We go around baseball's rotations every Sunday of the season in our weekly Pitching Planner. We highlight every matchup, recommended two-start options, sleepers and busts and much more.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Dan Haren vs TEX Padilla
- Max Scherzer vs TEX Harrison, vs LAA Palmer
- Doug Davis vs LAA Lackey
- Jon Garland vs TEX Feldman
- Billy Buckner vs LAA Weaver
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Must-start options | Own% | Start% |
Carlos Zambrano | 97 | 89 |
Javier Vazquez | 97 | 89 |
Zack Greinke | 97 | 87 |
Ryan Dempster | 96 | 81 |
Edwin Jackson | 94 | 78 |
Advisable options | Own% | Start% |
John Danks | 92 | 76 |
Max Scherzer | 92 | 73 |
Tommy Hanson | 84 | 53 |
David Price | 92 | 65 |
Brad Penny | 68 | 45 |
Aaron Cook | 59 | 44 |
Trevor Cahill | 45 | 32 |
Questionable options | Own% | Start% |
Francisco Liriano | 88 | 56 |
Hiroki Kuroda | 74 | 49 |
Matt Palmer | 46 | 33 |
Chien-Ming Wang | 69 | 30 |
Koji Uehara | 39 | 25 |
Livan Hernandez | 36 | 20 |
John Lannan | 31 | 19 |
Todd Wellemeyer | 29 | 18 |
Andrew Miller | 28 | 17 |
Joel Pineiro | 28 | 11 |
Ian Snell | 21 | 11 |
Jeff Suppan | 17 | 11 |
Matt Harrison | 19 | 11 |
Jamie Moyer | 17 | 8 |
Micah Owings | 13 | 7 |
David Huff | 5 | 2 |
Tim Redding | 3 | 2 |
High-risk options | Own% | Start% |
Jonathan O. Sanchez | 31 | 15 |
Russ Ortiz | 2 | 2 |
Garrett Olson | 3 | 2 |
Chad Gaudin | 4 | 2 |
Two-starter(s): Scherzer. He is an advisable in all leagues amid
his hot streak.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: None. We hate the D-Backs matchups this week.
One-week
bust: Everyone not named Haren or Scherzer. Garland and Davis are
veterans useful in deeper leagues when going well, but not this week.
Atlanta Braves
- Derek Lowe vs NYY Pettitte
- Jair Jurrjens vs BOS Beckett
- Javier Vazquez vs CHC Dempster, vs BOS Wakefield
- Kenshin Kawakami vs NYY Chamberlain
- Tommy Hanson vs NYY Wang, vs BOS Penny
Two-starter(s): Vazquez and Hanson. They are at least advisable,
despite tough matchups.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Hanson. We don't like the Braves' matchups this week, but
Hanson is coming into his own and might even be able to beat the beasts
of the AL East.
One-week bust: Jurrjens and Kawakami. We don't
like their matchups. Kawakami is especially risky.
Baltimore Orioles
- Jeremy Guthrie vs WAS Martis
- Koji Uehara at FLA Miller, vs WAS Lannan
- Rich J. Hill at FLA West
- Bradley Bergesen vs WAS Detwiler
- Jason Berken at FLA Nolasco
Two-starter(s): Uehara. He is a useful option as a sleeper in
deeper leagues. His matchups at least are not real threatening.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Bergesen. He
has been pitching like an ace and faces a matchup as favorable as it
gets.
One-week bust: Berken. His last outing was decent by his
standards, but he is not intriguing enough to trust in any formats in
that matchup.
Boston Red Sox
- Josh Beckett at ATL Jurrjens
- Jon Lester at WAS Stammen
- John Smoltz at WAS Zimmermann
- Tim Wakefield at ATL Vazquez
- Brad Penny at WAS Lannan, at ATL Hanson
Two-starter(s): Penny. He is going well and gets winnable
matchups. Consider him advisable in all leagues.
Who is getting
skipped: None. Daisuke Matsuzaka
(shoulder) was going to be skipped, but the Red Sox instead chose to
slot him on the DL.
One-week sleeper: Smoltz and Penny. Their
matchups are good enough to trust them in any formats.
One-week
bust: Wakefield. He is still useful, but he might be the only Red
Sox starter we wouldn't suggest in all leagues this week.
