Fantasy daily notes for Aug. 7
Click through for information on specific matchups, injuries and weather for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for August 7
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jake Peavy | R | KC | 7 | 9-7 | 3.04 | 1.05 | 2-1 | 2.57 | 1.10 |
| 2 |  | C.J. Wilson | L | @OAK | 10 | 9-7 | 3.27 | 1.25 | 0-2 | 7.30 | 1.74 |
| 3 |  | Lance Lynn | R | SF | 8 | 13-4 | 3.40 | 1.27 | 2-0 | 3.38 | 1.42 |
| 4 |  | Cole Hamels | L | ATL | 8 | 11-6 | 3.34 | 1.16 | 0-2 | 5.03 | 1.63 |
| 5 |  | Johnny Cueto | R | @MIL | 6 | 14-5 | 2.52 | 1.21 | 4-0 | 3.08 | 1.44 |
| 6 |  | Mike Fiers | R | CIN | 10 | 5-4 | 1.88 | 1.08 | 2-1 | 1.07 | 1.11 |
| 7 |  | Ryan Dempster | R | @BOS | 3 | 5-5 | 2.82 | 1.10 | 0-2 | 8.10 | 1.56 |
| 8 |  | James Shields | R | TOR | 5 | 9-7 | 4.24 | 1.39 | 1-1 | 3.18 | 0.88 |
| 9 |  | Mike Minor | L | @PHI | 3 | 6-7 | 5.01 | 1.29 | 1-1 | 1.46 | 0.77 |
| 10 |  | Jonathon Niese | L | MIA | 6 | 8-5 | 3.72 | 1.17 | 1-1 | 3.67 | 0.96 |
| 11 |  | Ross Detwiler | L | @HOU | 8 | 6-4 | 3.02 | 1.21 | 2-1 | 1.75 | 1.01 |
| 12 |  | Samuel Deduno | R | @CLE | 8 | 3-0 | 2.48 | 1.45 | 3-0 | 1.90 | 1.39 |
| 13 |  | Phil Hughes | R | @DET | 4 | 11-8 | 3.96 | 1.26 | 2-1 | 2.60 | 1.08 |
| 14 |  | Jon Lester | L | TEX | 4 | 5-9 | 5.36 | 1.41 | 0-3 | 9.82 | 1.68 |
| 15 |  | Patrick Corbin | L | @PIT | 10 | 3-4 | 3.60 | 1.27 | 1-0 | 0.00 | 0.67 |
| 16 |  | Jeff Karstens | R | ARI | 4 | 4-2 | 3.70 | 1.20 | 2-0 | 3.38 | 1.17 |
| 17 |  | Bartolo Colon | R | LAA | 6 | 8-8 | 3.55 | 1.25 | 2-1 | 2.63 | 1.24 |
| 18 |  | Aaron Harang | R | COL | 4 | 7-6 | 3.76 | 1.38 | 1-1 | 5.19 | 1.44 |
| 19 |  | Blake Beavan | R | @BAL | 4 | 7-6 | 5.06 | 1.22 | 4-0 | 3.18 | 0.81 |
| 20 |  | Wade LeBlanc | L | @NYM | 4 | 1-1 | 1.35 | 1.00 | 0-1 | 2.25 | 1.25 |
| 21 |  | Rick Porcello | R | NYY | 2 | 8-6 | 4.65 | 1.52 | 2-1 | 5.33 | 1.34 |
| 22 |  | Barry Zito | L | @STL | 4 | 8-8 | 4.27 | 1.37 | 1-2 | 5.32 | 1.14 |
| 23 |  | Bruce Chen | L | @CHW | 4 | 7-9 | 5.66 | 1.41 | 0-1 | 6.52 | 1.55 |
| 24 |  | Ross Ohlendorf | R | CHC | 2 | 3-2 | 6.27 | 1.74 | 1-2 | 5.31 | 1.43 |
| 25 |  | Alex White | R | @LAD | 1 | 2-6 | 6.16 | 1.61 | 0-0 | 3.38 | 1.13 |
| 26 |  | Jordan Lyles | R | WAS | 1 | 2-8 | 5.95 | 1.55 | 0-3 | 8.34 | 1.81 |
| 27 |  | J.A. Happ | L | @TB | 3 | 7-9 | 4.85 | 1.45 | 1-0 | 2.70 | 1.13 |
| 28 |  | Zach Britton | L | SEA | 5 | 1-1 | 8.35 | 2.02 | 1-1 | 8.35 | 2.02 |
| 29 |  | Brooks Raley | L | @SD | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 30 |  | Corey Kluber | R | MIN | 1 | 0-0 | 12.46 | 2.31 | 0-0 | 12.46 | 2.31 |
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.
