Daily Notes for Tuesday: What does Cueto do for an encore?
After the debut he had, what does he do for an encore? That's the question Reds fans are asking about Johnny Cueto after the 22-year-old shut down the Diamondbacks for seven innings in his major league debut last week, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out 10. Cueto now faces Jeff Suppan and the Brewers.
Tuesday is a great day overall to scout talented youngsters on the mound, with Phil Hughes, Matt Garza and Jair Jurrjens also making their second starts of the season.
| Time | Visitors | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | Home | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | |||
| 1:10 p.m. | | Jamie Moyer | L | 14-12 | 5.01 | 1.44 | @ | | Oliver Perez | L | 15-10 | 3.56 | 1.31 |
| 2:05 p.m. | | Kenny Rogers | L | 3-4 | 4.43 | 1.43 | @ | | Daisuke Matsuzaka | R | 15-12 | 4.40 | 1.32 |
| 2:05 p.m. | | Brian Burres | L | 6-8 | 5.95 | 1.70 | @ | | Jason Jennings | R | 2-9 | 6.45 | 1.55 |
| 4:10 p.m. | | Phil Hughes | R | 5-3 | 4.46 | 1.28 | @ | | Brian Bannister | R | 12-9 | 3.87 | 1.21 |
| 7:07 p.m. | | Rich Harden | R | 1-2 | 2.45 | 1.13 | @ | | A.J. Burnett | R | 10-8 | 3.75 | 1.19 |
| 7:10 p.m. | | Erik Bedard | L | 13-5 | 3.16 | 1.09 | @ | | Matt Garza | R | 5-7 | 3.69 | 1.54 |
| 8:05 p.m. | | Johnny Cueto | R | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | @ | | Jeff Suppan | R | 12-12 | 4.62 | 1.50 |
| 8:05 p.m. | | Brad Thompson | R | 8-6 | 4.73 | 1.52 | @ | | Shawn Chacon | R | 5-4 | 3.94 | 1.49 |
| 8:35 p.m. | | Jair Jurrjens | R | 3-1 | 4.70 | 1.14 | @ | | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | 4-4 | 4.28 | 1.30 |
| 9:40 p.m. | | Chad Billingsley | R | 12-5 | 3.31 | 1.33 | @ | | Doug Davis | L | 13-12 | 4.25 | 1.59 |
| 10:05 p.m. | | Jake Westbrook | R | 6-9 | 4.32 | 1.41 | @ | | Ervin Santana | R | 7-14 | 5.76 | 1.55 |
| 10:15 p.m. | | Randy Wolf | L | 9-6 | 4.73 | 1.45 | @ | | Tim Lincecum | R | 7-5 | 3.94 | 1.28 |
All times are ET. Statistics are from the 2007 regular season.
Out
Chad Cordero, RP, Nationals (shoulder)
Day-to-day
Erik Bedard, SP, Mariners (hip)
Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros (neck)
Doug Davis, SP, Diamondbacks (thyroid)
David DeJesus, OF, Royals (ankle)
Chris Duncan, OF, Cardinals (hamstring)
Mark Grudzielanek, 2B, Royals (hand)
Victor Martinez, C, Indians (hamstring)
Placido Polanco, 2B, Tigers (back)
Aaron Rowand, OF, Giants (ribs)
Randy Winn, Giants (leg)
Hitters: Manny Ramirez has been productive against Detroit starter Kenny Rogers, but the veteran Tigers left-hander has kept David Ortiz (4-for-19, 0 HR) and Jason Varitek (.211/.225/.263 in 38 AB) under wraps. Rich Aurilia has hit .389/.476/.778 for his career against Padres left-hander Randy Wolf. Jeff Suppan isn't looking forward to facing Adam Dunn again. The Reds first baseman has destroyed Suppan in his career, batting .550/.690/.950 in 20 at-bats. Ryan Howard is 1-for-10 with six strikeouts against Mets left-hander Oliver Perez. Three of Ben Broussard's first four hits were home runs, and he has eight RBIs to boot. That's made him a hot early-season pickup, but on Tuesday he'll likely be on the bench against left-hander Brian Burres. The Indians Web site reports that Victor Martinez will test out his hamstring before Monday's game and that Martinez believes he'll be ready to go. You should have a clear indication of whether to start Martinez on Tuesday based on that.
Pitchers: Erik Bedard was scratched from his Sunday start with hip inflammation but hopes to start Tuesday instead. He might even be a game-time decision, so owners with a quality option might want to replace Bedard for this one rather than risk another late scratch or a subpar outing. Although I mentioned that Tuesday was a good day to scout a youngster such as Jair Jurrjens, Colorado is no place to start him. The potential reward is greatly exceeded by the risk involved.
Hitters: Brian Bixler doesn't have great bat speed, but he sure has great running speed. He'll start at shortstop in Pittsburgh in place of the injured Jack Wilson and could be a nice source of steals as long as he's playing every day. Jeff Keppinger's red-hot spring has carried over into the first week of the season. Keppinger is 10-for-19 with two home runs so far and will continue to start at shortstop for the Reds while Alex Gonzalez is out. Keppinger doesn't have much power or speed, but he's an elite contact hitter and should continue to be a solid fill-in.
Pitchers: Randy Wolf is a good spot-start candidate Tuesday against a woeful Giants offense that may be missing Randy Winn and Aaron Rowand. Cleveland's Jake Westbrook has a 3.12 earned run average in eight starts versus the Angels. Current Angels hitters have slugged only .386 against the Indians sinkerballer in 166 at-bats!
Rain and thunderstorms could hinder the action on the diamond in Kansas City and Texas. Denver is at risk to receive some snow and rain mix on Tuesday.
Will Harris is a fantasy baseball and college football analyst for ESPN.com
