Player Notes

[Raji]

Tigers: Granderson to take batting practice
The News
Curtis Granderson will test his right hand by taking batting practice on Tuesday, the AP reports.
Our View
Granderson's timetable may become a little clearer after this session. He is probably still at least a week away, provided he doesn't have any setbacks.
April 14, 2008 11:47 PM ET
Athletics: Suzuki goes 4-for-4
The News
Kurt Suzuki went 4-for-4 against the White Sox on Monday. He had three singles, a double, and an RBI. His average rose to .370.
Our View
Suzuki had been in a little slump, going 1-for-13 in his last four games. He also hadn't had an extra base hit since playing in Japan. Suzuki remains a decent No. 2 backstop in mixed leagues.
April 14, 2008 11:45 PM ET
White Sox: Buehrle takes tough loss
The News
Mark Buehrle took a tough loss on Monday, which seems to happen often to him against the A's. The southpaw allowed only two runs over seven innings, but the White Sox managed to plate only one guy. Buehrle served up nine hits, walked one, and struck out four. He is 3-10 in his career against the A's.
Our View
The key news is that Buehrle has now pitched well twice since his opening disaster, and maybe he'll put to rest some of those rumors about an injury.
April 14, 2008 11:42 PM ET
Athletics: Smith silences White Sox
The News
Greg Smith was excellent on Monday night. He held the White Sox to six hits and one run over seven innings and picked up his first major league win. The rookie walked one and struck out four.
Our View
Smith had a wildly effective showing in his first major league start, and he was better this time around. He is worth a look in AL-only leagues.
Angels: K-Rod breezes through Rangers
The News
Francisco Rodriguez picked up his fourth save on Monday and posted his first scoreless outing in over a week. The elite closer had been struggling and missing time due to a sore ankle. He worked a hitless frame against the Rangers and needed only seven pitches.
Our View
That's an excellent sign for K-Rod. He remains a top-five fantasy closer despite his early issues.
April 14, 2008 11:37 PM ET
Rangers: Bradley collects three hits
The News
Milton Bradley went 3-for-4 with a run on Monday night. He had missed the previous two games after fouling a pitch off his right leg.
Our View
Bradley looked just fine. Fantasy owners can feel free to use him going forward.
April 14, 2008 11:34 PM ET
Angels: Napoli swats fourth homer
The News
Mike Napoli socked his fourth homer of the young season on Monday. The backstop was appearing in only his ninth game, and he is also up to 10 RBI.
Our View
Napoli swatted 29 and 31 homers back in 2004 and 2005 (in the minors), and we came into this season knowing he had good power potential. Let's not get carried away, though. He didn't turn into a young Mike Piazza over the winter.
April 14, 2008 11:31 PM ET
Rangers: Blalock goes deep
The News
Hank Blalock hammered his second homer of the season on Monday night. He finished the evening 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI.
Our View
Blalock had one one RBI coming into the night, but we weren't overly worried.
April 14, 2008 11:28 PM ET
Angels: Santana wins on the road again
The News
Ervin Santana picked up his second road win of the season by holding down the Rangers on Monday. The right-hander allowed seven hits and three runs over seven innings. He also walked three and struck out six.
Our View
It's no mystery that Santana has good stuff. The youngster just needs to figure out how to be more consistent. He has been very solid in all three outings this year, which is an excellent sign.
April 14, 2008 11:25 PM ET
Red Sox: Papelbon shuts the door
The News
Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless inning and picked up his fifth save on Monday. The Red Sox gave the elite closer the night off on Sunday.
Our View
There was never any worry of Papelbon being injured, but he proved it anyway on Monday.
April 14, 2008 11:23 PM ET
Indians: Borowski blows up
The News
Joe Borowski blew up again on Monday. He allowed four hits and three runs in the ninth inning against the Red Sox. Manny Ramirez topped off the damage with a two-run homer.
Our View
It's nearly a full-blown epidemic in Cleveland, as top setup men Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez are also struggling.
April 14, 2008 11:21 PM ET
Red Sox: Lester issues five walks
The News
Jon Lester struggled to find the strike zone again on Monday. He walked five batters over 4.1 innings against the Indians and has now issued 15 free passes in 20.1 frames this season. Lester also allowed five hits and four runs on Monday, and his ERA rose to 5.31.
Our View
We knew going into the season that control would be a key factor for Lester, and he's failing the test thus far.

Raji