Daily Notes: Cabrera faces impatient Mariners
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Kevin Slowey, RHP (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) versus
John Lackey, RHP (9-3, 2.37 ERA, 1.19 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Slowey looked good in his MLB debut last Friday, but there's a definite difference between facing the Athletics and Angels. The Angels rank fifth in runs per game at home (5.27), and that Slowey allowed left-handed hitters to go 5-for-16 (.313) in his last start bodes well for Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman (.320/.938 vs. RHP) and Gary Matthews Jr. (.327/.880). Don't get too worried if Slowey has only a so-so outing, though, as it'll be tough for him to win a game against Lackey, who leads MLB in wins and ranks fourth in ERA. Luis Castillo (4-for-6, .667) is the only Twins hitter whose track record makes him an appealing beneath-the-radar start.
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Daniel Cabrera, RHP (4-6, 4.72 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) versus
Jarrod Washburn, LHP (5-4, 3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Adrian Beltre, 3B (thumb, day-to-day); Jose Vidro, DH (finger, day-to-day)
Game Story: Cabrera loves Safeco, as he's 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two career starts there, and he has back-to-back quality starts on the road against strong offenses (Blue Jays, Angels). He warrants spot-start consideration, and should limit your Mariners choices to red-hot Ichiro Suzuki, Jose Guillen (2-for-6, .333, 3 RBI vs. Cabrera), Kenji Johjima and Vidro. Washburn, meanwhile, matches up nicely, at least for AL-only purposes, in a home game against the lefty-leaning Orioles. His career ERAs at Safeco and against the Orioles are sub-4.00, though Chris Gomez (9-for-21, .429, 1 HR), Melvin Mora (6-for-20, .300, 1 HR) and Jay Payton (5-for-15, .333) have hit him well.
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Brian Bannister, RHP (1-3, 3.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) versus
Paul Byrd, RHP (6-1, 3.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: For as well as Bannister has pitched to date, this is not a good matchup for him. The Indians are the game's most potent offense at home (6.28 R/G), and they also lead MLB in team OPS against right-handers (.816). Load up on Indians lefties like David Dellucci (.270/.820 career vs. RHP) and Trot Nixon (.292/.887), and stick with right-handers like Josh Barfield (2-for-3 lifetime vs. Bannister) and Ryan Garko as well. Also consider Byrd, who is a perfect 4-0 in four home starts, in AL-only formats. Royals left-handed hitters like David DeJesus (8-for-17, .471 lifetime vs. Byrd) and Mark Teahen (4-for-10, .400) should be about your only choices on their side.
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Scott Kazmir, LHP (3-3, 3.95 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) versus
Tomo Ohka, RHP (2-4, 5.30 ERA, 1.50 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Akinori Iwamura, 3B (eye, out); Shawn Riggans, C (elbow, DL)
Game Story: Kazmir struggled at Rogers Centre on May 11, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings, and in his career he's 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA in five starts there. That's perhaps a result of his matching up poorly in a hitters' park against a righty-heavy lineup; sure enough, the Blue Jays rank in the top 10 in MLB in team batting average (.283) and OPS (.818) against left-handers. AL-only owners will probably need to keep Kazmir active, but look for good games from Aaron Hill (6-for-20, .300 lifetime vs. Kazmir) and Vernon Wells (9-for-25, .360, 2 HR). Ohka is pitching for his rotation spot, and isn't a favorable fantasy start. The Devil Rays lit him up on April 7, and Ty Wigginton (5-for-13, .385, 2 HR) and Brendan Harris (1-for-1, 1.000, 1 HR) handle him.
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Chien-Ming Wang, RHP (4-4, 4.19 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) versus
Javier Vazquez, RHP (3-3, 3.95 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B (wrist, DL)
Game Story: Remember that Wang matches up best in home starts or road assignments against weak offenses, and in this case, don't look at the "on-paper" threat of his pitching in a homer-friendly ballpark. He induces a good number of grounders, 2.68 per fly ball, and the White Sox offense ranks 26th in MLB (4.06 R/G). Keep Wang active, though Jermaine Dye (2-for-5, .400) does hit him nicely enough to use. Vazquez also warrants a start in what should be more of a pitching-rich affair. The Yankees' offense has been thinning out the past couple of weeks, though Bobby Abreu (18-for-64, .281, 7 HR) does hit the right-hander well. Also keep your other usual Yankees active.
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Justin Verlander, RHP (5-2, 3.44 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) versus
Kevin Millwood, RHP (2-4, 6.69 ERA, 1.83 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Carlos Guillen, SS (groin, day-to-day); Brandon Inge, 3B (toe, day-to-day)
Game Story: Millwood hasn't looked at all himself this season, battling hamstring issues, he has an 8-9 record and 5.55 ERA in 21 career starts at Rangers Ballpark and he'll be facing the Tigers' top-ranked MLB offense (5.82 R/G). In short, it's a poor matchup for him, and a great one for your Tigers. In particular, Curtis Granderson gets my nod against every right-hander (.318/1.016 this year), and Sean Casey (9-for-29, .310, 1 HR) and Placido Polanco (4-for-8, .500) also hit Millwood nicely. As for Verlander, he tossed seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball at Rangers Ballpark on April 8, 2006, and that these Rangers aren't as potent on offense as back then bodes well for the right-hander. Limit your Rangers choices to Kenny Lofton, Sammy Sosa, Mark Teixeira and Michael Young.
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Tim Wakefield, RHP (5-6, 4.24 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) versus
Joe Kennedy, LHP (1-4, 3.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Coco Crisp, OF (stomach virus, day-to-day); Milton Bradley, OF (calf, day-to-day)
Game Story: Wakefield has been hit hard his past four starts, with a 9.13 ERA and .318 BAA, but an assignment at pitching-friendly McAfee against the Athletics' 22nd-ranked offense (4.30 R/G) could be just the tonic he needs. It's a nice matchup for using him, and with Wakefield, I usually recommend you only go with those with strong track records against him, since knuckleballers are so unpredictable. In this case, that's Mark Ellis (6-for-11, .545), Jack Cust (2-for-5, .400) and Eric Chavez (9-for-27, .333). Meanwhile, don't trust Kennedy, not one bit. The Red Sox sport MLB's third-ranked offense (5.45 R/G), and they torch left-handers (.295/.849 as a team). It's a shame it's a Wakefield start; Jason Varitek (7-for-13, .538) owns Kennedy, but at least Doug Mirabelli's numbers (4-for-12, .333, 1 HR) aren't any less. Use red-hot Dustin Pedroia, too.
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Scott Olsen, LHP (4-5, 5.35 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) versus
Kyle Davies, RHP (3-3, 4.99 ERA, 1.49 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Perhaps Olsen's best start of the year came against the Braves on April 25, when he allowed three runs in eight innings with 10 K's. Still, he had historically struggled against his division rival before that, which is enough to limit him to NL-only appeal. Remember, that's a righty-heavy Braves team with lefty killers like Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, Edgar Renteria and even Jarrod Saltalamacchia, all of whom are worth using here. Diaz, in fact, is 4-for-10 (.400) with two homers lifetime against Olsen. As for Davies, he has routinely been shelled by the Marlins. Even right-handed sluggers like Dan Uggla (4-for-8, .500, 1 HR) and Josh Willingham (2-for-4, .500) own him.
