Daily Notes for Wednesday: Carpenter returns
Not that he is a recommended start, but Chris Carpenter is certainly a recommended pickup ahead of Wednesday's game. The Cardinals' former ace makes his long-awaited return from a battle with elbow problems that began in 2006 and allowed him only one start last season before going under the knife for Tommy John surgery.
He is not a recommended start because he tossed only 78 pitches in his rehab start Friday and might be on a short leash against the Braves. He is a must-pickup, though, as he is available in 64 percent of ESPN leagues and is poised to contribute to fantasy teams in all league sizes once he has a few games under his belt. The 2005 NL Cy Young winner is definitely worthy of your final bench spot.
| Time | Visitors | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | Home | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | |||
| 12:37 p.m. |  | Edwin Jackson | R | 6-7 | 4.22 | 1.39 | @ |  | Scott Richmond | R | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1:05 p.m. |  | Dennis Sarfate | R | 4-1 | 3.78 | 1.48 | @ |  | Joba Chamberlain | R | 3-3 | 2.30 | 1.24 |
| 3:35 p.m. |  | Brian Bannister | R | 7-9 | 5.40 | 1.41 | @ |  | Sean Gallagher | R | 4-4 | 4.03 | 1.45 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Joe Saunders | L | 13-5 | 3.10 | 1.14 | @ |  | Josh Beckett | R | 9-7 | 3.83 | 1.17 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Nate Robertson | L | 6-8 | 5.63 | 1.55 | @ |  | Cliff Lee | L | 14-2 | 2.29 | 1.03 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Aaron Cook | R | 13-6 | 3.46 | 1.23 | @ |  | Zach Duke | L | 4-8 | 5.04 | 1.60 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Mike Pelfrey | R | 9-6 | 3.67 | 1.42 | @ |  | Josh Johnson | R | 0-0 | 3.71 | 1.53 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Chris Carpenter | R | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | @ |  | Jair Jurrjens | R | 10-5 | 3.02 | 1.27 |
| 7:10 p.m. |  | Jamie Moyer | L | 9-6 | 3.76 | 1.32 | @ |  | Tim Redding | R | 7-5 | 3.98 | 1.33 |
| 8:05 p.m. |  | Miguel Batista | R | 4-11 | 6.67 | 1.92 | @ |  | Vicente Padilla | R | 12-5 | 4.56 | 1.43 |
| 8:05 p.m. |  | Ryan Dempster | R | 11-4 | 2.99 | 1.17 | @ |  | Manny Parra | L | 9-3 | 3.72 | 1.48 |
| 8:05 p.m. |  | Edinson Volquez | R | 12-4 | 2.77 | 1.31 | @ |  | Wandy Rodriguez | L | 6-3 | 3.18 | 1.27 |
| 8:10 p.m. |  | Gavin Floyd | R | 10-6 | 3.57 | 1.24 | @ |  | Livan Hernandez | R | 10-4 | 5.31 | 1.60 |
| 10:05 p.m. |  | Dan Haren | R | 10-5 | 2.56 | 0.96 | @ |  | Cha Seung Baek | R | 3-5 | 5.06 | 1.33 |
| 10:10 p.m. |  | Jonathan Sanchez | L | 8-6 | 4.46 | 1.42 | @ |  | Chad Billingsley | R | 10-9 | 3.26 | 1.30 |
All times are ET.
