Starting Pitchers to Target in Fantasy Baseball for August 24

Well, if none of my selections today get suspended by gametime, it’ll be a step in the right direction. Just about the time the news of Bartolo Colon’s misdeeds broke, I was saying he was a good pickup for his scheduled start. Not so much… Hopefully today’s picks can keep it clean: both their bloodstream and their pitching line. As always any starter listed here is owned in under 50% of ESPN leagues. Here’s the best four pickups ready to start on Friday:

Pickups to consider for 8/23

Kyle Kendrick – Phi: (owned in 2.3% of ESPN leagues) In his last two starts against the Brewers and Marlins on the road Kendrick has looked great allowing no runs and eight hits while striking out 13 and walking only one. He’ll face a tougher task Friday as he and the Phillies host the division-leading Nationals. Kendrick is still a risky pickup since he’s had some ugly outings this year, but I think he’ll have another solid start even if he doesn’t throw a shutout. Kendrick has faced the Nats three times this year. In two start,s he pitched 12 innings allowing three runs and taking one loss. His other outing was 0.1 innings out of the pen when he threw four pitches and picked up a K. In most leagues, if you need a spot starter Kendrick is the way to go.

Jeff Samardzija – ChC: (43.1%) If you’re not comfortable with Kendrick or someone else beat you to him, check on the availability of Samardzija. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last seven starts and has a 8-11 record with a 4.17 ERA. His ERA and WHIP are elevated from a rough June, but he’s picked it back up in July and August. He’s 4-3 with a 3.36 ERA at home and he’ll face Colorado in Wrigley Friday afternoon. He’ll be opposed by Drew Pomeranz who is 1-7 with a 4.87 ERA. Samardzija should be in line for a win with a quality start in Chicago where the Cubs are better than you might expect at two games over .500.

Patrick Corbin – Ari: (21.5%) Corbin has provided a nice boost to the D-Back’s rotation as they try to climb back into the Wild Card discussion in the NL. He’s allowed eight runs in four starts spanning 26 innings. In that time he’s picked up 24 strikeouts and walked only six. He’ll face the visiting Padres at Chase Field Friday as he looks to improve to 6-4 and pick up his fourth win in his last five appearances.

Carlos Villanueva – Tor: (9.2%) Villanueva has been Toronto’s best starter as of late and limited Texas to just two runs his last start and the White Sox to just one the start before. He has allowed three earned runs or less in all of his nine starts except one. He’ll make his first start against Baltimore Friday in Camden Yards. He’ll be opposed by Zach Britton who has been wildly inconsistent in his starts for the O’s. Whether the Jays give the run support for a W remains to be seen, but he’s been consistently solid since being added to the rotation.

Previous Pickups Payout

Here’s how our picks have done over the past week: