Line of the Day: April 8th, 2011

SP Ian Kennedy of the Arizona Diamondbacks struck out nine in eight innings to earn the win in a 13-2 rout of the Cincinnati Reds. He gave up just six hits and walked one while lowering his ERA to 2.57 and WHIP to 1.14. He also has a 12/4 K/BB ratio in 14 innings this season. Kennedy is slowly proving he is the D'Backs ace.

Line: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Kennedy had similar ADP's on ESPN (209.6) and Yahoo! (222.4) yet he's 95.9% owned on ESPN compared to just 59% on Yahoo!. Now may be your last chance to grab him if he's still sitting out there on waivers.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Line of the Day: April 7th, 2011

SP Edwin Jackson of the Chicago White Sox pitched eight innings, allowed four hits, one earned run, walked one and struck out 13 in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Jackson increased his record to 2-0 on the season and dropped his ERA to 1.93 with a 1.00 WHIP.

Line: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 K

Jackson's 2011 ADP (on ESPN) was 222.9 and is currently owned in only 34.3% of ESPN leagues and 59% of Yahoo! leagues. Since joining the White Sox, Jackson has a 6-2 record in 13 starts covering 89 innings with a 97/23 K/BB ratio. Now would be the time to grab him if he's still available in your league(s).

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Line of the Day: April 6th, 2011

SP Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants allowed one run on three hits, struck out 13 and walked none over seven dominant innings against the San Diego Padres.

Line: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 K

In 14 innings this season, Lincecum has only allowed one earned run on eight hits, given up three walks and struck out 18. His ADP of 14.8 (on ESPN) ranked him second amongst all starting pitchers behind only Roy Halladay (ADP of 8.2). In just two starts, he's already proving he continues to be worthy of the early round investment.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Waiver Saviors: April 6th, 2011

Waiver Saviors will be a semi-regular feature on COSFBA looking for players available in a majority of leagues (ESPN and/or Yahoo!) who are currently having a statistical impact and could/should be worth owning, if you have the need. Waiver pickups are all about filling a need with a player(s) currently hot and beating your fellow owners to the punch without destroying your current roster in the process.

Here are some players who've gotten off to a fast start and may be worth owning if your roster has already been bitten by the injury bug or some late round fliers/sleepers aren't panning out:

• 3B/OF Alex Gordon, KC (10.3% ESPN; 39% Yahoo! owned) is hitting .375 (9/24) with 1 HR (5 XBH), 3 RBI and 6 Runs. He's currently only OF eligible in ESPN leagues.
• OF Josh Willingham, OAK (6.8% E; 16% Y!) is hitting .333 (5/15) with 2 HR, 5 RBI and 5 Runs. He's currently Oakland's top-rated hitter.
• 3B/OF Willie Bloomquist, ARI (5.3% E; 12% Y!) is hitting .333 (6/18) with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 Runs and 4 SB. He's been filling in at SS for the injured Stephen Drew and could gain eligibility at that position, depending on your league's rules. Could he be this year's Omar Infante?
• OF Logan Morrison, FLA (26.8% E; 33% Y!) is hitting .286 (4/14) with 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 Runs and 5 BB (.474 OBP). He also is one of the most active and accessible MLB'ers on Twitter.
• C Russell Martin, NYY (33.8% E; 51% Y!) is hitting .353 (6/17) with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 Runs, 2 SB and has started at catcher in all five of the Yankees's games, so far. He looks healthy and rejuvenated.
• SS Orlando Cabrera, CLE (8.4% E; 9% Y!) is hitting .375 (6/16) with 1 HR, 5 RBI and 4 Runs. He's the Indians' starting second baseman and should gain eligibility at that position soon.
• 2B/3B/SS Maicer Izturis, LAA (7.1% E; 14% Y!) is hitting .318 (7/22) with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 Run and 2 SB. His position eligibility could be his biggest asset right now for a team that has multiple holes.
• RP Jordan Walden, LAA (33.3% E; 56% Y!) was recently named the Angels' closer and should be owned in all formats that use Saves. In 3.1 innings, he's posting 16.2 K/9 and 6.00 K/BB ratios with 1 Save and 2 Holds.
• RP Joel Hanrahan, PIT (72% E; 82% Y!) is Pittsburgh's closer and should be owned in 100% of leagues. He's already racked up 3 Saves with a 13.50 K/9.

It's very early to look at what starting pitchers can help your team but you should be keeping an eye on the box scores to see what low-ownership pitchers are performing well. And remember, IT IS VERY EARLY in the season. Don't blow up your roster chasing after "hot" players. You should be dropping guys who were late-round fliers or "sleepers", not proven veterans simply off to a slow start. It blows my mind that John Lackey and Ryan Raburn are currently two of the most-dropped players.

Line of the Day: April 5th, 2011

SP Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers threw a two-hit complete game shutout in a 1-0 win against the Atlanta Braves. He walked two and struck out two while also going 1-for-3 at the plate and scoring the only run of the game. It was also Gallardo's fourth career complete game.

Line: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Gallardo had an ADP of 82.9 (on ESPN) and was drafted later than two currently-injured, high-priced starters; Mat Latos (70.9) and Zack Greinke (77.7). If you are a Yovani owner, feel free to gloat. You're already getting your money's worth.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.