Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

Last Night Rewind

• After leaving in a game against Boston over the weekend with a hamstring injury, the Rangers officially placed Nelson Cruz on the DL yesterday. Cruz pulled up lame heading into third base on Saturday night after legging out a triple. Fill in with Luke Scott out of Baltimore, who continues to hit home runs without people paying attention.
• Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher both left last night's game for the Yankees against the Tigers. Rodriguez was pulled after the fourth inning with what is being called a tight calf. He had hit twice and showed no apparent signs of an injury. Nick Swisher left with a forearm injury in the sixth inning. Lance Berkman was unavailable last night with an ankle issue. Look for all three to miss tonight's game as well, according to reports.
• Derrek Lee will miss the next two or three games after receiving an epidural in his back to relieve the pain caused by a bulging disk. Lee has been dealing with back issues most of the season, but does not believe that has hurt him offensively. Leave him on your bench until their weekend series starts.
• Shaun Marcum fired a one-hitter last night in securing a 3-1 victory over the A's. Marcum allowed only a leadoff home run to Conor Jackson in the seventh inning. Marcum has seemed to shine when the competition is less than stellar. He had allowed 13 runs in 10 innings over his last two starts against the Yankees and Red Sox but had one his three prior starts against Cleveland, Baltimore, and Detroit.
• Francisco Rodriguez has a torn ligament in his thumb that is believed to be the result of the fight that caused his suspension last week. Rodriguez does require surgery that could end his season. Hisanori Takahashi is expected to get shots at closing games, and should be the first waiver grab. Still, with Jerry Manuel running the ship, it will definitely be a combination effort.

Tuesday Notes

• Miguel Cabrera is 7-for-11 with two home runs and nine RBI against C.C. Sabathia while Gerald Laird checks in at 7-for-15 with a home run. Carlos Guillen is close to .300 in 44 at-bats. Ryan Raburn may only be 3-for-15 against the lefty, but he is hitting .314 in his last 51 at-bats with five home runs and 14 RBI.
• David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, and Mike Lowell all check in at better than .300 against Jered Weaver. Ortiz has two home runs and nine RBI in 23 at-bats while Drew checks in with the best average of the three at .353. Adrian Beltre has had his struggles against Weaver, going only 8-for-39 against the Angels starter.
• While you should avoid the 1-for-10 of Jayson Nix against Zack Greinke, he is the only major issue. Look to get Asdrubal Cabrera in your lineup. Cabrera is 11-for-24 against Greinke, the best numbers on the Indians. Travis Hafner has a solid .314 average in 35 at-bats too. Batters overall are hitting .294 against Greinke at home this season.
• John Danks is 2-1 against the Twins this season and is coming off a spectacular eight inning performance against them last time out. Danks is 5-3 on the road this season, holding batters to a .234 average against him. Danks has historically struggled against the Twins, though. Michael Cuddyer is 20-for-41 lifetime with five home runs against him and Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, and Denard Span are all better than .290 against Danks.
• Scott Baker is 2-0 against the White Sox this season and is 7-3 at home in 2010. Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, and Mark Kotsay are all hitting only .167 against Baker, but otherwise the numbers for the White Sox are good. Paul Konerko, Mark Teahen, and A.J. Pierzynski are all better than .300 against Baker.
• Yadier Molina is 5-for-18 against Dave Bush. That may only be a .278 average, but three of those five hits have gone for home runs. Skip Schumaker is 7-for-18 against Bush and your regular Cardinals are going to be good to go as well. Bush is 2-5 this season on the road with a 5.00 ERA.
• Brad Hawpe is 4-for-13 with two home runs against Clayton Kershaw, Chris Iannetta is 4-for-13, and Dexter Fowler is 3-for-10 as well. They have the best numbers to go on here. Troy Tulowitzki is 4-for-20 and Ryan Spilborghs is 4-for-19. Kershaw is 2-0 against the Rockies this season and has given up just two earned runs in 13 innings against them this year.
• Jeff Francis is listed as the probable starter for the Rockies, but he has been placed on the DL with tendinitis in his left shoulder. The injury is believed to be related to the shoulder surgery that he had last season. Jhoulys Chacin will replace Francis in the rotation, but he is not worth a start in this matchup against the Dodgers.
• Zach Duke has given up 12 runs on 23 hits in his last 17 innings of work covering three starts. Duke has simply been pounded, with opponents hitting .322 against him at home this season. The Marlins are hitting the ball well and this lines up as a solid matchup for them to exploit.
• Spot Starts: Minor, Wells, Gomez

Wednesday Notes

• Victor Martinez is 7-for-13 against Scott Kazmir with a home run. He has the best numbers on the roster, with Marco Scutaro checking in at .286. David Ortiz is 9-for-44 and Mike Lowell only 10-for-43, but he does have four home runs against the lefty. Adrian Beltre struggles to a 3-for-20 mark against Kazmir as well.
• Casey McGehee has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last two weeks, but he is only 1-for-12 against Adam Wainwright. The bulk of the Brewers struggle as well. Ryan Braun is only 7-for-38 and Prince Fielder is just 6-for-35. Even Rickie Weeks is sitting at 4-for-24. Craig Counsell is a .304 hitter in 23 at-bats and is the only Brewer with an average better than .265 against Wainwright.
• Gavin Floyd was roughed up for the first time in a long time in his last start against Minnesota. Floyd is now 0-2 against them on the year, surrendering seven earned runs on 17 hits in 11.2 innings pitched. Denard Span is 10-for-21 and Jason Kubel has four home runs in 32 at-bats to go with a .344 average against him.
• Tim Hudson has been on a bit of a roll lately. Hudson has allowed just two earned runs over his last 36.2 innings pitched covering five starts. Josh Willingham is just 1-for-20 against Hudson while Ryan Zimmerman is only 5-for-31. Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Dunn both have solid numbers and should be in your lineup here.
• Alex Gordon has owned Fausto Carmona, going 8-for-16 against him overall. Mike Aviles cracks .300 as well with his 4-for-13 mark. Billy Butler is not stellar at only 5-for-20 without a home run. Carmona has lost three of his last four starts but is 6-3 on the road with a 3.30 ERA.
• Spot Starts: Hammel, Richard, Gonzalez