Its safe to say that Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse may just be one of the best first half pitchers in baseball after he improved to 3-0 after Sunday’s 5-1 win over the Pirates. Lohse is off to another fast start this year, giving up a run or fewer and lasting at least six innings in each of his first four trips to the mound.  On Sunday, Lohse controlled the Pirates on six hits through seven innings. Last year, Lohse started just as strong and posted similar numbers out of the gate, going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA through his first 11 starts. Loshe is a strong “sell-high” candidate if he is on your roster.

In other fantasy news:

• Daniel Hudson (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Diamondbacks over the weekend. The removal of Hudson from the Arizona rotation is of particular interest to Fantasy owners, since it could mean the arrival of top prospect Trevor Bauer.
• Staying with the Diamondbacks theme – Justin Upton (thumb) returned to the Diamondbacks lineup against the Braves on Saturday night. Upton went 1-for-4 with a double and a pair of strikeouts. Team doctors have said Upton cannot further damage his thumb by playing, but on Sunday he was hit by a pitch on the hand with the injured thumb, so I’ll politely disagree with the D’Backs doctors on this one.
• Top A’s prospect Jarrod Parker will replace Graham Godfrey in the A’s rotation and get the start on Wednesday.
• Freddy Sanchez (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A San Jose Monday and could be ready for activation in early May.
• Sergio Santos (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Francisco Cordero will pitch the ninth inning for the Blue Jays while Santos is on the disabled list.
• Carl Crawford will have his left elbow checked and could be cleared to start a throwing program soon. Crawford went on the disabled list after surgery on his wrist, but the elbow has been more of an issue lately.
• Francisco Liriano was blasted again Sunday, pushing his ERA to 11.02 and WHIP to 2.33 for the year. He is not an option for fantasy owners in any format.
• The Red Sox are desperate for bullpen help so Daniel Bard is moving back to the bullpen starting today. That’s fine, but who will the Red Sox replace Bard with in the rotation? The Red Sox pitching staff is a total disaster right now.
• Marlon Byrd was traded to the Red Sox over the weekend from the Cubs. In addition to the pitching staff being a disaster right now, the Red Sox were desperate for centerfield help after Jacob Ellsbury landed on the disabled list. They must be desperate to take Byrd and his .070 batting average.