We go around baseball's rotations and Fantasy's two-start pitcher options every Sunday of the season in our Pitching Planner.
Staff reflections
Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Doug Davis will start Tuesday night's game at Pittsburgh, but manager Bob Melvin says he has not determined the rotation beyond that. The reason being the D-Backs play the red-hot Rockies over the weekend. Davis is sure to be a two-start pitcher, while Brandon Webb, Livan Hernandez, Micah Owings and Edgar Gonzalez should each get one start. Owings is a much riskier option starting in Colorado.
Atlanta Braves: Jeff Bennett likely earned another start, although it won't come until after Chuck James, Tim Hudson and John Smoltz take their turns. Jo-Jo Reyes should get one more start, too. James will be a two-start pitcher, starting the final game of the regular season.
Baltimore Orioles: Jeremy Guthrie (oblique) told MLB.com he's ready to return to the rotation, which could happen Wednesday. Daniel Cabrera (suspension) is returning Monday for a two-start final week, while Brian Burres might also make a pair of starts. Consider him high risk, along with one-start options Jon Leicester and Victor Zambrano.
Boston Red Sox: Since Curt Schilling is expected to be the Red Sox's No. 3 starter in the postseason, we expect him to make two starts in Fantasy Week 26 (Sept. 24-30). There is the possibility the Red Sox have everything clinched before the final Sunday, meaning Schilling wouldn't be needed until the following weekend. If the Red Sox have clinched, Schilling might make an abbreviated outing, but we still see him as a must-start. Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield are all one-start options.
Chicago Cubs: Steve Trachsel threw in a simulated game after Saturday's win and will get the nod Thursday in Florida against the Marlins. He was bumped out of the rotation when the Cubs went with a four-man setup. Ted Lilly will be a two-start pitcher, while Jason Marquis, Trachsel, Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill are one-start options. RHP Mark Prior, who underwent shoulder surgery in April and was lost for the season, joined his teammates Friday and did some light tossing before the game. "I expect to come back. Fortunately, in this day and age, we have the medicine and technology that gives us a second chance," said Prior, who won 18 games in 2003 when the Cubs last made the playoffs. "It's tough being away and watching it. I'm getting an ulcer. Some of these games are getting interesting. They're in a really good position and the next eight days are going to be really fun to watch."
Chicago White Sox: RHP Jose Contreras ranks second in the AL with 16 losses, but he has won his past four decisions and is 5-2 with a 3.11 ERA in his past nine outings. "That's the Jose Contreras we know," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "He's done it before. The last four, five outings he has gone out and just gotten better and better." Contreras will be a two-start pitcher in the final week. Mark Buehrle might not make his final start Thursday, which could go to rookie Heath Phillips or Lance Broadway. Don't start any of those guys this week.
Cincinnati Reds: Homer Bailey, who was solid in his return start, is slated to be a two-start pitcher. Tom Shearn, Matt Belisle, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang are one-start options.
Cleveland Indians: LHP Jeremy Sowers pitched a simulated game Friday and will start a game in the Indians' doubleheader Wednesday against Seattle. RHP Fausto Carmona, 23, starts the other game of the doubleheader and is trying to become the youngest pitcher to lead the AL in ERA since Dave Righetti (22) did it for the New York Yankees in 1981. Tuesday starter Aaron Laffey figures to be a two-start pitcher.
Colorado Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez slides up to Tuesday to be a two-start pitcher in Fantasy Week 26 (Sept. 24-30). Josh Fogg loses his two-start week, but he will be a one-start option with Franklin Morales, Jeff Francis and likely Mark Redman.
Detroit Tigers: RHP Jeremy Bonderman (elbow) said if he responds well to throwing on the side, he might start Tuesday. "We'll see how it feels," he said. "We're still just taking it day by day." If Bonderman doesn't start, RHP Yorman Bazardo is expected to go against Minnesota. Consider them too risky to use at this point. Nate Robertson will be a two-start pitcher, while Jair Jurrjens, Kenny Rogers and Justin Verlander will be one-start options.
Florida Marlins: LHP Chris Seddon started Sunday in place of slumping RHP Sergio Mitre against the Mets. Mitre likely won't pitch again this season, manager Fredi Gonzalez said. Dontrelle Willis moved up to Tuesday to be a two-start pitcher, while Daniel Barone will likely join Scott Olsen, Byung-Hyun Kim and Seddon as one-start options.
