Don't worry, Kelvin, no one really gets Ned Yost (USAT)

The torrid Atlanta Braves lineup, and its proclivity for home runs, is making a mess of bullpens all around baseball. The Upton brothers basically removed Carlos Marmol from our closing thoughts last week, and in Tuesday's action, the Braves took dead aim at well-regarded Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera in the eighth inning. (Roll the tape here: skip to the 1:11 mark for the key video).

Jason Heyward started the binge, then Justin Upton followed (let me know when it lands), and then Dan Uggla did the trick. Three homers in four at-bats off one frustrated reliever. So much for the tie game; say hello to another Braves victory. And boom goes the dynamite.

I'm not intending to bash Herrera, who was lights-out in his first six appearances. And it's tricky to know where closer Greg Holland is at these days, given the Royals haven't been using him. He hasn't worked in a game since his dodge-em special against Minnesota back on April 9 (the Twins left the bases loaded, and the clouds basically opened up during the game-ending strikeout of Joe Mauer). You get the idea Holland will likely pitch in Wednesday's matinee against the Braves, even if it's the dreaded "get some work" appearance. This entire blog post could be irrelevant in less than two hours.

Dan Haren ponders his nightmare start (USAT)

I'm out of new excuses, how about you? When do things get better for Dan Haren?

The veteran righty was terrible in 2012, largely blamed on injury problems. Okay, that's understandable. Haren threw batting practice in spring training last month (6.39 ERA, seven homers over 25.1 innings), but hey, those games don't count.

When Haren dished up four taters in Cincinnati two weeks back, the apologists shrugged - the Reds are a strong ball club and their ballpark plays cozy on most nights. Haren was mediocre in his second turn (5 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K), though he picked up a win.

And then came Tuesday's start against Miami, another step backwards. On paper, it was a delightful matchup: a start in Miami against the worst offense (by far) in the majors. And Giancarlo Stanton, the lone threat in the Marlins lineup, was once again a pregame scratch.

So much for the easy victory. Haren was knocked around for seven hits and seven runs (three earned) over 4.1 innings. He walked one, struck out just two, and the immortal Adeiny Hechavarria took him over the bridge fish tank (certainly nothing cheap about that one).

Now it's time for the spin doctors. What do we do with Haren going forward?

Unforgettable day in Boston

Ninety-nine percent of the time, this column lead is going to be about the players and the stats, not about me. But here's a rare case where an exception to the rule applies.

By now you surely know all about the tragic events that took place in Boston on Monday afternoon. Hateful acts and destructive consequences are never easy for anyone to view or understand, but there's an extra layer of pain that applies when the events occur in your home area.

I don't live in New England currently – it's actually been more than a decade since I moved away. But I grew up in Massachusetts and attended college in Rhode Island; all of my roots are in the area. Boston is my city as much as any city has ever been, and anytime I go back to visit New England, it feels like I'm going home.

Every year on Patriots' Day, I have friends at the marathon and in the marathon. My closest friend growing up was a distance runner (he's since passed the running baton to his wife), and I've spent Marathon Monday in The Hub on several occasions. To see a fun and joyous day turned into a day of terror makes my stomach sick.

I'm writing Closing Time because it's what I do, and I'm thankful and grateful to have this daily forum. But for one edition at least, you'll have to excuse me if my heart wasn't completely in it, if rooting for a save here or a stolen base there didn't carry the same worth it might on a normal day. I realize sports serve as a welcome distraction and diversion in most of our lives, and I'm fine with that; I know why you're coming here and what my job is. Just know my mind was elsewhere as I watched baseball Monday evening; it would be false to write this column without that disclosure.

You're in my thoughts, Boston. I'm proud of how you've responded. Keep taking care of one another.

Thanks for listening. Now let's get back to work, back to the sandlots.

Hurry back, Jose (USAT)

Toronto executive Alex Anthopoulos is considered by many to be the brightest young general manager in the game. As Jeff Spicoli would be the first to attest, Anthopoulos is working with an ultimate set of tools.

Unfortunately, there's no reset button to be found in Toronto's headquarters. The Blue Jays don't have the option of nixing the first two weeks of the season and starting over.

The big YYZ concern into Friday's play was a collection of slumping stars, but the stuff really hit the fan in the middle of the series opener at Kansas City. Franchise shortstop Jose Reyes sprained his left ankle while stealing a base in the top of the sixth inning, and he'll be lost for an extended period of time. The initial timetable guess is 1-3 months (and it certainly could be longer); we'll see what MRI results tell us in a day or two.

No team is well-equipped to handle this sort of injury, of course. The Jays could use rock-pulling Emilio Bonifacio at short, and journeyman Maicer Izturis is another option. Surely Anthopoulos will examine the trade market, see if anything makes sense. But this is the type of loss that leaves a scar on any ball club, be it real life or imaginary.

Get out the legal pad and round up the usual suspects; it's time to go shopping for a new fantasy middle infielder (we'll look at second basemen, too). As per usual, we'll try to hit different ownership levels, provide something for everyone.

