Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

Last Night Rewind

• Andy Pettitte was able to throw a rehab outing last night in a playoff game in Double-A. He was able to throw 51 pitches and allowed only two hits in four innings of work. Pettitte was on his way to another impressive season before injuries sidelined him after 18 starts. He is more a late-season option for fantasy playoffs if he is ready to go this week.
• Colby Rasmus had himself a night last night. The Cardinals outfielder recorded two home runs and four hits overall and is seven for his last 12. Rasmus seems to certainly be over the calf injury that plagued him in August and he should be back in fantasy lineups regularly.
• Bobby Jenks is going to continue to miss time with a forearm injury and his return is uncertain. Jenks has been dealing with various maladies, including his back at the beginning of the second half. Look for J.J. Putz to be given the save opportunities for the time being while the White Sox wait and see how Jenks heals.
• Aaron Cook's status for the remainder of the season is uncertain after suffering a broken leg via a Joey Votto line drive. The fracture will not necessarily cut his year short, but the Rockies are likely to make that decision based on the next few games, including a series with the Padres. Jeff Francis will start in his place on Monday.
• The fact it was revealed that Placido Polanco is playing with a broken elbow should not greatly concern his owners. Though he is looking at surgery after the season, he continues to hit at a solid pace, putting up an average of .314 in September. There should be no cause for concern unless he eventually slows down, and there are no signs of that.

Friday Notes

• With Paul Maholm, it depends on what numbers you believe. Do you trust the guy who has surrendered 15 runs in his last two starts over his 7.2 innings or the guy who is 2-0 against the Reds with a 2.75 ERA this season in three starts? I would go with the former. Bench the 2-for-15 Jay Bruce and note that Joey Votto is only 3-for-16. Maholm's numbers lately are just too bad to use.
• Carl Pavano's road numbers are actually stronger than what he shows at home. Batters are hitting only .239 against him away from Target Field, 40 points higher than his home number. He has a 3.20 ERA and an 8-6 record on the road this year.
• Roy Halladay is 3-0 against the Mets this year but he has surrendered 10 runs in his last 21 innings pitched over three starts. Start the 7-for-15 Jose Reyes and the .324 Carlos Beltran. If you can avoid David Wright, who is only 2-for-12 against Halladay lifetime.
• James Shields may be 8-6 on the road, but he is dealing with a 5.30 ERA in 14 starts away from home this season. Batters are hitting .301 against him in that stretch. Adam Lind is 10-for-30 with four home runs while Aaron Hill is 9-for-31 with four home runs as well. Even John Buck is 4-for-12 with two home runs against him.
• Mark Buehrle has been battered around in his last three starts, giving up 11 runs in his last 20 innings of work. He is 6-3 at home this year despite an ERA over 4.50 and he has a solid set of numbers against the Royals this year. Billy Butler is at .341 in 41 at-bats with two home runs and Willie Bloomquist is hitting .444 in 36 at-bats against him.
• Ichiro has really struggled against Jered Weaver, hitting just .240 against him in 50 at-bats. Franklin Gutierrez and Jose Lopez are at .278 and .277 respectively. Weaver is 2-0 against Seattle with a 0.84 ERA and has given up just 11 hits in 21.1 innings. He is 5-3 with a 1.60 ERA at home this season.
• Dave Bush is 0-1 in three starts with a 7.47 ERA against the Cubs this season. He has surrendered six home runs in 15.2 innings against them this year. Kosuke Fukudome has two home runs and a .440 average in 25 at-bats. Aramis Ramirez has three home runs in 36 at-bats against him and Soriano is hitting .294 against Bush as well.
• Clayton Richard will look to keep the Padres in first place and improve to 4-0 against the Giants this year. In his three wins he has a 2.05 ERA in four starts while holding the Giants to a .245 average against him. He is 6-4 at home with a 2.85 ERA and .231 BAA. Look to use him as a spot starter in this matchup.
• Jorge de la Rosa has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last nine starts and has completed at least six innings in seven of those starts. In that stretch he has lowered his ERA from 6.16 down to 4.18. He is 4-2 at home with a 3.88 ERA.
• Spot Starts: Richard, Bailey, Galarraga

Weekend Notes

• Jack Cust and Daric Barton have both hit well against John Lackey from his Anaheim days. Cust checks in at .296 with three home runs and Barton is at .350. Coco Crisp is just 4-for-22 and Mark Ellis struggles to a .232 mark in 56 at-bats. Kurt Suzuki has ugly numbers as well. In a reach, look to Gabe Gross who is 5-for-9.
• Jeremy Guthrie has allowed just two earned runs in his last 15.1 innings pitched. Guthrie is 5-2 in his last seven starts and is even 2-1 in his last three road starts. Guthrie is being overlooked, but continues to throw the ball well. Give him a look if you need a starter over the weekend.
• Felix Hernandez has given up just one earned run in his last six starts and is holding batters to a .224 average away from home this season. Hernandez is 0-2 this season against the Angels, but he continues to throw the ball too well to ignore. Only Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu crack .300 and no other player is hitting better than .240 with at least 10 at-bats.
• Anibal Sanchez has allowed only two earned runs in three starts covering 18 innings against the Nationals. He is just 1-0 in those starts, but the Nationals have just a .209 average against him in 2010. Ryan Zimmerman is only 7-for-33 against Sanchez for his career. Adam Dunn is worth keeping in the lineup.
• Ryan Dempster is 3-0 against the Brewers this year in four starts, posting a 2.84 ERA in that stretch. Only Rickie Weeks cracks .300 against Dempster. Ryan Dempster is a .200 hitter in 35 at-bats against him while Corey Hart is just 5-for-30. Dempster is 7-4 with a 3.51 ERA on the road this season.
• Cliff Lee will get the ball for the first time since the end of August. He has had a back issue that has kept him on the sidelines. To say he has struggled lately is an understatement, and that would keep me holding him on the bench to make certain he is healthy enough to go.
• Chris Volstad is 4-0 against the Nationals this year but does have a 4.50 ERA in those starts. Adam Dunn has raked against him posting a .526 average in 19 at-bats while Ryan Zimmerman is 11-for-18 against him as well. Nyjer Morgan has struggled to just 1-for-11...if he actually gets to show up in the lineup.
• Geovany Soto, Aramis Ramirez, and Kosuke Fukudome are all hitting better than .300 against Yovani Gallardo. Alfonso Soriano is 1-for-11 against him. Gallardo is just 5-5 at home with a 4.38 ERA in his starts there this season. He has a win against the Cubs this season and has given up only one run in 13 innings against him.
• Tim Lincecum seems to have righted the ship in September, going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Lincecum has allowed only 10 hits in 14.2 innings this month while striking out 20. Adrian Gonzalez is just 7-for-36 against him while Ryan Ludwick is only 2-for-12 against him.
• Spot Starts: Sanchez, Guthrie, Figueroa, Kennedy, Bumgarner