Fantasy notes for June 5
Click through for information on specific matchups and injuries for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for June 5
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cliff Lee | L | LAD | 9 | 0-2 | 3.00 | 1.02 | 0-1 | 3.86 | 1.29 |
| 2 |  | Anibal Sanchez | R | ATL | 8 | 3-3 | 2.57 | 1.07 | 1-3 | 3.42 | 1.10 |
| 3 |  | Tim Lincecum | R | @SD | 10 | 2-6 | 5.82 | 1.57 | 0-3 | 5.70 | 1.56 |
| 4 |  | Jon Lester | L | BAL | 7 | 3-4 | 4.79 | 1.37 | 2-1 | 5.61 | 1.40 |
| 5 |  | Yovani Gallardo | R | CHC | 6 | 4-4 | 4.22 | 1.45 | 2-1 | 2.49 | 1.30 |
| 6 |  | Jaime Garcia | L | @HOU | 7 | 3-3 | 3.78 | 1.40 | 1-1 | 3.10 | 1.23 |
| 7 |  | Homer Bailey | R | PIT | 6 | 4-3 | 3.73 | 1.26 | 3-0 | 2.25 | 0.93 |
| 8 |  | Ricky Romero | L | @CHW | 7 | 6-1 | 4.04 | 1.29 | 2-0 | 4.50 | 1.28 |
| 9 |  | Jordan Zimmermann | R | NYM | 6 | 3-5 | 2.80 | 1.09 | 1-2 | 4.50 | 1.39 |
| 10 |  | A.J. Burnett | R | @CIN | 3 | 4-2 | 3.60 | 1.24 | 3-0 | 0.98 | 1.20 |
| 11 |  | Ian Kennedy | R | COL | 6 | 4-5 | 4.26 | 1.32 | 1-3 | 4.94 | 1.39 |
| 12 |  | Andy Pettitte | L | TB | 6 | 2-2 | 3.49 | 1.13 | 2-1 | 2.86 | 1.00 |
| 13 |  | Tim Hudson | R | @MIA | 8 | 3-2 | 4.60 | 1.24 | 2-1 | 4.67 | 1.26 |
| 14 |  | Ryan Dempster | R | @MIL | 4 | 0-3 | 2.90 | 1.15 | 0-2 | 5.70 | 1.61 |
| 15 |  | James Shields | R | @NYY | 3 | 6-3 | 3.95 | 1.32 | 0-2 | 5.12 | 1.50 |
| 16 |  | Derek Holland | L | @OAK | 5 | 4-4 | 5.11 | 1.30 | 1-2 | 9.00 | 1.60 |
| 17 |  | Chad Billingsley | R | @PHI | 5 | 2-4 | 4.09 | 1.44 | 0-2 | 5.57 | 1.81 |
| 18 |  | Philip Humber | R | TOR | 7 | 2-2 | 5.37 | 1.35 | 1-0 | 4.58 | 1.25 |
| 19 |  | Francisco Liriano | L | @KC | 5 | 1-5 | 7.20 | 1.88 | 1-0 | 2.70 | 1.43 |
| 20 |  | Drew Smyly | L | CLE | 2 | 2-1 | 3.46 | 1.24 | 1-1 | 6.53 | 1.50 |
| 21 |  | Chris Young | R | @WAS | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 22 |  | Bruce Chen | L | MIN | 5 | 4-5 | 4.86 | 1.32 | 3-1 | 4.91 | 1.59 |
| 23 |  | Anthony Bass | R | SF | 8 | 2-5 | 4.00 | 1.30 | 1-1 | 5.25 | 1.46 |
| 24 |  | Travis Blackley | L | TEX | 7 | 0-0 | 3.38 | 1.06 | 0-0 | 0.82 | 0.73 |
| 25 |  | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | @DET | 6 | 5-4 | 5.79 | 1.79 | 2-1 | 7.31 | 1.81 |
| 26 |  | Jason Hammel | R | @BOS | 2 | 6-2 | 3.06 | 1.18 | 2-1 | 4.70 | 1.52 |
| 27 |  | Garrett Richards | R | SEA | 1 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 28 |  | Lucas Harrell | R | STL | 2 | 4-4 | 4.71 | 1.48 | 2-2 | 4.94 | 1.52 |
| 29 |  | Blake Beavan | R | @LAA | 3 | 3-4 | 4.72 | 1.28 | 2-1 | 5.32 | 1.36 |
| 30 |  | Jeremy Guthrie | R | @ARI | 2 | 3-3 | 5.48 | 1.57 | 1-2 | 5.01 | 1.71 |
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.
