Weekly starters: Rays pitchers a good bet

by Gerrit Ritt, FOXSports.com

Updated: May 16, 2008, 2:51 PM EST Comment

And the Yankees are in dead last. I'm sorry for those diehard Bronx Bomber fans out there, but I, for one, couldn't be more excited to see it. The Rays have been doing it the right way the last few years, and they're finally seeing their work paying off.

The Yankees, on the other hand, are being rightly punished for their signings of Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, Jason Giambi and several others.

The Rays will be having their ace hit the mound twice this week, as James Shields gets starts in Oakland and at home against the Orioles. Not exactly a pair of lineups that would frighten too many Rays fans or fantasy owners. They also have former ace Scott Kazmir back, and then they signed him to a multi-year deal as well. Add to that the emergence of youngsters Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson and this team is officially legit.

Get used to it, gang. This team is going to be good for a long time now.

As far as your fantasy teams being good now, some of these pitchers will have a lot to say about that this week.

Top Two-Start Pitchers of the Week

James Shields, Tampa Bay: He's allowed more than two runs in a game only twice in nine outings this season and has a one-hit shutout and a two-hit shutout in his last four starts as well. Throw in a solid 45 strikeouts in 59 innings, and Shields is a man you want firmly in your lineup each and every week.

Roy Halladay, Toronto: Sure, he's given up four or more runs in five of his nine starts, but this is Roy Halladay we're talking about here. He's still the obvious star of the Blue Jay staff and he gets a pair of home games this week. The Angels should be a good test, but the matchup with the Royals will make you glad you kept him going.

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia: A four-hit shutout over the Braves in his last start is pretty much all you need to know about Philly's ace. His ERA is still below 3.00 and he has 35 strikeouts in his last 36 innings. Tough lefties are hard to come by, so don't ever let this guy sit on the sidelines.

Jake Peavy, San Diego: He's one of the top five pitchers in the game, which is saying something these days. Yeah, he got lit up by the Cubs recently, but then again many pitchers have been this season. He gets two home games at Petco Park this week, which is something that would have me starting just about ANY pitcher in baseball if given the same scenario. With Peavy, it's a no brainer.

Sleepers

Manny Parra, Milwaukee: The rookie Brewer lefty has one of the best matchup weeks of all-time, getting to throw in Pittsburgh and Washington over the next stanza. He may not have blown people away thus far in his first season, but of any weeks to have him, this would be it. Be sure to slot him in.

Todd Wellemeyer, St. Louis: He's not a name most fans would readily recognize, especially since he was deep in the Cubs bullpen until last season. However, Wellemeyer has been a pleasant surprise for owners this year, pitching to a 4-1 record and 3.27 ERA in nine starts. This month alone, he has just a 1.50 ERA and will be pitching in two of the best pitchers parks in baseball this week to help him out (San Diego, Los Angeles Dodgers).

C.C. Sabathia is trying to come back after a horrendous start to the season. His most recent starts have looked a lot better. (Matt Sullivan / Getty Images)

C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland: Really? Sabathia, a sleeper? I know, but with five garbage starts in his first eight of the year, I can't rightfully put him in the "Top Starters" category, so this will just have to do. The While Sox aren't hitting right now, and that's his first start of the week. Time to get back on the bandwagon here, as he's starting to turn things around.

Ted Lilly, Chicago Cubs: Another guy who got off to an ugly start this year, mainly because he couldn't find the strike zone and was walking batters consistently. Well, he's stopped doing that, and all of a sudden the strikeouts are coming back in force and he's helping the Cubs win games again. Most of my leagues had dropped him, which had me excited to claim him across the board. The Ks are his best feature, but his team will win him a ton of games as well, as they make their run for the division title.

Potential Disappointments

Justin Verlander, Detroit: Trust me here. I own this guy in my big money league, and I'm just begging for him to turn things around. A 1-7 record, Justin? Seriously?! Dude, this is NOT what I signed up for when making him the ace of my staff. Hell, not even the strikeouts are helping his cause, as he has just 33 of them in 55 innings. I don't care who he's playing now (Seattle, Minnesota), he's driving me crazy.

John Lackey, Los Angeles Angels: He's back off the DL and ready to go. Maybe. Scheduled to be the ace of the Angels staff, he's already had a couple teammates pass him for that honor this season, as Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders have been throwing lights out. I'm leary of any pticher just off the injured list, which makes me think it'll be a while until he rounds into form.

Brett Myers, Philadelphia: What a disappointment Myers has been so far. He's given up six runs in back-to-back games and in three of his last five overall, which has soared his ERA to 5.91 on the year. The strikeouts are strong, but that's about the only thing you can say about him right now. A game AT Houston this week doesn't make me feel any better about him now, either, as Lance Berkman and Co. are one of the hottest teams around.

Micah Owings, Arizona: He hits the ball a ton, and he started the season out pretty well on the mound as well. However, things haven't been as rosy lately, as Owings had given up 14 runs in a three-game stretch before finally putting up a nice line against the Rockies the other day. The downside? He has road games at Florida and Atlanta this week. The Marlins are sitting in first place in the NL East right now and had a seven-game winning streak going until a few days ago. The Braves have Chipper Jones on their team. I think he's hitting about .500 this year. Or something like that.

Derek Lowe, Los Angeles Dodgers: Lowe hasn't been doing much at all for the Dodgers recently. After a strong April, he's fallen off the map in his last three starts, getting pounced on to the tune of an 8.27 ERA. he has home games against the Reds and Cardinals, which is his only saving grace, but that doesn't matter to me when someone's going as bad as he is.

Other Two-Start Pitchers

AL East

Baltimore: Daniel Cabrera (@ nyy, @ tb)
Boston: Jon Lester (KC, @ oak)
New York: Mike Mussina (BAL, SEA)

AL Central

Chicago: Jose Contreras (CLE, LAA)
Kansas City: Luke Hochevar, Gil Meche (@ bos, @ tor)
Minnesota: Boof Bonser, Glen Perkins (TEX, @ det)

AL West

Oakland: Joe Blanton (TB, BOS)
Seattle: Carlos Silva (@ det, @ nyy)
Texas: Scott Feldman (@ min, @ cle)

NL East

Atlanta: Tom Glavine (NYM, ARI)
Florida: Mark Hendrickson (ARI, SF)
New York: Claudio Vargas (@ atl, @ col)
Washington: Tim Redding (PHI, MIL)

NL Central

Cincinnati: Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle (@ lad, @ sd)
Houston: Brian Moehler, Chris Sampson (CHC, PHI)
Pittsburgh: Paul Maholm (MIL, CHC)

NL West

Colorado: Jorge De La Rosa (SF, NYM)
San Diego: Greg Maddux (STL, CIN)
San Francisco: Patrick Misch (@ col, @ fla)