Johnson resembles ace for Marlins: Marlins starter Josh Johnson looked like an ace on the hill on Sunday afternoon at Cleveland. Not having to bat in the game apparently agreed with Johnson, who earned the win to improve to 2-3 on the season for the Marlins. Johnson cruised through seven innings against the Indians as Miami backed him with decent run support against Derek Lowe. Johnson allowed just one earned run on five hits and two walks over 104 pitches through seven solid frames. Johnson never trailed in the game as he struck out four batters. Johnson's ERA is now at 4.82 on the year as he gets ever closer to being the pitcher he's been over the years. "J.J. will be completely back," Greg Dobbs said after the game. "It's not a matter of if it happens, but when. He will flat-out dominate again. He's a horse. And when he gets there -- watch out." (Updated 05/20/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Don't look now but Johnson is beginning to get hot for the Marlins with back-to-back victories and solid pitching performances. Johnson had a 6.61 ERA after a start at San Diego on May 4. In the three starts since, Johnson has allowed just five earned runs over 21 innings with 16 strikeouts and two victories. He's headed in the right direction and Fantasy owners might already be confident in him enough to use him in most mixed Fantasy formats. Johnson will make his next start next Friday against the San Francisco Giants. (Updated 05/20/2012).
05/08/2012 16:11 MLB: Slow Starters
What is going on with Albert Pujols and Jose Bautista? Will Heath Bell turn things around for the Marlins? Dayn Perry joins Adam Aizer to discuss these struggling stars and more.
When Josh Johnson went down with shoulder inflammation in mid-May last year, he was expected to miss only the minimum 15 days, but the Marlins had no problem pushing back his timetable little by little until, eventually, they ran out of season. It's not like the injury got worse -- a visit to Dr. James Andrews in late June confirmed no structural damage -- and it's not like Johnson couldn't have continued pitching. It's just that the Marlins seemed content waiting for him to be 100 percent healthy, and he never quite got there. So what if he never does? It's a valid concern, but when you reconcile the Marlins' handling of Johnson with their offseason maneuvering, the picture becomes a bit clearer. They were saving up for 2012, when they could break in their new stadium with a star-studded roster. If that was their focus all along, then resting their ace would have been the most prudent course of action. Some Fantasy owners might think their most prudent course of action is to let Johnson slide to the middle rounds, but considering he's a strikeout-per-inning pitcher with a 2.14 ERA over the last two seasons, his injury presents you with a rare opportunity to get him at a value. Target him as your No. 2 starter. (Updated 1/4/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
= probable start