We go around baseball's pitching staffs and Fantasy's two-start pitcher options every Ssunday of the season in our weekly Pitching Planner.
Staff reflections
Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Randy Johnson was fine after his start Thursday, the Big Unit's first since going on the 15-day DL on June 16 with muscle tightness in his buttocks and a sore back. He threw 70 pitches in a 9-5 loss to the Dodgers. "He's getting ready for his next start," manager Bob Melvin said. "I know he wasn't happy with his results yesterday. To me, you've got to cut him a little bit of a break coming off the DL. He has high expectations for himself and expects big things." Melvin hopes Johnson will get up to about 100 pitches in his next outing. Brandon Webb and Johnson are must-start two-start pitchers, especially since the Big Unit will be full go.
Atlanta Braves: RHP Kyle Davies threw a bullpen session and played catch earlier this week and says he was "pain-free." Davies suffered a mild strain of his left oblique last Saturday. Davies will pitch in the Dodgers series Tuesday and be a risky two-start pitcher. John Smoltz is a must-start two-start pitcher.
Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles placed RHP Steve Trachsel on the 15-day disabled list and recalled LHP Kurt Birkins from Triple-A Norfolk. Trachsel, who allowed five runs and nine hits in 1 2/3 innings Friday night, has a strained muscle below his lower back. It was his shortest start of the season. He could miss only one start, because part of his stint on the DL will come during the All-Star break. The Orioles also are considering Garrett Olson, who allowed only two hits for Norfolk on Friday night against Pawtucket to earn his fourth consecutive victory or journeyman Rob Bell. Olson has long-term potential, but that could be the reason the O's stopgap it with Bell, who is a high-risk one-start option for the deepest of AL-only leagues.
Boston Red Sox: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Kason Gabbard and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Chicago Cubs: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano, who is back to being a must-start in all leagues.
Chicago White Sox: The Mark Buehrle saga continued one more day with no apparent resolution. The left-handed starter has been negotiating a new deal with the White Sox for a reported $56 million, but could get traded if something is not agreed to by his next scheduled start Monday against Baltimore. Manager Ozzie Guillen said he's staying out of the discussion. "I'm done with that. Done for good," he said. "That's between Buerhle and the organization. I have more stuff to do than worry about Buerhle's contract." All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Buehrle and Javier Vazquez. A doubleheader Friday necessitates a six-man rotation and red-hot former prospect Gavin Floyd could start one of the games as the No. 6 starter. Consider Floyd in deeper AL-only leagues, but you might want to wait for an official announcement from the White Sox. Floyd would be on regular rest after he starts Sunday in Triple-A.
Cincinnati Reds: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitcher Aaron Harang.
Cleveland Indians: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Fausto Carmona and Paul Byrd. By the way, RHP phenom Adam Miller, one of the top pitching prospects in the minor leagues, pitched two scoreless relief innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday night. He's being groomed for a relief role and could join Cleveland's bullpen after the All-Star break. He is not expected to start games down the stretch, but he's a must-have long-term keeper and will likely open 2008 in the rotation.
Colorado Rockies: Struggling Jason Hirsh starts Monday and could be a two-start pitcher, but a Thursday day off would allow them to slot Aaron Cook on the final day before the All-Star break. Hirsh has been on the bubble for most of the first half, so consider him a high-risk two-start pitcher at this point. We're thinking he won't even get that second start, especially if he struggles again. There is talent there long term, but Hirsh cannot be trusted in Fantasy right now.
Detroit Tigers: With a Monday day off, Nate Robertson will be the team's lone two-start pitcher. Andrew Miller remains in the rotation and Chad Durbin in the bullpen at this point.
Florida Marlins: RHP Ricky Nolasco is throwing five days a week in Jupiter. He is a candidate to return in late July. All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Sergio Mitre and Scott Olsen.
Houston Astros: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Woody Williams and Roy Oswalt.
Kansas City Royals: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers John Thomson and Gil Meche.
L.A. Angels of Anaheim: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitcher Ervin Santana.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Less than an hour after manager Grady Little told reporters the club hadn't decided what to do with LHP Hong-Chih Kuo following his third consecutive sub-par outing, GM Ned Colletti optioned Kuo to Triple-A Las Vegas and recalled RHP D.J. Houlton from the PCL team. Kuo has allowed 17 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings over his past three starts. Little told MLB.com he would consider Houlton, Brett Tomko or Mark Hendrickson for the fifth spot. Tomko pitched in relief Saturday and might stay there at this point. Houlton or Hendrickson are sleepers in deeper NL-only formats in the second half, but should be avoided in Fantasy Week 14 (July 1-8). We think Hendrickson gets the spot at this point.
Milwaukee Brewers: Yovani Gallardo is in the bullpen for the time being. The elite talent shouldn't be there long, but keep him reserved in leagues that don't use true middle men. All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Jeff Suppan and Chris Capuano. Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas will be pitching for their rotation spots at this point. Gallardo is too good to be stuck in middle relief for long. Bush or Vargas could be trade bait at this point.
Minnesota Twins: RHP Matt Garza, recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, will start in one of the games of a doubleheader against the White Sox next Friday. Garza was 4-6 with a 3.62 ERA at Rochester. He could be a candidate to stick in the rotation if Scott Baker struggles in his starts before the All-Star break. Boof Bonser and Carlos Silva will be two-start pitcher options for deeper leagues.
New York Mets: Mike Pelfrey (0-5, 6.53 ERA) will start Sunday in place of Oliver Perez, who has a stiff back. The Mets placed Jorge Sosa (hamstring) on the 15-day DL before the game to make room for Pelfrey. Pelfrey will stay in the rotation until after the All-Star break, starting Friday, July 6 as well. Sosa is a candidate to return the next time the Mets need a No. 5 starter after the All-Star break. Consider the talented, but risky Pelfrey in deeper leagues for Fantasy Week 14 (July 1-8). Perez will miss his two starts this week, too, and the Mets are likely to call on Jason Vargas for a pair of starts. Consider him in deeper NL-only formats. He will be pitching in two hitter's parks, though.
New York Yankees: All five starters will work in succession, including must-start two-start pitchers Roger Clemens and Chien-Ming Wang.
Oakland Athletics: RHP Rich Harden threw 47 pitches over two hitless innings Saturday. He walked two and struck out two. "Rich was throwing the ball real well. Getting him stretched out is something that was real nice," manager Bob Geren said. After spending nine weeks on the DL, Harden is working out of the bullpen as he builds up arm strength for a return to the rotation. "I felt pretty good. I'll see how it feels tomorrow," he said. "It's kind of like spring all over again. There are going to be some mechanical issues." All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Lenny DiNardo and Joe Blanton. DiNardo and Joe Kennedy will be pitching for their rotation spot with Harden a candidate to return to the rotation in late July.
Philadelphia Phillies: J.A. Happ allowed five runs and seven hits in four-plus innings, taking the loss in New York's 8-3 victory. After the game, he was sent back to Ottawa. The Phillies called up RHP Anderson Garcia to take Happ's spot. Garcia was 0-1 with a 3.07 ERA in 18 games for Ottawa. Happ was the 24th pitcher used this season. The team record is 27 in 2000. The other No. 5 candidate J.D. Durbin allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings, but still lowered his ERA by over 70 runs. The right-hander gave up seven runs in two-thirds of an inning in his only other appearance with Arizona this season, and entered Friday's start with a 94.00 ERA. After losing to the Mets, his ERA went down to 21.94. Injured RHP Jon Lieber had an MRI exam on his right foot. A decision on whether he will have season-ending surgery or rehab without surgery will be made next week. Durbin is the Phillies' likely No. 5 starter at this point, but that spot won't be needed in Fantasy Week 14 (July 1-8) with a day off Thursday. Consider Durbin nothing more than a middle reliever this upcoming week. Adam Eaton will be the team's lone two-start pitcher.
Pittsburgh Pirates: LHP Zach Duke was placed on the 15-day DL because of left elbow tendinitis. Shane Youman replaces him in the rotation for a two-start week -- albeit a high-risk one. John Van BenSchoten is a two-start sleeper for deeper NL-only formats.
San Diego Padres: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers David Wells and Greg Maddux.
San Francisco Giants: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitcher Barry Zito.
Seattle Mariners: LHP Horacio Ramirez will make three rehab starts before potentially rejoining the Mariners rotation. Ramirez has been on the DL since May 25 because of left shoulder tendinitis. He will throw 70 pitches in his first start, 85 in the second and 100 in the third. His final rehab start is scheduled for July 10. He made his first rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma, pitching four innings and giving up six hits and six runs against Salt Lake. Ryan Feierabend gets two more starts before the All-Star break and could give way to Ramirez thereafter. Feierabend and Felix Hernandez are two-start pitchers for Fantasy Week 14 (July 1-8).
