Barry very steady

Barry Zito might have won just his first game of 2009 on May 8th, but his overall body of work is looking very solid.

Zito worked six innings of one-run baseball against the Dodgers on Friday night, allowing eight hits while walking two. He struck out five. While the WHIP total is a bit high, Zito got out of jams and lowered his ERA for the fourth straight performance. It's down to 3.57 now.

Fantasy Impact: Zito is still a risky start, but he's not nearly as bad as the beating he takes in the press. We suggest picking him up if he's still available on the waiver wire. Pitch him when the matchups are right against weaker and lefty-dominated lineups.

Zito shines

Barry Zito made the rare outstanding start, striking out five, walking nobody and yielding six hits over seven innings of shutout work. He didn't get a win, because Padres starter Chris Young matched him with seven shutout innings, but the Giants do win, 1-0 in ten.

Fantasy Impact: We don't trust Barry Zito until he mixes in more than one or two of these for every four or five duds. He's a back-of-the-fantasy-rotation type at best.