Daily Notes for Saturday: Erik Bedard makes his return
He was often the No. 3 pitcher off the board in drafts, and now he'll finally make his third start of the season. Erik Bedard owners will be sighing the deepest breath of relief if the Canadian lefty can make it through Seattle's contest with Oakland. Since his problems are not in his arm (hip inflammation), fantasy owners are probably not as concerned as they could be in the first place. But take it from someone who rode Bedard last season; you notice a player like him when he goes absent from your lineup.
Make sure you load up on Orioles and White Sox where you can; a day/night double-header with no real "aces" on the hill. Unfortunately, one game features two lefties and the other two righties, so make sure you choose your hitters wisely.
| Time | Visitors | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | Home | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | |||
| 1:05 P.M. |  | Brian Burres | L | 2-1 | 3.63 | 1.62 | @ |  | John Danks | L | 2-1 | 3.04 | 1.01 |
| 1:10 p.m. |  | Roy Oswalt | R | 2-3 | 6.00 | 1.57 | @ |  | Adam Wainwright | R | 2-1 | 2.73 | 1.08 |
| 1:10 p.m. |  | Tim Hudson | R | 3-1 | 2.93 | 1.08 | @ |  | John Maine | R | 1-2 | 3.57 | 1.63 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Ian Kennedy | R | 0-2 | 9.64 | 2.29 | @ |  | Jeremy Sowers | L | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Dustin Moseley | R | 1-2 | 7.78 | 2.03 | @ |  | Armando Galarraga | R | 2-0 | 1.50 | 0.67 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Micah Owings | R | 4-0 | 2.42 | 0.88 | @ |  | Justin Germano | R | 0-2 | 5.01 | 1.41 |
| 7:05 p.m. | | Steve Trachsel | R | 1-3 | 5.23 | 1.60 | @ | | Nick Masset | R | 0-0 | 3.75 | 1.42 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Mark Hendrickson | L | 4-1 | 3.82 | 1.27 | @ |  | Carlos Villanueva | R | 1-2 | 5.09 | 1.61 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Kyle Kendrick | R | 1-2 | 5.59 | 1.81 | @ |  | Matt Morris | R | 0-3 | 9.15 | 1.98 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Clay Buchholz | R | 1-1 | 4.79 | 1.50 | @ |  | Edwin Jackson | R | 2-2 | 4.63 | 1.33 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Shaun Marcum | R | 2-1 | 3.42 | 1.03 | @ |  | Luke Hochevar | R | 0-1 | 11.57 | 2.57 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Carlos Zambrano | R | 3-1 | 2.67 | 1.10 | @ |  | Matt Chico | L | 0-4 | 6.04 | 1.55 |
| 8:05 p.m. |  | Scott Baker | R | 2-0 | 3.51 | 1.01 | @ |  | Sidney Ponson | R | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 9:05 p.m. |  | Matt Belisle | R | 0-1 | 11.25 | 3.25 | @ |  | Kevin Correia | R | 1-3 | 4.21 | 1.32 |
| 9:10 p.m. |  | Justin Duchscherer | R | 1-0 | 1.80 | 1.20 | @ |  | Erik Bedard | L | 1-0 | 3.27 | 1.45 |
| 10:10 p.m. |  | Mark Redman | L | 2-1 | 5.23 | 1.50 | @ |  | Brad Penny | R | 3-2 | 2.67 | 1.42 |
All times are ET. Statistics are from the 2008 regular season.