If you're looking to help your fantasy rotation with some waiver-wire pickups, here are five pitchers to consider on Tuesday night:
Homer Bailey (24 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has been outstanding in his past four starts, going 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a respectable 6.8 K/9. One of these outings was a complete game at PNC Park his last time out when he held the Pittsburgh Pirates to one run on four hits. Bailey has the good fortune of facing the Bucs again Tuesday, this time at home, to build on his gaudy numbers in eight career starts against them: 6-0, 1.79 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. The Pirates have a pathetic slash line of .210/.269/.318 in these 55 1/3 innings against Bailey. Although Pittsburgh smacked four homers Sunday in Milwaukee, the team had failed to go deep in eight of its previous 10 games, batting just .226 during this 10-game power outage. All this makes Bailey a must-start in any fantasy league on Tuesday.
Andy Pettitte (54 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) was roughed up in his last outing against the Los Angeles Angels on the road (7 IP, 9 H, 5 ER), but he should be much more effective on Tuesday back home against the Tampa Bay Rays. Pettitte has a 2.53 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in three home starts this season, and carries a 16-6 record all-time versus his American League East foes. He also catches the Rays at a good time, as Tampa has an anemic stat line of .175 BA/.231 OBP/.264 SLG in its past eight games with an average of 8.4 strikeouts per contest. Pettitte's mound opponent, James Shields, has also been struggling lately with a 5.26 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in his past four starts. Pick up Pettitte now before he's no longer available on your league's waivers.
Derek Holland (57 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) was absolutely bombed by the Seattle Mariners his last time out (8 H, 8 ER in 1 2/3 IP), but expect him to bounce back in a big way Tuesday at O.co Coliseum. Holland has dominated the Oakland Athletics in the past two years, going 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. And this current A's lineup is just atrocious, getting shut out in four of their past seven games and scoring a total of 21 runs over their past 11 contests (1.9 per game) with just one win to show for it. Considering Holland has a 1.33 ERA and 8.0 K's/9 in three road starts in American League parks this season, he's a great play on Tuesday in any fantasy format.
Philip Humber (2 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has been solid over his past four starts with a 3.70 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 7.0 K's/9. The Chicago White Sox won three of those four outings. Humber draws a favorable matchup against a Toronto Blue Jays team he has shut down in two career starts (both in 2011). In these 14 1/3 innings, the Jays have a meager .163 BA with two runs and 12 strikeouts. Toronto has not fared too well south of the border this season, going 4-10 in its past 14 road games, including five straight defeats. Humber isn't yet a must-start in standard leagues, but he could be a valuable AL-only arm for the rest of the season.
Francisco Liriano (7 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) made a triumphant return to the Minnesota Twins rotation his last time out, shutting down Oakland for six innings, and racking up nine strikeouts. His nine fly balls and two ground balls were not a great sign, but he is still capable of throwing a quality start on the road against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. He is 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.09 ERA since 2009 when facing K.C., including seven shutout innings the last time he took the mound at Kauffman Stadium in 2010.
Hitter matchup ratings for June 5
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 9 | 10 | 7 | 1 | | 7 | 8 | 4 | 6 | |
| | 4 | 2 | 4 | 7 | | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |
| | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | |
| | 8 | 7 | 7 | 3 | | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |
| | 4 | 6 | 2 | 7 | | 7 | 1 | 8 | 4 | |
| | 5 | 10 | 2 | 6 | | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
| | 9 | 10 | 7 | 4 | | 8 | 10 | 5 | 7 | |
| | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
| | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | |
| | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| | 8 | 10 | 5 | 9 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | | 4 | 6 | 1 | 7 | |
| | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | | 2 | 1 | 4 | 10 | |
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 Pena is 13-for-40 (.325 BA) with 6 home runs and 11 RBIs in his career against Andy Pettitte.
• Ricky Romero has a career record of 6-6 (15 starts, 108 IP) in the month of June, but his 2.33 ERA is his lowest of any month.
• Derek Holland has a 2.84 ERA with 8 earned runs on the road, but has a 6.69 ERA with 27 earned runs when pitching at home.
• After starting off with a 1.23 ERA in his first 4 starts, Drew Smyly has fallen off by posting a 4.96 ERA in his last 6 starts.
• Ubaldo Jimenez has struggled on the road this season, posting a 9.00 ERA in 5 starts, compared to a 3.38 ERA in 5 home starts.
