Kuzul

On May 7th, Brandon League had nine saves and a 2.08 ERA to his credit. He hadn’t lost a game or blown a save.

He was automatic.

He then gave up three runs in 1.1 innings against the White Sox on May 8th. He didn’t blow a save that day, but took his first loss of the season. His ERA jumped to 3.77.

Two days later, League blew his first save of the year against Baltimore, giving up two runs while getting just two outs. League’s ERA climbed to 4.80.

The once steady closer became shaky.

He didn’t have to stew on the first blown save long as he was back at it two days later, again against Baltimore.

The result was the same.

League blew his second straight save and lost his third straight game. He gave up two runs again while getting just one out this time. His ERA jumped to 5.87. What was going on?

The very next night, Eric Wedge gave him another opportunity. Like the previous three outings, League blew it. He gave up three runs while recording just two outs. It was League’s third straight blown save and fourth straight loss. League’s once petite ERA skyrocketed to 7.31.

Which brings us here. What to do, what to do? At least David Aardsma had a setback, which gives League some time. It’s crazy that only a week ago I wonder if Aardsma would have replaced League as effective as League had been.

Aardsma worries me. If he pitches at all in 2011 I’d be slightly surprised. Still, with a streak like League is on, the questions start piling up.

Should Chris Ray be given a chance? He has 51 career saves. He also has an 11.88 ERA and 2.16 WHIP.

David Pauley has a 1.16 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP, but has never been called up on to save a game.

Aaron Laffey is pitching well (1.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), but has just one career save.

Jamey Wright has also pitched well (1.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), but he is 36 and not likely to get his first crack at the closer position.

Where does that leave us? The M’s could raid the farm system, but that seems unlikely right now. He may just get a temporary break from the gig to clear his head. There is always a chance that somebody takes the job and runs with it, but more likely than not this will be a closer-by-committee system until League gets back on track.

Also check out:

• Help Is Coming:  Should You Add Brian Matusz?
• Is John Axford Over the Hump?
• Can Kevin Correia Sustain His Early Success?
• Is Brandon Beachy the Real Deal?
• Is Matt Joyce For Real?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a look at the unheralded fantasy baseball players who played well yesterday.

San Francisco at Chicago Cubs

Darwin Barney went three-for-five with two runs scored and three RBI (17) to raise his average to .326. Marlon Byrd went two-for-four with a run to raise his average to .311. Reed Johnson went three-for-five with a run and four RBI to raise his average to .405. Andres Torres went three-for-five with two runs scored to raise his average to .349. Aubrey Huff went two-for-four with two RBI (20). Cody Ross went one-for-four with a home run and two RBI. Ryan Dempster gave up two runs with 11 strikeouts in six innings for the win. 

Seattle at Cleveland

Michael Brantley went two-for-four with two runs and a homer to raise his average to .298. Travis Hafner went two-for-four with a home run and two RBI (16) to raise his average to .340. Jack Cust went two-for-four with a run.

Kansas City at Detroit

Austin Jackson went one-for-three with a homer, a run and a stolen base. Justin Verlander hurled another gem. 

Baltimore at Tampa Bay

Matt Joyce remained hot going two-for-two with a home run (5) and two RBI (17). He’s now hitting .369. Jeremy Hellickson threw a four-hit shutout. Jeremy Guthrie gave up three runs with five strikeouts in eight innings, but took the loss.

Philadelphia at Atlanta

Placido Polanco went two-for-four with a run to raise his average to .354. Raul Ibanez went two-for-four with an RBI (16). Martin Prado went three-for-five with a run to raise his average to .291. Alex Gonzalez went three-for-four with two runs.

Los Angeles Angels at Texas

Alberto Callaspo went two-for-four to raise his average to .308. Alexi Ogando gave up one run on five hits with five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings to improve to 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA.

