Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

When the Red Sox have an off night in the Boston area, it usually makes the drive in to work the next morning slightly intolerable. Sports radio has less to talk about, and the big debate in the area outside of baseball has centered around Michael Vick and whether he should be a Patriot. 

Nevermind that Vick has not set foot inside the state of Massachusetts, fans still have this desire to take Tom Brady off the field. Fans of every other team in football should thank them if they make that call. It may make the Patriots more dangerous, but what player do you want on the field throwing passes: Vick or Brady? 

It is not to say that Vick would not be an asset; he certainly would. Just not in the same manner as if he were to be on the field for more than five to 10 plays a game. There are plenty of other options out there that would afford him more playing time.  

Maybe there is not a team willing to give him the chance, and he may only have one or two teams to join at the end of the day. That may sway public opinion one way or another. Still, Patriots fans need to think long and hard about what Vick might mean before they get ready to welcome him to the show. 

Enough football now. 

On to the notes. 

Monday Rewind

• Roy Oswalt will miss his next start. Despite receiving an injection in his lower back after his last outing, Oswalt tightened up during a bullpen session yesterday. The news pushes him out until early next week. Keep an eye on the situation to ensure that he is still able to throw come the beginning of the week.
• The Mets received good news regarding Carlos Beltran. ESPN reports that Beltran was able to take fly balls in the outfield with only limited problems in his legs. Beltran took batting practice on Saturday, and feels he should be back in about two weeks. While Carlos Delgado took batting practice, he still has no timetable for his return.
• Edinson Volquez's season is officially over. The Reds starter had Tommy John surgery yesterday and will be sidelined a year. Volquez had problems with his elbow off and on over the course of the season, and ultimately needed to be shut down entirely. Remember August next season for a chance to add this type of pitcher to your lineup, but he is likely to be most effective again come 2011.
• Zack Greinke was completely roughed up by the Rays yesterday. Greinke gave up six runs over five innings while allowing 10 hits and three walks. Yes, he did strike out nine batters, but nothing about the performance was good. Should this linger? No. Owners, though, should note that Greinke is now winless in his last six starts.
• Mark Reynolds had no problems hitting home runs at Citi Field. Reynolds launched two bombs yesterday and now has 32 home runs on the season—32! The Diamondbacks' infielder is hitting .279 and now draws a Pittsburgh team that he has gone 7-for-15 against so far this season.
• Corey Hart was placed on the DL by the Brewers seemingly just as he was starting to find any sort of rhythm at the plate. Hart had multiple hits in three of his last four games, working at least one in six of his last seven. Bill Hall was recalled to replace Hart on the roster. Limited fantasy impact here, as Hall had been hitting just .201 this season.
• Randy Wells improved to 8-1 in his last nine starts, shutting down the Reds last night with another impressive performance. Wells has now allowed two earned runs or less in six of his last 10 starts, lowering his ERA this season to 2.73. The rookie pitcher continues to work ahead in the count, walking just 23 batters in 102.1 innings this season.
• Mat Latos pitched well enough against the Braves to record his third win of the season against one loss. Latos worked seven innings, allowing only two runs on six hits and two walks. His command has been relatively solid, walking just over two batters per nine innings. In a big ballpark, even without run support, Latos can provide decent peripheral stats to be owned in deeper leagues.
• So, maybe, the Rangers will be looking to get Frank Francisco back to the closer's role sooner rather than later. After a solid performance from Dustin Nippert last night, C.J. Wilson blew a ninth inning lead by allowing three runs to Oakland in taking the loss. Wilson was one of the shakier closers last season, so the move back for Francisco should not take long.

