Fantasy Baseball: Monday News and Notes

I'm sure we all have that feeling on Monday when the alarm goes off. There is nothing that I actually wanted to get up for today, but here we are. In the Northeast, we finally got some good weather after what felt like a week straight of cold and rain. Makes going to the office on Monday a little bit harder.

The baseball over the weekend was solid, as always. Sure, some ups and downs, but overall just some decent storylines and performances to draw from. 

We're now two full months into the season, and it's time to evaluate your rosters. Anyone and everyone should be open to trades and moves, and owners can't hold on to a player simply because of where they were drafted. Keep thinking that way, and you'll be well off. 

By the way, good show of sportsmanship by Bobby Bowden to punt on fourth down most of the second half with that pasting of Ohio State this weekend. Oh, that was baseball? My bad... 

On to the notes. 

Weekend Rewind

• The Red Sox shuffled their lineup on Sunday, moving Dustin Pedroia to the leadoff spot and dropping Jacoby Ellsbury down to eighth. As pointed out to me, the move does make some basic sense, especially against lefties. Ellsbury is only getting on base at a .335 clip, meaning he's not seeing enough pitches or drawing walks because his average is at .299. Against lefties, he's only getting on base at a .268 mark, and his average drops to .231.
• Matt Wieters made his debut, didn't get a hit in his first game, and the world still kept spinning right along. I don't know about you, but I was scared for a bit that the universe may come to a stop. Look, he's going to be good, but he's not going to bat 1.000. Just isn't going to happen. Seriously, .270/14/60. Those are the numbers you shoot for.
• The elbow injury we talked about last week has landed Grady Sizemore on the DL. Sizemore was having problems throwing the ball, and had been stuck spending much of his time at the DH spot. Sizemore isn't going to do basically anything for two weeks. That should signal to owners that this is going to be more than 15 days. If he isn't picking up a bat in that time, he's going to be gone at least three weeks. There was no structural damage to the elbow, which is good news.
• Sizemore's move to the DL was almost a necessity, especially as Victor Martinez left Saturday's game with a right knee contusion and wasn't available on Sunday. The Indians needed a backup to Kelly Shoppach, and the Sizemore move made the most sense so they could make a free callup. Shoppach likely gets a couple more days behind the plate, but we could see Martinez in the DH spot.
• Josh Hamilton missed Sunday's game with a groin injury that has been lingering for two weeks. Hamilton will get two days, as the Rangers have Monday off. Manager Ron Washington believes that he's showing improvement already as a result of the time off. Keep an eye on him early this week, and be ready to adjust lineups accordingly. There are no plans to put him on the DL at this point, but he will have an MRI.
• I'm trying to decide who I'm more disappointed with two months into the season. There are plenty of candidates. I think one of the bigger ones, though, has to be Garrett Atkins. Atkins is below .200, and isn't displaying any of the value you thought you would get from a mid-tier third basemen. The only decent aspect is that for many owners he was drafted in a spot that won't kill to drop him. I'm sure many moved on to Mike Lowell or Mark Reynolds as more than adequate replacements.
• Keep riding the Edwin Jackson train. Jackson looked dominant again yesterday in taking down the Orioles. Jackson didn't give up a run in eight innings yesterday, and held the Orioles to just two hits. His last five outings have been nothing short of stellar, as he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since the beginning of may. He's throwing 98 with movement. That's just filthy.
• I put up a tweet on Jon Lester that deserves to be repeated. Yesterday, Lester worked himself in to trouble a couple times early on, but managed to settle himself and find a nice rhythm all day. The difference? His curveball was in the strike zone and it allowed him to work his fastball on both sides of the plate. When you paint the black at 96, you don't give up many hits. Much better outing for the lefty. He would have gone longer but was hurt by two long innings early.
• Solid pitching duel between John Maine and Chris Volstad yesterday afternoon. Maine went six shutout innings before having to leave the game with an illness. Still, he continued to improve upon a stellar record at home. Maine has posted a BAA of .176 at home this season, nearly 80 points better than his road numbers. While Volstad fell to 4-4, he still induced 14 ground ball outs and gave up just three earned over seven innings.
• Weekend Results: 7-3-4 (Season: 124-85-16)

