Fantasy notes for May 28
Click through for information on specific matchups and injuries for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for May 28
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cole Hamels | L | @NYM | 8 | 7-1 | 2.17 | 1.01 | 4-0 | 1.50 | 0.93 |
| 2 |  | Tommy Hanson | R | STL | 7 | 5-3 | 3.12 | 1.34 | 2-1 | 2.25 | 1.21 |
| 3 |  | Chris Sale | L | @TB | 10 | 5-2 | 2.50 | 1.05 | 2-1 | 1.96 | 1.15 |
| 4 |  | Lance Lynn | R | @ATL | 9 | 7-1 | 2.54 | 1.09 | 2-1 | 3.91 | 1.57 |
| 5 |  | Jered Weaver | R | NYY | 7 | 6-1 | 2.61 | 0.90 | 2-1 | 4.44 | 1.11 |
| 6 |  | Jordan Zimmermann | R | @MIA | 7 | 3-4 | 2.47 | 1.06 | 2-2 | 3.24 | 1.36 |
| 7 |  | Shaun Marcum | R | @LAD | 8 | 2-3 | 3.93 | 1.24 | 1-2 | 4.88 | 1.21 |
| 8 |  | Bronson Arroyo | R | @PIT | 5 | 2-2 | 3.22 | 1.26 | 1-1 | 3.46 | 1.35 |
| 9 |  | Scott Diamond | L | OAK | 6 | 3-1 | 1.78 | 1.14 | 3-1 | 1.78 | 1.14 |
| 10 |  | Carlos Zambrano | R | WAS | 7 | 2-3 | 2.85 | 1.12 | 2-1 | 3.21 | 1.04 |
| 11 |  | James McDonald | R | CIN | 6 | 3-2 | 2.51 | 0.99 | 1-1 | 2.18 | 0.82 |
| 12 |  | Wandy Rodriguez | L | @COL | 5 | 4-4 | 2.14 | 1.10 | 1-2 | 2.79 | 1.10 |
| 13 |  | Felix Doubront | L | DET | 4 | 4-2 | 3.96 | 1.42 | 3-1 | 2.63 | 1.29 |
| 14 |  | Doug Fister | R | @BOS | 5 | 0-2 | 1.84 | 1.13 | 0-2 | 2.10 | 1.13 |
| 15 |  | Trevor Cahill | R | @SF | 7 | 2-4 | 3.74 | 1.28 | 0-2 | 4.56 | 1.39 |
| 16 |  | Travis Wood | L | SD | 8 | 0-1 | 3.86 | 0.86 | 0-1 | 3.86 | 0.86 |
| 17 |  | Matt Harrison | L | SEA | 7 | 5-3 | 4.72 | 1.45 | 2-1 | 3.91 | 1.34 |
| 18 |  | Phil Hughes | R | @LAA | 6 | 4-5 | 4.94 | 1.37 | 3-1 | 2.81 | 1.17 |
| 19 |  | Nate Adcock | R | @CLE | 3 | 0-2 | 2.33 | 1.45 | 0-2 | 2.08 | 1.38 |
| 20 |  | Aaron Harang | R | MIL | 2 | 3-2 | 4.36 | 1.36 | 2-0 | 2.84 | 1.14 |
| 21 |  | Josh Tomlin | R | KC | 5 | 1-2 | 4.67 | 1.24 | 0-0 | 2.45 | 0.95 |
| 22 |  | Jonathon Niese | L | PHI | 4 | 3-2 | 4.29 | 1.31 | 1-1 | 4.57 | 1.52 |
| 23 |  | Juan Nicasio | R | HOU | 3 | 2-2 | 4.83 | 1.57 | 0-2 | 5.40 | 1.62 |
| 24 |  | Matt Moore | L | CHW | 4 | 1-4 | 5.07 | 1.57 | 0-3 | 6.41 | 1.58 |
| 25 |  | Barry Zito | L | ARI | 5 | 3-2 | 3.53 | 1.35 | 2-2 | 6.20 | 1.72 |
| 26 |  | Jeff Suppan | R | @CHC | 1 | 2-3 | 4.21 | 1.60 | 1-3 | 5.23 | 1.69 |
| 27 |  | Travis Blackley | L | @MIN | 4 | 0-0 | 4.09 | 1.18 | 0-0 | 4.50 | 1.25 |
| 28 | | Alex White | R | HOU | 1 | 1-3 | 5.32 | 1.35 | 1-3 | 5.32 | 1.35 |
| 29 |  | Kevin Millwood | R | @TEX | 2 | 3-4 | 3.72 | 1.29 | 3-1 | 2.00 | 1.00 |
| 30 |  | Tommy Hunter | R | @TOR | 3 | 2-2 | 5.07 | 1.35 | 0-1 | 6.17 | 1.37 |
| 31 |  | Drew Hutchison | R | BAL | 1 | 3-2 | 5.73 | 1.54 | 2-2 | 5.06 | 1.45 |
| 32 | | Jordan Lyles | R | @COL | 1 | 0-1 | 5.29 | 1.53 | 0-1 | 5.73 | 1.73 |
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.
