Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

Last Night Rewind

• Trades are the name of the game at this point in the year, and the Rangers added themselves another player that could make a difference down the stretch. Jorge Cantu will be the regular first baseman for Texas the rest of the way. With the struggles of Chris Davis then Justin Smoak then Chris Davis again, the Rangers needed a steadier presence in the lineup. Additionally, Cantu will pick up some slack at second base, potentially adding some eligibility in fantasy leagues. That would make him much more valuable to owners.
• The trade of Matt Capps to the Twins puts Jon Rauch out of a job. Ron Gardenhire has already stated that Capps will take over with Rauch getting spot opportunities. That does not mean owners should dismiss Rauch right away. It is not like Capps is Mariano Rivera. He makes mistakes and Rauch will still get chances as a result. In Washington, grab Drew Storen...now.
• The Padres acquisition of Miguel Tejada has me scratching my head some. Understand that Chase Headley cannot hit lefties, but using Tejada as a platoon-mate does not seem worth it. The talk of moving him to shortstop and demoting Everth Cabrera is odd because Tejada has lost any range he once had. Moving him to the outfield is just straight-up odd. He can hit, but this move would seem to relegate him to a less than full-time role and fantasy owners should be prepared for that. I like this move more because it will likely give Josh Bell plenty of at-bats to prove himself at third base in Baltimore the rest of the way.
• What a night for Anibal Sanchez! The Marlins starter threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Giants. His stats should be intriguing to deeper league owners. Sanchez now owns a 3.33 ERA and 1.20 WHIP this season. To boot, he has allowed only five home runs in 124.1 innings while striking out 90. The 45 walks are a disappointment, but he is pitching well.
• After suffering a freak and somewhat disturbing injury, Huston Street feels he is ready to go and pitch again. Street worked out in the bullpen and was able to throw without pain. Where he missed as much time as he did early in the season, this is certainly good news for owners. Street has saved six games in seven chances since coming back to the team.

Friday Notes

• Expect Blake DeWitt to get a start against Tim Lincecum tomorrow. DeWitt has the best numbers on the Dodgers against the starter having gone 6-for-11. Look to avoid the 0-for-14 of Russell Martin and the 2-for-17 of Matt Kemp. Rafael Furcal at 3-for-16 is not much better.
• Ervin Santana has allowed just four earned runs in his last three starts, covering 23 innings of work. Josh Hamilton has been on fire of late, but he is only 2-for-18 against Santana while Nelson Cruz checks in at 4-for-19. Both Ian Kinsler and Michael Young remain solid players. Young is hitting .400 against Santana lifetime.
• Jon Lester at home is always a good play. He is 6-2 inside Fenway Park this season and has held batters to a .215 average against him. Newly-acquired Jhonny Peralta should be held out of lineups where possible. Peralta is only 2-for-15 against Lester lifetime. No other concerns for your Tigers in this one from the numbers, but Lester has pitched very well of late.
• Chris Carpenter does not have a win this season against the Pirates, but he is 8-2 at home so far this year, a good sign. Only Lastings Milledge at a very limited 3-for-7 has had any reliable success against the St. Louis starter. Carpenter is 2-0 in his last three starts against Pittsburgh, allowing just six earned runs in 22 innings of work.
• Roy Oswalt was scheduled to start for the Astros on Friday but instead will get the ball for the Phillies in their weekend series opener. Oswalt is winless against Washington in his last five starts against them. In 21.2 innings against them, Oswalt has allowed 14 earned runs. The only rough numbers belong to Nyjer Morgan. Otherwise, start your Nats as you normally would.
• Wade Davis has won three consecutive starts, allowing just five earned runs in his last 21.1 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he has surrendered 14 hits in 11.2 innings this season against the Yankees. Could be a good night for Alex Rodriguez. He is 4-for-8 against Wade Davis with two home runs. Derek Jeter is 4-for-9 as well against the Tampa starter.
• Armando Galarraga has not had much luck since his near no-hitter went by the board. On the road this season, he has struggled. Galarraga is just 1-2 away from home in four starts with a 7.78 ERA. He has given up 27 hits in 19.2 innings to go with 17 earned runs and three home runs. Look to avoid him in this matchup against Boston.
• While you should look to avoid the 4-for-20 of Hunter Pence against Manny Parra, there are some good numbers to be had for the Astros against the Milwaukee starter. Carlos Lee is 9-for-17 while Pedro Feliz is 5-for-10. Both Michael Bourn and Lance Berkman are at .357 in 14 at bats.
• Brett Anderson was one of the hotter pitchers in the pre-season but injuries have made it hard on those that took the gamble. He will get back on the horse tonight, pitching against the White Sox. Anderson had a 2.35 ERA before landing on the DL and is available in 30 percent of ESPN leagues. Look to grab him before a good outing has others thinking to.
• Spot Starts: LeBlanc, Dan Hudson, Fister

