Tom Gorzelanny (SP), PIT - Hot
April 17, 2007
News: Tom Gorzelanny threw 8.1 innings of four-hit ball Tuesday to pick up his second win of the season in the Pirates' 6-1 victory over the Cardinals.
Views: Gorzelanny allowed three walks with his four hits while striking out two. His one run allowed lowered his ERA to 1.33 and his WHIP dropped to 0.95 over three appearances.
This gem followed Ian Snell's three-hit effort over seven innings Monday night, lowering his ERA to 1.80 and WHIP to 0.95. Part of the credit should go to the troubled Cardinals offense, but both should be viewed as options in reasonably deep mixed leagues.
Fantasy Baseball 
I'll be honest. Despite a full slate of seven games for every team in the National League next week, I'm not loving anyone here. John Smoltz's numbers are good, but he's the closest. I really want to take a chance on a kid like Adam Wainwright, but he struggled against the Pirates both last year out of the bullpen and in his start last week. Instead, we're going to take a chance on a different kid, and there's little history to go with. Tom Gorzelanny's mastery of the St. Louis lineup the other day in Pittsburgh was no big shock. The Cardinals always tend to struggle against lefties, particularly if they're capable of acting as a finesse lefty from time to time. Expect him to stay strong next week when he takes his act on the road against the Cardinals and the Dodgers.
You hit the nail right on the head Mike, though I wouldn't call Gorzy a complete soft-tosser. He at least touches the 90s from time to time, and (while it's not because he's a power pitcher by any means), he's generally kept a K:9 ratio over 8.00 throughout his minor league career. Still, he has a pretty strong finesse arsenal as well.