Welcome to Week 4. What has happened to C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander? Both were Fantasy studs last season. Sabathia is 0-3 with a horrific 13.50 ERA. Verlander is also 0-3, but at least he has a 7.03 ERA! You have heard it many times that pitchers are hard to predict, and these two are prime examples. They should be nowhere near a starting lineup in either contest until they turn it around.
Sports Buff Contest
I would recommend these two start pitchers in the Sports Buff contest.
1.Adam Wainwright($40)- MIL Away, HOU Home
2.Tim Hudson($44)- WAS Home, NYM Away
3.John Maine($44)- CHC Away, ATL Home
4.Carlos Zambrano($47)- NYM Home, WAS Away
5.Kason Gabbard($36)- BOS Away, MIN Home
6.Brad Penny($44)- CIN Away, COL Home
7.Roy Oswalt($47)- SD Home, STL Away
8.Micah Owings($31)- SF Home, SD Away
9.Josh Beckett($54)- TEX Home, TB Away
10.John Smoltz($45)- WAS Home, NYM Away
11.Edison Volquez($27)- LAD Home, SF Away
12.Jake Peavy($54)- HOU Away, ARZ Away
13.Brandon Webb($51)- SF Home, SD Home
14.Felix Hernandez($47 - BAL Home, OAK Home
15.James Shields($45)- TOR Home, KC Away
I personally like Volquez, Owings and Webb.
CDM Diamond Challenge
I would recommend these two start pitchers in the CDM Challenge.(Dollar amount in Millions)
1.Jake Peavy($1480)- HOU Away, ARZ Away
2.Brandon Webb($1300)- SF Home, SD Home
3.Felix Hernandez($1040)- BAL Home, OAK Home
4.James Shields($1020)- TOR Home, KC Away
5.John Smoltz($1270)- WAS Home, NYM Away
6.Adam Wainwright($870)- MIL AWay, HOU Home
7.Tim Hudson($1020)- WAS Home, NYM Away
8.John Maine($810)- CHC Away, ATL Home
9.Brad Penny($1010)- CIN Away, COL Home
Team Schedules
Seven Games - All National League League Teams play seven games this week. Toronto, Boston, Texas and Detroit all play seven in the American League. The other teams all play six games.
Injuries
1. Howie Kendrick(2B LAA) - Went on the 15 Day DL with a sore hamstring.
2. Tom Glavine(SP ATL) - He is on the DL with a strained hamstring.
3. Alfonso Soriano(OF CHC) - He is out till early May with a strained hamstring.
4. Joe Borowski(RP CLE) - A sore triceps put him on the 15 Day DL.
5. Erik Bedard(SP SEA) - Bedard finally went on the DL with that nagging hip injury.
6. Paul LoDuca(C WAS) - He is out with a bruised right hand.
7. Dontrelle Willis(SP DET) - Went on the DL with a knee injury.
8. Jimmy Rollins(SS PHI) - Rollins went on the 15 Day DL with that bad ankle.
Players on the Rise
1. Rafael Betancourt(RP CLE) - He will assume the Closer role in Cleveland with Joe Borowski on the DL.
2. Mike Jacobs(1B FLA) - He is off to a fast start with 6 HR's and 14 RBI's.
3. Manny Ramirez(OF BOS) - This is a contract year for Manny. He is hitting .342 with 6 HR's.
4. B.J. Upton(OF TB) - He is hitting.343 with 16 RBI's on the season.
Players on the Decline
1. Frank Thomas(DH TOR) - He was released by the Jays this past week. Wait and see where he lands before playing him again.
2. Ben Sheets(SP MIL) - Injury bug has hit again, this time Sheets has a sore triceps.
3. Justin Verlander(SP DET) - His drop in velocity this year is something to be concerned about.
4. C.C. Sabathia(SP CLE) - His owners just have to hope he turns it around.
Got a fantasy question you would like answered in my column? Send it to me via
e-mail at mikek@creativesports.com. Until next week, I wish you the best of
luck.