Scott White

I turn my back for five minutes, five minutes ...

Have you ever had one of those vacations where you leave with everything in its proper order -- the operation alive and well, the machine on autopilot, the I's dotted, T's crossed and P's and Q's minded -- only to have everything go so wrong in your absence that you end up even more anxious than when you left?

Well, that didn't happen to me -- not exactly, anyway. I wouldn't call a three-day weekend a vacation, and I didn't exactly return to more work, just a state of disorientation.

But things went wrong -- plenty of things -- and most of them involved pitchers. And I thought I'd take a moment now to give my take on some of the biggest.

Yovani Gallardo -- I'm calling this news the biggest because the pitcher involved is arguably the most Fantasy-relevant and has the potential to miss the whole season. Gallardo has already begun to emerge as a Fantasy ace as a 22-year-old, but after his Fantasy owners waited most of April for him to return from a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, he went and tore the ACL in his right. The Brewers haven't officially declared he'll need surgery, so don't rush out to cut him if you don't have to. Then again, I've never known anyone to tear his ACL and not miss the season. Looking long term, you have to worry a little about a pitcher so young losing a year of development, but you'll take a leg injury over an arm injury any day.

John Smoltz -- The 40-year-old ace's balky shoulder finally became too much to bear, landing him on the DL with inflammation of the rotator cuff. Bad news for Smoltz's Fantasy owners: In leagues where saves don't count for much, Smoltz no longer has any Fantasy appeal. Good news for Smoltz's Fantasy owners: In leagues where saves come at a premium, your team has access to a bunch more ... potentially. And I have to add the word "potentially "because we don't really know when Smoltz will return or how long he'll last when he does. I get the impression this injury might shut down a younger pitcher for the season but that Smoltz is making the most of what he has because he can pitch only so much longer. He has long contended he prefers starting to closing, and so him volunteering to move to the bullpen shows he faces a grave alternative. And if he's incapable of starting, I have to think he's barely capable of closing, which means any attempt to do so might not last long.

Max Scherzer -- This guy is awesome. His minor-league numbers are ridiculous, and Emack seems to be hyping him for all the right reasons. After he struck out seven in 4 1/3 perfect innings of relief in his major-league debut, I have a hard time believing he'll relinquish his rotation spot now that he has it. And with a rotation of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Randy Johnson, Scherzer and, oh yeah, that Micah Owings guy who lost for the first time Friday, I have a hard time believing any team but the Diamondbacks will represent the NL in the World Series.

Rich Hill -- After showing steady improvement over the last two seasons, Hill walked four in two-thirds of an inning Friday at St. Louis, reaching his low point and causing Cubs manager Lou Piniella to reach his breaking point. "Hill can't start like that in the big leagues," Piniella said. "Every time he starts, it's an adventure. I don't know what the solution is, but I can't start him anymore." I told a friend immediately after Friday night's start to hang on to Hill, but now that the Cubs have demoted him to Triple-A, I take it back. I'm not saying Hill is finished, but if you cut him, I can't see any of your opponents putting in a claim for him outside of NL-only leagues.

Phil Hughes -- Hughes is on the DL with a rib injury until July, which means his Fantasy owners don't have to suffer through any more miserable starts, hoping for a sudden turnaround. The news also affects two other Fantasy-relevant pitchers: Ian Kennedy gets a longer leash for now, and Joba Chamberlain has another excuse to move to the rotation.

Mike Hampton -- This news is really non-news. Hampton's body is made of wafer cookies doused in milk. The possibility of him missing the season with a pectoral injury is simply par for the course and reason enough for NL-only owners not to waste a roster spot on him.

That's all for now.