Daily Notes for Saturday: Watch for playoff implications
We're down to the final weekend of the regular season, and while playoff races are at their peak, hopefully your fantasy title chases are still captivating! The Mets, Phillies and Brewers will be duking it out for the remaining two playoff spots -- National League East and Wild Card -- in home games against opponents whose playoff fates have already been decided. Still, even the Cubs' "B" team might give the Brewers headaches, especially since there's no guarantee Ben Sheets will be able to go deep into the game.
Playoff starters resting is another potential Saturday storyline: The Angels' Ervin Santana, Cubs' Ted Lilly, Rays' Matt Garza and Red Sox's Daisuke Matsuzaka might all be on strict pitch counts in order to be ready for Division Series starts.
| Time | Visitors | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | Home | L/R | Record | ERA | WHIP | |||
| 1:10 p.m. |  | Ricky Nolasco | R | 15-7 | 3.55 | 1.12 | @ |  | Johan Santana | L | 15-7 | 2.64 | 1.17 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Sidney Ponson | R | 8-5 | 5.21 | 1.65 | @ |  | Daisuke Matsuzaka | R | 18-2 | 2.80 | 1.32 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Ted Lilly | L | 16-9 | 4.17 | 1.25 | @ |  | Ben Sheets | R | 13-8 | 2.98 | 1.13 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Gil Meche | R | 13-11 | 4.05 | 1.31 | @ |  | Glen Perkins | L | 12-4 | 4.50 | 1.49 |
| 3:55 p.m. |  | Odalis Perez | L | 7-11 | 4.27 | 1.46 | @ |  | Jamie Moyer | L | 15-7 | 3.78 | 1.33 |
| 4:10 p.m. |  | Greg Smith | L | 7-15 | 4.07 | 1.36 | @ |  | Ryan Rowland-Smith | L | 4-3 | 3.39 | 1.35 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | John Parrish | L | 1-0 | 4.10 | 1.39 | @ |  | Brian Bass | R | 3-4 | 5.08 | 1.51 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Zach Jackson | L | 1-3 | 5.96 | 1.52 | @ |  | Javier Vazquez | R | 12-15 | 4.46 | 1.31 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | Matt Garza | R | 11-9 | 3.66 | 1.24 | @ |  | Dontrelle Willis | L | 0-2 | 10.61 | 2.46 |
| 7:05 p.m. |  | James Parr | R | 1-0 | 4.00 | 1.56 | @ |  | Brandon Backe | R | 9-13 | 5.66 | 1.63 |
| 7:15 p.m. |  | Aaron Harang | R | 6-16 | 4.72 | 1.37 | @ |  | Todd Wellemeyer | R | 12-9 | 3.69 | 1.25 |
| 8:10 p.m. |  | Glendon Rusch | L | 5-5 | 5.08 | 1.41 | @ |  | Brandon Webb | R | 22-7 | 3.24 | 1.20 |
| 9:05 p.m. |  | Scott Feldman | R | 5-8 | 5.45 | 1.46 | @ |  | Ervin Santana | R | 16-6 | 3.25 | 1.10 |
| 9:05 p.m. |  | Greg Maddux | R | 7-13 | 4.31 | 1.23 | @ |  | Matt Cain | R | 8-13 | 3.80 | 1.35 |
| 10:05 p.m. |  | Jimmy Barthmaier | R | 0-1 | 15.19 | 3.00 | @ |  | Chris Young | R | 6-6 | 4.11 | 1.32 |
All times are ET.
