MLB Fantasy Baseball: Thursday News and Notes

If watching Tim Wakefield pitch makes you want to drink heavily, you're either a Red Sox fan or a fantasy owner. If trying to figure out which Mets team is going to show up makes you pull your hair out, you're either a Mets fan or a fantasy owner. And, finally, if a trainer going out on the field makes you throw up in your mouth a bit, you're either a Brewers fan or a fantasy owner. 

What a night, let's get to the notes. 

• Ben Sheets left last night's game after two innings with an apparent elbow injury. Sheets claims the injury has been bothering him for some time. It isn't clear right now what the Brewers plan to do with their ace, but Sheets wants to pitch again this season. When that has to be the question, you have to be nervous. Especially when the answer speaks of hoping to be able to pitch.
• Hanley Ramirez homered twice last night, but then left the game with a strained shoulder. Ramirez is listed as day-to-day and is hopeful to play on Thursday. Hold him back a day if you have the options and can get another bat in the lineup as a result.
• Carlos Quentin had his soft cast removed and is looking to join the team on Friday. Quentin had been sidelined after having surgery on his broken wrist, suffered when he slapped his own bat following a missed pitch. Keep him held back still, there is no indication as far as how the wrist has healed. If you have daily lineups, look to use him at the end of the weekend. Weekly lineups, I'd keep him out entirely.
• Good news for David Ortiz owners, as the Red Sox DH homered twice last night. Ortiz has needed a series to really get himself on track, and seems to have done that in Tampa. While the rest of the Red Sox pitching and offense was still stuck on Monday, Ortiz swung the bat well all three games. Careful against Toronto, though, as Ortiz is just a .179 hitter against them this season.
• Hunter Pence is heating up in September. The Astros' outfielder hit two home runs last night and is now up to .340 for the month. Pence isn't lighting the world on fire the way he did last season, but this year is far from a disappointment. He's now up to 24 home runs with a .270 average.
• Another guy heating up September is Jay Bruce. Bruce trailed off after an incredibly hot start but is now over .300 for the month, with five home runs. Bruce is still available in about 10 percent of leagues. If you can ride the hot hand, go for it now.
• Ricky Nolasco improved his home record to 6-4, dropping his ERA to 3.78 inside Dolphin Stadium. Nolasco hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in his last 10 outings, making him one of the best pitchers in the second half of the season. The wins may not show it, but his peripheral stats are fantastic.
• There is no doubt that many of the Pirates hitters have cooled down as a result of the trades that sent Xavier Nady and Jason Bay to the AL East. Ryan Doumit, though, continues his hot hitting. Doumit is still up at .323 and hit home run number 14 last night. Consider him one of the top catchers heading in to next season, as he'll have eligibility there.
• Adam LaRoche has added to that Pirates offense. LaRoche hit two home runs last night, and is hitting .373 for the month of September. He's available in half the leagues out there right now, and has hit over .400 against the Dodgers this season, who he gets next. LaRoche should provide a quick spark over the weekend for offenses that need a boost.

Notes for Thursday

• Paul Maholm continues to pitch well, and his record at home warrants a start against the Dodgers. Maholm is 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA at PNC, and he has a 1.93 ERA in his two September starts. The Dodgers don't have much of a track record against him, but Russell Martin is 3-for-6 lifetime.
• The Brewers made a shift and are starting Dave Bush tonight against Rich Harden and the Cubs. Bush has a much better record on the road than Manny Parra, but he has been hit hard in three starts in September. He's pitching on short rest, having just thrown on the 14th. With an ERA over 5.00 this month, it's probably wise to leave him alone this time out. Derek Lee has struggled against him, going just 4-for-22, but Soriano and Ramirez are solid, as are DeRosa and Edmonds. Just too many good numbers.
• 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.
• 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.
• Cole Hamels is heading into his start against the Braves with solid numbers against Atlanta and even better numbers since the beginning of the month. Hamels, over that time, is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA. He's 2-0 against Atlanta this year, but he has had one rough start against the Braves. Brian McCann (.412 against Hamels, .368 in his last five) and Chipper Jones (.308 against Hamels) are your best bets.
• Glen Perkins might be 5-1 on the road, but it's largely due to run support. Away from the Metrodome, he has a 4.91 ERA and batters are hitting .305 against him. That ERA is a full run worse than what he has at home. The Rays are swinging hot bats after taking a big game from Boston on Wednesday. Look for other options if you're trying to find a starter.
• Joe Saunders hit a bit of a speed bump in the middle of August with two rough starts, but he 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.
• The Giants regulars haven't been all that bad against Randy Johnson. If you can find a way to start Aaron Rowand (.364), Randy Winn (.370), and Rich Aurilia (.327/3/6, .405 for September), it would serve you well.
• 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.

Notes for Friday

• Armando Galarraga is one of the best plays of the day. Galarraga has been solid on the road, posting a .196 BAA to go with an 8-3 record and 3.25 ERA. Against Cleveland, he's 3-0 with a 3.65 ERA on the season. Get him active.
• I don't care if it's against the Pirates, Randy Wolf has given me too many ulcers to try starting him on the road. He couldn't do it at a "neutral" site, nothing would make you think that should change here. Wolf could record a win because of Snell's poor record in general, but the peripheral stats likely won't be good.
• Paul Byrd still has an 8-2 record since the break and is making a living off of facing the Blue Jays. He's 2-2 against them this season, but the Jays have hit nearly .300 against him on the year. Byrd is getting better run support in Boston but still is facing come of the same struggles. Keep him reserved if you have the ability, as Boston's offense has struggled in Toronto this season.
• Nick Blackburn's struggles have been on the road as well. He's just 3-6 there this season with a 4.72 ERA. Batters are hitting .309 against him away from Minnesota. Blackburn and the Twins' staff has been a good story, but this is not the time to gamble. We don't do that in the finals.
• We do, however, look at trend analysis. Two of my favorite plays are pitching on Friday. Dana Eveland and Greg Maddux are both getting the ball at home against less-than-stellar offenses. Eveland draws the Mariners, while Maddux gets the Giants. While Eveland has to go against Hernandez and may not get the win, other stats are just as important. Maddux gets Zito, so we have to like that.
• Mark Buehrle has owned the Royals over his career, and even on the road he will make a solid play. Going against Brian Bannister, you have to like the odds. Buehrle hasn't been great on the road, but this is a matchup to exploit.
• Spot Starts: Eveland, Maddux, Josh Johnson, and Galarraga are all VERY solid plays and could be used in any format.

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