
Fantasy baseball notes for June 13
Click through for information on specific matchups and injuries for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for June 13
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Dan Haren | R | @SEA | 10 | 5-4 | 2.41 | 0.96 | 1-2 | 4.95 | 1.40 |
| 2 | | Ricky Nolasco | R | ARI | 6 | 4-1 | 3.86 | 1.30 | 1-1 | 5.06 | 1.61 |
| 3 | | Randy Wolf | L | @CHC | 5 | 4-4 | 3.49 | 1.27 | 1-0 | 2.42 | 0.96 |
| 4 | | Wandy Rodriguez | L | ATL | 6 | 3-3 | 3.41 | 1.33 | 1-0 | 3.00 | 1.50 |
| 5 | | Jason Vargas | L | LAA | 7 | 4-3 | 3.94 | 1.25 | 1-1 | 5.25 | 1.38 |
| 6 | | Hiroki Kuroda | R | CIN | 6 | 5-7 | 3.35 | 1.33 | 0-4 | 4.84 | 1.75 |
| 7 | | Derek Lowe | R | @HOU | 7 | 3-4 | 3.73 | 1.29 | 0-1 | 4.50 | 1.55 |
| 8 | | Aaron Cook | R | SD | 5 | 0-0 | 4.76 | 1.76 | 0-0 | 4.76 | 1.76 |
| 9 | | Paul Maholm | L | NYM | 6 | 2-7 | 3.39 | 1.18 | 1-1 | 2.77 | 0.96 |
| 10 | | A.J. Burnett | R | CLE | 5 | 6-4 | 4.37 | 1.26 | 1-1 | 5.60 | 1.47 |
| 11 | | Bronson Arroyo | R | @LAD | 5 | 4-6 | 5.28 | 1.48 | 1-2 | 9.00 | 2.00 |
| 12 | | Zach Duke | L | @FLA | 2 | 1-1 | 2.37 | 1.21 | 1-1 | 2.37 | 1.21 |
| 13 | | Alex Cobb | R | @DET | 9 | 1-0 | 4.24 | 1.35 | 1-0 | 2.84 | 1.18 |
| 14 | | Ryan Dempster | R | MIL | 5 | 5-5 | 5.96 | 1.48 | 3-1 | 3.75 | 1.25 |
| 15 | | Phil Coke | L | TB | 8 | 1-6 | 4.11 | 1.35 | 0-1 | 5.40 | 1.92 |
| 16 | | Mike Pelfrey | R | @PIT | 6 | 3-4 | 5.35 | 1.45 | 0-1 | 5.84 | 1.26 |
| 17 | | Carlos Carrasco | R | @NYY | 1 | 5-3 | 4.52 | 1.31 | 3-1 | 3.76 | 1.06 |
| 18 | | Anthony Bass | R | @COL | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Rk.: The author's ranking of that pitcher for that day only. T: Pitcher throws left-handed or right-handed. Opp: The pitcher's opponent for the day. QR: "Quality Rating," or the starting pitcher's matchup rating -- separate from the author's ranking -- which accounts for past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days), opponent and ballpark. OPS is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent. W-L: Pitcher's win-loss record. ERA: Pitcher's earned run average. WHIP: Pitcher's average number of walks plus hits surrendered per inning.
Gramling's Rankings Notes
• Monday features an extremely weak crop of pitchers, so make sure you have as many batters as possible that are not part of the dozen teams with off-days. Other than Dan Haren at Seattle, there is no pitcher that is a no-brainer start in all fantasy leagues.
• Ricky Nolasco has at least five strikeouts in eight straight starts, and is facing an Arizona club he has beaten five times in six career starts. His lifetime numbers versus the D-backs are rather impressive: 3.38 ERA, .212 opponent's BA, 0.98 WHIP, 44 K's, 9 BBs in 42 2/3 innings.
• Randy Wolf shut down a bad Mets lineup last time out (6 2/3 IP, 1 ER), and Monday he faces an even worse Cubs lineup. The North Siders have a pathetic stat line of .227 BA/.276 OBP/.325 SLG and a total of 26 runs in their first 10 June games.
• Wandy Rodriguez (elbow) will come off the DL Monday to face the Braves, a team he has had success against, especially Alex Gonzalez (2-for-23), Dan Uggla (3-for-18) and Brian McCann (0-for-8). In his past seven starts versus Atlanta, Rodriguez is only 1-1 but has a 2.03 ERA and 43 K's in 44 1/3 IP.
• Although Jason Vargas has been anything but consistent this season, he has been consistently good in his past six starts against division foe Los Angeles. In those starts, he has lasted between 6 and 7 2/3 IP, allowing 3 ER or fewer in all six outings versus the Angels (2-2, 1.71 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 34 K's, 8 BB in 42 IP).
• Hiroki Kuroda has pitched much worse at home (3.99 ERA) than on the road (2.80 ERA) this year, but he has handled the Reds in his four career starts, holding them to a .228 average, while going 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA against them.
• Whenever a pitcher has "@ HOU" next to his name, that's reason enough to start him. The Astros haven't scored more than four runs in a game for eight straight contests and have a pitiful 18 homers in 33 games in their homer-friendly ballpark. Derek Lowe has pitched well enough lately versus Houston (3-0, 3.33 ERA in past four starts) to warrant a start in most fantasy leagues.
