Royals 9 - Tigers 5

- Luke Hochevar went 7 innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks in a win.  All three runs he allowed came via home run, which isn't something you like to see. 
- Rick Porcello gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings of work.  If that sounds familiar it's because that's what he did in his first start.  If there's upside with Porcello, what is it?
- Alex Avila has been one of the more productive catchers in this early season. Sunday he hit his 3rd homer and picked up his 8th RBI.
- Miguel Cabrera was 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBI, and 2 runs.  Pretty standard game for one of the best power hitters in the game.
- Alex Gordon was 1-5 and now has a hit in 7 of his last 8 games. 
- SV: Joakim Soria (3); HR: Miguel Cabrera (4), Jhonny Peralta (1), Alex Avila (3); SB: Wilson Betemit (2),

Rangers 3 - Orioles 0

- Derek Holland turned in another good performance with 0 earned runs, 6 strikeouts, and 2 walks over 6 innings.  It looks like the success he had last September (3.67 ERA 27/11 K/BB) has carried over.  Texas starters now have a 2.54 ERA, which surprised the heck out of me. 
- Jeremy Guthrie was saddled with the loss despite allowing 1 earned run.  He only had 1 strikeout, but a 0.64 ERA after two starts will play in any league. 
- Ian Kinsler stayed hot with his 4th homer of the season.  Now if he can only stay healthy.
- Jake Fox got a start in LF and went 0-3. 
- Matt Wieters hit out of the 8th spot and went 0-3 as well.  He hasn't gotten off to the best start and is hitting .192.  I continue to remain patient with the young catcher. 
- Kevin Gregg got some work in with a scoreless 9th.  Mike Gonzalez still makes me sea sick when he pitches.
- SV: Neftali Feliz (3); HR: Ian Kinsler (4), Adrian Beltre (3)

White Sox 6 - Rays 1

- Gavin Floyd has gotten off to slow starts the last two seasons, but not today.  Against the Rays he was damn near untouchable as he allowed only 4 hits in 8 innings of 1-run ball (it was unearned).  He struck out 8 and walked only 1 in the win.
- Are the Rays now a team you pick on when picking pitchers to stream/spot-start?
- Jeff Niemann was just awful.  He gave up 2 homers and 5 runs (3 earned) in only 2.2 innings.  Through two starts he has an 8.31 ERA.
- Andy Sonnanstine allowed 1 earned run in 5.1 innings of relief pitching.  He struck out 2 and walked none in his appearance, which really bailed out the Rays bullpen. 
- Paul Konerko got 2 hits, both of which were home runs.  Too bad no one was on base when he slugged them as he only ended up with 2 RBI. 
- HR: Gordon Beckham (2), Paul Konerko (2 & 3); SB: Matt Joyce (1); CS: Juan Pierre (1), Alex Rios (1)

A's 5 - Twins 3

- Scott Baker gave up a pair of homers to the A's, which puts him at 4 now in two starts.  The HR ball has plagued him in the past and this season appears to be no different.  He finished up with 4 earned runs in 5 innings with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.  He's 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA, but I remain optimistic considering his command track history. 
- Brandon McCarthy received his first win since September 2009.  He struck out 5, walked none, and allowed just 2 earned runs over 7.1 innings.  That's now back-to-back games in which he's pitched into the 8th inning. 
- Justin Morneau notched three hits, one of which was a double.  He hasn't hit a home run yet, but with three doubles now on the season, hopefully the power is just around the corner.
- Michael Cuddyer played 2B for the injured Tsuyoshi Nishioka and went hitless.  It was his first start at 2B.  Eligibility at 2B would be a nice boost, especially in AL leagues. 
- Brian Fuentes pitched a clean 9th with one strikeout to nail down another save.  Innings where Fuentes doesn't allow a man to get on base are rare.
- SV: Brian Fuentes (3); HR: Josh Willingham (3), Hideki Matsui (1), Jim Thome (1); SB: Kevin Kouzmanoff (1); CS: David DeJesus (1), Josh Willingham (1)

Angels 3 - Blue Jays 1

- Jered Weaver, the 2010 MLB leader in strikeouts, struckout 15 Blue Jays batters and became the first pitcher to 3 wins.  He allowed 1 earned run over 7.2 innings on 4 hits and 4 walks… Ace.
- Fernando Rodney earned a save with a clean 9th inning.  It's tough to read too much into this considering Jordan Walden had 25 pitches the night before. 
- Vernon Wells went 0-4 and is now batting .100.  Brandon Wood played SS and went 1-3 with two predictable strikeouts.  Wood is now batting .143 and can tell his kids about the time he had a higher batting average than a teammate of his, that wasn't a catcher. 
- Jo-Jo Reyes allowed 1 earned run over 7 innings with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk.  He took the loss, but pitched much better than his 5 earned run 3.1 inning debut for the Blue Jays.
- SV: Fernando Rodney (2)

