A week filled with no-no’s saw some flirtation with perfection at Busch Stadium. Jaime Garcia and Yovanni Gallardo had some back-to-back near perfect performances, as Gallardo became the first pitcher to shut down the Cards hot bats in weeks.

The Cardinals continue their string of division rivals traveling to Chicago and Cincinnati in week 6. They have a promising week of matchups, which could mean some high scoring games from an already scorching hot offense. The Cubs hope to dampen the flame with Zambrano, Garza, and Coleman. Then, the Reds will pitch Arroyo, and then most likely Cueto and Wood. There should be some offense on display as the top two run producing teams in the league play at Great American.

Injury Front:

Skip Schumaker is still a week or more away from returning.

David Freese had surgery on his broken hand and is out until after the All-Star Break. Keep him on your roster if you have the room as he is proving to be a valuable commodity.

Ryan Theriot was hit in the shin by a pitch but should not miss much time.

Playing Time:

If you had to own a guy from the Cardinals bullpen, it should probably be Eduardo Sanchez. If you had to own two, the second would be Fernando Salas. Would you want to own any until someone emerges as a clear closer? No.

Who’s HOT:

Colby Rasmus has started to hit again. He’s had three multi-hit games last week and is hitting the ball hard even when he makes outs. His HR/FB % is only at 7%, with the road trip ahead (he has a 1.036 lifetime OPS at Cincinnati) expect some of that to regress (in a good way). He’s walking more (14^th most in baseball), striking out less and I still expect his best season yet. He, Holliday, Berkman, and Pujols are in the top nine in the league in runs scored this season.

Matt Holliday is still hitting the ball well and even though his batting average finally fell below .400 he’s still coming up clutch batting .500 with runners in scoring position.

Jaime Garcia threw 7 perfect innings Friday and nailed down his second shutout of the year. In his worst outing of the year, Garcia gave up 3 ER in 5.1 IP. With Carpenter’s early frustrations, Garcia is the best Cardinal starter to own currently. Garcia is going deep into games (averaging over 6 IP a start) and he is doing it with pitch efficiency with 102 being his highest pitch count of the year.

Who’s NOT:

Ryan Theriot has gone 5-28 in his last 8 games dipping his batting average back below .300. A guy with little to no pop who is on pace to steal about 15 bases only really offers you a good average. When he’s not doing that, he loses all worth. That’s why we stay away from guys like Theriot in mixed leagues.

A lot of buzz around Kansas City last week with the arrival of prospect Eric Hosmer.

Let’s take a look at what we can expect from him and the Royals as we move into week 6.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

The Midwest boys will head east this week squaring off with the Yankees and the Tigers. In the Bronx, they face Garcia, Burnett and Nova. Then in Motown they will see the 100 MPH throwing, two-time no-hitting pitcher, Justin Verlander, Brad Penny, and Max Scherzer.

Injury Front:

Jarrod Dyson made his way back to the field this week and looks like he’ll avoid the DL. Still worth monitoring (with his good speed) but not worth a roster spot just yet.

Robinson Tejeda began a rehab assignment this week. In holds leagues there are many other better options available at this point.

Playing Time:

Kila Ka’aihue was demoted this week with Eric Hosmer’s arrival. Hosmer was the first round pick for the Royals in 2008. At only 21, he was considered to be one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball. He broke out last season slugging 20 home runs between three leagues. His plate discipline has been excellent and he has the ability to hit for power with 78 extra base hits last season. With just over 100 at bats at AAA this season, he was batting .439 and earned the promotion. If Hosmer sticks, which is highly likely given his discipline, he should hit around .270 with 10-15 HR and drive in 60. He’s worthy of a roster spot in mixed leagues. In keeper leagues, he is definitely one you should grab now if somehow he is still available.

Who’s HOT:

Jeff Francoeur continues to be a steady force in the middle of the lineup. If you look at his peripherals, his HR/FB% is 21%, which is clearly unsustainable. However, he is having better success hitting the fastball and that has been the pitch he has been weak on in years past. The slider and off-speed pitches have been the pitches that Fracoeur has had success with. Naturally, pitchers have stayed away from that to throw more heat. Jeff has capitalized on some better plate discipline as well and at only 27 still has prime years in him. He still has a propensity to swing at pitches out of the zone (39%), so it’s not a bad idea to see what the trade market will bring as his value may not ever be higher.

