MLB Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

Abbreviated schedule or not, there is plenty to talk about. As bad as some injury news was yesterday, some stars are heading to rehab and others are making major progress. It's always better to lead with that kind of news as opposed to what we had yesterday. Let's get to the notes.

• Daisuke Matsuzaka was pleased with his five-inning rehab start in Pawtucket. He threw 65 pitches and allowed just two runs. No word on if he will make an additional start before rejoining the Red Sox, but it wouldn't surprise me. If Masterson were pitching poorly, that would be one thing. But the Red Sox have a little time here. His return would be good news for fantasy owners, as Matsuzaka is unbeaten in his last 14 starts, including 8-0 this year with a 2.53 ERA.
• Clint Barnes and Troy Tulowitzki both begin rehab assignments at AAA Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Neither is necessarily expecting to be in the minors very long. Tulo will be brought back for evaluation on Friday. Barnes tested his knee over the weekend and felt good. His .343 average will be a welcome boost to owners that held on to him. You have to hope that Tulo can come out of his season-long slump upon his return.
• Fernando Rodney is back with the Tigers in his customary set-up role. This will certainly help a middle-relief corps that has been borderline awful this season. The Tigers might not have been able to hit, but the bullpen has been a major weakness. Other good news, Joel Zumaya is close to returning as well. Both of these guys should be looked at for holds in all formats. Zumaya is being groomed as a closer, so Todd Jones's owners should beware. If Jones starts to falter, Zumaya will be first in line.
• Most position moves don't make a big deal, but this could be one to monitor. Ichiro is moving back to right field. He had moved to center to make room for Jose Guillen to play right last year. There is no doubt that Ichiro is more comfortable in the corner, but the Mariners need to find an everyday center fielder. It will be committee right now, with Jeremy Reed being given first crack in a platoon with Willie Bloomquist. Vladimir Balentein will be given a chance and a trade could be in the works (Coco Crisp?).
• Chien-Ming Wang is out until September with a partially damaged tendon in his foot. It's the same injury that has sidelined pitcher Brian Bruney as well. Not good news for the Yankees, as this is a third starter on the DL. A move has to be made here, too. This is case-in-point as to why something needs to be done about the DH/non-DH rules in the AL and NL. I hate Hank Steinbrenner, but he's right—American League pitchers aren't used to doing this and stand a greater chance for injury as a result. It's just bad for baseball. Fill-ins for Wang on the free-agent lists could include Scott Baker, Dana Eveland, and Hiroki Kuroda. All will give similar numbers (considering Wang's over four ERA, it's easy to find on waivers).
• Bartolo Colon left last night's game after tweaking his back on a swing. See my point above about how this needs to change. Colon struggled through four innings and did not look good in facing one of the game's better offenses. He still expects to make his next start against St. Louis, who will be a much better matchup, and it will come at home.
• Dustin Pedroia heated up quickly. He's seven for his last 17, with two home runs. Pedroia is hitting .321 in his last seven games. When he gets hot, you know it. He plays a shallow position, and if you're stuck with a sub-par second basemen, I recommend buying low here.
• Ryan Howard has multiple home-run games in two of his last five. He's at .300 in his last seven games, but he's making it very hard on fantasy owners. Howard is on pace for over 40 home runs, but he's sitting at .224. I'll take his strength in two power categories and try to make up for the average somewhere else. Howard is not going to hit this way all season (as in feast or famine), so I still wouldn't be concerned over it.
• Finally, and not entirely fantasy related, I feel bad for Willie Randolph. He's the fall guy in this situation, when it should be Omar Minaya taking as much responsibility. He can't fix failure in performances. Disagree with some of his decisions, but he shouldn't be fired as a result of them when he would have kept his job if they had worked out. Willie, Joe Torre has a spot on his bench for you in L.A., and there are plenty of teams that need a guy like you. And this is from a Red Sox fan. Best of luck to any poor sap being put in that bee's nest.

Notes for today's games:

• Avoid Jamie Moyer today against Boston. Moyer has never enjoyed facing Boston. Moyer is 0-3 in his last six starts against Boston since 2005. His ERA in that time? Over ten. The Red Sox also hit .344 against him in those six starts. He's struggled at home, and even without Ortiz, I like the Sox offense against the soft-throwing lefty.
• Andy Pettite saw some of the Padres during his time in Houston, and he liked what he saw. Pettite has held the Padres to a .221 BAA. I'd avoid all borderline Padres and only see Adrian Gonzalez as a definite start today. His opponent is Randy Wolf, who can't pitch outside of the city of San Diego.
• Vicente Padilla has had some solid outings, but he didn't enjoy the Braves during his time in Philly. Chipper Jones leads the way, but Mark Kotsay and every other Atlanta regular should do well in your lineups. Tim Hudson has pitched well on the road all season, sporting an ERA under three. He struggles with Michael Young, but the rest of the Rangers have hit .248 in their at-bats against Hudson.
• Dustin McGowan has been a solid option most of the season, but he doesn't pitch well on the road. He allows a .292 average and his ERA is 6.02 in eight starts. Manny Parra has been feast or famine, but he is starting to record some wins. He doesn't make a bad option if you need a start.
• Braden Looper has had some rough luck, but has looked good in his last three starts. He's coming off a solid performance against Cincinnati, and I think he looks like a decent option to keep the Royals at bay. Kyle Davies, though, has made three starts and allowed a total of three runs. I'd put in a good argument for either pitcher, with both putting up decent numbers, but Davies is more likely for the win.
• Javier Vazquez should stay on the bench today, as the Pirates hit him well in the NL. I'd start Jack Wilson and Jason Michaels for certain, along with my other Pirates regulars.
• Spot start calls: Go with Garrett Olson, Scott Olsen, Kyle Davies, and Braden Looper, in that order.

Notes for Wednesday games:

• He struggled his last time out, but I'll take my chances with Hiroki Kuroda against the Reds, even on the road. He went eight solid innings in his last outing against them. Bronson Arroyo, not so much. He sports a .298 BAA when the Reds are in the other dugout.
• This may or may not be Justin Masterson's final start for the Red Sox for a while. I'd have him in my lineup. Masterson hasn't faced an offense quite like this, but the opponent is Kyle Kendrick, and you could say the same thing about him.
• Barry Zito isn't a bad option against Detroit. Other than Ivan Rodriguez, the Tigers don't have a solid track record against the lefty, and Zito has been good enough in his last several outings to warrant a spot-start here.
• Jon Garland is never a good option against teams with respectable offenses. I'd get all my Mets in the lineup.
• I'm a fan of Aaron Laffey, but not in Colorado. Too much risk for a young pitcher going to that kind of atmosphere, literally.
• Early spot-start calls: Let's go with Jeremy Guthrie, Kevin Slowey, and JoJo Reyes.

Back as the need arises.