On Jake, Joe, closers

If you hung onto Jake Peavy long enough to take interest in Monday night's gem, congrats. Both of you.

Peavy whirled 99 mostly-masterful pitches Monday, 66 of them strikes, and finished with a line of 9 Ks, 1 BB, 4 hits, 0 ER and most importantly, the win.

"Just have the season start from May on," Peavy said.

Of course, that doesn't quite work in Fantasyland. You were on the hook for that horrendous April. But Monday showed more than signs of life, even if it came at the expense of the Kansas City Royals, who has possibly the lightest hitting bottom third of any AL team in recent memory.

"We ran into the wrong Peavy," Royals manager Trey Hillman said.

So what changed? Those at the game said Peavy just looked different. He wasn't trying to coil his delivery, as if he was trying to throw every pitch through a brick wall.

Peavy tweaked his delivery after injuring his ankle last year and has been trying to get back to his pre-tweak delivery this spring, using more of his legs.

If you're an owner, be encouraged, but don't consider Peavy fixed unless he does this sort of thing 2-3 more times.

Joe Mauer: The report from Twins Nation (if there is such a thing) is Mauer's heel is improving, but still sore. An MRI proved no structural damage. If you're in a league without a bench, this situation is possibly the definition of worst-case scenario. Day-to-day is what they're calling it, but three factors lead to Mauer missing at least another week in my opinion.

1). The Franchise: He's their money player and they don't want to rush him back and have him deal with the injury all year.

2). Wilson Ramos: Backup catcher pounded 7 hits in his first two games, reason enough not to rush Mauer back.

3). The Orioles: It's a small thing but having struggling Baltimore on the schedule makes it even less imperative to expedite Mauer's rehab.

Be patient, Mauer owners, as hard as it may be. Remember last year, when Mauer missed all of April then hit 28 HR? Just because he's missing time, doesn't mean he won't produce in the end. We haven't seen the power this year yet, but we want a near-100 percent Mauer out there, even if it cost us a couple weeks. Exhale....

Closer report: Lots of closing situations that are fluid right now. Here's a quick update.

Texas: As close to a 2-headed monster as there is, but Neftali Feliz still has the upper hand. Feliz closed 2 of 3 vs. Seattle over the weekend, then came on Monday night and closed out Oakland for his first back-to-back saves. More importantly, Frank Francisco gave up two runs in 1/3 of an inning in the 8th.

Pittsburgh: Evan Meek picked up a save over the weekend, but only because Octavio Dotel was unavailable. Dotel closed off the Cubs on Tuesday after missing a few days to be at the birth of his child, so there's no real controversy. Meek, however, is the Pirates closer of the future and could be worth an add in NL-only leagues and pick up a handful of saves as they groom him for the job.

San Francisco: Guillermo Mota closed off Tuesday night's extra-inning affair in Miami, but only because Brian Wilson (groin) pitched a tied 9th inning.

Milwaukee: Trevor Hoffman grabbed the save Sunday after one of his worst months of all time. Look for Hoffman to keep his job, but NL-only teams could add LaTroy Hawkins if you're looking for a speculative pick. Sure, Hawkins hasn't been great and middle reliever Carlos Villanueva has been lights out. But Hawkins did well in the role with the Astros last year and has nailed down 87 saves over his career while Villanueva has just five.

Philadelphia: Brad Lidge is back and the Phillies are easing him back into the roll. With Ryan Madsen on the shelf, look for Jose Contreras to get a save chance or two, while Lidge gets up to speed. If Lidge falters, then reshuffle the deck. Contreras got the win last night, pitching the 10th after Lidge pitched a fairly clean 8th.