Russ Ortiz??

[Guest]

Should I start Ortiz this week v. Dodgers (Ishii)?

The guy has been killing my WHIP and K/BB in a head to head league...but he always seems to win.

Will he find a bit more control soon? Being a Giants fan I know he is not known for his control but his walk totals are ridiculous this year.

[jdh]

I would definitely start him because the Dodgers have one of the weak offenses and it is in LA, one of the most pitcher friendly parks.

Ortiz is the type of pitcher who tends to thrive on pitching himself into and out of jams, so he will always walk alot, give up alot of hits, and have a high WHIP. However, he usually has a respectable ERA and decent win totals, especially playing for a hot Atlanta team. If his control is really bothering you, I would suggest trying to trade him for another comparable pitcher. I had him and there was this idiot in my league that "needed" him to complete his collection of the entire Atlanta starting rotation. So, I traded him for Matt Mantei (I needed a closer) and Jay Payton.

[Super GM]

jdh pretty much said it all. Ortiz is a very good pitcher with control problems. But he's working with Leo Mazzone now, so I think he'll probably cut back on those walks. As for pitching in LA, I'd definately start him. As jdh already said, Dodger Stadium is one of the most pitcher friendly stadiums next to Pac Bell park in SF. The Braves have now won 8 series in a row now and I'm pretty sure they'll go for the ninth wit a strong outing by Russ Ortiz.