St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Braden Looper is expected to be activated off the DL and start Monday against Arizona. Looper has been sidelined since June 16 with a sore pitching shoulder. He and Tuesday starter Todd Wellemeyer are likely two-start pitchers. Wellemeyer could lose his rotation spot to struggling Kip Wells for the second start if he doesn't pitch well. Wells had been banished to the bullpen.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Manager Joe Maddon thinks the club's pitching is improving. "I see signs of it getting better, but in order for us to sustain something we need our starters to be more consistent," Maddon said. Entering Friday, Devil Rays pitchers led the AL in strikeouts (549), but had the highest ERA (5.60). No club in AL history has ever done that for a full season. All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Andy Sonnanstine and Scott Kazmir.
Texas Rangers: RHP Brandon McCarthy (blister) is scheduled to be activated from the 15-day DL and start Monday against the Red Sox. He and Kevin Millwood are the team's two-start pitchers, sleepers for deeper leagues. By the way, Vicente Padilla, who's on the DL with a right triceps injury, is expected to resume throwing when the Rangers get home next week. He could be a candidate to return to the rotation in late July. Jamey Wright and Kameron Loe will be pitching for their rotation spots.
Toronto Blue Jays: A.J. Burnett (shoulder) went back on the 15-day DL and Jesse Litsch was called up. Litsch is a potential two-start pitcher if Monday starter Josh Towers is skipped over the weekend. Shaun Marcum is sure to be a two-start pitcher regardless.
Washington Nationals: RHP John Patterson will travel to Toronto to undergo a series of injections to treat the compressed nerve in his right elbow. Patterson, who hasn't pitched for Washington since May 5, chose to undergo the therapy after visiting four specialists in three states last week. RHP Jason Simontacchi, listed as the Nationals' starter Saturday, will start Monday in Chicago. Jason Bergmann (1-4), listed as the starter Monday, will go Saturday night. Acta said that was the rotation all along, but it was mistakenly listed the other way.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Fantasy Week 14 (July 2-8)
| This week's matchups | |||
| AL early | NL early | AL late | NL late |
| MIN@NYY | CHC@WAS | TB@KC | CHC@PIT |
| TB@BOS | MIL@PIT | BOS@DET | MIL@WAS |
| CLE@DET | PHI@HOU | LAA@NYY | NYM@HOU |
| SEA@KC | ARI@STL | SEA@OAK | ARI@CIN |
| BAL@CHW | NYM@COL | BAL@TEX | PHI@COL |
| TOR@OAK | FLA@SD | CLE@TOR | FLA@LAD |
| LAA@TEX | ATL@LAD | MIN@CHW | ATL@SD |
| SF@CIN | SF@STL | ||
| Bold indicates a four-game series. | |||
| Tampa Bay plays at Cleveland Monday, as does Texas at Boston, wrapping up four-game series from this past weekend. All four teams have seven games this week. | |||
| The Twins play at the White Sox in a doubleheader on Friday as a makeup game for an April 6 rainout. So both teams have two four-game series this week (eight games total). | |||
| The following teams play seven games this week: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland, Florida, Houston, L.A. Dodgers, Milwaukee, N.Y. Mets, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Texas and Washington. | |||
Two-start pitcher options
| This week's two-start pitchers | ||
| Must-start options | ||
| Pitcher | Start No. 1 | Start No. 2 |
| Brandon Webb | at STL Looper | at CIN Bailey |
| Carlos Zambrano | at WAS Bowie | at PIT Youman |
| John Smoltz | at LAD Lowe | at SD Wells |
| Daisuke Matsuzaka | vs. TB Kazmir | at DET Robertson |
| Roy Oswalt | vs. PHI Eaton | vs. NYM Perez |
| Derek Lowe | vs. ATL Smoltz | vs. FLA Mitre |
