It's Baker, Oswalt and little else
For starters
Starting pitcher rankings for Thursday, Sept. 10
| Name | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Scott Baker | R | 13-7 | 4.34 | 1.14 | 7.32 | .698 | @TOR | .762 | 82.0% |
| 2 |  | Roy Oswalt | R | 8-5 | 3.77 | 1.19 | 6.71 | .704 | ATL | .744 | 81.0% |
| 3 |  | Derek Lowe | R | 13-9 | 4.36 | 1.45 | 4.83 | .764 | @HOU | .725 | 82.1% |
| 4 |  | Jarrod Washburn | L | 9-8 | 3.55 | 1.14 | 5.14 | .681 | @KC | .714 | 80.6% |
| 5 |  | Joe Blanton | R | 9-6 | 3.80 | 1.27 | 7.37 | .751 | @WAS | .753 | 78.3% |
| 6 |  | John Lackey | R | 9-7 | 3.74 | 1.25 | 7.24 | .705 | SEA | .711 | 80.5% |
| 7 |  | Jose Contreras | R | 6-13 | 5.19 | 1.44 | 6.97 | .761 | CIN | .697 | 79.7% |
| 8 |  | Sean West | L | 6-5 | 4.61 | 1.51 | 5.46 | .789 | @NYM | .730 | 82.9% |
| 9 |  | Brett Cecil | L | 6-4 | 5.46 | 1.67 | 6.80 | .893 | MIN | .763 | 81.5% |
| 10 |  | Livan Hernandez | R | 7-10 | 5.44 | 1.57 | 5.38 | .856 | PHI | .782 | 79.0% |
| 11 |  | Ryan Rowland-Smith | L | 3-2 | 3.88 | 1.07 | 5.31 | .630 | @LAA | .796 | 81.8% |
| 12 |  | Bobby Parnell | R | 3-7 | 5.25 | 1.63 | 7.21 | .750 | FLA | .758 | 77.7% |
| 13 |  | Kip Wells | R | 1-3 | 4.85 | 1.40 | 6.23 | .674 | @COL | .793 | 76.9% |
| 14 |  | Lenny DiNardo | L | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | DET | .749 | 79.5% |
Selected notes:
Let's give Scott Baker some props. He's 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his past three starts and has a 2.64 since the All-Star break. We'll slot him at the top of our rankings as he squares off against Brett Cecil, who has struggled with an 11.25 ERA in his past three starts. … A solid pitching showdown between Roy Oswalt and Derek Lowe has potential for some fantasy goodness on Thursday. Oswalt has been nearly unhittable his first time through lineups this season, as batters have hit only .217 against him in their initial at-bats. He'll need to do just as well the second and third time around, as Lowe has a 1.64 career ERA at Minute Maid Park. … Although he has struggled a bit lately, Jarrod Washburn considers Kauffman Stadium like a second home, as he's 6-2 with a 2.20 ERA there. Plus, we're not exactly doing cartwheels if we're a Royals fan, with Zack Greinke's start being moved back a day in favor of recent call-up Lenny DiNardo. … Joe Blanton has had some trouble against the Nationals this year, with a 7.63 ERA in three starts. But all of those came early in the season, and he's been grooving of late, with a 5-2 record since July. … John Lackey has looked far better in the second half of the season, with a 2.57 ERA; however, he has allowed nine runs to the Mariners in 12 1/3 innings this year, so we're a little cautious ranking him any higher today. … Will the National League magic continue to work its spell for Jose Contreras? We're not sure, but he does have a career ERA of 1.42 at Coors. That's worth some show of support, we suppose. Especially since Kip Wells' ERA at Colorado is 11.49. … Sean West has tamed the Mets in 13 innings this season with a 1.38 ERA, but he's been erratic overall in 2009 -- an 8.44 ERA in July, 2.77 in August, 15.00 so far in September. We're not sure which direction he's going. … What's wrong with Livan Hernandez? Quite a bit, the least of which is his 5.21 ERA in his past three outings, though it is better than his former teammate Bobby Parnell's 7.02 in his past three starts.
Now batting
Hitters' count:
• Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners: Ichiro is hitting .358 in September and .321 against Angels pitcher John Lackey.
