Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

While the allure of Starbucks continues to make perfect sense, Dunkin' Donuts is certainly still the go-to place in the New England area for coffee. Maybe it has something to do with the much faster paced lifestyle that this region has when compared to the lack-of-Dunkin' areas of California. 

Sure, there is something nice about your "barista" knowing what you want when you walk in. There is something equally depressing about forking over more than two dollars for a large coffee though.

Add in when you lose one Dunkin' inn, the rear view mirror of another one is coming up in front of you, and it becomes easier to understand the obsession New England has with this brand. 

Which brings us to this morning. Each day, the order placed from this writer is the exact same: large hot coffee, skim milk, no sugar. Make your jokes now about the milk and the sugar. 

Done? Good. 

The time of arrival is almost exactly the same each day, and this particular shop does not have a drive thru, meaning you have to go inside. With standing meetings at 8 AM, sometimes there is a particular rush to get in and get out. Aimee, who regularly is at the counter, watched me walk in and immediately got the coffee ready despite my being nearly 10 people deep. 

Were others irritated? Probably. But it is that kind of experience that makes you go back to different places. At Dunkin', it also is the type of service that makes you leave a tip more than change. 

So, thanks, Aimee. You got me to work on time and made me feel important, if only for a couple seconds. 

On to the notes. 

Tuesday Rewind

• Everyone came out of a crowded bullpen for Baltimore last night, as the Red Sox offense broke out. Dustin Pedroia was riding a 3-for-26 slump before hitting two home runs last night. That marked his first multi-home run game of his career. The Red Sox hit six home runs in all, including the 20th by J.D. Drew. Want some thoughts on Drew the rest of the year? Click here.
• Tim Lincecum missed his start last night with back spasms and was replaced by highly-touted rookie Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner left in line for a win, and did not disappoint in his debut. He gave up a couple home runs, but the Giants certainly must be encouraged by what they saw in this outing.
• Carlos Beltran was (finally) activated by the Mets. The outfielder has been sidelined the majority of the season with various injuries, the most major of which was a bone bruise on his knee. Owners should not expect too much out of him, but it certainly is a positive to have him back in the lineup. Daily leagues that do not need him should hold off a few more games and see if he is able to play consecutive days prior to starting him.
• Looking for some saves? Check out Philadelphia. Charlie Manuel has backed off his support of Brad Lidge as closer, according to reports. Lidge has certainly struggled, and he was removed from the game last night after loading the bases. Deeper leagues should grab Ryan Madson for some sporadic saves.
• Manny Parra was removed from last night's game after just one inning after suffering neck spasms. Parra had pitched well against the Cardinals this season, so they likely were happy to see him off the mound that early in the matchup. Parra is of no concern outside of NL-only leagues or matchup plays, but this likely means a return to the rotation for Carlos Villanueva.
• Troy Tulowitzki is listed as day-to-day with his back issues, and was out of the lineup last night. The shifts put Eric Young at second base for the first time in his short career. Any added eligibility for Young heading in to next season would be a good thing. As Tulo sits, the speedster could rack up enough games in some leagues to have it added.
• Javier Vazquez continues to put together solid outings. While he has had trouble against the Marlins, giving up 10 runs in his last 12 innings against them, Vazquez continues to be strong away from home. This season he is 8-2 on the road with a 3.05 ERA. We often do not speak of him in terms of aces to draft high because of his ERA. He now, though, has struck out at least 200 batters in each of the last three seasons.
• Another not-too-sexy name is Marlon Byrd. The Texas outfielder went 7-for-9 in the double-header yesterday, and now has a hit in six consecutive games. Byrd is just under 10 percent owned, but stands a shot at passing 20 home runs (currently at 16) and 85 RBI (currently at 72).
• Troy Glaus has seen some sporadic time in the lineup for the Cardinals with Mark DeRosa's back problems. Glaus is not a material fantasy impact in any format, but it is good to see he is healthy. DeRosa owners should also anticipate some days off for him, especially where St. Louis is running away with the division.

