They got off to a 17-26 start, during which they couldn't win at home nor on the road. Nearly their entire starting lineup was stacked with respectable hitters, but they had no chemistry, therefore they played poorly. Detroit's inconsistencies continued thanks to injuries, and continuous ineffective pitching. Out of the teams' 94 games played so far this year, only one player, Miguel Cabrera, has played over 90 of them. A great opening day lineup that would give the Yankees a run for their money faltered considerably. Sure individuals were doing their thing, putting up their usual numbers, but a few good players won't carry a team to a winning record, especially a team that lacked solid pitching.

Justin Verlander is tied for the team lead in wins with 7, but because of bad run support he also leads the team in losses with 9 despite have a 4.15 ERA. He has been consistent of late, but hasn't been helped by the rest of the rotation, with the exception of Armando Gallaraga (7-3, 3.27 ERA). Nate Robertson has been very inconsistent this year, as he, like Verlander, has a under .500 record, at 6-8. His ERA of 5.26 doesn't help his chances of being effective, leading to his poor mark. He has allowed way to many hits for how many he's pitched (143 hits in 116 innings), and because of that he can't get out of many innings unscathed. Other pitchers like Kenny Rogers (6-6, 4.55 ERA, 129 hits in 114 innings), Jeremy Bonderman (3-4, 4.29 ERA), and Dontrelle Willis (0-1, 10.32 ERA, 13 runs allowed in 11 innings pitched, and ahs allowed a staggering 21 walks. He is currently in the minor leagues) haven't helped the team win games regularly. If they don't deliver good outings consistently, and the hitters don't hit, the Tigers won't win the majority of their games.

The good news for the team of late have been that the team has climbed back to a .500 record, at 47-47, very impressive considering the way they started. Their pitching hasn't gotten better, as shown in their records, but their hitting has come to life. Miguel Cabrera has been steady, batting .284 with 16 homers and 57 rbi's. The rest of their stars, Carlos Guillen (.284, 8 homers and 47 rbis: All Star), Placido Polanco (.305, 102 hits), Curtis Granderson (.292, 50 runs scored, 10 homers), Ivan Rodriguez (.288, 4 homers, 78 hits), and Magglio Ordonez (.307, 12 homers, 50 rbi's, 92 hits), have picked their game up considerably after a slow start. They are the main reason why the team has made a comeback, and into contention in the AL Central.

Another great piece of news for the Tigers and their playoff hopes is that their once dominant set-up men, Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya, are back after missing the first 80 games of the season with injuries. Though Rodney has struggled in his 10 appearances (0-2, 7.71 ERA), Zumaya has not ( 1.59 ERA). Rodney is getting back into the feel of things, which is the main reason for his bad performances. He, like Zumaya, has nasty stuff, and will get back to his old form, giving the Tigers a great bullpen to mesh with closer Todd Jones (17 saves).

The Tigers have the offensive talent to get past the Twins and White Sox in the division, but they'll have to get more strong outings by their veteran pitching staff, and by their bullpen.

Dontrelle's recent struggles on the mound made way for his move to the Single-A Lakeland Tigers, as reported by everyone from ESPN to the Blogger with one or two daily readers. As a Marlins and Willis fan I was anxiously looking forward to July 12th because it meant that I would get to see Dontrelle in action when he pitches against the Palm Beach Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. It's almost a two-hour trip but for two baseball fans, it's nothing.

So I guess you can say I was somewhat surprised when my beloved Marlins TV announcers Tommy Hutton and Rich Waltz said last night during the Marlins broadcast that Dontrelle had "never pitched in Lakeland", was now "in Triple-A", and that he only went to Lakeland to "work out some issues but never pitched". HUH?

What's the deal? It clearly shows that Dontrelle not only pitched this past Sunday, he has been in three games already. Don't believe me? Check for yourself. So why would the Marlins flat out lie about Dontrelle's situation when it's so easy to contradict their words? Do they not want Marlins and/or Dontrelle fans to know he's going to be in the area in two weeks?

I just don't get it.

Due to my night owl tendencies, my desire to show up my friends, and my longing to find that next hot streak to ride I am always looking to deal my players. In my first year I was really hesitant to trade my 'star' players and even my popular named players because I felt like they would always come around. The truth is that sometimes last year number will never be reproduced (thank you very much Ian Snell). Or the worst is that you over valued a player at draft time and they have yet to produce what you expected them to do (Curtis Granderson, Joba Chamberlain).

So here the late night second guessing comes in to play. I cannot make the decision for you to trade a player, but in this game if you create a personal attachment to a player you are going to develop a skewed sense of what that player can accomplish.

This happens to many people who draft last year’s saviors for their teams. This is extremely tempting to do; I was in this situation this year with Ryan Braun. He single-handedly saved my team from oblivion in my 20 team league (went from 12 to finishing in 6th by .5 point). I know a team that took Dontrelle Willis in the first round last year because in the previous year he saved his ass. This, by itself isn't a bad thing, but when all your decisions have this much personal attachment to them you will have a negatively skewed idea of what a player will do for you now and in the future.

These personal attachments usually are your favorite player(s), or players from your hometown team. I have seen Red Sox teams, White Sox teams, and Minnesota teams in my league and even if your favorite team is the World Series winners, that doesn't meant they will lead you to fantasy baseball championships. So essentially what needs to happen is that you lose all personal attachments to players and teams to put in place a championship winning team.

Now go make some trades that will benefit you in the long run. If there is one thing that I want you to remember it would be this, "The past is done, the present is what you sell, and the future is what you buy".

