We take our weekly look around baseball's pitching staffs and Fantasy's two-start pitchers in the Pitching Planner. The returns of Chien-Ming Wang (hamstring) and Randy Johnson (back) on Tuesday as two-start pitchers are among the notable changes.
Staff reflections
Arizona Diamondbacks: Yusmeiro Petit made a spot start for Micah Owings (hamstring, 15-day DL) on Sunday, but the return of Randy Johnson (back) on Tuesday will send him back to the minor leagues or the bullpen. With a day off Monday, Johnson will be their lone two-start pitcher. We say use him without hesitation, especially because of the two starts.
Atlanta Braves: A Thursday day off makes it possible the Braves could skip or move back Chuck James, in order to keep John Smoltz on his regular fifth day. We doubt James is moved. Kyle Davies could be, but he's getting a start Monday anyway. Davies is a risky two-start pitcher, especially since he might not get that second start.
Baltimore Orioles: They need a spot starter for Tuesday, which could be Jeremy Guthrie out of the bullpen, but Jaret Wright (shoulder) is expected to be back next Sunday, April 29, when that turn comes around again. Consider Guthrie and Wright high-risk options in Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29). Erik Bedard is an advisable two-start pitcher in most leagues.
Boston Red Sox: With no day off, all five starters will go in succession, including two-starters Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez. They should only be trusted in deeper leagues.
Chicago Cubs: With a day off Thursday, the Cubs will likely skip No. 5 starter Wade Miller to keep Carlos Zambrano and Rich Hill on regular rest against the Cardinals. This gives Hill a probable second start this week. Miller might not start at all, so reserve him in those deeper NL-only leagues in which he is owned.
Chicago White Sox: With no days off, all five starters will start in succession, including two-starters Mark Buehrle and Javier Vazquez. They are advisable options in most leagues right now.
Cincinnati Reds: A day off Monday means Aaron Harang will be the team's lone two-start pitcher. He's a must-start in most leagues.
Cleveland Indians: With no days off, Jeremy Sowers and Fausto Carmona could be two-start pitchers. Sowers is an advisable one in deeper leagues, but Carmona will likely lose his second start to the return of Cliff Lee (oblique) next Sunday, April 29. That is uncertain at this point, but you shouldn't be counting on Carmona's two starts. The only question on Lee's return is whether the time is right. He started Saturday on rehab, so his fifth day would be Thursday and not Sunday. The Indians have already listed others as starters earlier in the week, so Lee likely gets a rehab outing before returning -- perhaps an abbreviated one Wednesday.
Colorado Rockies: Taylor Buchholz is slated to take Rodrigo Lopez's (elbow) rotation spot. He is slated for two starts at this point, but he could be moved off his Sunday start to keep staff No. 1 Aaron Cook on regular rest. Consider Buchholz a risky two-start option. Buchholz or Cook will be the team's lone two-starter, depending on if Buchholz will be skipped.
Detroit Tigers: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Mike Maroth and Jeremy Bonderman, who is a must-start in all leagues.
Florida Marlins: This young rotation has issues right now. The only things we can be sure of are Dontrelle Willis getting two starts, Rick Vanden Hurk starting Tuesday and Scott Olsen on Wednesday. Vanden Hurk could be a two-start pitcher if Sergio Mitre's (blister) replacement Wes Obermueller is skipped (likely) or Anibal Sanchez (hamstring) cannot make his start Friday (he should). Consider all but Willis high-risk Fantasy options this week.
Houston Astros: All five starters will work in succession, including two-starters Chris Sampson and Woody Williams. They are options only in deeper leagues at this point. Sampson has been off to a hot start, though. Matt Albers will remain in the rotation in Jason Jenning's (elbow) absence.
Kansas City Royals: Brian Bannister will likely be recalled from Triple-A Omaha to make Tuesday's start against the White Sox, according to MLB.com. That means Brandon Duckworth is out of the rotation. Gil Meche and Bannister will be two-start pitchers. Use them only in deeper leagues. The rookie Bannister is far more risky obviously.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Kelvim Escobar (shoulder) will return from the DL on Tuesday against Detroit, which makes him and Jered Weaver two-start pitchers. Take the risk on Escobar only in deeper leagues. Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley are both officially out of the rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Mark Hendrickson will remain in the rotation for Jason Schmidt (shoulder) but he will move back a day to keep the other four starters on regular rest. He gets a one-start week for deeper NL-only leagues. Derek Lowe is the lone two-start pitcher.
Milwaukee Brewers: There is a day off Thursday, but we don't see any reason for Claudio Vargas to be skipped to keep Jeff Suppan and Ben Sheets on regular rest. Sheets will get just one start this week regardless, while Suppan could pick up a second start (unlikely).
