Tips n' Trends: Tuesday's games

HITTERS:

I hope everyone had a nice weekend treating their mother like royalty, but now it’s time to get back to business. By mid-May you should have a good feel about your fantasy team, and the direction it’s going. Everyday you should be thinking of ways to improve it. Here are some hitters to have in your lineup on Tuesday, and some hitters who you might want to stay away from. Conor Jackson has been a pleasant surprise this year and is a big reason the D’Backs are off to such a great start. Co Jack is 10-for-29 with four long balls against Jeff Francis, so if the Arizona first baseman isn’t starting already for you, make sure he is for this game. Another player who is quietly putting together a solid ’08 campaign is Eric Hinske. Hinske already has seven homers this year, more than he had all of last year. Hinkse has had success against Yankees ace, Chien-Ming Wang, and I would play the former rookie of the year if you are in need of some extra pop in your lineup. However, I would think twice about Ryan Zimmerman, Todd Helton, and Nick Swisher. Zimm will do battle with John Maine and he only has three hits in 22 at-bats versus the Mets’ righty. Swisher, who has been terrible as of late, will have a tough time breaking out of his brutal slump when Sox face the Halos on Tuesday. Keep Swisher on the bench until further notice. Meanwhile, Helton faces the Big Unit and has really struggled in his career against the 6’10 lefty. Helton is only a .238 hitter versus the future hall-of-famer, and that’s way below his .330 career batting average.

PTCHERS:

I still find it mindboggling that a pitcher can be such a completely different pitcher when he’s at home versus when he’s away. Example: Brad Penny. Over the last three years, Penny is 22-8 in Hollywood, yet barely over .500 on the road. After last week’s debacle, I suggest sitting Penny when he goes to Milwaukee to face the big brew crew sluggers. Also sit Jeff Francis on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Not so much because he’s a better home pitcher than on the road, but more so because the D’backs have simply feasted on the lefty in the past. One pitcher who many owners had on their sleeper list at the beginning of the year is Zack Grienke, and he’s done nothing but reward owners who took a chance on him. Grienke is 4-1 with an outstanding 1.02 WHIP, which means the Royals sensation isn’t walking many hitters. The key to the Detroit offense is walks. If they don’t walk and get runners on base for Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera to drive in, they are going to struggle offensively. Look for Grienke’s command to tame the Tigers on Tuesday. Also plug in John Maine back into your lineup. Maine’s last start was excellent, as he kept the walks to a minimum, and he should post another quality start against the Washington Nationals. Another young starter, who has all the potential in the world if he can just limit his walks, is Jered Weaver. Weaver faces a Chicago White Sox team that is hitting just .200 versus the Angels’ righty.

Tuesday’s Positive Trends:
Derek Jeter  [career against Edwin Jackson]: 5/13, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, .385/.500/.615
Carl Crawford  [career against Chien-Ming Wang]: 10/34, 3 2B, 2 3B, 3 SB, 3 RBI, .294/.333/.500
Eric Hinske  [career against Chien-Ming Wang]: 12/27, 5 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .444/.483/.852
Michael Young  [career against Felix Hernandez]: 9/30, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 K, .300/.344/.467
Ichiro Suzuki  [career against Kason Gabbard]: 5/8, 2 RBI, 3 K, .625/.625/.625
Jose Guillen  [career against Nate Robertson]: 6/13, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .462/.462/.923
Ivan Rodriguez [career against Zack Greinke]: 8/21, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .381/.381/.524 

Brandon Phillips [career against Mark Hendrickson]: 7/11, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .636/.636/1.182
Jose Reyes [career against John Lannan]: 4/6, 1 2B, 1 SB, .667/.667/.833
Rickie Weeks [career against Brad Penny]: 3/7, 2 2B, 1 BB, .429/.500/.714
Aramis Ramirez [career against Shawn Estes]: 8/13, 2 HR, 3RBI, .615/.643/1.077
Brian Giles [career against Jon Lieber]: 13/35, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, .371/.463/.600
Conor Jackson [career against Jeff Francis]: 10/29, 2 2B, 4 HR, 3 BB, 3 K, .345/.394/.828
Justin Upton [career against Jeff Francis]: 4/9 2 HR, 3 RBI, .444/.444/1.111 

Tuesday’s Negative Trends:
Aubrey Huff  [career against Josh Beckett]: 5/21, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K, .238/.273/.286
Kevin Millar  [career against Josh Beckett]: 2/11, 1 2B, 3 RBI, .182/.182/.273
Julio Lugo  [career against Jeremy Guthrie]: 0/7, 1 K, .000/.000/.000
Bobby Abreu  [career against Edwin Jackson]: 1/13, 2 RBI, .077/.250/.077
Johnny Damon  [career against Edwin Jackson]: 0/11, 3 BB, 2 K, .000/.214/.000
Josh Hamilton  [career against Felix Hernandez]: 0/5, 1 BB, 3 K, .000/.167/.000
Magglio Ordonez [career against Zack Greinke]: 3/18, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 4 K, .167/.167/.222
Torii Hunter  [career against John Danks]: 0/8, 1 BB, 2K, .000/.111/.000
Nick Swisher  [career against Jered Weaver ]: 2/15, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 K, .133/.133/.333 

Ryan Zimmerman [career against John Maine]: 3/22, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 4 K, .136/.130/.227
Jason Bay  [career against Kyle Lohse]: 1/10, 1 3B, 1 BB, 3 K, .100/.182.300
Todd Helton  [career against Randy Johnson]: 10/42, 4 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 9 K, .238/.273/.333
Jose Castillo  [career against Brandon Backe]: 0/9, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, .000/.091/.000