MLB Fantasy Baseball: Thursday News and Notes

If baseball teaches us anything, it's to always expect the unexpected. When you expect a pitcher's duel, you don't always get it. Dan Haren and Jake Peavy were out to prove that last night, as both were roughed up. They weren't the only victims, as offense ruled the day. Let's get to the notes. 

• Let's take a minute and thank the Baseball Gods for the lack of injuries suffered last night. Today, we are not leading the notes with any player hitting the DL or missing a start that we didn't discuss yesterday. A rarity at this point in the season, but a blessing none the less. Enjoy it, because it probably means we're screwed tomorrow.
• We've been riding Brett Myers a fair amount, regarding his poor performances. Since his return from the minors, it's like something clicked for the guy, though. He continued his dominance last night, throwing a complete-game shutout against a poor Nationals team. He did give up nine hits, but he also struck out nine batters. In six starts since his return, Myers is now 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA. For the season, he's now 5-3 at home.
• Clay Buchholz was beaten around by Baltimore last night. His performance was low enough to get him sent down after the game. No decision on who will take his turn in the rotation. Expect Boston to bring up a bullpen arm for the weekend series with Toronto and then bring in a starter early next week. They will simply need the arms in the short-term though. We still say David Pauley is the leading candidate to make the start.
• Manny Parra has had a nice run that very few people have noticed. Parra has improved to 10-6 on the season and has now struck out 120 batters. In most shallow leagues, he's a spot start at home, where he continues to excel, grabbing another win last night while allowing just two earned. In deeper leagues, there are much worse options, and he should be owned in all NL-only formats. He's still available in 60 percent of leagues.
• Mike Pelfrey pitched a three-hitter in a complete-game effort against the Braves. Pelfrey's numbers against Atlanta hadn't been good, but his recent number and home splits made him a healthy gamble, as did the fact he hadn't faced Atlanta in his last 10 starts. Pelfrey is a good matchup play and is a hot hand to start for the next week or so. He draws a light-hitting Astros team next time out at home as well. Keep him active there.
• For all of the problems with catchers and offense, Kelly Shoppach is getting virtually no love. Shoppach is hitting .264 this season and blasted two home runs last night to give him 14 on the season. He's filled in more than admirably for Victor Martinez and can still be had in 80 percent of leagues. What's been remarkable is his consistency in hitting both lefties and righties, as well as his home/road splits. He's just steady.
• We expected a duel from Peavy and Haren but didn't get it. Ted Lilly and Bronson Arroyo, though, did provide just that. Riddle me that one. Ted Lilly came up on the short end, and fell to 0-3 against Cincinnati. He did pitch well this time, though, going seven strong innings and giving up just two runs. Arroyo, strangely enough, was just a little bit better.
• There are certain pitchers across baseball that are only going to help opposing offenses get back on track. Jarrod Washburn and Carlos Silva are a couple of those. Nate Robertson is another. He went in to a hitter's park and gave up a plethora (SAT word) of home runs to the Rangers. These three are guys that you should start the opposing offense against. They certainly will help make good hitters even better.
• A lot has been made over the youth and direction of Chase Headley. Kevin Kouzmanoff is not going to be out done, though. He's hitting .320 in his last six games and is hitting nearly that mark on the road. While Petco is a problem for most hitters, Kouzmanoff is taking advantage of the numbers when he can put them up. He's a solid bench guy and can be used to take advantage of the road numbers he has put up.

Notes for today's games:

