Fantasy owners waiting patiently for C.C. Sabathia to deliver on his "elite starter" fantasy status, were at least given a glimpse of what is good about the $180 million man on Monday night in the Yankees' 4-0 loss to the Tigers.

Sabathia dropped to 1-2 with the loss and was outpitched by Justiin Verlander, but he did go the distance and struck out a season-high seven batters. Through is first five starts, the former Cy Young winner has posted a 1-2 record with a 4.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 19 K"s. Hardly the numbers you would expect out of a pitcher that carried his price tag, but it is early.

Consider his numbers early last season as a member of the Indians (was traded to Milwaukee in July). Sabathia started the 2008 season by posting a 1-5 record in his first seven starts while allowing 32 runs in 36 1/3 innings (7.93 ERA) with a 1.87 WHIP. That parlayed into him becoming one of the best buy low candidates in recent memory.

Last year, he was pitching for a contract though. This year he's pitching as the highest-paid arm in the history of the game in a city where if things go wrong it is not pretty.

While I am not expecting him to go a run as impressive as last year's after he got dealt to the Brewers, but Monday night's start was a good sign of things to come for Sabathia. His career numbers tell me all that I need to know and I still put him as a top five fantasy pitcher right now. It may be a good time to gage what it would take to land him in a trade.

Fantasy Baseball yankees, cc sabathia

David Whitley, Orlando Sentinel looks at the economy as compared to that in MLB:

A job's value to mankind has nothing to do with its market value. And the crazy money wouldn't be there if consumers weren't providing it.

That won't make you feel any better this morning if you're standing in an unemployment line. But it's not Grady Sizemore's fault that he has a skill you don't, or that society has a fascination with his specialty.

Oh, sports leagues are feeling the pinch. There have been front-office layoffs, and poor Manny Ramirez can't find a team willing to pay him $75 million for three years.

If things really tank, we might even see teams fold. But the passion of the sports fan is not going to die. And passion means dollars.

Even if baseball revenue dropped 50 percent this year, it would still make $3 billion. Who deserves that money more, George Steinbrenner or CC Sabathia?

COMPLETE ARTICLE

MLB salaries, economy of sports, manny ramirez, george steinbrenner, cc sabathia

Some interesting numbers I ran across while surfing the web...

The demands on starting pitchers continue to diminish. Last season, 45 pitchers worked a combined 73 starts that resulted in 120-plus-pitch efforts, a 60.8 percent drop from 2004. CC Sabathia led all pitchers with five, including four with Milwaukee. Ben Sheets of Milwaukee and Tim Lincecum of San Francisco made four apiece. The 120-pitch games during the past five seasons:

Year    Games
2008    73
2007    84
2006    120
2005    137
2004    186


NUMBERS GAME
--2 left fielders voted into the Hall of Fame this week - Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson. It's the first time a left fielder was elected in 20 years.

MLB stats, cc sabathia, ben sheets, tim lincecum, jim rice, rickey henderson

The Yankees just signed Mark Teixeira to an 8-year, $180 million contract adding to the great Yankee spending spree of 2008. Hank Steinbrenner has begun to blow his family's fortune and spending it like it's Monopoly money. Between AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia and Tex, the Yankees have spent a half BILLION dollars on THREE players. Two of which, only play once every five days.

Add that to Alex Rodriquez's salary as the highest paid player in the history of professional sports and the Yankees have made a mockery of America's past time. And Bud Selig sits by and does nothing.

The Yankees are proving it only takes deep pockets to win and nothing more. It's this kind of absurdity that has soured me and millions more on baseball. It is an absolute joke. Baseball needs an NBA-type salary cap instead of a league of haves and have nots. But that will never happen because Bud Selig does not have the cojones to go after the player's union.

It's December and football is wrapping up and I'm already done with baseball. Sigh. I thought we were in "the worst economic crisis of a generation" according to the media. But nobody told Hank Steinbrenner about this, I guess.

