Fantasy notes for Sept. 22-23
Click through for information on specific matchups and injuries for the day's games.
Starting pitcher rankings for Sept. 22
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gio Gonzalez | L | MIL | 8 | 19-8 | 2.95 | 1.14 | 3-1 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 2 |  | R.A. Dickey | R | MIA | 8 | 18-6 | 2.67 | 1.04 | 2-2 | 2.12 | 1.18 |
| 3 |  | Matt Harrison | L | @SEA | 8 | 17-9 | 3.26 | 1.26 | 2-1 | 2.84 | 1.21 |
| 4 |  | Madison Bumgarner | L | SD | 8 | 15-10 | 3.26 | 1.11 | 1-2 | 6.10 | 1.89 |
| 5 |  | Mat Latos | R | LAD | 8 | 12-4 | 3.76 | 1.20 | 1-0 | 3.48 | 1.21 |
| 6 |  | Roy Halladay | R | ATL | 9 | 10-7 | 4.03 | 1.16 | 2-0 | 4.81 | 1.56 |
| 7 |  | Adam Wainwright | R | @CHC | 8 | 13-13 | 3.97 | 1.26 | 0-3 | 6.86 | 1.93 |
| 8 |  | Doug Fister | R | MIN | 9 | 9-9 | 3.65 | 1.22 | 2-1 | 3.52 | 1.17 |
| 9 |  | Dan Haren | R | CHW | 7 | 11-11 | 4.41 | 1.31 | 3-1 | 2.16 | 0.84 |
| 10 |  | Matt Moore | L | TOR | 6 | 10-11 | 3.88 | 1.36 | 0-3 | 7.43 | 1.73 |
| 11 |  | Mark Buehrle | L | @NYM | 5 | 13-12 | 3.78 | 1.18 | 1-1 | 4.98 | 0.97 |
| 12 |  | Travis Blackley | L | @NYY | 7 | 5-3 | 3.65 | 1.14 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 1.36 |
| 13 |  | Andrew Werner | L | @SF | 10 | 2-1 | 3.68 | 1.13 | 1-0 | 4.15 | 1.21 |
| 14 |  | Brandon Morrow | R | @TB | 6 | 8-6 | 2.98 | 1.11 | 1-1 | 2.70 | 1.37 |
| 15 |  | Ivan Nova | R | OAK | 4 | 12-7 | 4.85 | 1.44 | 1-0 | 3.00 | 1.00 |
| 16 |  | Mike Minor | L | @PHI | 5 | 9-10 | 4.31 | 1.20 | 2-0 | 1.90 | 1.01 |
| 17 |  | Kevin Correia | R | @HOU | 5 | 11-9 | 4.09 | 1.29 | 2-1 | 1.57 | 1.00 |
| 18 |  | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | @KC | 5 | 9-16 | 5.43 | 1.60 | 0-3 | 4.50 | 1.42 |
| 19 |  | Chris Tillman | R | @BOS | 1 | 8-2 | 3.22 | 1.13 | 1-0 | 3.00 | 0.78 |
| 20 |  | Dallas Keuchel | L | PIT | 3 | 2-7 | 4.97 | 1.55 | 1-0 | 0.96 | 1.82 |
| 21 |  | Scott Diamond | L | @DET | 2 | 11-8 | 3.69 | 1.28 | 1-2 | 7.71 | 1.84 |
| 22 |  | Wily Peralta | R | @WAS | 7 | 2-0 | 2.14 | 1.10 | 2-0 | 1.80 | 1.00 |
| 23 |  | Jose Quintana | L | @LAA | 5 | 6-4 | 3.69 | 1.29 | 1-1 | 8.31 | 1.92 |
| 24 |  | Travis Wood | L | STL | 4 | 6-12 | 4.25 | 1.17 | 2-1 | 2.16 | 0.88 |
| 25 |  | Stephen Fife | R | @CIN | 5 | 0-1 | 2.49 | 1.38 | 0-0 | 3.60 | 1.00 |
| 26 |  | Patrick Corbin | L | @COL | 3 | 6-7 | 4.02 | 1.27 | 1-1 | 4.42 | 1.31 |
| 27 |  | Blake Beavan | R | TEX | 1 | 9-10 | 4.88 | 1.27 | 0-2 | 4.26 | 1.26 |
| 28 |  | Jeff Francis | L | ARI | 2 | 5-6 | 5.58 | 1.49 | 0-2 | 6.23 | 1.79 |
| 29 |  | Will Smith | L | CLE | 2 | 5-8 | 5.08 | 1.54 | 1-2 | 3.50 | 1.67 |
| 30 |  | Aaron Cook | R | BAL | 2 | 4-10 | 4.93 | 1.36 | 1-3 | 5.49 | 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.