| Aaron Harang | vs. SF Zito | vs. ARI Johnson |
| Chien-Ming Wang | vs. MIN Silva | vs. LAA Santana |
| Felix Hernandez | at KC Meche | at OAK DiNardo |
| Mark Buehrle | vs. BAL Bedard | vs. MIN Bonser |
| Erik Bedard | at CHW Buehrle | at TEX McCarthy |
| Scott Kazmir | at BOS Matsuzaka | at KC Meche |
| Joe Blanton | vs. TOR Burnett | vs. SEA Feierabend |
| Roger Clemens | at CHW Buehrle | at TEX McCarthy |
| Barry Zito | at CIN Harang | at STL Wellemeyer? |
| Randy Johnson | at STL Wellemeyer | at CIN Harang |
| Advisable options | ||
| Ted Lilly | at WAS Simontacchi | at PIT Van Ben Schoten |
| Fausto Carmona | vs. TB Sonnanstine | at TOR Marcum |
| Tom Glavine | at COL Hirsh | at HOU Williams |
| Greg Maddux | vs. FLA Olsen | vs. ATL Davies |
| Javier Vazquez | vs. BAL Cabrera | vs. MIN Silva |
| Randy Wolf | vs. ATL Davies | vs. FLA Olsen |
| Ervin Santana | at TEX Millwood | at NYY Wang |
| Chris Capuano | at PIT Youman | at WAS Bowie |
| Questionable options | ||
| Gil Meche | vs. SEA Hernandez | vs. TB Kazmir |
| Jeff Suppan | at PIT Van BenSchoten | at WAS Simontacchi |
| Boof Bonser | at NYY Clemens | at CHW Vazquez |
| Scott Olsen | at SD Maddux | at LAD Wolf |
| Daniel Cabrera | at CHW Vazquez | at TEX Millwood |
| Jamie Moyer | at HOU Williams | at COL Lopez |
| Nate Robertson | vs. CLE Byrd | vs. BOS Matsuzaka |
| Kevin Millwood | vs. LAA Santana | vs. BAL Cabrera |
| Sergio Mitre | at SD Wells | at LAD Lowe |
| Paul Byrd | at DET Robertson | at TOR Towers? |
| Adam Eaton | at HOU Oswalt | at COL Hirsh |
| Andy Sonnanstine | at CLE Carmona | at KC Thomson |
| David Wells | vs. FLA Mitre | vs. ATL Smoltz |
| Carlos Silva | at NYY Wang | at CHW Buehrle |
| Brandon McCarthy | at BOS Gabbard | vs. BAL Bedard |
| High-risk options | ||
| Jason Hirsh | vs. NYM Glavine | vs. PHI Eaton |
| Braden Looper | vs. ARI Webb | vs. SF Lincecum |
| Lenny DiNardo | vs. TOR Towers | vs. SEA Hernandez |
| Kason Gabbard | vs. TEX McCarthy | at DET Bonderman |
| Josh Towers | at OAK DiNardo | vs. CLE Byrd |
| Woody Williams | vs. PHI Moyer | vs. NYM Glavine |
| Micah Bowie | vs. CHC Zambrano | vs. MIL Capuano |
| Kyle Davies | at LAD Wolf | at SD Maddux |
| John Van BenSchoten | vs. MIL Suppan | vs. CHC Lilly |
| Jason Simontacchi | vs. CHC Lilly | vs. MIL Suppan |
| Todd Wellemeyer? | vs. ARI Johnson | vs. SF? Zito |
| Ryan Feierabend | at KC De La Rosa | at OAK Blanton |
| Jason Vargas | at COL Cook | at HOU Oswalt |
| Shane Youman | vs. MIL Capuano | vs. CHC Zambrano |
Pitch a question
Brad Thomas: I'm in a Head-to-Head Fantasy league that starts six pitchers. I have two-start pitchers Erik Bedard, Aaron Harang and Fausto Carmona going for Week 14. I also have Josh Beckett, Cole Hamels, Ben Sheets, Brad Penny and Papelbon as my closer. I also have Chris Young, but I am aware his suspension could scratch a start. Who would you start?
Emack: Young won't miss a start this week. He will drop his appeal after he starts and serve his suspension in the games before and after the break. We would go with Bedard, Harang, Beckett, Sheets, Penny and Carmona. Hamels, Young and Papelbon are tough sits, but your staff is too good.
Mike Tennyson, Warrenville, Ill.: I have eight starting pitchers going twice next week but I can only start five of them. I have Aaron Harang, Randy Johnson, Ted Lilly, Scott Olsen, John Smoltz, Claudio Vargas, Javier Vazquez and David Wells. Which five do you like?
Emack: Harang, Johnson and Smoltz are always must-starts. Then go with Lilly and Vazquez, who have decent two-start matchups.
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball pitching questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to include "Attn: Pitching Planner" in the subject heading. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.
