MLB Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

I know, as a Red Sox fan, I'm not supposed to question the moves of Terry Francona, but there I was doing just that last night. I'm still trying to figure out two things. First, why use Papelbon when it would be his third night in a row? Second, when it was obvious the Rays were hammering his fastball, why wasn't Masterson still throwing?

Yes, we're supposed to have Paps finish the games, but something didn't add up last night with all of those moves. Hey, still one game, still well ahead in the wild card and Tampa still has the toughest schedule in baseball the rest of the way. That makes me feel better.

On to the notes. 

• The Cubs received good news on both Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden. The two are showing progress and are still on track to start later this week. Harden was skipped a couple times, with a reason of tightness in his pitching arm. This seemed to be just an ideal time to rest him. Send him out there when he pitches. Zambrano makes me a little more nervous because of the need for medical attention. It's tough not to start him, but let's check the matchup first.
• Paul Konerko left last night's game in the fifth with a sprained MCL. He'll miss several games and should be removed from fantasy lineups until he can play in back-to-back contests. Don't want to take chances at this point in the season.
• Nate McLouth has missed no time with the stitches received and is still swinging the bat well. We were cautious about this early in the week because of how close the ball came to his eye. McLouth seems fine and should be good to go in all lineups as needed.
• Brandon Phillips is done for the season. The Reds' second baseman broke his finger during a bunt attempt, finished the at-bat, and is now heading home. Big blow to some teams that were relying on Phillips to finish this season off. At this time of year, finding a second baseman isn't the easiest of things to do. Mike Aviles, Akinori Iwamura, Alexei Ramirez, and Alexi Casilla would be the first options.
• Raise your hand if you thought A.J. Burnett was going to have 17 wins this year. That makes no one. Burnett looked dominant last night, allowing just one run on one hit over seven innings. Four of his last five outings have been very solid. Because of the wins and strikeouts alone, he's almost a guy you start without question each time out. There are still cases though where he should be watched.
• Jesse Litsch keeps rolling, and you know what we have said all season about riding the hot hand. This is one of those cases. If you get a shot at grabbing him, it's not a bad call. He could get two starts next week, and there are many worse guys that will fall into that category. The Jays are hot, and Litsch is a large reason why.
• While no longer available, it's important to note the hot streak of Carlos Delgado. Delgado is hitting .423 in September, hit .357 in July, but stunk up August with a .250 mark. He's streaky, but his post-break numbers are .284/14/44 after having gong .248/17/52 before the All-Star break. In fewer games, he has nearly the same power output. Not too bad for a guy that we all left for dead back in June.
• Kyle Kendrick is fast becoming another one of those guys we recommend starting the entire opposing offense against. Kendrick has struggled his last few outings, to the point he has been skipped in the rotation. It got no better for him last night. I wouldn't expect to see him starting for Philly again this season, but if he does, take advantage of it.
• Much better night for spot starts, as Nick Blackburn and Randy Wolf both recorded wins. Dana Eveland pitched well enough to get one of his own, but the Oakland offense rallied too late to help the guy out. Hiroki Kuroda also would have made a decent start, but I got chicken.

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.
• After speaking so glowingly about Carlos Delgado, it should be mentioned that he's 1-for-12 lifetime against Odalis Perez and is still hitting below .250 at home for the season. Most other Mets should be started against Perez, up to and including all regular starters. We've been on the Perez bandwagon for the second-half of the season, but this is not one of those nights.
• Mike Pelfrey has a miniscule ERA against the Nationals and has been white-hot since mid-August. Against the Nationals, he's put up a 0.61 ERA in two starts with a WHIP under 1.00 in over 14 innings pitched. He's a very solid play and available in ten percent of leagues.
• 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.
• With Roy Halladay on the mound, it's usually wise to bench borderline players that are facing him. For the White Sox, that means anyone not named Thome or Cabrera. The rest of the team is well under .240 against Halladay. Remember, Konerko will be out of the lineup.
• Alex Rios is 1-for-17 against Mark Buehrle, and the rest of the Blue Jays lineup isn't much better. The exception is Vernon Wells, who is 15-for-29 against Buehrle. Obviously, keep him active.
• 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.
• Kevin Slowey has been strong at home, having gone 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA and .214 BAA. Against the Royals, he's 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and a .241 BAA. No reason to activate any Royals for this matchup outside of scarce position guys like Aviles.
• Mentioned yesterday that I don't get the infatuation with Derek Lowe 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.
• Derek Lee, Geovany Soto, and Ryan Theriot remain good options against Braden Looper, but if you can avoid other Cubs, that's the way to go. Yes, Aramis Ramirez should rarely be out of the lineup, but he is just a .227 hitter against Looper in 22 at-bats.
• Spot Starts: Braden Looper, Kevin Slowey, Armando Galarraga, and James Parr.

Notes for Thursday

• Gavin Floyd has won his last five decisions and is 9-2 at home this season. He's been especially tough on righties, holding them to a .214 average on the season. Shaun Marcum's success has largely come at home, where he holds opponents under .200. On the road, not so much. He's just as tough on righties as Floyd and was solid in his only outing against the White Sox.
• The Angels send John Lackey out against Seattle. The Mariners are hitting over .300 against the Angels' pitcher, and all regulars should be started. The only exception is Adrian Beltre, who is just 7-for-43 against Lackey.
• Jamie Moyer has struggled at home and gets an offense that needs a few wins. It's an important series for both teams, with regards to playoffs. Moyer draws Ben Sheets, who has been nothing short of electric in recent outings. Moyer has handled the Brewers' lineup well for the most part. The exception is Jason Kendall, who is hitting .321 against him.
• Roy Oswalt has not allowed more than three runs in his last seven outings and has allowed zero in three of those starts. He's been hot, and he draws a struggling Pittsburgh team with not many of the same faces he's used to seeing. Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche are solid plays, but not much else beyond that. Jack Wilson could be good for a hit or two though. If it helps, the Astros have owned Zach Duke.
• While 2-1 against the Cubs, Todd Wellemeyer has posted a 4.23 ERA against them in three starts. Normally, he's a good play, but the matchup here doesn't dictate a quality start is very likely at this point. Keep him reserved, but start Rich Harden.
• Spot Starts: At this point, we should only be recommending close to sure things. Go with Kevin Slowey, Brendan Morrow, and, if necessary, Zach Jackson.

Back as the need arises.