Marlins: Jose Arena has two matchups worth starting
By Bill Pivetz
Marlins and fantasy owners have been riding the success of slugger Giancarlo Stanton. However, Jose Urena and his next two starts are worth picking up.
The Miami Marlins are not having the success they would want. Maybe the new ownership group can put a winning team on the field next year. Outside of the top hitters, the Marlins don’t have many fantasy stars on the team. However, starting pitcher Jose Urena could be a streaming option for the next week
Urena is posting career-high numbers across the board, good and bad. He pitched in 119.2 innings with 82 strikeouts, 42 walks and 17 home runs allowed. Though, he does have a 3.76 ERA, 1.195 WHIP and 10-5 record this year.
His recent success has given him a boost in fantasy value. Urena is the No. 23 starting pitcher on the Player Rater over the last 30 days. He does have a few high-score outings but they are offset by the four one or two-run starts.
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Looking ahead to this week, Urena has two favorable matchups. His first start is on Wednesday at home against the San Francisco Giants. This is probably self-explanatory but I’ll talk about it some.
The Giants don’t have that premier power hitter like a Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout or Bryce Harper. Not a single hitter has 20 home runs or 60 RBI. We’re 116 games into the season. While he isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, Urena should be able to keep the Giants off base for a few innings.
His next start is on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies on the road. The Phillies, similar to the Giants are missing that star hitter in the middle of their lineup. They also don’t have a 20-home run or 60-RBI hitter.
AT&T Park ranks at the bottom in runs, RBI and home runs, according to ESPN Park Factors. Citizens Bank Park ranks in the top half in those stats but the numbers include all batters, not just Philly hitters. If Urena can limit the long ball and free passes, he should have two quality starts.
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Urena is owned in just 34.3 percent of ESPN leagues. He has been added in 4.1 percent of leagues over the last week. With RP and SP eligibility, you can utilize him to add more starts to your team without dropping another starter. If you need help in the counting stats, I’d invest in these next two games.