Chicago Cubs
- Carlos Zambrano at DET Jackson, at CHW Danks
- Ryan Dempster at ATL Vazquez, at CHW Buehrle
- Rich Harden at DET Porcello
- Ted Lilly at DET Galarraga
- Randy Wells at CHW Richard
Two-starter(s): Dempster and Zambrano. They are must-start
options in all leagues at this point.
Who is getting skipped:
None.
One-week sleeper: None. The top four starters are
advisable and ...
One-week bust: Wells. All of the Cubs
starters are useful, but less so with the journeyman No. 5 Wells.
Chicago White Sox
- Mark Buehrle vs CHC Dempster
- John Danks vs LAD Kuroda, vs CHC Zambrano
- Gavin Floyd vs LAD Wolf
- Clayton Richard vs LAD Billingsley
- Jose Contreras vs CHC Wells
Two-starter(s): Danks. He is at least advisable in all leagues,
despite the tough matchups. He has gotten his slump out of his system
and should be more like his April self.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Contreras. He has been awesome since his return from
Triple-A and this matchup is the most favorable of the week among White
Sox starters.
One-week bust: Richard. He is facing an elite
contender with their ace on the mound and has been pitching for his
rotation spot. He gets one last chance to stave off top prospect Aaron Poreda. If Richard struggles this week, look out for Poreda
stretching out to replace his fellow rookie in the rotation. You
likely want to take the early flier on Poreda in AL-only leagues right
now.
Cincinnati Reds
- Aaron Harang at CLE Sowers
- Johnny Cueto at TOR Cecil
- Bronson Arroyo at TOR Richmond
- Micah Owings at TOR Tallet, at CLE Huff
- TBD, likely Homer Bailey at CLE Ohka
Two-starter(s): Owings. He has made three solid starts in a row
and has decent matchups. Use him in deeper leagues.
Who is getting
skipped: No. 5 starter TBD. Matt Maloney
was sent back to the minors and Edinson Volquez
(elbow) likely won't be ready to return from the DL the next time the
No. 5 starter's spot comes up June 27. Bailey can start June 22 in
Triple-A and make a spot start June 27. Bailey is scorching in Triple-A,
developing a splitter and allowing just one earned run in his past 31
innings. Consider Bailey a sleeper for deeper NL-only formats this week.
He won't be announced as the starter until after a start Monday, though.
One-week
sleeper: Owings. He is hot and useful if you want to take a chance
on someone owned in just 13 percent of CBSSports.com's leagues.
One-week
bust: None. All of the Reds starters look like decent options this
week.
Cleveland Indians
- Cliff Lee at PIT Ohlendorf
- Carl Pavano at PIT Duke
- Jeremy Sowers vs CIN Harang
- David Huff at PIT Snell, vs CIN Owings
- Tomo Ohka vs CIN Bailey?
Two-starter(s): Huff. He is useful in AL-only leagues in those
matchups. Although he has a 7.09 ERA, he has been much better of late,
going 2-1 with a 5.24 ERA and a .273 batting-average against in June.
Huff is much better than he has pitched and might be able to help you
this week.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Huff. We might have said Sowers, but Huff is slightly more
intriguing due to double starts and more upside.
One-week bust: Pavano
and Ohka. We wouldn't trust them in any leagues in those matchups.
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Player | % Change | |
1. | Jason Frasor, RP, Blue Jays | 25 |
2. | Aaron Cook, SP, Rockies | 20 |
3. | Scott Richmond, SP, Blue Jays | 19 |
4. | Matt Palmer, SP, Angels | 17 |
5. | Trevor Cahill, SP, Athletics | 15 |
6. | Brad Bergesen, SP, Orioles | 15 |
7. | Ricky Romero, SP, Blue Jays | 11 |
8. | John Lannan, SP, Nationals | 11 |
9. | Nick Blackburn, SP, Twins | 10 |
10. | J.P. Howell, RP, Rays | 10 |
Colorado Rockies
- Aaron Cook at LAA Palmer, at OAK Cahill
- Ubaldo Jimenez at LAA Santana
- Jason Marquis at LAA Saunders
- Jason Hammel at OAK Anderson
- Jorge De La Rosa at OAK Braden
Two-starter(s): Cook. He has won his past three starts. At just
58 percent ownership, he is ridiculously underowned and is an
outstanding pick-up if you want a two-starter with two-win potential.
Who
is getting skipped: None. They do have a Thursday off day, but we
don't see a real reason to skip Hammel or De La Rosa during the weekend
series to slot one of them the following set at the first-place Dodgers.
