Daily Leaders 5/23/11

Bats

1.  Corey Hart, MIL; 3 for 4, 3 HR, 7 RBI, BB, SB, 3 R:  You gotta be shitting me.  I mentioned Hart in this space last week, accidentally accepted a trade for him, and he goes all Ryan Braun on me.  Be careful where you click, folks.

2.  Jim Thome, MIN; 2 for 3; 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB:  Welcome back, Mr. Thome.  His cranky back is acting up again this year, and the ball doesn't exactly fly out of Target Field without a little oomph.  Still, he's back on the road to 600.


3.  Josh Hamilton, TEX; 2 for 4, HR, 2B, RBI, R:  And welcome back yourself, Mr. Hamilton!  In the last four seasons, The Great Hambino has played in 90, 156, 89 and 133 games respectively.  His owners are hoping this isn't the "other" in that every other year scenario.

4.  Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE; 3 for 4, HR, 2B,  2 RBI, SB, R:  8 for his last 9, with 3 HR, 7 RBI and 2 SB.  Seriously, Ass Dribble, who do you think you are?

5.  Denard Span, MIN; 3 for 5, HR, BB, 2 RBI, SB, R:  Denard has been getting on base and scoring runs, but swiped only his third bag of the year last night.  On pace for the lowest stolen base output of his career, his fantasy value has to be questioned.


Arms

1.  Yovani Gallardo, MIL; 7 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 9 K, W:  In Spanish, Gallardo must mean "take a seat," because that's four wins in a row for Gallardo, with 18 K in his last 13 innings.  His slow start to the season is gone with the wind, and his ERA and WHIP should soon reflect that.

2.  ^Alexi Ogando, TEX; CG, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K, W:  Ogando matched his season high in walks last night, which would have been great for those going against him if his name was say, Ubaldo Jiminez.  Some friends of mine heckled him in the bullpen during the ALCS.  They should have spit on his wife.


3.  Kyle Lohse, STL; 8 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 5 K, W:  His value may be limited in some leagues because of his low K/9, but that hasn't stopped him from being one of the more solid fantasy performers on the bump this year.

4.  Jered Weaver, LAA; 7 IP, 6 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K:  The Angels didn't take the lead until after Weaver left the game last night, but he definitely got back on track after losing his last four starts.  There was no one better than him in April, but he hasn't gotten a win in May.

5.  Carlos Villanueva, 5 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 5 K, W:  Honestly, I could two-hit the Yankees it was my first start against them, especially if I had Villanueva's change up.  He'll be back in the bullpen once Jesse Litsch returns.