Pitchers to Pickup – Scheduled Starters for August 21

The Fantasy Baseball season continues winding down and many owners are looking for starting pitching stats. Whether you need wins or strikeouts in roto or an ERA or WHIP boost in a weekly league, there are some solid options scheduled to start on Tuesday who can be gotten on the waiver wire in more than 50% of ESPN leagues.

Here’s my pickups for Tuesday and the results of my picks from last week.

Possible Pickups for 8/21

Lucas Harrell – Hou: (5.8%) Harrell hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in his last seven starts and is only 3-2 during that time. Harrell doesn’t get run support from the Astros lineup, but he’s had a 2.06 ERA over that span with 38 K’s in 42.2 innings pitched. He’ll face the Cardinals in his start Tuesday who he is 2-0 against in two starts this season. The Cards lineup is potent, but Harrell has been solid lately and he’s the best option widely available and scheduled to start on Tuesday.

Scott Feldman – Tex: (6.7%) Feldman gave up three runs to the Yankees in his last start but all the damage was donw in one inning. He struggled the start before that against the Tigers, but had been on a roll before running into those two potent offenses. He had allowed just three runs in his first three starts back in the rotation to the Royals, White Sox, and Red Sox. In my mind, he does great against weaker opponents while struggling against bigger bats. He faces the Orioles and Chris Tillman in Arlington Tuesday. It should be a well-pitched game on both sides, but I like the Rangers lineup to break through at home and get Feldman the W.

Dan Straily – Oak: (9.1%) Straily hasn’t been able to translate his big Minor League strikeout numbers to the Majors yet but in two of his three starts has allowed one run or fewer so he has a 3.18 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP coming into Tuesday’s game against the Twins. The A’s need another solid outing as they try to stay in the Wild Card hunt, so Straily should be in store for a quality start with a good shot at a win.

Aaron Cook – Bos: (0.1%) Cook was good his last start at Fenway allowing just a run on six hits over seven innings to the Rangers. Cook could soon be traded, but he is scheduled to start for the Red Sox against the visting Angels Tuesday. He’ll be opposed by Ervin Santana who is 6-10 with a 5.59 ERA. He’s a deep league pickup only, but if you’re desperate for a starter he could get a win and a solid start against the struggling Angels. If he does struggle, he won’t be left in for a long time in order to preserve his trade value.

Picks from the Past week: