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May 22, 2009, 3:12 PM

Intriguing interleague matchups await

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By AJ Mass
ESPN.com
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Anyway, we've got a lot of matchups without much history to go on this weekend -- how many times have we seen Ross Ohlendorf face the White Sox over the years, am I right? -- so our recommendations are going to have to be a little more creative than usual. Still, we're up to the challenge, and humbly present to you our rankings for Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy!

For starters

Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday, May 23

Rk	Team	Name	T	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K/9	OPSA	Opp	OPS	CT%
1		Dan Haren	R	3-4	2.09	0.86	9.00	.507	@OAK	.659	81.8%
2		Matt Cain	R	4-1	2.65	1.35	6.00	.717	@SEA	.682	83.0%
3		Rich Harden	R	4-2	4.74	1.37	10.92	.760	@SD	.696	79.7%
4		Josh Beckett	R	4-2	5.85	1.66	8.69	.802	NYM	.788	83.4%
5		John Lackey	R	1-0	9.00	1.40	5.40	.907	@LAD	.792	80.9%
6		Randy Wolf	L	2-1	2.72	1.07	7.35	.623	LAA	.752	83.4%
7		Jarrod Washburn	L	3-3	3.86	1.21	6.49	.700	SF	.677	78.8%
8		Andy Pettitte	L	4-1	4.18	1.45	4.88	.784	PHI	.803	80.8%
9		Derek Lowe	R	5-2	3.58	1.21	6.02	.639	TOR	.811	84.2%
10		Armando Galarraga	R	3-3	5.62	1.58	7.13	.818	COL	.759	77.1%
11		Scott Feldman	R	2-0	4.04	1.18	4.79	.623	@HOU	.741	82.4%
12		Kyle Lohse	R	3-3	4.66	1.32	6.22	.736	KC	.758	80.7%
13		Mike Pelfrey	R	4-1	4.61	1.54	2.41	.779	@BOS	.820	79.6%
14		Jeff Niemann	R	4-3	4.97	1.63	4.54	.848	@FLA	.705	75.3%
15		Koji Uehara	R	2-3	4.34	1.17	6.61	.730	@WAS	.802	77.0%
16		Scott Richmond	R	4-2	3.64	1.30	7.28	.735	@ATL	.738	82.0%
17		Jason Marquis	R	5-3	4.75	1.34	3.91	.689	@DET	.780	81.7%
18		Ross Detwiler	L	0-0	3.60	0.80	10.80	.608	BAL	.765	83.9%
19		Braden Looper	R	4-2	4.26	1.42	5.48	.803	@MIN	.777	81.3%
20		Anthony Swarzak	R	--	--	--	--	--	MIL	.780	75.5%
21		Ross Ohlendorf	R	5-3	4.31	1.15	4.31	.743	@CHW	.700	80.3%
22		Clayton Richard	L	0-0	4.33	1.59	5.00	.821	PIT	.731	79.2%
23		Brian Moehler	R	1-2	7.71	1.90	6.86	.928	TEX	.810	76.7%
24		Josh Geer	R	0-1	5.61	1.31	3.74	.838	CHC	.741	78.0%
25		David Huff	L	0-1	17.18	3.00	4.91	1.222	@CIN	.738	80.2%
26		Homer Bailey	R	--	--	--	--	--	CLE	.782	77.6%
27		Edgar Gonzalez	R	--	--	--	--	--	ARI	.715	76.3%
28		Luke Hochevar	R	0-1	16.88	2.81	3.38	1.154	@STL	.753	82.6%
29		Sean West	L	--	--	--	--	--	TB	.799	77.3%
30		J.A. Happ	L	2-0	2.49	1.06	7.06	.536	@NYY	.831	82.0%

Rk.: The author's ranking of that pitcher for that day only. T: Pitcher throws left-handed or right-handed. W-L: Pitcher's win-loss record. ERA: Pitcher's earned run average. WHIP: Pitcher's average number of walks plus hits surrendered per inning. K/9: Pitcher's average number of strikeouts per nine innings. OPSA: Pitcher's on-base plus slugging percentage surrendered to opponents. OPS: Pitcher's opponent's composite team on-base plus slugging percentage. CT%: Pitcher's opponent's success rate putting the ball in play (versus striking out).

