Fantasy Baseball: Thursday News and Notes

Today is a full day here, but the schedule across baseball is light. Since there is a plane to catch in just a few hours, it is much more important that we get to the notes today than for you to hear me come up with a bunch of stuff that is only of interest to a select few! There should be a set of notes up tomorrow as well, provided there is an Internet connection available.  

On to the notes. 

Wednesday Rewind

* Josh Beckett was able to come away with a win last night, working six innings against the Royals while giving up two runs on 12 hits. The hits are scary, as Beckett worked into and out of trouble all night long. It was a different type of outing, as Victor Martinez was behind the plate. Where Beckett got the win and had some run support, it seemed the battery mate had little impact.

* Those of you hanging on to Brad Lidge for saves can likely make the move to get rid of him. Lidge imploded AGAIN last night, costing the Phillies the game. It was his 11th blown save of the year, dropping his record to 0-8. To be fair, Ryan Madson did give up a run in the eighth on two hits. Still, he will be the more consistent option. There is no way Philadelphia can keep Lidge in this role.

* Wade Davis was not nearly as dominant in his last outing as he was against Baltimore, but he still gave up just two earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work. He was not able to get the win but should have helped owners with his six strikeouts last night. Davis is proving that he could be a force in the Rays rotation and needs to be a pickup for those that need strikeouts. Keep an eye on him in 2010.

* Jorge Posada did not have a break in his foot after fouling a ball off himself on Tuesday. Posada did not play on Wednesday despite finishing Tuesday's game. He will be re-evaluated when the team returns home to face Boston this weekend. Expect the Yankees to be careful based on their playoff position.

* After four successive rough outings against the Marlins and Diamondbacks, Bud Norris seems to have found a groove. The Astros pitcher has given up just four earned runs in his last 23 innings of work. He shut down the Cardinals last night, working six innings without giving up a run. Even with a low strikeout total, he has still struck out 24 batters in these 23 innings.

* Mark Buehrle continues to have problems with the Twins. After last night's disaster, he has now given up 17 runs on 32 hits in 29 innings of work. Buehrle has had some good success this season, but his numbers against his own division are much further off than they have been in past seasons.

* Carlos Guillen his his first home runs since the first of the month, knocking two against Cleveland last night. Despite this power display, Guillen is still just hitting .231 for the month of September. There are better options available for those looking to gain some help in the middle of their infield.

* Though still hurting, Tim Wakefield will take the ball for Boston on Tuesday against Toronto. This is more notable because of the shift that takes place in the overall rotation in regards to days. Wakefield is not necessarily an option at this point, even if when he pitches at home.

* Chris Narveson showed off for the Brewers last night, striking out 10 Cubs while allowing just one earned run on four hits over 5.2 innings. The young starter has had two consecutive solid outings, and Milwaukee will give him a chance to continue with one more start this season. Deep leagues take note.

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.

* Jason Hammel has been relatively consistent in recent starts, allowing three earned runs or less in nine of his last 10 appearances. In seven of these starts he has managed to get through the sixth inning. Against the Padres, Hammel should be looked at as a decent option as a spot start, especially where has has struck out at least five batters in each of his last four starts.

* 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.

* So, unless you planned to start Miguel Cairo, it might be a good idea to get your Phillies in the lineup against Jeff Suppan. The Phillies have simply pounded the Milwaukee starter, with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard all getting in on the fun with averages above .300.

* 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

Friday Notes

* Jon Lester has some decent numbers against the Yankee lineup, and owners should look to avoid the 3-for-20 of Robinson Cano. Both Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher sit at 2-for-14. Otherwise, keep active the starters you normally would. Both Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon are going to be good to go in terms of numbers.

* Interesting to note that Carl Pavano has had some of his worst outings of 2009 against the Royals. Pavano has seen them five times, posting a 6.75 ERA in 30.2 innings. The 38 hits and .306 BAA are tough to get around in this one. Kansas City has some bats in the lineup, and it would be best to not look at Pavano as an option for a win or strikeouts.

* John Lannan's numbers at home are not as good as they were just a month ago. His last two starts in his own ballpark have been disasters. He is still 5-2 at home with an ERA south of 3.00, but it is a high risk proposition against Atlanta. Only Yunel Escobar sticks out as a benching option. The majority of the Atlanta starters are hitting well over .300 against Lannan.

* While he came out with a win against them last time, the Mets have simply torched Ricky Nolasco overall. David Wright has hit .394 in 33 at-bats with three home runs, and Carlos Beltran, Jeff Francoeur, Dan Murphy, and Luis Castillo are all hitting above .300 against the Florida starter. Nolasco has pitched well, but be very wary here. Start your Mets.

* Jake Peavy will get the ball for the White Sox against the Tigers. Peavy got a nice reintroduction to baseball by throwing against the Royals in his first start, but the Tigers are going to be very different. He is still good for strikeouts and the like, but owners need to keep expectations away from dominance and more towards a six-inning, three-run type of outing.

* Spot Starts: Robinson Tejeda, Paul Maholm, David Hernandez

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.