This week's edition of Photo of the Week comes from none other than Dontrelle. Nothing like a Sunday afternoon of signing ugly Topps Stickers and chewing Bazooka gum.

As far as we the fans were concerned, he was our "son". When the Marlins traded Dontrelle and Miguel Cabrera many felt the same way I felt. First there was anger about losing Cabrera, a future "A-Rod" in the making but most of all there was sadness for losing Willis.

Let's be honest, after his magical 2005 season Dontrelle was never the same. The ERA kept climbing while the losses kept stacking up. That was okay, though. It's Dontrelle Willis, man. He is our hometown boy.

In 2006 after going 12-12 for the Marlins while giving up close to four runs a game, Dontrelle spent a night in jail after having one too many drinks and urinating in front of a Miami police officer. C'mon, boys will be boys!

It wasn't until the next year that we finally began to witness the Dontrelle Willis downward spiral. While no one expected him to win 20 games with the line-up the Marlins put out, he finished the season with a very disappointing 10-15 record while giving up an ERA of 5.17. The magic was gone and by Winter he was packing his bags for Detroit.

So far this season Dontrelle has gotten off to a terrible start, been injured and spent time on the DL, been moved to the bullpen, and finally yesterday, sent down to the Minors, in single-A! His final MLB stats for the year: 0-1 in four starts with an ERA of 10.32.

It's been quite a free fall from the days when Dontrelle was crowned "Rookie of the Year". Today, he will join the ranks of Nicholas Martin and Jordan Tata of the Lakeland Flying Tigers. No one knows how long he will stay there but as of now it's up to Dontrelle to take charge of his career and most of al his life. After all, this story has to have a happy ending. Dontrelle Willis deserves one.

photo credit: Michael Rodriguez

The control problems that Willis was sent down to solve, according to the Detroit Tiger Weblog, were a byproduct of his mental state, but it remains to be seen if a full recovery is in his future.

The demotion was a desperate move, to be sure, but one that was imperative after the way Willis has performed in a Tigers uniform. The lefty has pitched to a 10.32 ERA and walked 21 batters in 11.1 innings in 2008, earning a new nickname from DTW: D-saster. Monday's start was a culmination of his problems, as he walked five and allowed two home runs and eight earned runs in 1.1 innings of work.

Willis' willingness to accept a minor league assignment, especially one where he bypasses two levels in the minors, is an encouraging sign, but there is plenty of work left to be done. He will be in a place where inexperienced, 19 and 20 year-old hitters can help him get rid of some doubts, and he can be free of major league pressures while working on mechanical issues.

To state the obvious, control numbers will serve as indicator of Willis' progress in Lakeland. As he starts to command the strike zone again, Willis will earn consideration for a recall.

Other Opinions
Where Have You Gone, Johnny Grubb? wonders if Willis will walk down the same path as Steve Blass.

Deadspin tries to pinpoint where and when it all went wrong.

Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press believes the demotion was a good call.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.

I can't really be try to be funny for this one.

Not to say I didn't see it coming, or that it isn't merited. Willis has been on a free fall since his spectacular 2005 season which saw him pitch 236 innings (as a 23 year old, with his parented leg-kicking windup - we could be looking at the source of the problem right there) with a 6.47 K/9 ratio and 3.09 Ks/BB and a mere 11 home runs allowed all season. The following seasons saw his strike out numbers remain constant, but his control deteriorated as he posted 1.93 and then 1.68 K/BB ratios. His home runs also rose to 21 and then 29 in 223 and 205 innings.  This season isn't even worth mentioning as injuries have kept him off the field for most of it.  When he has pitched it's been a disaster.

The dude is 26 still, so let's hope he can get his shit back together. Few players have endeared themselves to the South Florida fan base like Willis did. Between his delivery, his sudden burst onto the scene in the midst of that magical 2003 season and subsequent playoff run, his ability at the plate (including a triple in the 2003 NLDS, one of my favorite baseball moments ever, as well as hitting at least one home run in each of his Florida seasons), to the way in which he just seemed to be having so much damn fun out there (pardon my cliche), he's probably the most beloved Marlin ever. He displayed the same exuberance he did on the field any time he was in the stadium or had a camera point in his direction. He was one of those guys that wasn't afraid to let it show that he really loved being a major league baseball player. I mean, he seemed to almost enjoy playing in Florida! Do you realize how rarely that happens?

He once got a DUI pulling over and peeing in the open on a main Miami freeway at 4 in the morning. That's gotta be one of the best athlete arrest stories around. I'll include the mugshot because the internet is a wonderful thing.

Oh yeah, and he called me "boss" once. Notice comments 106 and 108.

Anyway, here's to hoping he gets his shit together and avoids becoming a 3 year/$29 million dollar version of Barry Zito.  I'll root for him wherever he goes, though the Tigers aren't moving him anywhere as long as he is under that contract.

Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, continue with the Sidney Ponson and Kansas City Royal jokes.

Otherwise known as Lakeland.  We certainly hope it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood when you arrive, young man.

Amtrak went 1 1/3 innings, gave up eight runs, two homers, five walks, three hits, nine blargs, six thwings, one harrumph, and struck out two. That seems ... excessive.

Their overall play is very surprising to say the least, especially with so called powerhouses like the Phillies, Braves and Mets in their division. Their hitting, batting average wise, isn't very good but they eek out wins with clutch hitting. Their 7th straight was a come from behind win, 3 runs in the 7th inning against the Washington Nationals, whom they have beaten for 6 of their 11 road wins. If you can come back from a deficit, and get good bullpen you can win a bunch of games at home as well as on the road. As a team the Marlins are 12-9 at home, but are even better on the road, 11-5. They are hitting better on the road, which is a good sign because the hitting will come for Florida at home, eventually making them a better offensive team.

