Today's Fantasy Rx

Schedule recommendations for teams with 7 games

Schedules that heavily favor hitters:
Cincinnati: 1 Home vs. PHI; 3 Home vs. COL; 3 Home vs. SF.

Schedules that mildly favor hitters:
Milwaukee: 4 Road at NYM; 3 Road at MON.
Montreal: 1 Home vs. ATL; 3 Home vs. STL; 3 Home vs. MIL.
New York Mets: 4 Home vs. MIL; 3 Home vs. STL.
Oakland: 1 Road at ANA; 3 Home vs. CLE: 3 Home vs. NYY.
Philadelphia; 1 Road at CIN; 3 Home vs. LA; 3 Home vs. SD.
Seattle: 1 Home vs. TEX; 3 Home vs. DET; 3 Home vs. CHW.
St. Louis: 1 Home vs. PIT; 3 Road at MON; 3 Road at NYM.
Texas: 1 Road at SEA; 3 Home vs. BOS: 3 Home vs. CLE.

Schedules that mildly favor pitchers:
Anaheim: 1 Home vs. OAK; 3 Home vs. NYY; 3 Home vs. TOR.
Pittsburgh: 1 Road at STL; 3 Home vs. SD; 3 Home vs. COL.

Schedules that heavily favor pitchers:
Atlanta: 1 Road at MON; 3 Home vs. HOU; 3 Home vs. LA.

Schedule recommendations for teams with 6 games

Schedules that heavily favor hitters:
Boston: 3 Road at TEX; 3 Road at BAL.
Colorado: 3 Road at CIN; 3 Road at PIT.
Minnesota: 3 Home vs. BAL; 3 Home vs. DET.
San Francisco: 3 Road at CHC; 3 Road at CIN.
Tampa Bay: 3 Road at TOR; 3 Road at KC.
Toronto: 3 Home vs. TB; 3 Road at ANA.

Schedules that mildly favor hitters:
Cleveland: 3 Road at OAK; 3 Road at TEX.
Kansas City: 3 Home vs. CHW; 3 Home vs. TB.
San Diego: 3 Road at PIT; 3 Road at PHI.

Schedules that mildly favor pitchers:
Arizona: 3 Road at FLO; 3 Road at CHC.
Baltimore: 3 Road at MIN; 3 Home vs. BOS.
Chicago White Sox: 3 Road at KC; 3 Road at SEA.
Chicago Cubs: 3 Home vs. SF; 3 Home vs. ARI.
Florida: 3 Home vs. ARI; 3 Home vs. HOU.
Houston: 3 Road at ATL; 3 Road at FLO.
Los Angeles: 3 Road at PHI; 3 Road at ATL.
New York Yankees: 3 Road at ANA; 3 Road at OAK.

Schedules that heavily favor pitchers:
Detroit: 3 Road at SEA; 3 Road at MIN.

