Roto Riteup: April 23rd, 2012

Today’s Roto Riteup comes in two flavors: spicy, and extra spicy.

• If you are a current owner of one Michael Pineda, you have every right to pee yourself this morning. Pineda couldn’t even throw 20 pitches on Friday before feeling weakness behind his shoulder, so the Yankees are going to have to redo test to determine if anything is seriously wrong with their prized pitcher. Pineda’s late-March MRI showed no real structural damage, but with continued weakness, you never know what’s going on. As Pineda relies on his velocity to beat hitters, any strength-related problems are magnified. If you’re in a dynasty or long-term keeper league, don’t do anything rash, as he’s still has tons of potential. If you’re in a redraft league, consider cutting the cord if the contrast MRI reveals anything of note.

• Sergio Santos has been placed on the DL by the Toronto Blue Jays, moving Francisco Cordero into the ninth inning. Coco Cordero’s velocity continues to be on the decline, so he’s a risky proposition moving forward. The Blue Jays seem to think Santos will only miss the 15-day minimum, so making a move for a pitcher who could blow up your ERA and WHIP in exchange for one or two saves is not going to be worth your while.

• A.J. Burnett was finally able to make his debut as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he did not disappoint. The former Yankee struck out seven Cardinals in seven innings of work, only walking two. Burnett also induced ten grounders versus six balls in the air, only needing 76 pitches to get through 25 batters. Burnett was an interesting “sleeper” candidate coming into the season, and this start helps reassure owners. If Burnett is available in an NL-only league, you should snatch him up right away.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here are a couple matchups you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Today: Chris Capuano (LAD) vs ATL
The Braves lineup is lefty-heavy, and that’s the kind of team Cappy loves to face.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Juan Nicasio (COL) at PIT
I want to see Nicasio fail a few more times before I stop believing in him.

A Hitter for Today: Todd Helton (COL) at PIT (Brad Lincoln)
Lincoln can have problems with control as well as putting away batters. Helton can take serious advantage of both problems.