Out
Joe Crede, 3B, White Sox (back)
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (hamstring)
Michael Young, SS, Rangers (finger)
Day-to-day
Rick Ankiel, OF, Cardinals (abdominal strain)
Michael Bourn, OF, Astros (ankle)
Alexi Casilla, 2B, Twins (thumb)
Jeff Clement, C, Mariners (hand)
Pedro Feliz, 3B, Phillies (back)
Nomar Garciaparra, 1B/3B/SS, Dodgers (knee)
Carlos Gomez, OF, Twins (back)
Jose Guillen, OF, Royals (groin)
Adam LaRoche, 1B, Pirates (back)
Brian McCann, C, Braves (concussion)
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, Pirates (back)
Joel Zumaya, RP, Tigers (triceps)
Hitters: Brian McCann owners are likely in a bad place after learning of the fantasy star's concussion Sunday. It's said to be "slight," but don't tell that to Ryan Church or Aaron Hill owners. You can't replace someone like McCann in most leagues, but the sparsely owned Jeff Mathis has been hitting .313 in the past week with a pair of home runs and nine RBIs. … Adam LaRoche, who has been on fire lately, tweaked his back Sunday. Doug Mientkiewicz doesn't offer much as a replacement for fantasy owners, so keep your fingers crossed that LaRoche can return soon. Watch him closely leading up to Wednesday, as he is 3-for-9 against the Rockies' Aaron Cook (with a 1.111 OPS). … Ken Griffey Jr. is a must-start versus the Astros' Wandy Rodriguez. In 12 career at-bats versus Way-Rod, Junior has nine hits and two home runs for a .750 batting average and 2.146 OPS. Look for No. 608 to land. … Left-handed pitchers would be right to gripe about an assignment to pitch against the Rockies. Zach Duke will be a victim Wednesday, facing a Colorado lineup that boasts five players with an OPS better than 1.000 versus southpaws. Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins are universally owned, but Chris Iannetta (1.311), Ian Stewart (1.411) and Jeff Baker (1.077) are not. … Jose Guillen is not expected back by Wednesday, but Mark Teahen has returned to the Royals' outfield. While maybe not on par as a replacement, Teahen has a decent .734 OPS against righties such as the A's Sean Gallagher. … Adrian Beltre is truly boom or bust versus the Rangers' Vicente Padilla. Beltre is a measly 6-for-32 (.188) against Padilla, but has four home runs for an OPS of .840 against him. … Keep an eye on Nomar Garciaparra's status. He's actually been useful of late, but left Sunday's game with a knee problem. Given his injury history, a backup plan for wherever you have been using him will be necessary. … Ryan Howard is not a fan of facing the Nationals' Tim Redding. In 13 career at-bats, Howard has managed just one single and six strikeouts. … While not always a lock to start, Marcus Thames should get the nod against Cliff Lee. Three of his five career hits against Lee (21 at-bats) have left the yard. … David Murphy will enter Wednesday's game as the only Ranger to hit a home run off of Mariners' starter Miguel Batista. I'll bet he won't leave the game with that same distinction. Start all your Rangers, even going as deep as Marlon Byrd and Chris Davis. The Rangers' .880 home OPS combined with Batista's 6.67 ERA should make for some fireworks. … In 27 career at-bats each, Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore have an average better than .400 and an OPS better than 1.000 versus Nate Robertson. … Randy Winn is 3-for-7 in his career versus Chad Billingsley, and has two stolen bases in the past week. … Keep a close eye on Carlos Gomez's status heading into Wednesday. He has said he expects to be back Tuesday, and if that is true, you definitely want him in your lineup Wednesday. Only Tim Wakefield (23) has allowed more stolen bases than the 22 swipes against Gavin Floyd.
Pitchers: Chad Billingsley, Joba Chamberlain, Dan Haren, Jair Jurrjens and Aaron Cook are all "good to go." Billingsley faces the lowly Giants (.625 July OPS, worst in majors). Chamberlain is up against the league-average Orioles and coming off his best start. Haren is still maintaining that sub-1.00 WHIP and has allowed just two earned runs in 14 innings against the Padres this season. Jurrjens has never faced the Cardinals, but is coming off of eight shutout innings against the more-potent Phillies. Four of Cook's past five road outings have been quality starts, and he earned his 12th win against the Pirates with a quality start July 20. … While Ryan Dempster isn't quite as good on the road, he does have two quality starts against Milwaukee this season. Dempster's most recent start was also an eight-inning gem away from Wrigley Field (Houston). He's definitely still a worthy candidate for fantasy leagues Wednesday. An interesting note: in 131 career at-bats for all Brewers, only backup catcher Mike Rivera has ever homered off of Dempster. … I would warn you about the Tigers' great hitting in the month of July (.824 OPS), but Cliff Lee's most recent opponent -- the Twins -- had been just about that good this month, too (.809 OPS), and Lee dominated them. There is some concern due to the fact that the Tigers (.834 OPS, second-best in majors) are much better than the Twins (.694 OPS) versus left-handers, but Lee has won 14 games this year for a reason. He gets the benefit of the doubt here. … The