One-week
sleeper: Cook. As stated above, Cook is as promising of a two-start
sleeper as you can get off the waiver wire right now.
One-week
bust: De La Rosa and Hammel. Their recent outings make them too
risky to trust in mixed leagues, especially since one of them has a
chance at being skipped. They will be pitching for their rotation spot
with Franklin Morales showing
improvement in Triple-A.
Detroit Tigers
- Justin Verlander at HOU Backe?
- Edwin Jackson vs CHC Zambrano, at HOU Ortiz
- Rick Porcello vs CHC Harden
- Armando Galarraga vs CHC Lilly
- Alfredo Figaro at HOU Rodriguez
Two-starter(s): Jackson. He is must-start in all leagues at this
point.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: None.
The top three are advisable in any format, while the last two ...
One-week
bust: Galarraga and Figaro. We cannot advise using these guys.
Figaro was decent in his debut, but that was merely a five-inning
outing. He needs to show us more before you can trust him.
Florida Marlins
- Josh Johnson at TB Shields
- Ricky Nolasco vs BAL Berken
- Chris Volstad at TB Niemann
- Andrew Miller vs BAL Uehara, at TB Price
- Sean West vs BAL Hill
Two-starter(s): Miller. He is coming off his worst start of the
year, but he really hasn't had an implosion outing. Consider him
questionable in smaller leagues, but advisable in deeper ones.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Miller. At 28
percent ownership, he is a nice flier if you need a talented young arm
with upside long term. His matchups are winnable, too.
One-week
bust: Volstad. He has been beaten up in his past two starts and
faces one of the most productive offensive teams in baseball.
Houston Astros
- Roy Oswalt vs KC Hochevar
- Wandy Rodriguez vs DET Figaro
- Russ Ortiz vs KC Greinke, vs DET Jackson
- Brian Moehler vs KC Bannister
- Brandon Backe vs DET Verlander
Two-starter(s): Ortiz. He is a high-risk option, especially with
those tough matchups.
Who is getting skipped: Backe. He could
be used the next time the No. 5 starter's spot is needed June 27, though.
One-week
sleeper: None. The top two are advisable or must-start options,
while the other three ...
One-week bust: Ortiz, Moehler and
Backe. We see little reason to subject yourself to the potentially
damning outings of this veteran trio.
Kansas City Royals
- Zack Greinke at HOU Ortiz, at PIT Snell
- Gil Meche at PIT Morton
- Brian Bannister at HOU Moehler
- Luke Hochevar at HOU Oswalt
- Sidney Ponson or Bruce Chen at PIT Maholm
Two-starter(s): Greinke. Despite his less inspiring outings of
late, he remains a must-start ace in all leagues.
Who is getting
skipped: No. 5 starter TBD. The Royals next need a No. 5 starter
(after the demotion of Kyle Davies) June
27 at Pittsburgh.
One-week sleeper: Bannister. Three
consecutive solid starts and a very favorable matchup coming up. Start
him in mixed leagues.
One-week bust: Hochevar. After showing
some promise, he imploded last time out and now has to face an ace this
week.
Los Angeles Angels
- John Lackey at ARI Davis
- Jered Weaver at ARI Buckner
- Ervin Santana vs COL Jimenez
- Joe Saunders vs COL Marquis
- Matt Palmer vs COL Cook, at ARI Scherzer
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TM | |
1 | Roy Halladay | TOR |
2 | Aaron Cook | COL |
3 | Brad Penny | BOS |
4 | Trevor Cahill | OAK |
5 | Brad Bergesen | BAL |
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TM | |
1 | Chris Volstad | FLA |
2 | Ervin Santana | LAA |
3 | Joe Saunders | LAA |
4 | Carl Pavano | CLE |
5 | Clayton Richard | CHW |
Two-starter(s): Palmer. He is a sleeper for deeper leagues, but
we really don't like his matchups and have to consider him a
questionable option better left for AL-only formats.
Who is
getting skipped: None. They have a Thursday off day, but we don't
see them skipping Palmer on Sunday to keep Santana and Saunders on
regular rest.
One-week sleeper: Palmer. He is a bit harder to
trust in those matchups at this point.
One-week bust: Santana
and Saunders. They haven't been pitching consistently lately and face
the streaking Rockies and a pair of pitchers going well.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Chad Billingsley at CHW Richard
- Randy Wolf at CHW Floyd
- Clayton Kershaw vs SEA Vargas
- Hiroki Kuroda at CHW Danks, vs SEA Olson
- Jeff Weaver, Eric Milton or James McDonald vs SEA Hernandez
Two-starter(s): Kuroda. His poor recent outings make him a
questionable option best left for NL-only formats right now.
Who
is getting skipped: TBD No. 5 starter. That spot isn't needed until
June 27, when Weaver could get another start or Milton could return from
a one-start rehab assignment. Also, red-hot Triple-A starter McDonald,
who was recalled from Triple-A to pitch in relief this weekend, could be
an option to spot start, perhaps.
One-week sleeper: Kuroda.
You are taking a bit of a risk in mixed formats, but at least the
struggling starter will be backed by a first-place team and has a
favorable second matchup.
One-week bust: Weaver, Milton or
McDonald. We cannot be sure which one will get the nod at this point and
the matchup is unfavorable anyway.
Milwaukee Brewers
- Yovani Gallardo vs SF Cain
- Jeff Suppan vs MIN Liriano, vs SF Sanchez
- Braden Looper vs MIN Blackburn
- Dave Bush (questionable, shoulder) might be held out until June 27 vs SF Zito
- TBD, perhaps Mike Burns or Manny Parra vs MIN Baker
Two-starter(s): Suppan. He has had four consecutive solid starts.
Consider him in deeper leagues.
Who is getting skipped: Bush
and No. 5 starter perhaps. Bush is banged up and likely will not start
Thursday vs. the Twins. That start could go to Parra back up from the
minor leagues or Burns. Parra was tentatively slated to make a second
Triple-A start Tuesday at this point.
One-week sleeper:
Suppan. He is worth trusting in those matchups.
One-week bust: Bush.
He is banged up, struggling and might not make a start this week.
Minnesota Twins
- Kevin Slowey (questionable, side) at STL Wellemeyer
- Scott Baker at MIL TBD Burns or Parra
- Nick Blackburn at MIL Looper
- Francisco Liriano at MIL Suppan, at STL Pineiro
- Glen Perkins at STL Wainwright
Two-starter(s): Liriano. He is a questionable option amid his
first-half struggles. We cannot advise trusting him outside of AL-only
leagues against two solid contenders with potent offenses.
Who is
getting skipped: Slowey. A muscle strain in his side will push him
back until the next time the Twins need a No. 5 starter June 27.
One-week
sleeper: Blackburn. He is one of the more underowned young pitchers
in Fantasy at 69 percent and has posted six consecutive quality starts.
He has arguably been the ace of the Twins' staff.
One-week bust: Slowey.
He is moving back and facing the potent Cardinals if he does pitch. That
is reason enough for us to advise you avoid him at this point.
New York Mets
- Johan Santana vs STL Carpenter
- Mike Pelfrey vs NYY Sabathia
- Livan Hernandez vs STL Pineiro, vs NYY Wang
- Tim Redding vs STL Wellemeyer, vs NYY Burnett
- Fernando Nieve vs STL Thompson
Two-starter(s): Redding and Hernandez. They are questionable
options who haven't pitched that poorly, but they face two top
contenders with great offenses. We cannot advise using them outside of
NL-only formats.
Who is getting skipped: None. Returns of John Maine and/or Oliver Perez next
weekend could affect the two-start pitchers, but it is already certain
the surprising Nieve will get a start Wednesday vs. the Cardinals.
One-week
sleeper: Nieve. He has been effective and draws the only favorable
opposiing pitcher/matchup the Mets get this week.
One-week bust: Redding
and Hernandez. Taking a chance on either one of these two-starters is a
recipe for disappointment, if not disaster, this week.
New York Yankees
- CC Sabathia at NYM Pelfrey
- A.J. Burnett at NYM Redding
- Andy Pettitte at ATL Lowe
- Joba Chamberlain at ATL Kawakami
- Chien-Ming Wang at ATL Hanson, at NYM Hernandez
Two-starter(s): Wang. He is at best a questionable option until
he proves effective and worthy of keeping his rotation spot.
Who
is getting skipped: Burnett. He is serving a reduced five-game
suspension through Friday and will be eligible to return when the
Yankees next need a No. 5 starter June 27 at the Mets. A day off Monday
will allow the Yankees to maintain their five-man rotation this week,
although Wang will be evaluated on a start-to-start basis.
One-week
sleeper: None. We consider their top four advisable options and the
No. 5 ...
One-week bust: Wang. His velocity might be back, but
the consistency is not. Consider him a risky option best avoided still.