Selected notes for Saturday: Dan Haren gets the top spot, especially with his 1.29 ERA against the Athletics. … Rich Harden may be a surprisingly high selection, but he's familiar with the park, doesn't have to face a DH, and is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA against the Padres. … Josh Beckett hasn't looked great this year, but the Mets are hurting, and Beckett is 6-2 with a 2.50 ERA against the New Yorkers for his career. … John Lackey always steps up his game against the Dodgers, with a lifetime 5-1 record and an impressive 1.15 ERA. Still, he may not get the run support he needs to win, as Randy Wolf has a 2.52 ERA at home. … The Giants' offense is 15th in the NL in runs scored, giving Jarrod Washburn a huge boost in the rankings, just ahead of Andy Pettitte, who has done well in the past (3.38 ERA) against the Phillies, but who knows how it will go in this new ballpark? … Jason Marquis allowed five runs in four innings the last time he faced the Tigers, which we feel increases the chances of Armando Galarraga getting a victory. … As for the latter part of our Saturday rankings, it's a "take your pick" from a group made up predominantly of youngsters making their first starts in strange surroundings. Brian Moehler hasn't impressed us in 2009, but at least he's won some in the past against the Rangers, with a 6-3 record. … The Marlins haven't officially named a starter for Saturday yet, but one name being bandied about is Double-A hurler Sean West. He has little fantasy value, as it would be, at most, a two-start call up before Anibal Sanchez is ready to get back on the mound. … Then there's J.A. Happ at the bottom of our list. Truth be told, we like Happ. However, we have huge question marks about his endurance as well as pitching in that launching pad in New York. Plus the Yankees are hitting .307 against lefties so far in 2009. While there's a lot of question marks surrounding the likes of Anthony Swarzak, Homer Bailey and Edgar Gonzalez, there's just far too much potential for disaster for Happ on Saturday to start him.

Starting pitcher rankings for Sunday, May 24

Rk	Team	Name	T	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K/9	OPSA	Opp	OPS	CT%
1		Mark Buehrle	L	6-1	2.77	1.10	5.71	.664	PIT	.731	79.2%
2		Johnny Cueto	R	4-2	2.35	1.01	6.71	.606	CLE	.782	77.6%
3		Chad Billingsley	R	6-1	2.51	1.15	9.30	.578	LAA	.752	83.4%
4		CC Sabathia	L	4-3	3.43	1.14	6.29	.603	PHI	.803	80.8%
5		Barry Zito	L	1-4	3.62	1.29	5.80	.688	@SEA	.682	83.0%
6		Cliff Lee	L	2-5	2.90	1.35	6.53	.702	@CIN	.738	80.2%
7		Cole Hamels	L	2-2	4.95	1.40	9.41	.892	@NYY	.831	82.0%
8		Jair Jurrjens	R	4-2	1.96	1.13	5.24	.613	TOR	.811	84.2%
9		James Shields	R	3-4	3.43	1.28	5.97	.736	@FLA	.705	75.3%
10		Tim Wakefield	R	5-2	3.59	1.25	5.13	.637	NYM	.788	83.4%
11		Josh Johnson	R	3-1	2.54	1.08	7.76	.578	TB	.799	77.3%
12		Ted Lilly	L	5-3	3.35	1.04	7.59	.691	@SD	.696	79.7%
13		Brian Bannister	R	3-1	2.75	1.25	5.25	.632	@STL	.753	82.6%
14		Brian Tallet	L	2-2	4.47	1.24	6.70	.704	@ATL	.738	82.0%
15		Joel Pineiro	R	5-3	3.48	1.21	3.15	.723	KC	.758	80.7%
16		Shairon Martis	R	5-0	4.53	1.34	4.34	.718	BAL	.765	83.9%
17		Matt Palmer	R	5-0	4.26	1.14	5.12	.626	@LAD	.792	80.9%
18		Dontrelle Willis	L	1-0	3.27	1.18	4.09	.671	COL	.759	77.1%
19		Dave Bush	R	3-0	3.74	1.08	6.45	.737	@MIN	.777	81.3%
20		Brad Bergesen	R	1-2	5.35	1.63	4.28	.856	@WAS	.802	77.0%
21		Felix Hernandez	R	4-3	4.13	1.34	8.89	.694	SF	.677	78.8%
22		Jon Garland	R	4-2	4.72	1.51	3.59	.815	@OAK	.659	81.8%
23		Tim Redding	R	0-0	3.00	1.00	6.00	.354	@BOS	.820	79.6%
24		Chris Young	R	3-2	5.07	1.49	7.25	.760	CHC	.741	78.0%
25		Brandon McCarthy	R	3-2	5.60	1.49	6.60	.845	@HOU	.741	82.4%
26		Josh Outman	L	1-0	3.31	1.26	8.54	.663	ARI	.715	76.3%
27		Jeff Karstens	R	1-2	5.21	1.42	3.79	.837	@CHW	.700	80.3%
28		Scott Baker	R	1-5	6.98	1.37	6.75	.840	MIL	.780	75.5%
29		Mike Hampton	L	2-3	5.23	1.53	6.91	.785	TEX	.810	76.7%
30		Jason Hammel	R	0-3	4.60	1.72	5.74	.877	@DET	.780	81.7%

