MLB Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

Alright, we love the Olympics, but this is getting a little nuts. Waiting until after 1 AM to see live results is killing me. Add to that, why has a certain cable company that is beyond overly present in the Massachusetts area created channels for HD coverage of basketball and soccer, but is not showing any replays of the action at night?? I have to be up at 2:30 AM to see basketball coverage?

Give me a break. At least, as always, we have the notes.

• Stop the presses! Brad Ziegler gave up a run to Tampa in the ninth inning yesterday that ended his scoreless-innings streak. While the Rays finally got to Ziegler, this is obviously nothing to be concerned with. One run over all the work he has done is a drop in the bucket. The call from here is that Ziegler is the closer in Oakland full-time next season.
• The Boston Globe had an interesting write-up on the number of oblique muscle injuries that have been suffered this season by the Red Sox, as well as several other teams. This is an injury that becomes tough to deal with, as we discussed yesterday, because it impacts everything you do with your core. A good read though. Check out the link here.
• Troy Percival was hurt covering first base in yesterday's win over Oakland. He's expected to miss the weekend and was seen in the locker room wearing a brace. He is going to stay with the team and will be re-evaluated to determine the extent of the injury. As was the case last time, expect Dan Wheeler to see the bulk of the chances at the end of the bullpen in his absence.
• Hiroki Kuroda came through in a big way for the Dodgers yesterday. Kuroda went seven full innings, giving up just two hits and one earned while striking out seven batters. Kuroda has been stellar since coming off the DL and his performances at home have been good for the bulk of the season. He's a guy that should be owned in more than 25 percent of leagues.
• Brett Myers came through as well, so we'll eat our words this time. Myers gave up just three runs, but got no support from the Phillies offense that would help him out. He had seven strong innings and struck out eight hitters. Since his recall, Myers is pitching well enough to be considered in deep leagues or NL-only formats. Using him in standard 10-team leagues is still a risk, because there are other pitchers that are posting better stats...and have been more consistent.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka picked up win No. 14 yesterday, upping his record to 14-2 on the season with a 2.74 ERA. The knock, from a fantasy perspective, is still his WHIP, but he's picking up stats in every other pitching category. He's never going to be a relaxing pitcher to watch, but he certainly is deserving of more credit than he is receiving.
• Armando Galarraga has been the most consistent Tigers pitcher this season. Galarraga is now 4-2 at home and has held right handed hitters to a .158 mark for the season. Not bad for a guy that was behind Dontrelle Willis in the rotation right?
• Todd Wellemeyer has given up three runs or less in his last five starts and improved to 4-0 on the road in 12 starts this season. He's actually been tougher on hitters away from home, making him virtually the only pitcher in baseball that can make that claim. Wellemeyer has held hitters to a .234 average on the road, 30 points better than at home.
• The Indians got a look at one of the players acquired for CC Sabathia when they started Zach Jackson yesterday. Jackson wasn't stellar, but he certainly gave the Indians something to hang their hat on. He went five innings, giving up three earned on eight hits. He was in line for the win before the Cleveland bullpen blew up.
• The Rangers bullpen has the worst ERA in baseball, but you wouldn't know it by the way they pitched against the Red Sox. While the first game of the series was out and out ugly, the Red Sox jumped all over the Rangers starters in the last two games as well. It was the bullpen that only yielded one run over the final two games, led by Warner Madrigal, who was the most effective pitcher in the entire series on both sides.
• While on the Red Sox, why is Jed Lowrie only 22 percent owned? He's hitting .310 and is a full-time player in the absence of Julio Lugo. It's possible he may even have the job when Lugo comes back. People looking at borderline shortstop candidates should give Lowrie a solid look. He could be dual-position eligible at third and short by the end of the season.

