What's the Pitch?

by George Winkler

The search for good pitching is never-ending.
Yet for those of us who are fantasy lifers, we enjoy every minute of this noble pursuit. Coaxing a good start or two off the waiver wire is like finding that corner bar where you and your friends can relax, eat and drink for cheap and not worry about your wardrobe. It's worth the effort.

But when the top three pitchers available in your league are Kyle Lohse, Nick Blackburn and Dana Eveland, you start to realize that maybe what those "Sex-and-the-City" types say is true: There just aren't any good men -- I mean good pitchers -- left these days.

Does Jorge Campillo suddenly look good to you? Is Brandon Backe's start next week against Milwaukee getting you all hot and bothered? Is John Lannan among the Fab Four on your call list? Hmmm, looks like somebody might have a problem.

It could be too much commitment -- commitment to the cause of finding the next great pitcher sauntering down the waiver wire; commitment to the players you drafted; commitment to you being an all-knowing fantasy god.

But when you're considering adding a potential WHIP wrecker like Daniel Cabrera to your mixed-league roster, it's time to step back and realize that a trade might be a better answer to your pitching woes.

And it just so happens that now is the perfect time to pull off that deal. You've had two months to evaluate your team, so it's not too early to judge what you have. Plus, even that last-place owner still has enough interest to get a deal done.

You've heard the formula before. Deal from strength to shore up a weakness. Look to fill the needs of your trade partner, and before you know it, a match will be made. Hey, didn't Carrie Bradshaw (aka Sarah Jessica Parker) say that in one of her fictional columns? Hey, did I just say that in one of my real columns? Quick, somebody revoke my "Man" card.

Of course, it's not always that easy. After all, nothing that good comes easily. You'll have to work at it. But would you rather sit on the sideline when it comes to trading and be left cheering for Wil Ledezma to last longer than five innings instead?

ROTATION ROUNDUP

Red Sox. Justin Masterson is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three starts this season, including the last two as Daisuke Matsuzaka 's injury replacement. But Sunday's start against Seattle could be his last in the big leagues for awhile. Dice-K says he'll be back when he's eligible to return from the DL on June 14, which happens to be Masterson's turn in the rotation. But even if he gets sent down again, Masterson has proved he's worth future fantasy consideration. Plus, his performance -- along with that of Bartolo Colon's -- has hurt Clay Buchholz. And who didn't want to see Buchholz in a little pain after his reported relationship with a Penthouse Pet?

BULL SESSION

Yankees. Moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation leaves a glaring hole in the Yankees' bullpen. When your setup options are LaTroy Hawkins, Kyle Farnsworth and a slew of minor league call-ups, it figures to be more difficult for the Yankees to maintain leads. The Yankees are tied for 11th in the majors in holds with 28, but Chamberlain had 12 of those. And even with Joba in the 'pen, the Yankees were well behind the Cardinals, who led the majors with 48 holds through Wednesday. What does this all mean? Some wins and save opportunities could go by the boards while Joba "rules" the rotation.

FORGETTING NO FORMATS

You're probably tempted to spend some money on a stud pitcher in Ultimate Fantasy Baseball now that you've had time to build franchise value. But it's still too early to put all your eggs in one basket. Stick to looking for bargain two-start pitchers like the Twins' Scott Baker. If Baker ($2.08 million) looks good after coming back from a groin injury in today's start against Baltimore, he has the Indians and Brewers next week -- two teams ranked 28th and 24th, respectively, in team batting average. Sounds like a guy begging for some value to be added to him.

WHO IN THE HECK IS . . . ?

John Grabow, RP, Pirates. If you read our site regularly, you'd know, because it seems like we did a million updates on him last year as we chronicled his return from an elbow injury. Now that he's healthy, he has built a nice little K rate (25 Ks in 29 IP) and has four vulture wins (putting him on pace for 11 this season). Could it be that we've found some buried treasure among the Pirates? Well . . . a look at Grabow's history indicates he's overachieving.

PICKUP OF THE WEEK

Radhames Liz, SP, Orioles. Much like his teammate Daniel Cabrera , Liz has been known for wildness despite having electric stuff. In Liz's first start this week, we saw both the good and bad on display. But manager Dave Trembley told The Baltimore Sun he's going to give the 24-year-old Dominican chances to pitch. Liz has piled up some impressive K numbers in the minors, so if he shows improved control, he'll be a solid contributor in AL-only leagues.

KEEP AN EYE ON

Josh Banks, SP, Padres. Banks has yet to be scored upon in 17 innings this season, including last week's nine-inning gem against the Giants. But this is a small sample size, and Banks was not all that dominant in six minor league seasons (41-34, 4.33 ERA, 1.18 WHIP). The Padres' offense doesn't provide much support, either. However, with injuries to Jake Peavy and Shawn Estes opening rotation spots, Banks could earn more time -- even when Peavy gets back -- with another strong outing.

CLOSER WATCH

Rafael Soriano picked up the save Tuesday night in place of John Smoltz , who will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. As long as Soriano is healthy, he'll get the save chances for Atlanta instead of Manny Acosta. . . . Jason Isringhausen (hand) could begin a rehab assignment as early as next week, but it's still worth holding on to Ryan Franklin . There's no definitive timetable for Izzy's return, and there's no guarantee he'll be the team's closer when he comes back. . . . Word out of Milwaukee is that Salomon Torres could remain the closer even when Eric Gagne returns. Gagne (shoulder) is out indefinitely. Good call by Milwaukee after Gagne's meltdowns earlier this season. . . . Is Trevor Hoffman done? We've heard the doubters before only to see "Hells Bells" rack up another 40-save season. He struck out the side to earn a save Wednesday night, but he was coming off a bad loss against the Giants. He might not be done yet, but he's looking more like a 30-save guy this year than a 40-save stud.