The Scoop

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

Brad Penny has faced 206 batters this season without allowing a home run, making him the only pitcher that has faced at least 100 batters without giving up one.

In their first 34 games, the 1962 Mets (who finished 40-120) went 12-22. The 2007 Nationals went 9-25.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella used 24 different lineups in the first 29 games.

Dan Haren is having the most underrated season in baseball this year. Check out these numbers: 1.64 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 48/14 K/BB ratio over 60.1 innings, .199 batting average against. Mark Mulder what?

For a five-day span, B.J. Upton recently led the American League in batting average and strikeouts. The last player to pull off that double for more than a single day was Dick Allen in 1965.

Joel Zumaya, expected to miss three months after surgery to repair a tendon in the middle finger of his throwing hand, has been told his triple-digit velocity should still be there when he returns.

The Rangers are 15-41 against the Yankees dating back to the 1996 ALDS.

My fantasy season very well may hang in the balance tonight with Felix Hernandez’s attempted return. I’m not optimistic and expecting the worst.

My two Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Delmon Young and Rocco Baldelli, are a combined 3-for-62 over the past 10 days. That’s good for an .048 batting average.

Gil Meche is doing it backward; you’re supposed to have the good year before the big contract is signed. He’ll struggle to rack up wins in KC, and his schedule has been pretty easy, but there’s a lot to like with the way he’s throwing right now.

No one is having a more surprising season than JJ Hardy. Over the past 10 games, he has six homers and 18 RBI. As a shortstop, he’s probably been a top-5 player so far for fantasy purposes. Fellow owners are likely to be skeptical, but it wouldn’t hurt to see what those numbers could net you in a deal right now.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention JP Riccardi’s recent news making admission that he lied about BJ Ryan’s injury this spring. Now, I don’t own Ryan in any fantasy league, but if I did, you can bet Riccardi would be public enemy No. 1. It’s one thing to understate an arm issue, it’s quite another to list the wrong body part. Now, I guess he didn’t want to hamper himself in trade talks for relievers, but this kind of misinformation should not be legal. If word creeps out that AJ Burnett has a toe problem, send him packing.