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If you've come expecting a cavalcade of aces, prepare to be disappointed, as Wednesday's scheduled starters leave a bit to be desired. Sure, there are a handful of former 20-game winners in the bunch, but a couple of them might cause you to lose your lunch: Dontrelle Willis, who makes his first start of 2009 after a stint on the disabled list with what the Tigers termed an "anxiety disorder"; and Mike Hampton, a free-agent disaster for the Rockies in 2001-'02 who will make his first appearance at Coors Field in more than five years (his last start there came on May 1, 2004).

We'll also be introduced to a new name: Bryan Augenstein, a 2007 seventh-rounder who has all of six starts' experience above the Class A level (all with the Diamondbacks' Double-A affiliate in Mobile this season). It's anyone's guess how this no-name will fare in his big league debut, but there's one thing in his favor: He might get a boost in the run-support department with shortstop Stephen Drew's potential return from the DL.

For starters

Selected notes: Ted Lilly is the de facto "ace of the day," and the reason? Matchup, matchup, matchup. He's 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in six career games (five starts) versus the Padres, but more importantly, he's 9-6 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 18 starts at Wrigley Field since the beginning of last season. … Johnny Cueto mowed down 14 Diamondbacks in 12 innings in two meetings in 2008, registering a 1.50 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. It's not like Arizona is any less strikeout-prone as a team this season, and Cueto's presence is another huge reason no one should take a chance on rookie Bryan Augenstein on Wednesday. … After miserable back-to-back outings to begin his season, Cliff Lee has turned his year around with a 1.70 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in his past five starts, all of them quality starts. He's getting atrocious run support -- the Indians have scored two runs total in his past four turns -- and will be battling the 5-0 Mark Buehrle, but that's a heck of a pitchers' duel and a probable low-scoring affair. Win be damned! … I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm all over Barry Zito as a spot-start standout for Wednesday, as he has four consecutive quality starts and will be facing the Nationals, against whom he's 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA in five career appearances. … Brian Bannister presents another spot-start gem for fantasy: In addition to his 3-0 record and 1.48 ERA through four starts in 2009, he has a 3.38 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in five career starts against the Athletics. Oakland's team OPS is a miserable .650, dead last in the majors. … Though it's a scary matchup because of the Blue Jays' offensive numbers thus far, including a .327 batting average and .883 OPS versus left-handers, Andy Pettitte nevertheless has a 3.12 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in four starts at the Rogers Centre the past two seasons, and he has won 12 of 17 career decisions at that ballpark. You should fear using him in only the shallowest mixed leagues. … Dontrelle Willis might not have the most difficult of matchups in his 2009 debut, but unfortunately for him, his counterpart, Glen Perkins, has the advantage on paper. Perkins is the one with the 8-4 record, 3.54 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 18 starts at the Metrodome between this and last season, and he was also a respectable 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in four starts against Detroit in 2008, when, by the way, the Tigers had baseball's second-highest team OPS versus left-handers (.828). Their team OPS versus southpaws this year is .755, so if I'm digging deeper for a spot starter, Perkins is my pick of the two. … Jason Marquis is surprisingly 5-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in eight career games (seven starts) at Coors Field, and he'll be battling an Astros team that has a .691 OPS versus right-handers, 28th in the majors. There's spot-start potential here, amazingly. … Just presenting you the facts: Jonathon Niese's best of his four career big league starts thus far came against the Braves, an eight-inning, six-hit, zero-run, seven-strikeout masterpiece at Shea Stadium on Sept. 13. Atlanta, incidentally, has a .747 team OPS versus left-handers that ranks 16th in baseball, another thing NL-only owners need to take into account. … And what of that Mike Hampton career record in Coors? Though he has actually won 17 of 27 career decisions and hit five of his 15 career home runs as a hitter there, he nevertheless has a 5.79 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 33 starts as a pitcher at Coors. Bleagh!