MLB yankees, mark teixeira, cc sabathia, aj burnett, alex rodgriguez, hank steinbrenner

The biggest free agent chip has landed in the Bronx as C.C. Sabathia has agreed to a 7-year, $160 million deal, accroding to ESPN.com.

While a deal is not yet done, a source told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark there are "zero major road blocks" that would prevent the Yankees from reaching agreement with Sabathia. Not all terms of the deal are agreed to yet, the source indicated. Sabathia also would need to take a physical.

The New York Post first reported Wednesday that Sabathia, the prize of this year's free-agent class, had decided to go with the Yankees after fielding offers from a number of teams. 

Sabathia is just 28, and last year between the Indians and Brewers he went 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA. The previous season he won the AL Cy Young. Now he is the first major new piece to be put into the new Yankee Stadium.

OTHER HEADLINES:

• Nationals ready to make run at Teixeira - LA Times
• Indians close to signing Wood - MLB.com
  
• Yankees nearing deal for Lowe - SI.com
• Four teams still in mix for Furcal - FOXSports.com
• Obstacles remain for Cubs' acquiring Peavy - Chicago Sun-Times

MLB hot stove league, winter meetings, yankees, c.c. sabathia, nationals, mark teixeira, indians, kerry wood, derek lowe, rafael furcal, cubs, jake peavy

We start our off-season Hot Stove talk with a look at the week's latest headlines...

WHITE SOX DANGLIG DYE
Lance McAlister of 1530 Homer the Sports Animal discussed some trade rumors on his Tuesday involving the Reds and White Sox. McAlister's source says the White Sox initiated talks to send Jermaine Dye to the Reds for Homer Bailey and another player.  Ken Rosenthal says Dye's no-trade clause mostly covers teams in the northeast.  Perhaps the Sox can trade him to the Reds without his consent.  Ken Williams and Walt Jocketty matched up in July on the Ken Griffey Jr. trade.  It's known that Jocketty prefers trades to free agency.

ANGELS MAKING PITCH TO SABATHIA
The L.A. Times reports that the Angels have begun contract discussions with C.C. Sabathia. The authors believe the Halos could make an offer in the range of Johan Santana's six-year, $137.5MM deal. If the Angels do make such an offer, you have to imagine the Yankees will respond by upping their bid significantly. Despite the talks for Sabathia, Mark Teixeira remains the Angels' top priority.  They haven't made an offer yet, but Scott Boras seems to want ten years while the Angels are willing to do seven.

FURCAL DRAWING PLENTY OF INTEREST
Despite his durability concerns, free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal is one of the hottest names on the market. His return to the Dodgers seems unlikely and the A's appear to be the front-runners after rumors of a 4-year, $48 million offer, however their his a third "surprise team" that is believed to me in the mix.  Furcal is not only a stellar defensive option at shortstop, but when healthy he is one of the best leadoff men and baserunners in the game.  The Giants apparently are out of the running for his services. WFAN in New York reports that they have agreed to terms with Edgar Renteria on a two-year, $18 million contract. Renteria became a free agent when the Tigers declined his $12 million option for 2009 and reportedly will now replace Omar Vizquel in San Francisco. 

GRIFFEY'S AGENT SAYS ALL TALK, NO ACTION
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on his blog that Brian Goldberg, Ken Griffey Jr.s' agent, said he's been in contact with nine teams -- six AL teams, three NL teams. Nothing is close. Goldberg's theory is things will pick after Dec. 1. That's when club must offer arbitration to their free agents. Players have until Dec. 7 to accept. If a player refuses, a club gets compensation for him if he's A or B. The former Reds' outfielder doesn't appear set to retire.

CUBS OUT OF THE MIX FOR PEAVY
After resigning Ryan Dempster last week Cubs' manager Lou Piniella believes that the Cubs' pitching is set. When asked if the Cubs still might be pursuing starting pitching, such as the Padres' Jake Peavy or free agent Randy Johnson, even after the Ryan Dempster signing Pinellas told the Chicago Sun Times, ''No. Starting we don't need. We're set. We've got six good starters [including Sean Marshall], and they're all experienced. Getting Dempster back was the key. We're in good shape with our starting pitching. Bullpen-wise, [we're looking for] possibly one more experienced pitcher. We've got a lot of young kids out there.''

