play between Tampa Bay and Toronto. For a total to score a win on, I focus on the Nationals and Dodgers total. Ricky Nolasco is heading to the mound for his third outing. He had a great start against the Diamondbacks but got down with three early runs in his last start against Colorado. Stephen Strasburg had an even rougher outing in his last start giving up the most runs he has ever allowed of seven in just two innings. Even though the Dodgers have struggled to score runs, I expect them to continue to pelt the balls Strasburg pitches today.

The total runs today of 7.5 is a generous number considering the woes of Strasburg. Let the questions raise about his arm, as the Nationals ponder if he needs rest again

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Last night, the Dodgers gained a game in the race to catch the Diamondbacks in the NL West. It came from an important decision from the front office to make a trade for veteran pitcher Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco’s record on the year has looked inconsistent, but his ERA of barely above three, shows that he has been pitching above average this season. His run support was lacking on a poor Marlins team. The trade that sent him to LA, gave him a sense of being revived at the right time. He came out and only allowed four hits, while getting two himself, sparking a 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

That type of strong play gives the Dodgers assurance that they made the right decision, and can spark a clubhouse overall. Look for the Dodgers to carry yesterday’s momentum into tonight as they try to take another win on the road.

By Zack Cimini

 notjustagame23@gmail.com

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been buried in the depths of major league baseball over the last several years. Management changes, poor attendance, and constant shuffling of youthful prospects. Now Kirk Gibson gets his chance to resurrect a franchise that just a little over ten years ago won a world series. He has made it known that no ones job is safe. He will make just as many risks as the franchise has made over the last few years. What he won’t do is let inconsistency stay apart of his lineup.

A guy right now that is driving the franchise and fantasy owners crazy is Chris Young. Limitless talent as a strong defensive center fielder, he has struggled to be consistent at the plate. Over the baseball off-season he rededicated himself to becoming a better hitter. Countless hours of work hasn’t translated on the field in the first month of the season. He is still showing the boom or bust at the plate. Striking out, creating an out, or going deep. Owners can’t let go of his power numbers. He hit two home runs yesterday to boost his total to seven home runs now. It’s safe to assume that he should easily get between twenty five and thirty home runs.

Will he be able to progress at the plate? Currently he has a .216 batting average. What may me the biggest problem for Young is the fact that he hasn’t been settled in a spot in the batting order. Gibson has shuffled him up and down the order. Once Gibson figures out a proper batting order, Young should calm down and hopefully get his scary average to a respectable number.

Another Diamondback that didn’t figure to play a large role but has made the most of his opportunities is Ryan Roberts. He is only 49% owned in Yahoo leagues. Another couple of solid series for him and that should change drastically. Roberts is doing it all. At home he has been a force. Finding a groove and batting .344 overall at home. Away his numbers aren’t too bad but dip down to .276. He gets on base regularly, and now the Diamondbacks must find a way to keep him in the lineup. Five home runs, a .311 batting average, fifteen RBI’s, eleven runs, and three stolen bases. Tell me that you don’t have a fantasy roster spot to fit Roberts on your team?

notjustagame23@gmail.com

A fantasy manager dealing with their pitcher rotation is a weekly process. Hopefully your league utilizes proper amounts of DL spots to secure valued pitchers hurt. If not it can be even more of a merry go round process with working the waiver wire. Flocking to the wire is just a natural progression for competitive fantasy baseball owners. Great value can be found early on. For the most part though early success doesn’t materialize for the entire year. Here are some guys that you can take a look at for the short term, and see how long they stretch out on your roster.

Jon Rauch, RP, 44% Owned-

Saves are a priority in any league. Rauch currently is playing the lead closer for the Blue Jays, as Frank Francisco sits out with injury. Rauch delivered last year with 21 saves for Minnesota, but it is highly unlikely he’ll hold onto the role. He already has a loss, and an unimpressive ERA of 4.15.

Chris Narveson, Milwaukee Brewers, SP– 28% Owned-

Narveson has made the most of starting out the 2011 year on proper tracking. He is at the backend of the Brewers rotation, but performing as a pitcher with a strong agenda. In two starts this year he has pitched extremely well. Including nine strikeouts while giving up only one walk, in an April 9^th win vs. the Chicago Cubs. His next couple of starts will be key to see if he is truly worthy of picking up. Narveson has truly been pitching well since after the All Star break last season.

