Don’t look now but the Detroit is starting to hit. The Tigers have won three in a row scoring 30 runs in the process, and are starting to look like the offensive machine everybody knew they could be after an offseason full of big-name acquisitions. They beat the Indians 13-2 on Wednesday getting 7 hits and 10 RBI from Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria combined.

The middle of the order had scuffled to start the year, and the team was shut out four times in the first 12 games. Now Cabrera, Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen are starting to hit. Curtis Granderson is expected to start a minor league rehab assignment this weekend and could return to his spot at the top of the order as soon as next week. Everybody knew this team would hit, but the pitching will continue to be a problem all year. Recently called-up Armando Galarraga pitched 6.2 strong innings holding the Indians to just 2 runs, but it would be foolish for them to rely on him going forward. The top of the rotation with Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, and Jeremy Bonderman need to pitch better and deeper into games to help out a weak relief corp. The bullpen will give up runs, and nobody knows when Fernando Rodney or Joel Zumaya will return to the mound. Still, the Tigers offense has gotten going, and they will be winning plenty of 8-5 games this summer.

• C.C. Sabathia took the loss against the Tigers giving up another nine runs and walking five in just four innings. It is his fourth straight poor start which should give fantasy owners some pause. I wouldn’t recommend trying to trade him just yet, but he hasn’t looked anything close to an ace so far. Benching him until he pitches better might be a wise idea.

• Brandon Webb turned in another gem pitching eight innings of one-run ball. Of course it was against the punch-less Giants however. The ineptitude of the San Francisco offense should give a value bump to most pitchers in the NL West. I’ve already been saying this all season: don’t be afraid to play the match-up against San Francisco with virtually any pitcher. Even streaming pitchers against them all season could potentially be a winning strategy as well.

• Brian Bruney got the save in the Yankees’ 15-9 win over the Red Sox by virtue of going 1.2 innings. There isn’t anything to read into the save clearly, but Bruney is a name to remember. He has been terrific in middle relief so far pitching 10 innings with and ERA of 1.80 and 11 strikeouts. He’s just the type of player that can vulture wins and saves, and will provide nice peripheral numbers in a small number of innings.

• Jim Thome had his first home run since jacking two out of the park on Opening Day. His three-run blast provided all the runs for the White Sox. Thome is now hitting just .184 on the season so maybe the hit wakes up his bat.

• Unlike Sabathia, Roy Oswalt was able to shake off three poor outings and pitch a terrific game shutting down Philadelphia for seven innings. He gave up just one run while striking out four and walking two. Doug Brocail interestingly got the save a day after Jose Valverde imploded in the ninth. Manager Cecil Cooper said this was by design, and that Valverde is the closer. Still something to keep an eye on.

• C.J. Wilson got his fourth save for Texas in a 14 inning win over Toronto. Fantasy owners avoided him in drafts, but he has been solid since being given the job late last season. He has yet to give up a run this season. Interestingly, A.J. Burnett took the loss for the Blue Jays giving up three hits and two runs in the 14^th frame. He was the ninth pitcher for the Jays, and had to come in with the bullpen having been completely depleted.

• The Braves lost 6-5 to the Marlins so we didn’t get to see who would close for Bobby Cox’s team. Would it be Manny Acosta, Blaine Boyer, or somebody else? Expect several players to get some opportunities depending on match-ups. On a side-note Mark Hendrickson got his third win for Florida. He is not a good pick-up by any means other than in a very deep NL-only league. He had just six wins combined the previous two seasons, and has very pedestrian stuff despite being 6-foot-10. Don’t buy in.

• Jose Reyes returned to the lineup for the Mets collecting two hits, a run, and an RBI. Billy Wagner got his second save of the season.

• Mark DeRosa manned left field for the Cubs in place of the injured Alfonso Soriano. He could continue to get time out there with Mike Fontenot taking over at second. Reed Johnson could also see at-bats in left, and Eric Patterson was just called up from Triple-A Iowa. Derek Lee led the way in Chicago’s nine run victory hitting his sixth homer already on the year. He had just 22 home runs in 567 at-bats last season. Lee is hitting an impressive .393 and looks to be a top fantasy option at first once again.

• B.J. Upton and Carlos Peña switched spots in the order with Upton hitting third and Peña fourth. No word on if the move is permanent and it shouldn’t affect either player’s value, but it speaks to the growing confidence the team has in Upton at the plate. Carlos Gomez stole another two bases to push his total to nine. His OBP is under .300, but as long as he remains in the lineup he is a threat to run. He could steal 65 bases this year.

• The Cardinals just keep on winning. They topped the Brewers 5-4 to run their record to 11-4, tied with the Diamondbacks for best in the majors. They don’t look this good on paper, but Tony LaRussa has a way of getting the most out of his players.

• Justin Germano gave up his first three runs of the season (in seven innings) and the bullpen gave up seven subsequent runs as the Padres got blown out by the Rockies 10-2. San Diego mustered just three hits, and I think they will struggle to score runs all season.

• Seattle also didn’t test its bullpen issues by letting Felix Hernandez go the full nine innings in a 4-2 victory. King Felix lowered his ERA to 1.47 on the season with 24 strikeouts. He looks every bit like the ace everybody always thought he would be. Plus, he just turned 22 last on April 8. Health is always a concern with him, but if he stays in the rotation he will be a top-10 fantasy pitcher.

• The Royals pounded out 13 hits, but scored just 3 runs. Luckily for them, Gil Meche pitched a good game and the bullpen was perfect in a 3-2 win. Jered Weaver gave up two runs in six innings, but I think he is overrated in fantasy. He gave up 10 hits and struck out just one in the start. His WHIP was 1.39 last season and teams batted .280 against the righty. To me, Weaver is very average but his name holds value as a former top prospect.

• The Dodgers knocked around the Pirates for the second straight night scoring six runs in the first two innings in a 8-1 win. Brad Penny had an easy night pitching 5.2 innings of shutout ball. Nomar Garciaparra returned for Los Angeles, and had a hit and two walks in four times at the plate. I’ve seen Penny dropped recently in three of my leagues, and I could not understand why. He had two straight shaky starts against the Padres, but he has been terrific the past two seasons. Nobody went out and dropped Oswalt and Sabathia after their slow starts. Why would you go and drop Penny?