Fantasy notes for May 23
Click through for information on specific matchups and injuries for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for May 23
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jered Weaver | R | @OAK | 10 | 6-1 | 2.80 | 0.93 | 3-1 | 3.91 | 0.91 |
| 2 |  | Lance Lynn | R | SD | 10 | 6-1 | 2.31 | 1.01 | 2-1 | 3.42 | 1.23 |
| 3 |  | Cole Hamels | L | WAS | 8 | 6-1 | 2.48 | 1.03 | 3-0 | 2.25 | 1.04 |
| 4 |  | Chris Sale | L | MIN | 10 | 4-2 | 2.91 | 1.13 | 2-1 | 2.60 | 1.21 |
| 5 |  | Doug Fister | R | @CLE | 8 | 0-2 | 1.59 | 1.15 | 0-2 | 1.89 | 1.16 |
| 6 |  | Tommy Hanson | R | @CIN | 7 | 5-3 | 3.31 | 1.37 | 2-1 | 3.74 | 1.52 |
| 7 |  | Carlos Zambrano | R | COL | 7 | 2-2 | 1.96 | 1.07 | 2-0 | 0.90 | 0.97 |
| 8 |  | Wandy Rodriguez | L | CHC | 6 | 3-4 | 2.24 | 1.09 | 1-2 | 2.79 | 1.10 |
| 9 |  | James Shields | R | TOR | 5 | 6-2 | 3.77 | 1.29 | 2-2 | 4.44 | 1.40 |
| 10 |  | Ted Lilly | L | @ARI | 7 | 5-0 | 1.79 | 0.90 | 3-0 | 2.49 | 0.95 |
| 11 |  | Andy Pettitte | L | KC | 6 | 1-1 | 2.51 | 1.05 | 1-1 | 2.51 | 1.05 |
| 12 |  | Ricky Romero | L | @TB | 6 | 5-1 | 3.64 | 1.28 | 2-1 | 4.26 | 1.58 |
| 13 |  | Jeff Samardzija | R | @HOU | 7 | 4-2 | 3.00 | 1.16 | 2-1 | 2.00 | 0.93 |
| 14 |  | Jonathon Niese | L | @PIT | 4 | 2-2 | 4.85 | 1.38 | 0-2 | 7.94 | 2.00 |
| 15 |  | Scott Feldman | R | @SEA | 6 | 0-1 | 3.00 | 1.27 | 0-1 | 3.24 | 1.32 |
| 16 |  | Scott Diamond | L | @CHW | 6 | 3-0 | 1.40 | 0.98 | 3-0 | 1.40 | 0.98 |
| 17 |  | Marco Estrada | R | SF | 5 | 0-3 | 4.63 | 1.14 | 0-2 | 5.50 | 1.17 |
| 18 |  | Daniel Bard | R | @BAL | 9 | 3-5 | 4.85 | 1.55 | 1-3 | 5.79 | 1.63 |
| 19 |  | Jarrod Parker | R | LAA | 8 | 1-2 | 3.90 | 1.48 | 1-2 | 4.64 | 1.55 |
| 20 |  | Edwin Jackson | R | @PHI | 5 | 1-1 | 3.31 | 0.97 | 0-0 | 3.46 | 0.96 |
| 21 |  | Barry Zito | L | @MIL | 4 | 3-1 | 3.00 | 1.25 | 2-1 | 4.71 | 1.67 |
| 22 |  | Bronson Arroyo | R | ATL | 5 | 2-2 | 3.46 | 1.31 | 1-2 | 4.26 | 1.54 |
| 23 |  | Zach McAllister | R | DET | 4 | 1-1 | 4.34 | 1.23 | 1-1 | 4.34 | 1.23 |
| 24 |  | Joe Saunders | L | LAD | 3 | 2-3 | 3.55 | 1.30 | 0-2 | 7.40 | 1.94 |
| 25 |  | Alex White | R | @MIA | 1 | 0-3 | 5.09 | 1.30 | 0-3 | 5.09 | 1.30 |
| 26 |  | Charlie Morton | R | NYM | 3 | 2-4 | 4.35 | 1.47 | 1-3 | 5.64 | 1.66 |
| 27 |  | Kevin Millwood | R | TEX | 2 | 2-4 | 4.17 | 1.37 | 2-2 | 3.29 | 1.17 |
| 28 |  | Jake Arrieta | R | BOS | 2 | 2-4 | 4.72 | 1.21 | 1-2 | 5.04 | 1.36 |
| 29 |  | Jeff Suppan | R | @STL | 1 | 2-2 | 3.00 | 1.38 | 2-2 | 3.00 | 1.38 |
| 30 |  | Will Smith | L | @NYY | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
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.
