MLB Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

Not a good night to be a fan of teams from New York. Between the offensive ineptitude, poor pitching, and people getting tossed, it made for a long night and solid SportsCenter fodder. But baseball last night was more than those two teams. After I finish patting myself on the back for a few of the calls, we'll get to the notes.

Ok, let's do this.

• Kevin Youkilis came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning last night. He saw an eye specialist earlier in the day, and it still might be a day or two before he steps into the box. But there didn't seem to be enough concern to keep him completely sidelined. That's good news for Boston, as they have to head to Houston on Friday and will need Youkilis in the lineup.
• Two important returns last night: Gary Sheffield was activated by the Tigers and Josh Willingham stepped into the lineup for Florida. Both these players will have impacts on the second half of their team's seasons and many fantasy owner's seasons. Willingham, if fully healthy, will hit 20 home runs the rest of the way, mark it down. He's in a good lineup and has some good, young bats surrounding him. Sheffield could be a sleeper heading into the break. He could help the Tigers break out and would provide a great boost of power for any roster in need of home run help.
• Bronson Arroyo set a record of sorts. He became the first pitcher since 1900 to allow 10+ runs and 11+ hits in one inning of work. In the words of Bob Uecker, "Congratulations, Bronson!" Arroyo's road ERA, and ERA in general, makes him very hard to start in most situations. He's well over six at this point in the road, and is nearly there overall. He has teams that he will pitch well against, but is not even recording the strikeouts that he saw in Boston. Look at him as a way to boost your offensive numbers.
• Josh Hamilton left last night's game with a left knee injury and is listed as day-to-day. I'm always concerned when it's a knee injury and he gets so much power in his swing from his legs. It's his back leg, and that's where most power comes from for lefties. He had injuries involving this knee in 2006, so it's worth watching. Expect him to be out of the lineup tonight.
• Justin Masterson did pitch well against righties last night, but struggled with Arizona's left-handed hitters. That seems to be his total MO at this point. He's very effective against right-handed hitters, and that will probably continue, but make note of this for his next start Monday against Tampa.
• A lot of focus on Elijah Dukes lately. Dukes is swinging the bat very well, but he hasn't reached the point where it's good enough to be owned in anything outside of NL-only leagues. His recent surge has been bolstered by one game where he was 5-6, but he only has three multiple-hit games in his last ten, and he is still just at .255 for the years. There are many players out there that will give better numbers. And, that 5-6 game raised his average 30 points.
• Jamie Moyer will be happy that he won't have to see Oakland again for a long time. He fell again at McAfee, but did provide nine strikeouts. He just doesn't get the support or have the luck out in Oakland. Still, Moyer makes a good spot-play on the road in many cases. Just have to watch him at home.
• Time to look at what went right last night. Braden Looper (6IP, 4ER, W), Kevin Slowey (6IP, 0ER, 4H, 7K, ND), Jeremy Guthrie (6IP, 4ER, W), and Jon Garland (7IP, 1.00 WHIP, 3ER, W) all provided solid contributions if you were to have started them last night. Garland, especially, is pitching relatively well on the road. He doesn't do well at home, but has given reason to make him a spot-start consideration every time away from Anaheim.
• Felix Hernandez was seen in a walking boot last night to stabilize his ankle. Hernandez still expects a quick recovery. He still is looking to make his next start, and this shouldn't be viewed as a long-term concern. The Mariners may look to hold him back a day or two, but he should remain in lineups next week.
• Trevor Hoffman will be the closer in San Diego unless he's hurt or retires, but outings like last night do make you shake your head. Hoffman has been more prone to the long ball, dating back to the break last year. His change-up is staying higher in the zone, and that's making it more hittable. He doesn't have the top fastball he once did, so when he misses with off-speed pitches, he gets hit hard. Cla Meredith will still be next in line.

 

Notes for today's games:

• Randy Johnson is 12-6 at Fenway Park in his career, which are some good numbers. But Manny Ramirez's numbers against him are just as impressive. Manny has five home runs in his career against the big lefty and 17 RBI. Find another option for Mike Lowell, as he has hit .182 in 44 at-bats against Johnson. Johnson has had two bad outings in June, and allowed four or more runs in all those starts. There are better options, despite his track record at Fenway.
• Picking between the two, Joba Chamberlain is the safer bet against Zach Duke. Chamberlain has been better each time out and is one of the best starts of the day. Duke has been very good lately as well. In June, he has a 2.70 ERA and is 2-0 with a WHIP of 1.20. He's also been good at home in general, going 4-2 with an ERA of 3.18.
• The Tigers have feasted on Kyle Lohse, going back to his days in Minnesota. Magglio Ordonez (.333/4/12), Ivan Rodriguez (.370), Carlos Guillen (.467/2/4), Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, even the ball boys should be in your lineups. Yes, he was good against Boston, but Lohse still has an ERA of 4.46 on the road and a BAA of .313. Since 2005, he's 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA at Comerica Park and 2-5 with an 8.08 ERA against the Tigers.
• Miguel Batista hasn't fared well against the Mets. All of the Mets big bats, from Beltran to Delgado to Wright, have at least a .300 average and a home run against Batista. His 7.43 ERA in June makes the situation slightly worse. John Maine has been good enough at home to warrant the start as well.
• Aaron Harang hasn't enjoyed facing the Blue Jays, as the team has a .340 BAA when facing him. Any and all Blue Jays not named Scott Rolen are good plays. Rolen is 5-28 against Harang lifetime. To boot, the Reds pitcher has been nearly as bad as his counterpart Bronson Arroyo for the month of June.
• Greg Maddux is at home, I can't stress this strongly enough.
• Spot starts today? Maddux, Greg Smith, Gavin Floyd, and Luke Hochevar

 

Notes for Thursday:

• Matt Garza's struggles have largely been on the road. I'd avoid him in this one against the Marlins. Mark Hendrickson is off my list of spot starts until we see him provide one or two decent ones, at least at home. There needs to be some consistency for recommendations to happen.
• Adam Eaton hasn't been bad at home, but he's not good on the road. Eaton has been saddled with a 5.09 road ERA. Keep him away from your lineups against Oakland.
• Two rough outings in a row for Jesse Litsch have me willing to hold him back from any spot-start consideration. Let's see what he does against Cincinnati. His chances for a win are tough, going up against Edinson Volquez.
• I'm going to keep riding the Scott Baker train, especially in a pitcher-friendly ballpark.
• Paul Maholm has looked good at home, and he has earned himself consideration in NL-only formats. I don't trust him against the Yankees though. He hasn't seen a lineup like this and hasn't been pitching well long enough to make the risk worth the reward. Keep the New York lefties down, though, as he holds all left-handed hitters to a .186 average.
• Early spot-start calls? Go with Baker, Clayton Kershaw, Todd Wellemeyer, and Radhames Liz.

 

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