Monday's slate features 10 pitchers owned in at least 94 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues: Lance Lynn, Tommy Hanson, Cole Hamels, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, James McDonald, Chris Sale, Wandy Rodriguez, Shaun Marcum and Jered Weaver. Not all of them have great matchups (most notably Rodriguez at Colorado and Fister at Boston), but I'd still start all 10 of them in any fantasy league. But the big decisions lie in the 22 other starters out there, and only two (Matt Moore and Carlos Zambrano) are owned in more than 20 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues. Of this minority-owned group, there are six strong Monday options that are still likely on your waiver wire:
Bronson Arroyo (6 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) got back on track after a couple of shaky outings, limiting the Atlanta Braves to one run in 6 2/3 innings his last time out. He also fanned seven batters, giving him 26 K's in 26 innings over his past four starts and an impressive 5.5 K-to-BB ratio on the year (44 K's, 8 BBs). On Monday, he has the good fortune of facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are tied for the major league lead with 389 batter strikeouts and have an ML-worst .269 on-base percentage in 2012. Arroyo has been excellent pitching in National League stadiums this season, posting a 1.64 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and .177 opponents' BA in three NL road starts. Arroyo is a definite play in any fantasy format on Monday.
Scott Diamond (20 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has had quite a second season in the big leagues with a 1.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and just three walks through four starts. On Monday, he gets to face the Oakland Athletics, who are slumping more than usual with a pathetic slash line in their past five games: .155 BA/.237 OBP/.252 SLG. Diamond has posted a stellar 1.53 G/F ratio (49 ground balls, 32 fly balls) this year, while tossing 14 scoreless innings at Target Field. Although his Minnesota Twins have the worst record in the AL, Diamond is a strong win candidate facing Travis Blackley who hasn't started a game since 2007 because he is 1-3 with a 9.35 ERA and 2.08 WHIP in eight career starts.
Carlos Zambrano (62 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) was dropped in more than 15 percent of ESPN leagues after he got bombed by the Colorado Rockies his last time out (5 IP, 7 ER), but I'd prefer to focus on the previous seven outings when he posted a 1.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and .201 opponents' BA. One of those outings was on April 20, when he stymied the Washington Nationals for two hits, one run, no walks and six strikeouts in seven strong innings at Nationals Park. His eight walks in the past 12 innings are certainly a concern, but his career numbers versus the Nats (8-3, 3.35 ERA, .299 opponents' SLG, 8.4 K's/9) are good enough to make me think he'll bounce back with a quality start on Memorial Day.
