Gregg still the guy in Chicago

CBSsports.com reports that despite Carlos Marmol's opportunity to save tonight, Kevin Gregg is still the Cubs' closer. Gregg blew his latest save opportunity but will be the man Lou Piniella calls on Sunday if the Cubs have a save chance.

Swisher swats the ball with Teixeira out

Nick Swisher played in place of Mark Teixeira at first base on Saturday while Teixeira tends to a sore left wrist. Swisher put up Teixeira-type numbers with a homer and a triple, recording three RBI in the 6-1 Yankees win. Swisher is hitting .538.

Fantasy Impact: Teixeira's issue doesn't sound serious, so expect him to be back in the lineup soon. Swisher is nothing more than a backup at first and in right field, where Xavier Nady beat him for a starting job. If Swisher stays hot, the Yankees might find ways to get him in the lineup.

Fast start for Bonifacio

Emilio Bonifacio collected three more hits tonight against the Mets in an 8-4 Marlins loss. The speedy leadoff man is hitting .583 through 23 at bats and becomes third-base eligible in most leagues by the middle of next week.

Fantasy Impact: Bonifacio offers a nice alternative to Chone Figgins for a speed option at third base. The Marlins and fantasy owners will have to hope his major production lasts for more than one week.

Sabathia money

CC Sabathia earned every bit of his big-money contract with the Yankees today, rolling into the eighth inning against Kansas City with six strikeouts and no earned runs. The Yankees used his stellar performance for a comfortable 6-1 win.

Sabathia is owed $161-million over the next seven seasons in Yankee pinstripes. He started 35 games for the Indians and Brewers last season, so if he keeps up that pace for the next seven years, Sabathia will earn $657,142.86 each time he climbs the hill.

A tale of two pitching statlines

The oddest statline of the day might go to the strange duel between Roy Oswalt and Adam Wainwright. Oswalt needed 89 pitches to get through six innings, giving up six earned runs. Wainwright labored much more than his counterpart, requiring 102 pitches to get through the fifth. Wainwright, however, gave up no runs and just seven base runners to Oswalt's 11, winning the game comfortably, 11-2.

Fantasy Impact: Both pitchers struck out four batters, but Oswalt just left his stuff over the plate more than Wainwright did. The Cardinals ace fought off batter after batter, eventually earning outs instead of base runners. We expect these two to serve as good number two starters in fantasy play.

Pujols Pounds Houston

A healthy Albert Pujols will earn player of the week honors with this type of production. Pujols smacked a grand slam and a three-run shot against the Astros, good for seven RBI, as the Cardinals cruse, 11-2. Pujols is closing in on double-digit RBI in week one.

More Mora

Melvin Mora powered the Baltimore Orioles past the Tampa Bay Rays with a first-inning grand slam that put the game out of reach from the outset. Baltimore beats Tampa, 6-0.

Fantasy Impact: Mora might be 37 years old, but he's saved his best baseball for the second half of his career. Since turning 30 he's totaled double digits in home runs every year. He's a middle-of-the-road third baseman who can keep you afloat offensively with an average right around .280 and 20 blasts.

Oh, Myers!

The Phillies Brett Myers is well on his way to making home run history in 2009. Myers gave up three home runs against the Colorado Rockies Saturday night, equaling the three blasts he served up to Atlanta on opening night. That's six home runs in two starts, which multiplies out to 90 homers over 30 starts, shattering both Jose Lima's National League record of 48 homers allowed in a single season and Bert Blyleven's Major League single-season record of 50 homers allowed.

Of course Myers is on pace to make at least 32 starts as the Phillies opening day starter, which means he could push 100 homers if he keeps up the pace!

Update: The Phillies win the game, 8-4 as Myers has never lost to Colorado.

Fantasy Impact: Myers is a power pitcher with streaks of both good and bad. He's a decent third option in a fantasy rotation who will provide as much risk as reward.

Doumit dominates Reds

Ryan Doumit lifted a ninth-inning grand slam off of Reds pitcher Mike Lincoln for his first home run of the 2009 season. Doumit goes 3-5 on the afternoon to go along with the run scored and four RBI, lifting his paltry average to .238. The Pirates pounded the Reds, 10-2.

Fantasy Impact: Doumit played in just 116 games in 2008 thanks to breaking his thumb mid-season. He's one of those rare plus-average, plus-power catchers. Consider him a lesser Brian McCann; a backstop capable of climbing into the top five at his position as he warms up.

Ryan ripped by Tribe

Toronto closer B.J. Ryan got the Jason Motte treatment Saturday in Cleveland. Following closer candidate Scott Downs, who worked an 18-pitch, one-hit eight, Ryan imploded. With two outs and the bases cleared, Ryan gave up a single, a pair of walks and a three-RBI double to Mark DeRosa. Jays manager Cito Gaston promptly pulled Downs, and Jason Frasor struck out Victor Martinez to clinch a 5-4 save.

Fantasy Impact: We continue to watch closely as Downs out-pitches Ryan and looks better equipped for the closer role at this time. Frasor got the save chance because Downs was already used in the eighth.

Scott Lewis disabled

Indians starter Scott Lewis landed on the disabled list with soreness in his elbow. Vinnie Chulk takes his place on the roster.

Lewis' last two Cactus League starts weren't good ones. He gave up 15 runs on 21 hits in 6 2/3 innings and told reporters the dry air was affecting his ability to grip the ball. He had one last spring tuneup in a Minor League intrasquad, but that was merely a three-inning warmup. Lewis said the elbow gave him trouble the more he pitched and the more he got up and down between innings.

"It kept getting worse, and I think that's why I haven't been finishing pitches," he said. "I had been over-rotating my changeup and putting extra stress on it. It's just not calming down with treatment. Hopefully it's just tendinitis or something and the shutdown will help."

Fantasy Impact: There's no word on how serious the injury is at this point. Lewis wasn't much of a fantasy option. He was a surprise to make Cleveland's rotation in the first place. Chulk will work out of the bullpen, so we'll wait on Cleveland's consideration for a fifth starter during Lewis' absence.

Love for Crede

Joe Crede's return to Chicago's south side as a member of the Minnesota Twins is a memorable one. In a hilarious moment, Crede walked to the plate with "All Out of Love" spilling out of the U.S. Cellular Field PA system and the White Sox faithful greeting him with a standing ovation. Crede smiled at the plate and then silenced the crowd with a home run to left field off of Jose Contreras. The Twins rolled the White Sox, 12-5.

Fantasy Impact: Crede may never get back to the level of his 30-homer 2006 season, but he's certainly a threat to post 20 homers and knock in 90 runs in a good Twins lineup. Crede's off to a .188 start through four games, and he's only a .257 lifetime hitter. Consider him a sleeper in 2009 who is capable of finishing the year in the top 10 of all third basemen.

Not Motte?

Jason Motte appears in danger of losing his closer job. The Cardinals rookie pitched to three Houston batters in the ninth inning, giving up a pair of singles sandwiched around a fly out. That was enough for Tony La Russa, who pulled Motte for Kyle McClellan. McClellan finished the job with a strikeout of Kaz Matsui followed by a fielder's choice ground out off the bat of Hunter Pence. Cardinals win, 5-3.

Fantasy Impact: Motte's confidence must be sinking. After he surrendered four runs on four hits on opening night, Ryan Franklin became the standby closer for game two and Dennys Reyes picked up a save the next night. Now Motte gets pulled for another youngster who, like Motte, had just one career save before Friday night.

It looks like closer by committee in St. Louis until a hot hand emerges, and a solitary stud is what La Russa would like to see emerge.