I rarely ever have to double check which team a guy is pitching for, but today it happened no less than 5 times. You may want to take some of these home/road stats with a grain of salt because some are calling new places home now. MLB.com (that’s right, I’m blaming them) had Bedard listed as the Pittsburgh starter when this chart was made last night, but now it’s Wandy Rodriguez against the team that traded him when it’s too late to change it.

A full glossary, explaining the chart columns in detail can be found here. Many stats in the chart were compiled using the fangraphs.com database. We’re now referencing Seamheads.com for Park Factors. Remember to check updated wind conditions and weather reports throughout the day. Feedback and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. What would you like to see in our DFB Starting Pitcher Analysis?

C.Wilson: Wilson has struck out at least 6 in each of his last 3, where he hadn’t struck out more than 4 in any of the 5 starts before that. He’s been blessed with exceptional defenses for the last couple of years, helping to keep his BABIP below league average for his entire career as a starter. Tampa Bay is the 5^th worst offense in the AL vs LHP and has the highest K-rate (an astounding 25.4%) against them in the majors.  They’ve only scored more than 3 runs once in their last 6 games. C.J. has allowed more than 3 ER’s only once in 8 home games this year (has allowed exactly 3 five times though). Good Value

Notes from the Top: This is the 1^st time that C.Sabathia has faced the Red Sox this year. J.Cueto has allowed 3 ER’s or less in 18 of 20 starts. J.Zimmermann has pitched at least 6 innings in all 20 starts this year and has allowed 2 ER’s or less in each of his last 8 and no more than 4 in any. I.Kennedy has allowed less than 4 ER’s only twice in 6 home starts since April and both of times it was against Colorado. M.Harrison hasn’t given up a HR in Texas since May 12^th, 5 starts and only 2 in 8 home starts total.

J.Blanton: SIERA is always high on Blanton because it loves his 6.35 K/BB this year and it expects his HR rate to more or less come into line with the league average, but that’s the kind of thing that occurs over time rather than in any given start or small stretch. If you’re tossing up meatballs, you’re gonna get hammered and those who can’t stop allowing HR’s don’t last in the league, those that do come back in line with their SIERA’s. He has 1 BB or less and at least 6 K’s in 8 of his last 9 starts and also allowed 3 ER’s or less in 4 of his last 5. However, that one shaky start was against Atlanta, but he’s also dominated them once this year too. Atlanta is a bigger park and most of his HR troubles have been at home (8 HR’s on road to 14 at home). I understand Blanton is near the top on some sites where he still might be ok, but I really like him more on sites where he sits on the middle of the board. Good Value

Notes from the Middle: C.Billingsley has 17 K’s, 1 BB, and 0 HR’s over his last 3 starts (18 IP), but has only gone more than 6 innings 4 times this year. M.Minor has not allowed more than 2 ER’s in any of his 3 July starts. W.Rodriguez has allowed at least 3 ER’s in 9 of his last 11 starts, but Houston has the 2^nd worst wRC+ in the majors vs LHP. B.Colon has not pitched on the road since May 12^th (5 starts) and Baltimore has scored 15 runs in their last 2 games. For his career, C.Young’s ERA (3.91) is 0.59 below his SIERA (4.50) and his 0.44 GB/FB includes a 21.9 Infield Fly% this year.

B.Chen: Jeremy Guthrie proved last night that he sucks in any environment, but rest assured, Seattle is still has the worst wRC+ at home in the majors by 22% and they are 3^rd worst vs LHP. Chen had allowed 9 HR’s in 4 starts previous to not allowing any in his last one. Guess what Seattle is going to help him do? He can be ok when he keeps the ball in the park. Good Value

Notes from the Bottom: Last night was only the 2^nd time in 10 games that Washington failed to score at least 5 runs and both times were shutouts. J.Kelly has not allowed more than 2 ER’s in any of his 5 home starts despite 12 BB’s and 11 K’s in his last 3 and mostly due to a .209 July BABIP. T.Hunter has allowed at least HR in 15 of 17 appearances this year (2 in relief – both with HR’s), including 9 straight. A.Galarraga last pitched in the major leagues on May 16^th of last year.

*Top Values for Saturday: None

Good Values: Joe Blanton, C.J. Wilson, Bruce Chen

Sleeper Alert: None

Top Draft Targets: C.C. Sabathia, Wilson, Blanton

*Players are priced differently across sites. A top value on one site may not be so on another. All values are a consensus generalization.

This is the 2^nd day in a row that nobody stands far above the rest, which I tried to make up for today with the extra notes.