New blog title.  Same great blog taste.  On to the Game Notes!

"Cubs RHP Carlos Zambrano, who left Wednesday night's loss because of discomfort in his right shoulder, will miss his next scheduled start Tuesday against Baltimore. He was initially set to have an MRI exam Thursday, but the Cubs decided to instead schedule an MRI arthrogram, a test in which dye is injected into the problem area to provide a more detailed look."  Anyone who has Big Z on their roster has been keeping an eye on this story.  I don't like the fact that they are taking a more detailed test.  I'm hoping that this is just Cubs fan paranoia on my part, but I have a feeling it is not.

"Rays SS Jason Bartlett fouled a pitch off his left foot during batting practice and was scratched from the lineup. Rookie 3B Evan Longoria made his first major league start at shortstop."  If Longoria is eligible at another position, he becomes even more valuable to fantasy owners.  Longoria has decent power for a 3B, but his .250 BA is what is holding him back from being a solid fantasy option.  Bartlett, for the 17% of owners who care, is listed as day to day. 

"Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the Reds' lineup for a third consecutive game with an illness. The 38-year-old outfielder also has been bothered by a sore left knee."  Now that the 600 HR barrier has been broken its time for Griffey to start his annual breakdown.  Griffey could have been among the true baseball immortals had he had any sort of durability.  unfortunately, his injuries will be an integral part of his baseball legacy.

"Josh Banks gave up two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings and was credited with his first career loss." Banks has been getting some nice fantasy pub and rightly so.  He has great fantasy numbers (20 K, 6 BB, 1.62 ERA, and a 1.02 WHIP).  Banks is owned in only 26% of leagues. Owners who need to get thier WHIP or ERA down would do well to pick uyp Banks and start him when he's pitching at home.

"AJ Burnett, who left after giving up eight runs over five innings, faced his locker for 28 minutes after the game before speaking to reporters. He said he had not felt good on the mound his past three starts and has gone 1-2 with an 11.30 ERA."  Burnett has not been making his fantasy owners feel good either.  He's been bad.  Owners have stuck wth him - starting him in 67% of leagues.  I want to know what "not felt good" means.  Is this an injury or is Burnett in some sort of meta-physical funk?  Either way, owner would be well served to bench him in Week 13.

"Chris Duncan is 5-for-31 with one RBI since being recalled from the minors to play 1B after Albert Pujols was injured."  Pujols is already taking fielding and batting practice.  Though he is eligible to return on Thursday, I would imagine that he will take all of Week 13 off as a precaution.

"Athletics RHP Rich Harden (4-0, 2.53 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series against Florida on Friday night in Oakland. Harden has allowed three runs or fewer in six straight starts."  Harden is a dominating pitcher when he's healthy.  The problem is that he seldom is.  He spent much of the last three years on the DL and has already seen time there this year.  Despite that, he's owned in 96% of leagues and started in nearly as many.  Owners should ride this horse while they're able.

Still streaking!  "AJ Pierzynski has a 13-game hitting streak...Oakland CF Ryan Sweeney singled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest for the A's this season. "

There's nothing like orange barrel season in Metro Detroit to start your Monday off in the most foul of moods. At least I have the Game Notes to cheer me up.

"The Tigers sent reliever Aquilino Lopez to Triple-A Toledo after the game and plan to convert him into a starter. Detroit is expected to activate reliever Fernando Rodney (shoulder) on Monday." Obviously, this is great news for the resurgent Tigers. The return of Rodney to his 2006 form would bring tremendous stability and depth to the Tiger bullpen. Some might recall that Rodney was being groomed for the closer role before the injury bug got him. Barring an Eric Gagne like collapse by Todd Jones, its highly unlikely that Rodney will become the closer this year. Rodney will continue his role as a set up man, occasionally earning the odd save or win.

"Gregg Zaun made his return from the 15-day DL and was inserted into the lineup as designated hitter. Zaun had been out since May 28 with a right elbow injury." Zaun had a nice return going 1 for 3 with 2 RBI dinger and a BB. As I mentioned on Saturday, I don't see him supplanting Rod Barajas behind the plate. Add him at your own risk.

Bad news on the Travis Hafner injury watch. "Eric Wedge said DH Travis Hafner, out since May 30 with a sore right shoulder, is "not where he wants to be," and is not able to start a minor league rehab assignment next week as had been hoped." The Indians were making noises that Hafner would be ready this week. Its clear he won't be. Keep him reserved or better yet, drop him for a player who can hit above the .217.

Here we go again. Its time for the next great thing in baseball. "San Diego is expected to call up OF Chase Headley on Tuesday. He's hitting .305 with 13 homers and 40 RBI in 65 games at Triple-A Portland, and will play for the Padres on Monday in the Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown, N.Y., against the Chicago Cubs." Patience should be counseled for Headley. He's not receiving the hype that Jay Bruce got, but he still has prospect-watchers tongues wagging. Owners should be reminded that after his insta-HOF start, Jay Bruce came back down to earth. I would wait a week or so before hopping on the Headley bandwagon.

