MLB Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

Another day, another trade in the NL Central. Reactionary moves are always dangerous, but the Cubs have done what they felt they had to do. Let's get into that and the notes.

• The Cubs swung a six-player deal to obtain Rich Harden from Oakland. Similar to Sabathia, Harden's value will increase slightly because of the lineups he will be facing. Just having a pitcher in the nine spot is enough to help a guy relax and just throw. If he stays healthy, this is a fantastic move for the Cubs, and fantasy owners shouldn't have to worry about any material impact here.
• The big winner of this trade could be Matt Murton. Murton was stuck in a platoon with the number of outfielders in Chicago. Yes, Eric Patterson was also included, but I think Murton could be the one seeing the first major piece of playing time in Oakland. Sean Gallagher could have some value in keeper formats, regardless. Now he'll have the A's development path to add to it.
• It's a case of good news/bad news for the White Sox. The good news is that they get back Paul Konerko. Konerko was on the DL with a strained oblique muscle, but was back in the lineup last night. He should be returned to all fantasy lineups as well. The bad news is that it looks like they will put closer Bobby Jenks on the DL. This is just a precaution due to tightness in his shoulder. It will let him rest until after the break and be back fresh. The team doesn't sound too concerned. If you're looking for saves in the meantime, Scott Linebrink would be the leading candidate, with Octavio Dotel second in line.
• I know there are certain guys I harp on. Some are warranted, some no one really understands. But, trust me on this, you want Chris Davis. The rookie hit his fifth home run last night for the Rangers and is just on a tear. Given the state of power at first base this year, he's a solid addition to all deep, mixed-league teams and should already be owned in AL-only formats.
• Well, if you listened to me on Odalis Perez things started off ok. Perez was solid through the top of the third. Then the wheels came off. He didn't give up a run, just got himself ejected for arguing a balk. Perez did not give up an earned run and had only given up one hit and a walk. So he didn't hurt your stats, he just didn't come close to helping them.
• Continue to use Randy Wolf at home only. Wolf struck out seven over seven innings last night and only allowed one earned run. Chase Headley has now had a hit in nine of his last 10 games. Headley can rake, but buyer beware on this one. We shouldn't be sold QUITE yet. The Padres offense is pretty bad, he won't see a lot of nights where he drives in four runs because the Padres don't get on base.
• Miguel Cabrera is a .310 career hitter. On June 27, he was hitting .276. His average is now up to .290, thanks to hitting .435 in his last five games. That includes four home runs. Cabrera is going to be a .300 hitter by the end of the year. You still have a chance to buy-low from frustrated owners, but do so quickly.
• Justin Verlander's numbers are starting to come back in line. He's one pitcher where an owner's faith is being rewarded. After his outing last night, Verlander is 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last six starts. He hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any outing during that time, and his ERA for the season has dropped by nearly a run and a half.
• Mike Aviles is still available in nearly 75 percent of standard leagues. Aviles is hitting over .300 with four home runs in his 31 games. With the number of weak-hitting shortstops available, Aviles should provide some much needed punch to several lineups. I can't recommend him and J.J. Hardy enough right now. Especially for those without Troy Tulowitzki or relying on many second and third-tier players. These guys would be a breath of fresh air. Aviles will likely have second base eligibility soon as well. Owners of Ryan Theriot, Christian Guzman, or Stephen Drew should be already on these guys.

Notes for today's games:

• Several afternoon tilts are on the docket, so make sure your lineups are adjusted early in the day to account for them.
• Jered Weaver has been surprisingly good against the Rangers. Michael Young (.238) and Ian Kinsler (.214) both struggle against Weaver. In seven games against the Rangers, Weaver has posted an ERA under 2.80 and a BAA of .238. He's one of the better starts available today.
• Javier Vazquez is only 2-5 on the road with a 4.31 ERA this season. David DeJesus should be benched for Kansas City, since he's hitting just .158 in 19 at-bats against Vazquez, but Jose Guillen, Alex Gordon, and Aviles all make valid plays today.
• Paul Konerko might be back, but he's just 2-11 against Brian Bannister in his career. There are better options. Bannister's troubles have largely been on the road. His home ERA is 3.26 for the season and opponents hit just .231 against him at Kauffman Stadium. If you need a spot start, he's certainly available for that.
• Bobby Crosby is 5-14 and Kurt Suzuki is 3-9 against Miguel Batista. They make the best plays of anyone on Oakland at this point. Mark Ellis has struggled, but it is Miguel Batista. He's just 1-6 on the road with a 5.54 ERA in 10 starts.
• I'm sure not many of you are still hanging on to Jeff Francouer, but he's the only regular Braves player that should be out of lineups today. He's just 2-12 against Derek Lowe. Lowe has just one win in his last five starts against Atlanta and has an ERA close to five during that time. He's pitching well at home, but this is not a good matchup.
• Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent have solid numbers against Tim Hudson. Both make good options today. Hudson has largely struggled on the road, so beware of this matchup as well. That said, most of the guys that have given him trouble will not be in the lineup for the Dodgers.
• Certainly start your regular Reds against Carlos Zambrano, even if he is an ace. Adam Dunn is only a .226 lifetime hitter against him, but does have six home runs in 53 at-bats. No reasons not to play Ken Griffey or Brandon Phillips either, both have numbers to back it up.
• Bobby Abreu is just 1-16 against Edwin Jackson and Robinson Cano is just 3-15. If you have better options, I'd use them.
• Scott Olsen's road numbers are skewed by one bad outing at Colorado last time out. I wouldn't hold that as a concern. He's still a solid option in San Diego. No reasons not to start either pitcher in the Mets-Giants matchup, both Sanchez and Santana are always-starts. No concerns on Ben Sheets either.
• Spot starts today? Go with John Lannan, Scott Olsen, and Edwin Jackson.

Notes for Thursday's games:

• Jamie Moyer has bordered on awful at home. His 5.16 ERA is enough reason to make sure you have all your Cardinals in the lineup. Be aware of the lefty-on-lefty matchups here, as Moyer holds left-handed hitters to a .215 average.
• Dave Bush gets the ball for the Brewers at home. Even with Colorado healthy, I'll take my chances if I need a spot-start with the Brewers pitchers at home. The splits are just ridiculous.
• Greg Smith is only 20 percent owned, yet he's been rock solid as a rookie pitcher for the A's this season. It goes to matchups, and you have to like going against a sub-par offense like Seattle.
• As hot as Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado have been, neither hit above .250 in over 20 at-bats against Barry Zito. Otherwise, all your Mets are going to be good options here.
• Jeremy Guthrie was solid last time out against Toronto and has pitched just as well on the road as he has at home. Great option against a struggling offense.
• Early spot-start calls? Kevin Slowey, Jason Bergmann, Paul Maholm, and Andy Sonnanstine seem like solid options right now, beyond the 'Table's usual recommendations.

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