Starting Pitchers from the Waiver Wire-April 17 Fantasy Baseball

One pitcher who may be on the waiver wire who can help your fantasy team is Carlos Villanueva of the Chicago Cubs. Find out who else you should be looking for that’s scheduled to start on Wednesday. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday has the usual packed schedule for Major League Baseball with all 30 teams scheduled to play. That usually means some good opportunities for fantasy baseball owners to hunt the waiver wire for starting pitching help, and April 17 is no exception. Here’s four options who are available in more than half of ESPN leagues who could boost your pitching stats midweek. At the bottom of the post, you can see how my picks have done over the past week.

Pitchers to Pickup for 4/17

Apr 12, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Ross Detwiler (48) pitches in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Ross Detwiler-Washington Nationals: (28.5%) Detwiler has allowed just one earned run in his first two starts. He’s finished with no-decisions against both the Reds and Braves despite giving his team a great shot to win. He comes into Wednesday’s night against the Marlins with a 0.69 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He doesn’t pile up strikeouts, but should have a good outing against Miami who rank last in the Majors in runs, batting average, OBP, and Slugging percentage.

Carlos Villanueva-Chicago Cubs: (3.8%) Villanueva has been excellent with the Cubs this year after moving from the Blue Jays to Chicago. He doesn’t have a win yet but has only allowed one run on nine hits in his first 14 innings while striking out nine and walking only three. He’ll look to get a win Wednesday as the Cubs host the Rangers who will start rookie Justin Grimm who allowed two runs in four innings in his first start of the season. The Rangers are still a lineup with some punch, but they’re not as brutal as in years past. In Wrigley on what will probably be another chilly April night I think Villanueva can continue his solid start to the season.

Bartolo Colon-Oakland Athletics: (1.4%) The 39-year old veteran has a nice matchup against the Astros in Houston who he already beat once this year in his first start after being suspended. He did allow three runs in six innings in that game and three in seven in his next outing. He isn’t the most over-powering option, but the Astros lineup giving him a nice matchup and the A’s current hot streak make him a viable option in deep or AL-only leagues.

Apr 12, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ (48) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

J.A. Happ-Toronto Blue Jays: (8.0%) Happ has been inefficient with his pitch count and hasn’t been able to go deep into games but he comes into his third start of the season 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA. He has 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings and he and the Jays host Chicago on Wednesday night. He’ll be opposed by Jose Quintana who has been inconsistent in his early starts. Coming into Tuesday’s action, the White Sox had lost six of their first seven road games while the Blue Jays bats are coming around and producing some runs. If a win is your chief concern, Happ is a decent option to consider.

Past Picks