Pitching Report: Week 7

     With the help of some rainouts and interleague play, there are plenty more options for two start pitchers this week than last.  To go along with the regularly scheduled games, Monday has a make-up game between Milwaukee and St. Louis to add, and then Thursday has a full slate, which is obviously not the norm.  More games in a week?  That’s fine by me.

     One thing I want to add before I get to the pitchers this week is in refrence to interleague play.  I have to say that as someone who considers himself a baseball purist and hates interleague play, it does do some good things for us fantasy players.  For one thing, you’ve got a lot of pitchers who will be facing teams for the first time.  League cross-over plus a relatively young, unknown starter equals less thorough scouting reports.  Advantage pitcher.  If you’ve got someone that’s throwing well, you could be sitting pretty when they get a team that might be flying blind, so to speak.  There are definitely a few names below that could fit that criteria. 

Green Light Pitchers

1. CC Sabathia — vs BAL;  vs PHI
2. Dan Haren — @ FLA;  @ OAK
3. Chad Billingsley^ — vs NYM;  vs LAA
4. Cole Hamels — @ CIN;  @ NYY 
5. Mark Beuhrle — vs MIN;  vs PIT  **start of the week**
6. John Lackey — @ SEA;  @ LAD
7. Ted Lilly — @ STL;  @ SD
8. Cliff Lee — @ KC;  @ CIN
9. James Shields — vs OAK;  @ FLA
10. Johnny Cueto — vs PHI;  vs CLE
11. Jair Jurrjens — vs COL;  vs TOR
12. Andy Pettitte — vs MIN;  vs PHI
13. Randy Wolf — vs NYM;  vs LAA
14. Ervin Santana — @ SEA;  @LAD
15. Ricky Nolasco — vs ARI;  vs TB
16. Matt Palmer — @ SEA;  @LAD   **sleeper of the week**
17. Josh Johnson — vs ARI;  vs TB

Yellow Light Pitchers

1. Chris Young — vs SF;  vs CHC
2. Felix Hernandez — vs LAA;  vs SF
3. Tim Wakefield — vs TOR;  vs NYM
4. Barry Zito — @ SD;  @ SEA
5. Scott Baker — @ CHW;  vs MIL
6. Jarrod Washburn — vs LAA;  vs SF
7. Scott Richmond — vs CHW;  @ ATL
8. Kyle Lohse — vs MIL;  vs KC  (might see him Tuesday vs CHC)
9. Dontrelle Willis — vs TEX;  vs COL
10. Dave Bush — @ HOU;  @ MIN
11. Glen Perkins — @ NYY;  vs MIL
12. Joel Pineiro — vs CHC;  vs KC
13. Ross Ohlendorf — @ WAS;  @CHW
14. Brandon McCarthy — @ DET;  @ HOU
15. Jon Garland^ — @ FLA;  @ OAK
16. Brian Bannister — vs CLE;  @ STL

Red Light Pitchers

1. Derek Lowe^ — vs COL;  vs TOR  **bust of the week**
2. Shairon Martis — vs PIT;  vs BAL
3. Jason Marquis — @ ATL;  @ DET
4. Brian Tallet — @ BOS;  @ ATL
5. Braden Looper — @ STL; @ MIN
6. Mike Hampton — vs MIL;  vs TEX
7. Josh Outman — @ TB;  vs ARI
8. Jamie Moyer — @ CIN;  @ NYY
9. Jeff Niemann — vs OAK;  @ FLA
10. Tim Redding — @ LAD;  @ BOS
11. Sean Gallagher — @ TB;  vs ARI
12. Jeff Karstens — @ WAS;  @ CHW
13. Jason Hammel — @ ATL;  @ DET
14. Clayton Richard — @ TOR;  vs PIT
15. Brian Augenstein — @ FLA;  @ OAK
16. Brad Bergesen — @ NYY;  @ WAS
17. Kris Medlen — vs COL;  vs TOR

Side Notes:

^ denotes a pitcher who was recently added to the 2 start list due to rainouts, make-up games, rotation shuffles, whatever.

     While Chad Billingsley owners are pretty psyched to be getting two starts out of him this week, Derek Lowe owners may be grumbling.   Rather than getting the second start for this past week against Arizona — a team he has a 6-4 record with a 2.73 ERA over the last 3 years — Lowe has to face Colorado, a team who has hit .295 off of him the last 3 years and which he has a 5.10 ERA against.  After that, it’s the hot hitting Blue Jays.  His career against them is 5-9 with a 4.87 ERA.  And those teams weren’t even close to swinging the bat the way these guys are.  Sorry, Derek…Bust of the Week. 

     It would have been too easy to pick Billingsley for my Start of the Week again, so this time I’m going for the old stalwart, Mark Buehrle.  Amazing how this guy gets overlooked still after one bad 2006.  Take away that one year and he’s only finished the year with an ERA above 4.00 once.  He’s been rock solid this year and has great matchups this week.  He owns a career 22-13 record against the Twins with a 3.79 ERA and since the inception of interleague, has been 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA against the lowly Pirates.  He should be a great asset this week.  Ted Lilly, you were a close second.

     My Sleeper of the Week is a little unconventional, especially when there is no data for him against his upcoming opponents.  How do I know he’ll work out?  Well, I don’t.  But I’ve got a strong feeling he will.  Matt Palmer is pitching for his job right now.  Palmer, Anthony Ortega, and Shane Loux have been filling in for the injured John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar  with Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver rounding out the rotation.  Well, Lackey and Santana are back and Escobar is about a week or so away from beginning his rehab assignment.  But if Palmer continues his ascent, there is a chance the team decides that Escobar could be better served working out of the pen.  Palmer’s got a very small window of opportunity right now but I think the 29 year old journeyman can succeed.   He reminds me a lot of Aaron Small in 2005, the Yankees pitcher who filled in the rotation admirably going 10-0 with a 3.20 ERA.

     Dontrelle Willis’ first start wasn’t all that great, but I’m going to give him a chance to settle in.  He’s got the Yellow Light this week for folks that can make daily moves.  The Texas start makes me nervous, but if treatment is really helping him, he could do you pretty well for that start against the Rockies.

     Careful with Florida’s Josh Johnson.  He’s got great matchups this week and claims to be fine, but that shoulder soreness definitely makes me nervous.  If somewhere in his delivery he is overcompensating for his surgically repaired elbow, the wear and tear on the shoulder could get worse.  I like him a lot and will leave him in for the week in my primary league, but there’s a definite risk.

     And lastly, as a James Shields owner, I say thank you!  Oakland and then the Marlins?  I’ll take it!  Atleast it’s not yet another start against the freakin’ Red Sox.