Hanley Ramirez, their 24 year old shortstop, is fresh off signing a 6 year 70 million dollar contract, a great move for the future of the team (and a steal in today's market). He is showing why the Marlins gave him the lucrative deal, hitting .336 this year with 8 homers, 48 hits and 13 steals so far this year. Though Florida's team batting average is low, .257, they get big hits when they need them, mainly from Ramirez and Dan Uggla. Uggla hot start is huge for the team, as he is hitting .280, but with 11 homers and 27 rbi's. Role players like Jeremy Hermida, Mike Jacobs and Jorge Cantu are making a name for themselves as well. Hermida is hitting .305 with 36 hits, and 18 rbi's, Jacobs is hitting .271 but has knocked 9 homers and driven in 24 rbi's, and Cantu, the teams' replacement for Cabrera at third base, has a batting average like Jacobs but has 37 hits, including 10 doubles. The reason for the overall team success even with the poor overall batting average is patience, they have 5 players that have drawn 10 or more walks contributing to a high on base percentage. The teams' lineup is averaging over .320 OBP this season. Getting a lot of players on base is allowing them to drive in runs, therefore getting wins.

Like their offense, their pitching is beaming with confidence. Mark Hendrickson leads the team with a 5-1 record, while posting an ERA of 3.5, while youngster Scott Olson has 4 wins to his name to only just one loss, and a 2.5 ERA. Though their starting pitching has been shaky at times, (rightfully so with a young staff ) their bullpen has not. Renyel Pinto, a middle reliever who has seen regular action this season, has allowed just 14 hits in 25 innings and just 2 runs, leading to a .70 ERA. His performance this season has given the Marlins a spark and has allowed closer Kevin Gregg to obtain 7 saves in 8 chances. They have won a lot of close games this year, making the bullpen's job even more important.

If the Marlins keep getting the situational hitting they have gotten, progress from their starters, and a continually strong bullpen this start won't be an admiration.

It's baseball season – time to cheer on your favorite players in the major leagues. Maybe you only root for the athletes on your home team. Or maybe you like all the guys who've got game. Either way, you probably know the names of baseball greats such as Ken Griffey Jr. of the Cincinnati Reds and Dontrelle "The D-Train" Willis of the Detroit Tigers.

African-American players like these are huge stars in professional baseball. But it took a long time for Major League Baseball to add black players to its teams.

Baseball has been played professionally in the United States since the last few decades of the 19th century. And almost from the start, white players tried to exclude black athletes from their games. But that didn't stop the black players. They formed their own leagues and competed against one another.

You can read all about the great, gritty history of African-American teams in the illustrated book, "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball," by Kadir Nelson. (Until the 1960s, "Negro" and "colored" were commonly accepted terms for African-Americans.)

The narrator of "We Are the Ship" is a fictional Negro League player, but the story he tells is true. And the vivid oil painting illustrations show spot-on likenesses of some of the most famous figures in black baseball.

Right off the bat, the book tells readers about the Negro National League (NNL). Rube Foster, a former baseball player, formed the NNL in 1920 in the Midwest.

By 1923, a few teams split from the NNL to form the Eastern Colored League. In 1924, the two groups held the first Negro League World Series between the champions of each association.

Despite the growing success of the Negro Leagues, they often struggled financially. And since "whites only" restaurants and hotels usually outnumbered those for African-Americans, it could take hours for players to find somewhere to rest and refuel before an away game.

During winter, many teams played baseball in Latin American countries such as Cuba or Mexico. There, black players didn't face segregation, and the people they met were fans of any good ballplayer, no matter what race he was.

Negro Leaguers played against white major-league teams, too, but only in unofficial games. Still, the games allowed white teams to see black players' skills. And major-league owners took notice when, during part of the 1930s, the Negro Leagues' all-star game drew bigger crowds than the majors' all-star match.

After several more years, a few white teams were finally ready to accept black players. Jackie Robinson first broke baseball's color barrier when he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Soon, more African-American players signed with the majors. Hank Aaron was one of them. He wrote the forward to "We Are the Ship," and although he appreciates his major-league career, he has fond memories of his days in the Negro Leagues.

Once the greats of black baseball began crossing over, the Negro Leagues stopped attracting such large crowds. By 1960 all the black-only teams were gone.

But the Negro Leagues left a proud legacy. The expert players they produced overcame segregation in baseball and made it possible for talents like Ken Griffey Jr. to be a part of America's national pastime in a big way.

Why do I stink so badly?

I always claim my problems are injuries and slumps (and a heaping helping of bad luck).

The problems facing my CBS team:

--Next to last in HR, last in RBI, last in Slugging (but hey, first in Steals)

--My pitching isn't all that bad, close to the middle in most categories

--Injuries to Phil Hughes (who was pitching badly) and Dontrelle Willis

--Ichiro Suzuki only batting .281 (he's normally about 50 points higher)

--Delmon Young only hitting .252, 0 homers (I just traded him--so watch for him to improve immediately)

--Nick Swisher only batting .205, 3 homers (expected big things from him)

--Khalil Greene only batting .204, 1 homer (never a big average guy, but where's the power?)

--Rafael Betancourt with a 5.52 ERA (bullpen "ace" got chance to be the closer, bombed)

--Justin Verlander with a 1-4 record and 5.92 ERA (top 20 starting pitcher? Yikes.)