Who’s NOT:

Jeff Francis has hit a rough stretch. He’s given up five or more earned runs his last three outings. If you are hanging on hoping he’ll shape back into what he was the first two weeks of the season, you have to let that notion go.

Swept by the Indians and a sweep of the struggling Twins leave the Royals at 15-13 and 4.5 behind the red hot Indians.

This week, the Royals continue their home stand with Baltimore and Oakland coming to town each for three. Kansas City has a much more favorable offensive schedule, finally. The O’s will throw Bergeson, Arrieta and Timlin and the A’s will send Gonzalez (L), McCarthy, and Ross.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

Injury Front:

Jarrod Dyson had worked his way into some playing time but left Sunday’s game against the Twins with a sprained ankle. It’s uncertain how much time the speedster will miss, but an injured ankle will hamper his greatest strength, running. Dyson will be interesting to watch once he gets healthy as he has 7 stolen bases in 7 attempts.

Playing Time:

Mike Aviles’ playing time and hitting is still streaky. Wilson Betemit is still the guy to own at third as he continues to hit. Look to deal him now as he will not be able to sustain this pace and Mike Moustakas is a month away.

HOT:

Former Mizzou standout Aaron Crow was elected pitcher of the month by the Kansas City media for April. He went 2-0 and did not surrender a run in 13 2/3 innings while striking out 14. He was drafted as a starter and had 29 starts in the minors last year displaying good K rates (7.9) but some trouble with control (3.6 BB/9). He has been lucky with a low BABIP (.219) and a 100% LOB%. Still, his fastball is consistently 95 and his slider is an effective pitch as well. In a holds league he’s worth owning and in a keeper league he’d be worth stashing away as he might work into a starting role or closing role in the near future.

NOT:

Owning a Royals’ starter is not recommended at this time. Francis, Chen, and Hochevar have all shown flashes of being decent matchup starters. However, their inconsistency can play havoc on your team.

It’s a good thing defense doesn’t count in most fantasy circles. If so, you’d have to think twice before you start a Cardinal. Their defense is really holding the club back. Even so, the Cards won each of their series this week taking 2 out of 3 from the Astros and Braves and could have swept both series.

This week the Cards head home to play seven with four against Florida and three against division rival Milwaukee. The offense is hitting on all cylinders and will look to continue against a decent pitching force this week. The Marlins will throw Volstad, Sanchez, Vasquez and Johnson while the Brewers will send Wolf (L), Gallardo, and Narveson (L). Johnson and Wolf have been two of the best pitchers in the NL to start the season but the other five have been up and down in performances.

Photo Courtesy of Erika Lynn

Injury Front:

Skip Schumaker continues to recover and is still two weeks or more away from returning.

David Freese left Sunday’s game with a broken third metacarpal in his left hand. He’ll head to the DL and might need surgery.

Nick Punto also left Sunday’s game with tightness in his hamstring.

Playing Time:

Daniel Descalso will see his already increasing role grow this week with the injury to Freese. Matt Carpenter might get the call to replace Freese on the roster. He had a great spring but was ice cold to start the season at AAA. He now is getting back on track. He has great plate discipline and is an interesting one to watch but not worth owning at this juncture. He was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2010.

The bullpen is an ultra-committee right now. Boggs blew a save, Sanchez grabbed one, Miller grabbed one and Salas got two. There’s no way to tell who will get the call at this point and until a clear option presents itself it’s best to stay away.

HOT:

It feels like Lance Berkman has been on this list every week. Last week he made Houston fans remember what they loved about him and made them want to forget why they let him go. This week he went 11-24 with a gigantic performance at Houston on Thursday going 4-5 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Over his last ten, he’s hitting .526 with 2 HR and 10 RBI with 9 Runs scored. Not too shabby.

David Freese was hot but finds himself with a frustrating trip to the DL ahead. In his last ten he’s hit .351 with 5 RBI. He’s worth stashing away ‘til he gets healthy but the lack of power is somewhat concerning, of his 31 hits this season only 6 are for extra bases. It feels like he is younger than he really is (he turned 28 on Thursday) so expecting a breakout in power is not reasonable. If he stays healthy, his HR ceiling may be around 12-15.

Matt Holliday continues to rake and has an 8 game hitting streak. Usually a slow starter, Matt looks locked in and could experience a year closer to his career best in 2007.

