FanHouse Barry Zito

Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.

On Saturday we received a wonderful spot start from Jon Garland (hat tip to commenter andtinez), who pitched eight innings without allowing an earned run or a walk, striking out three and picking up a win. Paul Maholm pitched for us today, and those he allowed too many baserunners (nine hits and three walks in six innings), he only allowed two earned runs and in the process gave us our 14th quality start in our last 15 spot starts.

Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.

While most of the fantasy world has turned toward football, the Stream Team has picked up the pace with our recent selections. Our pitchers have given up a total of three runs in our last three spot starts, spanning 21 innings. Our streamers could have won many H2H playoff matchups last week, as they combined to post 4 wins, a 2.64 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts over 47.2 innings. Bronson Arroyo is on the mound tonight for us against Houston.

There is a pretty even distribution of talent this week as 43 pitchers will be two-start pitchers for the week.

Of the 11 "Must Start" options I really like Yovani Gallardo who gets the enviable task of facing the Nationals and the Pirates. Roy Halladay has it the worst of the bunch as not only does he have to face the Rays and the Red Sox, but he has to face two starting pitchers with sub-four ERA's.

Fifteen of the 43 two-start pitchers are "Solid Starts". Dan Haren has it rough facing Matt Cain and Wandy Rodriguez while Gil Meche faces two very beatable opposing pitchers in Jeremy Sowers and Ian Snell.

The other 17 pitchers are "Risky Business". You should only be considering these guys if you're in super-deep leagues or just massively desperate for strikeouts. None of these are viable options.

Aaron Cook left Friday night's game early with soreness in his shoulder. He had given up four earned runs and walked two in just three innings before being pulled. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time.

He'll be re-evaluated Saturday but at the minimum will miss his next start, manager Jim Tracy said.

He [Cook] said the team doctor was cautiously optimistic he wasn't seriously injured but that he wouldn't know for sure until the swelling subsides.

"Hopefully it's just one of those things that came on real quick and we can get rid of it real quick," said Cook.

Even though Cook had won ten games this season, his 4.47 ERA has kept his fantasy baseball ownership at low level. But, 42% of fantasy GM's did have Cook on their roster. Let's talk about what to do now.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Greinke started the season and could virtually do no wrong. He won his first six starts and by the end of May he was 8-1 through 11 starts with a tiny 1.10 ERA. That's exactly when you should have traded him, at the highest point of his yearly value. I only say this with the benefit of hindsight. It's easy to look back and decide which moves should have been made.

Since the beginning of June, Greinke has made 14 starts and has a record of 3-7. His ERA has ballooned to 2.44. His earned run average is still great, he's top-five in the league, but he's losing half of his starts. How's that happening with such a great ERA?

When Nolan Ryan returned to the Rangers organization as the club's president much was made about the impact that move would have on the team's pitchers. No more pampering of young arms was the new touchstone, and it has been music to the ears to a certain generation of baseball fans and writers who have never stopped remembering when Ryan and his peers would throw 300 innings in a season.

To help establish their new system, the Rangers have allowed Alan Jaeger to start working with many of their young pitchers. Jaeger espouses a philosophy that encourages throwing more and resting less than the established norm around the major leagues.

It's either feast or famine in week 17 of the fantasy baseball season. There are 14 must starts and 24 pitchers who are risky business. The guys in the middle aren't as numerous.

There are 50 pitchers who are starting twice this week. Make sure to get your lineups set by 7:05 PM ET on Monday night.

Must Start
Jair Jurrjens, Braves - Tuesday at FLA (R. Nolasco) and Sunday vs LAD (C. Billingsley)
Josh Beckett, Red Sox - Monday vs OAK (T. Cahill) and Saturday at BAL (J. Berken)
Clay Buchholz, Red Sox - Tuesday vs OAK (V. Mazzaro) and Sunday at BAL (R. Hill)
Carlos Zambrano, Cubs - Monday vs HOU (W. Rodriguez) and Saturday at FLA (A. Miller)
Mark Buehrle, White Sox - Tuesday at MIN (S. Baker) and Sunday vs NYY (C. Sabathia)
Ricky Nolasco, Marlins - Tuesday vs ATL (J. Jurrjens) and Sunday vs CHC (R. Dempster)

Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

By now you've seen the highlights. An eighth-inning rocket by Pat Burrell that pulled an inch foul while nearly taking out the third-base umpire. An unbelievable catch, juggle and save by DeWayne Wise in the ninth inning. Alexei Ramirez fielding a Jason Bartlett grounder and firing across the diamond for the final out. Mark Buehrle with his hands on the top of his head, all smiles as he completed the 18th perfect game in major league history.

Buehrle, who already had a 2007 no-hitter to his credit, threw 76 of his 116 pitches for strikes. The biggest called strike of those 76 came on the outside corner in the eighth inning with Carlos Pena at the plate, causing Pena to turn and argue with home plate umpire Eric Cooper (incidentally, also the umpire in Buehrle's no-hitter). The biggest swinging strike came on a 3-2 punchout of Michael Hernandez with one out in the ninth.

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
The Astros are a game out of first place.

A little more than a month ago -- before the games of June 20 -- Houston was dead last in the NL Central, six games behind first-place Milwaukee.

Since then the Astros have gone 19-11, including Wednesday's 4-3 defeat of the (now) first-place Cardinals with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, finishing a three-game sweep. Miguel Tejada delivered the game-winning single.

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Looking to cycle spot-starters each day? Check out the Stream Team, where we tab pitchers that are likely to help you in your quest for fantasy gold.

After again picking Joe Blanton for yesterday's start (the first repeat starter for the Stream Team), he went out and picked up a win, throwing 7.1 innings while allowing only one run and striking out six. It's no Jonathan Sanchez or anything, but Blanton continued to dominate the competition and should soon be seeing increased ownership in leagues everywhere. With the repeat pick being such a success, I'd like to do it again for tomorrow's pick.