MLB Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

There are some trades you look at and think they make sense. You can understand why certain teams are after certain players. But there was one yesterday that I just don't get. I'm trying to look from a logical perspective here.

Who in their right mind would want Randy Wolf to "stabilize" a rotation? Does this make sense? Let's dive in to that and the notes.

• The Astros dealt for pitcher Randy Wolf yesterday. He hasn't pitched much in The Juicebox since 2005, having only been thrown in for one start. But we can judge on a series of other criteria. Wolf has been awful on the road. You might be able to talk run support for some of it, but that doesn't explain a .299 BAA and a 5.54 ERA since 2005. This season's numbers show the same BAA and an ERA of 6.63. After the All-Star break, Wolf has allowed opponents to hit .285 and has posted a 5.56 ERA since the '05 season. Yes, the Astros only gave up a minor leaguer, but a change in scenery isn't likely to make Wolf any more fantasy relevant.
• If you were counting on Jon Rauch for saves in the back half of the year, count on him no longer. The tallest pitcher in the history of baseball was traded to the Diamondbacks, where he will back up Brandon Lyon as the closer and only see spot save duty. Rough luck for fantasy owners on this one. Luis Ayala and Joel Hanrahan are the likely candidates to take over the role in Washington. They are need-based adds in all formats if you have to find saves.
• Carlos Delgado is now hitting .500 in his last five games. Delgado has had a solid July (.419) so far and this comes on the heels of a solid second-half of June. Yes, he's only hitting .260, but now has 19 home runs and is starting to drive in more runs. Delgado has been very good in the second half in past years. Owners needing help in the power department could do much worse than this hot hand.
• Paul Maholm must have pictures of people on the Astros. It's the only way to explain his dominance over them. The Astros are now below the Mendoza line as a team against Maholm. With both teams in the Central, we could see this matchup again and it will benefit owners to take advantage of it. At this point, we at the 'Table can't recommend starting any left-handed hitter beyond absolute studs against Maholm.
• Both pitchers in the Blue Jays-Orioles game were knocked around. Marcum did not look strong. He needs to build up his stamina again and work at hitting spots. It will come back in another start or two. I would not recommend him next time out. Wait until he has a good one before jumping back on. Garrett Olson just can't control the Blue Jays. He's now 0-2 against Toronto with an ERA right around 15.00 in two starts.
• We mentioned yesterday how Clayton Kershaw had not seen a lineup like what the Rockies were going to throw against him. He had, however, seen the Rockies, but that was without Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki. The game was also in Dodgertown. That was not the case last night, and the stats proved out. Kershaw is going to need time. Look for him as a safer play at home, but he will need to better command his pitches to be started in any format.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka continues to defy odds and live dangerously. He did, though, look much better last night than at any point in his last four starts. He only walked three and rarely was pitching in trouble. He faded after the break last season and could just as easily do it again. Tough to advocate trading a guy who's 11-1 with an ERA under 2.70, but it isn't necessarily a bad idea.
• Jered Weaver had his starts pushed back over the weekend against the Red Sox as a result of tightness in his back. Last night, he was removed from his start after three innings for the same reason. Monitor the situation closely. It's possible Weaver will miss another start.
• Kerry Wood is hoping to avoid the DL after getting new treatment for his blister issue. Wood feels confident he'll be back and in the 'pen within the week. Chris Duncan of the Cardinals was not so lucky. He will hit the DL with a bulging disc in his neck. This will mean less platoon duty in the Cardinal outfield and makes all their regular outfielders slightly more valuable.
• Adam Wainwright threw a bullpen session for the first time since June 8. He ruptured a tendon in his middle finger, but seems to be on track for time in the rotation within the next few weeks. Wainwright has fantasy value and could be a solid addition to NL-only squads upon his return and help many in deep, mixed formats. Wainwright will throw two more sessions and be evaluated.
• Francisco Liriano is now 9-0 in AAA for Rochester. The question still comes up as to if he'll be called up and moved into the rotation for Minnesota. It's an even-money bet right now. He's certainly worth an add if you have the roster room, because if called up he's going to be highly valuable down the stretch. Even pitching in a setup role, he could add holds and strikeouts to stat lines and maintain decent value there as well.

