The Dodgers have retired the numbers of only five position players. Here’s how those players performed during their first week in the show.

Pee Wee Reese donned Dodger blue from 1940 until 1958, beginning in Brooklyn and playing the inaugural season for the “Los Angeles” Dodgers. He was a 10-time All-Star, and racked up 66.2 bWAR in his time with Dodgers. Reese made his major league debut in late April of 1940. Through his first seven games he managed just three hits and a measly .143/.357/.143 slash line.

Duke Snider played 18 seasons in the majors, and he spent the first 16 of those seasons with the Dodgers. Snider came up as a young buck in 1947, just 20 years old. Snider was used a little bit differently than Puig, mostly as a pinch hitter. After seven games played, Snider had recorded just eight at-bats. He was 3-for-8 with a double and two runs scored, so things were going well for him, but he didn’t have the chance to shine until later in his career.

Jim Gilliam played for the Dodgers for 14 years, coming up in 1953 and winning the Rookie of the Year award. Like Puig, Gilliam got off to a very hot start, posting a .269/.441/.385 line through seven games. Gilliam also scored at least one run in each of his first seven games, and worked an impressive eight walks in that span.

Roy Campanella played just 10 years in the major leagues, all of them with the Dodgers. He won three MVP awards and made eight All-Star teams. When he came up in 1948, he had a Puig-esque start. Through seven games he .429/.500/.857 with two home runs, a triple, and a double.

Jackie Robinson‘s MLB career began in difficult circumstances, but he hit the ground running. Through his first seven games in 1947, Robinson hit a robust .346/.433/.500 and established himself as a presence for the Dodgers.

Yasiel Puig’s numbers won’t always be this good, but his start compares as well as any of the Dodgers greatest players. With Los Angeles now eight games under .500, manager Don Mattingly hopes that Puig’s hot-hitting continues.

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The Pirates took Gerrit Cole with the first overall pick of the 2011 MLB Draft.

Just over two years removed from being picked first overall in the 2011 MLB Draft, Gerrit Cole will make his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants.

Cole entered this season as a consensus top 10 prospect in baseball. Baseball America ranked him seventh, while MLB.com ranked him ninth, and Baseball Prospectus ranked him third. The UCLA product has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, with an upper-90s fastball, a powerful slider, and an above average changeup in his arsenal.

Even with his tremendous stuff, Cole has struggled at times. This season, the 22-year-old isn’t missing as many bats as his stuff would suggest; in 68 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis, Cole has struck out just 47 batters and walked 28. Stuff is great, but Cole will have to command his stuff to get outs at the major league level.

Cole’s first test will be telling, as he faces a solid San Francisco club and former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. The Giants are 16th in baseball in runs per game, putting them right around average. Lincecum struggled through a horrendous May (6.37 ERA), but settled down to throw a gem against the Toronto Blue Jays last week. Over seven innings, he allowed just one run on three hits and struck out six. If Lincecum keeps the ball rolling, Cole and the Pirates could have trouble.

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Darvish did not allow a baserunner past first base in his outing. He received massive run support from his teammates after the Rangers posted a nine-run fourth inning which was capped off with a three-run homer from Nelson Cruz.

The Japanese league product has had an impressive start to the 2013 season. In five games started, he has 49 strikeouts and is averaging 13.49 K’s per 9 innings. Besides posting an impressive 1.65 ERA, Darvish has a WHIP of 0.80 in 32.2 innings pitched.

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Granderson, who is recovering from a fractured forearm, will next take batting practice on the field. If his recovering continues as expected, the veteran outfielder will then participate in live action games in the minors. His return is expected in early May.

The Yankees have had to field a team without many of their familiar faces in the lineup. Granderson, along with first baseman Mark Teixeira have been among them. Manager Joe Girardi expects Granderson to be back in the lineup before Teixeira however. The first baseman has been dealing with a wrist injury that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic during spring training.

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After dropping eight of ten games during a disappointing road trip, the Rays have rebounded to win five of their last six. On Wednesday night it was due to the stellar pitching performance of Alex Cobb. Cobb, 3-1, pitched 8 1/3 innings and scattered just three hits while striking out seven and allowing just one walk. While the lineup did feature four batters which still see their average at .200 or lower, the Rays managed eight hits and chased veteran Andy Pettitte from the game after six innings.

Ben Zobrist was the offensive hero of the night for the Rays, putting Tampa up 2-0 after a two-out, two-run double in the fifth inning off Pettitte. However, the Rays were a dismal 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position once again, an issue which has plagued the Rays in this young season.

The win over their divisional opponents, the Yankees, was the Rays 13th win in 16 games at Tropicana Field over the Bronx Bombers. After just 21 games this season, Wednesday night marked the fifth shutout for the Rays pitching staff. Tampa has arrived in Chicago and will take on the White Sox in a four-game series. The Yankees return home to host the struggling Toronto Blue Jays.

