MLB Fantasy Baseball: Friday News and Notes

It's the turning point of the finals. It's always good to head into that first weekend with the lead. The biggest place to make waves is pitching, but offense can bring you back with a couple big days. It's all about timing. There were a few big nights last night across baseball, so let's get to it. On to the notes. 

• It's always nice to lead with this: No major new injuries to report! While we still don't know the status on Ben Sheets, we were able to get through last night without anything major happening to star players. It feels that it has been rare to get to say that this season in general. We have to take it where we can get it.
• Word on Erik Bedard is that the shoulder surgery he needs is going to require six to nine months worth of recovery time. At best, that puts him towards the end of March. On the other end is June. Owners should keep this in the back of their minds as they look at next year. Bedard will very likely not be ready for the start to the season, depending on how his throwing program develops.
• Mike Mussina has never won 20 games in a season, but last night he was able to secure his 18th victory with another solid performance. At this pace, Mussina will likely be going for his 20th against Boston in the final weekend of the season. I'm a fan of stuff like that. Anyway, Mussina continues his mastery at home, improving to 11-7 on the year at Yankee Stadium.
• Evan Longoria had a three-home-run game last night. Given where his wrist was just over two weeks ago, this is a good sign that his swing is back. Longoria didn't look great at the plate during the Boston series, but he got better each night with his timing. You see it paying off here.
• We've been trying to push Paul Maholm on to owners as a solid play at home, and last night was partly why. Maholm went seven innings, giving up just three hits and three runs while walking six. The walks aren't great, for certain, but he gives that Pittsburgh team innings. If they could create a semblance of an offense, Maholm could have had 15 wins this season. That said, a 1.28 WHIP and 3.68 ERA is nothing to sneeze at.
• Bullpens blew two solid pitching performances in the same game. Dave Bush only went five innings for the Brewers but gave up just two runs on two hits. On the Cubs' side, Rich Harden went five innings, giving up just one run on one hit, but he did walk six. Harden came out after 115 pitches, so the decision there makes sense. Bush had only thrown 66 pitches to that point. It almost worked out, so this is second-guessing, but why take him out of the game there?
• Jason Kubel doesn't face many lefties, but he does hit right-handed pitching very well. Kubel hit his 17th home run last night against the Rays and is now hitting .294 at Tropicana Field for his career. He gets another righty tonight, so expect him in the lineup. With the numbers he puts up against Tampa, he could do some damage.
• It MIGHT be time to hold back almost all Astros at this point. Lance Berkman has zero hits in his last 16 at-bats. Miguel Tejada has three in his last 18, while Hunter Pence has only two hits to show for his last 16 at-bats. Nothing about this stretch has been pretty, but the Astros can't seem to find their offense right now. If options are available, I'd use them and try to avoid such major cold streaks.
• So no one wants to believe in Jesse Litsch? He's only owned in 30 percent of leagues, but he continues to pitch very well since his recall from AAA. Litsch shut down the Orioles last night, and is coming off good outings against the Red Sox, White Sox, Twins, and Rays. Litsch is 3-0 in September with a 2.30 ERA. He'll get another start next week, make use of it.

Notes for Friday

• Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Theriot have been solid against Adam Wainwright, both posting averages over .365. Derek Lee and Alfonso Soriano have had more struggles than success. While Wainwright struggles on the road, he's 3-0 in day games this season and was solid against the Cubs in his only other outing this season. He may not get the win going against Zambrano, but the numbers are in his favor for a solid outing.
• Carlos Zambrano will take the mound for the first time since his no-hitter. He's 7-1 at home this season with a 3.08 ERA. Zambrano has had struggles and injuries to deal with. He's allowed three or more runs in four of his last six outings, including three really bad performances. The main positive: Cardinals batters are hitting just .237 against him.
• 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.
• Expect Sean Casey to be in the lineup tonight against A.J. Burnett. Casey is 14-for-26 against Burnett lifetime, good for a .538 mark. Coco Crisp, while red-hot, is 0-for-13 against Burnett and should be held back. The Red Sox's hitters don't light Burnett up, and that includes Pedroia and Youkilis. Be conservative if you can.
• The Rangers have enjoyed facing Jon Garland. The team hits .290 against him on the season, and only Michael Young has shown any signs of struggle against the Angels starter. Frank Catalanatto (.308) could provide a quick boost for offenses in need of a hit or two tonight. Garland's 7-3 record on the road is nice, but his .302 BAA is not, nor is his 4.93 ERA.
• Josh Johnson doesn't have a track record of success against the Phillies stars, but he seems to have found some good luck this season. Johnson is 1-0 against them in two starts, and he has been sharp since the start of August, going 4-1 in that time. Even against Brett Myers, he's a good play. While we still say you can't bench a hot hand like Myers, the Marlins are hitting .294 against him. Only Jeremy Hermida would serve well on the bench.
• 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.
• 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.
• Spot Starts: Josh Johnson, Armando Galarraga, Dana Eveland, and Greg Maddux. As we said yesterday, Eveland and Maddux at home are very good bets to pitch well. It's just what the trends have been.

Notes for Saturday

• Ted Lilly is 2-0 against the Cardinals this season, and 2-1 in three September starts. While Albert Pujols and Cesar Izturis have good numbers against Lilly, he's been able to work his way around the rest of the lineup. He's a fine play.
• Jon Lester is almost 1.50 runs worse on the road than he is at home, but that still leaves him with an ERA under 4.00 away from Fenway. Lester hasn't been dominant against the Jays, but they don't give you a reason not to start him.
• Roy Halladay is facing the one team he has a losing record against, with a minimum of 10 decisions. Dustin Pedroia is just 4-for-29 against Halladay, and Mike Lowell has struggled as well. Lowell should likely be on the bench most of the weekend as a result of his hip injury.
• Nothing about this matchup with the Rays looks good for Kevin Slowey. He's 5-6 on the road with a 4.21 ERA. Add to that, he's 2-4 in eight day games with an ERA over 5.00 in those starts as well. He hasn't seen the Rays at all, but it doesn't add up well for him.
• Justin Verlander is 1-4 against Cleveland this season, with a 6.16 ERA. In September he's 0-2 with a 7.80 ERA. On the road, it's a 4.80 ERA with a 4-8 record. Basically, look elsewhere if you were planning on starting Verlander.
• Aaron Cook just can't seem to pitch at home or against Arizona. The Diamondbacks are pushing a .308 average to the plate as a team against Cook. While Conor Jackson is 0-for-12, the rest of the team should be started if you have them. Even go fishing on waivers. The only real reach is Tony Clark...And he won't play anyway. Not a fan of this matchup for Cook owners.
• Spot Starts: Hiroki Kuroda (great play against the Giants at home), John Lannan, Gio Gonzalez (against a bad Carlos Silva and the Mariners), and Manny Parra.

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