Felix Doubront (10 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) is starting to hit his stride, with three straight impressive outings. Not only does he have a 2.04 ERA and .200 opponents' BA in this span, but he has just as many strikeouts as fly balls allowed (21 each) in these 17 2/3 innings, giving him 53 K's in 50 frames for the year. The Detroit Tigers won't be an easy matchup, but I'd give Doubront a shot considering his past two starts have come on the road against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays, and both of these teams have more runs and a higher slugging percentage than Detroit this season.
As most fantasy owners expected, Trevor Cahill (13 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has not been a great fit at Chase Field. But what's unexpected is how well he's pitched on the road. In five away starts, Cahill has a 2.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, .196 opponents' BA and a respectable 6.6 K's/9. His Monday opponent, the San Francisco Giants, have not been a great home team with just 3.3 runs per game, surpassing four runs in just four out of 22 contests at AT&T Park. Cahill is also facing struggling Barry Zito (6.91 ERA, 1.61 WHIP in past three starts) as his mound opponent, making him a great win candidate.
Matt Harrison (20 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has been shaky this season, but he has a fantastic matchup against the light-hitting Seattle Mariners on Monday. Harrison threw seven strong innings in his last outing, which was in Seattle, allowing just one run with a season-high-tying six strikeouts. That makes him a perfect 7-0 against the M's since 2009, as he's posted a 1.78 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 42 K's and just 11 walks during these 60 2/3 innings. Start him with confidence.
Hitter matchup ratings for May 28
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 4 | 7 | | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
| | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 | | 6 | 10 | 4 | 8 | |
| | 7 | 10 | 5 | 5 | | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | |
| | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | | 7 | 10 | 2 | 5 | |
| | 8 | 2 | 10 | 5 | | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | |
| | 7 | 1 | 7 | 6 | | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 5 | 1 | | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | |
| | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | |
| | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | | 8 | 10 | 4 | 3 | |
| | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | |
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.
• Tigers starter Doug Fister has a 2.89 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 5 career starts against Boston. Current Red Sox are 11 for 54 (.204 BA) lifetime against Fister, with 0 HRs and 12 strikeouts.
• Ben Zobrist has struggled from the right side of the plate this season, going 8 for 50 (.160 BA) with 16 strikeouts against left-handed pitching.
• Jose Altuve has 4 multi-hit games in his last 9 games played (11 for 36, .306).
• Aramis Ramirez is 19 for 60 (.317) with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs off Aaron Harang.
• Although left-handed hitters are hitting .214 off Wandy Rodriguez this season, Todd Helton is 12 for 28 (.429) with 6 RBIs off Rodriguez in his career.
• Kevin Millwood is 2-2 with a 1.78 ERA on the road this season. Opponents are batting .190 off him.
• Ryan Zimmerman is 4 for 23 (.174) lifetime versus Marlins starter Carlos Zambrano.
• In 17 career at-bats against Tommy Hunter, Yunel Escobar has 7 hits (.412 BA) and 2 home runs.
• Phillies OF Hunter Pence is 2-for-16 (.125) with 4 strikeouts lifetime against Mets starter Jonathon Niese.
• Padres 3B Chase Headley is 8-for-44 (.182) with 12 strikeouts lifetime at Wrigley Field.
• James McDonald is 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his last 5 starts against the Reds; he's allowed no more than 1 earned run in 4 of those 5 starts.
• Cardinals starter Lance Lynn is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 5 road starts this season.
• Cardinals OF Carlos Beltran is 1-for-13 (.077) with 3 strikeouts lifetime against Braves starter Tommy Hanson.
• Current Giants are 13 for 63 (.206) lifetime vs Trevor Cahill. They have no home runs, 10 strikeouts and are slugging .270.
• Giancarlo Stanton is all or nothing when facing Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann. He is 2 for 10 (.200) lifetime with 4 strikeouts but his 2 hits are home runs.
• Jered Weaver has allowed 4 home runs to only 3 active players, and all 3 are on the Yankees (Granderson, Ibanez, Rodriguez).
