Monday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers

STREAKING 

Felix Doubront, Boston Red Sox (10-4, 4.24 ERA)

Hands up for those of you who thought Doubront would be the Red Sox best starting pitcher this season. No one, no one? Yeah, that’s what we thought. 

The Sox are 13-22 in games started by Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, the guys thought of as No. 1 and No. 2 in the rotation, and 13-4 in games started by Doubront.

“[Doubront]’s throwing 93, 95, he’s got a really good change-up,” White Sox 1B Paul Konerko told the Eagle Tribune. “He’s a handful. He pitches in well to righties, which I think is obviously key for a left-handed pitcher. I’ve only seen him twice but he’s no picnic.”

Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants (7-4, 2.31 ERA)

Turns out 2011 wasn’t a fluke campaign for Vogelsong. The 35-year-old hurler was never anything more than a fringe fifth starter/spot reliever until last season when he went 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA for the Giants.

So did Vogelsong just figure it out or does he just love pitching in a pitcher’s ballpark? Vogelsong does pitch better at AT&T Park (1.43 ERA) than on the road (3.35 ERA) but the Giants are still 5-3 in his eight away starts.

All baseball bettors need to know is the guy is having a great season, he’s money at home and he’s never priced unreasonably.

SLUMPING

Josh Johnson, Miami Marlins (5-7, 4.35 ERA)

Have injuries robbed this big righty of his prime years of his MLB career. He was among the best hurlers in baseball between 2008 and 2010 but things took a turn for the worse at the end of the ’10 season when stiff back derailed an otherwise marvelous campaign. A shoulder problem kept him off the field for most of 2011.

Johnson isn’t hurt but he isn’t the same pitcher we saw a year and a half ago making hitters look foolish at the dish. He’s allowed 14 earned runs in his last 16 and 2/3 innings pitched and the Marlins are just 2-4 in his last six outings.

C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels (9-6, 2.82 ERA)

Wilson hasn’t been on a lengthy cold streak, but bettors should be aware when one of the hurlers with the lowest ERAs in the AL who happens to pitch for one of the best teams in the bigs isn’t on the mark.

The lefty starter gave up seven runs on eight hits and five walks over six innings last week against the Tigers. It was the third straight loss for the Halos on a Wilson start.