Today's Fantasy Rx

Arizona: Stephen Randolph, LH Reliever
1-0 and 0 Saves on a 13:13 K:BB in 10.2 IP over 9 G
with 5 H, 2 HR, a 4-13 G-F, and a 1.69 ERA.

With most Diamondbacks playing relatively poorly, Randolph's low ERA stands out as a complete misrepresentation of his skills. Yes, he obviously dominates a significant number of the batters he faces based on his high strikeout and low hit rates. However, his terrible control effectively negates his fantasy value, and a poor ground-fly rate suggests any uptick in his hit rate will cause an immediate ERA spike. Arizona's unimpressive offense also means that Randolph shouldn't approach the 8 wins he registered last season, so deal or cut him now before he dramatically damages your qualitative stats

Internet Challenge

While dropping Contreras tempts us, he bounced back last year after a couple weeks in the minors, so we're not going to punt him until we need the roster spot.

SP(6)
Curt Schilling: Sat:KC(J.Gobble)
Randy Johnson: Fri:PHI(V.Padilla)
Mike Mussina: Sat:@SEA(G.Meche)
Tim Hudson: Sat:MIN(S.Greisinger)
Roy Oswalt: Sat:@ATL(H.Ramirez)
Josh Beckett: Sun:SD(A.Eaton)
Shawn Chacon: 3 Road at CHC.

No starts: P.Martinez, Halladay, Vazquez, Wood, K.Brown, Contreras.

The four home starts and Chacon all look solid, and then with Oswalt appearing stronger than Mussina and Meche slightly less risky than Ramirez, we'll take Oswalt and sit Mussina.

Offensively, Kaz Matsui, Ichiro, and Wilkerson stay benched, and while we'd like to deploy Vernon Wells at home against the White Sox, we don't have the cap room without sitting a red hot player like Pierre or Podsednik. Fullmer heads into the lineup to replace Crawford who spends the weekend facing Anaheim's impressive defensive catchers.

The Umpire Hunter(15th lg; 414th overall)
Week 5b: May 7-May 9

C	Mike Piazza		990
C	Jason Varitek		680
1B	Mark Teixeira		760
1B	Josh Phelps		580
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1930
2B	Marcus Giles		990
3B	Eric Hinske		990
3B	Hank Blalock		850
SS	Alex Rodriguez		2010
SS	Alex Cintron		450
OF	Carlos Beltran		1760
OF	Juan Pierre		1470
OF	Scott Podsednik		980
OF	Richard Hidalgo	970
OF	Adam Dunn		690
OF	Miguel Cabrera		570
DH	Brad Fullmer		700
DH	Joe Crede		600

SP	Curt Schilling		1610
SP	Randy Johnson		1550
SP	Tim Hudson		1320
SP	Roy Oswalt		1200
SP	Josh Beckett		990
SP	Shawn Chacon		630
RP	Eric Gagne		1890
RP	Octavio Dotel		1250
RP	Arthur Rhodes		800
RP	Matt Herges		670

Total Salary for Week 5b: 	29890

Today's Fantasy Rx: While Joe Kennedy's nearly unbelievable success this season suggests Colorado's pitching staff certainly could field a significant fantasy asset besides Shawn Chacon, the Rockies' recent shift to a 4-man rotation decreases that likelihood. In addition to starting Kennedy, Jennings, Estes, and Elarton on shorter rest, a move that theoretically increases their win potential, Colorado management imposed a 90-pitch limit on the starters to limit injury risk and decrease their fatigue from pitching at Coors. Jennings, Estes, and Elarton all appear likely to regularly reach 90 pitches by the fifth inning, and as Kennedy also shouldn't' maintain his current pace, I see little reason to invest in Rockies' starters in any standard league even if you plan to punt ERA and WHIP. The potential for more than one starter to accumulate double-digit wins seems quite remote given the pitchers' historical skills and new roles, so look elsewhere if you need help in wins.