Starting Pitchers from the Waiver Wire for April 19

Could there really be a pitcher on the Houston Astros that can help your fantasy baseball team? Check out Lucas Harrell as he faces the Cleveland Indians on Friday in one of the only two matchups I like for spot starters. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Friday’s a tricky day if you’re in the market for a starting pitcher or two. There’s not many options available and those that you can find on the wire have struggled. I’d stay away from Kevin Slowey, Joe Saunders, and Wandy Rodriguez because they’re in tough matchups and are high-risnk in my opinion.

There are only two options that I like that are over 50% available, so if you’re shopping the wire for rotation I’d wait until Saturday or Sunday if possible when there are better options. Here’s my top picks:

Starters to Add

Apr 7, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (45) delivers to the plate during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Padres 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Jhoulys Chacin-Colorado Rockies: (39.6% owned in ESPN leagues) Chacin makes his fourth start of the year coming in with a nice 2-0 record and a 1.96 ERA to go with a 0.98 WHIP. He’s faced only the Brewers and Padres, but gets a solid matchup agains the Diamondbacks even though it is at Coors Field where snow has been more of a factor his year than altitude. Chacin isn’t as good as his first three starts have made him look, but should be able to have another solid outing at home against the Snakes. He’ll be opposed by Ian Kennedy who comes in at 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA. I expect a solid start with a good shot at a win from Chacin in this NL West showdown.

Lucas Harrell-Houston Astros: (0.5%) After Chacin, things get thin in a hurry. Harrell comes in with a scary 5.63 ERA as the Astros host the Indians Friday. Don’t immediately turn away though, since Harrell has had two starts allowing just one run each against the Angels and Rangers while his ERA is high due to a rocky outing against the A’s. Harrell will be opposed by Brett Myers who has been horrible, but looked better his last time out. Looking at Harrell’s starts, except for the fact that he doesn’t have a win yet I’d be happy to get two of those three. The ugly outlier means there is definitely risk, but I think Harrell should be able to have a solid Friday start against the struggling Cleveland lineup.

Previous Picks

Here’s how my picks have done for the last week: