by Gerrit Ritt, FOXSports.com

Updated: May 11, 2008, 6:43 PM EST 2 comments

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To me, it hasn't lost its luster in the slightest. It gives me a chance to see some solid rivalry games (Yankees/Mets, Dodgers/Angels, Cubs/White Sox, etc.) and watching American League pitchers try to swing the bat is always entertaining.

I'll even try to get out to the Angels/Dodgers series this weekend if I can. The park in Anaheim will be packed, and it'll seem like postseason play in May. That's a feeling you can rarely duplicate in Week 6. Not even the Red Sox/Yankees series earlier this year have been able to do that.

So, don't be quick to dismiss what these next couple weeks can offer. The pitching matchups are fresh, the big names will be out to prove they're where it's at and the stadiums will be alive. I say bring it on.

Top Two-Start Pitchers of the Week

Cliff Lee, Cleveland: He has some of the most ridiculous numbers going for any pitcher in baseball right now. His 6-0 record, 0.81 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings are more than you can ask of any pitcher — especially one who spent time in Triple-A last year! He shutout the Yankees for seven innings his last time on the mound and will get Toronto and Cincinnati this week. You have to ride the hot hand, and there's no hand hotter these days than Lee's.

Chien-Ming Wang, New York Yankees: There's no denying what Wang's been able to do this season. He finally lost his first game of the year last week when forced to face off with fellow undefeated pitcher Cliff Lee. He didn't pitch poorly in that one, either. He was simply beaten by the better arm that day. He will get two tough teams this week in the Rays and the Mets, but that's never phased him before. He's an automatic start every time out, even without the nasty strikeout totals most aces seem to the get.

Erik Bedard had to miss a couple starts early on, but he's picked himself up well and continues to strike batters out. (Otto Greule, Jr. / Getty Images)

Erik Bedard, Seattle: He's only made five starts this year, and the move to Seattle has allowed him to pitch outside the highlight reels, which has been great for him. He's yet to allow more than three runs in a game all season, just seven earned runs overall, has an ERA sitting at 1.99 and has struck out 25 men in less than 32 innings. Just imagine what he'll do when he's completely healthy, huh? Games against light-hitting Texas and San Diego this week should do nothing but help his numbers, which are already better than last year's.

Adam Wainwright, St. Louis: Wainwright has been the ace of this Cardinals staff for two seasons now, and he's been living up to the title. He's given up two or less runs in five of his seven starts so far this season, has given owners a 3-1 record, a sexy 2.25 ERA and at least six strikeouts four times as well. He'll be at Milwaukee and at home against the Rays this week.

John Maine, New York Mets: The big names in New York are Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez, and I don't think Maine minds that one bit. As Pedro sits on the DL again and Santana is off to a decent start with his new team, maine just keeps on doing his thing. The former UNC Charlotte standout is 4-2 on the year with a 3.00 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 42 innings while not giving up more than two runs in a game since his first start of the year. Facing the Yankees won't be easy this week, but a game against the Nationals should help.

Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati: Cincy's newest member of the staff has been undeniably impressive in his first year in town, pitching to a 1.06 ERA, a 5-1 record and an incredible 52 strikeouts in just 42 1/3 innings! He's been the N.L.'s most dominant pitcher to date, and I'm including Brandon Webb and his 8-0 record in that discussion. I don't care who he's playing against right now (Marlins, Indians), he has to be in your starting lineup.

Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs: After having his Sunday start moved back to Monday due to rain, Zambrano is now officially a two-starter this week, to the joy of Big Z owners everywhere. They'll be even more pleased when they see Chicago's two opponents ... San Diego and Pittsburgh, both at home. The Cubs aer already 6-0 against the Pirates this season, and the Padres have the worst record in baseball. Because of that, he could be the best pitcher to have on any roster this week.

Sleepers

Shaun Marcum, Toronto: The lineup card has him as the No. 4 starter in Toronto, but fantasy owners will argue that fact. He's easily been the team's best pitcher to date, going 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 44 Ks already in '08. Six of his seven appearances have qualified as quality starts, but most casual fans don't even know who he is. If it weren't for Roy Halladay, Marcum would be this team's ace right now.

John Danks, Chicago White Sox: He was one of my sleepers coming into the year, and for once I finally feel vindicated. Danks has pitched really well this season, holding teams to two or less runs in all but one start in '08. His 3-3 record is not indicative of how well he's pitched, but his 3.18 ERA does. A game in San Francisco's spacious ballpark this week should go a long way toward improving those numbers as well.

Armando Galarraga, Detroit: What a find this kid has been for the Tigers this year. Since his call up from the minors, Galarraga's been terrific, throwing to a 2-1 record and 3.07 ERA in five appearances. If not for the five runs he gave up in his last start, he'd be well under 2.00 and looking to improve that against Kansas City in his first start of the week. Be sure to pick this guy up if he's still available.

Zack Greinke, Kansas City: He may be pitching WAY over his head to start the year, but why not keep riding the train while it's rolling? Greinke's 4-1 record and 1.80 ERA through seven starts ranks amongst the league leaders in both categories. The Tigers have been struggling to hit the ball all season long, so his start against them at home Tuesday could be a good chance to bump those numbers up even more. A weekend tilt in Florida doesn't seem like it'll hurt, either.

Justin Duchscherer, Oakland: The reliever-turned-starter has been impressive to say the least. Since coming back from a minor injury early in the year, Duchscherer's given up just six runs in four starts, good for a 2.45 ERA and a 3-1 record coming into roads games against Cleveland and Atlanta this week. Those won't be easy, but the A's have been one of the surprise teams in all of baseball this year, so a couple wins definitely wouldn't surprise me here.

Vincente Padilla, Texas: There haven't been many pitching stars to come out of Arlington since Nolan Ryan. However, Padilla is making people think twice about that this year. He's pitched unbelievably well for that park, putting up a 3.02 ERA and a 5-2 record. He's allowed just one run or less in five of his eight starts so far, which is a pretty remarkable number. He gets two more games at home this week, but something tells me that doesn't phase him anymore.

Potential Disappointments

Aaron Harang, Cincinnati: Harang gets a lot of love from fantasy owners due to his high strikeout totals and an extremely nice 3.09 pitching in the Great American Ballpark in Cincy. However, a 1-5 record doesn't lie. The Reds are having trouble winning games this season, no matter how well Harang throws. He's not given up three or more runs in three of his last five starts and has to pitch both games this week at home again. The Marlins and Indians can't wait.

Brad Penny, Los Angles Dodgers: He's been the team's ace forever, but he's been showing signs of weakness lately. The team, as a whole, has been playing great, but Penny's allowed 16 runs in his last three outings, which has exploded his ERA to 4.79. He also has just 22 Ks in 47 innings, which isn't like him at all. Don't know what the problem is here, but I'm suddenly worried about his starts in Milwaukee and Anaheim this week.

Matt Cain, San Francisco: He has nasty stuff, but it just isn't clicking for him this season so far. Only four of his eight outings this season would be considered quality starts, his record sits at 1-3 and he's had games this year in which he's allowed four, five and NINE runs. His walks are killing him, having given up 25 of them to date, which has crushed his WHIP. His strikeouts are really nice, but that's about all you can say for him right now.

Other Two-Start Pitchers

AL East

Boston: Clay Buchholz (@ min, MIL)
New York: Mike Mussina (@ tb, NYM)
Tampa Bay: Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson (NYY, @ stl)
Toronto: Jesse Litsch (@ min, @ phi)

AL Central

Chicago: Mark Buehrle (@ laa, @ sf)
Cleveland: Paul Byrd (OAK, @ cin)
Minnesota: Livan Hernandez (BOS, @ col); Kevin Slowey (TOR, @ col)

AL West

Los Angeles: Nick Adenhart, Jeff Weaver (CWS, LAD)

NL East

Atlanta: Tim Hudson (@ pit, OAK); Jo Jo Reyes (@ phi, OAK)
Florida: Burke Badenhop, Mark Hendrickson (@ cin, KC)
New York: Nelson Figueroa (WAS, @ nyy)
Philadelphia: Kyle Kendrick (ATL, TOR)
Washington: Odalis Perez, John Lannan (@ NYM, @ bal)

NL Central

Chicago: Jason Marquis (SD, PIT)
Houston: Roy Oswalt, Brandon Backe (@ sf, @ tex)
Milwaukee: Dave Bush (STL, @ bos); Carlos Villanueva (LAD, @ bos)
Pittsburgh: Phil Dumatrait (ATL, @ chc); Paul Maholm (@ stl, @ chc)
St. Louis: Kyle Lohse (PIT, TB)

NL West

Arizona: Randy Johnson (COL, DET)
Colorado: Jeff Francis (@ ari, MIN)
San Diego: Randy Wolf, Willie Ledezma (@ chc, @ sea)
San Francisco: Barry Zito (HOU, CWS)