Jose Contreras, SP, Chicago White Sox

May 17, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Chris Hadorn
Edited by KFFL Staff

The Chicago White Sox placed starting pitcher Jose Contreras (leg) on the 15-day disabled list with sciatica May 9.  The move was retroactive to May 5, meaning Contreras will be eligible to return May 20.  Sciatica is a condition that refers to irritation of the sciatic nerve.  The sciatic nerve is the thickest and longest nerve in the human body and it runs down the back of the thigh from the spinal cord.  Contreras received an epidural injection May 9 to alleviate the irritation in his lower back and thigh area. 

Prior to being placed on the disabled list, Contreras was arguably the hottest pitcher in baseball, as evidenced by his streak of 13 consecutive regular season victories.  Through six starts in 2006, Contreras is 6-0 with a 1.41 earned run average and a 0.87 WHIP.  Opposing hitters are batting just .179 against the Cuban right hander this season.  Contreras earned American League Pitcher of the Month honors in both April and in September of 2005.

Contreras has been progressing over the last week and could return as early as Sunday, May 21 in an interleague series finale with the cross-town rival Chicago Cubs.  White Sox trainer Herm Schneider has put Contreras through a rigorous program of back and leg exercises to counter his sciatica condition.  Contreras had a successful 75-pitch throwing session with pitching coach Don Cooper Monday, May 15.  Contreras is scheduled to toss another side session Thursday, May 18 and the Pale Hose will make a decision on his weekend availability based on the results. 

Replacement

Pitcher Brandon McCarthy will take the ball Sunday, May 21 against the Cubs if Contreras is unable to pitch.  McCarthy is a highly touted young pitcher who has struggled in a relief role this season with a 5.48 earned run average.  McCarthy took Contreras' place May 16 in the rotation against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and lasted only four innings and 82 pitches due to workload concerns.  McCarthy fanned four batters but surrendered three earned runs including back-to-back solo home runs to Ty Wigginton and Toby Hall.  Despite the struggles, McCarthy should remain on all fantasy players' radar screens.  During the second half of 2005, McCarthy posted a 1.69 earned run average with a 0.91 WHIP and helped the White Sox win the division with clutch starts down the stretch in September.  Just two years ago, McCarthy led all minor league hurlers with 202 total strikeouts in 172 innings pitched. 

Table: Commonly Available Starters

Player	W	L	ERA	WHIP	IP	K	H	ER	BB	HR	AVG
Kevin Millwood	4	3	4.80	1.36	54.1	37	64	10	29	4	.291
David Bush	3	4	4.17	1.09	54.0	44	50	9	25	7	.245
Joe Blanton	4	4	5.84	1.52	49.1	25	60	15	32	25	.308
Nate Robertson	4	2	3.50	1.34	46.1	29	45	17	18	5	.259
Chan Ho Park	2	1	3.27	1.22	52.1	40	51	13	19	4	.250

Millwood has enjoyed solid starts in six of his last seven outings.

Date	Opponent	Result	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	K
4/14	at Oak	W	7	7	2	1	0	7
4/19	at Sea	ND	7	12	3	0	0	4
4/24	vs Oak	ND	5	4	0	0	6	4
4/29	at Cle	W	7	8	2	0	0	7
5/4	vs Bal	W	9	4	2	1	2	1
5/9	vs Min	L	1.1	9	9	1	1	0
5/15	Vs NYY	W	7	5	2	0	0	6

Many Millwood owners dumped him after his ugly nine earned run shellacking versus Minnesota last week.  Considering the unfavorable venue of Ameriquest Field, it is easy to understand why some managers would lose faith.  Regardless, Millwood is too good to leave sitting in the free agent scrap heap.  He is only the defending American League earned run average title holder and his bounce back outing against the New York Yankees was a reassuring performance.  Fantasy owners should pick up Millwood in a heartbeat as a road only starter.

Bush currently has a friendly 1.09 WHIP and healthy strikeout numbers to complement them.  He is an aggressive pitcher who loves to attack hitters with both his four-seamer and two-seam fastball.  Thanks to this approach, Bush has not walked more than two batters in a single game all season long.        

Blanton has endured a rough start this season, but he is too talented to let sit in the free agent pool.  This talented youngster endured a horrific start in 2005 as well but finished the season off strong, winning 12 games with a 3.54 earned run average and 1.22 WHIP as a rookie.  May 16, Blanton got back on track against the Seattle Mariners by stifling them over seven innings allowing only two earned runs and seven batters to reach base.  Blanton is a great long-term option if he is available and a solid start against weaker competition in the meantime.

Robertson is benefiting in the won-loss column from the Detroit Tigers' resurgent offense this season, which ranks sixth in on-base plus slugging in the American League.  Robertson did not pitch the best game last night surrendering three earned runs in five innings pitched against Minnesota but got the victory thanks to his friends swinging the bats.  This is a turn of the tables for Robertson who endured a season of tough luck last year with a 7-16 record even though his WHIP was only two hundredths of a point higher than this season.  Furthermore, Robertson has enjoyed a decrease in earned run average by roughly a full run thanks to surrendering fewer gopher balls per nine innings this season. 

Park has posted a 2.97 earned run average with a 1.17 WHIP in games at Petco Park this season.  Opponents are only batting .236 against Park in San Diego.  Park is not an every start option in a MLB universe league, but the home splits should be favorable fantasy plays all season long.  By the way, Park travels to pitcher friendly Safeco Park this weekend to face the Seattle Mariners, who are in the bottom four in the American League in both runs scored and on-base plus slugging.          

Fantasy Summary

Contereras should definitely be held onto, as he was an absolute monster when healthy this season.  He is certainly worth a bench or DL spot on your team until he regains his health, no matter what your roster requirements dictate. 

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Chris Hadorn
Chris Hadorn has covered minor league and amateur prospects for more than a decade. He writes for San Diego's North County Times and has been a KFFL fantasy baseball contributor since 2006.

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