Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

The latest steroids revelation regarding Sammy Sosa got me thinking. 

Fantasy owners have lost titles because of these guys. Think about how many teams in your league have won titles with Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Brian Roberts, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. That's just the tip of the iceberg. 

We know there are plenty of others that used and abused a myriad of drugs. It goes back, as everyone has discussed, too far to fathom. Names are going to continue to be leaked one at a time just to irritate more and more people. 

Fantasy owners should go back and take a look at some league history. It is safe to assume that at least one title in the last few years has been tainted with someone that used steroids.  

The time has come for baseball not to just look at the historical records being broken, but that sheer volume of "pride" that can change hands based on a lousy drug policy and an administration that continues to bury their head on the issue. 

Of course, this is half satire, but the other half is true. 

The only thing that baseball fans around the world should want to happen is that the entire list of players is finally released. Otherwise, it is going to continue to be one name at a time. And that is nothing more than cherry picking for effect. 

On to the notes. 

Tuesday Rewind

• An interesting stat came across yesterday. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Dontrelle Willis have the exact same record at 1-4. The difference? Matsuzaka actually has a higher ERA than Willis does at this point. To say that neither pitcher has been effective is very true. Owners, though, need to think hard about how long they are willing to hold on to a pitcher like Matsuzaka that continues to throw this way.
• Felix Hernandez dominated the Padres yesterday, throwing a two-hit shutout. Hernandez has been simply dominant over his last five starts. In those, he has given up just three earned runs in 37.2 innings. This is exactly what owners had hoped for when they drafted the pitcher.
• Gil Meche continued his hot pitching yesterday. Meche's complete game, four-hit shutout has put his numbers much closer to respectability. The Royals pitcher has now allowed only three runs in his last 27 innings of work, a stretch that also includes a WHIP of just 1.11.
• Joe Mauer continues to do nothing but hit. Last night, the Twins catcher went 4-for-4, putting his average at .429 for the season. Mauer has cemented himself as the best hitting catcher in baseball. He may not produce the most power numbers, but he gives plenty more to a lineup. The gap between Mauer and Victor Martinez to every other catcher is only getting wider.
• Glen Perkinsgave a solid performance in his return from the DL yesterday. Perkins went six innings and gave up just two runs. Of course, it becomes very easy to pitch when your opponent is knocked around for 14 hits and eight runs. Perkins has good value at home. Look to spot start him in those instances.
• The month of June has been very kind to David Ortiz. The lefty is 12-for-36 on the month with four home runs, but only three curtain calls. He has driven in ten runs and is getting on base at a .429 clip. Owners that were patient, good for you. Tough to find many that stuck this one out.
• Cannot say that there are a lot of details behind this other than the stat line, but there was a very solid performance from rookie Sean O'Sullivan out in Anaheim last night. O'Sullivan started the season at AA, advanced to AAA, and has done nothing but win all the way through. This was likely his one chance in the short-term, as Ervin Santana will rejoin the rotation next week and Kelvim Escobarwill be activated from the DL.
• After a solid outing against the Cubs, the hitter-friendly park in Arlington doomed Wandy Rodriguez last night. Rodriguez has struggled in three of his last four outings. If it were not for a two-out error against Cincinnati, Rodriguez's mark would look much worse. Six runs in that game were all unearned.
• Tough to say much more about Ben Zobrist. The fact that he is available in any format at this point based on how he is hitting the ball is a shame. There should not be one owner out there thinking that this guy cannot be a boost to their lineup. You find a place for a guy that is this hot.

