Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

The season isn't more than two days old and we already have an injury that could cost a key player about a week. The second day of the season brought with us the remaining openers, and we saw some excellent performances to go with them. 

I've received a couple questions on reasons for some of my predictions/statements. Even this early, it's all about the numbers. Sometimes I'll be right, sometimes I'll be wrong, but there usually is a reason behind it. 

My call on Kyle Lohse yesterday wasn't one of my better ones. I probably should have taken into account that it was still the Pirates, and Lohse did pitch well at home. Instead, I based it on his BABIP and his unusually high strand rate in 2008.

The Pirates swung well on Opening Day, and I didn't think it was a stretch. Sadly, win some, lose many. 

Others worked out well. Let's take a look at the notes on the day that was.

• Geovany Soto left yesterday's game in the sixth inning with an apparent shoulder injury. The early word is that this should just cost Soto a few days and he'll be back behind the plate. Not a panic mode, just ride this out another day or so unless we hear he has to hit the DL.
• Phillies fans shouldn't necessarily be concerned over the pitching aspect this early. The Braves did what they have done in the past to the first two starters they've seen. Jamie Moyer just hasn't pitched well at home dating back to last season. Don't push the panic button yet, they just got some rough matchups.
• James Shields struggled yesterday. His performance yesterday kept him winless at Fenway Park for his career. Not only that, Kevin Youkilis smacked his first hit off of Shields in 18 career at-bats.
• Ubaldo Jimenez out-dueled Dan Haren yesterday. Jimenez was stellar in his performance. While he still walked three batters, Jimenez struck out eight over seven innings while giving up just four hits. He was solid after the break last season, and hopefully this is a sign of good things for the hard-throwing righty.
• Wandy Rodriguez was jobbed out of a win by the bullpen, but the good news is that he did pitch well. His command wasn't stellar, as he needed 89 pitches to get through six innings and did walk three. Still, he recorded four strikeouts and held the Cubs to four hits. Take note, as he's still available in 50 percent of leagues.
• Alex Gordon continued a torrid spring with another home run to start the 2009 campaign. I enjoy watching Gordon, and the swing I saw yesterday is much more confident than what we saw in his first two seasons. Still, he's another player that I don't understand where he's hitting. Gordon hit seventh for the Royals yesterday.
• Jason Collette pointed out yesterday that B.J. Ryan's velocity was topping out in the high-80's. That's not going to make a dominant closer. Ryan needs to find his velocity, or his value will severely be reduced. Hitters will catch up to that and do so sooner rather than later.
• On the other hand, concern over Jonathan Papelbon's velocity has been greatly exaggerated. Paps hit 95-96 regularly in his one inning of work. He had to throw a few pitches to get it, but a save is a save. The Red Sox will be conservative with him early, and Terry Francona rarely looks to him on back-to-back games in April.
• I had concern about Jorge Cantu entering this season. Yes, he hit for power last year, but this was after being shipped out by Tampa and then basically cut by the Reds. On top of that, the Marlins have two players in waiting based on the production of Dallas McPherson and the development of Gaby Sanchez. Without either on the roster, I'll take Cantu and the power numbers he seems poised to put up again.
• Brandon Morrow isn't ready. He walked the bases loaded yesterday before Miguel Batista officially blew the save, and he wasn't even really close while doing it. Morrow needs to be reserved at this point until we see a couple solid outings. Between his health management and the forearm, I'm holding him back.
• Yesterday: Wins - Jimenez, Suppan, Rodriguez, Moyer; Losses - Lohse, Blackburn (Season: 5-2)

Notes for Wednesday

• David DeJesus could be in for a good day against Gavin Floyd. DeJesus is 5-for-12 lifetime against Floyd, and you can bet he'll be in the lineup for that. Still, no concerns on keeping the White Sox starter in the lineup. He was 10-3 at home last season, and was solid against Kansas City inside the confines of his home park.
• The only White Sox red flag comes from Paul Konerko. He's just 5-for-37 against Greinke over his career. If you have other options, make them available.
• Nothing about what Zach Duke did last season was good. You can look at splits, ERA, WHIP, BAA, all of it. Not one thing is really positive. If you own any Cardinals, get them in the lineup. That's underscored more by the over .300 average the St. Louis squad has put up against Duke for his career. The 0-2 record and 5.25 ERA in 2008 helps.
• The Pirates hit just .205 against Todd Wellemeyer in 2008, as Wellemeyer went 3-0 against them. He's not very widely owned, and makes a decent spot play if you're looking to jumpstart your wins. I'll take him all day against Zach Duke.
• Want to see a team that can't hit Ted Lilly? Take a look at the Astros. Houston's numbers against the lefty are awful. Carlos Lee hits .208, Lance Berkman is 1-for-16, and Miguel Tejada just .182. No relief from Hunter Pence Pence either. Start Lilly, as he was 2-0 against them last year, and avoid your Astros if you can.
• Scott Kazmir hasn't been effective against the Red Sox recently, but does have some decent numbers against their hitters. David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis both haven't had much success against the lefty. Keep that in mind. Jason Varitek is at .214 as well. The Kazmir killer? Dustin Pedroia, as he's sitting at .560 in 25 at-bats.
• I tended to over-buy Dana Eveland last season, and I'm not really sure why. At home, he made a decent play. On the road, like tomorrow, he struggles. Eveland went 3-6 on the road last season with a 5.64 ERA and 0-2 against the Angels with a 6.06 ERA. I'd keep him down.
• No track records for Mike Pelfrey and Edinson Volquez against their respective opponents. The concern for both is the number of innings they threw last season. Volquez wasn't spectacular after the All-Star break, but does represent a solid start at this point in the season. I'm not sold on Pelfrey. He had two good months, and doesn't give up many home runs, but I'm not relying on him as a spot play today.
• Spot Starters: Jesse Litsch, Chris Volstad, Nick Adenhart, and Wellemeyer
• Leave on the Bench: Joe Blanton, Doug Davis, Zach Duke

Notes for Thursday

• The Orioles haven't been great overall against A.J. Burnett, but that's largely driven by Aubrey Huff's 7-for-45 career performance against the righty. Keep normal Orioles active, but bench Huff in this matchup. Start Burnett if you normally would.
• I was on the Matt Garza bandwagon last season, but only when the game was played in a dome. Garza really struggled on the road, posting a 4.53 ERA that was two runs worse than his home ERA, and hasn't enjoyed his time at Fenway Park. I'm keeping him down for this matchup.
• Chris Carpenter takes the hill for the Cardinals. I'm all about this one. It's a good matchup for him, and he gets a young pitcher that struggles to get guys out. Carpenter did have a slight calf pull at the end of spring training, but take the chance in this one.
• Clayton Kershaw wasn't good on the road, but did manage a win in Petco last season. Given his command and the fact that the Padres don't enjoy lefties, keep him active.
• For all of Bronson Arroyo's struggles, he has managed good numbers against the Mets. Arroyo has held the team to a .225 average against him. The regular with the best average is Jose Reyes, who checks in at .263. David Wright, Carlos Delgado, and Carlos Beltran all have problems putting the ball in play against the Reds starter. On top of that, he did post a 3.97 ERA at home last season, and has always seemed to have luck there.
• One other start to watch. Carl Pavano takes the hill for the Indians. Just could be interesting to keep an eye on and see how he performs.
• Spot Starts: Arroyo and Glen Perkins are the best early bets, with Kyle Davies a long-shot.

Collin Hager writes The Elmhurst Pub Blog. You can get your fantasy questions answered by sending an email to [e-mail]. He's also on Twitter @TheRoundtable.