2 start pitchers week 22: remember again that the list below is more focused on mixed leagues since in AL or NL only leagues in most cases you do not have the option to rotate too many starting pitchers with the smaller player pool. The pitchers below are listed in alphabetical order by team name per category.

American League:

Start them:

Brian Duensing (MIN) ~ DET (Galarraga), TEX (Lee)
Phil Hughes (NYY) ~ OAK (Mazzaro), TOR (Cecil)
Trevor Cahill (OAK) ~ @NYY (Moseley), LAA (Santana)
Felix Hernandez (SEA) ~ LAA (Santana), CLE (Masterson)
C.J. Wilson (TEX) ~ @KC (Davies), @MIN (Duensing)

Roll the Dice:

Josh Beckett (BOS) ~ @BAL (Matusz), CWS (Buehrle)
Mark Buehrle (CHW) ~ @CLE (Talbot), @BOS (Beckett)
Armando Galarraga (DET) ~ @MIN (Duensing), @KC (Davies)
Dan Haren (LAA) ~ @SEA (Pauley), @OAK (Mazzaro)
Dustin Moseley (NYY) ~ OAK (Cahill), TOR (Rzepczynski)
Vin Mazzaro (OAK) ~ @NYY (Hughes), LAA (Haren)
David Pauley (SEA) ~ LAA (Haren), CLE (Talbot)
Wade Davis (TB) ~ TOR (Cecil), @BAL (Matusz)
Brett Cecil (TOR) ~ @TB (Davis), @NYY (Hughes)
Ervin Santana (LAA) ~ SEA (Hernandez), @OAK (Cahill)

Beckett has been rocked in three of his past four starts, allowing 22 runs in 22 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs in seven innings in his lone start against Baltimore and has yet to face the White Sox this season. If you are trying to catch up in stats, then you probably have to take your chances and hope for two good starts. If you are trying to protect your team ERA and WHIP, it is probably best to have him on the bench. Buerhle is 6-3 in his last 10 starts, allowing three runs or less in eight of those starts. Galarraga has been better the second half of the season despite only one win in eight starts. ERA of 3.60 with 1.28 WHIP plus uptick in his strikeout rate gives him the benefit of the doubt for now. Haren’s numbers haven been slightly better in the American League with a drop in strikeouts as he now faces a designated hitter. His batting average against in both leagues has been much higher than in 2009 giving some cause for concern for his value in keeper leagues. Moseley is good for wins but allowing a home run every five innings does not bode well for long term success. Mazzaro has not won since July 24th despite allowing three runs or less in five straight starts. Pauley has two home starts where he has a 2.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP vs. 5.40 and 1.54 on the road. Davis has not lost since June 27th and has allowed two runs or less in five of his last six starts. Cecil has carried over his performance from the first half to the second with a slightly lower ERA and a slightly higher WHIP. His start on August 14th when he allowed seven runs was the only time in his last nine outings that he allowed more than three runs. Santana has not been as sharp since the All-Star break and faces two tough opposing starters next week making him a tough start.

Sit Them:

Brian Matusz (BAL) ~ BOS (Beckett), TB (Davis)
Justin Masterson (CLE) ~ CWS (Jackson), @SEA (Hernandez)
Mitch Talbot (CLE) ~ CWS (Buehrle), @SEA (Pauley)
Kyle Davies (KC) ~ TEX (Wilson), DET (Galarraga)

Talbot has not won since June 27th and is 1-6 in his last 10 starts. Masterson allows too many hits and too many walks to have success as a starter on a consistent basis. Matusz has been better of late, but has a 6.06 ERA vs. Tampa Bay with a 1.53 WHIP, his second start next week. Against Boston, his numbers are 2.41 and 1.18.