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Carlos Zambrano, RHP (5-5, 5.62 ERA, 1.59 WHIP) versus
Jeff Suppan, RHP (7-5, 3.71 ERA, 1.35 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Cliff Floyd, OF (ribs, day-to-day); Matt Murton, OF (back, day-to-day); Geoff Jenkins, OF (ankle, day-to-day); Damian Miller, C (hand, day-to-day)
Game Story: After the "incident" between Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett last Friday, suffice to say, Barrett won't start this one. Maybe that's for the best; Zambrano has allowed .317/.965 numbers with Barrett behind the plate this year, .254/.745 with Henry Blanco. Unfortunately, with Blanco on the DL, Koyie Hill will catch Zambrano for the first time in his career, so anything goes here. Considering the right-hander won at Miller on April 7, and handled the Brewers again on April 23 at home, it's not that bad a bounce-back opportunity for him. Go for Jenkins (12-for-41, .293, 2 HR lifetime vs. Zambrano) and Craig Counsell (5-for-16, .313), and of course, your usual Brewers. Use Suppan, too. He shut out the Cubs for eight innings on April 24, and really only gets hit by Jacque Jones (12-for-40, .300, 4 HR) and Derrek Lee (15-for-31, .484, 3 HR).
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Zach Duke, LHP (2-6, 5.73 ERA, 1.67 WHIP) versus
Micah Bowie, LHP (2-2, 4.11 ERA, 1.14 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: So here's the true test -- what happens when a guy with a 1.67 WHIP faces the Nationals on their home field? I'm leaning toward the Nationals in this one, taking into account that Duke pitched poorly at St. Louis, against a comparably weak offense, on May 22 and has .349/.930 numbers against all hitters this year. It's a good day to actually use Nationals, including Ronnie Belliard, Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, red-hot Dmitri Young and Ryan Zimmerman. Call me crazy, but I'd go for Bowie as well, at least in NL-only formats. He's no less the matchups candidate than the aforementioned Davies, or Aaron Cook, Adam Eaton or Matt Morris listed below. Go only for those Pirates righties, like Jason Bay, Ryan Doumit, Xavier Nady and Freddy Sanchez.
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Adam Eaton, RHP (5-4, 6.28 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) versus
Orlando Hernandez, RHP (3-1, 2.20 ERA, 0.89 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Carlos Beltran, OF (knee, day-to-day)
Game Story: For as long as Beltran remains sidelined, the Mets will continue to trot out a patchwork outfield of three from Endy Chavez, Ben Johnson, Carlos Gomez and David Newhan. That Eaton already has a quality-start victory at Shea, against the Mets' "A" lineup on April 11, might make him an NL-only spot-start candidate if you see Beltran omitted from the early lineup. Keep your usual Mets active, but don't reach for those outfielders, except perhaps Chavez in NL-only formats. Hernandez, meanwhile, has a 2.84 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 14 career starts at Shea, so he's worth your attention here. His main problem is that left-handed hitters get to him (.258/.823 this year), and the Phillies are stacked on that side (Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino). Go for the quarter, and Abraham O. Nunez (2-for-5, .400 vs. Hernandez) in NL-only formats.
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Bronson Arroyo, RHP (2-6, 4.73 ERA, 1.47 WHIP) versus
Brad Thompson, RHP (4-1, 4.37 ERA, 1.44 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Adam Dunn, OF (illness, day-to-day); Alex Gonzalez, SS (hamstring, day-to-day); Josh Hamilton, OF (gastroenteritis, DL/should play); Chris Duncan, OF (knee, day-to-day); Scott Rolen, 3B (hamstring, day-to-day)
Game Story: If Duncan and Rolen are sidelined again, the Cardinals' hitting attack will be extra weak, strongly favoring Arroyo's chances at breaking out of his funk (16.36 ERA in his last three starts). He tossed a quality-start effort at Busch on April 25, and has a 3.32 ERA in three career appearances there, making him worth the risk. Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols might be your only Cardinals worth using here, if Duncan (5-for-9, .556, 1 HR lifetime vs. Arroyo) sits. Avoid Thompson, too. He has been rather hittable since his shift to the rotation (.295/.779 rates), and the Reds' lefty-heavy attack should frustrate him. Use Dunn, Hamilton and Scott Hatteberg.
