Need a Pitching Punch?

Brandon Morrow was fantastic last night. I went back and forth on whether to start a guy who had an ERA of 5.01 at AAA Tacoma. By the time I reached the conclusion that I shouldn't start him, I was helpless at the movies without any internet access. Needless to say 'Tropic Thunder' might have saved one of my seasons.

Morrow was fantastic throwing his slider, curve, changeup and mid 90s fastball in any count to keep the Yankees off balance. In the end Joe Girardi called on pinch hitter Wilson Betemit to do something that Jose Molina couldn't do with a tree trunk sized bat - make contact. Despite throwing 106 pitches he proved to be equally as effective in his first start as he was as a reliever earlier this season. He's worth starting from here on out. Here are some other fellows to watch out for.

Jonathan Sanchez: For matchup leagues looking for a strikeout boost at the last minute he is a perfect pick up. He won't pitch until 4:05 Eastern time which will enable you to see where you are in terms of Ks and Wins versus ERA and WHIP. He also pitched real well coming off the DL his last time out in Coors Field and faces the lowly Pirates.

Johnny Cueto: Cueto is antother guy who will give you a ton of Ks and has been dropped by a lot of managers after being taken out of his last start after just 3 innings. He will face the struggling Cubs whom he has been impressive against in 3 prior starts this season.

Jeff Francis: With 4 straight quality starts a guy who was on fire at this time last season, has seemingly found his groove again after a lengthy stint on the DL. He certainly won't get the Ks that some of these other guys will, but he will be able to throw more pitches given that Cueto and Sanchez were injured more recently.

Shaun Marcum: He is back in the rotation and still has great overall numbers on the season. He is the most capable of putting together in all around fantastic game, but his stats seem to be trending in the other direction as opposed to the other guys on this list.