Finding solid fantasy baseball pitchers on the waiver wire is what we're here to help you with. The MLB Trade Deadline has passed on by like a roaring hurricane with much of the focus being on pitchers more so than hitters.
Roy Oswalt went to Philly and didn’t fair to well in his first outing while J.A. Happ (the player the Phils gave up for Oswalt) had a lights out first go-around as an Astro.
Ted Lilly reunites with Joe Torre. Jake Westbrook the old Indian cast off, will help bolster St. Louis’ roster. Cliff Lee showed the state of Texas, and fans worldwide, that he can play anywhere, and Dan Haren joined the Angels leaving Joe Saunders to still wonder how he wound up a Washington National out of that deal.
But for us fantasy owners, it is still business as usual, so let’s delve right into what’s on the block for this week.
The Top Five Starting Pitchers for Week 15 (8/2 to 8/8)
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| 1. Brett Myers – HOU: Myers appears to be back in full dominate form ending July with a 3-0 record, a 1.67 ERA, and a 31/5 K/BB ratio. Myers has simply overwhelmed the competition and should be started in all formats going forward, and he should be considered a Top 40 pitcher from here on out. |
| 2. Trevor Cahill – OAK: Cahill is holding opponents to a .196 BA which is the lowest in the Majors, and his last quality start in Texas shows the kid to be a healthy option. He’ll face KC and TEX this week. |
| 3. Mike Leake – CIN: Earlier this year I mentioned picking up Leake before his 7-2 record and I hope some of you listened. Leake will get the start on Tuesday vs. the lowly Pirates where he struck out six the last time out. |
| 4. Randy Wells – CHC: Wells has been a personal favorite of mine all year, but his struggles at times, often make owners want to shy away from him. This week, Wells will look to get back on track against a Brewer team he is 2-1 against with a 3.41 ERA and a 8.0 K/9 rate, before ending the fantasy week against the Reds; a team he has dominated over his career. |
| 5. Trevor Bell – LAA: Ah Trevor Bell, the temporarily converted reliever who does posses lights out stuff will get the nod on Tuesday against the O’s. Bell could make for an interesting roster add for the month of August if you are in need of another pitcher. His fastball is the key to not only his success, but fantasy owners as well. |
The Top Five Pitchers to Sit for Week 15 (8/2 to 8/8)
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| 1. Rick Porcello – DET: Porcello’s strike count is dwindling, and the Tigers are really struggling to offer any of their pitchers run support with so many injuries. Porcello is a thumbs down this week. |
| 2. Alejandro Sanabia – FLA: Sanabia could be sent back down to Triple-A New Orleans this week in favor of Sean West due primarily to his horrid performance as of late. Neither are fantasy options. |
| 3. Craig Stammen – WSH: Stammen was all over the place in July creating headaches galore for fantasy managers. He gets an unfavorable matchup against the D-Backs in Arizona tentatively Thursday. |
| 4. Hiroki Kuroda – LAD: Ah the poor little bugger. Kuroda was cruising along earlier this season, but has since lost five of his last seven. The problem is, this is actually par for the course for Kuroda this time of year. I say ixnay to starting him this week. |
| 5. Livan Hernandez – WSH: He stunk in May. He stunk in June, July was forgettable, and Hernandez is only worth a couple of good spotty outings here and there, and should be left alone for the remainder of this year, unless you are really hurting. |
Top Three Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (8/2 to 8/8)
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| 1. Vin Mazzaro – OAK: Before getting roughed up by Texas, the kid was boasting a 1.94 ERA over his previous six starts. He is owned less than 10% in Yahoo and CBS leagues and has a very favorable matchup with KC coming up with the lowly Mariners to follow. |
| 2. Wandy Rodriguez – HOU: Rodriguez went eight scoreless against the Brewers in his last outing, seven scoreless in his outing before that against the Reds, and threw 34 strikes in the month of July. It’s safe to say Rodriguez has found his mojo. |
| 3. Brian Duensing – MIN: Since filling in for Nick Blackburn, Duensing has done a bang up job going 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA and a modest 5.3 K/9 rate. He doesn't walk many batters either, and is an excellent play in AL only formats. |
Pitcher Highlight of the Week – Colby Lewis – Texas Rangers.
Back in May I suggested picking up Colby Lewis off the waiver wire after a hot start in April. Since then Lewis has gone 6-7 with a 3.62 ERA and a 8.0 K/9 rate.
At first glance, that isn’t exactly the type of stat line that jumps out at you, but Lewis is catching fire again and the entire month of August is more favorable than you think.
He’ll get his first nod against the Mariners who he is 2-0 against, then faces an Oakland team in which he has struck out 19 in three matchups.
From there he faces Boston who he is 1-0 with 12 strikeouts in two meetings, a Baltimore team that continues to struggle against strike throwers,an interesting matchup against the Twins, while finishing off against KC; a team everyone has been feeding off of as of late.
Aside from the Minnesota start (the worst of the bunch to be honest) Lewis once again shows himself to be a nice grab off the waiver if you can find him. If you already own him, you can start him in confidence all month long with one exception: The Minnesota game may not be favorable in shallow leagues.
Got a question? Leave it below and I’ll be sure to answer all of them.
All starts are projected starts listed on MLB.com, and are subject to change throughout the week.
