We go around baseball's pitching staffs and Fantasy's two-start pitcher options every Sunday of the season in our weekly Pitching Planner.
Staff reflections
Arizona Diamondbacks: Doug Davis will start Friday's tilt against San Diego, followed by Livan Hernandez, Brandon Webb and Micah Owings. The fifth spot in the rotation is still up for grabs between Yusmeiro Petit and Edgar Gonzalez, but Fantasy owners won't have to worry about that until Fantasy Week 16. In Fantasy Week 15, Owings won't make a start and should be reserved in all leagues.
Atlanta Braves : Tim Hudson, Chuck James and Buddy Carlyle will pitch for the Braves over the weekend, leaving Kyle Davies on the outside looking in Week 15. John Smoltz (shoulder) is slated to start on July 18 at Cincinnati, the day he's eligible to come off the disabled list. He should be a safe start in Week 16, but has to be reserved for the upcoming scoring period.
Baltimore Orioles : Jeremy Guthrie, Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Garrett Olson will take the hill during the Orioles' four-game set at the White Sox, leaving only Brian Burress out of the picture for Week 15. Make sure to reserve Burress in all Fantasy formats. Olson lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his major league debut on June 2. The rookie lefty is a very low-end option this week.
Boston Red Sox : The Red Sox play a four-game series vs. Toronto after the break, leaving only Kason Gabbard out of the mix for Week 15. He may or may not be a two-start pitcher in Week 16, depending on the recovery of Curt Schilling (shoulder). Schilling is to be re-evaluated over the weekend.
Chicago Cubs : All-Star snub Carlos Zambrano will pitch the first game after the All-Star break having pitched the last game prior to it for the Cubs. He'll be followed by Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis in the remainder of the three-game set, leaving Rich Hill and Sean Marshall out of the Fantasy picture for Week 15.
Chicago White Sox : Fresh off his new deal and with all the trade talk behind him, Mark Buehrle will take the hill for the ChiSox on Friday at Baltimore. Jon Garland will pitch the first game out of the break on Thursday despite the fact that he's been dealing with a knot in his shoulder that was a problem for him in the spring. Garland told pitching coach Don Cooper that he felt fine on Sunday. Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras will finish off the four-game set, leaving John Danks to pitch on Monday. Danks should be reserved in Fantasy leagues in Week 15, but will be a two-starter for Week 16.
Cincinnati Reds : Bronson Arroyo will pitch Thursday's series opener at the N.Y. Mets on six days rest, allowing Aaron Harang to pitch on his normal five-day rest Friday. Matt Belisle and Kyle Lohse are slated to pitch Saturday and Sunday. Homer Bailey, who was optioned to Triple-A Louisville Sunday in a roster maneuver that netted the Reds an extra position player, is expected to be called up for his next start on Monday. That leaves him on the outside looking in for Week 15, however.
Cleveland Indians : The Indians will come out of the break against the Royals with Jake Westbrook pitching the first game of the series Friday. That will allow staff ace C.C. Sabathia to get an extra day of rest after his All-Star game appearance. Sabathia will pitch Saturday and Fausto Carmona will wrap up the series on Sunday. That leaves Cliff Lee and Paul Byrd out for Week 15.
Colorado Rockies : Jeff Francis, Rodrigo Lopez and Aaron Cook will take the mound for the weekend series at Milwaukee, leaving Taylor Buchholz and Josh Fogg ... well ... in the fog for Week 15.
Detroit Tigers : Skipper Jim Leyland reshuffled his rotation to slot crafty veteran Kenny Rogers in between fireballers Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander. No. 5 starter Andrew Miller will stay on normal rest and pitch Thursday at Seattle, leaving Nate Robertson out of action over the weekend. He'll take the mound next Tuesday at Minnesota and should be reserved in Week 15.