Saturday's Rankings Notes
The Cy Young battle rages on in the National League, with Gio Gonzalez facing the Milwaukee Brewers and R.A. Dickey getting moved up a day to pitch against the Miami Marlins. With the move, New York is hoping to squeeze in one more home start for its ace in the hopes that Citi Field's friendly surroundings will allow him to reach the 20-win plateau.
Matt Harrison is 10-1 lifetime against the Seattle Mariners, including an impressive 4-0 with a 1.10 ERA this season. The Mariners have hit just .222 against him on the year and have scored just one run against Harrison in 16 innings at Safeco Field.
Madison Bumgarner is 9-3 at home with a 2.33 ERA and facing a San Diego Padres team that he has beaten twice already this season, holding them to a .250 batting average. I like him better than Adam Wainwright, who has gone 0-3 in his past four starts but has an ERA of 2.27 at Wrigley Field this season.
Travis Blackley will jump into the Oakland Athletics rotation in the spot vacated by Brett Anderson. Anderson has a bad oblique and will not pitch again in the regular season, though the club hopes he could be available for the playoffs.
Streaky Matt Moore is 0-4 with a 5.61 ERA in his past five starts after going 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in the five prior. The Toronto Blue Jays, which he went against in each of those stretches, have hit just .177 against him on the year. We're willing to gamble on him.
Ubaldo Jimenez is on the road, where for the season he is 4-11 with a 6.95 ERA. However, he actually has a better K/9 rate on the road, and his Cleveland Indians lineup is hitting .284 as a team at Kauffman Stadium this season.
Streaming option: Dallas Keuchel has already lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates twice this season to the tune of a 6.94 ERA. However, the Pirates have hit just .219 over the past two weeks, as their slim playoff hopes get even slimmer. Keuchel has been solid of late, with an 0.96 ERA in his two September starts.
Starting pitcher rankings for Sept. 23
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Cliff Lee | L | ATL | 9 | 6-7 | 3.27 | 1.13 | 3-0 | 0.95 | 0.95 |
| 2 | | Jered Weaver | R | CHW | 10 | 18-4 | 2.79 | 1.00 | 2-1 | 2.33 | 1.14 |
| 3 | | Hiroki Kuroda | R | OAK | 8 | 14-10 | 3.26 | 1.12 | 2-1 | 5.06 | 1.20 |
| 4 | | Kyle Lohse | R | @CHC | 6 | 15-3 | 2.71 | 1.08 | 1-1 | 3.24 | 1.08 |
| 5 | | Yovani Gallardo | R | @WAS | 7 | 16-8 | 3.59 | 1.28 | 2-0 | 4.07 | 1.40 |
| 6 | | Tim Hudson | R | @PHI | 8 | 15-6 | 3.77 | 1.26 | 2-2 | 4.94 | 1.61 |
| 7 | | Tim Lincecum | R | SD | 8 | 10-14 | 4.91 | 1.47 | 3-0 | 2.52 | 1.40 |
| 8 | | Ryan Dempster | R | @SEA | 8 | 11-7 | 3.08 | 1.15 | 3-1 | 3.63 | 1.25 |
| 9 | | A.J. Griffin | R | @NYY | 10 | 6-1 | 2.45 | 0.98 | 3-1 | 2.52 | 1.00 |
| 10 | | Ian Kennedy | R | @COL | 5 | 14-11 | 4.08 | 1.29 | 2-0 | 2.57 | 1.00 |
| 11 | | Homer Bailey | R | LAD | 5 | 12-9 | 3.82 | 1.31 | 2-0 | 1.55 | 0.83 |
| 12 | | Eric Stults | L | @SF | 9 | 6-3 | 2.69 | 1.17 | 1-1 | 3.63 | 1.27 |
| 13 | | Drew Smyly | L | MIN | 6 | 4-3 | 4.25 | 1.27 | 0-0 | 9.82 | 2.18 |
| 14 | | A.J. Burnett | R | @HOU | 4 | 15-8 | 3.64 | 1.26 | 0-3 | 3.42 | 1.31 |
| 15 | | Alex Cobb | R | TOR | 7 | 9-9 | 4.27 | 1.29 | 1-1 | 3.57 | 1.08 |
| 16 | | Jason Vargas | L | TEX | 4 | 14-10 | 3.92 | 1.18 | 1-1 | 3.66 | 1.12 |
| 17 | | Gavin Floyd | R | @LAA | 5 | 10-10 | 4.50 | 1.39 | 1-1 | 3.86 | 0.94 |
| 18 | | Ricky Nolasco | R | @NYM | 4 | 12-12 | 4.42 | 1.37 | 2-0 | 1.71 | 1.14 |
| 19 | | Aaron Harang | R | @CIN | 3 | 9-10 | 3.80 | 1.43 | 0-2 | 4.50 | 1.70 |
| 20 | | Jhoulys Chacin | R | ARI | 5 | 2-5 | 4.58 | 1.58 | 1-1 | 2.79 | 1.55 |
| 21 | | Chris Young | R | MIA | 6 | 4-8 | 4.37 | 1.36 | 1-1 | 3.06 | 1.30 |
| 22 | | Jordan Lyles | R | PIT | 4 | 4-11 | 5.40 | 1.47 | 1-1 | 4.91 | 1.43 |
| 23 | | Jake Odorizzi | R | CLE | 5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 24 | | Felix Doubront | L | BAL | 1 | 11-9 | 5.08 | 1.49 | 1-3 | 6.98 | 1.60 |
| 25 | | Justin Germano | R | STL | 3 | 2-8 | 5.58 | 1.42 | 0-4 | 6.63 | 1.58 |
| 26 | | Randy Wolf | L | @BOS | 1 | 5-10 | 5.66 | 1.57 | 2-0 | 5.23 | 1.45 |
| 27 | | David Huff | L | @KC | 2 | 1-0 | 2.61 | 1.16 | 1-0 | 2.61 | 1.16 |
| 28 | | Chien-Ming Wang | R | MIL | 1 | 2-3 | 6.92 | 2.04 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.86 |