Monday Notes

• I like this set of matchups for Wieters, drawing Seattle to start the week. I held off on him this weekend because of the hype of coming up and opening at home. Now, though, he goes on the road and gets a Mariners team that isn't exactly lighting the world on fire. I'd go with him in this set.
• Edinson Volquez will be back on the mound for the Reds after missing some time with tightness in his back. Volquez has been very good on the road in 2009, posting a 3.28 ERA and 3-0 record in four starts. Batters are hitting just .207 against him away from home. He was roughed up once by St. Louis this year, but still a decent matchup based on what he has done this season.
• Todd Wellemeyer isn't going to win you many leagues, but he's one of the better spot options today. Wellemeyer's struggles are largely due to a .334 BABIP number, something that is due to normalize sooner or later. His last two outings have been much improved over the three prior. At home, it's a decent matchup, even against Volquez.
• Hiroki Kuroda will also step back on the mound today, taking the ball for the Dodgers against Arizona. Kuroda's problem has been with an oblique injury, something that hurts more because of the twists and turns associated with the normal throwing motion. I'd keep him reserved in this one. Make sure he's fully healthy before gambling on your fantasy roster.
• Both David Wright and Carlos Beltran are just 2-for-12 against Ian Snell. With Snell's biggest nemesis Jose Reyes on the DL, the Mets numbers fall pretty drastically. Still, even though his numbers are slightly skewed due to one start, Snell at home doesn't do enough to warrant a start.
• Now, we all saw the dangers of both recommending to and actually starting Jeff Suppan right? Good. Let's leave this one alone. I'd expect Ronny Paulino to be behind the plate tonight for the Marlins. Paulino is 5-for-12 against Suppan with a home run. Get all other Marlins into your lineup, as they have all hit very well against Suppan.
• I think you have to be a bit concerned with Roy Oswalt, especially given that he bruised his hand trying to catch a line drive up the middle during his last start. Oswalt gets the ball today at home against Colorado, but he isn't exactly showing any flashes of the dominant stuff we've seen in the past. He's given up at least three earned runs in his last five starts, and is just 1-1 at home in his last five. Be wary.
• Jimmy Rollins still hasn't cracked .230, is hitting just .179 over his last six games, and is 0-for-9 against Kevin Correia. I'm trying to come up with a positive spin...let's go with this. He's well dressed.
• Spot Starts: Wellemeyer, Andrew Miller

Tuesday Notes

• Torii Hunter is just 4-for-30 lifetime against Roy Halladay, and the rest of the Angels haven't been much better. The team has hit only .216 against the Blue Jays ace, and only Vlad Guerrero is above .250 in enough at-bats to make a note of. Look to avoid this matchup if you can.
• Ian Kinsler has struggled against A.J. Burnett, posting just two hits in 11 at-bats against the Yankees pitcher. Andruw Jones, though, has three home runs in 35 at-bats. Given how well the ball seems to fly in Yankee Stadium, might be worth taking a look at using Jones in this matchup.
• I don't recommend touching Daisuke Matsuzaka, especially after the control problems that plagued him last time out. Matsuzaka hasn't shown any real signs that he's going to be effective on the mound, and owners can't afford that type of problem in a start. Sure, pitching is always a gamble, but most times you have a better chance of winning. Let him settle down before starting him.
• Randy Wolf has allowed more than three earned runs in only two of his last 10 starts. Wolf doesn't have much to show for it, as he only has two decisions, both wins, in that time. It comes down to run support. You could do worse than looking to Wolf at home in this matchup against Arizona.
• Bronson Arroyo is 4-1 on the road, but he hasn't had much luck against the good St. Louis bats. The team as a whole is hitting .276 against Arroyo, and he's just 2-2 in seven starts at Busch Stadium with an ERA sitting right at 5.00. While Skip Schumaker is going to serve you best on the bench, keep the rest of your Cardinals active in this one.
• Spot Starts: Randy Wolf, Ubaldo Jimenez, Rick Porcello

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.