Kyle Lohse has now thrown 4 straight quality starts. He’s going deep into ball games displaying good control and decent strikeout rates. Opposing hitters are only managing a .173 average. He’s a must start against Florida and with the way he’s going it would be worth considering him against Milwaukee, only because he is at home.

NOT:

No one really warrants be named on this list this week. We’ve already surmised that Ryan Franklin is done and praised the heavens because defense is not a problem in fantasy baseball.

A split of a four game series with the Indians was fine but a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Rangers drops the Royals to 12-10.

This week, the Royals will pay Cleveland a visit for a three game set after an off day Monday. They will return home for another three versus the Twins. Kansas City has truly faced some tough opposing pitching the first month of the season, that doesn’t change for week 4. It’s Masterson, Tomlin and Carmona again from the Indians then Duensing, Pavano and Liriano from the Twins.

Injury Front:

Robinson Tejeda threw a bullpen session last week but remains off the radar for this week.

Playing Time:

Mike Aviles’ playing time is still hit and miss. He sat the first two against the Rangers and then exploded in the last game going 3-4 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and a SB. He’s frustrating to owners, playing second fiddle to Wilson Betemit. Even with a huge game Sunday, he’s only worth a spot on your bench until playing time clears up.

HOT:

Alex Gordon might actually be for real. He extended his hitting streak to 18 games this week, the longest active streak in the AL. There may be no better time to deal Gordon as hit hot start has his trade value at an all time high. He is currently sporting a .435 BABIP and although he is making better contact than ever (80%) he is chasing a lot of pitches outside the zone (35%). Also, at this point, his home run pace only lands him at about 10-15 for the season.

Jeff Francoeur has a fourteen game hitting streak of his own. His numbers are a little more substantiated than Gordon’s as he has not been chasing as much and has improved his contact at the plate thus far. He’s worth a spec claim in deeper leagues.

NOT:

There is no one exactly frigid on this week’s list, only a warning that you must pick your spots wisely with the Royals starting pitching. Sunday’s start for Bruce Chen in Arlington would not have been a wise one. Luke Hochevar getting rocked against Cleveland was hard to see coming. He does have a favorable two-start week pitching in Cleveland then facing a punch-less Twins team at home.

It’s been a soggy, stormy week in St. Louis. Amazingly, the Redbirds got all their games in, even though they had to play a double header. They took 4 of 6 games at home, including 2 from the division rival Reds, leaving them at 12-10 atop the NL Central.

The Cards hope to head to dry land as they visit Houston and Atlanta this week after the off day Monday. The offense has a nice draw this week avoiding Houston’s top two starters and Tommy Hanson in Atlanta. They get Norris, Happ (L), and Figueroa from the ‘Stros then Hudson, Beachy and Lowe from the Braves.

Injury Front:

Albert Pujols left the game Sunday night with mild tightness in his right hamstring. No word on any lingering effects as this appeared to be just a precautionary move. Assume he’ll be good to go.

Skip Schumaker will remain on the DL through the week with an elbow injury and Allen Craig will be there too. Both are eligible to come back next week but it’s uncertain that they will.

Playing Time:

Nick Punto was activated from the DL but will share time with Daniel Descalso on the infield. Neither needs to be paid any attention at this point.

HOT:

The Puma continues to pounce. Lance Berkman is playing like an MVP. He has four straight multi-hit games and his average is up to .377. He seems to be his old self, just remember he will be spelled throughout the season.

Albert Pujols has finally begun to hit the ball the other way and is looking comfortable at the plate. He has already climbed to the top of the HR leader boards after hitting three out this week. He’s scoring runs and driving them in (7 on this home stand). He’s now hit in 11 of his last 13 games and is finely putting fantasy owners’ minds’ at ease. What, you didn’t really think his slump would last did you?

A new combination of Fernando Salas, to Eduardo Sanchez, to Mitchell Boggs, may become a familiar refrain in the next few years in St. Louis. Sanchez has struck out 12 in his first 7 Major League innings and is a nice holds option if your league counts them. Boggs has looked impressive since taking over the closer role. He has great stuff and all that has held him back heading into this season was control. With a 15/3 K/BB ratio, he seems to be figuring something out. He has a filthy slider and a live fastball that can push up to 97. He has been a bit lucky but hitters are chasing a bit more which is a nice indicator of how good his stuff is.

Kyle Lohse threw a two-hit complete game shutout against Washington for his third straight quality start. He’s pitching deep into games, displaying great control, and a decent K rate (6.32). He is starting to warrant ownership in most leagues and is proving that his struggles were related to health issues. He has also developed a nice change-up that he is throwing more than ever.

