Johan Santana is making two starts this week, but is he our best two-timer? Read on.
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The Two-Timers
American League
American League East
Baltimore Orioles: Daniel Cabrera, vs. Tampa Bay and vs. New York
Boston Red Sox: Jon Lester, at Cleveland and at Tampa Bay; Daisuke Matsuzaka, at Cleveland and at Tampa Bay
New York Yankees: Roger Clemens, at Kansas City and at Baltimore; Chien-Ming Wang, at Kansas City and at Baltimore
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Scott Kazmir, at Baltimore and vs. Boston
Toronto Blue Jays: Shaun Marcum, vs. Minnesota and at Chicago
American League Central
Chicago White Sox: Mark Buehrle, vs. Detroit and vs. Toronto; Javier Vazquez, vs. Detroit and vs. Toronto
Cleveland Indians: Jake Westbrook, vs. Boston and vs. Minnesota; C.C. Sabathia, vs. Boston and vs. Minnesota
Detroit Tigers: Andrew Miller, at Chicago and at Los Angeles; Jeremy Bonderman, at Chicago and at Los Angeles
Kansas City Royals: Odalis Perez, vs. New York and vs. Texas; Scott Elarton, vs. New York and vs. Texas
Minnesota Twins: Johan Santana, at Toronto and at Cleveland; Scott Baker, at Toronto and at Cleveland
American League West
Los Angeles Angels: Bartolo Colon, vs. Oakland and vs. Detroit
Oakland Athletics: Chad Gaudin, at Los Angeles and at Seattle; Lenny DiNardo, at Los Angeles and at Seattle
Seattle Mariners: Horacio Ramirez, at Texas and vs. Oakland; Jarrod Washburn, at Texas and vs. Oakland
Texas Rangers: Kevin Millwood, vs. Seattle and at Kansas City
National League
National League East
Atlanta Braves: John Smoltz, at San Francisco and at Arizona; Tim Hudson, at San Francisco and at Arizona
Florida Marlins: Dontrelle Willis, at Arizona and at San Francisco; Sergio Mitre, at Arizona and at San Francisco
New York Mets: John Maine, vs. Pittsburgh and vs. Washington
Philadelphia Phillies: Kyle Kendrick, vs. Washington and vs. Pittsburgh
Washington Nationals: Jason Bergman, at Philadelphia and at New York
National League Central
Chicago Cubs: Carlos Zambrano, at St. Louis and at Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds: Aaron Harang, vs. Milwaukee and vs. Chicago; Matt Belisle, vs. Milwaukee and vs. Chicago
Houston Astros: Chris Sampson, vs. Los Angeles and vs. San Diego; Jason Jennings, vs. Los Angeles and vs. San Diego
Milwaukee Brewers: Chris Capuano, at Cincinnati and at St. Louis, Yovani Gallardo, at Cincinnati and at St. Louis
Pittsburgh Pirates: Ian Snell, at New York and at Philadelphia
St. Louis Cardinals: Kip Wells, vs. Chicago and vs. Milwaukee
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks: Doug Davis, vs. Florida and vs. Atlanta; Livan Hernandez, vs. Florida and vs. Atlanta
Colorado Rockies: Jeff Francis, vs. San Diego and vs. Los Angeles; Ubaldo Jimenez, vs. San Diego and vs. Los Angeles
Los Angeles Dodgers: Chad Billingsley, at Houston and at Colorado; Mark Hendrickson, at Houston and at Colorado
San Diego Padres: Greg Maddux, at Colorado and at Houston; Chris Young, at Colorado and at Houston
San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain, vs. Atlanta and vs. Florida; Matt Morris, vs. Atlanta and vs. Florida
You Want These Guys…
Chris Young is beyond good at this point, so he is a must-start. In roto-leagues, his mere presence lowers your ERA even without throwing a pitch. Ian Snell was the worst snub in the National League All Stars. Tim Hudson is back to pitching like Tim Hudson, and that has the Braves thinking playoffs. In the American League, Roger Clemens and Scott Kazmir are obvious AL East names, but people might be surprised with how well Shaun Marcum has done since joining the rotation – 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 13 starts, with 53 strikeouts and 25 walks in 77 2/3 innings. Johan is of course Johan, and Buehrle is back to ace form.
The Top Five
- Johan Santana
- Ian Snell
- Tim Hudson
- Roger Clemens
Eh, Not So Much…Matt Morris has fallen apart completely, and there is no way he goes back to being as good as he was early on. Kip Wells is pitching like every other Cardinals’ pitcher – poorly. Chad Gaudin is pitching nowhere near as well as people seem to think, and this could be a rough week for him. Doug Davis has been a bust for the Diamondbacks. Mark Hendrickson is bad as both a starter and as a reliever. Neither of the Royals’ two-timers is a good bet, and both have rough matchups ahead. Lastly, Matt Belisle is still Matt Belisle.
- Matt Morris
- Doug Davis
- Matt Belisle
- Scott Elarton
The Schedule Advantages
The following teams have an off day this week: the Twins, Jays, Orioles, Rays, Angels, Rangers, Cubs, Cardinals, Pirates, Mets, Phillies, and Nationals. Despite having an off day, the Mets, Nationals, and Cardinals all play seven anyway thanks to doubleheaders for make-up games.
Additionally, the Tigers, Indians, White Sox, Mariners, and Brewers all play eight, so be sure to use that to your advantage!
That’s all for this week – tomorrow, it’s back to Bullet Points for me, and back here Sunday for another look ahead!
Have a question or comment for Mark? Email him at markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com.