Boston at New York Yankees

Russell Martin went one-for-four with a home run (7) and two RBI (22). Clay Buchholz gave up two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings for the win. He has 13 Ks in his past two starts.

Florida at Washington

Gaby Sanchez went two-for-four with a home run (7) and two RBI (25) to raise his average to .340. Omar Infante went two-for-five with a run. Roger Bernadina went three-for-five with two RBI and a stolen base. Ian Desmond went two-for-six with an RBI. Laynce Nix went three-for-five with a home run and two RBI. Jerry Hairston, Jr. went two-for-five with two runs.

St. Louis at Cincinnati

Edgar Renteria went one-for-four with two RBI. Scott Rolen went three-for-five with an RBI. Fred Lewis went two-for-three. Daniel Descalso went two-for-five with two RBI. Kyle Lohse gave up two runs in six innings, but got a no-decision.

New York Mets at Houston

Justin Turner went two-for-four with two runs.  Chris Johnson went two-for-four with a run and an RBI.

Pittsburgh at Milwaukee

Jonathan Lucroy went one-for-three with two runs and a homer. Lyle Overbay went two-for-four with a run. Ronny Cedeno went one-for-two with a home run and two RBI. Yovani Gallardo got it done again.

Toronto at Minnesota

Juan Rivera went two-for-five with an RBI and a stolen base. Edwin Encarnacion went two-for-five. John McDonald went two-for-three. Ricky Romero tossed a gem. Carl Pavano threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He still threw 115 pitches despite not lasting six.

San Diego at Colorado

Seth Smith went two-for-five with a run and an RBI. Jonathan Herrera went two-for-four with a run. Todd Helton went two-for-four with a run and an RBI to raise his average to .318. Ryan Spilbroughs went three-for-five with two runs and an RBI. Cameron Maybin went four-for-four with three runs, two home runs and three RBI.

Chicago White Sox at Oakland

Omar Vizquel went two-for-three with a run and an RBI. David DeJesus went two-for-three with an RBI. Phil Humber gave up three runs in six innings to improve to 3-3 with a 3.18 ERA.

Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers

Jamey Carroll went two-for-three with two runs to raise his average to .316. Aaron Miles went two-for-four with a run. Clayton Kershaw was dominant. Vicente Padilla blew a save. Kenley Jansen picked up the pieces and recorded the save.

Also check out:

• Help Is Coming:  Should You Add Brian Matusz?
• Is John Axford Over the Hump?
• Can Kevin Correia Sustain His Early Success?
• Is Brandon Beachy the Real Deal?
• Is Matt Joyce For Real?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a breakdown of the two-start pitchers for the fifth week of the baseball season.

Five Stars
Matt Cain: @PIT, @WAS
Cliff Lee: @ARI, NYM
Jered Weaver: vs. OAK, @TB

Four Stars
Jaime Garcia: @HOU, @ATL
Justin Masterson: vs. KC, vs. DET

Three Stars
Clay Buchholz: @BAL, vs. SEA
Gio Gonzalez: @LAA, vs. TEX
Aaron Harang: vs. ATL, @LAD
Ricky Nolasco: vs. LAD, @CIN
Jordan Zimmermann: vs. NYM, vs. SF

Two Stars
Bronson Arroyo: @MIL, vs. FLA
Nick Blackburn: vs. TB, @KC
Zach Britton: vs. BOS, @CWS
A.J. Burnett: vs. CWS , vs. TOR
Wade Davis: @MIN, vs. LAA
R.A. Dickey: @WAS, @PHI
Kyle Drabek: @TEX, @NYY
Gavin Floyd: @NYY, vs. BAL
Jon Garland: @FLA, vs. SD
Matt Garza: vs. COL, @ARI
Matt Harrison: vs. TOR, @OAK
Luke Hochevar: @CLE, vs. MIN
Daniel Hudson: vs. PHI, vs.CHC
Ian Kennedy: vs. PHI, vs. CHC
Colby Lewis: vs. TOR, @OAK
Derek Lowe: @SD, vs. STL
Charlie Morton: vs. SF, @COL

