Ben Zobrist finally went deep.  The same could be said about Troy Tulowitzki, who hit just his second home run of the season.  Clayton Kershaw, Jon Lester, and Ubaldo Jimenez dominated.  Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games.

Pitchers:

  • Clayton Kershaw (7.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 K, W) –  He won for the third straight start since his awful, 1.1 inning outing, giving up 2 ER over his last 22.1 innings.  A lot of this success has come due to his limiting the walks/pitch count, going seven or more innings for three straight starts for the first time in his major league career (in fact, it’s the first time he’s even done it in back-to-back starts).  If he can continue working deep into games like this, the wins should be plentiful.
  • Tommy Hanson (1.2 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 K) –  Mike Leake (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K) continued to roll as Hanson suffered his worst start of his career.  Somehow, Hanson avoided the L, with the Braves rallying for seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to steal the game, 10-9.  The big shot against Hanson came from Joey Votto (1-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R).  It happens to the best of them, so don’t read too much into this start from Hanson.  With his next start coming against the Marlins, I’d look for a big rebound.
  • Jose Contreras (1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, SV) –  He picks up his second save, lowering his ERA to 0.63 on the year.  Given the struggles of Brad Lidge, both with his health and his success on the mound, could Contreras be pitching for the job long-term?  It wouldn’t be a surprise, so don’t hesitate from grabbing him if he’s still available.  The Phillies are obviously looking to win now and I wouldn’t think they would pull Contreras out of the closers role if he continues to excel there.
  • Jon Lester (9.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 9 K, W) –  He improved to 4-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.47 on the year.  After allowing 15 ER over his first 16 IP, Lester has been brilliant since.  He’s 4-0, allowing eight ER over his last six starts (43.2 IP).  Needless to say, he’s among the elite in the game.
  • Carlos Villanueva (1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, SV) –  It shouldn’t be a big surprise that he got the save opportunity instead of Trevor Hoffman.  We still don’t know the long-term answer, but if you are in need of saves, picking up Villanueva would certainly be a good idea.
  • Mitch Talbot (6.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 1 K) –  The lack of strikeouts are starting to catch up to him.  He now has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 20-to-24, so use caution in depending on him.
  • Ubaldo Jimenez (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K, W) –  He’s now 8-1 with a 0.99 ERA.  Yea, he’s good, what else is there to say?  While he left the game with cramping in his legs, it doesn’t appear anything to be considered about.  Early word is that he won’t miss a start.
  • Jake Peavy (6.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K) –  He’s shown signs of putting things together, like having won three straight starts prior to this (giving up six ER over 23.1 IP).  Unfortunately, there have also been a lot of outings like this, the fourth time already this season where he has allowed six ER or more.  His next start comes against the Indians, so he is usable there, but we’ll have to take it on a start-to-start basis at this point.
  • Tim Lincecum (5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 6 K) –  Everyone has bad starts from time to time.  Don’t be too worried about this one.

 

Hitters:

  • Alberto Callaspo (2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) –  He’s gone 25-73 with three HR, 14 RBI, and nine R in May.  Hitting .309 with seven HR and 28 RBI, he certainly has outperformed most expectations.  None of his underlying numbers (.303 BABIP, 9.7 percent HR/FB entering the day) are outrageous and with eligibility at both 2B and 3B, he’s a must-own option.
  • Albert Pujols (1-3) –  While he’s 7-18 over his last six games, he has just two R and no RBI over that span.  In fact, he has just one HR and 10 RBI in May.  Obviously, no one is going to push the panic button.  Owners everywhere are just hoping that Pujols can wake up and start producing like the No. 1 overall pick sooner rather then later.
  • Jose Bautista (1-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R) –  Will this guy ever stop hitting HRs?  That’s five home runs in his last six games, with no sign of him slowing down.  Despite the low average, you have to keep using him while he’s hot.
  • Magglio Ordonez (2-4, 2 RBI, 1 R) –  It’s his fifth multi-hit game in his last six.  He’s been scoring in droves during the steak, with seven R scored and nine in his last nine games.  One of the benefits of posting a .315 average in front of Miguel Cabrera.
  • Prince Fielder (1-4) –  The Brewers flipped him with Ryan Braun (0-4) without results.  We’ll have to see if this is a long-term change or not before deciding on the full scope of the impact.
  • Ben Zobrist (2-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) –  Finally!  After hitting 27 HR in 2009, Zobrist finally went deep for the first time in 2010.  It hasn’t been a total bust, hitting .289 with 20 RBI, 19 R and eight SB, but we all know we want to see the power.  I can’t believe the power has just disappeared, so look for this to be the start of something good.
  • Ike Davis (3-5, 3 R) –  As impressive as it was that David Wright (1-4, four RBI) finally went a game without a strikeout, Davis’ performance is much more impressive.  He’s now 4-9 since being installed in the cleanup spot.  If he keeps hitting like this RBI will come, so don’t hesitate to using him as your corner infielder in all formats.
  • Troy Tulowitzki (2-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R) –  It was his first HR since April 20, but don’t get concerned.  As we’ve said before, he didn’t really start producing until June last year, so don’t get concerned.
  • Nelson Cruz (4-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R) –  He has RBIs in four straight games, going 7-14 with 1 HR, 9 RBI, 3 R, and 2 SB.  While it is his first multi-hit game since April 22, there is no doubting Cruz’ ability when he’s on the field.  That’s the big question, however.  How often will he be on the field?

What are your thoughts from yesterday’s games?  Which ones caught your eye? Which ones did I miss?

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