Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

It is never easy watching one of the best in any game struggle. There is a reason we all wanted to watch Brett Favre ride off into the sunset. The same is true with the last reincarnation of Michael Jordan. When a legend struggles, it becomes very hard to watch. 

John Smoltz has hit that point. Last night, Smoltz was effective one time through the order, but the Yankees seemed to put solid swings on him in each subsequent at-bat. Smoltz thrived in Atlanta because he had the uncanny ability to put the ball where he wanted when he wanted. This version of Smoltz cannot do that. 

While some could argue that the ballpark last night is conducive to home runs, the shot by Johnny Damon was a fastball up in the zone over the middle of the plate. The same happened on the absolute blast by Melky Cabrera. Alex Rodriguez just missed a home runs, and the number of wall balls was too high to count. 

Batters are not afraid standing in the box against the former ace. They get comfortable, and almost know what is coming. The fastball no longer tips the scale at 94 or 95 mph. Now, it is in the low-90s.

That means you cannot afford to make a mistake with that against a professional. His slider does not have the same bite, never seeming to start in the zone to deceive a hitter. 

Smoltz has worked hard to make an attempt to get back, but he has yet to have a quality start in his time with the Red Sox. He has not faced good enough lineups (last night excluded) to allow that to happen. 

This was a worthwhile experiment, but the time has come to cut the cord. Fans should never forget what Smoltz accomplished, and should not let this last go round tarnish their memories. Still, before it gets worse, the legend needs to walk away. 

On to the notes. 

Thursday Rewind

• The Red Sox failed to capitalize last night as much as anything. The Yankees walked 11 batters last night, but only one managed to cross the plate. The strand rate was astronomical. Boston was an alarming 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position, and not one bat in the lineup came through when the hits were truly needed.
• Couple more stats from this game. David Ortiz is now one for his last 19 after an 0-for-5 last night that saw him hit with runners in scoring position every time up. Jacoby Ellsbury is three for his last 17 after going 1-for-6 in the matchup against the Yankees. Jorge Posada, who hit a grand slam last night, is now hitting .400 against the Red Sox this season.
• Those of you that enjoyed the run Chad Gaudin was on for the Padres should likely look elsewhere. Gaudin was traded to the Yankees yesterday, and is likely headed for the bullpen at least in the short run. Gaudin had put together some nice stats for deep league owners, but still had an ERA over 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.53 this season. That was at Petco; he is now going to be pitching in an airport. Not likely those numbers get better.
• The White Sox are bringing Jake Peavy to Chicago to throw a side session on Saturday. If all goes according to plan, Peavy will then have three rehab starts. The White Sox are projecting an August 28th at the earliest, but no later than September 3rd. Owners that have held on to him should take note.
• As expected, Justin Upton was placed on the disabled list yesterday with an oblique injury. Upton injured the muscle while trying to steal a base on Wednesday and is expected to need 10-14 days to recover. Manager A.J. Hinch believes that this is the best case scenario.
• Torii Hunter failed a strength test and has had his rehab assignment pushed back as a result. He will continue to stay with the team in Anaheim and work out there to gain strength. No new date has been set for the rehab assignment, but Hunter does feel that he could play now if he were pressed in to service.
• Nelson Cruz is only likely to see pinch-hitting duty over the weekend against the Angels. Cruz hurt his ankle on the final play the other night, and has had problems with swelling. Ankle sprains are always tough, and Cruz, like most hitters, generates tremendous power from his legs.
• Geovany Soto is expected to return from the DL today, after suffering an oblique strain of his own. Soto still has not done much catching and has only played in three minor league games on his rehab assignment. Those in daily leagues may want to wait and see how he reacts to full-out catching duty. It is likely he gets at least one day off this weekend, anyway.
• Cliff Lee scattered six hits over seven innings to record the win against the Rockies yesterday. Lee gave up just one earned run in the victory, continuing to pitch like he did in Cleveland. The major difference for Lee is going to be run support, as in he actually should get some with the Phillies.

