Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

• Expect Kevin Millar to find his way into the lineup tonight, as he is 11-for-30 against James Shields. Lyle Overbay remains a strong play as well, but look to avoid most other Blue Jays. Marco Scutaro is hitting just .136, and Alex Rios checks in at .227, while Vernon Wells has had major issues as well.
• Look to see Ty Wiggington stay in the lineup against Josh Beckett. Wiggington is 8-for-25 with three home runs against the Boston ace. Most Orioles will still be fine in this one, at least the players you would normally use. Brian Roberts checks in at .300, while Aubrey Huff and Nick Markakis both are right around .300 as well.
• Andy Pettitte has given up at least four earned runs in five of his last six home starts, and sits with an ERA of 5.77 in New York. The Mariners have simply just hit him hard, registering a .339 average as a team. Do not hesitate to use any of them in this matchup, as they all are good plays. Pettitte has been giving up a fair number of fly balls this season, something that does not play well in the new stadium.
• Jarrod Washburn could be auditioning for the Yankees with his start against them tonight. Largely, the Yankees have performed well against him. Look to avoid Nick Swisher, Hideki Matsui, and Robinson Cano, but otherwise your regulars are going to be in decent shape for this matchup.
• Jose Contreras is up and down, but he owns Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner. The two are 3-for-25 and 3-for-24 respectively against Contreras. Grady Sizemore has solid numbers, hitting .310 with three home runs. Contreras is a tough start on the road at just 1-4, but the Indians' offense has lacked some punch.
• Kevin Millwood continues to amaze. He has gone 3-1 in June with a sub-1.50 ERA. At home, the starter has been almost unhittable. He has gone 6-1 with a 2.17 ERA in his starts in Arlington. The Angels, though, have had his number. Vladimir Guerrero is a .333 hitter with four home runs, and Torii Hunter has pounded the ball as well with a 13-for-32 mark. Millwood is 3-4 against the Angels dating back the last three seasons and ten starts.
• Ryan Spilborghs has gone 4-for-7 in limited at-bats against Clayton Kershaw, but two of those hits are home runs. Kershaw did not allow a home run in all of June, looking dominant at times. Still, his command is spotty at best and he needs a lot of pitches to get through an inning. He is a good play at home, and has given up just two earned runs in his last 18.2 innings.
• Be careful using Gil Meche. While the Royals' starter has been cleared to go tomorrow, he had a lot of problems with velocity in his last start, according to multiple sources. After an impressive six-start run, Meche has given up 13 runs in his last 8.1 innings. The Twins have struggled aginst him, but this is a situation to avoid.
• Expect Chris Duncan in the lineup against Matt Cain. Duncan is 3-for-7 with a home run, and has the best track record of anyone not named Albert Pujols against Cain. Any other Cardinal will be a reach, as the team has hit just .229 against Cain. He has been strong all season, and his 4-1 record on the road is impressive.
• Spot Starts: Washburn, Brad Bergesen, and Glen Perkins.

Thursday Notes

• As strong as Mark Buehrle has been against the Royals, there are some good numbers against him. Billy Butler has hit .308 and Mark Teahan has gone 20-for-47. Even Willie Bloomquist is 11-for-22. Look to avoid David DeJesus, as he is just a .153 hitter in 59 at-bats, and John Buck is no better, 6-for-33.
• You have to appreciate the love being given to Chad Gaudin, but do not sleep on Kevin Correia. He has two bad starts in his last ten outings, but has been solid for his last five in a row, going 4-1. In that time, he has struck out 29 batters in 33.2 innings and given up only nine earned runs. In deeper leagues, he is a solid play.
• When evaluating Paul Maholm, do not believe the numbers in most cases. Maholm has been awful on the road, and it seems nearly every start he had in both May and June was away from Pittsburgh. At home, he has been lights out. Even against the Mets, his home stats (3-1, 1.96 ERA) make him a good spot start.
• Avoid J.J. Hardy at all costs, as he is only 2-for-23 against Ryan Dempster. The surprise? Jason Kendall is a .419 hitter against the Cubs' starter. Corey Hart has struggles as well, coming in with a .100 average in 20 at-bats. Reaching for Brewers in this game is not likely going to help your offensive numbers.
• Barry Zito struggled in his last outing against the Cardinals, but has decent numbers against them overall. Keep Ryan Ludwick and Yadier Molina in lineups, as both have solid numbers against Zito. Otherwise, Zito has pitched well enough to be started in this one.
• Spot Starts: Correia, Maholm, and Zito.

Collin Hager writes The Elmhurst Pub fantasy blog. You can get your questions answered by sending an email to elmhurstpubroundtable@yahoo.com. He's also on Twitter @TheRoundtable.

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