Speaking of struggling rookies, "in his three starts this season, Bailey has given up six homers, walked 10 and allowed 12 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings." Toot Toot! That sound you hear is my own horn. I was roundly criticized for questioning the wisdom of starting or even picking up Homer Bailey.

"Twins RHP Nick Blackburn (elbow) has muscle soreness and will skip his next start. With an off day Monday, Blackburn is now slated to Saturday against Arizona. He stressed there were no problems with the ligaments in his elbow. "It's not a big deal," he said." Missing a start is a big deal to owners who picked him up for his two start week. Blackburn has been a nice fantasy find. He doesn't win a ton of games but he has a 3 to 1 K to BB ratio, an ERA under 4, and a WHIP under 1.5. Given the fact that the soreness is in his pitching arm, I'd keep Blackburn reserved this week.

This isn't from the Game Notes, but I thought it was important to mention. The AP reported, "Yadier Molina never saw what hit him, leaving the field on a body board and wearing a neck brace." If you saw the game you saw the collision that left him motionless on the diamond. The good news is that the initial concerns about spinal injury or even whiplash were unnecessary. Molina was diagnosed with a mild concussion. He's likely out for the week, but he should be fine.

Did you hear about this? "Braves 3B Chipper Jones is 2-for-15 in four games since returning to the lineup Wednesday after sustaining a small tear in his right quadriceps muscle. He missed the series opener against the Angels on Friday after being injured in batting practice. A ball he hit caromed off the top of the batting cage and then struck him in the face. He went 0-for-7 in the final two games of the series and his major league-leading average fell to .402." I think the Braves are cursed. Worse yet, I think their players are beginning to believe it too. Sell Jones while you can. The DL is nigh.

Streakers! "AJ Pierzynski has an 11-game hitting streak...Skip Schumaker is batting .410 (16-for-39) in his past nine starts to raise his average to .310."

...thanks for playing the streak game. "Angels SS Maicer Izturis was 0-3, ending a 13-game hitting streak."

Surprisingly, there were not too many Game Notes of fantasy value today.  With that, I go to spend some time with the famn damily on this Father's Day.  Here's wishing all of you dads a happy Dad's Day and a win for your fantasy team.

"Kyle Lohse is 12-2 since last July 25, a major league best .857 winning percentage. He's pitched six or fewer innings in six of his victories this season."  No one will confuse Lohse for Cy Young, but he has been a solid fantasy pitcher despite seldom going past 6 innings.  An 8-2, 40 K/21 BB ratio, 3.77 ERA, and 1.21 WHIP makes Lohse a good addition to your team.

"OF Scott Hairston was scratched from the lineup due to a hyperextended left elbow. Black doesn't expect him to play in Sunday's series finale."  Hairston is part of a platoon of outfielders for the Padres.  As such, he doesn't see as much playing time as he probably deserves.  His injury comes just as he was starting to get his average up. Hairston is listed as day to day.

Normally I don't write about rehab progress, but Brewers fans should be aware that "Brewers RHP Eric Gagne (right shoulder) said he hopes to throw from the mound during his next session Sunday." Hide your baseball teams and hopes for a winning season for the Destroyer is at hand!

"With Arizona LF Eric Byrnes' return from hamstring injuries uncertain, Conor Jackson made his third start in left for Arizona on Saturday night. It was his sixth game in the outfield in four big league seasons." In two more games, Jackson should be available as an OF for most fantasy leagues.

"After the game, the Giants optioned LHP Patrick Misch to Triple-A Fresno. The move was made to make room for RHP Kevin Correia (1-3), who will be activated from the disabled list and start Sunday against Oakland LHP Dana Eveland (4-5) in the series finale."  Correia looked good in his rehab assignments.  It should provide hope to Giants fans.  Most fantasy owners, however, should take caution before placing back on your roster much less your starting rotation.  Correia has a 4.5 ERA with a 16 K/11 BB ration and 1.38 WHIP.  His value is primarily for NL-only leagues.

"Mariners reliever Mark Lowe threw exclusively out of the stretch Friday for the first time. He tossed two hitless innings with three strikeouts. "I like what I see," McLaren said. "There's no loss of velocity. It doesn't look like he rushes as much. With the windup, it looked like he was real quick." Lowe will be critical to the bullpen's success with closer J.J. Putz on the 15-day DL. Brandon Morrow now will do much of the closing work while Lowe will slip in the Morrow's role as the setup guy."  That's a long-winded note to remind you that Putz is on the DL and to pick up Morrow in case your are in desparate need of a closer.  Given the Mariners lack of wins, Morrow will have few save opportunities.

Game Notes sez Start 'Em! "Lee has hit safely in 20 of his past 24 games...Aramis Ramirez extended his hitting streak to six games...AJ Pierzynski extended his hitting streak to 10 games...Brewers LF Ryan Braun hit his 18th homer in the fifth. He has driven in a run in each of the last six games, giving him 52 this season."

Game Notes sez Sit'Em! "Jeff Larish's double in the fifth inning broke an 0-for-12 slump...Lyle Overbay snapped an 0-for-14 skid with his single off Marquis to lead off the fifth inning."