Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

First and foremost, thoughts and prayers go out to Nick Adenhart's family.

Regardless of a person's occupation in life, tragedies like this are devastating. For those of you needing to look at this in another light, please take heart that this is another reason not to drink and drive, as the driver that hit Adenhart's car was allegedly above the legal limit. 

Another day, and more saves grabbed by guys who aren't necessarily their team's closer. Dennys Reyes got the save for the Cardinals. Grant Balfour got the save on Wednesday against Boston, so Troy Percival obviously got it yesterday. 

The Cardinals won, but continued to do their best outfield shuffle.

We saw an unlikely duel go down in Minnesota. Bobby Jenks blew a save, but Octavio Dotel keeps pitching well.  

Early season moves can win your league. Keep an eye on these and many other situations as well. 

Let's get to the notes...

Thursday's notes

• Jarrod Washburn continued to dominate the Twins. I know, I can't believe that Washburn dominates anyone. Yet, here we are talking about it. Washburn isn't going to win many leagues, but he should be looked to as a spot starter in these type of matchups in deep leagues (14-team), and owned in AL-only formats.
• I'm still not sold on Glen Perkins, despite the outing. Perkins was given great run support all last season, and his 12 wins with an ERA near 4.50 don't happen for pitchers very often.
• Chris Carpenter's first start of the season looked a lot like the starts during his Cy Young-caliber seasons. Carpenter gave up just one unearned run on one hit through seven solid innings. He's still available in about 10-15 percent of leagues. If yours is counted in that, grab him.
• There are some players creating early buzz. Sitting and following on Twitter and talking with other fantasy players, you'll hear the names of Jordan Schafer and Emilio Bonifacio a lot. One that should be looked at before Schafer is Adam Lind. Lind is getting regular playing time and hit his second home run of the season yesterday. He does struggle against lefties, but he's going to get at-bats in the middle of the lineup.
• Kyle Davies and John Danks both threw exceptional games in their matchup yesterday afternoon. Danks was solid last season as well, while Davies came on after the break. These two should be owned in most deep 12-team mixed leagues, and certainly in all AL-only formats.
• Well, Bronson Arroyo didn't look pretty doing it, but got himself a win against the Mets at home. Arroyo got through six, and even struck out five hitters, but it wasn't the type of effort that most owners would want to take for a win, especially with a 1.67 WHIP.
• Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez both homered yesterday. It took Martinez until nearly September last season to hit one out, so this is definitely a good thing. Hafner may never be the hitter that he was before the injuries, but he can still be productive. Should he yield some power numbers, owners should be satisfied.
• Jason Varitek hit his second home run of the season in the ninth inning yesterday. Varitek is swinging the bat much better left-handed to start the season than he did all of 2008. There were some circumstances surrounding him last year that could have made it hard for anyone—he was in a contract year, going through a divorce, etc. He won't play tonight with Wakefield pitching, but watch him this weekend, as he hits the Angels well.
• Carl Pavano lasted an inning and gave up nine runs. Somewhere, millions of Yankees fans are laughing.
• Mike Cameron was able to get one hit yesterday against Matt Cain in three plate appearances, and added another in the ninth. Cain pitched well against him, but Cameron continues to swing a hot bat.
• The Cardinals continued to shuffle their outfield around. They have four players for basically three spots. With Colby Rasmus, Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan, and Ryan Ludwick, the Cardinals certainly have options. The problem is, they seem very willing to sit any one of them. You would think the time share would be between Duncan and Rasmus, but Ludwick and Ankiel have both already sat a game. This is a fantasy nightmare.
• While one game does not a season make, Andruw Jones had his first three-hit game in about fifty pounds for the Rangers. Jones is only going to be an extra outfielder in that rotation, so it's nothing to get overly excited about, I just wanted to make fun of his weight.
• Yesterday stats: Wins—Arroyo (but only because he got a win); Losses--None (Season: 10-5)

