Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

You're sitting down on the couch, and you pull up your team's fantasy stats. Everything seems to be looking good. The guys you started produced a couple home runs, bunch of RBI, and even stole a few bases for you. Not a bad way to start the evening. 

Even better, you had a few pitchers going last night. One guy cruised to a win early, another was chased but looks to be in line for the victory. And that's before one of your aces goes that night. 

Then, everything goes straight down. 

The late games start and before the fifth inning is over, your starter has left with an injury. Maybe not just one, but two guys. Then your utility man leaves the game.  

For some people who sent me notes, that was how the night went. 

Let's get to it. 

Tuesday Rewind

• Chris Carpenter left yesterday's start in the third inning with a strained left rib cage. Hearing about this type of injury should make you nervous for anyone. Obliques and rib cages need to heal completely, especially given how much a pitcher twists and turns. It makes it worse in the fact we're dealing with Carpenter, who has a history of injury. Expect the Cardinals to be even more cautious.
• Xavier Nady is going in to have an MRI done on his elbow. This gives Nick Swisher even more short-term value. Swisher hit another home run last night, and will be given more regular playing time, even with Mark Teixeira returning to the lineup (at some point). Swisher should be grabbed and owned until his streak runs out.
• Daisuke Matsuzaka left in the second inning last night, due to what Terry Francona is calling arm fatigue. I think it more had to do with whiplash, but be that as it may. Matsuzaka was roughed up in his one inning, and part of it may have been due to the long wait after warming up on a cold night. Still, not a good sign.
• Lastings Milledge was sent to the minors yesterday by the Nationals. Look for more of Elijah Dukes and Josh Willingham in the Nationals lineup as a result. Dukes should get first crack, and if you're looking to fill the roster, you could do worse. Swisher is still the best bet, but Dukes should be available.
• I mentioned I was worried about David Ortiz yesterday. Watching last night's game, I'm making it official. Ortiz isn't getting his top hand over on inside pitches, you can almost watch the bat slightly dragging through the zone. It's why he's pulling off the ball and popping it up more. I don't like it. Not one bit.
• Joe Mauer will hit the rehab assignment gig next week. Good news for owners, as that likely means we'll see Mauer sometime around the beginning of May at the latest. Given the position he was drafted in, owners should be able to exhale and be ready to get him back in the lineup.
• Ichiro will be back for the Mariners today. Get him immediately back into your lineups. He was drafted high for a reason, and his speed isn't going to be impacted. Look for him to get back into the swing quickly for Seattle.
• Another impressive start from Chris Volstad yesterday. He gave up just one run on three hits in seven innings of work. Volstad improved upon his first outing, and continued to produce ground ball outs. The only mistake was to Kelly Johnson. If you're in the 15 percent of leagues he's available, you should grab him.
• Chris Davis hit his second home run in as many days. A steady week or so should move him up in the order, and then in better position to produce beyond the power numbers. There's a reason we don't give up on players in the first week of the season.
• Kyle Davies put together a second decent start against an Indians team that isn't hitting the ball exceptionally well. Davies brings some interesting pieces to the table. His K/BB rate improved drastically over the second half of last season, and you can see the improved command in two starts this year. In mixed leagues, he still represents a matchup play, but AL-only leagues should benefit overall.
• Evan Longoria will miss Wednesday and Thursday to attend to family matters in California.
• Yesterday: Wins-Davies, Perkins, Scherzer; Losses-Silva, Parra (Season: 22-15-1). I'm giving myself the loss on Parra for the same reason I'm giving the win on Scherzer. A 4.50 ERA likely hurts you more than it helps you in a given start.

Notes for Wednesday

• I'm not a big fan of Andy Pettitte's matchup with the Rays today. Where Tampa as a team has hit well over .300 against him last year, and the bigger guns in the lineup have seen recent success, I'd rather not take the start here. The Rays offense was shut down yesterday, and I don't think it happens two days in a row, even without Evan Longoria.
• Watch the lineups, as Aramis Ramirez is having back problems, but the Cubs have handled Jason Marquis well. Derrek Lee and Ramirez both have excellent power numbers against him, and the Cubs that have seen him have hit close to .400.
• The Angels have had their share of problems with Jarrod Washburn. Torii Hunter is 8-for-43, Chone Figgins is 3-for-26, Bobby Abreu is 1-for-16, and Howie Kendrick is 2-for-18. With the struggles of Figgins it's POSSIBLE we see Robb Quinlan get the start. Quinlan is 10-for-24 with a homerun against Washburn. Numbers are surprising, especially where Washburn struggles against the Angels (0-3, 4.42 ERA, .329 BAA in 2008).
• Tim Wakefield has had his way with Jason Giambi, as he's just a .163 hitter in 92 at-bats.  I'd say that's enough of a track record for us to recommend keeping him on the bench here. The rest of your A's should be good to go, especially where Wake hasn't had good luck against them since 2006, going 0-2 in five starts.
• Brandon Inge has had no luck in previous lives against Jose Contreras, going just 11-for-48 against him. Carlos Guillen, though, should be in your lineup, given his .400 number against the White Sox starter. This isn't the same Contreras, so the bad numbers could be tempered, and the good ones even better.
• Jered Weaver hasn't had much luck at Safeco in his last seven starts. Weaver has gone just 3-2, but posted a 5.86 ERA in that time. At home, he's good against them, just struggles on the road. Even last year, when Seattle was one of the worst in the league, in three starts Weaver had an ERA over seven. Kenji Johjima has good numbers, and is a nice start today if you have the room against Weaver.
• You might want to make sure you start Andre Ethier against Matt Cain. Ethier is 16-for-27 against Cain, good for a .593 average. Avoid Orlando Hudson, as he's 0-for-18 against the Giants starter. He's the only Dodgers hold back. Cain was 0-3 against the Dodgers in six shots last season, but didn't pitch badly against them.
• In many other games, there should be no real surprises. Play those you normally would, but no real reach plays to be seen either.
• Spot starts: Andy Sonnanstine (still not a regular play in my book), Armando Galarraga, and Joel Pineiro in a pinch.
• Keep on the Bench: Jered Weaver, Andy Pettitte

Notes for Thursday

• Matt Kemp and Rafael Furcal own Barry Zito, but the Dodgers aren't solid overall against the lefty. Orlando Hudson is at .233, Casey Blake at .192, and Russell Martin is just at .150. Poor James Loney is 1-for-17. I'm not saying to start Zito, but I'd find other options for your Dodgers.
• Joe Saunders has good numbers against the Mariners and at Safeco. He's gone 2-0 in two starts there, and has a 2.19 ERA in the ballpark. He's available in 50 percent of leagues, and should be looked to as a spot start tomorrow.
• I'm watching Cliff Lee for one more start before I throw him out there. He's been roughed up twice, and it's not like he's been close. Against a good-hitting Yankees lineup, on the road, not the time to take the chance. See what he brings before you send him to the wolves.
• I'm concerned over Cole Hamels' elbow, but the Nationals offense doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of men. You probably still want to keep Ryan Zimmerman in your lineup, but I would avoid other Nationals. Hamels is on track to start, and even on the road this is a good play.
• I'm a fan of both starters in the Braves-Marlins tilt. Either would make a solid grab in a spot play scenario for owners that need a solid performance. Kenchin Kawakami is an unknown, but Anibal Sanchez has been very good through the spring. Might not get a win, but you'll get numbers that should satisfy and produce for your squad.
• Early Spot Starts: Sanchez, Kawakami, and Saunders

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