Florida Marlins : Scott Olsen lasted just one inning in Sunday's loss at the L.A. Dodgers due to tightness in his lower back that caused his velocity to drop dramatically. He believes he'll be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday vs. Washington because the back ailment is something he's dealt with for a long time. If you believe him, consider him a safe start. Considering that his only start of the week is in question, however, you have to consider him a high risk/medium reward option. Dontrelle Willis and Sergio Mitre will pitch on Friday and Saturday, leaving Byung-Hyun Kim and Wes Obermueller out of the Fantasy picture.
Houston Astros : Jason Jennings, Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez will pitch for the Astros at the Chicago Cubs. Woody Williams and Chris Sampson won't pitch in Week 15.
Kansas City Royals : Brian Bannister and John Thomson won't pitch in Week 15. Odalis Perez, Gil Meche and Jorge De La Rosa will take the mound at Cleveland. De La Rosa won his third straight start Sunday at Tampa Bay, allowing just two runs in 5 2/3 innings. He also had a career-high seven strikeouts.
L.A. Angels of Anaheim: The Angels set their rotation for the second half of the season. Kelvim Escobar, Jered Weaver and ace John Lackey will start over the weekend vs. Texas, leaving Ervin Santana and Bartolo Colon out of the Fantasy picture until Week 16. They'll start the first two games of the series at Tampa Bay. Colon will get 11 days in between starts and will throw some side sessions to try to correct the issues that have plagued him over the last month and a half. He is 1-4 with a 9.07 ERA in his last eight starts after starting the season 5-0 in his first six starts.
Los Angeles Dodgers : The Dodgers will start the second half at the very stadium where the All-Star Game was played against the Giants. Chad Billingsley, Brad Penny and Derek Lowe will take the hill over the weekend, leaving Mark Hendrickson out for Week 15. He'll pitch Monday vs. Philadelphia with Tuesday's starter yet to be determined.
Milwaukee Brewers : Chris Capuano suffered his sixth straight loss Sunday, falling to 5-6 on the season. He has not won since May 7 when he improved to 5-0. He'll look to start the second half the way he started the first against Colorado on Saturday. His matchup against Rodrigo Lopez is a favorable one. Jeff Suppan will pitch on Friday and Ben Sheets will go Sunday. Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas won't pitch this weekend.
Minnesota Twins : The Twins play a four-game set vs. Oakland, meaning the only pitcher who won't appear in Week 15 is No. 5 starter Matt Garza. He should be reserved in all leagues.
New York Mets : The Mets and Reds will play the only four-game set in the National League in Week 15. Oliver Perez (back) is tentatively slated to pitch Sunday's series finale. He is eligible to come off of the 15-day disabled list on July 13, but the team has not yet said if he's ready to return. If he's unable to pitch Sunday, Mike Pelfrey will take his turn. As of now, we recommend reserving Perez for the upcoming scoring period both because of the injury risk and to give him an outing to see how he fares. Pelfrey is too risky to start for this scoring period. Orlando Hernandez, John Maine and Tom Glavine will pitch the first three games of the series. Dave Williams, who was rocked Sunday by Houston will head back to the bullpen for now and is not a viable Fantasy starter this week.
New York Yankees : Struggling Japanese import Kei Igawa won't pitch for the Yankees in Week 15 and that's just fine for Fantasy owners everywhere. He hasn't won a start since April 18 and is likely just a placeholder as the No. 5 starter until Phil Hughes (ankle) returns some time in August. The Yankees play a four-game set at Tampa Bay and their big four of Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina will all take the hill.
Oakland Athletics : The A's will mix it up in Week 15 with Chad Gaudin and Larry DiNardo going on Thursday and Friday. Joe Blanton and American League All-Star starter Dan Haren will go Saturday and Sunday. Injured starter Rich Harden (shoulder) went back on the 15-day DL Thursday afternoon and won't pitch Sunday as anticipated. Joe Kennedy won't pitch in Week 15.
Philadelphia Phillies : The Phillies will start the second half with Jamie Moyer, Adam Eaton and Cole Hamels taking the mound vs. St. Louis. Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin are slated to pitch on Monday and Tuesday, making them obsolete options in Week 15. They won't be great options in Week 16, to be honest.