National League:

Start them:

Mike Minor (ATL) ~ NYM (Niese), @FLA (Sanabia)
Travis Wood (CIN) ~ MIL (Wolf), @STL (Carpenter)
Hiroki Kuroda (LAD) ~ PHI (Halladay), SF (Sanchez)
Jon Niese (NYM) ~ @ATL (Minor), @CHC (Zambrano)
Roy Halladay (PHI) ~ @LAD (Kuroda), MIL (Bush)
Jonathan Sanchez (SF) ~ COL (De La Rosa), @LAD (Kuroda)

Roll the Dice:

Jair Jurrjens (ATL) ~ NYM (Misch), @FLA (Johnson)
Carlos Zambrano (CHC) ~ PIT (Maholm), NYM (Niese)
Jorge De La Rosa (COL) ~ @SF (Sanchez), @SD (Richard)
J.A. Happ (HOU) ~ STL (Westbrook), @ARI (Saunders)
Randy Wolf (MIL) ~ @CIN (Wood), @PHI (Kendrick)
Kyle Kendrick (PHI) ~ @LAD (Monasterios), MIL (Wolf)
Wade LeBlanc (SD) ~ @ARI (Saunders), COL (Rogers)
Jake Westbrook (STL) ~ @HOU (Happ), CIN (Wood)

Throw out Jurrjens last start at Colorado and he had went four straight starts with three runs allowed or less. Allowed four runs in seven innings in his start against Florida back on July 25th. Zambrano has been good in the ERA department but his control has been Carlos Marmol like with 16 walks in 24 innings.  De La Rosa has been on a roll, allowing three runs or less in seven straight starts while striking out five or more in six of those outings. Happ has had only one really bad start since the All-Star break and it was against St. Louis, allowing seven runs in one inning. The same team he happens to face in his first start next week. Other than that start, the other six starts were all three runs or less. Wolf has won three of his last four starts and allowed two runs or less in four or his last six appearances. Kendrick has been streaky, either pitching very well or getting hit hard. He has been much better on the road with a 3.87 ERA and 1.28 WHIP vs. 5.50 and 1.46 at home. If you have daily or bi-weekly transactions, keep that in mind. LeBlanc walks a fine line to get wins in San Diego, usually needing to surrender three runs or less to get a decision. He has allowed four or more runs in four of his last 10 starts. He just faced Arizona this week, allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings.  The move to the National League has agreed with Westbrook, sporting a 1.10 WHIP and striking out a batter per inning.

Sit Them:

Joe Saunders (AZ) ~ SD (LeBlanc), HOU (Happ)
Esmil Rogers (COL) ~ @SF (Bumgarner), @SD (LeBlanc)
Alejandro Sanabia (FLA) ~ WAS (Marquis), ATL (Minor)
Paul Maholm (PIT) ~ @CHC (Zambrano), WAS (Marquis)
Jason Marquis (WAS) ~ @FLA (Sanabia), @PIT (Marquis)
Pat Misch (NYM) ~ @ATL (Jurrjens), @CHC (Coleman)

Saunders was supposed to see a drop in his numbers with the move to the National League, instead, his ERA and WHIP have both gone up. He has allowed a home run in eight straight starts. Maholm is 2-6 in his last 10 starts and with little strikeouts to speak of, not much incentive to have him in your rotation. Sanabia is too unpredictable to use at this point of the season in mixed leagues unless you are desperate for wins.

One player on the rise is Matt Holliday who has gone from a mid second round pick to someone that has been appearing late in the first round in my most recent drafts.

Rising:

Roy Halladay (27th overall) – ADP was 34 two weeks ago and I have seen him going as high as the late teens in recent drafts. With pitching going early this season, Halladay is getting bumped up closer to Tim Lincecum. If there is any pitcher that is going to get 20 or more wins this season, Halladay would be the favorite at this point.

Justin Morneau (39) – ADP is up five spots but he has been going higher as well in recent mock drafts. Concerns about his back and a potential for less power have seem to have been erased from fantasy owners minds.

Josh Johnson (72) – ADP is up 10 spots from two weeks ago. Looks like owners at the end of the fifth round are afraid he will not make it back on the turn in snake drafts and are pulling the trigger a little bit sooner to ensure they get him.

Clayton Kershaw (98) – ADP up 15 spots. Being pulled higher by the early drafting of the Tier 1 pitchers. Arguably the last solid number one starter for your fantasy baseball team depending how much faith you have in Cole Hamels or Ubaldo Jimenez going after him.

Matt Wieters (99) – ADP up 9 spots and he is coming close to falling into the overrated category if he goes any higher. I don’t see his upside that much greater than Miguel Montero or Jorge Posada whom you can get four rounds later in the draft.

Huston Street (143) – ADP up 18 spots as he is last closer going off the board before the remaining relief pitchers who all have question marks tied to them.