METS LOOKING TO BOLSTER BULLPEN
Mets' GM Omar Minaya today began reaching out to the agents for free-agent closers Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes, according to SI.com. The Mets are intent on landing an elite closer after their bullpen was the main culprit in their second straight September disappointment. It is believed Rodriguez is favored slightly over Fuentes, but they consider either pitcher an excellent candidate to take injured closer Billy Wagner's spot.

MLB white sox, reds, jermaine dye, homer bailey, a's, giants, dodgers, rafael furcal, ken griffey jr, angels, c.c. sabathia, cubs, lou pinella, jake peavy, randy johnson, ryan dempster

The New York Yankees have decided they want C.C. Sabathia and made a ridiculous silly bid to try to get them. Even if Sabathia wanted to take less money to stay in Milwaukee, the Players' Union is going to put pressure on him to not leave the money on the table. The Yankees have offered the big lefty $140 million over 6 years. Let's take a look at how those dollars and cents breakdown:

$140 million over 6 years
--$23.3 million per year

Has averaged 32 games per over last three seasons that equals...
--$718,750 per start
--125 pitches per start (rough estimate)
--$5750 per pitch

I am huge C.C. fan, but this money is unbelievable.

MLB yankees, c.c. sabathia

The National League Cy Young award was announced today and the winner is Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants. He becomes the second Giant to win the award, joining Mike McCormick who took home the award in 1967.

Lincecum received 23 of the 32 possible votes with the remaining nine being split amongst three players. Arizona Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb and New York Mets' Johan Santana each received four. Newcomer to the NL this season, CC Sabathia of the Milwaukee Brewers received the other first place vote.

The Cy Young award in the NL could have gone to any of these four that received first place votes. Lincecum, in just his second season in the majors, impressed the voters by putting together a great season on a really bad team. His presence on the mound doesn't strike fear into a hitter considering he's just 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds or so. Its his unsuspecting 97 mph fastball that catches hitters off guard as it blows right by them.

Lincecum was 18-5 and had the third best ERA in the NL at 2.62. He led the majors with 265 strikeouts and finished the season with the best winning percentage in the NL (.783). He was able to do all this while playing for an awful Giants team that finished fourth in the NL West with a record of 72-90. That likely played out as a key factor in him winning the most prestigious award for pitchers in each league.

The schedule for the remaining awards to be announced is below. 

NL/AL Managers of the Year - Wednesday, November 12th
AL Cy Young - Thursday, November 13th
NL Most Valuable Player - Monday, November 17th
AL Most Valuable Player - Tuesday, November 18th

MLB cy young, tim lincecum, brandon webb, johan santana, cc sabathia

The Milwaukee Brewers went out on a limb to trade for C.C. Sabathia in quest for their first playoff appearence in 25 years. Despite the fact they didn't fare well they did make the playoffs and Sabathia, was his part, delivered on his promise. In fact, he still gets my vote for NL Cy Young and I could make a strong argument for him winning the league's MVP. The 28-year-old left-hander went 17-10 with a 2.70 ERA overall and 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA with Milwaukee.

The Brewers have made an offer to the soon-to-be free-agent pitcher that is believed to be in the $100-million range, according to SI.com.

It's hard to imagine a small-market team landing a guy that could do down as the highest-paid pitcher ever, but at least they are making a run at it. Is it a smart move though? As valuable as Sabathia is and as much as I like him and believe he's worth every penny I just can't agree with a team with such limited resources can invest so much into one player.

Brewers' GM Bob Melvin declined to categorize the Brewers' chances but acknowledged the difficulty of any team retaining a major free agent once it gets to this stage.

