Mastersball, fantasy baseball, scouting, analysis, projections

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks host the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros for three games each this week with Joe Saunders getting two starts. Saunders has been a major disappointment for the D’Backs and has lost his last four starts allowing at least four earned runs each time out while never going more than six innings. Saunders is not advisable – DOWN.

Atlanta Braves – Atlanta has the New York Mets in town for four games before they travel to Florida for three games against the Marlins. Jair Jurrjens and Mike Minor get the double dips for the Braves. Jurrjens had a rough outing the last time out as he allowed seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings at the Colorado Rockies. Consider this just a blip for the normally steady Jurrjens as he rates as UP. Minor has won two of his three major league starts since being called up with all of them being of the ‘quality start’ variety. He struck out an impressive 12 Cubs his last start. Minor is certainly a usable option and rates as UP for this week.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles have a tough AL East schedule with the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays each coming to town for three games. Brian Matusz, winner of his last two starts, will get two starts this week. He held the White Sox and Rangers – two teams that can put up some runs - to one earned run in 15 combined innings while striking out 11 but he’ll be hard pressed to repeat those performances so rates as NEUTRAL.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox will hand the ball to Josh Beckett for a start against the Orioles in Baltimore and Chicago White Sox in Boston. Beckett won his first game in four starts his last time out against the Seattle Mariners (no offensive juggernaut); allowing three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of work although he did strike out seven. He did, however, allow two homeruns and has now served up a gopher ball in five straight games – eight in total in that stretch. He faces stronger lineups this week and is, at best, a NEUTRAL rating.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox head to the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox for three games each with Mark Buehrle slated for two starts. He had a nice seven inning shutout victory against the Minnesota Twins but was then cuffed around for four earned runs against the Baltimore Orioles his last start. He should be fine for the Indians start but the Red Sox could pose some problems so he rates out as NEUTRAL.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs are home for three games each with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets with Carlos Zambrano being the double dipper. Zambrano has been very effective in winning two of his last three appearances – allowing only four earned runs in 19 innings. Zambrano is a good option this week. UP.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have the Milwaukee Brewers in Cincinnati for three games before travelling to St. Louis for three with the Cardinals. Travis Wood gets the chance for two starts and looks to bounce back after getting pummeled by the San Francisco Giants for seven earned runs in only four innings his last start. It was easily the worst start of his major league career so it will be interesting to see how he reacts. Wood is a NEUTRAL play this week.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians have a full seven game week with the Chicago White Sox coming to town for three before Cleveland heads to Seattle for four with the Mariners. Mitch Talbot and Justin Masterson will each have the double dip. Since coming back from the DL, Talbot is 0-2, allowing 12 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings while only striking out six. He is an emphatic DOWN for his double dip. Masterson may be a candidate to head to the bullpen as the Indians could limit his innings with their version of the Joba Rules. But for now he is penciled in for two. Masterson has played the good start/bad start game the month of August. When he’s good he’s good and when he’s bad he’s bad and doesn’t bring many strikeouts. Still, the matchups aren’t had – especially the Mariners – so that pushes Justin into the lower UP tier.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have two three game road series at the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres sandwiched around a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Colorado. Jorge De La Rosa and Esmil Rogers get two starts each during this odd week. De La Rosa has pitched fairly well lately and has two good venues coming up this week so a NEUTRAL rating is warranted. Rogers was lit up by the Braves his last start allowing seven earned runs without getting out of the second inning. He isn’t a very good option even discounting the last start – DOWN.

Detroit Tigers – The Tigers six games on the road with three each at the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals with Armando Galarraga the Tiger double dipper. Galarraga has two nice starts in a row with one victory albeit against the offensively challenged Cleveland Indians and Royals. The Twins are in a different class and push him down into the NEUTRAL rankings.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins are home for three game series against the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves with Alex Sanabia getting the double dip. He has pitched very well his last two starts in allowing three earned runs in 14 innings against the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. Alex is a pretty good option this week with an UP rating.

Houston Astros – The Astros have three game series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals and on the road at the Arizona Diamondbacks with J.A. Happ getting the double dip. Happ has been on a good streak winning two of his last four starts while putting up a 2.91 ERA during the stretch. This included outdueling Roy Halladay his last game. Happ is an UP option this week.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals face the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers three times each in Kansas City with Kyle Davies having a go at each team. With a 1.58 WHIP and 5.41 ERA on the year chances are the results won’t be pretty – DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels have the easy west coast swing to the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s for three games each with Dan Haren being the recipient of the double dip. He had a nice bounce back game his last start against the Tamp Bay Rays after two consecutive poor outings. If there’s any week for Haren to flash some of his talent, this is it – UP.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers are home for three games each against the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants with Hiroki Kuroda getting a start in each series. Kuroda only won one of five August starts but pitched extremely well in three of the games he did not win. Use Kuroda with confidence this week – UP.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers are on the road for three games at the Cincinnati Reds and three at the Philadelphia Phillies with Randy Wolf going to the mound for two starts. Wolf is maddeningly inconsistent and can’t be reliably counted on for two good starts in a row. As such, he’s only rated as NEUTRAL.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins come home to Target Field for three games against the Detroit Tigers and three against the Texas Rangers. They’ll be sending Brian Duensing out for the twin start. Duensing had his first loss against four victories in seven starts since joining the starting rotation his last game against the Texas Rangers. His ERA as a starter is an impressive 2.66. He is an UP play this week.

New York Yankees – The Yankees are home for seven games this week – four with the Oakland A’s and three with the Toronto Blue Jays. Dustin Moseley and Phil Hughes will be the double dippers for the Bombers. Moseley had a good start his last game after two games of not pitching well. He doesn’t strike out many and is a risky option – DOWN. Hughes was roughed up his last start at Toronto and has them as well as the light hitting A’s coming up so rates UP.

New York Mets – The Mets go on the road for four games at the Atlanta Braves and three at the Chicago Cubs with Pat Misch and Jonathon Niese each starting two games during the week. Misch has been a fill in starter lately and has done a fairly good job. But don’t look to him for strikeouts if that’s what you need. After four games in which he only allowed one earned run each game, Niese was torched by the Marlins for seven earned in 5 2/3 innings his last start. Both Misch and Niese are NEUTRAL options this week.

Oakland A’s – Oakland travels to the New York Yankees for four games before heading back to Oakland to face the Los Angeles Angels in three games. Trevor Cahill and Vin Mazzaro will get the double dips for Oakland. Cahill has allowed only four earned runs in 39 August innings over five starts and is an UP play for the week. Mazzaro has pitched better in August but still is a riskier option than Cahill and that is reflected in his NEUTRAL rating.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are in Los Angeles for three with the Dodgers then travel to the Colorado Rockies for one game before heading home for three with the Milwaukee Brewers. Roy Halladay and Kyle Kendrick each get two starts in this busy week. After four straight victories, Halladay lost a seven inning effort against the Houston Astros but only surrendered three earned runs. He is an UP option as usual. Kendrick has two bad starts in a row and is a risky play as he allows runs and doesn’t strike out many hitters – a bad combination. DOWN.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Pittsburgh starts the week in Chicago for three games with the Cubs then head back home for three with the Washington Nationals. They will hand the ball to Paul Maholm for the two start week. Maholm pitched well his last outing but a 1.55 WHIP and 4.82 ERA on the year don’t lie – DOWN.

San Diego Padres – The Padres finish a road trip with three games at the Arizona Diamondbacks before hosting the Colorado Rockies for three games. Wade LeBlanc will have the double dip this week and is coming off a bounce back victory over the Diamondbacks after getting trounced for seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. He’s been striking out a lot of hitters lately but still allows a few too many base runners. Use LeBlanc if you can stand a bit of a WHIP hit - NEUTRAL.

Seattle Mariners – Seattle plays host to the Los Angeles Angels for three games and Cleveland Indians for four games this upcoming week. Felix Hernandez and David Pauley get two starts each this week. Pauley is pretty much a career minor leaguer who’s getting an extended look in the Seattle rotation. He’s not the best of options but doesn’t have an overly difficult schedule this week so rates out as NEUTRAL. Hernandez has been outstanding – allowing only one earned run in his last four starts. You want him in there this week – UP.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants finish a home stand with three games against the Colorado Rockies then head to Los Angeles for a three game series against the Dodgers with Jonathon Sanchez getting the double dip. Sanchez was roughed up for three homeruns and five earned runs at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds his last start. For the most part, he was very reliable before that and receives an UP rating this week.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals start the week with three games at the Houston Astros then go home to St. Louis for three with the Cincinnati Reds. The somewhat rejuvenated Jake Westbrook takes to the mound for two starts. He has been useful every game with St. Louis except his last start against the Pirates. There are worse options at this point – NEUTRAL.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays have three games home with the Toronto Blue Jays before heading to Baltimore to take on the Orioles in three games. Wade Davis is back in the rotation after coming off the DL. In his first start back he pitched well allowing two earned runs to the Los Angeles Angels in 5 1/3 innings. Davis is NEUTRAL this week.

Texas Rangers –The Rangers travel to Kansas City for three games with the Royals then head to Minnesota to face the Twins in three. C.J. Wilson takes the ball for two starts and is on a three game winning streak. He has been pitching very well and striking out a bunch lately. Wilson is a must start UP this week.

Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays hit the road for three games at the Tampa Bay Rays and three at the New York Yankees with Brett Cecil having two starts. Cecil hasn’t been great or bad but saves his best performances for the top AL East teams. The games this week fall into that category and Cecil is a NEUTRAL option.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals travel to the Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates for three games each this week and hand the ball to Jason Marquis for two starts. Marquis has pitched well his last two games allowing a total of two earned runs in 12 1/3 innings that lowered his season’s ERA to 8.79. NEUTRAL.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks visit the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants for three games each with Rodrigo Lopez getting to start against each team. Since taking over the traded Dan Haren’s spot rotation spot, Lopez has allowed at least three earned runs in five games while surpassing five innings only once. Lopez is DOWN.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves finish a road trip with three games at the Colorado Rockies then head home for three with the Florida Marlins. Tim Hudson will get the double dip for Atlanta. Hudson’s fantastic season continued with a seven inning, two earned run effort against the Washington Nationals. He now has a 1.09 WHIP and 2.15 ERA on the year and is an UP play.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles are at the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels for three games each this week with Jeremy Guthrie getting two starts. Guthrie was on a nice roll of six starts in which he allowed three earned runs or fewer each game until he allowed five runs against the Seattle Mariners. His WHIP in his last seven games was 0.97 – evidence he’s limiting base runners even if he’s not striking out many batter. Guthrie has been useful lately and warrants a NEUTRAL rating.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox will send John Lackey out to face the Seattle Mariners in Boston and the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa this week. Lackey has allowed 19 earned runs in his four August starts spanning 26 1/3 innings – equating to a 6.50 ERA. The start at Tampa effectively lowers his rating to NEUTRAL.

Chicago White Sox – Chicago is home for three games each against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees and will hand the ball to Gavin Floyd for a start against each of these teams. After running off a streak of a dozen straight games where he allowed no more than two earned runs in any of them, Floyd allowed 13 earned runs in 12 innings in two games – both against the Minnesota Twins. These last two starts lowers Floyd to the ranks of NEUTRAL.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs hit the road for three games each at the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds with Casey Coleman getting the two start nod. Coleman is a fill in for Carlos Silva who is on the DL. He doesn’t get many strikeouts and is a very risky play – DOWN.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds finish a west coast swing with three at the San Francisco Giants then head home for a three game set against the Chicago Cubs. Edinson Volquez, who has been inconsistent, takes to the mound twice. He has had very good games interspersed with very bad games thus a 1.78 WHIP and 4.98 ERA on the year. Volquez is risky but rates as NEUTRAL.

Cleveland Indians – Cleveland plays host to the Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals for three games each this coming week with Fausto Carmona getting the double dip. Carmona has lost four of his last five starts allowing 22 earned runs in 28 innings. Even still, these are two of the better matchups he could have so Carmona rates as NEUTRAL.

Colorado Rockies – Colorado is back at the friendly confines of Coors Field for three each with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. Jason Hammel gets the twin start this week. He is a much better pitcher at home with six victories against only one loss with a 3.36 ERA vs. two wins and six losses with a 5.40 ERA on the road. Thus, he rates as a borderline UP for the week.

Detroit Tigers – The Tigers have three games at home with the Kansas City Royals then head to Toronto for four with the Blue Jays with Jeremy Bonderman and Rick Porcello each having two starts. Bonderman has lost three in a row allowing 16 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings. He also served up five homeruns in the three games. Since being reinserted into the rotation, Porcello is 1-4 and has actually seen his ERA increase a bit. It now sits at 5.76 on the year with a 1.57 ERA. Bonderman and Porcello are both DOWN this week.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins go to the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves for three games each with Josh Johnson getting the double dip. After a six run, 3 2/3 inning debacle at Cincinnati, Johnson bounced back with an eight inning, two earned run effort at Pittsburgh. Put the Reds game aside and run him out there – UP.

Houston Astros – The Astros have a full seven game road trip this week with four at the Philadelphia Phillies and three at the New York Mets. Brett Myers and Bud Norris each get the double dip for Houston. Myers has experienced a renaissance in Houston with a 1.22 WHIP and 3.11 ERA and has won twice as many games as he did for the Phillies last year. Norris has won two in a row, allowing four earned runs in 14 innings while striking out 18. Both are NEUTRAL this week with a tough game at Philadelphia.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals go to Detroit for three with the Tigers before heading to Cleveland with three against the Indians with Bruce Chen getting two starts. Chen has won three of his last four with a 1.54 WHIP and 3.96 ERA. But he still is only Bruce Chen and is DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels are home for three with the Tampa Bay Rays and three with the Baltimore Orioles and will hand the ball to Scott Kazmir twice. This has been a disappointing year for the Angels in general and Kazmir particularly. Since coming back from the DL, he had two good starts then got knocked around by the Red Sox in five innings of work. There have been enough encouraging signs to move Kazmir up into the ranks of NEUTRAL.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers travel to the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies for three games each this week with Hiroki Kuroda getting two starts. Kuroda has pitched very well his last three starts and only has one loss to show for his efforts due to no run support from the Dodger hitter. He’s still an UP play this week.

