Fantasy daily notes for August 22
Click through for information on specific matchups and injuries for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for August 22
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Matt Cain | R | @LAD | 9 | 12-5 | 2.90 | 1.01 | 2-2 | 3.46 | 1.23 |
| 2 |  | Jered Weaver | R | @BOS | 7 | 15-3 | 2.74 | 0.97 | 2-2 | 4.97 | 1.07 |
| 3 |  | Wade Miley | L | MIA | 6 | 13-8 | 2.96 | 1.13 | 2-2 | 2.22 | 1.19 |
| 4 |  | Kyle Lohse | R | HOU | 7 | 12-2 | 2.61 | 1.11 | 2-0 | 2.10 | 1.21 |
| 5 |  | Yovani Gallardo | R | CHC | 7 | 12-8 | 3.67 | 1.30 | 4-0 | 1.88 | 1.05 |
| 6 |  | Kris Medlen | R | @WAS | 9 | 4-1 | 2.03 | 1.03 | 3-0 | 1.05 | 0.90 |
| 7 |  | Chris Capuano | L | SF | 7 | 11-8 | 3.14 | 1.18 | 1-2 | 3.18 | 1.06 |
| 8 |  | Clay Buchholz | R | LAA | 7 | 11-3 | 4.19 | 1.28 | 2-0 | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| 9 |  | James Shields | R | KC | 5 | 11-7 | 4.03 | 1.31 | 3-0 | 1.80 | 0.63 |
| 10 |  | Matt Harvey | R | COL | 7 | 2-3 | 3.00 | 1.13 | 1-3 | 3.65 | 1.14 |
| 11 |  | Chris Sale | L | NYY | 7 | 14-4 | 2.72 | 1.06 | 2-1 | 3.38 | 1.27 |
| 12 |  | Hisashi Iwakuma | R | CLE | 6 | 4-3 | 3.79 | 1.31 | 2-1 | 2.84 | 1.11 |
| 13 |  | James McDonald | R | @SD | 7 | 11-5 | 3.61 | 1.19 | 1-0 | 5.51 | 1.29 |
| 14 |  | Ross Detwiler | L | ATL | 8 | 7-5 | 3.25 | 1.16 | 2-1 | 3.28 | 0.85 |
| 15 |  | Phil Hughes | R | @CHW | 5 | 12-10 | 4.23 | 1.28 | 2-2 | 5.06 | 1.59 |
| 16 |  | Anibal Sanchez | R | TOR | 5 | 6-10 | 4.52 | 1.38 | 1-2 | 8.16 | 2.23 |
| 17 |  | Bud Norris | R | @STL | 3 | 5-10 | 5.23 | 1.46 | 0-2 | 6.61 | 1.78 |
| 18 |  | Vance Worley | R | CIN | 5 | 6-8 | 4.11 | 1.48 | 1-2 | 5.23 | 1.79 |
| 19 |  | Zach McAllister | R | @SEA | 7 | 5-4 | 3.64 | 1.24 | 1-2 | 4.98 | 1.25 |
| 20 |  | Derek Holland | L | BAL | 4 | 7-6 | 4.98 | 1.21 | 0-1 | 5.88 | 1.08 |
| 21 |  | Bronson Arroyo | R | @PHI | 4 | 9-7 | 3.96 | 1.26 | 3-1 | 4.91 | 1.44 |
| 22 | | Tyler Skaggs | L | MIA | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 23 |  | Tommy Milone | L | MIN | 6 | 9-9 | 4.03 | 1.23 | 0-2 | 7.94 | 1.53 |
| 24 |  | Luis Mendoza | R | @TB | 4 | 7-8 | 4.26 | 1.40 | 3-1 | 3.58 | 0.98 |
| 25 |  | Jacob Turner | R | @ARI | 1 | 1-1 | 8.03 | 1.95 | -- | -- | -- |
| 26 |  | Andrew Werner | L | PIT | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 27 |  | Jeff Francis | L | @NYM | 2 | 4-4 | 6.07 | 1.47 | 1-2 | 8.59 | 1.68 |
| 28 | | Wade LeBlanc | L | @ARI | 3 | 2-2 | 2.50 | 1.25 | 1-1 | 3.54 | 1.52 |
| 29 |  | Travis Wood | L | @MIL | 4 | 4-9 | 4.83 | 1.28 | 0-3 | 4.30 | 1.26 |
| 30 |  | Liam Hendriks | R | @OAK | 1 | 0-5 | 7.04 | 1.75 | -- | -- | -- |
| 31 |  | Tommy Hunter | R | @TEX | 1 | 4-7 | 5.49 | 1.38 | 0-1 | 4.15 | 1.38 |
| 32 |  | Aaron Laffey | L | @DET | 1 | 3-4 | 4.70 | 1.28 | 1-3 | 7.66 | 1.48 |
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.
As was the case Tuesday, we have nine super-majority starters (owned in at least 96 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues) again Wednesday: James Shields, Yovani Gallardo, Wade Miley, Jered Weaver, Clay Buchholz, Chris Sale, Kyle Lohse, Matt Cain and Chris Capuano. While there is no logical reason not to start all of these pitchers every time their turn comes up in the rotation, it's much harder to determine the worth of the remaining arms. However, I did find four pitchers, all available in at least two-thirds of the ESPN universe, who should be given serious fantasy consideration Wednesday:
Matt Harvey (31 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has pitched well in four of his five career starts, yet he's still available in more than two-thirds of the ESPN leagues. He went on the road in his last outing and held the powerful Cincinnati Reds to one run on four hits while fanning eight batters to give him 34 K's in 30 major league innings. On Wednesday, Harvey faces a much less formidable foe in the Colorado Rockies, who have a .285 OBP and .369 SLG on the road since July 1. The Rox are already without Michael Cuddyer, Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton, and could also be missing Carlos Gonzalez (death in family), Josh Rutledge (quad strain) and Eric Young Jr. (intercostal strain). That doesn't leave many bats that are capable of tagging the rookie. Harvey should be started in all fantasy formats Wednesday.
Hisashi Iwakuma (5 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) has been a solid starter since joining the Seattle Mariners rotation in July, going 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.7 K's per nine in eight outings. He has allowed more than three earned runs just once during this span, which includes three outings against the top two highest-scoring teams in the majors (New York Yankees twice, Texas Rangers once). Iwakuma has struck out 19 batters in 15 innings over his past two starts and has been outstanding at Safeco Field all year (2.53 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .204 opponents' BA, 8.0 K's/9). More importantly, he couldn't ask for a better AL matchup than facing the lowly Cleveland Indians, who are in the midst of a 4-19 slump that includes six straight defeats. Start Iwakuma in all fantasy leagues Wednesday.
Ross Detwiler (33 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) continues to thrive in his starting role, going 3-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 10 starts since rejoining the Washington Nationals' rotation. While his strikeout rate is certainly weak during this stretch (4.4 K's/9), he has not walked more than two batters in any of these outings. His Wednesday opponent, the Atlanta Braves, have shown very little power against Detwiler in his career, posting a meager .343 slugging percentage with just one home run in 37 1/3 innings against him. And although mound opponent Kris Medlen has been outstanding this year (2.03 ERA, 1.03 WHIP), so have the Nats, who are 15-5 in August with 5.1 runs per game. Detwiler is a good play in a majority of fantasy formats Wednesday.
Bud Norris (26 percent ESPN.com fantasy ownership) hasn't won since May 21, going 0-9 with a 6.98 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 13 starts. However, he also has struck out 71 batters in 68 1/3 innings during the awful stretch, and is always worth a play in deeper fantasy formats whenever he faces the St. Louis Cardinals. Norris is 7-3 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 8.0 K's/9 in a dozen career starts against the Redbirds. The numbers are just as impressive at Busch Stadium, where he's 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 37 K's in 37 innings. Expecting any Houston Astros pitcher to win a game this season would be foolish, but Norris should record a quality start with eight or nine strikeouts.
Hitter matchup ratings for August 22
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 10 | 6 | 10 | 9 | | 7 | 2 | 7 | 7 | |
| | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| | 8 | 1 | 9 | 4 | | 10 | 5 | 10 | 2 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| | 4 | 5 | 2 | 7 | | 10 | 5 | 10 | 5 | |
| | 7 | 4 | 9 | 4 | | 7 | 10 | 2 | 4 | |
| | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | |
| | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | | 7 | 8 | 5 | 7 | |
| | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | |
| | 10 | 7 | 10 | 4 | | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | |
| | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | | 10 | 10 | 8 | 3 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1 | | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
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.