| 29 | | P.J. Walters | R | @DET | 1 | 2-4 | 6.39 | 1.62 | 0-2 | 9.00 | 1.86 |
| 30 | | Chad Jenkins | R | @TB | 1 | 0-1 | 4.91 | 1.47 | 0-0 | 5.68 | 1.74 |
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.
Sunday's Rankings Notes
Jered Weaver is 10-2 at home with a .179 batting average against. He has yet to face the Chicago White Sox this season but is 6-2 against them lifetime with a 1.61 ERA. Also solid at home is Hiroki Kuroda, 10-5 on the season with a .212 BAA.
Ian Kennedy has held current Colorado Rockies hitters to a .241 batting average, and at Coors Field, he has an ERA of 2.52 and a .227 BAA. There is no real reason to fear keeping him in your rotation due to the location of Sunday's game.
Streamer's delight: Not only is Homer Bailey 2-0 in September with a 1.55 ERA and .175 batting average against, but he is also facing a slumping Los Angeles Dodgers lineup slugging just .326 over the past 14 days and averaging just 2.6 runs per game.
Ricky Nolasco is 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA in his past five starts, but in the two no-decisions, he managed to last only five innings in each, allowing eight runs and 16 hits. This is a feast-or-famine Sunday roll of the dice, where you should probably start him only if you're attempting a head-to-head comeback.
Drew Smyly will most likely take the mound Sunday instead of scheduled starter Max Scherzer. Scherzer's MRI on his shoulder revealed no structural damage, but the team is likely to give him an extra day or two of rest just to play it safe. Smyly is still a decent start, given that the Minnesota Twins are hitting .247 on the road, versus .278 at home, this season.
Chien-Ming Wang has been hampered all season by injuries, including a bad hip and a hamstring pull. However, with recent rain causing the staff to get a little overextended due to doubleheader play, Wang will get the weekend call. We're not sure the 6.92 ERA he has posted in 2012 will be the answer.
Debut: Jake Odorizzi makes his first big league start against the Cleveland Indians. He went 11-3 with a 2.93 at Triple-A Omaha after his midyear promotion to that level. The scouting report says he likes to throw off-speed stuff early, but if I know that's what to look for, then the Indians probably know that as well. Let the cat-and-mouse game begin!
Hitter matchup ratings for Sept. 22
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 10 | 5 | 10 | 3 | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| | 9 | 10 | 6 | 6 | | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |
| | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | |
| | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | |
| | 6 | 2 | 9 | 4 | | 9 | 4 | 10 | 7 | |
| | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | |
| | 9 | 9 | 8 | 2 | | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| | 8 | 10 | 6 | 7 | | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |
| | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | |
| | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | | 5 | 9 | 1 | 5 | |
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth and the past 21 days) and 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. 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.
Hitter matchup ratings for Sept. 23
| Overall | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | | 10 | 10 | 1 | 8 | |
| | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |
| | 10 | 6 | 10 | 8 | | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | |
| | 9 | 9 | 8 | 3 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
| | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | |
| | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | | 7 | 3 | 10 | 8 | |
| | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| | 10 | 9 | 10 | 8 | | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | |
| | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | |
| | 9 | 10 | 8 | 5 | | 10 | 10 | 7 | 4 | |
| | 6 | 7 | 2 | 7 | | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 | |
| | 5 | 7 | 1 | 7 | | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | |
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth and the past 21 days) and 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. 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.
