Tips n' Trends: Wednesday's games

HITTERS:

When you’re hot, you’re hot. Groundouts find holes, bloopers fall, and your fantasy teams keep climbing in the standings even after a ho-hum day . Emil Brown has led the Oakland A’s to a surprising first place in the American League West. Brown’s 33 RBI is good for fourth best in the majors and the upstart Oakland outfielder should land a spot on your fantasy roster if you’re seeking outfield help. Brown is a career.370 hitter against C.C. Sabathia and should continue to pad to his RBI total on Wednesday. A player who frequently gets lost in the mix of overhyped speedsters is Randy Winn. The veteran won’t win a SB crown, but he gets a valuable number of swipes every year and has been a model of consistency for the last several years. Winn will face Brian Moehler on Wednesday, and he’s feasted on  Moehler in the past. Winn is 12-for-21 (.571 BA) against the well-traveled hurler. Another hitter to make sure you have in your lineup is Hideki Matsui. Godzilla has terrorized James Shields in limited at-bats against the right-hander. In ten at-bats, Matsui has three home runs and .600 batting average.  Yesterday I said to play Eric Hinske today, but for Wednesday I’m recommending that you sit him. In the real world he’s not an everyday player and the same goes for fantasy. Hinske has never hit well against Mike Mussina (4-for-31, 12 K) and I see those struggles continuing versus Moose. Kelly Johnson might also need to take a seat as well. When facing scheduled starter, Brett Myers, the Braves second baseman is 0-for-12, striking out in half of those at-bats.

PITCHERS:

When a pitcher makes his first start off of the DL, I’m always a bit leery of starting him. Will he be 100 percent? Does his manager have him on a low pitch count? These questions are definitely elements to take into account, but with John Lackey returning from the DL to face the White Sox on Wednesday, I’m not the least bit worried. The Angels would not let their ace come back unless he’s 100 percent, and I see Lackey picking up right where he left off last year. Speaking of pitchers looking to pick up where they left off, Justin Verlander has a road game versus the Royals . The Detroit ace has not had the velocity of past years and it shows in his 1-6 record. I do have all the confidence in the world in the big righty, and I still recommend keeping him in your lineup for almost every start. A couple of low-end fantasy pitchers who usually might entice you because of their high strike out rates are Boof Bonser and Ted Lilly. Both Lilly and Bonser are known to strike out their fair share of hitters, but I suggest sitting them on Wednesday. Both pitchers have struggled to get their ERA under 5 for the year, and they’re matched up against Cy Young winners, Roy Halladay and Jake Peavy. One pitcher who needs a solid outing in order to avoid being cut from fantasy teams (if he’s not already cut in your league) is Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo’s 7.14 ERA and 1.71 WHIP aren’t going to cut it. Stay away from Bronson in a matchup against the hot Marlins bats.

Wednesday’s Positive Trends:
Michael Young  [career against Carlos Silva]: 9/29, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .310/.355/.483
Alex Cora  [career against Daniel Cabrera]: 11/20, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .550/.550/.850
Mike Lowell [career against Daniel Cabrera]: 5/10, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .500/.571/.900
Emil Brown  [career against C.C. Sabathia]: 17/46, 3 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 9 K, .370/.396/.500
Jhonny Peralta [career against Joe Blanton]: 8/20, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .400/.429/.750
Hideki Matsui  [career against James Shields]: 6/10, 1 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .600/.636/1.600
Billy Butler  [career against Justin Verlander]: 5/11, 1 2B, 1HR, 2 RBI, .455/.500/.818
Garret Anderson [career against Jose Contreras]: 10/20, 2 2B, 4 RBI, .500/.524/.600 

Jimmy Rollins  [career against Tom Glavine]: 28/75, 9 2B, 6 HR, 13 RBI, 2 SB, .373/.434/.760
Randy Winn  [career against Brian Moehler]: 12/21, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, .571/.591/.857

Wednesday’s Negative Trends:
Jason Varitek  [career against Daniel Cabrera]: 3/15, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, .200/.333/.267
Casey Blake  [career against Joe Blanton]: 1/14, 1 BB, 4 K, .071/.133/.071
Eric Hinske  [career against Mike Mussina]: 4/31, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 12 K, .129/.270/.129
Mark Teahan  [career against Justin Verlander]: 3/17, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 K, .176/.333/.294
Nick Swisher  [career against John Lackey ]: 4/34, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 14 K, .118/.286/.147 

Carlos Ruiz  [career against Tom Glavine]: 0/13, 1 BB, 1 K, .000/.071/.000
Kelly Johnson [career against Brett Myers]: 0/12, 1 BB, 6 K, .000/.077/.000
Mike Cameron [career against Derek Lowe]: 4/27, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K, .148/.233/.296