Rk.: The author's ranking of that pitcher for that day only. T: Pitcher throws left-handed or right-handed. W-L: Pitcher's win-loss record. ERA: Pitcher's earned run average. WHIP: Pitcher's average number of walks plus

Selected notes for Sunday: We can Buehrle believe it ourselves, but Chicago's Mark Buehrle gets our top spot for Sunday since he's facing the Pirates, against whom he's 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA. Buehrle just edges out the for-real (in our estimation) Johnny Cueto, who has pitched well against the Tribe, with a 2.19 ERA in two starts. … Chad Billingsley has fanned 11 Angels in two outings, and should come close to doubling that amount in Appearance No. 3. … CC Sabathia is getting used to pitching at Yankee Stadium, so we'll rank him a few slots higher than Cole Hamels. Even though the Phillies' ace has a 2.57 ERA against the Yankees, he's yet to beat them. … Don't overlook Barry Zito, who was quite the good pitcher when he was pitching regularly in American League stadiums. In fact, he's 12-2 against the Mariners for his career. … Jair Jurrjens is pitching great this season, and already has eight innings of shutout ball against the Blue Jays on his résumé. … Tim Wakefield has a 2.43 ERA against the Mets for his career, giving him the edge over Josh Johnson, who we're a little bit concerned about due to his sore shoulder. … Ted Lilly is 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA in his career against the Padres, which is why he's ranked in the top half of pitchers, ahead of both 5-0 pitchers, Shairon Martis and Matt Palmer. We're not saying that they can't keep doing what they've been doing, but we still aren't quite sure how they've done what they've been doing. … Dontrelle Willis has never lost to the Rockies, and yes, we know he's not the same pitcher who used to wear a Marlins uniform, but he's looked better since his return than at any time since those Florida years. … Jon Garland is 4-11 with a 5.22 ERA against Oakland, which looks far better than Tim Redding's 12.71 ERA against the Red Sox. … Then there's Mike Hampton and his 9.53 ERA in two appearances against the Rangers just narrowly avoiding the cellar over Jason Hammel, who has allowed seven earned runs in eight innings pitched against the Tigers. P to the U.

Now batting (Saturday)

Hitters' count:

• Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers: Braun has raised his average four points to .326 since the start of Milwaukee's current road trip and is hitting .402 on the road so far in 2009. Play him in Minnesota.
• Jermaine Dye, White Sox: Dye is batting .392 against the Pirates for his career, including a home run in every 12.5 at-bats.
• Jeremy Hermida, OF, Marlins: In 15 games against the Rays, Hermida is batting .321 with three home runs. That's not too shabby.
• Carl Crawford, OF, Rays: Crawford has started against the Marlins 27 times entering this series, and has four home runs and 11 stolen bases in 11 attempts against them.
• Vernon Wells, OF, Blue Jays: He's familiar with Derek Lowe, with a career .296 mark against him. Wells also has two home runs and five RBIs against the Braves in the past three years.
• Miguel Cabrera, OF, Tigers: Jason Marquis likely won't stop the hot hitting of Miguel Cabrera. Miggy has hit .400 versus Marquis over the years.
• Orlando Cabrera, SS, Athletics: Another Cabrera with an expected Saturday surge is Orlando. He's facing a familiar foe in Dan Haren, and in 31 career at-bats, Cabrera is hitting .323 against the Diamondbacks' ace.
• Nick Johnson, 1B, Nationals: There are trade rumors that have Johnson headed to the Red Sox. If true, he'll either be in the lineup in Washington, ready to showcase his wares to get himself out of town in a hurry, or he'll be thick in the middle of the Boston lineup. Either way, he's a good bet to be at the top of his game.

