Fantasy notes for July 7-8

Starting pitcher rankings for July 7

						2012 Statistics			Past 21 Days
Rk	Team	Name	T	Opp	QR	W-L	ERA	WHIP	W-L	ERA	WHIP
1		Zack Greinke	R	@HOU	8	9-2	3.08	1.18	2-0	3.41	1.07
2		Gio Gonzalez	L	COL	7	11-3	3.01	1.12	3-1	5.09	1.48
3		James McDonald	R	SF	7	8-3	2.45	1.00	3-1	2.60	1.01
4		Jered Weaver	R	BAL	9	9-1	2.13	0.94	3-0	0.46	0.97
5		Ryan Vogelsong	R	@PIT	10	7-3	2.26	1.11	2-1	2.25	0.93
6		Tommy Hanson	R	@PHI	7	9-5	3.70	1.33	2-1	4.18	1.39
7		Kyle Lohse	R	MIA	5	8-2	2.80	1.12	2-1	2.51	1.19
8		Jason Vargas	L	@OAK	6	7-7	4.31	1.17	0-2	5.67	1.30
9		Jarrod Parker	R	SEA	10	5-3	2.46	1.22	2-0	1.37	1.12
10		Wandy Rodriguez	L	MIL	5	6-6	3.54	1.23	0-2	4.35	1.06
11		Clayton Richard	L	CIN	6	6-8	3.64	1.21	3-1	1.80	0.90
12		Dillon Gee	R	CHC	6	5-7	4.34	1.28	1-3	4.07	1.19
13		Trevor Cahill	R	LAD	6	6-7	3.63	1.30	2-2	4.50	1.33
14		Jason Hammel	R	@LAA	5	8-4	3.43	1.20	2-2	4.00	1.04
15		Joe Blanton	R	ATL	4	7-7	4.85	1.25	1-1	4.50	1.10
16		Homer Bailey	R	@SD	6	6-6	4.24	1.32	2-2	3.91	1.26
17		Ubaldo Jimenez	R	TB	7	7-7	4.59	1.54	1-3	3.76	1.41
18		Phil Hughes	R	@BOS	3	9-6	4.29	1.26	3-1	3.08	1.06
19		Franklin Morales	L	NYY	5	1-1	2.51	1.07	1-0	1.86	0.88
20		Gavin Floyd	R	TOR	5	6-8	4.91	1.32	2-1	1.93	1.23
21		Ricky Romero	L	@CHW	5	8-3	5.35	1.49	1-2	9.82	2.09
22		Doug Fister	R	KC	6	1-6	4.61	1.41	1-3	7.08	1.57
23		Jeff Samardzija	R	@NYM	4	6-7	4.77	1.37	1-3	7.48	1.43
24		Matt Moore	L	@CLE	5	5-5	4.17	1.42	2-0	3.08	1.33
25		Chad Billingsley	R	@ARI	4	4-8	4.20	1.43	0-4	6.26	1.74
26		Bruce Chen	L	@DET	2	7-7	4.83	1.25	2-1	6.30	1.35
27		Derek Holland	L	MIN	5	5-4	5.10	1.33	--	--	--
28		Felix Doubront	L	NYY	1	8-4	4.42	1.42	1-1	5.51	1.78
29		Carlos Zambrano	R	@STL	5	4-6	4.14	1.36	0-2	6.41	2.03
30		Jeff Francis	L	@WAS	3	2-1	5.16	1.45	2-0	3.08	1.22
31		Freddy Garcia	R	@BOS	2	2-2	5.94	1.38	2-0	2.31	0.60
32		Samuel Deduno	R	@TEX	1	--	--	--	--	--	--

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 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: Saturday

Zack Greinke is a perfect 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his career against the Houston Astros and, overall, he has not lost a decision since May 26 while posting an ERA of 2.39 in those seven starts. He takes top honors on Saturday.

After an awful stretch of four games at the start of the month where he struggled to keep his ERA at 8.63, Jason Vargas has rebounded to post two consecutive solid outings. He now gets to face the Oakland Athletics for the fourth time this season, a team that's hit just .161 against him in 2012.

Homer Bailey in San Diego might be a nice streaming option. Not only is he 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA versus the Padres lifetime, but he is 5-2 with a 2.96 ERA on the road this season, nearly twice as effective as his home ERA of 5.86.

Phil Hughes and Franklin Morales, squaring off in the first game of a day-night doubleheader between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, will have the benefit of a potentially unused bullpen to choose from, which increases their chances at a win over Freddy Garcia and Felix Doubront, who pitch in Game 2.

Gavin Floyd has been all or nothing since June 2. He went 2-0 in two outings where he went 13-plus innings without allowing a run and 0-3 in four starts with a 7.71 ERA. Given he's never defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in his career (0-5, 7.26 ERA), we're not expecting a shutout.

Matt Moore is 4-0 in his past six starts with a 3.29 ERA, but his strikeout numbers have lagged (6.5 K/9 in last three outings) and he continues to show wildness on the mound. Cleveland, with a .409 OBP in the last week, is particularly hot, so this is a matchup to consider avoiding.

