Daily Notes for Sunday: Wakefield more effective than Joba?
By Adam Madison
ESPN.com
(Archive)
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<!-- end story header --><!-- begin left column --> <!-- begin page tools --> July 5, 2008, 8:13 PM
<!-- end page tools --><!-- begin story body --> <!-- template inline -->Every Joba Chamberlain start has become an event, but the Red Sox have conjured up an ace of their own the past five weeks. Tim Wakefield takes the mound against Chamberlain on Sunday, and while it seems like a pitching advantage in favor of the Yankees, Wakefield actually has an eye-popping 1.98 ERA over his past seven starts. While the Yankees will be the first truly good offensive team (in terms of runs per game) Wakefield faces in this stretch, the Red Sox's bullpen can at least take solace in the fact that Wakefield has gone at least seven innings in seven straight starts. Meanwhile, Joba has yet to reach that plateau.
The day also will feature Rich Harden of the A's battling White Sox southpaw John Danks in a battle of two of the best pitchers in the league, and in Arizona, Randy Johnson faces the Padres as he tries to recover from a handful of poor starts.
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Injury report
Out
Jason Bartlett, SS, Rays (knee)
Luis Castillo, 2B, Mets (quadriceps)
Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies (back)
Dan Uggla, 2B, Marlins (ankle)
Day-to-day
Alexi Casilla, 2B, Twins (finger)
Bobby Crosby, SS, Athletics (hamstring)
Willy Taveras, OF, Rockies (thigh)
Start 'em, sit 'em
Hitters: After hitting only two homers in the first two months of the season, J.J. Hardy has hit four in June and four more in July, giving him eight home runs in his past 83 at-bats. Hardy was so bad through April and May that he was widely abandoned in most mixed leagues, even after 56 extra-base hits last season. Now that he's hitting, Hardy isn't going to remain available in mixed leagues much longer, and he's worth plugging back into the active roster if you haven't already. … When a pitcher has a 6.12 ERA at this point in the season -- and is still in the rotation -- you just blindly start as many hitters against that guy as possible. Mark Hendrickson was hammered for 10 hits and six runs in six innings by the lowly Nationals, so any Rockies hitter -- from Chris Iannetta to Brad Hawpe to Garrett Atkins -- could have a huge day. … Rick Ankiel has been brutal against southpaws this season (.217 average in 83 at-bats), so make sure he's on your bench against Sean Marshall, a decent lefty. … Adrian Beltre has hit a scorching .348 with four home runs in 66 at-bats against southpaws this season, and Sunday's opponent, Nate Robertson, has a .315 batting average against this season. … The Tigers are loaded with players who mash lefties, including Marcus Thames, Carlos Guillen and Edgar Renteria, and Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith is a relief pitcher who isn't prepared to go more than four or five innings.
Jerry Lai/US PRESSWIRE
With Dan Uggla out, Aaron Cook is definitely worth starting.
Pitchers: Given the Marlins will not have Dan Uggla and his .620 slugging percentage, Aaron Cook's matchup single-handedly switches from hazardous to manageable. It's a matchup of strength versus strength: The Marlins lead the league in home runs, but Aaron Cook has the sixth highest ground-ball rate among starters (56.4 percent) and has allowed just 11 home runs in 125 1/3 innings. … After allowing six runs on 12 hits versus the Mets, it's tough to take the chance on Todd Wellemeyer facing the Cubs, considering he's only a couple of starts removed from elbow trouble. … Despite his struggles, Randy Johnson still has struck out three batters for every one he has walked, and a start versus the Padres gives him a good chance at a strong outing. Johnson is more a victim of bad luck than anything else. … Chamberlain passed his first test against a good offense, the Rangers', in his last start despite allowing two runs in four innings. He struck out six batters and failed to allow a home run to the team that is second in the AL in home runs. While not exactly a safe start versus the Red Sox, the run support and guaranteed strikeouts make him worth the risk.
