Daily Notes: Yankees have holes, D-Backs at Coors
Tampa Bay Devil Rays @ New York Yankees
Scott Kazmir, LHP (0-0) versus Carl Pavano, RHP (0-0)
Yankee Stadium (outdoor) 1:05 p.m. ET (cloudy, 57 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Devil Rays, Rocco Baldelli, OF (hamstring, available), Greg Norton, DH (knee, DL); Yankees, Jeff Karstens, RHP (elbow, DL), Chien-Ming Wang, RHP (hamstring, DL).
Game Story: Even facing a strikeout artist like Kazmir, would you sit any of your Yankees? New York's lineup has two questions for fantasy; first base, and the starting pitcher, as Pavano gets the call due to Wang's injury. Josh Phelps appears likely to get the start at first, and his .442 AVG/1.179 OPS this spring and his .292/.857 career numbers against lefties make him an attractive one-day sub. For Tampa Bay, Rocco Baldelli should be limited to DH duties, leaving Elijah Dukes to start in center field, while B.J. Upton earns the start at second base. Sit Jonny Gomes; he'll likely be on the bench.
Toronto Blue Jays @ Detroit Tigers
Roy Halladay, RHP (0-0) versus Jeremy Bonderman, RHP (0-0)
Comerica Park (outdoor) 1:05 p.m. ET (partly cloudy, 22 mph wind, 55 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Blue Jays, John Thomson, RHP (shoulder, DL); Tigers, Kenny Rogers, LHP (shoulder, DL).
Game Story: This one is quite the pitchers' duel, so think low-scoring affair. Bonderman managed a 1.50 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays last year, and Toronto was the game's No. 12 offense in 2006. Matt Stairs has a .476 average and three homers in 21 at-bats against Bonderman, though he shouldn't play; DH is Frank Thomas' job. Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez is a .556 career hitter (10-for-18) with two homers against Halladay, but beyond the pitchers and the usual stars, there's not a lot to get excited about here.
Cleveland Indians @ Chicago White Sox
C.C. Sabathia, LHP (0-0) versus Jose Contreras, RHP (0-0)
U.S. Cellular Field (outdoor) 2:05 p.m. ET (cloudy, 14 mph wind, 58 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Indians, Cliff Lee, LHP (abdomen, DL), C.C. Sabathia, LHP (wrist, day to day); White Sox, Scott Podsednik, OF (groin, day to day).
Game Story: Sabathia's wrist should be healed enough for him to start, but don't be shocked if he struggles, as he did in his Opening Day start at Chicago last season (2.1 IP, 3 ER). He's undefeated at U.S. Cellular, though, at 6-0 with a 2.52 ERA in nine career starts, and Joe Crede (.179 AVG, 28 AB, 7 K) and Juan Uribe (.162 AVG, 37 AB, 13 K), in particular, struggle against him. On the Indians' side, it's a nice time to use David Dellucci (1-for-3, 3 RBI career vs. Contreras) and Trot Nixon.
Boston Red Sox @ Kansas City Royals
Curt Schilling, RHP (0-0) versus Gil Meche, RHP (0-0)
Kauffman Stadium (outdoor) 4:05 p.m. ET (clear, 15 mph wind, 78 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Red Sox, Matt Clement, RHP (ribs, DL), Jon Lester, LHP (lymphoma, DL), Mike Timlin, RHP (ribs, DL); Royals, Octavio Dotel, RHP (ribs, unavailable).
Game Story: Talk about a mismatch; Schilling is a three-time 20-game winner facing a Royals team that ranked 20th in runs per game in 2006. Sure, Mike Sweeney (.333 AVG, 2 HR, 15 AB career vs. Schilling), and perhaps Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen are worth the look, but don't dig so deep as to use Ross Gload, the team's new left fielder against right-handers. On Boston's side, J.D. Drew (.300 AVG, 2 HR, 10 AB career vs. Meche) and Julio Lugo (.333 AVG, 2 HR, 9 AB career vs. Meche) are the standouts. If you're a Meche owner, steer far clear of this one, and keep in mind that Dotel is unavailable; David Riske could be KC's one-day closer.
Oakland Athletics @ Seattle Mariners
Dan Haren, RHP (0-0) versus Felix Hernandez, RHP (0-0)
Safeco Field (retractable roof) 6:35 p.m. ET (46 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Athletics, Dan Johnson, 1B (hip, DL), Mark Kotsay, OF (back, DL), Esteban Loaiza, RHP (shoulder, DL); Mariners, Jose Guillen, OF (heel, day to day), J.J. Putz, RHP (elbow, day to day).
