Adrian Gonzalez, 1B LAN Gonzalez is doing exactly what he did in 2012 - drive in runs without the benefit of the longball. He had 108 RBIs with just 18 home runs last season, and recorded a 9.6 percent HR/FB, down from 16.4 percent from 2010-11 and 22.2 percent in 2009. Gonzalez has come out of the gate with two doubles and six RBIs, but zero home runs, in eight games. The first baseman actually had a career-high 24.1 percent line-drive rate last season, and he already had 10 line drives on 20 balls in play going into Wednesday's game, when he went 1-for-5.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF MIA Stanton is 5-for-30 (.167) with zero RBIs and 12 strikeouts through nine games, but anyone who has owned him over the last two years shouldn't be surprised. Here are Stanton's April numbers for 2011-12: 34-for-141 (.241), three home runs, 43 strikeouts. In his last two Mays, Stanton has exploded for 21 home runs, 16 doubles and 50 RBIs.
Brandon Belt, 1B SF Belt started off 2-for-22, but he picked up two hits and scored a run in five trips to the plate Wednesday afternoon. The first baseman has hit .394 with 11 homers and 15 doubles in 152 at-bats over the last two springs, and owns a .343 average, 1.052 OPS and 31 home runs in 825 minor league plate appearances, but that has yet to translate to the big league level. Belt still is promising, since he had a 25.6 percent line-drive rate last season and hit six line drives on his 18 balls in play over his first six games, but he hasn't displayed any power. He had a 6.2 percent HR/FB last year, but playing at AT&T Park wasn't to blame. In fact, he had an 8.9 percent HR/FB at home, compared to 2.6 percent on the road. Belt has recorded 625 major league at-bats but hit just 16 home runs.
Chad Billingsley, RHP LAN Since Billingsley opted for rehab over surgery to repair a partially torn UCL last season, his elbow is literally hanging by a thread. The right-hander also began the season on the DL due to a finger injury, but he won his 2013 debut with six innings of one-run ball Wednesday at San Diego. Billingsley has tantalized at times during his career, but his best season came in 2008, when he went 16-10 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. His best season from a FIP standpoint was 2010, when he had a 3.07 FIP and a 3.57 ERA. Billingsley's problem over the last four seasons is that he hasn't been able to avoid a one-month stretch where he just gets lit up. It happened in July 2009 - 26.1 IP, 7.52 ERA, 1.52 WHIP - June 2010 - 17.2 IP, 6.11 ERA, 1.58 WHIP - June 2011 - 25 IP, 6.48 ERA, 2.08 - and May 2012 - 31 IP, 5.52 ERA, 1.94 WHIP. He usually is an above average pitcher in the other five months.
Matt Carpenter, 3B STL Carpenter went 4-for-5 at the dish Wednesday afternoon with a double, a homer, two RBIs and two runs. The infielder is 14-for-35 with five doubles, six RBIs and 11 runs this season, and he'll gain second base eligibility in most leagues with three more starts. Carpenter has batted second in seven of his nine appearances this season in front of Matt Holliday, a spot that works well for him since he reaches base at a .369 clip for his career. Carpenter doesn't have much power (7.0 HR/FB in 2012) but that doesn't mean he doesn't hit the ball with authority (24.1 percent line-drive rate for his career).
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