I didn't have a specific viewing plan heading into the Friday MLB slate, but I wound up spending a decent chunk of time with the Astros and Brewers, mostly for the Milwaukee guys. I love watching Ryan Braun hit, Yovani Gallardo pitch, Rickie Weeks and his second base ballet, Carlos Gomez and his crazy carnival act. And there's something about Prince Fielder that makes him seem like the most affable, likable guy around. For all its flaws, I enjoy this club.
Milwaukee upheld its end of the bargain, scoring 14 runs and rolling to an easy victory (Gomez and Braun hit homers; Weeks, unfortunately, left with a sprained pinkie finger). Here's your box score, dig in and enjoy. The telecast also took on a humorous tack when a Wisconsin lass was spotted on camera with a "Marry Me, Ryan Braun" sign that included her phone number. I was briefly tempted to send her a text message ? how do you feel about John Axford's mustache, Brewer girl? ? but I'm sure her phone got plenty of attention nonetheless.
And then I started thinking about the Astros, the somewhat hapless Astros, and I started to wonder, is the lightbulb finally going on for sophomore first baseman Brett Wallace? Get out the post-hype file and let's collect some notes.
For someone who's just 24, Wallace has had a crazy, whirlwind pro career. The Cardinals took him as the 13th overall pick in the 2008 draft and he was coated with prospect hype right out of the box. Then, without warning, Wallace turned into a human ping-pong ball, getting traded three times in 12 months (bouncing from Oakland to Toronto to Houston). And when the Astros gave Wallace a 51-game trial in The Show at the end of 2010, the results were a disaster (.222/.296/.319, two homers, 50 strikeouts in 144 at-bats). There wasn't any prospect buzz tied to Wallace this spring, and he lasted until the 338th pick of the Yahoo! Friends & Family draft last month (and he surely went untouched in a lot of mixers).
It's too early to say with any confidence if Wallace will be a notable pro, but he certainly looks more comfortable in his second time around the majors. He collected five hits and four runs scored in the New York series, and he backed that up with a 3-for-5 effort at Milwaukee on Friday. Wallace has also shown vast improvement with his plate discipline, drawing eight walks against 12 strikeouts through 67 at-bats. Contrast this to the paltry eight walks he had all of last season, against those messy 50 punchouts.
The power is still on back order with Wallace (four doubles, one homer, .418 slugging), but a .313 average plays in deeper mixed leagues and it's encouraging to see improvement from a young player, especially someone who has a pedigree. Wallace is only owned in five percent of Yahoo! leagues as we go to press, so you have time to grab him if you like, or merely put him on your watch list. If you need backup on this one, I'll pass you over to my Milwaukee scout (she already picked a winner with that Braun fellow).
I'll say it once more to be clear ? this is a deeper pick at first base. You're certainly not taking Wallace over an Ike Davis or a Freddie Freeman (he's good now and he's going to be terrific), and I think I prefer Mitch Moreland and Matt LaPorta an eyelash more than Wallace, too. But in some of my mixers any regular bat with a plausible upside is worth owning, and that's why I've added Wallace in a couple of leagues this week. You might not have to act now, but just know he's out there.
?�The biggest baseball story from Friday was Anibal Sanchez's no-hit bid down in Miami. He was three outs away from his second career no-no before Dexter Fowler ruined the party with an innocent ninth-inning single. Sanchez didn't even get a shutout for his trouble ? the Rockies scored an unearned run in the first ? but he'll take the victory and nine strikeouts. Roll the tape.
Sanchez needed 124 pitches to complete the game, which leads to concern about how he'll hold up going forward (he also threw 113 pitches in his previous start). He didn't have any lag effect after his 2006 no-hitter ? his final four starts that year were strong ones ? but Sanchez has given us disaster starts after gems in the last two years: a 2009 two-hitter led to an eight-walk start, and he didn't get out of the fifth inning after last summer's one-hitter.