One Star
Erik Bedard: @DET, @BOS
Phil Coke: vs. SEA, @CLE
Bartolo Colon: vs. CWS, vs. TOR
Marco Estrada: vs. CIN, @HOU
Phil Humber: @NYY, vs. BAL
Bud Norris: vs. STL, vs. MIL
James Russell: vs. COL, @ARI

Also check out:

• Today’s Streaming Pitcher Option
• Yesterday’s Box Score Breakouts
• Has Alex Gordon Finally Figured It Out?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a look at the unheralded fantasy baseball players who played well yesterday.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs

Darwin Barney went 3-for-5 with two runs, three RBI and a stolen base to raise his average to .323. Marlon Byrd went 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Jeff Baker went 2-for-5 with two RBI. He’s hitting .361. Reed Johnson is hitting .400 after going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Casey Blake raised his average to .333 after going 2-for-3 with three runs, a homer and two RBI. Rod Barajas went 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Jamey Carroll went 2-for-4.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto Blue Jays

Sam Fuld went 1-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base (10). He’s hitting .365. Johnny Damon was 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Jose Molina went 2-for-4. Brandon Morrow gave up three runs in 5.1 innings for the loss, but struck out 10 batters.

Cleveland Indians @ Minnesota Twins

Jason Repko went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Jason Kubel is hitting .333 after going 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI. Danny Valencia went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. Alexi Casilla went 2-for-4 with two runs. Brian Duensing gave up one run on five hits in seven innings to improve to 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

Arizona Diamondbacks @ New York Mets

Daniel Murphy went 2-for-5 with two runs. Gerardo Perra went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Atlanta Braves @ San Francisco Giants

Nate McLouth went 1-for-2 with three runs. Pat Burrell went 3-for-4 with two runs. Cody Ross went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Chicago White Sox @ Detroit Tigers

Austin Jackson went 2-for-5 with a run. Ryan Raburn went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI (13). Alex Avila went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI (13). Brandon Inge went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Brad Penny gave up one hit in seven scoreless innings for the win.

New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles

Russell Martin went 2-for-3 with three runs, two homers (six) and four RBI (15). Brett Gardner went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Derrek Lee went 2-for-4 with a run.

Cincinnati Reds @ St. Louis Cardinals

Miguel Cairo went 1-for-4 with two RBI. David Freese went 2-for-4 with an RBI (11).

Colorado Rockies @ Florida Marlins

Jonathan Herrera went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .327. Jason Hammel gave up one run in 6.2 innings for the win.

Washington Nationals @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Lyle Overbay went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Ronny Cedeno went 2-for-4. Michael Morse went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jeff Karstens gave up two runs in six innings for the win.

Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers
 

Melky Cabrera went 3-for-4. Alexi Ogando gave up one run in five hits with five strikeouts in six innings to improve to 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA. Darren Oliver picked up the save.

Houston Astros @ Milwaukee Brewers

Angel Sanchez went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI to raise his average to .293. Brett Wallace went 2-for-4 with two runs. He’s hitting .324. Bill Hall went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Humberto Quintero went 2-for-5 with a run, two RBI and a stolen base.  Craig Counsell went 2-for-6 with two runs.  Mark Kotsay and Jonathan Lucroy each went 2-for-4. Yunieksy Betancourt went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 

Philadelphia Phillies @ San Diego Padres

Ben Francisco went 2-for-5 with an RBI (11). Cameron Maybin went 2-for-4 with two runs. Jason Bartlett went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-5. Joe Blanton gave up two runs in seven innings. Tim Stauffer gave up two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts in six innings. Neither starter factored into the decision.

Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Jed Lowrie went 2-for-4 with a run. He’ s hitting .431. Dice-K gave up one hit with nine strikeouts in eight scoreless innings. In his past two starts, he’s thrown 15 scoreless innings.

