Roto Roundup: Derek Jeter Homers Twice, Anibal Sanchez Flirts With Another No-Hitter

I wrote yesterday about how offense is down, and on Sunday 14 of the 30 major league teams were held to 3 runs or less on Sunday, 3 of which were shutout. Can we go back to the days when double digit runs scored by both teams was normal?

Cubs starter Ryan Dempster is bouncing back from a rough April after giving up two runs on 5 hits in 7 innings on Sunday. He struck out 4 and gave up a solo HR to Drew Stubbs, as he lowered his ERA to 7.20. Yeah, still too high, but consider it was at 9.50 two starts ago. He has given up just 3 earned runs in his last 14 innings pitched, and induced 23 ground ball outs. I think he is back to the old Dempster, so if you can deal for him, do so soon.

White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko went 5-5 with a run scored, and is the only bright spot in the White Sox lineup at this point. He is hitting .323-.384-.543 with 8 HRs, 27 RBIs and an excellent 18-13 K/BB rate. 

Phillies outfield prospect Domonic Brown appears to be back on track at the plate, as he went 2-3 with a HR for AAA Lehigh Valley on Sunday. He is hitting .400 with 3 HRs and 5 RBIs in 22 Triple A at bats. He will probably stay down till there is an injury in the Phillies outfield or Raul Ibanez goes into another prolonged slump.

Pirates pitching prospect Jameson Taillon earned his first major league win on Sunday, going 5 innings, giving up one run on 3 hits, no walks and 5 strikeouts. His ERA sits at 1.64 in the early going of his major league career.

Giants outfielder Andres Torres went 2-4 with a run scored and a SB in his last AAA rehab game, and he will come off the DL on Tuesday and return to playing everyday for the Giants.

More Roto Roundup and MiLB updates after the jump:

Giants infielder Mark DeRosa also went 2-4 with a run scored for AAA Fresno on Sunday and will return from the DL on Tuesday and will probably play third base everyday with Pablo Sandoval on the DL.

Mariners second base prospect Dustin Ackley went 2-3 with a walk, HR, run scored, RBI and SB on Sunday, and has hit in 7 of his last 10 games, with 3 HRs, 8 RBIs, 2 SBs and a tremendous 4-10 K/BB rate.

White Sox outfielder Alex Rios has raised his BA by 50 points in the last 10 games, and he continued his bounceback on Sunday going 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI. He is 11-24 with 2 HRs but just one SB.

After a hot start in April, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is now hitting just .248-.343-.521 with 8 HRs and 18 RBis. He has a terrific 9-18 K/BB rate but is just 7 for his last 54 lowering his BA from .343 to .348 .248 since April 22nd.

Padres starter Aaron Harang held the Diamondbacks to 2 runs on 8 hits in 7 innings on Sunday, and is now 5-2 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Harang used to be a big strikeout pitcher, but that has changed but he still has a solid 29-11 K/BB rate in 42 IP.

Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore went 3-5 with a HR, double 2 runs scored and an RBI on Sunday, and is hitting. 288-.342-.630 with 5 HRs, 10 RBIs and zero SBs. He needs to start stealing to increase his fantasy and real value should the Indians decide to trade him this season.

Cardinals starter Kyle McClellan held the Brewers to one run on 4 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeout in 8 innings of work. McClellan is now 5-0 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. I think I can pitch well under Dave Duncan''s tutelage.

McClellan's teammate Fernando Salas earned his 3rd save of the season as he bailed out Eduardo Sanchez who was called upon to preserve a 3-1 lead in the 9th. Sanchez loaded the bases on a single and two walks. In his last 5 innings, Sanchez has struck out 6 and walked 8 batters, and coincidentally, that is when he started closing. It will be interesting to see who Tony LaRussa goes to in the next save opportunity.

Royals first base prospect Eric Hosmer went 2-4 with a run scored, and his first major league RBI on Sunday. He is now hitting .333-.500-.444 after 3 major league games.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has received more than his fair share of criticism this year for his propensity to hit ground ball after ground ball. Well, Jeter answered his critics on Sunday by going 4-6 with 2 HRs and was Fake Teams Fantasy Player of the Day.

Jeter's teammate Curtis Granderson went 3-4 with a HR, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI yesterday and is now hitting ,283-.359-.646 with 11 HRs and 23 RBIs on the season. More than a third of his hits have been out of the ballpark variety and that won't continue.

The Rangers were successful in 5 of their 6 steal attempts vs Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli. Adjust your rosters accordingly should Cervelli see more starts down the road, Elvis Andrus lead the SB assault on Sunday with 2 steals giving him 10 on the season to go along with his .270-.324-.341 triple slash line.

Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is heating up after going 3-5 with a HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. AGonz is now hitting .314.-.369-.504 with 4 HRs and 24 RBIs. 

Gonzalez's teammate Kevin Youkilis is starting to heat up, as he went 2-4 with 4 runs scored and an RBI. He has raised his BA from .208 to .257 in the last  games, and is hitting .257-.406-.495 with 5 HRs, 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored so far this season.

Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez was perfect for six innings yesterday, but ended up going 7 innings, giving up 2 hits, no walks and striking out 11. This is the second time he has flirted with a no-hitter this season, and is now 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 43-17 K/BB rate.

Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez doesn't get much press but he just continues to get better and better. On Sunday, he went 4-4 with a HR, 3 runs, an 3 RBIs and is now hitting .328-.414-.512 with 5 HRs and 20 RBIs. He is 3rd amongst NL first baseman in BA and 5th in RBIs in the early going this season.

Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw held the Mets to one run on 6 hits, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts in 6+ innings on Sunday. Kershaw is now 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP  and a 53-18 K/BB rate.