Houston Astros: Interim manager Cecil Cooper said RHP Juan Gutierrez, who worked six strong innings Thursday night, should get two more starts Tuesday and Sunday. Wandy Rodriguez, Matt Albers, Brandon Backe and Roy Oswalt are likely one-start options. The team still might take a look at young starting pitcher options, so consider all non-Oswalts risky options.
Kansas City Royals: RHP Brian Bannister is scheduled to start Tuesday, and the Royals plan to shut him down after that. Including starts in the minors, Bannister has already surpassed his career high in innings pitched. "They are going to do what is in the best interest of the team, for me and next year," Bannister said. "There is no reason in doing something that would hurt me in getting ready for next year." LHP Jorge De La Rosa will start Sunday at Detroit, pushing RHP Gil Meche to Monday, and is also scheduled to start the final game of the season. Meche will be the team's lone two-start pitcher. Bannister, Zack Greinke, Billy Buckner, Kyle Davies and Jorge De La Rosa figure to be one-start options. There is only a very slight chance a prospect like Luke Hochevar could get a spot start at this point.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: RHP Bartolo Colon started Saturday against Seattle instead of RHP Kelvim Escobar, who was pushed back because of inflammation in his shoulder. Escobar was going to return Tuesday or Wednesday, but the Angels notes lists Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders as the starters on those days. Colon might get another start before the end of the season, making it unlikely the Angels have a two-start pitcher option at this point. We are not sure John Lackey makes a start before the postseason, because it is likely the Angels want him available for Game 1. Lackey could make an abbreviated start over the weekend to keep himself fresh, though.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Brad Penny is the team's two-start pitcher, while Derek Lowe, Esteban Loaiza, David Wells and Chad Billingsley figure to be one-start options.
Milwaukee Brewers: LHP Chris Capuano will start Sunday in place of Ben Sheets. The decision was made after Sheets threw on the side before Saturday's game. Sheets left Tuesday night's game in Houston after one inning, and an MRI exam found a mild strain of his left hamstring. Sheets will try to be ready for Friday, but Capuano and Claudio Vargas will be potential emergency replacements. RHP Yovani Gallardo, who had his 21-inning scoreless streak ended when he gave up a first-inning run Saturday, will be a one-start pitcher with Carlos Villanueva, while Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan are slated to be two-start pitchers.
Minnesota Twins: RHP Scott Baker flew home to Louisiana after Saturday's start to tend to a family issue, but manager Ron Gardenhire said Baker was removed as a precaution after the second inning this weekend. A line drive hit him on the back of the hand, and he finished the inning despite some numbness. He is questionable for his start Thursday, which could be taken by Boof Bonser. Carlos Silva and Matt Garza are two-start pitchers, while Johan Santana, perhaps Baker and Kevin Slowey are one-start options.
New York Mets: Their rotation figures to remain in a state of flux amid the pennant race and the fact they want to give Pedro Martinez an extra day's rest coming off shoulder surgery. Mike Pelfrey starts Monday and figures to be a two-start pitcher, while we give Tuesday's starter Tom Glavine no chance of starting twice, because he will be held out for Game 1 of the postseason. Phil Humber will be getting a spot start Wednesday before Pedro pitches his regular-season finale Thursday. Oliver Perez and John Maine figure to follow before Pelfrey closes out the season. Orlando Hernandez (foot) won't make another start before the postseason.
New York Yankees: Roger Clemens is being given an extra day to rest his left hamstring and was pushed back until Tuesday night in the New York Yankees' rotation. Clemens tweaked his hamstring while running Thursday and originally was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday. Andy Pettitte will now start Monday's series finale against Toronto on regular rest, and Clemens will start the series opener at Tampa Bay. "We hope he can pitch on Tuesday; we think he will," Yankees manager Joe Torre said on Sunday. "We're putting him back in his slot, which has been behind Andy all year." Clemens should be a two-start pitcher, assuming the Yankees are going with Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte as their first two postseason starters. Pettitte has almost no chance of starting two games this week, since it is likely they hold him out of his Sunday start for Game 1 of the postseason. Ian Kennedy (back) could start Saturday if Pettitte is held out. Phil Hughes and Mike Mussina each should make their one start.
Oakland Athletics: Manager Bob Geren said RHP Rich Harden (1-2, 2.45 ERA), limited to only 25 2/3 innings all season by an inflamed right shoulder, will not start again this season. Harden threw a simulated game Friday and said while he didn't feel pain, he decided it was not worth risking further injury. "I'd love to be out there, but there's no sense in possibly doing damage in two starts -- for what? -- in games that don't mean anything," Harden said. He's scheduled to visit Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Los Angeles Angels' medical director, next week. "We just want to make sure everything is OK," Harden said, adding he plans to pitch in the Instructional League. LHP Dallas Braden (1-7) took Harden's place Sunday and will likely serve as the No. 4 starter in their four-man rotation in Fantasy Week 26 (Sept. 24-30). Chad Gaudin starts Tuesday and likely in the season finale Sunday. Dan Haren and Joe Blanton figure to be one-start options.