Aces abound, as over one-third (11-of-30) of Wednesday's pitchers are owned in at least 94 percent of all fantasy leagues. However, there are still a few hurlers who you can pluck off the waiver wire. The following five starters are available in at least 80 percent of ESPN.com leagues:
I'm very surprised that Andy Pettitte is owned in just 20 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues after he completely overmatched a strong Cincinnati Reds lineup on Friday. In eight shutout innings, he allowed just four singles and a walk, while striking out nine hitters. There's no reason to think he can't have another strong outing at home against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Pettitte is 13-3 with a 3.48 ERA in his career versus the Royals, and he could get plenty of run support facing Will Smith making his major-league debut at Yankee Stadium. Start Pettitte in all formats Wednesday.
Jonathon Niese (13 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) was rocked in his last outing (8 ER, 4 HR in 3 IP) against the Toronto Blue Jays on the road, but Wednesday's trip should be much more enjoyable. In his two career starts versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, he carries a 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 10 K's and just one walk in 11 innings of work. The Pirates have failed to surpass five runs in 17 straight games, posting a team slash mark of .194 AVG/.243 OBP/.346 SLG during this span. And despite a subpar ERA (4.85) and WHIP (1.38), Niese has only two bad starts in eight outings in 2012 and has kept his strikeout rate very high at 8.2 per nine innings. Start him in any format on Wednesday.
Scott Feldman (0.2 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) will replace Neftali Feliz in the Texas Rangers' rotation and has quite a favorable matchup on the road facing the offensively challenged Seattle Mariners. The M's are batting .204 with a .323 slugging percentage in their home park this season, hitting just nine homers in 486 at-bats. Like most pitchers, Feldman has thrived at Safeco Field with a 3.32 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 19 career innings in Seattle. He has also been successful in spot-start duty in the past two seasons, posting a 2.84 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in four starts. All signs point to a quality start and a win for Feldman on Wednesday.
Scott Diamond (17 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has pitched well enough to be considered for a start in AL-only leagues. He's tallied a 1.40 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in his three starts, which included shutting out the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels for seven innings each. In his 19 1/3 innings, Diamond has 13 strikeouts and two walks. He has also kept the ball down with 38 ground balls and just 21 fly balls. His Wednesday opponent, the Chicago White Sox, is pretty hot with 22 runs and nine homers during a four-game win streak, but they have not hit particularly well at home this season, posting a .241/.316/.386.
Marco Estrada (0.2 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) appears to be a solid play in deeper leagues on Wednesday at home facing the San Francisco Giants. Estrada hasn't been great in his five starts this season (4.97 ERA), but he's an extreme fly ball pitcher (72 FB, 31 GB this season) facing a Giants team that has hit just 27 homers for the entire season (tied for third-fewest in the majors). Estrada has a strong 1.10 WHIP as a starter and is valuable in leagues that use a K-to-BB ratio, as he's posted 25 whiffs and only four walks in his 29 innings as a starter.
Hitter matchup ratings for May 23
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 7 | 10 | 2 | 5 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | | 8 | 10 | 3 | 8 | |
| | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3 | | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | |
| | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| | 6 | 8 | 5 | 8 | | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | |
| | 4 | 6 | 1 | 8 | | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 | |
| | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 | |
| | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | | 7 | 9 | 4 | 7 | |
| | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | | 7 | 2 | 10 | 5 | |
| | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 | | 5 | 10 | 1 | 6 | |
| | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | |
| | 10 | 3 | 10 | 1 | | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 9 | 1 | | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
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.
• Daniel Bard is 2-3 on the road with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in five games (four starts).
• Shin-Soo Choo is 8-for-16 (.500), including two homers and five RBIs in his career against Tigers starter Doug Fister.
• Andy Pettitte threw eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts in his last start, and the Royals have won just three of 10 games this season started by a left-handed pitcher.
• Corey Hart is 6-for-15 (.400) lifetime against Giants pitcher Barry Zito with a home run and an on-base percentage of .500.
• Elvis Andrus is batting .380 with 12 RBIs and nine of his 12 extra-base hits in road games this season but is hitting only .162 in 10 day games.
