Fantasy Sports

BY ADAM RONIS

Nate McLouth was a guy I suggested you target late in your drafts. He had a great second half last season and is off to a fast start. He hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth off Takashi Saito to give the Pirates a 6-4 win over the Dodgers tonight. He is hitting .383 with two home runs and 14 RBIs.

The Dodgers outfield shuffle continued. This time Juan Pierre didn't start and Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier did. Kemp has been the one hurt the most so far. If you own him, just ride it out and hope Pierre continues to struggle.

Matt Capps was one of the closers I targted in the middle of drafts and after a tough first outing, he has pitched seven consecutive scoreless innings and picked up his fourth save. Saito, who was phenomenal last season, blew his first save of the season and allowed four hits and three runs in the ninth. He had thrown four hitless innings to start the season. I wouldn't worry yet, but he won't be as good as last season. The other concern is he is 38 and had minor injuries during the spring. Make sure you own Jonathan Broxton just in case.

Joe Borowski blew another save tonight, his second of the season, by allowing a two-run homer to Manny Ramirez in the ninth inning. He is 0-2 with an 18.00 ERA. The Indians were very patient with him last season and he did manage to save more than 40 games, but at some point, the Indians have to make a change. He complained of a lack of arm strength and was throwing in the low 80s. Rafael Betancourt also allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings and has a 5.14 ERA.

David Ortiz is hitting over .100!!! He went 2-for-5.

Conor Jackson is off to a very good start and should be a productive fantasy player this season. He hit his first homer of the season and has 10 RBIs along with a .312 average.

Randy Johnson returned from the DL and was a little wild against the Giants. He went five innings, allowing three hits, three unearned runs -none earned- walked four and struck out seven. He will be a valuable fantasy player if he stays healthy.

The Yankees and Tigers scoring runs? Yes, the two heavyweight offenses broke out tonight with Detroit putting up 11 runs and the Yankees eight. Every starter in the Tigers lineup except Jacques Jones had at least one hit. The Yankees did it by hitting four homers. Derek Jeter returned to the lineup and went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Evan Longoria will make it hard for the Rays to send him back down when Willy Aybar returns. He has a hit in each of his three starts and went 2-for-3 with his first major league homer. Ian Kennedy left in the seventh inning after taking a line drive off his hip.

Mike Napoli was a good late-round selection at catcher and he hit his fourth homer. Ervin Santana was great at home and awful on the road last season. He could be a bounce back candidate this season and pitched well in Texas tonight. He went seven innings, allowed seven hits, walked one, allowed three earned runs, and struck out six and is 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless inning for his fourth save.

Kurt Suzuki was another good late-round selection as a catcher. He went 4-for-4 and is hitting .370. Greg Smith walked five in six innings in his first start, but was much better against the White Sox. He went seven innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, one walk and struck out four to get the win and has a 2.08 ERA. He is a solid pickup in AL-only leagues.

Zach Greinke was a guy I targeted in every league and I didn't get him. He threw a complete game and allowed five hits, one earned run, walked one and struck out four. He is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA. Make sure he is owned.