Milwaukee Brewers – Milwaukee is home for three game sets with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates and will hand the ball to David Bush twice. Even though he won his last start and pitched well, Bush just isn’t that good and is DOWN for the week.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins have a full seven game week and start with four games against the Rangers in Texas before heading to Seattle for three against the Mariners. Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano get the double dips for the Twins. Liriano has won five of his last seven with two no decisions coming as he allowed nine earned runs in 9 2/3 innings. Pavano has been eminently hittable over his last four starts to the tune of a 1.90 WHIP. Liriano is a borderline UP while Pavano is DOWN.

New York Yankees – The Yankees travel to the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox this week for three games with each team with Dustin Moseley getting two starts. Moseley has been homer prone with seven allowed in his last four games. He also doesn’t strike out many and is rated as DOWN for the week.

New York Mets – The Mets are home for three games against the Florida Marlins and three against the Houston Astros. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey gets the double dips for the Metropolitans. Dickey has two good starts in a row allowing two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts and is an UP play for the week.

Oakland A’s – Oakland travels to the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers for three games each with Gio Gonzalez getting two starts. Even though Gonzalez has won only once in his last three starts, he has pitched well with a 1.00 WHIP and 1.35 ERA and is worth using with an UP rating.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies have a full week with four games at home against the Houston Astros and three at the San Diego Padres. Joe Blanton and Cole Hamels are the double dippers for the Phillies. Blanton has played the good game/bad game see-saw his last five starts but still has a 1.46 WHIP and 5.54 ERA on the season that doesn’t give anyone warm and fuzzy feelings. Hamels has had a good year but his last four starts have been two good ones sandwiched by two stinkers. Blanton is DOWN while Hamels is UP.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates split the week with three games at home against the St. Louis Cardinals and three on the road at the Milwaukee Brewers with Ross Ohlendorf getting a start against each. Over his last three starts, Ohlendorf has lowered his WHIP from 1.49 to 1.37 and ERA from 4.41 to 3.90. He’s been useful lately and has earned himself a promotion to the ranks of NEUTRAL.

San Diego Padres – The Padres return home for three games each against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies with Clayton Richard getting a twin start week. After two bad starts at the beginning of August, Richard has followed them with two good starts allowing three earned runs in 12 2/3 innings but only three strikeouts. He allows a few too many base runners as evidenced by his 1.41 season WHIP and rates as NEUTRAL for the week.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners go to Boston for three with the Red Sox before going home to face the Minnesota Twins in three games. Doug Fister will start twice and has been very hittable in August – allowing 25 hits in 15 2/3 innings. These are tough matchups and Fister is not advisable – DOWN.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants are home for three games with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks and send Matt Cain to the mound twice this week. Cain has an eight start streak where he’s allowed three earned runs three times and fewer than three the other five. His good play continues and he is an UP rated starter this week.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals go on a seven game road trip this week with three at the Pittsburgh Pirates and four at the Washington Nationals. Jaime Garcia and Adam Wainwright each get the double dip. Garcia pitched well his last start with six innings of shutout ball after two starts where he allowed eight earned runs in only 10 1/3 innings. Wainwright lost to the Brewers his last start allowing three runs in seven innings but is still on track for a possible Cy Young award. Garcia and Wainwright are UP.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays travel to the Los Angeles Angels for three games before heading home to Tampa as the Boston Red Sox come to town for a three game set. They will hand the ball to James Shields for the double dip. Shields had a nice game his last start going seven innings and allowing one earned run to the Texas Rangers while striking out six. Even still, he’s been inconsistent this year and two tough starts rate him as NEUTRAL.

Texas Rangers –The Rangers have another full slate of seven games – this week at home – with four against the Minnesota Twins and three against the Oakland A’s with Rich Harden and Colby Lewis taking the mound twice each. Harden comes back from the DL and takes Derek Holland’s spot in the rotation. He has had an abysmal year with a 1.65 WHIP and 5.45 ERA while winning only four games. Lewis continues to pitch well even though he hasn’t won since July 16 due to horrendous run support from the Rangers. Harden is DOWN while Lewis is UP.

Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays host the New York Yankees for three games and the Detroit Tigers for four this week. Brandon Morrow and Marc Rzepczynski get the call for double dips for the Blue Jays. Since having a start skipped, Morrow is 3-0 in four starts with a 3.33 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings (with 17 coming in that complete game against the Tampa Bay Rays). Rzepczynski has been a fill in starter and has a 1.41 WHIP on the season so he can’t be counted on to limit base runners. Morrow is UP; Rzepczynski is DOWN.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals home for three against the Chicago Cubs and four against the St. Louis Cardinals with Livan Hernandez and John Lannan the double dippers. The improbable season continues for Livan as he pitched Tim Hudson to a draw his last start giving up only two earned runs in seven innings. He has had the occasional blow up but has been useful all year – NEUTRAL. Lannan has allowed two earned runs in each of his last four starts and has a 3.09 ERA in that stretch that pushes him into the NEUTRAL ranks.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks are home to two of the highest scoring offenses in the National League with three games each against the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies. Dan Hudson will take the ball for his fourth and fifth starts since being traded to the D’Backs. He has won his previous three but two of those have been against weaker hitting teams. He’s still an UP play this week but not as much a slam dunk as he might seem.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves are home for the first part of the week before heading out on a road trip. They start off with one against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then three against the Washington Nationals before going to Chicago for a three game set with the Cubs. They will pitch Tommy Hanson and Mike Minor twice each during the week. Hanson has righted things and has pitched very well the past 1 ½ months lowering his ERA just about a full run and is back to an UP start for the week. In his first major league start, Minor allowed four runs (three earned) in six innings against the Houston Astros but pitched well allowing only five hits and one walk while striking out five and earns a NEUTRAL rating.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles have another full week of games – this week back home at Camden Yards – with the Seattle Mariners coming into town for three games followed by the Texas Rangers for four. Brad Bergesen and Kevin Millwood each will get the ball twice. The eminently hittable Bergesen has been outstanding his last three starts posting a 0.70 WHIP and 1.56 ERA while winning one of the games. He even managed to strike out 14 hitters in 23 innings – an improvement from his normally putrid rate of 3.97/9. The Mariners start is a good one for him but the Rangers – who knows. This is one of those guys that if you need to gamble on catching lightning in a bottle you might have to go with so he’s a begrudging NEUTRAL. After a stretch going back to before he was put on the DL where he allowed five runs in five straight games without pitching more than 6 1/3 innings, Millwood has had two pretty good games in a row allowing four earned runs in 13 innings. Not quite as good as Bergesen so he doesn’t get quite as good a rating – DOWN.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox are back in the friendly confines of Fenway Park this week with the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays each coming to town for three games. They will give Clay Buchholz the double dip and he is a strong UP after winning three of his last four starts, allowing only five earned runs in 30 1/3 innings. Pretty straightforward.

Chicago White Sox – After only six games at home, the White Sox head back out on the road for three games at the Minnesota Twins and three at the Kansas City Royals with John Danks climbing the mound for two starts. Danks has been very good with a low 3’s ERA save for the occasional blow up – but not many pitchers are blow up free. He’s one of those guys you just keep throwing out there. UP.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs play seven games this week at home – four against the San Diego Padres and three against the Atlanta Braves with Tom Gorzelanny and Randy Wells drawing the double dips. Gorzelanny has allowed at least three earned runs in his last four starts, winning only once. It is the same with Wells who has actually allowed more runs – 18 vs. 15 – than Gorzelanny during this stretch without winning. Neither is a good option this week – DOWN.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds head west this week with three games each at the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers with Bronson Arroyo taking to the mound twice in the week. He only lasted five innings in his last start while surrendering four earned runs against the St. Louis Cardinals but had two seven inning shutout efforts the previous games. Just don’t look to Arroyo as a significant source of strikeouts and only as a NEUTRAL rating this week.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians start the week in Kansas City for three games with the Royals before heading to Detroit and three against the Tigers with rookie Josh Tomlin getting two starts. Tomlin has four major league games under his belt and has pitched pretty well with a 1-2 record with the exception of four runs allowed against the Red Sox. He allowed 10 hits in five innings to the Orioles his last start but limited the damage to only three runs, two earned. He has been a bit homer prone in allowing one in three of his four starts with the lone exception being the Yankees surprisingly. Tomlin has been good enough to earn a NEUTRAL rating.

Colorado Rockies – Colorado heads out on the road for three games at the Los Angeles Dodgers and three at the Arizona Diamondbacks with Jeff Francis getting the ball for two. Four of his last seven starts were good with him allowing two earned runs or fewer while pitching at least five innings. The other three weren’t so good – 13 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings. That’s just about a 50/50 split. A roll of the dice anyone? DOWN.

Detroit Tigers – The Tigers play four against the Yankees in New York before heading home to host the Cleveland Indians for three later in the week. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander will be the two double dippers in this full week. ‘Mad’ Max is mad he only has one victory to show in his last five starts since he’s pitched to a 1.24 WHIP and 1.91 ERA in that stretch. Verlander has been pretty steady during the year and is one of those guys you pretty much count on every week barring injury. Both Scherzer and Verlander are UP plays this week.

Florida Marlins – A full seven game week is on tap for the Marlins this week. They start off with four at the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading back home for three with the Houston Astros. They will turn to Chris Volstad and Ricky Nolasco to be their double dippers. Volstad has two wins in his last four games but they’ve been of the ugly variety allowing six earned runs in ten innings. He doesn’t strikeout many and is too hittable to be consistently useful. Nolasco had a nice bounce back start his last time out (six innings, no earned runs, eight strikeouts) after getting a smack down at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals (seven earned runs in five innings). Volstad rates a DOWN while Nolasco is UP.

Houston Astros – The Astros are home for four with the New York Mets then head to Florida for three against the Marlins with J.A. Happ and Wandy Rodriguez getting two starts each. Happ has a 5.40 ERA with Houston since being traded from the Philadelphia Phillies (eight earned runs in 13 1/3 innings) but most of that damage came in a one inning debacle against the St. Louis Cardinals in which he allowed seven earned runs. His other two starts for the Astros have been very good with the exception of being too liberal allowing bases on balls. Wandy’s last four starts have been outstanding with only two earned runs allowed in 28 1/3 innings while striking out 32. He’s officially back. Happ – DOWN; Rodriguez – UP.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals continue a home stretch with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox coming into town for three games each and Zach Greinke will start twice. While a 1.19 WHIP and 3.99 ERA are not bad for the American League, you probably banked on more than that if you drafted Greinke. While Zach hasn’t been as good as last year, he’s also not getting any run support from the Royals’ anemic offense – which has been the story all year for him. But what choice do you have? He’s an UP rated pitcher this week and you have to run him out there. Just don’t hold your breath for a win.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels head out on the road this week for a tough schedule – three at the Boston Red Sox then three at the Minnesota Twins with the off day coming at the beginning of the week. Dan Haren tries to build on his first victory with the Angels with two starts upcoming. While Dan’s control has improved a bit since being traded to the Angels, his strikeouts have gone south a little on the other hand. The quality of the opponents this week pushes Haren down into the NEUTRAL category.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers finish a series at the Atlanta Braves with one game then go home for three game series with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds with Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw each getting a double dip. Billingsley is on a five game stretch in which he’s lowered his WHIP from 1.45 to 1.34 and ERA from 4.61 to 3.78. He’s on a good roll even though his strikeouts are down in this period. Kershaw had a bad game against the Washington Nationals of all teams two starts ago allowing six runs in six innings. Just a bump in the road as he came back with a nice outing at the Philadelphia Phillies. Both these guys are UP this upcoming week.

Milwaukee Brewers – Milwaukee only has five games scheduled this week with two off days. Since they are not planning on skipping anyone in the rotation, they will not have a double dipper this week.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins are back home in Target Field to face the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels three games each with Scott Baker getting a game against each team. Baker has been better of late having won three of his last four starts and allowing nine earned runs in 26 1/3 innings over that period. The Twins offense gives their starters a chance to win and Baker has been good enough of late to garner an UP rating.

New York Yankees – Another seven game week is on tap for the Yankees as they return to New York to face the Detroit Tigers in four games followed by the Seattle Mariners for three games. They will turn to Javier Vazquez and CC Sabathia for the twin double dips. Vazquez has pretty much admitted that he’s not the pitcher he once was due to a lot of innings in his arm even as his ERA is climbing back to the 5.00 range. Not good for the Yankees as they’re in the middle of a pennant race or his owners in the midst of a Yoo Hoo race. He’s an UP rating thanks to his opponents this week but its buyer beware. On the other hand, Sabathia has won 11 of his last 14 starts and his ERA has settled into the low 3.00 range – just where you’d expect for this time of year – and he’s a strong UP rating.

New York Mets – The Mets have a full week upcoming with seven games on the road. They first travel to Houston for four with the Astros then to Pittsburgh for three against the Pirates. Jonathan Niese, who has two good starts in a row – against the Rockies and Phillies, will be one of the double dippers this week. He went seven innings in each of those games allowing only one earned run and striking out seven both games. The only blemish was allowing five free passes to the Phils. Johan Santana will be the other double dipper. After two bad games, Santana has come back with two gems in which he didn’t allow any runs in 16 1/3 innings while striking out 16. Go ahead and start these guys as their both rated UP for the week.

Oakland A’s – Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden get two starts each as the A’s have a full seven game week at home with the Toronto Blue Jays coming in for three and the Tampa Bay Rays four. Since returning from the DL, Anderson is 1-2 with a 1.09 WHIP and 3.73 ERA. He’s only allowed three earned runs in 14 innings his last two starts albeit they were against Royals and Mariners. Braden has won three of five starts since the All-Star break allowing only 10 earned runs in 36 innings. Both are worthy of an UP rating for the upcoming week.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are taking on the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals three games each this week, all of them in Philadelphia, with Roy Oswalt being their two start pitcher. Oswalt earned his first victory in a Phillies’ uniform as he went seven innings of shutout ball against the Dodgers his last time out. He seems to be over his tired arm so he’s an UP play going into this week.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates are home for four games against the Florida Marlins and three against the New York Mets. The Bucs will have James McDonald and Zach Duke as double dippers in this full week. McDonald, traded to Pittsburgh in the deal that sent Octavio Dotel to the Los Angeles Dodgers, has had one good and then one bad start for the Pirates. McDonald is intriguing since he has strikeout ability and rates as NEUTRAL. Zach Duke is sitting with a 1.60 WHIP and 5.20 ERA and has allowed homeruns in five consecutive games. What do you think?

