Summer has come with a vengeance to the Mid West.  Break out the sunscreen, crank on the AC, settle in and watch baseball.  This is the finest time of the year.

"Both teams (the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers) lost key members of their starting rotation for the season before the game. Cleveland's Jake Westbrook will need Tommy John surgery after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, while Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman had a blood clot in his pitching shoulder and needed angioplasty Saturday morning. The Tigers had Bonderman's jersey hanging in the dugout during the game."  I wrote about Bondo's injury yesterday.  The Tigers are holding out hope that he will return late this season.  I would seriously doubt that we will see him pitch again this year. For Westbrook, its obvious he is lost for the season.  Tommy John surgery is now becoming almost common place for pitchers.  I'll say now that Westbrook will come back even stronger after the surgery.

"The 10 runs allowed by Andy Pettitte matched a career high." Pettitte's line (6.2 IP, 10 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, and 4.99 ERA) is a nightmare for fantasy owners. Its wholly consistent with how he has been pitching for year. He's made it into the 6th, but he has been getting shelled. Given the high ERA and WHIP, I would not start Pettitte in a roto league and am reluctant to start him even while he's winning in H2H.

"Baltimore LHP Brian Burress, who has won just one of his past eight starts, will get an extra day of rest before his next outing, Friday against Pittsburgh." Burress carries a 4.96 WHIP.  Between the losses, the 1.45 K to BB ratio, and the inflated ERA, I see Burress holding fantasy value in only deep AL-only leagues.

"Besides (activating Vernon) Wells, the Blue Jays also activated INF John McDonald from the 15-day DL and recalled Wolfe from Triple-A Syracuse. To make room on the roster, Toronto placed 2B Aaron Hill (concussion) on the 15-day DL, designated RHP Armando Benitez for assignment and optioned INF/OF Joe Inglett to Syracuse." As expected, Hill was placed on the DL retroactive to May 30.  This puts his return at Week 12.  As far as McDonald and Wolfe are concern, they have no fantasy value.

If it makes Hill feel any better, "Mets OF Ryan Church sat out his second straight game and will not play in Sunday's finale because he says he is "not feeling right."

"Boston manager Terry Francona said CF Jacoby Ellsbury, who left Thursday's game with a sprained right wrist, could be back Tuesday."  This speaks well to the "real clean" MRI from yesterday.  Ellsbury should be back and stealing bases shortly.

"Tim Wakefield was winless in his last five starts, going 0-3."  Unfortunately for Wakefield, he can't play the Tigers or Seattle every outing. Wakefield had a decent outing from a fantasy perspective (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, and a 4.33 ERA).  You roll the dice with the knuckleballer.

"After the game, the Marlins optioned C Paul Hoover to Triple-A Albuquerque. RHP Ryan Tucker will have his contract selected prior to tomorrow's game to make his major league debut." Tucker has been dominant in the minors with a 1.41 ERA over 12 starts. As we all know, there is a significant difference between major league and minor league hitters.   He will face the Reds first.  Lets see how Ken Griffey, Jr. and Jay Bruce greet the rookie.

Josh Hamilton's struggles at the plate recently may be because he "has been bothered by viral infection for several days and is expected to get a day off on Sunday."

In the continuing saga of the WWE meets MLB, "Rays OF Jonny Gomes dropped his appeal and began serving his five-game suspension on Saturday night. RHP James Shields will drop his appeal after Tuesday night's start and will begin his six-game suspension on Wednesday. ... Gomes and Shields were two of five Rays suspended for a total of 23 games for their parts Thursday night's bench-clearing melee with the Red Sox. The other three Tampa Bay players -- Crawford, RHP Edwin Jackson and 2B Akinori Iawmura -- are expected to appeal before their suspensions begin later in the month."

"Jonathan O. Sanchez has gone at least six innings and allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last five starts." Sanchez along with reliver Brian Wilson are a couple of very pleasant fantasy surprises coming out of San Francisco.  Sanchez has a 2 to 1 K to BB ratio, an ERA under 4, and a WHIP of 1.38.  You won't get a ton of wins from the Giant's starter, but he makes a nice spot pitcher.

"Oakland RHP Andrew Brown, on the DL since undergoing an appendectomy on May 20, may be activated Sunday, according to manager Bob Geren." Brown is a middle reliever and not much more.

"Yost is hoping to have relievers Eric Gagne (rotator cuff tendinitis) and David Riske (hyperextended right elbow) back within a week."  The rest of the Brewers are hoping they stay on the DL...