--Manny Delcarmen with a 6.92 ERA (set-up guy extraordinaire has been anything but)

--Francisco Liriano with a 16.88 ERA and 3.56 WHIP (didn't quite come back from Tommy John surgery as quickly as hoped)

The problems facing my Yahoo team:

--J.R. Towles only batting .164 (not hitting his weight, a bad sign)

--Robinson Cano only batting .182 (always a slow starter, but jeez)

--see Nick Swisher, above

--Jeff Francoeur hitting .263, only 3 homers (big power guy was predicted to get to 30--better hurry up)

--Troy Tulowitzki only hitting .152, 1 homer (horrific slump for a Colorado Rockie, now on disabled list)

--Adam Jones only hitting .228 (superstud prospect struggling)

--see Rafael Betancourt, above

--Jered Weaver has a 5.59 ERA (young Anaheim ace has been yucky)

--C.C. Sabathia has a 6.55 ERA (Cleveland ace has been hammered)

--not one pitcher with more than 2 wins

If you've read this and have any kind of clue as to how to fix this, drop me a line.

Having come to the Florida Marlins in a trade that saw two hometown idols leave for Detroit, the spotlight has been shinning bright on Andrew Miller more than anyone else. Cameron Maybin, a five tool player and future superstar being called the next Ken Griffey Jr. was arguably the center piece of the trade but he's barely surviving in AA minor league ball. Other players brought in the trade like Mike Rabelo & Burke Badenhop had made a small impact but it's Miller who has to live up to lofty expectations that so far, he has not fulfilled by any stretch of the imagination. In 31 inning pitched this season he has given up a deadly 51 hits and 29 runs so it is no wonder that there have been many whispers throughout the Internet, on the sports radio shows, and even in the media about a demotion. Unfortunately for them, on this day Andrew Miller finally showed flashes of greatness that had been absent all season long. He not only out pitched the future hall of fame member Greg Maddux, he also out shined him by driving in a run for his own cause.

Of course, this will all go to waste if Andrew struggles in his next outing but one thing you should remember is that Andrew is just a baby by baseball standards. Many consider Sandy Koufax the greatest southpaw pitcher of all-time but it took him six long years to come into his own. Johan Santana became a 20-game winner in his fifth year in the bigs, and Steve Carlton had his first strong year at the age of 24, when he won 17 games. So if you want to go to the games and discount Miller's ability or if you are a baseball card investor who has given up on Andrew after a rough start, your loss. It won't be long before Andrew Miller finds his groove in baseball, if he hasn't already. The only question by then will be whether or not Miller will be sporting a Florida Marlin jersey or a Carolina Mudcats one.

Well, it's 2008 and Brandon Webb is off to a 6-0 start this season and my By The Letter autograph is sitting in someone else's collection. This is what I call trader's remorse. Have you ever experienced it? I am sure I am not the only one who has not made a bonehead trade, right? Anyone... :(

Heck, it's not like Detroit is doing any better. They gave Cabrera millions only to see him get off to a horrible start while Willis pitched two games, gave up lots of runs, and got injured. The Tigers are currently in last place in their division while the Marlins are first in theirs. I don't think anyone believes that Miguel won't get his 30 home runs/100 R.B.I but as of now it's clear both teams got shafted in this trade. I am as big of an Andrew Miller supporter as anyone but it's time to send him down or at least put him in the bullpen where he might be able to build his confidence. I don't like the feeling I get when Miller is starting a game. It's a feeling of fear, pity, and anger that we are almost guaranteed a loss. I want my Florida Marlins to shock the world but it won't happen unless the entire team contributes on a regular basis.

As for the card below, it's a 2008 Topps Co-Signers. Doesn't Topps have anyone who can take new photos of baseball players? These two images have been used, reused, and abused over and over again in 2007 releases. Isn't that what this guy is for? Geez!

Since I'll be out at something called "Beerfest" tonight, and won't be able to watch the game, I thought I'd give y'all something to discuss amongst yourselves tonight.

Last night Dontrelle Willis left the game with a hyperextended knee. His performance this year has been, umm, pretty terrible to say the least -- two games, five innings (he left in the first last night), just one hit given up, but 4 runs, all earned. How does one give up 4 runs on 1 hit you might be asking yourself? I would counter by saying, "With nine walks."

He hasn't been anywhere near himself since the 2005 season, when he won 22 games, struck out 170 and was named to the National League All Star team. But was that the Dontrelle that we should've come to expect?

In his first year in the majors, Dontrelle was a dominant force on the mound. He was a good pitcher with a confusing delivery. It's something that worked for Hideo Nomo and other Japanese pitchers coming into the league for the first time. But in Major League Baseball, that only works for a year or so. After that, you need to be a real pitcher with real pitches. I don't know that I'd say Dontrelle Willis had that problem. He seemed to have some good movement on some of his pitches, and pretty good control over his delivery.

But his second season would be a rough one, going just 10-11 with an ERA just over 4. Some wondered if he was just another pitcher with a high leg kick, and if batters had figured him out. The 2005 season would put an end to that discussion, but only temporarily. Over the next two years, Willis would pick up 22 more wins -- the same amount as in 2005 alone -- and watch his ERA hit an abysmal 5.17 by the time the 2007 season ended.

In the beginning of his problematic 2007 season, I was one of those people hoping to see him traded to a different team. I wasn't a Marlins fan, per se, but I did want to see them better themselves. And at that time, Dontrelle's value was still pretty high. When the Fish finally decided to trade Willis before this season, he hadn't much value left.