San Diego Padres – The Padres are in Chicago for four with the Cubs and Milwaukee for three with the Brewers. Kevin Correia and Jon Garland take to the mound for two starts each. Correia laid an egg against the Pirates his last start allowing four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. Correia has a 5.24 ERA away from Petco and rates as NEUTRAL this week. Garland has pitched well his last four starts but is also not as good away from Petco so he rates as NEUTRAL also.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners are on the road for three games each with teams at different ends of the spectrum – the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees and Doug Fister will get two. His last start was a one run, five strikeout effort in six innings against the Oakland A’s to earn his first victory since May 14. This is a DOWN week for Fister, especially with the Yankee lefties aiming for the right field porch against him.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants are at the Philadelphia Phillies then St. Louis Cardinals for three games each with Barry Zito getting a start in each city. Zito hasn’t won in five starts but hasn’t pitched that badly. He’s had a pretty good year but these are two tough teams to be taking on so he rates out as NEUTRAL.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals have two off days with only five scheduled games so they will not have a double dipper this week.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays play seven this week with three at home against the Texas Rangers before heading to Oakland for four with the A’s. David Price and Matt Garza will be the double dippers for Tampa this week. Price was supposed to be a two starter for week 19 but the Rays pushed him back to Monday. He’s pretty much as automatic as you can get and that includes week 20. Garza has been on a bad-good-bad-good-bad roller coaster his last five starts but he, along with Price, garner UP ratings this week.

Texas Rangers – After a light five-game week, the Rangers have a full slate of seven road games – three at the Tampa Bay Rays before heading to Baltimore to beat up on the Orioles for four games. Texas will run Cliff Lee and Rich Harden out twice each this week. Lee has only won twice in seven starts since being traded to the Rangers but has a sub 3.00 ERA since joining them and there’s no reason not to start him this week - UP. Since coming off the DL, Harden has had one very nice start followed up by a stinker. He’s more risky than Lee but is also an UP play.

Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays have three games in Oakland against the A’s then an off day before flying cross country to face the Red Sox for three games in Boston with Shaun Marcum getting a start against each team. Marcum was torched for eight earned runs including four homeruns against the Red Sox his last start in only four innings. Oakland is a worthy start for Shaun but the upcoming game against Boston pushes him down into the DOWN rankings.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals are on the road in Atlanta for three with the Braves and Philadelphia for three with the Phillies and Scott Olsen gets the ball for two starts. There’s nothing here for you. DOWN.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks have a full week’s worth of games with four at the Milwaukee Brewers and three at the Washington Nationals with Ian Kennedy and Barry Enright each getting a double dip. Kennedy has had only two good starts since the beginning of July – a span of six games in which he’s had a 1.41 WHIP and 6.33 ERA. Meanwhile, Enright has seven starts for the D’Backs and has allowed more than three earned runs only once. He is sporting a 1.27 WHIP and 2.81 ERA on the season. Both rate out as NEUTRAL for the week.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves start the week in Houston for three with the Astros before heading home to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games with Jair Jurrjens getting the nod for two starts. Jurrjens bounced back his last start with a good effort and a win after two bad outings in a row. In general, he has been pitching well since coming off the DL so he warrants an UP rating for the coming week.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles finish off a home series with a single game against the Chicago White Sox then travel to the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays for three games each. Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta each get two starts in this full week for the O’s. Matusz pitched well in allowing only one earned run to the Los Angeles Angels in six innings or work after allowing no fewer than three earned runs in his previous four starts. His longest stint in those four games was only five innings and he only averaged slightly over four innings per start. The most impressive part of his last start was the fact he didn’t allow any bases on balls which has been one of his bugaboos this season with 3.53 per nine innings. Arrieta’s rookie struggles continue as he’s only won once since July 11 – a span encompassing five starts. He has a 1.59 WHIP and 5.07 ERA on the year and, like Matusz, has been generous issuing free passes – even more so with a 5.22 per nine inning rate. Neither of these pitchers are someone you should be trotting out. DOWN.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox finish a series against the Yankees with one game in New York before travelling to Toronto for three with the Blue Jays and then Texas with three against the Rangers. Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka will each get the double dip. Lester owners have been miffed since he’s lost his last four starts allowing 13 earned runs in 26 2/3 innings for an un-Lester like 4.38 ERA in that stretch. Even though he’s got tough starts, he’s one of those guys you have to trust no matter who the opponent might be and hope he’s gotten this bad stretch out of his system - UP. Matsuzaka has won three of his last five starts and has allowed more than two earned runs in only one of those games while going at least six innings each time out. He still walks too many with a 4.24/9 rate on the season but is also striking out hitters at a 7.37/9 rate. He’s not an automatic start like Lester but is one you certainly could use depending on your other options and risk aversion. NEUTRAL.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox finish their road trip in Baltimore with one game against the Orioles then head back to Chicago for three each with the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers. Edwin Jackson gets his second and third starts this week since returning to the American League. He won his first game back against the Detroit Tigers – his former team – but was somewhat lucky in allowing only one earned run after giving up nine hits and one walk in seven innings. He was able to mitigate the damage by striking out six batters. The Tigers get another shot at him this week along with the Orioles. The game with Baltimore pushes him just into the NEUTRAL category. Freddy Garcia will be the other Chisox double dipper. Garcia has only won twice in six starts going back to the beginning of July. In that stretch he has a 1.63 WHIP and 4.22 ERA with only 19 strikeouts in 32 innings. Garcia gets the harder schedule this week and is thusly rated as DOWN.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubbies hit the road for four games at the San Francisco Giants and three at the St. Louis Cardinals with Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster getting the call for the double dips. Zambrano and his temper will get his first starts since the end of June. He certainly is a gamble the way he has pitched this season and the question is “do you feel lucky”? Dempster’s last four starts have gone bad, decent, bad, and good. He’s obviously been much better than Zambrano over the course of the year and rates higher than Carlos but they’re both a NEUTRAL for this week’s opponents.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds are home in Great American Ball Park for three games each with the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins and Mike Leake will take to the mound for two starts. Leake seems to be wearing down a bit and has seen his WHIP and ERA rise from 1.23 and 2.22 at the beginning of June to their present 1.40 and 3.86. Something that may work in his favor is that the Marlins will be seeing him pitch against them for the first time. Even still, he’s not on a good trend and is a risky start this week – DOWN.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians are home this week for three games with the Baltimore Orioles and three with the Seattle Mariners and Justin Masterson will have a start against each of these teams. Masterson won his last outing – a one run effort against the Red Sox – after losing the previous two and allowing 18 hits and 11 earned runs in 12 innings. Masterson has allowed base runners to the tune of a 1.63 WHIP on the season and is a wary NEUTRAL this week.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have three games in New York against the Mets before heading home to the cozy confines of Coors Field for three with the Milwaukee Brewers. Ubaldo Jimenez will be taking the ball for two starts and will be looking to continue his streak of two very good games in which he allowed only one earned run in each while going seven innings both times, striking out 15 batters in the 14 innings. He hit a rough patch in July, allowing 18 earned runs in his first four starts of the month while only pitching 21 1/3 innings. He’s back with an UP rating for the coming week.

Detroit Tigers – The Tigers have a split schedule of six games this week with the first three home against the Tampa Bay Rays and the final three at the Chicago White Sox. Armando Galarraga gets the ball for two games this week and is in the midst of a five game stretch in which he’s allowed seven gopher balls in 32 1/3 innings. Since his near-perfect game, his WHIP and ERA have risen from 0.81 and 2.57 to 1.33 and 4.32 respectively and Galarraga is a DOWN.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins visit the Washington Nationals for three games before heading to Cincinnati and three with the Reds with Anibal Sanchez toeing the rubber two games. Sanchez has shown flashes of being a very good pitcher as evidenced by the complete game shutout against the Giants in which he allowed only one hit, one walk and struck out eight. But those games are interspersed with games such as his last start against the Phillies where he allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings with seven hits and three walks. As such, he is frustrating much of the time for his owners. The Nationals game pushes him into the lower tier of UP starters.

Houston Astros – The Astros are home for three with the Atlanta Braves and then the Pittsburgh Pirates with Bud Norris getting a start against each. Norris has won two games in a row but he has also allowed at least four earned runs in five of his last seven starts. He simply allows too many hitters to get on base and eventually come around to score. DOWN.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals finish a road trip with three at the Los Angeles Angels then don’t get a break (literally and figuratively) by heading home for four with the New York Yankees. Their double dippers will be Kyle Davies and Sean O’Sullivan. Davies has only won once in six starts since July 1 and has a 1.56 WHIP, 5.32 ERA and only 5.86 K/9 on the season so there’s no redeeming reason to start him – DOWN. O’Sullivan has a 1.09 WHIP and 4.30 ERA since being called up and has only started four games – three of the with the Royals since being traded from the Los Angeles Angels. He has a putrid strikeout rate of 3.99/9 in the major leagues and only once did he surpass 7.00/9 in his minor league career. There isn’t much here for the Royals and definitely not for you either. DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels return home with three games against the Kansas City Royals, and off day, then three with the Toronto Blue Jays. With the day off between series, the Angels are going with a four man rotation this week so Ervin Santana and Dan Haren will both get two starts. Santana has had two bad starts in a row allowing four earned runs to the Texas Rangers in six innings then nine earned runs to the Baltimore Orioles, of all teams, in only 3 2/3 innings. As a result, Santana’s ERA is above 4.00 for the first time since his May 15 start. Even though he’s been cuffed around a bit lately, he’s still worth an UP rating especially with the Royals as one opponent. Haren has lost twice in three starts since being traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks but has a more than acceptable 1.20 WHIP and 3.60 ERA for the American League. His penchant for allowing home runs has continued allowing one each in his three games with the Angels and he has now allowed 26 in 24 games this year. If his gopher tendency doesn’t bother you, he’s worth starting since he can strikeout hitters and has a good chance of winning games with the Angels going forward – UP.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers travel east to take on two of the Eastern Division’s top teams with three in Philadelphia against the Phillies and three in Atlanta against the Braves. Vicente Padilla gets the call to try to win two for the Dodgers. Padilla had another very good start his last time out as he spun a complete game two hit shutout of the Padres striking out nine in the process. Since returning from the DL, Padilla has a 0.82 WHIP and 1.80 ERA in nine starts. Absolutely start Padilla this week with his UP rating.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers have a full week with four games at home with the Arizona Diamondbacks then travel to Denver for three against the Colorado Rockies. They will hand the ball to Chris Narveson and Manny Parra for two starts each. Narveson pitched well in his last start against the Cubs but that is not the norm as he normally allows many base runners. He’s not a guy who goes deep into games either as he’s only gone more than six innings only twice this year. Narveson is a DOWN play this week. Parra is an even worse option than Narveson. In six starts since the beginning of July, he has allowed fewer than four earned runs only once while topping out at only six innings. He also is a DOWN play this week.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins finish up on the road with three games against the Chicago White Sox then head back to Target Field for three with the Oakland A’s with Scott Baker taking to the mound twice. Baker had arguably his best start of the season his last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays as he pitched eight innings of three hit, shutout ball in which he struck out seven and walked only one but, unfortunately, didn’t earn the win. This has been a down year in many respects for Baker, who many thought would progress further in 2010, therefore a NEUTRAL rating is warranted.

New York Yankees – This is a full week for the Yankees who have one at home against the Boston Red Sox then travel to the Texas Rangers for three and then to the Kansas City Royals for three. Dustin Moseley continues to substitute for DL’d Andy Pettitte in the rotation and will have the Red Sox and Royals this week while Philip Hughes gets the Rangers and Royals. Moseley now has one good and one bad start since replacing Pettitte after allowing five earned runs in 7 1/3 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays. If you can get past the potential disaster looming against the Red Sox, the Royals should be OK but he still has to rate as a DOWN this week. After winning five games in a row from the end of May into June, Hughes is 3-3 with a 1.39 WHIP and 5.58 ERA in seven starts. His strikeout rate prior to this stretch was right around 9.0/9 but during this stretch has dropped alarmingly to 6.48/9. This could signify that Hughes might be hitting the wall as he’s gone from 63 innings in 2008 to 115 1/3 in 2009 and 122 2/3 so far in 2010. Or the league is catching up to him and it’s now his turn to adjust. Either way, now is not a good time to fully trust him – NEUTRAL at best.

New York Mets – The Mets are home in CitiField to take on the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies for three games each and will send Mike Pelfrey to the mound for a start in each series. Pelfrey has been unusable since his last start in June, compiling a 0-4 record while seeing his season WHIP rise from 1.22 to 1.54 and ERA rise from 2.71 to 4.16. Avoid him until he shows he has turned things around – DOWN.

Oakland A’s – Vin Mazzaro takes to the mound twice this week as the A’s are on the road for three games with the Seattle Mariners and three against the Minnesota Twins. Mazzaro bounced back from his worst outing of the year last time out allowing only one earned run in six innings with five strikeouts. Granted, it came against the Kansas City Royals. Mazzaro has proven to be useful at times but the start at Target Field has the potential of not being so good. DOWN.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies finish a home stand with three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers then head to New York for three with the Mets. Roy Oswalt gets the Phillie’s double dip and is still looking for his first win with Philadelphia. He has been pitching fairly well even though he has said he is battling a dead arm so feel free to start him with an UP rating.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates take to the road for three at the San Diego Padres and three at the Houston Astros with Jeff Karstens getting two starts during the week. He isn’t really someone you want to rely on as he isn’t that good. He tends to give up the long ball so even though chicks might dig that, you won’t if he’s on your team. DOWN.

San Diego Padres – The Padres have three games at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates then travel up the coast to San Francisco for three with the Giants. This week sees Wade LeBlanc getting the double dip chance. LeBlanc allows more hitters to get on base than you would like but his 3.61 ERA isn’t terrible as he usually limits the damage – he’s only allowed more than four earned runs once this year. These are both good pitching venues and thusly rates LeBlanc as a NEUTRAL for the week.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners are home for three games with the Oakland A’s the head to Cleveland for three with the Indians and Doug Fister will get to start against each of them. Since coming back from the DL, Fister has allowed at least four earned runs in half of his eight starts and hasn’t pitched more than six innings in any of them. Fister doesn’t strike out many so he doesn’t have much room for error but the teams he’s facing this week aren’t the scariest – NEUTRAL.

