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Chone Figgins will be in the lineup today when the Angels open a series in Kansas City. He missed a month with a hand injury from Spring Training. He went 3-6 in his rehab assignments over the weekend and should be good to go.

If you have been reading this column you know how high I have been on John Maine. Yesterday he threw another gem to collect his 4th win. He went 7 innings, no runs with 8K’s. His ERA dropped to 1.35. The Mets needed someone to step up until Pedro comes back, this gives them 3 nice options when he does return.

Small schedule today, some aces going in favorable situations. Peavy, Halladay, Webb and Hudsin all pitch tonight in games they’ll be favored in. Should be a good night for these guys. Until then…

Breaking news out of Oakland, Randy Moss, pending a physical, has agreed to restructure his contract and become a member of the New England Patriots. This has to be good news for a guy who wanted out of the mess that is the Raiders and go to a 3 time champion with Tom Brady. I don’t see him being that elite receiver anymore, but his stock has risen quite dramatically in my book.

Speaking of the draft, if you are a Browns fan and someone told you that Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn would both wear Browns colors, I think you’d be ecstatic. It cost Cleveland their 1st round pick in 2008, but so what. They got the guy they wanted as well as a franchise tackle who will be around for a long time.

Detroit was willing to trade the 2nd overall pick, but the asking price was way too steep. Dallas and Jerry Jones called and the Lions wanted to swap firsts, the Cowboys second and third rounder this year, and oh by the way, throw in DeMarcus Ware and Calvin is all yours. No wonder Tampa is sitting on Gaines Adams and emploring that fake smile you only see in family pictures.

What was Miami thinking taking Ted Ginn at number 9. You can’t tell me that he wouldn’t have been available late 1st round. To me, Ginn could develop nicely into a number 1 receiver, but he needs to become a polished receiver, something he was not able to become at the college level. He never ran routes very well and got by with his blazing speed all year. Like I said, he can and probably will become a number 1 wideout, but a bit of a stretch at 9.

There are many storylines at the draft, too mention to mention. I welcome all comments on how your favorite teams did or didn’t do.

Tim Hudson is proving that he is back from being mediocre to the dominant pitcher he truly is. He proved his mettle last night with a 12 K, 0 run performance.  He left with a 3 run lead only to have the Brave bullpen blow it in the 9th.  Nevertheless, he will be in the top 5 in Cy Young voting this season.

Jake Peavy trumped that outing with a better one of his own.  Peavy outpitched Brandon Webb with a 16 K (9 in a row at one point) start.   Peavy gave up 2 hits, again the bullpen costing him a victory.  This guy should be considered the best pitcher in the NL right now and with Santana losing his last 2, maybe in all of baseball.

Your yearly Ben Sheets injury happened yesterday in Chicago.  Too bad, he was having a great year, this guy just can’t stay healthy.  That means a Brewer fade in the standings will happen sooner rather than later.

A lot of matinee baseball today as it is travel day among the league.  Cole Hamels gets a start at home with a hot Philly team against Washington.  Expect Hamels to top 10 K’s today.  Josh Beckett and the BoSox play in Camden Yards this evening against Adam Loewen.  Loewen has had trouble gettting out of the 5th innnig lately.  The O’s are struggling, expect more of the same tonight.  I think youre going to start to see the pitching shake itself out in the next couple starts and really separate the men from the boys, and it may have some names we’re not used to seeing.  Until then…

In what couldn’t be better timing for an Ask Don question, Carl Crawford beat the Yankees with a grand slam last night in Wangs first game back. He didn’t pitch bad, 4 runs over 6.1 IP and 0 BB. Carl went 4-4 with a SB and of course 4 RBI. This guy one of, if not the best, 5 tool guy there is. The Yanks continue to lose ground and after being swept by the Rays, find themselves in last place in the AL East.

Seems like all we talk about are injury updates, so I’ll be brief. Jeter is expected to play tonight after leaving last nights game. Chone Figgins expects to play a rehab game Thursday and possibly be back with Anaheim Monday. King Felix officially went on the DL and is due back the first week of May. Your hamstring pull of the day goes to Nick Swisher, fresh off the 2 HR performance on Monday. Thats it, you wonder how these guys get up and fix breakfast without pulling a groin in the morning.

Some good match-ups today. The O’s send Cabrera against Schilling. In Phoenix, Jake Peavy faces off against Brandon Webb. This is a battle of potential Cy Young winners. First place Milwaukee, believe me I have never said or typed those words in my life, sends Ben Sheets in a matinee against Ted Lilly in Chicago. Theres just a few games that should be exciting to watch. Until then…

Rob Livingston wrote:

I will be receiving Barry Bonds and Orlando Cabrera for Carl Crawford. Our league is head to head. We use the 5 usual offensive catagories. Good trade or bad trade?

Ask Don reply:
Hi Rob and thanks for writing. Personally I think that trade would be disastrous. Carl Crawford is a legit 5 tool stud and has the ability to lead the AL in steals. Stolen bases are a hugely underappreciated commodity in my opinion. Bonds will certainly break Hank Aaron’s home run record this year, but I can see him putting it on cruise control after that. I’d also be willing to bet there are better SS options on your league’s free agent list than Orlando Cabrera.

Good luck!