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Woody Williams, RHP (2-7, 5.50 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) versus
Aaron Cook, RHP (4-2, 4.31 ERA, 1.35 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Troy Tulowitzki, SS (groin, day-to-day)
Game Story: Take my word for it, you want no part of Williams at Coors. His ERA/WHIP numbers are poor, and over the years, he has been one of the worst, if not the worst, pitchers at Coors, with a 14.90 ERA and 15 home runs allowed in seven career starts there. That stacks the deck significantly toward the Rockies, particularly those who hit Williams well, like Todd Helton (14-for-43, .326, 3 HR), Yorvit Torrealba (3-for-7, .429) and Tulowitzki (1-for-2, .500, 1 HR). I'd go for Brad Hawpe (.333/1.036 vs. RHP) as well. Of course, Cook, with his 5.84 home ERA, isn't much better as a fantasy option. Avoid him in what could be a high-scoring affair, and go especially for Mike Lamb (3-for-4, .750) and Mark Loretta (10-for-21, .476), who can handle him.
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Matt Morris, RHP (6-2, 2.66 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) versus
Brandon Webb, RHP (5-3, 3.39 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Russ Ortiz, RP (forearm, day-to-day); Omar Vizquel, SS (sinus infection, day-to-day); Chris B. Young, OF (groin, day-to-day)
Game Story: Webb is coming off back-to-back quality starts, both facing somewhat challenging matchups, so this one shouldn't bother him. He's pretty strong in games within the division, and among Giants, only Ray Durham (11-for-36, .306, 3 HR) and Randy Winn (9-for-20, .450) have especially strong track records against him. Webb, by the way, wants no part of Barry Bonds; he has issued 15 walks in 25 career plate appearances against the slugger, who hasn't homered in the other 10. Morris, meanwhile, had his worst start of the year at Chase on April 29 (7 IP, 12 H, 5 ER). The way he has pitched this season, keep him active, but go for Eric Byrnes, Orlando Hudson, Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin as well.
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Randy Wolf, LHP (7-3, 3.68 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) versus
Greg Maddux, RHP (4-3, 3.91 ERA, 1.26 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Takashi Saito, RP (hamstring, day-to-day); Mike Cameron, OF (groin, day-to-day); Jose Cruz Jr., OF (back, day-to-day)
Game Story: With Saito on the sidelines, Jonathan Broxton is a solid spot saves option, especially when talking about likely pitchers' duels like this game should be. For one, it's a Petco Park contest, and for two, Maddux is 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts there this year, while Wolf's ERA/WHIP numbers suggest a comparable performance in that spacious ballpark. Wolf is lights-out against left-handed hitters (.218/.679 career), so it's no surprise platoon man Cruz (6-for-13, .462, 1 HR) hits him well. Khalil Greene and Kevin Kouzmanoff also make useful fantasy options. As for Maddux, he beat the Dodgers at home on April 28, though Luis Gonzalez (33-for-106, .311, 10 HR), Jeff Kent (23-for-78, .295, 4 HR) and Juan Pierre (11-for-29, .379) know him quite well.
Jonathan Broxton, RP, LAD @ San Diego Padres
Daniel Cabrera, SP, BAL @ Seattle Mariners
Jose Cruz Jr., OF, SD versus Los Angeles Dodgers
Matt Diaz, OF, ATL versus Florida Marlins
Mark Ellis, 2B, OAK versus Boston Red Sox
Orlando Hernandez, SP, NYM versus New York Mets
Geoff Jenkins, OF, MIL versus Chicago Cubs
Casey Kotchman, 1B, LAA versus Minnesota Twins
Greg Maddux, SP, SD versus Los Angeles Dodgers
Doug Mirabelli, C, BOS @ Oakland Athletics
Jeff Suppan, SP, MIL versus Chicago Cubs
Tim Wakefield, SP, BOS @ Oakland Athletics
Randy Winn, OF, SF @ Arizona Diamondbacks
Dmitri Young, 1B, WAS versus Pittsburgh Pirates
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.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