Friday's notes

• Jeremy Hermida likely makes a good play on Friday against John Maine. Hermida is 5-for-11 in his career against the Mets starter, and has the best numbers of any Florida starter. Keep him in the lineup if you need a couple hits. Otherwise, Maine pitches well against the Marlins and makes a decent start.
• Get all your regular Angels into the lineup against Tim Wakefield tonight. The Angels have put up great numbers against the Red Sox starter, and this is going to be an emotional game for them. Wake is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA in Anaheim since the start of the 2006 season...not the kind of numbers I want on the mound.
• Keep Jason Varitek on the bench if you own him. George Kottaras will start behind the plate. David Ortiz and J.D. Drew should be started against Jered Weaver, who is no longer a decent play today against the Red Sox.
• I mentioned Cole Hamels yesterday, and today I'll add to it. Hamels has yet to throw 100 pitches, and is going to be put into a place where the ball still flies. I think owners can do better today, and I'd hold him down the start.
• AL-only owners should expect to see Jason Kubel in the lineup tonight. He's 5-for-11 against Contreras lifetime. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Justin Morneau is just 3-for-26, and Michael Cuddyer is 5-for-23 for .217. Nick Punto is a decent reach play, as he checks in at .379 in 29 at-bats.
• Dodgers owners should rejoice at seeing Jon Garland. Most of the Dodgers that have spent time in the American League have feasted on Garland. Orlando Hudson and Casey Blake will be the surprises, so to speak, and Manny Ramirez owns Garland.
• Unless you had a plan to start Jason Michaels or Geoff Blum, you'll be fine playing every Astros starter against Joel Pineiro. The 'Stros have a team total of 172 at-bats against the starter, and have hit .308 in that time, even with the two mentioned pulling the numbers down.
• Need a couple hits from the bench? Christian Guzman is 8-for-25 against Derek Lowe, and is widely available to be had across most formats. Hey, it's a reach, but if you're struggling in average this week, Guzman as a spot start will go over well. Adam Dunn, though, is 1-for-12.
• Spot Starts: John Maine, James McDonald, and Armando Galarraga. All are available in at least a third of all leagues.
• Keep on the Bench: Cole Hamels, Andy Sonnanstine

Weekend notes

• Brad Penny will make his first start in a Red Sox uniform against the Angels, a team he's at least somewhat familiar with from inter-league play. Penny has thrown the ball well all spring, and indications of his health have been positive. Against a young pitcher, I'm starting him here.
• Adam Wainwright is 5-0 against the Astros since 2006, and has held them to a .210 average. He's tough to hit at home, and all indications are this isn't a good matchup for your Astros hitters.
• Cliff Lee gets a chance to redeem himself from a disastrous opener, but the Blue Jays won't provide much of an elixir. All your Blue Jays regulars have decent numbers against Lee. Even Vernon Wells, who has hit just .250 against him, has two home runs in his limited at-bats. Lee struggled all spring, and didn't win any points in Texas. At home, I'm still cautious.
• I'm a fan of Paul Maholm, and his being 18 percent owned is a tragedy, but I'm not throwing him against the Reds. Maholm has been hammered at Great American Ballpark, posting an ERA of 5.75 in his last 36 innings and six starts. Brandon Phillips has been dominant against him.
• Jeremy Guthrie has had no success against the Rays. Guthrie is 0-3 in his last four starts against them, with a 6.75 ERA and .308 BAA. He's 70 percent owned, but I think there are better options out there for fantasy owners.
• If you can avoid Bobby Abreu and Vlad Guerrero on Sunday against Josh Beckett, I would do so. Still, Chone Figgins makes a solid option, since he has a .300 average against the Sox ace.
• I'm hopping on the David Purcey bandwagon, so make room. The Blue Jays starter wasn't spectacular in his debut, but I like his chances to put together a good outing against the Indians on Sunday. He's widely available, and makes a good start in deeper leagues.
• The Twins have seen a lot of Mark Buehrle, and in general they like what they see. Carlos Gomez should be given a chance if you have him on your bench, as he's 6-for-11. Teams in two-catcher leagues should look at Mike Redmond. He won't be put on the DL, and should be starting this weekend. If he does, he's 14-for-28 against Buehrle.
• I may not have been right on benching Kyle Lohse earlier this week, but I won't start him against the Astros. Houston's numbers are far too good to put Lohse on the mound, even at home. Wandy Rodriguez, though, has handled even the best Cardinals very well. Albert Pujols is just 3-for-18 against the Astros starter.
• Never start Randy Wolf on the road...Never start Randy Wolf on the road...keep repeating.
• Jack Wilson needs to get a start against Aaron Harang, but Harang's other numbers against the Pirates should give confidence that he can handle the start at home.
• Spot Starts: Wandy Rodriguez, David Purcey, Jair Jurrjens, Brad Penny, Jonathan Sanchez,
• Keep on the Bench: Kevin Millwood, Mark Buehrle, Paul Maholm, Jeremy Guthrie

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