MLB Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

As a Red Sox fan, part of me was smiling last night when I watched Manny Ramirez leave a small village on the bases and seemingly not care. It's like he finally realized that he can't keep up hitting .500 his entire time out in Los Angeles. Complete schadenfreude. Good times. With a smile on the faces of the 'Table, let's get to the notes.

 

• Alright, who is this guy and what has he done with Brett Myers? Myers has been filthy since returning from the minors and pitched well enough to get the win again last night. He went seven innings, giving up nine hits, and did not allow a run. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any start since his return and is now 6-3 at home this season with a 2.77 ERA. He's still available in 10 percent of leagues. Grab him if you can. It's all about riding the hot hand.
• Luck finally ran out on Jeff Karstens. The Pirates pitcher had looked good since the trade that sent him away from the Yankees, but has allowed three, four, and five earned runs in his last three starts after two stellar outings to open his tenure. The Cubs were fooled their first time against him but made sure they informed him as to how good their offense is this time. Karstens is still a matchup play, but we'll avoid high-powered offenses against the guy.
• Jimmy Rollins had his first multiple-hit game since the middle of the month last night. He registered three hits and did his best to remember where first base is, so good for him. Ryan Howard is on pace to strike out 213 times this season, which would break the record of 199 he set last season. Offensively, that's an embarrassment. Howard will get you killed in any league that counts strikeouts against you and probably negate any points you would earn because of his power. Something to keep in mind.
• Mike Pelfrey became the first Mets pitcher since 1995 to throw back-to-back complete games and the last pitcher in baseball since 2001. Pelfrey flipped a switch when Willie Randolph was fired and has been on a tear ever since. In August, Pelfrey is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA and .244 BAA. He's still available in most formats and gets the Marlins on Saturday in a big series.
• Nelson Cruz was tearing up AAA in the Pacific Coast League, hitting .342 with 37 home runs and 99 RBI. The Rangers recalled the outfielder yesterday and he immediately went 3-for-5. Cruz, though, is a 27-year-old player with 147 games under his belt and a .235 average. These aren't numbers that will make your team go. Cruz could go on a mini-tear to start himself off, so keep a close eye. Two more in a row and we'll call him a hot hand. Right now, he's a nice story.
• Jered Weaver finally got a start against Oakland and looked very good doing it. He allowed just two runs over seven innings, but did take the loss. The outing gave Weaver three solid performances in a row, and lowered his BAA at home to .236. He's not the safest option in baseball, and he does draw the Rangers on Saturday at home. Keep an eye on this one if you need the stats to hit the playoffs.
• Johnny Cueto hasn't had any major relevance since April, but this officially will end anything left. Cueto will miss his next start for the Reds as a result of an elbow strain. Realistically, he hasn't provided any fantasy value to owners since his one major start in the first week of April.
• Ian Kinsler is targeting a Sept. 5 return to the lineup. Kinsler has been able to avoid the prospect of season-ending surgery and has responded well in rehab. Expect him to make a trip to the minors to sure up his timing, but he should be available to fantasy owners come playoff time.

Notes for today's games:

