MLB Fantasy Baseball: Monday News and Notes

To say that there were a few runs scored yesterday is probably an understatement. Between the numbers put up by the Blue Jays and Orioles alone, scoreboards went tilt. It certainly helped a lot of teams clinch weeks that they may not have otherwise been able to win. Most leagues are down to the final two weeks. Let's look at the notes and see what can help out. 

• Hideki Matsui is on track to return to the lineup for the Yankees on Tuesday. Matsui has missed more than enough time recently and will be a welcome addition to a club that is struggling with injuries in almost every position. Expect Matsui to see some time at DH and in the outfield. Right now, I don't anticipate this hurting the time of Xavier Nady to any great degree.
• When an ace gets shelled, there isn't much that can be done. Josh Beckett was beaten pretty soundly by Toronto, a team that he has handled well in the past. Beckett doesn't get benched, ever, in any format. It just happened to be one of those days. His numbers at home would never have led to that conclusion.
• Bet you never thought you would see the day that an indoor game was threatened by weather, but that's what we have. The looming hurricane in Florida has Tampa scrambling and the league looking to find ways to get the games in. Keep an eye on this situation, as Wednesday and Thursday games could be tough based on landfall of the storm.
• The wheels are starting to come off the Kyle Lohse wagon. Lohse fell to 1-3 in August and his ERA for the month jumped to 5.56. He had never been as consistent over a full season as the pre-All-Star break numbers would have suggested. He's streaky, and this is a bad one to go through at a rough time. It may not be time to cut the cord, but certainly start playing matchups (meaning, keep him benched on the road, at least) and circle the wagons around him.
• Scott Kazmir got his first win on the road in his last five starts. He worked beyond the fifth inning for the first time in his last five total starts and looked much better against a strong Texas team than he has against most division opponents. Kazmir is one of the elite pitchers in the game, and he should be started as such. This last outing hopefully will help him turn the corner the remainder of the way.
• When Brian Bannister starts on the road for the next few weeks, start any opposing hitter you can get your hands on. Yes, when that opponent is the Yankees or any other decent offense, that is certainly even more true, but Bannister can't get anyone out when he isn't in the confines of the Royals' ballpark. Keep that in mind.
• Luke Scott is getting hot again. He's only 30 percent owned, but when this guy gets hot he can carry a team for a week or two. We've seen it twice already this season. Scott is hitting .474 in his last six games and is riding a 10-game hitting streak into the week. Grab him quickly and use him for the next week to grab some stats. He'll start the week at home, where he's hit .307 this season.
• J.D. Drew left yesterday's game with an apparent back injury. Drew has had off and on injury problems this season and, given his average since the beginning of July, this could simply be an after effect of carrying the team in June. It's likely he'll be held out one more night before the Red Sox put him back into the lineup.
• The stats don't show the win, but Odalis Perez pitched six more solid innings at home yesterday against the Rockies. Perez gave up just two earned runs on four hits. He's now 2-1 in August with a 2.84 ERA. He's far from an automatic start, but at home he deserves consideration, since batters hit just .236 against him in Washington. Lefties are at just .202 on the season.

Notes for today's games:

• Jeremy Guthrie hasn't been as dominant against Boston as he has against the rest of the league. Guthrie is just 1-1 in two starts against them with a .317 BAA. He's been very good in August, and has allowed two runs or less in each of his last five outings. The Red Sox have had trouble scoring, so Guthrie is an option worth pursuing if you need peripheral stats.
• Jason Bartlett is 4-30 and Carlos Pena hits just .256 against Jon Garland. Garland hasn't put up good road numbers, and Tampa is coming off a solid performance on the road against Texas. If you have other options for Bartlett and Pena, use them. Just keep Garland on the bench.
• It doesn't seem to matter the uniform, Randy Wolf just doesn't pitch well on the road. The Brewers have one of the better offenses going, so this isn't the time to take the gamble, either. With Sabathia going for the Brew Crew, tha'ts strike three. Being 1-6 on the road with an ERA over six, you can certainly find better options.
• Raul Ibanez and Ichiro should never be benched, and that's certainly true against Mark Buehrle. Ichiro is 14-35 for a .400 average, while Ibanez checks in at .308. Buehrle has allowed the Mariners to hit over .300 as a team and he's giving up the same average to all opponents in August. While better at home, he's struggling enough recently to look at this as a potentially bad matchup.
• You always start the opposing offense against Jarrod Washburn. Always. There really are no exceptions here. Alright, maybe one, as Nick Swisher is just 4-22 against Washburn. Every other White Sox player adds value to your team today.
• Paul Maholm will start for the Pirates today, and that does mean benching most lefties against him. He's simply dominated them (.176 BAA). Note here that the Pirates intend to monitor his innings the rest of the way, as they don't want him to go too far over the 177 of last year. He's at 161 right now. 190-195 could be the limit here.
• Spot start calls? It's a limited slate, but Paul Maholm is a decent start as is Nick Blackburn. Guthrie is the only other reliable option today.

Notes for Tuesday:

• Jason Varitek is the only Red Sox player that doesn't deserve a start against Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera is just 1-1 in four starts against Boston, with an ERA approaching five. Expect to see Alex Cora in the lineup, likely at shortstop, with Jed Lowrie playing third. Cora is a .429 hitter against Cabrera.
• Luke Hochevar looked good against the Indians last time out, but that start came at home. He doesn't have the same luck on the road, posting just a 2-6 record for the season with an ERA over six. His August numbers are nearly as bad.
• All Minnesota pitchers are good options at home. Kevin Slowey is no exception. Keep him active against Oakland, as they don't have enough of an offense to give any type of concern for the Minnesota pitcher.
• A.J. Burnett has won seven of his last eight decisions and eight of his last 10 overall. Burnett has won ugly, but it's still a win in every book. His numbers against the Yankees, though, give you reason to start him. He's 2-0 this season with an ERA of 1.88. While your normal Yankees are decent plays, look for other options than Robinson Cano or Wilson Betemit.
• Johnny Cueto is just 3-8 on the road with an ERA over five. Against a divisional opponent that has been hitting on all cylinders, keep him reserved and start all your Cubs. It's the best option.
• Unless you're starting Scott Hairston, there is no Padres player that has good numbers against Doug Davis. Davis has owned the entire lineup and is one of the better spot plays of the day.
• Early spot start calls: Go with Doug Davis, Hiroki Kuroda, Braden Looper, and Kevin Slowey.

Back as the need arises.