Angels might be a tough opponent, but Josh Beckett fared well against them July 19. Don't hesitate to use him. … Gavin Floyd has three quality starts against the Twins this season, while compiling a 2-1 record with a 2.11 ERA in those starts. Other than a rough outing in Arlington, Floyd has been just fine this month, with three quality starts in his other three efforts. More than anything, Floyd is probably thankful this is an American League game and Livan Hernandez won't get to pick up a bat. Hernandez is actually 3-for-3 with a home run against Floyd. … Joe Saunders has two quality starts and one win against the Red Sox this season, the most recent a 6 2/3-inning no-decision July 19. The return of David Ortiz doesn't change things much, as Saunders has dominated Big Papi in 13 at-bats (just two hits for a .154 average). … Manny Parra's first loss in nine decisions and 15 starts can be attributed to David Riske, as the reliever allowed all three inherited runners to score July 25 in Houston. Parra had pitched a shutout until loading the bases in the seventh and getting the hook. Look for the rookie lefty to right the ship against the Cubs. Chicago has just a league-average .751 OPS in July. … Wandy Rodriguez and his 2.54 home ERA toe the rubber in Minute Maid Park on Wednesday. As always, use him at home. … He might fall short of a quality start, but Jonathan Sanchez should strike out enough Dodgers to make him useful in most leagues. Just don't start him if you need to protect ERA or WHIP, as he has struggled at time versus teams that hit lefties well (Diamondbacks, Brewers, Rockies) and the Dodgers are a top-10 offense in that category (.768 OPS). … It might be time to lay off Edinson Volquez a little. He is quickly approaching his career high for innings (144 2/3 between the minors and majors last season) and might be suffering from fatigue. That would certainly explain his uninspiring starts in his two most recent outings. In fact, throw out his 10-strikeout performance against the Brewers on July 12, and Volquez has whiffed only 14 batters in his previous 24 2/3 innings. That's a K/9 of 5.11, well below his season K/9 of 9.52. Bottom line: after two poor performances, slide Volquez to the bench for now. … Mike Pelfrey has had a terrific July; pitching at least seven innings in all five starts and allowing more than one run in just a single outing. The Mets' offense should back him for a win against the Marlins.
Pitchers: Jamie Moyer is a strong spot-start candidate. His 2.93 ERA on the road speaks volumes, but throw in Washington's .670 OPS for the month of July (third-worst in majors) and Moyer looks like a lock to perform. … Josh Johnson is looking better after each start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. However, a matchup with the hot-hitting Mets (.874 July OPS, second-best in majors) is not what the doctor ordered. … Livan Hernandez should be useful in ultra-deep AL-only leagues, in which pitchers are becoming quite the commodity with all the recent trades to the NL. The veteran has enjoyed pitching in the Metrodome this season, compiling an 8-1 record with a 3.91 ERA. … Both Brian Bannister and Sean Gallagher should provide decent starts off the waiver wire as they battle each other. The A's (.654 July OPS) and Royals (.679 July OPS) are among the bottom-five offenses for OPS this month. Both pitchers are coming off a 5 1/3-inning performance in which they allowed more runs than they were charged with, but should approach quality starts here thanks to the favorable matchup. … True to expected form, Vicente Padilla has a 2.00 ERA in three starts against the Mariners this season. I say expected because Seattle has wallowed near the bottom of the league for OPS versus right-handers all season. The Mariners July OPS of .685 is also quite paltry. Padilla, despite his 12 wins, is still available in 80 percent of ESPN leagues. Scoop him up for a start here. … Tampa Bay hasn't been all that dangerous versus lefties this season (.723 OPS) and the Rays' offense in July has been truly subpar (.685 OPS). Still, using a player in his first career start against the division leader is somewhat counterintuitive. Leave Scott Richmond alone for now. He could earn spot-start value if he shows he can dominate teams that are reliant on lefty bats. … Edwin Jackson might also be worth a spot-start. He pitched better than his line indicates in his most recent outing (four no-hit innings before surrendering a couple solo home runs) and has a good record against the Blue Jays' lineup. In 140 combined at-bats, the Jays are just .236 hitters against Jackson. Even Alex Rios, who has two home runs against Jackson, is just 3-for-18 (.167).
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are a 40 percent possibility in Miami (Mets-Marlins), Cleveland (Tigers-Indians) and Pittsburgh (Rockies-Pirates). … There is a 30 percent chance of rain in New York (Orioles-Yankees) and Atlanta (Reds-Braves). … Weatherproof games will be played in Toronto (Rays-Blue Jays), Milwaukee (Cubs-Brewers), Houston (Reds-Astros) and Minnesota (White Sox-Twins).
Sean Allen is a fantasy baseball and hockey analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
