Tigers beat up Benson

Kris Benson hadn't pitched in the Majors since late September, 2006, and his five innings in Detroit Friday made the Rangers starter look like he hasn't pitched in years. Benson gave up a 4th inning grand slam to Miguel Cabrera and a solo shot to Jeff Larish to open the 5th. Seven earned runs through five innings is not what the Rangers had in mind when they picked Benson up off the scrap heap in the offseason. Texas trails 8-0 in the 6th.

Fantasy Impact: We're not willing to write off Benson after one outing, but you can leave him on the fantasy waiver wire until he finds some productive consistency. He threw very well in the spring.

Webb of insurance problems

Diamondbacks starter Brandon Webb failed to secure an insurance policy in the offseason because insurance companies were worried about his right arm.

But in using a higher standard when assessing potential risk, multiple agencies had concerns, which created a "red flag" for the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes would neither confirm nor deny the report, telling The Arizona Republic Thursday, "When it comes to details pertaining to negotiations, it's not something I want to talk about on or off the record."

"In the short term," Byrnes continued, "we will continue to monitor Brandon's (health) status and I believe he will be back on the mound shortly. We'll keep everyone notified of that, but talking about his contract or any negotiations is not something we want to talk about."

The more we hear about Webb's shoulder problems, the more concern grows. Here's a pitcher who's logged a lot of innings the past several years and couldn't get an insurance policy for his arm. That can't be a good thing.

Fantasy Impact: Webb will miss his next start. We do want to remember that the Diamondbacks ace passed a physical to play this year. We don't believe that's proof that he's OK to pitch at the Major League level. This latest revelation should have fantasy owners worried.

Joe Martinez concussion

Giants reliever Joe Martinez, who took a line drive to the head in last night's 7-1 win over the Brewers, is recovering from a concussion. The Giants say he has no broken bones.

Update: Martinez did, in fact, suffer skull fractures from the impact. Giants manager Bruce Bochy expects his pitcher to be back to baseball before the end of the month.

Upton "great" after Minor League game

Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, successfully completed a Minor League game Thursday night.

"I feel great physically," Upton, 24, said. "I'm just trying to pan some things out with my swing right now."

Upton grounded out in the first inning and hit an infield flyout in the ninth. He also walked twice and was hit by a pitch that grazed his jersey.

Fantasy Impact: Upton returns to the Rays on Monday. He's on schedule with his recovery and is expected to make a major impact this season. Despite his modest power numbers in 2008, many forecasters expect a breakout 2009 after his postseason power binge. The jury is out Upton becoming a major slugger, but he'll continue to be a speed demon on the bases. We'll look for a .28-100-20-80-40 statline at the end of the season, which is very respectable.

Romero over Porcello in the Ricky Rick show

Ricky Romero got rave reviews for his win over fellow former first-round draft pick Rick Porcello. The Blue Jays 2005 sixth overall pick out-dueled his 2007 seventh-round counterpart. Romero worked six innings, giving up two runs. Porcello gave up four in five.

Fantasy Impact: Must we rave about these two like everyone else? The Romero-Porcello match up got a load of hype, which is understandable considering this was the first time first-round picks debuted against one another. In the end, we're slightly underwhelmed. Despite his ability to limit runs, Romero coughed up a 1.500 WHIP while Porcello gave up two runners per inning. Numbers like those will eventually lead to sky-high ERAs. Porcello's already climbed to 7.20 today. These two have talent, but it's not going to be the smoothest road going forward.

Gotta love Votto

Reds second-year first baseman Joey Votto powered his club to an 8-6 win over the Mets on Thursday, belting his second home run and driving in three runs as part of a 3-5 effort on the day. He looks like a potential All-Star out of the gate.

Fantasy Impact: Votto's got the tools to become a perennial .290-100-30-100 Major Leaguer. That's rare air for a 25-year-old, but Votto's solid 2008 has him pointing up with this red-hot start.

Cain able

Giants pitcher Matt Cain finally got some run support, and the Giants starter turned in a strong performance in beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1. Cain's line for the night: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Fantasy Impact: With Tim Lincecum and Randy Johnson ahead of him in the rotation, Cain can settle in and dominate as an extremely capable third starter. Cain's run-support problem left him last in the league in terms of opportunities to win in 2008 and has cost him considerably in fantasy circles. He's good enough to become a fantasy ace if things line up the right way.

Carpenter carves up Bucs

Chris Carpenter looked like his old dominant self Thursday afternoon in a 2-1 Cardinals win over Pittsburgh. Carpenter carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, striking out seven while yielding just three base runners. He fired 61 strikes in 92 pitches.

Fantasy Impact: A very sturdy first step for Carpenter, whose talent no one doubts. Whether he can hold up after multiple injuries is the concern. Enjoy the fantasy fun while it lasts, but this might also be a statement that the Cardinals' ace is back.

Washburn sinking in

Hello, Jarrod Washburn. The Seattle southpaw, an afterthought in the fantasy baseball world, lifted his left arm to the heavens on Thursday night, and each time that arm came down a sinking fastball floated around and under the bats of miffed Minnesota batters. Washburn's new pitch got him through eight innings of five-hit baseball and earned the Seattle Mariners a 2-0 win.

Fantasy Impact: Sinkerballers pose an intriguing value in fantasy play. Typically guys like Chien-Ming Wang and Aaron Cook keep their teams in the game and maintain low ERAs, but they're not going to strike people out. Washburn never did, and in Seattle he's unlikely to win. That said, a pitcher who can get people out and pitch deep into games as Washburn did Thursday always has a chance. That means this old lefty with a new pitch can pay dividends at the back end of most fantasy staffs.