"I don't remember the last time a club re-signed their own free agent,'' Melvin said. "We have a better opportunity than we would have thought. We probably wouldn't have made an offer for CC if he didn't do what he did for our club and seen what kind of individual he is.''

If they don't get Sabathia to return don't be surprised to see them make a bid to re-sign Ben Sheets, another front-line pitcher they stand to lose in free agency. 

MLB brewers, c.c. sabathia, doug melvin, ben sheets

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel... 

It wouldn't have happened if not for the arrival of CC Sabathia, the big lefty who cemented his place in Brewers lore forever more. Acquired in early July from Cleveland in a move designed to put the team over the top, Sabathia proved to be exactly that.

Pitching on short rest for the third consecutive start, Sabathia tossed a four-hitter against the Cubs, who played many of their regulars despite having clinched the NL Central crown several days ago. Sabathia walked one and struck out seven, showing no weariness during his 122-pitch masterpiece.

When Derrek Lee grounded into a double play to end the game, Sabathia punched the air with his fist and let out a mighty roar as the already substantial noise in the ballpark became deafening.

"I didn't even know I was that excited," said Sabathia, who went 11-2 with a 1.65 earned run average and seven complete games in 17 starts with the Brewers. 'Sheeter' (Ben Sheets) said, 'I like the emotion that you showed.' I didn't know what he was talking about.

MLB brewers, c.c sabathia

The 2008 MLB regular season is nearing its final pitch, with that in mind it's time to start debating who should win each league's Most Valuable Player awards:

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Albert Pujols - You can't argue with his numbers, he has the best in either league. He gets on base better than anybody in the business and drives in runs in the process. The writers like to vote for MVP's that are on playoff teams and that may be the only thing to cost him.

Carlos Delgado - The second-half numbers can't be ignored and if the Mets hold on to win the NL Wildcard, Delgado is going to get some much-deserved consideration. Still, where was he earlier in the season. The Mets have a few other guys that could steal some of his local votes too (i.e. David Wright and Jose Reyes).

Chipper Jones - Do you remember when they were talking about this guy hitting .400? That wasn't realistic, but him getting attention in this race is not. 

Manny Ramirez - There's no doubt the arrival of ManRam to LA pushed the Dodgers to the top of the heap in the NL West. That doesn't hide the fact that he quit on his previous team though. How can you possibly reward that selfishness with an MVP vote? I can't, but some will.

Ryan Howard - He might strikeout 949 times this season, but his September tear led the Phillies directly to claiming the NL East title. Teammate Chase Utley could steal some thunder, but he's a serious candidate and fits the "MVP must make the playoffs" criteria.

C.C. Sabathia - Had the Brewers not completely collapsed down the stretch a strong case could have been made for Sabathia to get the award. However, the team has went in the tank, he has failed to stop the losing streak in his last two times out, and his manager got canned. Maybe next year when he plays in New York.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Dustin Pedroia - The Red Sox' second baseman is a spark plug. Not only does he get on base, but he has driven in runs in the clutch as well. Couple that with his gold-glove caliber defense and he is my choice, but will he get enough love with Kevin Youkilis take away some of his votes?

Justin Morneau -  The former MVP can make his case too, as he is as clutch as they come with runners on base. He brings more power than Morneau and better run production, but he's not a complete player that Pedroia can be.  The first baseman is an extremely valuable piece of the Twins' puzzle, but the small market will cost him this time around.

Grady Sizemore - He is only the 16th player in MLB history to hit 30+ HRs, 30+ doubles, and steal 35+ stolen bases. Sizemore is one of the best young talents in the league, but his team's struggles will be his black eye in this race.

Alex Rodriguez - The Yankees did not make the playoffs and that is huge news! A-Rod had a solid year, but he plays under such a microscope that even his solid numbers will be looked at as a disappointment. He may not win the MVP, but he's still one of the league's most valuable players.

Francisco Rodriguez -  OK, the saves record deserves its recognition, but doesn't warrant him winning the MVP award. Outside the saves. his numbers weren't the best in any other major catagory and clearly benefited from the number of opportunities the Angels provided.