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On the bright side for the Rays, Tampa did manage to get six hits, a better outing than their last two games, but the team continues to struggle with hits in key situations. Once again, the Rays managed to go 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and Tampa is now 1-for-28 in the last four games with RISP. The Rays are currently in last place in the AL East, losing seven of their last eight contests.

Manager Joe Maddon believes the Rays can turn things around. The eternal optimist suggests that the Rays will be able to get back to winning ways once again. Speaking to reporters after the game, “As long as players don’t quit on themselves then we’re in good shape, and we’re not going to do that because I’m not going to do that. I like the battle. I like the fight. The work has been great. It’s going to flip.” In order to flip things around, the Rays are going to have to find some hot bats. Just Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist are hitting above .300, (.302). Tuesday night’s contest featured a lineup with 11 batters batting .250 or less.

Just 13 games into the season, Tampa already finds itself five games out of first place in the AL East. The Orioles extended thier win streak when leading after seven innings to 97 straight games.

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Justin Upton drilled his major league leading eighth homer of the year, his only hit of the game in the Braves portion of the eighth inning. Upton has been on fire early on this season but has just 11 RBIs to show for his performance at the plate. His batting average sits at .340.

While Justin has been red hot lately, his brother, B.J., continues to struggle along with many of the others in the Braves lineup. The former Tampa Bay Rays player is managing just a .152 batting average so far this season. Right fielder Jason Heyward is among those struggling at the plate. Despite adding one of the solo shots Tuesday night, his batting average hovers at .116. 2B Dan Uggla, who has just six hits in his last 10 games added a solo shot as well. Uggla is suffering a slump at the plate as well, hitting just .178.

Despite hitting just .258 as a team, the Braves have relied on the long ball during this current win streak, leading the majors with 25  after 13 games while Atlanta enjoys a +42 run differential. With the Washington Nationals losing Tuesday night, the Braves currently enjoy a 4 1/2 game lead in the NL East.

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In three games, the Braves hit the Nationals pitching staff hard, racking up 18 runs in their series, outscoring Washington 18-5. Dating back to last season, the Braves have won seven straight against the Nationals.

Atlanta now has the best record in the majors and has been explosive at the plate outscoring their opponents 62-23 in their first 12 games. Justin Upton continued his hot streak, hitting his league leading seventh home run of the season. Upton did not hit his seventh homer until June 23rd last season. The pitching staff has had a little say in the outcome of games as well so fr this season. The Braves rank first in team ERA (1.82), first in WHIP (101) and first in BAA (.200).

The Braves are in the midst of a six game road streak and have now won nine in a row. Atlanta returns home for a quick two-game series with the Kansas City Royals before taking to the road again for another 10 games.

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On Sunday, the Rays were able to break up a no-hit bid by Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. If Buchholz had achieved the feat, it would have marked the fifth time in five seasons the Rays would have been no hit. The way Tampa is hitting right now, the Red Sox might have another opportunity this afternoon to no hit the Rays.

In their last two games, Tampa is 0-17 with RISP and the Rays have been terrible offensively to start the season.

At 4-7, the Rays are three games behind the AL East leading Boston Red Sox and their offensive numbers are, well, simply offensive. Tampa ranks 29th in runs scored. 28th in team BA with a .212 number posted. 26th in OBP at .288 and 29th in slugging at .293.

Only two players on the roster are batting above .300 for Tampa in this young season. Evan Longoria is batting .306 while Ben Zobrist is hitting .316. Between the two, they have one home run. It is the longest streak to start the season without a home run for Longoria. While is is batting .306, Longoria has 11 strikeouts in just 36 AB’s.

In their last six games, Tampa has posted a 1-5 record and has been out scored 31-8.

The Rays will try once again to get their offense rolling in Boston this morning in a game which starts at 11:05. Tampa sends Jeremy Helickson to the mound. Helickson is coming off a rough outing where he was roughed up by the Texas Rangers, giving up three runs on five hits through six innings last Monday. Boston is sending Ryan Dempster (0-1 3.60) to the mound this morning.

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New York has been playing without Teixeira as well as outfielder Curtis Granderson and team captain Derek Jeter. Positive news was learned about the later two as well this week.

Jeter has resumed hitting at the Yankees facility in Tampa, Floirda this week. Jeter was sidelined last month after experiencing soreness in his left ankle, the ankle he broke at the end of the 2012 season. Granderson is recovering from a broken forearm he suffered in spring training and was able to remove a brace on his arm while able to resume throwing on Thursday.

Teixeira will visit with a Yankees specialist on Friday when the team returns home and the fist baseman expects to be cleared by the doctor to start hitting. “I’m confident the doctor will let me take swings tomorrow. I feel great and I’m getting better every day. There’s no pain. I could not be happier with the progress,” Teixeira told reporters in Cleveland on Thursday evening.

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