• Chipper Jones faces Roy Halladay for the final time in their long careers. Jones is 10-for-20 with three homers and three doubles in their matchups. In three earlier meetings this season, Jones went 3-for-7 with a homer (July 29) and 2 walks.
• Paul Konerko is 6-for-16 (.375) in his career facing Dan Haren, but all six hits are singles. That's tied with Aaron Laffey for his most hits against any pitcher without an extra-base hit. Kevin Youkilis enters the weekend series with a career OPS of 1.003 at Angel Stadium, his best of any American League park.
• Giants OF Hunter Pence has been one of the worst hitters in baseball at home since the All-Star break. Entering Friday, his .183 (19-for-104) average is the fourth worst in the National League in that time frame among qualified batters. In that same span, Pence has hit only .189 (14-for-74) against left-handed pitching. He will face Padres LHP Andrew Werner in San Francisco on Saturday.
• Kyle Seager is 1-for-15 against Matt Harrison of the Rangers. Find a better option.
• Entering Friday, Andre Ethier is batting .332 against righties this season with 15 HRs and 57 RBIs and .217 with 4 HRs and 28 RBIs against lefties. He faces Reds righty Mat Latos on Saturday, whom he is 6-for-17 with two doubles and 3 RBIs against in his career.
• Brandon Morrow has not had success against the Rays this season. In three games, Morrow is 1-2 with a 6.62 ERA. He has given up 13 ER in 17 2/3 IP while allowing four homers. Rays batters have an average of .292.
• In his career versus Chris Young, Jose Reyes is 3-for-17 (.176).
• Jimmy Rollins is hitting .224 and slugging .474 in 76 career ABs against Tim Hudson. Of his 17 hits, 10 have been for extra bases, including three homers. Livan Hernandez (17-for-80) is the only active pitcher he has faced more often.
• In Cliff Lee's past four starts against Atlanta, he is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.90 and 26 strikeouts in 30 innings. That includes a five-hit shutout last September in the previous meeting at Citizens Bank Park. He also struck out 16 Braves in a game last season but lost because he got zero runs of support.
• A.J. Burnett has been a road warrior for the Pirates since the All-Star break. In seven starts away from home, Burnett's ERA is 2.82 with a 1.04 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 51 innings. He faces the lowly Astros in Houston on Sunday.
• Although David Murphy has been a great play against lefties this year with 70 at-bats and a batting average of .357 entering Friday, he has not done well against the lefty Jason Vargas. Murphy is 0-for-14 in his career against Vargas.
• Matt Kemp has been struggling of late, entering Friday with a .164 batting average in September and 18 strikeouts. However, Kemp heads to Cincinnati this weekend, where he has a .325 career batting average (25-for-77) with 8 HRs and 24 RBIs. On Sunday, he will face Homer Bailey, against whom he is 4-for-11 with a home run in his career.
• Edwin Encarnacion has had a stellar season, batting .280 with 40 HRs and 102 RBIs entering Friday. However, he is only 8-for-41, a .195 average, with five of those hits coming the way of the home run in September.
• When facing right-handed batters at home, R.A. Dickey is holding opponents to a .180 batting average and a .232 on-base percentage.
• Carlos Gonzalez is a career .174 (4-for-23) hitter against Ian Kennedy with nine strikeouts.
Josh Hamilton, OF, Rangers: He continues to be bothered by blurry vision as the result of a sinus issue. Hamilton is returning to Texas to be examined by team doctors.
Huston Street, P, Padres: He will be activated from the disabled list in time for the weekend series with San Francisco. Street should eventually take back closer duties from Luke Gregerson.
Danny Valencia, 3B, Red Sox: The infielder will join the team from Triple-A along with pitcher Pedro Beato. Yes, things have gotten this sad for Boston.
Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees: He has begun playing in instructional league games with an eye toward returning to action in the final series of the regular season.
Jordan Schafer, OF, Astros: Although he still can't raise his arm over his head due to a sore shoulder, Schafer may be able to pinch run and pick up a cheap steal or two in the process.
Carlos Quentin, OF, Padres: He missed Thursday's game as his right knee continues to flare up. Consider him day-to-day, but don't be surprised if San Diego simply decides to call it a season for him.
Alex Avila, C, Tigers: He continues to miss time with mild post-concussion symptoms after a collision Sunday. Avila may get a chance to catch a few innings during the weekend to see how it feels.
- AJ Mass is a fantasy football, baseball and college basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
- Author; How Fantasy Sports Explains the World.
