Fantasy notes for June 29
Click through for information on specific matchups, injuries and weather for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for June 29
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Justin Verlander | R | @TB | 10 | 8-4 | 2.52 | 0.97 | 3-0 | 2.10 | 0.97 |
| 2 |  | Matt Cain | R | CIN | 9 | 9-2 | 2.27 | 0.90 | 3-0 | 1.29 | 0.82 |
| 3 |  | R.A. Dickey | R | @LAD | 9 | 11-1 | 2.31 | 0.91 | 3-0 | 1.44 | 0.57 |
| 4 |  | Adam Wainwright | R | PIT | 10 | 6-7 | 4.32 | 1.29 | 1-1 | 2.14 | 1.05 |
| 5 |  | Josh Johnson | R | PHI | 9 | 4-5 | 3.96 | 1.40 | 1-1 | 1.80 | 1.05 |
| 6 |  | David Price | L | DET | 7 | 10-4 | 2.95 | 1.25 | 3-1 | 4.50 | 1.38 |
| 7 |  | Matt Harrison | L | OAK | 7 | 10-3 | 3.24 | 1.25 | 3-0 | 0.33 | 1.02 |
| 8 |  | Cliff Lee | L | @MIA | 9 | 0-4 | 3.72 | 1.13 | 0-1 | 6.30 | 1.55 |
| 9 |  | Ian Kennedy | R | @MIL | 6 | 5-7 | 4.42 | 1.35 | 0-2 | 6.50 | 1.56 |
| 10 |  | Jose Quintana | L | @NYY | 7 | 2-1 | 1.25 | 0.97 | 1-0 | 0.42 | 0.98 |
| 11 |  | Ross Detwiler | L | @ATL | 7 | 4-3 | 3.09 | 1.21 | 0-0 | 0.63 | 0.84 |
| 12 |  | Randall Delgado | R | WAS | 7 | 4-8 | 4.52 | 1.41 | 0-3 | 5.65 | 1.60 |
| 13 |  | A.J. Griffin | R | @TEX | 5 | 0-0 | 3.00 | 0.67 | 0-0 | 3.00 | 0.67 |
| 14 |  | Mike Leake | R | @SF | 5 | 2-5 | 4.46 | 1.32 | 0-0 | 3.42 | 1.06 |
| 15 |  | Bud Norris | R | @CHC | 4 | 5-4 | 4.81 | 1.42 | 0-1 | 8.10 | 1.80 |
| 16 |  | Ervin Santana | R | @TOR | 5 | 4-8 | 4.92 | 1.27 | 2-1 | 3.57 | 0.71 |
| 17 |  | Aaron Harang | R | NYM | 3 | 5-4 | 3.81 | 1.45 | 1-1 | 3.57 | 1.76 |
| 18 |  | Jake Arrieta | R | CLE | 3 | 3-9 | 5.55 | 1.33 | 1-2 | 5.63 | 1.33 |
| 19 |  | Carlos Villanueva | R | LAA | 5 | 2-0 | 3.24 | 1.41 | 2-0 | 0.00 | 1.16 |
| 20 |  | Brian Duensing | L | KC | 5 | 1-3 | 3.82 | 1.14 | 0-1 | 7.56 | 1.56 |
| 21 |  | Derek Lowe | R | @BAL | 3 | 7-6 | 4.28 | 1.56 | 0-3 | 7.94 | 1.85 |
| 22 |  | Luis Mendoza | R | @MIN | 5 | 2-4 | 4.95 | 1.63 | 0-1 | 3.86 | 1.16 |
| 23 |  | Paul Maholm | L | HOU | 4 | 4-6 | 5.38 | 1.42 | 0-1 | 6.46 | 1.70 |
| 24 |  | Randy Wolf | L | ARI | 4 | 2-5 | 5.32 | 1.56 | 0-0 | 3.55 | 1.22 |
| 25 |  | Adam Warren | R | CHW | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 26 |  | Jason Marquis | R | @COL | 2 | 3-7 | 5.67 | 1.71 | 1-3 | 2.05 | 1.41 |
| 27 |  | Kevin Correia | R | @STL | 3 | 3-6 | 4.03 | 1.28 | 1-1 | 3.63 | 1.43 |
| 28 |  | Jeff Francis | L | SD | 3 | 0-1 | 7.23 | 1.77 | 0-1 | 7.23 | 1.77 |
| 29 |  | Aaron Cook | R | @SEA | 4 | 1-1 | 9.39 | 1.96 | 1-0 | 3.60 | 1.20 |
| 30 |  | Hector Noesi | R | BOS | 1 | 2-9 | 5.50 | 1.30 | 0-3 | 3.79 | 1.53 |
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
After five straight games without allowing an earned run, R.A. Dickey was bound to come back to earth as he did in the New York Mets' 6-5 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday. Still, just like his knuckleball, we expect him to flutter back into place against the Los Angeles Dodgers a team hitting just .205 over the past 14 days.
