Fantasy Baseball 2018: Pitchers to Add for Friday, August 10th

This article looks at some starting pitchers for Friday, August 10th that you should consider for your Fantasy Baseball lineup

Nathan Eovaldi– Boston Red Sox

Opponent: at Baltimore

Nathan Eovaldi could not have gotten off to a better start for the Red Sox, and is one of the most added starters in Fantasy Baseball. In his two starts after being traded from Tampa Bay to Boston, Eovaldi has two wins, and has not given up an earned run through 15 innings pitched. One of those starts came against the Twins, and the other came against the Yankees at Fenway Park. He only struck out nine batters in those two starts combined, but overall this season, he has an above average swinging strike rate of 17.5%, and he has a really low walk rate of 3.3%.

On Friday, Eovaldi looks to continue his great pitching against the Orioles. Surprisingly, the Orioles, after trading two of their top hitters in Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop, have been red-hot with the bats lately. Since the All-Star break, they lead the majors in batting average, are second in slugging % and OPS, and fourth in runs scored. However, I think this stretch is more of a fluke, and I don’t foresee Eovaldi having too much trouble against them.

Zack Wheeler– New York Mets

Opponent: at Miami

The Mets have had a pretty forgettable season, but their starting pitching has been a bright spot. Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard get a lot of the hype, but Zack Wheeler has become another solid piece in the Mets’ rotation. He did not give up an earned run in either of his last two outings against Pittsburgh and Atlanta. He struck out 16 batters in those two starts, and only gave up eight hits. He has posted a career-high in swinging-strike % with 19.1%, and has an above-average strikeout % of 23.5%.

Wheeler gets a good matchup this week, as he’ll face Miami on the road. Miami isn’t a great offensive team, and in two starts against them this season, Wheeler has put up a 1.38 ERA, and has struck out 16 batters over 13 innings. The Marlins, as a team, have a .188/.204/.271 slash line against Wheeler this season, so look for him to continue his recent success on Friday.

Clay Buchholz– Arizona Diamondbacks

Opponent: at Cincinnati 

Clay Buchholz has had a nice season for Arizona, and it hasn’t come at much of a cost. After being released by Kansas City in May, Buchholz signed a minor-league deal with Arizona, and he has gone 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA in 10 starts for them. Four of his wins have come in his last four starts, of which three were quality outings. He gave up only six earned runs over those four starts, and struck out 25. He was particularly effective in his latest start against San Francisco, striking out eight and giving up two earned runs over six innings pitched. He also had 18 swinging strikes, a season-high.

Buchholz will face the Reds on the road this Friday, and it comes at a good time. Since the All-Star break, the Reds have been the fourth-worst run-scoring team in the league. They’re also in the bottom half of the league in batting average, OBP, slugging %, and OPS in that span, so Buchholz can take advantage of their cold bats and put up some strong numbers.

Best of luck this season, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest Fantasy Baseball news and analysis!