Pitching Report: Week 13

     For those that went big on pitchers in the draft, this is probably a good week for you.  Not only are there plenty of two start options, this week, but a good chunk of the top starters in baseball are amongst the names out there.  But while I never recommend sitting any of these guys, you have to be wary of some of their matchups.  Not that they’re going to give you a line of 3.1 IP with 7 ER, but their lights-out type dominance might not be as prevalent.  Either way, as we leave interleague play (finally), this coul dbe a big week for the boys on the mound.  Here’s how I see it…

Green Light Pitchers

1. Tim Lincecum — @ STL;  vs HOU
2. Johan Santana — @ MIL;  @ PHI
3. Roy Halladay — vs TB;  @ NYY
4. Joba Chamberlain — vs SEA;  vs TOR  **start of the week**
5. Matt Garza –  @ TOR;  @ TEX
6. Roy Oswalt — @ SD;  @ SF
7. Chris Carpenter — vs SF;  @ CIN
8. Jon Lester — @ BAL;  vs SEA
9. Dan Haren — @ CIN;  @ COL
10. Ricky Nolasco — vs WAS;  vs PIT
11. Rick Porcello — @ OAK;  @ MIN **sleeper of the week**
12. Ted Lilly — @ PIT;  vs MIL

Yellow Light Pitchers

1. Rich Harden — @ PIT;  vs MIL
2. Joe Saunders — @ TEX;  vs BAL
3. Ubaldo Jimenez — @ LAD;  vs ARI
4. Randy Johnson — @ STL;  vs HOU
5. Nick Blackburn — @ KC;  vs DET
6. Kenshin Kawakami — vs PHI;  @ WAS
7. Joe Blanton — @ ATL;  vs NYM
8. Zach Duke — vs CHC;  @ FLA
9. Fernando Nieve — @ MIL;  @ PHI
10. Braden Looper — vs NYM;  @ CHC
11. Bronson Arroyo — vs ARI;  vs STL
12. Brian Bannister — vs MIN;  vs CHW
13. Ross Ohlendorf — vs CHC;  @ FLA
14. Brandon Morrow — @ NYY;  @ BOS

Red Light Pitchers

1. Gavin Floyd — @ CLE;  @ KC  **bust of the week**
2. Vicente Padilla — vs LAA;  vs TB
3. Randy Wolf — vs COL;  @ SD
4. Carl Pavano — vs CHW;  vs OAK
5. Luke Hochevar — vs MIN;  vs CHW
6. Clayton Richard — @ CLE;  @ KC
7. Rich Hill — vs BOS;  @ LAA
8. Brad Thompson — vs SF;  @ CIN
9. Sean O”Sullivan — @ TEX;  vs BAL
10. Gio Gonzalez — vs DET;  @ CLE
11. Brian Moehler — @ SD;  @ SF
12. Josh Geer — vs HOU;  vs LAD
13. Mike Burns — vs NYM;  @ CHC
14. Craig Stammen — @ FLA;  vs ATL
15. Jason Berken — vs BOS;  @ LAA

Side Notes:

     This article is being published before John Danks gets his second start of week 12, so I can’t say whether or not I did myself justice by making him my Start of the Week last week.  While he didn’t get the win in his first start, he still pitched decently.  He took the loss, but posted another quality start with 3 earned in 7 innings.  Let’s hope his success continues today.  In the meantime, I’m going to do it to myself again and pick Joba Chamberlain as my start of the week this time around.  Joba’s looked pretty good in his last 2 starts, and with matchups against Seattle and Toronto, whome he’s got great numbers against, I like him as a solid 2 start pitcher this week.  Again, I could have gone the easy route with a Halladay or a Lincecum, but those are just too far into the no-brainer section.

     Just like Danks, I haven’t seen my second start from last week’s sleeper pick, Aaron Cook.  He matches up with Oakland and Vin Mazzaro today, but if he pitches like he has in his last 4 starts, then he’s going to be paying major dividends this week.  This week I’m going the youth route and taking a shot on Detroit’s Rick Porcello.  I’d prefer that he goes a little deeper into games and that he increased his K’s, but with a 3.55 ERA this season, I’m not doing too much complaining.  He’s got Oakland and Minnesota this week, and has had success against both clubs this year.  In fact, in the two starts combined he went 13 innings allowing only 1 run.  Look for him to continue the trend this week.

     Now while I’ve never been a huge fan, Gavin Floyd has been pitching pretty damn well over his last 7 starts.  He may have only grabbed 3 wins in that stretch, but his ERA has been solid and his K’s have been great.  Well, the luck runs out this week.  I’m calling him out as my Bust of the Week.  He’s got Cleveland and Kansas City this week, and while neither team is a powerhouse by any means, Floyd’s number against them are pretty weak.  He may not get abusively shelled, but I see him definitely giving up more runs than you’d like if he was in your lineup.

     Careful with Dan Haren this week.  I never recommend sitting him, but with starts in Cincy and Colorado this week, he could be in for it a little.  He doesn’t have much success against the Reds, and their park makes it that much worse.  The Rockies have been playing good ball as of late, and again…it’s Coors Field.

     Also err on the side of caution with Ted Lilly.  Yes, I’ve green lighted him this week due to his recent performances, but his numbers aginst both the Pirates and Brewers are pretty weak.

     And finally, I’m going to throw out a super-super sleeper this week.  If you really want to take a shot on someone…if you’ve got the room to spare in the battle for dominance of the ratios and want huge risk with huge reward, then take a shot on Ross Ohlendorf this week.  I have a gut feeling (with a bit of number crunching as well) that he won’t disappoint.