MLB Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

It was feast or famine last night across baseball. Pitching was the story in most games, with offenses being shut down by both studs and surprises. Only a few offensive explosions disrupted what had to have been one of the better pitching nights of the season.

Let's get to the notes.

• Josh Beckett and Andy Sonnanstine had another duel down in Tampa. The two pitched remarkably similar games the last time they met at Fenway Park. The result was about the same as well, with Tampa walking off with a win. Sonnanstine seems to be coming up large against Boston, but he struggles against almost anyone else at home. Beckett, for his part, continues to build on his recent success. His eight inning performance should be viewed as a sign of things to come for the ace.
• Sticking with that game, watching Mike Lowell was painful. The Red Sox third basemen was noticeably in pain last night, aggravated by charging for a groundball. His swings and baserunning after that point were very labored. Don't be surprised to see him out of the lineup tonight at the least. Jason Bay should be back by the weekend, as his wife gave birth last night in Boston.
• Yesterday, we discussed keeping Jeff Francis down tonight because of his utterly poor performances at home. The Rockies, apparently, have seen enough as well. Francis will be shut down for the rest of the year as a precaution. The reports say that this is nothing to do with injury, and everything to do with making sure he doesn't put too many innings on his arm. Livan Hernandez will get the ball tonight.
• Remember Erik Bedard? He's opted for surgery on the shoulder that has kept him out of action since July. Bedard will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder to remove any foreign materials, and this shouldn't be viewed as a major implication to his availability next season. Let this be a lesson to those who still feel drafting pitching early is the best way to go.
• If you're holding on to Astros, it might be a good idea to sit them down for a game or two and let them all find their respective swings. The Astros put up two hits in the last two games against the Cubs, and last night struggled to put one run across the board. It's one of the worst performances in a three-game stretch in baseball history. Yeah, it's that bad.
• Jamie Moyer may be pitching well on the road, but he continues to struggle with the Braves. He hasn't recorded a win against them this season, and the Braves regulars are batting well over .300 against him. His 9-3 record on the road did nothing to boost him last night, and he has had two tough outings in September, despite the 2-0 record for the month.
• Amazing that we're seeing the Mets play as poorly as they are. They fell victim to one of the best home-ERAs in baseball, as Odalis Perez shut them down. Perez worked into the eighth inning, allowing just four hits and no runs to score. Mike Pelfrey didn't pitch poorly for his part, but the offense just was far from there last night. Perez improved his ERA at home to 2.51 on the season, despite the 3-5 record.
• I don't want to know how the Cleveland pitching staff squandered away the lead that they did, but Victor Martinez saved them. Martinez hit a walk-off home run last night, pushing his season total to two. Martinez is playing good ball and is being worked in at DH, first base, and catcher to make sure not too much pressure is placed on the elbow. The good news is that he is swinging the bat much better than at the beginning of the season.
• Dan Haren and Matt Cain went toe-to-toe last night, and, as expected, Haren came out on top. He struck out 12 in working the full nine innings against the Giants, but Cain was no slouch himself. He went seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out seven as well. The fact that he's available in 10 percent of leagues is wrong. He's good enough to be 100 percent owned in any format.

Notes for Wednesday

• I don't need to tell you that Cliff Lee has been good against nearly everyone he has faced this season, but probably should let you know that Joe Mauer is still hitting over .300 against him for his career. While the other Twins have struggled, led by Justin Morneau and his .167 AVG, Mauer continues to swing a good bat against Lee.
• While Jonathan Sanchez recorded a win his last time out, he's been hit hard by the guys in Arizona. Conor Jackson is leading the charge, as he has gone 9-for-11 with two home runs, good for an .818 AVG, against Sanchez. Chris Young's .250 mark is the lowest of the guys that should be in the lineup, or have fantasy relevance, for the Diamondbacks.
• Scott Baker has been very consistent all season long. Baker is still under 50 percent owned, yet he has posted a 3.57 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Even with the injury suffered earlier this season, he has nine wins. Baker checks in with a 2.37 ERA against Cleveland in three starts this season and is 6-3 on the road this season. Start him, even against Cliff Lee.
• Tim Wakefield is coming off one of his best performances of the season, going eight strong innings against Toronto over the weekend. Wakefield hasn't recorded a win against the Rays this season, but has held them to a .224 BAA and has an ERA of 2.77 over his two starts. Keep Akinori Iwamura (.409) and Dioner Navarro (.357) in against Wakefield, but look to your bench for help in replacing any other Rays player.
• Ichiro Suzuki and Yuniesky Betancourt have raked against Gil Meche. Make sure both are in lineups today. Betancourt is 5-for-11 against Meche, while Suzuki is over .500 with a home run in his appearances.
• Russell Martin and Andre Ethier have been good against Zach Duke, but other Dodgers haven't had as much luck. That said, Duke is still just 4-8 at home and batters are pounding his pitching to the tune of a .300 AVG. Righties are hitting .307, so this should be good news for Manny Ramirez owners as well
• You can still find Jered Weaver available in about 15 percent of leagues, and he has a solid track record against the A's. Weaver pitched seven solid innings in his one outing against them this season, and the A's are hitting just .167 against him as a team. Good numbers if you need the innings today.
• Derek Lee hits Ben Sheets better than almost anyone in the league, but the rest of the Cubs lineup hasn't followed suit. Sheets should still be started against the Cubs, but avoid as many Cubs regulars as your lineup allows.
• There isn't anyone I wouldn't start against the Astros right now. Ricky Nolasco should be on the mound in all formats. He's very strong at home and he gets to face a suddenly cold Astros team. Get him started and active.
• Spot Starts: Todd Wellemeyer, Jair Jurrjens, and Scott Baker.

Notes for Thursday

• There are a few afternoon tilts on the schedule, make sure to set your lineups early here.
• Manny Parra has been tough on lefties this season, holding them to a .236 AVG, but he has struggled against the Cubs. On the road, he's just 4-5 on the season with a 5.37 ERA. He's been very hit or miss, with two of his last three outings qualifying as misses.
• Joe Saunders hit a bit of a speed bump in the middle of August with two rough starts, but has been good in his last three. His stats against Oakland are skewed because one of those bad outings came against them. Saunders is still 2-1 against the A's, and available in about 10 percent of leagues. He makes a solid start, despite the last outing he had against them.
• Javier Vazquez is 1-2 against the Yankees since 2005, with an ERA north of 6.00. While you'll want to avoid Bobby Abreu if you can, the rest of the Yankees have some gaudy numbers against Vazquez. Add to that, he is 5-7 on the road with a 4.47 ERA.
• Orlando Cabrera (.182) and Nick Swisher (.167) are just bad against Mike Mussina, and Ken Griffey (.163) is even worse. Griffey saves himself by having hit two home runs against Mussina. Keep these three out of the way, but there should be no other concerns in starting the guys from Chicago.
• Kyle Lohse is getting the ball for the Cardinals at Cincinnati. The petals have fallen off the rose here, and Lohse is back to being the slightly average pitcher he was during his entire time in the majors. In a small ballpark, there are better ways to go here, especially against Volquez.
• Tim Lincecum has been dominant on the road this season, having gone 10-1 with a 2.13 ERA. He's 2-0 against Arizona, and hasn't lost in his last 10 starts overall. Conor Jackson has the best numbers against Lincecum  and is really the only option you would want to start at this point in the season.
• Spot Starts: Scott Olsen, Jesse Litsch, and Paul Maholm.

Back as the need arises.