HITTERS:
It’s hump
day in your fantasy week and hopefully you are off to a quick start, but if you
are looking for that extra punch in you lineup you have come to the right
place. Make sure you have Ivan Rodriguez penciled in. Pudge is a lifetime .400 hitter off scheduled
starter, Andy Pettite. In the same game Hideki Matsui has had
some nice success against Jeremy Bonderman. Godzilla has been a monster
at the plate (10-for-19, 3 HR)
against the struggling Bonderman. Another slumping bat that I believe is about
to wake up is Travis Hafner. Hafner is a .400 hitter against Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn and tonight
could be the night Pronk comes alive. Some sticks to sit are Alex Gordon
and the entire Milwaukee Brewers. Gordon, who is struggling at the plate right
now, is only 1-for-8 versus Kevin
Millwood and he has struck out four times. This could be a good day to give
the Kansas City phenom a rest. Tonight the Brew Crew squares off against Ryan
Dempster and division rival Cubs. Dempster has been more than effective
when facing the Brewers. Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, Ryan
Braun, and Corey Hart are a combined 1-for-30 lifetime when facing Dempster. I am definitely not saying
to bench Braun or Fielder, but be aware — it could be a long night in Chi-Town.
PITCHERS:
If you are
one of the owners who sees his starter up against a big time offense and thinks
twice about giving him the nod, you should definitely think about this. Some of
the best pitchers in baseball have their worst numbers against the mediocre
teams and vice versa. Dustin McGowan
takes on the Boston Red Sox tonight and at first glance it doesn’t look too
promising. But after checking the trends you’ll find the defending champs are
13-for-57 which is a .228 batting average against the Toronto hurler. Chris Young heads east to hitter
friendly Citizens Bank Park, which is never a treat, but the 6-foot-10 righty
has the Phils’ number. The Phils are 8-for-49 lifetime versus C.Y. with zero
home runs. McGowan and Young should definitely be given the ball for your
fantasy team today. One name that should be picked up off the waiver wire, if
he already hasn’t been, is Jair Jurrjens.
Jurrjens had made three straight quality starts and on Wednesday he has pleasure
of dealing with a flat Nationals’ lineup. Add the fact that Jair has a solid
offense to give him run support, and the youngster should continue his winning
ways. Spekaing of young pitchers off to
a great start, I would like to take you out west to Anaheim. Ervin Santana is 4-0 and 25-9 lifetime
at home. On Wednesday, Big Erv faces an Oakland lineup that has struggled
mightily against him — 14-for-79, 2 2B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .177/.275/.203. Some arms
to be weary of are Andy Pettitte and
Tom Gorzelanny. Pettitte has his
problem with Detroit; the entire Detroit squad has a cumulative .298 batting
average versus Pettitte. Tom Gorzelanny is off to very shaky start, posting a
1-3 record with a 8.46 ERA thus far, and I don’t see him turning it around
against the New York Mets’ hitters. In fact, the way Gorzelanny is pitching
these days I would think twice before throwing him against any team. It might
be time to scout free agency and cut ways with Gorzelanny.
Recent Comments