Notes for today's games:

• The Astros seem to dislike facing the Pirates pitching staff. They struggled against Paul Maholm and now hit only .225 against Ian Snell. Carlos Lee is a .385 hitter against Snell, but Lance Berkman is just 3-for-16. Snell is a gamble with his road record, but a healthy option if you are looking for the innings and potentially a cheap win.
• Magglio Ordonez is just 3-for-21 against Kansas City starter Zack Greinke. Gary Sheffield is at 3-for-13. The remaining Tigers are all strong plays and should be in any lineup. Greinke has been solid at home all season long, but he doesn't pitch particularly well against Detroit. There are better options available to most owners today.
• Most of Aaron Laffey's struggles have come on the road. He's 0-3 in six games with a 5.94 ERA and a .333 BAA. The Angels have started to swing the bats very well and have the best record in baseball at this point. With John Lackey on the mound for Anaheim, I'd avoid Laffey today. Certainly, if you have better options for the Angels left-handed bats, it is still a good idea to use them. Laffey has only let lefties hit .220 for the season.
• J.D. Drew is the only Red Sox player worth having around today. Drew is 7-for-14 against Felix Hernandez. With David Ortiz out of the lineup, there is no other regular above .222 against the Mariners ace.
• The Padres might be offensively challenged, but Bronson Arroyo is allowing hits to everyone this season. Greg Maddux is doing very much the same on the road. Look for other options today.
• As mentioned earlier, Carlos Delgado is as hot as it gets right now. He's also hitting .438 against Brett Myers. David Wright has taken Myers deep three times in 20 at-bats and Carlos Beltran checks in at .296. Myers is 0-6 with an 8.18 road ERA.
• Josh Willingham is 1-for-15 and Mike Jacobs 3-for-22 against Tim Hudson. Other Marlins players should be fine; there are no concerns on Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Hanley Ramirez or any other Marlins regular. Ricky Nolasco should make a fine start as well. Hudson is just 2-6 with a 4.09 road ERA on the season.
• The numbers are limited, but Ted Lilly has the Diamondbacks hitting just .207 as a team. He had a solid start against them earlier this year and posts a 3.78 road ERA this season. I'd take him over Doug Davis, despite how cold the offense has been since the break in Chicago.
• Spot starts? Go with Jeremy Guthrie, Ted Lilly, Snell, and Nolasco.

Notes for Thursday's games:

• Short slate of games on Thursday, so limited options as far as looking for spot starts.
• Alex Rios hits .325 against Daniel Cabrera. Rod Barajas should also be in lineups. Other options for Lyle Overbay, Matt Stairs, or any other Blue Jay should be found. Cabrera is 3-0 at home, but has been prone to giving up big games, just not to Toronto. Expect a low-scoring game with Roy Halladay as his opponent.
• Matt Garza is very good at home, but the exact opposite on the road. Even against Kansas City, I'm skeptical. Tampa's offense has been on hiatus, and they've lost nine of 12 games. If you can afford to pass on the innings, look the other way on this start.
• Jamie Moyer has a 3.12 road ERA, but the Mets regulars just eat him alive. Delgado has eight home runs in 72 at-bats, hitting over .400. David Wright and Carlos Beltran are both great plays as well. No concerns starting any of them. Moyer may be good, but not that good.
• Ryan Howard is just 2-for-19 against Oliver Perez. Perez has had some limited luck against Philadelphia and is a solid option if you need the numbers.
• Carlos Zambrano is always a good play, and will limit the effectiveness of using his opponent, Scott Olsen, if you're looking for a cheap win. Never a good idea to do that when going against someone else's ace.
• No concerns in starting Ben Sheets against the Cardinals. Todd Wellemeyer is a decent play against the Brewers as well.
• Early spot-start calls? Go with Wellemeyer, Perez, and Gil Meche.

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