MLB Briefs

Edwin Jackson, the 24 year-old veteran D-Rays pitcher, had a great 1st outing this past week. In 6 IP, he allowed just 5 hits, 1 run, 2 BB with 4 K's against the high-powered Yankees, en route to his first W of the season. I've been writing about Jackson, with the hope that he would one day gain the consistency that his coaches obviously believe he can achieve. Currently, all of Jackson's rookie cards are dirt cheap, but if he has a few more starts like this past one, expect hobby interest to grow, along with his values. I personally like his 03 Leaf Limited Auto #'d 99.

Clay Buchholz lost his season debut, as the Red Sox got blasted by the reinvigorated Blue Jays 10-2. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 6 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 2 BB with 7 K's. It wasn't too bad of a performance, but he didn't get any run support. Buchholz's 05 Bowman Chrome RC has been selling for around $10 TAC this month, down from $12.69 last month, and $13.09 in February. Expect to pay in the $30's range for his BC Ref, the $70's range for his BC X-fractor #'d 250, the $200's range for his BC Blue Ref #'d 150, and the $300's range for his BC Gold Ref #'d 50.

Roy Oswalt, a week after getting out dueled by the Padres' ace Jake Peavy, got beat down again for his second straight loss. In 6-2/3 IP, he allowed 10 hits, 6 runs (5 earned), 1 BB with 0 K's against the Cubs. He's now 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA. The last sale that I saw for his 00 SPx RC #'d 1600 was for $107.50 TAC back on 4/5. I expect this card to fall to the sub-$100 level very soon. The Astros, who are now 2-5, really need their top ace to get into the swing of things if they want to make any kind of a run for the NL Central title.

Jake Peavy was even more dominating in his second start than he was in his first. On 4/5, he tossed a 1-run complete game, allowing just 2 hits & 1 BB with 8 K's to beat Brad Penny & the Dodgers 4-1. He's now 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA. While watching the Dodgers beat the Padres on 4/6, they had a poll asking who the public thought would be the top pitcher in the NL West between Penny, Peavy & Brandon Webb, and Penny actually won with 45% of the votes. I personally don't see it. The last sale that I saw for Peavy's 01 Bowman Chrome Ref RC was for $42.88 on 4/2, down from an average TAC of $50.36 last month. I wouldn't be surprised if this card hit the $100 mark this year, as Peavy is probably the most dominant pitcher in the majors. Also, I doubt that the "dark substance" observed on Peavy's hand was anything to worry about. Unfortunately, when a player is on top of his game, there will always be those people out there trying to find something negative to bring them down.

Florida's lead-off hitter, Hanley Ramirez, has been hot in the hobby for the past few years, and is off to a great start here in '08. He hit his first homer of the season on 4/5, and is batting .400 as of today (4/6). Last season, he hit .332 with 212 hits, 29 HR & 51 SB. Ramirez is a rare commodity, and his cards will definitely continue to rise, despite their current lofty price levels. His 03 Bowman's Best Auto RC is averaging $63.33 this month, down from the $80 level it's been selling at for the past two months. His 03 Bowman Chrome Auto RC has been selling in the $175-185 range in recent.