Fantasy Baseball: Tuesdsay News and Notes

North Carolina weather is not too shabby at all. When you consider that it stays close to 80 this late in September, and that two inches of snow can shut the state down, there is a fair amount of upside to spending time in the south. Unfortunately for my cousin and his bride, they picked the worst day for weather in the last six months. 

Saturday was supposed to bring an outdoor wedding. Friday was nice enough, but Saturday morning showed serious rain. It just kept going all day. While there was some waiting to see if there was a break, eventually the whole thing needed to shift indoors. Not what the bride had in mind, and obviously the place was not exactly prepared for it either. 

Still, it all went off well enough. Everyone enjoyed the day, and now it is back to reality. That is good news for readers here, because there are plenty of notes that need to be discussed.  

On to the notes. 

Monday Rewind

• Terry Francona is seemingly ready to treat this week like the Red Sox have already clinched their playoff spot. After playing a mixed up lineup while in New York, Boston returned home to still see Casey Kotchman playing first base and Josh Beckett scratched from his start. It does not sound like there is much to worry about with Beckett. This looks like it is setting up their playoff rotation.
• Sticking in Boston for one more. Michael Bowden simply does not seem to have the stuff to be a major league pitcher. Bowden gave up seven runs in three innings on seven hits and a walk. Has he had many starts? No. Still, his fastball is not good enough to get by hitters and his secondary pitches are not located well. Basically, he has no out pitch and fails to have the command to get away with mistakes.
• John Danks finished his first complete game yesterday, going all nine against the Indians. Danks improved to 8-3 on the road in 2009 with a 3.08 ERA and .238 BAA. He does not strike many batters out, but Danks has proved valuable to the rotation in Chicago. Since the beginning of August, he has been very good outside of one rough start.
• Andy LaRoche had a career-game yesterday against the Dodgers. LaRoche went 5-for-5 with two home runs while driving in six. This is not a fantastic player, but he does have a hit in nine of his last 10 games. In those efforts, he has knocked four multi-hit games and raised his average 11 points to near .260.
• The Dodgers continue to struggle, and are now adding injuries to insults. Manny Ramirez was out of the lineup yesterday with a sore hamstring, and that same problem sent Casey Blake back to Los Angeles. Ramirez is available to pinch hit, but he tends to blow these problems out of proportion.
• Ronnie Belliard being out a few days with a groin issue will give Orlando Hudson a bit more playing time. The Dodgers are going to be cautious based on Belliard's history, and that likely means another day or two on the sidelines. Adjust your lineups accordingly here.
• The season of Cole Hamels continues to be feast or famine. Hamels was roughed up for the second time this year by the Astros, and has now surrendered 10 earned runs in his last 13 innings of work. In five of his last 10 starts, he has given up at least four runs, but in four others he has given up one run or less.
• The Mets continued to struggle with the Nationals. Ross Detwiler stopped the New York offense last night, holding them to one run on seven hits over six innings of work before the bullpen took over. Detwiler recorded his first major league win in the effort. He has not had the same hype as Jordan Zimmermann, but he could make a name for himself in deeper leagues next season.
• Jeff Niemann was blown up by the Orioles again last night. While it seemed that he was back on track after his last outing, Niemann fell victim to Baltimore for the second time in three starts. He has given up 10 runs in his last 7.2 innings against the Orioles. Sometimes, a team just has your number, as the Orioles' .351 average against him would indicate.

Tuesday Notes

• Nick Blackburn has been a nice spot play in certain situations, but this is not going to be one of them against Detroit. Blackburn is 4-7 on the road with an ERA over 4.00. Batters are hitting .289 against him away from home. In September, he has been up and down, but against Detroit he has been roughed up. Start your normal Tigers here with the exception of Brandon Inge. Blackburn just doesn't have the stuff on the road.
• Outside of Chipper Jones, there is nothing pretty about the numbers the Braves have put up against Josh Johnson. Avoid as many as you can here. Johnson is recovering from flu symptoms that caused him to miss his start on Sunday, but that should not scare owners away in this matchup.
• Justin Verlander has struggled in his last two starts against the Twins, giving up 10 runs in 13 innings of work. Verlander is very tough at home, but he has given up at least three runs in each of his last four home starts. Twice in that span it has been five earned runs. Nick Punto and Michael Cuddyer have been red-hot, but they are 4-for-21 and 5-for-30 respectively against Verlander and are the only concerns owners should have.
• Trevor Cahill has won his last four decisions, covering five starts. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in a start since August 11th. Cahill is on a good stretch here and has been tough on the Mariners. Though he does not have a win, his ERA is just 1.89 in three starts this season.
• There are some players to avoid in the Los Angeles lineup against Scott Feldman. Kendry Morales has been smoking the ball, but is only 2-for-13 against Feldman. Chone Figgins is 4-for-27, Juan Rivera checks in at 3-for-17, and Bobby Abreu is 2-for-16. Need a reach play? Try Mike Napoli. He has nine hits in 17 at-bats against the Texas starter. Feldman has been knocked around by the A's, but he is 3-0 in four starts against the Angels.
• Homer Bailey is 4-1 in his last seven starts and 2-1 in September. Bailey has come on strong, but did struggle in his last start against the Cardinals. Still, his strikeouts are going to help and his consistency should play well for those owners that need a quick boost in deeper formats.
• Need some offense? Look to the Giants against Doug Davis. Bengie Molina has four home runs in 47 at-bats to go with a .370 average. Randy Winn is well over .300 as well. Even Eugenio Velez is 5-for-11 against Davis. The Giants, as a team, have hit him very well, and this is a decent place to grab a couple hits in the finals.
• The only blemish on the resume of Wade Davis is his start against the Red Sox. Davis, otherwise, has been incredibly solid. He has struck out 28 hitters in 24.1 innings of work for Tampa so far, making him worth adding in most formats for this start against the Orioles. Do not expect a repeat of the complete game, but Davis is going to well not to add.
• This start will likely be one that the Dodgers look at to get Chad Billingsley back on track. Billingsley has struggled in September, going 0-2 in four starts with a 5.70 ERA in 23.2 innings. He is, though, 3-0 against San Diego this season and has given up just 18 hits in 26 innings.
• Spot Starts: Davis, Bailey, Brian Duensing

Wednesday Notes

• Tim Wakefield was pushed back a day to start on Wednesday against Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays. Only Kevin Millar has decent numbers against Wakefield, but the Red Sox starter has really struggled after his back injury. Normally, he is a good play at home, but avoid him in this one, despite what the numbers say.
• John Lannan may be just 1-4 in September, but his last two starts have been very good. Even against the Mets his last time out, Lannan gave up just three runs over seven innings. He is 2-2 against them this season, with both wins coming at home. He will face them in his own park and is a nice deep-league addition.
• Carl Pavano did not get a win against Detroit last time out, but gave up just two runs over seven innings. He is 4-0 against them in 2009, posting a 1.69 ERA in those five starts. Pavano may not be a regular in your fantasy rotation, but his numbers against Detroit should have you adding him for this matchup.
• Owners should start Hank Blalock against Jered Weaver, but he is about it in terms of offense. Blalock has four home runs in 33 at-bats to go with a .394 average. Avoid Nelson Cruz, who has struggled against Weaver and over the last two weeks as a whole. In both cases, he is under .200.
• Ricky Nolasco is still pitching better than he is being given credit for. Yes, he was knocked around by St. Louis, but he has three other wins this month and would have had four if not for his bullpen. Batters are still hitting just .238 against him this month and he will generate strikeouts.
• Spot Starts: Pavano, Clayton Richard, Bronson Arroyo

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.