MLB Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

It's nice to know that even with a short slate of games, baseball is never short of excitement. A game-winning grand slam is something you just can't beat. Pretty freaking impressive, especially when it gets hit by a guy you never associate with power. Even better: when it beats the Yankees. Hard to hide the giddyness there. 

Let's get into the notes:

• Oakland's starters are 1-10 with a 6.86 ERA since the All-Star break. Pretty sad numbers really. They tend to pitch well at home, but on the road, there are struggles. Justin Duchscherer is still the most consistent pitcher, it's the rest of the rotation that makes picking them for stats hard.
• J.J. Hardy was the hottest hitter in the world for the last two weeks of June. After going 0-5 last night, Hardy is mired in an 0-26 slump. He's a streak hitter, no doubt about that. He'll come out of this one the same way he came out of the last one. Benching him until he does, though, is a solid idea. There are steady options on waivers still in many leagues, and certainly ones that will buy you a week.
• J.D. Drew was hitting leadoff last night, one day after receiving time off to get his swing back. We talked about Drew being as hot as he was and the need to sell high. That's being emphasized now. Drew is hitting just .215 since July 1. He's productive, but you can sit back and find other healthy options. Don't cut him, but move him to the bench in favor of the hot hitters of the moment.
• Mike Lowell missed last night's game with a hip injury. Lowell received a cortisone shot in Boston and will rejoin the team in Kansas City today. This injury is going to linger with him, and the key will be more how he deals with it on a daily basis. Sean Casey is hitting well, and could see more at-bats as a result.
• Gil Meche has won four starts in a row, with the victory over the Red Sox last night. Not gonna lie, that was the first game I've really sat and watch him pitch from beginning to end. He has a relaxed motion that seems to lull hitters to sleep before a 90-93 mph fastball explodes on them. He's using both sides of the plate well and was very effective last night in changing the eye level of hitters. Meche is going to become a favorite as a spot start the rest of the way.
• The "big news" is that Livan Hernandez could become a free agent if he is not claimed through the waivers process. Hernandez will likely be looked at by most contenders, but the fact is, he should have very little fantasy relevance. He has struggled all season with WHIP and ERA, and that should be enough to keep any owner away. This is not a time to take a chance with him beyond playing a matchup.
• Joba Chamberlain left last night's start in the fifth inning due to tightness in his shoulder. It's not known right now whether he will miss his next start. A betting man would say yes, just as a precaution as much as anything else. Right now, it's a situation we'll keep an eye on.
• Kerry Wood is going to return from the DL in the next couple of days. His throwing session went better than expected, and he will rejoin the team as a result. Be ready to activate him as soon as the Cubs do, since he will jump back into the closer role he had before.
• Cliff Lee improved to 9-2 on the road this season, with his seven-inning performance against Tampa last night. Lee now has 15 wins on the season, far exceeding anything remotely expected by any fantasy expert or casual fan. He beat Matt Garza, who had been pitching incredibly well at home, but has now struggled in two outings against Cleveland this season.
• If this isn't another reason to never draft Eric Chavez, I don't know what is. Chavez will miss the rest of the season after the club announced that he will need surgery on his right shoulder. He's been on the DL since July 2, and has appeared in just 23 games this season. Nothing good can come of drafting this guy; you will only end up with a headache.

Notes for today's games:

• Greg Smith pitched well against Toronto his last time out, but has struggled to a 3-6 record on the road this season, largely as a result of control problems. While batters are only hitting .232 against him, he has given up nearly 40 walks in 70 innings. Not great numbers for certain. Bench all Blue Jays lefties, but others are good plays. Lefties hit just .209 against Smith.
• Derek Lee and Ryan Theriot have owned Wandy Rodriguez, but Aramis Ramirez is just 4-21 in his career. Mark DeRosa is just 2-11. If you have better options for these two, make sure to use them. Certainly not a reason to start Rodriguez in this case, though, especially with an ERA over four on the road.
• Adam Dunn hasn't put up numbers against Dave Bush that you want in your starting lineup, but he's the only Reds player that has seen any sort of struggles. Especially against Edinson Volquez, you want to keep Bush on the bench. Bush is 1-6 on the road this season with a 6.95 ERA.
• Jamie Moyer is 3-0 against Florida this season and has held them to an average under .200 as a team. Moyer's struggles have largely been at home, but it doesn't seem to matter where he faces this Marlins team. Solid spot-start option today.
• Andy Pettitte has had some good numbers against the Rangers. While Texas has had what amounts to the best offense in the American League lately, the best average you'll see from regulars is .286 from Michael Young. Pettite should be started in all formats. His 7-3 record on the road certainly helps. Add to that, he holds lefties to just a .193 average.
• Jose Guillen is 6-19 against Josh Beckett, but he's the only Royal with a decent-enough average to start. Beckett continues to struggle with the long ball, but if you can handle that, his other stats are still better than almost anyone in baseball.
• Any White Sox player not named Nick Swisher is a great play against a struggling Nate Robertson. Robertson hasn't been successful against any of them in recent memory and brings with him a 7.62 road ERA and BAA of .333. Not good numbers.
• Melvin Mora is a .320 hitter against Jon Garland, and Ramon Hernandez checks in at .350. Most of your Orioles end up as good plays, as Garland is the weaker of the Angels pitchers. Garland is 2-0 against Baltimore, but largely because he has been backed by solid offensive performances.
• Spot start calls? Go with Scott Baker, Chris Carpenter, Jamie Moyer, and Josh Johnson.

Notes for tomorrow's games:

• Adam Dunn is 12-24 against Jeff Suppan, and the Reds as a whole have done a decent job against Jeff Suppan. The exception here is Jerry Hairston. While Suppan hasn't grabbed a win in two games against the Reds, he's pitched well against them. Both those starts, though, were back in April. Suppan is now 4-5 on the road with a 5.19 ERA. So, start all your Reds.
• Scott Kazmir has been virtually unhittable at home. Always keep him active here. There are no concerns with regards to the Indians he will be facing.
• Ervin Santana has had a lot of success at home. He struggled against Baltimore, but that was on the road. At home, he's holding batters to a .217 BAA.
• Justin Verlander has had some struggles against the White Sox this season, going just 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA. His last outing did not go well, as he only lasted four innings and gave up seven runs.
• John Danks is much more effective on the road. Though he's won his only start against Detroit, it wasn't a pretty win. If you have better options, or can afford to miss the innings, you're better off keeping him sidelined.
• Aramis Ramirez has put up very good numbers against Brandon Backe. Backe has had good success against the rest of the Cubs' players and could come in as a sleeper play for those looking for a cheap win.
• Early spot-start calls: go with Nick Blackburn, Backe, Derek Lowe, and Jeff Karstens.

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