Jaime Garcia is still hot and is one of the best two-start pitchers available this week.

NOT:

Ryan Franklin can be dropped in all formats. He’s lost his closer role. And even in the appearance he did have he gave up a two-RBI hit to Miguel Cairo that sealed the second game of the Cincy series. His stuff is just getting mashed at the plate.

Four more wins this week for the Royals as they and the Cleveland Indians continue to surprise atop the AL Central.

The Indians come into town for four and an early divisional battle for first place. The Royals will then head south to Texas. Once again they face a tough schedule drawing the solid pitching of Cleveland in Carrasco, Talbot, Masterson, and Tomlin. Together they have thrown eight straight quality starts. They will then get Holland, Ogando, and Wilson for the Rangers who have thrown five quality starts in their last six outings.

Injury Front:

Bruce Chen hurt his back this week but should not miss his next scheduled start. He’s been solid in 3 starts with a 2.37 ERA. Not a bad fill-in if you are desperate in deeper leagues. Robinson Tejeda hit the DL this week with right shoulder inflammation. The team does not have a clear-cut set-up man and will play it by matchups.

Playing Time:

Jeremy Jeffress did pick up a spec save this week, which may be indicative of who would be next in line given a Soria injury or trade. Wilson Betemit still has seen playing time with his hot bat, however, Mike Aviles is still getting his chances and raked in 8 RBI this week.

HOT:

Luke Hochevar has posted back-to-back quality starts. He’s been prone to the long ball giving up 6 jacks. He’s also been very lucky sporting a .203 BABIP. He has displayed a good K/BB rate at 16/4 and his WHIP is 1.01. He shut down the Mariners this week only allowing one hit through seven innings. At this point, he’s a decent spot starter if the match-up is right. Remember, he once was the top overall pick.

Wilson Betemit’s bat remains hot as he slugged .824 over the last week with a 1.424 OPS. It’s hard to know what Ned Yost will do from game to game so watch your daily lineups closely and expect Betemit to keep getting looks as long as he is hot. Both he and Aviles are just keeping the spot warm for Mike Moustakas until June 1^st.

NOT:

Kyle Davies should not be owned in any league. He’s surrendered 23 hits in 14 innings as opponents are hitting .383 off him. If the Royals continue to contend, Davies will have to be dismissed in favor of Dan Duffy who is polished and ready at AAA Omaha.

The Birds won 6 games on a 10 game road trip and are back at .500. Only late inning mishaps have kept this team from winning more. Their bats are definitely awake.

The Cardinals are off Monday then have Washington and Cincinnati coming to town for three apiece. The Nationals send lefty Lannan, righty Zimmerman, and lefty Gorzelanny to the bump. Then, the rival Reds will counter with Volquez, Wood (L), and Arroyo. These starting pitchers will be a little tougher than last week and they will have their work cut out for them against a team who is hitting on all cylinders.

Injury Front:

Jaime Garcia had some issues with nerves in his foot during his last outing. He should be good to go on Wednesday.

Playing Time:

Both Allen Craig and Daniel Descalso continue to get regular at-bats for Berkman and Freese respectively. If you are digging deep in NL leagues, Craig’s not a bad guy to have on your bench as he has a little pop and smacked a three run homer Saturday against the Dodgers.

HOT:

The Puma has become big in St. Louis. Lance Berkman led a scoring barrage for the Cards and hit six out last week. He is scorching hot right now going 10-24 this past week while knocking in twelve and scoring nine runs. There were some questions regarding Berkman coming into the season in regards to his bat and his power. Now that he is healthy, Berkman is starting to show that last year’s decline could mostly be chalked up to being banged up.

If you took my advice last week, Colby Rasmus paid off again. He is seeing the ball well and a breakout year seems to be here. He was 13-35 and he is scoring runs like crazy (tied for MLB lead with 15). He’s played in all 16 games, including games against tough lefties such as Clayton Kershaw. This will up his plate appearances over any of his previous years and push him closer to 100-28-85.

NOT:

Jake Westbrook continues to struggle. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up and he’s giving up the long ball. All these should begin to correct themselves as Jake will regress (in a good way) back to what he has been in the past. He’s a two start pitcher this week, if he were not facing the Reds, he’d be a decent option, but you’ll want to wait another week for him to come around.

