Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

Another week comes to a close, but this time it brings interleague play with it. A solid gift, indeed. Unfortunately, any games being played in the Northeast could be under some weather pressure.

Keep an eye on the forecast for many of these locations, as there looks to be rain over most of the weekend. 

Last night, a scene straight out of Major League II cost the Royals the game against Cleveland when a ball hit to center field happened to clip a seagull as it made its way towards Coco Crisp.

The ball bounced away, allowing the run to score. After the problems with bugs last year, this is just another event in Cleveland. 

You have to feel bad for Crisp, who may have had an outside shot at making a play if he did not have an arm like a wet noodle. 

On to the notes. 

Thursday Rewind

• The Angels have announced that Kelvim Escobar will move to the bullpen, likely for the remainder of the season. According to manager Mike Scioscia, Escobar does not have enough shoulder strength to regularly throw 90-plus pitches a game. With that in mind, Matt Palmer will take his place for the start tonight. No word on if Palmer will remain in the rotation going forward.
• Another New York pitcher will head to the disabled list, but it is not Chien-Ming Wang. John Maine has been placed on the DL with what is being termed as shoulder fatigue. There is no structural damage to the shoulder, so this is strictly a move to put a rehab program in to place. No word on who will start over the weekend for the Mets in Maine's place.
• Do not blame CC Sabathia for the loss last night against the Red Sox. Sabathia was solid, working into the eighth inning. Problem is, he should not have been in the game when the trouble started with where his pitch count was. It all came apart, and the Yankees lefty ends up taking the loss. The bullpen technically allowed the inherited runners to score, but they all get charged to Sabathia. If the Yankees had any sort of bullpen, that would not have been a problem.
• There were several other strong pitching performances yesterday. Brad Penny threw six shutout innings in what could have been an open audition. Nick Blackburn was spectacular through seven, but did give up three runs in the eighth to cost himself the win. In Atlanta, both Javier Vazquez and Paul Maholm threw gems, but neither walked away with a decision in the matter.
• Jason Bartlett will begin a three game rehab assignment with the hopes of rejoining the Rays early next week. Those owners that have weekly lineups should expect Bartlett back on Tuesday, should everything go well. Pat Burrell has also been activated and will return to the team tonight. Burrell will not play the outfield on the road in interleague play, and will serve only as a pinch hitter in that stretch according to Joe Maddon.
• The Giants need help finding some offense, and quickly. While my binky Aaron Rowand added two more hits yesterday, the rest of the Giants combined to go 2-for-29 against the Diamondbacks. Jonathan Sanchez ended up a tough-luck loser, falling to 0-6 on the road as a result of no run support.
• Evan Longoria ended a homerless streak that stretched back to May 29 and extended over 20 at-bats. Does not necessarily seem long, but well above his career averages. Longoria came out so strong in April, but has been slowed by leg issues that are hampering his overall power production. Hopefully, this is a good sign.
• David Ortiz hit his fourth home run of the season last night, and has raised his average above .200 with his recent 7-for-20 stretch. Ortiz was given eye drops to aid in a dry eye condition, so that seems to have helped. Unfortunately, tonight is likely to be the only night he will be seen in the lineup, as the Phillies throw two lefties on Saturday and Sunday.
• Bobby Jenks cost Gavin Floyd a win yesterday, blowing a save for the White Sox in the 9th inning yesterday. After three rough starts to begin May, Floyd has been impressive in his last five outings. He still has rough road numbers, posting a 7.97 ERA, but that is largely skewed by those bad outings, all of which happened away from home.
• Yesterday's Results: Take wins with Penny, Blackburn, and Ervin Santana. Push on Jamie Moyer, but a loss with Todd Wellemeyer.

