Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Yovani Gallardo, meet "the groove." Groove, meet Gallardo.
The Brewers ace struck out 11, only allowed two hits and provided the deciding solo homer over eight juggernaut innings against the Pirates. That outing brought his ERA for the season down to 2.86 and his record to 3-1. And with 34 K's over 34 2/3 innings, it's safe to say he's in fantasy stud territory. But Gallardo isn't the only pitcher that has transcended draft value so far.
Those of you who like to wait on pitchers and grab them in later rounds (i.e. Fantasy FanHouse staff) are being handsomely rewarded. Take a look at the league leaders in starting pitcher statistics and you'll find a bunch of surprising names. Before we hit the box scores, let's take a run through some of them to see what's fluky and what's for real.
Zach Greinke, Royals -- He finally gave up an earned run on Wednesday, but still sits with a ridiculous 5-0 record with a 0.50 ERA and 44 strikeouts. Look for him to finish with an ERA a bit above 3.00 and to maintain ace status. Hold.
Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard, Mariners -- King Felix is 4-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 36 strikeouts. Bedard is surprising with a 2.61 ERA and 32 strikeouts. The "tread lightly" caveat applies to Bedard, but Hernandez should finish with totals better than last year, especially in the wins department. I'd hold on to both.
Javier Vazquez, Braves -- One of our preseason favorites is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 42 strikeouts (good for third in the NL). You're going to take some ERA bumps here and there (like Wednesday's five earned runs against the Cards), but the strikeouts are for real. Hold.
Josh Johnson and Chris Volstad, Marlins -- Johnson is 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA and a sparkling 32:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Volstad is the wild card with a 2-0 record and 2.70 ERA. Hold on both, and look to acquire if anyone doesn't believe they're for real.
Wandy Rodriguez, Astros -- He has a 1.69 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 32 innings. The hurler with the fun first name always had the strikeout ability, but now he's showing better command, too. He'll finish with an ERA below 4.00 and continue to reward you in K's.
Armando Galarraga and Edwin Jackson, Tigers -- The bizarro duo on this list? Galarraga is 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA and Jackson has a 2.25 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Both are pitching over their heads a little bit, but certainly worth sticking with until they dip. I give Jackson the slight edge.
Doug Davis, Diamondbacks -- People are finally snagging him off the wire following another sharp game. He has a 2.91 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 34 innings. Worth a spot start here and there. Watch out for rising WHIP.
Johnny Cueto, Reds -- Edinson Volquez struggled with his command prior to Wednesday's start. Cueto has surged back to darling status with a 2.19 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. I'd sell high if you own him. There will be more rough starts ahead.
Bits From the Box Scores:
• Don't sleep on Kendry Morales; he's one of the hottest hitters in baseball. After a homer and triple against Baltimore, he's now racked up three jacks and 10 RBI in his last six games.• Three straight quality starts for Koji Uehara against three tough opponents. That includes an eye-opening 16:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's readily available in most leagues.
• For those of you who doubted Jorge Cantu was for real after last season's comeback, it's time to abandon your grudge. He drilled his third homer in two games against the Mets; six homers and 18 RBI for the season.
• Under the radar, Adrian Beltre went 4-for-4 against the White Sox. He's one of the best buy-low candidates because you shouldn't have to give up much to persuade your leaguemate to part with him.
• Adrian Gonzalez smashed two more homers to give him nine total ... and we're only in April. It's amazing that he could reach the 40-homer plateau this year despite playing for the Padres. Underrated.
• We might have to do a Slump or Suck edition on Ryan Dempster after another poor showing. Dempster gave up five earned runs and surrendered three walks against the Diamondbacks. He'll get better, but his 25:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio is troubling.
• A steal and another two hits for Asdrubal Cabrera as he continues to produce out of the No. 2 spot. I'm sure there are fantasy teams that could use the 16 runs and four steals out of a middle infielder.
• Seven homers from Curtis Granderson? Forget the low average, I could get used to Grandy the power hitter. It'll normalize, but 30 bombs is a reality.
• It's time to pick spots with Scott Kazmir because his command just isn't there. He gave up six earned runs, walked four and threw two wild pitches vs. Minnesota. He's walked three or more in every start but one.
• NL-only owners in dire need of pitching, take a look at Scott Olsen's past three starts: 18 2/3 innings, 5 ER, 15 strikeouts.
• Reason my AL-only team is crying right now: 10 earned runs from Brian Tallet ... against the Royals. I played with fire and got burned. Let this be another lesson to those who gamble with fringe starters instead of sparkling relievers.
The Afflicted: The Indians placed Travis Hafner on the 15-day DL with soreness in his right shoulder. Matt LaPorta is batting .368 in the minors and could get the call-up for the ailing Indians. Knox Bardeen has a take on when that may happen over here. With Mark Ellis and Nomar Garciaparra both on the DL, expect Eric Patterson, who was batting .329 with 16 runs in the minors, to get playing time. He's got major speed, AL-only owners. Joe Mauer will be activated before the Twins' game against the Royals on Saturday. Pablo Sandoval suffered a minor groin strain and should be back Friday. The Rangers will wait till Monday to see whether Josh Hamilton (ribs) will need a DL stint. If Brad Lidge has to go on the DL with knee trouble, Ryan Madson should get the shot to close. Joakim Soria might be able to pitch this weekend.
Lineup Lock Time: There are two early games today as Oakland and Texas play at 2:05pm ET and Toronto/Kansas City is at 2:10pm ET. The rest are all night games.
Down on the Farm: Tip of the cap to Matt Snyder, who tells me that Jake Fox is simply smoking for Triple-A Iowa. And the Cubs fan isn't exaggerating. Fox has a .446 average, 12 homers and 31 RBI through 19 games. The next time a Cubbie gets placed on the disabled list (which should've been Milton Bradley), NL-only owners know who to grab off the wire.
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