The player that has the most influence on any given MLB game is the starting pitcher who can set his team up for success or make it impossible for them to overcome his issues. The same is true for fantasy baseball starting pitchers who can make or break your fantasy day whether you’re playing season-long roto-style fantasy or daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel, DraftKings, Draftster, or FantasyAces.
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Each morning on FanSided, we’re featuring the top ten batter vs pitcher matchups to know for the day as well as taking a quick look at the status of some of the biggest fantasy baseball starting pitchers. To find all our continuing coverage, drop a bookmark at our fantasy baseball hub where we’ll have new coverage throughout the rest of the season.
As we continue to fine-tune our fantasy baseball coverage headed into the dog days of summer, I’d love to get your feedback on how we can best help you win your league. The design of this post is to give you some of the biggest studs, sleepers, and stay-aways scheduled to take the mound today. Feel free to comment below or find me @FansidedFantasy on Twitter. I’ll be happy to give you my take on your lineup, and any waiver wire questions you have.
If you’re looking for streaming starting pitcher options, the sleepers on the third slide of this post are a great place to start your search. Getting the right starting pitcher is vital to finishing your fantasy weekend strong, so let’s look closer at today’s fantasy baseball starting pitchers.
3 Starting Pitcher Studs
1. Felix Hernandez-Seattle Mariners: Hernandez has been superb this season going 5-0 in his first six starts with a total of 44 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. He is holding opponents to a .192 batting average while posting a 1.73 ERA. The roughest outing he has had this season did come against the A’s who are his opponent for today, but he has been locked in lately allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts.
2. Clayton Kershaw-Los Angeles Dodgers: After a rainout yesterday, Kershaw is expected to take on the Rockies today in Denver. Kershaw has at least eight strikeouts in five of his six starts including a season-high 12 strikeouts when he faced Colorado in mid-April. In the last three seasons, Kershaw is 4-0 in Denver with a 3.05 ERA in his six starts including a pair of complete games. While the altitude may keep him from twirling a gem, I do expect a solid start with plenty of strikeouts and a good shot at picking up a win against the Rockies.
3. Bartolo Colon-New York Mets: The ageless wonder continues to defy being the punchline of every fantasy baseball joke by turning in great numbers almost every time he takes the mound. In his six starts this season, Colon has compiled a 5-1 record and a 2.90 ERA. He has gone at least six full innings in each start and allowed more than three earned runs only once. He should be in a nice spot today as he takes on the light-hitting Phillies and opposing Chad Billingsley.
Next: 3 Starting Pitcher Stay-Aways