Indians 6 - Mariners 4

- Erik Bedard was pretty, pretty, pretty bad.  6 earned runs on 10 hits and 1 walk in 4 innings.  On the bright side he did strikeout 6 batters. 
- David Pauley pitched 3 clean innings with 3 strikeouts in relief of Bedard.
- Brandon League pitched a scoreless 9th with 1 strikeout.
- Josh Tomlin picked up win number 2, after he allowed 3 earned runs over 6.2 innings.  He scattered 3 hits with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. 
- Asdrubal Cabrera went 3-5 with a home run, 2 RBI, and a run.  Cabrera hit three homers in 381 at-bats in 2010.
- SV: Chris Perez (4); HR: Asdrubal Cabrera (3), Jack Hannahan (2), Ryan Langerhans (2), Michael Saunders (1)

Red Sox 4 - Yankees 0

- Josh Beckett pitched 8 shutout innings against the Bronx Bombers.  He allowed just 2 hits with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.  Is it 2009?  Considering his first start (5 innings 3 earned runs) and how poorly he pitched last season, this was totally unexpected.  I remain skeptical, but that was pretty amazing.
- CC Sabathia served up 9 hits in 5.2 innings, but only gave up 1 earned run.  He walked 4 and struckout 4 in the loss.
- Dustin Pedroia was 3-4 with 1 run and a walk.  That's three straight games with three hits for the former MVP.
- Carl Crawford was 0-5 and is now batting .132.  This will happen when he faces dominant lefties like Sabathia. 
- Jonathan Papelbon struckout 2 in a clean 9th inning non-save opportunity. 

Nationals 7 - Mets 3

- Chris Young allowed 1 earned run over 7 innings in a no-decision.  He allowed 1 hit with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts.  Through two starts he has a 12/6 K/BB ratio and a 1.46 ERA.  The Mets are getting a pretty good return on their $1.15 million so far.
- Jason Marquis registered 9 strikeouts with 2 walks in 6 innings.  He allowed 3 earned runs and 7 hits, also in a no-decision. 
- The Nationals bullpen delivered 5 shutout innings with only 1 hit allowed.  Drew Storen came away with the win with Sean Burnett ending things in a non-save situation. 
- Jose Reyes was 3-5 with 1 run… that's pretty much how the game went for the Mets.
- Ian Desmond went 2-6 in the leadoff spot with a strikeout.  He's still stuck on 1 walk for the season.
- HR: Laynce Nix (1); SB: Ian Desmond (3), Adam LaRoche (1), Michael Morse (1), Lucas Duda (1)

Phillies 3 - Braves 0

- Cole Hamels pitched like the Cole Hamels we know with 7 shutout innings and 8 strikeouts.  The Braves got 4 hits off him, of which 3 were singles.  This was much better than his 2.2 inning 6 earned run debut. 
- Derek Lowe allowed 2 earned runs over 7 innings in a loss.  He struck out 2 and walked none, which is probably more in line with what he'll do in the future, than his 13 strikeouts in his first two starts. 
- Shane Victorino was 3-4 with a home run. The Flyin' Hawaiian is hitting .417 on the season with 8 RBI and 2 stolen bases.
- Michael Martinez played 2B and went 0-3 for the Phillies. 
- Ryan Madson & Jonny Venters pitched scoreless 8th innings.
- Craig Kimbrel pitched the 9th and allowed 1 run (unearned) with a walk and strikeout. 
- SV: Jose Contreras (2); HR: Shane Victorino (1); CS: Ben Francisco (1)

Rockies 6 - Pirates 5

- Neither Jhoulys Chacin, nor James McDonald showed much command in this game.  Chacin pitched 6 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned), while McDonald pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 5 runs.
- The best pitching performances came from the closers, Huston Street and Joel Hanrahan, who both pitched scoreless 9th innings.  Street came away with the save, his fourth. 
- Jonathan Herrera went 1-2 with 3 walks and 2 runs.  He was subbing in for Ian Stewart.
- Jose Tabata stole his 5th base of the season.  He just keeps on hitting (1-3) and getting on base (1 walk). 
- SV: Huston Street (4); HR: Jose Lopez (2); SB: Dexter Fowler (2), Jonathan Herrera (1); Jose Tabata (5); CS: Dexter Fowler (1)

