Daily Notes: Who Is Kyle Kendrick?
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Livan Hernandez, RHP (5-3, 3.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP) versus
Mike Mussina, RHP (2-3, 5.63 ERA, 1.40 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Hernandez has five consecutive quality-start efforts. He has allowed only five walks combined in 30 innings in his last four turns, which is primarily responsible for the hot streak. Still, he's susceptible to the occasional disaster of an outing, and this is the type of matchup that could summon it; a road start against a lefty-heavy, red-hot Yankee lineup. Take a look at Bobby Abreu his past 10 games: 19-for-38 (.500), 9 RBIs, 14 runs scored, a sure sign he's back. Plus he's familiar with Hernandez. Mussina should be a solid fantasy start as well, against a Diamondbacks team ranked in the bottom 10 in runs per game (23rd, 4.20). It's a bit unpredictable on which night he has his best stuff, though, so keep guys like Eric Byrnes, Conor Jackson and Chad Tracy active.
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Matt Chico, LHP (3-4, 4.86 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) versus
Steve Trachsel, RHP (5-4, 3.82 ERA, 1.37 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Chico hasn't pitched poorly of late, with a 3.66 ERA in his last seven starts, but he's not the type of guy who goes deep in the game, and he's not a great option in an interleague contest facing the Orioles. He's susceptible to hitters from either side of the plate, so go for not only Melvin Mora and Jay Payton, but Aubrey Huff and Nick Markakis as well. Use Trachsel in AL-only and larger mixed formats, too. He beat these Nationals in Washington on May 18, scattering two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, and shouldn't be too far off those numbers this time. Two Nationals who hit Trachsel, though: Brian Schneider (8-for-21, .381, 1 HR) and Ryan Zimmerman (5-for-10, .500)
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Josh Fogg, RHP (1-5, 5.06 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) versus
Curt Schilling, RHP (6-2, 3.49 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: I call mismatch! Schilling gets the Rockies, who average a mere 4.00 runs per game on the road, and he's 11-1 with a 3.23 ERA in his last 21 home starts. That should limit your Rockies choices to only Todd Helton (18-for-52, .346, 5 HR), Brad Hawpe (.319/.982 versus RHP), Kazuo Matsui (.333/.872) and, as always, Matt Holliday. Don't use Fogg, despite his 3.93 road ERA in six starts. Boston's loaded offense should be able to handle him, considering he has allowed .298/.839 rates this year and .286/.816 for his career. As always, with Red Sox hitters, you know what to do. Even the disappointing but emerging J.D. Drew, and lesser names like Dustin Pedroia, are well worth using.
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Chris Capuano, LHP (5-5, 4.35 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) versus
Mike Maroth, LHP (4-2, 5.29 ERA, 1.64 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Carlos Guillen, SS (hamstring, day-to-day); Magglio Ordonez, DH (knee, day-to-day)
Game Story: A road start at Detroit against baseball's top-ranked offense doesn't lend itself well to a good outing from Capuano, who is only 3-8 with a 5.32 ERA in his 16 road starts since the start of last season. NL-only owners likely will need to keep him active, but don't count on anything pretty. These Tigers are stacked with right-handed power, from Ordonez to Gary Sheffield to lesser fantasy options like Brandon Inge and Craig Monroe. As for Maroth, he's generally better in home games (4.42 career ERA, 5.23 on the road), and his 3.75 lifetime ERA during interleague play isn't a bad number. Stick with your usual Brewers, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, J.J. Hardy and Bill Hall, and reach for Kevin Mench, a .313/.717 hitter against left-handers this season.
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Jake Peavy, RHP (7-1, 1.97 ERA, 1.02 WHIP) versus
Edwin Jackson, RHP (0-7, 7.39 ERA, 1.85 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Dioner Navarro, C (neck, day-to-day); B.J. Upton, 2B (quadriceps, day-to-day)
Game Story: What a matchup for Peavy, fantasy's best pitchers to date. He'll battle a righty-heavy Devil Rays team, albeit one that has scored 46 runs in its past six games. Keep left-handed Devil Rays like Carl Crawford, Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena, as well as Delmon Young, active, but that's about it. Jackson, meanwhile, has two quality starts in his last three tries, each against solid offenses (Tigers, Blue Jays), but that's no reason to expect a standout outing here. Besides your usual Padres, go for Terrmel Sledge (.262/.817 versus righties) and Kevin Kouzmanoff (27-for-83, .325 in his last 25 games).
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Adam Wainwright, RHP (4-5, 5.19 ERA, 1.70 WHIP) versus
Odalis Perez, LHP (3-6, 5.68 ERA, 1.56 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Wainwright has improved of late, with a 3.20 ERA in his last four starts, and looking at his game-by-game log, he's the kind of pitcher who can handle a weak offense like that of the Royals. Among their hitters, only Mark Teahen (.291/.804 versus right-handers), David DeJesus (12-for-36, .333 in his last nine games) and John Buck (19-for-69, .275, 6 HR in his last 20 games) are standout fantasy options. Perez might appear a solid matchup on paper due to his facing the Cardinals, MLB's third-worst offense (4.03 R/G). Still, Albert Pujols owns him (11-for-17, .647, 5 HR), and other Cardinals like Scott Rolen (6-for-14, .429, 2 HR) and Scott Spiezio (3-for-7, .429) can get to him. Use Perez in AL-only leagues, but don't be shocked if this is a wake-up game for the Cardinals' bats.