• Cliff Lee has pitched incredibly well this season, but there are still batters that can put up numbers against him. Mark Teahan is one of those guys. Teahan is 9-20 for his career, with a couple home runs against the Cleveland lefty. John Buck is a .345 hitter against Lee as well, but he's just four for his last 48.
• There is never a reason to bench Roy Halladay, and his stats against the Yankees back that up. He's 2-1 with a .197 BAA and an ERA hovering around 2.00. Johnny Damon (.329) and Ivan Rodriguez (.385) have put up the best numbers against him. If you have better options for Bobby Abreu (4-21) or Hideki Matsui (9-40), then use them.
• Matt Stairs could very well be in the lineup for Toronto today. He's 9-24 with four home runs against Sidney Ponson. Ponson hasn't had much luck with the Blue Jays' regular players, including Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. No concerns on keeping them active. Lefties are hitting .330 against Ponson' and he has lived dangerously when it comes to pitching to contact all season.
• John Lackey has been lights-out all season, and he has been especially tough at home. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer are both guys to keep active, but the rest of your Twins can be benched if you have better options. Mauer is hitting .429, while Morneau checks in at .292 with a home run. Jason Kubel is 3-10, but is a borderline play since he's only a .240 hitter out in Anaheim.
• Surprisingly, most of the regular Padres have averages over .300 against Brandon Webb. The one player to leave behind would be Brian Giles, as he's hitting just .241 in 58 at-bats against the Diamondbacks' starter. Webb has dominated in August, going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA and is 8-1 at home overall.
• With Pedro Feliz coming off the DL for Philly, he's available to use against Tim Redding. Feliz is a .357 hitter with a home run against Redding. Geoff Jenkins is 12-21, and Shane Victorino is 5-12. Rollins and Burrell, however, are both below .220 in more than 20 at-bats.
• While the Nationals have recorded hits against Jamie Moyer, he still comes away smelling like roses. Moyer has posted a 2-0 record and 3.45 ERA against them this season. Add to that, Moyer has allowed three runs or less in all of his last 10 starts. Given the way Washington has been hitting, he's a good spot start option.
• Bleacher Report colleague Shaun Copsey highlighted a couple good points in his article about the Reds-Cubs matchup. Check that one out here.
• Pedro Martinez is far from the Pedro of old, but he can still throw. He's given up less than three runs in five of his last six outings, getting stronger each time out. The Braves, collectively, hit .167 against him. No Braves regular is above .200. Since he's only 63 percent owned, that qualifies him as a spot starter in our book.
• Derek Lowe's August numbers are skewed by one bad outing on the road against St. Louis. At home, he's allowed three runs or less in his last five starts and has posted a 2.72 ERA to go with a .218 BAA at Chavez Ravine. Lowe is a good option against the Rockies. Keep Brad Hawpe around, as he's 11-28 against Lowe and has belted three home runs. Matt Holliday has very solid numbers as well.
• Spot start calls: Martinez, Lowe, Moyer, and Greg Smith.

Notes for Friday's games:

• Radhames Liz is getting the call to pitch again for Baltimore. Liz, if you recall, excelled when pitching in bigger ballparks or was facing offenses that aren't quite as stellar as you might think. He's getting part of that equation, pitching at home. He's getting a Yankees team that eats young pitching for breakfast. He needs to re-establish himself first.
• The Blue Jays are still a good matchup for Paul Byrd. He's holding the team to a .244 average and has been good against them in each of his last two starts. Marco Scutaro and Lyle Overbay make solid plays, but the remainder of the team hasn't liked what they've seen of Byrd.
• David Ortiz is just 2-12 and Dustin Pedroia 0-11 against Shaun Marcum. Marcum has posted a 2.62 ERA at home and is 5-3 for the season. Given Boston's problems with offense outside of Fenway and a record near .500 against division opponents, Marcum is a good start.
• Billy Butler is 6-14 against Justin Verlander for the season. Keep him active, but don't bench Verlander as a result. We're still seeing a skewing of numbers based on early-season struggles. No, he hasn't been great on the road, but he's facing a Royals team that is still not complete offensively. What he did against Baltimore last time out is more an indication of what to expect here.
• Greg Maddux is pitching on the road in a small ballpark against a good offense. I don't care what any other stats say, you don't start him. Even with the Dodgers.
• J.J. Hardy is 9-14 with three home runs against Zach Duke. The Brewers are hitting .355 against him as a team. Duke is 0-4 on the road with a 5.70 ERA and couldn't get out of the third inning in his last start against Milwaukee. Given how well the Brewers play at home, and how well Dave Bush has pitched there, it's not a good matchup for Duke. Get all Brewers in the lineup.
• Adam Wainwright will get the start for the Cardinals for the first time since the beginning of June. Wainwright draws the Braves, who have not been playing good ball. We don't advocate starting a guy in his first time out, strictly because of the rust factor. Watch how he pitches and be ready to act if he puts up a decent game.
• Spot start calls: Gio Gonzalez, Dave Bush, and Anibal Sanchez.

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