• Aaron Cook wasn't sharp in his season debut at Petco Park last Wednesday (5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K), but you'd expect him to be a bit rusty after not pitching since Sept. 8, 2010. Considering his past success versus San Diego (14-4, 2.92 ERA, 1.21 WHIP), and the anemic lineup he'll face (.231 BA/.301 OBP/.334 SLG this year), I'd recommend starting Cook again.
• Paul Maholm was lit up June 2 on the road versus the Mets (5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 6 ER), but he bounced back last Wednesday with six shutout innings of one-hit ball versus Arizona. Maholm hasn't gotten much run support at PNC Park this year (he has a 1-4 record there), but he has a 2.45 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and .210 opponents' batting average in seven home starts this year.
• Bronson Arroyo limited the Dodgers to one run in six innings on June 3, giving him three straight wins over LA, posting a 1.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in those outings. He's worth a play in NL-only leagues.
• Alex Cobb has put together two straight quality starts, but despite his high rating in our system, I just don't like his matchup at Detroit. The Tigers have been mashing their past 12 games, hitting .313, slugging .516 and scoring 5.92 runs per game. My advice is to sit Cobb on Monday.
Hitter matchup ratings for June 13
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | |
| | 5 | 1 | 6 | 8 | | No game scheduled | ||||
| | No game scheduled | | 6 | 1 | 7 | 7 | ||||
| | No game scheduled | | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | ||||
| | 6 | 3 | 6 | 5 | | No game scheduled | ||||
| | No game scheduled | | No game scheduled | |||||||
| | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | | No game scheduled | ||||
| | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | | 8 | 10 | 5 | 5 | |
| | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | | No game scheduled | ||||
| | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4 | | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |
| | No game scheduled | | No game scheduled | |||||||
| | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | | No game scheduled | ||||
| | 6 | 10 | 2 | 3 | | No game scheduled | ||||
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. "LHB" and "RHB" ratings account only for left- and right-handed batters, respectively. OPS is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent.
• Carlos Beltran is 8 for 17 (.471) in his career against Pirates starter Paul Maholm, including two home runs and two doubles.
• Torii Hunter is 3 for 17 (.176) with five strikeouts in his career against Jason Vargas.
• Entering Sunday, Chris Iannetta is hitting .312 (24 for 77) at home this season with six home runs and 20 RBI. On the road, Iannetta is hitting .158 with two home runs and five RBI.
• In 12 career at-bats against A.J. Burnett, Grady Sizemore has five hits (.417) including a home run.
• Phil Coke is 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA at home this season, yielding 13 hits in 14.1 IP.
• Stephen Drew has hit well in his career against Ricky Nolasco, going 10 for 18 (.556) with three home runs and seven extra-base hits.
• Cubs starter Ryan Dempster is 15-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 22 career starts against the Brewers. He has won six of his last seven starts against Milwaukee.
• Alex Gonzalez is 2 for 23 (.087) in his career against Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez.
• Rod Barajas might want to take Monday off. He is 0 for 11 (with three strikeouts) in his career against Bronson Arroyo.
Injury list: Out
Martin Prado, 2B, Braves (15-day DL, staph infection in calf)
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, Giants (15-day DL, shoulder)
Mike Napoli, C, Rangers (15-day DL, strained oblique)
Bartolo Colon, P, Yankees (15-day DL, strained hamstring)
Evan Meek, P, Pirates (15-day DL, shoulder)
Allen Craig, OF, Cardinals (expected to land on DL, knee contusion)
Alberto Callaspo, 3B, Angels (likely to land on DL, hamstring)
Cole Kimball, P, Nationals (15-day DL, right shoulder inflammation)
Amauri Sanit, P, Yankees (15-day DL, right elbow inflammation)
Denard Span, OF, Twins (7-day DL, concussion/whiplash)
Luke Gregerson, P, Padres (15-day DL, strained oblique)
Chris Snyder, C, Pirates (15-day DL, will have surgery on lower back)
Derrek Lee, 1B, Orioles (placed on bereavement list, should return Tuesday)
Jake Peavy, P, White Sox (15-day DL, groin strain)
Joba Chamberlain, P, Yankees (15-day DL, strained flexor muscle)
Bobby Jenks, P, Red Sox (15-day DL, back spasms)
Brandon Belt, OF, Giants (15-day DL, left wrist fracture)
Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins (15-day DL, back strain)
Brett Anderson, P, Athletics (15-day DL, left elbow)
Mark Ellis, 2B, Athletics (15-day DL, right hamstring)
Dexter Fowler, OF, Rockies (15-day DL, left abdominal strain)
Injury list: Questionable
Brian McCann, C, Braves (day-to-day, shoulder/shin contusions)
Leo Nunez, P, Marlins (could return Tuesday, back)
Dustin Moseley, P, Padres (might not start Monday, left shoulder subluxation)
Hunter Pence, OF, Astros (day-to-day, back)
Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins (could return to lineup Tuesday, hand/wrist)
J.J. Putz, P, Diamondbacks (day-to-day, lower back stiffness)
Jason Hammel, P, Rockies (day-to-day, back)
Travis Buck, OF, Indians (day-to-day, neck)
Aaron Rowand, OF, Giants (day-to-day, wrist)
Dave Bush, P, Rangers (left Saturday's game with left hamstring injury)
Ian Desmond, SS, Nationals (day-to-day, upper-leg injury)
Roger Bernadina, OF, Nationals (day-to-day, left hamstring tightness)
Russell Martin, C, Yankees (day-to-day, sore back)

