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Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Starting Pitcher Pickups-August 9, 2014

By Zachary Thompson

Aug 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton (65) pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton (65) pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Don’t let the dog days of summer derail your fantasy baseball team–stay active and get your starting rotation optimized for this weekend.  If you’re looking for a scheduled starting pitcher for Saturday, there are three options who are good calls to give you a nice boost.

Each afternoon, you can find my starting pitching pickups here on Fansided (archive here). After a nice showing from my Thursday picks, my recommended options are 10-4 with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and a 7.73 K/9 rate. While not every one of my picks has been a hit this month, most of them have delivered and hopefully helped you stay in contention coming down the stretch of the fantasy baseball regular season.

Here are my three top pickups for Saturday:

1. player. 43. Since the Yankees acquired him from Arizona, McCarthy has gone 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA winning each of his last four outings.  In only one of his five New York starts has he given up more than a single earned run and he’s completed the sixth in all but his most recent outing. In that start on Monday, he did manage to pick up eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings as he got a win over the Tigers.  On Saturday afternoon, he’ll take the mound at Yankee Stadium where his ERA is 1.02 in three starts. He’ll be opposed by Indians’ starter Corey Kluber who has been on a roll himself, so don’t count on a win from McCarthy although he’s shown he can be extremely streaky and is currently on a great roll.. 32.3% owned. vs Cleveland Indians. Brandon McCarthy

62. In his three MLB starts this season, Paxton has shown flashes of his top prospect potential striking out 18 in 16.1 innings against the Angels and Orioles.  He has struggled a little with his control and is prone to inconsistency as many rookies are.  However, he has the tools to be an elite level pitcher as he continues to grow, and he’s in a good matchup to showcase them as he and Seattle host the struggling White Sox. He’ll be opposed by Hector Noesi who is just 6-8 this year with a 4.97 ERA.  If Paxton can put together a solid start, he should get the run support to make him a winner on Saturday night.  He’s slightly higher risk than McCarthy, but I think he has a better shot at a win based on matchup.  . 14.8% owned. vs Chicago White Sox. James Paxton. 2. player

After starting the season on fire, Feldman hit the DL and had quite a rough spell in mid-July, but he’s shown some signs of bouncing back lately and is coming off a pair of impressive starts against the A’s and Blue Jays.  In those two outings he allowed a total of two runs in 16 innings on 13 hits and five walks while improving to 5-8 with his complete game his last time out.  In Saturday’s outing, he’ll face his former teammates as the Rangers come to town. This season he’s started against Texas twice and has a pair of no-decisions allowing four runs in 12 innings. He has the momentum, so he’s worth a look despite his unimpressive 4.13 ERA on the season. . 3.0% owned. vs Texas Rangers. Scott Feldman. 3. player. 135

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