"New York reinstated Raul Casanova from the bereavement list Friday. The Mets optioned C Robinson Cancel to Triple-A New Orleans."  Casanova grounded out pinch-hitting yesterday.

Usually streakers have company.  Today, we only have one.  "Nationals C Jesus Flores extended his hitting streak to a career-best nine games with a seventh-inning single."

I have no idea how things like this make it into the game notes, but I'm glad for the opportunity to comment on it. "A moment of silence was held for Jim McKay, the longtime voice of ABC Sports who died Saturday morning at age 86. In July 2000, when the American Sportscasters Association selected Dodgers play-by-play man Vin Scully as the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century, McKay finished sixth in the voting behind Scully, Howard Cosell, Mel Allen, Red Barber and Bob Costas."  Jim McKay and ABC's Wide World of Sports was a fixture in our home on Saturdays and Sundays in the late 70's. McKay was my Dan Patrick minus the shtick.  He was knowledgable, engaging, and a great ambassador for all sports.

"I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself." Truer words were never written on the interblags. On to the Game Notes!

"Detroit put SS Ramon Santiago (shoulder) and OF Clete Thomas (ankle) on the disabled list and RHP Aquilino Lopez went onto the bereavement list. To replace them, the Tigers activated RHP Denny Bautista from the DL and recalled SS Michael Hollimon and OF Brent Clevlen from Triple-A Toledo." I only mention these transactions because so many players are involved. These players are like rest of the 2008 Tigers - worthless.

Non-game note but Tiger related, Jeremy Bonderman is likely out for the season after a procedure was done to relieve a blood clot in his arm. Like the rest of the Tigers rotation, Bondo hadn't been setting the world on fire, but he was serviceable. His departure is a blow to an already struggling club. I would assume that Armando Galarraga and Dontrelle Willis will no longer share starts.

"Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury, who left Thursday's game with a strained right wrist, had an MRI and the results came back "very clean," according to manager Terry Francona. Ellsbury is day-to-day." Great news for Ellsbury and his owners. The kid has been a great find for fantasy owners leading the league in SB. He should be good to go for Week 11.

"Pirates C Ryan Doumit played for the first time since breaking his left thumb May 14, and went 0-for-4." Doumit's scuffling at the plate is to be expected. Catching with a broken thumb requires a guts, painkillers, ice, and nice chunk of insanity. I would keep him reserved for a few more games.

Week 5's favorite pick up "Marlins LF Josh Willingham (back) is scheduled to take batting practice Saturday. There's no timetable for his return to the lineup." Willingham was all kinds of goodness at the end of April. This herniated disk has kept him sidelined. I have no idea why 37% of owners still have him on the roster.

"Blue Jays 2B Aaron Hill (concussion) missed his seventh straight game. Hill collided with Eckstein on May 29 in Oakland and is still suffering lightheadedness and headaches. Hill, who was checked by a doctor in Toronto on Friday, will likely land on the disabled list if he is unable to return soon." Apart from a mention when this happened, I haven't paid much attention to Hill. After more than a week out it seems like this is more than a matter of Hill's bell getting rung. Hill only had 2 HR and a .264 BA prior to the injury. If you are one of the 24% of owners still starting Hill, its time to look for an alternative.

"Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, who was benched Thursday for failing to hustle on a pop fly, was back in the lineup." I'm a Rollins owner and a believer in his talent. That said, I L-O-V-E Charlie Manuel sitting his butt down for not going 100%. By sitting his MVP SS, he sends a message to the entire team about excellence and how he thinks the game should be played. Bravo, Skipper!

"Until Ian Kinsler's drive, Scott Kazmir hadn't given up a home run since Sept. 4, a stretch of 68 innings." I am still amazed at the play of the Rays and especially Kazmir. 6-1, 44 K to 13 BB, ERA of 1.40 and a WHIP of less than 1. (0.91 to be exact.) It only took owners 6 weeks to become believers. I hope their fans start believing as well and fill Tropicana Field.

"RHP Sidney Ponson was designated for assignment by the Rangers in a surprise move before the game. General manager Jon Daniels was vague about the reasons for the decision, saying Ponson had been dumped "for disrespecting teammates and club personnel." Ponson was a nice addition to the Rangers in a time when they needed some pitching consistency. You have to know there was some pretty serious douchebaggery on Ponson's part to get released.

"Texas' Gerald Laird, normally a catcher, made his first career start at 3B. Laird had no trouble with the first two grounders hit his way, then bobbled the third on what was ruled an infield single." In some leagues, Laird is now eligible to play 3B. For most leagues, he'll require a few more starts to get the permanent designation. Still, its nice to have the flexibility on your roster. Laird still has Salty splitting time behind the plate. This just makes Laird an option in deep AL-only leagues.

