Daily Notes: Oswalt versus Lincecum II
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A.J. Burnett, RHP (4-3, 3.99 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) versus
Daniel Cabrera, RHP (3-4, 4.27 ERA, 1.32 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Burnett has great numbers against the current Orioles, and his pitching has improved the past month. Sit all of your Orioles, especially Aubrey Huff (3-for-31) and Corey Patterson (1-for-14). I wish I could say Cabrera was a better bet at home, but he's not. Also, he's once again walk-walk-walking his way through the league, with 27 in 59 innings (second in the AL). Most of the current Blue Jays hit Cabrera well, with two notable exceptions: Frank Thomas (0-for-8) and Vernon Wells (1-for-23). However, Matt Stairs is a nice play (5-for-16).
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John Lackey, RHP (6-3, 2.43 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) versus
Mike Maroth, LHP (3-0, 4.69 ERA, 1.71 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Lackey seems to either give up one earned run or three. Either way, he's pitching well, and if his team can give him run support he can win. Play only your big-name Tigers, along with Craig Monroe and Brandon Inge. Maroth is over his flu and ready to pitch. However, given the current Angels' numbers against him, he might want to return to bed. Start all your Angels with the possible exception of Orlando Cabrera (4-for-22).
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Julian Tavarez, RHP (2-4, 5.59 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) versus
Mike Mussina, RHP (2-2, 5.64 ERA, 1.39 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Who would have guessed that Taverez's ERA would be lower than Mussina's coming into this game? In Tavarez's earlier start against the Yankees he was able to contain them by inducing lots of ground balls for his only win this year. Don't count on lightning striking twice, so start your Yankees. Mussina's only two wins have both come at the expense of the Rangers, and he hasn't been locked in this year. Don't be afraid to start your Red Sox, with the possible exception of Jason Varitek (6-for-55).
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Jarrod Washburn, LHP (3-4, 3.35 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) versus
Casey Fossum, LHP (3-3, 7.80 ERA, 1.62 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Raul Ibanez, OF (back, DTD); Josh Paul, C (elbow, DTD)
Game Story: I say something nice about Washburn last week, and he implodes. Thanks, Jarrod. The Devil Rays hit lefties for power, not average, and while the current batters do not have good records against him, he has been putting men on base and giving up home runs. Start your Devil Rays. If Tampa Bay wants to be treated like a major league team, it has to stop trotting out guys with ERAs over 7.00. Also, Seattle hits lefties very well. Start all of your Mariners, going all the way back to Jay Buhner.
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Johan Santana, LHP (4-4, 3.26 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) versus
Kameron Loe, RHP (1-3, 6.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: If you were expecting more out of Santana, you shouldn't be. He's actually off to a better start than usual, and he always heats up as the season progresses. The Rangers hit lefties well, though, so don't be afraid to play them. The Twins lead the majors in batting average against righties. Expect Loe's WHIP to increase, and start your Twins.
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Fausto Carmona, RHP (5-1, 2.55 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) versus
Odalis Perez, LHP (2-4, 5.29 ERA, 1.47 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: If you got Carmona off the waiver wire, you're loving life right now. After starting the year with a shellacking against the White Sox and a no-decision in New York, he's won his last five starts. But while his ERA has been good, his low strikeout rate means he's relying heavily on his defense. Granted, the Royals are hardly the team to expose any problems, but just realize this might be a sell-high moment. Start only the big-name Royals. While I would never bench a player hitting against Perez, realize the Indians are bad against lefties, so just stick with the big names and Jason Michaels (5-for-13 against Perez).
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Colby Lewis, RHP (0-0, N/A ERA, N/A WHIP) versus
John Danks, LHP (2-4, 4.10 ERA, 1.32 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Joe Crede, 3B (back, DTD)
Game Story: Lewis was a March pickup after the Nationals dumped him. He has pitched well in Sacramento so far and appears to be recovered from his 2004 shoulder surgery, but 27-year-old Triple-A pitchers aren't ones to bet your team on. Start your White Sox. Danks' season is going in the right direction, with two wins against good teams following four losses in five starts. Also, the A's are mediocre against lefties. The only concern is his seven home runs in seven games. Start your better A's -- especially Travis Buck and Dan Johnson -- and sit the rest.
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Cole Hamels, LHP (6-1, 3.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) versus
Scott Olsen, LHP (3-3, 4.80 ERA, 1.64 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Hamels is continuing to mow down the opposition with strikeouts. The Marlins are good at not striking out against lefties, and their big-name hitters have made decent contact against Hamels. Start them. Despite Olsen's ugly ratios, he has pitched well against the current Phillies. Start the big-name ones, but don't be surprised if the Marlins keep pace with the Phillies all game long.