Philadelphia Phillies: Jamie Moyer is the team's two-start pitcher, while Kyle Lohse, Adam Eaton, Kyle Kendrick and Cole Hamels figure to be one-start options.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Zach Duke lasted only four innings this weekend, throwing 84 pitches in his first start since June 28. But he wasn't completely discouraged by his outing, just his second since coming off the DL with a sore elbow. He also pitched in relief. "I felt really good out there," Duke said. " I made a few mistakes and they didn't miss them. ... I definitely feel like the quality of my pitches was better. I just left a few up." He will probably get another start Friday. Ian Snell is the team's two-start pitcher, while Matt Morris, Paul Maholm and Tom Gorzelanny are the team's other one-start options.
San Diego Padres: Chris Young should get two starts, despite thoughts he would be the team's No. 2 starter in the postseason. That call will likely go to Greg Maddux behind Jake Peavy. Maddux and Peavy are one-start options, along with No. 5 starter Jack Cassel. No. 4 start Brett Tomko will start Tuesday and likely Sunday in the regular-season finale, making him a two-start pitcher along with Young. RHP Clay Hensley had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder. He's expected to miss at least six months.
San Francisco Giants: LHP Travis Blackley made his Giants debut Sunday. "This is a great opportunity for him with what's opened up here in the rotation," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It allows him to show what he can do in the major leagues, it allows us to take a look at him. Anytime you get this opportunity, you hope the pitcher takes advantage of it and shows what he can do." The Giants are shutting down hard-throwing rookie RHP Tim Lincecum as a precaution. The team's top draft pick from 2006, 10th overall out of Washington, was scheduled to start Friday but was replaced by LHP Pat Misch. Lincecum went 7-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 24 starts and 146 1/3 innings this season. "We just feel at this point with his workload this year and last year it's best to shut him down," Bochy said. "We just feel it's the best thing. He's fine (with the decision). It's the best thing to do. He did have a little fatigue a couple weeks ago." LHP Noah Lowry also definitely won't pitch again in 2007, as the Giants had said would likely be the case. The 14-game winner this year is nursing a mild strain in his elbow but threw Thursday. "He feels fine but we're not going to pitch him," Bochy said. Barry Zito figures to be a two-start pitcher, while Matt Cain, Misch, Kevin Correia and Blackley are the probable one-start options.
Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez is slated to be a two-start pitcher, although history suggest the Mariners might shut him down after his Tuesday start. They have often limited their young ace late in the season. A Wednesday doubleheader makes a six-man rotation necessary, so Ryan Feierabend will remain the No. 5 starter over Horacio Ramirez and Cha Seung Baek will make a spot start. Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Jeff Weaver figure to be the other one-start options.
St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Anthony Reyes has mild tendinitis in his right shoulder and manager Tony La Russa said he will not pitch the rest of the season. The injury is perhaps a result of Reyes, 2-14 with a 6.04 ERA, shuttling between starting and the bullpen. "Who knows?" Reyes said. "I'm not really used to that, so that could be, but I have no idea." Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper are slated to be two-start pitchers and we like their chances to be even though the Cardinals might want to limit their innings in their first full seasons as starters. The Cardinals just don't have any viable fill-ins. Joel Pineiro, Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer figure to be one-start options at this point.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Jason Hammel is slated to be a two-start pitcher, while J.P. Howell, Scott Kazmir, Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson figure to be one-start options.
Texas Rangers: Manager Ron Washington said RHP Brandon McCarthy (forearm tendinitis) is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. McCarthy downplayed reports that his latest injury (forearm tendinitis) could shut him down for the season. "I'll do everything I can to get out and make my last two starts. I would say it's better than 50-50," he said. With RHP Vicente Padilla serving a seven-game suspension, the Rangers will give rookie RHP Armando Galarraga his first major league start. He won't be a two-start pitcher, since Padilla or McCarthy could start on the season's final day.
Toronto Blue Jays: Shaun Marcum is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on either Wednesday or Thursday. Rookie right-hander Josh Banks and righty Josh Towers are the leading candidates to replace Marcum for the outing against the Orioles. Banks has potential, while Towers is nothing more than a high-risk stopgap for the deepest of AL-only leagues. We cannot recommend using either of them in Fantasy Week 26 (Sept. 24-30). A.J. Burnett and Jesse Litsch figure to be two-start pitchers, while Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and Thursday's fill-in will be the one-start options.
