Fantasy Baseball: Waiver Wire Pitching Pickups, 5/27/13

One of the many good options for starting pitchers on the waiver wire, Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana takes on the Chicago Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Monday starts a new fantasy baseball week, and it’s sure to get off and running quickly as ever team in the Majors is in action with 16 games on the schedule. The extra game is the D-Backs and Rangers double-header. Every game is an interleague game as Memorial Day starts the four-game series designed with two home games and two road games for each team against their regional rivals.

With 16 games on tap, there are plenty of pickups that can bolster your starting rotation. Most of them will be back again to start by the end of the week, so choose wisely and you could hold your pickup for a pair of starts. Here’s the options available in more than 50% of ESPN leagues that I think you should consider for Monday:

Possible Pickups

May 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Mike Leake (44) pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning of a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Leake-Cincinnati Reds: (12.5% owned) Leake has been stellar in his last two starts going 13 2/3 innings without allowing a run. He struck out 10 in those two starts while walking three and allowing just 12 hits. He’s been solid all year and comes into Monday’s start 4-2 with a 3.25 ERA. Monday he takes on the Indians in a battle for Ohio which starts in Great American Ballpark Memorial Day afternoon.

Jose Quintana-Chicago White Sox: (7.1%) The White Sox lefty took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Red Sox his last time out allowing three hits and two walked before leaving after 6 1/3 shutout innings. He got the win to improve to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 3.48. His WHIP is also excellent at 1.18 ant hitters are hitting just .234 against him. He and the White Sox host the Cubs this week to get things started and Quintana faces off with Jeff Samardzija.

Phil Hughes-New York Yankees: (22.8%) Hughes has been up-and-down all year getting shelled for 13 runs in two starts in the middle of the month after pitching eight shutout innings to start the month. His last time out he bounced back with a solid outing allowing two runs in six innings at Baltimore. He’s a volatile selection, but is in a good matchup as the Yankees travel to Citi Field in Flushing to take on the Mets.

May 25, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi (23) in the dugout against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Odorizzi-Tampa Bay Rays: (1.9%) Odorizzi is on the list mainly because of the matchup he’s in on Monday. He takes on the Marlins in Tampa and should be able to get a solid start against the anemic Fish offense.

Martin Perez-Texas Rangers: (0.0%) Perez is considered the top Rangers pitching prospect and will get a look in their double-header today to see if he’s Big League ready. He was on his way to claiming a spot in the rotation when he fractured his wrist in Spring Training. He earned this start and opportunity to show he’s ready after throwing seven shutout innings at Triple-A in his last start. He’s a long shot but is worth the pickup if you are in a deep league or need rotation help.

Past Performance

My picks over the past week have performed well as you can see below: