Matt Lindstrom -- Lindstrom blew his second save of the year yesterday, allowing two runs (both unearned thanks to a Jose Abreu error) on two hits and a walk but ultimately taking the win. Lindstrom has converted just one save thus far, and another outing like this could cost him the ninth inning. With would-be-next-in-line Nate Jones on the disabled list, if Lindstrom does lose the gig, Daniel Webb might be the guy Robin Ventura and the White Sox turn to.
Alexi Ogando -- Ogando picked up his first save of the year yesterday with a 1-2-3 ninth inning against Houston. The Rangers' regular closer Joakim Soria had pitched two days in a row, so Ogando (somewhat surprisingly) got the call. Ogando has always thrived in a relief role, so while Soria isn't in any real danger of losing the job yet, Ogando is worth owning in deeper leagues now that we know he's next-in-line for the job.
Maicer Izturis -- The Blue Jays placed Maicer Izturis on the Disabled List yesterday with a sprained knee, a tough break since Maicer had been battling Ryan Goins for playing time and, in all likelihood, the starting second base job in the early weeks of the season. Maicer is likely the better player and fantasy prospect, but Goins will have an opportunity to run with the job now. Don't drop Maicer just yet in deeper leagues, like AL-only formats, where he may have value since Goins could just as easily play his way out of contention by the time Izturis comes back. If Izturis does wind up with the job full-time, he could become mixed-league relevant with a solid average, some speed, and a bunch of runs batting second for Toronto.
Scott Kazmir -- Kazmir was brilliant yesterday, spinning six scoreless, two-hit innings with 9 strikeouts and no walks. Unfortunately, he was removed from the game due to sore triceps. Oakland manager Bob Melvin said that he didn't believe the issue to be serious, but considering Kazmir's history with injury and that he dealt with triceps soreness in spring training, this is worrisome. After a resurgence last year (9.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 3.36 xFIP) and a very favorable move to Oakland (extreme pitcher's park, good defense, good pitch-framing catcher in Derek Norris) this winter, Kazmir was poised to hold medium-depth mixed-league value this year. Hang tight, but if possible, get some wheels in motion for a backup plan in case this becomes a serious issue.
Feel free to send questions my way via Twitter (@DerekCarty).
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