Punches at Petco (USAT)The Dodgers won the game. The Padres probably won the fight. And now fantasy owners are left to pick up the pieces.

The two So-Cal clubs were playing a nondescript 2-1 game in the bottom of the sixth Thursday night when everything exploded. Zack Greinke hit Carlos Quentin with a 3-2 pitch and Quentin took exception, charging the mound. Greinke busted his collarbone in in the ensuing melee and could miss 6-8 weeks. Quentin was ejected for his role in the mess and surely will be looking at a league suspension.

The Dodgers had Greinke's back in the brawl, no doubt on that. Matt Kemp and Jerry Hairston Jr. were ejected in the bottom of the sixth, and the passionate Kemp had words for Quentin after the game. The two outfielders were standing toe-to-toe in a stadium runway before San Diego pitcher Clayton Richard separated them.

''I'm asking Greinke if he's OK and he said his shoulder's messed up. That kind of took me over the edge right there,'' Kemp told the Associated Press.

''I think Carlos Quentin went to Stanford, something like that?'' Kemp said. ''I heard there's smart people at Stanford. That wasn't too smart. Greinke didn't do anything wrong. That stuff happens in the minor leagues. It doesn't happen in the big leagues.''

New York groove (USAT)

You probably know the Shuffle Up rules by now, but we'll go through a refresher course just in case.

The prices below are my catcher rankings for the rest of the season. Don't obsess over the prices in a vacuum; what matters is how the players relate to one another. Commodities at the same dollar figure are considered even.

Assumptions: 5x5 scoring, mixed-league format. Players who are currently disabled or in the minors are not eligible for ranks. The value on that type of player is largely context-driven, anyway; Yasmani Grandal could be a valuable stash in some pools and next-to-worthless in some other groups.

I'll add comments as the day goes along and I reserve the right to tweak this list during the day. Your respectful disagreement is always welcome in this exercise; win the debate, win the rank. And be sure to remember the golden rule of Shuffle Up: a player doesn't gain 15-20 percent of bonus value simply because he's on your roster.

To the ledger:

Glorified G (USAT)

With a 7-1 record and five straight wins, nothing seems to bother the Atlanta Braves right now. And they're off to this terrific start despite some notable injuries: Freddie Freeman, Brian McCann and Brandon Beachy are currently on the disabled list.

Rookie catcher Evan Gattis can't do anything about the Beachy absence, but he's filling in nicely while Freeman and McCann heal up. It's time to pay attention in medium and deeper leagues.

Gattis is getting regular run as Atlanta's cleanup hitter and starting catcher of late, spelling Freeman and McCann, respectively. He's off to a tidy 9-for-17 run at the plate, with a couple of homers. His latest round-tripper came in Tuesday's win at Miami (a nice job of hitting against a reasonable pitch), and he added a double later in the game. It's easy to see why the Braves like the rookie's bat.

If you don't recognize Gattis from your prospect work, don't feel bad. Although he posted a solid .308/.374/.546 slash line through 222 games in the minors (along with 44 homers), only 182 of his at-bats came past Single-A. He wasn't featured on any of the hot future-star listings before the season. Gattis also turned 26 earlier this month, which tends to limit the rookie buzz. He was a 23rd-round pick in the 2010 draft after a bizarre amateur career, a late bloomer all the way. (The back story to Gattis's life – wandering, substance abuse, quitting and redemption – is going to make a dynamite movie someday. This is a very easy guy to root for.)

Harvey Danger (USAT)

There's a 12-year age difference between Matt Harvey and Roy Halladay. When it comes to 2013 fantasy value, the difference might as well be 12 miles. The kid is obviously going places, while the aging veteran might be out of bullets.

The two trains continued to move in opposite directions when they met up Monday night in Philadelphia. Harvey was just about untouchable over seven brilliant innings (3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K), while Halladay's tour of hell continued (4 IP, 7 R, 3 BB, 3 K). It's hard to believe Halladay went 5-6 rounds earlier than Harvey in a lot of drafts last month.

At what point does Halladay's poor start become a cliff season? He's coming off a messy 2012 campaign, he was hammered in most of his spring work, and he's dealing with lessened velocity as he closes in on his 36th birthday. Perhaps he needed shoulder surgery after last season, as opposed to rest and rehab. Can he reinvent himself at this juncture of his career? Is there a final act worth chasing? The next turn at Miami sounds good on paper, but the way Doc is scuffling right now, maybe that doesn't matter. Monday's New York lineup didn't look like a formidable challenge, either.

I realize the Halladay name still commands a lot of respect in baseball and fantasy circles, but let's be careful with that. The circus leaves town for everyone eventually; gravity is the only winner in the end. Unless the acquisition price is a ridiculous giveaway (and thus, with no real risk), I don't see any reason to buy into Doc at this point. Let someone else put their ratios in jeopardy.