You may hear it said that we’re just now entering the second half of the season. While we’re now past the All-Star break, the truth is the halfway point in the season was a long time ago (relatively). Every team has played between 94 and 99 games, meaning some teams have as few as 63 games left in the season or less than 40 percent of the 162 they started with. It’s coming to the point where if you’re not already where you want to be in the standings, you’re running out of time to get there. Fortunately, making up ground in the pitching categories is doable, especially if you’re able to successfully stream pitchers.
For this week, I’ve included suggested pitchers for the final three days of this week for those of you still able to add pitchers.
To determine the pitchers eligible for consideration, I looked at players who were owned in less than 30 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Friday, July 20
Clayton Richard (SDP) @ Philadelphia Phillies (22.7%)
He’s not the sexiest name out there, but with a 4.43 ERA on the season that’s backed up by a 4.17 FIP, he’s at least dependable. In his past 13 starts, he’s recorded 10 quality starts and has gone at least six innings in all of them, so his blowup potential is minimal. He’s had a bit of a walk problem recently, with 14 in his past three games, but perhaps he’s figured that out during the break. A matchup with the Phillies doesn’t hurt either, whose 84 wRC+ against lefties ranks 25th in the majors.
Saturday, July 21
Vince Velasquez (PHI) vs. San Diego Padres (22.6%)
Velazquez also finds himself in a favorable matchup, facing the Padres in his first start after the break. For the season, Padres hitters have a combined 81 wRC+ against righties, second worst in baseball ahead of only the Tigers. He’s also been solid, as his 4.39 ERA hides an impressive 3.78 FIP. He’s striking out nearly 28 percent of batters that he faces, so expect him to rack up the Ks against a Padres team that has been the most strikeout-prone against righties this season.
Sunday, July 22
Jake Odorizzi (MIN) @ Kansas City Royals (23.7%)
I was tempted to take Nick Pivetta or Matt Harvey here, but both are just over the ownership threshold, and I don’t want to come back from my mini-hiatus to people questioning my integrity. So instead, I’m going with Odorizzi, the mediocre pitcher in the tremendous matchup. Odorizzi’s ERA and ERA predictors are all in the same range in the mid-to-high 4s, likely due to him walking more than 10 percent of batters that he faces, but he’s also capable of generating some strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Royals have the fourth-worst offense in baseball against righties and the worst offense in baseball overall over the last month.
Monday, July 23
Jose Urena (MIA) vs. Atlanta Braves (7.9%)
Like Velasquez, Urena has been better this season than his 4.39 ERA would indicate. He’s striking out more than three times as many batters as he’s walked on his way to a 3.70 FIP. If there’s one thing to complain about, it’s his innings, as he hasn’t made it out of the sixth inning in any of his past four starts. The Braves are no cakewalk, but they’re not as dangerous against righties as they are against lefties. Their 93 wRC+ against righties is in the bottom 10 in baseball.
Tuesday, July 24
Ryan Borucki (TOR) vs. Minnesota Twins (4.8%)
Despite having only thrown 23 career major league innings and not having elite minor league numbers, I’m rolling with Borucki in this matchup. He’s been fine so far in the majors, pitching to a 3.52 ERA, although a .370 BABIP and 2.62 FIP indicate he’s run into some bad luck (although his 4.11 xFIP indicates he’s gotten lucky in other regards). Keep in mind, though, that so far, he’s faced off against the Astros, Yankees, and Red Sox in three of his four starts. A matchup against the Twins, whose 90 wRC+ against righties is 10th lowest in baseball, should be a welcome relief.
Wednesday, July 25
Domingo German (NYY) @ Tampa Bay Rays (17.3%)
Another player not going deep into games, German nevertheless makes the cut for Wednesday’s slate of games. His 5.49 ERA is unsightly, but a 4.42 FIP and 3.82 xFIP may ease your corners about using him. His strikeout rate and underlying contact numbers are among the best in the game, which makes it all the more surprising that his strand rate sits at a low 64.8 percent. The Rays are actually ever-so-slightly above average against righties this season, but their strikeout rate is 22.6 percent, 12th highest.
Thursday, July 26
Nick Kingham (PIT) vs. New York Mets (11.5%)
His last time out on the mound, Kingham was finally able to tie his career-high in strikeouts, set way back in May when he had his unbelievable MLB debut. Coming off two straight quality starts, Kingham may be rediscovering some of that magic. He’ll look to lower his 4.26 ERA and bring it closer to his 3.89 xFIP when he takes on the Mets, who have a 94 wRC+ against righties this season.
Friday, July 27
German Marquez (COL) vs. Oakland Athletics (16.7%)
Marquez gets the nod here even in what’s not an easy matchup, mostly because the other options are even worse. Looking at it more closely, though, Marquez has actually been quite good this year with a 4.43 FIP and 3.79 xFIP demonstrating he’s been unlucky to have a 4.81 ERA. He’s been even better recently, striking out 22 in 20 innings over his past three starts while walking just two and allowing four runs. Even the Athletics, who have the fifth-best offense against righties this season, shouldn’t scare Marquez.
Saturday, July 28
Tyson Ross (SDP) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (29.2%)
Ross has been perfectly adequate this season — 4.32 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 21 percent strikeout rate — but this pick is almost exclusively about the matchup. Diamondbacks hitters against righties this season have an 81 wRC+ and are striking out in 24.4 percent of plate appearances, both of which are sixth or worst among MLB teams. He didn’t pitch too well the last time he faced Arizona (eight runs in two innings), so he’ll be looking for some revenge.
Sunday, July 29
Andrew Suarez (SFG) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (27.1%)
Suarez has a great matchup as well — the Brewers’ 82 wRC+ against lefties is fifth lowest in the majors — but this pick is more a statement on Suarez’s ownership percentage. You would think a pitcher with a 3.94 ERA and 3.50 FIP would be owned in more than 30 percent of leagues, especially when he’s striking out over 22 percent of batters and pitching in the spacious AT&T Park. Before his last start, Suarez had gone six straight appearances without allowing more than two runs. I expect a similar streak to start again on Sunday.
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Brian Reiff is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Brian, check out his archive and follow him @briansreiff.
