Pitchers throw side sessions between starts. They use them to stay sharp, to experiment with possible additions to their repertoire, and to work on issues related to mechanics. Bogfella, is no different, hey, there are things that need to be discussed between Notebooks and this is the forum to do just that. This won't be the in-depth stuff, it's for short takes on all the latest mound happenings, so please feel free to comment. Agree? Disagree? Let's talk about it.

- I always watch for pitchers with a free and easy, repeatable delivery. I don't know that anyone fits that profile better than Justin Verlander. Take a look at him sometime. While a lot of pitchers come out of their shoes to get up to 92 mph, Verlander hits triple-digits on the radar gun and looks like he's playing long toss. He's the favorite for the AL Cy Young in my book.

- The Padres have been thin with regard to left-handed relief pitching, and that has made them reluctant to move southpaw Cory Luebke into the rotation. They have called up Josh Spence from Double-A and that probably means Luebke will take a regular turn for the foreseeable future. Consider him in deeper leagues - he might help you, especially in his Petco starts.

- Did anyone else ride the Andrew Miller roller-coaster when he was a super-hyped prospect? If you did, you remember all those walks and big hits in critical situations. I know he has mysteriously found the plate recently, but I am not quite convinced. His first 2011 Red Sox start was not THAT encouraging.

- Charlie Morton is being skipped this time through the Pirates rotation. They are calling it "fatigue," but I am inclined to think they are hoping that MLB hitters will forget that making him get the ball up is working really well.

- Brandon Lyon is likely done for the season (no, I mean because he will be on the DL, not because he really has pitched THAT badly). Mark Melancon should be the guy for at least the rest of this year, and I continue to like what I see in him.

- Every now and then I see a pitcher who blows me away with his progress in his stuff, approach, command, or any combination of those. That guy right now is Jordan Zimmermann. His last few starts suggest he is moving to the next level right now. The Nationals have to be giddy at the thought of he and Stephen Strasburg anchoring their rotation for the next few years. Unfortunately, there is one huge downside for this year - rumors say Zimmermann could be capped at around 160 innings.

- Rich Harden has been turning heads in his rehab the past couple of weeks. The A's rotation has been torn apart with injuries so he might get a shot soon. I don't know if it's still there or not, but I have to pass on the handful of starts he could make before getting hurt again. I just can't go there ... again.

- With Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies due back soon for the Royals, there is a good chance Danny Duffy will be sent back down. He showed some very nice upside so he'll be back, but he really could use some Triple-A time to refine his command of the zone.

- A few closers who weren't the end game first choice on opening day have established themselves as the go-to guy heading for the second half. The above mentioned Melancon, Jordan Walden with the Angels, Drew Storen with the Nationals, and Sergio Santos with the White Sox all come to mind. They should all have solid job security right now.

- I am generally skeptical when a wildcard pitcher gets off to a hot start so I watched Ryan Vogelsong a couple of times expecting to label him a flavor-of-the-month, but as I reported in the Notebook a few weeks ago, he surprised me with better stuff and presence than I anticiapted. I said it then, and I'm going to say it again, he has the tools to keep pitching very well - not at the level he has been (who could?) but I think you can expect solid outings more often than not.

- How about Erik Bedard? There was no question he could be pretty good when (if) he ever stayed healthy, but he has been better than good so far this season. That curve is still a thing of beauty. His 2011 motion is smoother and hopefully less stressful so we, his owners, can hope for a long and productive season.

- Flashbacks are always fun - I just had one when someone mentioned the 18 strikeout game by Ron Guidry (Louisiana Lightning has always been a Bogfella favorite) in 1978. The fans were in a frenzy with every two-strike count. It was electrifying!

Side Sessions is intended to generate discussion. Throw out your thoughts on my comments or chip in with observations of your own, it's an open forum on all things pitching!

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