Daily Notes for Wednesday: Injured stars start to return
Hopefully the hex that has been placed on first-round fantasy shortstops begins to lift. Jimmy Rollins is expected back soon, on the heels of Jose Reyes returning on Tuesday. As far as Wednesday's matchups, I'll be most interested to see how Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang follows up his two-hitter. As you will see below, I am cautiously optimistic.
| Time | Visitors | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | Home | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | |||
| 3:45 p.m. |  | Brandon Webb | R | 3-0 | 2.14 | 0.86 | @ |  | Barry Zito | L | 0-3 | 4.50 | 1.69 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Jose Contreras | R | 0-1 | 6.17 | 1.97 | @ |  | Adam Loewen | L | 0-0 | 7.45 | 1.76 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Armando Galarraga | R | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | @ |  | C.C. Sabathia | L | 0-2 | 11.57 | 2.36 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Clay Buchholz | R | 0-1 | 3.27 | 1.36 | @ |  | Chien-Ming Wang | R | 3-0 | 1.23 | 0.73 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Roy Oswalt | R | 0-3 | 9.00 | 2.00 | @ |  | Kyle Kendrick | R | 1-1 | 6.14 | 2.73 |
| 7:07 p.m. |  | Kason Gabbard | L | 1-0 | 2.13 | 1.42 | @ |  | Jesse Litsch | R | 2-0 | 3.37 | 1.50 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Matt Chico | L | 0-2 | 3.72 | 1.19 | @ |  | John Maine | R | 0-1 | 4.50 | 2.10 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Tim Hudson | R | 2-0 | 2.14 | 0.67 | @ |  | Mark Hendrickson | L | 2-1 | 4.15 | 1.21 |
| 8:05 p.m. |  | Josh Fogg | R | 1-1 | 7.00 | 1.33 | @ |  | Carlos Zambrano | R | 1-1 | 3.20 | 1.07 |
| 8:10 p.m. |  | James Shields | R | 1-1 | 3.00 | 1.39 | @ |  | Livan Hernandez | R | 3-0 | 2.57 | 1.05 |
| 8:15 p.m. |  | Carlos Villanueva | R | 1-1 | 4.76 | 1.76 | @ |  | Adam Wainwright | R | 1-1 | 3.60 | 1.13 |
| 10:05 p.m. |  | Felix Hernandez | R | 1-0 | 1.66 | 1.25 | @ |  | Joe Blanton | R | 1-2 | 4.15 | 1.38 |
| 10:05 p.m. |  | Gil Meche | R | 0-2 | 7.13 | 1.64 | @ |  | Jered Weaver | R | 1-2 | 3.79 | 1.11 |
| 10:05 p.m. |  | Mark Redman | L | 1-1 | 5.06 | 1.78 | @ |  | Justin Germano | R | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.77 |
| 10:10 p.m. |  | Paul Maholm | L | 0-1 | 4.35 | 1.35 | @ |  | Brad Penny | R | 1-2 | 3.86 | 1.61 |
All times are ET. Statistics are from the 2008 regular season.
Out
Wilson Betemit, 3B, Yankees (pink eye)
Joe Borowski, RP, Indians (triceps)
Joba Chamberlain, RP, Yankees (personal)
Howie Kendrick, 2B, Angels (hamstring)
Kaz Matsui, 2B, Astros (anal fissure)
Mike Morse, OF, Mariners (shoulder)
Peter Moylan, RP, Braves (elbow)
Shane Victorino, OF, Phillies (calf)
Day-to-day
Rod Barajas, C, Blue Jays (groin)
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (quadriceps)
Andy LaRoche, 1B, Pirates (cold)
Jose Molina, C, Yankees (hamstring)
Jorge Posada, C, Yankees (shoulder)
Mark Redman, SP, Rockies (foot)
Jose Reyes, SS, Mets (hamstring)
Aaron Rowand, OF, Giants (ribs)
Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies (ankle)
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, Pirates (shoulder)
Ryan Sweeney, OF, A's (quadriceps)
Hitters: Adam LaRoche is expected to have recovered enough from a cold to start. … Derek Jeter started Monday and was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Unless he has a setback, get him into your lineup everyday again. … Dan Uggla may never win a batting crown, but his .360 average versus Tim Hudson makes him more than a safe start in this game. … Don't count on having Jose Reyes back. If he doesn't start Tuesday, definitely have your Plan B ready to go. … Eric Byrnes is just 1-for-15 in his career versus Barry Zito. … The outlook on Jimmy Rollins is a bit brighter. He is expected to be back as early as Tuesday. … Howie Kendrick missed Monday's game and is not expected back until the weekend at the earliest. … Aaron Rowand is still limited because of his ribs, but he suited up for Monday's game. … Adam Dunn has gone yard six times in 49 at-bats versus Carlos Zambrano. … Blister or no blister, Matt Holliday is still in the lineup and has a line of .545/.583/1.182 in 11 at-bats versus Justin Germano. … Torii Hunter is 3-for-22 versus Gil Meche. He usually gets the benefit of the doubt, but after missing some time with a toe injury lately you should consider your options.