San Francisco Giants – This week has the Giants with a full seven game schedule – all of them at home. First the Chicago Cubs come to town for four games then the San Diego Padres visit for three. Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum each get a double dip for the Giants. Bumgarner hit a bump in the road his last start allowing four earned runs in only four innings at the Colorado Rockies. But in eight starts so far, he has a very usable 1.24 WHIP and 3.20 ERA so feel confident starting him – UP. Lincecum allowed two homeruns his last start, making that six of the last eight games he has dished up at least one. But you didn’t draft him as your ace to sit him. UP.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals have three games at the Cincinnati Reds then head home to host the Chicago Cubs for three and turn to Chris Carpenter for two starts. Do you really need to ask if you should start him with a 1.16 WHIP and 2.91 ERA? I didn’t think so. UP.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays finish a road trip with three games in Detroit against the Tigers then head back to Florida for three with the Baltimore Orioles. David Price will be this week’s double dipper for the Rays. Since a drubbing at the hands of the Yankees, Price has reeled off three nice starts in a row, each one better than the previous. The last one was a seven inning, five hitter in which he allowed only one earned run and struck out seven. Price is an advisable UP.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers are only scheduled for five games this week and are not planning on skipping anyone’s spot so they will not have a double dipper this week.

Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays take on the Boston Red Sox for three games in Toronto then head off to the west coast for three with the Los Angeles Angels with Ricky Romero slated to get two starts. Romero’s last start was a complete game gem against the Yankees in which he allowed only two earned runs on two hits and one walk and earned the win. That gives him four nice starts in a row in which he’s gone 3-1 with a 0.98 WHIP and 2.05 ERA. With this week’s tough schedule he’s rated as a high NEUTRAL.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals are home in the nation’s capital for a three game set against both the Florida Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. Stephen Strasburg comes back from the DL for a double dip. He will be limited to a ninety pitch count but use him anyway. UP.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks are home in Arizona for four games with the Washington Nationals and three with the San Diego Padres. Dan Hudson will get two starts for the D’Backs after coming over from the White Sox in the Edwin Jackson trade. Hudson started three games for the White Sox but allowed 11 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings. Joe Saunders also gets two starts. Saunders pitched well in his first start for Arizona since he was acquired for Dan Haren allowing only two earned runs against the Phillies in Philadelphia. But that start wasn’t the typical Joe Saunders who can tend to serve up the long ball and doesn’t strike out many hitters. Both pitchers are NEUTRAL since they are facing weaker hitting teams.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves are home for three games with the New York Mets, then four with the San Francisco Giants. Double dippers will be Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe. Hudson is UP as he continues his very good season with three wins in his last five starts – only one of them a bad start. Lowe, on the other hand, only has one quality start in his last five and has allowed four earned runs in two straight in less than six innings. He is DOWN this week.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles return home to play six – three each against the Angels and White Sox and Jeremy Guthrie is the lone bird to get two starts. Guthrie has had three good starts in a row in which he’s compiled a 1.01 WHIP and 1.30 ERA in 20 2/3 innings pitched. He is 1-1 in those games with the Orioles providing very little run support. As a result, Guthrie is only rated as NEUTRAL.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox have four games at Fenway versus the Cleveland Indians before heading to the Bronx for three with the Yankees. John Lackey and Josh Beckett both double duty. Lackey has three good outings in a row in which he allowed four earned runs in 22 1/3 innings. This is the best stretch Lackey’s had all year. Beckett has had two pretty good starts since coming off the DL in which he has one win against no losses with a 1.10 WHIP and 2.83 ERA to go along with ten strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. However, the game against the Yankees lowers their rating to NEUTRAL this week.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox hit the road and will play seven games in six days starting with four with the Detroit Tigers before three with the Baltimore Orioles and Mark Buehrle is in line for the two starts. Buehrle had eight good starts in a row before allowing five earned runs in five innings his last time out against the Seattle Mariners. The lack of strikeouts (4.08/9) means you have to be judicious in using him where you are comfortable the ratios will be good. This week rates as NEUTRAL.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs are home in Wrigley for three each with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. Ted Lilly would have been their two start pitcher this week but has since been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His replacement for two starts is still to be determined.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds go to Pittsburgh for three games with the Pirates before heading to Chicago with three against the Cubs. Travis Wood draws the double dip this week. He has pitched very well since being called up and has a 0.96 WHIP and 2.87 ERA in six starts but only has one win to show for his efforts. Wood is UP this week.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians are at Fenway Park for four against the Red Sox before heading home for three with the Minnesota Twins. Fausto Carmona will take the ball twice. Carmona’s 1.34 WHIP and 3.92 ERA for the season isn’t horrible for the AL but his 4.95 K/9 won’t help you especially since his competition this week can hit. DOWN.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have two games against the San Francisco Giants in Coors then go to Pittsburgh for four against the Pirates. Aaron Cook gets a start against each of these teams. Cook has allowed five earned runs in three of his last five starts and has a 1.54 WHIP and 5.08 ERA on the season. He is not advisable this week – DOWN.

Detroit Tigers – The Tigers have seven games in six days with a double header scheduled as part of a four game series against the Chicago White Sox and then three with the Los Angeles Angels – all of them home games for the south-siders. Rick Porcello will take to the mound for a game against each of these teams. He’s had a useful 1.03 WHIP and 3.38 ERA since coming back from his demotion and is worth at least a look this week depending on your other options. NEUTRAL.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins face the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals three times each in Florida this week. Their double dipper is undecided – it could be Alejandro Sanabia or Sean West. Neither would be a good option this week with the tough schedule Florida has.

Houston Astros – The Astros travel to the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers for three games each. Brett Myers takes to the mound twice during the week after lowering his season ERA by a half run in the month of July. Myers hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of five July starts and is UP for the coming week.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals leave home and head to the west coast for three against the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners. Brian Bannister gets the nod for this week’s double dip. Bannister has a 1.55 WHIP and 5.82 ERA on the season and has allowed at least four earned runs in his last six starts so look elsewhere for a starter. DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels are on the road with three games at the Baltimore Orioles and three at the Detroit Tigers. Trevor Bell is likely going to get a start on Tuesday which will put him in line for two starts for the week although it is not official yet. If Bell does get two starts he’s not worth using. DOWN.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers are back home in Chavez for four with the San Diego Padres and three with the Washington Nationals. They will be handing Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla the ball twice each for starts this week. Kuroda has won only once in five starts in July but has pitched well his last three starts. Padilla has allowed more than two earned runs only once since coming off the DL in mid-June – a span of eight starts. San Diego and Washington are not potent offenses and these games at home rate both Kuroda and Padilla as UP options this week.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers have three at the Chicago Cubs then three in Milwaukee against the Houston Astros with Yovani Gallardo getting to start twice. Gallardo was torched for ten hits and five earned runs in only 2 2/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds his last start. It was only his second start after coming off the DL so he was probably a bit rusty against a Reds team that is the highest scoring in the National League. He is an advisable UP this coming week.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins continue on the road with four games against the Tampa Bay Rays and three against the Cleveland Indians. Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing each get the double dip. Pavano has won four games in a row and has pitched very well (still a sore spot for Yankee fans) with a 0.91 WHIP and 1.76 ERA in those games. Duensing has won one of his first two starts since joining the starting rotation and has a 2.45 ERA in those games but only five strikeouts in eleven innings. Both of these pitchers are advisable starts this week so rate as UP.

New York Yankees – The Yankees have six at home this week – three against the Toronto Blue Jays then three against the Boston Red Sox. A.J. Burnett will get two starts and has won his last two without allowing an earned run in 11 1/3 innings. Those starts, however, were against the weak hitting Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. Use him if you need some strikeouts and the potential for wins with the Yankee offense – NEUTRAL.

New York Mets – The Mets are reeling recently having lost seven of their last ten games. This is a bad time for them to struggle as they have three games each against the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies – all road games for the Mets. They will turn to Johan Santana twice this week to try to correct things. He allowed seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals but allowed only three earned runs in 38 innings spanning the five games before that. UP.

Oakland A’s – Trevor Cahill gets a start against the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers with the A’s home in Oakland this week for three games against each team. Cahill’s last two starts have been very good – especially an eight inning shutout effort against the Rangers in Texas in which he allowed only two hits and three walks. Cahill gets an UP rating this week.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are in Florida for three games against the Marlins before going home to face the New York Mets in three games. Roy Halladay has this week’s double dip for the Phils. You don’t need to ask if you should start him. UP.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates are home to face the Cincinnati Reds for three games and Colorado Rockies for four. Ross Ohlendorf and Paul Maholm each get to start twice. Unless your league is extremely deep, neither is probably on your roster and aren’t two you want to start. DOWN.

San Diego Padres – The Padres go to Los Angeles for four against the Dodgers then to Arizona for three against the Diamondbacks. Clayton Richard gets two starts as does Mat Latos. Richard has seen his ERA rise from 2.74 at the end of June to his current 3.48. Latos, on the other hand, has lowered his ERA from 2.85 to 2.45 in the same period. Richard is NEUTRAL while Latos is UP.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners are home for three games each with the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals with Jason Vargas getting the double dip. His last start was a stinker as he allowed five earned runs on eight hits in only 4 1/3 innings against the White Sox in Chicago. His three starts before that were very good, though, especially considering they were against the Red Sox, Angels and Yankees. Vargas only allowed four earned runs in 21 2/3 innings in those games and is UP for this week.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants are at the Colorado Rockies for two games then the Atlanta Braves for four and Jonathan Sanchez is this week’s double dipper. Sanchez had a 4.50 ERA for the month of July and only won once but did strike out 35 hitters in 28 innings during the month. If you need strikeouts he’s a go; if you need good ratios maybe not. NEUTRAL.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals are home for three games with the Houston Astros before going to Florida for three with the Marlins. Jaime Garcia has this week’s double dip. He’s not showing many signs of slowing down and is a must start against these lesser teams – UP.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays have four games at home against the Minnesota Twins then head to Toronto for three against the Blue Jays. Joe Niemann and David Price both are double dippers this week. Niemann has a 1.15 WHIP and 3.08 ERA on the season but for the month of July his WHIP is 1.40 and his ERA was 4.11 although he won three of six starts. Price’s ERA has risen from 2.44 at the end of June to his current 2.90 but he has still struck out nearly a batter per inning in July. Niemann rates as NEUTRAL and Price is UP for the week.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers have six games on the road this week – three at the Seattle Mariners and then three at the Oakland A’s. Colby Lewis will get a start against each team. Lewis has continued to pitch well and is certainly an UP rating this week against the Mariners and A’s.

Toronto Blue Jays – Toronto has three games in Yankee Stadium before going back to Toronto for three with the Tampa Bay Rays and Brandon Morrow will pitch two games this week. He has won his last two starts, allowing only four earned runs in 13 innings with 14 strikeouts but both starts came against the putrid Baltimore Orioles. He has much stiffer competition this week and therefore rates as a cautious NEUTRAL.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals are on the road for seven games this week – four at the Arizona Diamondbacks and three at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Livan Hernandez and Scott Olsen will get to start twice each. Livan’s ERA has been on an upward trend and is now at 3.22 for the season. Not bad but not in the low 2’s anymore. You were warned. Olsen has had one start since coming off the DL and only allowed one earned run but also only struck out one. Washington won’t win many games and any pitcher not named Strasburg is not recommended. DOWN.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks head to enemy territory with three games at the Philadelphia Phillies and three at the New York Mets and Dan Haren has two this week. Haren hasn’t been pitching well lately (4.76 ERA in four July starts) although if you need strikeouts he is getting them at the rate of better than one per inning lately. NEUTRAL.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves go to Washington for three against the Nationals and then Cincinnati for three against the Reds. Tommy Hanson toes the rubber twice for the Braves. He’s only won once in July but has a 2.67 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with better than a strikeout per inning. He has clearly been better in July than he was in June and is an advisable UP for this week.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles play seven this week on the road – three at the Toronto Blue Jays and four at the Kansas City Royals. Brad Bergesen and Kevin Millwood get the call for two starts each. Bergesen has allowed 16 earned runs in 25 innings over his last four starts while Millwood has allowed five earned runs in each of his last two starts (with a DL stint sandwiched between them). Nothing here – DOWN.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox play three at the Los Angeles Angels then a day off before heading back to Fenway for three against the Detroit Tigers. Clay Buchholz gets the double dip but is coming off a very unimpressive start (five earned runs in four innings) against the Oakland A’s after returning from the DL. It may still take him time to get back on track so caution is required against these teams that have more potent offenses than the A’s. NEUTRAL.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox are home this week for four games against the Seattle Mariners and three against the Oakland A’s. John Danks and Gavin Floyd get the ball twice each. Danks has allowed six earned runs each in two of his last five starts but a total of two in the other three while Floyd has allowed five earned runs in his last five starts and averaging six innings per start. Both are advisable starts this week – UP.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs are away from Chicago and in hitter friendly Houston and Colorado for three each against the Astros and Rockies. Carlos Silva takes the ball for a start against each of them. He has lost his last two starts allowing 11 earned runs in only 2 1/3 innings pitched. His WHIP in July is 2.12 and is clearly not the pitcher he was earlier in the year. He is not advisable until when and if he turns things around. DOWN.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have three games at the Milwaukee Brewers before taking on the Atlanta Braves back in Cincinnati. Bronson Arroyo has two this week. He won three in a row allowing just three earned runs in 21 innings before laying an egg against the Washington Nationals with seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. If you have better options use them. NEUTRAL.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians are home for four against the New York Yankees before hitting the road for three against the Toronto Blue Jays. Jake Westbrook will be one of the double dippers while the other is still to be determined. Westbrook has surrendered 13 earned runs over his last four starts in the month of July. He’s not someone you want to be trotting out there – DOWN.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have a strange schedule with one game in Philadelphia before heading home for three each against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. Jason Hammel and Jorge De La Rosa each have the double dip. Hammel has pitched fairly well in July with a 3.95 ERA and better than a strikeout per inning. De La Rosa had his best outing since returning from the DL against Florida his last start allowing just two earned runs in six innings with eight strikeouts. However, both are too risky at this point. DOWN.

Detroit Tigers – Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander each get two starts as the Tigers face the Tampa Bay Rays for four and Boston Red Sox for three – all road games for the Tigers. Scherzer has had one bad game in his last six – a four earned run effort against the Cleveland Indians. In the other five he’s allowed a total of three earned runs in 34 2/3 innings pitched. In the six games he’s also struck out better than a batter per inning. Verlander has a 2.74 ERA over his last four games and has won three of them. As good as these pitchers are you might want to tread lightly against the two best offenses in the AL. NEUTRAL.

Florida Marlins – Florida has four against the San Francisco Giants and three against the San Diego Padres, all road games for the Marlins. Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson each get a start in these pitcher friendly stadiums. Nolasco has three wins in four July starts and has pitched very well in three of them with a 2.45 ERA. Johnson has been outstanding with a 0.68 ERA in four July starts but only has two wins to show for it (wins are fickle). He struck out 34 batters in 26 1/3 innings. Both are a go this week – UP.