Now batting

Hitters' count:

• Jhonny Peralta, SS, Indians: He has three three-hit games in his past five (through Monday) and should keep up his hot hitting versus Mark Buehrle, against whom he's a .298 hitter (14-for-47) with two home runs.
• Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox: The one White Sox hitter who has historically owned Cliff Lee is Konerko; he's 15-for-42 (.357) with five home runs against the lefty.
• Jose Reyes, SS, Mets: As a team, the Mets have pummeled Jo-Jo Reyes in the past, but Jose Reyes is the most notable standout, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and three walks against his namesake.
• Jeff Francoeur, OF, Braves: The one Brave with success against Jonathon Niese in their meeting on Sept. 13 was the guy who endured a dreadful 2008, Francoeur. He was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk against the southpaw on that day.
• Nate McLouth, OF, Pirates: He's 3-for-10 with one double, two home runs and three walks in his career against Joel Pineiro.
• Vernon Wells, OF, Blue Jays: Here's the guy who should really scare Andy Pettitte owners, as Wells is a lifetime .429 hitter (15-for-35) with a 1.102 OPS versus the lefty.
• Scott Rolen, 3B, Blue Jays: He's 10-for-33 (.303) in his career against Pettitte, including three doubles, three home runs and two walks.
• Michael Young, 3B/SS, Rangers: It's a home game for him, and his career OPS at Rangers Ballpark is 122 points higher than it is on the road. He's also a lifetime .351 hitter (20-for-57) with three homers against Jarrod Washburn, making for a favorable matchup. Just make sure, though, that he's fully healthy in time for the game.
• Delmon Young, OF, Twins: Dontrelle Willis historically has had problems with right-handed hitters, who have managed an OPS 229 points higher against him than left-handers, and Young himself is 3-for-8 in his career against the former Marlin.
• Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros: Assuming he can play Wednesday, as he claims he can, Berkman has a fine matchup against Jason Marquis, against whom he's a lifetime .488 hitter (21-for-43) with seven extra-base hits and 13 walks.
• Justin Upton, OF, Diamondbacks: He has five career plate appearances against Johnny Cueto, including two home runs and a walk.
• Torii Hunter, OF, Angels: Always play the historical trends with knuckleballers, and Hunter is a lifetime .368 hitter (14-for-38) with three homers against Tim Wakefield.

Pitchers' count:

• Alexei Ramirez, 2B/SS, White Sox: His season-long slump has had him in and out of the lineup anyway, but he's also 0-for-5 lifetime versus Cliff Lee.
• Jim Thome, DH, White Sox: Always a guy who has had more trouble with lefties than righties, Thome is 5-for-24 (.208) with one homer in his career against Lee.
• Cristian Guzman, SS, Nationals: Oddly, he's 3-for-26 (.115) with seven strikeouts and no extra-base hits in his career against Barry Zito.
• Adam Dunn, OF, Nationals: Even more oddly, he's 0-for-8 lifetime versus Zito.
• Adam LaRoche, 1B, Pirates: Besides being mired in a 1-for-28 slump, LaRoche is also 2-for-11 (.182) in his career against Joel Pineiro.
• Lyle Overbay, 1B, Blue Jays: Toronto desperately needs to sit him based on his 2-for-24 (.083 BA), six-strikeout, zero-extra-base-hit lifetime performance against Andy Pettitte, perhaps sitting him in favor of Kevin Millar.
• Dan Uggla, 2B, Marlins: He's 2-for-13 with one double and three strikeouts in his career against Braden Looper.
• Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres: He usually performs better in road games than home, but don't expect it on this day, seeing as he's 1-for-9 in his career against Ted Lilly.
• Placido Polanco, 2B, Tigers: He's 2-for-13 without an extra-base hit in his career against Glen Perkins.
• Chris Young, OF, Diamondbacks: So he has a hit in each of his past four home games (through Monday), so what? He's still not doing much for fantasy, and is 1-for-6 with three strikeouts in his career against power arm Johnny Cueto.
• Gary Matthews Jr., OF, Angels: Vladimir Guerrero has one of the most extraordinary track records against Tim Wakefield of any player in baseball, but unfortunately, his stand-in, Matthews, does not; he's 3-for-21 (.143 BA) lifetime versus the knuckleballer.

