Today's Fantasy Rx

Welcome to our weekly LPR rankings, our primary method to identify highly skilled and/or consistently effective pitchers. While we haven't changed this system since the second half of last season, feel free to refer here for a complete description of the codes. We've included the five most recent 2004 QA scores for each starter, along with the 10 most recent QA scores for each reliever, tabulating all data through June 2nd. Pitchers with no QA scores have not pitched this year, so don't roster any of them unless you see someone ready to return to the majors.

1
2AX - Brad Penny(44542)
3ABCXYZ - Roy Oswalt(53344)
3ABCXZ - Randy Johnson(45443)
3ABCXZ - Odalis Perez(44555)
ACXYz - Carlos Zambrano(44323)
ABCY - Jason Schmidt(42454)
ABX - Livan Hernandez(45433)
ACX - Ben Sheets(43534)
AZ - Oliver Perez(44503)

Penny returns to replace Beckett and Zambrano continues to look safer with each start.

23abcxyz - LaTroy Hawkins(3544542553)
abcxy - Braden Looper(4343522553)
ax - Ryan Madson(4243454541)

I didn't expect to see this much movement her for a while. However, the effectiveness of Hawkins and Looper forced promoted for both pitchers. Brian Meadows and Dan Miceli appear somewhat risky right now, however both Scott Linebrink and Akinori Osutka barely missed spots here due to a couple extra flyballs each.

2
3CXZ - Kevin Millwood(33301)
BCYZ - Mark Prior

3abcxyz - John Smoltz(4444544454)
3abcxyz - Billy Wagner(5434554445)
3byz - Joe Borowski(2243334134)
abcxyz - Eric Gagne(4554454442)
abcxyz - Mike Koplove(3344134324)
abx - Guillermo Mota(3454153253)
byz - Rheal Cormier(3053245322)
bcz - Tim Spooneybarger
by - Javier Lopez(2333542433)

3
CZ - Matt Morris(24233)
C - Woody Williams(14421)

bcxyz - Jason Isringhausen(4523335413)
bxy - Jay Witasick(3531355433)
cxz - Steve Reed(4332444343)
cz - Robb Nen

A
BCXY - Roger Clemens(44345)
BCZ - Matt Clement(45302)
BC - Wade Miller(43320)
CX - Jake Peavy(44344)
CZ - Jeff Weaver(52544)
Xc - Zach Day(45334)
B - Todd Van Poppel(0444)
X - Tom Glavine(34543)
X - Chris Carpenter(44335)
X - Joe Kennedy(43434)
X - Paul Wilson(23444)
X - Cory Lidle(32435)
X - John Thomson(30534)
X - Jerome Williams(50334)
X - Victor Santos(35304)
Shawn Estes(45244)
Doug Davis(42444)
Jeff Suppan(40444)
Russ Ortiz(30445)
Kerry Wood(25550)

Van Poppel flips with Webb, Maddux exchanges spots with Weaver, and Estes displaces Brett Myers. Of course, the most impressive healthy pitchers here right now are Clemens, Weaver, Davis, Ortiz, and Suppan, and since the latter few might be available in some leagues, try to grab them now.

B
XY - Brandon Webb(33330)
C - Andy Pettitte(44430)
Y - Josh Beckett(34440)
x - Jeff Fassero(03)

Yax - Darren Dreifort(5034352535)
Y - Juan Cruz(4135334252)
a - Jim Brower(5540144451)
x - Amaury Telemaco(4334333340)
y - Adam Bernero
Andrew Good(0242554232)
Michael Tejera

C
XZ - Greg Maddux(54423)
Y - Kip Wells(03523)
Z - Brian Lawrence(44254)
Z - John Patterson(4044)
Z - A.J. Burnett
Al Leiter(33402)
Adam Eaton(02423)
David Wells(44532)
Casey Fossum(4023)

X
YZ - Randy Wolf(32353)
Z - Vicente Padilla(53233)
c - Carl Pavano(33424)
Jose Acevedo(04533)
Jason Marquis(34204)

Wolf and Padilla join this ranking just in time to head to the DL, while Acevedo finally earns a mention up here thanks to his consistently respectable outings.

Y
Dustin Hermanson(15322)
Tony Armas, Jr.(4)

a
x - Tommy Phelps(30)

bcxyz - Octavio Dotel(5433445345)
bcxz - Chris Reitsma(2243535533)
bcxz - Luis Vizcaino(5412443434)
bxyz - Danny Kolb(4434355444)
bcx - Mike Lincoln(4245453341)
bxy - Julian Tavarez(0443443345)
bxy - Jose Valverde(2524313244)
cxy - Brian Fuentes(3351523444)
cxz - Trevor Hoffman(3445334345)
cyz - Antonio Alfonseca(4544443244)

The biggest trend above looks like the increasing effectiveness of relievers like Reitsma, Fuentes, and Alfonseca.

bx - Armando Benitez(5433443345)
bx - Brad Lidge(4353254454)
bx - Kevin Gryboski(4335353423)
by - Tom Martin(2304355445)
cx - John Riedling(5345513445)
cx - Toby Borland(5555433522)
cx - Danny Graves(4552234524)
xy - John Franco(4543343044)
xy - Brian Meadows(3342443404)
xz - Jose Mesa(5553552434)

Promotions for Martin and Borland, as well as Meadows' struggles, give this ranking section respectable depth for owners needing short-term roster filler.