It's a studs-and-duds type of schedule regarding starting pitchers on Tuesday, as eight arms are owned in at least 92 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues, while 12 others are owned in three percent or fewer of the ESPN.com universe. That doesn't leave a whole lot of middle ground, but there are still four pitchers who should have huge performances, and all four are still available in at least half of ESPN.com fantasy formats:
Mike Minor (50 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has been a frequent topic in the Daily Notes because he's been on fire since the start of July, going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, .170 opponents' BA and 7.8 Ks/9 in five starts. But yet, he's still available in half of ESPN.com fantasy leagues. Rain shortened Minor's last outing to 3 2/3 innings, but he allowed just two singles and two walks in that start. The best of his July outings was against Tuesday's opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies, when he held them to just four hits and one run in eight innings, striking out nine and walking nobody. Two of those hits were to departed outfielders Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence, and with Carlos Ruiz on the DL, this Philly lineup will be much weaker than the one Minor puzzled on July 26. Pick up the 24-year-old lefty on your roster now, and start him in all fantasy formats on Tuesday.
Jonathon Niese is also owned in exactly 50 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues, but he has been mostly excellent since the start of June with eight quality starts in 11 tries. He allowed one earned run or less in six of these outings, going 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 61 K's and just 10 walks in this 11-start span of 75 1/3 innings. On Tuesday, he'll face a Miami Marlins lineup that has done very little against Niese in the past two seasons, posting a .188 BA and just four runs in 20 innings. With as poorly as the Marlins are hitting in their past 19 games (2.6 runs per game, .347 SLG, 5-14 record), Niese should have little trouble posting another strong outing. Start him in all fantasy leagues on Tuesday.
A good strategy this season, especially in the past two months, has been to start whichever pitcher is facing the Houston Astros. Ross Detwiler (20 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) is the latest pitcher lucky enough to take his turn in the rotation against Houston's Double-A caliber lineup. The 'Stros have a 4-30 record since June 28, averaging 2.9 runs per game with a slash of .226/.296/.341. Don't expect a sudden uptick in offense against the Washington Nationals left-hander, who is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in seven starts since rejoining the rotation. His last time out, Detwiler shut out the Phillies for seven innings, allowing a mere three hits (all singles) and two walks. Considering the Nats have won 12 of their past 16 games, Detwiler's chances for a victory are as good as any Tuesday pitcher, making him a must-start in all fantasy formats.
I try not to make a habit of recommending pitchers with more walks than strikeouts, such as Samuel Deduno (2 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership). However, three straight victories capped off by six shutout innings of two-hit ball in Fenway Park has gotten my attention. Twenty BB's and 19 K's in 29 innings is Nuke LaLoosh-like, but Deduno's past two opponents batted .095 against him. That first opponent was the Cleveland Indians, who were 2-for-22 with six strikeouts (and five walks) against him, managing just one run in seven innings. Deduno gets to face the Indians again on Tuesday, with opposing pitcher Corey Kluber making just his second career start. The first one didn't go very well, as Kluber allowed six runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings to the Kansas City Royals. This provides Deduno with a strong win opportunity and makes him worthy of a play in deeper leagues on Tuesday.
Hitter matchup ratings for August 7
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 7 | 9 | 3 | 8 | | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | | 10 | 10 | 1 | 4 | |
| | 8 | 10 | 4 | 6 | | 7 | 10 | 5 | 6 | |
| | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | |
| | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 | | 8 | 6 | 8 | 5 | |
| | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | |
| | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | |
| | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | |
| | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | |
| | 4 | 1 | 5 | 8 | | 8 | 9 | 7 | 2 | |
| | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | |
| | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2 | | 5 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 10 | 2 | | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | |
| | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | | 10 | 10 | 8 | 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.
• Over his past 11 games (through Sunday) Danny Espinosa is 5-for-44 (.114) with 19 strikeouts and just two extra-base hits.
• Melky Cabrera has not fared well in his career against Jake Westbrook, going 2-for-21 (.095 BA), while his new teammate Hunter Pence thrives against Westbrook, going 7-for-14 (.500) in his career.
• Jamey Carroll will get extra playing time now that Danny Valencia has been traded to the Red Sox. Entering Monday, Carroll is 7-for-11 with two doubles and two RBIs in his past three games.
