Blue Jays, Romero could have another big week

We’re later than we like to be with this week’s Preview and Pitching Chart. Our target, which is very difficult to meet, is Saturday morning. But we’ll be getting these Pitching Charts to you during the weekend.
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Projected starting pitchers, April 12-18, 2010
AL Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Bal TB-Guthrie TB-Matusz TB-Bergesen @Oak-Hrnandez @Oak-Millwood @Oak-Guthrie2 @Oak-Matusz2
Bos @Min-Lester --- @Min-Lackey @Min-Wakfield TB-Beckett TB-Bchholz* TB-Lester2
CWS @Tor-Peavy @Tor-Floyd @Tor-Danks @Tor-Garcia @Cle-Buehrle @Cle-Peavy2 @Cle-Floyd2
Cle Tex-Carmona --- Tex-Mastersn Tex-Huff CWS-Talbot CWS-Wstbrook CWS-Crmona2
Det KC-Scherzer KC-Willis KC-Porcello --- @Se-Bondrmn @Se-Verlander @Se-Scherzer2
KC @Det-Hochevar @Det-Bannister @Det-Davies --- @Min-Greinke @Min-Meche @Min-Hochevr2
LAA --- @NYY-Santana @NYY-Pineiro @NYY-Kazmir** @Tor-Weaver @Tor-Saunders @Tor-Santana2
Min Bos-Pavano --- Bos-Slowey Bos-Liriano KC-Baker KC-Blckburn KC-Pavano2
NYY --- LAA-Pettitte LAA-Vazquez LAA-Hughs-3* Tex-Sabathia Tex-Burnett Tex-Pettitte2
Oak @Se-Duchschr @Se-Anderson @Se-Gonzalez Bal-Sheets Bal-Braden Bal-Dchschr2 Bal-Andersn2
Se Oak-Rwd-Smh Oak-Fister Oak-Vargas --- Det-Hrnandez Det-Snell Det-Rd-Smh2
TB @Bal-Garza @Bal-Niemann @Bal-Price --- @Bos-Davis @Bos-Shields @Bos-Garza2
Tex @Cle-Harden --- @Cle-Wilson @Cle-Lewis @NYY-Harrison @NYY-Feldman @NYY-Harden2
Tor CWS-Tallet CWS-Romero CWS-Morrow CWS-Eveland LAA-Marcum LAA-Tallet2 LAA-Romero2

*-The Red Sox could move LHP Jon Lester ahead of RHP Clay Buchholz, their fifth starter.
**-LHP Scott Kazmir is expected to be ready to start Thursday or even Wednesday for the Angels. In an injury-rehab start Friday at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga against Inland Empire (Dodgers organization), Kazmir pitched 6 1/3 innings with a fastball that reached 93 mph
3*-The Yankees would have their fifth starter, RHP Phil Hughes, pitch against the Angels Thursday so New York could have two left-handers start against a Rangers lineup heavy with left-handed batters Josh Hamilton, Chris Davis and Julio Borbon.
AL Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Ari --- @LAD-Kennedy @LAD-Lopez @LAD-Haren @SD-Jackson @SD-Benson* @SD-Knnedy2
Atl @SD-Jurrjens --- @SD-Hanson @SD-Hudson Col-Lowe Col-Kawakmi Col-Jurrjens2
ChC Mil-Dempster --- Mil-Wells Mil-Zmbno** Ho-Silva Ho-Gorzlany Ho-Dempstr2
Cin @Fla-Cueto @Fla-Arryo-3* @Fla-Bailey @Fla-Harang @Pit-Leake @Pit-Cueto2 @Pit-Arroyo2
Col --- NYM-Smith NYM-Cook NYM-DeLaRsa @Atl-Hammel @Atl-Jimenez @Atl-Smith2
Fla Cin-Nolasco Cin-Robertsn Cin-Volstad Cin-Johnson @Phi-Sanchez @Phi-Nolasco2 @Phi-Robrtsn2
Ho @StL-Rdriguez --- @StL-Myers @StL-Norris @ChC-Paulino @ChC-Oswalt @ChC-Rdrguez2
LAD --- Ari-Kershaw Ari-Blingsley Ari-Kuroda SF-Padilla SF-Haeger SF-Kershaw2
Mil @ChC-Davis --- @ChC-Bush @ChC-Suppn-4* @Was-Gallardo @Was-Wolf @Was-Davis2
NYM --- @Col-Maine @Col-Niese @Col-Pelfrey @StL-Perez @StL-Santana @StL-Maine2
Phi Was-Hamels --- Was-Kendrick Was-Happ Fla-Moyer Fla-Halladay Fla-Hamels2
Pit @SF-Ohlndorf @SF-Maholm @SF-Morton --- Cin-Duke Cin-Olndorf2 Cin-Maholm2
StL Ho-Wanright --- Ho-Penny Ho-Lohse NYM-Garcia NYM-Carpenter NYM-Wanrght2
SD Atl-Correia --- Atl-Richard Atl-Latos Ari-Garland Ari-Correia2 Ari-Young-5*
SF Pit-Zito Pit-Cain Pit-Sanchez --- @LAD-Wlemeyr @LAD-Lincecum @LAD-Zito2
Was @Phi-Marquis --- @Phi-Stammen @Phi-Mock Mil-Lannan Mil-Hrnandez Mil-Marquis2

