Casual Friday rules apply ? all bulletry, all the time. Let's see what went down on the sandlots last night.
?�Josh Collmenter's music kept playing against Washington, as the over-the-top righty cruised through seven scoreless innings (3 H, 1 BB, 5 K) and picked up his fourth victory. Collmenter's a tricky call going forward: you love his elite control and the fact that he's striking out five men for every walk, but his average fastball is a shade under 87 miles per hour (leading to an ordinary 5.4 K/9) and it's straight, so you worry that teams will start to figure him out when they get a second and third look at him. His next three starts appear safe, as the Pirates and Royals haven't seen Collmenter yet, and the Giants have just two innings of exposure from a relief appearance.
?�The Minnesota Twins have been a train wreck in 2011 ? the injury count has been ridiculous ? but maybe it's time to look into Alexi Casilla. His seasonal stats still don't look like much because of the horrendous start he got off to, but he's hitting .350 over the last two weeks (with nine walks thrown in) and he's been active on the bases (four steals). Casilla reached base three times in Friday's victory at Kansas City, and he stole two bases in three attempts. He qualifies at both middle infield spots, he's batting second for the moment, and he's available in 98 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Keep an open mind here, gamer.
?�The Rangers knocked Justin Masterson around for 10 hits and four runs over 6.1 innings, though the Cleveland righty at least gave us seven strikeouts. The narrative hasn't changed much with Masterson ? you love the dreamy ground-ball rate (55 percent) and his K/BB rate is passable (a shade over 2/1), but he's yet to find a way to consistently get left-handed batters out (.311). He's up against the Twins (use him) and Tigers (borderline call) for his next two starts.
?�Zach Britton finds himself in roto purgatory ? he hasn't been terrible in his last three starts, but you can't really use him with any confidence right now. He's given up 25 hits and 14 earned runs over the last three turns ? the Blue Jays got him for seven runs (five earned) Friday ? along with three homers and a K/BB ratio of 1/1. His next start comes against an Oakland team that knocked him around last week. In medium and deeper leagues, it's probably time to bench him; in the shallow pools, let him swim with the free agents.
?�Jonny Venters scored his fourth victory and struck out a pair against New York. He's allowed a scant two runs and 16 hits over 35.2 ridiculous innings, making him worth owning even in shallow mixers. He'd be a lockdown closer if Atlanta ever tapped him on the shoulder ? he's got a heavy ground-ball rate and can get lefties and righties out ? but Craig Kimbrel has been strong in the handshake role (17-of-21 on saves, 2.79 ERA, 43 Ks). The Braves need these guys to keep dominating, as the Atlanta offense isn't scaring anyone (226 runs, ninth in the NL).
?�Francisco Cordero was a bargain this year because of the Aroldis Chapman screen. While Chapman searches for health, confidence and a consistent release point, Cordero has 11 saves and a tidy 1.65 ERA. Every gamer understands that saves come out of nowhere each season, but the buzzy closer-in-waiting types generally are poor values in March. Sometimes you just have to let these things play out organically and then react accordingly; no one was talking much about Fernando Salas, Sergio Santos or Aaron Crow before the season started.
Speed Round: Adam Dunn finally broke through against a lefty, knocking a fifth-inning single against Detroit's Andy Oliver. Dunn is 1-for-42 against southpaws this year, and they owned him in 2010 as well (.199/.304/.416). Dunn originally wasn't going to be in Friday's lineup, but Paul Konerko (wrist) was a late scratch. … Xavier Paul didn't start Friday's game against Philadelphia but he wound up finishing it, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 12th (single, steal, ensuing run). The X-man is on a 7-for-10 binge over the last three days, with three bags in four attempts. … Jaime Garcia's nightmare start at Colorado had fluke written all over it, and he proved that by shutting down the Cubs (8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K). … Brandon Crawford's minor-league profile doesn't grab anyone, but he's looked fine through eight games in The Show (7-for-24, four walks, one homer, one steal). The Giants need him for the glove; any offense that shows is a bonus. … Jason Bartlett isn't making the earth move with a .251 average and .311 OBP, but at least he's running when he gets the chance (10 bags in 12 attempts). He reached three times Friday and went 1-for-2 on the bases. … It blows my mind that Tampa has wasted four starts on Andy Sonnanstine this year (5.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, nine strikeouts over 31.2 innings). I realize he's a fill-in and not a permanent solution, but you have to do better than that. The Mariners kicked him around for seven runs Friday, more than enough for Jason Vargas (four-hit shutout).
Seattle's getting nice mileage from Adam Kennedy. He's up to .299 with five homers and five steals in just 137 at-bats. … John Axford got a white-knuckle save in Florida, overcoming three walks (one intentional) in the ninth. The Brewers took the lead in the top of the inning when Ryan Braun, nicked and all, homered off Leo Nunez. … Jordan Walden looked the part against the Yankees, striking out two in a perfect ninth. Twelve of his 16 pitches were strikes. … Clay Buchholz struggled against Oakland (4.2 IP, 6 R) , then left with a stiff back. … Derrek Lee (oblique) played at Triple-A on Friday and could be activated on the weekend. … J.J. Hardy has five hits and two homers in his last two starts, if you need something at shortstop. His .270/.339/.450 line plays fine for his position. … David Wright (back) will be held out of baseball activities for three more weeks. It wouldn't be a shock if he rested for the balance of the first half. … Dan Haren will return to action Tuesday against Tampa. He's dealing with a sore back. … Andrew Bailey is ready to go back to the ninth inning, according to skipper Bob Geren. Had the Athletics needed a closer Friday, Bailey was slated to pitch. … Rafael Furcal is back on the disabled list, which means Jamey Carroll will have a spot to play into July.
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