MLB Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

It's a weird feeling holding tickets to Game Seven of the NBA Finals and still wanting your team to close it out in six. Part of me is glad that I didn't have to cross that bridge and worry about a seventh game. The other part of me wished the Lakers had at least decided to show up. I'm willing to bet that the locker room at the Staples Center is going to empty pretty quickly today.

With the NBA season over, we always have baseball. On to the notes.

• I wondered yesterday if Daisuke Matsuzaka would be given another rehab start. The answer came down yesterday, as Bartolo Colon was put on the DL. Matsuzaka will make his return to the rotation on Saturday against the Cardinals in Boston. Matsuzaka comes back sporting an 8-0 record and a 2.53 ERA. St. Louis is offensively challenged, but Matsuzaka certainly tired in the fifth inning of his rehab start the other night. I'd hold him back the one start, as per usual recommendation.
• Colon's trip to the DL likely means more time for Justin Masterson. The rookie is worth owning in all deep leagues and all AL-only formats until he is sent down. If you're still hanging on to Mark Buehrle or need a replacement for Brad Penny or Chien-Ming Wang while they're on the DL, Masterson is a solid option in any format.
• Milton Bradley came out of last night's game with a strained left quad. It's an injury that seems to be going around. Something like this seems to happen every year. Doesn't look like a trip to the DL is likely, but I wouldn't expect Bradley to be available through Saturday. This is a guy that had four trips to the DL last year and would have had another for his ACL.
• Jose Reyes also had to leave his game last night. This was a precautionary move, according to Jerry Manuel, and Reyes is expected to be available immediately. Still, he's a guy that has had a history of leg problems, and news like this is never good for a guy that relies on speed as a big part of his game. Just beware.
• Paul Konerko has hit the DL with a strained oblique. It severely impacts his swing, so this is something they will want to heal completely. In general, this takes about three weeks. Jim Thome was stuck with the same injury for about that amount of time last year, and Trot Nixon has gone through a similar process. If you were relying on Konerko's .215 average, grab Carlos Delgado.
• Jamie Moyer fell to 6-12 lifetime against the Red Sox. Moyer only gave up two earned runs, but that was enough. He really didn't pitch poorly, but not well enough to get the win. The five early walks drove his pitch count up and cost him any chance to stay in the game past the fifth.
• Marcus Thames homered in his fifth-straight game last night. He's now hitting .318 in his last seven games. Thames, surprisingly, is a potential 30-home run guy right now. He won't provide an average much better than .265 or so, but, if you need power, he's worth a flyer in the short-term. Another chance to ride a hot streak.
• There are several closer situations that we need to monitor. In Atlanta, with Rafael Soriano on the DL, the Braves signed Jorge Julio. But not so fast here. The leader in the clubhouse for the closer job is, former Pirates closer, Mike Gonzalez. He's coming back from Tommy John surgery and will be activated today. Grab him for saves. In Seattle, J.J. Putz has put his owners in a bind. I'm a betting man, and I'll put my money on Brendan Morrow to grab the saves in the short-term.
• Talk about a pitching matchup that didn't live up to the hype. Scott Kazmir and Ryan Dempster each pitched "well," only giving up one run a piece, but neither reached the sixth inning. Dempster threw 107 pitches and Kazmir threw 110. Disappointing for fantasy owners, but at least they each recorded strikeouts to help the cause.
• Manny Parra is becoming a reliable spot starter against below-average offenses. His performance against Toronto last night was outstanding. He gave up just four hits and four walks over seven solid innings. At home, he improved to 4-0 in eight games with a 2.47 ERA and a .225 BAA. Not bad numbers at all. In five of his last seven starts, he's allowed one run or less.
• My man, Hiroki Kuroda, has been sent back to L.A. for an exam on his shoulder. He'll miss at least this start and likely his next as well. A DL stint is probably in the future.

Notes for today's games:

• Derek Lowe at home is a good play. Not so much on the road. Batters hit 79 points better against him on the road (.309) and his ERA is 4.96. Lowe has been good in June, but two of his three starts were at home, and the other was a loss against Detroit on the road.
• Jon Garland has a poor track record against the Mets. Carlos Beltran, Delgado, Luis Castillo, and Trot Nixon all have hit well against the Angels' starter. Add Garland's 5.11 home ERA and 5.09 June ERA into the equation, and I'll take my chances with Oliver Perez.
• Shaun Marcum has pitched well everywhere he's gone this season. He's holding batters to a .207 average away from the Skydome in his five starts, with an ERA at 2.43. Ben Sheets, though, has allowed three runs or less in his last five starts. Sheets is more likely to get the win, but, other than your stars, avoid borderline players on either of these teams today.
• Jason Michaels is a .345 hitter with two home runs against Mark Buehrle. He's the only Pirate with much success against him, though. Jason Bay doesn't have enough at-bats to judge, but he and Nate McLouth should certainly be in lineups everyday anyway.
• As good as Andy Pettitte was in his time in the NL against the Padres, Darrell Rasner has been as bad in his recent outings. Rasner has been roughed up in two of his last three, and he's going against Jake Peavy today. I'd avoid this one.
• The Cubs should have stolen the game last night, but will have a much better chance to explode offensively tonight with Andy Sonnanstine on the mound. In eight games at home, Sonnanstine has an ERA of 5.32 and a BAA of .311. I'd get any and all Cubs in the lineup tonight.
• Spot starts today? Let's go with Jeremy Guthrie, Barry Zito, Kevin Slowey, and JoJo Reyes.

Notes for Thursday:

• Jeff Kent is the only Dodger that has had success against Aaron Harang that is healthy enough to be in the lineup. He should start, but I'd keep Harang in there if you normally would.
• I'd rather be starting A.J. Burnett than Dave Bush. Bush has been largely unproductive the entire month of June, but his numbers at home are slightly better than on the road. Burnett has struggled once in his last seven outings, and he comes in with a 2.98 road ERA and road BAA of .210.
• Joba Chamberlain has been better and stronger in each of his three starts. No need for concern against San Diego here.
• Brian Roberts, Aubrey Huff, and Jay Payton have all enjoyed their experiences against Shawn Chacon. Luke Scott has not, going 1-9. Chacon has been awful for all of June, with an ERA over eight. Brian Burres, as a lefty, makes a solid option against Houston.
• Gavin Floyd has been virtually unhittable at home, while Phil Dumatrait sports an ERA near 4.50 on the road.
• It's a limited slate of games, but here are some early spot start calls. Go with Glen Perkins, Greg Smith, Brian Burres, and Gavin Floyd (still available in about seven percent of all leagues).

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