Oakland A’s @ Seattle Mariners

Coco Crisp went 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Conor Jackson went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Kevin Kouzmanoff went 2-for-4 with two runs, a homer and four RBI. Cliff Pennington went 2-for-3 with two runs, a home run and two RBI.

Also check out:

• Week Five Two-Start Pitchers
• Today’s Streaming Pitcher Option
• Has Alex Gordon Finally Figured It Out?

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Sam Fuld is off to an unbelievable start. He’s hitting .366 with 11 runs, a home run, eight RBI, and nine stolen bases. The question is whether you should continue to ride his hot bat (and legs) or try to sell high on him?

My money is on holding. He has a stranglehold on the Rays’ leadoff spot. He’s hitting .369 out of that slot, including .360 leading off. While he hasn’t walked a lot (four times), he’s only struck out six times in 71 at-bats.

With his speed and ability to put the ball in play, he should continue to hit for a good average. I don’t think he’s a .360+ hitter, but he had a solid .285 average in the minor leagues.

He also plays for one of the most aggressive teams in baseball. The stolen base total is legit, and if he can continue to get on base at a solid clip, he has a good chance of stealing 30+ bases.

I’d like to see a few more runs scored given his high average, but remember that Evan Longoria is on the shelf. When he returns, that should bolster the Rays’ lineup that has struggled at times.

If you get an amazing offer for Fuld, I wouldn’t hesitate to move him. I’m just not sure he’s the type of player that can net even trade value. Other owners are probably skeptical that his success will come crashing down at any moment. With only 131 big league at-bats and a .252 average heading into the season, the concerns are legitimate.

There always seems to be players that everybody would like to have on their team, but aren’t willing to take the risk to trade for. I think Sam Fuld is one of those players.

Also check out:

Today’s Streaming Pitcher Options
Yesterday’s Box Score Breakouts

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a look at the unheralded fantasy baseball players who played well yesterday.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs

Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake each went two–for-five with two runs. Carroll is hitting .309 and Blake is hitting .313. Juan Uribe went two-for-four with two runs, a home run and four RBI (12). Kosuke Fukudome is hitting .417 after going three-for-four.

Chicago White Sox @ Detroit Tigers

Ryan Raburn went two-for-five with a home run and four RBI. Jhonny Peralta went two-for-four with two runs and an RBI. Alex Avila went two-for-three with two runs and an RBI (11).

Colorado Rockies @ Florida Marlins

Chris Coghlan is hitting .292 after going two-for-four with a homer and two RBI (10). Gaby Sanchez raised his average to .338 after going two-for-four with a homer. Anibal Sanchez lost his no-hit bid in the ninth inning, but threw a complete game one-hitter. He allowed an unearned run and struck out nine.

Arizona Diamondbacks @ New York Mets

Ike Davis went one-for-four with a home run and two RBI (16). Mike Pelfrey gave up one run on five hits in seven innings for the win. Joe Saunders gave up one run on two hits in six innings, but got a no-decision.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto Blue Jays

Adam Lind went two-for-five with two RBI (11). Edwin Encarnacion went two-for-five with an RBI to raise his average to .298. Sam Fuld continues to rake. He went three-for-five with three runs, an RBI and two stolen bases (9) to raise his average to .366.

Kansas City Royals @ Texas Rangers

David Murphy went one-for-four with two runs, a home run and two RBI. He’s hitting .318. Mitch Moreland went one-for-three with a home run and two RBI to raise his average to .314. Alex Gordon is hitting .361 after going two-for-four with two runs. Wilson Betemit went one-for-three with a run and two RBI (11). He’s hitting .383. Brayan Pena went one-for-three with a home run and three RBI.

