There was only 4 games on Monday night, so this will be a short one. Well, the Albert Pujols slump has come to a head as he and manager Tony LaRussa had a heated exchange a few nights ago, after Albert was left standing at the plate after teammate Ryan Ludwick was caught stealing. Pujols showed his displeasure in the decision by slamming his batting helmet, and then exchanging words with LaRussa. Pujols is not the first player to but heads with LaRussa, but bears watching come the offseason.
Here are the rest of my thoughts after reviewing Monday's boxscores:
Nationals pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg gave up his first run since getting promoted to AAA on Monday. He pitched 5 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, one earned run, and striking out 5. He is tentatively scheduled to make his major league start on June 4th, which is next Friday.
Pirates first baseman Steven Pearce injured his ankle making a throw in Monday night's game vs the Red. Bad luck for Pearce, who has been hitting well since he call up from AAA. Pearce is hitting .276-.395-.414 in 29 at bats. It will be interesting who the Pirates call up should Pearce require a DL stint. My money is on Neil Walker or Jose Tabata.
Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez was hobbling badly after a foul ball hit the big toe on his left foot. This bears watching for VMart owners.
Drew Stubbs went 3-4, including his 5th HR, and drove in two runs in the Reds 7-5 win over the Pirates. He has hit in 7 of his last 10 games, and has 5 multi-hit games in May. His 5 HRs and 11 SBs offer plenty of fantasy value. He is on pace for 42 SBs.
Jonny Gomes continues to hit when he is in the lineup. He went 1-3 with 2 runs scored on Monday. He is hitting .283-.326-,496 with 6 HRs and 27 RBIs. He is on pace for a 24-108 season.
Red Sox DH David Ortiz is making Buster Olney look bad. A week or two ago, Olney wrote that Ortiz would be waived by the Red Sox. On Monday, Ortiz hit his 9th HR of the season, going 2-4 and raising his BA to .256. I was surprised when I saw his BA above .250.
Clay Buchholz shows what patience in a young arm can produce. Buchholz won his 6th game of the season, holding the Rays to one run in 6 innings, and striking out 8. He lowered his ERA to 3.07.
White Sox outfielder Alex Rios hit his 9th HR, and stole his 14th base of the season on Monday vs the Indians. Rios is hitting .309-.358-.586 and has been a complete steal for the White Sox, who gave up nothing for taking on his contract last season. Sure the contract was big, but Rios is proving he is worth it so far this season. He is one of the more valuable fantasy player in 2010.