• Carlos Gonzalez has feasted on right-handed pitching this season, amassing 30 hits in 88 at-bats (.341) with four home runs and 19 RBIs.
• Cole Hamels has enjoyed success against the Nationals, posting an 11-4 record with a 2.62 ERA in his 21 career starts against them.
• Jonathon Niese is 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA in four day starts this season, compared to 0-2 with a 9.53 ERA in four night starts.
• Since the start of last season, Chase Headley is hitting .315 away from Petco Park (.242 at home). Six of his nine home runs during that span have come on the road.
• Current Chicago Cubs are 26-for-135 (.193) lifetime versus Wandy Rodriguez. The Cubs have 38 strikeouts, one home run and a .247 on-base percentage.
• Kendrys Morales is 6-for-42 (.143) with 11 strikeouts on the road this season (.382 at home).
• Joe Saunders has struggled at home this season, going 1-3 with a 6.04 ERA.
• Luke Scott is 1-for-15 (.067) in his career against Toronto Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero.
Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers: Day-to-day, tight right groin. Braun left Monday's game with this injury and probably will miss Tuesday's game as well.
Miguel Montero, C, Diamondbacks: Day-to-day, left groin strain. He left Monday's game with this injury and could be out until Friday. Henry Blanco will be the team's main backstop in Montero's absence.
Angel Pagan, OF, Giants: Day-to-day, illness. He missed Monday's game with flu-like symptoms and was replaced by Gregor Blanco in center field, and Nate Schierholtz started in right field. Pagan's status for Tuesday is uncertain.
Chris Getz, 2B, Royals: Day-to-day, bruised ribs. He left Monday's game after aggravating his bruised ribs, which he originally suffered last week as the result of a collision. Getz could miss a couple days and was replaced by Irving Falu.
Henry Rodriguez, RP, Nationals: Could lose closer job. Washington manager Davey Johnson is considering a committee approach to the closer role, with Tyler Clippard, Craig Stammen and Sean Burnett possibly pitching the ninth inning.
Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies: Day-to-day, paternity leave. His wife gave birth to their first child on Sunday and Rollins could miss Tuesday's game.
Kevin Youkilis, 3B, Red Sox: Ready to return. He's expected to be activated from the DL and should be in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
Bryan LaHair, 1B, Cubs: Expected to sit Tuesday. LaHair will likely be given an off day on Tuesday but should return to action on Wednesday.
Neftali Feliz, SP, Rangers: 15-day DL, right elbow strain. Scott Feldman will replace Feliz in the Texas rotation.
Vernon Wells and Ryan Langerhans, OF, Angels: Both headed to DL after Sunday injuries. Wells hurt his thumb attempting a steal on Sunday and will be out 8-to-10 weeks. Langerhans separated his shoulder when he crashed into the outfield wall and is out indefinitely. Peter Bourjos figures to replace Wells in the starting lineup on a daily basis.
Lance Berkman, 1B, Cardinals: 15-day DL, right knee injury. Berkman injured himself Saturday stretching for a throw, and the extent of his injury isn't fully known. With Allen Craig also on the DL (strained left hamstring), the Cardinals called up prospect Matt Adams from Triple-A to replace Berkman in the starting lineup.
Cody Ross, OF, Red Sox: Out 6-to-8 weeks, fractured foot. He left Friday's game after fouling a pitch off his foot, and although initial X-rays showed no fracture, a second exam showed a non-displaced fracture in his left foot. Boston's starting outfield on Monday was Daniel Nava, Marlon Byrd and Che-Hsuan Lin, and the team has called up Scott Podsednik from Triple-A to add outfield depth.
Ryan Sweeney, OF, Red Sox: Out indefinitely, mild concussion. He is expected to be placed on the seven-day DL after not passing his concussion test. Sweeney suffered whiplash when making a diving catch on Saturday.
Austin Jackson, OF, Tigers: Day-to-day, abdomen. He hasn't played since Wednesday, May 16 and hopes to return to the field on Tuesday. Don Kelly will continue to play center field until Jackson's return.
Ben Francisco, OF, Blue Jays: Day-to-day, left hamstring tightness. He left Sunday's game with this injury and could miss a few days of action.
Jason Grilli, RP, Pirates: Day-to-day, bereavement list. He will not pitch until at least Wednesday because of the passing of his grandmother.
