The Day in Review

Well, I've spent most of the day hitting refresh at the Cubs homepage, MLB.com, Rotoworld, and Yahoo!'s player profile, but the mystery of Alfonso Soriano's calf is far from clear. In a special edition of The Day in Review (appropriately called "Pete don't call me livid") we will touch on the issue.

Soriano Watch

• One thing is certain, and that is Alfonso has hit the DL. The other--Lou Pinella is crazy for calling up Eric Patterson instead of Matt Murton. I've looked at this many ways: maybe he wants to let DeRosa play left so Fontenot has a spot (wait, why call up a second base prospect), or maybe he wants to spell Felix Pie (wait, Patterson is also a lefty). Ultimately, it seems that Pinella either hates Matt Murton or is obsessed with getting lefties in the lineup (Pie should play against righties, so the outfield would presumably be all lefties, with Fontenot at second? I don't want to talk about it).
• Rotoworld says that there is no timetable for Soriano's return. Yahoo! says that it shouldn't be more than the fifteen days. My bet is three weeks unless the Cubs need him.
• Rotoworld says that this is an injury that could hurt his game for awhile. Last time he hit the DL (and the only other time) he proceeded to hit 15 homeruns in 31 games.

Other Injury News

• Nomar is back, and I don't think its important. However, if you are in a very deep league and missed out on A-Rod, David Wright...Kevin Kouzmanoff, Troy Glaus, etc. etc., you should consider him.
• Carlos Zambrano found a way to avoid getting cramps--limiting caffeine intake. This explains a lot.
• Hank Blalock left in extra-innings with a possible injury. If it turns out the oft-injured post-hype sleeper is hurt, it'll be tough to justify him on a team.
• Al Reyes found the DL, which should mean a bit more job security for Percival. Wheeler gets a little boost in value as a handcuff.
• Shawn Hill should be ready to pitch Saturday against the Marlins (technically today). Monitor him closely, but the less pitcher-friendly confines and the injury risk worries me.
• Not injury-related, but Joba Chamberlain and Jimmy Rollins should be back this weekend, tomorrow at the earliest for family reasons.

Notable Performances

• Miguel Cabrera gave owners taking him in the first round what they were expecting, but I still doubt he'll pan out with that kind of value. Nonetheless, a 4-6, HR, 5 RBI ain't nothin'.
• Derrek Lee, one of our favorites here at Rotonomics, went 3-4 with a HR, bringing his totals up to a .393 BA and 6 HRs. Another favorite, Rafael Furcal, had his second after a 3-3 night so far, and is batting .397.
• Josh Hamilton went 4-7 in a long game that usually turns a decent statline (a.k.a 1-3) into a (1-7). As hyped as he was this offseason, so far he's living up to it.
• You'd think I'd mentioned Contreras great start before Webb's, since its much more rare. However, the O's aren't much of an opponent and I'm not reading into it. Webb's 4-0 record, on the other hand, foreshadows a 20+ win season even against the lowly Giants (the irony).
• Clay Buchholz looked bad tonight, and is going to need a big turnaround if he's going to help everyone touting him as the Rookie of the Year favorite. I don't see him as any better a bet going forward than Phil Hughes.
• At the other end of the spectrum, King Felix is making M's fans forget about Bedard. He pitched a complete game tonight--probably because the bullpen had lost his first two games. Put him down at 9 innings, 8 hits, 1 run, 1 BB, and 8 Ks. He's a legitimate fantasy ace.

It's a long post, but that's what you need to know about the day.