What can we surmise from the first three weeks of the season? A few thoughts. Alex Rodriguez is a top 3 player in all of baseball and is placing his stamp on being one of the greatest ever. Ever. Thats right. This guy produces every year and takes a beating from everybody because his name isn’t Derek Jeter. Can’t we just sit back and enjoy watching this guy play while we can? Staying in that division, the Yanks are in trouble. Injuries, no depth and an average pitching staff when healthy will be their demise this season. The BoSox are the class of the division and the Orioles are showing flashes of life.

Its still a little early for teams to start separating from the pretenders, but it is obvious to me that the Braves and Mets will be battling all year and I don’t think they’ll be challenged. I keep waiting for the Brewers to falter, but no one in the Central wants to jump up and take control. Realistically though, I only think the Astros and Cards have legit chances to win this division.

There are 3 games I think has some value if played. I like Erik Bedard and the Orioles to take care of Oakland. The A’s travelled from Dallas to Baltimore yesterday while the O’s were home sweeping the Blue Jays. The Mets and John Maine host Colorado. Again, the Rockies played at home yesterday and travel to New york to play a team who was beat by the Braves. I really like the Mets today. Lastly, I’m taking an underdog tonight in Gil Meche and the Royals over the White Sox. Kansas City beat the Twins in KC while the White Sox had a tough series in Detroit. By the way, this is Mark Buehrle’s first game since the no hitter. Gil Meche is a good pitcher who catches Chicago at the right time. Just a few games and matchups that fall in criteria that I like. Good luck. Until then…

Ryan Howard is expected to be in the Phillies lineup this afternoon in Cincinnati. That is a welcomed sight for a team who has managed 2 wins in their last 10 games. Things aren’t going as Jimmy Rollins planned when he said they were the team to beat in that division. This certainly helps. With Hamels coming into a legit number 1 starter, they need the breaks to start going their way in a hurry, to compete with the Mets and Braves.

Speaking of the Mets and Braves. For someone who loves pitching matchups like I do, today is Glavine/Smoltz part 2. The two teams split this weekends games and this will decide the series winner. I have a feeling the race between these two teams will be very entertaining all season long.

Couple injury status reports. Looks like Chien Ming Wang will return to the Yankee rotation Tuesday against Tampa. For fantasy purposes, he will get 2 starts this week, Boston being the other start. King Felix will play catch Monday and Tuesday and have a bullpen session on Wednesday. Manager Mike hargrove says they will make a determination then if he will officially be placed on the DL, or work his way through it and make a start shortly thereafter. Stay tuned.

No predictions today, somewhat of a hot streak, going 3 for my last 3. Enjoy the games today. Until then…

It may be me, but it seems there a lot of little injuries this year causing some lost games.  Yesterday, Miguel Cabrera went down with a strained oblique.  According to the Marlins, he has a 50/50 chance of playing tonight against the Nats.  I guess it depends on the strain, as Ramon Hernandez has the same injury and has yet to play so far this season.  Cabrera may miss the series and be ready to go Monday.

Ryan Howard has a knee problem the Phils are describing as day to day.  This doesn’t sound too serious, a MRI revealed no damage.  Look for him to be back this weeekend.  That has to be good news for a team desperate for some good news.

As reported yesterday, King Felix will miss 2-3 starts and go on the DL.  I think it’s still too early to determine how many starts he’ll miss.  I would say he’ll miss more than 3+ starts.  No need to rush him so early in the season.  Looks like Randy Johnson will be back next week.  He struck out 7 in 6 innings yesterday.  He’ll most likely face the Padres  next week.

A bit of rivalry this flavor this weekend.  BoSox and Yankees play 3 in Fenway.  Schilling and Pettitte go tonight.  It’s fun to watch the early games and late season games in this rivalry,  this should be a good one this weekend.  Cards and Cubs play a set in Chicago.  Ted Lilly starts this afternoon, a good few outings for him so far.  The Mets get to return the favor and beat the Braves this time in New York.  The Mets are hot.  Sunday we get Glavine/Smoltz part 2.

AJ Burnett and Daniel Cabrera play tonight in Camden Yards.  This should be a high scoring game.   Take the Over.  Until then…

Congrats to Mark Buehrle for his No hitter last night. I mentioned him in previous posts to keep an eye on him and I wouldn’t say he is definitely back, but this has to help his psyche.

While all eyes were on Buehrle and the Myers move in Philly, a significant development in Seattle occured. King Felix left in the first inning last night with an elbow problem. As I am writing this, the Mariners are unclear of the severity and a timetable for his return. Look for them to be ultra careful with this young phenom. As developments occur, be sure we will update them.

I want to mention John Maine from the Mets. He took a no- hitter into the 7th last night and held on to win. He is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA through 3 starts and a 1.07 WHIP. This is a young sleeper who will continue to get better. Brandon Webb is alive! This CY Young candidate struck out 13 last night and hopefully this will kickstart him to be the dominant pitcher he can be.

We’ll be updating developments as they come in. Until then…

I am not sure which is more shocking, Brett Myers horrible start to the season or Phillies Manager Charlie Emanuel’s decision to put Myers in the bullpen.

MLB.com is reporting that Jon Lieber will take a rotation spot while Myers will relegated to late inning relief work.

Myers, 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA, teased fantasy owners with 9 K’s in his first appearance of 2007. That, however, has been the only highlight. Despite the numbers, it is a surprising move that will have an impact on those fantasy owners who were counting on Myers to provide loads of innings and strikeouts.

I would suggest stashing him and waiting it out to see what happens, there is a chance he could pick up some random saves.

Could this be a managerial tactic by Manuel? Or have they lost all faith in what was considered by many to be the ace of the Phillies staff?