Derek Lowe was phenomenal against the weak Nationals offense last week, with a complete game shutout.
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What goes up must come down.
Sometimes, no matter how much time and hard work you put into something, it just doesn’t go right, no matter how much you think it should. It seems as if that was the case with last week’s Extra Innings picks. Even the most touted fantasy experts or magazines that both you and I use to form opinions about our players and teams are only accurate to an extent. That’s hardly an excuse, but a forewarning was merited before having you look at the somewhat disappointing results from this past week. First, the seven recommended starts:
40 IP, 4 Wins, 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 20 Ks
Not so bad, right? Over half the recommended starts were good for victories, which is a good target to hit. Joe Blanton was less than spectacular in two innings while allowing two earned runs, but had his outing shortened by rain delay. Derek Lowe was phenomenal with a complete game shutout against a weak Nationals offense as well. As for the disappointing news, the recommended sits:
48 IP 6 W 1.88 ERA 0.81 WHIP 32 Ks
Ouch. Every pitcher recommended to sit picked up a win with the exception of Scott Olsen, and in doing so, they allowed just one run or less. Not the kind of results you strive for, but you can’t win them all.
With resolve to improve, I’ll move on to the slate of games through next Sunday. With that, here are your projected starts and sits:
Monday, July 28
Start: Paul Byrd (vs. DET)
Sit: Zack Greinke (@ OAK)
Tuesday, July 29
Start: Darrell Rasner (vs. BAL)
Sit: Glen Perkins (vs. CWS)
Wednesday, July 30
Start: Sean Gallagher (vs. KC)
Sit: Vincente Padilla (vs. SEA)
Thursday, July 31
Start: Chris Volstad (vs. COL)
Sit: John Lannan (vs. PHI)
Friday, August 1
Start: Josh Banks (vs. SF)
Sit: Ervin Santana (@ NYY)
Saturday, August 2
Start: Andy Sonnanstine (vs. DET)
Sit: Shaun Marcum (@ TEX)
Sunday, August 3
Start: A.J. Burnett (@ TEX)
Sit: John Lackey (vs. NYY)
Notes: The Detroit offense has taken off as of late, but Paul Byrd has been effective against Detroit, and not just this year; Byrd is a lifetime 9-2 with a 3.54 ERA against the Tigers…You don’t need any help with this one, but if you’re in a shallow league, Wandy Rodriguez should be headed for a terrific start Wednesday. His career numbers against Cincinnati are abysmal, but he’s traditionally lights out at home, and the Reds are typically stronger against right-handed pitchers…Thursday has a short slate of games, so Chris Volstad looks like the only viable option as far as borderline starts. If you’re desperate, he’s probably worth rolling the dice on against the Rockies; he pitched two scoreless innings against them in relief in what was his first big league appearance. Josh Banks is sporting a sub-3.00 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP, but San Francisco has a weak offense, and he’s gotten better movement on his pitches lately to compliment his already above-average control.
