Fantasy Baseball: Wednesday News and Notes

Last Night Rewind

• Two major injury notes from yesterday. Josh Johnson looks like he could miss his next start with a back problem. Johnson was sent back to Florida for evaluation after stopping a bullpen session early. They will also look at his shoulder. Miguel Cabrera was pulled from last night's game by the Tigers after aggravating a shoulder injury.

How about some hot hitters to consider to round up the rest of the night?

• Owners continue to throw Mark Reynolds into their lineups everyday, but Reynolds has been a decided disappointment overall this season. His average has regressed, and he is hitting just .185 in the last two weeks with five home runs in 43 at-bats. Great numbers, but you could pick up 100 points in batting average starting Kevin Kouzmanoff, who has four home runs and the same number of RBI (12) in 46 at-bats during this stretch.
• Those that have missed out on Austin Jackson could still make up for the runs that he scores. Logan Morrison leads baseball in runs scored over the last two weeks with 19, four more than Jackson. He has done it with a .351 average and a home run to go with six RBI. Jackson has three steals, but Morrison has him in every other category of late.
• You will not make up for the loss of Justin Morneau, but starting Michael Cuddyer could be improved. Cuddyer has not hit to the degree that he did last season and has just one home run and 10 RBI in his last 58 at-bats to go with a .276 average. Daric Barton, on the other hand, has three home runs and a .298 average over that same stretch. Owners needing some production at first base can at least get some help.
• There are some widely available hitters that have put up solid numbers over the last week specifically. Mike Stanton has four home runs and seven RBI in the last week and is just 35 percent owned. Ike Davis is only 23 percent owned and has three home runs and seven RBI to go with a .455 mark in his last 22 at-bats. Help in the middle infield could come from J.J. Hardy or Danny Espinosa. Hardy is hitting .300 with eight RBI in his last 20 at-bats, while Espinosa is nine for his last 18 with four home runs.

Wednesday Notes

• J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell have ugly numbers against Matt Garza. Both have at least 22 at-bats, and neither cracks .160 against him. Look to use Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez, as both hit better than .300 against him. David Ortiz is only a .250 hitter but does have three home runs in 28 at-bats. Garza is 2-1 against Boston in five starts but does have a 4.11 ERA.
• Dan Uggla has certainly had his issues with Cole Hamels. Uggla is just 5-for-32 against him lifetime with 11 strikeouts. Hanley Ramirez has hit just .256 in 39 at-bats with 11 strikeouts as well. Hamels has been solid of late, not allowing an earned run over his last two starts, covering 15 innings of work.
• Barry Zito has been hit hard by both Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew. Reynolds may only be hovering near .200 this season, but he is 8-for-17 with three home runs against Zito. Drew checks in at .345 in 29 at-bats. These two have by far the best numbers against the lefty. Zito is just 2-7 on the road this season with a 5.07 ERA.
• Chad Billingsley is 2-1 against the Padres this season, giving up only three runs in 19.1 innings of work. The numbers have not been great for the Padres overall against him. Adrian Gonzalez is just a .233 hitter in 43 at-bats. Only Miguel Tejada and Yorvit Torrealba have numbers worth starting in any format.
• Nothing good to report for the Tigers against John Danks. Ryan Raburn is 1-for-13, while Jhonny Peralta is only 6-for-29 and Brandon Inge 4-for-18. Danks is 6-3 on the road this season and already has recorded a good win against the Tigers.
• David Wright certainly enjoys hitting against Livan Hernandez. He has hit .308 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 39 at-bats. Carlos Beltran checks in better than .300 as well. Henry Blanco should get the start behind the plate, as he is a .407 hitter against the Washington starter. Hernandez has allowed 20 earned runs in his last 15 innings.
• Zack Greinke is 0-3 against the Twins this season with a 10.29 ERA in those starts. That translates to 14 innings pitched but 16 earned runs allowed on 23 hits. They are hitting .365 against him this season. Only Jim Thome at .226, Orlando Hudson at 1-for-10, and Alexi Casilla at .231 stick out as major options to avoid. Look to start all Twins you normally would.
• Gio Gonzalez is 7-3 at home this season and has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts overall. He is holding batters to a .190 mark at home this season and has been especially tough on lefties by keeping them to a .189 average so far this year. Gonzalez is finally over 80 percent owned, but there is still some room to grab him.
• Randy Wells continues to be feast or famine, and he has been struggling lately. Wells has allowed 11 earned runs in his last 17.2 innings over three starts. He is just 3-7 at home this season with a 4.30 ERA and is 0-2 against the Astros in 2010. Start your Astros in this one and keep Wells on the bench.
• Spot Starts: Daniel Hudson, Ivan Nova, Brian Duensing

Thursday Notes

• Very limited slate of games, so we're going to go with just a couple of brief notes today and add the rest for the update tomorrow. This should certainly be enough to get your lineups started and focus on any spot starts.
• Johnny Damon, Jhonny Peralta, and Ryan Raburn need to be in your lineup against Gavin Floyd. Damon is 6-for-11, while Peralta checks in at .381 with two home runs. Even Raburn looks solid with a .400 average in 25 at-bats. Look to avoid Miguel Cabrera and Brandon Inge where possible.
• Matt Cain is 0-2 in three starts against the Padres this year, posting a 4.34 ERA and .284 BAA in the process. The Padres have hit him very well individually. Adrian Gonzalez, Yorvit Torrealba, and David Eckstein are all checking in at better than .310 with Eckstein over .400. Scott Hairston is only 3-for-15.
• Jon Garland is much stronger at home than not. He has posted a 7-4 record inside his own park and only a 2.68 ERA. Jose Guillen is likely to be in the lineup for the Giants. He is 9-for-19 against Garland lifetime. Cody Ross has hit well as well. Look to avoid the 3-for-19 of Edgar Renteria.
• Spot Starts: Bud Norris, Jason Hammel

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com