• Giancarlo Stanton has just 2 hits in 12 career at-bats (.167 BA) with 5 strikeouts against Tim Hudson.
• Martin Prado has dominated Anibal Sanchez, going 12-for-27 (.444 BA) with 1 home run, 4 RBIs and no strikeouts in his career.
• Jaime Garcia is 0-4 with a 6.89 ERA career against the Astros. In his only start against the Astros this season, Garcia gave up his most earned runs (6) and walks (4) in any start this season.
• Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo is 5-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 11 career starts against the Cubs.
• Brewers Nyjer Morgan is 0-for-17 (.000) with 8 strikeouts lifetime against Cubs starter Ryan Dempster.
Joe Mauer, C, Twins: Day-to-day, sprained thumb. He left Sunday's game early with a mild sprain of his right thumb that occurred when he swung the bat. He could return to the field Monday or Tuesday, though.
Adam Jones, OF, Orioles: Day-to-day, sore wrists. Jones left Sunday's game early with sore wrists. His right wrist has bothered him for weeks and he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist on Wednesday. An MRI came back negative, and Jones says he'll be back in the lineup Tuesday.
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B, Blue Jays: Day-to-day, bruised right hand. He left Sunday's game after being hit by a pitch on his right hand.
Jason Bay, OF, Mets: Should be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, after recovering from a rib injury. Bay is expected to start in left field on Tuesday.
Jonathon Niese, SP, Mets: Day-to-day, rapid heartbeat. He left Sunday's game after six innings because his heart "started racing" after he scored a run. He will be re-evaluated on Monday.
Will Venable, OF, Padres: Day-to-day, right oblique strain. He left Sunday's game in the third inning and will be re-evaluated on Monday. Chris Denorfia replaced him in right field and will likely remain the team's everyday RF.
Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox: Could return Tuesday, thumb. He's expected to return to the field on Tuesday.
Brian McCann, C, Braves: Day-to-day, swollen left knee. He left Saturday's game after a wild pitch hit him in the left knee. McCann sat out Sunday's game, but he expects to return to action on Tuesday.
Santiago Casilla, RP, Giants: Day-to-day, bruised knee. Sergio Romo will likely be the team's closer until Casilla returns, which could be on Monday or Tuesday.
Carlos Santana, C, Indians: Could return Tuesday, concussion. He's expected to return to the field on Tuesday.
Huston Street, RP, Padres: Could return Tuesday, lat. The San Diego closer expects to be activated for Tuesday's series opener against the Giants. This will move Dale Thayer back to a set-up role.
Carlos Lee, 1B, Astros: 15-day DL, strained left hamstring. The move was made retroactive to June 2. In a corresponding move, Brett Wallace was recalled from Triple-A to be the team's regular first baseman.
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Brewers: Day-to-day, strained left quadriceps. He left Saturday's game after suffering his injury and did not play Sunday. It's uncertain when he'll return to action.
Jemile Weeks, 2B, Athletics: Day-to-day, strained left hip. He did not start on Sunday, but should return to the lineup on Tuesday.
Henry Rodriguez, RP, Nationals: Day-to-day, finger. He slammed his right index finger inside a car door and hasn't pitched since May 28.
Joaquin Benoit, RP, Tigers: Day-to-day, forearm. He left Saturday's game with tightness in his right forearm, but he's expected to be available on Tuesday.
Albert Pujols, 1B Angels: Could play third base this week. Pujols will reportedly play third base when his team visits Colorado on Friday, and could stay there for all six games in National League stadiums. Kendrys Morales will move from DH to first base where he played exclusively before his injury in 2010. Mark Trumbo is likely to remain in right field.
Juan Nicasio, SP, Rockies: 15-day DL, strained left knee. He injured himself Saturday and will likely be replaced by Guillermo Moscoso in the Rockies rotation.
Andy Dirks, OF, Tigers: 15-day DL, right Achilles tendinitis. The move was announced Sunday, but is retroactive to May 31. Detroit will likely put Don Kelly in left field to replace him, with Delmon Young as the DH.
Carl Pavano, SP, Twins: Out indefinitely, shoulder. He is likely to land on the DL, and Jeff Manship will probably take Pavano's rotation spot on Wednesday.
Jose Contreras, RP, Phillies: out for season, elbow. His career could be over as the 41-year-old likely needs Tommy John surgery.
Johnny Damon, OF, Indians: Out until Wednesday, paternity leave list. Matt LaPorta took his place on the roster.
