Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

I'm just getting back into the swing of things this morning. For those of you that sent some e-mails from Thursday until yesterday, I am slowly working my way through them. Responses should be done sometime today. Thanks for writing, and thanks for your patience. 

Cooperstown is always a blast, and this year was no exception in that regard. A friend came through with actual induction tickets, and seats for the ceremony ended up directly behind Brian Cashman and Bob Ryan.

Those of you who did not see the ceremony on the MLB Network should take the time to find Rickey Henderson's speech. 

Henderson was noticeably humble, explaining how he began playing the game and telling stories from his childhood that would make anyone believe that you can make it regardless of circumstances. He told the best story of the ceremony; one that pokes fun at Reggie Jackson. 

On top of that, his suit was straight out of Miami Vice. Tough to beat that. 

In all seriousness, Henderson demonstrated a true love and passion for the game, delivering a speech that showed the respect he has for baseball and how he felt the game should be played. 

Kudos to all three inductees, and next year should be just as good. 

On to the notes. 

Monday Rewind

• Josh Willingham was the star of the night last night. The Nationals outfielder hit two grand slams, further boosting his trade value. While he still only has 228 at-bats, remember that he spent the early part of the season fighting for playing time. He has certain power, as demonstrated by his 16 home runs. With regular time to be had in the outfield, look for Willingham to end the season near where he did for the Marlins in 2006. Willingham is now hitting .321 for July in 78 at-bats.
• The Indians shipped off Ryan Garko to the Giants. This should give Garko regular at-bats at first base, and addresses a need that the Giants had. Look for Cleveland to give more time at first to Victor Martinez, and the potential for Andy Marte to get another shot is there as well. Garko picks up value in NL-only leagues, and 14-team leagues that require a corner-infield spot.
• Josh Beckett had dominating stuff last night. Through two innings, the starter had thrown 27 pitches, and 25 of them were strikes. Beckett is nearly unhittable when he can work his off-speed pitches in with a top-tier fastball, and that is what Oakland hitters saw last night. Of course, the lineup is made up of AA players at this point.
• As good as Beckett was, Tim Lincecum continues to be that much better. Whether or not this was against a Pirates team that has seemingly had ownership mail in the season, it was still effective. Lincecum struck out 15 over his nine innings of work to pick up the win.
• J.D. Drew has remembered, somewhat, how to hit. Drew is now five for his last 18, but is riding a four-game hitting streak since the Orioles came to town over the weekend. The bigger news, though, is Adam LaRoche. LaRoche has started the last three games for the Red Sox, and is 5-for-12 in those games. The question remains regarding regular time for him, but this is a solid start.
• Those needing help in the middle infield should look at 57 percent-owned Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera is rumored to be on the move at the deadline, but would likely still remain a starter for most teams. He has an eight-game hitting streak going, and multiple hits in four of those eight games. For July, he has hit .375.
• John Danks was able to take the mound last night after being scratched from his last start with a blister issue. He was able to throw 108 pitches and allowed just two earned runs over seven innings of work. Danks has now allowed three earned runs or less in seven of his last eight starts, and has a 3.24 ERA for the month of July.
• Do not blame Ubaldo Jimenez for last night's loss against the Mets. Jimenez gave up three runs over seven innings, but the bullpen imploded to cause the 7-3 loss. He continues to pitch well, with batters only hitting .205 against him for the month of July. His 55 percent ownership should continue to rise, and deep leagues should look to capitalize.
• Billy Butler strung together five hits last night, and is now hitting .295 for the season. The return of Alex Gordon has seen Butler see the most regular time at DH, and it is likely that Mark Teahen continues to see regular time at first base. The player losing the most at-bats from this deal is Mike Jacobs. His power has not yet translated to a decent average, and he is the odd-man out for the time being.