Waiver-wire pickups
Hitters: As far as one-dimensional platoon options go, Jayson Werth (.299/.365/.649) is a monster against lefties, with eight home runs in 77 at-bats against them, as well as four stolen bases. … With six home runs and six steals since June, Elijah Dukes is establishing himself as a legitimate fantasy threat. Now hitting third in the order, playing time is no longer an issue, and he's still owned in less than 30 percent of leagues. Dukes could be a huge addition for the second half. … Echoing fellow ESPN writer Sean Allen, I'd have to say Chris Davis is an easy recommendation. He's a top prospect with tremendous power who plays half of his games at favorable Rangers Ballpark, in one of baseball's best lineups to boot. The Rangers play seven games in a row at home beginning Monday, so expect Davis to remain hot. … Billy Butler was essentially a nonfactor through the first two months, but Butler now has six hits -- and two extra-base hits -- in three starts since being recalled, and while it can easily be written off as a small sample size, you always want to buy early on great talent when you can.
Pitchers: Wandy Rodriguez is coming off a poor outing versus the Dodgers (five runs and 10 baserunners allowed in five innings), but that merely pushes his ERA north of 3.00 for the first time since his first start of the season. The Braves' offense isn't at its best, especially with Jeff Francoeur having been optioned down to Double-A and Matt Diaz on the disabled list, and it's not very often such a credible pitcher is available in more than half of ESPN leagues. … Jon Garland has seen quite a turnaround in his strikeout rate of late. In his first 10 starts, Garland struck out just 1.96 batters per nine innings; in seven starts since, his K rate has been a respectable 6.75. That makes him a legitimate option again, especially against weaker lineups such as the Blue Jays'.
Weather concerns
The Mets-Phillies and Rangers-Orioles could be threatened by the weather; there's a 50 percent chance of rain for both contests. Three other contests are on the lookout for rain as well, with the Astros-Braves and Marlins-Rockies games facing a 30 percent chance of storms, and the Red Sox-Yankees nightcap looking at a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain. … The Royals-Rays, Pirates-Brewers, Indians-Twins, Tigers-Mariners and Padres-Diamondbacks games are all weatherproof.
Adam Madison is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com
By Adam MadisonESPN.com
(Archive)
<!-- promo plug -->
<!-- end promo plug -->
<!-- end story header --><!-- begin left column --> <!-- begin page tools --> July 5, 2008, 8:13 PM
<!-- end page tools --><!-- begin story body --> <!-- template inline -->Every Joba Chamberlain start has become an event, but the Red Sox have conjured up an ace of their own the past five weeks. Tim Wakefield takes the mound against Chamberlain on Sunday, and while it seems like a pitching advantage in favor of the Yankees, Wakefield actually has an eye-popping 1.98 ERA over his past seven starts. While the Yankees will be the first truly good offensive team (in terms of runs per game) Wakefield faces in this stretch, the Red Sox's bullpen can at least take solace in the fact that Wakefield has gone at least seven innings in seven straight starts. Meanwhile, Joba has yet to reach that plateau.
The day also will feature Rich Harden of the A's battling White Sox southpaw John Danks in a battle of two of the best pitchers in the league, and in Arizona, Randy Johnson faces the Padres as he tries to recover from a handful of poor starts.
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Injury report
Out
Jason Bartlett, SS, Rays (knee)
Luis Castillo, 2B, Mets (quadriceps)
Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies (back)
Dan Uggla, 2B, Marlins (ankle)
Day-to-day
Alexi Casilla, 2B, Twins (finger)
Bobby Crosby, SS, Athletics (hamstring)
Willy Taveras, OF, Rockies (thigh)
Start 'em, sit 'em
Hitters: After hitting only two homers in the first two months of the season, J.J. Hardy has hit four in June and four more in July, giving him eight home runs in his past 83 at-bats. Hardy was so bad through April and May that he was widely abandoned in most mixed leagues, even after 56 extra-base hits last season. Now that he's hitting, Hardy isn't going to remain available in mixed leagues much longer, and he's worth plugging back into the active roster if you haven't already. … When a pitcher has a 6.12 ERA at this point in the season -- and is still in the rotation -- you just blindly start as many hitters against that guy as possible. Mark Hendrickson was hammered for 10 hits and six runs in six innings by the lowly Nationals, so any Rockies hitter -- from Chris Iannetta to Brad Hawpe to Garrett Atkins -- could have a huge day. … Rick Ankiel has been brutal against southpaws this season (.217 average in 83 at-bats), so make sure he's on your bench against Sean Marshall, a decent lefty. … Adrian Beltre has hit a scorching .348 with four home runs in 66 at-bats against southpaws this season, and Sunday's opponent, Nate Robertson, has a .315 batting average against this season. … The Tigers are loaded with players who mash lefties, including Marcus Thames, Carlos Guillen and Edgar Renteria, and Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith is a relief pitcher who isn't prepared to go more than four or five innings.
