BY ADAM RONIS
So all it took was a couple of days for Eric Gagne to clear his head? It's more an indictment of the lack of options in the Brewers bullpen. Salomon Torres pitched the seventh and eighth innings and didn't allow a run. Gagne came in for the ninth and allowed one hit and a walk to pick up his 10th save.
Edinson Volquez improved to 6-1 and has a 1.12 ERA. He allowed seven hits, one run, walked two and struck out five in six innings. He needs to cut down on his walks. He has walked at least two in each start and those will come back to hurt him at home. He has given up few hits and has allowed just one home run this season. I think he's for real, but like a lot of starters off to great starts (Lee, Marcum, Saunders), see what owners are willing to give up for them. You might get a good offer.
After leaving his last start with a blister, Jo-Jo Reyes wasn't good against the Phillies. He allowed 11 hits and five runs in 6 2/3 innings with no walks and five strikeouts. He should be owned in NL-only leagues and started based on matchups.
Kyle Kendrick improved to 3-2 by going six innings and allowing six hits, three runs, four walks and struck out two. He has a 4.87 ERA with a 20/16 K/BB ratio. Don't trust him.
Brad Lidge allowed his first earned run of the season, but still picked up his 10th save. He has turned things around. Getting off to a fast start with the tough Phillies fans is the best thing to happen to him.
Two of the worst offenses hooked up and the Indians prevailed over the A's, 4-0. The A's had no one in the starting lineup hitting over .277 and the Indians had one player hitting more than .273. Justin Duchscherer went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, one run, two walks and struck out six, but took the loss. He is 3-2 with a 2.20 ERA. This is the second straight start he pitched into the seventh inning. He has been successful because he has issued few walks. He has a 24/7 K/BB ratio. He's an option in mixed leagues.
Paul Byrd has been inconsistent, but he threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings against the A's and struck out seven to improve to 2-3. He has a 3.61 ERA. He should be started when the matchups are appealing.
Masa Kobayashi came into a 1-0 game in the eighth inning and got the final out. Ryan Garko hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning and Kobayashi stayed on to finish the ninth for his first save.
Dan Uggla remains hot. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and is batting .294. He has struck out 42 times. He's a nice sell high option right now, especially as a second baseman that could hit 30 HRs.
Jeff Keppinger left the game in the fourth inning with a fractured kneecap and is headed to the DL.
Joey Votto hit his eighth homer.
Josh Beckett put together four consecutive excellen starts before putting forth a dud against the Orioles. No need to worry. He'll be fine.
George Sherill pitched 1 2/3 innings for his 14th save. That's why you don't ignore closers on bad teams.
Ryan Church appears to be headed for a breakout season. He went 2-for-4 with his eighth homer and four RBIs. He is batting .324 with 30 RBIs.
John Maine has walked too many batters this season, but he has been very good lately. He needs to cut down on the amount of pitches he throws, which forces him to leave games early. He was lucky the Mets scored in the same inning he was pinch hit enabling him to get the win. He is 5-2 with a 2.81 ERA. He threw 109 pitches in six innings.
Billy Wagner picked up his eighth save and still hasn't allowed an earned run. In the other borough, Mariano Rivera allowed his first earned run of the season in the bottom of the 11th to take the loss for the Yankees, which has struggled immensely without A-Rod and Jorge Posada. A-Rod could return next week.
Chien-Ming Wang was excellent again, allowing one run in seven innings and has a 2.90 ERA. Edwin Jackson faced the Yankees for the third time this season and has pitched very well in two of them. He threw seven scoreless innings in a no-decision. He has a 3.47 ERA and should be considered in deep mixed leagues.
Troy Percival blew his second save of the season by allowing a homer to Hideki Matsui in the ninth. It will be interesting to see how Percival holds up this season. He threw 25 innings in 2005, didn't pitch in 2006 and threw 40 innings last season. He turns 39 in August.
Trevor Hoffman has had few save opportunities. He picked up his seventh against the Cubs.
After C.J. Wilson allowed four runs on Monday, Eddie Guardado picked up his first save. Wilson was unavailable after throwing 31 pitches Monday. Wilson is still the closer.
Jesse Litsch improved to 5-1 with a win over the Twins. He has a 4.11 ERA. He has been good because he has walked just seven in 46 innings. Consider in deep mixed leagues based on the matchup. B.J. Ryan picked up his sixth save.
Nate McLouth hit his 10th homer. He has hit 22 homers since last year's All-Star break. He is for real. Ryan Doumit has a fracture in his left thumb and will likely go on the DL. He's injury-prone.
Albert Pujols hit his eighth homer. When's the elbow going to fall off already??
Joakim Soria has yet to allow an earned run. He picked up save No. 9.
Jeff Francis has been horrible and he was awful tonight against the D-Backs. He has a 3.73 ERA against all teams except the D-Backs. He has a 11.25 ERA in three starts against Arizona.
Randy Johnson's final line wasn't great, but he improved to 3-1 despite a 5.40 ERA. He should get better.
Jered Weaver bounced back from a poor outing with one of his best. He threw seven scoreless innings and allowed one hit and two walks with six strikeouts. I said after his last outing not to give up on him. K-Rod picked up his 16th save.
Lance Berkman is officially in a slump. He went 1-for-3.
Matt Cain improved to 2-3 with a 4.17 ERA by allowing two runs in eight innings. Brian Wilson picked up save No. 12.
J.D. Drew has a sprained wrist and is day-to-day.
John Lackey will make his season debut tomorrow.
Rafael Furcal was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to May 6.