Rafael Dolis, RP, Cubs: Removed as team's closer. Manager Dale Sveum made the announcement on Sunday that Dolis will no longer pitch in the ninth inning. James Russell and Shawn Camp will likely get the majority of save opportunities for the time being.
Brandon League, RP, Mariners: Removed as team's closer. Manager Eric Wedge told reporters before Saturday's game that League has temporarily been removed as the team's closer. It's unclear who will get the majority of saves between Tom Wilhelmsen, Steve Delabar, Shawn Kelley, Lucas Luetge and Charlie Furbush.
Carlos Santana, C, Indians: 7-day DL, concussion. He was hit in the facemask with a ball on Friday and will be eligible to return next weekend if he passes his concussion tests. Luke Carlin will be the regular backstop with Santana out.
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Brewers: Day-to-day, bruised elbow. He was hit in the arm by a pitch on Friday and did not play Saturday. He could return to action on Sunday.
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS, Indians: Day-to-day, tight left hamstring. He injured himself Friday and did not play Saturday. He was replaced by recent call-up Juan Diaz at shortstop.
Ross Detwiler, P, Nationals: Removed from rotation. He will shift to the bullpen, and Chien-Ming Wang will be inserted into Washington's starting rotation.
Miguel Montero, C, Diamondbacks: Day-to-day, left groin strain. Montero has not played since May 21, but he's expected to return to the field on Monday.
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves: Day-to-day, vision. He did not play Saturday due to vision problems and was replaced by Eric Hinske.
Cameron Maybin, OF, Padres: Day-to-day, sprained right wrist. He left Saturday's game with his injury and should miss at least 2-to-3 days. Blake Tekotte stands to earn most of the time in center field, with Chris Denorfia possibly also getting some at-bats.
Jarrod Dyson, OF, Royals: Day-to-day, right hamstring contusion. He left Saturday's game after colliding with teammate Alex Gordon.
Travis Hafner, DH, Indians: Day-to-day, right knee injury. He hasn't played since May 23, and could be headed to the DL. He's expected to test the knee on Monday when his team returns home.
Chad Tracy, 1B, Nationals: Day-to-day, groin injury. He will be out at least two more days, and could eventually land on the DL.
David Ross, C, Braves: Day-to-day, right groin strain. He was injured on Friday and did not play Saturday.
Ronny Cedeno, SS, Mets: Day-to-day, leg cramp. He is not playing on Sunday because of his injury, and was replaced at shortstop by Justin Turner.
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves: 15-day DL, bruised left calf. The move was made retroactive to May 24. Juan Francisco figures to be the every day third baseman with Jones out. The team could also use LF Martin Prado at third and start Matt Diaz in left.
Ramon Hernandez, C, Rockies: 15-day DL, strained left hand. The move was made retroactive to May 24. Wilin Rosario will fill his spot in the starting lineup with Wil Nieves becoming the No. 2 catcher.
Austin Jackson, OF, Tigers: 15-day DL, abdominal strain. He could return by this weekend. Don Kelly and Quintin Berry will play center field until Jackson returns.
John Danks, SP, White Sox: 15-day DL, sore left shoulder. The move was made retroactive to May 20. Jose Quintana replaced him in the rotation on Friday and will likely start again on Wednesday.
Ben Francisco, OF, Blue Jays: 15-day DL, torn left hamstring. There is no timetable for his return, as this could be a lengthy stay on the disabled list.
Cesar Izturis, SS, Brewers: 15-day DL, strained left hamstring. He was injured running the bases on Friday. Cody Ransom becomes the team's regular starting shortstop.
Matt Carpenter, 1B, Cardinals: 15-day DL, right oblique strain.
Justin Sellers, SS, Dodgers: 15-day DL, lower back injury.
Austin Kearns, OF, Marlins: 15-day DL, strained right hamstring.