Oakland Athletics
- Dallas Braden vs COL De La Rosa
- Josh Outman (elbow, questionable) vs SF Johnson
- Vin Mazzaro vs SF Lincecum
- Trevor Cahill vs SF Sanchez, vs COL Cook
- Brett Anderson vs COL Hammel
Two-starter(s): Cahill. He is a nice sleeper for deeper leagues
amid his six-start hot streak.
Who is getting skipped: None.
Outman might miss his start, though. Dana Eveland
or Gio Gonzalez, both hot in Triple-A,
are candidates to replace Outman if he cannot go.
One-week
sleeper: Cahill. His matchups are not overwhelming and his
surprising consistency in June makes him someone you could trust.
One-week
bust: Outman. He might not start and could be a candidate for the DL
after being unable to make it through two innings.
Philadelphia Phillies
- Cole Hamels at TOR Mills
- Joe Blanton at TB Garza
- Jamie Moyer at TB Price, at TOR Halladay
- J.A. Happ at TOR Romero
- Antonio Bastardo at TB Sonnanstine
Two-starter(s): Moyer. He is a questionable option best left for
deeper NL-only leagues at this point.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Happ. He was better last time out and gets a winnable
matchup behind the struggling Phillies, who could heat up very soon.
They don't tend to stay down for long.
One-week bust: Bastardo.
A shaky rookie against a potent Rays lineup is not a matchup you want to
exploit.
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Zach Duke vs CLE Pavano
- Paul Maholm vs KC TBD
- Ian Snell vs CLE Huff, vs KC Greinke
- Ross Ohlendorf vs CLE Lee
- Charlie Morton vs KC Meche
Two-starter(s): Snell. With three consecutive quality starts, he
is a sleeper for deeper leagues. We don't like his second matchup,
though.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Snell.
He has been better of late and could be a risk worth taking if you need
a replacement starter.
One-week bust: Ohlendorf. He was beat
up last time out and will face the Indians' ace.
San Diego Padres
- Kevin Correia at TEX Holland
- Chad Gaudin at SEA Olson, at TEX Harrison
- Josh Geer at SEA Morrow
- Walter Silva at TEX Millwood
- Wade LeBlanc at SEA Washburn
Two-starter(s): Gaudin. He is a risky option best avoided,
especially with that second outing at the dangerous Rangers in Texas.
Who
is getting skipped: Perhaps LeBlanc. The Padres list Thursday's
series finale starter at Seattle as TBD, which means it could be new
"staff ace" Correia on regular rest instead of LeBlanc. The Padres need
a No. 5 starter by June 27, so it should be expected LeBlanc gets a
start at Texas if he doesn't start Thursday.
One-week sleeper:
Correia. We would be a lot more interested in touting him as useful if
we knew he would be kept on regular rest to start at Seattle instead of
Texas.
One-week bust: LeBlanc. He struggled in his first start
and might have to face the Rangers instead of the Mariners -- if he even
remains in the rotation. Frankly, you have to be desperate to trust any
Padres starting pitcher at this point.
San Francisco Giants
- Tim Lincecum at OAK Mazzaro
- Matt Cain at MIL Gallardo
- Randy Johnson at OAK Outman?
- Barry Zito at MIL Bush?
- Jonathan Sanchez at OAK Cahill, at MIL Suppan
Two-starter(s): Sanchez. He is a risky option that likely should
be avoided in any league after his awful past outing.
Who is
getting skipped: None. There is a slight possibility the Giants move
Sanchez off his weekend start to slot Lincecum on regular rest, but it
is not quite that time of the year for the Giants to be doing that with
their young ace, though.
One-week sleeper: Zito. He took a
no-hitter into the seventh Sunday and is the type of junkballer that can
expose aggressive slugging teams like the Rangers (Sunday) and the
Brewers (next).
One-week bust: Sanchez. His double starts
might lure you, but his 10 hits and six runs in less than four innings
last time out makes him too risky to use outside of deeper NL-only
formats.
Seattle Mariners
- Felix Hernandez at LAD Weaver
- Jarrod Washburn vs SD LeBlanc?
- Brandon Morrow vs SD Geer
- Garrett Olson vs SD Gaudin, at LAD Kuroda
- Jason M. Vargas at LAD Kershaw
Two-starter(s): Olson. He is 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA and a .198 BAA
as a starter, but we are still skeptical. Consider him risky.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Morrow. In two
brief starts, he has a 3.86 ERA and could prove to be a full-time
starter going forward. You have to like his chances getting through five
and winning his next matchup.