The Marlins would wind up trading the D-Train, along with Miguel Cabrera, to the Detroit Tigers for Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Rabelo, Eulogio de la Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop. While Cabrera, whose career path should eventually lead him to the Hall of Fame, was the focal point of that trade, the Tigers were hoping to get the Dontrelle Willis of old...

...which brings us to Friday night. Willis walking off the mound, his posture looking like that of a man who hasn't caught a break in, oh, almost 4 years. And well, he hasn't. But what's wrong with Dontrelle? Is it just an injury? A problem with his delivery? Is he just not that good? Should the Fish have tried to move him sooner?

A friend who works in the Dolphin Stadium offices once told me that Dontrelle Willis was the nicest guy in the world. A guy who would come in just to hang out with them and watch tv. He'd point at the screen during MTV Cribs and tell everyone how he was at that person's house, all with that big goofy grin on his face. He always seemed like a guy out there just looking to have fun. Hopefully, he gets back to his old ways. Seeing one of the happiest guys on a baseball diamond look the way he did when he walked off Friday night? It was a sad thing to watch.

I'll let you all discuss what you think of the D-Train and the seeming derailment of his career in the comments section.

Have at it folks. I'll see y'all tomorrow with a recap of tonights action.

(And for any errors in this post, please feel free to let me have it in the comments. I didn't have time to proofread anything since I'm already late for my drunken festivities. You'll forgive me? This would probably be why I dont claim to be insightful that often.)

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Dontrelle Willis may have the craziest stat line of the season so far.

G:2 IP: 5.0 H:1 R:4 K: 0 BB:9 BAA: .071 ERA: 7.20

The story behind it is even weirder.  Willis denied being hurt all spring, despite repeated arm shaking.  He has had obvious command issues and in his last start had to be removed from the game after falling during his delivery.

Willis appeared to insist he was fine, but Leland removed him from the game anyway.

The Tigers ignored the warning signs, persistent decline and pitching motion destined for arm injury, to sign Willis to a three-year $29 million extension.  Not looking like an awesome move at the moment.

Let's hope they fare a little better tonight.

We've got;
Dominant Hudson. On the mound tonight, who despite two great starts, is only 1-0 to show for it. We've got 13 IP's 5 R's, 7 K's and 0 BB's from Huddy in April. Very nice.

Slumping Teixeira. It's not RFK any more. This is the kind of park where you can get some hits. Although hitter friendly Coors Field wasn't a good setting to ignite Tex's bat maybe getting out of the CO Chill and into some warmer weather may help get things started. The low is 68 in DC tonight although there are scattered showers to come.

Smokin' Chipper. Hitting .385 after 9 games. What more can I say?

Amazing Moylan. 1.93 ERA in 6 appearances. The only guy I really get excited about seeing out of the pen. 1 ER, 1 BB and 3 K's.

They've got;
A team coming off 7 straight losses. Let's kick 'em while they're down.

Matt Chico on the mound to start the series. 0-1 5.56 ERA, after two starts. Good control. 9 K's and 3 BB's and only 1 HR so far. However 7 ER's and 14 H's in two starts means our lineup could get hot on this guy.

The ever talented franchise player Ryan Zimmerman. However, since single handedly defeating the Braves with his walk off dinger on March 31st, Ryan is hitting just over the Mendoza line at .209. He's had one other homer and mustered only 3 RBI's during the Nats 7 losses in a row.

Honorable Mention- Lastings Milledge the former attention stealing Met is hitting .305 w/ 5 RBI's. Christian Guzman is off to a good start at .298 and 6 RBI's.

Other than that the talent in Nats' lineup is sparse. Poor Ol' Willie is managing a .077 BA in 8 starts and 13 AB's.

So if you've been feeling a little down about the Braves and their awful showing in Colorado this week, this is a good team to get back on track against. Then we go to the warmer climate of Miami to take on the first place Marlins. (Did I actually just type "First place Marlins"?). And even though the Fish have been good lately the lack the intimidation they once had with Miggy and D-Train in the mix.

Braves and Natspos. 7:35 EDT. Let's get it back in gear tonight.

Keep Choppin',
JB in ATL

First off, the team that has been most rumoured to be interested in Burnett had been the Cubs, and it is safe to say that they are no longer interested. With both Milwaukee and Chicago out of the running, the St. Louis Cardinals seem to be the next logical destination. With a rotation currently stocked with journeymen (Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper, Todd Wellemeyer and Joel Pineiro) and its two aces (Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter) facing uncertain futures following serious injuries, it would seem like a matter of "when" and not "if" the Cards will make a move to counter the improvements made by the Brewers and Cubs. But the Cards could play the wait and see approach for the next couple weeks and see what Carpenter or Mulder can do, especially since the return of either would be just as effective as making a trade and would cost the organization nothing.

The second recently erected hurdle to moving Burnett came during tonight's game with the Orioles when starter Dustin McGowan left the game in the 4th inning with apparent shoulder stiffness. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow to see what the damage is. If it is significant enough to keep him out of action for several weeks it will be very difficult for J.P. to move Burnett because it would leave the Jays' rotation with only Roy Halladay and Jesse Litsch (until the eventual return of Shawn Marcum) and effectively wave the white flag - something management has historically been reluctant to do.

