MLB Fantasy Baseball: Thursday News and Notes

Unfortunately, this is likely the last batch of notes this week. We here at the 'Table will be taking off for Cooperstown, NY and the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. If you happen to be heading that way as well, you can find the Degenerates of the Roundtable holding court at Cooley's Bar, just off Main St. The debates will certainly continue there. Drop an email.

If possible, we'll post some weekend notes tomorrow morning prior to departure. As we say at this point, on to the notes!

• Jorge Posada will go on the DL, but will not look to surgery immediately. Posada is going to attempt to rehab the shoulder and get back in the lineup quickly. There is no timetable at this point, but, given the stats, Posada's inclusion in most lineups won't be warranted. Kelly Shoppach and Kurt Suzuki will provide similar numbers the rest of the way without as many of the headaches.
• Victor Martinez (remember him?) is looking at a mid-August return to the lineup for Cleveland. He's on waivers in most leagues. If you have the DL spot, stash him there, especially if you're making a pickup to replace any player at all. It lets you make the double move and potentially set yourself up for a nice surprise come playoff time.
• Ricky Nolasco has been very good against nearly everyone EXCEPT Atlanta. Given how he had been pitching, it was generally assumed he would have another solid outing. He fell to 0-3 against Atlanta and now has a double-digit ERA. Let's move on from using him against the Atlanta lineup for the time being.
• Bad news out of the Braves clubhouse, as Chipper Jones left the game with a leg injury and Tim Hudson was pulled with soreness in his elbow. Jones was one of the more pleasant surprises this year, but this injury is certainly going to derail him for a couple weeks, according to reports. Hudson is a second-half player who was really coming into his own in July. He could miss a start, but will be evaluated later this week. Plan accordingly.
• Great news for Cubs fans! Scott Eyre is back and was activated before yesterday's game. Can't talk highly enough about his fantasy impact...oh, and Alfonso Soriano was back in the leadoff spot. He should be activated in all lineups as well.
• There are several rumors out involving a trade for Huston Street. Be ready to react, as Brad Ziegler will likely be given the first crack at closing in any trade situation. Ziegler has been tremendous in his limited innings, and his presence gives the A's some flexibility in dealing Street for prospects.
• Aaron Laffey was a solid pickup for most teams, but since his initial four starts he has come back down to earth. Laffey is a borderline play on the road, and that was evidenced last night. He was lit up by every Angels hitter that stepped into the box. His greatest impact at this point is in looking at your lineup and removing any left-handed hitter that is going to face him.
• Greg Maddux is now winless since basically May. He recorded his 350th win and it has been all down hill from that point. Maddux is pitching well, but just seems to struggle from a run-support standpoint. He's a healthy gamble at home still at every start.
• Two of the hottest hitters in baseball are residing in Detroit right now. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera are going to be offensive forces in the second half of the season. There still exists some opportunity to buy on Cabrera, but the window is virtually closed.
• One other player to look at as far as getting now is Alex Rios. Rios has been on a tear since the break and has done very well against division opponents, many of whom he will be facing in the summer months. Act quickly.

Notes for today's games:

• One more game was added to the schedule, as the Orioles and Jays will have to finish a game that was suspended due to rain. It shouldn't dramatically impact any issues in the second game, since it's only three innings. We don't see any need to adjust lineups in this case.
• Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford are both .300 hitters against Gil Meche. Pena has knocked three home runs against the Royals starter in 22 at-bats. Get him in your lineup. If you have another option for Dioner Navarro, use it. Navarro is 0-9 against him. Still like the way Meche looks as a spot starter today. Meche has pitched well, historically, against the Rays.
• Matt Garza has a 2-4 record to go with a 5.91 road ERA on the season. His best performance was against Florida, but he gave up seven runs to Cleveland last time out on the mound away from the Trop. Garza has been a solid surprise, but there are better options today.
• Ben Sheets falls into the category of guys you shouldn't sit unless hurt. But that's no reason to bench your good Cardinals, especially Albert Pujols (.394/4/10). Sheets has allowed batters to hit just .233 against him on the road and has a 6-1 record to go with it.
• Todd Wellemeyer has not been good in his last three outings. In five of his last six, he's allowed three or more runs. That includes performances of five, six, and eight earned over that time. Add to that, he's just 6-4 at home on the season with an ERA north of five. Again, there are better options unless you need to fill the innings.
• 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.
• The Nationals are a team that could help Matt Cain out. He's been very up and down, allowing zero, four, zero, and five runs in his last four starts. Pattern says he's due for a good one here, and he threw well against the Nationals last time out. Two poor offenses could result in two good pitching options, when you add Tim Redding to the mix.
• Spot starts? Go with Oliver Perez, Gil Meche, and Wellemeyer.

Notes for Friday's games:

• Joe Saunders might have recorded the win, but did not look good in his last outing against Baltimore. Still, given his record on the road at 6-3 and a 2.23 ERA to boot, you play him every time out until proven otherwise.
• Josh Johnson has had two respectable outings since his return from the DL, but this one is on the road against one of the National League's best teams. This isn't a gamble worth taking here, but again monitor his start. He's going to be recommended sooner rather than later.
• We're willing to bet that there are better options than Bobby Abreu (.186) and Jason Giambi (.217) available to most owners. Neither guy hits Josh Beckett well at all. Look for alternatives. Beckett is pitching better, but his problems with the long ball are going to make you question his ERA. But the 1.16 WHIP is always a good sign.
• Jair Jurrjens is holding opponents to just a .221 average on the road. Jurrjens has been solid and should be considered a decent option in every format.
• If you ever plan on using Zack Duke, the only place to do so is at home against sub-par offenses. It's what we have here, as San Diego continues to struggle when it comes to swinging the bat. Duke is a decent spot option in deeper leagues, if you need a win.
• Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen just flat out rake against Gavin Floyd. Floyd is 2-0 against Detroit this season with an ERA just over two. He's been hot in July, holding opponents to just a .203 batting average. Nate Robertson, not so much. Start every White Sox player you can get your hands on, as the team hits over .300 against Robertson.
• The way he's going, I'll start Manny Parra against almost anyone right now. You should too, especially against a struggling Astros offense. Parra's allowed a total of two runs in his last twenty innings on the road. Not too shabby.
• Early spot start calls? Go with John Lannan, Manny Parra, Brian Burres, and Edwin Jackson.

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