Game Story: This should be an interesting one for the Athletics; Johnson's injury allowed Travis Buck to crack the Opening Day roster, and he'll probably start this one in right field, with Nick Swisher at first base. Swisher is one of two Athletics who have taken King Felix deep in his career (Adam Melhuse is the other), and while Buck might appear a nice one-day fix, keep in mind Todd Walker could easily receive the nod at first base, keeping Swisher in the outfield.
Baltimore Orioles @ Minnesota Twins
Erik Bedard, LHP (0-0) versus Johan Santana, LHP (0-0)
Metrodome (indoor) 7:10 p.m. ET
Notable Injuries: Orioles, Kris Benson, RHP (shoulder, DL), Jay Payton, OF (hamstring, DL); Twins, Francisco Liriano, LHP (elbow, DL).
Game Story: This one might appear to be the Johan show, but consider that he's a historically slow starter, with a 4.42 career ERA in April. The Orioles' lineup does lean heavily towards the left-handed side, though, which bodes well for you Santana owners, and don't forget that he was 12-0 with a 2.19 ERA in 17 home starts in 2006. Corey Patterson (.229 AVG, .629 OPS career vs. LHP) shapes up as a must-sit, but for the Twins, Rondell White (4-for-9 career vs. Bedard) and Jeff Cirillo (.413 AVG, .944 OPS vs. LHP in 2006) aren't bad low-priced gambles. After all, Bedard did struggle on the road in 2006 (4.69 ERA).
Texas Rangers @ Los Angeles Angels
Kevin Millwood, RHP (0-0) versus John Lackey, RHP (0-0)
Angel Stadium of Anaheim (outdoor) 10:05 p.m. ET (clear, 67 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Rangers, Eric Gagne, RHP (back, DL); Angels, Bartolo Colon, RHP (shoulder, DL), Chone Figgins, 3B (fingers, DL), Juan Rivera, OF (leg, DL), Jered Weaver, RHP (biceps, DL).
Game Story: An important stat: The Angels are 26-12 against Texas the past two years combined, including 14-5 at home. Lackey, though, has a poor history against the Rangers; he's 6-8 with a 5.63 ERA in 19 career starts against them. Mark Teixeira, in particular, is a .444 career hitter (16-for-36) with 11 RBIs against him, and it wouldn't be shocking to see Kenny Lofton and Frank Catalanotto have nice games against Lackey. Millwood, meanwhile, had an impressive 9-5 record and 3.74 ERA in 17 road starts in 2006, so stand-in closer Akinori Otsuka could be a factor in this one.
Florida Marlins @ Washington Nationals
Dontrelle Willis, LHP (0-0) versus John Patterson, RHP (0-0)
RFK Stadium (outdoor) 1:05 p.m. ET (clear, 17 mph wind, 74 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Marlins, Jeremy Hermida, OF (knee, DL), Josh Johnson, RHP (elbow, DL), Taylor Tankersley, LHP (shoulder, DL); Nationals, Nick Johnson, 1B (leg, DL).
Game Story: Willis is 9-4 with a 3.46 ERA in 14 career starts against the Nationals, and Washington's offense is noticeably thinner than its 2006 model; in short, Opening Day should be a positive one for Willis and Jorge Julio owners. Ryan Zimmerman does hit Willis, though; he's 5-for-13 (.385 AVG) lifetime against the left-hander. Meanwhile, the question many fantasy owners are asking is, "Do I start Alejandro De Aza?" His .354 spring batting average aside, I'd recommend a wait-and-see approach with him.
Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies
John Smoltz, RHP (0-0) versus Brett Myers, RHP (0-0)
Citizens Bank Park (outdoor) 1:05 p.m. ET (cloudy, 10 mph wind, 64 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Braves, Lance Cormier, RHP (shoulder, day to day), Mike Hampton, LHP (ribs, DL); Phillies, Freddy Garcia, RHP (biceps, DL), Jon Lieber, RHP (ribs, DL).