If McGowan's injury isn't serious however, and the Jays continue to shop Burnett, there will be no shortage of teams in the market for a starting picther. The Mets and Yankees have weak spots in their rotation and could use a power arm like Burnett down the stretch (especially the Mets who hope to avoid another late season collapse). The Tigers would seem like good candidates for a trade, but since they dealt the majority of their top-tier prospects to the Marlins (in the Cabrera/Willis deal) they will probably be all but out of the running. The Rangers would also seem like another good trading partner, considering the names of their 3 through 5 starters are barely recognizable (and have been equally ineffective), but they may be too far back (7.5 games behind the division-leading Angels and 6 games behind the Red Sox in the wild card) at this point for it to be worth their while.

The Phillies and Dodgers on the other hand are the most likely teams, outside of St. Louis, to make a serious run at Burnett. Although the Phillies sit atop of the NL East, only 5.5 games seperate them from the 4th place Braves. Couple that with the fact that they will most likely be battling it out with one of the Brewers or Cubs if they lose their grip on top spot in the division, and a deal seems even more likely. The Dodgers on the other hand don't have to worry about anyone from any other division but their own. But that means taking down the pitching rich, and reigning division champion, D-Backs. With staff ace Brad Penny on the DL, and only the young Chad Billingsley and the still unproven Hiroki Kuroda to back up veteran Derek Lowe, it will be difficult for the Dodgers to match the boys from Arizona without outside help.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the next couple weeks go.

By: JOHN SCAFETTA

Welcome to short-season baseball Dontrelle!

A place where hot dogs are two dollars,  mascots are more popular than the players and the in-between-inning activities get the fans more excited than the actual game.

This has to be a joke, right?

Dontrelle Willis has been optioned to single-A Lakeland of the Florida State League.

Yes, the same Dontrelle Willis that was named the National League Rookie of the year in 2003 after going 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA, who flew on to the scene with his signature exaggerated wind up (a la Juan Marichal) and exuberant smile.

This is the same Dontrelle Willis who led the majors in wins during the 2005 season with 22, while posting a 2.63 ERA. And this is the same Dontrelle Willis who inked a one-year contract with the Florida Marlins for $6.45 million in 2007 and was subsequently traded to the Detroit Tigers along with fellow Marlin Miguel Cabrera during this past off-season.

After a month-stint on the disabled list, Willis has just five starts this season with the Tigers, throwing 11 1/3 innings, while notching an ERA of 10.32 ERA,

His most recent start Sunday night saw the lefty give up eight earned-runs in just an inning and a third.

Tigers' general manager Dave Dombrowski has said there is no time table for his return.

Many cite Willis' control issues this season to his weight and his inability to repeat his high leg kick.

"Dontrelle is heavier than he was," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said on Wednesday. "Is that an issue? I don't know."

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Derek Jeter is a special player whose drive and competitiveness is almost unmatched. A day after being hit on the wrist with a pitch, Jeter played and stole a base and drove in a run. It looks like the Yankee captain is ok, and get him back into your lineup.

Dontrelle Willis has been activated from the disabled list, but he will go to the bullpen for the time being, while Armando Gallaraga will remain in the rotation. I urge all of you to stay away from the D-Train. He is a great example of someone who has a great love for the game, but isn’t a good fantasy option.

Joba Chamberlain pitched two innings tonight in a blowout win against the Orioles, which is weird since they have been so protective of him. Joe Girardi confirmed after the game that they have begun the process of stretching Joba out to put him in the starting rotation. This isn’t a one week process, but he will be starting before the All-Star Break. This guy has some electric stuff, and although he hasn’t been the same dominator as last season, I would try to get him on the cheap right now before the news spreads. He could have a big impact in the rotation.

One guy that Chamberlain won’t be replacing in the rotation is Darrell Rasner, who has been so much more than the Yankees could have hoped for. Rasner went to 3-0 since his recall, after throwing seven shutout innings and striking out six. I don’t see Rasner keeping this up all season long, but if you have an injury or some dead weight, ride the hot hand while Rasner is producing.

Ben Sheets continues to do what he does when he is healthy. Sheets threw his second complete game of the season and improved his record to 5-1 with a win over the Pirates. Sheets allowed just one run and struck out six and now has an ERA under three. I still warn you greatly about Sheets’ inability to remain healthy and not to target him in a trade. If you own Sheets, now is a great time to test his value around your league and see if you can find someone who likes him.

Bartolo Colon did well in his first start of the season as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but I’m not sure that he is a guy that I would target for my team. Colon was a former Cy Young award winner, but that was a few years ago and he has been through a lot since. Colon threw five innings, allowed two runs and struck out four. He is on a team that would lend themselves to getting some wins, but I’m not sure how long he will be in the rotation, and I don’t know if you can expect him to produce well.

Dana Eveland threw his fourth consecutive great start, in fact, it was the best of his career. Eveland threw a complete game on Wednesday, and only allowed a home run to Johnny Gomes and struck out five. Eveland is now 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA for an Oakland team that doesn’t score a ton of runs. Eveland is a great option for the end of your rotation, but you have to expect that ERA to jump up at least a half a run by the end of the season.

The Seattle Mariners sent rookie Jeff Clement back to AAA the other day after his struggles became too much. Clement had only eight hits in 15 games without a home run and only two ribbies. Clement still has a ton of long term talent, especially in keeper leagues, but for now he won’t be able to help you.

Ok, so Derrek Lee hit his 11^th homer of the year today. However, after a blazing start Lee has slowed way down. After the month of April Lee had eight homers, 21 days into May he only has 11. Through the first month of the season, Lee was hitting .364, that average has now dropped to .302. Finally, 23 of his 30 RBI came during the month of April. I believe that Lee will still have a respectable year, but that incredible start had to come to an end.