Samuel Deduno gets promoted from Triple-A Rochester to battle the Texas Rangers on Saturday. He does have a 9.86 K/9 rate in the minors this season, but we're not expecting that success to translate to the major league level.

Starting pitcher rankings for July 8

						2012 Statistics			Past 21 Days
Rk	Team	Name	T	Opp	QR	W-L	ERA	WHIP	W-L	ERA	WHIP
1		Felix Hernandez	R	@OAK	10	6-5	3.26	1.23	2-0	1.91	0.99
2		Johnny Cueto	R	@SD	8	9-5	2.35	1.13	2-2	2.00	1.04
3		Jordan Zimmermann	R	COL	6	5-6	2.70	1.15	2-1	2.08	1.35
4		James Shields	R	@CLE	5	8-5	4.11	1.41	1-1	4.28	1.57
5		Jon Lester	L	NYY	6	5-5	4.33	1.31	2-1	3.62	1.13
6		Vance Worley	R	ATL	8	4-5	3.46	1.33	1-3	4.50	1.33
7		Chris Capuano	L	@ARI	4	9-3	2.62	1.12	1-1	1.93	1.00
8		A.J. Burnett	R	SF	5	9-2	3.74	1.33	3-0	4.07	1.52
9		Bartolo Colon	R	SEA	6	6-7	4.05	1.29	0-1	2.25	0.88
10		Jonathon Niese	L	CHC	4	7-3	3.35	1.22	3-1	2.54	1.06
11		Tim Lincecum	R	@PIT	9	3-9	6.08	1.55	1-2	6.33	1.45
12		Anibal Sanchez	R	@STL	6	4-6	4.19	1.28	1-1	7.06	1.80
13		Ryan Dempster	R	@NYM	6	3-3	2.11	1.02	1-0	0.00	1.00
14		Wei-Yin Chen	L	@LAA	5	7-4	3.64	1.24	1-2	3.51	1.01
15		Marco Estrada	R	@HOU	6	0-3	4.31	1.06	0-0	3.75	0.92
16		Roy Oswalt	R	MIN	8	2-1	7.79	2.25	2-1	7.79	2.25
17		Max Scherzer	R	KC	4	7-5	4.98	1.43	2-1	2.25	0.85
18		Ivan Nova	R	@BOS	2	9-3	4.05	1.38	1-1	2.36	1.28
19		Zach McAllister	R	TB	3	3-1	3.93	1.28	2-0	3.86	1.37
20		Joe Kelly	R	MIA	3	1-1	3.29	1.50	1-1	3.63	1.48
21		Jair Jurrjens	R	@PHI	5	2-2	5.19	1.79	2-0	1.47	1.20
22		Jordan Lyles	R	MIL	1	2-5	5.40	1.51	1-3	5.40	1.48
23		Trevor Bauer	R	LAD	1	0-1	9.82	2.45	0-1	9.82	2.45
24		Cole DeVries	R	@TEX	2	2-1	3.91	1.26	1-0	3.38	1.13
25		Brett Cecil	L	@CHW	3	2-1	5.64	1.43	2-1	5.64	1.43
26		Everett Teaford	L	@DET	3	1-1	4.70	1.39	1-0	3.75	1.17
27		Jason Marquis	R	CIN	2	3-8	5.82	1.64	0-3	4.44	1.25
28		Deunte Heath	R	TOR	2	--	--	--	--	--	--
29		Jeremy Guthrie	R	@WAS	3	3-8	6.28	1.68	0-3	4.64	1.50
30		Brad Mills	L	BAL	1	--	--	--	--	--	--

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: Sunday

As the last game before the All-Star break, Sunday should be an "all hands on deck" day for most staffs. Even if you have starters who are not scheduled to pitch, you had might as well keep them active in the hopes of earning a lucky save or vulture win if they unexpectedly get thrown in there for an inning of work.

Dan Haren is not going to be one of those pitchers, as he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a stiff lower back. This is the first time Haren has missed a start in his 10-year career. Brad Mills is a solid candidate for getting the call to fill in, though the team could opt for a combination of relievers instead.

The Chicago White Sox already had decided to skip Chris Sale on Sunday, long before he was told he would be selected to the All-Star roster. As such, this is another matchup to avoid as a parade of arms, perhaps spearheaded by Deunte Heath may tag team their way through the game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Two starts in, and Trevor Bauer is not looking anything close to advertised. He's been shaking off Miguel Montero repeatedly, and clearly the two are not on the same page. A few more poor outings and they may not be in the same clubhouse any longer. For now, Bauer has to prove he belongs before you can afford to start him in fantasy.

Jordan Zimmermann is 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA when facing Colorado and, more importantly, this one is not at Coors Field. The Rockies, as a team, are hitting just .244 on the road as compared to .291 at home.

A.J. Burnett is 5-2 with a 1.84 ERA against the San Francisco Giants in his career, and he's going up against Tim Lincecum who, let's face it, apart from one good outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been heinous of late. Since June 5, his ERA is a freakish 6.55.

Two sides of a coin: Jon Lester is 8-3 lifetime when battling the New York Yankees, while James Shields is 1-5 going up against the Cleveland Indians. Of course wins and losses never tell the whole story, as Shields' ERA in those games is actually better than Lester's: 3.83 versus 4.15.