Even with a poor showing against the Mets back on June 1, Adam Wainwright is now 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in his last seven starts and clearly "over the hump" in terms of his recovery from Tommy John surgery.
David Price is 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA lifetime against the Detroit Tigers, but when you're facing Justin Verlander, you're going to get knocked down a few spots in the rankings. It's just the way it is.
Recent slumpers: Cliff Lee has a 5.20 ERA in June, but still is exhibiting his trademark control with a 4.6 K/BB rate over that stretch. Ian Kennedy has had his offense score two or fewer runs in seven of his last 11 starts, so it's kind of hard to fault him for the 2-7 record in this recent span.
A.J. Griffin did pretty well subbing in for Brandon McCarthy in his debut against the San Francisco Giants, winning 4-2. With a three-pitch repertoire that keeps batters guessing, he may well be able to keep the Texas Rangers in check.
Bud Norris flew ahead to Chicago to rest up for his return from the disabled list. The Houston Astros have said they will use a six-man rotation between now and the All-Star Break, so Norris may be allowed to pitch deeper into the game than most "first-game back" starters.
Brian Duensing is 6-2 lifetime with a 2.98 ERA against the Kansas City Royals, but is making just his second start of the season and his last outing lasted just three unimpressive innings.
The suddenly pitching-starved Yankees will call up Adam Warren to get the ball against the Chicago White Sox. With a 3.86 ERA and a 6.2 K/9 rate in Triple-A this season, Warren is not going to make anyone forget that he's not CC Sabathia.
The truth is that Jason Marquis, despite the 1-3 record since joining the San Diego Padres, has actually pitched well for his new team. He's got a 2.05 ERA in those four starts. That said, he's going to Coors Field on Friday making the gamble a tough sell.
Hitter matchup ratings for June 29
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
| | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | |
| | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 8 | 10 | 3 | 7 | | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| | 8 | 10 | 2 | 5 | | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | | 10 | 5 | 10 | 4 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | |
| | 9 | 5 | 9 | 9 | | 9 | 10 | 5 | 5 | |
| | 6 | 1 | 9 | 6 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | |
| | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | | 6 | 8 | 3 | 10 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
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.
• Derek Lowe is 3-5 with a 5.87 ERA on the road (4-1 with a 2.64 ERA at home).
• Marlins starter Josh Johnson has struggled against left-handed batters this season. Lefties are batting .322 against Johnson in 2012 (righties are batting .233 vs. Johnson this season).
• Chase Headley is a career .307 hitter at Coors Field. He has three home runs and 17 RBIs there, his most at any visiting park.
• Corey Hart has had most of his success at home this year where he has hit 11 of his 15 home runs and is batting .279, compared to .214 on the road.
• Entering Wednesday, Adam Dunn is 7-for-22 (.318) with one home run in his career at new Yankee Stadium. At the original Yankee Stadium, he was 0-for-9 with five strikeouts.
• Edwin Encarnacion has had a great season so far, but he has struggled in his career against Ervin Santana. Encarnacion is 1-for-11 (.091) with four strikeouts all-time against Santana.
• Mike Leake has a 2.97 ERA and a .240 opponent batting average in five June starts. In his first nine starts, Leake posted a 5.47 ERA and a .298 opponent batting average.
Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies: Made his 2012 debut Wednesday and homered in his first at-bat. So far, so good as his knees appeared to not cause him any problems during the game.
Luke Scott, DH, Rays: Expected to be activated on Thursday. Chris Archer will be sent down to Triple-A Durham to make room on the roster.
Nick Johnson, DH, Orioles: Left Wednesday's game with a sore wrist and is expected to undergo an MRI to assess the damage. For now, consider him day-to-day.
Andy Pettitte, P, Yankees: Fractured his left ankle on a comebacker in Wednesday game and may miss 6-8 weeks as a result. Freddy Garcia is expected to take his spot in the rotation.
Brandon Phillips, 2B, Reds: Left Wednesday's game as a precaution after being struck in the head in the field. He may well play on Thursday, though, as he was cleared from having a concussion.
Carlos Santana, C, Indians: Suffered a recurrence of back tightness that caused him to be lifted from Wednesday's contest. Consider him day-to-day for now.
Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers: Day-to-day with a strained left oblique, though it would not be shocking to see Los Angeles place him on the disabled list.
Daniel Hudson, P, Diamondbacks: Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The words "Tommy John surgery" are a very real possibility to be added to this diagnosis. This is not good.
- AJ Mass is a fantasy football, baseball and college basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
- Author; How Fantasy Sports Explains the World.
