We go around baseball's rotations every Sunday of the season in our weekly Pitching Planner. We highlight every matchup, recommended two-start options, sleepers and busts and much more. The means we consider them a recommended start. The means we suggest you consider a replacement option.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Dan Haren at HOU Rodriguez
- Edwin Jackson vs MIL Gallardo
- Cesar Valdez at HOU Paulino, vs MIL Wolf
- Ian Kennedy at HOU Oswalt, vs MIL Narveson
- Rodrigo Lopez at HOU Myers
Two-starter(s): Valdez and Kennedy. The 25-year-old Valdez, 1-1,
3.80 in Triple-A, is a high-risk option that is best avoided, while
Kennedy is a nice sleeper for mixed formats. We consider him a
questionable option because of the matchups but he could be useful in
mixed leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Kennedy. Owned in just 50 percent of CBSSports.com leagues,
he is a risk worth taking in any format right now. Going eight innings
in each of his past two starts, Kennedy is establishing himself nicely.
One-week
bust: Jackson. It shouldn't matter that his matchup is tough,
because he is just too erratic to trust in most leagues at this point.
Atlanta Braves
- Tommy Hanson at WAS Atilano
- Tim Hudson at WAS Olsen
- Derek Lowe at PHI Moyer
- Jair Jurrjens at PHI Hamels
- Kenshin Kawakami at WAS Hernandez, at PHI Blanton
Two-starter(s): Kawakami. He is a questionable option who is a
risk worth taking in deeper leagues, mostly due to the favorable first
matchup.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper:
Kawakami. He is coming off his worst start of the season, but the hunch
here is Kawakami and the Braves are due.
One-week bust: Jurrjens.
He is dealing with the hammy issue and isn't pitching well anyway. Keep
him reserved. Kris Medlen could make
the start for him.
Baltimore Orioles
- Kevin Millwood at MIN Liriano
- Jeremy Guthrie at NYY Sabathia, at MIN Baker
- Brian Matusz at NYY Burnett, at MIN Blackburn
- David Hernandez at NYY Pettitte
- Brad Bergesen at MIN Pavano
Two-starter(s): Guthrie and Matusz. Guthrie is a high-risk option
best avoided in all formats, while Matusz is a questionable option worth
using in deeper leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Matusz. He has posted three consecutive quality starts and
is capable of handling those difficult matchups.
One-week bust: Millwood.
His results are good to date with the O's, but his velocity is down and
he is facing a solid Twins team.
Boston Red Sox
- Josh Beckett vs NYY Hughes
- Jon Lester vs LAA Santana, vs NYY Burnett
- John Lackey vs LAA Pineiro
- Clay Buchholz vs LAA Saunders, vs NYY Sabathia
- Daisuke Matsuzaka vs LAA Kazmir
Two-starter(s): Lester and Buchholz. They are advisable options
in most leagues, despite the difficult matchups.
Who is getting
skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Buchholz. The Red Sox's
top four starters are good to go in any formats and Buchholz is a part
of that group.
One-week bust: Dice-K. His awful return start
against a beatable opponent makes us call him a sit this week.
Chicago Cubs
- Ryan Dempster at PIT Maholm, at CIN Leake
- Ted Lilly at PIT Morton
- Randy Wells at PIT TBD
- Carlos Silva at CIN Bailey
- Tom Gorzelanny at CIN Harang
Two-starter(s): Dempster. He is a must-start in all leagues. He
might even be that in all weeks and matchups right now.
Who is
getting skipped: Carlos Zambrano. He
remains in the Pitch-22.
One-week sleeper: Gorzelanny. He has
been solid (2.45), despite his 0-3 record.
One-week bust: Silva.
Perhaps the pixie dust wore off in his last outing and he will reveal
himself as a fraud we suspect he is.
Chicago White Sox
- Mark Buehrle vs TOR Marcum
- Jake Peavy vs KC Meche, vs TOR Cecil
- Gavin Floyd vs KC Hochevar, vs TOR Romero
- John Danks vs TOR Eveland
- Freddy An. Garcia vs KC Bannister
Two-starter(s): Peavy and Floyd. Their struggles make them
questionable options, but their matchups compel us to advise using them
in deeper leagues anyway.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Peavy. He has been dropped in some leagues, but he probably
shouldn't have been. He made progress in his past start after a rough
first inning.
One-week bust: Garcia. He keeps his rotation
spot for now, especially since Daniel Hudson
(9.37) is struggling in Triple-A, but we cannot advise using Garcia in
any format.
Cincinnati Reds
- Aaron Harang vs CHC Gorzelanny
- Mike Leake vs NYM Perez, vs CHC Dempster
- Bronson Arroyo vs NYM Maine
- Johnny Cueto vs NYM Niese
- Homer Bailey vs CHC Silva
Two-starter(s): Leake. He is an advisable option in all leagues
amid the hot start to his career.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Arroyo. He was better his last time out and has been good
against the Mets in his career (6-2, 3.38), including 2-0, 3.00 last
season.
One-week bust: Bailey. He made progress Saturday, but
we still cannot trust him in mixed leagues right now.
Cleveland Indians
- Fausto Carmona vs TOR Morrow
- Justin Masterson vs DET Bonderman
- David Huff vs DET Verlander
- Mitch Talbot vs TOR Cecil, vs DET Scherzer
- Jake Westbrook vs TOR Romero
Two-starter(s): Talbot. He is a questionable option, but his hot
start (3-1, 2.05) makes him a sleeper to use in deeper leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Talbot. He is
owned in only 30 percent of leagues, but he has dominated his past three
outings and is worth a flier this week.
One-week bust: Huff.
His past few starts have been poor, which makes him a high-risk option
even for AL-only leagues.
Colorado Rockies
- Ubaldo Jimenez at SD Correia, at LAD Kershaw
- Greg Smith at SD LeBlanc
- Aaron Cook at SD Richard
- Jhoulys Chacin at LAD Monasterios
- Esmil Rogers at LAD Kuroda
|
|||
Must-starts | TM | Own% | Start% |
CC Sabathia | NYY | 98 | 92 |
Ubaldo Jimenez | COL | 97 | 90 |
Adam Wainwright | STL | 97 | 89 |
Tim Lincecum | SF | 98 | 88 |
Ryan Dempster | CHC | 96 | 84 |
Clayton Kershaw | LA | 96 | 84 |
James Shields | TB | 97 | 83 |
Roy Oswalt | HOU | 96 | 83 |
Cole Hamels | PHI | 97 | 82 |
Jon Lester | BOS | 97 | 82 |
Advisables | TM | Own% | Start% |
Ricky Romero | TOR | 91 | 76 |
Max Scherzer | DET | 92 | 70 |
Clay Buchholz | BOS | 89 | 63 |
Rich Harden | TEX | 85 | 59 |
Jaime Garcia | STL | 76 | 58 |
Dallas Braden | OAK | 77 | 52 |
Scott Feldman | TEX | 70 | 40 |
Mike Leake | CIN | 59 | 40 |
Ian Kennedy | ARI | 50 | 33 |
Questionables | TM | Own% | Start% |
Jake Peavy | CHW | 95 | 67 |
Scott Baker | MIN | 92 | 67 |
Ervin Santana | ANA | 88 | 62 |
Gavin Floyd | CHW | 87 | 58 |
Brian Matusz | BAL | 86 | 50 |
Kevin Correia | SD | 63 | 46 |
Livan Hernandez | WAS | 56 | 40 |
Joe Saunders | ANA | 59 | 30 |
Mitch Talbot | CLE | 30 | 21 |
Joe Blanton | PHI | 69 | 16 |
Anibal Sanchez | FLA | 24 | 15 |
Brett Cecil | TOR | 18 | 12 |
Oliver Perez | NYM | 17 | 10 |
Nick Blackburn | MIN | 23 | 6 |
Jason M. Vargas | SEA | 12 | 6 |
Kenshin Kawakami | ATL | 11 | 4 |
High-risks | TM | Own% | Start% |
Luke Hochevar | KC | 26 | 11 |
Paul Maholm | PIT | 10 | 5 |
Gil Meche | KC | 11 | 4 |
Jeremy Guthrie | BAL | 10 | 4 |
Felipe Paulino | HOU | 4 | 2 |
Chris Narveson | MIL | 2 | 1 |
Cesar Valdez | ARI | 1 | 0 |
Two-starter(s): Jimenez. He is a must-start in all leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: Perhaps Rogers. The Rockies could skip him after
Thursday's offday, which would hand a second start to Smith, who is
risky right now.
One-week sleeper: Cook. He had a great start
that was followed by a bad one, but his matchup makes him useful in
deeper formats.
One-week bust: Rogers. He might not make a
start as the Rockies could go with a four-man rotation for a turn.
Detroit Tigers
- Justin Verlander at CLE Huff
- Max Scherzer at MIN Baker, at CLE Talbot
- Dontrelle Willis at MIN Blackburn
- Rick Porcello at MIN Slowey
- Jeremy Bonderman at CLE Masterson
Two-starter(s): Scherzer. He remains an advisable option, despite
his tough past start.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Willis. He has been pitching well and his velocity is back
up into the low-90s, making him a sleeper for mixed leagues.
One-week
bust: Porcello. He likely has to sit amid his sophomore struggles.
We still believe he will be a 12- to 15-game winner when it is all said
and done, though.
Florida Marlins
- Josh Johnson at WAS Lannan
- Anibal Sanchez vs SF Lincecum, at WAS Hernandez
- Nate Robertson vs SF Zito
- Ricky Nolasco vs SF Cain
- Chris Volstad at WAS Stammen
Two-starter(s): Sanchez. He is a questionable option that
qualifies as a risk worth taking in deeper leagues with those matchups.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Sanchez. He is
facing a tough Giants team with their ace on the mound, but he has been
great in his career against the Nationals (3-0, 2.87).
One-week
bust: Robertson. He hasn't gotten past four innings in either of his
past two starts, albeit the last one on short rest.
Houston Astros
- Roy Oswalt vs ARI Kennedy, vs SD Correia
- Brett Myers vs ARI Lopez
- Wandy Rodriguez vs ARI Haren
- Bud Norris vs SD Latos
- Felipe Paulino vs ARI Valdez, vs SD Garland
Two-starter(s): Oswalt and Paulino. Oswalt is a must-start, while
Paulino is a high-risk option best avoided outside of the deepest of
NL-only leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Myers. He has been pretty good to date and is a viable
starter in mixed leagues right now.
One-week bust: Paulino.
Even if his matchups look favorable, we wouldn't trust him.
Kansas City Royals
- Zack Greinke at TEX Wilson
- Gil Meche at CHW Peavy, at TEX Harden
- Luke Hochevar at CHW Floyd, at TEX Feldman
- Brian Bannister at CHW Garcia
- Kyle Davies at TEX Harrison
Two-starter(s): Meche and Hochevar. They are high-risk options
for any league at this point.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: None. We wouldn't trust any Royals starter not name Greinke
this week.
One-week bust: Bannister. He was great last time
out, but we still do not trust him in mixed leagues.
Los Angeles Angels
- Jered Weaver at SEA Hernandez
- Joe Saunders at BOS Buchholz, at SEA Fister
- Ervin Santana at BOS Lester, at SEA Vargas
- Joel Pineiro at BOS Lackey
- Scott Kazmir at BOS Matsuzaka
Two-starter(s): Saunders and Santana. They are questionable
options. We would advise using Santana, but Saunders cannot be trusted
in mixed leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Santana. He has been better of late after a slow start to
the season.
One-week bust: Saunders. He is struggling and is
best left for deeper AL-only leagues this week.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Clayton Kershaw vs MIL Narveson, vs COL Jimenez
- Chad Billingsley vs MIL Davis
- John Ely vs MIL Bush
- Hiroki Kuroda vs COL Rogers
- Charlie Haeger or Carlos Monasterios vs COL Chacin
Two-starter(s): Kershaw. He is a must-start in all leagues,
despite his still-high walks totals.
Who is getting skipped: Perhaps
Haeger or Monasterios. The uncertainty makes the sits right now.
One-week
sleeper: Kuroda. He is one of the most undderrated starters in
Fantasy, but the ownership is climbing steadily.
One-week bust: Monasterios
and Haeger. We cannot be sure which one will start. Even if they do,
they are high-risk options. We do know Ely is getting another start.
Milwaukee Brewers
- Yovani Gallardo at ARI Jackson
- Randy Wolf at ARI Valdez
- Chris Narveson at LAD Kershaw, at ARI Kennedy
- Doug Davis at LAD Billingsley
- Dave Bush at LAD Ely
Two-starter(s): Narveson. He is a high-risk option even in the
deepest of NL-only formats.
Who is getting skipped: None.
One-week
sleeper: Wolf. He warrants being started in more than 72 percent of
CBSSports.com's leagues.
One-week bust: Davis. He has been
awful and is a candidate to cut even in NL-only formats.
Minnesota Twins
- Francisco Liriano vs BAL Millwood
- Scott Baker vs DET Scherzer, vs BAL Guthrie
- Nick Blackburn vs DET Willis
- Kevin Slowey vs DET Porcello
- Carl Pavano vs BAL Bergesen
Two-starter(s): Baker. He is a questionable option amid his
struggles, but he should remain active in most formats.
Who is
getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Pavano. He is
having a solid season and draws a favorable matchup against a team he
has handled well in his career.
One-week bust: Blackburn. He
has struggled, giving up five runs in each of his past three starts. He
hasn't pitched since April 24 either.
New York Mets
- Johan Santana vs SF Wellemeyer
- Mike Pelfrey vs SF Sanchez
- Jonathon Niese at CIN Cueto
- Oliver Perez at CIN Leake, vs SF Lincecum
- John Maine at CIN Arroyo
Two-starter(s): Perez. He is a questionable option that is not
trustworthy enough in a standard mixed league.
Who is getting
skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Maine. He was better his
last time out and could be on his way back to respectability.
One-week
bust: Perez. He is a tough start at Cincy's bandbox and against the
Giants and their ace.
New York Yankees
- CC Sabathia vs BAL Guthrie, at BOS Buchholz
- A.J. Burnett vs BAL Matusz, at BOS Lester
- Andy Pettitte vs BAL Hernandez
- Javier Vazquez skipped
- Phil Hughes at BOS Beckett
Two-starter(s): Sabathia and Burnett. They are must-starts in all
leagues regardless of the matchups.
Who is getting skipped:
Vazquez. It was impossible for the Yankees to trust Vazquez at Boston,
especially since they can skip his turn after Thursday's offday.
One-week
sleeper: Pettitte. He has been performing like a must-start in all
leagues this season and his ownership and active percentages are
steadily climbing.
One-week bust: Vazquez. He has been
terrible and won't start until Monday against the Tigers. Sit him in all
leagues this week, and likely next, too.
Oakland Athletics
- Ben Sheets vs TB Davis
- Dallas Braden vs TEX Harden, vs TB Shields
- Justin Duchscherer vs TEX Feldman
- Trevor Cahill vs TEX Lewis
- Gio Gonzalez vs TB Price
Two-starter(s): Braden. He is coming off his worst start of the
season, but he has been good otherwise and remains an advisable start.
Who
is getting skipped: None. Duchscherer is a risk due to his hip issue
and could miss his start.
One-week sleeper: Braden. He
struggled in his last start as his ownership reached a season high, but
you should trot him out there in most formats.
One-week bust: Sheets.
He has been bad and shouldn't be active in any format. The A's could
choose to skip his turn if Duchscherer proves healthy.
|
||
Player | % Change | |
1. | Livan Hernandez, SP, Nationals | 29 |
2. | Colby Lewis, SP, Rangers | 23 |
3. | Mitch Talbot, SP, Indians | 21 |
4. | Wade LeBlanc, SP, Padres | 21 |
5. | Jaime Garcia, SP, Cardinals | 17 |
6. | Alfredo Simon, SP, Orioles | 14 |
7. | Kevin Correia, SP, Padres | 12 |
8. | Ian Kennedy, SP, Diamondbacks | 12 |
9. | Evan Meek, RP, Pirates | 11 |
10. | Doug W. Fister, SP, Mariners | 10 |
Philadelphia Phillies
- Roy Halladay vs STL Lohse
- Joe Blanton vs STL Garcia, vs ATL Jurrjens
- Cole Hamels vs STL Wainwright, vs ATL Kawakami
- Jamie Moyer vs ATL Lowe
- Kyle Kendrick vs STL Penny
Two-starter(s): Blanton and Hamels. Blanton is a questionable
option, while Hamels is advisable.
Who is getting skipped: None.
Kendrick is in danger of losing his rotation spot, though.
One-week
sleeper: None. Hamels and Halladay should be active, while the
others should not be.
One-week bust: Moyer. He is 5-9 with a
5.18 ERA against the Braves in his career. You shouldn't use him outside
of deeper NL-only leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Paul Maholm vs CHC Dempster, vs STL Wainwright
- Zach Duke vs STL Carpenter
- Jeff Karstens vs STL Garcia
- Charlie Morton vs CHC Lilly
- Perhaps Ross Ohlendorf vs CHC Wells
Two-starter(s): Maholm. He is too risky to trust outside of
deeper NL-only leagues.
Who is getting skipped: None. Brian Burres is out of the rotation is Ohlendorf can make his return
Wednesday or Thursday.
One-week sleeper: None.
One-week
bust: Duke. He was hot early and cold currently. You cannot use him
in that matchup.
San Diego Padres
- Jon Garland at HOU Paulino
- Kevin Correia vs COL Jimenez, at HOU Oswalt
- Wade LeBlanc vs COL Smith
- Clayton Richard vs. COL Cook
- Mat Latos at HOU Norris
Two-starter(s): Correia. He is a questionable option who will be
active in many mixed leagues this week.