Pitchers: Remember to have Francisco Rodriguez and B.J. Ryan active again in your lineup. … Brandon Webb, Tim Hudson, Aaron Harang, Carlos Zambrano, James Shields, Brad Penny and Felix Hernandez meet the "never sit your studs" requirements among starters. Chien-Ming Wang and C.C. Sabathia make the list with an asterisk. Despite Wang's dismantling of the Red Sox in a complete game two-hitter on April 11, the fact remains that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz destroy him in a fairly healthy sample size (Ortiz is .455/.538/.758 in 33 at-bats and Ramirez is .520/.586/.760 in 25 at-bats). I'm not saying sit him, I'm saying calculate your risk. As for Sabathia, his 11.57 ERA may not tell the whole story, but is still a legitimate concern. Three iffy starts are enough for me to at least toy with the idea of watching to see what happens with him on my bench. … Joba Chamberlain is off until at least Thursday to be with his ailing father. … The Yankees lineup is a combined 4-for-21 (.190) against Clay Buchholz. The rookie should be just fine. … As long as John Maine can figure out how to sit down Ronnie Belliard, he'll be just fine. Belliard is 7-for-10 (.700) against Maine, while the rest of the Nats bat .200 against the Mets' starter. … Roy Oswalt doesn't have terrific success against the Phillies. The cumulative batting average for the Phillies lineup against Oswalt is a lofty .329 in 167 at-bats. Considering Oswalt is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA, at least think twice about starting him.
Hitters: The Pirates are still using Freddy Sanchez sparingly as he recovers from a shoulder injury. … Chad Moeller might get another start as the Yankees backstop. Jorge Posada is likely still only available as a DH and Jose Molina is nursing his hamstring. … David DeJesus may be back in the lineup again after starting Monday's game, but he is 1-for-10 against Jered Weaver. … Randy Winn is a good start even though Brandon Webb is on the hill. Winn hits .429 against Webb in 28 career at-bats. … Kaz Matsui has been ruled out until a least Friday. … The A's could have Ryan Sweeney back by Wednesday. The only fantasy relevance lies in the shortened chance for Chris Denorfia to make a case for more playing time. … Shannon Stewart will start for the Blue Jays with lefty Kason Gabbard starting for Texas. … With Shane Victorino out, Jayson Werth should get some extra attention. He's been hitting both lefties and righties so far this season. … Make sure you start Geoff Jenkins and Pedro Feliz as well. Jenkins has an above-average line of .375/.423/.583 in 48 at-bats against Roy Oswalt, while Feliz mashes the Astros ace at .480/.500/.920 in 25 at-bats. … Morgan Ensberg stated his case with a home run Monday, after the teams first choice for utility work (Wilson Betemit) went on the DL with a case of pink eye. It shouldn't be a long DL stint, but Ensberg could have mild value in the meantime. … Brad Wilkerson has right field all to himself with Mike Morse hitting the DL. The extra at-bats should only make him useful in deep leagues though. … If you need someone to fill a hole at second base, Mark Ellis is 7-for-22 (.318) versus Felix Hernandez. … For assistance at catcher, try Chris Snyder. It may only be a seven-at-bats sample size, but Snyder has five hits against Barry Zito. … Brandon Inge should be in center field with a lefty on the mound. … Usually useful against lefties, Matt Diaz is only 1-for-8 versus Mark Hendrickson.
Pitchers: Mark Redman has been cleared to pitch after a bullpen session on Sunday and is actually a sneaky possibility for a spot-start. He will be in the friendly confines of Petco, in his hometown of San Diego and against a lineup that hits a combined career .260 against him (77 at-bats). … Jesse Litsch had a solid outing against Texas on April 11, and I have no qualms recommending him here. If nothing else, he should provide a win. … The Blue Jays finished second in OPS in the majors last season, so I'd avoid testing Kason Gabbard out against them. … Vinny Chulk is expected to be available for the Giants again by Wednesday. He is a sneaky option in that bullpen for middle relief help. … Arizona leads the league with a .939 OPS versus left-handers (as of Monday). Feel free to avoid Barry Zito. … When Albert Pujols has your number, you may not be a great spot start against the Cardinals. Pujols has two home runs and is 6-for-15 (.400) versus Carlos Villanueva. … The Orioles lineup hits a combined .367 versus Jose Contreras (98 at-bats). … The White Sox finished in the bottom-third last season for OPS versus lefties, but Nick Swisher makes them more dangerous in that category. I wouldn't gamble on Adam Loewen. … In 63 combined at-bats, the Mets hitters have a .349 average against Matt Chico. … I know I am going to regret this, but I am on the Livan Hernandez bandwagon. He won't get you strikeouts, but a respectable ERA and some wins off the waiver wire aren't a bad thing. The only Rays hitter with a lot of experience against him is the injured Cliff Floyd. … I may also have an unhealthy infatuation with the Pirates rotation, but Paul Maholm looks like a deep-league option as well. The Dodgers bat a combined .200 against him (50 total at-bats). … It's difficult to gauge how Joe Blanton will fare as the Mariners seem to hit him very well (Ichiro Suzuki, Jose Lopez and Yuniesky Betancourt are .320 of better) or very poorly (Raul Ibanez, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson hit .222 or worse). I'd play it safe and bench him. … The Tigers' Armando Galarraga is not considered a huge prospect by any means, and will be simply a fill-in for Dontrelle Willis. With a decent fastball and above-average slider he could be useful against weak offenses; which the Indians are not. … With Moylan joining Rafael Soriano on the DL, Manny Acosta is the Braves reliever most likely to get the saves opportunities. … For the Indians, Rafael Betancourt gets the nod in place of the deposed and disabled Borowski.
The Blue Jays-Rangers and Twins-Rays are weatherproof, but that doesn't matter because the forecast is clean of anything across the board. Play ball!
Sean Allen is a fantasy baseball and hockey analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
