Greetings again fantasy fiends, and welcome back to the Hotpage, where hopefully we can look a little beyond the obvious in the stats and numbers and keep our teams engaged in pennant races.

I see a lot of Giants and Athletics games, more and more each year, so it seems what I see at the yard filters more and more into what I write. On Sunday, I scored the Giants and Reds which included three ugly innings from Barry Zito, which is so tough to see.

Zito, a cerebral, but offbeat guy, was never an overpowering pitcher, clocking a fastball at best around 88-89 MPH. But, he had that, a killer curve, and a solid change and terrific command.

Sunday, Zito could barely clock at 84, and his command was gone. The first six baters of the game all scored before an out was registered, and truth be told, the Giants defense looked sloppy behind him. Probably, because he was struggling, and going deep into counts. The Giants simply have to pull him from the rotation and give Zito a chance to right himself. Because, if anyone has a pedigree to become the new Jamie Moyer, it is Zito.

Pat Misch came in to relieve Zito after the Reds torching, and other than allowing a pair of dingers to Brandon Phillips, he pitched well, allowing two runs over six innings, striking out four and walking one. Misch, 27, was recalled to fill the vacated spot of the injured Kevin Correia, but if the Giants pull Zito too, Misch could find himself in a starting role.  He was 2-5 over 66 innings at Fresno with a 2.31 ERA and 1.10 WHIP when summoned.

Sticking with the Giants, Fred Lewis is a guy I have been high of for a few years, always wondering why the Giants would not give him a chance to start? Well, Lewis now owns left field, and he is a guy you want to grab now, especially in keeper leagues where you can watch players grow. Because Lewis is developing power, and has speed, and looks like he might be a top flight player within a year or two. Note that he hit eight homers at AA over 171 at-bats last year, which means he has pop, even if it has never been displayed at the major league level. But, it will come.

Finally, in San Francisco, time to jump on the Jonathan Sanchez bandwagon, folks. Sanchez has always had lights out stuff, but being consistent was his enemy. But, his Friday start, where he pitched eight innings, allowed four hits, a walk, and struck out ten is what the guy can do. And, of his five starts this year, two were not so good, and three were brilliant. Get his now while he is still cheap.

Atlanta advanced shortstop Brent Lillibridge with Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones both hurting. Lillibridge, a shortstop in the minors, will probably get some playing time while those injuries linger, but there is a chance he could become the heir apparent at third. The 24-year old stole 42 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2007, and was eight-for-nine so far this year at Richmond, though his stick is weak so far (.195 average). Still, in a deep NL only format, he could be worth ten steals between now and the end of the year.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is back since Adam Melhuse broke his hand, and, well, Melhuse was simply released meaning Salty will get some at-bats behind the plate, but like some at first and even DH.

Gabe Gross was acquired by Tampa Bay, from the Brewers earlier in the week. Now 29, Gross was a former wunderkind with the Blue Jays, but he never really made the impression we had hoped for. Think of him a la Gabe Kapler: he may be or have a flash, but that is it. Only in a deep league would Gross have any value.

Name the worst pitcher in the Majors last year? Well, for my money, it was Scott Olsen, who followed up a pretty good rookie campaign in 2006 (12-10, 4.04, and 1.30 WHIP over 31 starts) to a nightmarish 2007 (10-15, 5.88 over 31 starts with an ugly 1.77 ratio). How about 3-0, 2.06 so far this year over five starts? He could be available in your free agent pool.

I have long been a Jayson Werth fan, going back to when the Dodgers acquired him and then his career was sidetracked. But, Werth seems healthy and is getting playing time in Philadelphia, hitting .309-5-12 over 66 at-bats. Werth also has enough speed to give you 8-12 swipes over a full season, and he might still be floating around in your free agent pool.

That will be it for this week. See you in seven!