Wednesday Notes

• Do not look for much help from the Brewers against Adam Wainwright. Prince Fielder is only 5-for-24 and even Ryan Braun is 6-for-25. Given that two shortstops are up, bet on J.J. Hardy being on the bench. Against Wainwright he is only 5-for-26. Just not good enough to start.
• The fact that the Yankees are playing some weird game with Joba Chamberlain's innings should have owners dropping him. Chamberlain has gone just three innings in each of his last two outings. There is certainly a limit being placed on him, and if he is going to be held to this total, his value is minimal.
• Casey Blake, Manny Ramirez, and Andre Ethier are all solid bets against Dan Haren. Ramirez is 13-for-24 with two home runs against the Arizona ace. If you can avoid Rafael Furcal and Russell Martin, you should do so. Neither have been able to break above the Mendoza line against Haren.
• Ricky Nolasco has had issues with Mets in two earlier starts this season, and the team that will face him has hit him well. David Wright is a .419 hitter with three home runs in 31 at-bats. If the Mets use Beltran in back-to-back games, he is .321 against Nolasco. Nolasco is just 5-4 on the road with a 5.45 ERA.
• Adrian Beltre has done nothing but struggle against Jered Weaver. Beltre is a .212 hitter in 33 at-bats and does not have a home run. Who could be a sleeper play for owners? Check out Kenji Johjima. The catcher is 12-for-29 against Weaver lifetime.
• Wandy Rodriguez has gone 29 innings over his last four home starts and allowed just one earned run in that time. Batters are hitting only .211 against him in his own ballpark, and the 8-2 record shows his complete dominance. There are very few pitchers that have the stats up front to be a better start today.
• Get Billy Butler in you lineups against Justin Verlander. Butler has two home runs and is 10-for-23 against the Detroit pitcher. Otherwise, there is not much to speak of in terms of offense for Kansas City. While Verlander has a 4.14 ERA on the road, he has been too good lately to risk loading any sort of lineup with reaches from Kansas City.
• Continuing with some dominant starters, Scott Feldman needs to be discussed as well. The Texas starter is 11-1 on the road this season with a 2.80 ERA. Feldman has allowed just one run over his last 19.1 innings of work. He grabbed a win against Cleveland once already this season, giving up one run over six innings.
• If you were told that Barry Zito had not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last 10 starts, would you buy it? He has been that good since the All-Star break, and owners are starting to take notice. Zito is 0-3 this season against the Padres, but chalk it up to him being due.
• Spot Starts: Barry Zito, Jeff Niemann, Trevor Cahill

Thursday Notes

• Sometimes things just do not make sense. Joe Blanton is 0-1 in three starts against the Nationals this season, allowing them to hit .323 against him in 15.1 innings. Ryan Zimmerman has had the most fun, going 7-for-14 with two home runs against the Philadelphia starter.
• While owners should look to keep Ichiro, Kenji Johjima, and Jose Lopez active against John Lackey, look to sit Adrian Beltre. Beltre is only 9-for-41, good for a .191 average, against Lackey. The others are all hitting well above .320. Lackey has given up 17 hits in 12.1 innings to the Mariners this season.
• Another pitcher with back issues should be able to make his start on Thursday. Roy Oswalt has not had much luck this season, but is expected to take the mound. Oswalt has had good success against Chipper Jones, but look to use both Adam LaRoche and Nate McLouth. Both have good numbers.
• After missing a start with knee issues, Jarrod Washburn will take the mound against the Royals. His last start against Kansas City was his best as a Tiger. He held the Royals without a run over eight innings of work. In four of his six starts with Detroit, he has allowed at least five earned runs. Still, the bad offense should do his numbers good.
• Spot Starts: Brett Cecil, Ryan Rowland-Smith

Collin Hager writes The Elmhurst Pub fantasy blog. You can get your questions answered by sending an e-mail to [e-mail]. He's also on Twitter @TheRoundtable.