Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Pitching Pickups, 5/11/13

If you need help from the waiver wire for your starting pitchers, the top option for Saturday is Miami Marlins pitcher Kevin Slowey who here delivers to the plate during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday is another full day of baseball as the MLB season continues, and if you need a boost for your fantasy baseball team there are definitely some options worth considering widely available on the waiver wire. Every day we highlight some of these “spot starter” options (archive here), and you can see our past results at the bottom of the page. Here’s the recommended adds for Saturday:

Possible Pikcups

Kevin Slowey-Miami Marlins: (38.2%) Slowey and the Fish are in LA to take on the Dodgers on Saturday as he faces off with Hyun-Jin Ryu. Ryu has been good for LA and should have a great start against the anemic Marlins offense, but Slowey should be able to help you too if he stays on his current roll. He’s allowed zero or one run in five of his seven starts this season including throwing seven innings of two-hit ball against Philadelphia his last time out. It was his first win of the season which shows how terrible his run support has been but he can help you with ERA and WHIP. He has even added six strikeouts or more in each of his last three outings. On the year, he has a 1.81 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP. The Dodgers lineup has potential but hasn’t been bashing yet this season and Dodger Stadium is normally a pitcher’s park. You may not get a win with Slowey, but he should have a solid start in Chavez Ravine.

Apr 1, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (45) is greeted by teammates after pitching against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA Today Sports

Jhoulys Chacin-Colorado Rockies: (30.6%) Chacin struggled his last time out against Tampa but that was his first start back of the DL. He doesn’t have a great matchup as he takes on St. Louis on Saturday, but is worth a look since he was pitching well before his time off. He enters play Saturday with a 3-1 record and a 2.56 ERA even after his rocky outing against Tampa.

Jerome Williams-Los Angeles Angels: (0.9%) Williams will get his second start of the season as he and the Angels take on Jose Quintana and the White Sox. Chicago’s offense has struggled which could help Williams to survive his usually-high contact rate. He has his best outing of the season two appearances ago coming out of the pen to allow just one unearned run to the A’s in six innings. His last time out he gave up five runs in just 4 1/3, so there’s definitely some risk if you add the Hawaiian starter, but he has had sporadic success in the past and does have a solid lineup behind him meaning a good start could earn him a win.

Apr 14, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Brandon Maurer (37) pitches to the Texas Rangers during the 1st inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Maurer-Seattle Mariners: (0.2%) If Williams isn’t enough risk for you, roll the dice with Maurer who had a run of three quality starts snapped his last time out as he was roughed up for four runs in four innings against the Orioles. On the year his ERA is still a grisly 6.07 with opponents still hitting .299 against him. His first two starts of the year were absolutely brutal for his stats though, and he’s been much better since. Just two starts ago he blanked the Angels for 6 1/3 while striking out six, so there is definitely some upside to the young Seattle hurler who faces the injury-depleted A’s at Safeco Saturday night.

Past Performance