Houston Astros @ Milwaukee Brewers

Carlos Gomez went three-for-five with two runs, a home run and three RBI. Mark Kotsay went three-for-five with two RBI. Yuniesky Betancourt went two-for-five with two RBI. Angel Sanchez went two-for-four with a run and an RBI. Brett Wallace is hitting .313 after going three-for-five with a run and an RBI. Humberto Quintero went three-for-three with two runs and an RBI to raise his average to .303.

Philadelphia Phillies @ San Diego Padres

Clayton Richard gave up two runs in 7.1 innings, but was outdone by Cole Hamels’ eight scoreless innings.

Atlanta Braves @ San Francisco Giants

Chipper Jones went one-for-four with a run and two RBI (14). Freddie Freeman went two-for-three with an RBI. They are both hitting .274. Tommy Hanson threw a masterpiece.

Oakland A’s @ Seattle Mariners

Adam Kennedy went two-for-four with a run and two RBI to raise his average to .333. Kurt Suzuki went two-for-three. Michael Pineda gave up five hits with five strikeouts in six scoreless innings to improve to 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA.

Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Jed Lowrie went one-for-three with two runs. He’s hitting .426. J.D. Drew went two-for-three with a run and an RBI to raise is average to .280. Erick Aybar went two-for-four with a run to raise his average to .375. Jon Lester held the Angels in check.

Cincinnati Reds @ St. Louis Cardinals

Ryan Theriot went two-for-four with two runs to raise his average to .321. David Freese is hitting .339 after going two-for-four. Miguel Cairo went two-for-three to raise his average to .290 Kyle McClellan improve to 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA after allowing two runs in six innings.

Also check out today’s streaming pitcher option.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After tossing a shutout last night, I’m sure Kyle Lohse is a popular waiver claim. What’s not to like about a guy with a 3-1 record, a 2.01 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP? You should know he’s been a fast starter for most of his career.

He got bombed last April (0-1, 6.55 ERA), but look at his recent April performances:

2009:  3-0, 1.97 ERA
2008:  3-0, 2.36 ERA
2007:  1-1, 2.88 ERA

That’s a total of 7-1 with a 2.41 ERA in April over those three years. Considering he went 23-27 the remaining months of those seasons, it’s easy to be skeptical. Factor in a 4.79 ERA over that stretch and the alarms really start going off. That does not mean you should either drop him or avoid him, but be realistic with him.

Lohse is 32 years old with a 91-99 record and a 4.73 ERA. He had a brilliant 15-6, 3.78 ERA season in 2008, but that was the only time his ERA was below 4.00 for the year. In his first ten seasons he only finished with a .500 record or better three times. Two of them came in 2002 and 2003, making them a distant memory. His career high is 130 strikeouts.

Feel free to use him while he’s pitching as well as he is, but be ready to eject when things start going sour.

Also check out:

• Today’s Streaming Pitcher Option
• Yesterday’s Box Score Breakouts
• Can Maicer Izturis Sustain His Hot Start?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool:  RBI Guys, Volume One 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a breakdown of the two-start pitchers for the fourth week of the baseball season. 

Five Stars

Roy Halladay: vs. MIL, @SD
Cliff Lee: vs. MIL , @SD 

Four Stars

Brett Anderson: vs. BOS, @SEA
Tim Hudson: @LAD, @SF
Josh Johnson: vs. PIT, vs. COL
Tim Lincecum: @COL, ATL
Ricky Romero: @BOS, vs. TB 

Three Stars

Fausto Carmona: @KC, @MIN
John Danks: @TB, @DET
Edwin Jackson: @TB, @DET
Ubaldo Jimenez: vs. SF, @FLA
Francisco Liriano: @BAL , vs. CLE
Colby Lewis: vs. LAA, vs. KC
Paul Maholm: @FLA, vs. WAS
Shaun Marcum: @PHI, vs. HOU
Carl Pavano: @BAL, vs. CLE
David Price: vs. CWS, @TOR
Wandy Rodriguez: vs. NYM, @MIL
Max Scherzer: @SEA , vs. CWS 

