Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Glee for Lee

Cleveland starter Cliff Lee outpitched White Sox ace Mark Buehrle for a 4-0 win, just Lee's second of the season. It was Lee's first victory in nearly a month. Buehrle offered his worst effort of 2009, and it wasn't that bad, save for a pair of homers he allowed to Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko.

Fantasy Impact: Lee's disappointing start to the season leaves him unlikely to regain his 2008 Cy Young numbers, but he's still a solid fantasy option. Last season's breakout prompted overbuying of Lee in 2009, as his average draft position jumped to 64th overall in CBSsports.com fantasy leagues. That pegs Lee as a high-end No. 2 starter in most fantasy leagues, which he is not. Lee is more likely a low-end No. 2 or a No. 3 starter at this point in his career. We lean toward Lee as a No. 3, especially on an Indians team that's mired in last place.

Soriano blows save; Gonzalez notches sixth

Rafael Soriano blew his first save of 2009, but did so in the 8th inning of an eventual 8-7 Braves victory over the Mets in extra innings. Mike Gonzalez remains Atlanta's top choice for saves as he comes in to notch No. 6 on the season.

Fantasy Impact: There would appear to be some interchange between Soriano and Gonzalez to this point, but Gonzalez is still the closer in Atlanta. Soriano's earlier save chances came via Gonzalez's unavailability or use in a tight situation suited for a dominant lefty earlier in a game. Soriano blew this one in the eighth inning, meaning Gonzalez would have likely gotten the save chance with the lead in the ninth.