Jeff Locke allowed three earned runs over five innings Saturday in the Pirates' loss to the Nationals. Locke threw seven shutout innings against the Cardinals on April 28 and six scoreless against the Phillies on April 23. But he fell back down to earth against the Nats on Saturday afternoon. The 25-year-old lefty has a 3.21 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 33 2/3 innings this season. We would expect some more regression.

Jeff Locke threw seven shutout innings Sunday as the Pirates blanked the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis offense looked sluggish and Locke was able to take advantage, striking out four batters and yielding only three hits. He hasn't allowed a run in 13 straight innings, but there's little reason to believe that his current pace of success can continue. We wouldn't trust him in a standard mixed fantasy league.

Jeff Locke spun six scoreless innings Tuesday, limiting the Phillies to just two hits and two walks while striking out six in the 2-0 victory. Locke needed to start pitching better with the Pirates' starters getting healthy, and he came through tonight. The left-hander got into some trouble in both the first and second inning, but he was able to come up with a pitch when he needed it. Locke now sports a 3.74 ERA and 1.43 WHIP for the season and will try to keep the momentum going this weekend in St. Louis.

Jeff Locke allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings Thursday in a no-decision against the Braves. Locke was very shaky, allowing six hits (including three home runs) and four walks. He threw just 51 out of 95 pitches for strikes. With a 5.17 ERA and 6/9 K/BB ratio over his first three starts, the 25-year-old southpaw shouldn't be trusted in most fantasy leagues.

Jeff Locke held the Reds to one run over five innings Saturday night in a Pirates victory. Locke issued four hits, four walks and did not strike out a batter, but the Reds failed to take advantage of those baserunners. Locke, who won the fifth spot in the Pirates' rotation this spring, now has a 4.09 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 3/5 K/BB ratio in 11 innings. The 25-year-old left-hander is not really fantasy-relevant.

Jeff Locke blanked the Yankees for six innings on Thursday to win for the third time this spring. Locke, who was named the Pirates' fifth starter yesterday, allowed four hits, walked none and struck out three. We wouldn't want to play him in NL-only leagues right away, but he wouldn't be a bad guy to have stashed away.

Jeff Locke has been awarded with the fifth spot in the Pirates' rotation. Locke got the nod over Kyle McPherson and Jeanmar Gomez. While McPherson was optioned to the minors, Gomez will stick around in the bullpen. Locke owns a 3.38 ERA and 12/8 K/BB ratio over 21 1/3 innings of work this spring. He'll have some fleeting relevancy in NL-only formats, but there could be some changes if the back end of the rotation once Jeff Karstens (shoulder) and Francisco Liriano (arm) are ready to go.

Jeff Locke allowed three runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in four innings against Boston on Saturday. It was hardly Locke's best outing of the spring, but it should have kept him ahead of Kyle McPherson in the rotation battle after McPherson gave up eight earned runs last time out. Locke seems like the obvious choice to fill in until Francisco Liriano is ready.

Jeff Locke was charged with a pair of unearned runs while pitching four hitless innings Sunday against the Yankees. Locke and Kyle McPherson are competing to occupy Francisco Liriano's rotation spot at the beginning of the season. While Locke seems like the favorite right now, it's possible they'll both make the Pirates if Jeff Karstens has a setback.

Jeff Locke was credited with the win after allowing one run in four innings Wednesday against the Red Sox. It was a tie game when Locke finished up the fourth, but the Pirates scored twice in the fifth and kept piling on, eventually winning the game 9-3. Locke has allowed four runs in 10 innings as he attempts to claim a spot in the Pirates' rotation.