Tuesday Notes

• Scott Kazmir has been near dominant against the Yankees by the numbers. Amongst players with at least 15 at-bats, only Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada are hitting above .200 against the lefty. Even stars Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter are a combined 6-for-52, while Robinson Cano is 3-for-20.
• While the averages may not be stellar, the power numbers the Cubs have posted against Roy Oswalt have been solid. Alfonso Soriano has three home runs in 39 at-bats, while Aramis Ramirez has four home runs in 61 at-bats. Derrek Lee has put up three home runs as well in 55 at-bats. Look to avoid Kosuke Fukudome, who is just 1-for-12 against Oswalt.
• Ryan Dempster will return to the mound tonight against the Astros. Dempster claims his toe is 100 percent, but he will be on a pitch count of 80 for this start. Hold off on him here and look to get him into your lineup for his next outing. This one just could be too short to matter.
• Jarrod Washburn is 5-1 over his last six starts, and has allowed more than two earned runs only twice in his last 10 outings. The rumors continue to swirl around the Mariners pitcher, and he could be pitching for his next destination. He continues to be a fly ball pitcher, but the Mariners defense has been a great help to Washburn. Best bets against him are Alex Rios at .318, and Lyle Overbay, who is 6-for-11 against him.
• Scott Baker is coming off consecutive solid outings, and has largely held the White Sox in check. Look to avoid both Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye if you have better options at your disposal in this matchup.
• This looks to be a decent match-up for your Tigers. Vicente Padilla is coming off an illness, and the Tigers have been swinging the bat relatively well. While Miguel Cabrera is only 5-for-21, the remaining Tigers all have good numbers against the Rangers starter. Take advantage of a potential sketchy start here for Texas.
• Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez have both hit Jair Jurrjens very well. The two are the only Marlins with much of a track record, and have combined to go 9-for-23 against the Braves starter. As tough as Jurrjens has been to hit, do not look to reach in this lineup for starters that you have other options for.
• Just throwing up a caution flag on Jason Marquis. The Rockies starter threw a pain-free bullpen session on Sunday, but did state that he threw his sinker normally for the first time in two weeks. Marquis is dealing with blisters, and these can be an issue for starters in terms of gripping their pitches. Be careful here, because the Mets are doing their best to remember how to hit.
• Alright, yes, Vin Mazzaro has been just lit up recently. He is 0-4 with an ERA over eight in July, and is just 1-4 on the road this season. Yes, all very good points. That said, the Red Sox have never faced him before. They are miserable in these situations. Take a look at how they hit a certain Orioles starter this weekend. He may not necessarily be a start, but think twice before you insert a Red Sox player in your lineup.
• Spot Starts: Barry Zito, Kevin Correia, Jarrod Washburn

Wednesday Notes

• Batters are hitting just .215 against Matt Garza at home this season, and the Yankees have managed only nine hits against him in his two starts. Johnny Damon is only 2-for-13 against Garza, but do not hesitate to use other Yankees in this case as you normally would.
• Francisco Liriano remains 88 percent owned, but his numbers have not justified that high a number. Owners look for signs, but there have been very few. Largely, he is limited to five or six innings, and in most starts has allowed at least three earned runs in those innings. At 1-5 with a 5.06 ERA at home and 0-2 against the White Sox with an ERA in double-digits, look to avoid him in this start.
• Justin Verlander has been strong this season, but a team that is going to get to him will do so on the road. While still a must-start, your Rangers should not be avoided in this one. Verlander is just 4-5 on the road this season with a 4.76 ERA in 12 starts. Keep this in mind as you set your lineups.
• Mike Hampton continues to struggle, having allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last three starts. The Cubs do not have fantastic numbers against the Astros starter, but Hampton is only 3-4 on the road this season with a 4.40 ERA. Derrek Lee could be an issue, but start all other Cubs as you normally would.
• As good as Joel Pineiro has been, there could be a few problem spots in the Dodgers lineup. Pineiro has given up four home runs and a .448 average to Manny Ramirez in only 29 at-bats. Casey Blake is 8-for-18 against Pineiro as well. Otherwise, Pineiro has been too hot this month to consider benching. His 3-0 record and 1.24 ERA should be good enough to start even if the Cardinals continue to struggle to give him run support.
• Spot Starts: Pineiro, Randy Wells, J.A. Happ

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.