Fantasy Baseball Happy Recap - 4/1/08

Good pitching was seen early and often on Tuesday, as 5 of the 8 games played featured 5 or less runs. As is often the case in well-pitched, low scoring affairs, we saw a remarkable 7 games decided by one run on the abbreviated slate of games.

Bat Of The Night – Vladimir Gurrero – 3/4, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI

Clearly, it wasn’t a banner night for hitters around the majors. Vlad’s solid night helped power the Angels to a 9-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in the night’s highest scoring game.

Arms Of The Night – Daisuke Matsuzaka – 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (W)

Dice-K was plain nasty Tuesday night, allowing only 3 batters to reach base while striking out 9. Jack Cust’s solo homer prevented the shutout and was nearly enough offense in a game that ended 2-1 in Boston’s favor.

Bottom Line – Brad Hawpe – 0/4, 3K

Tough night for Hawpe, almost left the ballpark wearing a golden sombrero.

Honorable Mentions

The Good

When we said pitching dominated the night we weren’t kidding. Dan Uggla and Garrett Anderson are the only bats that get the nod among a sea of pitchers headed by Jon Garland who was excellent in his Angels debut. Some love for the relievers in this edition namely Takashi Saito and Jonathon Papelbon who were literally unhittable.

Bats

Dan Uggla - 2/4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Garrett Anderson – 3/5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Arms

Jon Garland - 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K (W)
Chien-Ming Wang – 7, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (W)
Joe Blanton – 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (L)
Kyle Lohse – 5 IP, 0 ER (ND)
Jonathon Papelbon – 1.3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (S)
Takashi Saito – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (W)
Marlins Bullpen – 7 IP, 1 ER

The Bad

Josh Willingham reminded his owners why he hits .270 every season while Mike Lamb follows in the footsteps of Nick Punto, Jeff Cirillo and Tony Bautista in providing the Twins with below average production from the 3B position.

Bats

Josh Willingham – 0/5, 2 K
Vernon Wells – 0/4, 1K 4 LOB
Mike Lamb – 0/4, 5 LOB
Adrian Gonzalez – 0/4, 1 K, 4 LOB

Arms

Pedro Martinez – 3.1 IP, 4 ER
Twins Bullpen – 3 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 3BB, 1K

Making A Case...

Casey Kotchman – 2/5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Kotchman has been a hot prospect for years and looks like he is beginning to turn the corner. We know Kotchman can hit for average, but if he ever adds a power stroke, you are looking at a very serviceable first baseman.

Andre Ethier – 3/5, 1 2B

Ethier has won the Dodgers LF job outright from Juan Pierre after a red hot Spring Training. Joe Torre loves this kid and he opened the season hitting in the 2 hole. Keep an eye on him as he can be a decent #3/4 OF or U/DH type guy in deeper leagues with good upside hitting in a deep Dodgers’ lineup.