Tips 'n Trends: Monday's games

HITTERS:

With only eight games on Monday, you can’t be too selective with whom you start or sit — but if you own Ryan Zimmerman, he’s a must-start for your squad. Zimm boasts a whopping 12 RBI in 22 at-bats against Brett Myers, and with Myers looking as lost as ever, Zimmerman should continue to rake... Juan Pierre should be given the start from Joe Torre when the Dodgers begin their series against the Cincinnati Reds. Pierre is a .391 hitter against Bronson Arroyo and should be in your lineup — especially if you could use some stolen bases…  Consider alternative options at shortstop if you own Jason Bartlett or Miguel Tejada. Bartlett only has two hits in 12 at-bats versus scheduled starter, Joe Blanton. Meanwhile, Tejada is tougher to bench, and you really shouldn’t unless you have a somewhat solid option to put in his place. Just know that Tejada is 3-for-24 when facing Cubs lefty, Ted Lilly… It might be a tough day to play the matchups with the limited number of games, but if you see you have a chance to play the trends to your advantage, don’t hesitate to make the move.

PITCHERS: 

Tejada isn’t the only Astro with bad numbers against Ted Lilly. The Astros have a combined .184 batting average against Lilly, who has won his last three outings. Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, and Carlos Lee are a combined 7-for-51, which isn’t the greatest trip through the heart of the Houston lineup. Make sure Lilly is in your lineup, and then sit back and enjoy… As the season goes on, I’m gradually gaining  confidence in Jon Lester, as he’s becoming more and more of an attractive option. Lester has the run support on his side and has been pitching extremely well. With the BoSox facing Kansas City, make sure Lester gets the nod for your team. .. Until Brett Myers fixes whatever is wrong with him, it’s probably better to just bench him. His fastball has lost velocity and he’s giving up home runs at an alarming rate. Even against the Washington Nationals, I don’t trust Myers to pitch well enough for the win… Same thing goes for Bronson Arroyo. We still remember Arroyo’s success when he came over from Boston, but it’s been a rough year for Bronson and I don’t know if I’m ready to trust him as a most-every-week starter. His last two outings have been great, so it should be interesting to see if he can keep turning the corner in a night game against the Dodgers … Meanwhile, Todd Wellemeyer’s mathup just got a whole lot better after news came out about Jake Peavy’s elbow being unusually sore — thus causing the reigning National League Cy Young champ to miss this start.
 

Monday’s Positive Trends:
Jim Edmonds [career against Brian Moehler]: 11/32, 4 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 4BB, 6 K, .344/.417/.938
Ryan Zimmerman [career against Brett Myers]: 9/22, 3 2B,1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K .409/.440/.773
Geoff Jenkins  [career against Tim Redding]: 9/17, 3 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .529/.600/.882
Pedro Feliz  [career against Tim Redding]: 5/11, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .455/.455/.818
Jose Castillo  [career againts Jorge DeLaRosa]: 2/3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .667/.667/2.667
Juan Pierre  [career against Bronson Arroyo]: 9/23, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 K, .391/.391/.522 

Monday’s Negative Trends:
Jose Guillen [career against Jon Lester]: 0/5, 1 BB, 1 K, .000/.167/.000
Emil Brown  [career against James Shields]: 0/6, 3 K, .000/.000/.000
Jason Bartlett [career against Joe Blanton]: 2/12, 3 K,.167/.167/.167
Eric Hinske  [career against Joe Blanton]: 1/15, 1 2B,2K .067/.067/.133 

Miguel Tejada  [career against Ted Lilly]: 3/24, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K, .125/.250/.167
Jimmy Rollins  [career against Tim Redding] 4/21, 3 RBI, 6 K, .190/.227/.190