Barry Zito had been hot, but stumbled in his last outing. Can he rebound this week?
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The Two-Timers
National League East
Atlanta Braves: Chuck James, at Philadelphia and at Houston
Florida Marlins: Dontrelle Willis, vs. Chicago and at New York
New York Mets: Mike Pelfrey, vs. Washington and vs. Florida; Tom Glavine, vs. Washington and vs. Florida
Philadelphia Phillies: Jamie Moyer, vs. Atlanta and vs. Washington
Washington Nationals: Matt Chico, at New York and at Philadelphia
National League Central
Chicago Cubs: Ted Lilly, at Florida and at Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds: Tom Shearn, vs. Houston and vs. Chicago
Houston Astros: Juan Gutierrez, at Cincinnati and vs. Atlanta
Milwaukee Brewers: Dave Bush, vs. St. Louis and vs. San Diego; Jeff Suppan, vs. St. Louis and vs. San Diego
Pittsburgh Pirates: Ian Snell, vs. Arizona and vs. St. Louis
St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, at Milwaukee and at Pittsburgh; Braden Looper, at Milwaukee and at Pittsburgh
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks: Doug Davis, at Pittsburgh and at Colorado
Colorado Rockies: Josh Fogg, at Los Angeles and at vs. Arizona
Los Angeles Dodgers: None
San Diego Padres: Chris Young, at San Francisco and at Milwaukee; Brett Tomko, at San Francisco and at Milwaukee
San Francisco Giants: Barry Zito, vs. San Diego and at Los Angeles
American League East
Baltimore Orioles: Daniel Cabrera, vs. Kansas City and vs. New York; Brian Burres, vs. Toronto and vs. New York
Boston Red Sox: Curt Schilling, vs. Oakland and vs. Minnesota
New York Yankees: Roger Clemens, vs. Toronto and at Baltimore
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Jason Hammel, at New York and vs. Toronto
Toronto Blue Jays: A.J. Burnett, at New York and vs. Tampa Bay; Jason Litsch, at Baltimore and vs. Tampa Bay
American League Central
Chicago White Sox: None
Cleveland Indians: Aaron Laffey, at Seattle and at Kansas City
Detroit Tigers: None
Kansas City Royals: Gil Meche, at Baltimore and vs. Cleveland
Minnesota Twins: Carlos Silva, at Detroit and at Boston
American League West
Los Angeles Angels: Ervin Santana, at Texas and at Oakland
Oakland Athletics: Chad Gaudin, at Boston and at Los Angeles
Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez, vs. Cleveland and vs. Texas
Texas Rangers: Armando Galarraga, vs. Los Angeles and at Seattle
You Want These Guys…
It really is a mixed bag this week, with so many teams out of it using pitchers you really want no business with – of course, the Phillies are in contention and they have pitchers you want nothing to do with too. There are some studs though – Chris Young can be, but he has struggled of late. Burnett is most of the time. King Felix is learning to be. Barry Zito had been for a period of a month and a half, but then looked horrific in his last. Lastly, the Rocket has the potential to be when his aging body lets him.
The Top Five:
- A.J. Burnett
- Chris Young
- Felix Hernandez
- Barry Zito
- Roger Clemens
Eh, Not So Much…
The bottom five is tough, because there is so much not to like. Dave Bush has the potential to be great, but more often has been horrific. Matt Chico should be in Triple-A. Jamie Moyer should be retired. Dontrelle Willis cost himself millions with his pitching this year. Tom Shearn is the luckiest man in Ohio. Wow – there are so many guys to rip this week…
The Bottom Five:
- Matt Chico
- Jamie Moyer
- Tom Shearn
- Dontrelle Willis
- Dave Bush
The Schedule Advantages
The following teams have an off day this week: the Braves, Marlins, Phillies, Nationals, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Dodgers, and Giants for the National League; the Red Sox, Devil Rays, White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Angels, Athletics, Mariners, and Rangers.
The Mariners and Indians might have an off day, but they do play seven thanks to a doubleheader. As for the A’s, they become doubly undesirable, as they get two off days in the final week of the season – brutal.
Questions and comments may be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com
