Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

The weather has been all over the place here in New England. After a few days that hovered in the low- to mid-60s, today is going to be close to 80. Friday, though, is going to be back near 60. You wonder why people in this area are always getting sick. No one knows how to dress. They say there are four seasons in New England. Largely, that is true. They just can happen all at once. 

This weekend, though, the escape is on for this writer, as my cousin is getting married down in Charlotte. Talk about extremes of temperature. After leaving here, it is very likely the weather we enter down there will be near 80 for the better part of the weekend. While we suffer in tuxedos. Fantastic. 

Still, there is a certain amount of excitement when it comes to heading down for events such as this. While everyone complains about family, seeing them together under the presence of alcohol can make the time entertaining if nothing else.  

The bride graduated from UNC, which means my brother and myself will be entering the rehearsal wearing Duke gear. Just to start everything off on the right foot. It is only fair after all. It is certain to go over well!

On to the notes. 

Tuesday Rewind

• Got a great stat from Andrew Kneeland this morning on Zack Greinke. The batter with the lowest OPS among those that qualify is Yuniesky Betancourt at .607. Greinke has held the batters he has faced to a number of .612. Virtually, he has turned every hitter into Betancourt. That is simply dominance.
• All good streaks must come to an end, and Jamie Moyer saw his run against the Marlins do just that. Moyer had been 8-0 when pitching on the road against Florida, but last night fell victim. He pitched well, going seven innings and scattering nine hits and a walk to go along with three earned runs.
• Apparently, every pitcher that goes through a run of bad luck has been tipping their pitches. Edwin Jackson seems to have found whatever his problem was in that regard. Jackson shut down the Indians last night, going seven strong innings without giving up a run. He has pitched well against Cleveland all year, so seeing another start before declaring him fixed would be prudent.
• Bobby Jenks is likely done for the season. Jenks pulled a muscle while warming up on Tuesday prior to the game. He has been up and down throughout this year, and this simply ends the frustration most of his owners had with him. Look for Jenks to land somewhere else next year, especially with his potential arbitration award and the rise of Matt Thornton.
• Anibal Sanchez threw a gem of a game against the Phillies in the second portion of the double-header. Sanchez worked eight innings while giving up just two walks and two hits. His problems, on top of injuries, has been pitch counts. That was not the case during this game. He has the potential, just needs to put it all together.
• Good news for the Rockies, as they will get starter Aaron Cook back this weekend to throw against the Cardinals. His start here is not going to be fantasy relevant, mainly because it has been indicated that he will be on a strict pitch count of 70. Keep an eye on this start, as he could get one more before the season ends.
• Still looking for a boost in your offense? Andrew McCutchen has been raking this week and hits very well at home. McCutchen has not hit a home run this week, but is nine for his last 26. With the speed potential as well, owners would be wise to use him as a fill-in at worst when they need to plug a spot.
• It might have taken until September, but Matt Wieters is chewing gum and taking names. In September, Wieters is hitting .358 after going 3-for-5 last night. This is what was expected of him back when he came up, but is now just coming to fruition. Take note, as his production should be at a much higher level in 2010.
• The Red Sox have not announced when Tim Wakefield will make his next start. Wakefield struggled in his outing on Monday against the Royals, and seemed to have as much trouble moving as he did pitching. While Paul Byrd struggled in the first inning last night, he settled down after that. Makes it unlikely that Wakefield will take that spot on Sunday.

Wednesday Notes

• Most of the Yankees have really struggled against Scott Kazmir. Among players with double-digit at-bats, only Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada are hitting above .200 against the lefty. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez are all in the group of prime offenders. Avoid them if you can.
• A.J. Burnett has had his share of troubles with nearly everyone on the road this season, but he has shown some decent mastery of the Angels lineup overall. Look to avoid Torii Hunter in this one, as he is just 2-for-20 against the righty. Vladimir Guerrero is not much better, as he has just nine hits in 46 at-bats. Make sure to start Bobby Abreu, who is 20-for-61.
• Homer Bailey has lowered his ERA nearly two runs since Aug. 1. Bailey is pitching admirably well of late, striking out 39 hitters in his last 39.1 innings of work. He is 2-0 this season against the Pirates. In September, his ERA is just 2.59 in four starts. Good spot option in this matchup.
• While Cole Hamels has been solid this month, he has struggled pitching on the road most of the season. Batters may only hit .232 against him at home, but they hit over .300 against him on the road. His one bad start this month has been on the road, where he gave up four runs on eight hits in six innings to the Astros. Simply be aware.
• While he managed a no-decision last time out, Mark Buehrle has been hit hard this season by the Twins. In five starts, his ERA is 5.28, as he has allowed 17 runs in 29 innings. Given that Joe Mauer is only 7-for-33 against the lefty, it would not be entirely shocking to see Mike Redmond in the lineup. Cannot find anything that says he is injured, and he is a .432 hitter in 37 at-bats against Buehrle.
• Carlos Beltran has hit the ball hard against Tim Hudson. Beltran has hit four home runs as part of his .356 average in 59 at-bats against the Atlanta starter. His All-Star teammate David Wright is just 9-for-41 against Hudson. No other red flags in this matchup. Hudson has pitched well in his return to the rotation, and owners should not hesitate with him here.
• Jason Marquis has been roughed up in September, but the Padres can be good for what ails you. Marquis is 2-1 against San Diego this season, posting a 2.49 ERA in three starts. This is a better matchup for him than you might think, despite the fact San Diego put up five runs on him during his last start.
• Mark Reynolds is just two for his last 23, and he has just three hits in 16 at-bats against Jonathan Sanchez. Reynolds always has home run potential, but if you have a better option today, this might not be a bad spot to use it. Chris Young could be a good toss into your lineups, as he is 6-for-19 against Sanchez.
• Rick Porcello was just out-done his last time out, but he has been a decent start against Cleveland in 2009. Porcello is 2-0 in three starts covering 20 innings against the Indians this year. He has posted a 1.48 ERA while allowing just 14 hits and walking only three. Good enough to earn a nod.
• Spot Starts: Porcello, Bailey, Wade Davis

Thursday Notes

• Bronson Arroyo will get the ball against the Pirates. It cannot be stressed enough how good he has been of late. After starting August with an ERA of 5.10, he now posts a number of 4.04. This late in the season, it takes some good innings and starts to do that. Against Pittsburgh, he is a solid spot start.
• Ignore the last two outings put together by Justin Verlander and take note of the fact that he is 3-0 this season against the Indians. Verlander has thrown 23 innings against Cleveland and allowed only nine hits and one earned run. Avoid as many of your Indians as you can in this matchup.
• J.A. Happ is still expected to take the ball for the Phillies, despite being removed from his last start after three innings. That move was precautionary, but there is certainly going to be some question as to if Happ will throw enough innings to qualify for a win. Against Milwaukee, he is a solid start, but beware.
• On the road, you have to start Scott Feldman. His numbers against the A's are skewed simply because of his last outing against them. It was bad, but it also came at home. In Oakland, he is 2-0 against them this season and 12-1 on the road overall. Batters hit just .228 against him on the road, not that you would be starting any A's anyway.
• Brad Penny has had some trouble with the Cubs lineup. While he has been solid since returning to the National League, Derrek Lee is hitting .462 against him and Aramis Ramirez is at .385. Penny is not likely to keep his pace up, and is not as good as his first three starts would indicate. Avoid him here.
• Spot Starts: Feldman, Arroyo, Clay Buchholz

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.