MLB Fantasy Baseball: Monday News and Notes

It's a sad day of notes to be passing on. Why is that? As a Dolphins fan, the trade of Jason Taylor has me questioning my personal loyalty to the franchise. They could have given him away for less, but it would have been hard. So we need to talk baseball and move on from this. Let's just get to it.

• Let's talk about the DL. Roy Oswalt has been placed on it as a result of recurring hip and back problems. Lower body injuries are always the most concerning with pitchers, and Oswalt hasn't been able to shake the problems that came in a start nearly a month ago. The stint should provide some rest for the injuries, but this will require rehab and likely longer than the 15 days the stint calls for. Adjust plans accordingly. Serious, grab Scott Baker or Hiroki Kuroda as replacements.
• Continuing the theme, Kerry Wood will be put on the DL with a blister he suffered just prior to the break. This is a minor setback that shouldn't cause any overall issues. Look for Carlos Marmol to step in for the short-term as closer.
• The Ray Durham trade likely eliminates any remaining value that Rickie Weeks had as a fantasy second baseman. Weeks is hitting just .218 with eight home runs and has been as ineffective as could be imagined. Every year, fantasy owners look to see if he will realize his potential, only to be disappointed. This should bring better value to Durham and he becomes a second basemen that will have a positive impact on most teams in all formats the rest of the way.
• Two closers returned yesterday, as Seattle's J.J. Putz and Tampa's Troy Percival both returned from DL trips. If you held on to them, time to get them back into the closer's role on all teams. Putz can be had on waivers still in many formats. Act quickly, because that will not last long. He doesn't completely eliminate the value of Brandon Morrow, but it is certainly does limit Morrow's save chances.
• The Red Sox saw two solid pitching performances go to waste because of a lack of faith in the bullpen. Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield each would have been pulled in their separate circumstances if the Red Sox bullpen was pitching better. You can see the fatigue set in on these guys, but with no reliable man to pitch in the eighth, it puts added strain on the starters. They'll both still provide solid numbers, but you have to hope the 'pen can stabilize and aid win totals. As of now, looking for wins from Red Sox starters on the road is an exercise in futility.
• Justin Verlander has now recorded eight straight starts of two earned runs or less. He's exhibiting the form that made him such an effective fantasy player last season. Keep riding the train. Not a sell-high pitcher here. No reason to think this won't continue. In the same way we had no reason to think he was as poor as his early season outings would have you believe.
• Minnesota's starters at home are all solid options. Scott Baker is one that is good in all locations. He stopped a tough offense in the Metrodome, as Texas had been swinging their bats very well. Baker is still largely unowned in many formats. Given the quality of pitching and his ability to pitch ahead in the count, he needs to be given more credit in the fantasy world. You trusted us on Matt Garza, after all.
• Tim Wakefield's struggles with the big Anaheim bats were evident, as Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero both hit long home runs early in the game. But Wakefield is fast becoming more of a pitcher. In subsequent at-bats, you saw him mix in a fastball and curve very effectively against the two and kept them off balance. Not something we normally expect, but it shows how Wakefield can adapt to what he's seeing. He's a solid deep-league option.
• Manny Parra continued to be as effective as any National League pitcher over the last month. He went nearly eight innings against the Giants, giving up just two earned runs. Parra has been able to induce more groundballs over his last several starts and has shown flashes of a dominating fastball that rides inside on lefties. Parra's work makes him a must-own in all formats.
• Odalis Perez did record the win against Atlanta, and we've been pushing for his ownership in many formats. He didn't pitch well outside of getting that win, however. Perez has been dominant at home and now has two wins over Atlanta in his two starts. I wouldn't want to start him on the road, as his ERA climbed over five with his effort on Sunday. Just keep that in mind when reading the box score.

Notes for today's games:

• Look for other options beyond your A's. Scott Kazmir has simply dominated at home and there is no one on Oakland that has put together good numbers against him and will actually be in the lineup. Dana Eveland has been very good at home, but his numbers on the road indicate to leave him on the bench today. It's early in the week, you can make up any solid stats that he may give you. The risk is too great on this one.
• The Angels bats got on track against Boston and now face a pitcher that does not do well on the road. Paul Byrd is just 1-8 on the road with a 6.94 ERA. I'd have every Angel I could find in the lineup.
• No reason to bench any of your Red Sox today. Red Sox starters have very good numbers against Jarrod Washburn. Manny Ramirez is already swinging the bat well and he is 7-21 against Washburn. The best numbers belong to Coco Crisp, put him in your lineups as a great matchup play.
• Jon Lester has labored through two of his last three starts, but still posts a 3-2 record on the road with a 3.92 ERA. Lester is still a solid option against a Mariners team that has not managed to find itself offensively.
• If you have other options for your Cubs, use them. Randy Johnson has held the Cubs to just a .203 batting average, and Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez have been virtually useless. Both are under .200 in 22 and 17 at-bats respectively. He's held lefties to just a .167 batting average for the season.
• I physically cannot understand how Sidney Ponson is 5-1 at this point. The Yankees are playing good baseball, but Ponson is not as good as his current record indicates. The Twins have hit .275 against him, and show no reason to bench your stars. Solid options for average today would be Craig Monroe and Mike Lamb. I do still like his opponent, Nick Blackburn. Yes, his road ERA is over four, but his last three outings away from home have been very good, as he's given up two earned in each of those starts against Detroit, Boston, and Cleveland.
• Josh Banks has been very good against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .235 average on the season. If you have better options, I'd look to use them. No sense in starting Reds that likely will struggle, this includes Jay Bruce. Banks is one of the better start options you'll find today.
• Radhames Liz has been advocated here at the 'Table when he's in good pitching parks against subpar offensive teams. We have a winner today, as he's pitching at home against Toronto. Just a good matchup for him.
• Spot start options? Go with Liz, Banks, Blackburn, and Luke Hochevar.

Notes for Tuesday's games:

• Shaun Marcum hasn't pitched since June 18, but will be back on the bump tomorrow against Baltimore. This is a case where I certainly advocate waiting to see what you are going to be given. It makes for the most sense and won't harm you if he blows up.
• Garrett Olson has been very solid at home, but has struggled in two outings against Toronto. Normally, we advocate using him at home, but not this time. Let this one go by. In fact, start all Blue Jays.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka is on the way to blowing up in some start. He's throwing a lot of pitches and giving up too many walks. His strand rate has been well above the league average. I would still start him against Seattle, but just be aware of the danger he's playing with. We'll detail the box score after it happens.
• Johan Santana has continued to give up more flyballs than owners probably like, but his home numbers are good. Batters are hitting just .227 against him and the Phillies are hitting just .179 against him in two outings this season. Find other options for anyone outside of your stars.
• Jeff Suppan has given owners good starts at home, but not so much on the road. He struggles and has not pitched well against his former team.
• The Braves are hitting over .300 against Mark Hendrickson. Hendrickson has been awful at home, posting an ERA over six and a losing record. Batters hit well over .300 against him there on the season. Jeff Francouer is 5-12 against Hendrickson in his career.
• Joe Blanton's first NL start will come against a hot-hitting Mets team. Not the time or the place to take risks on this one. See what he has before looking to use him in any role in any format.
• Early spot start calls? Let's go with Jason Bergmann, Paul Maholm, and Kevin Slowey.

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