"Giants OF Aaron Rowand left the game in the seventh inning with an injury to his right quadriceps muscle. He'll be re-examined on Saturday. Washington RHP Tim Redding pinch-hit for Bergmann in the third inning. He struck out." I've seen this injury characterized as a right hip flexor as well. Either way, its not good news for Rowand owners. He's been having a nice season for the Giants. Rowand is listed as day to day.

"New York lost for just the second time in Johan Santana's last 10 starts." Santana has been solid since joining the Mets. 6 INN, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, and a 3.08 ERA yesterday. I'm looking for even better things after the All Star break from Santana.

Streakers! "Jose Lopez extended his hitting streak to five games. He is 9-for-23 over that stretch...David DeJesus extended his season-best hitting streak to 10 games."

TiVo + late night baby feedings = Watching More Baseball.  Here's what I gleaned from yesterday's Game Notes.

"The Tigers designated RHP Francisco Cruceta for assignment." 'For assignment' means 'you suck' in baseball speak.  Giving up the winning run on Monday night will make management think such things.

Speaking of suck, "Orioles Manager Dave Trembley on the decision to designate SS Luis Hernandez for assignment: "Sometimes you have to take a step back before you can take a step forward."

"A's RHP Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth and has retired 27 of the past 31 hitters he has faced." Few people expected Street to have 12 saves at this point in the season.  Start him while he's hot.

"Adrain Gonzalez has 16 RBI in his past 10 games." Gonzalez doesn't get the publicity of a Albert Pujols or Lance Berkmance, but he is putting up some great numbers.  With 17 HR, 55 RBI, and a .304 BA, he is having an elite season.

Good news for Vernon Wells owners. "Blue Jays OF Vernon Wells (broken left wrist) took batting practice and Gibbons said he reported no problems." The Blue Jays are still targeting a late June to early July return.

"2B Aaron Hill (mild concussion) also took BP and remains day to day."  I ain't got nothin' for this guy.  Decent average, little power.  It seems like you could do better.

"Cleveland C Victor Martinez was out of the starting lineup for the second time in three games to protect his sore left hamstring. He walked as a pinch hitter in the seventh." V-Mart has been the bane of many a fantasy owner who drafted high for this usually solid fantasy catcher.  Maybe some more time off will right the ship.

"C Ryan Doumit (broken left thumb) began a rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Altoona on Tuesday night and could rejoin the Pirates as early as Friday."  I'm commenting on this only to say what a tough SOB Doumit has to be.  I cannot imagine catching Major League pitching with a broken thumb - healed or not.  It has to be one of THE MOST PAINFUL jobs in the world.

"Todd Wellemeyer, who's scheduled to start on Wednesday was named the National League Pitcher of the Month. He was 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA."  I've talked about Wellemeyer before.  He's having a nice start to the year.  Surprisingly, he's available in some leagues.

"Carlos Quentin reached 50 RBI."  Quentin has been one of the year's biggest fantasy surprises and one of the major contributors to the White Sox success this year.

"Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said outfielder Eric Byrnes, who has been on the disabled list since May 27 because of a right hamstring strain, worked out on a stairmaster Tuesday and could begin running at Pittsburgh later this week."  Byrnes is having a slow start to the season.  Here's hoping his replacement is performing better on your team than he was...

"Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki was 1-for-4 with an infield single, something he's had relatively few of this season while batting just .287 this season. The perennial All-Star's previous low entering June was .317."  Ichiro's performance could be related to the cold weather that Seattle has seen this spring, but its more likelty related to the cold start of his team as well.  As a whole, the Mariners have been languishing this season.  I still expect Ichiro to  have a BA well above .300 by the All Star break.

"Dodgers SP Brad Penny, who walked a batter in the first inning, has retired the side in order in the first frame only four times in his 13 starts. This was the eighth time he has failed to get through the first three innings without giving up a run."  This little trivia nugget is reflected in his 7 losses and 5.45 ERA.  I have to wonder why so many owners (92% of leagues) still have this guy on their roster.

Streaks snapped! "Shane Victorino was 0-for-3 with a walk, snapping his 14-game hitting streak...Cincinnati's Jerry Hairston was 0-for-4, ending his 10-game hitting streak." I keep hearing the Price is Right "you failed" music playing in the background.

Finally, an interesting bit of trivia I never would have guessed. "The Texas Rangers are the only major league team that hasn't been shut out this season."  Start your Rangers, eh?