BY ADAM RONIS
Scott Rolen is expected to be back in the Blue Jays lineup tomorrow. Rolen was sidelined with a finger injury and went 0-for-9 in his rehab with Single-A Dunedin. Rolen said he still has a bad bone bruise and feels it when he hits and throws. Keep him reserved until he produces and shows he's healthy enough to play.
Hunter Pence is starting to turn things around after a very slow start. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored hitting leadoff in the absence of Michael Bourn and is now up to .268. Lance Berkman is sizzling, going 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs giving him six HRs and 20 RBIs with a .325 average. He also stole his fourth base.
Corey Patterson returned to the starting lineup and went 2-for-3 with a run and Jerry Hairston Jr. started at shortstop and went 1-for-4.
Jose Valverde had another good outing in notching his third save. He threw a scoreless inning and struck out two.
Johnny Cueto had another shaky outing, but he did pitch seven innings in falling to 1-2. He allowed eight hits, five runs, walked two and struck out two and has a 4.05 ERA. As with all rookie pitchers, expect inconsistency.
Were you worried about the Tigers offense? How about now? The Tigers have scored 37 runs in the last three games and Curtis Granderson is back. The Tigers hit five home runs in an 8-2 win over Texas. Magglio Ordonez hit two. More concerning was the performance of Jeremy Bonderman. He threw 110 pitches, including just 56 for strikes. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, two runs, seven walks and struck out seven. He has a 4.28 ERA. With 21 walks and 17 strikeouts, an injury could be a factor.
Pat Burrell is being overshadowed by Chase Utley, but he is hitting ,355 with eight homers and 25 RBIs. He is a career .260 hitter. He'll likely get 30 HR and 100 RBIs, but selling high is a good idea.
Brad Lidge has yet to allow an earned run in 10 innings. He picked up his fifth save.
David Ortiz is hitting .189, but he hit another homer against the Angels. He has four home runs and 20 RBIs.
Joe Saunders hasn't been dominant, but he improved to 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA in a win over the Red Sox. He went six innings, allowed seven hits, three runs, walked three and struck out three. He has a K/BB ratio of 15/9.
Francisco Rodriguez picked up his ninth save.
Aaron Cook often gets overlooked, but he is pitching really well. He went eight innings allowed four hits, two runs, three walks and struck out five to improve to 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA. He has a K/BB ratio of 17/11. He should be owned in NL-only leagues and deep mixed leagues.
Brian Fuentes returned to the closer role and picked up the save with a scoreless inning and two strikeouts.
Francisco Liriano was awful against the A's. He has no control right now and should be benched until he turns it around. I said to be patient, but he doesn't look like he belongs in the majors right now. He lasted 2/3 of an inning, allowed five hits. six runs and walked three. His ERA is 11.32. He threw 35 pitches, 15 for strikes.
Greg Smith improved to 2-0 with another good performance. He went seven innings, allowed seven hits, two runs, walked one, and struck out three. He has a 2.88 ERA and should be owned in AL-only leagues.
Fausto Carmona improved to 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA, but he wasn't sharp against the Royals. He went five innings, allowed nine hits, four runs, four walks and struck out one. He has walked 22 and struck out just 11. That's a recipe for disaster.
So much for Hanley Ramirez cutting back on stolen bases. He stole two tonight and has eight. Josh Willingham went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs. He has six home runs and 16 RBIs.
Chipper Jones celebrated his 36th birthday with a 3-for-3 night and his seventh homer. He is batting .442. Manny Acosta pitched two scoreless innings for his second save for the Braves.
Have I mentioned Carlos Delgado stinks? He went 0-for-4 and is hitting .198.
Once again, add Felipe Lopez in NL-only leagues. He went 2-for-4 with a homer and six RBIs, but then again the Mets bullpen has allowed three grand slams this season. Yes, I am a disgruntled Mets fan.