MLB Fantasy Baseball: Monday News and Notes

Interleague play is now behind us, and it's time to focus on divisional play. The season has passed the halfway point from a fantasy perspective. Every owner should be evaluating where they are and what they need to do to make themselves playoff eligible.

Is it time to punt on a category? Do you need that extra outfielder? The dilemmas of the fantasy owner!

Let's get to today's notes. Check back later for the Top Fives of June!

• Dan Uggla left Saturday's game and sat out yesterday with a sprained ankle. Uggla was seen in a soft cast in the locker room, but claims to be fine. If you need to make a weekly lineup call, I'd lean to sitting him. In daily leagues, you could be out of luck until mid-week.
• Eric Gagne returned from the DL. Don't expect him back in the role of closer right away. Soloman Torres is safe for now. Gagne will be a set-up guy until he proves his health. Given how he was pitching before the DL stint, this could be a while.
• Magglio Ordonez was placed on the 15-day DL with a pulled oblique muscle. We've seen a few of these this year. This is not just a two-week injury; expect a three-week stint, minimum. This will impact Ordonez every time he tries to swing a bat, make a throw, run the bases, or even laugh. It's a tough injury. If you need a fill-in, Ryan Church was activated from the DL by the Mets. Church was over .300 with 10 home runs before two concussions sidelined him. He'll be the everyday left fielder for the Mets as long as he's healthy.
• Pitching carried the day on Sunday, as John Lackey and Josh Beckett were expected studs. The unusual performance came out of Kevin Slowey. More than any year, we're seeing some dramatic home/road splits. Slowey, at home, has a WHIP of 1.00 and an ERA of 3.30. He isn't getting run support, which is much of the problem. He's also allowed two runs or less in his last four starts. The knock on him is that he gives up home runs, but his trends are getting better, and he's struck out a batter an inning for his last 15 innings.
• Luke Scott is hitting .400 in his last five games, improving his average to .280. Scott is a streaky player who you can still grab in 60 percent of leagues. He's a nice option in all AL-only formats and deep, mixed leagues. If you're looking to replace a struggling outfielder in any format, he'll provide some pop for a little while longer before his next slump. He's at home this week, where he's hit .343 on the season.
• Jake Peavy got roughed up at home, and his next start is on the road. Peavy is struggling in the same way all Padres pitchers are away from Petco. He's only 2-2 with a 5.61 road ERA. His WHIP is nearly 2.00 and batters hit over .300 against him. Peavy is a classic example as to why drafting pitching early is such a gamble. It's much harder to anticipate wins and pitch placement than it is offensive numbers.
• Jason Varitek may be the best game-calling catcher in baseball, but he's no fantasy option. Tek is down to .225, has yet to crack 10 home runs, and overall, he just looks lost at the plate. I understand catchers are tough to find, but I'd grab almost anyone at this point. Need a sleeper option, go with Jeff Clement. He'll be getting most of the time in Seattle now.
• The duel between Tim Lincecum and Justin Duchscherer on Saturday was amazing. You expect it from Lincecum at this point, and he delivers, but Duchscherer is becoming just as reliable this season. He bettered his ERA to 1.91 and his WHIP to 0.93. There was some laughing when we called him out as one of the best options the rest of the way, but just watch. The only thing that will slow him down will be fatigue from innings. In keeper formats, Lincecum is a top-five option and Duchscherer is moving into the top-10.
• One start this weekend that nobody ever saw coming: Carlos Silva. He got his first win in his last 13 starts. Yes, you read that right.

Notes for today's games:

• Get ready for some fireworks over the next few days, and not just for the Fourth of July. Tampa will take on Boston for the first time since the bench-clearing brawl. I would actually expect this to impact some fantasy numbers. Guys will be a little more jittery at the plate. I'd find other options if I were starting Akinori Iwamura, for certain.
• James Shields hasn't had trouble with Boston's bigger bats. Manny Ramirez is 3-16 (two home runs) and Kevin Youkilis is 0-14.
• Your normal Mets are good plays against Kyle Lohse. Lohse has been good at home, no denying that, but Carlos Beltran (.517/4/11), Carlos Delgado (.534/1/3), Ryan Church (4-8), and David Wright (4-8) all seem to enjoy their time against him.
• With the various pitchers that actually still have ownership in leagues, I don't understand why Mike Mussina would still be available. But, there he is, sitting out in 13 percent of leagues. Frank Catalanotto will likely get a start, and is a good option since he's .441/2/10 against Mussina. He's it though. I'd have Mussina in my lineup in all formats.
• Paul Maholm isn't what you would call a power pitcher. But he has held left-handed hitters to a .186 average. I'd look for options other than Jay Bruce and Adam Dunn (3-22). Edwin Encarnacion is back in the lineup after back spasms limited him and is a good play, as is Brandon Phillips.
• Bench Freddy Sanchez (.182), but start all other Pirates (Bay, Doumit, Nady, Bautista, Wilson, etc.) against Aaron Harang. Beyond being roughed up in June, the Pirates hit .290 against him as a team and recorded 10 hits and six runs against him in their last meeting.
• Tim Redding has already seen the Marlins three times this year, going 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA. He's given up more than four total runs in each outing against them, even if his last one was in May. There are much better options and I would seek them out.
• Armando Galarraga is 0-2 against the Twins this season with a 5.25 ERA. He's much better on the road than at home, but isn't a safe start with that track record. Glen Perkins has held down the Tigers once this year and has given up three runs in his last four outings. He's the better play of the two.
• Roy Oswalt's overall numbers are rough, but he's been good in June, giving up just three runs in every outing to this point and working into the sixth every time out. Outside of Juan Pierre, no Dodger that has hurt him will be in the lineup.
• Avoid Barry Zito and Greg Maddux today. Zito has struggled at home and Maddux can't pitch on the road.
• Need spot starts today? Go with Eric Stults, Greg Smith, Gavin Floyd, and Justin Masterson.

Notes for Tuesday:

• Kevin Millwood has had severe problems on the road and Joba Chamberlain is only getting stronger. Millwood is hardly a viable option in any format based on his performance this season. Every Yankee should be in your lineup, led by Bobby Abreu.
• Matt Garza's best performances have come at home, and he's pitched well against Boston there once this season already. Tim Wakefield is 4-1 since 2005 at Tropicana field.
• Tony Armas Jr. will likely be called up to make the start for the Mets. He was pitching very well in AAA, but that doesn't make him a solid option until he proves something in the majors. We've seen this with him before.
• I can't recommend Clayton Kershaw until we see a reliable six-inning performance. I don't know what Torre is doing, but it certainly seems to be a severe limitation on pitch counts and innings limits. Kershaw is a young pitcher, so part of this is expected, but it is frustrating given his potential.
• Jesse Litsch has been a steal for many fantasy owners, but his struggles on the road continue. Especially against King Felix, there are better options if you're looking for a cheap win.
• Early spot-start calls? Scott Baker, Todd Wellemeyer, Garza, and Radhames Liz.

Back as the need arises. Check out the full Roundtable blog.