This past week will probably go down as the most insufferable week in the 2010 fantasy baseball season, but that’s no reason to call it quits.
Unless your internet connection has been interrupted, or you have since moved into a cave, there have been some significant high impact injuries to both pitchers and hitters alike.
We’ll just focus on the pitchers for now.
Stephen Strasburg has been shut down for the remainder 2010 season and a pending visit with the gloomy, creepy Dr. James Andrews is soon to follow reports MLB injury specialist Will Carroll on Twitter, but our own Tab Bamford first broke the fantasy news here.
As a side note, Mr. Carroll didn't actually call Dr. Andrews "gloomy" and "creepy", but anytime a sports athlete has to visit the good doctor it usually isn't good. By the by, Mr Carroll is the guy you want to follow when it comes to injuries, his reporting is about as good as it gets which is why I follow him intently. You can follow all of his updates here.
The Minnesota Twins have once again lost Kevin Slowey for the next 15 days or so with strained triceps, and the Florida Marlins have lost Ricky Nolasco for the season with a torn meniscus in his knee that will almost certainly need surgery.
And that’s just a couple of pitchers.
But there are still plenty of arms to go around, so let’s see who’s on tap for this week and don’t be surprised if you see a couple of new names on this week’s list.
The Top Five Starting Pitchers for Week 15 (8/23 to 8/29) |
| 1. Ted Lilly – LAD: Lilly has been spectacular since arriving in Los Angeles winning his last four starts and should have no trouble vs. the Rockies on Monday. |
| 2. Cole Hamels – PHI: The Phillies are starting to get their bats back and Hamels has a tasty matchup against the Astros you can’t avoid. |
| 3. R.A. Dickey – NYM: Dickey has been very consistent for NY and the Mets are a far better home team than on the road. He should have no issues against the marlins. |
| 4. Jeff Niemann – Niemann returns from the disabled list and has a 5-1 record with a 3.43 ERA on the road. He’ll face the Angels next. |
| 5. Brett Cecil – TOR: Cecil is 6-1 with a 2.11 ERA against the American League East and actually has a favorable matchup against the Yanks. |
The Top Five Pitchers to Sit for Week 15 (8/23 to 8/29) |
| 1. Edinson Volquez – CIN: Volquez has been too inconsistent to consider him a quality start this week especially against the Giants. |
| 2. Rich Harden – TEX: Harden is fresh off another injury (shoulder tendinitis) and should not be trusted at all for the remainder of the season. He gives up too many long balls and playing in his home digs doesn’t help. |
| 3. Joe Saunders – ARI: After his first great start as a D-Back, Sanders has dropped his last three and will face off against the red hot Padres and Mat Latos…not a good start here. |
| 4. Francisco Liriano – MIN: Liriano has been coughing up too many hits and struggled in his last outing. Playing in Texas isn’t worth the risk. |
| 5. Kyle Davies – Davies is a great start against lesser teams, but a not so great start against more talented teams, like the Tigers who he will face next. |
Top Three Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (8/23 to 8/29) |
| 1. Ivan Nova – NYY: The new kid will get to showcase the talents that afforded him a 12-3 record and 2.86 ERA in Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. He is literally un-owned at this time, and in his short stint for the Yankees this year he did throw three scoreless innings. |
| 2. Travis Wood – CIN: Wood returns to the Red’s lineup with a 4-1 record and a 2.51 ERA. He has won his last four starts and is owned no better than 28% in most leagues. |
| 3. Mike Minor – ATL: Minor continues to impress in Atlanta sporting a 1-0 record with a 3.75 ERA and will get the Cubs his next time out. His stock is rising, so grab him now if you can, it’ll be worth it for the last eight weeks or so. |
| High Quality Starts | Risky Starts | Don’t Even Think About It! |
| Tim Hudson vs. COL: Mon | Matt Cain vs. CIN: Mon | Kyle Lohse vs. PITT: Mon |
| Adam Wainwright vs. PITT: Tues | Carlos Zambrano vs. WSH: Tues | Gavin Floyd vs. Bal: Tues |
| Phil Hughes vs. TOR: Wend | Dan Haren vs. TB: Wend | Armando Galarraga vs. KC |
| Roy Halladay vs. HOU: Thurs | Ian Kennedy vs. SD: Thurs | Yovani Gallardo vs. LAD: Thurs |
| Tommy Hanson vs. Marlins: FRI | Kyle Kendrick vs. SD: FRI | A.J. Burnett vs. CWS: FRI |