Brett Anderson (166) – ADP up 25 spots as people are buying into the hype being spouted by magazines and other websites calling him the breakout pitcher of 2010. No longer has the potential to value for you based on where he is currently going in drafts.

James Loney (184) ADP up 20 spots that has pushed him up the first base rankings ahead of Adam LaRoche, Todd Helton and Paul Konerko. Combination of batting average plus I think people are hoping for an increase in power which I don’t see happening.

Falling:

Alfonso Soriano (77) – ADP down five spots and there is a chance he goes later than this. There is lots of good talent still on the board at the start of the sixth round. His recent comments about his knee that he had surgery on being only 80-85% healthy has to cause some concern if you are planning to draft him.

Michael Bourn (79) – ADP is down 12 spots from two weeks ago. Nice to see that people are starting to realize his true value and are pushing him back to a more reasonable position in that draft, although the 79th spot is still much too high.

Vladimir Guerrero (138) – ADP down 16 spots. Still might have another good season in him, but it is hard to tie up your utility spot this early in the draft since he does not qualify at any other position.

Chris Davis (158) – ADP down 13 spots as people are still trying to decide which version of him are they going to get. It looks like right now owners are not buying into his performance after he came back from Triple-A at the end of the 2009 season.

Jack Cust (232) – ADP down 77 spots thanks to crowded Oakland A’s roster that will limit Cust’s at bats in 2010. Low batting average is also tough to take this late in the draft unless you planned on taking him and surrounded him with high average hitters.

Instead of using some complicated formula to review May statistics, here is a breakdown of the numbers for the month sorted by category, for pitchers.

# PLAYER TEAM IP
1 Roy Halladay TOR 46
1 Zack Greinke KAN 46
3 CC Sabathia NYY 45.2
4 Carl Pavano CLE 45
5 Jered Weaver LAA 43
5 Johnny Cueto CIN 43
7 Adam Wainwright STL 42.2
8 Jason Marquis COL 42.1
8 Mark Buehrle CHW 42.1
8 Jake Peavy SDG 42.1
8 Edwin Jackson DET 42.1
8 Zach Duke PIT 42.1
13 Cliff Lee CLE 42
14 Justin Verlander DET 41.1
15 Derek Lowe ATL 40.2
15 Ted Lilly CHC 40.2
15 Matt Garza TAM 40.2
15 Ubaldo Jimenez COL 40.2
19 Barry Zito SFO 40.1
19 Matt Cain SFO 40.1

# PLAYER TEAM SO
1 Justin Verlander DET 56
2 Jake Peavy SDG 52
3 Javier Vazquez ATL 44
3 Zack Greinke KAN 44
5 Johan Santana NYM 42
5 Chad Billingsley LAD 42
7 Jon Lester BOS 41
7 Tim Lincecum SFO 41
9 Aaron Harang CIN 40
10 J. Zimmermann WAS 39
11 CC Sabathia NYY 37
11 Jorge De La Rosa COL 37
11 Max Scherzer ARI 37
14 Roy Halladay TOR 36
14 Ted Lilly CHC 36
14 Edwin Jackson DET 36
14 Felix Hernandez SEA 36
17 Dan Haren ARI 35
17 Cole Hamels PHI 35
17 Wandy Rodriguez HOU 35
17 James Shields TAM 35

# PLAYER TEAM Wins
1 Carl Pavano CLE 5
1 Justin Verlander DET 5
1 Rick Porcello DET 5
1 Tim Wakefield BOS 5
5 Derek Lowe ATL 4
5 Roy Halladay TOR 4
5 Ted Lilly CHC 4
5 Johan Santana NYM 4
5 Jason Marquis COL 4
5 Bronson Arroyo CIN 4
5 CC Sabathia NYY 4
5 Todd Wellemeyer STL 4
5 Edwin Jackson DET 4
5 John Maine NYM 4
5 Matt Cain SFO 4
5 Kevin Slowey MIN 4
5 Matt Palmer LAA 4
5 Randy Johnson SFO 4
19 Andy Pettitte NYY 3
19 Livan Hernandez NYM 3