c - Brian Boehringer(2433434431)
c - Randy Choate(2414005545)
x - Orber Moreno(4445333442)
x - Felix Rodriguez(5342355034)
x - Akinori Otsuka(4352145334)
x - Brian Reith(2534143345)
x - Dan Miceli(5543245414)
x - Scott Linebrink(4404432423)
x - Chad Harville(3414325345)
x - Brian Bruney(3344442342)
y - Rocky Biddle(1240442523)
y - Oscar Villarreal(1544430332)
Francis Beltran(5443443033)
John Grabow(2442444334)
Tyler Walker(5303243524)
Phil Norton(5154144534)
Wayne Franklin(0445234441)

Harville and Tucker replace Scott Eyre and Mike Johnston in a mostly quiet week. FRod and the Padres' pitchers merit the most consideration here.

b
cxyz - Tim Worrell(4321545533)
cxz - Ray King(3044533554)
cy - Matt Herges(2423434243)
bcz - Roberto Hernandez(4414444332)
cz - Mike Remlinger(453)
cz - Joey Eischen
cz - Paul Shuey
cz - Mike Crudale
xy - Kyle Farnsworth(3535543353)
xy - Luis Ayala(4343343544)
yz - Matt Mantei(4024421333)
c - Scott Strickland
y - Rod Beck(2532)
Dave Burba(5432313325)
Cal Eldred(4435332405)
Scott Service(33)
Will Cunnane(341043333)
Jason Simontacchi(2122)
Troy Brohawn

Herges and Hernandez returned here after respectively particularly poor weeks, leaving both players as extreme gambles in standard leagues.

c
Sun-Woo Kim(4300)

xz - Todd Jones(4431332343)
yz - Ricky Stone(4132354222)
x - Steve Kline(3334403334)
z - Ricky Bottalico(3343532132)
z - Armando Almanza(4433344)
z - Eddie Oropesa(3040332450)
z - Brian Bowles
z - Dave Coggin
z - Gary Glover
z - Joey Hamilton
z - Chad Paronto
Travis Driskill
Blaine Neal

x
y - Mike Stanton(3143333440)
y - Brooks Kieschnick(344333043)
Salomon Torres(4543434235)
C.J. Nitkowski(3333523443)
Mike Gallo(44235323443)
Duaner Sanchez(3232452535)
Chad Fox(4454433330)
Shawn Chacon(3344335241)
Brandon Backe(2345214534)
Harville heads upward while Stanton replaces Chacon and Backe, leaving us with relatively little change from this list of secondary relievers worth targeting.

y
Glendon Rusch(0431)

Grant Roberts(1232)
John Foster
Scott Randall
Dave Veres

z
Brandon Puffer(4033233224)
Vladimir Nunez(1413324320)
Dave Elder
Dan Reichert
Brandon Villafuerte
Chad Zerbe

NL starters I recommend despite their failure to appear above include Matt Ginter(3340), Mike Hampton(33330), Aaron Harang(45304), Tomo Ohka(54532), Tim Redding(43313), Kirk Rueter(43433), Steve Trachsel(33330), and Dontrelle Willis(40354).

Other decent relievers include Mike Adams, Jeff Bennett, Kiko Calero, Jason Christiansen, Chad Cordero, Elmer Dessens, Scott Eyre, Mike Gonzalez, Antonio Osuna, and Matt Perisho.

1 - K/9 of 6.0+, BB/9 of 3.0-, H/9 of 9.0-, HR/9 of 1.0-,
     and G-F of 1.0+ in 25+ IP in 2004.
2 - K/9 of 6.0+, BB/9 of 3.0-, H/9 of 9.0-, HR/9 of 1.0-,
     and G-F of 1.0+ in 25+ IP in 2003.
3 - K/9 of 6.0+, BB/9 of 3.0-, H/9 of 9.0-, HR/9 of 1.0-,
     and G-F of 1.0+ in 25+ IP in 2002.

QA score for starts: up to 5 total points, one for each statistical goal, to any starter who pitches at least 5 innings and fulfills any of the following skill qualifications: K>=IP-2, BB<=IP/3, H<=IP, HR<=1, and G-F>=1.00. Any starter who doesn't reach any of the required statistical goals or fails to pitch 5 innings earns a 0 QA score. Scores of 5 and 4 qualify as DOMinant outings, a 3 is DULl, and anything below 3 ranks as a skill DISaster.

QA score for relief outings: up to 5 total points, one for each statistical goal, to any reliever who retires at least one batter and fulfills any of the following skill qualifications: K>=IP, BB=0, H<=IP, HR=0, and G-F>=1.00. Any reliever who doesn't reach any of the required statistical goals or fails to retire a batter earns a 0 QA score. Scores of 5 and 4 qualify as DOMinant outings, a 3 is DULl, and anything below 3 ranks as a skill DISaster.

Note: Starters must pitch in five games before earning any of the following DOM or DIS ratings; relievers must appear in no less than 10 games before earning DOM/DIS consideration. All pitchers are evaluated as relievers aside from those who reached both 5 starts in a given season and qualified for DOM or DIS ratings.

A - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2004 starts
B - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2003 starts
C - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2002 starts

X - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2004 starts
Y - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2003 starts
Z - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2002 starts

a - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2004 relief outings
b - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2003 relief outings
c - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2002 relief outings

x - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2004 relief outings
y - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2003 relief outings
z - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2002 relief outings

Tomorrow, like every Sunday during the season, we'll post our preview of the coming week's games and our CDM challenge lineups.

Today's Fantasy Rx: We continue to read many analysts deriding the Reds' pitching, and I don't really understand the basis for such concern. Cincinnati possesses a perfectly average defense, all the starters own respectable skills, and every reliever save Mike Matthews appears relatively safe, I expect this staff to remain effective indefinitely. The only weakness here is depth, however if they acquired even healthy innings eater, they could remain competitive all season, making most of their pitchers intriguing roto gambles.