One-week bust: Vargas. He
overcame his worst start of the season by pitching arguably his best.
You shouldn't like his matchup this week.
St. Louis Cardinals
- Chris Carpenter at NYM Santana
- Adam Wainwright vs MIN Perkins
- Todd Wellemeyer at NYM Redding, vs MIN Slowey?
- Joel Pineiro at NYM Hernandez, vs MIN Liriano
- Brad Thompson at NYM Nieve
Two-starter(s): Wellemeyer and Pineiro. They are questionable
options in those matchups. Only take the risk in deeper leagues amid
their recent struggles.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Pineiro. Despite losing his past five starts, he really
hasn't pitched that poorly. His matchups are a bit tough, but his
opposing pitchers really aren't that much of a deterrent
One-week
bust: Thompson. He has won back-to-back starts, but we have a
feeling it will be dangerous to trust him still.
Tampa Bay Rays
- James Shields vs FLA Johnson
- Matt Garza vs PHI Blanton
- David Price vs PHI Moyer, vs FLA Miller
- Andy Sonnanstine vs PHI Bastardo
- Jeff Niemann vs FLA Volstad
Two-starter(s): Price. At 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA, he is intriguing
enough to consider advisable in all leagues. His command has been poor,
but he is too promising to sit.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: None. The top three are advisable in all leagues, while ...
One-week
bust: Sonnanstine and Niemann. They have struggled enough to make us
recommend you avoid them in those matchups right now. They will be
pitching for their rotation spot this week with Scott Kazmir (quad) working his way back on a rehab assignment. It is
conceivable Kazmir is ready to return next Sunday, which could move
Price off his second start.
Texas Rangers
- Kevin Millwood vs SD Silva
- Vicente Padilla at ARI Haren
- Scott Feldman at ARI Garland
- Matt Harrison at ARI Scherzer, vs SD Gaudin
- Derek Holland vs SD Correia
Two-starter(s): Harrison. He is not quite up to his previous
status as a sleeper in mixed leagues right now. That could come soon,
but we cannot advise you trusting it to.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Feldman. At 5-2 with a 4.02 ERA, he has been surprisingly
effective for owners in deeper leagues. That is a solid matchup, too.
One-week
bust: Holland. The talented young starter is coming off the best
start of his career and has a favorable matchup, but we obviously don't
believe you should trust him just yet.
Toronto Blue Jays
- Ricky Romero vs PHI Happ
- Scott Richmond vs CIN Arroyo
- Brian Tallet vs CIN Owings
- Brett Cecil vs CIN Cueto
- Brad Mills vs PHI Hamels
Two-starter(s): None. Roy Halladay
(groin) will throw off a mound Tuesday and is eligible to return Sunday,
June 28. That means the Blue Jays will go with a six-man rotation for
the time being, with all of the above getting one start before Halladay
slots back in on Tallet's next regular turn.
Who is getting
skipped: Mills. The No. 5 starter won't be used until Saturday, June
27.
One-week sleeper: Halladay. He is a risky option amid the
uncertainty surrounding his return, but the Blue Jays were being
cautious slotting him on the DL and you have to figure he will be able
to make his return start Sunday vs. the Phillies and Moyer. Halladay is
a must-start if we were certain he could start. He might be worth the
risk regardless, especially in leagues that score big negative for bad
starts. A zero from Halladay is better than a potential minus-10 by some
bum off the waiver wire.
One-week bust: Cecil and Mills. The
rookies are risky in any matchups, much less those.
Washington Nationals
- John Lannan vs BOS Penny, at BAL Uehara
- Shairon Martis at BAL Guthrie
- Jordan Zimmermann vs BOS Smoltz
- Ross Detwiler at BAL Bergesen
- Craig Stammen vs BOS Lester
Two-starter(s): Lannan. He has been pitching well of late, but he
remains a questionable option because of the tough first matchup vs. the
Red Sox.
Who is getting skipped: None. A back-end starter
could be a candidate for a demotion after this week with Scott Olsen (shoulder) making perhaps one last rehab start Wednesday.
One-week
sleeper: Detwiler. The top prospect has been quality of late and
gets a decent matchup as he pitches for his rotation spot. We can only
advise using him in NL-only formats, though.
One-week bust:
Zimmermann and Stammen. They are one-start pitchers against the potent
Red Sox. You have to avoid them to avert a potential disaster.
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