Friday Notes

• The Yankees have hit Josh Beckett well, even thought the Red Sox starter has gone 2-0 against them this season. Start all Yankees that you normally would in this one. Even a reach or two would not necessarily be a bad play. Only two potential starters are below .293 against Beckett, and they are Hideki Matsui (4-for-20) and Mark Teixeira (2-for-13).
• The Red Sox have had mixed results against A.J. Burnett. It is likely that Josh Reddick is in the lineup with Jason Bay sidelined, and he could be worth a shot in AL-only formats. Mike Lowell has gone just 4-for-20. Keep David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis around, and J.D. Drew has hit .300.
• Joe Blanton has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts, and has only done so twice in his last ten. Blanton has been able to do so by controlling his walks. He has put just two on base via the walk in his last 29.1 innings of work. Blanton has one win against the Marlins this season, and is a decent start at home. Keep Nick Johnson in lineups, as he is 5-for-10 against Blanton.
• Outside of Jhonny Peralta, there is not much in terms of offense for the Indians against Mark Buehrle. While Peralta has hit .283 with two home runs in 53 at-bats, Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner are both at .220 in over 50 at-bats. Sizemore has four home runs in 59 trips to the plate, but has not produced beyond the home runs.
• Ubaldo Jimenez is a solid spot start option today. At home, he has gone 4-4 with a 3.99 ERA, but his problems have only really come against the Dodgers when in Colorado. The Rockies starter has been remarkably consistent of late. He has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last five starts while getting through the sixth inning in all of those outings.
• Joe Saunders has faced the Rangers twice this season and been hit hard both times. In nine total innings, he has given up 15 runs on 14 hits. The Rangers have lit him up for seven home runs. These two losses and to the 4.63 ERA he has had against the Rangers since 2006. Start your Rangers, avoid Saunders.
• Batters continue to struggle against Kevin Correia at home. To date, opponents are hitting only .230 against him inside Petco Park. While he is more useful in deeper leagues, the Mets have such a stagnant offense that he could help in nearly any format today.
• Paul Maholm has some decent home splits. He has a 3-2 record to go with a 3.62 ERA and .265 BAA. The Cardinals, though, have enjoyed facing him. While Ryan Ludwick is just 2-for-14 and Yadier Molina is 2-for-12, the rest of the Cardinals starters should be in your lineup against Maholm.
• Chris Carpenter has gone 4-2 on the road this season with a 2.47 ERA. His losses have more been due to run support than poor pitching. Carpenter has kept opponents to a .211 average, and has only given up more than three earned runs once in his last ten starts. Add to that he gets to face the Pirates.
• Spot Starts: Ricky Romero, Ubaldo Jimenez, Kevin Correia

Weekend Notes

• As good as we all think C.C. Sabathia is, he still has posted a 4.02 ERA at home this season. In his last few starts, he has given up six runs at home to the Mariners, and five runs each to the White Sox and Rays on the road over his last two outings. Look to avoid Jason Varitek, who is just 1-for-13 against Sabathia, but start all other Red Sox regulars.
• Jered Weaver has been hit harder than some might think in his last few outings. Weaver has given up at least four earned runs in each of his last four outings, and at least three in nine of his last ten. Yes, he is 5-1 during that time, but owners should know that he is not there to help your ERA in many cases. In fact, his ERA has risen from 2.09 on June 14th to 3.79 currently. Make sure to play Hank Blalock, as he is hitting .407 in 27 at-bats against Weaver.
• James Shields has looked good against the Mariners he has faced. Look to avoid the 2-for-15 of Adrian Beltre and the 2-for-12 of Jose Lopez where possible. Shields has had some problems on the road, going just 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA this season, but did pitch well in his only other start against the Mariners this season.
• Justin Verlander toughed it out through eight innings in his last start against the Orioles. No doubt he did not have his best stuff, but this was his first bad outing at home all season. Look to avoid Michael Cuddyer, as he is only 4-for-24 against Verlander, but your normal Twins should otherwise be in the lineup.
• The Brewers continuing to start Manny Parra should tell you exactly how their rotation is doing. The Astros have simply teed off on Parra, hitting .346 against him as a team. They are led by Carlos Lee, who is 7-for-12, but every Astros starter should be active for owners in this matchup.
• Jamie Moyer gets the ball on Sunday, and should rarely be considered a play in any way, shape, or form. That would be true here if he were not facing the Marlins. Moyer is 13-2 against the Marlins going back to 2006, and should be started here for that fact alone. Must be something about the jerseys.
• Andy Pettitte continues to have problems at home, having only gone 4-4 there this season with a 5.28 ERA. While you may want to avoid the .207 average in 29 at-bats of Dustin Pedroia, start every other Red Sox regular in this one. The team has compiled 267 at-bats against Pettitte and has hit .345 against him in that time.
• Facing Scott Baker should keep Magglio Ordonez in the lineup. The outfielder has hit .419 in 31 at-bats against Baker. Look to avoid Placido Polanco if possible. Curtis Granderson has only nine hits in 37 at-bats against the Twins starter, but does have four home runs.
• Be careful with Wandy Rodriguez against the Brewers. Rodriguez is dealing with a hamstring injury, but feels he should be able to go. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday, and that will be the final determination as to if he can start Sunday for Houston.
• Do not overlook Zach Duke on Sunday. Duke is 2-1 against the Cardinals this season, allowing six earned runs in 19.2 innings of work. Add to that, his WHIP in those innings is 1.04. Duke is 6-5 at home this season with a 3.39 ERA overall. It may look like the Cardinals have his number by the stats, but Duke has been tough against them this season.
• Spot Starts: Carl Pavano, Brett Anderson, Mat Latos, Jamie Moyer, Randy Wells, Zach Duke

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.