MLB Fantasy Baseball: Tuesday News and Notes

Monday usually has a light schedule, and last night was no exception. It was even lighter thanks to a rain out and the Yankees deciding not to show up quite yet for their series in Anaheim. To quote Major League, that brawl was the first sign of life in weeks.

Not surprising that Pudge swung and missed Torii Hunter, he hasn't hit anything since he joined the Yankees. Thank you, thank you, we'll be here all week... 

On to the notes. 

• Billy Wagner is officially done for the season. The Mets' closer will undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his pitching elbow that will sideline him for a while. It's not expected to interfere with his ability to get ready for next season. This is just a simple end to a complex problem.

Update: Should have been clear. He should be ready at some point next season. Spoke with someone close to the Mets and the feeling is he could be available around the All-Star break, but throwing before that. Reports of a full-year recovery are legit, but there is some silver lining. Even worse, the rumor has it that the Mets knew about the extent of the injury long before the declaration yesterday.

• Evan Longoria has been activated by Tampa from the DL. The Rays' third baseman isn't expected to start this series, but that could change based on what happens tonight. Joe Maddon said that Longoria is available to pinch hit but wouldn't likely start until the series against the Yankees.
• Don't blame Dave Bush for that disaster in the ninth inning last night. Bush was solid throughout his eight innings. He gave up just two earned runs on seven hits while walking two and recording three strikeouts. Bush has been good at home, that's about all there is to it. He should be owned in all deeper leagues and is still a decent play away from home as well, based on matchups.
• Coco Crisp has been red hot in his last 10 games. In that time, he's hitting .571 and has raised his average nearly 30 points from .263 to .291. The question remains as to if he will continue to get playing time with J.D. Drew being activated from the DL last night. The bet here is that he will still see enough playing time to be a viable option over the next week or so. You don't bench someone playing this well. And Francona doesn't like to rock the boat.
• Joey Votto continues his streak as well, knocking his fourth home run in his last 10 games. Votto has been a pleasant surprise since the middle of August. He has hit tonight's starter, Jeff Suppan, very well. Votto is 5-for-12 against Suppan with a home run. Continue to keep him active and look for him if you need a quick burst of power at the corner spots.
• Got a couple interesting questions yesterday. One involved comparing Shin-Soo Choo to Prince Fielder and which to start in a weekly league. On the surface, this seems cut and dry. Dig a little deeper, and you can see why this is a debate. Choo has been red hot and gets Baltimore and Kansas City this week. Fielder gets the Reds and Phillies. He's been killed by Reds pitching this year (.171 AVG) and gets at least two lefties (.222 AVG). Fielder has been bad on the road (60 point difference vs. at home). In the short week, we recommended Choo. Why? He's the hot hand. These type of decisions are the ones managers need to make, and they end up making the difference in some weeks.
• Alright, time to get off the Zach Miner train. It was nice initially, but his last two starts have just been bad. Last night, he was hammered at the expense of a bad offense. Not an easy one to take as an owner (especially being one of the guys that started him). Let's call a spade a spade and leave this one alone unless we see more favorable matchups.
• Jon Lester has never lost to the Rays and is now 3-0 this season with an ERA under 1.00. Lester's control and velocity have been better than anyone could have expected this season. His dominance at home is one thing, but Lester has been good throughout the season, regardless of where he has pitched.
• Everyone panicked on J.J. Hardy early this season. Hardy was struggling in every sense of the word, but we cautioned that he gets much better as the weather gets warmer. Hardy is now hitting .287 with 23 home runs, becoming one of the better producing shortstops out there. Sometimes, it just takes a LOT of patience with a guy.

