The Hook

Two Start Pitchers - June 4 - June 10

Let's Play Two will be something we'll be doing every Saturday throughout the year which will be highlighting all pitchers projected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy week, running Monday through Sunday each week. This can be a particularly useful tool for those of you either in leagues that use weekly transactions and for those of you in head to head leagues. To play along, we'll select a starter from each league and keep track of our statistics based on our Start of the Week. All home games are in CAPS.

American League

Erik Bedard - Seattle, COLORADO
Daisuke Matsuzaka - Oakland, Arizona
Julian Tavarez - Oakland, Arizona
Jon Garland - NEW YORK YANKEES, HOUSTON
Mark Buehrle - NEW YORK YANKEES, HOUSTON
Paul Byrd - KANSAS CITY, Cincinnati
Nate Robertson - Texas, NEW YORK METS
Gil Meche - Tampa Bay, PHILADELPHIA
Jorge De la Rosa - Cleveland, PHILADELPHIA
Jered Weaver - MINNESOTA, St. Louis
Boof Bonser - Los Angeles Angels, WASHINGTON
Tyler Clippard - Chicago White Sox, PITTSBURGH
Dan Haren - BOSTON, San Francisco
Joe Kennedy - BOSTON, San Francisco
Felix Hernandez - BALTIMORE, San Diego
James Shields - KANSAS CITY, Florida
John Koronka - DETROIT, MILWAUKEE
Roy Halladay - TAMPA BAY, Los Angeles Dodgers

Start of the Week

With each of the two start pitchers making one of their starts against an interleague opponent who (in most cases) they haven't faced very often in their career, we're going to take a chance on a big gun who has dominated the opponent he's more familiar with. Roy Halladay was 4-1 in his six starts against the Rays last season with a 2.57 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Lifetime, he's 9-4 against Tampa, and he'll face them at home, where he's been considerably better this season (2.58 home ERA, 5.81 road ERA). While he'll take his show on the road in his second start against the Dodgers, he'll also benefit from playing in a considerably better park for pitchers in that start and won't have to face the DH. He's faced the Dodgers just once in his career, a 2-1 complete game victory in June of 2003.

On the Year: 5-5, 67.1 IP, 63 H, 23 BB, 31 R, 29 ER, 51 K (3.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)

National League

Randy Johnson - SAN FRANCISCO, BOSTON
Tim Hudson - FLORIDA, CHICAGO CUBS
John Smoltz - FLORIDA, CHICAGO CUBS
Jason Marquis - Milwaukee, Atlanta
Ted Lilly - Milwaukee, Atlanta
Aaron Harang - St. Louis, CLEVELAND
Jason Hirsh - HOUSTON, Baltimore
Sergio Mitre - Atlanta, TAMPA BAY
Wandy Rodriguez - Colorado, Chicago White Sox
Derek Lowe - Pittsburgh, TORONTO
Jason Schmidt - San Diego, TORONTO
Dave Bush - CHICAGO CUBS, Texas
Tom Glavine - PHILADELPHIA, Detroit
Jon Lieber - SAN FRANCISCO, Kansas City
Jamie Moyer - New York Mets, Kansas City
Paul Maholm - LOS ANGELES DODGERS, New York Yankees
Shawn Chacon - Washington, New York Yankees
Chris Young - LOS ANGELES DODGERS, SEATTLE
Barry Zito - Philadelphia, OAKLAND
Matt Cain - Arizona, OAKLAND
Todd Wellemeyer - CINCINNATI, LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Mike Bacsik - PITTSBURGH, Minnesota

Start of the Week

After Bronson Arroyo set a couple of records for futility in this department a few weeks ago, we're back to try and make up for his performance against the 25th (Pittsburgh) and 29th (Washington) best offenses in baseball. We'll do so with the rejuvenated Tim Hudson, who put a couple of rough starts behind him last time out. Even during a couple of lean years to start his tenure with the Braves, Hudson found ways to keep the Cubs and Marlins at bay when he got the call against them. Lifetime, Huddy is 7-0 in twelve combined starts against Chicago and Florida with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Now that he's looking a lot more like his old self this season, expect similar results.

On the Year: 7-4, 96.2 IP, 78 H, 35 BB, 39 R, 38 ER, 70 K (3.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)

---