MLB nl mvp, al mvp, albert pujoles, carlos delgado, chipper jones, ryan howard, manny ramirez, c.c. sabathia, dustin pedroia, justin morneau, grady sizemore, alex rodriguez, francisco rodriguez

STUDS OF THE WEEK
What's up with Melvin Mora lately? The veteran has been on a tear of late for the O's as he's picked up 16 hits in his last 30 at bats. His 2 HR's and 11 RBI's came in handy for owners dealing with injuries. Cliff Lee is going back to early season form of late. He threw his thrid complete game of the year on Saturday and picked up two wins while posting a 1.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 17 innings of work this week.

DUDS OF THE WEEK
The Phillies' Ryan Howard continues to prove that he can't be counted on this week as he hit .120 with 1 HR and 6 RBI's. There are players with worse numbers, but few that came with his sticker price. The 10 K's in 25 at bats killed owners that are deducted for strikeouts. Aaron Harang needs to be shutdown by the Reds, or at the very least by his fantasy owners. His two starts this week were pathetic as he 0-2 with 19.64 ERA and 2.73 WHIP in 7 1/3 innings. He's been unreliable all year and now is just awful.

KEY INJURIES
Evan Longoria (wrist) - placed on 15-day DL earlier this week
Carl Crawford (hand) - out for the season
Mike Lowell (oblique) -  could be out until September or longer
Billy Wagner (elbow) - suffered setback in return attempt
Joba Chamberlain (shoulder) - could return by month's end
Victor Martinez (elbow) - currently on Double A rehab assignment
Chris R. Young (forearm) - out until at least early September
Tom Glavine (elbow) - out for year; career could be over
Justin Upton (oblique) - could return to action this week
Chris Carpenter (triceps) - back on the 15-day DL

TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:

AL
Must-starts:
Felix Hernandez - @CHW (TBA), @OAK (Sean Gallagher)
Mark Buehrle  - SEA (Jarrod Washburn), TB (Andy Sonnastine)
Justin Duchscherer  – @MIN (Nick Blackburn) @SEA (Jarrod Washburn)

Sleeper Picks:
Jeremy Guthrie – BOS (Jon Lester), NYY (Darrell Rasner)
Anthony Reyes – KC (Luke Hochevar), @TEX (Scott Feldman)

NL
Must-Starts:
C.C. Sabathia – HOU (Randy Wolf), PIT (Pat Maholm)
Rich Harden - CIN (Johnny Cueto), WAS (Jason Bergmann)
Oliver Perez - ATL (TBA), HOU (Randy Wolf)

Sleeper Picks:
Ricky Nolasco – @SF (Kevin Correia), @ARI (Doug Davis)
Hiroki Kuroda –  COL (Ubaldo Jimenez),  @PHI (Joe Blanton)

WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
OF Marlon Byrd (+28% roster change)
SP Paul Byrd (+26%)
OF Vernon Wells (+25%)
RP Chris Perez (+23%)
3B Melvin Mora (+20%)

Five most dropped (non-injured):
SP Ian Kennedy (-10%)
SP Clay Buchholz (-9%)
RP Eddie Kunz (-9%)
OF David DeJesus (-8%)
RP Jason Isringhausen(-8%)

GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:

AL
7: LAA, MIN, OAK, SEA
6: BAL, BOS, CLE, DET, KC, NYY, TB, TEX, TOR
5: KC

NL
7: ATL, NYM, SF
6: ARI, CHC, CIN, COL, FLA, HOU, LAD, MIL, PHI, PIT, SD, STL, WAS

Fantasy Baseball melvin mora, cliff lee, ryan howard, evan longoria, carl crawford, mike lowell, billy wagner, joba chamberlain, victor martinez, chris r. young, tom glavine, justin upton, chris carpenter, felix hernandez, mark buehrle, justin duchscherer, jeremy guthrie, anthony reyes, c.c. sabathia, rich harden, oliver perez, ricky nolasco, hiroki kuroda, marlon byrd, paul byrd, vernon wells, chris perez, melvin mora, ian kennedy, clay buchholz, eddie kunz, david dejesus, jason isringhausen

Rarely do you see a pitcher that gets traded in the middle of the year that is Cy Young caliber, much less the reigning AL Cy Young winner.  However, the Brewers' acquistion is something special and there is now the chance that Sabathia could enter into discussion as a NL Cy Young candidate this season.