Boston rookie Jacoby Ellsbury continues to be incredibly impressive. Not only did Ellsbury lead off tonight’s game with a homer, but also had three hits and stole his 19^th base in 20 attempts. It is looking more and more that Ellsbury will give the Red Sox their second consecutive rookie of the year (Pedroia in ’07).

Stephen Drew is really starting to show the hitting ability we all knew he had. Drew has been on a good roll lately and is now hitting near .300. Stephen also hit his 6^th homer of the year as he has started to show a little more power as of late. If for some reason he is still available, definitely go and grab him, if not, see if you can get him on the cheap. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a good second half from Drew.

Geriatric Homer Run Derby—Both Jermaine Dye and Vladimir Guerrero both hit the ball out of the ballpark twice on Wednesday. While Vlad still carries a good deal of fantasy value, I don’t hold much stock at all in Dye. Even after the breakout tonight, Guerrero still only has 6 home runs, so you might be able to get him cheap. I still expect 28-30 HRs from Vlad by the end of the season.

As always, your questions (adds, drops, trades) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Don’t forget to check me out at mlbfrontoffice.com on Tuesdays under In The News. Also go to fantasybaseballsearch.com to find me in the Gurus Blog.

But look at their standings! Total opposite of where they are suppose to be. A lot of their hitters are struggling, their pitching is struggling, I haven't watched enough of their games to look at their defense, but their ability to win is just not there.

If there is anything to blame, it is the fact that their pitching is still over-par in getting these games wrapped up. You have Willis, who won't be back for a couple weeks, as the innings anchor for a team with an already talented starting staff. You have the Gambler Kenny Rogers, who has struggled in enough starts to ponder how much he has left in him. And you have Justin Verlander & Jeremy Bonderman, two hard-throwing-nasty-pitching hurlers who have no reason to be struggling in any stadium, let alone one of the biggest fields in baseball.

I think this team had touted too much of their "unbelievable" ( hahaha ) offense that this team is going to have. I believe their offense is pretty potent, but lets put some easy-bake oven facts here on why their offense isn't going to be amazing: 1) Renteria is a line-drive hitter, and their isn't any way he's hitting more than 6 homeruns out of this stadium. Since this stadium has the same square-footing equivalent to the Roman Aqueducts, his hard at-bats of toughing out a pitcher by fouling off good balls will end up in a lot of foul-line outs, and his line-drives will be easily held to singles since no one places their fielders to close to yield those high-risk inside-the-park homeruns.

2) Players:Gary Sheffield is old. Ivan Rodriguez is old. Sheffield's natural swing will keep him dangerous, but doubtfully I don't see any more than 20-24 jacks this year. Ivan's offense has been declining more than non-Opec oil production ( yea I did a Dennis Miller, read the f*@king link and get some knowledge). He is also old, and he has to catch, so if he doesn't do well now, he will not do well come August.

Magglio Ordonez had an amazing season last year, but their is no way he is going to recapture that same streak that he did before. If anything, his stats will look more like 2006 than in 2007. It is hard to bat .360, and he did it once in the eve of his prime. I just can't see him repeating that feat.

Polanco & Granderson are going to set the table again. I think both their years last year were a little over-the-top, but they are good hitters. I am just unsure whether the new lineup changes and the RBI machines will perform as fluid as they did a year ago.

3) The Field: The field is not meant for hitters to do well in. If you like hitting homers, than you would love to never play in Detroit. Your hitters will be the kings of spraying doubles & triples, but those four-baggers are just as easily available if you had to run the bases from a gap shot to get one.

I know the Red Sox got three yesterday ( Ortiz still looks uncomfortable if you ask me), but those are rare occasions that I will say will frequent the Detroit TIger lineups even on the best of days. Just ask San Diego, Ryan Klesko & Brian Giles how easy it is to hit one to right-center?

This team isn't going to fade. Their offense isn't going to carry them; it will have to be their pitching. If they can find a way to get Verlander some runs, get Dontrelle back, and keep Rogers healthy, they will stack up some wins and be back into this division by June.

PREDICTION: Look for the Tigers to go 21-9 in the next 30 games and all of this talk will be over. WIllis will be back, the luck of scoring runs during good pitched games will come into play, and the Indians will have some competition again.

Speaking of hot, when the hell is Chipper Jones going to come back to earth? With a 3-6 game on Sunday, Chipper is hitting .425 on the year. This isn’t the first week anymore people, for this guy to still be hitting over .400 after five weeks of the season is insane. If I owned Chipper, I would be trying to find the highest bidder in my league and deal him off. There’s NO way he can possibly keep this up, and his value will never be higher. He also has nine homers and has driven in 27.

Roy Halladay finally got some support from his teammates. Maybe the key is for him to be successful is to not throw a complete game, as he is 1-3 when he goes all the way. Halladay was great on Sunday, going 7.1 innings giving up just one earned and whiffing seven. Halladay is still one of the AL’s elite pitchers, and if he stays healthy will win 15 games.

Travis Hafner’s cold streak has now lasted over a year. After a disappointing 2007, Pronk has not picked it up in 2008. After another 0-3 on Sunday, Hafner’s batting average now sits at .209. He is still driving in runs at a decent pace, he does have 17 ribs, but his power has declined as he only has hit three out. The opposite of Granderson, he is too cold to trade right now, and if you have him you are pretty pissed.

Indians’ rookie Aaron Laffey was better in his second start than he was in his first. Laffey lasted seven innings, didn’t give up an earned run and fanned five. However, the unearned run he allowed pinned him with his second loss. He has been decent at worst in both starts, but he is now 0-2. He is still worth keeping an eye on, if he throws a good start or two you might want to think of making a move to get him.