Tuesday Notes

• The numbers Boston has put up against Matt Garza are just not pretty. Beyond Jacoby Ellsbury and Victor Martinez, not one Red Sox starter is hitting above .222 against Garza. Look to avoid this one as much as possible, even for those you would never sit.
• The Rays have actually hit pretty well against Jon Lester. Jason Bartlett has gone 7-for-15, and Evan Longoria has five hits in 12 at-bats including a home run. B.J. Upton would be the only major concern, having gone 5-for-21 against the lefty. Lester is 0-2 against the Rays this season with an ERA over 12.00 in less than ten innings of work.
• Adam Lind has gone just 2-for-12 against Andy Pettitte, Aaron Hill is 3-for-17, and Lyle Overbay is only 2-for-24. While Pettitte has struggled at home, he has pitched much better on the road this season overall. He is 4-2 away from home with a 3.42 ERA. These three Blue Jays are the only major issues, but Pettitte is not a bad reach in deeper leagues.
• Robinson Cano has really struggled against Roy Halladay. Cano is only 7-for-38 against Halladay, but does have two home runs in those at-bats. Jerry Hairston is only 2-for-18, and Mark Teixeira has gone 6-for-26. No other major red flags otherwise, so play all other Yankees as you normally would.
• Might want to look away from Jim Thome tonight. Thome is 0-for-15 against John Lackey. Jermaine Dye is not a whole lot better, having gone just 8-for-41 (.195) against the Angels starter. Lackey has been very strong over his last four outings, giving up only five earned runs in 30.2 innings of work.
• Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore have simply raked against Scott Baker. Hafner is hitting .476 with four home runs in 21 at-bats against the Minnesota starter. Sizemore does not have a home run, but has gone 12-for-31. Jhonny Peralta has struggled the most, hitting just .212 against Baker.
• Jamie Moyer has been hit or miss in his last four starts, but the Rockies have hit him well in limited plate appearances. While Ryan Spilborghs has been relegated to a reserve role lately, he is 4-for-9 against Moyer with two home runs. Might be a good spot to use him if he is still on your roster. Moyer has gone every other outing in terms of pitching well, and would be due for a rough one here by the pattern (real technical analysis there).
• Look to Alfonso Soriano against Johnny Cueto. He has gone 7-for-15 against the Reds starter with three home runs. Derrek Lee and Ryan Theriot have both gone 8-for-19 as well. Basically, there are not many Cubs that have not hit Cueto will. Look to avoid him if you have better options available.
• If you are looking to the Cardinals to provide offense against Johan Santana, might want to think again. Ryan Ludwick is only 2-for-18, Mark DeRosa is just 1-for-9, and Julio Lugo is only 4-for-25. Santana has been very tough at home, goign 8-2 with a 1.69 ERA. He already has beaten the Cardinals once this season.
• Spot Starts: Jarrod Washburn, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Joel Pineiro

Wednesday Notes

• Francisco Liriano is struggling with a slight forearm injury, but threw an effective bullpen session that leads him to believe he will be able to go against the Indians. Keep the injury in mind before putting him in your lineup though. While Grady Sizemore is just 1-for-11, Liriano is only 3-5 on the road this season with a 5.92 road ERA.
• Vicente Padilla is supposed to take the mound against Oakland, and that should be good for some AL-only owners. Look to use Adam Kennedy and Ryan Sweeney. Sweeney is 6-for-10 against Padilla, while Kennedy is a .308 hitter. Kurt Suzuki should also be in lineups for this one.
• John Lannan's last outing is why it is tough to trust average pitchers. Lannan had gone 23.2 innings and given up just three earned runs in his three starts prior to giving up five against Pittsburgh. In his last 10 starts, he has given up three earned runs or less eight times and was worked into the seventh inning in eight of those starts as well. He has lost once this season to the Marlins, but he still has some minor potential.
• We might see Angel Berroa against the Cardinals and Kyle Lohse. Berroa is 12-for-36 against Lohse in his career. David Wright has gone 7-for-17. Avoid Jeff Francoeur as he is only 1-for-13 against the Cardinals starter. Play the rest of your Mets as normal. Lohse is a tough play on the road, having gone 0-3 this season with an ERA approaching 6.00.
• Doug Davis has been roughed up on the road, going just 2-4 this season with a 4.29 ERA in 10 starts. Still, he has already beaten Pittsburgh once this season, and the Pirates have not hit well against him in their limited at-bats. Davis had a rough outing in Colorado where he gave up eight earned runs, which largely skews his stats.
• Spot Starts: Chad Gaudin, J.A. Happ, Jorge De La Rosa 

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.