Ryan Franklin= 5 save opportunities, 4 blown saves. Enough said.

The Redbirds have squandered away several wins and sit at 3-6. Let’s see what’s in store for your fantasy needs in week 2.

The Cardinals are doing a little west coast swing. They will visit Chase Field in Arizona for three and then head to Chavez and visit the Dodgers for four. In Arizona, the Birds draw Barry Enright, Armando Galarraga, and Ian Kennedy. In L.A., they get to face Hiroki Kuroda, Jon Garland, Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley.

Matt Holliday returned from his appendectomy on Sunday and should be good to go for period 2. Expect Allen Craig and John Jay to return to the bench and offer little fantasy value. The Redbirds offense has had a hard time getting going early on. Facing the Dodgers pitching staff might deter you from playing their better bats. However, the lineup has actually fared pretty well against them.

Both Chris Carpenter and Kyle McClellan are two start pitchers this week. They both have been sharp this spring and now into the second week in the season. Feel free to go with both of them, especially Carp.

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not:

HOT:

Even though he botched a play that cost the Cardinals a game on Saturday, Colby Rasmus has been the best bat for the Redbirds thus far into the 2011 season. He’s 11-31 for a .355 average including a monstrous home run Saturday. He has a career .371 average hitting at Chase with a 1.177 OPS so that hot hitting should continue.

Jaime Garcia is still sizzling. This week he stymied the Giants striking out 9 through six innings. What’s even better is that LaRussa kept his pitch count at 82. Little things like this will help ensure Garcia has gas in the tank at the end of the season.

NOT:

Jake Westbrook has surrendered 11 runs in 10 innings through two starts. His control is to blame as has walked 9 and struck out 5. He should turn things around but you’ll want him sitting until he does.

After blowing only 2 saves all last season, Ryan Franklin has already blown three in the first 9 games. If Motte or any other viable option were ready to take over, Franklin would have lost his job. However, LaRussa, Mozeliak and the leadership still have confidence in him. It may take 2-3 more blow ups for him to lose his role.

Albert Pujols hit into his 6^th double play Sunday. He has five hits in 9 games. Matt Holliday has four hits in two games. Albert is suffering from terrible luck with a .143 BABIP. He also is hitting a ton of ground balls. He has a 1.60 GB/FB rate nearly doubling last years average. At the plate he seems to be lunging a bit and he is rolling over on a lot of outside pitches. As soon as you see him correct it by hitting the ball the other way, then this slump will come to an end. There is no way you can consider benching him. If there ever were a time you could wrestle him away from another owner, this would be it.

The Royals are off to a 6-3 start in the AL central. The team is getting clutch performances from different players. Let’s see what the upcoming week looks like.

The Royals will play two at Minnesota this week then return home for a four game series with the Mariners and draw one of the tougher offensive schedules of the week. They get two Twin lefties in Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano then at home they have Doug Fister, Eric Bedard, Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda.

The top half of the lineup is hitting well led by Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. The slow start for Mike Aviles has meant more time for Chris Getz at the top of the lineup. Getz has capitalized and he gets an instant boost in value, as he will gain more at-bats, which gives more opportunity to steal and be driven in by the heart of the line-up. In limited action last year he stole 15 and the year before swiped 25.

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not:

HOT:

Billy Butler has hit in all 8 games he’s played in April. This week he went 9-17 and had four multi hit games. Early on, he is walking more and striking out less with a great .270 ISO.

Jeff Francis has seen his ground ball rates at 58% in the early goings and has a nice K/BB ratio of 4.00. This gives him a 1.98 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP through two starts. His BABIP has actually been unlucky at .268 but his LOB% is unsustainable at 98.4%, expect some regression to come. However as a two-start pitcher this week, Francis is good to go pitching in Target Field and matching up against a puny Seattle lineup is a nice draw.

Alex Gordon is starting to show glimpses that he may live up to his potential. He continued hitting this week going 9-20. Even though he is hitting the ball well, he may come back down to earth a bit this week. He faces three left-handers and has only hit .222 in his career versus southpaws. Plus he faces King Felix and has a .111 career average against him. If you have a better outfield option, this would be a week to consider it. Another good play would be to seek out his trade value, as it is most likely pretty high right now.

NOT:

Mike Aviles has started cold going 3-26. Wilson Betemit has seen more time at third. Manager Ned Yost said he would mix in players in the infield so this will not mean a permanent loss of time for Aviles.