MLB Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

Ok, so I'm a little mentally drained here. It took one of the greatest comebacks ever, but the Celts are now one win away from a championship. On top of that, I'm wracking my brain over some of the calls I made yesterday. The reasoning was sound, but, wow, the result wasn't exactly what I hoped for. Let's look at some notes today and get back on the horse.

• Jeremy Guthrie struggled with his control the entire game against Boston last night. Guthrie isn't known for walking many batters, but he had five reach by way of the walk before being pulled. The Red Sox are just swinging the bat well as a team. On top of that, they continue to play great ball at home. Until further notice, I think we have to stay away from spot starters pitching at Fenway. At least until they cool down a bit.
• Even though I didn't recommend the start, it was good to see Jake Peavy pitch well in his first start back. He should be back in lineups for his next start. Hiroki Kuroda, on the other hand, well, I got nothing to say on that one. I'll still recommend him next time out. Kuroda struggled, that's all there is to it.
• Billy Wagner is getting a lot of garbage for blowing another save. I agree that last night he should have been able to lock down a save in an inning he started. Generally, he's lights out in that situation. I refuse to blame him for managerial incompetence though. Wagner blew the save on Wednesday, but mainly because he was brought into the game in the middle of an inning. Since 2005, in those situations, his ERA is over seven. As fantasy owners, we just don't have the luxury of control there.
• Plenty of offense out in Milwaukee. Corey Hart is at .385 in the last six games with three home runs. Ryan Braun is swinging the bat as well as you would expect a star third basemen. They still seem to struggle against right-handed pitching more than you would expect, but they're hitting lefties well, as evidenced last night.
• Jamie Moyer continued his success against the Marlins. Moyer held a solid offense to three hits. Don't get too excited. He always seems to pitch well in that park, judging by an ERA that now under 1.58 and a 4-0 record. Bronson Arroyo also looked solid over six innings against St. Louis. Arroyo pitches well against them and has managed to keep even the biggest of Cardinal bats away from the long ball.
• There has been concern from many people regarding Grady Sizemore's .260's average. Sizemore is hitting .360 in his last six games, raising his average 10 points in the process. The power numbers have been there all season, but now he's producing in other categories. If there's a time to say buy-low on Sizemore, it's now.
• Miguel Cabrera is hitting .333 in his last seven games. He's a career .310 hitter, so the thought of him hitting .278 for an entire season doesn't seem to fly. It's just a matter of time before he gets it going and he seems ready to turn that corner.
• Other notes: Both Aaron Laffey and Scott Olsen pitched well, even if Laffey was the only one of the two to record the win. Laffey is becoming a solid deep-league option, and Olsen is working himself into that mix. Olsen remains a spot-start play in all mixed leagues at this point, but keep an eye on him moving into the second half of the season. And Ryan Doumit homered again. He's now virtually owned in all leagues, but, if you can find him, grab him.

Notes for today's games:

• Don't expect Luke Scott in the lineup much at all this weekend. Scott is stuck in a platoon where he doesn't face lefites, and the Orioles draw three of them against the Pirates. Phil Dumatrait has been solid on the road, with opponents only hitting .231 against him, but he struggles with command. Brian Burres, on the other hand, can't get lefties out at all. He's been awful at home, allowing batters to hit .336 with an OPS of 1.017. His five starts at home have just been ugly. Get your Pirates in the lineup.
• Andy Sonnanstine's last three outings look good from a total-runs perspective, but he's allowed a combined 26 hits. He's getting very lucky, and the Marlins have one of the best offenses in baseball.
• Opponents are batting just .199 against Gavin Floyd. At home, that number falls to .146. Jeff Francis struggles on the road with a 5.05 ERA, but has been better in June. I'd be hesitant to use him, because the White Sox are swinging the bat well and Francis has not fared well against good offenses.
• Jon Garland has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last seven starts. The Braves have struggled to score, and have lost six straight games. I'm not in the habit of recommending Garland, but this is a spot start tonight worth using.
• Not much to go on, but Zack Greinke gave up 11 runs in his last trip out to Arizona. Greinke hasn't pitched well in June and has struggled all season away from Kansas City, sporting a 4.84 ERA. I'd keep him on the bench and start your Diamondbacks against him.
• Even if it is Oliver Perez, the Rangers do not hit left-handed pitching well. Milton Bradley is just 1-7 against him in his career, but he's the only Ranger with enough of a track record to judge.
• Spot starts today? Let's go with Greg Smith, Kevin Slowey, Justin Masterson, and Jon Garland in that order.

Notes for Saturday:

• The Red Sox will get their first look at Edinson Volquez. Boston tends to make these young pitchers even better than they already are. I would expect a solid outing out of Volquez, so don't be afraid to have him in there.
• Mark Hendrickson has been bad on the road. I'd give Matt Garza the edge here if I were picking between the two. Garza has been much better at home than he has been on the road. Batters hit .220 against him at home, but .282 away.
• Because of the players the Tigers have brought in, there actually is some track record against Brad Penny. Edgar Renteria, Placido Polanco, and Miguel Cabrera are all worth playing. That's enough to make me want to put Penny on the bench. And if that isn't, his 6.00 road ERA and .327 BAA should clinch that.
• Jeff Suppan has been a good pitcher at home. In five games, he has a 1.50 ERA. Batters hit only .228 against him at home and lefties are at .243 overall. Not a bad spot play if you're looking for a cheap win.
• I'll take Cliff Lee at home, despite his recent struggles. San Diego, though better, still is a bottom-third-of-the-league offense and Lee still has 10 wins. Add to that, he has a 1.82 ERA at home and a .228 BAA. Both numbers are good enough for my liking.
• Miguel Tejada is a career .392 hitter against Mike Mussina with four home runs. The Astros actually have some numbers against Moose, and, even though he's pitching well, I'd be tempted to hold him back here in a small ballpark.
• Early spot start calls: let's go with John Danks, Radhames Liz, Garza, and Jorge Campillo.

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