Out
Travis Buck, OF, A's (shin splints)
Norris Hopper, OF, Reds (elbow)
Cesar Izturis, SS, Cardinals (forearm)
Brian Schneider, C, Mets (thumb)
Day-to-day
Brad Ausmus, C, Astros (back)
Erik Bedard, SP, Mariners (hip)
Michael Bourn, OF, Astros (groin)
Eric Byrnes, OF, Diamondbacks (hamstring)
Sean Casey, 1B, Red Sox (hip)
Chad Cordero, RP, Nationals (shoulder)
Michael Cuddyer, OF, Twins (finger)
Jermaine Dye, OF, White Sox (groin)
Yunel Escobar, 2B/SS/3B, Braves (finger)
Troy Glaus, 3B, Cardinals (blurry vision)
Carlos Gomez, OF, Twins (hamstring)
Mark Grudzielanek, 2B, Royals (back)
Carlos Guillen, 1B/SS, Tigers (leg)
Andruw Jones, OF, Dodgers (calf)
Jacque Jones, OF, Tigers (knee)
Mark Kotsay, OF, Braves (Back)
Adam Melhuse, C, Rangers (hand)
Lyle Overbay, 1B, Blue Jays (ankle)
Scott Rolen, 3B, Blue Jays (thumb)
Gary Sheffield, DH, Tigers (shoulder)
Jason Varitek, C, Red Sox (flu)
Brad Wilkerson, 1B/OF, Mariners (hamstring)>
Randy Winn, OF, Giants (neck)
Hitters: There is no doubt that he hasn't been very imposing since switching to the NL a few years back, but Carlos Delgado has a great history versus Tim Hudson. He is 17-for-53 with six home runs and a 1.154 OPS against him. … Hunter Pence might have turned the corner on a brief sophomore slump. He has brought his average up from below the Mendoza line on April 16 to .268 as of Friday morning. Pence is also 3-for-7 versus Adam Wainwright. … If you are in a shallow league and have to decide between Conor Jackson and someone else, consider the young hitter is 4-for-7 against Padres starter Justin Germano. … Watch Jermaine Dye's status closely. He was not in Friday's rained-out lineup, but would be a boon for this double-header if he plays. Anything less than a multi-hit, multi-game day for Dye would be a disappointment: he is 11-for-17 (.647) versus Steve Trachsel and 7-for-18 (.389) versus left-handers (like Brian Burres). … Gary Sheffield is hopeful he can play, but cortisone shots can be fickle. Sheffield's woes allow Brandon Inge to stave off his inevitable ride on the pine now that Curtis Granderson is back. … The hamstring problems appear to be a once-in-a-while thing with Eric Byrnes. He should back in the lineup after missing Thursday. … In case you have a platoon outfield on your fantasy squad, lean towards Delmon Young. He is 3-for-6 with a home run versus Sidney Ponson.
Pitchers: Only Tim Hudson, Adam Wainwright, Micah Owings and Carlos Zambrano have the honor of being a must-start on this slate. Hudson should be especially safe considering the Mets remain dead-last in the majors for OPS versus righties. In fact, the Mets have only four home runs off right-handed arms this season (Florida has 28). … Roy Oswalt has decent numbers in the new Busch Stadium (3.46 ERA in two starts) and is coming off back-to-back quality-start wins. Despite his somewhat slow start, he appears safe. … Chipper Jones could cause John Maine some trouble based on his lifetime numbers against him (4-for-7 with a home run), but Maine is coming off his third straight quality start and his walks have been coming down. … Welcome back Erik Bedard! You get to face a team whose hitters are a collective 10-for-62 (.161) against you. But in the end, Bedard owners know how he can pitch when he is healthy. They are just asking for a pain-free outing and will be happy with that. … The collective Royals lineup has 49 at-bats versus Shaun Marcum and the players combine for three hits (.089). Two of them belong to the possibly ailing Mark Grudzielanek. March out Marcum with confidence. … Clay Buchholz looks like he might be a little too fond of Fenway. It's a small sample size, but a trend has to start somewhere: In two starts at home, Buchholz has a 0.75 ERA and in two starts on the road he has a 10.39 ERA. Again, small sample size, but it's enough for me to sit him on the road in Tampa. … Scott Baker missed having four quality starts this season by one inning in his second outing. If not for the solo home run, he would have stellar numbers. Six of the 10 runs Baker has allowed came on solo jacks. Expect a couple home runs off him, but fantasy relevant numbers nonetheless. … Brad Penny hasn't allowed an earned run in two of his three home starts. His strikeouts are down, but he is still getting the job done. With only Matt Holliday hitting him well above average, Penny appears to be an OK start versus the Rockies. … Eight percent of ESPN leagues are asleep at the wheel. That's how many leagues Brian Fuentes is still available in. In case you missed it, he is the closer again.
Hitters: The fantasy relevance of Brian Giles has been a slow fade, but don't hesitate to use him versus Micah Owings. Giles is 5-for-7 with three home runs versus Owings. If you're counting at home, Giles has a 2.750 OPS in this matchup (still not worried about Owings as the rest of the Padres are 2-for-30). … The Salty watch is on. Jarrod Saltalamacchia might get the call after Adam Melhuse bruised his hand. Salty would be entrenched behind Gerald Laird on the depth chart, but as we saw last season, Salty has a more intriguing bat. … Check your wire for Scott Rolen or Michael Cuddyer. Both have been activated from the DL and should start Friday for their respective clubs. … As far as your regular platoon guys go: Chris Duncan, Geoff Jenkins and Alex Gordon are all facing right-handers, so they are safe to use. Joey Votto could struggle or not start against a righty. Reed Johnson will likely play and could lead off for the Cubs versus a lefty. Andre Ethier hasn't been hitting lefties and might sit to get both Juan Pierre and Matt Kemp in the lineup. Unless, of course, Andruw Jones' calf allows all three to play. Craig Monroe isn't a bad power gamble in case Carlos Gomez misses the game.
