Roto Roundup: Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Anibal Sanchez, and Others

Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez had a rough first inning last night where he gave up 2 hits, 3 walks and only 3 runs, while striking out 3. He proceeded to walk Ian Kennedy and Willie Bloomquist to start the second, giving him 7 base runners allowed in one inning pitched. The two walks to start the second inning was followed by a visit to the mound by the Marlins pitching coach. After the visit, Sanchez gave up zero base runners and struck out an additional 11 batters, including the side in the 2nd inning, giving him 14 strike outs in 7 innings. Unfortunately for Sanchez, the Marlins offense gave him just one run on the scoreboard. He left the game with a 2.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 33-8 strikeout to walk ratio in 26.1 innings pitched.

Mike Trout went 0-4 with one strikeout batting leadoff yesterday. He will more than likely play everyday, but like Craig mentioned yesterday, you never know how manager Mike Scioscia may tinker with the lineup on a day to day basis.

Angels starter Dan Haren limited the Indians to one run on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7 in 8 innings yesterday to win his first game of the season. His ERA now sits at 3.34 and his WHIP at 1.24 with an excellent 30-5 strikeout to walk rate.

More Roto Roundup after the jump:

Tigers rookie starter Drew Smyly held the Yankees to just one run on 2 hits, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts in 6 innings yesterday for his first major league win yesterday afternoon. Smyly has certainly been a surprise this season, as he currently owns an ERA of 1.23, a WHIP of 1.18 and a 22-8 strikeout to walk rate in 22 innings.

Blue Jays DH Edwin Encarnacion went 2-3 with a grand slam and a double, and drove in 5 runs yesterday. Encarnacion is off to a hot start to the 2012 season, hitting .302-.333-.605 with 8 doubles, 6 HRs, 19 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. Encarnacion is capable of hitting 30 HRs in a season if he can stay in the lineup, and any stolen bases he provides is gravy.

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina went 4-4 yesterday with a HR, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI and is now hitting .324-.380-.620 with 4 HRs and 15 RBI. Baseball HQ's Ron Shandler wrote in his Baseball Forecaster book that Molina has the bat to hit 20 HRs and hit .300 this season. Molina has more home runs and RBI that Albert Pujols. Money well spent.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto improved to 3-0 yesterday, shutting out the hot-hitting Astros for 7 innings. Cueto gave up just 6 base runners and struck out 3 to lower his ERA to 1.39 and his WHIP to 1.05. I didn't think he could repeat his excellent 2011 season, but he is doing his best to make me look bad for that thought.

Reds outfielder Jay Bruce went 2-3 with a HR and 4 RBI yesterday and is now hitting .295-.329-.590 with 6 HRs and 16 RBI thus far. I included Bruce in my Top 10 players to target in 2012, and I think he can put up a 35 HR-100 RBI season in 2012. In his last 9 games, Bruce is 15-35 with 3 HRs and 10 RBI, and has homered in 3 straight games now.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper went 1-3 with a double on a line drive hit over center fielder Matt Kemp's head that hit the base of the wall in nano-seconds. He batted 7th in the Nationals lineup, which will probably be the case until he gets comfortable in the big leagues. Once he proves he can hit major league pitching, I see him hitting in the 3rd spot in the Nationals lineup. If he doesn't get sent back to AAA when Ryan Zimmerman returns from the DL, I can see him putting up 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases this season.

Harper also showed off his 80 arm last night gunning down Dodgers second baseman Jerry Hairston at the plate, but Hairston slapped the ball out of Wilson Ramos' glove to score the tying run. Twitter blew up last night after watching Harper's throw to the plate. He is already one of the best players on the field, and he's only 19 years old. Expect to see many Sportscenter highlights this morning, and in the future.

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, remember him, went 3-4 with a HR and 4 RBI last night, and is hitting .313-.352-.580 with 4 HRs, 11 RBI and a 17-4 strikeout to walk rate in 67 at bats this season. What is the likelihood that he continues to hit even .280, let alone .300 this season? Close to zero?

White Sox starter Jake Peavy continues to look like the 2008 Jake Peavy as he threw a complete game vs the Red Sox, limiting them to just one run on 4 hits, a walk and striking out 7. That's two straight complete games for Peavy, and he has given up just 3 runs in his last 3 starts, covering 25 innings. He owns a 33-8 strikeout to walk rate, to got with a 1.67 ERA and crazy low 0.69 WHIP. What is troubling about his performance thus far in 2012, is the number of fly ball outs he has given up. In his 5 starts, he has induced 16, 13, 10, 16, and 16 fly ball outs. At some point, that could come back to hurt him.

Nationals closer Henry Rodriguez picked the wrong day to return to the "old" Henry Rodriguez last night. HRod blew his first save of the season, but he was as wild as you can imagine. He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 strikeouts and 3 wild pitches, one of which allowed Juan Uribe to score the tying run from third base. He threw 26 pitches, and I wonder if he will be available later today should a save opportunity arise for the Nationals. And if he continues to be wild, who does Davey Johnson turn to with Brad Lidge on the DL? Craig Stammen or Tyler Clippard?

UPDATE

The Nationals are calling up first baseman/outfielder Tyler Moore per Amanda Comak:

RT @acomak: Sounds like the #nationals have told Tyler Moore he's headed to the big leagues. Not sure on corresponding move

The corresponding move is placing Mark Derosa on the DL. Moore has has back to back 30 HR seasons in the minors, and is currently hitting .278-.354-.556 with 6 HRs and 16 RBI in 72 at bats at AAA Syracuse.