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Matt Chico, LHP (3-4, 5.44 ERA, 1.77 WHIP) versus
Kirk Saarloos, RHP (0-3, 5.09 ERA, 1.36 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Ryan Church, OF (arm, DTD); Josh Hamilton, OF (gastroenteritis, DTD)
Game Story: Speaking of how teams do against lefties, the Reds lead the majors in strikeouts against southpaws with 123. If you can take the hit to your ratios, this might be a good game to start Chico for strikeouts, but notice I won't be listing him below as a pickup. Start the big-name Reds except Ryan Freel (11-for-60 against lefties in 2007), and also start Jeff Conine, Scott Hatteberg and Norris Hopper. Soft-tossers in Cincinnati don't last long. Start all of your Nationals against Saarloos.
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Jorge Sosa, RHP (3-0, 2.25 ERA, 0.85 WHIP) versus
Kyle Davies, RHP (1-2, 5.17 ERA, 1.59 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: This is the game where I decide if Sosa is worth keeping this season. The Mets likely feel the same way. He's in the best situation of his career and has kept his WHIP below 1.00. The Braves are well-acquainted with their former teammate. The Braves hit righties for power, so start their big boppers. Davies has had two decent starts in a row (although he couldn't get out of the fifth against the Nationals), but they were against bad teams. He's a train wreck this year. Start all your Mets.
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Zach Duke, LHP (1-4, 5.19 ERA, 1.59 WHIP) versus
Adam Wainwright, RHP (3-3, 6.34 ERA, 1.91 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: With better run support this year, Duke could be 3-3 rather than 1-4. He's had only two terrible starts (14 ER in 6.0 IP), which have killed his (and your) ratios. I say this because the Cardinals are horrendous against lefties this year, for both average and power. Even though some of the Cardinals have good individual numbers against him, this is Duke's game to win. Sit your Cardinals -- with the possible exceptions of Juan Encarnacion and Albert Pujols -- and spot start Duke. As for Wainwright, he's battling tendinitis and can't be trusted right now. Start your Pirates, especially Chris Duffy (3-for-7) and Xavier Nady (3-for-5).
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Josh Fogg, RHP (1-5, 4.91 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) versus
Livan Hernandez, RHP (4-2, 4.02 ERA, 1.54 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Chris Young, OF (groin, DTD)
Game Story: This is Fogg's third game against the Diamondbacks, and he doesn't scare them. Start your D-Backs except for Conor Jackson and Tony Clark. This is Hernandez's fourth start against the Rockies. He has pitched well against them this year and has been much better at home, overall. Start the big-name Rockies, but add to that list Kazuo Matsui, who should return for the Arizona series.
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Rich Hill, LHP (4-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) versus
Jake Peavy, RHP (5-1, 1.64 ERA, 0.99 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: After this game, Hill likely will ask for a trade so he can pitch in Petco for half of his games. Expect him to come out with good numbers and possibly the win against Peavy. If you really want to start some Padres, your three best bets are Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Cruz Jr. and Marcus Giles. Peavy has pitched better on the road (0.33 ERA, 3-0) than at home (2.70, 2-1), but he's still pitched very well everywhere. Start your big-name Cubs, but make sure that doesn't include Jacque Jones and Cliff Floyd.
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Ben Sheets, RHP (4-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) versus
Randy Wolf, LHP (5-3, 3.91 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Rickie Weeks, 2B (wrist, DTD)
Game Story: While Sheets has had a good season so far, he's been hit hard on the road (4.99 ERA). The current Dodgers have had mixed success against Sheets, so just stick to the big names and make sure Wilson Betemit (2-for-14, 7 K's) is nowhere near your starting lineup. Wolf has exceeded expectations for the Dodgers, including a strikeout per inning rate greater than 1.00. He won't end the season that way, but against the Brewers it should continue for at least one more week. Except for the Brewers' catchers, none of the other batters have hit Wolf well. Stick to the bigger names for this one, and consider benching Bill Hall (2-for-13).
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Roy Oswalt, RHP (6-2, 2.83 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) versus
Tim Lincecum, RHP (1-0, 3.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Ray Durham, 2B (groin, DTD)
Game Story: Didn't I just write about this matchup up five days ago? In that game the starters combined for no earned runs and 16 strikeouts against three walks. Expect more of the same. Sit your batters in this game and enjoy what could be the start of a nice pitching rivalry.
Matt Stairs, OF, TOR versus Baltimore Orioles
Brandon Inge, 3B, DET versus Los Angeles Angels
Jason Michaels, OF, CLE @ Kansas City Royals
Travis Buck, OF, OAK @ Chicago White Sox
Dan Johnson, 1B, OAK @ Chicago White Sox
Norris Hopper, OF, CIN versus Washington Nationals
Zach Duke, SP, PIT @ St. Louis Cardinals
Xavier Nady, OF, PIT @ St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Duffy, OF, PIT @ St. Louis Cardinals
Please Note that the notable injuries are not meant to be a comprehensive report of each team's disabled list. For brevity, we include only day-to-day injuries or new DL additions for players you might otherwise consider using in these games. Long-term DL or day-to-day injuries to starting pitchers who were not scheduled to appear are omitted.
David Young is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com and TalentedMrRoto.com. He can be reached at MrSnappy@TalentedMrRoto.com
