Andy Pettitte, NY Yankees

June did not start out favorably for me. It is never fun to watch my Mets go into Pittsburgh, play lifelessly and get swept by the Pirates. On the plus side, the usually meek and calm Carlos Beltran (who don't get me wrong, is an amazing player, but not exactly the most “vocal” in his leadership) ripping the team for playing so poorly, prompting an accusation that he had no class from Adam Laroche. With Brad Lidge blowing saves whenever he gets the chance, the Mets need to seize that opportunity now, and I am hoping that Beltran's angry comments light a fire under the Mets, especially with the Phillies coming into town.  And with that said, here is a look at the two-start options for the week:

Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. New York (NL) :

At 37, Pettitte is obviously not the pitcher that he once was, but that does not mean he is ineffective. In fact, he has gone 5-2 this year, although with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.544 WHIP, some might argue that much of that is due to run support. With the Yankees offense clicking on all cylinders, even pitching mediocre will give Pettitte a decent shot at two wins. That being said, he has had a career of success against both the Rays and Mets (15-4, 3.78 against the Rays; 8-4, 3.47 against the Mets). He looks like a good bet this week.

Josh Outman, Oakland Athletics, vs. Minnesota, at San Francisco:

Acquired from the Phillies in last year's Joe Blanton deal, the 24-year-old Outman has had an excellent start to 2009, going 3-0, with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.193 WHIP, together with 42 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. Outside of some struggles against the Blue Jays, he has been quite impressive this year, building on an impressive minor league career in which he went 35-18, with a 2.99 ERA and a 1.323 WHIP, and nearly a strikeout per inning.

Outman will get the Twins and Giants this week. He has not faced either of these teams in his short career. The Twins have assembled an offense that is about league average, while the Giants are one of the worst. Even if he is on the last place A's, Outman is worth trotting out there this week.

Jon Garland, Arizona Diamondbacks, at San Diego, vs. Houston:

I confess – I feel a little strange recommending a pitcher who is 4-5, with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.636 WHIP. This off-season, many Mets fans (at least that I heard) were suggesting Garland as a legitimate option, and for all the Mets issues this year; I am delighted that Garland is not one of them. In my book, he is the definition of mediocrity. Still, his numbers this year are slightly skewed by three starts in particular where he was absolutely dreadful. Of course, that is about 25% of his starts, so you can't simply throw them out, and must acknowledge that is one of the risks with starting a guy like Garland.

He has not faced the Astros this year, but shutout the Padres over seven innings about a month ago, collecting the win. Considering the Padres and Astros are not exactly what we would call “good” offenses (although the Astros have shown signs of life recently), this is about as good a chance as you have to insert Garland in your lineup.

Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays, vs. Los Angeles (AL), vs. Washington:

Part of a very impressive Rice University college rotation (three starters within the top-8 picks of the 2004 draft), Niemann is the first to have actual professional success. That success has really begun to manifest itself over his last five starts, going 3-1, with a 2.03 ERA and a 1.065 WHIP. Niemann's last time out was a two-hit complete game shutout. Niemann has always had the potential, so while he seems to be figuring it out, now is the time to get on board and start him.

Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants, at Arizona, vs. Oakland:

It's amazing to think that this past week, we may have seen the last 300-win pitcher ever. Sure there are guys who can get there (Roy Halladay seems to have the best opportunity, but he is not even halfway there), but the 5-man rotation has really diminished the likelihood of another one anytime soon. Johnson has had a rough start to the year, with a 5.12 ERA, but he still strikes out nearly a batter per inning. His major issue is that he has been giving up an absurd amount of home runs (10 in 58 innings), even for a guy who has had bouts of gopheritis throughout his career.

Matched up against Arizona and Oakland this week may remedy the long-ball issues, as neither team really mashes the ball too far. Provided he gets the ball in the strike zone (he had an uncharacteristic seven walks in three innings against the Diamondbacks his last start against them), he could easily be looking at wins 301 and 302 this week.

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels, at Tampa Bay, vs. San Diego:

Weaver is making the leap this year, with a 5-2 record, with a 2.26 ERA and a 1.004 WHIP this year. He strikes out nearly one batter per inning (with 63 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings). He has a 2-0 career record against the Rays, with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.800 WHIP with 18 strikeouts in 20 innings. He has never faced the Padres. The way Weaver is pitching right now, he should be able to handle anyone, Rays and Padres included.

And finally, we resume our Arlington/Coors/Great American/Citizen's Bank watch:

Arlington: Toronto, Los Angeles (NL)

Coors:  Seattle

Great American: None

Citizen's Bank: Boston