# Player Team WHIP
1 Jake Peavy SDG 0.87
2 Justin Verlander DET 0.90
3 Zack Greinke KC 0.91
4 Johnny Cueto CIN 0.95
4 Jered Weaver LAA 0.95
6 CC Sabathia NYY 0.96
7 Scott Feldman TEX 1.01
8 Roy Halladay TOR 1.04
8 Edwin Jackson DET 1.04
8 Josh Outman OAK 1.04
11 Mark Buehrle CHW 1.06
11 Dan Haren ARI 1.06
11 Rick Porcello DET 1.06
14 Ted Lilly CHC 1.08
14 Brian Tallet TOR 1.08
16 Matt Palmer LAA 1.10
16 Javier Vazquez ATL 1.10
18 Scott Baker MIN 1.11
18 Zach Duke PIT 1.11
20 Tim Lincecum SFO 1.12

# Player Team ERA
1 Rick Porcello DET 1.50
2 Justin Verlander DET 1.52
3 Zack Greinke KC 1.57
4 Roy Halladay TOR 1.76
5 Jake Peavy SDG 2.13
6 Jered Weaver LAA 2.30
7 Edwin Jackson DET 2.34
8 Randy Wolf LAD 2.35
9 Josh Beckett BOS 2.38
10 Johan Santana NYM 2.43
11 Matt Cain SF 2.45
11 Josh Outman OAK 2.45
13 Mark Buehrle CHW 2.55
14 CC Sabathia NYY 2.56
15 Clayton Kershaw LAD 2.57
15 Cliff Lee CLE 2.57
17 Scott Feldman TEX 2.70
17 Livan Hernandez NYM 2.70
19 Johnny Cueto CIN 2.72
19 Josh Johnson FLA 2.72

RK PLAYER TEAM SV SO
1 Heath Bell SDG 15 26
2 F. Cordero CIN 14 22
2 F. Rodriguez NYM 14 27
4 Trevor Hoffman MIL 13 14
4 Ryan Franklin STL 13 16
4 Brian Fuentes LAA 13 19
4 Brad Lidge PHI 13 26
4 J. Papelbon BOS 13 28
9 Bobby Jenks CHW 12 15
9 Chad Qualls ARI 12 23
9 Matt Capps PIT 12 12
9 Brian Wilson SFO 12 23
13 Mariano Rivera NYY 11 26
13 Frank Francisco TEX 11 19
13 George Sherrill BAL 11 21
13 Jonathan Broxton LAD 11 39
17 Joe Nathan MIN 10 22
17 Fernando Rodney DET 10 17
17 Matt Lindstrom FLA 10 22
20 Kerry Wood CLE 8 21

With all of the talk in the news again about performance enhancing drugs, it is nice to see there are still some legitimate hitters in the major leagues, as several players had multiple home run games last night.

Hitters:

Adam Jones hit two home runs, giving him eight on the season, to go along with 25 RBI. His batting average is now up to .363 and he leads the American League in runs scored with 35.

Jim Thome hit two home runs, scored three runs and had four RBI. The home runs were Thome’s first since April 22nd and he now stands one behind Mike Schmidt for 13th place on the all-time home run list.

Prince Fielder went 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI to power the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-3 win over the Florida Marlins. He is currently on pace to far surpass his walk total of 84 from last season with 27 free passes already through 33 games.

Jason Werth went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and stole four bases, giving him seven on the season. His thievery included a steal of home in the seventh inning.

Aaron Hill hit his ninth home run of the season, and is now hitting .357 with 30 RBI for the year.

Josh Hamilton returned from the disabled list and hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to spark a six run rally in the Texas Rangers 7-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Chris Davis hit his ninth home run, but he is going to have a hard time getting his average over .240 with 50 strikeouts in 108 at bats.

Adrian Gonzalez hit his 11th home run and drove in two runs in the San Diego Padres 6-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He is getting little help from his teammates as the second best hitter in the lineup is David Eckstein with a .263 batting average.

Joe Mauer homered for the third time in four games and missed another home run when he was robbed by Clete Thomas in the first inning. Mauer has now driven in nine runs in his last five contests.

Brad Hawpe went 4 for 4 with 5 RBI including his fifth home run of the season in a Colorado Rockies 12-1 rout of the Houston Astros. Ian Stewart added two home runs and drove in five runs as well.

Matt LaPorta got his first start in the last five games and went 1 for 3 while playing first base. LaPorta is now hitting .188 on the season.