Pitchers: The list of pitchers not to touch with a 10-foot pole includes: Justin Germano (Diamondbacks mash anywhere), Steve Trachsel (never), Matt Morris (zero quality starts in four tries), Kyle Kendrick (7.00 ERA in three road starts this season), Ian Kennedy (only once in three starts did he pitch more than three innings), Matt Belisle (Giants are a combined 16-for-42, .381 against him) and Matt Chico (the Cubs are still top 10 OPS versus lefties). … I am not a Carlos Villanueva supporter, but I am even less enthused by his matchup against the major's deadliest offense versus righties. The Marlins lead the way with a .900 OPS against right-handers. … The Yankees' hitters are tough against southpaws and Jeremy Sowers will be making his 2008 debut for the Tribe. Let's see how he fares versus a team that has smacked him around in his career so far (7.45 ERA in two starts). … Luke Hochevar's first start of the season is no indication of the pitcher I think we'll see this year. He actually had a solid start against the A's last Sunday until it all unraveled in the fourth inning. Hochevar loses command when he spins off the mound toward first, which he started doing in that same inning. The Jays might be down one of their few left-handed bats in Lyle Overbay, and don't hit righties all that well. I actually like Hochevar's matchup and think he makes a name for himself in all the shallow fantasy leagues where he isn't already on everyone's radar. … The Orioles and White Sox are managing a top-10 OPS versus left-handers so far this year. Leave John Danks and Brian Burres alone. And in the night game: Nick Masset had a solid night of mop up duty in the season opener, but his last four appearances have been pretty ugly as far as WHIP goes. I don't think I'd be gambling on him. … Speaking of lefty killers, the Brewers are going to give Mark Hendrickson fits. I like Hendrickson more than most, but wouldn't even consider him for a spot start against the Brew Crew. Milwaukee is among the league's most dangerous lineups against a southpaw. … While I don't expect a sub-2.00 ERA for Armando Galarraga this season, his pitches look a lot better than he has been given credit for by scouts. He has very deceptive, late movement on his fastball and an above-average slider working for him. Who knows how long he gets to ply his trade in the bigs this season, but he should hold value off the waiver wire. I don't think I can recommend him against a top offense like the Angels, but if Galarraga holds his own in this game, you can't just blame it on luck anymore. … The bloom has certainly come of Edwin Jackson in his two most recent starts. After his ownership spiked following his first two gems, he is down to being on a team in 14 percent of ESPN leagues. The Red Sox have the second-highest OPS versus right-handers, and should help Jackson's ownership fall even more Sunday. … The Dodgers' bread and butter is facing left-handed pitching this season. They are a top-10 offense in OPS versus lefties, but a bottom-10 versus righties. Mark Redman is in for a rough outing. … Dustin Moseley hasn't managed a quality start yet. I wouldn't test him against the Tigers. … The Twins might have cold bats, but picking up Sidney Ponson is still something you do at your own risk (and you would probably throw your back out in the process). … If you desperately need a win in deep leagues, six of Kevin Correia's past 10 starts (going back to last season) have been quality starts. If he can hold on, his team hits Reds' starter Belisle really well. … Justin Duchscherer is coming off the DL with a bicep strain, suffered after a solid first start of the season. I am still intrigued by the converted setup man, but will hold my judgment until after seeing his return.
An unsettled day on the eastern seaboard could see the weather playing havoc with a few games. Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Washington all call for thunderstorms and rain. The Indians-Yankees, Pirates-Phillies and Nationals-Cubs games all could see showers, maybe with thunder, through the entire day. The Tigers-Angels contest is a little safer as the forecast calls for the activity in the morning. … New York could see showers through the day, so watch your Mets and Braves. … Its weather-proof in Milwaukee (Brewers-Marlins), Tampa (Rays-Red Sox) and Seattle (Mariners-A's).
Sean Allen is a fantasy baseball and hockey analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
