Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday's Daily News and Notes

It might have been a limited day in baseball yesterday, but there is still plenty to talk about. Congrats are in order for Ken Griffey, Jr. Growing up, I never liked him simply because everyone else did. But now, I truly appreciate what he has done for baseball. If I ever heard he used performance-enhancing drugs, I would not only be hurt as a fan of baseball, but shocked overall. Injuries or not, Griffey has been one of the greatest players I've ever watched. Good for him and the city of Cincinnati. On to the notes.

• Cliff Lee pitched five innings against Detroit to pick up his 10th win of the season. They weren't exactly the most solid of innings, but they got the job done. It's likely he would have gone deeper if not for the rain. Lee still struggled with command and missed up in the zone far too often. The Tigers just weren't able to take advantage of the mistakes. He certainly was able to relax enough on the mound, thanks in large part to the pitcher formerly known as Dontrelle Willis.
• Nick Swisher has himself a bit of a hot streak. Swisher is batting .423 in his last seven games, with four home runs and 10 RBI. He's still hitting .228, but he's coming around a bit. Regression to the mean could help this guy. He's a .250 career hitter, which is 20 points below that mark. You would think that at some point he would have to go on a decent tear.
• Don't blame Mike Mussina for the loss yesterday. Mussina looked great over eight innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits without walking a batter. As expected, he continued to pitch well and handled a Kansas City team that he has done well against historically. Jose Guillen still provided the offense, grabbing two more hits and the winning home run in the process.
• If there is cause for concern on Joe Saunders, and there should be, it's his numbers at home. Saunders' ERA at home is 4.70, and opponents hit 60 points better against him as opposed to on the road. He's had some very good outings, no doubt. But he's also a guy that his teammates seem to score runs for, which has helped the win total. Two other important notes: His ERA against Tampa is now 7.94, and he's started June off with two outings and a 6.94 ERA. How many ways can you say coming back to earth? He's given up eight, four, and five runs in his last three starts.
• Both Evan Longoria and Dioner Navarro are at .333 in their last six games. I don't know what to make of Navarro. He's still widely available, which sort of makes sense. The guy is a .269 career hitter that's hitting .349 in his 42 games so far. Something about that doesn't make sense. Either he's figured it out, or we're in for a major post-All-Star-break slump. Still, his success puts him well above certain other catchers that are owned solely on reputation or because you like the team. I'm looking at you, Jason Varitek.
• Mark Hendrickson gave up Griffey's 600th. Given his performance at home lately, not surprising. Hendrickson didn't get out of the third inning, and  he has given up four or more runs in each of his last four outings. He's a spot-start type guy, but not until some of this is figured out. He draws Tampa at Tampa this weekend.
• Zach Duke has given up two earned runs in each of his last three starts. He's starting to earn some respect, and he has jumped into consideration for most NL-only formats. He's not going to be more than a spot option otherwise, but Pittsburgh matches up well right now with many teams. That only helps the pitching, unless your name is Tom Gorzelanny.

 

 

Notes for today's games:

• Daniel Cabrera has had success on the road and pitched well in two games against Boston this season. Keep Mike Lowell (.467/2/9) and Kevin Youkilis (.316/0/3) in your lineups. You never bench Manny, but he is only a .250 hitter with no home runs against Cabrera. Varitek is 4-20 lifetime. Alex Cora will likely see the start over Julio Lugo tonight, as he hits .417 against the O's pitcher.
• Scott Baker looked good coming off the DL, but Cleveland has his number. He won't face Travis Hafner, but Casey Blake and Grady Sizemore have owned him. Add that to a 6.06 ERA in his three starts on the road, and I'd be very careful.
• C.C. Sabathia has pitched well against Minnesota. Justin Morneau is a .182 hitter, and Michael Cuddyer is .217. Alexi Casilla, however, is 8-9 against Sabathia. Riddle me that one.
• I called Jose Contreras as a potential spot-starter yesterday. Let's take a mulligan on that one. Carlos Guillen (.405/3/9), Curtis Granderson (.313/1/2), and Placido Polanco (.344) all hit him well. Contreras also has had trouble in two games against the Tigers this season, posting an ERA over six, and last year was just as bad. Facing them three times, his ERA was 9.50 and the Tigers hit .347 against him. Most of your White Sox are good plays, but Crede and Swisher struggle.
• Still sticking with both Kershaw and Maddux tonight. Maddux for obvious reasons at home, but Kershaw gets the big ballpark too.
• Roy Oswalt struggles against Milwaukee. The Brewers hit .303 against him last season in three outings, and this year Oswalt has allowed four runs in six innings in his only outing against them. To top if off, Oswalt hasn't looked good at home. Keep Jason Kendall and Bill Hall around tonight, as both hit him very well.
• Brett Myers is a much different pitcher on the road, and every Marlin not named Jeremy Hermida roughs him up.
• I'd avoid Kevin Millwood tonight. The Royals post a .313 average against him. Every regular outside of Alex Gordon hits .300 or better against him. His WHIP of nearly 2.00 and ERA of 4.30 in four road starts doesn't help mitigate these numbers.
• Spot starts? Maddux, Kershaw, Dana Eveland, and Tim Redding in that order.

 

Notes for Wednesday:

• Shaun Marcum has been lights out at home, but keep Ichiro and Adrian Beltre in the lineup. They've both performed well against him.
• I don't think we'll see much offense out of the Kazmir-Lackey duel, so plan accordingly.
• Garrett Olson struggles on the road, even if he pitched well against Boston last time out. I don't think he'll catch lightning in a bottle twice.
• Tim Lincecum has faced Colorado twice this season, struggling on the road. He has to go to Coors again, but I think he'll do better this time out. Even if Matt Holliday is back.
• Jair Jurrjens may have fallen out of favor with many owners, but his road numbers have been good. The Cubs have a good lineup, but you could do worse than Jurrjens if you need some innings.
• I like the way Justin Verlander has pitched recently, but not against the White Sox. Pierzynski (.320/3/10), Thome (.333/5/7), Crede (.381/0/3), and Dye (.370/3/5) all have good numbers against him. Verlander struggled in his earlier outings against them, and these numbers don't have me believing this time will be better.
• Early spot start calls? Braden Looper, Jurrjens, John Lannan, and Paul Byrd.

 

Back as the need arises. Check back later for the final installment of our rankings from now until the end of the season. Check out the full Roundtable blog.