If you're hard-core

• Ryan Garko, 1B, Indians: He'll almost assuredly get the start at first base, seeing as he's 10-for-19 (.526 BA) with four walks in his career against Mark Buehrle.
• Fernando Tatis, OF, Mets: He'll probably get the start at first base in place of the ailing Carlos Delgado, is a .314 hitter with an .835 OPS versus left-handers between this and last season and is 2-for-4 with a double in his career against Jo-Jo Reyes.
• Ronnie Belliard, 1B/2B/3B, Nationals: As he generally is when the Nationals face a left-handed starter, Belliard should be in there against Barry Zito, seeing as he's a lifetime .355 hitter (11-for-31) with one home run against the Giant.
• Pedro Feliz, 3B, Phillies: He has only four hits in 14 career at-bats versus Randy Wolf (.286 BA), but three of those hits were home runs.
• Skip Schumaker, 2B/OF, Cardinals: He's 4-for-6 with one triple and one walk in his career against Ross Ohlendorf, much of that coming recently, as Ohlendorf has already lost two starts versus St. Louis this season.
• Yuniesky Betancourt, SS, Mariners: In eight games at Rangers Ballpark in 2008, he batted .303 (10-for-33) with four doubles and two home runs. He's also 3-for-5 with one home run in his career against Brandon McCarthy.
• Scott Hairston, OF, Padres: A remarkably useful spot starter against left-handers, Hairston is 4-for-11 (.364 BA) with two home runs lifetime versus Ted Lilly.
• Bobby Crosby, SS, Athletics: Rare that you find a good day to use him, but this one qualifies; he's 5-for-12 (.417 BA) with two doubles and six RBIs in his career against Brian Bannister, probably enough to earn him a start perhaps at third base.

Triage

Injury list: Out

• Alex Gonzalez, SS, Reds (oblique): Has missed seven consecutive games, and remains a candidate for the DL
• Joakim Soria, RP, Royals (shoulder, 15-day DL)
• Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Cubs (shoulder, 15-day DL)

Injury list: Day-to-day

• Lance Berkman, 1B, Astros (wrist): Was hoping to play Tuesday
• Milton Bradley, OF, Cubs (suspension): A ruling on his two-game suspension was due either Tuesday or Wednesday, and might cost him Wednesday's game
• Matt Capps, RP, Pirates (elbow): Was expected to be available Tuesday
• Ramon Castro, C, Mets (quadriceps)
• Joe Crede, 3B, Twins (hamstring)
• Carlos Delgado, 1B, Mets (hip)
• Stephen Drew, SS, Diamondbacks (hamstring): Might be activated Wednesday
• Jesus Flores, C, Nationals (shoulder)
• Josh Hamilton, OF, Rangers (ribs): Was due back from the DL Tuesday
• Conor Jackson, 1B/OF, Diamondbacks (flu-like symptoms)
• Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves (elbow): Might require a cortisone shot, which would cost him at least three games
• Derrek Lee, 1B, Cubs (neck): Was hoping to play Tuesday
• Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox (groin)
• Luke Scott, OF, Orioles (shoulder)
• Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies (quadriceps): Was expected to return Tuesday
• Kevin Youkilis, 1B/3B, Red Sox (back/oblique)
• Michael Young, 3B/SS, Rangers (back)
• Brad Ziegler, RP, Athletics (flu/asthma): Says he probably won't be back to full strength for another 10 days

Weather concerns

• Four Wednesday games are weatherproof: Yankees-Blue Jays, Marlins-Brewers, Tigers-Twins and Reds-Diamondbacks.
• Rain will be most prevalent in the Great Lakes cities of Chicago and Cleveland: White Sox-Indians faces a 30 percent chance during the day that increases to 70 at night, while Padres-Cubs has to tangle with a 70 percent chance that according to the forecast should remain steady all day. Fortunately for you White Sox and Indians owners, that's a day game (12:05 p.m. ET start), so it should get squeezed in. Cardinals-Pirates also has a 30 percent chance of rain and will see winds of 13-15 mph, but again, that's probably not enough to wash out a baseball game.
• Besides in Pittsburgh, wind is expected to be a factor in Colorado (Astros-Rockies, 6-16 mph gusting to 23), New York (Braves-Mets, 10-13 mph), San Francisco (Nationals-Giants, 13-16 mph gusting to 21) and Texas (Mariners-Rangers, 15-20 mph gusting to 30).

Tristan H. Cockcroft is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com and a two-time champion of the League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR) experts league. You can e-mail him here.