Roto Rush: Troy Glaus Shows May Was Just the Beginning

Spring training was a happy time for the Atlanta Braves, and it didn't all revolve around rookie phenom Jason Heyward. If you asked any coach they'd tell you that Troy Glaus was healthy and ready to hit 25 home runs.

It sure didn't look that way in April.

Glaus suffered through a tough opening month, batting .194 and driving in only nine runs. Those fantasy GM's who showed faith and drafted him, quickly dropped the aging first baseman,and Glaus' fantasy ownership dwindled to next-to-nothing.

But May was a different story. Glaus knocked six home runs and hit .330. His 28 RBI were the most of any hitter in the National League. What did Glaus do differently in May?

Nothing, according to Chris Viviamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"The only difference is the results," Glaus said. "I haven't done anything different. I felt good then. The results just weren't there. This is a results oriented business and at some point you actually have to get hits and not just say he's swinging the bat well. You actually have to get the hits."

Even though it wasn't May any longer, Glaus is still hitting like it is. On Tuesday, June 1, Glaus banged another home run -- his ninth of the season and third in three games. His batting average is now sitting at .277, up from .221 where it was on May 1.

Glaus is still widely available in fantasy leagues. He's owned in just 31 percent of Yahoo! fantasy leagues and is easily a must-own in any fantasy format.

Bits From the Box Scores:

• For the third time in four starts, Javier Vazquez allowed two or fewer earned runs. On Tuesday he struck out seven batters and only gave up four hits in seven innings to earn his fourth win of the season. In his last four starts Vazquez has an ERA of 2.81 and has lowered his ERA from 8.10 to 6.06.

• Russell Branyan hit his seventh home run of the season and his third in four games. Since returning to baseball this year, Branyan is hitting a home run in every 14.1 at-bats.

• It didn't matter to Xavier Nady that Lou Pinella switched things up and had him at first base on Tuesday. Nady went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI.

• Victor Martinez had five hits on Tuesday going 5-for-5 with four doubles. He's batting .516 (16-for-31) over the last nine games for the Red Sox.

• Still wondering if John Ely is for real? He pitched two-hit baseball through seven innings on Tuesday and didn't allow an earned run. In his last six starts he's 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA and hasn't given up more than two earned runs in a start. He's available in 70 percent of fantasy leagues.

• David Wright went 3-for-4 on Tuesday with two RBI. He hit his ninth home run and stole his tenth base of the year. He has three multi-hit games in a row, which will help raise his .269 batting average if he keeps it up. But right now you'll be happy with a guy who is on pace to steal 30 bags and hit 28 home runs, no matter what his batting average is.

• I know I'm happy about the news that Jose Lopez is starting to heat up. I've been suffering through his miserable fantasy stats all year. But now he's in the middle of an eight-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 last night with a home run.

• Stop what you're doing right now -- well, read the rest of this blurb and then stop what you're doing. Scott Rolen is only owned in 56 percent of fantasy leagues and has 13 home runs after belting two on Tuesday night. If he's available in your league, you need to sign him.

• Matt Capps blew his second save of the season on Tuesday night after giving up two hits, one being a walk-off single to Lance Berkman. Sure, the runs were unearned -- but Capps hasn't been the same pitcher since Drew Storen was called up. Coincidence?

The Afflicted: No news on how bad the injury is, but Felipe Lopez left Tuesday's game with a bruised right thumb. Huston Street threw a 20-pitch simulated game on Tuesday and should throw for Triple-A Colorado Springs this weekend. Mark Teixeira hit a foul ball off his foot on Tuesday and left the game for x-rays. Everything looked clean and Teixeira has a bruised left foot. He is listed as day-to-day. Jeremy Affeldt was unavailable on Tuesday because of his hamstring injury. The team is considering placing him on the disabled list. Mark DeRosa has shut down his rehab for a few days and will try out his wrist again later in the week at Single-A San Jose. Mark Reynolds missed Tuesday's game after tweaking his right quad on Monday. He is listed as day-to-day. Ryan Ludwick was out of the lineup on Tuesday after spraining his left thumb on Monday. He hopes to be back in the lineup on Wednesday. Derek Holland was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, retroactive to may 31, with rotator cuff inflammation. Mike Cameron will see a specialist on Wednesday to find out the severity of his abdominal soreness. He may be on his way back to the disabled list.

Locking Your Lineup: Philadelphia tries to avoid the sweep on Wednesday as they play in Atlanta. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. ET.