Weekend Notes

• Javier Vazquez continues to be strong and is 6-2 in his last 10 starts. Some good and bad numbers, though. B.J. Upton is 8-for-15 against Vazquez and Carl Crawford tips the scale with a .379 average as well. Look to avoid the 3-for-19 of Carlos Pena.
• Even with a rough outing against the Cardinals thrown into the equation, Chad Billingsley is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in July. Billingsley has not allowed a run in his last 15 innings of work. Pablo Sandoval has struggled against him, going just 4-for-19. You might see both Travis Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz in this one. Ishikawa is 6-for-16 while Schierholtz is 6-for-10 against the Dodgers starter.
• While Carlos Lee has two home runs against Dave Bush, he is just 4-for-28 overall against the pitcher. Jeff Keppinger, a decent start of late, is only 4-for-18 while Pedro Feliz checks in at just 3-for-17. Both Lance Berkman and Hunter Pence have good enough numbers to start. Bush, for his part, has allowed more than two earned runs in a start just once since June 15th.
• May want to avoid Bobby Abreu against Scott Feldman. Abreu is only 4-for-23 against him lifetime. Juan Rivera at 3-for-20 is no better and Alberto Callaspo is just 1-for-13. Great numbers from Mike Napoli, Torii Hunter, and Erick Aybar. All have at least 18 at-bats against him and are hitting better than .425.
• Look to bench Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson against James Shields as they are 4-for-25 and 2-for-23 respectively. Nick Swisher struggles to a 3-for-17 mark as well and Alex Rodriguez is only 5-for-23. Shields has already beaten the Yankees once this year, and the numbers are in his favor for this outing.
• Garrett Jones has some good numbers against Adam Wainwright. He is 5-for-9 against the St. Louis starter. That, though, is the only bit of good news for the Pirates. Wainwright is 10-0 at home this season and 3-1 in the month of July. If you can avoid starting any Pirates, the numbers suggest that it would be wise to do so.
• The Dodgers by the numbers have raked against Matt Cain. Andre Ethier is 18-for-35 against him while James Loney hits .345 and Rafael Furcal is at .357. Casey Blake is solid as well with two home runs and a .300 average in 20 at-bats. Russell Martin is low man on the totem pole and he still has a .290 average against Cain. Beware using the ace in this one. The Dodgers have roughed him up once already.
• Do not expect to see David Murphy (1-for-18) or Chris Davis (3-for-16) in the lineup against Jered Weaver. These two would be the only concerns and other Rangers will be good to go in this one. Weaver is 1-1 against the Rangers this season with a 5.09 ERA, allowing four home runs in 17.1 innings against them this season.
• It has not been pretty, but Cole Hamels has gone 2-0 against the Nationals this season. He is now 7-2 against them in his last 13 starts, allowing 21 runs in 83.1 innings pitched against them over that stretch. Look to avoid Adam Dunn against him in this one. Dunn is only 1-for-15 against Hamels lifetime.
• Spot Starts: De La Rosa, Gonzalez, Bush, Hammel, Correia