The lefty picked up another win last night by pitching seven solid innings to remain perfect with the  Brewers, who extended their winning streak to eight games. Sabathia allowed one run and nine hits and lowered his ERA with Milwaukee to 1.55. Sabathia (7-0) has been sensational for the Brewers in eight starts since being acquired from Cleveland in a trade on July 7. The reigning AL Cy Young winner won his 10th straight decision to extend his career high. Sabathia looks like his former Cy Young self and still has a lot to pitch for with free agency looming.

Meanwhile, Brandon Webb has statred to get out his funk but still is not running away with the honors. He leads the league with 17 wins and is fourth in ERA at 2.88. Those are very respectable numbers for sure. Are they good enough though to shun Sabathia from consideration?

If Sabathia continues his amazing run and leads the Brewers to the playoffs, or even better a league title, he should receive not only consideration for the Cy Young but also warrant talk as the MVP. The Brewers have not been to the playoffs since 1982 and put in all on the table to rent this guy and he has delivered.

Milwaukee sits at 70-51 and trail the Cubs by 3.5 games in the NL Central, but lead the NL Wildcard by 4 games over St. Louis. 

MLB cy young, c.c. sabathia, brandon webb

The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 100 years and the Brewers haven't even been in the playoffs in 27 years, but you wouldn't guess either was true when you tune in this week to a huge four-game series starting Monday night at Miller Park as the Brewers host the Cubs.

The Cubs are just 22-30 away from Wrigley Field, but Miller Park never has treated the Cubs as a road team as their are many Cubs' fans in the city that is just 97 miles away from Chicago. The Cubs are 31-26 at Miller Park, helped by a usually strong ''10th man'' factor 

The Brewers have been on fire since the All-Star break. They rolled oven 7 straight games to start the second half and have won 8 of 10 overall as the Cubs have gone 4-6, cutting their lead to just 1 game over Milwaukee heading into the series.

''The series in Milwaukee is important, but it's still July,'' Chicago manager Lou Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''They've been playing awfully well, and we've been scuffling. We need to hold our ground.

''I don't think a July series is real big. A lot can happen in two months, but it is important.''

The roles are reversed from last summer.

On last June 23, the Brewers had an 81/2-game lead on the Cubs only to fritter it away.

On this June 16, the Cubs led the Brewers by 81/2 before suffering through a hitting slump that left them tied before Sunday's 9-6 victory over Florida.

"The pressure is on them this year; all the expectations are on them," Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We're just going out and having fun." 

The Brewers have lined up their pitching so their Monday and Tuesday starters are CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, who are a combined 14-3. Sabathia is 4-0 since his trade from Cleveland.

PITCHING MATCH-UPS
--Monday - C.C. Sabathia (10-8) vs. Ted Lilly (9-6) - 8:05 ET
--Tuesday - Ben Sheets (10-3) vs. Carlos Zambrano (11-4) - 8:05 ET
--Wednesday - Manny Parra (9-3) vs. Ryan Dempster (11-4) - 8:05 ET
--Thursday - Dave  Bush (5-8) vs. Rich Harden (5-2) - 2:05 ET 

MLB nl central, cubs, brewers, lou piniella, ryan braun, c.c. sabathia, ted lilly, ben sheets, carlos zambrano, manny parra, ryan dempster, dave bush, rich harden

STUDS OF THE WEEK
Ryan Braun has been the man over the past seven days, helping both the Brewers and fantasy owners alike making playoff runs. The Brewers' outfielder is hitting .413 with 4 HR, 12 RBI, and a SB in that span.  Indians' ace Cliff Lee made the most of his two starts this week going 2-0 with two quality starts, including a complete game. Lee has now won three straight starts and has given up just two runs in that span with 21 strikeouts. He is on pace to become Cleveland's first 20-game winner in 34 years.