Houston Astros – The Astros are home for three games each against the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Wesley Wright gets the double dip after his first start after being converted from a reliever. He can strikeout hitters but not many pitchers can be recommended for the anemic Astros. DOWN.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals are home in Kansas City for three games against the Minnesota Twins and four with the Baltimore Orioles. Zack Greinke and Bruce Chen get two starts each. Since a start against the White Sox in which he allowed six earned runs, Greinke has allowed a total of four earned 21 innings over three starts, winning two of them. He has struck out 21 batters in those games. Chen has allowed 13 earned runs in 22 1/3 innings over his last four starts, winning only once. Greinke is UP while Chen is DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels only have six games this week but they are against very tough competition with three each against the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers although they are in Anaheim. Joel Pineiro gets the nod for one start against each. He had three good starts then allowed six earned runs in six innings against the Yankees his last time out. If you have better options you might want to go with them this week -  NEUTRAL.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers hit the road with three each against the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Chad Billingsley has the double dip in these pitcher paradises. Chad pitched a shutout against the Giants his last start but only struck out three. That was better than the previous start when he allowed seven earned runs in only four innings against the Cardinals. These parks are good venues to run him out there. UP.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers have three at home versus the Cincinnati Reds before going to Houston for three against the Astros. Randy Wolf gets this week’s double dips. Wolf allowed 12 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates his last time out. He wasn’t pitching well the two starts before that either. Cincinnati’s not a good opponent but the Astros might be. That makes him NEUTRAL at best this week.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins have three at the Kansas City Royals then head back to Target Field for three against the Seattle Mariners. Francisco Liriano gets this week’s double dip. Liriano had one very bad start in July (seven earned runs in 1 2/3 innings at Detroit) and three very good games in which he only allowed a total of three earned runs in 21 2/3 innings with 26 strikeouts. He’s a go this week – UP.

New York Yankees – The Yankees have seven this week, all on the road. The Cleveland Indians get them for four games then they head to Tampa for three against the Rays. Javier Vazquez and CC Sabathia each get two starts. Vazquez continued his renaissance in July with a 2.84 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in three starts, winning two of them. Sabathia is coming into his time of the year as evidenced by a 2.25 ERA although he has allowed runners to the tune of a 1.41 WHIP in July. But both are recommended – UP.

New York Mets – The Mets take on the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks three times each at CitiField this week. Jonathon Niese draws a start against each team. He’s alternated first one earned run allowed then three his last four starts and is 1-2 during that span. His pitching deserved a better record than that but, alas, the fickle finger of major league wins. There are worse options this week and he’s a NEUTRAL but could be a borderline UP.

Oakland A’s – Dallas Braden gets two starts as the A’s hit the road for three each at the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox. In his only start since coming off the DL, Braden allowed only 1 earned run in 4 2/3 innings against the Red Sox but gave up ten hits and walked one. I wouldn’t trust him yet. DOWN.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies have seven games – first one then three at home against the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks respectively before three at the Washington Nationals. Joe Blanton and Cole Hamels each get two starts. Blanton gets the Rockies and Nationals while Hamels gets the D’Backs and Nationals. Blanton has pitched better in July than earlier in the year but still has a 5.63 ERA for the month with only one victory in four starts. Hamels has an outstanding 1.72 ERA in five July starts and is limiting base runners with a 1.03 WHIP and has struck out 32 in 36 2/3 innings. Blanton is DOWN while Hamels is UP.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates head back out of town for three against the Colorado Rockies and three against the St. Louis Cardinals. Zach Duke heads to the mound for a start against each of them. In two starts since coming back from the DL, he is 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and eight strikeouts in 11 innings. Even still, you don’t want to use him unless you really have to against these teams in their ballparks. DOWN.

San Diego Padres – The Padres are home and face the Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Marlins for three games each. Jon Garland takes to the mound for a start against each team. He has regressed in July with a 1-1 record and 5.73 ERA in four starts. He also allowed base runners to the tune of a 1.55 WHIP during the month. Garland rates as a NEUTRAL this week until we see if he can turn things around.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners go to Chicago for four with the White Sox and then Minnesota for three against the Twins. Felix Hernandez gets two starts for the week as does Ryan Rowland-Smith. King Felix only has a 1-1 record in July but has pitched extremely well with a 1.69 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 32 innings. On the other hand, Rowland-Smith has an ERA of 6.50 and 1.58 WHIP in the month of July with only nine strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. Hernandez is a must start UP while Rowland-Smith is a must sit DOWN.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants are home for four against the Florida Marlins and three against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Barry Zito and Matt Cain each get a double dip. Zito had one poor start, one outstanding and two pretty good in the month. He also struck out almost eight hitters per nine innings. Cain had the same kind of breakdown for his four July starts as Zito did while striking out 7.5 hitters per nine innings. Both are advisable UP starts for this week.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals finish their road trip with three against the New York Mets before heading home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games. Jaime Garcia has this week’s double dip. He’s continued his fantastic season with two victories in July against no losses with a 1.98 ERA for the month. He also had 20 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. Garcia is a must start again this week. UP.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays are home in Florida for four against the Detroit Tigers and three against the division leading New York Yankees. Matt Garza and James Shields will be the double dippers this week. Garza had two bad starts in July that were bookends for one good start in between. The last one he allowed seven earned runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Orioles of all teams. Shields also had a rough outing against the O’s with four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. He hasn’t allowed fewer than three earned runs in any start during July while never pitching more than 6 1/3 innings. Both are not the best or worst choices this week. NEUTRAL.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers have three at home against the Oakland A’s before going to Los Angeles and three against the Angels. Colby Lewis will be the Rangers pitcher who gets two starts. He has slowed down a bit with a 5.40 ERA in four July starts but the strikeout rate is still better than 8.5/9 so he isn’t showing many signs of wearing down. He rates out as an UP option this week.

Toronto Blue Jays – Toronto is home in Rogers Centre for three games each against the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians – the easiest schedule in the American League this week. Brandon Morrow gets the benefit of the schedule with two starts. He’s allowed 11 earned runs in three July starts but nine of those were against the Red Sox and Yankees with only two against the Orioles. If you’re not going to use him against these teams coming up you shouldn’t use him at all. UP.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals are home for three each against the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies and Stephen Strasburg gets the nod for a double dip. He’s won three in a row with four earned runs and 22 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings and is a no-brainer UP for the coming week.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Snakes are home for seven, starting the week with a three-game set against The Mets followed by a four-game series versus The Giants.   Ian Kennedy and Jim Enright each get a pair of starts.  Kennedy has struggled lately, walking 9 three starts ago then allowing 7 earned his next effort.  That said, if you are not going to start a double dipper when he has a pair of home games, why is he on your roster?  Unless you are in a tooth and nail ratio fight and do not need immediate wins and strikeouts, Kennedy should be a go.  On the other hand, you may need to question why Enright is on your roster.   His K/BB is fine, but a fly ball pitcher with a pair in the desert is a risk.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves have Monday off, and then face the Padres at home for three before traveling to Florida for three more.  Jair Jurrjens gets the pair.  He has not pitched as well as the results indicate since returning from disabled list, sporting a pedestrian K/BB of 13/7 in 17 2/3^rd innings.  This does not support the sparkling 2.55 ERA he has enjoyed in this three game span.  That said, the matchups are favorable and Jurrjens should get his control under wraps so he is a go in all formats.

Baltimore Orioles – The Birds are at home all week starting off with three against the Rays then four with Minnesota.  Chris Tillman kicks it off and had a nice return as he bested Cliff Lee last time out.  The strikeouts were not there with only 3 in 7 1/3^rd, but he only walked 1 and did not allow a homer.  With a pair in Camden Yards, Tillman is safe in AL only and a decent option in mixed leagues.   Jake Arrieta follows Tillman and has been pretty fortunate lately as he has an ERA of 2.41 over his previous three games despite a weal K/BB of 9/8 in those 18 2/3^rd frames.   Even so, Arrieta profiles similarly, fine for use in deep leagues but a risk in mixed leagues unless you really need strikeouts.

Boston Red Sox – Boston is on the west coast, facing Oakland for three then Seattle for four.  Daisuke Matsuzaka definitely is slated for a pair with the possibility Josh Beckett’s return knocks Tim Wakefield from double dip status.  You know the deal with Matsuzaka: if Dice-K shows up while Dice-BB stays in the hotel room, very good things can happen.  With a pair in favorable parks against middling offenses, roll with the, um, dice and hope Dice-BB misses the bus.

Chicago White Sox – An off day on Thursday gives Daniel Hudson the only duo this week as he will face the Mariners in Safeco then travel to Oakland.   Hudson has a bright future, but in a small sample Major League sample, he has not displayed the level of control he showed in the Minors.  But the matchups scream start, so start it is.

Chicago Cubs – Carlos Silva has a pair on the docket as the Cubs host the Astros for three, take a break on Thursday then entertain the visiting Cardinals over the weekend.   Those waiting for the chance to say “I told you so” had their chance last outing as Silva finally scuffled, allowing 6 earned in only 1 1/3^rd stanzas.  But if you were a believer until the last start, you may as well believe a while longer with a pair at Wrigley.  Just get ready to hit the eject button if regression continues to rear its ugly head.

Cincinnati Reds – A full slate of games render Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake with double dip status.  Cueto kicks off a four game series with the Nationals at home, and then hits the road for a weekend date with Houston.   While the word lucky is beginning to get overused in analysis, it is an understatement as Cueto has a 0.90 ERA his last three starts despite a K/BB of 5/9.  But his history suggests the strikeouts will pick up so Cueto is fine for deep leagues and an option, albeit a little chancy in mixed formats.  Leake really hit the ground running, but lately has shown he is not yet fine enough with his control to compensate for his lack of dominance.  He is still a go in deep leagues, but mixed formats may want to look into a better option.

Colorado Rockies – Normally, it is a bad thing for two start potential when a club is on the road for seven games, unless that club is Colorado, although a three game weekend set in Philly is no picnic.  That may be enough to keep Jeff Francis on the bench for his pair, starting with a date in Florida.  However, even with his recent slide, you start Ubaldo Jimenez anytime, anywhere.

Detroit Tigers – The Tigers play seven which usually means two starters get the double dip, but Detroit maybe reshuffling their rotation so no one is assured a second start.  Jeremy Bonderman and Armando Galarraga are the candidates and the matchups are nice as Detroit is home for the week with a trio against Texas followed by a quartet with the Blue Jays.  If a Tiger hurler does get a pair, he is fine for deep leagues but risky in mixed as the opposition can swing the stick.

Florida Marlins – A full slate of home games make Anibal Sanchez and Nate Robertson options for deep leagues.   Colorado is on for four followed by Atlanta over the weekend.  Neither make attractive options in mixed leagues as both sport very mediocre K/BB marks.

Houston Astros – The Astros begin the week with a three game set at Wrigley then head home on Thursday and greet the Reds over the weekend.  Wandy Rodriguez gets the double shift and he is back on track as evidenced by a respectable K/BB of 22/5 in his last 3 starts covering 20 innings.  If you have held onto him this long or just bought low, you do not bench him now.

Kansas City Royals – The Royals begin the week with three at home with Toronto then hit the pavement for four in the Bronx.   Neither Kyle Davies nor Anthony Lerew should be trusted for this double duty assignment.  Both walk too many and do not fan nearly enough to compensate.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – The Angels have an off day Monday, then play two in New York and head to Texas for four.  Scott Kazmir is slated for the two start week and unless walks and runs allowed are positive stats in your format, he should not be anywhere near your lineup.

Los Angeles Dodgers – If any of my NL Tout brethren are reading this and want to put a bid on James McDonald, don’t bother.  Finally, the key to the Zola plan makes his 2010 debut with a pair of home tilts as the Dodgers entertain the Giants for three then welcome in the Mets for four.  If you are like me and need strikeouts, please join me in starting McDonald.  Clayton Kershaw follows and despite struggling last time out, is an automatic start.   Though still too high, Kershaw has improved his BB/9 and has a chance to end the season below the 4.0 mark.  He’s a Cy Young candidate if he can knock that down to the low 3s.  Maybe next season.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers kick off the week with a four game series in Pittsburgh then head home for a weekend stint with the Nationals.   Despite seven games on the docket, Yovani Gallardo pulls the only double assignment.   Much like Kershaw, Gallardo is fewer walks away from elite status.   For the season, his 2.58 ERA is buoyed by allowing only 6 homers in 111 2/3^rd innings.  Ignore his last poor outing and start with confidence.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins have a full week with veterans Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey working overtime.  Minnesota starts the week at home against the Indians then travel to Baltimore for four.   It is almost eerie how Baker and Slowey’s seasons parallel each other.  Both have excellent K/BB ratios but have given up an inordinate number of hits including too many homers.  Both are due for some positive correction and are thus viable candidates to deploy in all formats as the opponents are not terribly daunting.

New York Mets – The Mets are away from Citi Field all week, beginning with three in Arizona then four in Los Angeles.  Mike Pelfrey starts it off and should take a seat until he gets things back on track.  While allowing 33 hits in 13 1/3^rd innings has some misfortune involved, a K/BB of 6/8 in this span suggests there is some bad pitching as well.  Dickey and his knuckler are taking the NL by storm.   If you have ever owned Tim Wakefield, you know what to do and that is start him but do not watch the games.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies visit the Cardinals for four then head home for three against the Rockies.   Kyle Kendrick leads it off and has been on a roll as he has really limited the walks recently.  Buthe is risky as his K-rate is still only about 4.5 per 9 innings.  He is an option in deep leagues if you are in a pinch for every win and strikeout you can muster.  Jamie Moyer is next and should be avoided.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Bucs enjoy a full week at home, starting with four versus the Brewers then finishing the weekend with the Padres.   Jeff Karstens and Brad Lincoln get the pair.  Even at home, neither are options for mixed formats though Lincoln is an option at home as he has shown good control though he does not miss many bats.  Karstens doesn’t miss many either, and walks too many.

San Diego Padres – The Friars are away from PETCO Park all week as they travel to Atlanta on Monday then face the Braves for three before heading to the Steel City for three against the Pirates.  Wade LeBlanc is on the docket for a pair and has had an odd past few games.  He has only allowed 14 hits over his last 3 games spanning 18 2/3^rd innings, but five have left the yard.  However, this has resulted in only 8 earned runs despite 8 walks.  He has been aided by 15 strikeouts.  The parks and the opponents are pretty favorable, so LeBlanc is a candidate to use in deep formats and some mixed leagues.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants are on the road for seven, beginning in Los Angeles for three then heading to the Arizona desert for four.   Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum get the double dip honors.  Both are worthy of deployment, despite a potentially tough matchup against the Diamondbacks.  Bumgarner has actually outpointed his teammate the previous four games, issuing fewer bases on balls.  Bumgarner’s K/BB of 21/5 over this 28 inning stretch is outstanding, a bit better than Lincecum’s respectable 23/10 for his 25 frames.