Astros 7 - Marlins 1

- Anibal Sanchez was far too hittable as he allowed 6 earned runs on 13 hits in 4.2 innings… and this was against the Astros, ouch.  Hey, at least he didn't walk anyone.
- J.A. Happ allowed 1 earned run over 7.2 innings in a win.  He struckout 5 and walked 4, so don't get too excited here.  Still, to an Astros fan, like me, a win is a win.
- Edward Mujica & Aneury Rodriguez got thrown out for hitting batters.  They don't matter much in the fantasy world…
- All of the Astros starters got a hit in this game, including J.A. Happ with two knocks.  This will not happen again this season. 
- Chris Coghlan went 0-4 and now has a .273 OBP as the Marlins leadoff hitter.
- Angel Sanchez went 3-5 and is now batting .364.  This is about the best the Astros can hope for with Clint Barmes out.
- SB: Emilio Bonifacio (1)

Brewers 6 - Cubs 5

- Yovani Gallardo had an uncharacteristic outing with 4 walks and 2 strikeouts.  He allowed 4 earned runs in the no-decision.
- Casey Coleman made his 2011 debut with 4 earned runs over 5 innings.  He gave up 9 hits, 2 of which were homers.  Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner owners should probably look elsewhere for help.
- Ryan Braun went 1-4 with his 4th homer, while Prince Fielder was 3-4 with his 2nd homer of the season.  The duo are off to a hot start and should carry the club's offense all season long.
- Marlon Byrd went 2-3 with 2 walks and 3 runs.  He's hitting .342 with a .375 OBP and still working with Victor Conte.
- Darwin Barney played 2B and went 2-4 with a RBI.  It's a revolving door of Barney, Jeff Baker, and Blake DeWitt at the position.
- Sean Marshall, my default relief pitcher I add in my NL leagues, when none of the other options interest me, pitched a scoreless 7th inning.
- SV: John Axford (3); BS: Kerry Wood (1); HR: Ryan Braun (4), Prince Fielder (2), Casey McGehee (1); CS: Marlon Byrd (1), Rickie Weeks (1)

Padres 7 - Dodgers 2

- Aaron Harang got his 2nd win of the season with 6 innings of 2-run ball.  He allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He only mustered 2 strikeouts, but a 1.50 ERA is fantastic, considering where he was last season. 
- Luke Gregerson and Mike Adams pitched scoreless innings.  This is what they do.
- Matt Kemp was 2-4 with 1 run and is now hitting .438.  It's early, but he's playing like it's 2009 all over again.
- Nick Hundley is maybe the Padres hottest hitter right now.  He went 1-2 with a homer and 2 walks. 
- HR: Ryan Ludwick (1), Nick Hundley (2), Cameron Maybin (2); SB: Tony Gwynn Jr. (3), Matt Kemp (6), Orlando Hudson (2); CS: John Ely (1), Will Venable (1)

Cardinals 6 - Giants 1

- Kyle Lohse pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball with 5 strikeouts and no walks.  Probably doesn't sound like the Lohse you know, right?  After two starts he's up to 10 strikeouts and 1 walk.  With Dave Duncan you take the results and ask questions later. 
- Barry Zito could use some Dave Duncan in his life.  He walked 5 and struckout 1 to go with his 4 earned runs in 5.1 innings. 
- David Freese went 3-4 with a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs. 
- Albert Pujols was 0-5 with a strikeout.  He's hitting .143, but had a great piece about him on 60 Minutes. 
- Pablo Sandoval was 1-4 with a RBI.  This the Panda of his rookie season and not the sad one we saw a year ago.
- HR: David Freese (1); SB: Colby Rasmus (1)

Diamondbacks 10 - Reds 8

- Joe Saunders and Mike Leake didn't pitch so well in this game.  Saunders allowed 4 earned runs in 3 innings, while Leake allowed 6 earned runs in 4.2 innings.  Saunders had particular trouble finding the plate as only 43 of his 83 pitches were for strike. 
- Aroldis Chapman walked 3 and struckout 2 in his inning of work.  Pitching on back-to-back days, his velocity was noticeably down, sitting in the 94-95 mph area and touching 97 mph at times. 
- Willie Bloomquist went 3-5 with 2 runs and another stolen base.  This time he was playing LF.
- Stephen Drew got 4 knocks in his 4 at-bats with 3 RBI and 2 runs.  He seems to over his abdominal strain. 
- Joey Votto went 4-5 with a RBI and run.  Typical day at the office for him.
- Juan Miranda went 0-4 with a walk.  I lost patience with him days ago and cut him for Paul Janish. 
- Jonny Gomes went 2-4 with a homer, 3 RBI, and a stolen base.  It doesn't get much better than that. 
- SV: J.J. Putz (3); HR: Jonny Gomes (2), Chris Young (2), Ryan Roberts (2); SB: Joey Votto (1), Jonny Gomes (2), Willie Bloomquist (6); CS: Willie Bloomquist (1), Stephen Drew (1)