Pitchers' count:

• Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies: Howard is only 1-for-6 against Andy Pettitte, a far cry from his .375 average overall against the Yankees.
• Adam Everett, SS, Tigers: Everett has a .229 career mark against Jason Marquis with no extra-base hits in 35 at-bats.
• David Wright, 3B, Mets: Josh Beckett has retired David Wright in 14 of the 15 at-bats in which they've squared off against each other.
• Jason Giambi, OF, Athletics: It's hard to recommend Giambi against Dan Haren, as he's a .063 career hitter against him, which is a low average even by Giambi standards.
• David Eckstein, 2B, Padres: Rich Harden has faced these guys before, and by far the worst performer against him historically has been Eckstein, who's managed a lowly .222 in 18 at-bats.
• Endy Chavez, OF, Mariners: We know Matt Cain is tough to hit, and Endy Chavez knows this better than most, with only a .167 average against Cain.
• Casey Blake, 3B, Dodgers: John Lackey has struck out Blake in one out of every three at-bats, and Blake is hitting an anemic .067 against him.

If you're hardcore

• Jesus Guzman, 1B, Giants: Just called up by the Giants, Guzman was hitting .363 in Triple-A and will get some at-bats either as a first baseman or the DH this weekend.
• Tyler Greene, SS, Cardinals: With Khalil Greene seemingly on the outs with Tony La Russa, perhaps this is the series that Tyler takes over the shortstop spot.
• David DeJesus, OF, Royals: DeJesus is smoking hot against Kyle Lohse, with a .583 career average and four RBIs in 12 at-bats against the St. Louis pitcher.
• Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees: Gardner has hit .294 over his past eight games, and while he may not start against left-hander J.A. Happ, he's hitting .313 when entering games as a substitute.
• Mat Gamel, 3B, Brewers: Gamel could get some starts this weekend as the Brewers' DH, which is the best opportunity for his owners to see some multiple at-bats from the rookie.
• Robb Quinlan, 3B, Angels: If he manages to get the start against Randy Wolf, he's a good gamble as he's 2-for-3 with an RBI against the scheduled Dodger pitcher.

Now batting (Sunday)

Hitters' count:

• Brandon Phillips, 2B, Reds: Cliff Lee has never bothered Phillips much, as he has a .364 average against him, including a home run and four RBIs.
• Jason Bay, OF, Red Sox: Bay remembers Tim Redding well from his National League days, and should be in a nostalgic mood, as he's a career .308 hitter against the Mets' scheduled starter.
• Miguel Tejada, SS, Astros: He's hitting .327 on the year, so you're starting him anyway, but the two home runs in two career at-bats against Brandon McCarthy sure adds to the glamour here.
• Orlando Cabrera, SS, Athletics: Orlando's back, and better against Jon Garland than he is against Dan Haren, with two career blasts and a .394 batting average. This should be a strong weekend for Cabrera.
• Prince Fielder, 1B, Brewers: No big bombs off Scott Baker for Fielder, but he's still a .364 against the Twins starter, raising the expectations for Sunday.
• Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins: Han-Ram is happy to see James Shields on the mound, as he has a .364 batting average against his opponent for Sunday.
• Jose Guillen, OF, Royals: Joel Pineiro has been Jose Guillen's personal piñata over the years, as Guillen is hitting .400 against Pineiro since 2005.
• Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs: Chris Young is getting old in a hurry against Soriano, who has two home runs off the Padres pitcher in his career and a 1.000 slugging percentage.