Notes for Tuesday

• Scott Kazmir has been either feast or famine against Boston. Obviously, start your studs here, but if you have better options for Mike Lowell (.207) or Kevin Youkilis (.200), it would be wise to use them. Dustin Pedroia is 13-for-21 against Kazmir, good for a .619 AVG. Kazmir's struggles have been on the road, but this tends to be a good matchup for him. Akinori Iwamura is the best play against Kazmir's counterpart, Daisuke Matsuzaka.
• Bengie Molina, Randy Winn, and Aaron Rowand make good starts against Doug Davis. All are well over .300 against Davis and could boost an offense with a couple hits a piece. Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, and Chris Snyder are all solid plays against Giants starter Barry Zito. 
• Jeff Suppan is not going to be recommended here. Just isn't going to happen. We will say that Corey Patterson hits just .179 against him, while Brandon Phillips is at .217 and Jerry Hairston hits .105. That's all we're going to say. Really. That's it.
• Randy Wolf has only pitched at "The Juicebox" three times since being acquire from the Padres, but he has allowed two runs or less in those three outings. Wolf continues to be a solid option at home, especially given how hot the Astros' offense has been and how well he pitches at home.
• Michael Young and Gerald Laird are the only options, by the numbers, you would want to keep active against Felix Hernandez tonight. Hank Blalock hits just .192, and Josh Hamilton is only 2-for-13. Milton Bradley has been held hitless in 11 at-bats. While Hernandez is 0-3 against Texas, his ERA is just 2.87.
• Adrian Beltre is 7-for-36 against Vicente Padilla, but Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, and Jose Lopez should all be active against Padilla. Ichiro is 19-for-34 against Padilla, good for a .559 AVG. I like those odds.
• Every Cubs regular should be in the lineup against Kyle Lohse. The Cubs have hit .362 against Lohse as a team, and no regular with enough at-bats is below .300. All good signs for Cubs owners. Yes, Lohse has been good at home, but his history against the specific hitters has to outweigh that.
• Brian Bannister on the road is not a good matchup. Keep all Twins active. Conversely, Nick Blackburn has pitched very well at home and has been good in two starts against the Royals this season. Blackburn is a solid spot-option.
• Spot Starts: It's been a rough patch of these, but let's take another chance. Dana Eveland, Nick Blackburn, and Randy Wolf. Backing off Hiroki Kuroda. His numbers on the road are just tough to back, even if it is in San Diego.

Notes for Wednesday

• The Angels have historically destroyed Andy Pettitte. Outside of Torii Hunter, who is just a .214 hitter in 28 at-bats against Pettitte, all Angels regulars should be in your lineup. The team hits .362 against him, and he's struggled in two outings against them this season.
• I continue to be baffled as to how Bronson Arroyo is more widely owned than Josh Johnson or any of the Twins pitchers outside of Scott Baker. Arroyo has struggled all season and is not a good option against Milwaukee. While you might want another options for Corey Hart (.231), all other Brewers you normally would play have good numbers against him. Arroyo also has a 6.12 ERA on the road.
• Kevin Millwood hasn't pitched well against the Mariners this season, having gone 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA. For the most part, all your regular Mariners should be active, as Millwood doesn't have a good track record against them or on the road this season in general.
• Josh Beckett is 2-1 against Tampa this season, with a 2.57 ERA. While he has struggled at home, Beckett has pitched better lately and looked good in his return to the rotation last Friday. He should be active against the Rays.
• Derek Lowe has been good at home, but not so much on the road. Lowe is 3-6 with an ERA over five away from Dodger Stadium. While the matchup at Petco is better than other ballparks, his track record doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies. Reserve him unless you need the innings.
• Ricky Nolasco has struggled on the road, while Brett Myers continues to be red hot. You don't bench Myers until he gives you reason to bench him. His numbers at home have yet to do that against any team.
• Spot Starts: Braden Looper, Kevin Slowey, Armando Galarraga, and James Parr. Parr is going against Livan Hernandez. Considering I could get a hit off of Hernandez, I'm figuring this bodes well. Parr is available in virtually all leagues and hasn't been seen by anyone before. That's usually a good sign for rookie pitchers.

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