Fantasy baseball notes for July 22

Starting pitcher rankings for July 22

						2011 Statistics			Past 21 Days
Rk	Team	Name	T	Opp	QR	W-L	ERA	WHIP	W-L	ERA	WHIP
1		Cole Hamels	L	SD	8	11-5	2.71	0.99	2-1	3.70	1.15
2		Felix Hernandez	R	@BOS	8	8-8	3.26	1.15	0-1	2.78	0.93
3		Chris Carpenter	R	@PIT	10	5-7	3.69	1.32	2-0	2.05	1.36
4		Matt Cain	R	MIL	8	8-5	2.99	1.09	1-1	2.08	1.00
5		Daniel Hudson	R	COL	8	10-5	3.56	1.20	1-0	4.00	1.39
6		Hiroki Kuroda	R	WAS	9	6-11	3.13	1.20	1-2	3.32	0.95
7		Jair Jurrjens	R	@CIN	6	12-3	2.26	1.11	2-0	3.15	0.95
8		Colby Lewis	R	TOR	6	9-7	4.07	1.20	2-0	2.91	1.02
9		Cory Luebke	L	@PHI	9	3-3	2.57	0.87	2-1	1.89	0.68
10		Gavin Floyd	R	@CLE	7	7-9	4.37	1.24	1-2	5.40	1.42
11		Brian Duensing	L	DET	6	7-7	4.14	1.40	2-0	2.01	1.03
12		Ervin Santana	R	@BAL	5	4-8	3.84	1.27	1-0	2.57	1.24
13		Carlos Zambrano	R	HOU	7	6-5	4.78	1.41	0-1	12.71	2.65
14		Shaun Marcum	R	@SF	6	8-3	3.39	1.14	1-0	4.76	1.47
15		Phil Hughes	R	OAK	7	1-2	8.44	1.73	1-1	3.27	1.27
16		Paul Maholm	L	STL	5	6-9	3.06	1.21	2-0	2.41	1.18
17		Trevor Cahill	R	@NYY	5	8-8	3.16	1.30	0-3	3.42	1.33
18		Max Scherzer	R	@MIN	4	10-5	4.53	1.41	1-2	4.86	1.38
19		John Lannan	L	@LAD	5	6-6	3.62	1.36	1-1	4.50	1.13
20		Bud Norris	R	@CHC	5	5-6	3.59	1.28	1-0	4.82	1.50
21		Bronson Arroyo	R	ATL	5	7-8	5.57	1.40	0-2	8.66	1.47
22		John Lackey	R	SEA	6	7-8	6.70	1.57	2-1	6.14	1.64
23		Mike Pelfrey	R	@FLA	5	5-9	4.67	1.39	1-3	4.15	1.71
24		Carlos Carrasco	R	CHW	2	8-7	4.25	1.28	0-3	9.00	2.07
25		Wade Davis	R	@KC	4	7-6	4.25	1.46	0-1	3.75	1.58
26		Luke Hochevar	R	TB	3	5-8	5.23	1.35	0-0	7.20	1.73
27		Chris Volstad	R	NYM	4	5-8	5.59	1.48	2-1	6.30	1.65
28		Jo-Jo Reyes	L	@TEX	1	5-7	4.94	1.57	2-0	5.82	1.88
29		Aaron Cook	R	@ARI	3	0-5	5.82	1.84	0-2	6.32	1.98
30		Alfredo Simon	R	LAA	1	2-2	4.36	1.42	1-1	5.30	1.50

Some of the data used to generate this chart is derived from Baseball Musings' day-by-day database.

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.

Mass' Rankings Notes

Forget the game against the New York Mets, who seem to have his number. Cole Hamels is our No. 1 option for Friday, going up against a San Diego Padres team he has defeated in five of seven decisions, with a 2.42 ERA. King Felix gets second place, even against the formidable Boston Red Sox lineup. At Fenway, Hernandez is 3-0 with a 1.49 ERA. … Get on the Chris Carpenter train! Not only hasn't he lost since June 17, but he's a lifetime 11-2 with a 2.09 ERA pitching to the Pittsburgh Pirates. … Solid selections: Matt Cain has a 5-2 record with a 2.54 ERA at home this season, Daniel Hudson has a 2.08 ERA when encountering the Colorado Rockies and Hiroki Kuroda has a 1.38 ERA facing the Washington Nationals. … Although Jair Jurrjens' current 2.26 ERA is the highest it has been all season, it might get a little bit worse. He's 1-3 with a 5.14 ERA going up against the Cincinnati Reds. Similarly, Colby Lewis may not have tasted defeat since June 11, but the 8.80 lifetime ERA versus the Toronto Blue Jays is worrisome. … Decent gambles: Gavin Floyd is 5-3 for his career facing the Cleveland Indians, Brian Duensing has a 2.01 ERA in the past three weeks, and a respectable 3.94 ERA lifetime against Detroit, Ervin Santana has struck out 20 hitters over his past three starts, and not allowed any home runs. … Carlos Zambrano is coming off an atrocious outing, eight earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Hopefully, that's in the past, and he can repeat his past success against the Houston Astros (15-8, 2.72 ERA). … Trevor Cahill has all sorts of red flags today, as he has never beaten the New York Yankees. Of course, having a 9.72 ERA versus the pinstripes is a big reason for the 0-3. Perhaps we'll give Phil Hughes a fighting chance, along with his 2-0 record and 1.62 ERA against the Oakland Athletics. … Reasons to say no: Max Scherzer has a 9.13 ERA against Minnesota, Bronson Arroyo's ERA is only marginally more palatable facing the Atlanta Braves, at 5.70. Luke Hochevar takes the historical futility to a new high, with his "imperfect" 10.00 ERA in games with the Tampa Bay Rays. … The frustrating Mike Pelfrey has a 4.55 ERA since June 24, with only 15 strikeouts in just under 28 innings pitched. Plus, he's 1-7 for his career facing the Florida Marlins. … Wade Davis rejoins the Rays rotation after a stint on the disabled list due to a right forearm strain. You know how I feel about starting pitchers right out of the gate, but if you're not as risk-averse, feel free to raise him a few spots.