Pitchers' count:

• Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies: What am I talking about? Willis. As in Dontrelle Willis, who has held Helton to a .111 batting average for his career. Perhaps Todd needs to take some different strokes against him?
• Mark DeRosa, 3B, Indians: Assuming he's still with the Indians by Sunday and not off to join the Mets via a trade, sit him down against Johnny Cueto. Against Cueto, DeRosa hits more like Dorota from "Gossip Girl," as in .100 lifetime.
• Gary Sheffield, OF, Mets: Fresh off a bout with food poisoning, Sheffield now faces Tim Wakefield, against whom he's generally struggled, with a .237 career batting average.
• Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins: You know the old saying: "Always bench Morneau against Dave Bush." Alright, we're making that up -- but it's true, as the .214 career OBP indicates.
•Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees: Tex has only three hits in 14 at-bats against Cole Hamels, and if Hamels' curveball is working, that total should not increase.
• Raul Ibanez, OF, Phillies: Count Ibanez amongst the Phillies not happy to see CC, as he's struck out 10 times in 36 at-bats against the big Yankee pitcher.
• Adrian Beltre, 3B, Mariners: He's still owned in 83 percent of ESPN standard leagues, despite the .207 average. So perhaps the career .227 mark against Barry Zito is actually a reason to start him? Nah, we're not buying it, either.

If you're hardcore

• Paul Janish, SS, Reds: Does well when he gets the odd start, and is a perfect 2-for-2 against Cliff Lee.
• Craig Monroe, 3B, Pirates: Monroe is a good gamble against Mark Buehrle, as he's .341 in 41 at-bats against him for his career, with two home runs.
• Bobby Crosby, SS, Athletics: We're surprised, too. However, he has seven RBIs and a lifetime batting average of .370 against Jon Garland. Dare to dream.
• Xavier Paul, OF, Dodgers: This is a complete hunch pick, based primarily on Juan Pierre's career .213 average against the Angels and our guess that he gets Sunday off.
• Scott Hairston, 3B, Padres: With a .357 batting average and two career homers off Ted Lilly, how can you not start Hairston?
• Justin Maxwell, OF, Nationals: There's a 50-50 shot it will be his turn to play on Sunday, and we like him a lot more than Willie Harris. Hopefully, Manny Acta does, too.

Triage

Injury list: Out

• Edinson Volquez, P, Reds (15-day disabled list, back spasms)
• Alfredo Amezaga, OF, Marlins (15-day disabled list, knee contusion)
• Jo-Jo Reyes, P, Braves (15-day disabled list, hamstring)
• Vicente Padilla, P, Rangers (15-day disabled list, right shoulder)
• Omar Infante (15-day disabled list, fractured hand)

Injury list: Day-to-day

• Delmon Young, OF, Twins (death in family): Young was required to be re-activated from the bereavement list on Friday by rule, but he likely will not rejoin the Twins until Sunday. The team will play a man short until Young's return.
• Joba Chamberlain, P, Yankees (knee): A line drive off the knee caused him to be removed from Thursday's game after facing just four batters, but Chamberlain is expected to be ready for his next start.
• Rick Ankiel, OF, Cardinals (shoulder): Ankiel still isn't pain-free and until he is, the Cardinals are not activating him from the disabled list.
• Jose Reyes, SS, Mets (calf): Reyes is still being called day-to-day after an MRI on Thursday, but is unlikely to be sent to the disabled list.
• Joey Votto, 1B, Reds (inner ear infection): Now that the cause of his problems has finally been identified, it shouldn't be too long before he's back in action.
• Bobby Abreu, OF, Angels (toe): Better to err on the side of caution and bench Abreu, who, at best, will be used as a pinch-hitter this weekend.

Weather concerns

• The weekend's weatherproof games: Rangers-Astros, Brewers-Twins and Giants-Mariners.
• The long weekend could get longer with thunderstorms the order of the day on Saturday. Thunderstorms threaten games in St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit, though all three cities should be in the clear by Sunday.
• The entire weekend will be of the wet variety for games in Cincinnati, Atlanta, Miami and New York, while joining in with the umbrellas for Sunday only are Boston and Washington.

AJ Mass is a fantasy baseball, football and college basketball analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.