Seattle Mariners – Seven at Safeco bodes well for the Mariners, though it would be better if they were able to send better starters than David Pauley and Doug Fister to the bump for a couple starts each.  The White Sox provide the opposition for three followed by Boston for four.  Even at home, neither are trustworthy facing potent attacks.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Redbirds being the week at home with four against the Phillies then head to Chicago for three in Wrigley.  Blake Hawksworth gets it all going and is a risk even in deep leagues as his K/BB of 15/9 in 21 1/3^rd innings is not going to cut it facing a couple of capable lineups.  On the other hand, despite a recent bump in the road, Chris Carpenter is a card-carrying member of the anytime-anywhere club.

Tampa Bay Rays – Tampa is on the road all week, starting in Baltimore, traveling on Thursday then facing the Tribe over the weekend.  Wade Davis will attempt to delay the inevitable promotion of Jeremy Hellickson.   In order to do so, he needs to improve upon his seasonal K/9 of 5.94 and BB/9 of 4.02, both marks well below league average.   While we pundits like to say it is a fool’s errand to chase wins, even on the road these are enticing matchups.  Just beware of the potential incendiary ratios.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers have a full week, starting in Detroit for three against the Tigers before heading home for four against their division rival Angels.  Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter will each take the hill twice.   As many predicted, Feldman is scuffling this season as his results exceeded his peripherals last season and that whole regression thing is kicking him in the rear this season.   Hunter, however, while enjoying some good fortune of his own, is supporting his results with some decent pitching, limiting walks and keeping the ball in the yard.  He’s fine for deep leagues and okay for mixed leagues, though the home tilt with the Angels is a bit of a risk.

Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays play seven road games beginning with three in Kansas City then four in Detroit.   Brett Cecil will definitely work twice.  The Jays have not announced the Tuesday starter as of yet.  Cecil is enjoying a strong 2010 campaign, highlighted by a solid K/BB of 67/27 in his 93 frames.  He is not quite as dominant as one would like to be completely trusted for a pair of road starts, but the opponents and parks are favorable enough to deploy freely in deep leagues and most mixed formats.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals hit the road for seven as they square off against the Reds for four then head to Milwaukee for the weekend.  JD Martin gets the nod for one of the double dips, the second has not been declared.   Though his K/9 of 5.8 is a tick lower than we usually look for, his BB/9 of 1.12 is superb.   This is a tough call as Martin’s peripherals are solid.  His pratfall is allowing a couple extra homers which make him a risk in these venues.  I would likely start him in NL only and consider him in mixed, but would not hesitate to use a better option if possible.

We are entering the last full week of games before the All Star Break – the unofficial half way point of the season. Just over half of the 30 MLB teams – 16 – have full seven game weeks scheduled and therefore will have two double dippers each. Let’s jump in and see what’s in store for the week.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks are in Arizona for three games against the Chicago Cubs and four against the Florida Marlins. Ian Kennedy and Barry Enright get to take the mound for two starts each. Kennedy is on a bad streak having lost his last three in a row and hasn’t won since May 19. He’s also having control problems with 17 bases on balls in 31 innings in June. Enright displaced Dontrelle Willis in the D’Backs rotation and won his first start. He allowed one earned run against the St. Louis Cardinals in five innings while striking out five. On the down side, he allowed four bases on balls but pitched well overall to get two more starts. He pitched well enough in AA (2.88/4/0/83/1.03) to earn the call up. Kennedy – NEUTRAL; Enright – NEUTRAL.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves go to Philadelphia for three against the Phillies and then New York for three against the Mets. Derek Lowe gets the Atlanta double dip and has pitched better overall in June than earlier in the year with a 1.08 WHIP and 4.01 ERA. He still is at best a NEUTRAL for these tough division games against the two teams chasing them.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles have a full week of games on the road with three against the Detroit Tigers and four against the Texas Rangers. Kevin Millwood and Jake Arrieta get the call for two starts each. With a 1.54 WHIP and ERA of 5.40 on the season, he doesn’t inspire confidence. He has allowed 32 earned runs in his last six starts comprised of 32 2/3 innings and is allowing better than 1 1/2 homeruns per game. Arrieta has a 1.63 WHIP and 5.81 ERA for the year. Although he has much promise, it’s been a tough start for the youngster. Arrieta has yet to pitch in a venue as unforgiving as Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Neither Millwood nor Arrieta are recommended this week and both rate as DOWN.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox play three at the Tampa Bay Rays and three at the Toronto Blue Jays. Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the ball for two this week. The hype and mystique of the gyro ball have long worn off and Matsuzaka has become more of an average pitcher. He has a 1.35 WHIP and 4.50 ERA on the season but has pitched much better the past month as he lowered both of these from 1.40 and 5.77. These two matchups against tough division rivals that can put up some runs rates Daisuke as NEUTRAL.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox are back home this week and have four games against the Los Angeles Angels and three against the Kansas City Royals. Gavin Floyd and Jake Peavy get the call to be double dippers this week. Floyd has five very good starts in a row with a 0.81 WHIP and 1.26 ERA but only one win to show for it. He has even struck out nearly a batter per inning during this stretch. Peavy is not the pitcher he was for the San Diego Padres but has been much better in June than April and May. He has five quality starts in a row (I hate that stat but it serves as a point of comparison) with an aggregate WHIP of 0.92, ERA of 1.75 and 7.25 K/9 during June. Both these guys get an UP rating for this upcoming week.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs leave Wrigley and head to Arizona for three games against the Diamondbacks then Los Angeles for four against the Dodgers. Carlos Zambrano’s loss is Tom Gorzelanny’s gain as he gets two along with Carlos Silva. Gorzelanny pitched well in his first game back in the rotation against the Pittsburgh Pirates and has a 1.37 WHIP and 3.14 ERA on the year. Silva only has one win in his last five starts but pitched well enough to deserve winning all of them. He entered that five game stretch with a 1.10 WHIP and 3.12 ERA and is now at 1.08 and 2.96 on the year. Gorzelanny is DOWN and Silva is UP this week.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have seven games again this week – all on the road. They have three against the New York Mets and four against the Philadelphia Phillies. Aaron Harang and Travis Wood each take the ball twice for the Reds. Wood is holding a place in the rotation until Edinson Volquez returns. He pitched well against the Cubs allowing two earned runs in seven innings in his first major league start but has an extremely fortunate .113 BABIP – don’t look for that type of level to continue. Harang has had three good outings in a row with only one win to show for it. He still allows too many hits (more than one per inning) as evidenced by his 1.46 WHIP. Both Harang and Wood rate as DOWN.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians hit the road for three games in Arlington against the Texas Rangers and four in Tampa against the Rays. Aaron Laffey and John Masterson draw double dip duty for the week. Laffey has only made two starts so far after spending the beginning of the season in the bullpen. His last start against Toronto was good but don’t look to that as the start of a trend. He couldn’t pitch well out of the bullpen and starting for the Indians shouldn’t change that. After all, he still has a 1.63 WHIP on the season after a good start. Masterson is sitting at a 1.56 WHIP for the year and has alternated bad start, good start his last four outings. Masterson has some promise for the future but he’s just too risky at this point to count on. He’s a NEUTRAL depending on if you feel lucky or you don’t have any better choices. Laffey is DOWN.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies continue their home stand with three games against the St. Louis Cardinals and three against the San Diego Padres. Jeff Francis takes to the mound for two games. In six June starts, he allowed three or more earned runs four times and his 2.89 ERA entering the month is now 4.67. He is not advisable this week – DOWN.

Detroit Tigers – Armando Galarraga takes to the hill twice this week – both at home. The first is against the Baltimore Orioles and the second against the Minnesota Twins. Since he was robbed of a perfect game, he is 1-1 with a 1.56 WHIP, 6.00 ERA and 2.33 K/9 in five starts. The Baltimore start is certainly advisable but the Minnesota game is fraught with pitfalls – especially considering his last start was against the Twins and he allowed six earned runs in only four innings. NEUTRAL.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins are in Los Angeles for three games against the Dodgers before heading to Arizona for four against the Diamondbacks. Nate Robertson was 1-2 in five June starts with a 6.56 ERA while Chris Volstad was 1-1 in six starts with a 4.89 ERA. The Marlins have been in disarray and have changed their manager. It is not the time to trust either of these pitchers until they show they can turn it around – DOWN.

Houston Astros – The Astros are come off the road for six games at home – three games each against the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. Wandy Rodriquez has this week’s double dip for the Astros. He has won his last two starts, allowing only one earned run in 13 innings pitched. This comes after two bad starts with two good starts before that. Do we sense a pattern here? Pittsburgh is a good start but the Cardinals not as good so Wandy rates a borderline UP for the week.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals leave Kansas City for three games against the Mariners in Seattle and three against the White Sox in Chicago and Brian Bannister gets two starts. Bannister is 7-6 on the year and 3-3 during June. He still has a WHIP north of 1.50, though, and that doesn’t bode well. As such, he’s not a good choice for this week – DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels have a full week of seven games, four against the Chicago White Sox and three against the Oakland A’s – all road games for the Angels. Scott Kazmir comes off two games in a row where he gave up five earned runs while lasting fewer than five innings in each of them. Before that, he went four games in a row where he didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any game and won all four. Jered Weaver has won four of his last six starts. During this stretch, he only allowed a total of 11 earned runs in 40 innings pitched while striking out 50. He had one bad start against the A’s where he allowed six earned runs in six innings but gets a chance for revenge next week. Kazmir is a grudging UP while Weaver is an all systems go UP.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers have a full week’s worth of seven games – all at home. First, the Florida Marlins come to town for three then the Chicago Cubs for four. John Ely and Vicente Padilla get to start twice each. Ely had a rough stretch of three games in a row earlier in June where he gave up eight earned runs in 14 2/3 innings but has bounced back with two games in a row of seven innings pitched and only one earned run in each. Since returning to the rotation, Padilla has one bad start followed by two good starts in which he went seven innings each time and allowed first two then one earned run. Ely is UP but Padilla needs to show more games like his last two before he can rate higher than NEUTRAL.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers get another week without a day off as they have the San Francisco Giants in Milwaukee for four games followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games. David Bush and Randy Wolf are this week’s double dips. Bush has won two of his last three starts and has a 2.60 ERA in that span. He even has a 1.24 WHIP over those three games – excellent for someone who normally allows base runners to the tune of more than 1 1/2 per inning. Wolf has won two of his last four starts with a 1.19 WHIP and 2.85 ERA during that stretch – an improvement from the 1.52 and 4.70 on the year. The games against the Pirates boost both of them up into the NEUTRAL ranking this week.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins have three at the Toronto Blue Jays and three at the Detroit Tigers this week. Kevin Slowey seems well enough after getting hit in the ankle with a batted ball to make two starts this week. With an ERA of 5.29 over his last six starts, his owners probably wish they didn’t have to make the choice on him this week. The news isn’t all good, though, as his WHIP in the same six starts is 1.18. He doesn’t allow many base runners but many of those he does allow come around to score. DOWN.

New York Yankees – The Yankees have seven this week, all on the road. The Oakland A’s get them for three games while the Seattle Mariners get them for four. Javier Vazquez and CC Sabathia each get two starts. Vazquez started off June with three wins in a row and pitched well in the first four of the month while allowing three runs in one game, two runs in one and one run each in two games. He went seven innings in each of those games. Then he had two games that weren’t so good. He allowed three runs in one and four in the other while pitching no more than six innings. Sabathia entered June with an ERA of 4.16 and it is now 3.33 after reeling off six wins in a row. In that stretch, he’s allowed 10 runs and struck out 39 in 45 innings pitched. He’s definitely into his time of the year. Vazquez and Sabathia are both UP.

New York Mets – The Mets take on two division leaders this week as the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves each go to Flushing for three against them. Mike Pelfrey will face each team. Pelfrey was 3-1 in six June starts. Two out of his last three starts have been bad – one against the Yankees in the Bronx and his last start in Puerto Rico against the Florida Marlins. It’s probably wise to tread lightly with him against these two teams and his recent performances – NEUTRAL.

Oakland A’s – Ben Sheets gets two starts as the A’s are home for three each against the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels. In his last six starts, Sheets has one win, four losses and one no decision. He has allowed at least three earned runs in each of those games while going just over six innings per start. He has a 1.43 WHIP and 5.11 ERA for the month and draws two hard opponents – DOWN.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies are back in Philadelphia and have seven games this week – three against division leading Atlanta Braves and four against the Central Division leading Cincinnati Reds. The double dips go to Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels. June wasn’t as good to Roy as the previous months as he had a very un-Doc like 1.34 WHIP and 3.27 ERA. He still struck out 42 batters in 44 innings pitched during the month. Hamels only won once in June in five starts and has lost his first July start as well. His 1.19 WHIP and 4.54 ERA during that time show that many of the base runners he allows are reaching home plate. He also had a solid 8.81 K/9 during that time. Halladay is an automatic UP while Hamels is a little less automatic but still an UP nonetheless.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates head back out of town for three against the Houston Astros and three against the Milwaukee Brewers. Brad Lincoln will get his fifth and sixth major league starts. His last three starts started out with what is called two quality starts then he threw a seven inning, four hit shutout against the Chicago Cubs in which he struck out six. He will have some good games and some bad ones as he matures as a major league pitcher. The good Houston matchup earns him a NEUTRAL.