• In two games against the A's, C.J. Wilson has a 1.93 ERA while allowing just three hits and striking out 15 in 14 IP.
• Entering Monday, Ian Kinsler is hitting .426 with a .593 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers on the road. He'll face Jon Lester, who has struggled at home (2-7 with a 6.96 ERA) in Boston.
• Mike Fiers has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight straight starts, the longest active streak in the majors and tied for the second-longest streak this season.
• Entering Monday, Jesus Montero is leading the majors in batting against LHP on the road, with a .481 average (26-for-59). He'll face struggling lefty Zach Britton, who has a 9.53 ERA at Camden Yards.
Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays: Could return Tuesday, partially torn hamstring. Manager Joe Madden says it's a "50/50" proposition that Longoria could start on Tuesday night, but he will not be able to play third base every day until the hamstring fully heals.
Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers: Day-to-day, shoulder pain. He exited Sunday's game early after injuring himself while sliding. This doesn't appear to be a major injury that will keep him out for more than a couple of days.
Brandon Phillips, 2B, Reds, Day-to-day, strained left calf. He hasn't played since July 31 but he's expected to return to action early this week.
Matt Garza, SP, Cubs: 15-day DL, cramp in right triceps. The move was made retroactive to July 22, but it's unclear when he will return to the mound.
Ben Zobrist, OF, Rays: Day-to-day, upper back spasms. He was forced to leave Sunday's game early, but the team doesn't think his injury is too serious.
Francisco Liriano, SP, White Sox: Day-to-day, right quad contusion. He left Sunday's game early due to his injury and it is unclear if he'll need to miss his next start.
Carlos Villanueva, SP, Blue Jays: Day-to-day, personal reasons. He has left the team and will not make his scheduled start on Thursday. It is unclear when he will return to the team.
Carlos Ruiz, C, Phillies: 15-day DL, plantar fasciitis in left foot. Brian Schneider will get the majority of starts until Ruiz returns.
A.J. Griffin, SP, Athletics: 15-day DL, tightness in right shoulder. He was forced to leave Saturday's game early, and the team is playing it safe with the youngster, even though his MRI revealed no major structural damage. Brandon McCarthy expects to take Griffin's place in the rotation on Friday after a great rehab start on Saturday (6 IP, 0 R, 9 K's).
Brett Lawrie, 3B, Blue Jays: Day-to-day, tightness in ribcage. He injured himself on Friday, and is expected to miss a few games.
Josh Beckett, SP, Red Sox: Day-to-day, back spasms. He was pulled from his last start, but expects to pitch Wednesday afternoon against Texas.
Michael Cuddyer, OF, Rockies: 15-day DL, strained right oblique. The move was made retroactive to Aug. 1. Tyler Colvin will likely get the majority of starts in right field in Cuddyer's absence.
Emilio Bonifacio, OF, Marlins: 15-day DL, thumb. He's expected to miss about three weeks of action after injuring himself on Friday. Bonifacio was playing second base every day after Omar Infante was traded to Detroit. Expect Nick Green or possibly Donovan Solano to get most of the time at second base for Miami.
Mike Carp, OF, Mariners: Day-to-day, paternity leave. He could return to the team on Monday.
Colby Rasmus, OF, Blue Jays: Day-to-day, strained groin. He injured himself on Friday and hasn't played since. It's unclear when Rasmus will return to action.
Willie Bloomquist, SS, Diamondbacks: Day-to-day, back injury. He hasn't played since July 29, but is expected to return to the starting lineup early this week.
Lance Berkman, 1B, Cardinals: 15-day DL, right knee inflammation. He injured himself running the bases on Thursday. Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter will replace Berkman at first base.
Francisco Cordero, RP, Astros: 15-day DL, inflamed right toe. Wilton Lopez is the new closer for Houston, and will likely remain in that role when Cordero returns.
Christian Friedrich, SP, Rockies: 15-day DL, back soreness. He could be done for the season and was replaced by Tyler Chatwood for his scheduled start on Sunday.
Ryan Raburn, OF, Tigers: 15-day DL, sprained right thumb. The move was made retroactive to Aug. 1. Danny Worth replaced him on the roster.
Seth Smith, OF, Athletics: 15-day DL, hamstring injury. The team called up Michael Taylor to take his spot on the roster.
Henry Rodriguez, RP, Nationals: 15-day DL, back injury. The move was made retroactive to Aug. 1.
Yuniesky Betancourt, 2B/SS, Royals: Designated for assignment. Expect Chris Getz to start every day at second base for Kansas City.