Pitchers:

Roy Halladay became the first pitcher to seven wins, tossing a complete game against the New York Yankees. Halladay scattered five hits and one earned run while striking out five.

Zach Duke picked up his fourth in of the season, allowing one run in eight innings to lower his ERA to 2.52. Duke allowed five base runners and struck out five.

Jair Jurrjens lost a win on a blown save by Mike Gonzalez in the ninth inning. Jurrjens allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings with four strikeouts.

Rich Harden allowed two runs in six innings with five strikeouts to move to 4-1 on the season. His counterpart Jake Peavy took the loss, allowing three runs in six innings with nine strikeouts. There is little room for error when Peavy is on the mound as the San Diego Padres offense has scored only nine runs in his last five starts.

Kevin Slowey allowed one run in six innings with two strikeouts to improve his record to 5-1 on the year.

Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run in seven innings with four strikeouts to pick up his third win of the year. Jimenez has now allowed one run in back to back starts.

Micah Owings allowed one run in seven innings with four strikeouts to pick up win number three on the year. Owings was much more effective with his pitches Tuesday night, needing only 90 pitches to get through seven innings.

Recent call up Luke Hochevar got a rude awakening coming back to the major leagues, allowing eight runs in two innings against the Oakland Athletics.

Closers:

Scott Downs got a vote of confidence as the Toronto Blue Jays closer going forward after G.M. J.P. Riccardi announced that B.J. Ryan would serve in a set up role when he comes off the disabled list.

The injury bug continues to strike down players in Major League Baseball as several more players will be out of action for awhile. Kansas City Royals third basemen Alex Gordon will miss potentially two plus months after he undergoes hip surgery on Friday. Vladimir Guerrero of the Los Angeles Angels will be out of action with a strained pectoral muscle. Guerrero will meet with doctors upon returning to Los Angeles to determine a time frame for his return. Catcher Kenji Johjima of the Seattle Mariners was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring. Yunel Escobar of the Atlanta Braves will miss 3 to 4 games with a strained abdominal muscle. In other fantasy baseball news from around the diamond on Thursday…

National League:

Anibal Sanchez pitched the Florida Marlins past the Atlanta Braves 6-2. Sanchez allowed two runs in six innings.  Cody Ross hit his first home run for the Marlins. Emilio Bonifacio struck out three times in five at bats and has now struck out seven times in his last 11 at bats. Jordan Schafer of the Atlanta Braves went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and has now struck out 10 times in his last 15 at bats…..Hunter Pence hit his third home run for the Houston Astros and Lance Berkman his second in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  LaTroy Hawkins got the save, pitching in place of Jose Valverde who was out with back soreness…..Chris Duncan and Brian Barden each hit their second home runs of the year to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ryan Franklin picked up his second save of the year. Sean Marshall got his first start of the year for the Cubs, allowing three runs in five innings. Kosuke Fukudome hit his third home run for the Cubs and Ryan Theriot stole his third base of the season…..Break out the bubbly, the Washington Nationals picked up their first win of the year, 8-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies. Adam Dunn hit his third home run for the Nationals and Elijah Dukes his second. Jimmy Rollins went 0 for 3 for the Phillies and is now hitting .111…..Chase Headley went 4 for 4 for the San Diego Padres with 3 RBI to help defeat the New York Mets 6-5. Heath Bell picked up his 5th save of the year for the Padres. Carlos Delgado hit his third home run for the Mets.

American League:

The Cleveland Indians spoiled the New York Yankees home opener in their new stadium with a 10-2 win. Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez each hit their third home run for the Indians. Cliff Lee got the win, allowing one run in six innings….. John Danks tossed six innings of one run ball with eight strikeouts to help lead the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Jermaine Dye hit his third home run for the White Sox. The Rays continue to run wild on the bases as Jason Bartlett stole two bases and Akinori Iwamura and Carl Crawford each stole one. Carlos Pena hit his 5th home run of the season…..Toronto Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay became the first to three wins in a victory over the Minnesota Twins. Halladay tossed seven innings of one run ball with eight strikeouts. Marco Scutaro hit his third home run for the Blue Jays. Francisco Liriano was much better in his third start of the season allowing one run in six innings with five strikeouts.