Minnesota Twins: All five starters will go in succession, including two-start pitchers Carlos Silva and Johan Santana. Silva is a risky option for the deepest of AL-only leagues and Santana is, well, Santana.
New York Mets: With a day off Thursday, the Mets could skip Oliver Perez to keep Tom Glavine, John Maine and Orlando Hernandez on regular rest. It looked like that was possible until Perez had that outing he had Saturday. We say run Perez out there with confidence only in deeper leagues. El Duque could get a second start if Perez is skipped.
New York Yankees: Another messy situation. It appears Chase Wright will remain in the rotation -- assuming he makes it through his start Sunday night. Kei Igawa and a returning Chien-Ming Wang will be two-start pitchers. Andy Pettitte will follow Wang, while Jeff Karstens is the probable starter Thursday. Darrell Rasner was sent to the minors. Mike Mussina (hamstring) will make a rehab start Friday and return the following week, while Carl Pavano (forearm) will return thereafter. Reserve Mussina and Pavano in all leagues until May at the earliest.
Oakland Athletics: Rich Harden (shoulder) now won't return to the rotation for a two-start week as planned. Typical. Brad Halsey was going to get the Tuesday start, but he is going in for an MRI. Prospect Dallas Braden reportedly will get the spot start, so consider him out of necessity in the deepest of AL-only leagues. Harden could return to start over the weekend, but he's obviously a very risky option and too frustrating to consider at this point. Let him return and prove his health. Dan Haren will also be an advisable two-start pitcher.
Philadelphia Phillies: All five starters will work in succession, including two-start pitchers Adam Eaton and Jamie Moyer. Consider them options in deeper leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates: With a day off Monday, Paul Maholm will be their lone two-start pitcher. Consider him in deeper NL-only leagues. Oft-skipped No. 5 starter Tony Armas will pitch Thursday, even though he could be moved back to Saturday.
San Diego Padres: With a day off Monday, the lone two-start pitcher will be David Wells, who should be considered only in deeper leagues. He pitches against Randy Johnson and Derek Lowe.
San Francisco Giants: With a day off Monday, the lone two-start pitcher will be Matt Morris, who should be considered only in deeper leagues. He pitches against Derek Lowe and Randy Johnson.
Seattle Mariners: Felix Hernandez (elbow) will miss both of his starts this week. Cha Seung Baek is listed as his replacement, so consider him a two-start option in deeper AL-only leagues at this point. Hernandez has not yet gone on the DL, so Baek might only be needed for those two starts. King Felix owners sure hope so.
St. Louis Cardinals: Randy Keisler is listed as the probable starter for Thursday, so Chris Carpenter likely won't be returning in Fantasy Week 4 (April 23-29). Kip Wells is the lone two-start pitcher, one viable for deeper leagues. Carpenter could be brought back in Fantasy Week 5 (April 30-May 6) as a two-start pitcher.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays: All five starters will go in succession, including two-starters Casey Fossum and Scott Kazmir. Use Kazmir in all leagues without hestitation, while Fossum is high-risk for the deepest of AL-only formats.
Texas Rangers: Kameron Loe will remain in the rotation for Jamey Wright (shoulder) this week. Wright could return on Loe's next turn May 1. The Rangers will get double starts from Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla. Use them in most leagues.
Toronto Blue Jays: All five starters will go in succession, including Tomo Ohka and Roy Halladay, who is a must-start in all leagues. Ohka should only be considered in deeper AL Fantasy leagues that don't penalize losses.
Washington Nationals: Despite a day off Monday, the Nationals won't skip No. 5 man Jason Bergmann, who will be a high-risk two-start pitcher for the deepest of NL-only leagues. All of the Nats starters are high-risk options in all matchups this season.
