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Sunday's slate is loaded with great pitching; five pitchers have at least 14 wins and eight starters have the best or second-best ERA in their respective rotations. The most dangerous pitcher, however, is a certain 44-year-old lefty in his 21st season. Randy Johnson has really turned it on of late, having posted a microscopic 1.08 ERA since the All-Star break. The Big Unit faces a disappointing Roy Oswalt, who is on pace to have the highest ERA of his career -- by more than a full run.

On the undercard, 14-game winner Aaron Cook makes his first start in eight days after having his start pushed back because of a back problem, and Dodgers rookie phenom Clayton Kershaw faces a stiff test against the slugging Brewers.

Time	Visitors		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP		Home		L/R	Record	ERA	WHIP
1:05 p.m.		Joe Saunders	L	14-5	3.07	1.17	@		Jeremy Sowers	L	1-6	5.70	1.54
1:05 p.m.		Garrett Olson	L	8-6	6.06	1.67	@		Zach Miner	R	6-4	3.41	1.36
1:05 p.m.		Brian Bannister	L	7-11	5.36	1.44	@		Mike Mussina	R	15-7	3.30	1.21
1:10 p.m.		Ryan Dempster	R	13-5	2.92	1.16	@		Chris Volstad	R	4-2	3.03	1.37
1:15 p.m.		Kyle Lohse	R	13-5	3.92	1.28	@		Edinson Volquez	R	14-5	2.86	1.32
1:30 p.m.		Tim Lincecum	R	12-3	2.67	1.22	@		Charlie Morton	R	3-6	6.11	1.52
1:35 p.m.		Aaron Cook	R	14-8	3.87	1.30	@		Odalis Perez	L	5-8	4.12	1.46
1:35 p.m.		Johan Santana	L	10-7	2.89	1.17	@		Jeff Karstens	R	2-1	1.23	0.95
1:35 p.m.		Shaun Marcum	R	7-5	3.42	1.12	@		Josh Beckett	R	11-8	3.92	1.18
2:05 p.m.		Randy Johnson	L	10-8	4.18	1.28	@		Roy Oswalt	R	10-8	4.52	1.43
2:10 p.m.		Ryan Feierabend	L	0-0	0.00	0.00	@		Glen Perkins	L	9-3	4.07	1.43
4:05 p.m.		Javier Vazquez	R	9-10	4.50	1.34	@		Gio Gonzalez	L	1-1	4.09	1.36
8:05 p.m.		Jeff Suppan	R	8-7	4.56	1.50	@		Clayton Kershaw	L	2-3	3.78	1.52
8:05 p.m.		Cole Hamels	L	9-8	3.32	1.07	@		Cha Seung Baek	R	4-7	5.20	1.40
10:10 p.m.		Scott Kazmir	L	8-6	3.22	1.24	@		Vicente Padilla	R	12-6	4.85	1.48

All times are ET.

Out
Maicer Izturis, 2B/3B/SS, Angels (thumb)
Troy Percival, RP, Rays (knee)

Day-to-day
Ryan Braun, OF/3B, Brewers (back)
Marlon Byrd, OF, Rangers (elbow)
David DeJesus, OF, Royals (back)
Scott Downs, RP, Blue Jays (ankle)
Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Red Sox (tailbone)
Carlos Guillen, 1B/3B/SS, Tigers (back)
Cristian Guzman, SS, Nationals (thumb)
Kazuo Matsui, 2B, Astros (back)
Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Cubs (hip)
Aaron Rowand, OF, Giants (back)
Joey Votto, 1B, Reds (bereavement)

Hitters: Fifteen of the 17 home runs Joe Saunders has allowed this season have come against right-handed hitters, and Indians slugger Jhonny Peralta is 3-for-9 career versus Saunders, with two of those hits being home runs. … Both Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche are southpaws who usually fare worse against left-handed pitchers than righties; Ryan Doumit should be the only Pirates regular in your lineup against Johan Santana. … Vernon Wells is 9-for-27 in his career versus Josh Beckett, and a whopping five of those hits have landed in the bleachers. Make sure he's in your lineup Sunday. … Kevin Youkilis has just two hits in 13 career at-bats against Shaun Marcum, and the fact that he has zero walks and six strikeouts suggests that Marcum does have his number rather than simply a small sample size. … Thanks to a 12-game hitting streak (through Friday), Ty Wigginton has raised his OPS from .803 at the beginning of August to his current .889 mark, and he's hitting .342 against southpaws this season, so play him even against the streaking Randy Johnson. … Adrian Gonzalez is hitting near the Mendoza Line against southpaws (.202), and against one of the league's best lefties (Cole Hamels), it would be wise to sub in a better option.

Pitchers: Although Kyle Lohse is sporting a bloated 7.64 ERA in his past four starts, it's tough to see where he could go wrong against the Reds. Against right-handers, the Reds' .310 on-base percentage ranks 29th, and the lineup no longer has the benefit of Adam Dunn's .373 on-base percentage. … Edinson Volquez needed a whopping 113 pitches to dispatch the Pirates in his last start; he went 6 2/3 innings, with five strikeouts and three walks. The Cardinals, who now have Rick Ankiel back, are a much stiffer test (.775 team OPS, sixth in the majors), though. You might think about reserving Volquez. … Aaron Cook has allowed 11 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings this month, and he's taking the mound Sunday after having his start pushed back because of a sore back. He has failed to reach the seventh inning in his past two starts after accomplishing that task in 21 of his first 23 starts; chances are, the back injury was at least partly to blame. He faces the Nationals again for the second time in three starts, and assuming Cook is healthy enough to return to the mound, the matchup is simply too good to pass up. Start him. … Roy Oswalt allowed an astounding 16 home runs combined in April and May. Since then, he has allowed just four in 65 1/3 innings, a rate almost identical to his home run rate last season. Even though the results have been relatively modest (3.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) in that same time span, chances are Oswalt will continue to improve, so toss him out there against the newly upgraded D-backs offense. … Scott Kazmir has pitched six innings or more just twice in his past 11 outings, but his track record versus the Rangers this season demands a start: 16 strikeouts and no walks in 15 innings, to go along with a 1.80 ERA.

Hitters: Luke Scott had an atrocious July in terms of batting average (.185), but he had four home runs in 81 at-bats and 12 walks to 20 strikeouts, suggesting he's still a productive hitter. He has hit in eight straight games and is in a lineup that has the most runs and highest OPS since the All-Star break. … Cliff Floyd is quietly hitting .417 in August in eight games, and he often bats cleanup against right-handers, against whom he has eight home runs in 160 at-bats.

Pitchers: Despite Clayton Kershaw's troubles, the home run he allowed versus the Phillies in his last start was just the fifth home run he has allowed in 66 2/3 innings, and with his improved walk rate -- he has allowed no more than two walks in three of his past four starts -- there's little reason to believe Kershaw can't pitch at an elite level in the near future. Available in nearly two-thirds of ESPN leagues, you might want to sit him against the Brewers (.808 OPS against left-handers, sixth in the majors), but you want to grab him long-term. You might be looking at a modern NL version of Scott Kazmir.

Miami (Cubs-Marlins) and Arlington (Rays-Rangers) are significant risks for rain with a 40 and 50 percent chance, respectively, expected in each city. The Orioles-Tigers might see some rain as well (30 percent chance), although sunshine is expected later in the afternoon and evening. … Domes for the Diamondbacks-Astros and Mariners-Twins make those affairs weatherproof.

Adam Madison is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com.