With Dan Uggla out, Aaron Cook is definitely worth starting.
Pitchers: Given the Marlins will not have Dan Uggla and his .620 slugging percentage, Aaron Cook's matchup single-handedly switches from hazardous to manageable. It's a matchup of strength versus strength: The Marlins lead the league in home runs, but Aaron Cook has the sixth highest ground-ball rate among starters (56.4 percent) and has allowed just 11 home runs in 125 1/3 innings. … After allowing six runs on 12 hits versus the Mets, it's tough to take the chance on Todd Wellemeyer facing the Cubs, considering he's only a couple of starts removed from elbow trouble. … Despite his struggles, Randy Johnson still has struck out three batters for every one he has walked, and a start versus the Padres gives him a good chance at a strong outing. Johnson is more a victim of bad luck than anything else. … Chamberlain passed his first test against a good offense, the Rangers', in his last start despite allowing two runs in four innings. He struck out six batters and failed to allow a home run to the team that is second in the AL in home runs. While not exactly a safe start versus the Red Sox, the run support and guaranteed strikeouts make him worth the risk.
Waiver-wire pickups
Hitters: As far as one-dimensional platoon options go, Jayson Werth (.299/.365/.649) is a monster against lefties, with eight home runs in 77 at-bats against them, as well as four stolen bases. … With six home runs and six steals since June, Elijah Dukes is establishing himself as a legitimate fantasy threat. Now hitting third in the order, playing time is no longer an issue, and he's still owned in less than 30 percent of leagues. Dukes could be a huge addition for the second half. … Echoing fellow ESPN writer Sean Allen, I'd have to say Chris Davis is an easy recommendation. He's a top prospect with tremendous power who plays half of his games at favorable Rangers Ballpark, in one of baseball's best lineups to boot. The Rangers play seven games in a row at home beginning Monday, so expect Davis to remain hot. … Billy Butler was essentially a nonfactor through the first two months, but Butler now has six hits -- and two extra-base hits -- in three starts since being recalled, and while it can easily be written off as a small sample size, you always want to buy early on great talent when you can.
Pitchers: Wandy Rodriguez is coming off a poor outing versus the Dodgers (five runs and 10 baserunners allowed in five innings), but that merely pushes his ERA north of 3.00 for the first time since his first start of the season. The Braves' offense isn't at its best, especially with Jeff Francoeur having been optioned down to Double-A and Matt Diaz on the disabled list, and it's not very often such a credible pitcher is available in more than half of ESPN leagues. … Jon Garland has seen quite a turnaround in his strikeout rate of late. In his first 10 starts, Garland struck out just 1.96 batters per nine innings; in seven starts since, his K rate has been a respectable 6.75. That makes him a legitimate option again, especially against weaker lineups such as the Blue Jays'.
Weather concerns
The Mets-Phillies and Rangers-Orioles could be threatened by the weather; there's a 50 percent chance of rain for both contests. Three other contests are on the lookout for rain as well, with the Astros-Braves and Marlins-Rockies games facing a 30 percent chance of storms, and the Red Sox-Yankees nightcap looking at a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain. … The Royals-Rays, Pirates-Brewers, Indians-Twins, Tigers-Mariners and Padres-Diamondbacks games are all weatherproof.
Adam Madison is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com