Week 4 (April 23-29)
| This week's matchups | ||||
| AL early | AL middle | AL late | NL early | NL late |
| OAK@BAL | BOS@BAL | BAL@CLE | ATL@FLA | LAD@SD |
| TOR@BOS | TOR@NYY | BOS@NYY | COL@NYM | NYM@WAS |
| NYY@TB | TB@LAA | LAA@CHW | MIL@CHC | MIL@HOU |
| SEA@TEX | TEX@CLE | TEX@TOR | HOU@PIT | CIN@PIT |
| CHW@KC | SEA@OAK | TB@OAK | WAS@PHI | FLA@PHI |
| CLE@MIN | KC@MIN | KC@SEA | CIN@STL | CHC@STL |
| DET@LAA | DET@CHW | MIN@DET | SD@ARI | ATL@COL |
| SF@LAD | SF@ARI | |||
| Italics denotes a two-game series. | ||||
| The following teams play seven games this week: The entire AL. | ||||
Two-start pitchers
| This week's two-start pitchers | ||
| Must-start options | ||
| Johan Santana | vs. CLE Carmona | at DET Bonderman |
| Dontrelle Willis | vs. ATL Davies | at PHI Eaton |
| Roy Halladay | at BOS Tavarez | vs. TEX Padilla |
| Jeremy Bonderman | at LAA Escobar | vs. MIN Santana |
| Erik Bedard | vs. OAK Haren | at CLE Sowers |
| Carlos Zambrano | vs. MIL Vargas | at STL Wainwright |
| Dan Haren | at BAL Bedard | vs. TB Fossum |
| Aaron Harang | at STL Wells | at PIT Maholm |
| Derek Lowe | vs. SF Morris | at SD Wells |
| Jered Weaver | vs. DET Maroth | at CHW Buehrle |
| Kevin Millwood | vs. SEA Baek | at TOR Ohka |
| Randy Johnson | vs. SD Wells | vs. SF Morris |
| Chien-Ming Wang | at TB Kazmir | vs. BOS Tavarez |
| Advisable options | ||
| John Maine | vs. COL Buchholz | at WAS Bergmann |
| Scott Kazmir | vs. NYY Wang | at OAK Harden |
| Rich Hill | vs. MIL Suppan | at STL Wells |
| Javier Vazquez | at KC Bannister | vs. LAA Escobar |
| Mark Buehrle | at KC Meche | vs. LAA Jer. Weaver |
| Adam Eaton | vs. HOU Sampson | vs. FLA Willis |
| Questionable options | ||
| Gil Meche | vs. CHW Buehrle | at SEA Baek |
| Kei Igawa | at TB Fossum | vs. BOS Wakefield |
| Jeremy Sowers | at MIN Silva | vs. BAL Bedard |
| Tim Wakefield | vs. TOR Ohka | at NYY Igawa |
| Kip Wells | vs. CIN Harang | vs. CHC Hill |
| Matt Morris | at LAD Lowe | at ARI Johnson |
| Claudio Vargas | at CHC Zambrano | at HOU Williams |
| Jamie Moyer | vs. WAS Bergmann | vs. FLA Vanden Hurk |
| Vicente Padilla | vs. SEA Washburn | at TOR Halladay |
| Mike Maroth | at LAA Jer. Weaver | vs. MIN Silva |
| Chris Sampson | at PHI Eaton | vs. MIL Bush |
| Carlos Silva | vs. CLE Sowers | at DET Maroth |
| Jarrod Washburn | at TEX Padilla | vs. KC Bannister |
| Kelvim Escobar | vs. DET Bonderman | at CHW Vazquez |
| High-risk options | ||
| Kyle Davies | at FLA Willis | at COL Buchholz |
| Woody Williams | at PIT Maholm | vs. MIL Vargas |
| David Wells | at ARI Johnson | vs. LAD Lowe |
| Paul Maholm | vs. HOU Williams | vs. CIN Harang |
| Julian Tavarez | vs. TOR Halladay | at NYY Wang |
| Tomo Ohka | at BOS Wakefield | vs. TEX Millwood |
| Casey Fossum | vs. NYY Igawa | at OAK Haren |
| Jason Bergmann | at PHI Moyer | vs. NYM Maine |
| Brian Bannister | vs. CHW Vazquez | at SEA Washburn |
| Cha Seung Baek | at TEX Millwood | vs. KC Meche |
| Taylor Buchholz | at NYM Maine | vs. ATL Davies |
| Rick Vanden Hurk | vs. ATL Redman | at PHI Moyer |
Pitch a question
Josh Swartz, Boston: I drafted Chris Carpenter and I am not sure what to do. Should I wait, drop him or try to trade him? Also, when should I expect him to be back?
Emack: He could return late next weekend, but it's most likely he returns the following Tuesday in Randy Keisler's spot. He could be a two-start pitcher that week and with a little bit of rest for his elbow, he can still be fine for Fantasy owners from there on out. Hang on to him.
RJH, Clarks Summit, Pa.: I am in a 10-team 5x5 league. We start seven pitchers (any combo). My question is, is Rich Hill a must start at this point no matter what? For Week 4, Halladay, Haren and Vazquez are two-start guys. I also have Roy Oswalt, Ben Sheets and Billy Wagner. Should I start Hill or another reliever? I have Francisco Cordero and Brian Fuentes as options.
Emack: Hill is not quite yet a must-start in all leagues, but we say go with him over your other closers in his two-start week.
Jeff Taccarino, Ocean City, N.J.: I have five pitchers scheduled for two starts, but only four open slots. Johan Santana is a no-brainer, but then I have Rich Harden, Jered Weaver, Javier Vazquez and John Maine. I'd usually not have to think about starting Harden, but with the shoulder I'm not sure. What do you think?
Emack: Leave Harden on the bench for one week to see how he comes out of his start ... if he starts over next weekend.
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: 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 do not guarantee personal responses to all questions.