Who is getting skipped:
Perhaps Latos. He is struggling and could be out of the rotation once Chris R. Young returns. If Latos is skipped, red-hot LeBlanc will
pick up another start.
One-week sleeper: Garland. He has been
outstanding thus far and is a nice stopgap in mixed leagues.
One-week
bust: Latos. He is the one at risk of heading back to the minor
leagues as the rest of the rotation has been dominant of late.
San Francisco Giants
- Tim Lincecum at FLA Sanchez, at NYM Perez
- Barry Zito at FLA Robertson
- Matt Cain at FLA Nolasco
- Jonathan O. Sanchezat NYM Pelfrey
- Todd Wellemeyer at NYM Santana
Two-starter(s): Lincecum. He is a must-start in all leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Zito. He
clearly is a must-start in all formats amid his career resurgence.
One-week
bust: Wellemeyer. He has been better of late, but he is opposing
Santana and the Mets have hit him hard in his career (6.67 ERA).
Seattle Mariners
- Felix Hernandez vs LAA Weaver
- Cliff Lee vs TB Garza
- Doug W. Fister vs LAA Saunders
- Jason M. Vargas vs TB Shields, vs LAA Santana
- Ryan Rowland-Smith vs TB Niemann
Two-starter(s): Vargas. He is a questionable option, but one that
some will run with because he has been pitching so well. Those are tough
matchups, though.
Who is getting skipped: None. Ian Snell is out of the rotation, though.
One-week sleeper:
Fister. He has been awesome so consider him a solid option in mixed
leagues now.
One-week bust: Rowland-Smith. He could be a
candidate to move to the bullpen if his struggles last.
St. Louis Cardinals
- Chris Carpenter at PIT Duke
- Adam Wainwright at PHI Hamels, at PIT Maholm
- Jaime Garcia at PHI Blanton, at PIT Karstens
- Brad Penny at PHI Kendrick
- Kyle Lohse at PHI Halladay
Two-starter(s): Wainwright and Garcia. Wainwright is a
must-start, while Garcia is an advisable option in any format right now.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Garcia. He has
earned must-start status and his ownership and starting percentages
should continue to rise to the max.
One-week bust: Lohse. He
has been struggling and has a tough matchup against a potent contenders'
ace.
Tampa Bay Rays
- James Shields at SEA Vargas, at OAK Braden
- Matt Garza at SEA Lee
- Jeff Niemann at SEA Rowland-Smith
- David Price at OAK Gonzalez
- Wade Davis at OAK Sheets
Two-starter(s): Shields. He is a must-start in all leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: None. All five
Rays starters are must-starts at this point.
One-week bust: None.
There is not one good reason to sit a Rays starting pitcher.
Texas Rangers
- C.J. Wilson vs KC Greinke
- Rich Harden at OAK Braden, vs KC Meche
- Scott Feldman at OAK Duchscherer, vs KC Hochevar
- Colby Lewis at OAK Cahill
- Matt Harrison vs KC Davies
Two-starter(s): Harden and Feldman. They are advisable options
despite some rough starts this season.
Who is getting skipped: None
One-week
sleeper: Lewis. Japan served him well. He is off to a great start
and is a solid option in all leagues. This is a real favorable matchup,
too.
One-week bust: None. All five Rangers starters are useful
in any formats this week.
Toronto Blue Jays
- Shaun Marcum at CHW Buehrle
- Ricky Romero at CLE Westbrook, at CHW Floyd
- Brett Cecil at CLE Talbot, at CHW Peavy
- Brandon Morrow at CLE Carmona
- Dana Eveland at CHW Danks
Two-starter(s): Romero and Cecil. Romero is advisable, while
Cecil is a questionable option that can be used in deeper leagues.
Who
is getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Marcum. He is
pitching like a top 40 Fantasy starter again, which makes him a solid
option in mixed formats on a regular basis.
One-week bust: Eveland.
He got hammered his last time out and has to be considered a risk in
mixed leagues.
Washington Nationals
- John Lannan vs FLA Johnson
- Livan Hernandez vs ATL Kawakami, vs FLA Sanchez
- Luis Atilano vs ATL Hanson
- Scott Olsen vs ATL Hudson
- Craig Stammen vs FLA Volstad
Two-starter(s): Hernandez. He is a questionable option, but his
hot start will make him get used in many mixed leagues.
Who is
getting skipped: None.
One-week sleeper: Atilano. He has
been strong since joining the rotation and faces the struggling Braves.
One-week
bust: Lannan. He was hammered by those Marlins on Sunday, which
makes it difficult to trust him.
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball pitching questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Pitching Planner in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.