Game Story: Smoltz was saddled with no-decisions in each of his two starts at Citizens Bank in 2006, and Jimmy Rollins (.355 AVG, 2 HR, 31 AB) and Chase Utley (.353 AVG, 1 HR, 17 AB) do hit him well. Of course, they're must-starts, but their track records should also mean good things for No. 2 hitter Shane Victorino, a .324 hitter in the spring. And for you deep NL-only owners, Abraham Nunez is 4-for-13 (.308 AVG) lifetime against Smoltz, perhaps earning the Opening Day start at third base. For the Braves, Scott Thorman is worth a look at Philly's hitter-friendly ballpark.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers
Derek Lowe, RHP (0-0) versus Ben Sheets, RHP (0-0)
Miller Park (retractable roof) 2:05 p.m. ET (54 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Dodgers, Rafael Furcal, SS (ankle, DL), Hong-Chih Kuo, LHP (shoulder, DL); Brewers, Corey Koskie, 3B (concussion, DL).
Game Story: Craig Counsell hit Lowe well in his old NL West days, batting .368 (7-for-19) against the right-hander, and in NL-only formats he's not a bad sub-in if you can use him in your middle infield. Bet against Geoff Jenkins' 1-for-10 career mark against the ground-ball specialist, though; Jenkins should be more successful now that he's in an ideal platoon situation for him, so give him the start. Don't overlook Juan Pierre's track record against Sheets; he's a .400 career hitter (8-for-20) against the right-hander.
Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds
Carlos Zambrano, RHP (0-0) versus Aaron Harang, RHP (0-0)
Great American Ballpark (outdoor) 2:10 p.m. ET (clear, 12 mph wind, 68 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Cubs, Kerry Wood, RHP (shoulder, DL); Reds, Bill Bray, LHP (finger, DL), Eddie Guardado, LHP (elbow, DL), Eric Milton, LHP (back, DL)
Game Story: Though the Reds' lineup boasts plenty of power, a strikeout artist like Zambrano should give their bats more trouble than expected, at least more than on last Opening Day, when he allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings at Cincinnati. The Reds would be smart to use righty killer Javier Valentin behind the plate instead of strikeout-prone David Ross, and that's a risk I'd take in NL-only formats as well. For the Cubs, Matt Murton should start in left field despite a right-hander being on the mound. The fact that Harang had a 4.61 ERA in his home games in 2006 suggests Chicago's offense could flourish in this one.
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies
Brandon Webb, RHP (0-0) versus Aaron Cook, RHP (0-0)
Coors Field (outdoor) 4:05 p.m. ET (partly cloudy, 16 mph wind, 62 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson, LHP (back, DL), Carlos Quentin, OF (shoulder, DL); Rockies, Brad Hawpe, OF (ankle, day to day).
Game Story: Something to think about: The Rockies and their opponents averaged only 10.3 runs per game combined last April, and they scored only five total last Opening Day, meaning this shouldn't be viewed as an automatic slugfest. Webb, for instance, is an extreme ground-ball pitcher (3.86:1 for his career) with a 3.88 ERA in 10 career starts at Coors, so don't be afraid to use him. Cook, though, was 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five starts against Arizona in 2006, and both Chad Tracy (.462 AVG, 26 AB) and Orlando Hudson (.438 AVG, 16 AB) hit him well. Expect Scott Hairston to offer some short-term value, because he's the kind of player who could be helped by games at Coors.
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Houston Astros
Zach Duke, LHP (0-0) versus Roy Oswalt, RHP (0-0)
Minute Maid Park (retractable roof) 7:05 p.m. ET (81 degrees)
Notable Injuries: Pirates, Freddy Sanchez, 3B (knee, DL); Astros, Brandon Backe (elbow, DL).
Game Story: Duke struggled this spring, managing a 6.35 ERA in six starts, and Houston has a much better offense than last season's No. 25 ranking showed. The matchups are nice for Morgan Ensberg and Craig Biggio, but don't count on a spot appearance for Jason Lane. Right field appears to be Luke Scott's everyday job, though his owners should reserve him against lefties like Duke until he proves he can hit them. As for the Pirates, here's one perplexing number: Jack Wilson is a .377 career hitter (20-for-53) against Oswalt, making him an attractive one-day option in larger leagues.
• Jeff Cirillo, 3B, Twins versus Orioles: He has batted .400-plus against left-handers each of the past two seasons, and in the opener, he faces a lefty.
• Scott Hairston, OF, Diamondbacks at Rockies: He has 3 extra-base hits in 13 career ABs at Coors, and he'll start in right field the next couple of weeks.
• Carl Pavano, RHP, Yankees versus Devil Rays: 3 wins, 2.92 ERA in five career starts vs. TB makes him worth the gamble in a day lacking reliable streamers.
• David Riske, RHP, Royals versus Red Sox: Potential one-day closer, and remember, KC starter Meche kept his team in games against Boston in 2006
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Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
