Waiver Wire Starting Pitcher Pickups for Saturday, April 5

If you are searching the waiver wire for a spot starter or streaming option for your fantasy baseball team, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran is one of the options to consider you can find in this daily post. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

With Opening Day staggered earlier this week, Saturday has some weird matchups as some teams chose to bring their aces back while others are on their fifth starter. There’s some lop-sided matchups to avoid, but there are definitely some solid options if your streaming starters or need a Saturday fill-in as you try to win your week. Here’s my top pickups for Saturday and a look at how my choices fared during this opening week:

Pitchers to Pickup

Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Bartolo Colon-Oakland Athletics: (0.2% ownership in ESPN leagues) Colon gets his first start coming off suspension against the offensively-challenged Astros and their fifth starter Eric Bedard. As long as you can put up with the PED-related banter sure to come your way if you add him, he should be a solid start at home against the Astros. Last year he had solid numbers going 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts. If you need wins or to help your ERA and WHIP and can live without many strikeouts, Colon is worth the one-start pickup.

Julio Teheran-Atlanta Braves: (39.0%) Teheran is a nice sleeper pick as he gets his shot in the Braves rotation. He’ll get his first start Saturday as Atlanta hosts the Cubs. He’ll be opposed by Carlos Villanueva and is a good grab if you’re chasing W’s as the week closes.

Mike Fiers-Milwaukee Brewers: (1.9%) The Brewers are at home against Arizona as Fiers tries to continue the success he had during his rookie season. He struggled towards the end of the year but still finished  9-10 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He had 137 strike outs in just 129.2 innings so if you’re looking for K’s he’s probably te best option to add for today. He’s matched against Patrick Corbin of the Snakes, so there’s no 1v5 going on here.

Mar. 20, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (47) throws during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Trevor Bauer-Cleveland Indians: (0.6%) Bauer is a little more of a long-shot after a rough spring training. He was supposed to start the season in the minor leagues, but Scott Kazmir’s injury (yes, already) has given him the chance to start Saturday against the Rays. Tampa isn’t a weak offensive team and he’s on the road at the Trop, but he has the electric stuff and top-prospect pedigree that make him intriguing to watch as he gets the start on Saturday night in Tampa.

Picks that Paid Off 

For the most part anyway… I was disappointed by Porcello, but my other three picks were solid. You can also see who I have for Friday’s games and I’ll add their results tomorrow.