DUDS OF THE WEEK
Second baseman Chase Utley is not living up to the MVP-hype from earlier in the season and this week offered more proof of that. The Phillies' slugger mustered just 3 hits and only 1 RBI in 22 at bats. We listed him as a player likely to have a second-half letdown just two weeks ago, and so far the A's Justin Duchscherer has lived up to the billing thus far as he is winless since the break. This past week was not good for teh AL All-Star as he dropped both starts while posting a 6.92 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with 10 K's and 5 BB's in 13 IP. 

KEY INJURIES
Chipper Jones (hamstring) - day-to-day with pulled hammy
Rick Ankiel (abdominal) - questionable for 7/28-7/31 vs. ATL
Tim Hudson (elbow) - keep your eyes on status for Tuesday's start
Roy Oswalt (back) - expected to return TUE night vs. CIN
Kerry Wood (finger) - blister forces him to 15-day DL
Joe Crede (back) - out until mid-August after being put on DL
Jorge Posada (shoulder) - postponed surgery; could return in mid-Aug
Erik Bedard (back) - hopes to return to rotation in early Aug
Aaron Harang (forearm) - making progress; return still unclear
Chris R. Young (nose) - could return on TUE night vs. ARI

TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:

AL
Must-starts:
Daisuke Matsuzaka – LAA (Jered Weaver), OAK (Dallas Braden)
James Shields - @TOR (A.J. Burnett), DET (Armando Galarraga)
Mark Buehrle - @MIN (Kevin Slowey), @KC (Kyle Davies)

Sleeper Picks:
Matt Ginter – DET (Armando Galarraga), @MIN (Glen Perkins)
Jeremy Guthrie - @NYY (Darrell Rasner), @SEA (Felix Hernandez)

NL
Must-Starts:
CC Sabathia – CHC (Ted Lilly), @ATL (Charlie Morton)
Carlos Zambrano - @MIL (Ben Sheets), PIT (Ian Snell)
Ricky Nolasco – NYM (John Maine), COL (Jason Hirsh?)

Sleeper Picks:
Johnny Cueto - @HOU (Jack Cassel), @WAS (Collin Balester)
Yusmeiro Petit - @SD (Greg Maddux), @LAD (Clayton Kershaw)

WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
RP Joel Hanrahan (+32% roster change)
OF Alfonso Soriano (+30%)
DH David Ortiz (+28%)
3B Ryan Zimmerman (+23%)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (+22%)

Five most dropped (non-injured):
SP Jaime Garcia (-20%)
SP Jesse Litsch (-19%)
RP Damaso Marte (-16%)
RP Grant Balfour (-14%)
SP Aaron Laffey (-12%)

GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:

AL
7: CHW, CLE, DET, LAA, MIN, NYY, SEA, TEX
6: BAL, BOS, KC, OAK, TB, TOR

NL
7: ARI, ATL, CHC, COL, FLA, LAD, MIL, STL
6: CIN, HOU, NYM, PIT, SD, SF, WAS

Fantasy Baseball ryan braun, cliff lee, chase utley, justin duchscherer, chipper jones, rick ankiel, tim hudson, roy oswalt, kerry wood, joe crede, jorge posada, erik bedard, aaron harang, chris r. young, daisuke matsuzaka, james shields, mark buehrle, matt ginter, jeremy guthrie, cc sabathia, carlos zambrano, ricky nolasco, johnny cueto, yusmeiro petit, joel hanrahan, alfonso soriano, david ortiz, ryan zimmerman, troy tulowitzki, jaime garcia, jesse litsch, damaso marte, grant balfour, aaron laffey