Pitching's dirty half dozen

So, you wake up today and you check the standings.

Sure, it's early, but your pitching's suffering big time. Maybe you're a Rich Harden owner, who was just dealt the expected bad news that he's going on the DL. Or maybe your draft was just rubbish.

Fear not. It's early. Which means two things. You have plenty of time for your ERA and WHIP to come back to earth. There should be plenty of decent pitching options floating around the wire right now.

Let's examine six potential waiver options who pitched well last night, ranking them from best pickups options to worst.

1). Dana Eveland, Oakland: One of the big pitching prospects shipped over from the desert in the Dan Haren deal, Eveland has looked very strong, facing two of the top AL lineups in Cleveland and Toronto. Disregard the Kevin Youkilis Starter Goatee, he's working on (pictured above). Eveland, facial hair and all, threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday against the Blue Jays, giving up 3 hits and fanning 6 and sits with ridiculous ERA/WHIP numbers of 0.68/0.98. His minor league numbers of 2.61/1.17 suggest he could be this year's Tim Lincecum, especially the 8.84 K/9 rate. He's probably owned already, but check just in case.

2). Kevin Correia, San Fransisco: For those wondering, there's quite a dropoff after Eveland on this list, but Correia is the type of guy with high upside that you might wanna roll the dice on. He's been used as a reliever in all of his five previous season, but now he's got a solid spot in a rotation. Of course, with that Giants offense, 10 wins might be all Correia ends up with, but he was mighty impressive, throwing 7 2/3 5-hit, shutout innings against the Cards Thursday. He's no strikeout machine, but he'll give you almost as many as teammate Matt Cain and his ERA/WHIP numbers will be favorable, for the first half of the year. But like with any converted RP, be prepared to hit the parachute button once he reaches the 100-inning mark.

3). Kevin Millwood, Texas: Remember that year when Millwood finished with a 2.86 ERA pitching for Cleveland? Me neither. But there is that potential. And it was only 3 years ago. Nearly a decade ago, Millwood had 18 wins and a 2.68 ERA with the Braves. But nobody expects anything close to that now from the Bessemer City native. Still, he pitches in arguably the easiest division (AL West), where he'll get the A's and Mariners often. Millwood will strike out 140 or so and could finish with an ERA around 4. Let's just hope that WHIP is circa 1999 (1.00) not 2007 (1.62).

4). Edwin Jackson, Tampa Bay: I first heard about Jackson as a can't-miss prospect in my days with the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, but that was over 5 years ago. My how time flies when you're toiling around in AAA. Jackson's been a regular in both Las Vegas (2004/2005) and Durham (2006) before lumbering through his rookie 2007 season in Tampa Bay, finishing with a 5.76 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. He's much better than that, and so are the Rays. After waltzing through a limited Yankee lineup Thursday, it's hard to temper expectations, but his career numbers don't support anything better than a 4.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 14 wins and 150 Ks.

5). Mark Hendrickson, Florida: Funny how a guy who's a fifth starter in one organization (Dodgers) can be an ace on another (Marlins). That's baseball's economics at its best. After the Mets ripped him in the opener, Hendrickson delivered strong back-to-back outings, albeit against the Pirates and Nationals. But his 3-hit, 0-walk, 7-inning shutout gem Thursday shows that in the right matchup, Hendrickson can be dominant. He's a better pickup in daily move leagues with a bench, as you can spot start him against a number of weak NL lineups. Look for similar numbers as Jackson, only Hendrickson doesn't have to face the Yanks and Red Sox a million times, but he won't get as many wins pitching in baseball obscurity that is Miami.

6). Steve Trachsel, Baltimore: Short answer, no. Long answer, no. Actually, if you're in an AL-only league and need a streamer, pluck Trachsel against weaker lineups. Otherwise, he's just hard to endorse. I'd like to take a minute and thank him for his services and winning 60 games for the Cubs from 1993-1999 and also for his brief stint late last year, but he's a blowup just waiting to happen.