*-RHP Kris Benson, scheduled to start Monday at Triple-A Reno, is the pitcher most likely to become the Diamondbacks’ fifth starter when one is needed Saturday. Other possibilities are RHPs Billy Buckner, who started Sunday at Reno, and Kevin Mulvey, the Aces’ scheduled starter Tuesday.
**-The Cubs are likely to keep RHP Carlos Zambrano on an every-five-days schedule, pushing other starters back a day if there’s a day off in the schedule (which there is Tuesday).
3*-RHP Bronson Arroyo is expected to be able to make his next scheduled start Tuesday despite taking a line drive off his left calf from Cardinals OF Colby Rasmus.
4*-The Brewers are expected to give their fifth starter, RHP Jeff Suppan, his first start Thursday instead of having RHP Yovani Gallardo pitch on his usual four days’ rest.
5*-The Pirates are likely to skip their fifth starter, RHP Daniel McCutchen, and have RHP Ross Ohlendorf pitch on four days’ rest.
6*-Padres RHP Chris Young will miss his scheduled start during the series against the Braves because of a tight shoulder, but could be all right to start Sunday. If Young couldn’t go, LHP Wade LeBlanc could be recalled from Triple-A Portland. He’s scheduled to pitch Tuesday for the Beavers, so LeBlanc would be on his usual rest.

Schedule notes
Of the 30 teams, just six – Orioles, White Sox, Athletics and Blue Jays in the American League, and Reds and Marlins in the National League – are scheduled to play seven games this week. The others would play six times. Toronto is the only team that would play all seven at home. That’s a neutral park. Overall, the schedule slightly favors pitchers – with six games scheduled in pitchers’ parks at Seattle, Los Angeles, St. Louis and San Diego. The only teams that would play six home games in a hitters’ park are at Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field.
Pitchers scheduled to start twice at home are RHPs Fausto Carmona, Carl Pavano, Ryan Dempster, Adam Wainwright and Kevin Correia, and LHPs Andy Pettitte, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brian Tallet, Ricky Romero, Clayton Kershaw and Cole Hamels. Our highest recommendations are Wainwright, Romero and Kershaw, with Carmona as a live longshot.
In closing
This is a regular feature of our Emails and blog posts. It lets you know who’s getting saves. Equally important is telling you who’s blowing saves or putting his job in jeopardy by getting shaky saves. There’s also a FREE Article on the old fantasybaseballscout.com web site letting you know which pitcher or pitchers each team is using to close games. It will be updated whenever there’s a change or speculation about a change in a team’s closer. In fact, there’s an update there today.
Today’s biggest news about closers is that the Rangers are replacing their closer, RHP Frank Francisco, with RHP Neftali Feliz after two spectacularly blown saves.