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Chuck James, LHP (5-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.50 WHIP) versus
Carlos Silva, RHP (3-7, 4.58 ERA, 1.44 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Chipper Jones, 3B (hands, DL/could play); Brian McCann, C (ankle, day-to-day); Edgar Renteria, SS (hand, day-to-day); Jason Kubel, OF (knee, day-to-day)
Game Story: These Twins don't hit left-handed pitching particularly well (.251/.687 rates as a team), probably a result of their two best pure hitters (Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau) hitting from the left side. Still, those two are skilled enough to be worth keeping active, and among the lesser Twins names, Jeff Cirillo (.305/.827 career versus LHP) warrants a spot start. James should remain useful in NL-only formats, Silva in AL-only thanks to his 4.11 home ERA. Go heavy on Braves left-handed hitters taking into account the matchup against Silva (.316/.864 versus left-handed batters): Willie Harris (.415/1.034 versus righties), Brian McCann (.296/.851) and Scott Thorman (.238/.710) in particular.
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John Danks, LHP (3-6, 4.38 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) versus
Kyle Kendrick, RHP (First career MLB start)
Notable Injuries: Freddy Garcia, SP (shoulder, DL); Jerry Owens, OF (hamstring, day-to-day); Carlos Ruiz, C (wrist, day-to-day)
Game Story: The scoop on Kendrick: Slider-fastball-changeup pitcher, had a 3.21 ERA and .265 BAA in 12 starts for Double-A Reading, though he's only 22 years old and that's all he has done above Class A ball. In other words, he's a kid probably being rushed to the bigs due to Garcia's injury, and as always with these kids, it's a crapshoot. Kendrick is a command specialist, but young pitchers like this often get a case of the jitters, and in a game where Danks is his opponent, you could be looking at a homer-fest. Don't use either pitcher at Citizens Bank, and load up on hitters. From the Phillies, Pat Burrell (.272/.931 career versus lefties) and Aaron Rowand (.286/.823) should be standouts, and from the White Sox, use Josh Fields, Tadahito Iguchi and Rob Mackowiak.
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Dustin McGowan, RHP (2-2, 5.02 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) versus
Tim Lincecum, RHP (2-0, 4.26 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: McGowan is in the midst of a stunning hot streak, with four consecutive quality starts in which he has a 3.25 ERA. Consider that before that, he had yet to amass a single quality start in his career, and it's clear the going is good for the young right-hander today. He's displaying fine command and shutting down right-handers, which should limit your Giants choices for this game to Barry Bonds, Ray Durham and Randy Winn. As always, keep Lincecum active, despite his coming off back-to-back so-so outings. His command can be shaky on occasion, but assuming he's sharp in that department, he should offer up a quality start against a righty-heavy, slumping Blue Jays team. Go with your usuals, but only Adam Lind and Matt Stairs beyond that.
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Robinson Tejeda, RHP (5-6, 6.47 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) versus
Ian Snell, RHP (5-4, 2.91 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Snell truly hasn't been appreciated for how well he has pitched this season; in his 13 starts, he hasn't allowed more than four runs once, and he has gone at least seven innings nine times. That bodes well for him in a home start against a Rangers team that recently lost top slugger Mark Teixeira. Michael Young (36-for-94, .383 in his last 22 games) has heated up of late, but beyond him, only Ian Kinsler and Kenny Lofton are decent starts. Pirates hitters, though few and far between, match up better against Tejeda, who can't get left-handers out for the life of him (.323/1.041 rates this year). Adam LaRoche (.273/.838 career versus righties) and Ryan Doumit (.330/.903 versus right-handers this year) should be fine fantasy options for this game.
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Cliff Lee, LHP (2-4, 6.31 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) versus
Byung-Hyun Kim, RHP (3-2, 5.74 ERA, 1.66 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Though Lee is 8-1 with a 3.70 ERA in 12 career interleague starts, keep in mind that loss came last Friday against the Reds, and these Marlins easily could make it two in a row for him. The Marlins do hit left-handers well, with .270/.828 rates, and they've won seven consecutive games against pitchers from that side. In other words, it should be a fine day for Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, who routinely clobber lefties. Of course, things probably won't be much better for Kim, who faces baseball's third-ranked offense (5.55 R/G) and one that gets to right-handers (.282/.812 rates). Expect Travis Hafner to sneak in the start at first base, and go for righty-killers David Dellucci (.252/.720 vs. RHP) and Trot Nixon (.262/.727).
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John Lackey, RHP (9-4, 2.60 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) versus
Kyle Lohse, RHP (3-7, 4.22 ERA, 1.35 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Garret Anderson, OF (hip, day-to-day); Casey Kotchman, 1B (elbow, day-to-day)
Game Story: Though Lackey is coming off his worst outing of the season, keep in mind it was really only a matter of two poor innings, and that his lifetime 7-3 record and 2.60 ERA in 15 interleague starts bodes well for a bounce-back effort. These Reds are strikeout-prone, so don't count on much from anyone other than your usuals, Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Brandon Phillips. Lohse, meanwhile, seems great on paper thanks to a 2.88 ERA in five home starts and the fact that he's facing an Angels team averaging only 4.35 runs per game on the road. Still, I wouldn't start him here, not with the Angels hitting so well in June (7.22 R/G) and whose hitters can get to him, like Anderson (8-for-22, .364, 1 HR), Orlando Cabrera (2-for-5, .400, 1 HR) and Chone Figgins (5-for-15, .333). Use Kotchman, who kills right-handers (.333/.987), as well.
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Miguel Batista, RHP (7-4, 5.48 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) versus
Sean Marshall, LHP (2-2, 2.08 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Chris Reitsma, RP (elbow, DL); Aramis Ramirez, 3B (knee, DL)
Game Story: Batista has been fortunate to win seven games with that high WHIP, and in a game at windy Wrigley Field, he could be in for a rocky outing. Cliff Floyd (8-for-20, .400, 1 HR) has a strong track record against the right-hander, and red-hot Felix Pie (12-for-38, .316, 8 RBIs in nine games since his call-up) and Mike Fontenot (5-for-11, .455, 1 HR in three games since his call-up) warrant some attention here. Of course, those powerful -- and right-handed -- Mariners bats should give Marshall some headaches in a home game for him. Kenji Johjima is an interleague standout, with a .419 average (31-for-74) and seven homers in 21 career games, and Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexson and the red-hot Jose Lopez (29-for-74, .392 in his last 18 games) should come through as well.
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Joe Blanton, RHP (5-4, 3.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) versus
Chris Sampson, RHP (6-5, 3.36 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: Travis Buck, OF (thumb, day-to-day); Mark Ellis, 2B (knee, day-to-day); Luke Scott, OF (hip, day-to-day)
Game Story: Blanton is a more ordinary pitcher in road games, with a 5.44 ERA in seven starts, though these Astros do struggle against right-handers (.240/.688 rates). That tilts things back in his favor, as beyond Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence, only Mike Lamb has been squeezing in as a specialist against right-handers, and he's actually hitting lefties better this season. Sampson, meanwhile, gets touched up by left-handed hitters (.298/.824 rates), and the Athletics do have a fair share of them. Buck, Eric Chavez (.255/.780 versus righties this year), Dan Johnson (.284/.877) and Nick Swisher match up well, and Ellis warrants a look, too. Sit Lance Berkman in daily leagues, as he will be sitting out the second game of his suspension.
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Jorge Sosa, RHP (6-1, 2.64 ERA, 0.99 WHIP) versus
Brad Penny, RHP (7-1, 2.26 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)
Notable Injuries: none
Game Story: Sosa stepped up with an incredible outing at the Tigers, the game's best offense, in his last turn, so an assignment at the Dodgers shouldn't be any problem for him. Sure, that the Dodgers are lefty-heavy means you shouldn't expect another eight-shutout-inning effort from Sosa, who has .227/.712 rates against lefties, but don't go for much more than Luis Gonzalez, Rafael Furcal and Juan Pierre. An interesting NL-only play: James Loney, who picked up starts against righties both Sunday and Monday. Penny, meanwhile, historically has dominated at Dodger Stadium, with a 20-9 record and 3.12 ERA in 44 starts. Still, a fair share of Mets hit him well, including Carlos Delgado (5-for-13, .385, 1 HR), Shawn Green (12-for-28, .429) and Jose Valentin (1-for-3, .333, 1 HR). Penny should be fine for NL-only purposes, but beware him in mixed.
Garret Anderson, OF, LAA @ Cincinnati Reds
Joe Blanton, SP, OAK @ Houston Astros
Travis Buck, OF, OAK @ Houston Astros
Jeff Cirillo, DH, MIN versus Atlanta Braves
Cliff Floyd, OF, CHC versus Seattle Mariners
David Dellucci, OF, CLE @ Florida Marlins
Willie Harris, OF, ATL @ Minnesota Twins
Adam LaRoche, 1B, PIT versus Texas Rangers
Jose Lopez, 2B, SEA @ Chicago Cubs
Dustin McGowan, SP, TOR @ San Francisco Giants
Kevin Mench, OF, MIL @ Detroit Tigers
Brian Schneider, C, WAS @ Baltimore Orioles
Jorge Sosa, SP, NYM @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Steve Trachsel, SP, BAL versus Washington Nationals
Adam Wainwright, SP, STL @ Kansas City Royals
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.
