Friday Fantasy Baseball News and Notes

Notes for today's games:

• Biggest caution I can give you today is about Paul Byrd. He struggles on the road, to say the least. His road ERA is 7.71 with a BAA of .325. Keep him benched.
• Don't be afraid to start Felix Hernandez against Boston. J.D. Drew hits .417 against him, but the remainder of the Red Sox are well below .220 as a team. And he will get a lineup without David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury, potentially even Manny Ramirez. He's a good gamble, despite his outing last time.
• Bartolo Colon has pitched well since coming back to Boston. He looked good against Seattle his last time out and I'd throw him out there again pitching at home.
• I'd beware of Javier Vazquez. Justin Morneau is .361/6/12 against him, and as a team, the Twins are at .283. Vazquez has been pitching well at home, but struggles against lefties, allowing them to hit over .300 on the season.
• Eric Chavez is a decent bat to put in your lineup if you're looking for a couple of hits. He's a .304 hitter against John Lackey in 46 at-bats. He's the only guy on Oakland worth starting. Vlad Guerrero is a .226 hitter in 31 at-bats against Joe Blanton, but the Angels have hit Blanton well as a team. Keep him benched.
• Hunter Pence should be in your lineup anyway, but as a .438 hitter against Braden Looper, the situation is even better. Looper has been good, but he's struggled against the better bats in the Astros lineup. I'd keep him on the bench today.
• Jason Bay is 0-12 against Brandon Webb. Nick Markakis is .385/4/4 against Shaun Marcum.
• Spot starts today? Hiroki Kuroda, Darrell Rasner, Jason Bergmann, and Randy Wolf.

Notes for Saturday:

• Brian Bannister has been roughed up on the road, sporting an ERA of 8.18 and a BAA of .325. In his limited outings against the Yankees, New York has hit .325 against him. I wouldn't have him in my lineup.
• Jeremy Guthrie is a good spot start against Toronto. He's held them down in the past, sporting an ERA of 3.60 in three games last season. On the road, he's held opponents to .207 and a 3.52 ERA.
• Burnett's last five outings have been very strong, as he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of them. Four out of five have been on the road, so I don't feel his home stats stack up to how well he's pitching. Use him with confidence. Keep Aubrey Huff on your bench, as he hits .103 against Burnett, as well as any other Oriole not named Brian Roberts.
• Mark Buehrle shouldn't make if off your bench tomorrow. Why? Because I'm pretty sure if I put on a Twins uniform, I'd hit .300 against him. Minnesota destroys him. The Twins are led by Michael Cuddyer and (great spot start tomorrow) Craig Monroe. The .335 team batting average doesn't bode well for Buehrle, nor does his 4.56 home ERA.
• Miguel Batista isn't good, that much we know. But he's worse on the road. Keep him down against Boston. Tim Wakefield was lights out his last outing against Seattle. Jose Lopez and Yuniesky Betancourt are worthy plays, but they're about it. Ichiro, by the way, is 4-22 against Wakefield.
• Kyle Kendrick has been pretty good at home. On the road is a different story, as his ERA jumps to over six and his WHIP to nearly 2.00. He hasn't pitched well against Chipper Jones or Brian McCann, either. I'd leave him alone tomorrow, but start all your Braves.
• Tom Gorzelanny has been awful. His command hasn't been with him all season, and he's walked 21 batters at home this season. This could be the last you see of him for a while. Start all your Diamondbacks.
• Bronson Arroyo looked good last time out against Florida, but that start was at home. On the road, Arroyo is a different pitcher, allowing opponents to hit .322. Don't expect much here.
• Adam Wainwright holds the Astros big bats down. The team his just .175 against him. Carlos Lee is just 1-13 and Hunter Pence is a .214 hitter. Lance Berkman has two home runs in his five hits, but only a .278 average.
• Early spot start calls? Let's go with Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Guthrie, and Oliver Perez.

Back as the need arises. Check out the full Roundtable Blog.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?