Notes for today's games:

• The most damage against Paul Byrd has been done by lefties, who are hitting .313 against the Red Sox starter. But Byrd has been lights out since the break, having gone 4-0. He's 2-0 in August, allowing opponents to hit just .214 in that time. Matt Stairs is hitting .136 and Vernon Wells is just 3-15 against Byrd, while Alex Rios is just 1-11.
• The Yankees have been good at home and get the Royals, who have not played well at Yankee Stadium in several years. Andy Pettitte hasn't been stellar in two outings against the Royals, but has been good enough to record a 1-0 record. Keep him active. Johnny Damon is just 3-24 against Gil Meche, look for other options here.
• The Red Sox have not hit Roy Halladay well, but J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis have posted the best numbers. Youkilis is a .361 hitter against Halladay, while Drew hits over .417. Otherwise, keep Halladay active as you normally would. He might not get the win, but he will provide other stats for your team.
• We've been high on Manny Parra for a while now, but, on the road, Parra has a 5.00 ERA. Stats are skewed because of his early season struggles. In a pitcher's park like Dodger Stadium, Parra is a gamble still, but a decent one to take. He's given up eight earned runs in his last 27 innings on the road, six of which were in one outing against Cincinnati.
• Jered Weaver has struggled to a 5-5 record on the road. He's to a point where it's either feast or famine. He's going to be fantastic or get lit up. There really is no in between at this point for him. He's been roughed up in two August outings (both against the Yankees) and did not pitch well last time out against Cleveland. Drawing Cliff Lee, he's better left on the bench.
• Jamie Moyer has been good on the road and gets to pitch in a pitcher's park with Petco. Both he and Greg Maddux are decent options. Maddux has allowed just a .228 BAA at home and .200 in his two August starts. He's posted a 2.73 ERA in Petco. Keep him active.
• A loyal reader commented yesterday about having picked up Wandy Rodriguez for a spot start against Arizona. Not a bad call here. The Diamondbacks haven't scored many runs against teams not in the NL West, and you don't necessarily need the win to see a good outing. Arizona hit well in Colorado, but Houston will be different. In deep leagues, Rodriguez is a good option today. He may not get the win against Webb, but his peripheral stats will make the play worth it.
• The Marlins are 12-2 in their last 14 games against the Cubs. Josh Johnson takes the mound and has been getting stronger each time out. He's pitched well in August against two of the better offenses in the NL East. He has the ability to shut down the Cubs as well. A sleeper play that we're going to recommend most of the way down the stretch.
• Spot start calls? Go with Maddux, Moyer, Johnson, and Parra.

Notes for Saturday:

• The Yankees have hammered Zack Greinke, posting a .292 average that is weighed down by two players that won't even be playing (Matui and Posada are well below .200). Start all your Yankees, as this is definitely a weekend they could get their offense back on track. There are much better options than Greinke on the road against the Yankees.
• Fausto Carmona has had just one good outing in his last five, going 1-3 in that time. He's just 4-3 at home with a 5.44 ERA. He's no longer an automatic start, and this is a tough Anaheim offense to go against. Again, if you don't need the innings, he's not worth the start against Lackey.
• Scott Baker is automatic at home, going 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA. He's getting to face an offense in Seattle that's been placed on a milk carton. Keep him active and look for good numbers here. He's still just 43 percent owned. I will not rest until we hit the 75 percent mark. I'd much rather have him on a roster than Greinke.
• John Danks is 2-0 against Oakland and 5-1 on the road this season. There isn't a member of the A's worth starting against him with these numbers, as he's just been as tough as you can imagine away from home. Another rarity in baseball this season (going with Wellemeyer here).
• Vernon Wells is 9-27 against Josh Beckett, with five home runs. He's the best of the options for the Blue Jays, but this is a team that is hitting nearly .290 against Beckett. Beckett is pitching much better than he was earlier this season, but has struggled at home, posting an ERA over five for the season.
• Derek Lowe has been a good option at home for most of the season, but hasn't picked up wins because of run support. He's going to get it now, and has seen good results at home in his two outing since the trade deadline. Even against Milwaukee, he's a decent play. His opponent, Dave Bush, is just as valuable. Expect something resembling a pitcher's duel here and use either as a starter.
• It's rare to recommend a Nationals pitcher, but I'll put John Lannan out there against Livan Hernandez and the Rockies, especially if you need the win. Hernandez has just been bad, no way around that. While Lannan may not be great across all categories, he's a solid candidate for a cheap win.
• Early spot start calls? Go with Lannan, Baker, Lowe, and Bush.

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