Wednesday Notes

• Jason Collette made the point yesterday, and it is certainly true. Expect Pat Burrell to be in the outfield today when the Rays take on Aaron Cook and the Rockies. Burrell is 11-for-16 against the Rockies starter with a home run and four RBI. That is simply domination.
• When Edwin Jackson has struggled on the road, it has mainly been because of errors. The Tigers starter has had five unearned runs score in his last five road starts. In two of those starts, Jackson did not allow a run, so this adds up to five in three starts. His road ERA is under 2.00 for the season, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
• So who has a good reason to start Chien-Ming Wang today against the Nationals? Is it his .437 BAA at home? What about the one and a half runs per inning he has allowed as a starter this season? It could be the lack of a sinker or the 3.38 WHIP. It does not matter if he is facing the Nationals or anyone else. Until he throws strikes down in the zone, this is going to repeat itself. Owners should be more tempted to put Phil Hughes into the lineup, since he will be called on by the fourth to clean up the mess.
• Look to keep your Reds active against Javier Vazquez. While the Braves starter has pitched very well this season, Alex Gonzalez has hit .382 in 34 at-bats against him. Others over .300 are Jerry Hairston and Willy Taveras. Do not sleep on Ramon Hernandez either, given that he is 6-for-21 against Vazquez.
• The Padres have extended their interleague losing streak to 12, and you would think that they should break it against Seattle. Still, their offense has produced just ten runs in the last five games. Garrett Olson does not exactly strike fear into hitters, but his performance last time out and a pitcher's park should be enough for deep leagues to let it fly. The only Padre to start right now is still Adrian Gonzalez.
• Avoid Jamie Moyer against Toronto. Moyer has been pounded by every Blue Jays regular. The team as a whole has hit .364 against the lefty, and has performed well offensively this season against nearly everyone. With Vernon Wells, Marco Scutaro, Lyle Overbay, Aaron Hill, Alex Rios, and even John McDonald all hitting over .340 in at least 13 at-bats, Moyer could be in trouble.
• Look to start any and all Twins in the matchup against Ian Snell. Snell is 0-5 on the road with a 5.40 ERA in that stretch. The Pirates starter has given up at least three earned runs in seven of his last eight starts overall. He has had nothing but struggles at this point, and owners should leverage that with the offense Minnesota can generate.
• Mark DeRosa continues to raise his value for fantasy owners. He put together a solid night on Monday, hit another home run on Tuesday, and has had good success against Jeff Suppan, who he will face on Wednesday. DeRosa is 4-for-11 against the Brewers starter in his career. For his part, Suppan is 4-1 on the road this season, posting a 3.89 ERA in eight games. He gives up hits, but has been able to strand runners effectively. As always, it remains playing with fire.
• You have to take the 6-0 record that Zack Greinke has produced in eight home starts more than the results of the last two. Greinke, on top of that, had two of the three runs scored against him allowed by the bullpen in his last outing against Cleveland. He still is one of the better pitchers in the league, and an off night should not change that thinking.
• Spot Starts: Scott Richmond, Brad Penny, Olson

Thursday Notes

• Gavin Floyd's road numbers are largely skewed by three bad outings in early May. In those three starts, he gave up a total of 20 earned runs in 15 innings. While his last few outings have been at home, he seems to be back on track. In his last 37.2 innings, he has given up just seven earned runs. Keep in mind how inept the Cubs offense has been.
• Luke Hochevar may have looked good in his last two outings, but neither offense he has faced is anything special. In fact, he gave up four runs on seven hits in an earlier interleague outing against the Cardinals. Arizona is going to hit in this series. With it being likely they get handled by Greinke, Hochevar could be in for a long short day.
• Look to Orlando Cabrera against Randy Wolf. Cabrera is a .316 hitter in 38 at-bats, including a home run, against Wolf. While Wolf looked good in a rain shortened outing against the Rangers, he had given up 11 earned runs in his prior two outings. Posting a 5.71 ERA in June and a 4.73 ERA at home, he is better left on the bench.
• Aubrey Huff is 5-for-8 against Livan Hernandez, and has hit two home runs in those at-bats. The Orioles as a team have hit .326 against the Mets starter. It is hard to see Hernandez putting together a solid outing on the road, despite his 3-1 record. With batters approaching .300 against him away from home, the numbers just are not there.
• Do not be scared off by Ubaldo Jimenez. All of his major struggles have come against the Dodgers. Without those starts, his performances are much more spectacular. At home, he continues to pitch well, going 3-0 if you back out games against Los Angeles. He is 2-0 in three June starts, putting up an ERA under 3.00.
• Spot Starts: Jimenez, Rick Porcello, Nick Blackburn

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.