San Diego Padres – We’re about half-way through the season and who would’ve thunk the Padres would still be in first place in the National League West? They leave the friendly pitching confines of Petco Park and go to the nation’s capital for three against the Nationals before heading to the mile high city for three against the Colorado Rockies. Clayton Richard gets the nod for these games at different ends of the ballpark spectrum. In six starts during June, Richard was 2-1 but in actuality pitched well enough to win three more games. In his three no decisions he had a 1.80 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. Richard is an UP this week but any game in Coors Field requires caution.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners return to Seattle for three games against the Kansas City Royals and four against the New York Yankees. Felix Hernandez gets two starts for the week and Erik Bedard gets his first two starts of the year. King Felix has won four of his last six starts with one loss and one no decision. The one loss was against the Rangers in Texas where he was blown out – allowing seven earned runs in only six innings. Other than that game, he’s allowed only six earned runs in 45 1/3 innings pitched with 51 strikeouts – a 1.19 ERA and 10.13 K/9. Hernandez is an UP while Bedard has promise but faces a tough Yankee lineup in only his second start of the year – NEUTRAL.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants continue their road trip with four games against the Milwaukee Brewers and three at the Washington Nationals. Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner each get the double dip. Sanchez’ ERA for the month June was a full run higher than what he had at the end of May – 3.94 vs. 2.90 – and he had a 1.50 WHIP for the month. The Giants certainly hope he turns this around and these are two fairly good matchups – NEUTRAL. Bumgarner will double the number of starts he has on the year with two this week. He has two losses to show for his two starts thus far but hasn’t pitched that poorly. He has a 1.14 WHIP but seven earned runs in 14 innings pitched. He has to learn to pitch out of trouble more. NEUTRAL for Bumgarner as well.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals hit the road for three games in the mile high city against the Colorado Rockies and three in Houston against the Astros. Jeff Suppan gets two this week. He has not gone more than 5 2/3 in any of his last four outings – allowing nine earned runs in 19 1/3 innings during that span. He has not been a good reclamation project for the Cardinals to this point. DOWN.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays are back home in Florida for three against the Boston Red Sox and four against the Cleveland Indians. Matt Garza and Jeff Niemann will be the double dippers this week. Garza won four of five starts in June. The first three starts were of the ugly variety as he allowed 15 earned runs in only 12 2/3 innings. He seems to have righted the ship as he allowed only three runs each in the last two games, going first eight innings then seven. Niemann has been a bit unlucky winning only once in his last six starts. In four of those starts he allowed three runs or less. The Red Sox game only rates Garza and Niemann as NEUTRAL this week.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers have a full week with three against the Cleveland Indians and four against the Baltimore Orioles – all in Arlington. Omar Beltre and C.J. Wilson will get the ball for two starts each. Beltre is a fill in with Derek Holland and Rich Harden on the DL but is not advisable with a 2.25 WHIP and 6.75 ERA after one start – DOWN. Wilson is 3-1 in his last six starts but has pitched well enough to win all six. He has allowed two earned runs in each of his last four starts while averaging over six innings pitched each game. He is a must start against these weak teams. UP.

Toronto Blue Jays – Toronto is back home in Rogers Centre for three games each against the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox. Jesse Litsch only has four starts on the year with no wins and three losses. He has alternated bad game good game each time and has a 1.55 WHIP and 6.98 ERA on the year. DOWN.

Washington Nationals – Two of the three west coast teams come to town as the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants both are in Washington for three games and J.D. Martin toes the rubber for a double dip. In six starts, he is 0-4 with a 1.30 WHIP and 3.38 ERA. He doesn’t pitch deep into games having gone more than six innings only once. He has allowed 13 earned runs on the year but nine of them came in two games. With only a 5.71 K/9, Martin can’t get himself out of trouble much. NEUTRAL.

Interleague play is now behind us and both leagues get back to more familiar opposition. This will be a busy week for National League teams as 12 of them don’t get a day off while only three American League teams play without a break. There is only one full week of games left after this one before we head into the All Star break.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks start the week in St. Louis against the Cardinals before heading home to play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dan Haren is the Diamondback double dipper. Haren has lost two in a row but those starts were against the mighty New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. He had pitched pretty well the two starts prior to that, winning both. Haren is striking out a batter per inning this season and is worth starting this week. UP.

Atlanta Braves – The Braves face bottom of the division foes Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins. Tim Hudson will be facing both teams. He is 7-3 on the season with a 1.17 WHIP and 2.54 ERA. Hudson has allowed four HR in his last five starts, including two his last time out against the White Sox. He is still a good play this week against these two teams. UP.

Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles have a series at home against the Oakland A’s before heading out on the road and into Boston to face the Red Sox. Brian Matusz will be the O’s double dipper this week. He has lost his last eight decisions and his most recent start against the Florida Marlins was a step in the wrong direction after showing some promise the four before that. Matusz will experience these ups and downs as he matures as a pitcher and he’s lucky if the Orioles give him 3 runs a game in support. The Red Sox are the most prolific scoring team in baseball so that game has the ability to get out of hand even though the start against the A’s is worth the shot. DOWN.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox are the only team in MLB to play only five games this week and, as a result, will have no double dipper.

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox are on the road in Kansas City and Texas. Mark Buerhle will get a start against the Royals and Rangers. After giving up six earned runs in two games in a row, he’s bounced back with three wins in a row, allowing four earned runs in 20 innings pitched. In spite of this, Buerhle only rates a NEUTRAL because of the game against the Rangers – winners of nine of their last ten.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs come back home to Wrigley for three against the Pittsburgh Pirates and four against the Cincinnati Reds. Randy Wells and Ted Lilly each get double dips. Wells has not won since April 30 – a run of ten games. He is 3-6 on the year with a 1.50 WHIP and 5.21 ERA. Lilly’s record sits at 2-6 but that belies how he has pitched. His WHIP of 1.07 and ERA of 3.28 are more than good enough for a better record (hence, wins are fickle) and has pitched well in four of his five June starts. Wells is to be avoided – DOWN - while Lilly isn’t a bad option – UP.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have seven games this week with three at home against the Philadelphia Phillies before heading into Wrigley Field for four against the Cubs. Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake each get two starts. Cueto started June with three bad starts in a row before turning things around in his last two. In those two games, he’s only allowed one earned run in 12 2/3 innings pitched with nine strikeouts. Leake has not been particularly sharp in June, allowing five earned runs each in two of his four starts. He still allows too many base runners as evidenced by a 1.41 WHIP. He doesn’t strikeout many hitters (less than six per nine innings) and one has to wonder if the hitters will start catching up to him. Cueto and Leake are both NEUTRAL this week.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians return home for a full week of seven games - four against the Toronto Blue Jays and three against the Oakland A’s and, as a result, will have two double dippers this week.  Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona will each get a game against these teams. Westbrook is 2-1 in his last five starts but has a 1.42 WHIP and 5.11 ERA in those starts. The dearth of strikeouts (only 14 in 31 2/3 innings pitched) and many base runners allowed makes him a risky start – NEUTRAL. Carmona is 2-3 in the month of June with a 1.15 WHIP and 3.55 ERA in that time. Cleveland is losers of nine of their last ten games and are one of the lowest scoring teams in the AL. Despite Carmona’s good pitching, this rates him as NEUTRAL this week.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies have a full slate this week first visiting the San Diego Padres for three games before heading home to Coors Field for four against the San Francisco Giants. Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Hammel each get two starts. Jimenez reportedly had been dealing with dizziness a couple of days before his start against the Red Sox which subsequently turned out to be his worse start of the year allowing six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched. He still owns a superb 1.60 ERA and this game was likely just a bump in the road as all his peripherals point to his last game being an aberration. Hammel laid an egg in his last start but that can be forgiven since it came at the hands of the Red Sox and he had only allowed one earned run in the four starts previous to that covering 29 1/3 innings pitched. Jimenez and Hammel both rate as an UP this week.

Detroit Tigers – Jeremy Bonderman takes to the hill for two this week. He will face the Twins in Minnesota and the Mariners back in Detroit. Bonderman has only won one of his five June starts and has a 4.81 ERA while dishing up at least one HR in each game. His strikeout rate is just over five per nine innings so doesn’t have much room for error. The start against the Twins could present problems while the Seattle game is a bit of a better matchup. This puts Bonderman at a NEUTRAL this week.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins take on the New York Mets at home (in San Juan, Puerto Rico) before an off day then three in Atlanta against the Braves. Ricky Nolasco draws starts against each of these division rivals. He has not pitched well in five starts in June (1.66 WHIP and 5.52 ERA) and has not been the pitcher many fantasy owners thought he would be coming into this season. He needs to show much more before getting more than a DOWN against the top two teams in the division.

Houston Astros – The Astros are road warriors this week with three games against the Brewers in Milwaukee and four against the Padres in San Diego. Bud Norris and Brett Myers each get double dips. Norris gets his first starts since May 23 as he is coming off the disabled list. He is 2-5 on the season and is striking out an outstanding 11 hitters per nine innings but also allows too many base runners with a 1.76 WHIP. Myers has pitched well in three of five starts in June, winning two of them. Both of his not good starts came against American League teams and he is back to National League competition this week. Norris is DOWN while Myers is UP.

Kansas City Royals –The Royals have three games at home against the Chicago White Sox then an off day before three games in Los Angeles against the Angels. Anthony Lerew is in line to get two starts this week. He pitched well in his first start but it was against the Houston Astros. His second start against the Washington Nationals wasn’t nearly as good and, as a result, his WHIP rose from 0.83 to 1.41 and his ERA increased to 4.76 from 3.00. His strikeouts also plummeted from seven in six innings to two in 5 1/3 innings. Lerew is only holding a spot in the rotation until Luke Hochevar can make it back. DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels are home to take on the division leading Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. Joel Pineiro will have his work cut out for him against the Rangers before facing the much weaker Royals. Pineiro is on a hot streak having won four in a row. He has allowed only one earned run in his last three starts and has a WHIP of only 0.70 in that stretch. Because the game against the Rangers isn’t in hitter friendly Arlington, Pineiro is an advisable start this week – UP.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers play six in seven days on the road this week with three each against the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks. Chad Billingsley comes off the disabled list to get two starts. He had allowed 14 earned runs in his three starts before hitting the DL that covered 19 2/3 innings. He is allowing too many base runners as indicated by a 1.40 WHIP even though he is striking out better than eight per nine innings pitched. These are pretty good matchups and Billingsley rates an UP.

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers are another National League team with a full slate of seven games this week. Manny Parra and Yovani Gallardo each get two starts – one at home against the Houston Astros and one in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Parra strikes out better than one batter per inning but allows 1 1/2 base runners per inning as well. Gallardo allowed four runs in six innings against the Texas Rangers in one June start but allowed a total of two earned runs in his four other starts in the month spanning 29 innings pitched. For the month, he’s struck out 42 hitters in 35 innings. Gallardo is always a must start – UP – while Parra is NEUTRAL.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins are back home in Target Field and have a full slate of seven games – three against division rival Detroit Tigers and four against the reeling Tampa Bay Rays. Francisco Liriano and Nick Blackburn will be the double dippers for the week. Liriano has won only two of his last six but has pitched well enough (1.15 WHIP, 2.92 ERA, 10.80 K/9) to win all six. Blackburn, on the other hand, has lost four of his last five and deserved to do so, allowing 25 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings pitched. He’s also allowed six HR in five games while striking out a meager nine batters. Liriano – UP; Blackburn – DOWN.

New York Yankees – Phil Hughes, Yankee ace, gets two this week after being skipped his last start while the Yankees try to keep his innings under control. The Yanks are home in the friendly confines of the Stadium to take on the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. Hughes has won five in a row and has ten wins against only one loss on the season with a 1.13 WHIP and 3.17 ERA and solid 8.53 K/9. Hughes is an advisable UP for the week.

New York Mets – The Mets take on the two bottom teams in the National League East – Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals – in each team’s home park (Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan for the Marlins). R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi each get a start against both of these teams. Dickey is a surprising 6-0 on the season with a 1.29 WHIP and 2.33 ERA. His knuckle ball has been good enough to keep hitters off balance and he doesn’t issue many free passes. Takahashi is 6-3 with a 1.40 WHIP and 3.78 ERA and is striking out just under one batter per inning pitched. Both of them have been good enough and their opponents bad enough to get a NEUTRAL rating.

Oakland A’s – The A’s hit the road to face the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians – two of the weaker American League teams. Dallas Braden will take the ball for two starts. Braden still has not won since his perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays – a stretch of eight starts. He has a 1.42 WHIP and 4.31 ERA in those eight starts. Oakland stands a good chance of winning against both these teams but Braden isn’t pitching that good so he’s only a NEUTRAL this week.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies go to Cincinnati for three games against the Reds and then Pittsburgh for four games against the Pirates. Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton each get two starts. Kendrick is a much better pitcher on the road (3.20 ERA vs. 6.62 at home) but doesn’t strike out many batters anywhere - a woeful 4.15 batters per nine innings. Blanton’s 4.93 home ERA is overshadowed by his 9.27 away from Philadelphia. Further, batters are hitting a robust .330 against Blanton when he is sleeping in strange beds. Both rate out as DOWN this week.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates are in Chicago for three against the Cubs before heading home to Pittsburgh for four against the cross-state Phillies. Paul Maholm and Jeff Karstens will double dip this week. Maholm has a 1.57 WHIP and 5.07 K/9 on the season to go along with a lousy 1.36 K:BB. Karstens misses even fewer bats (4.75 K/9) while allowing a few less base runners (1.43 WHIP). Neither of these guys should be a consideration this week – DOWN.

San Diego Padres – The Padres are back home in San Diego for three against the Colorado Rockies and four against the Houston Astros. Kevin Correia and Wade LeBlanc each get a double dip this week. Correia hasn’t won in June and has allowed base runners to the tune of a 1.83 WHIP during the month while only striking out six batters per nine innings pitched. His ERA for the month is a fat 7.00. LeBlanc has only allowed eight earned runs in the month of June (five starts, 30 1/3 innings pitched) but has allowed too many base runners (1.52 WHIP). His 1.50 WHIP on the season can’t sustain a 3.16 ERA, especially since his 5.84 K/9 is below average. Both pitch in a good park and the Houston Matchup gives each an UP rating this week.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners go to New York and Detroit for three against the Yankees and Tigers. Cliff Lee gets the call for one against each of these teams. Lee is 6-3 on the season and is on a hot streak having three complete games in three of his last four starts including one shutout. Lee is an automatic – even against the Bronx Bombers – UP.

San Francisco Giants – The Giants finish a home stand with three against the Los Angeles Dodgers before hitting the road for four against the Colorado Rockies. Barry Zito and Matt Cain each get a start against both of these division rivals. Zito has been better in June than May but still had a 4.55 ERA in five starts while winning only one game. Cain was cruising thru June with a 1.42 ERA before surrendering seven earned runs in only 2 2/3 innings against the Houston Astros of all teams! Consider that a fluke and start him this week – UP. Zito is NEUTRAL.

