Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Fantasy Baseball Spot Starter Pickups For Tuesday 5/17/11

Monday's Recommended Starter's Stats - Joel Pineiro - 7.0 Innings Pitched - 2 Strikeouts - No Decision - 3.86 ERA - 1.29 WHIP
Cumulative Starter's Stats - 350 Innings Pitched - 268 Strikeouts - 6.89 K/9 - 22 Wins in 56 Starts - 3.83 ERA - 1.23 WHIP
Starters' Stats Spreadsheet Viewable Online Here

Pineiro wasn't great, but in the end he didn't hurt anything.  The ERA and WHIP are both passable numbers, and two strikeouts are better than none.  He was in position to pick up a win when he left the game, but Jordan Walden and Fernando Rodney blew the game for him.  If you went with Homer Bailey, you picked up a win but with worse ERA and WHIP.  It was the better start, and it looks like you can trust Homer going forward.  The deep league players who went with John Lannan got a solid ERA performance, but a bad WHIP and missed out on picking up the win.  It was a pretty average start to the week overall, hopefully can pick it up with some better choices here on Tuesday...


Tuesday's Recommended Starter - Rick Porcello - Detroit Tigers vs Toronto Blue Jays - 7:05 PM ET - 10.6% Owned in ESPN Leagues

Porcello has been rock solid for five straight starts and deserves to be owned in more leagues than he is right now.  Even in games against the Yankees and Indians, he hasn't let up more than two runs in a start since April 10th.  His strikeout rate is up a little this year, and thats because he has been throwing 6.2% more change-ups than he did in his first two years in the league and it's been by far his most effective pitch on the year.  The twenty-two year old has gotten better each year in the league and has been gaining fantasy relevance.  I believe in him even against a strong Blue Jays lineup here on Tuesday night.  He should a strong ERA and WHIP performance and throw in a handful of strikeouts.  The win can go either way, but if he holds them to two runs or less like he's been able to muster recently, he'll probably pick the win up.

Tuesday's Alternate - No Recommendation.

If you can't get Porcello on Tuesday and need a spot starter in a standard league, I wouldn't pick up anyone else right now.  Edinson Volquez has no control right now.  Randy Wolf got blown up by the Padres his last time out.  Matt Harrison started off the year well, but has fallen apart over his last four starts.  John Lackey was bad and is now on the DL, and his replacement is Tim Wakefield.  Tim Stauffer and Ivan Nova also both got blown up last time out.  And at that point, Charlie Morton is there, but his win and strikeout potential just aren't high enough for me to bother in a standard league, as I'm already stretching with the Porcello selection.  In a standard league, it's Porcello or bust for me.

Tuesday's Deep League Starter - Tyler Chatwood - Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics - 10:05 PM ET - 0.3% Owned in ESPN Leagues

Chatwood has strung together a pair of solid starts in no decisions against the White Sox and Indians, and now draws the Athletics here on Tuesday night in Oakland.  There isn't going to be many strikeouts involved, but the ERA and WHIP are going to deliver plenty for those in deep leagues who can pick him up, and he has a decent shot to nab the win here.

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