We’re going to go with the added notes again today, hopefully allowing at least a mention and bit of information on most pitchers. Zack Greinke gets his 1^st start for the Angels and I almost thought I’d wake up to hear the Josh Johnson was scratched from his Marlins start and moved to another team, but Francisco Liriano who was supposed to start for the Twins today is now in a White Sox uniform. All the insanity ends in just a couple of days.

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?

F.Hernandez: Felix hit 3 Yankee batters and did not have his best stuff last time out. Even so, he allowed just 2 ER’s, which was only the 2^nd time in 8 starts that he allowed more than a single ER. He also allowed his 1^st HR in 9 starts. The Royals have scored a total of 5 runs in the first 3 games of this series and now they’re even facing a real pitcher. The King is priced high, but not absurdly so for what is expected of him. Good Value

C.Kershaw: Kershaw may have had the worst start of his life last time out vs the Cards. He was rolling along until the 5^th inning and then everything fell apart. The caveat here was that it was over 100 degrees as it can sometimes be in St Louis. The good news is that it drops his price here and he has a track record of being pretty awesome on the road. He already has 2 fantastic starts against the Giants this year (14 IP – 13 H – 4 ER – 2 HR – 3 BB – 15 K – 57 BF), including one in SF. The Giants have been struggling since losing Sandoval again. Top Value

A.Wainwright: Many people expected Wainwright to be back to form and rolling come mid-summer and they would be right. He’s allowed 2 ER’s or less in 3 of his last 4 and has struck out at least 7 in 7 of his last 9. Even better news is that his 66.2 LOB% still probably should rise a bit closer to his 75.6% career average. The Cubs, of course, are the Cubs. Just make sure to check the wind conditions. Top Value

Z.Greinke: Having his situation settled should do wonders for Greinke’s psyche. After that fiasco where he started 3 consecutive games for the Brewers around the AS break, he took a start off and came back strong last time out. He also goes from having one of the lesser defenses in the majors to having one of the better ones behind him in LA, pitching in a better park, against an offense that has scored more than 3 runs just once in their last 7 games. I expect a huge debut from Greinke today. Top Value

Notes from the Top: R.Vogelsong has allowed more than 3 ER’s only once this season and has completed 6 innings in every start. R.Dickey has allowed at least 4 ER’s in 4 of his last 6 starts and after allowing 2 HR’s in his previous 13 starts, has allowed one in 3 straight. G.Gonzalez faces a Brewers offense that is 3^rd best in the NL vs LHP and 4^th best at home in the NL. H.Kuroda had his worst start of the last 2 months vs the Red Sox the only time he’s faced them this season. J.McDonald since AS break: 15.2 IP – 15 ER – 5 HR – 12 BB – 10 K – 80 BF.

J.Johnson: Now we’re just ridiculous. Everyone can’t be a great value, can they? But Johnson hasn’t allowed more than a single run in 4 of his last home start with at least 6 K’s each time. In fact, he’s only allowed more than 3 ER’s in his new home park twice this year. His LOB% for July is sitting at 53.7%. That number is bound to regress somewhat and he is coming off of one of his best starts of the year. San Diego may be competent offensively on the road, but don’t confuse that with good. Top Value

R.Halladay: Halladay in the middle of the board? Has he been that bad? Maybe he’s not dominating anymore, but there’s got to be something left in the tank. It may end up being a mistake, but he still has a 4.33 K/BB and similar batted ball profile, although a career high 22 LD% is a bit concerning, but the BABIP is still league average. The biggest difference is a 66.5 LOB% which is the lowest of his career. It’s almost criminal not to give him a shot at this price against an Atlanta team that hasn’t really been crushing it over the past week, winning mostly with pitching. Top Value

Notes from the Middle: W.Chen has a 1.29 gap between his home xFIP and ERA on the fortunate side. P.Maholm has not allowed more than a single ER in his last 5 starts, but, you know….the Cardinals smash LHP. J.Saunders is facing the top road offense in the NL, although he has not allowed more than 3 ER’s in 7 starts going back to May. F.Liriano is not pitching for the Twins today because I just found out he is no longer a member of their team. M.Latos (11 K – 7 BB) has not lasted past the 5^th inning in any of his 3 post AS break starts.

L.Harrell: Understandably, there’s a lot of good on the board today, so Harrell may fly under the radar again, but he shouldn’t. He’s allowed 1 ER or less with 6 or more K’s in 5 of his last 6 starts and while still winning, the Pirates offense (meaning McCutchen) has cooled down. This young pitcher is one of the few things going right with the Astros right now. Sleeper Alert

Notes from the Bottom: T.Blackley has a 1.34 gap between his road xFIP and ERA, also on the fortunate side. B.Cecil has 13 K’s and 4 BB’s over his last 12 IP. G.Floyd has walked 13 and struck out 7 in July. U.Jimenez faces the top home offense in the majors, which has scored 23 runs in the last 2 days. S.Feldman (17 K – 2 BB – 24 IP) has not allowed more than 4 ER’s in any of his last 4 starts and has gone at least 6 innings in 3 of them.

*Top Values for Sunday: Zack Greinke, Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright, Josh Johnson, Clayton Kershaw

Good Values: Felix Hernandez

Sleeper Alert: Lucas Harrell

Top Draft Targets: Greinke, Kershaw, Hernandez, Wainwright, Halladay, Johnson,

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

I guess we’re making up for having no Top Values the past 2 days.