St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals have seven games at home this week – three against the Arizona Diamondbacks and four against the Milwaukee Brewers. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are double dippers for the week. Carpenter continues his superb season – 9 wins against one loss with a 1.15 WHIP and 2.83 ERA. He allowed three earned runs in six innings against the D’Backs in Arizona then four earned runs in seven innings against the Oakland A’s but bounced back with eight shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada. Wainwright has been equally good on the season – 10 wins, five losses with a 1.02 WHIP and 2.47 ERA. He allowed four earned runs in four innings against the Blue Jays his last start but has been pretty good the four previous starts with only seven earned runs allowed in 30 innings pitched. Carpenter and Wainwright are both must starts – UP.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays have come back down to earth and are in second place in the AL East, in danger of falling into third behind the Red Sox after losing seven of their last ten. They travel to Boston to face those Sox and then Minnesota for a series against the Twins. James Shields tries to get the Rays back on the winning side with two starts this week. Shields’ only victory in his last seven appearances came in a relief appearance. In four June starts, he has allowed at least four earned runs in three of them without going more than seven innings pitched. In 23 1/3 innings he has allowed a total of 20 earned runs. That rates a big DOWN.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers start the week in Los Angeles against the Angels before going back home for three against the Chicago White Sox. Dustin Nippert will most likely get the ball twice this week. With a 1.95 WHIP and 5.09 ERA on the year, Nippert is not worth considering. DOWN.

Toronto Blue Jays – Toronto hits the road with four games with the Cleveland Indians and three with the New York Yankees. Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow each get an easy and a tough start. Romero is on a streak of 14 scoreless innings over his last two starts after allowing four earned runs in five innings pitched at Colorado. Morrow’s season is a tale of two pitchers. At home he is 5-1 with a 1.10 WHIP and 2.82 ERA while on the road he is 0-4 with a 1.85 WHIP and 7.09 ERA. Romero is NEUTRAL while Morrow is DOWN.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals are in Atlanta for three against the Braves before heading home for four against the New York Mets. Stephen Strasburg will be one double dipper while the other is still to be determined. Strasburg suffered the first loss of his MLB career while allowing only one earned run in six innings pitched against the Kansas City Royals. He owns a 0.95 WHIP and 1.78 ERA on the season with an outlandish 14.57 K/9. Strasburg is a must start every week. UP.

This will be the last week of Interleague play for the 2010 season. For those who like it, it will be wait for the Fall Classic to see it again. For those who don’t, it’s good riddance.  As last week, every major league team plays 6 games this week with an off day so there will only be one double dipper per team.

Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks get the New York Yankees in the desert then hit the road for a series in Tampa against the Rays. Rodrigo Lopez gets the call to face both these potent offenses – two of the most prolific run scorers in the major leagues. That doesn’t bode well for Lopez, owner of a 2-6 record, 1.39 WHIP, 4.70 ERA and an astounding 15 HR allowed in 14 starts – at least 1 in every game except 2. There is no redeeming value here whatsoever. DOWN.

Atlanta Braves – Tommy Hanson puts his 7-3 record on the line as the Braves face the Chicago White Sox in Chi-town and then take on the Detroit Tigers back in Atlanta. Hanson has won 4 of 5 and has a 1.13 WHIP, 2.03 ERA and 8.13 K/9 in that stretch. The White Sox are 3 games below .500 at home while the Tigers are 6 games below .500 on the road. These starts bode well for Hanson – UP.

Baltimore Orioles – Jeremy Guthrie goes to the mound twice for the O’s and will face the Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals at Camden Yards. He has lost his last 4 starts while allowing 4 runs in 3 of them. His ERA during this period is 4.79 and his WHIP is 1.29. Guthrie’s K/9 has decreased each of the last 3 years and now sits at a poor 4.76 (it’s never good when a pitcher’s K/9 is lower than his ERA). These aren’t the worst of matchups but Guthrie still rates a NEUTRAL at the very best.

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox hit the road this week with series in Colorado against the Rockies and San Francisco vs. the Giants and ace Jon Lester gets the call for 2 games. This obviously is a mixed bag as the game in Coors could present problems while AT&T Park should be a good venue for Lester. He is 8-2 on the season and has won 2 of his last 3 although he had a rough outing against the Cleveland Indians 2 starts ago giving up 6 runs in 6 innings while getting a no decision. Lester is striking out better than a batter per inning so he definitely helps in that category and warrants a start even in Coors. UP.

Chicago White Sox – John Danks and the White Sox are home to face the Atlanta Braves and cross town rival Chicago Cubs. Danks has had 2 good games in a row after 2 stinkers. He has pitched much better than his 6-5 record as 4 of his 7 no decisions and losses he allowed 2 or fewer runs. He even has his K rate over 7.0 again after being below that mark last year. These aren’t easy starts for Danks but he definitely warrants using as a double dipper this week – UP.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs are away from Wrigley Field as they have 3 games against the Mariners in Seattle then 3 games cross town against the White Sox. Ryan Dempster, winner of 2 of his last 3, will get the Cubs’ double dip this week. He’s struck out 8.36/9 in those 3 games but has also allowed too many base runners (1.53 WHIP). These are still advisable starts so Dempster rates an UP.

Cincinnati Reds – The Reds face the A’s in Oakland then head back to Cincinnati for a series against cross state rival Cleveland Indians. Mike Leake will get starts against each of these teams. A month ago Leake’s WHIP was an excellent 1.18 but it now sits at a gaudy 1.40. He’s allowing too many base runners lately and that may come back to bite him – especially since he’s not a big K guy. Proceed with caution – NEUTRAL.

Cleveland Indians – The Indians hit the road for 2 tough series this week against the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. Mitch Talbot has the misfortune of a 2 start week against these potent offenses – the surprising Reds lead the National League in runs scored while the Phils have struggled this year but are no slouches either. Talbot, meanwhile, is coming off a blowout at the hands of the New York Mets – 8 earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched – and his ERA has now surpassed 4.00 for the first time this season. Talbot is a no-go DOWN.

Colorado Rockies – Jhoulys Chacin takes the ball against the most prolific run scoring team in baseball – the Boston Red Sox – at Coors Field then faces the Los Angeles Angels in California. Chacin strikes out a batter per inning but his WHIP has steadily risen from 0.50 to 1.30. While no one expected anything near to 0.50, you hope it stabilizes at some point and doesn’t continue rising. These contests – especially against the Red Sox - have the potential to be ugly so extreme caution is advised. NEUTRAL.

Detroit Tigers – Justin Verlander goes out on the road with the Tigers to face the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. He has won his last 3 starts, compiling a 2.86 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 7.36 K/9 in those games – albeit against the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. Even though his K/9 for the season is solid at 8.14, an area of concern is it’s down from last year’s 10.09. Regardless, Verlander is a definite start this week - UP.

Florida Marlins – The Marlins take on the woeful Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards then head home to Florida for a set against the San Diego Padres. Anibal Sanchez gets the nod for a double dip against these teams. Sanchez’ WHIP sits at an inflated 1.40 so his 3.22 ERA may not be sustainable. But he’s a go for games against these pop gun offenses – UP.

Houston Astros – The hapless Astros are in San Francisco against the Giants before coming back to Texas for 3 games against the Rangers in Arlington. Roy Oswalt takes to the mound for 2 with his 1.08 WHIP and 3.12 ERA. Oswalt’s success in good part can be attributed to his 8.68 K/9 – easily the highest since 2001’s 9.1/9. It’s hard to go against Roy so he gets an UP rating this week.

Kansas City Royals –Bruce Chen stays in the rotation with Gil Meche still unable to go and gets starts against the Washington Nationals in our nation’s capital and then in Kansas City against state rival St. Louis Cardinals. Chen has made 4 starts and is 2-1 with a 1.43 WHIP and 4.71 ERA. He is striking out just over a batter per inning on the season and even as a starter so that’s the biggest plus you’ll most likely get from him if you can stand the ratio hit. Other than that, he’s not recommended. DOWN.

Los Angeles Angels – After winning 5 starts in a row, Ervin Santana has now lost his last 2 allowing 10 earned runs in 10 innings. Equally bad, he’s allowed 17 hits and issued 4 bases on balls in the same 10 innings. He didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn Express but he did have 9 strikeouts to go along with the hits and walks. Santana’s in line for 2 this week at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies. In light of his recent struggles, he only garners a NEUTRAL rating this week a couple of teams that can do some damage to a pitcher’s stats.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers are in the midst of a tough stretch having faced the Angels, Reds, Red Sox and now the Angels and Yankees this upcoming week. They’ve lost 5 of 7 at this time. Clayton Kershaw looks to get things going the right direction again next week. Kershaw is having a very nice year with a 7-3 record and outstanding 10.27 K/9. In 14 starts, he’s allowed more than 2 earned runs only 4 times. These are tough opponents but Kershaw is a must start. UP.

Milwaukee Brewers – David Bush gets 2 this week with the Brewers home against the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners. Bush has a 1.57 WHIP and 4.67 ERA on the season although with a WHIP that high his ERA should be in the 5.60 range especially considering he doesn’t miss many bats. Even with a start against a weak hitting team like the Mariners, Bush shouldn’t be a consideration. DOWN.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins hit the road with 3 against the Milwaukee Brewers and 3 against the New York Mets. Scott Baker leads them with starts against each of these teams. Baker is 6-5 on the season with a 1.28 WHIP and 4.41 ERA – disappointing for his owners who expected him to bounce back to his 2008 performance. Baker has been wildly inconsistent this year in 14 starts, never really getting on a roll of more than 2 games in a row – good or bad. His last start was his best of the year allowing 0 runs, 2 hits and 1 BB in 7 innings against the Colorado Rockies while striking out 12. Undoubtedly, his owners are hoping for more games like this than the 5 runs allowed in 5 innings with only 2 strikeouts against the Royals. Due to his inconsistency, it’s buyer beware and a NEUTRAL rating this week.

New York Yankees – A.J. Burnett has a double dip this week in Arizona to face the Diamondbacks and Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Burnett is on a streak – of the wrong kind. He’s lost 3 in a row and has a 1.81 WHIP and 9.00 ERA to go along with 6 HR allowed in that stretch. His K/9 is down just about 2.0 from last year’s mark of 8.48. Against these teams that can put up runs in bunches, Burnett garners a NEUTRAL rating only because the Yankees have the kind of offense that could get him a couple ugly wins.

New York Mets – Jonathon Niese leads the Mets in 2 starts against the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins at CitiField. Niese has been pitching fairly well but his 1.43 WHIP probably can’t sustain a 3.64 ERA over the long run. If he keeps it in that range, look for an ERA correction upwards. These are 2 offenses that can do some damage so a NEUTRAL rating is warranted.

Oakland A’s – The A’s are in Oakland to face 2 teams on opposite ends of the National League Central spectrum in the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates and Gio Gonzalez gets the nod for 2 starts. Gio has lost his last 2 starts allowing 10 earned runs and 3 HR in 10.3 innings in the process. The good news is Gonzalez will be pitching at home where he has had much better results – 1.02 WHIP, 2.90 ERA and .165 BAA. Even still, the game against the Reds lowers his rating this week to NEUTRAL.

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies take on the Cleveland Indians in Philadelphia then head to Toronto for the Toronto Blue Jays. Soon to be AARP member Jamie Moyer gets the double dip. Moyer is 7-6 on the season with a 1.13 WHIP and 4.76 ERA. He is the owner of a pitiful 4.32 K/9 and, as a result, has to rely on location and his fielders. He gets a good start against Cleveland but the Toronto start is tougher so he rates as NEUTRAL this week.

Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates are in Texas to face the Rangers then head to Oakland for games against the A’s. Zach Duke takes his 3-8 record, 1.72 WHIP and 5.49 ERA to the mound for 2 starts. ‘Nuff said. DOWN.

San Diego Padres – The Padres hit the road for 3 games each against the Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins. Matt Latos gets the call for 2 this week. He has won his last 2 times out and has a superb 0.99 WHIP for the season while striking out 71 in 79 innings. Latos has allowed 2 runs or less in 8 of his last 9 starts with the lone exception being 3 runs. He continues to be a must start – UP.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners have 3 games at home against the Chicago Cubs and then go to Milwaukee for 3 against the Brewers. Jason Vargas gets the call for this week’s double dipper. Vargas is the owner of a 5-2 record with a 1.11 WHIP and 2.88 ERA. Skeptics point to his 5.66 K/9 and .260 BABIP as the reason he can’t sustain this pace. But he goes out there start after start and does it. He allowed 5 runs in his first start of the year but hasn’t allowed more than 3 runs in 12 starts since then. It was 2 runs or less in 9 of those 12. Feel free to start him this week. UP.

San Francisco Giants – Tim Lincecum gets a double dip against the Houston Astros in Houston and Boston Red Sox back home in San Francisco. The Freak has proved a little more human this year but still rates as a must start every week. UP.

St. Louis Cardinals – Jaime Garcia takes his 6-3 record, 66 K in 79 innings, 1.24 WHIP and 1.59 ERA on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals. He has not allowed more than 2 earned runs in any start this season. If he lowers his bases on balls, look out. He’s an UP play this week.

Tampa Bay Rays – Wade Davis is a disappointing 5-7 on the year after many expected 2010 to be his big coming out party after flashing some promise in 2009. He now has a 1.48 WHIP and 4.94 ERA on the season and has lost his last 3 starts, allowing 14 earned runs in 15.3 innings. The Rays have fallen back into a first place tie with the New York Yankees and the calls for them to bring up Jeremy Hellickson to replace Davis in the rotation are getting louder. Davis gets games at home against the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks to try to right the ship. NEUTRAL.

Texas Rangers – The Rangers get 2 of the best series an American League team could want as they host the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Tommy Hunter left his last start early with a hip flexor injury but should be ready to go this week and is the benefactor of these juicy pitching matchups. Hunter is 2-0 on the season with a 0.92 WHIP and 2.08 ERA. Hunter’s not a big strikeout pitcher – just a bit over 5 K/9 – but you’d start Chico Escuela in these games. UP.

Toronto Blue Jays – Brett Cecil climbs the mound in Rogers Centre to face the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. Cecil has won 5 of his last 6 starts, including games against the Rays, Yankees and Angels. The only hiccup was his last start against the San Diego Padres in which he allowed 5 earned runs in 6 innings to register the loss. The Cardinals and Phillies are a combined 3 games under .500 on the road and don’t have quite the offenses Cecil has faced in the American League. UP.

Washington Nationals – The Nationals will be home against the Kansas City Royals then head up I-95 for 3 games against the Baltimore Orioles. Livan Hernandez (who is older, him or Moyer?) will face both teams. You have to wonder how long a 3.68 K/9 can sustain a 2.94 ERA before an apocalyptic explosion but these are pretty good matchup to take a chance on. UP.