Last week, my borderline fantasy starter post was nominated for a Clio. Lost to Draper, but what else is new? Drunks get all the breaks. Just being nominated was a thrill. My line for last week was: 2.17 ERA in 108 IP (that’s only 26 earned runs, you’re welcome). The WHIP was 1.19 with 7 Wins and 71 Ks. To recap, these aren’t guys I’d drop anyone worthwhile to get, these starters are meant for streaming purposes and all of their ownership in ESPN is under 50%. These streamers are in no particular order. Also, in the final month of the season, managers juggle their lineups more, so there’s no guarantee all of these guys are listed on the right day. Anyway, here’s some borderline starters for this week in fantasy baseball:
Friday, September 3rd
Fausto Carmona – I’m not a fan of Carmona, but he gets the French in Safeco, talk about an easy victory. French may just start pitching for the Indians halfway through the game.
Ivan Nova – Gets his toughest matchup yet vs. the Blue Kays. I’d only go here if I absolutely needed the start.
Daniel Hudson – Might finally be over 50% owned by the time you read this. You should’ve grabbed him a month ago when I was first telling you about him.
Saturday, September 4th
Jason Hammel – Actually has been much better at home and hasn’t been great in Petco, but, well, it’s still Petco.
Rick Porcello – It’s not stacking up to be the best week for streamers when I’m recommending guys I don’t particularly like. Porcello has given up only 5 hits in his last 14 IP and he gets the peasant Royals.
Bud Norris – As we saw from his last start, he’s risky, but his Ks are terrific and he gets the Diamondhacks.
Sunday, September 5th
Wade LeBlanc – Has a 2.71 ERA at home. Guess where he is on Sunday? Yup.
Wade Davis – Sticking with the Wade theme, Davis has a 1.13 ERA vs. the Suckie-O’s this year.
Jorge de la Rosa – When I mentioned to one of Razzball’s co-writers that Rosa was only owned in 47% of ESPN leagues, I got this response. Hater Bell, “Ownership numbers at ESPN is like saying what percentage of all morons remember to remove their pants when showering. The sample size may be large but the people within that sample are questionable.” dlR goes to Petco and hasn’t given up more than 3 earned since July 17th.
Armando Galarraga – Has dominated the Royals in his career.
Justin Masterson – He could kill your WHIP and potentially your ERA, so be very careful in H2H leagues running him out there on a Sunday.
Monday, September 6th
Ian Kennedy – Has held the Giants to a .192 BAA and 21 Ks in 20 2/3 IP.
Jordan Zimmermann – Goes against the Mets, who are next to last in offense post-All-Star Break. Only beating the Mariners.
Tuesday, September 7th
Dallas Braden – Not a huge fan, but he gets the M’s, a team he has a 1.16 ERA vs. this year. Actually, every pitcher might have that ERA against the M’s this year.
Wednesday, September 8th
R.A. Dickey – As long as he continues to be unowned in more than 50% of ESPN leagues, I’ll continue to recommend him. He has a 2.56 ERA on the year. Yes, that’s better than the guy you’re thinking of right now.
Ivan Nova – There’s definitely a theme with these streamers. If the pitcher goes against the M’s, Suckie-O’s, the Mess, peasant Royals or in Petco, then it usually works for me.
Daniel Hudson – By the time I got to the end of the post, he was still under 50% owned, unless the power of Razzball pushes him over (or people just come to their senses).
