Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Matt Garza is one of those talented pitchers that novice owners probably lost patience with quickly. And if they did, they were watching Thursday's spectacular performance kicking themselves. Garza, who had struggled with his command through his first four starts, took a perfect game bid into the seventh inning against the Red Sox and finished with a line worthy of adulation: 7 2/3 innings, 10 strikeouts, 1 hit, 1 walk, no runs. Has he turned the corner that quickly?
Well, first off, let's take into account his outstanding career record against Boston. Including postseason, he is now 7-1 in 11 games against Boston. Garza seems to elevate his overall game whenever he's going up against AL East opponents. But the high strikeouts are definitely not a fluke. He was averaging about a strikeout per inning coming into this game, it's just the walks that were on the high side. I think we'll see Garza settle into the 3.50 ERA range with a strong WHIP, and he'll continue to pile up the punchouts. At the least, he'll be a No. 3 starter for your staff in deep leagues. He's the most valuable Tampa Bay pitcher in fantasy leagues.
Bits From the Box Scores:
• Josh Beckett is one of the biggest buy-low pitchers right now. He's given up 15 runs over his last two starts. A 7.22 ERA and 1.81 WHIP for April? Remember that Beckett has had rough months before -- a 5.74 ERA in July 2008 comes to mind. I think he'll get his command in check and finish with similar numbers to last season (higher win total, too). A.J. Burnett, who has given up 12 runs over his last two outings, is another good trade target.
• Andruw Jones hit his third homer of the season and drew another two walks. He has a .344 average and a 11:9 walk-to-strikeout ratio overall. The Rangers will continue to find ways to get his awakened bat into the lineup, making him worth owning in most leagues.
• Do not trust Dallas Braden's 2.10 ERA. It's only a matter of time before the lack of command catches up with him and that ERA is above 4.00.
• You want a perfect example why you shouldn't read too much into one month? Marco Scutaro finished April with five home runs. That's more than Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard. Raise your hand if you think Scutaro will hit close to 30 homers this season ... Quick, someone punch the guy who raised his hand in the nosebleed seats.
• Coco Crisp is on pace to shatter his career high for walks. He finished with 16 of them to go along with 17 runs in April. He'll prove to be quite valuable in deep leagues if you're looking for runs and steals.
• Royals reliever Juan Cruz picked up his first save of the season filling in for Joakim Soria. While Soria is due back soon, I'd hold on to Cruz for a bit just in case.
• Remember when Albert Pujols stole 16 bases in 2005? Well, he already has four swipes this season and hasn't been caught. As long as he stays healthy, this could be the year he equals that total. Value plus!
• The Nationals are just pitiful, but Adam Dunn (six homers) and Ryan Zimmerman (five) have been consistent enough to keep in fantasy lineups daily. Both are undervalued because of the atrocious team stigma.
• Everyone fawns over Nick Markakis. But here are two outfielders who produced again on Thursday that you can get at a fraction of the price: Mike Cameron (5 HR, 10 RBI, 15 runs, 2 SB) and Johnny Damon (4-10-15-3), also known as the guys fantasy owners love to shove aside for some reason.
• Two underrated young pitchers that are heating up: Arizona's Max Scherzer and Florida's Chris Volstad. Both showed great command and strikeout power on the road Thursday. Volstad's WHIP is an eye-popping 0.99.
The Afflicted: Joe Mauer is expected to make his return tonight. Texas placed outfielder Josh Hamilton on the 15-day DL because of a strained left rib cage muscle. It doesn't look too rosy for Hanley Ramirez (wrist) at the moment. He tried to hit in the batting cage before Thursday's game but cut the session after five minutes. When asked how it went, Ramirez said "not good," according to the Palm Beach Post. He'll likely be out until next week. My colleague Ed Price reports that Ervin Santana and John Lackey could be back in two weeks. Now is the time to pitch offers for these buy-low hurlers in your league. Astros closer Jose Valverde had fluid drained from his right calf and will have even more fluid drained soon. He's due back in three weeks, but you know how these things go. LaTroy Hawkins in a must-add. The Red Sox have shut down John Smoltz's rehab, but say that he's still on course to return in June.
Down on the Farm: The Tommy Hanson watch is still in full effect. He tossed six shutout innings and struck out nine. Baseball America's daily prospect report tells me he now has a 38:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings pitched. That, my friends, is what we call aweso. Only when he gets called up will it truly be awesome for fantasy owners. White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham hit two more doubles to bring his total to 10 for the season.
Lineup Lock Time: There's a lone early game Friday at 2:20 PM ET between the Marlins and Cubs. All the other ball-crackin' action is at night.
Weekend Aces in the Hole: Mariners' Jarrod Washburn (3-1, 3.42 ERA) got lit up in his last start, but I like his chances at home against the Athletics on Saturday. Randy Wolf (1-1, 4.31 ERA) also has upside since he gets the Padres at Dodger Stadium. For shallow-leaguers, Cardinals' Kyle Lohse (3-0, 1.97 ERA) faces the Nationals on Sunday. Blue Jays 29-year-old rookie Scott Richmond (3-0, 2.70 ERA) is pitching well under the radar and worth watching. He goes up against the Orioles at home Sunday.
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