Pitchers with 2 starts(to deploy everywhere you own them):
Miguel Batista: Mon:@FLO(M.Redman); Sat:@CHC(S.Estes) OR Sun:@CHC(M.Clement)
Kris Benson: Tue:SD(Ol.Perez); Sun:COL(D.Oliver)
Mark Buehrle: Tue:@KC(D.May); Sun:@SEA(G.Meche)
Matt Clement: Tue:SF(D.Moss); Sun:ARI(B.Webb or M.Batista)
Kelvim Escobar: Tue:TB(Jer.Gonzalez); Sun:@ANA(K.Appier)
Ryan Franklin: Mon:TEX(J.Benoit); Sat:CHW(D.Wright???)
Tom Glavine: Tue:MIL(B.Sheets); Sun:STL(G.Stephenson)
Livan Hernandez: Tue:STL(G.Stephenson); Sun:MIL(B.Sheets)
Darrell May: Tue:CHW(M.Buehrle); Sun:TB(Jer.Gonzalez)
Gil Meche: Tue:DET(M.Roney); Sun:CHW(M.Buehrle)
Mark Mulder: Tue:CLE(Br.Anderson); Sun:NYY(A.Pettitte)
Russ Ortiz: Tue:HOU(R.Oswalt); Sun:LA(K.Ishii)
Roy Oswalt: Tue:@ATL(Ru.Ortiz); Sun:@FLO(M.Redman)
Vicente Padilla: Tue:LA(K.Ishii); Sun:SD(Ol.Perez)
Oliver Perez: Tue:@PIT(K.Benson); Sun:@PHI(V.Padilla)
Andy Pettitte: Tue:ANA(K.Appier); Sun:@OAK(M.Mulder)
Mark Redman: Mon:ARI(M.Batista); Sun:HOU(R.Oswalt)
Johan Santana: Tue:BAL(R.Helling); Sun:DET(Joh.Santana)
Jae Seo: Mon:MIL(G.Rusch); Sat:STL(B.Tomko)
Ben Sheets: Tue:@NYM(T.Glavine); Sun:@MON(L.Hernandez)
Jeff Suppan: Mon:@STL(B.Tomko); Sat:COL(J.Jennings)
Javier Vazquez: Mon:ATL(M.Hampton); Sat:MIL(G.Rusch)
Tim Wakefield: Tue:@TEX(R.Dickey); Sun:@BAL(R.Helling)
Jarrod Washburn: Mon:OAK(B.Zito); Sat:TOR(K.Escobar)
Brandon Webb?: Tue:@FLO(B.Penny); Sun:@CHC(M.Clement)?
Randy Wolf: Mon:@CIN(R.Dempster); Sat:SD(J.Peavy)
Barry Zito: Mon:@ANA(J.Washburn); Sat:NYY(J.Weaver)

Pitchers with 2 starts to deploy only in leagues that don't count qualitative stats:
Brian Anderson: Tue:@OAK(M.Mulder); Sun:TEX(R.Dickey)
Kevin Appier: Tue:NYY(A.Pettitte); Sun:TOR(K.Escobar)
Joaquin Benoit: Mon:@SEA(R.Franklin); Sat:CLE(Jas.Davis)
Ryan Dempster: Mon:PHI(R.Wolf); Sat:SF(J.Foppert)
R.A. Dickey: Tue:BOS(T.Wakefield); Sun:CLE(Br.Anderson)
Jeremi Gonzalez: Tue:@TOR(K.Escobar); Sun:@KC(D.May)
Mike Hampton: Mon:@MON(J.Vazquez); Sat:LA(H.Nomo)
Jimmy Haynes: Tue:COL(D.Oliver); Sun:SF(D.Moss)
Rick Helling: Tue:@MIN(Joh.Santana); Sun:BOS(T.Wakefield)
Kazuhisa Ishii: Tue:@PHI(V.Padilla); Sun:ATL(Ru.Ortiz)
Damian Moss: Tue:@CHC(M.Clement); Sun:@CIN(J.Haynes)
Darren Oliver: Tue:@CIN(J.Haynes); Sun:@PIT(J.Suppan)
Matt Roney: Tue:@SEA(G.Meche); Sun:@MIN(Joh.Santana)
Glendon Rusch: Mon:@NYM(J.Seo); Sat:@MON(J.Vazquez)
Garrett Stephenson: Tue:@MON(L.Hernandez); Sun:@NYM(T.Glavine)
Brett Tomko: Mon:PIT(J.Suppan); Sat:@NYM(J.Seo)

Diamond Challenge

SP(6)
Randy Johnson: Wed:@FLO(D.Willis)
Pedro Martinez: Thu:@TEX(C.Lewis)
Curt Schilling: Fri:@CHC(Ju.Cruz)
Tim Hudson: Fri:NYY(M.Mussina)
Matt Morris: No start(DL)
Roy Oswalt: Tue:@ATL(Ru.Ortiz); Sun:@FLO(M.Redman)
Mike Mussina: Fri:@OAK(T.Hudson)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:SD(K.Jarvis)
Kerry Wood: Wed:SF(J.Schmidt?)
Kevin Brown: Wed:@PHI(B.Myers)
Roy Halladay: Fri:@ANA(Ra.Ortiz)
Jason Schmidt: Wed:@CHC(K.Wood)???
Mark Prior: No start(DL).

