Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

Last Night Rewind

• The claim made by Boston on Johnny Damon is interesting from many perspectives. Damon knows how to play in Boston and would be a welcomed steady hand compared to the cast of characters that have been called upon thus far. He likely ends up in left field, with Daniel Nava suffering the most. Darnell McDonald and Ryan Kalish would still split much of the centerfield time.
• The fact that the marriage of the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez is ending this way should be of no real surprise. Ramirez has already missed 59 games this season after missing 50 last year with the drug suspension. He is far from the hitter that he was in his prime. With the Dodgers largely out of playoff contention, the move to play those that will be around next year makes much more sense. His bat would seem to make more sense in Tampa than in Chicago at this point, should a move be made. Leave it to Manny, though, to decline the trade and sit on the bench. Just a hunch.
• If you polled 5,000 people at the beginning of the season and asked them to pick the first player to hit 40 home runs this season, Jose Bautista would likely have finished just behind Jose Guillen. This is a player who barely hit 40 combined over the last three years. Enjoy this year, but be careful in overvaluing what he really brings to the table. The rates do not play out. 53% of his contact has been a fly ball, with better than 20% of those fly balls going for home runs. He is hitting fly balls at a rate 10 points higher than his career average and his HR/FB ratio is eight points higher.
• John Lackey picked up his 12th win of the season last night and actually threw one of his more impressive games of the year. Lackey worked the bottom of the strike zone like a pro, sending down 10 Mariners by way of the strikeout. Lackey has largely been a disappointment, a "C" student, if you will. More outings like this the rest of the way will make fantasy owners forget that.
• Rich Harden returned from injury last night to throw 6.2 innings of no-hit baseball before being removed. He is the second pitcher in a week to be removed from a no-hitter in the seventh inning. Harden had thrown 111 pitches at the time, and given his injury history, should certainly have been taken out. This is a good sign, but make him show you another good outing before going to make waiver claims.

Tuesday Notes

• Jeremy Guthrie gave up five earned runs in his last outing, but he has pitched well in three of his last four starts overall. Guthrie has already beaten the White Sox once this month, allowing just one earned run in an eight inning effort. Overall, he is 3-1 in August with a 2.79 ERA and .194 BAA. If you have some innings at your disposal, look to him here.
• The Mets have seen Josh Johnson and probably wish they had not. David Wright is only 4-for-23 while Carlos Beltran is 3-for-21. Jose Reyes is 4-for-19 and Luis Castillo hits just .214 in 14 at-bats against the Florida starter. The best numbers on offense belong to Jeff Francoeur, and he is hitting just .269 against him.
• Clayton Richard has allowed at least three earned runs in seven of his last nine outings, but not in either of his last two. In those starts, he has allowed three earned runs in 12.2 innings of work. He struggled in his last time out against Arizona, but is 5-3 at home this season with a .235 BAA. Start him in this one.
• Rodrigo Lopez has been roughed up by the Padres in his two starts against them this season. Lopez has surrendered four home runs in just 11 innings. Overall, he has given up 14 hits and nine earned runs against San Diego. He has not worked out of the fifth inning in any of his last three starts, giving up 13 runs in 15 innings.
• While Derek Lowe has been effective in his four starts this month, posting a 2.96 ERA despite a 1-2 record, he is only 3-6 on the road this season with a 4.96 ERA. Add to that, this game is taking place in Colorado. While the Rockies have no outstanding numbers against him, you should only look to avoid Miguel Olivo, Seth Smith, and Ian Stewart.
• Paul Maholm has been beaten up in August, going just 1-3 with a 7.29 ERA in that stretch. At home, he is 5-8 with a 5.69 ERA. Basically, there is nothing good of which to speak in this outing coming up tonight. The silver lining? Matt Holliday is only 1-for-14 against Maholm. The problem is that Albert Pujols is 16-for-27, good for a .593 mark.
• In Josh Beckett's last three starts, covering 16 innings, he has given up 19 earned runs and five home runs. Teams have knocked him around for 28 hits. The good news is that he still has struck out 16 in that stretch. Look, Beckett is supposed to be an ace, but fantasy owners need to be realistic. He SHOULD get on track against the Mariners, but if I am in a tight race, he is on my bench tonight.
• Look to keep Jhonny Peralta in your lineup tonight against Kyle Davies. Peralta is 6-for-11 against him. Gerald Laird checks in at .294 while Miguel Cabrera is hitting .310 with three home runs. Davies has posted a 5.30 ERA on the road this season in 13 starts. Look to get your Tigers in the lineup against him here.
• Cole Hamels is 0-3 in August, but has only pitched poorly in one start. Even in his rough start against the Giants, two runs were preventable, had a fly ball been caught and not misjudged. Carlos Lee is just 4-for-17 against Hamels lifetime, but has a home run and seven RBI to his credit against him. No other major numbers to write home about.
• Spot Starts: Guthrie, Richard, Gonzalez

Wednesday Notes

• Wade LeBlanc is stuck with a tough 2-2 record in August, but he has struggled on the road this season and three of his four starts this month have been away from home. In Petco, he has a 2.59 ERA this year. In deep leagues, he is worth a flier against Arizona in this matchup. He pitched well against them in his only start this season.
• Brett Cecil dominated the Red Sox in his last outing. The Yankees, though, have hit him well. Derek Jeter is 5-for-11, while Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano are both 4-for-11. That is the best news for the Yankees, though. Cecil is 1-0 in two starts against them this season, giving up just two earned runs in 14 innings.
• Jose Lopez and Franklin Gutierrez have struggled against Jon Lester. Lopez is just 1-for-13 against Lester while Gutierrez is only 3-for-16 lifetime. Lester was roughed up in his last outing by Toronto, but he should be able to get back on the horse in this one. He had not allowed a run in his two starts prior to that disaster.
• Jeff Niemann will take the ball for the Rays for the first time since hitting the DL with a shoulder injury. Niemann enjoys pitching on the road. He is 5-1 away from home this season, and opponents are hitting just .229 against him in those outings. Niemann has already put up a win against the Angels this season. He is a good option here.
• Good numbers to be had from the Orioles against Mark Buehrle. Brian Roberts is at .333 in 36 at-bats while Nick Markakis checks in at 9-for-20 (.450). Corey Patterson also has solid numbers at .375 in 16 trips to the plate with a home run. Buehrle lost in his only other outing against the Orioles, but has pitched well of late, going 3-1 in August.
• Spot Starts: Niemann, LeBlanc, Bailey