Out
Chris Dickerson, OF, Reds (heel)
Yunel Escobar, 2B/3B/SS, Braves (hamstring)
Jack Hannahan, 3B, A's (oblique)
Mike Lowell, 3B, Red Sox (hip)
Andy Marte, 3B, Indians (hip)
Hideki Matsui, OF, Yankees (knee)
Melvin Mora, 3B, Orioles (hamstring)
Eric Patterson, 2B, A's (hamstring)
Andy Pettitte, SP, Yankees (shoulder)
Willy Taveras, OF, Rockies (leg)
Day-to-day
Alberto Callaspo, 2B/3B, Royals (thigh)
Alex Cora, 2B/SS, Red Sox (hip)
David DeJesus, OF, Royals (hip)
Mark DeRosa, 2B/3B/OF, Cubs (calf)
Damion Easley, 2B, Mets (quadriceps)
Cristian Guzman, SS, Nationals (flu)
Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees (hand)
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (shoulder)
Howie Kendrick, 2B, Angels (hamstring)
Cameron Maybin, OF, Marlins (hip)
Yadier Molina, C, Cardinals (quadriceps)
Nyjer Morgan, OF, Pirates (hamstring)
Troy Percival, RP, Rays (back)
Brian Schneider, C, Mets (back)
Ben Sheets, SP, Brewers (elbow)
Geovany Soto, C, Cubs (hand)
Kurt Suzuki, C, A's (hip)
Jack Wilson, SS, Pirates (finger)
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Nationals (flu)
Hitters: The Mets know what's at stake this weekend, and key hitters Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and David Wright have combined to bat .398 (33-for-83) with seven home runs in their careers against the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco. It's the rest of the Mets hitters who represent risky plays against such a talented pitcher, but with the stars still properly motivated, have no fear with them. … Even if the Red Sox roll out a "B" lineup against the Yankees, they're facing Sidney Ponson in a home game, meaning load up from their side. Three standouts: David Ortiz (19-for-40, .475 BA, 3 HRs against Ponson), Dustin Pedroia (7-for-8, .875 BA, 3 2Bs) and Jason Varitek (15-for-45, .333 BA, 2 HRs). … The Royals' Gil Meche gives Delmon Young absolute fits; he's 1-for-17 (.059) with no extra-base hits and three strikeouts against the right-hander for his career. … Right-handed Phillies sluggers should feast on Nationals lefty Odalis Perez in a home game. Of particular interest: Jayson Werth, batting .300 with 15 home runs and a 1.007 OPS in 150 at-bats against southpaws, and .264 with 10 homers and an .822 OPS in 201 at-bats at home, this season. … Ryan Zimmerman is one of the few Nationals worth your time, and it's thanks to his .284 batting average, five home runs and 13 RBIs in 20 games in the month of September. He's also a .333 hitter with an .867 OPS against left-handers this season, and the game is at Citizens Bank Park. … Brad Hawpe is about the only Rockies hitter with a particularly strong track record against the Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb; he's a lifetime .333 hitter (15-for-45) with four home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.115 OPS against the sinkerballer. … A lefty-versus-lefty matchup that shouldn't scare you: Adam Dunn versus Rockies spot starter Glendon Rusch. Dunn is a lifetime .333 hitter (10-for-30) with six home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.300 OPS against Rusch. … The Rangers boast three hitters with better-than-1.000 OPS and at least 15 plate appearances in their careers against the Angels' Ervin Santana, whose workload might be limited on Saturday: Hank Blalock (1.407), Milton Bradley (1.243) and Michael Young (1.036). Bradley is the interesting one to watch of that group; he has a legitimate shot at the batting title, having already secured the 502 plate appearances he'd need to qualify, and entering play on Thursday three points behind league leader Joe Mauer. He'll be plenty motivated. … Since Aug. 1, Andre Ethier is batting .361 (60-for-166) with nine home runs, 29 RBIs and a 1.082 OPS. He's also 15-for-25 (.600) in his career against the Giants' Matt Cain.
Pitchers: Ricky Nolasco has a streak of 11 consecutive quality starts, three of those coming against the Mets, and during that time he's 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings. He has won two of his past three starts at Shea Stadium, with a 3.78 ERA in them, so while the Mets will be scratching and clawing against him just to advance to the postseason, Nolasco should be fine to use for fantasy. … Cubs starter Ted Lilly has a lackluster 1-2 record, 5.53 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in five starts against the Brewers between this and last season, and his team really lacks anything to play for, having already locked up the National League's best record. … For some reason the White Sox keep throwing Javier Vazquez out there on three days' rest, despite the fact that he's a nightmare in such circumstances, with an 0-3 record, 6.32 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in three career starts. Ozzie Guillen can call his right-hander out all he likes, but what does he expect? Vazquez might boast a decent history against the Indians, going 6-3 with a 3.44 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 12 starts against them in his White Sox career (2006-08), but that's a tough three-days'-rest track record to ignore. He's about as boom-or-bust a pitcher as you can find for Saturday, so play this one based on how risk-averse you need to be. … A start in Detroit might not be the smartest place for Matt Garza to be making his first appearance in 10 days, and besides, the Rays will likely keep him on a limited pitch count in order to keep him fresh for the Division Series. Don't count on much more than five innings, and they won't be elite ones, either. … You can't get much hotter than Aaron Harang has been since Aug. 22; his 3-3 record might not show it but he has a 2.39 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 36 K's in 49 innings in seven starts during that span. Included in there was a masterful shutout against these Cardinals on Sept. 17, meaning few pitchers seem as likely to carry your team over the top right now than him. … Todd Wellemeyer should at least be able to keep it close, though, having registered a 2.91 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in his past 12 starts. He's at a disadvantage in terms of the win category, but it's not unthinkable he could pull off the upset. … It's Brandon Webb's last shot to make his case for the NL Cy Young award, and frankly, if he notches his 23rd win, it's going to be tough to imagine him not snagging the hardware. He's already 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in three starts against the Rockies this season andwill only have that award left to play for by Saturday -- his Diamondbacks have been eliminated from the postseason -- so count on him trying his best to make a strong closing argument. … The Angels really don't need to worry too much about Division Series Game 2 starter Ervin Santana being on short rest in the playoffs, but he has thrown 213 1/3 innings this season, meaning a cap on his pitch count should be expected for Saturday. It's tough to say sit the guy, but his opponent is the Rangers and he might not be kept out there more than five frames. It's something to keep in mind if you need a long, dominating outing. … Matt Cain might be 0-5 in 10 career starts against the Dodgers, but he has held them to a 2.84 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in five starts this season. Plus, the Dodgers won't have anything to play for by Saturday, making him a must-start. … Chris Young has a streak of three consecutive quality starts, and he's 4-2 with a 1.94 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 20 starts at Petco Park between this and last season. He's also 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA and 0.64 WHIP in four career starts against the Pirates, one of the game's weaker offenses.
