Tearing it Up
GO GET HIM ... Ted Lilly is having one of the best starts in baseball history by a pitcher who won't win a game in April. His near no-hitter Saturday, which was actually a better-pitched game than Derek Lowe's no-no in Boston, left him at 0-2 with a 1.35 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 23 K in just 20 IP. He'll get another chance to match up with Seattle ace Freddy Garcia on Friday, and gives New York the luxury of not rushing Andy Pettitte back from injury. Already popular in AL-only setups, where he is owned in more than 99% of all leagues, Lilly is still on the wire in more than 90% of MLB leagues. That should change -- fast.

Slumping
ROOKIE WOES ... On the other end of the spectrum, rookie hotshot Nick Johnson is hurtling up (or is that "down"?) the ESPN.com "Most Dropped" list and now is on just 58.3% of MLB rosters. The .205 average is a little misleading, but that .645 OPS hints at more playing time for John Vander Wal. Bench Johnson, but don't dump him ... Bernie Williams is starting to hit a little -- play up his .241 batting average and lack of power and go get him cheap ... Shane Spencer has really picked up the pace since the trade rumors started, but he may still end up in Anaheim or Florida in the next month.

At the Plate
WHAT WE LEARNED (OFFENSE) ... Alfonso Soriano is the most exciting player on the team -- but 29 K and just three walks in 110+ AB means trouble looms ... Derek Jeter is strengthening his case as the second-best fantasy middle infielder in the game ... Robin Ventura has given up the Ron Santo impressions, but will keep Drew Henson in AAA all year ... Jason Giambi isn't adjusting to the Broadway lights as naturally as everyone thought he would (but compare his numbers to Tino Martinez in St. Loo) ... Jorge Posada's improved plate discipline makes him even more valuable ... Rondell White isn't hurt -- yet.

Probable Starters April 29: Off Day April 30: Wells vs. OAK (Zito) May 1: Mussina vs. OAK (Hiljus) May 2: Clemens vs. OAK (Lidle) May 3: Lilly vs. SEA (Garcia)

From the Rubber
WHAT WE LEARNED (PITCHING) ... Orlando Hernandez (3-1, 1.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) is back all the way; David Wells (3-0 but a 4.24 ERA) is a bit of an illusion ... Roger Clemens is going to come close to most of his numbers from 2001 -- except the .870 winning percentage ... Mike Stanton is the best non-closer in any AL bullpen ... Mike Mussina's ERA has more than doubled over his last two starts, but he's still the best bet to win 22-25 games in the AL ... Steve Karsay has settled down a bit, but has no business being active on a universe-league roster ... Ramiro Mendoza isn't ready yet ... Mariano Rivera is human.

On the Mend
A TALE OF THREE LEFTIES ... Pettitte cut short his first bullpen throwing session Sunday but the emergence of Lilly makes the veteran's return less urgent. Pettitte might not return to the rotation for another month, after further rest and a rehab stint with Staten Island ... Another veteran lefty, Sterling Hitchcock, will make a start for Columbus some time in the next week in preparation to return to the Yankees -- specifically, thanks to Lilly, to the Yankee bullpen ... If Hitch is effective in the pen, the dominoes falling will lead to young lefty Randy Keisler's DL stay ending with an assignment to Columbus.