Fantasy Baseball: Monday News and Notes

The first day back from a vacation is always the most difficult. You never really want to respond to the alarm going off in the first place, let alone get back to the daily grind that is the five-day week. Still, there is always something comforting about knowing that your badge works to allow you into the building that first day.

Even if you feel secure, it is a nice feeling. 

San Francisco is a fantastic city. There are plenty of sites that are worth visiting and seeing in a week's worth of a trip. From Alcatraz to Napa, there seemingly is something for everyone. AT&T Park is one of if not the best parks to watch a game. Anyone still clamoring to save Fenway Park needs to visit.

Ticket holders can walk around the entire park without being stopped to have a ticket checked. Ushers willingly take photos. The food is fantastic. Every seat faces home plate. The list goes on and on. History and nostalgia are nice, but the modern amenities of a park such as AT&T cannot be understated. 

Wine lovers should check out Bin 55 in the Marriott Hotel on Market Street. Look for Kevin to be your bartender. He provides fantastic recommendations and knows his stuff. He certainly will make your time at the bar worth the experience. 

On to the notes. 

Weekend Rewind

• Paul Byrd provides limited value beyond AL-only formats, but his performance yesterday against Toronto to go with his final rehab outing in Pawtucket gives him 13 innings of one-run baseball. Byrd is not going to dazzle hitters with speed, but he will be around the plate and not walk many hitters. Deep AL-only leagues should look to him.
• Zack Greinke threw a one-hit shutout yesterday and has now put together two impressive starts in a row. Greinke is going to struggle with wins because of his team, and he will need to throw a lot of innings for the same reason. Still, the consecutive outings are a good sign for owners that have hung on to him.
• Jake Peavy had to be removed from his rehab start over the weekend. The White Sox starter experienced some discomfort in his elbow and will now be examined by the team before anything further is done. The White Sox had been hoping to get him back before the end of August, but even a mid-September return could be in jeopardy.
• Quietly, Edgar Renteria is hitting .320 in his last seven games, stretching 25 at-bats. Renteria is not known for his bat as much as his glove, but owners struggling in the middle infield could do worse than grabbing Renteria for some extra depth or to fill-in as needed through the end of the season.
• Tim Wakefield is going to be examined by trainers and will likely have a cortisone shot in his ailing back. Wakefield hopes only to miss the one start before being back in the rotation. This has been a problem for the starter for the last two months, but when healthy he is a good start at home if nothing else.
• Joe Blanton continues to be a model of consistency. Last night, he went seven innings while giving up just one earned run. Blanton has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his last 10 starts. While just 2-2 in August, his ERA for the month settled in at 2.81. He pitches to contact, but has had solid control and walks very few hitters. At 26 percent owned, he is a bargain to grab.
• After being given a routine day off on Saturday, Nelson Cruz returned to hit a home run on Sunday. Cruz's ankle does not seem to be an issue at this point, as he is hitting at a clip very close to where he was prior to the injury. His .266 average should hold at that point over the season's final month, and owners need not be concerned about him missing extended time.
• If you are still looking for some power down the stretch, Garrett Jones remains only 30 percent owned in most formats. Jones hit another home run yesterday, pushing his season total up to 16. While most of these have been of the solo variety, a home run is a home run. In very little time, he could put up more than 20 home runs this season. While he is not likely to hit .290 next season, the power should not disappear.
• Martin Prado has put together a five-game hitting streak that has him with eight hits in his last 21 at-bats. Prado is hitting over .300 on the season, and can provide help in the middle infield for deeper leagues. Prado has very little in terms of power, but he gets on base and can generate runs.

Monday Notes

• For owners that have picked up Ty Wiggington, he is just 2-for-18 against Andy Pettitte in his career. Other Orioles should be good to start. Both Nick Markakis and Adam Jones have good numbers against the lefty. Keep in mind that Pettitte is 3-0 in August and is 6-2 on the road this season.
• While Gavin Floyd left his last start against Boston with some pain in his hip, he is expected to make his start today against the Twins. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer have had their issues against the White Sox starter, as both are below. 240 against him. Otherwise, no concerns in your regular Twins.
• In 39 at-bats, Alfonso Soriano does have three home runs against Roy Oswalt, but he is also hitting only .231. Kosuke Fukudome is just 2-for-13, but the Cubs in general are solid against Oswalt. Oswalt left his last start against the Cubs after just 1.2 innings, but is 0-1 against them in his other two starts this season.
• Joe Saunders has come back to earth this season, but he is 2-0 against the Mariners with a 0.64 ERA in those starts. Saunders has owned the AL West outside of Texas this season, and makes a solid spot start coming off his five-inning outing last time out. Deep league owners should look to him here.
• Randy Wolf has gone 2-0 against Arizona this season, and the team is hitting just .194 against him. Most of the Arizona lineup has collected only one or two hits against him. That includes Mark Reynolds. Reynolds is just 2-for-16 against the Dodgers starter. In a small sample, Stephen Drew is only 1-for-10.
• Paul Maholm is a completely different pitcher on the road than he is at home. Maholm is just 3-5 on the road this season and has an ERA of 6.01 in those starts. Brandon Phillips has owned Maholm, hitting him to the tune of .355 in 31 at-bats with three home runs.
• Josh Johnson did not have his best outing of the season his last time out, but his numbers have been positive against the Braves. Brian McCann is hitting just .204 in 24 at-bats against the Marlins starter and Ryan Church is only 2-for-11. Look to regulars like Chipper Jones, but this is not a spot to reach.
• You should look to start most of your White Sox against Nick Blackburn. Carlos Quentin, A.J. Pierzynski, Jim Thome, and Alexei Ramirez all have put up good numbers against Blackburn. Look to avoid Paul Konerko, as he is only 3-for-23 against the Twins pitcher.
• Curtis Granderson is just 1-for-12 against James Shields in his career, and Aubrey Huff is just 8-for-34 against him. Huff has hit three home runs in his appearances. Otherwise, your Tigers will be set to go in this one.
• Spot Starts: Saunders, Wolf, Floyd

Tuesday Notes

• The trade of Scott Kazmir means that Andy Sonnanstine will get the ball for the Rays in the opener of the series against the Red Sox. Expect Mike Lowell to be in the lineup for this one, as he is 7-for-17 against Sonnanstine. It could be that Kevin Youkilis gets the night off with his 3-for-15 mark.
• At-bats might not be many, but Luke Scott is 5-for-10 against A.J. Burnett in his career. Otherwise, there are not many bright spots in the Orioles lineup for this one. Play your stars as you normally would, but do not reach deep in the lineup here.
• Despite some rough outings in his last three, Edwin Jackson is still 6-1 at home this season. Jackson has given up nine earned runs in his last 18.1 innings of work, but two of those starts have come on the road. Do not lose faith in Jackson, but continue to understand that he is either feast or famine.
• The Mariners have not had much to show in their at-bats against Ervin Santana. Santana has held Franklin Gutierrez to a 1-for-13 mark, and Jose Lopez is only a .222 hitter in 36 at-bats. It is likely that Adrian Beltre will be ready to come off the DL, but he is just a .216 hitter against Santana.
• Want to get a jump on other owners in deeper and NL-only leagues? Tim Hudson will get the ball for the Braves against the Marlins on Tuesday. Hudson has had a solid come back from surgery. Not a bad team for him to come back against. While Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez have hit .310 against him, the other Marlins should be kept on the bench.
• Spot Starts: Clayton Richard, Randy Wells, Tim Hudson

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.