Giants Chris Stratton: Deep waiver wire add

The Giants may be out of any playoff race, but they are still competing. Pitcher Chris Stratton has put up some good numbers and is worth adding.

The San Francisco Giants pitching staff has been a bit disappointing this year. They’ve dealt with injuries, some more unconventional than others, poor performances, and just typical bad luck. Yet, they are still trying. One pitcher that has come out of nowhere with a string of good games is Chris Stratton.

Stratton made a couple of appearances back in April but didn’t become a full-time starting pitcher until the end of July. Since then, he has a 1.95 ERA, 1.084 WHIP and 2-1 record. He also has 29 strikeouts, 13 walks and a .238 opposing batting average.

In his last three starts, Stratton pitched at least six innings (18.2 total innings) with a combined two earned runs, 21 strikeouts and eight walks. Those games came against some great offenses, too, the Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks to be specific.

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Stratton is a bit unpredictable when it comes to his outs. He had two 10-strikeout games but had eight ground ball outs against the Brewers. The strikeouts are obviously more helpful for fantasy owners, the ground balls could result in fewer pitches (if the batter swings at the first pitch). He does have a 43.8 swing percentage this year.

The one thing that Stratton needs to work is his pitch count. Some of his at-bats, especially against the Nats, went five or more pitches. That with the high number of walks result in 100+ pitch outings and just six innings.

If you’re okay in WHIP, Stratton worth the risk. The high strikeouts and lack of runs make him worthy of an add in NL-only or deep leagues. He is worth streaming in standard mixed leagues.

Stratton will make his next start on Friday at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are hitting .286 (second) with 32 home runs (17th) and 142 runs scored (fifth) this month. However, the team is hitting just .256/.329/.429 away from Busch Stadium this season.

Stratton is owned in just 17.2 percent of ESPN leagues, up 6.8 percent over the last week. With few reliable pitchers available on the waiver wire, everyone has some value. If you’re looking for the slightest boost in your ERA or strikeouts, Stratton is a top option.

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While the Giants’ offense isn’t good enough to get him the win, he’ll be good enough to register a quality start. If Stratton can shut down the Nationals, Brewers and Diamondbacks for three straight, I’d take a risk on him.