Ten-Team Leagues

Michael Kopech (CHW) – Words cannot express how fast you should be running to the waiver wire to acquire the White Sox prized rookie. Kopech is currently 60% owned in Yahoo! leagues and about 55% owned on ESPN so you need to make like a bandit to the waiver wire to get him if he’s still available in your league. His first start was limited to just two innings due to a rain delay and the White Sox opted to preserve his arm and not bring him back out after play resumed. But in the two innings he worked against Minnesota he struck out four batters, walked none, and gave up three hits. His fastball was averaging around 97mph, but he’s known for hitting 100 with ease. If he wants to survive as a pitcher in the big leagues he may have to dial the fastball back a little bit, but if he can average 97mph on the radar gun he’s a great value with strikeout upside. He gets a start on Sunday on the road in Detroit to finish the current week off. Next week he gets a road start against Boston. Now the Red Sox have touted the best offense all season long, but they have lost four of their last six games in which they’ve scored ten runs total in those four losses. If the offensive inconsistency continues maybe Kopech catches his former organization at the right time to show them what they’re missing out on.

Lance Lynn (NYY) – Lynn has gotten rocked in his last two outings to the tune of ten earned runs over his last 9.1 innings of work. But with the Yankees, he boasts a 3.81 ERA with a 2.04 FIP so he’s due for regression. After all he’s given up just one home run in the month of August. Lynn is a two-start pitcher next week against the Tigers and White Sox. Both starts will be in the Bronx. In his last start against the White Sox he lasted 7.1 innings, struck out nine, walked one, and gave up two hits while not allowing any runs. The pair of starts next week make him a very nice streaming option especially when you consider that he’s averaged 11.42 K/9 in pinstripes.

German Marquez (COL) – I may have made the mistake in the past of recommending Marquez during a bad matchup or two where he was pitching in Coors. But not this time! I promise to get this right. Marquez has been electric lately. Over his last five starts he’s logged a quality start in each, while totaling 39 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work. He toes the rubber in San Diego next week and he’s phenomenal on the road. Get him in your lineup for next week and reap the rewards. Here are his home/road splits:

 

ERA

AVG

OBP

SLG

wOBA

Home

6.42

.310

.383

.531

.385

Away

2.89

1.98

.261

.334

.261

 

 

12-Team Leagues

Aarón Sánchez (TOR) – A big part of this recommendation is contingent on how Sanchez performs Saturday against Philadelphia. Toronto’s activating him off the 60-day DL and even before he went on the DL he had a 4.52 ERA and walked five batters per nine innings of work. If he shows some sign of life then you can stream him next week in Miami. It’s a matchup against a bad team in a great ballpark for pitchers. There’s no telling how long he’ll last, but this recommendation has potential based on the matchup alone.

Tyler Glasnow (TB) – Glasnow’s definitely seen improvement since joining Tampa Bay. In five starts with the Rays he has a 3.80 ERA (3.24 FIP) and a 12.17 K/9. Although he hasn’t logged a win or a quality start, he’s been pretty good. The fastball is right around 95-97mph and he’s generating a 12.7% swinging strike rate. Now next week he does take the mound against the Braves in Sun Trust Park. That’s a rough matchup and a ballpark downgrade from Tropicana Field. But despite having a three-game lead on the NL East division the Braves have scored just 19 runs in their previous seven games heading into Saturday’s tilt against Miami. The pitching has been better, but the offense has been fairly inconsistent for Atlanta save for Ronald Acuña. It’s not a sexy matchup, but it’s got some teeth.

Jake Odorizzi (MIN) – Over his last four starts Odorizzi has a 3.22 ERA, but that looks great compared to a 2.30 FIP. He hasn’t allowed a home run in that span and the walks have been minimal. The downside to his matchup next week is that it’s on the road against the Indians. However, in his last appearance against the Tribe he allowed just one run on four hits and two walks. He didn’t strike anybody out and he didn’t last five innings, but he has 20 strikeouts in his last 17.2 innings of work and could potentially get the better of Cleveland next week if he can continue to avoid giving up the long ball.

 

Deeper League Options

Joey Lucchesi (SD) – Lucchesi was the toast of the fantasy baseball community earlier in the year, but a month long stint on the DL derailed his season… Until recently. The strikeouts seemed to disappear, but they’re back. He has at least six strikeouts in each of his last four starts and five of his last six. So far in August he has an okay 3.74 ERA (3.43 FIP) with an 11.22 K/9 and a respectable 2.91 BB/9. He does have a start against the Mariners coming up, which could be problematic since Robinson Canó has returned from his suspension. Additionally, you can proceed with caution because while Petco Park may cater to pitchers, Lucchesi has struggled at home. In two of his last three starts at home he has given up five earned runs. But he’s generating more strikeouts and swinging strikes so I’m not opposed to Lucchesi in deeper leagues.

Brian Johnson (BOS) – It’s always tough to tell what you’re going to get out of Brian Johnson . One day he’s striking out 11 against the Yankees, then the next day he’s giving up dingers to Toronto (while still getting credit for a win). And that’s why Johnson is a streaming option next week. He should get enough offensive support to put him in position for a win if he can just go five innings against the Marlins. Don’t expect a ton of strikeouts, but against a sub-par Miami offense he should eat up some innings and get a win.