Brian Fuentes, Oakland A’s, RP- 52% Owned-

Save opportunities weren’t expected to be in quantities for the Oakland A’s. The young team though looks like they could be a team on the rise. Fuentes already has three recorded saves. All coming in a span of four days. Fuentes has great value in the short term while Andrew Bailey recovers from his forearm strain.

Matt Harrison, Texas Rangers, SP- 37% Owned-

Another young pitcher off to a fabulous start. Teams still don’t have the full scouting report on Harrison. As he gets more starts and teams are able to get a full read on him, it’ll be interesting to see how he responds. For now though, you can’t discount his first two starts of the year. His ERA is 1.29. He has went seven innings in both starts giving up minimal hits.

Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles, SP- 38% Owned-

Buck Showalter thrives on getting the most out of his pitching staff. Jeremy Guthrie finally seems to be performing to the level expected from him, and Britton is proving to be a solid discovery. Much like Harrison, Britton is widely available in leagues until he shows a couple more solid outings. He doesn’t overpower batters with strikeouts, but finds a way to get outs with patience on the mound. How will he react to a poor inning, or multiple back to back tough outings?

By Greg Dillard

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Heading into the 2010 offseason, everyone knew the free agent market would not only be focused on ace lefthander Cliff Lee, but two All- Star outfielders as well.

Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford hit the free agent market with high expectations, and both outfielders struck gold with big paychecks and new homes.

After four above average seasons in Philadelphia, Werth entered free agency looking for big money. However, no one expected the Washington Nationals to be players in the Werth sweepstakes. $126 million and seven years later, Werth now calls the nation’s capital and Nationals Park home. There are several precautions before drafting Werth to serve as your middle of the order, right fielder.

First and foremost, Werth bolted Philly, but remains in the ultra competitive National League East. With almost no protection in the Nationals’ lineup, Werth will face the Marlins, Braves, Mets, and Phillies almost 20 times each every year. Clearly, there is an abundance of strong pitching in this division with Ricky Nolasco, Javier Vasquez, Johan Santana, and Mike Pelfrey in the division. Then there’s the all star rotation in Philly that consists of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels.

Facing elite pitching day in and day out won’t be easy for Werth and the Nats. Werth was never the go to go in the extremely powerful Philadelphia lineup, and it will be interesting to see if he can deal with being the “big bat” for Washington.

Then there’s Crawford who despite being courted by the Yankees and Angels, signed a seven year, 142 million dollar deal with the Red Sox. Similar to Werth, Crawford remains in a division that is loaded with talented pitching, but Fenway Park and Boston’s potent lineup make the difference.

Boston manager Terry Francona will most likely choose to bat Crawford third in his lineup, with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia in front of him. Those two will provide plenty of RBI chances given their speed and ability to get on base. Most importantly, newly acquired first basemen Adrian Gonzalez will bat cleanup after Crawford. Talk about good protection. Opposing pitchers won’t want Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Crawford on the base paths with Gonzales stepping into the batter’s box.

With his speed, power, and the talent surrounding him, Crawford is poised for a big season in Boston. He is a sure bet for your fantasy outfield.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Thus far one of the biggest fantasy disappointments two months in has to be Justin Upton. Here is a guy that many believed to be a top first round fantasy talent. Yet he has struggled to get on base and his batting averaged has not reached higher than .269. What gives? Part of it could be blamed on the Diamondbacks lineup that has been inconsistent for run production which obviously means limited hits.

Upton’s supposed to be the catalyst to this team though and is one of the main reasons they’re slumping in last place. The season is young and maybe Upton’s June will get him going before the All Star break. He has a long ways to go and needs to work on his patience at the plate. Mark Reynolds seems to be rubbing off on him in the wrong way. Upton already has twenty four games with multi strikeouts.

There’s no question Upton can get it turned on. Maybe his two home runs in the last four Diamondbacks games will get him going. Blasting a few usually does the trick. If not we question if Upton will dig out of it this year. A young player on a struggling team can tend to lose grips and focus pretty quick. We already know Upton takes each bat appearance to heart, as witnessed to his self talk with his baseball bat last year. Currently you’d have to label him as a big first round disappointment in fantasy drafts. His skill set though makes him very hard to give up on. Ride him out and hope he will battle out of his slumping start. It only takes a series or two tear to get a guy like Upton revived and rolling.