Welcome to Week 15. One thing has become clear when trying to figure out your pitching match-ups for the week. I would try and get pitchers in my lineup who are facing the Mariners, Nationals, Pirates, Royals, Indians and Padres. These teams have very anemic offenses and give any pitcher a good chance for a win.
Sports Buff Contest
I would recommend these two start pitchers in the Sports Buff contest.
1.Ervin Santana($38) - TEX Away, OAK Away
2.Daisuke Matsuzaka($48) - MIN Home, BAL Home
3.Matt Garza($36) - KC Home, CLE Away
4.Jorge Campillo($30) - LAD Away, SD Away
5.Dana Eveland($32) - SEA Home, LAA Away
6.Cole Hamels($52) -STL Home, ARZ Home
7.Chad Billingsley($39) - ATL Home, FLA Home
8.Justin Duchscherer($36) - SEA Home, LAA Away
9.Joe Saunders($38) - TEX Away, OAK Away
10.Scott Kazmir($45) - NYY Away, CLE Away
11.Nick Blackburn($30) - BOS Away, DET Away
I personally like Garza, Eveland and Billingsley.
CDM Diamond Challenge
I would recommend these two start pitchers in the CDM Challenge.(Dollar amount in Millions)
1.Scott Kazmir($1020) - NYY Away, CLE Away
2.Ervin Santana($770) - TEX Away, OAK Away
3.Daisuke Matsuzaka($870) - MIN Home, BAL Home
4.Matt Garza($540) - KC Home, CLE Away
5.Cole Hamels($1120) -STL Home, ARZ Home
6.Chad Billingsley($840) - ATL Home, FLA Home
7.Justin Duchscherer($720) - SEA Home, LAA Away(He is a RP in this Contest)
8.Joe Saunders($530) - TEX Away, OAK Away
Team Schedules
Five Games - New York Yankees
Seven Games - Colorado, Florida, Kansas City, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York Mets, Oakland, Philadelphia, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Texas.
Everybody else plays Six games.
Injuries
1.Roy Oswalt(SP HOU) - Troublesome hip has him going for an analysis.
2.Bobby Crosby(SS OAK) - Went on the DL with a strained hamstring.
3.Eric Chavez(3B OAK) - Balky shoulder has him back on the DL.
4.Eric Byrnes(OF ARZ) - May need season ending surgery on his hamstring.
5.Rafael Furcal(SS LAD) - Now needs back surgey, "See you in September".
6.Matt Capps(RP PIT) - Bursitis in right shoulder has him out till September.
7.Troy Percival(RP TB) - Hamstring has him out till Mid-July.
8.Troy Tulowitzki(SS COL) - Went on the DL with a laceration to his hand.
9.Magglio Ordonez(OF DET) - Went on the 15 Day DL with a right oblique injury.
10.Michael Cuddyer(OF MIN) - He is on the DL with a strained tendon in his finger.
11.Johnny Damon(OF NYY) - Will miss a few games with a sore shoulder.
Players on the Rise
1.Grant Balfour(RP TB) - Will get some save opportunities with Percival out.
2.Damaso Marte(RP PIT) - Also will get a chance to close with Capps out.
3.Matt Holliday(OF COL) - Had 3 HR's and 10 RBI's this week.
4.Hanley Ramirez(SS FLA) - Ripped 4 HR's and had 9 RBI's.
5.JJ Hardy (Ss MIL) - Hit .533 with 4 HR's and 8 RBI's this past week.
Players on the Decline
1.Jeff Francoeur(OF ATL) - Got demoted to AAA. Went from 1st Class to Bus Rides in the Minors.
2.Clayton Kershaw(SP LAD) - Rookie Phenom is also back to riding the Bus in AAA.
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.