We'll run Oswalt, and we also like the home starts of Hudson and Millwood. Additionally, Randy, Schilling, and Halladay all look like good calls. Brown and Wood look decent, but Myers is hot and neither the Dodgers nor Cubs own strong offenses when compared respectively to the Phillies and Giants.

To squeeze under the cap, we'll reluctantly bench Gagne in favor of Williamson, and then deploy Ichiro while sending Berkman to join Vlad, Kearns, and Dave Roberts on the bench.

Interview with the Umpire(5th lg; 33th div; 666th overall),
Shadow of the Umpire(4th lg; 38th div; 667th overall), &
Dance of the Umpires(6th lg; 29th div; 714th overall)
Week 18: June 28-August 3

C	Ivan Rodriguez		1070
C	Toby Hall		460
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
1B	Erubiel Durazo		520
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Luis Castillo		1210
3B	Aaron Boone		1010
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Alex Rodriguez		2010
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330
OF	Manny Ramirez		1610
OF	Ichiro Suzuki		1480
OF	Preston Wilson		1220
OF	Carl Everett		850
OF	Vernon Wells		750
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
DH	Frank Thomas		920
DH	Aramis Ramirez		820

SP	Randy Johnson		2010
SP	Curt Schilling		1610
SP	Tim Hudson		1340
SP	Roy Oswalt		1280
SP	Kevin Millwood		1010
SP	Roy Halladay		890
RP	Scott Williamson	960
RP	Mike MacDougal		750
RP	Tim Worrell		740
RP	Matt Mantei		700

Total Salary for Week 18: 	29870

Diamond Challenge 2nd Season

SP(6)
Pedro Martinez: Thu:@TEX(C.Lewis)
Curt Schilling: Fri:@CHC(Ju.Cruz)
Tim Hudson: Fri:NYY(M.Mussina)
Matt Morris: No start(DL)
Roy Oswalt: Tue:@ATL(Ru.Ortiz); Sun:@FLO(M.Redman)
Mike Mussina: Fri:@OAK(T.Hudson)
Mark Mulder: Tue:CLE(Br.Anderson); Sun:NYY(A.Pettitte)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:SD(K.Jarvis)
Kerry Wood: Wed:SF(J.Schmidt?)
Kevin Brown: Wed:@PHI(B.Myers)
Roy Halladay: Fri:@ANA(Ra.Ortiz)
Jason Schmidt: Wed:@CHC(K.Wood)???
Mark Prior: No start(DL).

Oswalt, Schilling, Hudson, Millwood, and Halladay look as good here as in DC, and we'll deploy our other double, Mulder, since we aren't ready to add Randy here yet.

On offense, we'll just leave Helton, Lowell, Patterson, Kearns, and Roberts on the bench to remain under the cap. While we certainly want to replace Patterson soon, we expect to purchase Randy next week for his double, and we see enough potential FA pick-ups where we don't overly want Frank Thomas or Hideo Nomo this week.

