Well he's done well in his last 2 starts. I wonder if it's safe to pick him up from the FA pool now? Maybe I can drop Weaver for him at least? Oh well, I guess it's worth a shot.
Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.
Buerhle is probably going to start to come close to his 2001/2002 form again. He won't get as many wins, because the ChiSox offense is playing atrociously. You do have to keep in mind that some of his problems can be attributed to the fact that he's had a tough schedule, as his last seven starts have come against the Twins, A's, Mariners and Blue Jays, all tough teams. For the rest of the year, he'll probably have an ERA under 4.00 and a WHIP around 1.25. He's still a top 30 pitcher and shouldn't be on the wire.
Buehrle has had just two bad starts this year and either the bulllpen or offense has let him down the rest. In his first 5 games the Sox had only scored a combined 11 runs, how many games would any pitcher win with that kind of run support.
There it is, all in a nutshell...He's been pitching pretty well almost all year. He just doesn't get any run support! If the Sox offense can get things going, Buehrle will get his wins. I'm sure. Go ahead and drop Weaver. Looks like Contreras might actually get to replace him.
Since Weaver lost his starting job I'd say go ahead and drop him for Buehrle. I picked him up recently as well. I'm probably not going to start him much in June and the start of July since the Sox have a pretty tough schedule:
3 at AZ, 3 at LA, 3 vs SF, 3 vs SD (as much as it pains me I'll be starting him if he pitches during this series, hehe), 4 vs Bos, 3 at Cubs, 3 at MN, 3 vs Cubs, 3 vs MN.
After that they have it easy for the rest of July:
3 at TB, 3 at Det, 3 at Cle, 4 vs Det, 2 vs Cle, 2 at Tor, 3 vs TB, 3 at KC
August and Sept are tough, but hopefully by then Buehrle, and the rest of the Sox, will be grooving by then. That easly July should get them fired up I hope.
I'd definitely start him against Arizona, because their offense is a total joke, even Bob Brenley was quoted as saying so himself. Hillenbrand doesn't improve it much. Also start him against LA, because they are also an extremely weak offensive team that gets by on great pitching. Their lineup is Shawn Green and a prayer. The Cubs are also a very weak offensive team that you should start him against. Besides Sosa, they really don't pose much of a threat.
One thing to remember about Buerhle also is that he really is a one category performer and always has been. Even in his two excellent years last year, he doesn't get many K's, his ERA was in the mid to high 3's and his WHIP was about average since he gives up alot of hits. So, he really only helps you with wins, and then doesn't hurt your ERA or WHIP. If he isn't winning and isn't getting run support, he really doesn't help with much, although he shouldn't hurt either.
That's why I think alot of the preseason rankings that had him as a top 15 or 20 pitcher were pretty overblown. Pitchers like Buerhle are alot more valuable in real life than they are in fantasy ball.
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by Dr.DooM » Sun Jun 01, 2003 11:03 pm 