Hitters: Rare times call for a thumbs-up to a lefty-versus-lefty matchup this late in the season, but this is one of those times. Alex Gordon is 3-for-3 with two doubles in his career against the Twins' Glen Perkins, who is already off his typical schedule having been bumped back to Saturday. By the way, Gordon has hit safely in each of nine games since his return from the disabled list, batting .343 (12-for-35) with two homers and a 1.024 OPS, including four starts against left-handed pitchers. … Asdrubal Cabrera has handled the White Sox's Javier Vazquez quite nicely in his career; he's a .462 hitter (6-for-13) with two doubles against the right-hander. Expect David Dellucci to get a spot start, too, considering he's a lifetime .313 hitter (10-for-32) with two home runs against Vazquez. … There isn't a right-handed hitter around who won't love battling the Tigers' Dontrelle Willis this season; all 32 of the home runs he has allowed since the beginning of last season were hit by righties, and his OPS allowed on that side was .919 in 2007, 1.084 this year. Get Jason Bartlett (.382 BA, .926 OPS versus left-handers) and Rocco Baldelli (.289/.861) in there, and don't be surprised if rookie Fernando Perez makes a spot start for the Rays, too.
Pitchers: Though Gil Meche did get pummeled in the Metrodome on April 5 (5 2/3 IP, 6 H's, 6 ERs), fact remains he's 7-2 with a 3.11 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 88 strikeouts in 84 innings in 13 starts since the All-Star break. This game might mean more to the Twins than it does to the Royals, sure, but even if he struggles to win a tight battle, his ERA/WHIP/K's contributions should be a-OK. … Even at age 45, Jamie Moyer remains an effective, reliable big-league pitcher, and remember that in the 2007 regular-season finale against these Nationals, when a win was of utmost importance, the left-hander delivered, with 5 1/3 innings allowing one unearned run for the "W." Maybe a win isn't quite as imperative this time, but it'd be pretty darned useful considering the playoff races right now, and this is, after all, a guy who is 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in seven starts against Washington between this and last season. While Moyer is pitching the Phillies into the playoffs, he'll be pitching you into a fantasy league title, too. … Just when it seemed like no team could find a way to get worse than the Mariners, the A's went out and found a way. For that reason, in the "Battle of the Smiths," it's Ryan Rowland-Smith you want. Did you know he has made seven consecutive quality starts, with a 2.35 ERA and 1.20 WHIP during that span? Few did. And in what should be an ugly day as hitters are concerned, it's usually a good thing to go with the starting pitcher for the home team in a pitchers' park. … Though the Giants got to Hiroki Kuroda a week ago (4 IP, 8 H's, 3 ERs), the last time he faced them in San Francisco, on Aug. 9, he limited them to one run on eight hits in eight innings. He's also 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in his past 10 starts, and won't be a top starter in the Division Series, making it likely he'll pitch deep enough into the game to help.
Be happy that there are five games in weatherproof stadiums -- Chase Field (Arizona), the Metrodome (Minnesota), Miller Park (Milwaukee), Minute Maid Park (Houston) and Safeco Field (Seattle) -- because the weather in the northeast is shaping up rather poorly for this weekend. That's a big problem for potentially playoff-relevant contests in New York (Marlins-Mets) and Philadelphia (Nationals-Phillies), as well as games in Boston (Yankees-Red Sox) and Baltimore (Blue Jays-Orioles). The chance of rain is 60 percent or greater in all four cities, though at least there's a possibility the weather will improve later in the day.
Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.