• Ryan Theriot and Alfonso Soriano have owned Ian Snell. Soriano has gone .467/3/5 in 17 at-bats against Snell, and Theriot is hitting .438. Jim Edmonds would be another solid play today. He checks in at .278 but has hit three home runs against the Pirates starter. While Snell has had better luck at home than on the road, batters are still hitting .290 against him and his WHIP is perilously close to 2.00 at PNC Park.
• While you can start Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth as you normally would, no other Pirates player should be in the lineup against Carlos Zambrano. He's holding the team to a .207 average, and that's skewed by the .333 of Doumit and .294 of McLouth.
• Andy Pettitte has struggled against Boston, no matter where the game is played. Right-handed hitters are batting .316 against Pettitte for the season, but he has held down lefties to an average below .200. Those numbers don't apply to David Ortiz, though. Ortiz is hitting .357 against the lefty for his career. The lowest average among Sox regulars? Dustin Pedroia at .261.
• Only Derek Jeter is hitting above .300 against Tim Wakefield, but Johnny Damon and Ivan Rodriguez are close, at .298. We always caution about using a guy right off the DL, this is even truer when the injury involves a shoulder.
• Obviously, you start Roy Halladay in any circumstance, but you may also want to add Rocco Baldelli and B.J. Upton to all lineups today. While Upton is usually a given, he has put up a .313 average in 16 at-bats against Halladay. Baldelli is a different case. He has hit well since his return from the DL and is a .357 hitter against Halladay. For his part, Halladay is 0-3 against the Rays this season with an ERA at 5.77.
• James Shields has dominated the Blue Jays. Vernon Wells (2-for-12), Lyle Overbay (2-for-14), Alex Rios (2-for-15), Marco Scutaro (2-for-15), and Matt Stairs (2-for-17) should all be benched if you have better options for them. Shields is 2-1 against the Jays this season, with a 2.53 ERA in over 21 innings.
• Carlos Beltran is just 10-for-49 against Jamie Moyer, but Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and David Wright all make solid options against the Phillies' starter. Delgado has eight home runs in 77 at-bats against Moyer. Moyer's been very good in August but has only faced one decent offense. His struggles at home (4-4, 4.32 ERA) outweigh the recent run of good luck.
• Called Kevin Millwood yesterday as a spot starter. Scratch that. Millwood has been owned by the Royals when you look a little deeper. Mark Teahan, John Buck, and Jose Guillen should all be in lineups if you have the room. Alex Gordon has been the only regular to struggle much against the Rangers pitcher. Given the .345 BAA on the road, keep Millwood down and start some of these Royals to help your offense.
• Only bat of note in the Angels-A's game would be Bobby Crosby. If you have another option at short, Crosby is hitting just .214 against John Lackey. He is likely the only starter that you would need advice on. Start all Angels as normal against Greg Smith.
• Derek Lowe's road numbers are awful. Batters are hitting .330 and his ERA is a stellar 5.88. While Washington doesn't hit the ball well, this is only for gamblers. Lowe could put together a solid outing, but has allowed four or more runs in each of his last three road outings. Unless you only need the win, don't start Lowe.
• As far as Padres go, Adrian Gonzalez is a safe start against Webb, and Khalil Greene has hit .333 against him in his career. The one guy to bench would be Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is just 4-18 against Webb lifetime.
• Spot starters: Scott Olsen, Pedro Martinez, Scott Baker, and Wandy Rodriguez.

Notes for Wednesday:

• The Yankees have had mixed luck against Paul Byrd. No major cause for concern with any of their regular starters that would be enough to bench any of them. Byrd hasn't pitched well against the Yankees this season, but that was prior to this run after the All-Star break. Given that his opponent is Sidney Ponson, a win isn't out of the question and his WHIP is usually very good.
• Justin Verlander has put together two very solid outings in a row after four very bad ones. Verlander struggles against Johnny Peralta and Grady Sizemore, but he has held the rest of the lineup largely in check. He's better at home than on the road and deserves to be started given that type of success.
• Don't expect to see Marcus Thames in the lineup for Detroit. He's 0-for-12 against Fausto Carmona. Carmona has also put together two decent outings after having been roughed up for a few starts. He's also been VERY good against Detroit all season, posting a 2-0 record and 2.08 ERA.
• No Blue Jays player should be started against Matt Garza. Domination is the only way to describe how good he has been against them. In three starts, his ERA is below 1.00 and the team is hitting just .167 against him this season. Find other options. Garza is so good at home, all this is compounded.
• Greg Maddux is pitching on the road. Really, do we need to go over this again? Livan Hernandez is pitching, period. Ditto.
• Roy Oswalt has never lost to the Reds, and he gets to face Josh Fogg, who can't get anyone out at all. Brandon Phillips is still a decent play for the Reds, as would be Jay Bruce, if you normally play him. Others can stay home.
• Give Adam Wainwright one more start before you go and grab him for the playoffs. The Brewers offense is clicking again and Wainwright just hasn't had enough time to fully get loose. Manny Parra continues to struggle on the road, and his last three road-outings haven't given us the confidence to say to start him. In three starts against St. Louis, his ERA is 5.79, and the Cardinals have hit over .300 against him.
• Spot Starts: Glen Perkins, Josh Johnson, and Tim Redding.

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