Maybe I'm being a bit hard on these guys, but almost 59 percent of the 41 pitchers who are starting twice this week are being placed in the "Risky Business" category.
There are a couple of touted rookies who make up the 59 percent like the Rays' David Price and Atlanta's Kris Medlen. There are also some big-named pitchers who should never be placed among the "Risky Business" pitchers who just are throwing well, or their teams aren't winning behind them. Jon Lester and Francisco Liriano come to mind immediately.
Like I said, in all there are 41 two-start pitchers this week. Make sure that you get your lineups locked early today as there are a bunch of afternoon games. The first is 1:10 PM ET when Houston plays Cincinnati.
The picture (right) of John Smoltz in a non-Braves jersey looks awfully weird, but we still haven't seen it in a regular season game. The wait will continue, because he's having some small issues in his surgically repaired right shoulder, and he will be shut down completely for a week.
It's not like the Red Sox are starved for help right now, considering they've won 12 of their last 13 games, but they have had some starting rotation holes. Daisuke Matsuzaka is on the disabled list and Brad Penny has had two awful outings. Fortunately, this setback isn't serious, according to Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
SAN FRANCISCO -- If you doubted the Dodgers because they didn't have any top-of-the-rotation starters to replace Brad Penny and Derek Lowe, Randy Winn has a little newsflash for you.
Chad Billingsley is an ace-in-waiting, and he may not be waiting much longer.
Billingsley, the only 4-0 pitcher in the National League, will look to go 5-0 against Winn and the Giants on Tuesday night at AT&T Park.
"He's had the stuff to be a No. 1 starter," Winn said. "It's just the teams he's played for they had some more experienced guys, like Penny and Lowe. Now those guys aren't there, so people are looking at him in a different light, but people who had to face him the last few years know he's been really good."
Forty-four pitchers are throwing twice this week (Monday, April 27th - Sunday, May 3rd). All the games are night games on Monday, so no need to rush. Get your lineups set by 7:00 PM ET for the St. Louis at Atlanta game.
Must Start Dan Haren, Diamondbacks - Tuesday vs CHC (C. Zambrano) and Sunday at MLW (D. Bush) Chad Billingsley, Dodgers - Tuesday at SF (B. Zito) and Sunday vs SD (J. Geer) James Shields, Rays - Tuesday at MIN (F. Liriano) and Sunday vs BOS (B. Penny) Gil Meche, Royals - Tuesday vs TOR (S. Richmond) and Sunday at MIN (S. Baker) Kyle Lohse, Cardinals - Tuesday at ATL (J. Reyes) and Sunday at WAS (J. Lannan) Ted Lilly, Cubs - Monday at ARZ (Y. Petit) and Saturday vs FLA (A. Sanchez)
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Red Sox are still trying to figure out what they've got in Brad Penny, this All-Star turned No. 5 starter.
Catcher Jason Varitek, who caught all 86 of Penny's pitches in his Boston debut on Saturday, and manager Terry Francona both said they are feeling out Penny. Even after his six innings, he still seems like an unknown, albeit a promising one.
"We're still trying to figure out who he is, to learn him," Varitek said. "He's done a good job to get his work in and be where is at right now."
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Nationals can still go 0-162. Washington lost at Atlanta in a game that ended at 1:25 AM ET, thanks to a two-hour rain delay and 10 innings.
The Nationals came back from deficits of 4-1 and 5-4, tying the game 5-5 with a run in the top of the ninth. But lefty Joe Beimel, their seventh pitcher, had to work a second inning and gave up the winning run in the 10th, when Kelly Johnson hit the winning single.
Washington, 0-4, left 16 runners on base. The good news for the Nationals is they are getting closer to a win; after losing by six runs on Opening Day, they have cut their final deficits to five, two and now one. Also, the Nats are just three games behind the Braves in the wild-card race.
MLB Power Rankings:Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.
We're almost there. You can smell it in the air, can't you? That's right ... the NHL playoffs! Ha. I kid, of course. No one actually watches hockey (if it even exists). But people do get amped up for baseball, and the season is upon us. So, in that vein, we've got our final installment of preseason power rankings ready for your digestion. Play ball.
The promising right-hander, who threw a no-hitter in his second major league start in 2007, struggled mightily last season, going 2-9 with a 6.75 ERA before he was banished from the big league club for good in late August.
But just 24 and hardly the only talented pitcher to struggle in his first extended stay in the major leagues, Buchholz lost only a little luster as a result of his poor performance.
From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from Spring Training. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster making a surge for the "big club" we'll let you know the fantasy implications.
Boston Red Sox The Red Sox rotation is still in flux. The four givens are Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield. The race for the fifth spot has pretty much been narrowed down to two; Brad Penny and Justin Masterson. Most feel the job will be Penny's, but Masterson is still being kept on a starter's schedule until Penny comes out and proves that he can pitch well enough to hold the spot down. Penny pitches today, and Masterson goes in a minor league game on Thursday. Both starts are crucial to these two pitchers and whoever wins this job will see his fantasy value rise.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Team that decided not to spend big bucks in the offseason. Reversing course from the normal offseason spending spree in New England, the Red Sox team headed into 2009 looks remarkably similar to last year's squad. You'll recognize all nine hitters in the starting lineup and a majority of the starting rotation. Key acquisitions were made in the bullpen, bringing Takashi Saito from the Dodgers and Ramon Ramirez from the Royals. John Smoltz will look weird without a Braves uniform, but should make a major contribution to the pitching staff when he returns from shoulder surgery. And if Brad Penny can return from injuries to his 2007 form, he should provide a nice spark to the rotation as well.
The picture (right) of John Smoltz in a non-Braves jersey looks awfully weird, but we still haven't seen it in a regular season game. The wait will continue, because he's having some small issues in his surgically repaired right shoulder, and 
SAN FRANCISCO -- If you doubted the Dodgers because they didn't have any top-of-the-rotation starters to replace 
Forty-four pitchers are throwing twice this week (Monday, April 27th - Sunday, May 3rd). All the games are night games on Monday, so no need to rush. Get your lineups set by 7:00 PM ET for the St. Louis at Atlanta game.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Red Sox are still trying to figure out what they've got in 
Starting Five