Umpire The Masquerade(2nd lg; 17th div; 131st overall)
Week 18: June 28-August 3

C	Mike Lieberthal		650
C	Toby Hall		460
1B	Carlos Deglado		1420
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Bret Boone		1360
3B	Aramis Ramirez		820
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330
SS	Rafael Furcal		970
OF	Albert Pujols		1750
OF	Preston Wilson		1220
OF	Juan Pierre		1080
OF	Vernon Wells		750
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
OF	Milton Bradley		430
DH	Orlando Cabrera		1030
DH	Erubiel Durazo		520

SP	Curt Schilling		1610
SP	Tim Hudson		1340
SP	Roy Oswalt		1280
SP	Mark Mulder		1080
SP	Kevin Millwood		1010
SP	Roy Halladay		890
RP	Eric Gagne		1430
RP	Joe Borowski		750
RP	Rocky Biddle		750
RP	Tim Worrell		740

Total Salary for Week 18: 	27990

Internet Challenge

SP(6)
Randy Johnson: Wed:@FLO(D.Willis)
Pedro Martinez: Thu:@TEX(C.Lewis)
Roy Oswalt: Tue:@ATL(Ru.Ortiz)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:SD(K.Jarvis)
Kerry Wood: Wed:SF(J.Schmidt?)
Kevin Brown: Wed:@PHI(B.Myers)
Jason Schmidt: Wed:@CHC(K.Wood)???
Esteban Loaiza: Thu:@KC(K.Snyder)

No starts: Schilling, Morris, Mussina, Halladay, Prior, and Ainsworth.

Randy, Millwood, Wood, and Loaiza are fairly easy picks here, and we're willing to run Brown. While running Pedro is risky here, we think he has a better chance to win than Oswalt against Ortiz, so we'll deploy our Boston ace.

Offensively, we'll leave Kearns benched, and then in order to avoid deploying Berkman for three in Atlanta or Helton for only three in Cincinnati, we'll move ARod and Vlad into the lineup and hope their one-game advantage results in more favorable stats.

The Umpire Hunter(11th lg; 281st overall)
Week 18a: July 28-July 31

C	Jorge Posada		1120
C	Toby Hall		460
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
1B	Erubiel Durazo		520
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Luis Castillo		1210 
3B	Aramis Ramirez		820
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1030
OF	Vlad Guerrero		2010
OF	Manny Ramirez		1610
OF	Preston Wilson		1220 
OF	Carl Everett		850
OF	Vernon Wells		750
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
DH	Alex Rodriguez		2010
DH	Aaron Boone		1010

SP	Randy Johnson		2010
SP	Pedro Martinez		1700
SP	Kevin Millwood		1010
SP	Kerry Wood		990
SP	Kevin Brown		990
SP	Esteban Loaiza		680
RP	Scott Williamson	960
RP	Mike MacDougal		750
RP	Tim Worrell		740
RP	Matt Mantei		700

Total Salary for Week 18a: 	29800

Fantasy Baseball & Budget Baseball
(Same rules = same rosters and moves for both teams)

While few of these starts look particularly good, we're going to hold off adding Randy at least for one more week.

SP(6)
Curt Schilling: Fri:@CHC(Ju.Cruz)
Mike Mussina: Fri:@OAK(T.Hudson)
Pedro Martinez: Thu:@TEX(C.Lewis)
Roy Oswalt: Tue:@ATL(Ru.Ortiz); Sun:@FLO(M.Redman)
Kerry Wood: Wed:SF(J.Schmidt?)
Kevin Millwood: Thu:SD(K.Jarvis)
Roy Halladay: Fri:@ANA(Ra.Ortiz)
Jason Schmidt: Wed:@CHC(K.Wood)???
Kevin Brown: Wed:@PHI(B.Myers)
Mark Prior: No start(DL).

Oswalt is a necessity here, and we prefer the home starts of Wood and Millwood in these games. As Schilling, Pedro, and Halladay all possess good chances to win, we'll deploy them to complete our staff.

While we'd like to leave Helton in the lineup as Colorado travels to Cincinnati, we'd rather deploy Rolen for an extra game. We'll also activate Burrell for Lance Berkman, and then use the healthy Josh Phelps against Tampa rather than risk Ellis losing playing time due to a trade.