Yankees’ rookie pitcher Ian Kennedy was sent down to Triple A following his latest disappointing start. That is now both of the young pitchers the Yanks were counting on either being hurt or demoted in just five weeks. This gave an opportunity to Darrell Rasner who was ripping up the minors, who made the most of his opportunity. He gave up a two run shot in the first inning, but that was all. Rasner went six and struck out four, while not walking a batter. Let him throw one more good start before heading to the wire to get him, but this is just what the Yankees needed.

Eric Gagne blew his fifth save of the season today, with the game tying run scoring on a bases loaded walk. Gagne’s contract will make it so he needs to be completely awful for a good stretch of time before he will be replaced. However, if you have him, I would do anything I could to make sure he was on someone else’s roster soon.

Injury Notes

Dodgers’ 3B Andy LaRoche was activated from the disabled list and sent to AAA Las Vegas. LaRoche will most likely need a few weeks in the minors to prove that he is ready to return to the big team, and he also needs to hope that fill-in starter Blake DeWitt hasn’t done enough to prove that he deserves some at-bats in Los Angeles.

Rays ace Scott Kazmir did indeed throw his first start of the regular season today and although he wasn’t good, he wasn’t embarrassing either. Kazmir only lasted four innings, gave up three earned, walked three and whiffed five. Whenever a pitcher misses that much time due to injury, you should never expect too much in his first start back. If his elbow is indeed healthy, Kaz should be all right in the very near future.

Although this isn’t his first start back, Ben Sheets just belongs in the injury section of this article. He wasn’t great either on Sunday, but if it wasn’t for Eric Gagne’s fifth blown save, Sheets would have gone to 5-0. His line doesn’t get you excited though, as he gave up four runs in 6.1 innings and struck out six. His season ERA still sits at just 2.29, which is still good enough for you to find a taker on a trade before he has his yearly bad injury.

Aramis Ramirez wrist was still too swollen for him to play on Sunday. He was still a little sore, but from the sounds of it he could be back by the end of the week. Nothing I read suggested that he might be headed to the disabled list, which is great new for Aramis owners.

Big Papi sat out Sunday with tightness in his right knee. He initially missed two games before playing five straight, and then missing again on Sunday. This doesn’t seem like an injury that will cost him a big chunk of time, but it may linger for a while and could cost him a game or two a week for a little while. Ortiz said he would be back in the lineup on Monday.

Ian Kinsler missed his second straight game Sunday with tightness in his hamstrings. Both manager Ron Washington and Kinsler both have said that this is a short term injury, and if it was an important game, Kinsler would be in there.

Dontrelle Willis reinjured his knee in his final rehab start, and it will be longer before he is able to rejoin the team. This shouldn’t be overly important news, as Willis has shown recently that he is no longer worthy to be a member of a fantasy rotation unless you have had wicked injury problems.

Quick Hitters

Marlins’ rookie Andrew Miller continues to do just enough to stay in the majors. Each time it seems like the next bad start will land him at Triple-A, Miller goes out and throws well. Sunday it was a two-run in six inning start, while striking out four. Miller’s ERA is still almost seven, so I don’t recommend you owning him right now, but if he was able to put a couple more good starts together, I could change my tune.

Athletics’ starter Greg Smith continues to have a surprising start to the year. Smith has yet to give up more than three runs in any of his six starts, and Sunday was his best start yet. Smith lasted six, gave up just one run and struck out a career high ten batters. Smith is a two start pitcher this week, and is now worth starting every week until he starts to cool down.

After Mike Lowell had an amazing season in 2007, now Kevin Youkilis is having a great 2008. Youk hit his third homer on Sunday, drove in four runs to bring his total to 20, and is hitting .310. Youkilis is a definite sell high candidate, but is on pace to have his best year as a pro.

Reds rookie 1B Joey Votto continues to get the majority of the starts, and he is making it tough for Dusty Baker to keep him out of the lineup. Votto has 14 ribeyes in limited starts this year, and he is hitting .294. Votto has 20/20 potential, and may realize that potential as soon as 2008.

As always, your questions about your team (adds, drops, trades, etc) and comments are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com. I guarantee an answer within 18 hours.

What often gets lost in the discussion of Jackie Robinson is that besides breaking the color barrier he was a great baseball player.  In rookie year Robinson lead the Brooklyn Dodgers in; Games, At-Bats, Runs, Hits, Total Bases, Singles, Doubles, Home Runs, Steals, and Sacrifices.  Robinson hit .297 and got on base at a .383 clip his rookie year, Robinson took home the 1947 Rookie of the Year award and finished fifth in the MVP voting.  Robinson went on to win the 1949 MVP award and made six consecutive All-Star games 1949-1954.  Over his ten year career Robinson hit for a .311BA, 273 Doubles, 137 Home Runs, 734 R.B.I., 197 steals, and 740 walks, while only striking out 291 times.  Robinson, also had a career .983 fielding percentage which is very impressive considering he played the vast majority of his games at second base. Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest players to ever play the game of baseball.  His career statistics are Hall of Fame worthy on their own, but they are even more impressive when the hardships he faced as the first African American player are taken into consideration.

A year after Robinson passed Rachel Robinson (Jackie's wife) founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation.  The Foundation is a not-for-profit, that awards four-year college scholarships to academically gifted students of color with financial need, enabling them to attend the college of their choice.  To donate to click here.

Jackie Robinson's career numbers

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