Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

So instead of getting reports about Brett Favre coming back to the Vikings, the nation will now be given hourly notification as to the fact he retired. Being subjected to another week or month of stories about how Favre decided to retire instead of return is just another issue many have with the quarterback. 

It is not that the country hates him, but most disapprove of the way he has handled the last three years. Those that do not believe that the waffling at least tarnishes how people think of him to a limited degree are not paying attention.

He held multiple franchises hostage with this "will he or won't he" approach to the last several offseasons. 

No one will deny he was (repeat WAS) a good quarterback. His decision making in recent years was certainly a question. Patriots fans will attest to that at the end of last season's final game with Miami.

Giants fans will point to how he gave them a spot in the Super Bowl. It was time to go, and it was time to go a few years ago. 

Enjoy retirement, Brett. Now, please, go away. 

On to the notes. 

Tuesday Rewind

• Do not believe the initial reports regarding Cliff Lee potentially heading to Boston. Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe reported on her Twitter feed that WEEI had their account hacked and the report was posted. Unfortunately for owners, it may be a little while longer before they see wins develop out of the solid numbers.
• Jonathan Papelbon wasted a decent start for those that went with Clay Buchholz last night. Papelbon gave up three runs in the ninth inning to allow the A's to tie the game before they won it in extra innings. Sure, some were dribblers, but Papelbon continues to allow base runners on a regular basis. This is what happens when you play with fire that often.
• Looks like Randy Johnson will be shelved until September with a slightly torn rotator cuff. He will not be able to throw for at least three weeks, putting him towards the end of August to then get ready to get back on a mound. Jonathan Sanchez is likely to continue to get the starts in the short-term for the Giants.
• Todd Wellemeyer has been removed from the St. Louis rotation. Anyone looking at his 5.79 ERA has to wonder what took the Cardinals so long to make the adjustment. Wellemeyer will pitch out of the bullpen while he works on adjusting and executing his pitches. Mitchell Boggs will take Wellemeyer's start on Friday. Boggs has given up just one run in his last three minor league starts.
• Continuing the pitching trail here, Chien-Ming Wang will have season-ending shoulder surgery today. Some might argue that his fantasy season ended somewhere around the middle of April, but this just gives it final confirmation. Wang should be ready for the start of next season, and cannot be worse than he was this year...right?
• Roy Oswalt left last night's game with what is being diagnosed as a strained lower back injury. Oswalt said he felt a twinge during his last start and it was noticed again during the second inning of this start. He is likely to have his next turn skipped, but nothing is certain at this point.
• The addition of Matt Holliday in St. Louis means that there will only be one spot to play Rick Ankiel and Colby Rasmus. While Rasmus has been on the bench lately and Ankiel has been hot, the Cardinals will certainly look to make sure that Rasmus gets his at-bats. This could be an out-and-out timeshare going forward the rest of the season and owners should be aware.
• Nyjer Morgan continues to produce for the Nationals. Since joining the team, Morgan is hitting .388 and has stolen 12 bases in 16 attempts. Is this pace likely to continue? Probably not, but owners need to capitalize quickly and take advantage of the short-term gains that are possible. He should provide speed regardless, and is almost a certainty to still 10 to 15 more bases this season after grabbing his 30th last night.
• Aramis Ramirez continues to swing a strong bat, and is now seven for his last 12. Ramirez's shoulder was a concern as he came off the DL, but with the way he is swinging the bat owners should not be as worried. His .462 average over the last week is one of the better marks across all of baseball.

Wednesday Notes

• Brad Penny has been hit or miss for most of the season, but enters tonight's start with a 5-1 record at home. His ERA is not spectacular, sitting at 4.02, but his recent numbers are not horrible. In three of his last six at home, he has allowed no earned runs. In five of the six he has allowed three or fewer earned runs. In deep leagues, facing a weak hitting lineup, Penny is not a bad option.
• 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.
• As dominant as Tim Lincecum has been, check out Matt Cain. In Cain's last 10 starts, only twice has he allowed more than one earned run. Still, if Freddy Sanchez can get himself into the lineup he is worth the start. Sanchez is 7-for-16 against Cain. Outside of this, do not go looking for the Pirates to bail you out.
• 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.
• The Padres have activated David Eckstein, and he makes a good play against Aaron Harang. The Padres infielder has gone 15-for-39 against Harang. Adrian Gonzalez continues to remain a strong play, and he is 5-for-14 with two home runs against Harang for his career.
• As good as Joel Pineirohas 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.
• While it is very likely that you do not have a better option for Justin Morneau, just note that he is only 4-for-29 against Jose Contreras. Michael Cuddyer has struggled as well, going 5-for-26. Jason Kubel, though, is 6-for-14, and your other Twins should be started as normal in the matchup against Chicago.
• 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.
• Keep an eye on Kenshin Kawakami. His numbers continue to reflect some poor early outings, but he has kept opponents to three earned or less (usually over six innings) in eight of his last ten starts. He has been very good in his last two, and the Marlins have the ballpark that could help him pitch well even without getting a win.
• 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.
• Spot Starts: Pineiro, Randy Wells, J.A. Happ

Thursday Notes

• Owners might want to look away from Jim Thome against Andy Pettitte. Thome has put up zero home runs in 25 at-bats against the Yankees starter, and has hit just .240. Start all others as you normally would, specifically Paul Konerko. Konerko has hit .367 in his time against Pettitte.
• Derrek Lee is only 3-for-33 against Russ Ortiz. That is right, three hits against Ortiz. Does not make a whole lot of sense, but the stats do not lie. Your usual Cubs make good plays otherwise, and there should be no concerns in starting them. Another good matchup for Koyie Hill. Though limited, he is 4-for-7 against Ortiz.
• Great stat from ESPN on this one: Jorge De La Rosa was 0-6 and had a 5.43 ERA on May 31st. He has gone 8-1 in the nine starts since with 55 strikeouts to 21 walks in 56.1 innings. He gets a struggling Mets team, and is sporting a .244 BAA on the road. Look to him for the spot start.
• Orlando Cabrera is 6-for-13 against Jon Lester, and is the only Oakland starter to consider in this one. Bobby Crosby and Jack Cust have each gone 1-for-11, and Mark Ellisis just 2-for-12. Lester has been nearly unhittable in July and is averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
• If you are going to look to use Jonathan Sanchez, at home is the place to do so. Sanchez is 3-1 at home with a 3.27 ERA in ten games there this season. Batters are only hitting .217 against him in San Francisco, and just .133 against him for the month of July (granted, slightly skewed by a no-hitter).
• Spot Starts: De La Rosa, Brad Bergesen, Kyle Lohse.

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.