Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

The day before a break is always the toughest. Heading out on vacation this weekend and I will be in the San Francisco area next week. Already got tickets for the Giants-Diamondbacks game on Wednesday, and I am decidedly irritated that the Dan Haren-Matt Cain matchup is on Tuesday. Doug Davis-Jonathan Sanchez does not have quite the same ring.

Honestly, the fact that there will be leg room is going to be the best part. While others are fighting to save Fenway Park, those that are in the disagreeing minority need to take them to places such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit (Comerica is phenomenal), or Seattle. Like it or not, these newer stadiums provide amazing sight lines without poles in full view.

Even better, seats do not face left or right field. They all face home plate. A novel concept for those that have sat in the grandstands in Boston. Of course, the cupholders are usually a nice touch as well. As are the aisles on each side of the sections.

Anyway, no notes next week. There will be Twitter updates, though, so be sure to play along there.

On to the notes.

Thursday Rewind

• As the series against Toronto has proven, Victor Martinez continues to be the best offensive catcher on the Red Sox. Owners should expect that, down the stretch, he is catching at least three out of five games a week while playing first in another. With the struggles of Jason Varitek at the plate, Martinez's bat has been a boost to the lineup. Terry Francona cannot afford to keep it on the bench.
• Nelson Cruz returned to the Rangers last night, and hit a home run. Cruz went 1-for-5 in his return, but the swing he put on the ball to hit it out was a good sign. After the ankle injury sidelined him, any power shown is a good thing as far as health and drive in the swing is concerned. It is safe to get him back into your lineup.
• It is not likely you will get tremendous power from him, but it was certainly nice to see the home run by Drew Stubbs yesterday to give the Reds a win. Stubbs is going to be most useful for his speed, and any power would simply be gravy. Deep leagues that are looking for the impact of someone similar to Andrew McCutchen should look to add the speedy outfielder.
• The Mets released Livan Hernandez yesterday to make room to activate Billy Wagner off the DL. Wagner pitched one inning last night, and hit as high as 96mph with his fastball. In place of Hernandez, the Mets will look to start Tim Redding over the weekend.
• Justin Morneau returned to Minnesota yesterday and missed his third game in a row. Morneau is experiencing complications from an inner ear infection and will see a specialist on Friday. No certainties as to if he will be available at all this weekend. Owners that need some help should give Casey Blake and Billy Butler a look over the weekend. Butler has hit five home runs in the last 30 days to go with a .312 average.
• Wandy Rodriguez continued his dominance at home. Rodriguez went eight innings last night, picking up the win without giving up an earned run to the Marlins. The home-road splits on Rodriguez are tough to fathom, but much of his road struggles can be traced back to one or two horrible outings. Lefties continue to struggle against him, down to just .195 on the season.
• After getting a few days off to rest his legs, J.D. Drew has actually acted like he knows how to hit. Drew has pushed his average up 14 points since Aug. 7, and is now eight for his last 20. His four RBI last night were the most since 2008, and his spot in the lower portion of the lineup may be helping to take some pressure off of him.
• Marlon Byrd is now eight for his last 19, including three multiple hit games in his last five. Byrd hit two home runs yesterday to help power the Rangers, giving him 14 on the season to go with a .287 average. Byrd is getting virtually every day playing time and owners would be wise to look at him to build some outfield depth.
• Kenshin Kawakami was able to beat the Mets last night, improving his August numbers to 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 26.1 innings of work. In his four starts this month, the Braves are 3-1. With Tim Hudson set to come back, the question becomes as to if he has done enough to keep his spot in the rotation.

