Unheralded young left-hander Patrick Misch of the San Francisco Giants had quite a weekend. Filling in for the departed Matt Morris, Misch was part of history and might have cemented his future all in one night. Misch made his first start of the season Saturday night against the San Diego Padres and became the answer to a future trivia question when Barry Bonds hit his 755th home run to tie Hank Aaron for the all-time record. Misch also pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. He struck out eight. On the strength of that performance, Misch has likely earned at least a temporary spot in the Giants’ rotation. The Giants are not a very good team, so Misch’s value is limited but if you are desperate for pitching, he’s worth a shot.
Another young pitcher getting a chance right now is Jordan Tata of the Detroit Tigers. Tata was good in his first start and now rookie Andrew Miller has joined Kenny Rogers on the disabled list for the Tigers. Like Misch, Tata has at least a temporary spot in the Tigers’ rotation. Unlike Misch, Tata is likely to get solid run support.
Another young pitcher likely to get an opportunity soon is Garrett Olson of the Baltimore Orioles. Olson has been dominating at Triple-A and likely will soon replace Brian Burres in the Orioles’ rotation.

The trade of outfielder Kenny Lofton from the Texas Rangers to the Indians has opened a spot in the Rangers’ outfield. Top prospect Nelson Cruz is back with the Rangers after being demoted earlier this season. Cruz hit 15 home runs and drove in 45 runs in 45 minor-league games before being recalled and re-inserted in the Rangers’ starting lineup. Cruz responded with a two-homer game and is worth picking up if he is available in your league.

Sorry about the hiatus, in case anyone actually missed me, but I have returned from the malaise likely brought on by my own fantasy team’s struggles … but that’s another story.

A great story of human triumph will occur when Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester returns to the mound tonight to pitch against the Indians after battling cancer for the past year. Lester long-awaited call-up is good news for his fantasy owners but it remains uncertain how good. Lester takes the place of struggling Julian Tavarez, but for how long? The answer will come in the next few weeks when injured ace Curt Schilling returns to the rotation. A healthy Schilling gives the Red Sox six starting pitchers. Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka aren’t going anywhere. That means Lester and rookie Kason Gabbard are battling with Tim Wakefield to keep the final two spots. Wakefield isn’t likely to lose his spot either, meaning either Gabbard or Lester will get bumped. Gabbard is 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA since being called up to replace Schilling, so Lester has an other uphill battle of far less significance to face. Lester is the more experienced of the two, though, and that could work against Gabbard. More likely, it will come down to how the two pitch in the next few weeks.

One of the most highly anticipated big-league debuts of the season will happen Friday night in Cincinnati, when Reds rookie phenom Homer Bailey will start against the Indians. Bailey has eye-popping minor-league stats and projects as a future No. 1 starter. He probably isn’t available in many leagues, but if he is, grab him immediately.
Another highly touted rookie is getting a second chance. Outfielder Felix Pie is back with the Chicago Cubs and probably to stay. He has a ton of talent but is still a work in progress. Take a chance on him if you have room on your roster.
Another player worth acquiring is Boston Red Sox starter Jon Lester. Lester, who was 7-1 with the Red Sox last year before being diagnosed with lymphoma, has been strong in several rehab starts and appears ready to rejoin the rotation, bumping Julian Tavarez back to the bullpen.
The next big thing to arrive might be Milwaukee Brewers hot-shot pitching prospect Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo is a prospect along the lines of Bailey and has only the struggling Dave Bush and journeyman Claudio Vargas standing in his way. It won’t be too long before the Brewers turn to Gallardo. Get him now if you can and beat the competition to the punch.

The trade of closer Armando Benitez to the Florida Marlins, for whom he is not assured of being the closer, has left the San Francisco Giants with an opening at the back end of their bullpen. When Benitez was unable to pitch earlier this week, the Giants turned to Brad Hennessey, who has converted both of his save opportunities. Other possibilities to fill the spot vacated by Benitez are youngsters Jonathan Sanchez, who the Giants would rather see be a starter, and Brian Wilson, who many speculated would be the Giants’ closer when it was rumored that Benitez would be traded during spring training. Another name that has been mentioned is veteran starter Russ Ortiz. Expect Hennessey to get the first chance but Wilson is probably the closer of the future and that future might not be far away.

The Minnesota Twins have demoted starting pitcher Ramon Ortiz to the bullpen and have called up top prospect Kevin Slowey to take his place. Slowey has passed last year’s late-season call-up Matt Garza and has a good chance to stick in the Twins’ rotation. Slowey is not a strikeout pitcher along the lines of Tim Lincecum but has struck out 47 in 57 minor-league innings. Grab him if he is available.

The Milwaukee Brewers have called up slugging prospect Ryan Braun to play third base. Braun tore it up during spring training and has continued to mash in the minors. The only thing that kept Braun from making the Opening Day roster was his below-average defense. Braun made as many throwing errors as he hit homers in spring training. For the Brewers, the future is now and they can put up with Braun’s defensive limitations to get his bat in the lineup in place of Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino. Braun is an excellent potential source of power and he should be picked up immediately.

Two young pitchers who weren’t at the top of any hot prospect lists going into the season have made good early impressions. San Diego Padres starter Justin Germano stepped in for injured Clay Hensley and has made three good starts, including six shutout innings in a win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night. Germano is probably available in your league and is worth taking a flier on. Hensley is within a week or two of returning but Germano could keep a spot in the rotation if he keeps pitching well.
Maybe the New York Yankees have found the young pitcher they need to step up and seize the opportunity presented by a slew of injuries to Yankees pitchers. Sunday night, on national television, against the rival Mets at Shea Stadium, Tyler Clippard became today’s hot prospect. Clippard gave up just three hits, one a solo homer to David Wright, walked three and struck out six in six innings. He’s 22, he throws hard and he has one of the best offenses in baseball behind him. Sounds like a good combination for your fantasy team.

The writing has been on the wall for a while but it became increasingly apparent Thursday afternoon that when Indians starter Jake Westbrook returns from the disabled list in a few weeks, Fausto Carmona isn’t going anywhere. Carmona has beaten Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana twice in the span of a few weeks, has pitched into the ninth inning twice, including Thursday’s four-hit shutout, and is 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA. Jeremy Sowers is the pitcher most likely to be sent to Triple-A Buffalo upon Westbrook’s return. Sowers is 0-3 with a 6.56 ERA and his fantasy owners are going to be looking for a replacement soon.

The Florida Marlins’ acquisition of Byung-Hyun Kim raises the possibility of Kim’s return to his former role as a closer. No decision has been made as to where Kim fits in the Marlins’ plans, but the possibility of closing makes him worth keeping an eye on or even taking a flier on if you have room on your roster and have unlimited roster moves.
The Minnesota Twins have an opening in their starting rotation after Sidney Ponson was released. The most likely candidate is Matt Garza, who pitched pretty well for the Twins at the end of last season, but Kevin Slowey is also a possibility. Both have been good at Triple-A, but Slowey has been better than Garza.
Another team close to making a move with its rotation is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Veteran free-agent acquisition Tony Armas Jr. has pitched poorly and, like the Twins, the Pirates have two viable replacement candidates pitching well in the minors. One is former Kent State star John Van Benschoten. Van Benschoten is 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA at Triple-A. Former No. 1 overall draft choice Bryan Bullington is the other. Bullington is 5-1 with a 1.90 ERA. Armas is scheduled to make another start this week. Another bad game and the Pirates might make a move. The pitcher they eventually choose, might make a nice addition to a fantasy roster.