At the end of the day I'll sign off on Sanchez's turn against the Dodgers next week because it's in Florida, where he does his best work. He's got a career 2.92 ERA and 1.26 WHIP at home, but the numbers balloon to 4.48 and 1.55 on the road. Sanchez currently is unowned in 71 percent of Yahoo! leagues; he's generally seen as a short-term rental in our numbers racket, not a full-time option.
?�Mitchell Boggs marked his territory in the St. Louis bullpen, recording his second save in three days, a four-out special against Cincinnati. Boggs was summoned in the eighth because the Reds were squaring up Jason Motte's straight fastball; for all the sunshine we give to the St. Louis coaching staff (I'm as guilty as anyone), it's amazing they can't teach Motte to throw a heater that moves.
To be fair, Boggs wasn't missing bats either ? the Reds made good contact off him in the ninth (two deep outfield outs, plus a single) and he didn't strike anyone out. Still, a handshake is a handshake, and he's got an impressive stat profile for the year; he's capable of taking this job and running with it. We should also note that lefty Trever Miller was warming up in the ninth with the looming threat of Joey Votto, but Tony La Russa stuck with Boggs and everything worked out fine (Votto eventually flied out just shy of the warning track in left).
?�Michael Pineda and four relievers shut out the Athletics, to no one's great surprise. Oakland had 11 men bat in this game and each and every one of them has a batting average between .213 and .250. Some lineup you got there, Billy Beane. And speaking of predictable, there was Cole Hamels and Co. throwing a four-hit shutout at San Diego. Ryan Madson got the save there, as Jose Contreras took a needed day off.
The Feeble Friars have now been blanked six times in 2011 (and four times in their last nine games), so let's get in on this. Derek Lowe (Monday) and Jair Jurrjens (Tuesday) are streamable at Petco next week, and I also think Joe Blanton is trustable for Saturday, as we discussed a few days back.
?�Rain cost us three games Friday, canceling New York at Baltimore, Washington at Pittsburgh and Cleveland at Minnesota. The Twins are using the rainout strategically, skipping Francisco Liriano's turn. Brett Gardner was in the Yankees lineup but was set to hit ninth, even against a right-handed starter; Curtis Granderson was in the No. 2 slot
Speed Round: Ryan Raburn had two hits and a homer to back Justin Verlander over Chicago. Raburn also logged his third game at second base, though he already carries the 2B tag in Yahoo! leagues. … Jerry Sands is off to a slow start with the Dodgers, going 2-for-18 with five strikeouts (against one walk). … Tampa fell in extra innings at Toronto but the Sam Fuld story won't go away; Sammy Being Sammy posted a 5-3-3-1 line with two more steals. It wasn't a happy ending for Felipe Lopez; he loafed on a ground ball and was yanked from the game. It was his second such transgression this week. … Derek Holland had one bad inning against the Royals but otherwise it was a strong turn (7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 9 K, victory No. 3). Five different Rangers homered in support. … Chris Johnson went 0-for-3 with a couple of strikeouts and is hitting .203 (with 18 whiffs, two walks). Why throw this guy a strike when he'll swing at a ball? … The bizarro Jonny Gomes season continues. He stole his fourth base of the year Friday and still has more walks than strikeouts, though somehow he's batting just .233. I know he's a crazy fielder and a hacker at times at the dish, but this is a story I'm rooting for. … Scott Rolen is batting a bad left shoulder and didn't play the last two days. He had two cortisone shots Friday. "I'm not worried about it, I'm not getting cut on," Rolen told the Associated Press. "I'm concerned enough about it to get a couple injections and see where we are." Miguel Cairo is standing in for Rolen; no mixed-league juice there. … Delmon Young (ribs) had a good day, as his MRI came back clean and he took some cuts in the cage without incident. He wasn't going to play Friday, but he should avoid the disabled list. … Kevin Youkilis (shin) was considered available Friday, though he didn't play at Anaheim. Consider him day-to-day for now. … Angel Pagan (oblique) landed on the 15-day DL; he suffered the injury during a swing in Thursday's game. Jason Pridie got the call in center for Friday, and Willie Harris will also get some run. … For Closing Time mini-notes 24 hours a day (and other random minutia), follow me on Twitter.
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Images courtesy Associated Press
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