Two Stars

Brandon Beachy: @LAD, @SF
Kevin Correia: @CIN, vs. WAS
Hiroki Kuroda: vs. ATL, @CHC
John Lannan: @STL, @PIT
Ted Lilly: vs. ATL, @CHC
Ervin Santana: @TEX , vs. BOS
James Shields: vs. CWS, @TOR
Jason Vargas: vs. DET, vs. OAK
Travis Wood: vs. ARI, @STL 

One Star

Jake Arrieta: vs. MIN, vs. NYY
Carlos Carrasco: @KC, @MIN
Doug Fister: vs. DET, vs. OAK
Armando Galarraga: @CIN, @NYM
John Lackey: @OAK , @LAA
Sam LeCure: vs. PIT, @STL
Daisuke Matsuzaka: vs. TOR , @LAA
Dustin Moseley: @CHC, vs. PHI
Jon Niese: @HOU, vs. ARI
Matt Palmer: @TEX, vs. BOS
James Russell: vs. SD, vs. LAD
Tim Stauffer: @CHC, vs. PHI
Chris Tillman: vs. MIN, vs. NYY
Jake Westbrook: vs. WAS, vs. CIN

Also check out

Today’s Streaming Pitcher Option
Yesterday’s Box Score Breakouts 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a look at the unheralded fantasy baseball players who played well yesterday.

Baltimore Orioles @ Cleveland Indians

Travis Hafner went 2-for-3 with a home run. Fausto Carmona gave up one earned run on five hits in seven innings for the win.

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Cincinnati Reds

Miguel Cairo went 3-for-4 with a home run. Paul Janish went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Garrett Jones went 2-for-4 with a home run.

Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays

Jed Lowrie scored two runs. Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI.

New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves

Josh Thole went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Ike Davis went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Dillon Gee gave up one run in 5.2 innings for the win.

Florida Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies

Placido Polanco went 3-for-4 with a home run. Ben Francisco went 2-for-3. Gaby Sanchez went 2-for-4.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Washington Nationals (Game 1)

Rick Ankiel went two 2-for-4. Ian Desmond went 2-for-4 with two runs and a home run. Pudge Rodriguez hit a three-run homer. Jason Marquis gave up two runs in seven innings for the win.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Washington Nationals (Game 2)

Danny Espinosa drove in three runs. Adam LaRoche went 2-for-3 with a home run. Livan Hernandez gave up one run in seven innings to improve to 3-2 with a 2.88 ERA.

Minnesota Twins @ Tampa Bay Rays

Steve Holm went 2-for-4 with a run. Jason Repko went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base. Sam Fuld went 2-for-5. Brian Duensing gave up two runs with five strikeouts in seven innings for the win.

San Diego Padres @ Houston Astros

Will Venable went 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base. Chase Headley went 2-for-5 with a run. Jorge Cantu hit a three-run homer. Nick Hundley went 2-for-5 with two runs and a home run. Cameron Maybin went 2-for-5 with a run and a stolen base. Jason Bartlett went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Chris Johnson went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Bill Hall had a pair of RBI.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Chicago White Sox

Maicer Izturis went 3-for-4 with two runs to raise his average to .383. Mark Trumbo went 2-for-4 with a home run. Carlos Quentin and A.J. Pierzynski each had a pair of hits.

Seattle Mariners @ Kansas City Royals

Justin Smoak went 2-for-4 with a run to raise his average to .300. Brendan Ryan drove in two runs. Michael Pineda gave up one run on three hits in six innings to improve to 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA.

Chicago Cubs @ Colorado Rockies

Dexter Fowler had a pair of RBI. Seth Smith went 2-for-2 with two runs, a home run and two RBI. Darwin Barney had two hits.

Detroit Tigers @ Oakland A’s

Josh Willingham had two RBI. Mark Ellis had two hits.

