MLB Fantasy Baseball: Thursday News and Notes

Not going to lie, the best thing about writing the daily notes columns is that we don't have to worry about the Brett Favre saga that plagues everything else in the world of sports right now. You won't see this post looking deeper into the trade and trying to determine if Favre understands he's not actually playing in New York state. Here, you just get baseball notes. 

So let's get to it.

• Joba Chamberlain's trip to the DL is being termed rotator cuff tendonitis. Not necessarily something easy for anyone to comprehend, so we'll simply have to wait to see what the results of medical exams are. Chamberlain will likely be sidelined a good portion of August, but a return for fantasy playoffs could still be in the cards.
• Kevin Youkilis nearly added to the list of injury woes when he was hit on the hand by a Luke Hochevar fastball last night. Youkilis had x-rays, which were negative, and could be back in the lineup tomorrow night in Chicago. If you can afford to hold him out, might not be a bad decision, as he likely won't have certain status until just prior to the first pitch.
• Eric Wedge must sit up at night trying to figure out if the closing position in Cleveland is just flat-out cursed. After having to deal with Joe Borowski and his heart-attack style, Wedge has turned to a seemingly equally unreliable Masa Kobayashi. Yes, Kobayashi has been better than Borowski, but he still has nights like last night, where he gives up way too many runs in a game that should never have been lost.
• Jeff Karstens has had two solid outings in his limited time with the Pirates. Yesterday, he threw a two-hit shutout against Arizona. As with many fringe fantasy pitchers, Karstens will be all about playing the matchups. Yes, there are some strong teams in the NL Central, but pitching at home against weaker NL West teams or divisional opponents works for him. Look to him as a deep, mixed league player, but certainly a good spot play in all formats.
• Jacoby Ellsbury hadn't been swinging the bat well in the leadoff spot, but seems to be enjoying the reduced pressure at the bottom of the lineup. In his last six games, Ellsbury is at .353 and has raised his average nearly 10 points. With him getting on base, the stolen bases are starting to come again as well. It certainly would seem he's started to turn the corner.
• Welcome to the Gio Gonzalez era out in Oakland. Gonzalez has been talked about in our month-end roundups for the last two months, and he finally stepped on the mound against Toronto last night. His debut wasn't stellar, but he could provide a boost to teams in all formats as a matchup play initially and a boost for the playoffs.
• Advocating for anyone to pick up a knuckleball pitcher is a tough sell, but Tim Wakefield is throwing the ball as well as he has since his Red Sox debut in 1995. He doesn't have the wins to show for it, but has dropped his ERA to 3.67 on the season. Wakefield is just as likely to blow up, unfortunately, but when he's going like this, he's as good as any pitcher out there. If you need the peripheral stats (WHIP, ERA), Wakefield is a good add in all leagues.
• There is no way Justin Verlander should have started the eighth inning against Chicago. He had given up three runs through seven, and thrown over 100 pitches. Verlander would have recorded the loss anyway, but he certainly pitched better than the stat line indicates. This was a managerial screw-up. Given his trouble with the White Sox all season, taking him out probably would have been the much more logical move.
• Unfortunately, sometimes those start calls don't pan out. That's probably being generous, given the performances of Derek Lowe and Brandon Backe. We'll take the split, but it was an ugly split. Backe and Lowe just looked lost on the mound, and both made similar mistakes when it came to leaving pitches up in the zone and then well over the plate.

Notes for today's games:

• The Dodgers, as a team, are hitting .356 against Kyle Lohse. We've thought all season that at some point the wheels are going to come off the wagon. If you have better options, this is likely a matchup you could skip, especially if you don't need the innings for the week.
• When batters are hitting just .200 against you and your WHIP is under 1.00, that makes you worthy of having players benched when they face you. That's where Justin Duchscherer is right now. If you have other options for any Blue Jays player, it would be wise to use them.
• Javier Vazquez is 1-2 with a 4.95 ERA and .306 BAA against the Tigers on the season. Placido Polanco (.360/1/3), Edgar Renteria (.444), and Miguel Cabrera (.353/2/5) are the best options, but, with these stats, all Tigers will be good plays.
• Expect to see Frank Catalanatto in the lineup tonight against Mike Mussina. Catalanatto has had his struggles this season, but has hit .441 with two home runs and ten RBI against Mussina over his career. Milton Bradley, though, is 0-12 and Ian Kinsler is just 1-8.
• A.J. Burnett might be 8-3 at home, but his ERA is 5.05 for the season at the Skydome. He's been much better in four of his last five, but he has the propensity to just blow up. Given the numbers, I'd leave him alone but wouldn't start anyone on Oakland that wouldn't normally be in the lineup.
• Cole Hamels has had some bad luck against the Marlins, and should still be considered a decent play. Hanley Ramirez, Wes Helms, and Jorge Cantu are the only Marlins players above .300, with Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, and Josh Willingham all at .200 or below. Cantu has three hits against Hamels, all have been home runs.
• While declaring Roy Oswalt's fantasy career officially dead is a bit of an overstatement, saying that the Reds have destroyed him is not. No one player is statistically dominant, but most Reds regulars are over .275 against Oswalt in at least 10 at-bats. The only major issue would be Edwin Encarnacion, who is 0-10. Oswalt is not on my list of starts for the day.
• Spot start calls? Go with Jason Bergmann and Charlie Morton, but the rest of the list is slim pickings with a limited slate of games.

Notes for Friday:

• Jeremy Guthrie continues to be a favorite here, and should be considered a decent start at home against the Rangers. While he doesn't have a winning record at home, he has posted a 3.69 ERA on the season and has allowed two runs or less in four of his last five starts.
• Frank Thomas has hit .328 with six home runs against Kenny Rogers for his career, and Bobby Crosby checks in at .290. Both have more than 25 at-bats, so the stats are very relevant. Add to that, batters are hitting .313 against Rogers at home for the season.
• Paul Byrd and Randy Wolf are pitching on the road. Paul Byrd and Randy Wolf are pitching on the road. Paul Byrd and Randy Wolf are pitching on the road.
• Kevin Slowey has struggled on the road, posting a 3-4 record to go with a 4.70 ERA. In his last nine road innings, he's allowed 10 runs. Kansas City is no offensive pushover any more, so avoiding Slowey here is the way to go.
• Coco Crisp will likely get the start for Boston in center field, as he is 12-32 with two home runs against Mark Buehrle. David Ortiz and Jason Varitek are both well over .370 with two home runs a piece.
• Tampa will start a trip out west with Seattle and Carlos Silva. Start all your Rays players against Silva. In fact, start the bat boy.
• Brad Penny is going to return to the rotation for the Dodgers against the Giants on Friday night. He was bad to begin the season and, until he proves otherwise, should be left alone and away from any and all fantasy rosters. Even against Barry Zito.
• Ricky Nolasco has been very good away from home, posting a 6-2 record with a .248 BAA. He's not a bad play in any format, even against a good Mets team. He draws Oliver Perez, and to say we like the matchup is an understatement.
• Early spot start calls? Go with Nolasco, Paul Maholm, Jeremy Guthrie, and Kyle Davies.

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