And that's just pure heat. You could argue he's done even more damage with his secondary arsenal, which he uses 40 percent of the time, over the course of his career.

He's had injury problems over the years that have made him inconsistent and frustrating to own in Fantasy, but when he's right, the stuff still holds up, as he showed by striking out 10 Rockies over 7 1/3 scoreless innings in that start Monday. And judging by his comments after that start, he's feeling right again.

"Definitely the most comfortable I've been," Johnson said. "Just being able to get extension on all my pitches, not have to worry about the triceps or anything like that. It's definitely nice."

If he has another good start Sunday against the Orioles, he's back to must-start status.

Johnson threw 106 pitches and allowed just five hits over 7 1/3 shutout frames. He walked two batters and lowered his ERA to 4.38, as he just missed his first win of the season.

Johnson (0-2) has pitched well in three straight starts with his season-high 10 Ks Monday. He's allowed four earned runs over his last 19 1/3 innings with 20 Ks. Johnson will look to keep rolling when he next starts Sunday against Baltimore.

Johnson is 7-10 with a 3.48 ERA in 23 career starts after receiving at least six days of rest between starts.

Johnson has been dealing with a blister, and was initially pushed back to Sunday. Chien-Ming Wang will instead get the call Sunday, and will pitch on normal rest. Johnson has a 5.40 ERA in 31 2/3 innings this year.