MLB

Charlie Manuel shuffled the lineup again. That’s good, I like adding something new to the same old routine.

Just like me, Charlie must have a drawer he goes to when things go stale.

Hypothetically speaking.

I imagine the Phils are scraping the barrel on superstitions by now. At this point they’re probably wearing children’s panties, playing hopscotch on the way through the clubhouse, and buttering their Pop-Tarts from right to left.

It’s time to look at the potential two-start options for the upcoming fantasy week.  If I have someone rated as a three, four or five-star option, they are someone I would definitely use.

2008 was a break-out season for Edinson Volquez. He was a NL all-star and finished the season 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 206 strikeouts. However, it has been all down hill for him since a June 1, 2009 start in St. Louis against the Cardinals. That's when he felt numbness in the pinky and ring finger of his right hand.

Carlos Pena and Brandon Phillips, two of the hottest hitters in baseball, continued to slug away Saturday. Yet aside from Pena and Phillips, other questions remain: Is Wandy Rodriguez even worth using? Has Delmon Young finally turned things around? Let’s look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games:

Daniel Nava became only the third player since 1898 to hit a grand slam in his first major league at bat. It is so rare that nobody hit a grand slam in their first major league at bat during the 20th century.

His second inning grand slam was part of a five-run second inning by the Red Sox. They eventually won the game 10-2 over the Phillies after having defeated them 12-2 the night before.

BALTIMORE—The Mets will be looking for their first road series sweep since September, 2008 at Milwaukee. Believe it or not, the Mets have not had one since then. Last season, the injuries were just too much to overcome.

Today, the Mets will have a shot, and they have plenty of reasons to be confident that they will get it.

First of all, they're facing an Orioles team that's 17-45. Secondly, the pitching match-up is as lopsided as can be. The Mets will start Mike Pelfrey (8-1), the Orioles will start Kevin Millwood (0-7).

When Frank Wren replaced John Schuerholz as General Manager a couple of years ago, Braves’ fans were undoubtedly skeptical that he could come in and make such a difference. I think now that even the skeptics can be silenced by the performance of Frank Wren in building a ballclub that can be defined by words like "deep," "versatile," and "talented."

Tonight showed just how those words ring true about the 2010 Atlanta Braves.

What happened at Fenway Park today exemplifies why baseball is the best sport there is. Yankee fans wouldn’t have enjoyed what took place, but anyone else with any brain capacity at all with a love for baseball and great stories would appreciate what Daniel Nava did.

Baseball can be a cruel game. The numbers are the numbers, and they never lie. If you look at the boxscore from Saturday night's 11-5 Reds victory over the Royals, it will show you that Johnny Cueto pitched six innings, allowed five earned runs, and had four walks.