• Scott Hairston has feasted upon left-handed pitchers this season for the Mets, and his career numbers against Jeff Francis are no different. Hairston is batting .389/.389/.444 in 18 at bats against the Rockies left hander.
• Washington starter Ross Detwiler is 6-1 with a 2.69 ERA at home this season.
• Erick Aybar is 1 for 16 (.063) in his career against Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz.
• Angels ace Jered Weaver has a 7.16 ERA in 6 starts in his career at Fenway Park, which is the highest earned run average he has in any ballpark in the majors.
• Wade Miley is 4-0 with 0.36 ERA in day games this season.
• Alex Gordon has struggled in his career against James Shields going 3 for 19 (.158) with 4 strikeouts and no extra base hits.
• Gordon Beckham is 0-for-10 with 7 strikeouts in his career against Yankees starter Phil Hughes.
• Bud Norris has been terrible in the month of August, going 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA so far. He has also been abysmal on the road this year, going 2-9 with a 7.50 ERA compared to a record of 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA at home.
• Bronson Arroyo is 1-7 with a 7.28 ERA in his career against the Phillies and 0-2 with an 18.00 ERA in his career at Citizens Bank Park.
• In Wednesday's matchup it might make sense to sit Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano. In 23 at-bats against starter Yovani Gallardo he has batted a poor .174, with only 4 hits and 10 strikeouts.
Carl Crawford, OF, Red Sox: Done for the season, Tommy John surgery. He will be shut down for the rest of 2012 and undergo the reconstructive elbow surgery later this week. Daniel Nava (sprained wrist) will come off the DL to fill Crawford's roster spot.
Stephen Drew, SS, Athletics: Traded from Diamondbacks. Drew was acquired for SS prospect Sean Jamieson on Monday night. Drew will play every day in Oakland, while Willie Bloomquist will (continue to) man the position in Arizona.
Michael Cuddyer, OF, Rockies: 15-day DL, right oblique strain. He aggravated his right oblique in Saturday's game and could miss the remainder of the season.
Starling Marte, OF, Pirates: 15-day DL, strained right oblique. He left Saturday's game early because of his injury, and will be replaced by Jose Tabata, who was recalled from the minors.
Denard Span, OF, Day-to-day, shoulder injury. He hasn't played since Aug. 12 and will undergo further testing this week to determine whether or not he needs a DL stint. Darin Mastroianni will continue to start in the Twins' outfield in Span's absence.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Rockies: Out 2-3 days, bereavement list. Gonzalez will not play until the middle-to-latter part of this week due to a death in his family. Charlie Blackmon was recalled from the minors to take his spot on the roster.
Alejandro De Aza, OF, White Sox: 15-day DL, bruised left ribs. The move was made retroactive to Aug. 18. He will continue to be replaced by Dewayne Wise or Jordan Danks, De Aza's roster replacement.
Johan Santana, SP, Mets: Day-to-day, back injury. His next scheduled start is Thursday, but he will undergo an MRI and could be shut down for the remainder of the season.
Shaun Marcum, SP, Brewers: Could return this weekend. Marcum, who hasn't pitched since June 14 because of a tight pitching elbow, lasted six innings in a rehab start on Monday and is on track to return for this weekend's series against Pittsburgh. He likely will replace Randy Wolf in Milwaukee's rotation.
David Cooper, 1B, Blue Jays: Day-to-day, lower back tightness. He did not play Sunday and was replaced by Edwin Encarnacion at first base. The team doesn't expect Cooper to miss much more time, if any.
Jordy Mercer, SS, Pirates: Day-to-day, paternity leave list. He likely will return in time for this weekend's series versus Milwaukee.
Josh Rutledge, SS, Rockies: Day-to-day, left quad injury. He was injured Sunday, and it's unclear when he will return to action. Jonathan Herrera is playing shortstop while DJ LeMahieu takes over at second base.
Eric Young Jr., OF, Rockies: Day-to-day, left intercostal strain. He was injured Sunday but is not expected to require a stint on the DL. Andrew Brown (.308 BA, 24 HR's, 98 RBI's in Triple-A) is replacing Young Jr. in the outfield.