Romero, Willis continue strong pitching

Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero became the first pitcher to record three wins this spring, with a pitching line of 552225 in a 13-3 victory over the Orioles. Baltimore CF Adam Jones hit a home run against Romero, who has a 1.93 spring ERA. Orioles RHP Jeremy Guthrie continued to struggle. He gave up two home runs to Toronto OF Travis Snider and one of the two homers C John Buck hit. Buck’s other tater was against RHP Frank Mata. Jays OF/3B Jose Bautista cooled off, with an 0-for-4 game dropping his average to .524.
In the Dodgers’ 7-3 win over the Cubs, LF Manny Ramirez hit his first homer, a two-run blast against RHP Ryan Dempster.
Tigers LHP Dontrelle Willis continued his comeback with a line of 300012 in their 5-4 victory over the Astros. OF Brennan Boesch drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning against journeyman RHP Gary Majewski. Don’t get too excited about Boesch. He led the Double-A Eastern League in home runs last season, but he’ll be 25 in April.
OF Jonny Gomes, who had to sweat out most of the off-season before the Reds re-signed the free agent, hit his third homer. The shot against LHP Jeremy Sowers provided the only runs in Cincinnati’s 6-2 loss to the Indians. File this away: Indians C prospect Jesus Montero played left field in the game as the Tribe look for a position to get his bat into the lineup.
The Twins scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on 3B prospect Luke Hughes’ double against their former teammate, RHP Brian Bass. That gave Minnesota a 5-4 victory over the Pirates. Pittsburgh OF/2B Delwyn Young slugged his fourth homer – against RHP Clay Condrey, whose chances to play a significant role in the Twinkies’ bullpen took a hit from a line of 133300 that inflated Condrey’s ERA to 10.80.
The Mets continued to hit with more power than they showed at just about any time last season. LF Jason Bay homered against Marlins LHP Renyel Pinto, and RF Jeff Francoeur connected against RHP Ricky Nolasco as New York won 5-2. LHP Hisanori Takahashi – not Ken Takahashi, who pitched some for the Mets last year – earned an extended save with a line of 2 1/3 20011. Don’t count on a lot from this Takahashi, who will be 35 (at least) when the season begins.
Rangers LF Josh Hamilton homered for the second consecutive day. His third of the spring was against Brewers LHP Manny Parra, who struggled to a line of 565505. With Texas RHP Tommy Hunter unable to go, RHP Guillermo Moscoso filled in as the starter, with a line of 2 1/3 32204. The Rangers’ pitching star was LHP Matt Harrison, with eight strikeouts in four innings. In Texas’ 6-4 victory, its pitchers struck out 16 Milwaukee batters. Included were three each by 2B Rickie Weeks and RF Corey Hart.
Rays 1B Carlos Pena hit a solo homer, his first this spring, but that wasn’t enough as the Yankees defeated Tampa Bay 6-4.
Sample Scouting Report:
Ricky Romero, LHP, Blue Jays
Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 210 T: L Age: 25 Inj. Risk: 10 Alt. Pos.: SP
{2010} Romero can strike out major league batters, but his success comes mostly from retiring them on ground balls. He has had a very good exhibition season, in part because of a cut fastball he worked on during the off-season. There’s cause for concern that he might not be able to do as well as he did last season. Romero, whose best minor league ERA was 4.42, slumped to 6-6 with a 5.54 ERA during the second half of his rookie major league season. He might not be able to reach higher expectations this season because he could be making nearly half of his starts against the superior competition of the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays in the American League East. Don’t confuse him with Davis Romero, another recent Toronto left-handed pitching prospect. Born: Nov. 6, 1984, Los Angeles, Calif. 2009: Blue Jays, 178 IP, 13 W, 4.30 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 0 S, 141 SO.
Projection
IP: 180 W: 11 ERA: 4.15 WHIP: 1.40 S: 0 SO: 138 Value: $2