St. Louis Cardinals @ Los Angeles Dodgers

This game belonged to Matt Kemp, Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter and Chad Billingsley.

San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Willie Bloomquist went 2-for-6 with a run. Ryan Roberts went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Aaron Rowand raised his average to .364 by going 2-for-5 with a run.

Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees

Russell Martin went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Eric Chavez went 2-for-4 with a run and the winning RBI.

Also check out:

• Week 4 Two-Start Pitchers
• Today’s Streaming Pitcher Option

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Here’s a look at the unheralded fantasy baseball players who played well yesterday.

Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees

Andruw Jones went two-for-three. David Murphy went two-for-four. Freddy Garcia gave up two hits in six scoreless innings to improve to 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA.

Pittsburgh Pirates @ Cincinnati Reds

Jonny Gomes went two-for-four with two home runs (five) and three RBI (13). Juan Francisco went two-for-five with a run and an RBI. Ramon Hernandez went three-for-four with a Grand Slam. Ryan Doumit and Garrett Jones each had two hits for the Pirates. Mike Leake gave up two runs on four hits in six innings for the win.

Seattle Mariners @ Kansas City Royals

Alex Gordon went three-for-four with three runs and two RBI (11). Mike Aviles went two-for-four with three RBI (10). Jack Cust and Luis Rodriguez each had two hits for the M’s. Sean O’Sullivan threw five scoreless innings for the win.

Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox

Jed Lowrie went three-for-five with two runs, a homer and two RBI. Mike Cameron went two-for-four.

Baltimore Orioles @ Cleveland Indians

Travis Hafner went three-for-four with two runs. Orlando Cabrera went two-for-four with three runs, a homer and four RBI. Matt LaPorta went two-for-four with two runs. Jake Fox went two-for-four with two runs and a home run. Robert Andino went two-for-three. Josh Tomlin gave up two runs in six innings to improve to 3-0 with a 2.75 ERA.

New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves (Game One)

Alex Gonzalez hit a pair of home runs. Derek Lowe gave up two runs in six innings to improve to 2-2 with a 1.82 ERA.

New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves (Game Two)

Martin Prado went two-for-four with two runs and a stolen base. Chipper Jones went two-for-three with a run and an RBI (12). Eric Hinske went three-for-four with an RBI. Jair Jurrjens gave up two hits in seven scoreless innings to win his season debut.

Minnesota Twins @ Tampa Bay Rays

Matt Joyce went two-for-four with an RBI. John Jaso went two-for-four. Jason Kubel went two-for-three with a home run. Scott Baker gave up one run on four hits with six strikeouts in seven innings, but his bullpen let him down.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim @ Chicago White Sox

Maicer Izturis went three-for-five with a run to raise his average to .357. Tyler Chatwood gave up one run on five hits in seven innings for the win.

San Diego Padres @ Houston Astros

Chris Johnson went one-for-three with two runs, a home run and two RBI. Chase Headley went two-for-four with a run and two RBI. Rob Johnson went three-for-four.

San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Aaron Rowand went three-for-four with two runs to raise his average to .359. Freddy Sanchez is hitting .308 after going two-for-four with three RBI.

Chicago Cubs @ Colorado Rockies

Darwin Barney went two-for-five with a run and an RBI. Chris Iannetta hit a two-run homer. Casey Coleman gave up one run in 5.2 innings for the win.

Detroit Tigers @ Oakland A’s

David DeJesus went two-for-three with a run. Hideki Matsui went two-for-four with a run and an RBI. Dallas Braden gave up one unearned run in five innings for the win.

St. Louis Cardinals @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Ryan Theriot went three-for-five with a run and RBI. Allen Craig went three-for-four with two runs, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base. David Freese had two RBI. Kyle McClellan gave up one run on six hits in seven innings to improve to 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA.

Also check out:

• Week 4 Two-start Pitchers
• Today’s Streaming Pitcher Option

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