• Brad Hawpe, OF, Rockies: Hawpe is a .429 lifetime batter against Kip Wells, which should help Hawpe to boost his slow September start.
• Raul Ibanez, OF, Phillies: It's April all over again for Ibanez, who has three home runs in his past two games and a .696 slugging percentage so far this month.
• Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies: Utley is 10-for-26 lifetime against Livan Hernandez, which translates to a .385 batting average for the mathematically unsavvy.
• Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins: Ramirez is hitting .412 since August went into the rearview mirror and is 3-for-4 this season against Bobby Parnell.
• Vladimir Guerrero, DH, Angels: Vlad is happy to get some licks in against Ryan Rowland-Smith, as he's bashed a home run against him before, to go along with a .571 batting average.
• Curtis Granderson, OF, Tigers: Granderson has an .808 OPS in September, and since 2006 has 10 home runs against the Royals, more than he has against any team other than the Twins.
• Carlos Lee, OF, Astros: The average is high against Derek Lowe, .394 in 33 at-bats during his career. Plus, this Carlos isn't injured like most of the others.
Pitchers' count:
• Scott Rolen, 3B, Reds: Rolen isn't rolling when Jose Contreras in on the hill, as he's yet to record a hit off the pitcher in seven career at-bats.
• Jesus Flores, C, Nationals: He's back from the disabled list, but 0-for-18 against Philadelphia pitching in 2009. Stay away, far away.
• Angel Pagan, OF, Mets: Pagan has yet to solve the mystery of Sean West, going 0-for-6 against him so far in their meetings.
• Lyle Overbay, 1B, Blue Jays: Overbay is only 1-for-7 against the Twins' Scott Baker and hasn't seen much playing time since hurting his finger over the weekend.
• Orlando Cabrera, SS, Twins: With a .176 average in September and an 0-for-4 the last time he saw Brett Cecil, Cabrera may be the exception to the "start whoever you can" rule for days with limited games.
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If you're hardcore
• David DeJesus, OF, Royals: In addition to a nine-game hitting streak, he's also 9-for-27 lifetime against Jarrod Washburn, which is good …
• Willie Bloomquist, SS, Royals: … but not nearly as good as this teammate's .448 mark against Detroit's scheduled starter.
• Willie Harris, 3B, Nationals: Harris is hitting .385 against the Phillies this season, with an OBP of .556.
• Darin Erstad, OF, Astros: True, he rarely sees action, but he does have a .310 lifetime average against Derek Lowe.
• Terry Evans, OF, Angels: Evans has 26 homers and 90 RBIs this season in Triple-A. Perhaps this time, he'll actually get to hit after being called up to the majors.
• Mike McCoy, 2B, Rockies: He's not going to get much playing time, outside of perhaps pinch-running -- but on a light day like today, throw him in there and maybe you'll get a free stolen base out of the deal. McCoy had 40 thefts in Triple-A.
Triage
Injury list: Out
• Adam Jones, OF, Orioles (15-day DL, sprained ankle)
• Mike Hampton, P, Astros (60-day DL, shoulder/knees)
Injury list: Day-to-day
• Casey Blake, 3B, Dodgers (hamstring): He still reportedly can't run at full speed, which makes it unlikely he'll be back in the lineup, or even used as a pinch-hitter.
• Francisco Liriano, P, Twins (elbow): The pitcher with a "tired arm" likely will be used out of the bullpen rather than as a starter for the time being after a stint on the disabled list.
• Colby Rasmus, OF, Cardinals (heel): Rasmus says he hurt himself making a throw during Sunday's game and still doesn't feel quite right.
• Milton Bradley, OF, Cubs (leg): Bradley is expected back by Friday, but had to leave Tuesday's game with tightness in his legs.
• Michael Young, 3B, Rangers (hamstring): Still rehabbing his hamstring, Young is improving, but there's still no official timetable for his return.
Weather concerns
• Thursday's two weatherproof games: Twins at Blue Jays and Braves at Astros.
• Showers in Washington and New York, so the light schedule has a chance to be even lighter, depending on the timing and duration of the rain.
AJ Mass is a fantasy baseball, football and college basketball analyst for ESPN.com. You can follow AJ on Twitter or e-mail him here.