The Umpire Chronicles(5th lg; 237th overall)
& Umpire with a Soul(4th lg; 522nd overall)
Week 18: July 28-August 3

C	Jason Varitek		1400
C	Toby Hall		1070
1B	Carlos Delgado		2850
1B	Frank Thomas		2030
2B	Alfonso Soriano		2570
2B	Orlando Hudson		1000
3B	Eric Hinske		1750
3B	Joe Crede		1150	
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	2300 
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1820
OF	Albert Pujols		3150
OF	Manny Ramirez		2690
OF	Pat Burrell		2420
OF	Preston Wilson		2410
OF	Vernon Wells		1780
OF	Hideki Matsui		1500
DH	Josh Phelps		1480
DH	Scott Rolen		2660

SP	Curt Schilling		3600
SP	Pedro Martinez		2900
SP	Roy Oswalt		2800
SP	Kerry Wood		2470
SP	Kevin Millwood		2400
SP	Roy Halladay		2010
RP	Eric Gagne		2560
RP	Keith Foulke		2330
RP	Mike MacDougal		1500
RP	Tim Worrell		1370

Total Salary for Week 18: 	59970

Mid-Season Fantasy Baseball

Both Randy and Brown look like logical pick-ups here in the near future, but neither one appears a necessary addition this week.

SP(6)
Curt Schilling: Fri:@CHC(Ju.Cruz)
Mike Mussina: Fri:@OAK(T.Hudson)
Pedro Martinez: Thu:@TEX(C.Lewis)
Tim Hudson: Fri:NYY(M.Mussina)
Roy Oswalt: Tue:@ATL(Ru.Ortiz); Sun:@FLO(M.Redman)
Roger Clemens: Wed:@ANA(J.Lackey)
Roy Halladay: Fri:@ANA(Ra.Ortiz)
Jason Schmidt: Wed:@CHC(K.Wood)???
Esteban Loaiza: Thu:@KC(K.Snyder)
Brandon Webb?: Tue:@FLO(B.Penny); Sun:@CHC(M.Clement)?

Hudson, Oswalt, Halladay, and Webb all are easy calls, and we'll deploy Pedro and Loaiza to complete our staff as they look like slightly better shots to win than Schilling or Clemens. Schilling versus Loaiza essentially is a toss-up, but the salary difference allows us a dramatic offensive upgrade, more than worth the likely difference of a couple points between the two pitchers.

Taking Loaiza allows us to deploy Pujols for Teixeira, however the rest of our lineup already looks solid. Lieberthal, Durazo, B.Boone, Lowell, Furcal, Larry Walker, and Griffey join Tex on our bench.

Umpire in Brooklyn(6th lg; 345th overall)
Week 18: July 28-August 3

C	Javier Lopez		1480
C	Jason Varitek		1400
1B	Frank Thomas		2030
1B	Aubrey Huff		1420
2B	D'Angelo Jimenez	1400
2B	Marcus	 Giles		1080
3B	Hank Blalock		1100
3B	Morgan Ensberg		1000
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	2300 
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1820
OF	Manny Ramirez		2690
OF	Gary Sheffield		2600
OF	Preston Wilson		2410
OF	Vernon Wells		1780
OF	Hideki Matsui		1500
OF	Milton Bradley		1170
DH	Albert Pujols		3150
DH	Carlos Delgado		2850

SP	Pedro Martinez		2900
SP	Tim Hudson		2830
SP	Roy Oswalt		2800
SP	Roy Halladay		2010
SP	Esteban Loaiza		1900
SP	Brandon Webb		1500
RP	Eric Gagne		2560
RP	Keith Foulke		2330
RP	Mike MacDougal		1500
RP	Tim Worrell		1370

Total Salary for Week 18: 	54880

Today's Fantasy Rx: Unless your team suffers from a glaring problem or gaping hole that needs immediate fixing, try not to make any moves this week. Pre-deadline deals could significantly reshape a few rosters, and while a few great bargains should emerge, a few established performers could find themselves making much reduced contributions to your team.