Friday Notes

• Rick Porcello has been stronger on the road this season than he has at home. Porcello holds batters to an average 20 points lower away from Comerica, and has posted a 3-2 record in five games. Porcello has been economical with his pitches, having not yet cracked 100 to this point in the season while working through six innings in six of his last ten starts.
• Tommy Hanson will get another crack at the rotation, drawing Baltimore on the road. The Orioles lineup has certainly struggled in terms of scoring, and this represents a decent chance for a rebound for the rookie. Owners in deep leagues should look to use him in this matchup.
• Three of Jon Lester's last four starts have been spectacular. He has given up eight runs in his last 27.1 innings, but five of those came on the road against Minnesota. Back that one out and he has given up three runs in 21.1 innings in the other three appearances. Lester has been much better with his command, and should pitch well again tonight in Philadelphia.
• If Jarrod Washburn is going to struggle anywhere, it will be on the road in Colorado. From a wins standpoint, he has not been able to get the job done outside of Safeco, but his peripheral stats on the road are far from a problem. Ubaldo Jimenez certainly has figured out pitching in Colorado, and so long as the Mariners do not put on Dodgers jerseys, he should be a good start.
• Of all the pitchers to have trouble with, Johnny Damon is only 2-for-13 against Livan Hernandez. Damon is the only Yankees starter that would be of concern, as the rest need to be in the lineup. Alex Rodriguezis 10-for-16 with three home runs, while Nick Swisher and Derek Jeter are both well above .400.
• The White Sox have one of the worst team batting averages in June, checking in at just .213. While you always dance with danger when playing Jeff Suppan, the potential benefits in this matchup cannot be ignored. They have hit well on the road, though, and Suppan's struggles have been largely at home. The Brewers tend to play well otherwise, allowing the eighth fewest earned runs in their own ballpark.
• Kevin Slowey is a good example as to why using Twins pitchers on the road can be dangerous. The Twins as a team are 21st in terms of road ERA this season, and Slowey is allowing batters to hit .323 against him away from home. While his ERA is under 4.00, his strand rate is nearly 80 percent. The Cubs are an average offense, but should benefit from this matchup.
• Do not shy away from your Astros simply because Dan Haren is taking the hill at home for Arizona. Your regulars should be just fine to start, and look to get Miguel Tejada into the lineup as well with his .300 average against Haren. While he has been nearly unhittable, the numbers are there to keep your normal starters active in this one.
• Spot Starters: Jimenez, Washburn, Randy Wells
• Keep on the Bench: Slowey

Weekend Notes

• It might be a stretch to say that Daisuke Matsuzaka is pitching for his job simply because of the contract he has, but he has certainly struggled enough for the Red Sox to consider another potential phantom injury. Matsuzaka's control and pitch selection have simply been awful, and a small ballpark will not be where he gets it on track.
• Rich Harden will return to the Cubs rotation on Saturday, taking the ball against the Twins and Anthony Swarzak. Harden still should be asked to prove his health, and starting him first time out with how injury prone he has been would be a tough call. Keep him down here, start him next week.
• Carlos Beltran and David Wright simply rake against Andy Pettitte. Both are always must-starts, but this matchup should be a given. Pettitte might be 3-1 at home, but he is posting a 5.40 ERA and BAA over .300. There are better options available to owners than using this one.
• After having his start skipped due to soreness in his elbow, Jordan Zimmermann is going to take the ball on Saturday for Washington against the Rays. Zimmermann has not been bad, but he has not quite been solid enough to look to on the road against a team that is leading the league in terms of scoring offense. Keep him reserved, but get your Rays into the lineup against Washington.
• With the continued struggles of the San Francisco offense, the Oakland starters are going to be decent plays most of the weekend. After avoiding the Friday matchup with Lincecum, using Josh Outman on Saturday should work. Outman is 4-0 in his last six starts, and continues to provide good peripheral stats.
• While keeping your studs in the lineup for the Yankees against Johan Santana should be ok, stick to the best. Damon, Jorge Posada, and Swisher have all had a tough time with the Mets starter. Even Alex Rodriguez is only a .238 hitter. Avoid as much as possible.
• Ted Lilly has dominated at home, going 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA in the process. His work at Wrigley should have you second guessing any Twins you may want to reach for. Keep the standards active, but look to avoid fringe starters like Joe Crede and even Michael Cuddyer in this one.
• Brian Roberts is only 3-for-17 against Derek Lowe, but Aubrey Huff has hammered the Atlanta starter to the tune of .313 in 32 at-bats. Huff has also belted two home runs and driven in nine against Lowe. Lowe has done a good job keeping the ball in the park, as he has not allowed a home run in his last six outings.
• Matt Cain is on an eight start winning streak, largely because of his own doing. Cain has allowed only six runs in his last 32.2, four of those coming in his last start against Arizona. The Giants starter has posted a 3.05 ERA and 4-1 record at home to start the season. Even with the way the offense has played, Cain is a decent starter going forward.
• Jered Weaver at home has been nearly automatic. The Angels starter is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.21. Opponents are only hitting .161 against him in six starts inside his own ballpark. Weaver may not be this spectacular all season, but there is no way an owner can resist what he has going. The Angels will not make the mistake of pitching to Adrian Gonzalez, and he is the only credible threat in the lineup.
• Spot Starts: Outman, Manny Parra, Kenshin Kawakami, Brian Tallet, Braden Looper
• Keep on the Bench: Pettitte, Matsuzaka

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.