Fantasy Baseball: Thursday News and Notes

There is a reason that you cannot bet on certain things. Some stuff is just bound to happen. Vegas will not take a bet on whether or not the sun will come up, or if the Lions will lose at least eight games this year. Certain things are just givens. 

That brings us to Mike Hampton. Hampton has a partially torn rotator cuff, but will not require surgery. Ever wondered why pitchers should not receive heaping contracts? Take a good, long look at Hampton, Denny Neagle, Jason Schmidt, Carl Pavano, and a host of others.  

Pitching is nice, but when you look at how the health of a pitcher can quickly change, the idea of handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to them should cause you to pause. The strain placed on a pitcher's shoulder is hard to imagine. Many do not experience any issues over the course of their career, but the ones that do should serve as cautionary tales. 

Side note, I will be on vacation next week, so you are on your own for the daily notes. 

On to the notes. 

Wednesday Rewind

• John Smoltz signed with the Cardinals yesterday, and the team announced that he will take his first turn in the rotation on Sunday. Smoltz was largely ineffective in working for the Red Sox, but a return to the National League should help him. The bottom of the lineup is very different than it is in the American League, where there are no real batters off. NL-only leagues should watch what he does on Sunday.
• Joey Votto left last night's game with blurred vision. Votto has struggled this season with a variety of ailments, and this is just the latest in a series of issues. Owners should keep an eye on this situation, but it is likely he will not be playing in this afternoon's game against the Giants.
• The Dodgers signed Vicente Padilla to a contract in order to help their depleted starting rotation. Padilla has not pitched since Aug. 5, and will make a start down in AAA before stepping in to the rotation on the 30th of the month. Padilla will replace Hiroki Kuroda in the rotation for the time being.
• Cliff Lee continued an impressive start to his time with the Phillies. The lefty worked all nine innings while allowing only two hits and no earned runs. Lee has allowed just three total runs in his first four starts in the National League. Lee has won his last seven starts going back to his time with Cleveland.
• GM Kevin Towers said it is likely that Mat Latos makes just two more starts for the Padres before he is shut down for the season. Latos will make his final start on the 30th of the month, as the team looks to ensure he does not go over too many innings this season. Owners should be aware.
• David Ortiz hit a home run for the third straight game, taking Roy Halladay deep in the second inning last night. The last time the slugger had home runs in three consecutive games? You have to look back to the summer of 2006. Ortiz has gone deep in three of his last four games, and is hitting .350 in his last six games.
• The surprise pitching duel of the night came between Barry Zito and Bronson Arroyo. Zito worked six innings and gave up just two hits without a run. Arroyo scattered nine hits and a walk over eight innings of work in taking the tough-luck 1-0 loss. Arroyo looked good at home for the first time in four starts.
• Billy Wagner is likely to make his return to the Mets this weekend. It is very likely that it will be nothing more than a couple quick appearances before they look to unload him. The rumors are swirling that the team has already started the waiver paperwork. There is certainly money tied to claiming Wagner, and the Mets will have to help any team that does.
• Ben Zobrist hit his first home run since Aug. 2 last night, and he is now four for his last 10 after an 0-for-11 slide. Zobrist started the season very strong, getting more playing time as a result of injuries. His lack of power has been alarming more at how quickly it has gone away.

Thursday Notes

• Look to avoid Aaron Hill against Jon Lester. Hill is 0-for-14 against the lefty starter with six strikeouts. Adam Lind is not much better, having gone 2-for-14 with eight strikeouts. If you are looking to use anyone in the Toronto lineup, your best and really only bet is Marco Scutaro, as he is a .316 hitter against Lester.
• You might say that Wandy Rodriguez enjoys pitching at home. Batters are hitting just .213 against him at home, and his ERA is 1.92. The 6-2 record does not hurt either. Rodriguez has given up only one earned run in his last 23 innings of work inside his own ballpark.
• While Luke Scott is going to get a fair amount of regular action for the Orioles going forward, he is hitting only .239 in August. He draws James Shields on Thursday, and is just 3-for-16 against the Rays starter. Your other Orioles should be in the lineup if you would normally start them.
• While you might look at the overall numbers of Doug Davis and question him as a start, take note that outside of a start against the Rockies, he has been good on the road. In his last three starts, he has put up a 2.25 road ERA. The Phillies are feast or famine against left-handed pitching, and only hit .251 as a team. In deep leagues, Davis is a decent spot play.
• Whether or not it makes sense, the numbers do not lie. Matt Diaz is 11-for-20 against Johan Santana with a home run. Diaz is getting regular at-bats thanks to the injury to Nate McLouth, and this is a solid opportunity for owners to get him in the lineup. At home, Santana is tough, and he has not given up an earned run to the Braves in 2009.
• Second straight start that will pit Joel Pineiro against the Padres. Pineiro recorded the win against them his last time out, and has pitched well enough on the road to be looked at today. With San Diego's suspect lineup, he is a good deep league option. Pineiro has won five straight decisions over his last seven starts.
• While owners should start Jhonny Peralta and his .400 average against John Lackey, they are best to avoid both Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore if there are better options available. Hafner is 4-for-26 while Sizemore is 3-for-18 against Lackey. Shin-Soo Choo is 4-for-9, but those are limited at-bats to judge.
• Ryan Rowland-Smith has pitched well in his last two starts, despite having some efficiency problems since his recall. Rowland-Smith has walked eight in 31.2 innings of work, but has held batters to a respectable average against him. Lefties are hitting just .194 against him in his limited innings.
• Freddy Sanchez is only 9-for-45 against Aaron Harang based on his time with the Pirates. Harang has done a good job against the Giants he has faced, but owners may want to look at Eugenio Velez and his 4-for-9 numbers against the starter if they need some good at-bats.
• Spot Starts: Doug Davis, Justin Masterson, Joel Pineiro

Friday Notes

• Seems to be a recurring theme, but look to avoid Randy Winn against Aaron Cook. Winn is just 5-for-29 against the Rockies starter. The rest of the lineup, though, remains solid. Cook has struggled with a toe injury, and was roughed up by the Marlins last time out.
• Always nice when the players that hit you hard are all on the DL. Such is the case for Cole Hamels. The Mets that have done well are all on the sidelines for this matchup. No doubt he has been either fantastic or fantastically awful this season, but the matchup against the depleted Mets should work in his favor.
• Andy Pettitte was exceedingly sharp during his last outing against the Red Sox. Pettitte worked seven innings without allowing a run and scattering five hits. While the team has hit him very well, Pettitte is 5-2 on the road this season with a 3.17 ERA. Do not actively avoid your Red Sox, as the numbers are good. Sit Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez if you have better options.
• David DeJesus is a good play against Nick Blackburn. DeJesus is 6-for-12 against the starter, and catcher Miguel Olivo is 6-for-11. The samples are small, but it is evident these two see the ball well against him. Blackburn is 3-6 on the road this season with a 4.44 ERA. He has been destroyed in August, going 0-3 with a 10.45 ERA.
• Anibal Sanchez will return to the Marlins rotation on Friday, and not Saturday as has been initially reported. Sanchez has been injured the better part of the season, but has proven to be effective in the past. Avoid him this time out, but NL-only owners should take note of his start, as he can be a help down the stretch.
• Spot Starts: Randy Wells, Randy Wolf, Luke French

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.