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.
• There have been three games this season where a team has stolen eight or more bases. In two of those games, Brad Penny has been on the mound. Penny simply has no clue how to hold runners on. It is to the point that he almost ignores them in order to force himself to throw strikes. The Yankees do not run much, but expect Derek Jeter and others to take advantage of the situation.
• 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 if you have better options.
• Ivan Rodriguez, Ian Kinsler, and Michael Young are all just 2-for-16 against Scott Kazmir. For what it is worth, Kazmir has lowered his ERA but over a run and a half in his last 10 starts. When your ERA is still over 6.00, that may not be the biggest deal, though. Still, he pitched well in his only other outing against the Rangers this season, allowing just one earned run in five innings of work.
• 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.
• Careful using your Cubs today against Randy Wolf. Wolf has held Aramis Ramirez to 5-for-22 and Ryan Theriot to 3-for-14. Alfonso Soriano is hitting .250, but does have two home runs against Wolf. For his part, Wolf has only allowed more than three earned runs one in his last 10 starts and is 1-0 against the Cubs this season.
• 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.
• At home, Gavin Floyd is a solid play. The starter is 5-2 in Chicago over his 11 starts while holding opponents to a .210 average. Floyd's home ERA is 2.38 in 2009 and in his last four outings his ERA is 1.91. The Orioles have not been hitting well overall this season, and this is a good matchup for him. At 55 percent owned in ESPN leagues, he is a good grab tonight.
• 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.
• The Phillies have had decent numbers against Mike Pelfrey. Look for them to find a way to get Greg Dobbs into the lineup. Dobbs is 6-for-11 with a home run against Pelfrey. Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins have struggled. Victorino is 4-for-17 and Rollins is just 3-for-15 against the Mets starter.
• Spot Starts: Randy Wells, Randy Wolf, Luke French, Gavin Floyd

Weekend Notes

• A.J. Burnett has been awful at Fenway Park this season. In two starts, he has worked a combined 7.2 innings while giving up 13 hits, 11 earned runs, and three home runs. The Red Sox as a team do not have good numbers against Burnett, and he did handle them at Yankee Stadium last time out. Just be warned.
• Whether or not it makes any sense, owners cannot ignore the home record of John Lannan. The Nationals starter will enter Saturday's game with a 5-1 record at home to go with a 1.98 ERA. His last four home starts cover 31 innings show an ERA of 1.74 in that span. Deep leagues could use these stats against the Brewers.
• It is that time of week again. Time to harp on Jorge De La Rosa's lack of ownership. The Rockies starter has won eight of his last nine starts and is 2-1 in August with a 3.93 ERA. That number includes a disaster of an outing against Philadelphia. Outside of allowing seven runs there, De La Rosa has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of eight outings.
• Owners should look away from Brandon Phillips against Zach Duke. Phillips is 1-for-14 against the Pittsburgh starter, but is the only one with enough of a track record to cause concern. Duke has pitched well at home, posting a 3.31 ERA. The only question will be run support. That is evident by the 6-5 record he has at home so far in 2009.
• Both Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton are red-hot against Tim Lincecum. Tulowitzki is 5-for-14 with a home run against the starter while Helton is 7-for-11 with a home run and three walks. Look to keep both of them active despite the status of Lincecum as a pitcher.
• Some matchups are just odd. Pedro Feliz is 1-for-19 against Oliver Perez and Ryan Howard is only 3-for-24. Jimmy Rollins is 8-for-26 with two home runs. Perez may not be a start, especially in dealing with a knee injury, but you may want to avoid the two matchups here if you have the options.
• Owners should shy away from Joe Crede and Jason Kubel against Brian Bannister. Both are hitting only .200 against the Royals starter. Outside of these two, all your Twins should be in the lineup for this matchup. Bannister is 0-2 against the Twins this season with a 5.40 ERA.
• While Josh Beckett has been solid throughout most of the season, look to use Melky Cabrera, Jorge Posada, and even Nick Swisher against him. Cabrera and Posada are both well above .300, and Swisher checks in at .294. He is still 8-0 at home this season with a 2.58 ERA.
• Spot Starts: John Lannan, Jorge De La Rosa, Tommy Hunter, Pedro Martinez, Scott Feldman

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.