Pittsburgh Pirates : The Pirates will open up the second half in Atlanta with Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm pitching. John Van Benschoten and Shane Youman won't pitch in Week 15 and should be reserved in all Fantasy leagues.
San Diego Padres : Jake Peavy, who got the honor of starting for the National League in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic, is slated to pitch Sunday at Arizona opposite Brandon Webb. That should give him plenty of time to recharge and he remains a must-start in all Fantasy formats. Greg Maddux and Chris Young will pitch the first two games of the series and David Wells and Justin Germano will pitch on Monday and Tuesday vs. the Mets. Reserve Wells and Germano in all leagues for Week 15. Maddux started the first game prior to the break and will start the first game after it.
San Francisco Giants : Matt Cain, Matt Morris and Noah Lowry will pitch over the weekend vs. the L.A. Dodgers. Young hurler Tim Lincecum and struggling Barry Zito won't pitch in Week 15 and should be reserved in all leagues.
Seattle Mariners : Felix Hernandez will start Thursday vs. Detroit in the first game after the break. He'll be followed by Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Jeff Weaver. Horacio Ramirez (shoulder) is expected to come off the 15-day disabled list and pitch Monday, but should be reserved in all leagues for Week 15.
St. Louis Cardinals: Chris Carpenter had a successful second rehab start Sunday for Class-A Palm Beach, but he is likely to need at least one more rehab start and is not a Fantasy option for Week 15. Kip Wells, Mike Maroth and Adam Wainwright will pitch in the weekend series at Philadelphia with Braden Looper and Brad Thompson not pitching until the following scoring period. Thompson's days in the rotation are numbered with Carpenter's return nearing, so he shouldn't be viewed as anything more than a stopgap in NL-only leagues for Week 16 -- if that. Todd Wellemeyer returned to the bullpen after filling in efficiently in the rotation.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays : Scott Kazmir has just six wins in his past 27 starts, dating to last June, despite a 4.06 ERA in that stretch. He'll pitch Saturday opposite Wang, who has won six straight starts for the Yankees. James Shields kicks off the second half against Pettitte, Andy Sonnanstine against Clemens and Edwin Jackson against Mussina.
Texas Rangers : Kevin Millwood wrapped up the first half for the Rangers with a quality start for his fourth win in his last five starts Sunday vs. Baltimore. He'll get a chance to kick off the second half on the right foot at the L.A. Angels opposite Escobar. Millwood will be followed by Kameron Loe, Brandon McCarthy, Jamey Wright and Robinson Tejeda. Wright and Tejeda won't pitch in Week 15. Tejeda has been struggling and was optioned to Triple-A in a roster maneuver to call up an extra reliever. He wasn't expected to report to Oklahoma, though, and remains in the rotation.
Toronto Blue Jays : Fantasy darling Shaun Marcum lost for the first time in 11 starts Friday vs. Cleveland. He allowed eight runs after having allowed more than four runs only once in 10 previous starts. He's 3-1 as a starter and 4-3 on the season and will pitch Friday at Boston opposite Tavarez. He's still a great start in any league, but another rough outing would cause his star to start to fade. Jays ace Roy Halladay will pitch Thursday while Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch will go on Saturday and Sunday. Josh Towers, who had a perfect game through 5 2/3 innings Sunday vs. Cleveland, won't pitch in Week 15.
Washington Nationals : Jason Bergmann, Matt Chico and Jason Simontacchi will pitch in the three-game series at Florida over the weekend. Mike Bacsik and Tim Redding won't pitch in Week 15 and Micah Bowie (hip) may steal Redding's start in Week 16 as well if he's ready to come off the DL.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Fantasy Week 15 (July 12-15)
| This week's matchups | |||
| AL | NL | ||
| CHW@BAL | CIN@NYM | ||
| DET@SEA | COL@MIL | ||
| NYY@TB | HOU@CHC | ||
| TOR@BOS | LAD@SF | ||
| OAK@MIN | PIT@ATL | ||
| KC@CLE | SD@ARI | ||
| TEX@LAA | STL@PHI | ||
| WAS@FLA | |||
| Bold indicates a four-game series. | |||
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.
