Wednesday's Daily Fantasy Baseball News and Notes

It's not often that something said by an announcer can make my head want to explode, but that nearly happened last night. Don Orsillo of NESN made a point last night that just scared the hell out of me. Let's get to the notes and you'll see why.

• We lead again with David Ortiz. Ortiz will be immobilized for about a month, and then he will be re-evaluated. They don't anticipate needing surgery, but if it is necessary, Ortiz's season will be over. And this is where Orsillo comes in. He wondered out loud if certain sluggers that might not have jobs right now would end up being contacted. That specific certain slugger? Barry Bonds. What terrifies me, as a Red Sox fan, is that the move makes sense. Bonds would be a good fit as far as his ability and filling the power void left by Ortiz. And he becomes instant fantasy gold. I talked with One Who Knows Things, and he confirmed that the idea has been tossed around. Keep an eye on this.
• Justin Masterson seemed to be my only decent call last night. Masterson picked up his second win of the season, going six strong innings and giving up four earned runs. You could tell early that the Rays hitters did not want to sit back on his stuff. Masterson has an average fastball, it's when he uses his other pitches well that he succeeds. That's what helped him battle through last night. Matt Garza, on the other hand, continues to struggle on the road. He's a good home-park pitcher, but not much use otherwise right now.
• Joba Chamberlain threw 62 pitches in two-and-a-third innings last night. 37 of those were in the first. And he didn't exactly settle down. You have to think he was slightly amped up, and was missing his spots as a result of that. I watched the highlights, and what scared me was the fact that he relies on his curve and slider a fair amount, and both those pitches were up last night. If Toronto could hit, it could have been an even shorter night. He'll be expanded to 75-85 pitches his next outing. Just be patient with him.
• Odalis Perez got hosed by the rain last night. Sure, he gets saddled with the loss. He only went three innings and only one of the runs was earned, thanks to some fantastic defense. His stats at home don't change much, as he still sports a 2.51 ERA and a BAA of .221. Good numbers if you look to use him at Nationals Park.
• When R.A. Dickey is called in to save the day, you've had a bad outing. Erik Bedard was beaten around by the Angels last night. He couldn't get through the fourth inning, allowing all five of the Halos runs to score. Bedard only put up one strikeout, but allowed seven hits and three walks. Some teams just own a guy, the Angels certainly own Bedard.
• Think it's time I put my love for Dana Eveland on hold. He's suffered from severe control problems his last two outings. Both of these were at home, where he had excelled all season up to that point. Eveland couldn't get out of the fifth inning in either outing. I feel that looking at the rest of his work, these starts represent more a regression to the mean than anything to worry about. He was not as good as his first few starts, and he isn't as bad as these last two. I'd keep him on my roster in deep, mixed leagues, but you may be able to find other options (specifically some guy from the Mets) on your waivers in more shallow leagues.
• Rafael Soriano got the call in the save situation last night for Atlanta. Cox claims it's closer by committee, which means you have to own both of them until one emerges as the leader in the clubhouse. Smart money right now is on Soriano.
• Derek Jeter added two more hits last night, giving him five in the last two games. I won't exactly say that the slump is over, but he certainly has looked more comfortable at the plate in these two games.
• In some ways, I almost feel bad for Brad Penny. Even when he pitches well, he can't luck into a win. Penny went six last night, giving up just two runs and striking out five. Sure, he still gave up six hits and walked four, but this was better. And he still gets the loss because his teammates couldn't muster anything against Jeff Francis. I think this shows how beat up the Rockies lineup really is more so than thinking that Penny is starting to turn a corner, as Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, and Clint Barnes were not in the lineup. We'll see how his next outing looks.
• Other notes: Pedro Martinez looked good over six innings against the Giants. He threw 109 pitches and gave up three earned runs on seven hits. His next outing will be in San Diego against a poor offensive team. I'd have him in. Barry Zito struggled, and that's the nicest way to put it. Puts a damper on the string of good outings. Dontrelle Willis looked average. I'd rather have Armando Galarraga in the rotation as an owner or Tigers fan.

 

Notes for today's games:

• Mike Mussina has struggled at Yankee Stadium, posting an ERA over five. Toronto has hit him very well, even without Vernon Wells in the lineup. They hold a .302 average as a team. I'd keep him on the bench.
• Oakland has handled Nate Robertson well in the past, led by Bobby Crosby, who has hit .500 in ten at-bats against Robertson. Add to that, the Tigers pitcher has had trouble on the road this season. In six games, his ERA is over six and batters hit .314 against him. If you start A's, it's a good day to have them in your lineup.
• Mark Hendrickson is falling out of favor fast when it comes to looking to him for spot starts. He's given up 15 runs over his last nine innings, and hasn't lasted beyond the fifth in his last five starts. His ERA is 6.07 on the road this year (noticing a theme with some pitchers?), and he struggled last time out against Atlanta. Keep you Braves in the lineup, as they hit .314 as a team against him, and keep Hendrickson on the waiver wire.
• I'd get my Indians in the lineup today. Sidney Ponson gets the ball for the Rangers on three days rest. There isn't much track record to pull from here, but I wouldn't bet on Ponson having the ability to pull this off. Especially since he's 0-7 with a 9.47 ERA against Cleveland. This bodes well for Cliff Lee with regards to getting a win, but the Rangers are hitting the ball very well right now. Michael Young hits .368 against him in 19 at-bats, and Ian Kinsler is at .429. I still start him, but temper expectations.
• Clayton Kershaw gets the same battered Rockies team that Brad Penny pitched well against last night. Kershaw should see a similar level of success against them, and I'd have him in my lineup. Remember, you had to use your waiver priority for a reason.
• Your regular Pirates all make good plays, as Bay, McLouth, Nady, and Sanchez are all better than .300 against Roy Oswalt. But Oswalt is 4-0 with a 0.89 ERA against them the last two seasons.
• Raul Ibanez owns Jered Weaver. Weaver struggles against Seattle all around, but Ibanez is .571/4/7 in 21 at-bats. On the road, Weaver has posted an ERA close to six, a WHIP near 1.50, and batters hit .285. That doesn't mean to start Carlos Silva, as he gives up hits like they're going out of style.
• Spot starts for today? Kershaw, Greg Maddux, Daniel Cabrera, and Jesse Litsch in that order.

 

Notes for Thursday:

• Homer Bailey will get his first start. He's another solid rookie to own, and I'd take a chance on him if I needed to grab some innings, even against Cole Hamels.
• Garrett Olson struggles on the road, putting up a 6.28 ERA and .328 BAA, and lefties hit .302 against him for the season. I like the kid, but wouldn't have him as a starter with tough hitting lefties like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in Minnesota's lineup.
• Ryan Dempster and Chad Billingsley have both been tough all season and matchup tomorrow. Both of these guys should be considered decent plays. I'm higher on Dempster because Billingsley will face a Cubs offense that is clicking on all cylinders right now.
• Paul Konerko and Orlando Cabrera hit Gil Meche well, but the rest of the team struggles. Meche makes a decent spot play in deeper leagues.
• Tim Redding is a much better pitcher on the road than at home and Albert Pujols just owns him.
• Early spot start calls? I like Billingsley, Brandon Backe, and Homer Bailey.

 

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