Washington Nationals: RHP Shawn Hill will have surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder Oct. 4, and he expects to be able to follow his regular winter preparation for next season. Hill (4-4, 3.01 ERA) has a start remaining this season. RHP Jason Simontacchi had a small bone spur removed from his pitching elbow; he's expected to need three to four months to recover. Matt Chico will be a two-start pitcher, while Jason Bergmann, Hill, Tim Redding and Joel Hanrahan are one-start options.
Week 26 (Sept. 24-30) schedule
| This week's matchups | |||
| AL early | NL early | AL late | NL late |
| TOR@BAL | WAS@NYM | TB@TOR | WAS@PHI |
| KC@CHW | STL@MIL | CLE@KC | STL@PIT |
| MIN@DET | SD@SF | DET@CHW | SD@MIL |
| LAA@TEX | ARI@PIT | LAA@OAK | SF@LAD |
| OAK@BOS | ATL@PHI | MIN@BOS | ATL@HOU |
| NYY@TB | CHC@FLA | NYY@BAL | FLA@NYM |
| CLE@SEA | HOU@CIN | TEX@SEA | CHC@CIN |
| COL@LAD | ARI@COL | ||
| On Wednesday, the Indians play at Seattle for a doubleheader to make up a snowout of an April 9 game. | |||
| Bold denotes a four-game series. | |||
| Italics denotes a two-game series. | |||
| The Blue Jays will wrap up their weekend series with the Yankees on Monday, giving each team seven games this week. | |||
| The Royals will play a game in Baltimore on Monday as a makeup game for an April 15 rainout. | |||
| The following teams play seven games this week: Baltimore, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minnesota, N.Y. Mets, N.Y. Yankees, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis and Toronto. | |||
Two-start pitchers
| This week's two-start pitchers | ||
| Must-start options | ||
| Pitcher | Start No. 1 | Start No. 2 |
| Felix Hernandez | vs. CLE Sabathia | vs. TEX Padilla? |
| Brad Penny | vs. COL Jimenez | vs. SF Zito |
| A.J. Burnett | at NYY Clemens | vs. TB Jackson |
| Chris Young | at SF Zito | at MIL Bush |
| Curt Schilling | vs. OAK Gaudin | vs. MIN Garza |
| Barry Zito | vs. SD Young | at LAD Penny |
| Roger Clemens | vs. TOR Burnett | at BAL Cabrera |
| Ted Lilly | at FLA Willis | at CIN Bailey |
| Adam Wainwright | at MIL Bush | at PIT Gorzelanny |
| Advisable options | ||
| Gil Meche | at BAL Cabrera | vs. CLE Laffey |
| Dontrelle Willis | vs. CHC Lilly | at NYM Pelfrey |
| Doug Davis | at PIT Snell | at COL Jimenez |
| Ian Snell | vs. ARI Davis | vs. STL Looper |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | at LAD Penny | vs. ARI Davis |
| Jamie Moyer | vs. ATL James | vs. WAS Chico |
| Jeff Suppan | vs. STL Looper | vs. SD Tomko |
| Dave Bush | vs. STL Wainwright | vs. SD Young |
| Mike Pelfrey | vs. WAS Chico | vs. FLA Willis |
| Matt Garza | at DET Bonderman? | at BOS Schilling |
| Homer Bailey | vs. HOU Gutierrez | vs. CHC Lilly |
| Nate Robertson | vs. MIN Silva | at CHW Contreras |
| Jose Contreras | vs. KC Bannister | vs. DET Robertson |
| Braden Looper | at MIL Suppan | at PIT Snell |
| Questionable options | ||
| Chad Gaudin | at BOS Schilling | vs. LAA Colon |
| Daniel Cabrera | vs. KC Meche | vs. NYY Clemens |
| Chuck James | at PHI Moyer | at HOU Gutierrez |
| Jesse Litsch | at BAL Burres | vs. TB Hammel |
| Brett Tomko | at SF Cain | at MIL Suppan |
| High-risk options | ||
| Carlos Silva | at DET Robertson | at BOS Wakefield |
| Jason Hammel | vs. NYY Pettitte | at TOR Litsch |
| Matt Chico | at NYM Pelfrey | at PHI Moyer |
| Brian Burres | vs. TOR Litsch | vs. NYY Pettitte? |
| Juan Gutierrez | at CIN Bailey | vs. ATL James |
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